Nostalgia & History > Vail Pass; Otto Perry

Date: 03/27/24 10:08
Vail Pass; Otto Perry
Author: flynn

There is a picture of the Hotel Colorado Bridge over the highway for Hotel Colorado guests to go to the pool. I found it on the Glenwood Springs Facebook page. This picture is winter and taken from the east side. The highway it crosses depends upon the date.

From Wikipedia Vail Pass,

“Vail Pass is a 10,662[2]-foot-high (3,250 m) mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. The pass was named for Charles Vail, a highway engineer and director of the Colorado State Highway Department from 1930 to 1945.[3][4]

Vail Pass lies on the boundary between Eagle and Summit counties, between Vail on the west and Copper Mountain on the east. It provides the route of Interstate 70 (and earlier U.S. Highway 6) between the upper basins of the Eagle River and the Blue River, both tributaries of the Colorado River. Black Gore Creek, a tributary of Gore Creek, in the watershed of the Eagle, descends from the north side of the pass towards the town of Vail. West Tenmile Creek, in the watershed of the Blue, descends from the south side. The pass is significantly steep on either side (7% max.), and two runaway truck ramps are available on the west bound side for trucks.

The pass has been featured on dangerousroads.org as one of the most difficult sections of road to navigate in Colorado: "Vail Pass, a difficult road in Colorado",[5] due to its extreme grade, high elevation and frequent weather related hazardous driving conditions.

The pass was not a traditional historical route of the Rockies. Prior to 1940, the most common route westward was over nearby Shrine Pass, just to the south, which leads to the town of Red Cliff in the upper Eagle Valley. In 1940, the construction of U.S. Highway 6 bypassed Shrine Pass in favor of the current route to the valley of Gore Creek.[6][7]”

Prior to 1940 the highway below the Hotel Colorado Bridge was Highway 24 after 1940 the highway was Highway 6 & 24. Just west of the Hotel Colorado Bridge is left turn onto the bridge across the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs.

Picture 1, Hotel Colorado Bridge.

Picture 2, Bridge across the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs.

Picture 3, Call Number: OP-10398. Denver & Rio Grande Western train, engine number 1703, engine type 4-8-4. Creator: Perry, Otto, 1894-1970. Date: 1939. Summary: Train #6 Exposition Flyer; 8 cars. Photographed: Glenwood Springs, Colo., September 24, 1939. [Is this the Exposition Flyer that connects with the Burlington and Western Pacific Railroads?]