Historical Colorado Toll Road Ticket &
ephemera Archive Collection
View historical toll road tickets and highway ephemera from Colorado in the archive collection below.
During the 1800s, toll roads for wagons were built throughout the Rocky Mountains in order to gain access to mining areas. Many of those roads still exist today, but most only persisted as toll roads for a few years.
Another wave of toll roads was built in the early to mid-1900s. These were created for sightseers and tourists, rather than for access to mining camps and gold.
Pikes Peak Auto Highway Toll Tickets
The first toll road ticket shown here would have given you access to the Pikes Peak Auto Highway. These historical tickets are much less common than the souvenir tickets were stamped at the summit and given to those who made the trip. There are several of those shown below as well.
The souvenir toll road tickets were been sold or given out as they were stamped at the summit for travelers. These tickets were keepsakes that could be taken home.
Cañon City and Cripple Creek Toll Road
This toll road ran through the front range between Cañon City and Cripple Creek between 1892 and 1906. The road still exists as a dirt road named Shelf Road. The ticket below dates to sometime during this era.
c. 1892-1906
Rocky Mountain National Park Automobile Permits
These tickets all come from Rocky Mountain National Park. The first ticket, from 1949, appears to have been for a Studebaker. These tickets will each get their own page in the collection for discussion shortly.
1949
1962
More Misc. Colorado Toll Road Tickets & Automobile Ephemera
View more historical toll road tickets below from the Broadmoor-Cheyenne Mountain Highway, Seven Springs Highway and other historical Colorado toll roads as they are added to this collection here.
1949 Seven Falls Toll Road Ticket #LI-49PIK7-8797
1949 Cheyenne Mountain Highway Toll Ticket #LT-49PIK7-7970
1949 Cheyenne Mountain Highway Souvenir Toll Ticket #LT-49PIK7-BC
1949 Royal Gorge Bridge Toll Ticket #LT-49PIK7-455
Images Credits: Harry Mellon Rhoads/Denver Public Library [Rh-726], Coloradotopia Archives | More info