Loveland Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard - Postmarked 1949 #CL-L-941
Brief Description
This is a scanned image of a real photo postcard that shows the Continental Divide signs at the top of the pass. This postcard was sent from the Dillon post office, located just a few miles from Loveland Pass, where these postcards were most likely to have been sold.
Info
- Date: Circa 1940s
- Photographer: Harold Sanborn
- Medium: Real Photo Postcard
- Size: 5 1/2" x 3 3/8"
- ID: CL-L-941
- Acquisition Date: February 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, no enhancements.
There are no known copyrights on the postcard’s image.
Image Dating Comments
The postcard is postmarked May 5th, 1949. Other photos showing this sign can be dated to at least as early as 1943 (dated by Denver Public Library in that case). This image was likely captured during the mid-1940s. This archive has a photo from Loveland Pass in 1948 that shows a newer sign here.
The sign on the right has the Colorado State Highway Dept. label. This label is only found on signs made before 1953. This was when the department’s name was changed to the Colorado Department of Highways.
Backside
Comments & Discussion
This is one of many Sanborn postcards in the archives. It has great detail and definition because it is a real photo postcard rather than a modern printed postcard.
The set of signs shown here is identified by the single mast for each sign, and the two-line county labels added on the bottom of the right sign. This is the only sign from the Colorado Continental Divide’s history that has the two county names displayed on the bottom of the sign like that.
The postcard has a canceled 1 cent stamp. While the domestic letter rate had gone up to 3 cents by 1949, you could still mail a postcard for 1 cent in the US. The rate would increase to 2 cents for postcards in 1951.1
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: There is slight discoloration on the backside edges, and fading of the postmark and original “post card” label. The handwritten message is clearly visible, with slight fading on the ink areas that had the lowest pen pressure.
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.
References & Credits
- Fort Lewis College, “Dating Old Photographs,” Special Collections & Archives, https://www.fortlewis.edu/finding_aids/images/M194/PostcardDating.htm. Accessed July 11, 2024