WHAT: RMGA Membership Meeting -- Circle Tour through Rocky Mountain National Park
WHEN: February 11, 2019, 6:00pm – Networking, 6:30pm – Short Meeting, 6:45pm – Circle Tour through Rocky Mountain National Park.
WHERE: Englewood Library 1000 Englewood Parkway, 1st Floor, Englewood Civic Center, Englewood, CO 80110.
PROGRAM: Lee Whiteley will present the Circle Tour through Rocky Mountain National Park. The 1920 opening of Rocky Mountain National Park’s Fall River Road linked the east and west sides of the park. The road, predecessor to Trail Ridge Road, enabled motorists and tour companies to enjoy the “Circle Tour,” a 240-mile-long scenic drive linking Denver, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake, Berthoud Pass, and Idaho Springs.
Circle Tour through Rocky Mountain National Park
RMGA Membership Meeting Review
Circle Tour through Rocky Mountain National Park
Membership Program February 11, 2019
President Sherry Moon presided over a short business meeting after we all signed in. Barbara Ford offered some of her collection of tourism books for sale for $2/each. Sherry reminded all that the various committee chairs are looking for volunteers. She also mentioned that RMGA needs a chair for Hospitality. Sherry commented on both recent FAMs: Stock Show and DAM. Tom Jensen has the DAM FAM write-up on the website.
Sherry noted that the current membership roster was distributed today and that the new Members Only password will be distributed soon. Sherry also invited the membership to join the RMGA Facebook group. She also noted that we are members of Visit Denver, Colorado Tourism and Tour Colorado.
Sherry reminded the membership of the February 21st, 2019 proclamation at the Capitol honoring International Tour Guide Day – the actual proclamation was emailed and each member can print the actual proclamation with the governor’s signature and seal.
The membership was reminded to edit and update their bios for the website.
Education Chair, Mike Dulude, presented information on the March 13th FAM to City Park – Museum of Science and Nature, the Zoo and a walking tour of City Park with well-known local historical author, Phil Goodstein. Cost is $25/person, included lunch – starts at 9 am, expect to be finished by 3 pm.
Program Committee member, Larry Foos, then introduced Lee Whiteley – historian and writer. Lee has written three books, two of which he offered for free: The Yellowstone Highway – Denver to the Park, Past and Present (2001) and The Lincoln Highway in Colorado (2007). The third book The Playground Trail – The National Park-to-Park Highway: To and Through the National Parks of the West in 1920 by both Lee Whiteley and his wife, Jane, was offered for $15/copy. Sherry Moon bought a copy,
Lee led us on a circle tour through RMNP – a 240 mile loop. One of his books was written as if you were taking a tour in the 1920s and 1930s when “highways” were mud roads and trails. Lee used photos and postcards to illustrate travel and tourism in the early days of RMNP before Trail Ridge Road was completed. One of the first photos, taken by famed photographer William H. Jackson in 1873, showed Estes Park, Long’s Peak and Mount Meeker. Then a photo of Abner Sprague’s cabin that grew into Sprague Lodge in Moraine Park.
In 1903, Freelan Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame, contracted tuberculosis and came west for his health, which improved greatly in the mountain air. Stanley bought land and built the Stanley Hotel which opened in July 1909. The Stanley Hotel was built with electricity and phones in every room.
The Stanley Steamer had a “coffin nose” hood and Stanley formed the Estes Park Transportation Company. Then the Loveland/Estes Park Automobile Company started a tour from Loveland to the Big Thompson Canyon.
Grand Lake is on the west side of RMNP – 55 miles from Georgetown and 107 miles from Denver. The fare over Berthoud Pass was $12.45/person – pretty expensive for the time. Other photos followed: Squeaky Bob Wheeler’s cabin – which became a guest ranch three miles upriver from Lulu City – all on the west side of the park.
RMNP was dedicated on September 4, 1915 – Enos Mills is considered the “father” of RMNP and Roe Emery is considered the “father of all tour guides”. Roe gave tours in RMNP and bought hotel and chalets and included meals and lodging in his auto tours. In 1913 construction started on a road between Grand Lake and Estes Park. In 1921 the Union Pacific road was completed.
In 1919 Roe was awarded a 20-year exclusive transportation concession for RMNP. In the 1920s he also owned the Stanley Hotel. He owned the Placer Inn in Idaho Springs (now the Tommyknocker).
In 1932 Trail Ridge Road was completed – 11 miles of this road are above timberline. Before 1946 it was knows as the Victory Highway (US 40). Berthoud Pass on US 40 was the last section to be paved. Fall River Road on the west side of the park was then torn up by the CCC. Fall River Road wan from 1920-1932.
In the 1930s, Overland Park in Denver, was a campground – now it’s a golf course. Old Fall River Road – which was 9 miles one way is still usable as a trail. Parts of the Old Fall River Road are now a hiking trail – though it is not maintained. Along the Colorado River you can still see moose.
A tour now would take about two days over Trail Ridge Road and around the 240 mile loop. In a Stanley Steamer it would have taken many more days. Trail Ridge Road follows the old game trails that were also used by the Ute Indians, then by hikers and horseback riders. The game trails are about 4,500 years old. The Utes on top of Long’s Peak captured eagles hundreds of years ago using a blind.
Back in the 1920s road that joined twelve national parks was 6,000 miles long – also the Lincoln Highway and the Yellowstone Highway.
So we made the loop around RMNP – all 240 miles of it through photos and postcards and description of what, who and where made it happen.
This write-up lacks photos which would really bring it to life, however, the books that Lee and his wife Jane wrote have an abundance of photos, maps and drawings.
Written by Nancy Brueggeman