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 Sanctuary.
Sanctuary is an experts only run in between Peak 6 and Peak 7, and is honestly accessible from either side. Check the groom report before going out because these runs are typically opened later in the season. Technically on Peak 6, Sanctuary was named by public suggestions from Breckenridge fans that related to the theme of “Awaken Your Sixth Sense.” This trail was by Katie Gallagher from Denver.
Bringing people together with dance.
Before there was Breckenridge there were the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ peoples (Ute Mountain Ute Tribe), one of the three recognized Ute tribes, along with neighboring Navajo Nation and Southern Ute Tribe. As the Ute people expanded across the Great Basin, they were connected to each other by the Southern Numic language, a division of the Uto-Aztecan language family.
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. There is also sometimes uncertainty which of the exact Ute tribes the photo represents. Many of the photos you’ll see in this gallery are of their homes from other parts of Colorado, but it’s still important to highlight the tribes existence in this area. You can read more about the Ute Tribe here and here. This unit focuses on their tradition of dance. You can watch 2023’s Bear Dance video here.
From top to bottom:
Moon dance in Garden of the Gods: Spectators look on as Native American (Ute) men participate in a Moon Dance at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. The Native American men wear feather headdresses. Some spectators wear hats, others hold cameras. Original creator: August 3, 1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1308.
Moon dance in Garden of the Gods: Native American (Ute) men, women, and children participate in a Moon Dance, near The Gateway rock formation at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. Men wear feather headdresses. Women wear blanket shawls. Some women wear hats. Spectators stand nearby, some under umbrellas. Original creator: August 3, 1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1304.
Moon dance in Garden of the Gods: Native American (Ute) men, women, and children participate in a Moon Dance near The Gateway rock formation at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. Men and boys wear feather headdresses. Women wear dresses and fringed shawls. One woman wears a metal concha belt, a shirt decorated with small shells, and a wide-brimmed hat. Spectators sit and stand and some hold umbrellas. Original creator: August 3, 1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1307.
Moon dance in Garden of the Gods: Native American (Ute) women and white men walk on a path near the Three Graces rock formation at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, Colorado. The women wear dresses and blanket shawls. The men wear suits and hats. The Three Graces stand in the distance. Original creator: August 3, 1911; Poley, H. S. (Horace Swartley). Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-1309.
John Duncan in dancing costume: Standing portrait of John Duncan, a Native American man (Ute), wearing necklaces, a horn headdress, and beaded gloves, buckskin shirt, leggings, breechcloth, and moccasins. Original creator: 1933; Thome.. Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-30466.
Indians, Utes, dances: Native American Ute men dance wearing feather headdresses, kilts, bustles, moccasins, trousers and shirts. Original creator: [1920–1930?]; Dunning, Harold M. Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-30654.