Monarch Pass Continental Divide Sign Archive

This archive contains images of the Continental Divide signs on Monarch Pass. The collection contains photographs, slides, postcards and a handful of digital-only photographs. The purpose of this section is to create a historical resource that can be used for dating other photographs.

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.

1918

Two people are photographed standing next to the Monarch Pass Continental Divide sign in 1918. This sign was located along the earliest of the wagon/automobile roads over the pass.

1920

This image comes from a family postcard that was mailed from Salida, CO in 1920.

c. 1920-'25

This early photograph from the second automobile route over the pass, the Old Monarch Pass route, belongs to the Denver Public Library.

c. 1940s-'50s

This image has been scanned from an unused Sanborn postcard in the Coloradotopia archives. This shows the old route over the pass, with the newer Continental Divide signs barely visible at the crest.

1939

That’s not a mistake… that really is a Vail Pass sign on top of Monarch Pass in 1939. Read the details page to find out why this was here.

c. Early 1940s

This is one of the earlier images in the archives from the new summit location. This image is scanned from an unbranded postcard in the archives.

c. 1940s

A man and his children pose next to the Continental Divide sign and a 1938 Studebaker Commander sometime during the early 1940s.

c. 1940s

The Hermit of Arbor Villa, a local character, is seen posing here next to the signs on Monarch Pass.

c. 1940s

A well-dressed man holds a snowball on the Continental Divide. This slide is related to the next slide (CMO-321VB).

c. 1940s

Just like the jolly fellow in the previous photo, a woman and girl can be seen holding snowballs on the Continental Divide. These images were likely taken a few moments apart.

c. 1949-'53

A 1949 Pontiac can be seen on the side of the road while a group stands by, watching a woman sign the registration book at the top of Monarch Pass.

c. 1949-'53

This image has been scanned from an unused Sanborn postcard that is held in the archives.

c. 1949-'53

The Monarch Pass Continental Divide sign can be seen here along with a $25 vandalism reward placard that is near his right shoulder.

c. 1949-'53

There are two things that you will see a lot of in the Continental Divide photos from the 1940s and ’50s: snowballs and cigarettes.

c. 1953-'56

This postcard shows the signs on the opposite side of the road from where they had previously been located. Notice that the arrows for each ocean have swapped directions.

c. 1954-'55

Another postcard from the early 1950s shows these signs while looking to the east of the pass.

c. 1954-'56

Two signs are shown here along with a third sign that has now been added in the middle. This middle signpost would hold different ads and public service announcements.

1956

This Kodachrome slide shows three women posing under the Monarch Pass sign with a Smokey the Bear PSA on the sign post next to them.

c. 1957

The Smokey the Bear ad has been ripped down, but enough of it remains to know that this image post-dates the one which shows the full ad.

1957

This slide is 1 of 2 in the archives that was captured on the same day in 1957. These show the US Forest Service’s newly added sign on top of the pass.

1963

This image is scanned from a Kodachrome slide that is dated to 1963.

1965

This slide has an ink-stamped date of July 1965 on it. The tram on top of Monarch Pass would not be constructed until the next year in 1966.

1984

A modern road sign marks the top of the pass in 1984. The Monarch Crest visitor center and tram can be seen in the background on the opposite side of Highway 50.

Monarch Pass Continental Divide Sign Archive

1918