Monarch Pass Continental Divide Sign Kodachrome Slide #CMO-KCDC-19
Brief Description
A young lad stands between the two signs on top of Monarch Pass in the mid-1950s. This image has been scanned from a Kodachrome slide that is held in the Coloradotopia archives.
Info
- Date: Circa 1957
- Photographer: Unknown
- Medium: Kodachrome Slide by Dynacolor
- Size: 35mm
- ID: CMO-KCDC-19
- Acquisition Date: March 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, digital enhancements unknown.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
Historic dating of this image was done partially by comparing the image with this image (CMO-10) from 1956. That slide shows a Smokey the Bear PSA on that middle sign. That ad was mostly destroyed by the time this next image was captured, but the top portion remains, and the ad can still be identified.
Comparing the height of the grass and the outfits, it begins to look more like CMO-10 was a fall 1956 photograph and this is a spring/summer 1957 photograph. There is a small pine tree on the right side that makes it a bit more obvious that this photo was taken in a different season. That small pine tree is flourishing and healthy in this photo, while it is bare and sickly in the earlier photo.
The ceiling of the date range can be established because this sign was replaced by later in 1957. There is a dated photograph in this archive of the next sign in place here.
Comments & Discussion
The slide notes that it was developed by Dynacolor under license from Kodak. Dynacolor became better known for their own competing products in the next 1-2 decades. This is likely one of the earlier Dynacolor slides.
These Continental Divide signs were fairly well photographed during the summers of this era. They were still located on the opposite side of the highway from the Monarch Crest building that was opened in 1954. The paved highway and pull-off can be seen near the bottom of this image.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: The front of the slide has a blue tint to the cardboard. Some fading can be seen in the red line that runs across the top of the front, but there are little/no other signs of aging visible to the naked eye.
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.
