Berthoud Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CB-B-15
Brief Description
This image has been scanned from a Sanborn Postcard that shows the top of Berthoud Pass, the summit marker sign, the roadway, and Crater Mountain.
Info
- Date: Circa 1926
- Photographer: Harold Sanborn
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 3/8" x 3 5/8"
- ID: CB-B-15
- Acquisition Date: February 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, color correction, auto white balance.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
Harold Sanborn’s postcards go in sequential order. B-15 would have been one of the first numbered ones. His earliest known postcards are postmarked around 1923, but he did not begin using serial numbers right away. 1925-1926 is when the numbers start to appear on his postcards.
There are images in this archive establishing that this sign was not here as the Berthoud Pass Inn was being built. It was here after it was built, and the inn would have been located to the left of this image’s frame. The inn was built in 1925.
Backside
Full Scan
Comments & Discussion
This same sign can be seen in other images that are found within this archive. It is believed that the sign was replaced sometime during the 1930s.
Although it can’t be read in this image, it is known that the text across the bottom of the upper sign here reads “Bureau of Public Roads”. This was the predecessor to the Federal Highway Administration.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: There is mild browning throughout the white border on the front. The same is true for the backside. The surface on the front is free of any cracking or spidering. The surface still has a nice shine with a small bit of matte quality instead of glossiness.
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.
