In 1896 a spectacular true Norman ice palace stood on a gleaming, snow-covered rise above the City of Leadville, Colorado. Sitting at the foot of two of Colorado's highest peaks, the ice castle was the largest ice structure ever built. The crystal castle housed a ballroom, a 180 foot skating rink, a curling rink, a restaurant, a dance floor, gaming rooms, a theatre, toboggan runs and a carousel house.

Leadville was born from the fabulous gold strikes in 1860 and for two decades the town thrived with fortunes made from the rich ore of the surrounding mines. But in 1881, some of the largest, richest mines began to play out after years of exploitation. The miners began to leave in search of richer finds, stores and banks failed, and the town was consumed by fires that destroyed the rows of wooden structures. Repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and the depression of 1893 further depressed the economy of Leadville and ended the silver era.

In 1893, the Herald Democrat, reviewing the events of the year, expressed: "Those were the days of panic and gloom for Leadville. Ruin and bankruptcy stared every mining man, every smelting man and every businessman in the face.''

Prior to the winter of 1895, the desperate townspeople proposed a mammoth ice castle to draw sightseers, create jobs and rescue the town's flagging economy. Anticipating trains full of tourists, the project began by hiring Charles E. Jay, an architect who had designed an ice palace in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tingley S. Wood was hired to build the ice palace and the Leadville Ice Company got the contract to produce the ice.