Milner Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CML-G11
Brief Description
This postcard shows the back of the Continental Divide sign on Milner Pass. Fall River Road is shown here near Poudre Lake. Fall River Road acted as the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park during the 1920s.
Info
- Date: Circa 1920-1933
- Photographer: Harold Sanborn
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 3/8" x 3 3/8"
- ID: CML-G11
- Acquisition Date: February 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, magnification for upper-right window, no quality enhancements.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
This image shows Fall River Road which was opened in 1920. This was replaced by Trail Ridge Road, which took a different path over the Continental Divide, running on the other side of Poudre Lake in this spot. That road was opened incrementally in the early 1930s, with cars using the new route by 1933, and final completions being done by 1935 (ref). This allows the postcard’s image to be dated to sometime between 1920 and 1933.
The G-11 number on this postcard denotes its relative age. Harold Sanborn’s postcards use sequential numbers, with the lowest numbers being his earlier postcards. G-11 would have likely been produced in the mid-1920s when he began using sequential numbers.
Comments & Discussion
From this point on Milner Pass, water flowing away from the camera would go to the Pacific Ocean. Water flowing in the opposite direction would have been destined for the Atlantic Ocean.
Full Scan
Backside
The term “post card” turned into “postcard” by the mid 1900s.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The backside shows even tinting and darkening that is consistent with a genuine postcard from this era. There are two dots in the left margin on the front (one brown and one black). The corners are all in reasonably good shape with the lower left being the worst. There is NO surface cracking or spidering on the front, and that surface is in immaculate shape compared to what would be expected from a postcard of this age.
About the Coloradotopia Archives. The Coloradotopia archives hold a large collection of historical images that document Colorado’s auto history in the mountains. You can read more about the Coloradotopia archive project here.
