CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1909-01-14
WOULD BUILD
ROADWAY TO
TOP OF GORGE

indeed, every citizen of Canon City
and Fremont county for that matter.
is the proposed public highway to the
top of the Royal Gorge: a movement
for which was inaugurated few
weeks ago by the civic Improvement
committee of the chamber OF COM
merce.
The suggestion looking tc the con-
struction of a roadway worthy of the
lame to the top of the Gorge has met
With general favor, SO much SO. in
act, that many inquiries have been
made as to the probable cost of such
in undertaking. To procure the data
necessary 10 satisfy public interest
structlons of the chamber of com
merce in relation to the shortest and
most economical route for the con-
ernplated highway, preliminary
survey was made by the committee on
Wednesday, the report of which viii
5e most encouraging.
The committee, and those who ac-
companied it, were Frank p. Smith
Or. w. T. Little. W,B. Rowland. c. L.
Reeves, Chas. l.. Milton, A. f. Wilson
and Chas. r. McLain., Mounted on
horseback the members of the party
left here at 8 O'Clock in morning and
returned late in the afternoon, having
made in the meantime a somewhat
careful inspection of the route that
seemed to them at once feasible and
If easy construction. 1t is computed
to be from two and a half to three
miles shorter than the old road via
Eight Mile Park and is said to be in
finitely the most attractive and pic
turesque of the. two lines.
Mr.. Milton went along with the
committee in the capacity of civil
engineer and he is an ardent advo-
cate of the adoption of the new route.
which, he says, is admirably adapted
for the purposes for which the com
rlittee would use 1t. Mr.. Milton is of
the opinion that first-class highway
such as the public is considering, can
be built from a point near Three Mile
Spring on the Fairplay road to the
top of the Royal Gorge, along the line
of Wednesdays survey. at cost not
exceeding $4,000 by the utilization of
prison labor and that the maximum
grade need not be greater than ten or
twelve percent, an outlay and a gra-
hav n hsa
required to put the old road in any
thing like decent condition.
The route inspected on Wednesday
starts from a point a short distance
beyond the western approach to the
Skyline drive and proceeds by an easy
gradient in southwesterly direction
until narrow canon is reached. by
which access is had TO the mesa sey-
efal hundred feet above. The canon
Is "A picturesque one and its scenic
beauties will he A feature OF the pro-
posed roadway, which emerses upon
the bench lands at point from which
an unobstrueted view OF the utmost
magnlhcence may be had 10 the east
and north: extending almost to Pue-
bio in the. one direction and includ-
ing the snow crowned summit OF Pixies
Peak in the other.
The committee, concurrlng in the
opinion Of Mr. Milton, Is confident
that the proposed road can he built
without serious difficulty and that IL
will be worth many times its cosl to
the residents of this city and to the
people of Fremont county at large.
It will cut off three miles In the dis
tance to the top OF the Royal Gorge
as now traversed from this city and
reduce the time consumed in making
the trip by carriage or automobile
nearly one-half. 1t takes three hours
to make the outward trip with a good
team under present conditions and
two and half hours to drive back
ter than trail and is disgrace to
the people of any civilized commun-
ity.
For distance OF. perhaps. two
thirds It's length the contemplated
roadway will cost for Its construction
approximately $500 a mile, or $500
for the complete enterprise. There
will be very little blasting required
as the rock is soft and can be pulled
down with pick and shovel, which
will minimize the expense OF building
it. The grade. as we have already
stated. will nowhere exceed ten or
fifteen per cent and can be maintain
ed in good condition at all seasons
of the year at small outlay.
The necessity for a first-class road
to the ton of the ROYAL Gorge demands