A Road from Denver to Salt Lake 1861

Jim Bridger

June 19, 1861
William Gilpin, the new Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Colorado Territory, wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs:

“The necessities of our country render necessary the establishment of a great road from Denver to Salt Lake City. This road crosses the Cordillera about 60 miles due west from Denver, and then traverses the northwest quarter of Colorado diagonally. Harvie M. Vaile has been assigned to this region.”
          “Availing myself of the departure of a well selected surveying party, conducted by E.L. Berthoud, a most skillful civil engineer, and accompanied by the experienced guide, James Bridger, I have instructed Agent Vaile to accompany them; to visit Salt Lake City, and confer with the agency there; to ascertain the number, localities, etc. of the Indians living within this superintendency; and fit himself to organize his department and locate at Breckinridge, beyond the snowy Cordillera.”

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines cordillera as:  “(from old Spanish cordilla, “cord,” or “little rope”), a system of mountain ranges that often consist of a number of more or less parallel chains. Cordilleras are an extensive feature in the Americas and Eurasia. In North America the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, and the mountains between them are collectively known as the Cordilleras, and the entire area has been termed the Cordilleran region. “

Photo courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

Taking the Census: Colorado Growth

The Census Bulletin, Issue 127, produced by the United States Census Office, October 21, 1891, offered analysis of Colorado’s growth from the 1880 to the 1890 census.
          The population of Colorado more than doubled in the ten years between census counts. From 194,327 people in 1880, the state grew 112% to 412,198 residents by 1890.
          In 1880, Denver was the largest city with 35,629 residents; Leadville was second with 14,820 people. By 1890, Denver had grown 199.5% to 106,713.  Pueblo had become the second largest town with 24,558, an increase of 663.38%. By contrast, Leadville’s population had dropped to 10,384 and Colorado Springs had slipped into third place with 11,140 residents.
          Only 29 towns had populations greater than 1,000 people in 1890. One new community of interest was established after the 1880 census. The mining town of Chipeta in Pitkin County had 266 residents by 1890.

Crossing the Col to Denver

Every weekday morning I look forward to finding a new word in my inbox. No, I don’t hunt treasure in my email messages. My daily word is delivered by A.Word.A.Day. Today’s word is “col”. From the French col and the Latin collum – both meaning “neck” – it is a term for a mountain pass. This week’s theme is words from geology and geography: archipelago, monadnock, shoal, and now col. My daily word message includes pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and a sample of current usage. I keep a file of the unique words I would like to use in my writing.

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