The Holden Lixiviation Works sprawled over 22 acres at the edge of Aspen, boasting state-of-the-art mining technology. Much later the site was incorporated into the Marolt Ranch. This site is a treasure trove of stories, encapsulating both Aspen’s mining and ranching heritage.

Aspen’s mining history is a tale of boom and bust. Founded as a silver mining camp in 1879, Aspen swiftly became the largest silver producer in the US. By 1893, its population exceeded 13,000, and it ranked as the third largest city in Colorado, surpassed only by Denver and Leadville.

The local newspaper heralded the opening of the Lixiviation Works by proclaiming, “the sweet daydreams of those who have longed to see Aspen a great city are about to be realized.” Completed just 21 months before Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Act, the plant went bankrupt, never having generated a profit. It was one of only eighteen plants built worldwide to utilize the experimental Russell Lixiviation process to refine low-grade ore.

The Holden Lixiviation Works refined ore by crushing and treating it with heat and chemical salts to extract silver from as low grade of ore as ten ounces per ton. The plant’s Stetefeldt furnaces emitted fumes from a towering 165-foot-high smokestack, reputed to be the highest in the state. By 1904, after several attempts to run the Holden Works as an ore concentrator, the plant was permanently closed.

Photo | Masterson Estate Collection

The Marolt family began ranching near the property in 1912. In 1932, they purchased the land for one dollar and combined it with the Midland Ranch to form the Marolt Ranch. The Marolts raised sheep and cattle and planted potatoes. By the late 1950s, the family started selling off parcels of their land due to decreasing Forest Service grazing acreage, financial strains from their children’s college educations, and Mike Marolt’s deteriorating health.

Photo | Aspen Historical Society

In the early 1980s, the City of Aspen purchased the remaining property and designated it the Marolt-Thomas Open Space. In 1989, AHS partnered with the City to manage and interpret the site’s history, and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum formally opened in 2003 in the former Sampling building, one of the last structures remaining from the Holden Lixiviation Works. The museum was established and managed under the guidance of Carl Bergman, an Aspen Historical Society board member. His love for steam machinery and mining history played a vital role in the success of the museum. In 2017, the City of Aspen added to the site by moving the historic McMurchy/Zupancis buildings to the property to accommodate their construction of a new police station, bringing more chapters of the area’s history to the Holden/Marolt site. These structures now house exhibits on Ranching, Immigration, and feature a recreation of a Victorian middle-class interior.