Cañon City record., 1911-04-27

formerly open lie new scenic high
way to the top of the Royal Gorge
on Friday, May twelfth and arrange
ments are being made on an elaboc-
ate scale by the county commission
ers, the Canon City Business Mems
association, the Canon City Automo-
bile club, the Fremont County Good
Roads association and other orgapi-
cations to make the occasion one of
the most memorable of the kind II
the history of Colorado.
The commemorative exercises will
last two days; Saturday being given
over to a Flower carnival" SINH
lar to those so successfully carried
out for a number of years past at
Santa Barbara, San Jose and other
towns on the Pacific coast. The car
nival will take place under the aus
pices and direction of the Canon City
Civic Improvement league and PROM
ises to be an affair of extraordinary
interest and beauty. No pains will
be spared to make the events in con-
nection with the road celebration of
very general concern and an entertain
ment will be provided for visitors
commensurate with the Importance TO
the people OF Colorado of the deji-
cation to public use of one of the
most remarkable and beautiful road
ways in America.
The road from Canon City to the
top OF the Royal Gorge is approxi-
nately eight miles in length and is
conceded by people from all parts uf
the country to be one OF the boldest
pieces OF highway engineering and
construction to be found anywhere
IN the United States. Properly the
new road may be said to begin where
ii enters the hills at the foot of Mount
Grant, some two miles or more from
town, but the constructive skill and
labor required in its creation does
not force itself upon the attention
until one makes his way up through
Priest canon, but from there on to its
terminus it is a continual marvel.
Ziz-zagging up the side of the
mountains on finely built. well
drained road, sixteen feet in width.
some of it cut through the solid gran
lite, a yer-to-be-forgotten panorama
revealing itself at every turn is some
thing new even in Colorado and must
be seen to be appreciated. The buill-
ing of this splendid, and in many re-
spects unique, roadway. was began
in February, 1910 and completed in
November of the same year. The wo:x
was done by couvicts from the state
penitentiary and it is. perhaps, the
finest monument to prison labor IN
this continent The scene from the
top of the Royal Gorge. nearly three
thousand feet above Canon City,
whether one looks down into the can
on, more than half a mile in sheer
depth, or across it to the snow-cap-
ped Continental divide, stretching
away into the dim distance, is one
of almost matchless magnificance. No
man can look out upon such pros
pect without feeling of alteration
for the Creator and recognition of
bis own insignificance in the midst
of such surroundings.
The principal ceremonies eonnecied
with the road dedication will take
place at the top of the Royal Gorge,
almost directly above the famons
Hanging bridge. in a spot probably
without parallel in awesome grand
eur between the Arctic circle and the
Isthmus OF Panama. The chief speak
OF the day will be Governor John r.
shafroth OF Colorado. who has ex-
pressed desire to take part in the
dsdicatory program. There will be
addresses by other distinguished gem
80. 49,. ...s..~, +. "a nlannad