| Climax is a ghost town located in Lake County, Colorado. On the continental divide at 11,360 feet above sea level, it is the highest settlement in the United States – it holds the record for having the nation's highest post office and railroad station. The residential houses were transported to the West Park subdivision of Leadville, Colorado before 1965, leaving only the industrial buildings.
Climax's primary claim to fame is its rich deposits of molybdenum. During the early 1900s, the Climax Molybdenum Company operated the largest molybdenum mine in the world here, supplying three-fourths of the world's total supply of the mineral. The mine has been shut since the 1995 awaiting better global market conditions for its ore. The mine's current owner, Phelps Dodge Corporation, continues to work on mitigation of the environmental effects of past operations while holding the mine ready in the event of market changes.
On 2006-04-05, Phelps Dodge announced that its board of directors had approved the mine's reopening, contingent upon completion of a final feasibility study and obtaining all required operating permits and regulatory approvals. The target date for resuming operations is in 2009.
|
