Colorado’s Mount Massive + a Bizarre History of Conflict

Mount Elbert is not only the highest peak in the state of Colorado, but it also holds the distinction of being the highest in the contiguous United States. However, back in the mid-1900s, some people attempted, and failed, to give that distinction to another Colorado mountain.

What Are Colorado’s Highest Peaks?

The term fourteener, typically written as 14er, refers to mountains that are located at 14,000 feet above sea level or higher, and Colorado is home to a whopping 53 of them, with Mount Elbert standing tall at the top of the list of the highest.

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However, just after the Great Depression, a group of people attempted to make the state’s second-tallest mountain, the appropriately named Mount Massive, rise to the top of that list.

Colorado’s Mount Massive + the Fight to Make it the State’s Highest

Mount Massive is located in Lake County, Colorado, near Leadville, and is the second-tallest peak not only in the state, but the contiguous United States as well.

Another peak, Mount Elbert, is located nearby, just 12 miles outside of Leadville, and at 14,440 feet above sea level, holds the distinction of being the highest peak in the contiguous United States, while its neighbor, Mount Massive, sits just below it at 14,421 feet above sea level.

However, some people were not content with Mount Elbert holding the title of the tallest peak in Colorado and attempted to use human influence to make Mount Massive the highest mountain by manually carrying large rocks to its summit.

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This effort took place just after the Great Depression concluded and, much to the dismay of Mount Massive’s fan club, did not succeed, and Mount Elbert remains the highest peak in Colorado and the lower 48 states to this day.