April 12, 2024
Denver & Rio Grande:Montrose Dedication/Gunnison Tunnel
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First Flow of Water through the Gunnison Tunnel after pressing ofButton by President Taft, Sept. 23, 1909, Rio Grande R. R.." Publishedby the Great Western Post Card & Novelty Co., Denver, CO. #3734. Great early 20th century chromolithographic postcard of an event along the lines of this older railroad. Scene depicts the opening of the Gunnison Tunnel after dedication ceremonies at the western portal, Montrose, Colorado. Part of the greater Uncompahgre Project, the tunnel was built in response to the ever increasing irrigation needs of the area during the influx of white settlers to western Colorado. Originally the Utes occupied this area, but they were forced out of the state after the Meeker Massacre of 1879. The Tunnel, built through the ridge between the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers, was originally conceived in 1890. It was part of a complex water diversion plan including ditches, canals and a dam on the Gunnison River. Miners were used for labor. First ground was broken in 1901, and through the succeeding years the state ran out of money for construction, followed by a Federal takeover of the project under the Reclamation Act of 1902. The site of the tunnel was moved in early 1905. More than 5 miles in length, it was the longest in the world on its completion. The Tunnel was finished and dedication ceremonies held at Montrose
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