Climax, Colorado

Climax, Colorado
Climax mine, 2005
Climax
Location of Climax, Colorado.
Climax
Climax (Colorado)
Coordinates: 39°21′59″N 106°11′12″W / 39.3664°N 106.1867°W / 39.3664; -106.1867 (Climax, Colorado (historical))
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyLake
Government
 • Typeghost town
 • BodyLake County
Elevation
11,341 ft (3,457 m)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP code
Leadville 80429
GNIS place ID39106C2

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.