Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 270, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1915 — Up Poke's Peal by AU to [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Up Poke's Peal by AU to

KING MOTOR is conquering Pike’s Peak. More than a century ago Lieut Zebulon Montgomery Pike discovered the mountain which now bears his name, and, accompanied by his little band, made a determined effort to reach its summit It cost him ten days of marching to reach Its base, and after a laborious ascent which brought him only to the crest of one of the nearby mountains, he was forced to give up the attempt, predicting in his diary that no human would ever scale its rocky heights. Thirteen years later, however, Dr. Edwin James with a portion of the exploration party under Maj. 8. H. Long, found an easier approach from the eastern side and after a hazardous climb reached the summit on July 14, 1819. Then came the United Stateq government engineers who constructed a winding trail from Manitou to the top of the great mountain and built there an experimental station that study might be made of weather conditions three miles above sea level. This led to the building of a carriage road from Cascade in Ute pass to the top of the-mountain; and almost simultaneously there came the cog railroad. It was built in 1890, making the ascent in nine miles from its Manitou depot. This is one of the most famous of the world’s mountain railroads. And now in 1915 comes the supreme conquest of the mighty peak. The constructive ability of the American engineer has won another triumph, for since September 1, automobiles have been traveling on the “World’s Highest Highway” to a point within five miles of the pinnacle of the mountain;

and construction gangs are pushing rapidly the grade of this road through bowlder fields way above timber line to the summit. On the first day of September there was opened to travel the first twelve miles of the highway,which connects with the Pike’s Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway in Ute pass at Cascade, ten miles west of Colorado Springs and five miles west of Manitou. Built by Private Capital. Before congress closed its sixtythird session, it granted the right-of-way for an automobile road that would traverse the Pike national forest and wind its way up the northern slopes to the top of the peak. When the government granted this right-of-way through a national forest for a toll road,-it did an unprecedented thing. But there were good and sufficient

reasons. It was shown that such a highway would be a big asset in developing the nation’s scenic wonders and it is becoming Uncle Sam’s hobby to advocate “See America First” and to keep within this country some of Hie millions of dollars that have been going to other corners of the world. The building of this highway was so stupendous an undertaking and involved so large a financial outlay that It was certain it could not be undertaken in many a year unless by pri s rate capital. And so the government gave its consent and its co-operation, reserving the right to purchase the road at any tlme-at its actual cost, and imposing strict regulations with

reference to the usage, tolls and management of the highway. The government and the company agreed that “safety first” should be the ruling principle in the construction and op eration of the highway, and those who have made the trip over the first twelve miles marvel at the easy grades, the wide roadway and the unusual precautions which have been taken to insure maximum enjoyment of the wonderful scenery and to give even the timid a feeling of absolute security as the motor car climbs steadily upwards. It is 27 miles from Colorado Springs to the top of Pike’s Peak by the new road. The actual highway is 17 miles in length from tne point where it runs into the Pike’s Peak ocean-to-ocean highway in Ute pass, at an elevation of 7,415 feet, so that its total rise is 6,746 feet. The average grade is six degrees with a maximum of ten de grees, and there are only two places where the grade does not rise. Safety and Convenience. The road bed is 20 feet wide and this is increased to 26 feet on curves, making it possible to be double tracked all the way, with frequent “turnout” or stopping places provided in case of tire or engine trouble. The bridges, with concrete parapets, are located on tangents, so they may be seen at a distance of 300 feet. They are built of steel and concrete. Signs conveying cautions have been erected along the route. Six water stations have been established at intervals of three miles for cooling and refilling purposes, and gasoline stations are located at the road’s terminals. Expert repair men are always at hand for duty and telegraph and telephone serv-

Ices are installed, insuring communication along the entire trip. The highway will be open to any motor car, and automobile men claim that any good driver will be able to make the trip. Undoubtedly the Pike’s Peak highway takes its place as the greatest and highest in the world. Stelvio pass, the highest carriage road in Europe, in the Alps between Italy and Austria, has never been opened to the automobile. While there were many difficulties the construction of this highway was not a hard task for the modern engineer. For part of the way from Cascade it follows the general line of the old carriage road built in 1888. Scenery Is Unexcelled. Every mile of the highway to the summit is crowded with scenic interest. From Colorado Springs the route goes through beautiful Manitou and then into Ute pass, a 30-mile cleft in the mountain down which the Ute Indians used to come to Manitou to drink of the mineral waters there. Amid a profusion of wild flowers, through groves of pines and aspens, the highway proceeds. Often, as the motor climbs, it will be enveloped in a fleecy cloud. Higher and higher the car climbs, but the grade is so easy that one does not realize that he is at the summit until he can see the world about him, east, west, north and south. Sixty thousand square miles of scenery—wild, massive, awe-inspiring—can be viewed from the seat of the motor car. There below is Colorado Springs, its broad avenues and boulevards gleaming in the sun. Far out into eastern Colorado are the farms, little green patches upon the drab prairie. Back in the chasms west of the peak are grotesque formations, and on the western horizon are the snow-capped Sangre de Christo and the giant peaks of the great continental divide. A*t the summit one can snowball in August as well as in December. Pike’s Peak just scrapes the snow out of the frosty clouds as they pass by. In the Pike’s Peak region the motorist will find a variety of trips Oo great that he can suit any day’s mood

THE. HIGHWAY OF THE UTE PASS

GATEWAY OF THE HIGHWAY