Lake County is named for Twin Lakes which is located in the county.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Eagle County and Summit County
E – Park County
S – Chaffeee County
W – Pitkin County
Created: November 1, 1861 
County Seat:
Oro City 1861 – 1863
Lourette 1863 – 1866
Dayton 1866 – 1868
Granite 1868 – 1878
Leadville 1861 – present
County Courthouse – Leadville
Location: 505 Harrison Avenue / West 5th Street
Built: 1954 – 1955
Style: Modern
Architect: R F Linstedt
Contractor: John R Pearse
Description: The building faces east and is a two story dark red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Leadville. The center section is two stories with glass panels above the entrance. The north and south wings are one story. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 5th Judicial District.
Note: By 1878, Lake County had been reduced to an area including only present-day Lake County and Chaffeee County. On February 8, 1879, the Colorado legislature renamed Lake County as Carbonate County, although this designation name only lasted for two days, until Chaffee County was split off from Carbonate’s southern section on February 10 and the remaining northern portion was redesignated Lake County with its current county seat of Leadville.
Note: With an elevation of 10,152 feet, Leadville is the highest county seat in the United States, and also one of the highest incorporated communities in the nation.
Note: In 1861, Lake County was one of the 17 original counties.
See: The 5th Judicial District includes Clear Creek County, Eagle County and Summit County.
History: The county was created in 1861 and Oro City was designated as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Lourette in 1863, then to Dayton in 1866, then to Granite in 1868 and finally to Leadville in 1878. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by George E King and built in 1880. The building was remodeled following a fire in 1942. The building was demolished when the second and present courthouse was constructed in 1954 to 1955.
Note: The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet ( 4401 meters ) which is located in the county.
County Courthouse – Leadville
Photos taken 2011