Leadville Silver

“When we face problems or disagreements today, we have to arrive at solutions through dialogue. Dialogue is the only appropriate method. One-sided victory is no longer relevant. We must work to resolve conflicts in a spirit of reconciliation and always keep in mind the interests of others. We cannot destroy our neighbors!  We cannot ignore their interests! Doing so would ultimately cause us to suffer.”

Dalai Lama

It seems that my letter regarding the installation of new murals on historic downtown buildings that was published in the Herald Democrat on October 17, 2013 hit a nerve with some of the community.  Since then I have had the opportunity to visit Leadville and talk with some people about the EDC, the mural project and ongoing activities and I welcome the opportunity to comment further

First of all, if I offended mural artist Lexie Palmore or her husband, I apologize. My letter was not meant as a critique of her work.  It was simply my opinion based on what I was able to see in the photo in the newspaper.  I have since read that the sample shown in the photo is not actually representative of the final artwork. After talking with John Wells, a member of the Lake County Economic Development Company (LCEDC) I have gathered that it is not the intention of the LCEDC to paint over historic murals and there has indeed been some thought given to attempting to restore some of those earlier advertisements. From what I have been able to learn, the murals are part of the LCEDC Downtown Revitalization Project. Most of the murals will be painted on panels that will be attached to the buildings, rather than painted directly on the buildings. The two exceptions are those on the Scarlet Inn and the “Ladies of Leadville” which is slated for refurbishment. According to Wells, the Downtown Revitalization Project will include historic preservation, potentially becoming part of Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Main Street Project, murals and sculptures in the downtown area and cleaning and decorating vacant storefronts. Business owners are being encouraged to “brighten up” and fix up their exteriors.

There will always be friction between those that want a place to stay exactly the same and those that welcome growth and change.  But the reality is places and people change over time. Hopefully they change for the better.  What I am observing in Leadville is that there are divergent groups that I think have the same goals, but are worlds apart on the best way to achieve those objectives.  What everyone seems to want is a sound, sustainable, diverse economic base that will allow those who live in Leadville to work and play in Leadville.  They want their children and grandchildren to have a reason to stay or return. They want to maintain the small town character and hometown appeal. They want the unique character that is Leadville to shine through.  Some see that coming mainly through events like the LT100 series.  Others see it as coming from heritage tourism and still others from resurgence in mining activities.  Someone recently told me, “Leadville had 30 years to develop Heritage Tourism and they haven’t done it.”  Others have told me the race series is driving away any hope of maintaining and growing heritage tourism.  The truth is that neither of these approaches will likely result in sustainable economic growth on their own.  

I am no expert in economic development or historic preservation and I absolutely do not mean to be condescending or patronizing.   I am simply trying to say that open, honest, respectful communication and a willingness to truly listen to each other will go a long way in establishing common ground for the economic advancement of Leadville.   That is the essence of dialogue.

There are no easy answers. I started out trying to find a way to restore one little piece of Leadville history – my Great Grandfather’s sign.  And that is what I will continue to do. Hopefully I will be successful.  If so, maybe that one little piece, will lead to another.  I can only hope.  I have extended to city and county governments, to the LCEDC and to other locals an offer to help, in any way – as much as an outsider can – with restoration and preservation and to help bridge the gap. But real change must come from within.  My goal is to keep Leadville a place that people want to visit – because it is NOT Aspen, or Breckenridge or Telluride – because it is uniquely Leadville THE quintessential historic Colorado mining town.  It does not have to be neighbor against neighbor, business against business.  It will take rolling up our sleeves, coming together – working together – for the interests of the Leadville. We are all fighting FOR Leadville and her future.  Is anyone else with me? 

 I welcome guest contributors and comments!  If you are interested in submitting posts or have suggestions about what subjects you would like to see, let me know via email at ktrauger@rof.net.