2018-01-03_PERMIT FILE - C1981010 (33)

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road was rebuilt, making it the preferred route to that of Rollins Pass. By 1880, the Rollins Road was in ruins. The Hayden Survey parties made use of the Berthoud road in their travels through the Routt country. The route had changed from earlier construction, and when survey parties used it, the route went "over Gore Pass to Stampede Creek, across Egeria Park, down the Yampah [sic] seven miles, across Oak and Sage Creeks to Skull Creek to the Yampah River." (Ladd 1876:439). The development of these roads increased accessibility to northwest Colorado; previously, most non -aboriginal entry into the region had come from Wyoming. During the highway building period of the 1920s, State Highway 13 was constructed, eventually connecting northwestern Colorado to the future Interstate 70. Also, during the same period, US Highway 40 was constructed. It was a coast to coast highway at the time, however, it now ends at Interstate 80 in Utah. Railroading The Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway was a railroad company incorporated in 1902 by David Moffat, Walter Cheesman, William Evans, Charles Hughes, Jr., George Ross -Lewin, S.M. Perry, and Frank Gibson. After Denver was bypassed by the Union Pacific line, which ran through Cheyenne, Wyoming, and by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), which was routed through Pueblo, Colorado, the Denver community wanted a line which ran west of the city. The Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway (DNW&P) was to originate in Denver and terminate in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although the line was never completed as a separate route to Salt Lake City, it eventually connected with the D&RGW's line near Dotsero, Colorado. It initially featured a severe grade over Rollins Pass. DNW&P was placed into receivership in 1912 and in 1913 was reformed as the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad. Many problems beset the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad (D&SL): high operating expenses on Rollins Pass, accidents, complaints by livestock shippers of stock frozen to death in some cars on the pass, deteriorating maintenance, and lack of money (Athearn 1977:105). The railroad applied for abandonment but was refused. The year 1922 saw the passage of the Moffat tunnel bond issue. From 1906 to until the late 1920s, constant efforts were made to promote the region. The coming of the tunnel promised another boom for the region, but it did not pan out. When the coal boom gave out — causing a series of towns in northwest Colorado to lose population — the whole region fell into depression during the late 1920s. Also, not everyone benefitted from the railroads arrival. David Gray noted: The railroad came and coal mining began on a larger scale. Mail contractors and freighters were put out of business. Farmers immediately felt the effect of this when there was no sale for long grain and hay. The country was thrown in competition with the outside world. As a consequence, grain farming for profit was a thing of the past because of loss of home market and high freight rates for outside markets (Gray 1941). 11