The Delta independent., 1912-07-26
ENGINEERS REPORT
OF BLACK MESA ROUTE
FIRST COST TO BE NOMINAL.
Old Road Found to be in a Deplor-
able Condition-Grades at No
Place On the New Route
Exceed Six Per Cent.

10 the GOOD Roads Enthusiasts OIL
Western Colorado, and to Whom it
May Concern:
ing held at Gunnison, June 4, 1912,
at which there was present a large
representation of good roads enthu-
siasts, arrangements were made to
send a commission of engineers to
examine and report on the feast
bility of ting a new road
over what is known as the Black
Mesa Route, situate in Gunnison
and Montrose counties. w. H. Eek
bert of Pitkin, and Geo. C. Vickery
of Delta, being selected for the pur-
pose.
Your committee hereby respectful
ly reports that on July 6, we be-
gan our investigations. starting from
Sapinero and running westerly We
found the condition of the present
road simply atrocious, our first ex-
perience being to assist in snuO-
bing with rope and tackle, an auto
which had injudiciously ventured to
cross the country by this route, as
sistance being afforded by a settler
who is seemingly alive to the situa-
tion and has established a relief
station near point OF vantage for
the assistance of innocent and un-
wary travellers, from which source,
it appears, he derives quite rev.
enue.
We find at the start an easy
grade may be constructed out of Sap
inero to reach the bench above the
Black canon, thus eliminating the
climb over what is known as Sapi-
nero hill; thence following this lev
ei bench TO a point just above the
pr esent crossing at Curricanu creek,
road may be vey mate
the present road may be very mater
tally Strengthened, both in align
ment and grade, and widened to in
sure safety, all for very small out
lay.
From this point above the present
crossing We ran on a level approx
imately a mile and half along
gentle side slopes without timber,
following for a part of the way,
very nearly the present trail, to
our crossing selected at a point
few hundred feet below the juno
ton of the creek passing through
the old Hartman camp with Curri-
canti creek. From this crossing our
route climbs the hill, via the Hart
man ranch to the summit, at the
junction of the Hartman or gov
ernment trail. with the old road
distance of about four and two
tenths miles upon a sustained
per cent grade, passing through the
southwest quarter of section 20,
township 81, north, range 81, west
of New Mexico Principal Meridian.
which has been selected by the gov
ernment as forest station.
Advantage was taken of the natu-
ra' conditions of the country which
side to side of the basin, just touch
ing the south side of the enclos-
ure of the present Hartman ranch.
With the exception of about 600
feet at the crossing of the rim rock
the route mostly lay along gentle
slopes, which, after the right of
way has been cleared. will persent
few obstacles to road construction.
From our observations of rock work
done along the old road. we cannot
anticipate that very much cost will
be attached to the above mention
ed 500 feet of work and believe this
section of new work of about five
and three-fourths miles viii not en-
ceed the expenditure of $4,000 to
make road that will be entirely
practicable for all vehicles, though
still unfinished. and will be boule-
ward in comparison with the road
in use.
From the summit of government
trail mentioned we crossed the
ridge by gentle slopes, with n few
hundred feet of 6 per cent grade,
along park to Myers gulch,
thence mounting by less than a
per cent grade to the divide east
OF Trail gulch which we crossed near
the end of large stock corrall and
cleared the summit east of Mesa
creek by n per cent grade.
The approaches to Mesa creek
were accomplished by per cent
grade and the crossing made at
point about three-fourths of mile
southwest of the present crossing