Hello friend,
Welcome to the Wedgewood Lodge, slope-side, next to Snowflake Lift. Snowflake is a one-of-a-kind two-person lift that has a mid-load station and 70-degree turn to put you at Peak 8. It’s personally one of my favorite lifts of all time especially when snow is quietly falling, blanketing the landscape in Colorado’s legendary white powder.
We’re extremely stoked that you have chosen Breckenridge, and even more so that you’re staying with us. We pride ourselves in being a long-standing boutique experience, with studio spaces to three bedroom townhomes. We’re still family-owned and operated and specialize in group travel and weddings. Whether you’re here for the ski season or a summer getaway, we are only a few blocks from Main Street and just a stones throw from the slopes where you can ride and hike.
We renovated in 2023–2024 and within that renovation we decided to customize each and every space with unique historic photographs curated by me (Jules)! The artwork in your unit is unique to you and contains a piece of Breck’s history. In addition, you’ll see some of my own photographs sprinkled throughout the space. Each unit is also named after a run somewhere in Breck’s 3,000+ acres, with the story behind it explained below. Unfortunately, we only have 52 units, so a lot of runs were left unmentioned but we hope that you get to explore as much as you can. At Wedgewood, we love where we live and want to display how far the town has come. Thanks for coming, and enjoy your stay.
How to get to Centennial.
This run refers to Colorado itself, as its named the Centennial State. The name was chosen because Colorado entered the union in 1876, 100 years after the United States signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Peak 10 plans started another 100 years after that 1976. Centennial shoots straight down the middle of Peak 10, it’s fast and fun, and only for experts who can control their speed. The state of Colorado is situated on the land of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Tséstho’e (Cheyenne) peoples.
The original people.
Before there was Breckenridge there were the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ peoples (Ute Mountain Ute Tribe). Much of what we know about Colorado today is due to the knowledge of the indigenous people of the area. The mountains you see today, called the “Shining Mountains,” were home to the native Ute people for more than 8,000 years and is one of the few tribes without a migration story. The state of Utah was named after the Ute tribe, who migrated seasonally through the Rockies, following game such as bison and searching for plants to harvest. One of the infamous Colorado trees, lodgepole pines, were used to make poles for their lodges, hence “lodgepole.” They were known throughout history to be excellent horsemen and friendly to settlers in Colorado, but were driven out due to pollution in the Blue River that decreased the game in the area. Dredging of the area for the mining industry caused the pollution, leading naturalist Edwin Carter to think that it was driving species to the brink of extinction. There is very limited photographic evidence available (at least in public archives) of Ute presence in Breckenridge due to the destruction of land and overall decline in flora and fauna by the time the camera was invented. Much of the photos you’ll see in this gallery is from other parts of Colorado, but is still important to highlight the tribes existence in this area. You can read more about the Ute Tribe here and here.
https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FlWLdijamdcQ%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlWLdijamdcQ&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FlWLdijamdcQ%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube
From top to bottom:
Ute war party: View of Native American (Ute) men on horseback, a scout party, face away from the camera; men wear moccasins, leggings, and feathers in their hair; each has a rifle; all horses have bridles and saddles. Original creator: 1899; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-48.
Buckskin Charlie, Antonio, Ocapoor and others: Native American (Ute) men, women and children pose in front of tepees. Standing in a headdress is Chief Buckskin Charlie (Sapiah) wearing the Rutherford Hays Indian Peace medal. Sitting to his left, holding a lance, is Tony Buck. Ocapoor is in headdress and beaded buckskin shirt. First woman on left is Dick Charley’s wife (Susan Eaton). Second woman seated is Amy Snow. Possibly taken at Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Original creator: 1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections,
P-113.
Utes Making of a tepee: Native American (Ute) women erect a set of tepee poles near a sandstone rock formation at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. Two women hold onto the poles while a third stands near the rolled tepee cover. A group of men sit and stand nearby. The women wear dresses and shawls. Some men wear hats. Original creator: sep 1–1933; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1317.
Moon dance in Garden of the Gods, small girl is Lucy Thompson: Native American (Ute) men, women, and children participate in a Moon Dance at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. Men wear feather headdresses. Women wear fringed shawls, some carry umbrellas. A boy wears a feather headdress. Lucy Thompson wears a bead necklace and carries an umbrella. Spectators sit nearby. Original creator: aug 3–1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1305.
The Messenger: A photomontage by Charles Craig of Native American (Ute) men (including Buckskin Charlie), women and children, in profile, facing a messenger (Severo) on a horse. Severo wears a headdress and points to the background. The landscape and foreground, including a campfire and waterbasket, are hand painted. Original creator: 1898; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-178.
Utes on horses: Portrait of two unidentified Native American (Ute) cowboys on horseback. One wears a pistol. Original creator: [1900–1930?]; Unidentified. Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-30500.
