1963 Monarch Pass Continental Divide Sign Kodachrome Slide #CMO-812
Brief Description
This image shows the US Forest Service’s Continental Divide sign on Monarch Pass. This sign was added in approximately 1957, a few years prior to this image being captured.
This sign replaced a previous sign that was added by the Colorado Department of Highways sometime around 1953 or 1954.
Info
- Date: Aug. 12, 1963
- Photographer: Unknown
- Medium: Kodachrome Slide
- Size: 35mm
- ID: CMO-812
- Acquisition Date: March 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, brightness enhancements.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
This slide has a blue ink stamp of Aug 12, 1963.
The date stamp’s size and font are not typical for a developer stamp from the period. While that may suggest that this was a capture date added by the customer, rather than a development date added by the developer, the opposite side has a similar blue ink with the text “Kodachrome 2”. This makes it start to look like the blue inks on the slide mount indicate a development date.
The front side also has a very faint punch stamp of “Aug 63”.
Comments & Discussion
The photographer would have taken this photo while standing on the northern side of US Highway 50, with the highway and Monarch Crest parking lot behind their back.
Water that flows to the west of this hilltop will wind up in the Pacific Ocean. Water that flows off to the east will go to the Atlantic. Unlike some of the other Continental Divide passes in Colorado that are the subject of major irrigation projects, the water around Monarch Pass still follows the natural flow. Mountain passes closer to Denver do not always do this.
The pine trees behind this sign were all thick and healthy a few years before this. Once the signs were moved to this side of the highway, the trees closest to the road started to lose their pines. You can see some of these trees in the background here.
This slide’s mount is not a typical Kodachrome mount. This may help explain why Kodachrome has been stamped in ink in a makeshift fashion. The ‘Color Transparency’ text does make the mount appear to be official cardboard from Kodak.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The blue text that has been stamped onto the mount is showing some fading. Other stamped lettering like the serial number ’19’ is also fading. The cardboard does not show any significant signs of aging aside from the fading inks.
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.
