Welcome back to another blog from the Key Room!
Today’s trip around our museum doesn’t involve an actually
key but rather another piece of history that is on prominent display. If you
have ever visited our Key Room, I am sure you have seen the stone sitting on
the table with a big metal key in it. Did you know that it is a significant
piece of Colorado history?
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| Hole to the Alva B. Adams Tunnel |
This inconspicuous stone slab with a hole in it was part of
the first tunneling project through the Continental Divide, which created the
Alva B. Adams Tunnel in the 1940s. The tunnel re-directed parts the Colorado River
and other rivers to provide water to the Eastern Slope. The tunnel, which is
13.1 miles long, is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project that spans 250
miles to bring water from the Western Slope of the divide to
the Eastern Slope.
Construction of the Adams Tunnel
Accompanying the stone was a tag explaining the story behind
the hole:
For
Gordon Mace—Baldpate Inn
First Hole to Through the
Continental Divide
When there was 35 feet left to
drill in the 13 mile Alva B. Adams Tunnel a pilot hole was drilled to find the
distance between the two drilling crews. Since all other holes were shot and
this one is not it is a part of the first hole through the Continental Divide.
-Presented by
George W. and Lee Parker
The tunnel was completed in 1944 when the two tunnels were connected by dynamite blasts. Next time you stop by the Key Room, check out the humble stone slab in
the middle of the room and realize that you are witnessing a piece of Colorado history.
Written By:
Brett Meyer
Museum Curator, Baldpate Inn
References:
