Echoes of Silver and Stories: The Leadville Photography Collection

Leadville, Colorado Wall Art

The Two Mile High City

Sitting at 10,151 ft above sea level, Leadville is one of Colorado’s more unique towns, and that’s saying a lot for a state with such incredible mountain culture. Not a big place but it’s still racked up a number of nicknames over the years: The Two Mile High City, Oro City, Cloud City, and Slab Town. That alone provides a great hint into Leadville’s rich mining history that began in 1859 during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, and that hunt for gold, silver, and lead continued for 130 years. Visiting the small town today, you can still feel what Leadville once was, and that’s a lot of the draw. Only 2 hours from Denver, but it feels a world away, with unprecendented views of the surrounding mountains and no crowds. The architecture is gorgeous and well preserved in a lot of cases like the Delaware Hotel which first opened in 1886. Of course the local jewel is the Silver Dollar Saloon. You’d be hard pressed to find another like it anywhere in the country. Inside you can feel the years (established 1879), and that feeling only gets better once you learn more about it’s history with noted regulars like Doc Holiday! The most surprising part of Leadville is the fact that it has delicious food! I’d recommend checking out The Silver Llama Market and Eatery for breakfast and Treeline Kitchen for dinner. They are conveniently located right next to each other and Treeline has a great rooftop patio that’s open in the warmer months. Mineral 1886 also has good food for lunch and dinner.

Walking through the neighborhoods is always fun because you’ll get a feel for daily life, and Leadville has some colorful houses that are intricately shingled. If you are looking for more of a workout, the Mineral Belt Trail (12 miles) can provide year round recreation with top notch views of the mountains and will take you up close to some of the old mining claims. Walking, running, and biking in the summer. Fat biking and cross country skiing in the winter. There is a nordic center just outside of Tennessee Pass and endless access to backcountry skiing/snowboarding from all routes in/out of town. And If there’s any reason this little hideaway would sound familiar, that’s because it’s home to one of the hardest mountain bike races in the country - The Leadville 100! That and Melanzana, which is supposedly on a year waitlist for hooded sweatshirts. Perhaps the most redeeming quality about their main drag though, is you won’t see a single chain restaurant or business. They are all locally owned and there is no mistaking that fact! Leadville is a gem of a place that you hope will retain it’s small town charm for decades to come. If you’re looking for a fun getaway with resort crowds, check out Leadville for a couple nights.

If you’d like to have a little piece of Leadville to remember your trip and brighten your walls with Colorado culture, contact me directly about photography prints for your home, office, or commercials space. - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Photography print of downtown Leadville, Colorado

Leadville, Colorado Wall Art

Photograph of the Golden Burro Cafe in Leadville, Colorado

The Golden Burro Cafe - Leadville

Photography print of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, Colorado

Black and white photograph of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, CO

Black and white photograph of the bar inside the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, Colorado

Photograph of the bar inside the Silver Dollar Saloon

Leadville, CO

Manhattan Bar - Leadville, CO

Photograph of High Mountain Pies Pizzeria in Leadville, Colorado

High Mountain Pies - Leadville, CO

Photograph of an American Flag hanging in the window of a house with colorful shingles and a ski fence in Leadville, CO

Colorful house in Leadville, CO

Photo print of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, CO

Leadville Saloon

Photograph of bar stools and the old tile floor in the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, CO

Tile floor in the Leadville Saloon

Photograph of the interior of the saloon in Leadville, CO

Pool table and taxidermy inside the Silver Dollar Saloon - Leadville, CO

Hand painted beer sign on an old brick building in Leadville, CO

Beer - Leadville, CO

Fly Fishing Photography

Alaska Fly Fishing

It’s a shame that I’m not better with words to accurately describe the experience of fly fishing in Alaska. Never done it down in South America, so I can’t compare, but nevertheless Alaska is on a whole different level than most places you’ll ever experience. A lot of the reason for that is the remote locations you go to fish that are only accessible by float plane. The plane rides alone are worth the price of admission, but they also let you know just how isolated you are from the rest of the world. I love Alaska. More to come from this trip soon…

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography

Bishop, CA

Snowboarding is a very selfish act of mine. Aside from photography it’s the thing I love doing most in the world and the only activity where I allow myself to put the camera down. Went up to the Mammoth Lakes this past week to take advantage of the huge dump of snow they finally got and did a couple days of backcountry riding. The camera stayed in the bag except for the trip there and back. Made these two images just outside of Bishop, CA. Happy with them and happy to have made them. The snowboarding leaves me feeling extremely fulfilled, but I’d still feel guilty about being on the road without making any frames at all.

Click here to see more from my “America” series.

The Drake Magazine

The Drake Magazine

Fly Fishing Photography

As a photographer I’m very confident in my abilities but rarely fully satisfied with results, always thinking they could be better. Which, in my opinion, is a positive thing. This is one of the rare exceptions that I was very satisfied with an image, so to see it go to a great home is also very gratifying. If you know fly fishing then you know The Drake Magazine and it’s high standards for writing and photography. They aren’t like most other publications that just post pics of people holding the big fish they just caught. You also have to appreciate their style of shit talking to the rest of the industry. They know their niche. In the upper right corner of every cover it reads “Seven bucks. $14 for bait fisherman”. The other thing that makes me really happy about this shot is it was made during a great day on the river with friends, not a set-up photo shoot.

Click here to order a copy of The Drake or hit me up if you’d like a print.

Click here for more of my fly fishing photography

Fly Fishing - Kern River

Kern River Fly Fishing Photography

It blows my mind that I never bothered to explore the Kern River up until recently. Being only 4.5 hours from San Diego, it's a gem. In fact, I already regret posting about it, because I don't want anyone else to go there. It's hotter than hell in the summer, so most of the action has to be early morning and late late afternoon. Still haven't been up there in the winter, but can only imagine it's beautiful. Probably pretty sleepy too. 

Click here for more of my fishing/adventure photography

Austria Travel Photography

Traveling in Austria

Europe - Photography

Good times over in Austria. For whatever reason, I did the least amount of shooting on this trip compared to all other in the past. Travel always brings on great experiences no matter what. Perhaps the funniest and unexpected came out of the need for a bathroom. During a long drive, we stopped at a market in a small town to pee and get food for lunch. I couldn't find the bathroom and tried asking the two workers in the back. They obviously knew very little English, and had no idea what I was saying. After trying every word they might know, I moved onto the universal sign for a guy going to the bathroom, the actual motion of doing it. They instantly knew what I needed and showed me the way. When I came back out, one of the guys was still there and asked me with a very Austrian accent "Ver ah you from?" I replied simply with "California", to which he screamed "AAAAHHHHH, SCHWARZENEGGER!!!"