Brief Description
The featured image that is shown and discussed on this page has been cropped from a scan of CC Patterson’s P-105 postcard.
This image represents the earliest known photo that shows these two particular Continental Divide signs together at the top of Loveland Pass.
The large sign on the left would remain in place for just under 10 years. Meanwhile, the smaller sign on the right would be destroyed promptly, likely during its first winter here. It was never replaced, and images of that sign are extremely rare. The only other known photos of it were also produced by Patterson.
Info
- Date: Circa Late Summer 1965
- Photographer: C.C Patterson
- Medium: Real Photo Postcard
- Size: 5 1/2" x 3 1/2"
- ID: CL-P-105
- Acquisition Date: Feb. 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
The main image was scanned with significant cropping and auto white balance applied.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
This postcard is postmarked June 23, 1967. The image can be dated to sometime in the late summer/fall of 1965. The archive contains an image from June 1965 that shows the older sign still in place here. The archive also has an image from 1966 that shows the new sign on the left, but the smaller sign on the right is already gone and only its signpost is still there. That sign was likely destroyed in the winter of ’65/’66.
Comments & Discussion
The color accuracy of this postcard is not great. Not shown here; this archive also has two versions of C.C. Patterson’s P-105-A postcard. This is essentially the same photo, only it was captured in the fall, and the coloring is much better on both of these. Why three versions? Each was produced/developed by a different company, and one is of better quality than the other. These 3 postcards tell the story of Patterson trying to find someone who can produce quality color postcards in the year 1965.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The front surface is virtually scratch-free and retains a mild shine. The two lower corners have significant damage while the upper two corners are in much better shape.
Only mild browning is visible on the backside of the postcard. The stamp is protruding out from the backside, but its edges are still undamaged upon arrival into the archive.
About the Coloradotopia Archives. This archive boasts a physical inventory that consists of hundreds of historical images of the Continental Divide signs in Colorado. You can read more about the Coloradotopia archive project here.
