Berthoud Pass Continental Divide Sign Photograph #CB-V4
Brief Description
This photograph shows the Berthoud Pass Continental Divide sign that was built into the side of the Berthoud Pass Inn sometime in the late 1930s.
Info
- Date: Circa 1938 to 1940s
- Photographer: Unknown
- Medium: Original Photograph
- Size: 2 3/4" x 3 3/4"
- ID: CB-V4
- Acquisition Date: 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, enhancements unknown.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
The original Berthoud Pass Inn was taken down in 1937. The New Berthoud Pass Lodge was completed in December of 1949. Between these events, a small building, also known as the Berthoud Pass Inn, was built here. That is where this sign would have been found.
This photograph can be dated based on the years that this inn was known to be in place. This image could have been captured as early as 1938, or as late as sometime in the early to mid-1940s.
Backside
Full Scan
Comments & Discussion
Up-close photographs of this sign are fairly rare because most people posed next to the nearby Continental Divide road sign on the side of Highway 40.
This sign lists an altitude of 12,315′. This is the same as the other signs from this time period, but the altitude would be adjusted over the decades. The current sign reads 11,307′.
This is the only sign from Berthoud Pass’s history that lists the distances to New York City and San Francisco.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The border is darkening due to age. The backside of the postcard also has significant darkening, but there is evidence in the corners that this photo was once attached to an album page. The 4 corners all show light spots where some kind of tape was used.
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.
