Known for its majestic snow-capped peaks, mountain homes, mountain properties for sale, year-round nonstop outdoor activities, and unbeatable Old West culture, the historic appeal of Summit County is often combined with a bold sense of adventure and excitement.

With a hectic and checkered history that lends itself to the active lifestyle that prevails in mountain culture, Summit County is a huge draw for those looking to purchase mountain homes in a location that indulges in a world of activity. With more than 200 historic structures, including mountain homes, in Breckenridge alone, Summit County’s proud history is evident in the old mining buildings and mountain properties that dot the countryside and line the main streets.

Many of these mountainous structures and properties have served a variety of purposes during their lifetime. Take the building that houses Foote’s Sweet Shop in Frisco, CO, for example. When it comes to historic mountain properties, the Foote building provides the best example of the many uses these buildings have. Foote’s was originally built as a small white cabin that served as an analysis office, a place where miners could evaluate their silver and gold. Over the years, with the mountain homes surrounding Foote’s falling into disrepair, Foote’s continued to transform itself into the various uses for which it was called. From a rehearsal shop, the building was added and used as a stable, post office, grocery store, and finally, in its current form, as a candy store.

The Historic Mint, a steakhouse in downtown Silverthorne, CO, is another example of mountain properties that have been kept in their true form. One of the oldest mountain properties in Summit County, the Historic Mint was originally used as a brothel and was located in the town of Old Dillon. It currently houses a steakhouse where customers can not only buy their cuts of meat at a delicatessen counter, but also cook their meat on the lava grill that is installed in the Historic Mint.

In addition to the ever-growing list of mountain properties that enjoy their fame as one of more than 200 historic mountain properties in downtown Breckenridge, is The Historic Brown Hotel. Although its original construction day is up in the air, The Historic Brown Hotel is known to have been built sometime in the late 1800s as one of the private mountain homes in the area. Over the years it has functioned as a school and now as a hotel. Rumor has it that during the mining crisis, the Historic Brown Hotel housed the only bathtub in Summit County, so it kept its rooms occupied. In fact, the legacy claims that his rooms are still occupied, in fact haunted by a “lady of the night” named Mrs. Whitney. Ms. Whitney came to The Brown in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to “advance her career” and was murdered by the owner of the hotel. Although her long-term career plans were shattered, Ms. Whitney still claims the ladies’ room.

Cities like Frisco and Breckenridge take pride in the history behind their mountain properties and understand the important role that cities play in today’s place of cities in society.