The town is located in the Warrumbungle Shire local government area, 376 kilometres (234 mi) north west of the state capital, Sydney.

[2][3] Early government surveyors were directed to use local language words for place names whenever possible[4] and place names of surrounding settlements such as Dunedoo, Coolah, Goolma, Gulgong and Mudgee are settler interpretations of Wiradjuri language words.

[6][7][8] In 1891, Free Trader politician, gold-mining entrepreneur, and director of the Mount Stewart Lead and Silver Mining Company, Charles Lancelot Garland, retired as the member for Carcoar and bought 32 hectares (80 acres), at what is now Leadville, immediately to the east of the Mount Stewart mine site.

The furnace used coke—brought from Newcastle to Mudgee by rail and then carted from there to Leadville, an expensive proposition—supplemented by locally burned charcoal.

[18][19][20][21][22] Mining activity peaked in 1893, and with it the town's population—growing from 26 in 1891 to around 1000[23]—before the silver price crashed in a worldwide financial panic.

[25] After silver-lead mining ended, some ethnic-Chinese shearers and station hands settled in the town, which had been vacated by the miners.

[32] Garland was soon advocating—despite his earlier political stance in favour of free trade—the imposition of a duty on imported iron pyrites, claiming his mine would be a local source.

Garland advocated the new line, as a means to lower the cost of Leadville iron pyrites to superphosphate fertiliser manufacturers.

[38] In 1916, iron pyrites was shipped to the Wallaroo-Mount Lyall Superphosphate Works, and in 1920 to the Cockle Creek Smelter,[6] over the new railway line.

[39] However, misfortune followed; Channon died in December 1920[31] and, on 14 October 1921, many buildings in the town and at the mine were damaged by a violent storm.

[42] Garland had lost interest in reopening the mine, by 1929, further angering the people of the town whose future prosperity depended upon it.

[45][6] In 1934–1935, there had been a bitter demarcation dispute between the Miners Federation and the Australian Workers Union, at Leadville,[46][47][48] and, in April 1935, there was suspected sabotage at the mine.

However, it was another industrial dispute—at distant Port Kembla—that was held responsible for the cessation of iron pyrites mining at Leadville and putting 50 men out of work.

[6] In 1935, Leadville had a population of 250 (the district 600), a public school, post office, two hotels, two churches, bakery, butcher, billiard hall, fruiterer, newsagent, stock and station agent, a commercial store,[6] a brand new community hall,[53] and a passenger train from Sydney, every day except Saturday.

The continuation of Garland St, after it crosses the town's boundary, is named Sir Ivan Dougherty Drive in his honour.