Berthoud Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CB-B-1101
Brief Description
This postcard shows the signs on top of Berthoud Pass sometime during the early to mid-1940s. This image has been scanned from an unused Sanborn postcard that is held in the Coloradotopia archives.
Info
- Date: Early to Mid-1940s
- Photographer: Harold Sanborn
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 3/4" x 3 3/4"
- ID: CB-B-1101
- Acquisition Date: March 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, no enhancements.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
The image on this postcard is believed to show these signs after they had been repainted once during the early to mid-1940s. These signs would be replaced by 1948. Further dating can be done by looking at the graffiti on the Continental Divide sign (see the enlarged version lower on this page).
Backside
Full Scan
Comments & Discussion
This postcard also shows the stone marker that was added here in 1929. That marker can still be found at the top of the pass now, although its location has been slightly moved away from the roadside.
The element of this sign that gives it away as having been repainted is the padding to the left of the county name, and the tail of the arrow that is painted there. That arrow tail is not seen in the previous version of the sign.
This was one of the most frequently traveled paths through the Rocky Mountains during this era, and photographs of these signs are not uncommon.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: There is lots of spidering and cracking in the surface, and this is evenly spread across the whole surface. The backside has one dark spot, but very little discoloration besides that. The backside scan needed to be done with darkened settings in order for the edges to show against the background.
About the Coloradotopia Archives. The Coloradotopia archives hold a large collection of historical images and items that document Colorado’s automobile history in the mountains. You can read more about the Coloradotopia archive project here.
