Gunnison news-champion., 1911-02-03
4 - es.1


ado with ,ss western -laFe. Il weald
seem thai a route shosla he se,tcied
that wouli be ai the greatest beneisi
1T all seasons IL the wear b the great
est pumber If Inhsbstsats sad pleas
.re seeking citizens ssch route
wouId then t,e best susted t0r the
purpose that would be free from
SNOW the longest. aud passing
throsgh OF near the mssi thlckls
populated regions. Vet besns IN the
scenic. hsRtIRe asd hshing sections
that shoald aud eventually will BE-
the sy grounds of not only the
state bat the nation. for natural
route that would cost the least money
aud Row known by highway users
who have 10 cross the continental
divide, AS having the lowest noun
tain passes and most accessible at
all seasons, 10 full0w the Arkansas to
>allda thence over Popcha pass 10
Saegache, thence over Cochetepa
pass 10 GunnIson and follow the
rim Of Black canon west will com
mend itself TO all fair minded people.
not only this but IL was selected and
approved bv the army engineers oi
the government (wh0 were free from
prejudice as a great ns-eobtInen-
tai highway aud railway route
This road is now completed from
Salida 10 the summit of the low aud
easy Of access Poncha pass The
route is not a-to-be-tried problem
stical feat Of engineering skill, but
travelled road now; and one that
has been used by white men for over
3D wears or since the first Spanish
explorers followed the old buffalo
and Indian trail that first marked
the route 1t is the exact aud Iden-
teal route chosen by Fremont on his
fifth expedition ses,t by the United
States government t0 select national
highway aud railroad route 10 the
Pacific coast AT that time all this
country was a wilderness and his
judgment surely could not have
been biased by any local rivalries.
Capt Gunnlson likewise sent by the
government on the same errand,
chose practically the same route 4
state road TO be Of the most benefit
to its citizens should be ON a natural
travel route and when possible loc-
aied where climatic conditions are
most favorable in crossing mountain
ranges for the greatest number Oh
months travel in the year.
There is absolutely not another
travel route crossing the continental
divide in the state where climatic
conditions are as favorable as ON
this one; besides connecting the
Industrial sections of the state max
ing 1t a constantly used road
The San Luis valley with its vast
agricultural possibilities: The Gun
nison stock raising farming and
matchless trOut-hshing region, and
the fruit growing sections of western
slope are all along or tributary tc
this travel route.
The main continental divide that
extends as a Snow crested barrier
from the extreme northern part oi
the state southward to Poncha pass
is broken at this point. The main
spur Of the higher mountain range
extending south m the Sangre de
Cristo range. while the continental
divide water shed trends south
easterly in the low Cochetopa hills
for forty miles, again rising TO the
dignity Of the mountains in the re-
gion around Creede. The Cochetopa
pass is not properly a mountain pass
! but a gap in the lower foot hills.
As natural road bed, this route
cannot be surpassed Commencing
at Poncha pass and extending west
ward TO Gunnison the water erosion
has brought down from adjacent
eruptive mountains hinty hard
! volcanic tuia and in places disinte.
grated granite gravel This material
, rapidly absorbs the surface water
and leaves the road-be free from
! adobe soil. the despair of travel ia
early spring or rainy weather
The distance Sagusche 10 Villa
Grove a railroad point on tins road
: near Poneha pass is twenty miles
while Molfat a railroad point alsc
. but not ON tins road is only ten
miles, vet for years Saguache mer,
chants have had their freight hauled
from Villa Grove over tl.is splendid
road bed. As 10 climatic conditions
it is remarkable and much marveled
at fact that these is always sess snow
) from Salida over the two low noun.
tain passes Of the broken continental
divide 10 Cochetopa creek ON western
slope than falls in the lower valley
country TO the west At the present
writing Jan BOTH people going
from upper Cochetopa to Saguacht