Rabbit Ears Pass Continental Divide Sign Postcard #CRA-GR1
Brief Description
The snow-covered signs on top of Rabbit Ears Pass can be seen here, including a historical stone marker in the middle, and a visitor registration book on the right.
Info
- Date: Circa 1953 or Earlier
- Photographer: Chas E. Grover
- Medium: Postcard
- Size: 5 3/8" x 3 1/2"
- ID: CRA-GR1
- Acquisition Date: March 2024
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, color correction, auto white balance.
Image use restricted.
Image Dating Comments
The Colorado State Highway Dept. text that is seen on the sign below tells us that this sign was made before 1953. This archive contains images of the signs here from 1953, and those images show that these signs were replaced that year as the department’s name changed.
Registration book boxes like the one seen here were found around Colorado during the early 1950s and prior.
Backside
Full Scan
Comments & Discussion
This image shows a fresh, heavy snowfall, making it a bit more rare than other images of this location and era. The Rabbit Ears formation is obscured just behind the directional sign on the right.
The pass was being kept open year-round by this point, but a fresh snowfall like this would have had the potential to shut the pass down for a few hours until the storm passed. The first time that the pass was kept open throughout the winter was 1936-37 (ref).
The cropped version of the postcard above retains amazing detail because this is a real photo postcard, not a modern postcard that is printed with a lithographic printing process. The thickness of the arrows shown in this image is notable for dating purposes. These arrows are consistent with other signs from the era in Colorado. They appear to be the same thickness as the signs on Berthoud Pass from 1948.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: This postcard has retained a nice glossy surface. There are only a few small cracks in the front surface that can be seen under glaring light in the upper right. The postcard shows very light aging on the backside near some edges and corners.
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.
