While staying in Denver, it seems that the family took a day trip into the mountains. They went up a canyon to the end of the road, and stopped to visit a famous gravesite along the way.
I don’t know for sure where this photo was taken, but it certainly reminds me of the mesas west of Denver.
Of course, I-70 did not yet exist. Here is an extract from a 1924 atlas that shows the routes west of Denver. I’ve highlighted their starting point at Overland Park, their westernmost destination (Silver Plume), and the most likely route to get there. (This is actually a railroad map, not a road map – it was the best I could find.)
I remember hearing that Silver Plume was at the “end of the road” as they headed west out of Denver and this map seems to confirm that. It’s also interesting to see the still-recognizable attractions along the way: Idaho Springs, Floyd Hill, Dumont and Empire.
The big type face for Silver Plume suggests that it was a lot bigger deal in 1924 than it is today. It was a silver mining town and has gone through all the boom-and-bust cycles that are typical of the Colorado’s mining towns. I’ve driven past it a hundred times but never stopped there. Nearby Georgetown seems to get all the tourist attention.
While there, a couple of the men posed in front of the Burleigh Tunnel Depot. This building is no longer standing but was a famous landmark back in the day.
Either on the way to Silver Plume or on the way back, they stopped to visit the burial site of Buffalo Bill Cody. Buffalo Bill had died in 1917, and his famous Wild West Show had stopped touring in the early 1900’s. Yet even in 1923 he was still famous enough that the family took a detour to visit his gravesite atop Lookout Mountain west of Denver. It is still a tourist attraction today!
Here’s a picture of his grave:
This was the original grave site configuration. It was redone in 1948.
Clarinda walked to the edge and captured a picture looking east toward Denver. On a clear day, you can see the Denver skyline from here. Not sure if the day was hazy or if the camera was too limited to capture the horizon.
After their adventures in and around Denver, the family headed south toward Colorado Springs to further push the limits of their Model T’s performance!
The road trip series has been fun to read. The pictures have been fun to see.