Brief Description
This photo shows a woman standing in front of the Loveland Pass Continental Divide sign in 1954. A second sign can be seen in the background. Another image from this archive (seen here), shows the sign in the back to be an open/closed indicator sign for Arapahoe Basin and the Norway Mountain chairlifts.
Info
- Date: 1954
- Photographer: Unknown
- Medium: Original Photo
- Size: 4 1/5" x 3 1/4"
- ID: CL-KVA1954
- Acquisition Date: Feb. 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, no enhancements yet.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
This photograph has an ink stamp on the front that reads “AUG 1954”.
Is that a development date or the date that the image was captured? Possibly both. The lack of snow is consistent with a summer photo.
In the background, a second sign which is likely still an Arapahoe Basin status indicator can barely be seen. The word ‘Open’ can be deciphered. The ski resort would not have been open in August, but it is possible that the chairlift was open for summer rides. Keystone Ski Resort would not be founded until 1970, so this seems like the most likely explanation for the open status in this 1954 photo.
Backside
Comments & Discussion
The full image scan below shows the border ribbing on the edge of the photograph. This pattern is not uncommon for photos from this era.
While it is not easy to tell if there is any snow here or not, a pair of white shoes can be identified on this woman. Those shoes contrast heavily enough against the background to know that there was no snow on the ground in this photo.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The photograph is in great overall shape. The surface coating on the front has only a few very mild scratches, with no spidering or cracking.
The ribbed edging has been beaten up a bit, but this is par for the course with these photos because any rough handling of them can easily damage these edges.
The backside has faded and barely visible “Kodak Velox Paper” lettering.
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.
