12. Leadville, Colorado; Climax, Colorado
Place: Colorado’s Leadville
Year: The 1900s
Price: $700 million (2012 Mine Upgrades)
The little mining town of Climax, Colorado, got its name from its elevation of more than 11,300 feet above sea level. It was next to a molybdenum mine that reopened in 2012 following $700 million in renovations. Climax, like many other abandoned mining towns in the West, has remained closed.
Climax, Colorado @atlasobscura/Pinterest Leadville, Colorado
75 percent of the world’s molybdenum was once produced at the Climax Mine. It had both highs and lows before closing in 1995 and having its structures relocated to Leadville, which is next door. The only remaining remnants of the town of Climax are an antique train engine and a few mining artifacts.
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