View source for Climax, Colorado

{{short description|Ghost town in Lake County, Colorado, United States}}
{{infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|official_name            = Climax, Colorado
|other_name               =
|native_name              =  <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 = 
|settlement_type          = [[ghost town]]
|motto                    =
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
|image_skyline            = Climax mine, CO.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Climax mine, 2005
<!-- Pushpin map -->
|pushpin_map             = USA#USA Colorado
|pushpin_relief          = 
|pushpin_label           = Climax
|pushpin_label_position  = right
|pushpin_map_caption     = Location of Climax, Colorado.
<!-- Location -->
|coordinates             = {{coord|39.3664|-106.1867|type:city_region:US-CO_source:map|name=Climax, Colorado (historical)|display=it}}
|coordinates_footnotes   = <ref name=map>{{cite web|url=https://topoquest.com/place-detail.php?id=204684|title=Climax (historical), Colorado|publisher=TopoQuest|access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref>
|elevation_ft            = 11341
|elevation_footnotes     = <ref name=map/>
|subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name        = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1       = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1       = [[Colorado]]
|subdivision_type2       = [[List of counties in Colorado|County]]
|subdivision_name2       = [[Lake County, Colorado|Lake]]<ref name=COcounty>{{cite web|url=https://dola.colorado.gov/dlg_lgis_ui_pu/publicCounties.jsf|title=Colorado Counties|publisher=[[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]]|access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref>
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_type         = [[ghost town]]
|governing_body          = [[Lake County, Colorado|Lake County]]<ref name=COcounty/>
|unit_pref                = US
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]]
|utc_offset              = −07:00
|timezone_DST            = [[Mountain Time Zone|MDT]]
|utc_offset_DST          = −06:00
<!-- Area, postal, and other codes -->
|postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code]]<ref name=ZIPcode>{{cite web|url=https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm?bycitystate|title=ZIP Code Lookup|publisher=[[United States Postal Service]]|access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref>
|postal_code             = Leadville 80429
|blank_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS place ID]]
|blank_info              = 39106C2
|blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS town ID]]
|blank1_info             = 
|blank2_name             = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank2_info             = 
}}

'''Climax''' is an [[Ghost town|extinct]] [[mining]] [[company town]], [[railroad station]], and [[post office]] located in [[Lake County, Colorado|Lake County]], [[Colorado]], United States.<ref>{{cite gnis|204684|Climax, Colorado (historical)}}</ref> The town site is located at an elevation of {{convert|11341|ft|0}} at [[Fremont Pass (Colorado)|Fremont Pass]] on the [[Continental Divide of the Americas]].

==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,<ref name=CPO>{{cite book|title=Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989|first1=William H.|last1=Bauer|first2=James L.|last2=Ozment|first3=John H.|last3=Willard|date=1990|publisher=[[Colorado Railroad Museum|Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation]]|location=[[Golden, Colorado]]|isbn=0-918654-42-4}}</ref> despite the fact that the town was razed in 1962 to make room for the expansion of the [[Climax mine|Climax Molybdenum Mine]],<ref name=Climax>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Climax-Colorado|title=Climax|work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|access-date=September 13, 2023}}</ref> Climax had the highest elevation post office in the United States from April 1, 1919, until its closure on January 1, 1974.<ref name=PH>{{cite web|url=https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/postmaster-finder/post-offices-by-state.htm|title=Postal History|publisher=[[United States Postal Service]]|access-date=September 14, 2023}}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=td4DAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA63 "Mining A Mountain" ''Popular Mechanics'', July 1935 pp.63-64]</ref> Over the years it evolved from "at times the largest underground mine in the world"<ref>[http://cozine.com/1996-september/the-history-of-colorados-climax-mine-by-steve-voynick/ The History of Colorado’s Climax Mine, by Steve Voynick, 1996:]</ref> 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).<ref>[https://www.archives.ucar.edu/exhibits/hao/facilities/climax-observatory Climax Observatory] UCAR</ref>

The village of Climax is now considered a ghost town. The former [[Colorado & Southern Railway]] line from [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]] is now operated as a tourist line by [[Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad]]. The line stops at an overview of the Climax Molybdenum Mine and [[Fremont Pass (Colorado)|Fremont Pass]]. Climax is also a destination for automobile tourists, bicyclists, and photographers, but lacking commercial enterprise, the location is not well advertised.

Climax is known for its large [[molybdenum]] [[ore]] deposit. 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.

After a 17-year shutdown, the [[Climax mine]] has reopened and resumed shipment of molybdenum on May 10, 2012.

==Notable people==

*[[Erbey Satterfield]], Utah state legislator, was born in Climax.<ref>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?pid=173802990 Erbey Leland Satterfield-obituary]</ref>
*[[Dave Gorsuch]], Olympian, was born in Climax.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/go/dave-gorsuch-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418055157/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/go/dave-gorsuch-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Dave Gorsuch Olympic Results |accessdate=March 11, 2018}}</ref>

==Climate==

With a mean annual temperature of {{convert|30.7|F|C|1|disp=or}}, Climax is not only the highest but also the coldest settlement ever established in the contiguous US, being probably the only one with a mean annual temperature below freezing point. The town has a borderline [[subarctic climate|subalpine climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfc''), closely bordering on an [[alpine climate]] (''ETH'') with short, mild summers and long, snowy winters. The annual snowfall is, as would be expected, extremely heavy at {{convert|294.7|in|m|1}}, with the record for a full season being {{convert|383.0|in|m|2}} between July 1961 and June 1962, and the most in one month {{convert|105.3|in|m|2}} during December 1983. Snow does not melt until June and after wet winters may accumulate into May – the maximum daily snow cover was {{convert|94|in|m|2}} on March, 8th, 2019. Precipitation falls off in June, but the tail end of the [[North American Monsoon|monsoon]] may cause thunderstorm activity in July and August. The wettest calendar year has been 2014 with {{convert|32.81|in|mm|1}} and the driest 1989 when only a water equivalent of {{convert|13.53|in|mm|1}} was gauged.<ref name = NOAA /><ref name = NOWData />

The high elevation means that Climax has consistently cold temperatures throughout the year, with frosts possible in any month and 53.5 mornings falling to or below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}}. The average window for zero temperatures is from November 1 to April 10, though temperatures that low have been reported as late as May 11, 1953 and as early as October 10 of 1982. Climax's 99.6 days that do not top freezing is also the most in the contiguous US – the average window for days not topping freezing being from October 11 to May 4, and cases as late as June 25, 1969 and as early as September 3 of 1961 are known. The high altitude, however, limits extreme minima as in the coldest weather Climax may be [[inversion (meteorology)|warmer than lower valleys]]; the record low being {{convert|-33|F|C|1}} on January 12, 1963, and December 23, 1990. The hottest temperature has been {{convert|85|F|C|1|disp=or}} on July 7, 1981; 1981 was also the hottest full year at {{convert|33.3|F|C|1|disp=or}}, whilst 1973 with an annual mean of {{convert|28.7|F|C|1|disp=or}} is the coldest calendar year. The hottest month has been July 2003 with a mean of {{convert|57.7|F|C|1}}; the coldest has been January 1979 which averaged {{convert|6.1|F|C|1}}.<ref name = NOWData />

{{Weather box
|location = Climax, Colorado, 1991&ndash;2020 normals, extremes 1895&ndash;present
|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 50
|Feb record high F = 53
|Mar record high F = 57
|Apr record high F = 62
|May record high F = 71
|Jun record high F = 78
|Jul record high F = 85
|Aug record high F = 84
|Sep record high F = 82
|Oct record high F = 73
|Nov record high F = 60
|Dec record high F = 52

|Jan avg record high F = 42.5
|Feb avg record high F = 43.6
|Mar avg record high F = 49.2
|Apr avg record high F = 53.5
|May avg record high F = 62.0
|Jun avg record high F = 71.7
|Jul avg record high F = 74.4
|Aug avg record high F = 72.2
|Sep avg record high F = 69.2
|Oct avg record high F = 61.0
|Nov avg record high F = 51.6
|Dec avg record high F = 43.1
|year avg record high F = 75.9

|Jan high F = 26.7
|Feb high F = 28.7
|Mar high F = 35.3
|Apr high F = 40.3
|May high F = 48.8
|Jun high F = 61.2
|Jul high F = 66.8
|Aug high F = 64.1
|Sep high F = 58.1
|Oct high F = 46.8
|Nov high F = 35.2
|Dec high F = 26.5
|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 14.8
|Feb mean F = 16.0
|Mar mean F = 21.9
|Apr mean F = 27.6
|May mean F = 36.7
|Jun mean F = 47.7
|Jul mean F = 53.4
|Aug mean F = 51.5
|Sep mean F = 45.0
|Oct mean F = 33.9
|Nov mean F = 23.2
|Dec mean F = 14.8
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 2.9
|Feb low F = 3.4
|Mar low F = 8.4
|Apr low F = 15.0
|May low F = 24.6
|Jun low F = 34.2
|Jul low F = 40.0
|Aug low F = 38.9
|Sep low F = 31.9
|Oct low F = 20.9
|Nov low F = 11.3
|Dec low F = 3.2
|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -16.4
|Feb avg record low F = -14.2
|Mar avg record low F = -9.2
|Apr avg record low F = -1.8
|May avg record low F = 9.8
|Jun avg record low F = 22.4
|Jul avg record low F = 32.1
|Aug avg record low F = 31.8
|Sep avg record low F = 17.3
|Oct avg record low F = 2.1
|Nov avg record low F = -10.1
|Dec avg record low F = -16.2
|year avg record low F = -20.7

|Jan record low F = -33
|Feb record low F = -32
|Mar record low F = -24
|Apr record low F = -20
|May record low F = -10
|Jun record low F = 10
|Jul record low F = 19
|Aug record low F = 18
|Sep record low F = 6
|Oct record low F = -11
|Nov record low F = -27
|Dec record low F = -33

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.34
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.05
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.38
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.90
|May precipitation inch = 1.97
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.10
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.41
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.55
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.80
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.69
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.99
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.05
|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 44.5
|Feb snow inch = 40.5
|Mar snow inch = 42.5
|Apr snow inch = 46.6
|May snow inch = 18.9
|Jun snow inch = 2.4
|Jul snow inch = 0.2
|Aug snow inch = 0.1
|Sep snow inch = 4.2
|Oct snow inch = 22.4
|Nov snow inch = 33.9
|Dec snow inch = 38.5
|year snow inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 15.2
|Feb precipitation days = 15.2
|Mar precipitation days = 14.4
|Apr precipitation days = 13.9
|May precipitation days = 9.9
|Jun precipitation days = 7.4
|Jul precipitation days = 13.3
|Aug precipitation days = 15.7
|Sep precipitation days = 10.7
|Oct precipitation days = 9.3
|Nov precipitation days = 11.6
|Dec precipitation days = 14.6

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 15.2
|Feb snow days = 15.2
|Mar snow days = 14.1
|Apr snow days = 13.6
|May snow days = 7.8
|Jun snow days = 1.5
|Jul snow days = 0.1
|Aug snow days = 0.1
|Sep snow days = 1.9
|Oct snow days = 7.7
|Nov snow days = 11.6
|Dec snow days = 14.6

|Jan snow depth inch = 42.1
|Feb snow depth inch = 51.3
|Mar snow depth inch = 57.1
|Apr snow depth inch = 56.9
|May snow depth inch = 43.4
|Jun snow depth inch = 6.3
|Jul snow depth inch = 0.2
|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0
|Sep snow depth inch = 2.8
|Oct snow depth inch = 9.9
|Nov snow depth inch = 19.2
|Dec snow depth inch = 30.6
|year snow depth inch = 61.1

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00051660&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access - Station: Climax, CO
|access-date = November 4, 2022
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=pub
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data - NWS Pueblo
|access-date = November 4, 2022
}}
</ref>
}}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="250" heights="200">
File:Climax Colorado shaded-relief perspective 3.jpg|'''Climax, Colorado''' straddles the [[Continental Divide|continental divide]] at [[Fremont Pass (Colorado)|Fremont Pass]]
File:Storm over Sheep Mountain just north of Climax, CO.jpg|Storm over [[Sheep Mountain (Colorado)|Sheep Mountain]] just north of Climax, 2005.
File:Pyrite-Tetrahedrite-200660.jpg|A rare [[pyrite]]-[[tetrahedrite]] mineral specimen from Climax
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|Geography|History|United States|Colorado}}
*[[Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
*[[List of ghost towns in Colorado]]
*[[List of populated places in Colorado]]
*[[List of post offices in Colorado]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Further reading===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite journal
| author =  Paul B. Coffman
| title =  The Rise of a New Metal: The Growth and Success of the Climax Molybdenum Company
| journal = The Journal of Business of the University of Chicago
| pages = 30–45
| year = 1937
| volume = 10
| issue = 1 
| doi =  10.1086/232443
| jstor=2349563}}
*{{cite journal | last1 = Voynick | first1 = Steve | year = 2004 | title = Climax, Two Decades Later | url = http://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2004/01250161.html | journal = Colorado Central Magazine | volume = 125 | page = 16 | access-date = 2004-12-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061014075152/http://www.cozine.com/archive/cc2004/01250161.html | archive-date = 2006-10-14 | url-status = dead }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
*[https://www.colorado.gov/ State of Colorado]
**[https://www.historycolorado.org/ History Colorado]
{{Lake County, Colorado|collapse_state=expanded}}
{{Colorado}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1887 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Lake County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Geography of Lake County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in Colorado]]
[[Category:History of Colorado]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Colorado]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1887]]