Monarch Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CMO-M-1903
Brief Description
This image looks to the east from the top of Monarch Pass sometime around the early 1950s. The Continental Divide sign and other road signs can be seen along the northern side of US Highway 50.
Info
- Date: Circa 1954-'55
- Photographer: Glenn L. Gebhardt
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 1/4" x 3 1/8"
- ID: CMO-M-1903
- Acquisition Date: February 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, no enhancements
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
It is believed that these signs were put into place around 1953 or 1954. An early photograph of the signs on this side of the road shows that the pine trees were thick and healthy when the signs were added here. This image shows the pine tree right behind the sign losing some of its luster. It is unlikely that the image was captured any earlier than 1954.
One of the next images from this archive, CMO-M-1905, was captured no later than 1955. The image on this page, CMO-M-1903 is thought to have predated that one due to the number added on the postcard by the photographer.
These signs would be replaced by 1957 when the US Forest Service erected a large brown wooden sign marking the Continental Divide in this location.
Backside
Full Scan
Comments & Discussion
The back of a US Highway 50 sign can be seen down in front. The signs on Monarch Pass did not have the same graffiti issues as some of the other Continental Divide signs in Colorado like Berthoud Pass.
One way that the signs from here can be dated is by looking at the health of the pine trees on this side of the road, and by looking at the additional signs and posts around the main signs here. In subsequent images that are stored in the Coloradotopia archives, several different setups of the signs in this area can be observed.
While this postcard does not have Glenn L. Gebhardt’s name on it, a comparison of the handwriting shows it is an obvious match to his handwriting.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The backside has obvious evidence that the postcard was once mounted in an album of some kind. Postcard lettering can still be partially observed. There is no major scratching, cracking, or spidering of the front’s surface. The thin border, presumably once white, has taken on a cream color.
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.
