Self-Guided Walking Tour
Lake City, Colorado National Historic District
There are over 200 historic buildings in the Lake City National Historic District, representing time periods of growth and expansion in American history.
The Lake City Historic Walking Tour is made up of 34 sites with interpretive plaques. Explore them on foot, bicycle, or by car. Each of the buildings has a story of its own, but together they represent two significant periods in the American story:
Western Frontier & 1800s Mining Boom
A significant portion of the buildings were constructed in the late 1800s, during the westward expansion of the frontier and the search for new mineral wealth. Many of Lake City's residences, civic buildings, churches, and outbuildings were built at this time.
Highlights of buildings from this time period include the downtown commercial district, including rare wood-framed commercial buildings; the location of Susan B. Anthony's visit to Lake City; and, the first church built on the western slope of Colorado.
Another set of buildings were a part of the booming tourism industry of the late 1930s to the 1950s. Several historic motor courts, comprised of small guest cabins and central courtyards, were built during this time to accommodate visitors who braved the rough roads in their automobiles in order to make it to Lake City every summer.