Climax, Colorado
Ghost town in Lake County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Climax
Climax is an extinct mining company town, railroad station, and post office located in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The town site is located at an elevation of 11,341 feet (3,457 m) at Fremont Pass on the Continental Divide of the Americas. Climax's reason for being was its huge deposit of molybdenum ore. The Climax post office operated from 1887 until 1898, and from 1917 until 1974; the town was razed in 1962 to make way for the enlarging Climax mine, owned by Freeport-McMoRan.
From 1940 to 1972 the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) operated a High Altitude Observatory for solar research nearby.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Climax is governed
Climax appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Lake County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Climax does have local officials.
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Climax
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
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Presides over the municipal court.
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History
The Climax station on the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad was the highest railroad station in North America from its construction in 1884 until 1904 and again from 1928 until it was removed in 1937. The Climax, Colorado, post office operated from April 22, 1887, until April 12, 1898, and then again from December 5, 1917, until January 7, 1974, despite the fact that the town was razed in 1962 to make room for the expansion of the Climax Molybdenum Mine, Climax had the highest elevation post office in the United States from April 1, 1919, until its closure on January 1, 1974.
Climax's reason for being is its huge deposit of molybdenum ore. The Climax mine was the largest molybdenum mine in the world, and for many years it supplied three-fourths of the world's supply of the metal. Over the years it evolved from "at times the largest underground mine in the world" into a pit mine.
A High Altitude Observatory was located nearby for solar research from 1940 to 1972 by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
After mining ceased, the residential houses were all transported to the West Park subdivision of Leadville, Colorado, in 1962, leaving only the mining buildings standing. The front office is part of the former jail.
After a 17-year shutdown, the Climax mine reopened and resumed shipment of molybdenum on May 10, 2012.
The village of Climax is now considered a ghost town. The former Colorado & Southern Railway line from Leadville is operated as a tourist line by Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad. The line stops at an overview of the Climax Molybdenum Mine and Fremont Pass. Climax is a destination for automobile tourists, bicyclists, and photographers, but lacking commercial enterprise, the location is not well advertised.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.