Georgetown Loop

Near the top of the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, as I-70 and US 6 approach the Continental Divide, the historic mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume sit separated by just two miles. However, it is an exceedingly tough two miles. So tough that the first railroad crossing, completed in 1884, became an early tourist attraction for its "loop" design, where the track makes a full 360 and doubles over itself, and Devil's Gate High Bridge, considered an engineering marvel at the time. The high slopes of the canyon following Clear Creek west from Georgetown create a transportation barrier. A wagon road between the two towns had interest as early as 1869 to connect Georgetown with mines to the west (14), but it was not completed until 1882 (5), and even then was regarded as dangerous (4).

Early Highways

Road between Silver Plume &
Georgetown, 1920

US 6 did not enter the area until 1938, when it was rerouted from Greeley to Denver, and then extended through the Rockies to Long Beach, California. However, initially, it was mostly on paper. Until around 1938, the pavement ended at Georgetown, and it was rough going even into Dillon. The primary route over the Rockies was the Victory Highway, later US 40, which split in Eastern Colorado due to internal disagreement about routing, with the northern (US 40N) using the current US 40, and the southern (US 40S) using the current US 24 routing via Colorado Springs and Leadville. Some time between 1910 and 1914, Colorado State Route 56, running 8.3 miles from Empire to Silver Plume via Georgetown, was either constructed or simply adopted into the system (1). It is hard to know the quality of this road at the time, and how much improvement had occurred to it, but newspaper articles seem to indicate that it was at least passable to cars (9). This road, however, branched off the northern Victory Highway to use Empire Pass, directly south of Empire, then went down a steep grade to enter Georgetown. It then went back up a steep grade and tight curve to cross into Silver Plume, where Route 56 officially ended. The road continued as an unpaved (12) county-maintained road to Loveland Pass past that point, but much of it was little better than the wagon roads of the prior decades. So it was an uphill battle for a US 6 extension through Colorado coming into the 1930s: a long, unpaved mountain road over the Divide, a dangerous routing over Empire Pass between Georgetown and Empire, the lack of a road between Frisco and Eagle, and not much funding to do any of it in the height of the Great Depression.

US 6 Comes In

US 6 passing the Red Elephant Mill
in Lawson (right), 1964

But there were several events all related to the Great Depression that would pave (literally) the way for US 6 to be extended through Clear Creek County and through the rest of Colorado. February 24, 1936, the ailing Colorado & Southern Railway applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for abandonment of their Clear Creek line, from Golden to Silver Plume via Idaho Springs and Georgetown, and its Black Hawk spur, to be replaced by "rapid truck service" (16). In April 1940, the Colorado Highway Department began planning a new route over the former tracks, between Georgetown and the Victory Highway (US 40) near Lawson (17), with construction slated to finish by that summer. This section of highway was simple, but the other section, through Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden, would languish in controversy for another ten years before being constructed (look for a Clear Creek Canyon story here in the future, as it's too long a saga to get into here). What's strange about this routing is that, years before this, the county had built Alvarado Road, running along the south shore of Clear Creek from Georgetown to Lawson, but the state still chose to build the new right-of-way.

Before this construction could commence, road work contracts had already been let to further US 6 to the west. Between 1938 and 1940, US 6 drove over unpaved roads around and over Loveland Pass, then took a massive detour south to Leadville along what is today State Route 91, then back up to Minturn and the Battle Mountain Road. Most traffic, by that point though, was using the more arduous Shrine Pass, that dropped into the town of Red Cliff.

In 1940, the road on both sides of Loveland Pass was paved, while Vail Pass, which had been called the "pipe dream" of its namesake highway engineer, Charles D. Vail in 1936 (18), would be constructed at the cost of over $300,000, while $164,000 would be spent rebuilding what was by then US 6 between Frisco and Wheeler (19). Construction the west side, between Eagle and what is today Vail, had already begun in 1938 (21). This would make a mostly straight shot across the mountains, and make US 6 a more viable option for crossing Colorado. Much of this funding came from the massive increase in federal spending on road and infrastructure from 1939 and 1940 (20). However, despite all of this, the section over Loveland Pass was the last section of US 6's entire cross-country routing to be paved.

The Interstate

I-70 begins construction near
Georgetown, 1966

Interstate 70 has mostly usurped US 6 in this area, though US 6 shields appear at most places where I-70 shields appear. The section of the interstate between Georgetown and Silver Plume opened in 1968 (22), late partially due to the same tough terrain that also made railroad construction difficult, even though I-70 mostly avoid the deep canyon that both the railroad and US 6 originally went in to reach Georgetown and Georgetown became barely visible to people traveling through. In fact, Georgetown originally was not even marked on an exit on Interstate 70 (24). The section west of Silver Plume began construction in 1969 (22), while the section east of Georgetown was completed in 1966 (23). Except for that bit of road in Georgetown, including the section going under the Georgetown Loop Railway, and the roadway west of Silver Plume, the US 6 routing was entirely used.
View a video of dynamiting from the construction of I-70 near Georgetown.

The Loop

An overview of the Georgetown Loop, circa 1890

The loop belonged to the Colorado & Southern Railroad Company, who had track from Dallas to Wyoming. The Clear Creek section, which included the Loop, was a narrow gauge railroad, running from Denver to Silver Plume via Golden and Georgetown. It was built in 1884 by the Colorado Central Railroad during the area's silver boom, mostly carrying ore from the area mines. When the Colorado & Southern abandoned the line in 1936, it was also dismantled, including the Devil's Gate High Bridge. It wasn't until the 1970s, as Georgetown sought to bring in people with the scenic railroad as a tourist attraction, that the bridge was rebuilt. The disassembly, not coincidentally, corresponded with US 6 being routed under what was once that bridge, and its reconstruction directly coincided with the moving of US 6 to the new interstate, and the closing of the road. So US 6 officially only went under the bridge for a very short time, but did follow that route for over 30 years. But you can see why some would be hesitant to use that road.
Even today, as you approach the fork where US 6 bears right to leave Clear Creek to ascend toward the Georgetown Loop and toward Silver Plume, the left fork, into an inviting entrance sign for Georgetown, looks much more appealing. The grade is still pretty extreme, even though the Georgetown Loop Railway still today carries tourists throughout the summer and operates a massive parking lot. Past the parking lot, the old roadway continues as a multi-use path, ducking under the trestle of the Devil's Gate High Bridge where a historic marker about the railroad has sat since at least the 1950s, though it has been updated to indicate its current use as a tourist attraction since 1984. The posts lined with reflectors to prevent cars from driving off the edge of the road are still buried on the sides, but the sides are now a little less clear. Some sort of railroad maintenance facility has sprung up in the crux of the road's iconic horseshoe curve, while an old house left inaccessible when the roadway was abandoned, sits boarded up down a small driveway. I went to photograph the home, but was met by a surprised family of deer just a few feet away, and snow up to my waist. I also discovered later, to my chagrin, that there was no card in camera and, thus, all the photos were lost.

The top of this trail meets Interstate 70 and follows alongside it into Silver Plume.

What is striking to me most about the area is how much Georgetown and Silver Plume, likely very similar communities at one time, have diverged in terms of atmospheres and business activities. Both suffered harshly when the regional mining industry collapsed, but Georgetown has reinvented itself as a tourist center, with a cute Downtown area, several small inns, a brewery, and plenty of other tourist-oriented businesses. Silver Plume still has unpaved streets, with only a couple of businesses. Its convenience store, at its interchange with I-70, recently became a marijuana dispensary. Georgetown though has about ten times as many people (1100 vs. 110) as Silver Plume, and has always been much larger. Even at its worst ebb, Georgetown was still quite a bit larger than Silver Plume (about 300 vs. about 80, in 1960). Silver Plume may just be more resistant to tourist intrusions than Georgetown is.

Next Story

Silver Plume to the Silver State: the next story is about the Project Faultless nuclear test in the Nevada desert. No, it's not a part of Area 51, but it's close to it, and there may be something just as mysterious nearby.

Sources:

1. Biennial Report of the State Highway Commission of the State of Colorado, Colorado State Highway Commission (1914), https://books.google.com/books?id=P5o-AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
2. Clear Creek Canon Highway Is Now Assured, Colorado Transcript, July 23, 1936, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CTR19360723-01.2.2&srpos=11&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22colorado+and+southern%22+highway-------0--
3. Discuss Plan to Replace Railroad With Highway, Colorado Transcript, July 24, 1930, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CTR19300724.2.7&srpos=13&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22colorado+and+southern%22+highway-------0--
4. Seven Hundred Miles, The Silver Standard, January 30, 1886, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=SPS18860130-01.2.4&srpos=12&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22empire+pass%22+road-------0--
5. State Notes, Leadville Daily Herald, November 23, 1882, p3, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=LDH18821123.2.19&srpos=35&e=-------en-20--21--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-%22empire+pass%22+road-------0--
6. Holy Cross Trail, September 9, 1933, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=HCT19330909-01.2.2&srpos=45&e=-------en-20--41--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-silver+plume+road+complete-------0--
7. Seventeen Pass Roads Cross Colorado Mountains, The Herald Democrat (Leadville), January 10, 1924, p4, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=THD19240110-01.2.46&srpos=52&e=-------en-20--41--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-empire+pass+road-------0--
8. Wagon Road From Empire to Georgetown, The Colorado Miner (Georgetown), February 20, 1868, p2, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CLM18680220-01.2.12&srpos=6&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-empire+pass+road-------0--
9. Motor Trips From Denver, Colorado Transcript (Golden), May 2, 1912, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CTR19120502.2.1&srpos=57&e=-------en-20--41--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-empire+silver+plume+road-------0--
10. Loveland Pass Road to be New State Highway, Steamboat Pilot, January 5, 1927, p5, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=STP19270105.2.51&srpos=12&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-empire+silver+plume+road-------0--
11. The Eagle County News, October 8, 1921, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ECN19211008.2.3&srpos=60&e=-------en-20--41--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+road-------0--
12. Oiled Roads and Snow, Holy Cross Trail, October 18, 1935, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=HCT19351018-01.2.8&srpos=16&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+road-------0--
13. Generous Appropriations For Loveland Pass Short Cut Thru Georgetown to Western Slope, Holy Cross Trail, January 8, 1937, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=HCT19370108-01.2.10&srpos=29&e=-------en-20--21--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+road-------0--
14. The Snake River Wagon Road, The Colorado Miner (Georgetown), August 19, 1869, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CMD18690819-01.2.24&srpos=9&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+road-------0--
15. Why Not Finish the Georgetown to Silver Plume Auto Road?, Idaho Springs Siftings-News, May 21, 1921, p4, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=SSN19210521-01.2.56&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+road-------0--
16. C&S Makes Application to Abandon Line, Colorado Transcript, February 27, 1936, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CTR19360227-01.2.3&srpos=6&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+colorado+southern+highway-------0--
17. Autos Will Speed on Railroad Bed, Wray Rattler, April 4, 1940, p5, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=WRA19400404-01.2.52&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-georgetown+colorado+southern+highway-------0--
18. Vail Comes Out With Pipe Dream of Highway From Wheeler to Gore Creek, Eagle Valley Enteprise, June 19, 1936, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=EVE19360619.2.1&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-vail+pass+road-------0--
19. Colorado's 1940 Highway Program Includes Number of Major Improvements, Craig Empire Courier, July 3, 1940, p7, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CEC19400703-01.2.85&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-us+highway+6-------0--
20. Highway Budget of $7,115,775 for 1940 Approved by Governor Carr, Craig Empire Courier, April 24, 1940, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CEC19400424-01.2.19&srpos=11&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-us+highway+6-------0--
21. Several Highway Improvements to be Let By State, Craig Empire Courier, May 10, 1939, p1, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CEC19390510-01.2.11&srpos=15&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-us+highway+6-------0--
22. Interstate 70 Long Way From Finish, Eagle Valley Enterprise, January 16, 1969, p8, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=EVE19690116-01.2.66&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-interstate+70+construction+georgetown-------0--
23. https://www.codot.gov/about/CDOTHistory/50th-anniversary/interstate-70/construction-timeline.html
24. Fine, But Where's Georgetown?, Golden Transcript, November 22, 1973, p2, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=GOT19731122-01.2.10&srpos=6&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-interstate+70+georgetown-------0--