%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Vail Pass http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/vail-pass-0 <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Vail Pass</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1757--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1757.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/vail-pass"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/vail-pass-rest-area_0.jpeg?itok=0pX9MZ5w" width="1090" height="818" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/vail-pass" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Vail Pass</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Today the site of a rest area along Interstate 70, Vail Pass served for thousands of years as a high-elevation prehistoric camp.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1758--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1758.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/vail-pass-recreation"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/vail-pass_0.jpeg?itok=kOZmMpRO" width="1090" height="720" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/vail-pass-recreation" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Vail Pass Recreation</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Now Vail Pass is known largely as a recreation gateway, giving easy access to opportunities for biking, hiking, fishing, and a variety of winter sports.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-08-24T15:08:40-06:00" title="Wednesday, August 24, 2016 - 15:08" class="datetime">Wed, 08/24/2016 - 15:08</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/vail-pass-0" data-a2a-title="Vail Pass"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fvail-pass-0&amp;title=Vail%20Pass"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Located in the southern <strong>Gore Range</strong> at an elevation of 10,662 feet, Vail Pass has been the site of periodic human occupations for at least 8,000 years. The prehistoric camp probably served as a high-altitude base when the growing population of nearby Native American groups caused them to expand their area of resource use. In 1940 a paved highway was completed over the pass, which was named for state highway engineer <strong>Charles Vail</strong>. In the late 1970s that route was upgraded to <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/interstate-70"><strong>Interstate 70</strong></a>.</p> <h2>Prehistoric Campsite</h2> <p>Vail Pass Camp is a large and well-studied high-elevation prehistoric camp. Located near the present-day Vail Pass rest area about 220 yards west of Interstate 70, the site preserves more than seventy archaeological features representing at least nine separate periods of occupation. Archaeologists have uncovered forty-eight fire hearths, a stone circle and a stone semicircle, fragments of two pots, several bone concentrations, and dozens of projectile points, end scrapers, and knives.</p> <p>The earliest occupation of Vail Pass Camp dates to between 6400 and 5800 BCE, in the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/archaic-period-colorado"><strong>Early</strong> <strong>Archaic period</strong></a> (6650–3800 BCE). The most recent was probably a <strong>Ute</strong> camp that dates to the mid-1700s CE. In between it was occupied dozens of times, with an apparent peak in frequency during the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/archaic-period-colorado"><strong>Late Archaic period</strong></a> (1250–100 BCE). Intensive use continued during subsequent occupations until the <strong>Protohistoric period </strong>(1540–late 1800s CE). Surviving evidence indicates that the habitations at Vail Pass were open camps, with the inhabitants commonly using lightweight shelters that have not survived. Because the site is uninhabitable for much of the year, it would have been used only from late spring through early fall.</p> <p>The pattern of dates at the site suggests that it was used by small hunting groups for several generations at a time. There seem to be two large gaps in the site’s use: 5500–3700 BCE and 2900­–2000 BCE. Changes in the site’s use could have been based on either environmental shifts, such as neoglacial cooling during the Middle Archaic period, or the internal dynamics of nearby cultural groups.</p> <p>The tools found at the site indicate that it was used primarily for hunting and processing game. There is little variation in the types of tools discovered at the site, suggesting that different groups in different periods adapted to the harsh mountain environment in similar ways. Fragments of pots, which would have been hard to carry, indicate that occupations at the site lasted at least a few days, maybe even several weeks. Most tools at the site are multifunctional and show evidence of extensive use, indicating that the groups who camped in the area probably brought tools with them and reused them until they broke.</p> <p>After Anglo-Americans began to settle in Colorado and explore the mountains in the 1800s, they occasionally stumbled upon the prehistoric remnants at Vail Pass Camp. In 1887, for example, <strong>T.D.A. Cockerell</strong>—a founder of the <strong>University of Colorado Museum</strong> in Boulder—camped near the pass while on a trip through the Rocky Mountains. He identified a variety of projectile points and pottery sherds in the area.</p> <h2>Early Roads</h2> <p>Although it is now an important landmark along Interstate 70, before the 1930s Vail Pass lay in the middle of a seemingly impenetrable mass of mountains. No railroad route went anywhere near there, and the earliest automobile roads west from <strong>Denve</strong>r turned either north to <strong>Steamboat Springs</strong> or south to <strong>Leadville</strong> to avoid going through the Gore Range.</p> <p>The Vail Pass area started to become less remote in the 1920s, when boosters in <strong>Red Cliff</strong> and other mountain towns began to push the <strong>State Highway Department</strong> to construct a “Holy Cross Trail” along roughly the same path that I-70 would later follow. Designed to deliver pilgrims to Red Cliff as a base for visiting nearby <strong>Mount of the Holy Cross</strong>, the route was supposed to provide a more direct route by going over Shrine Pass (near present-day Vail Pass) instead of curving south toward Leadville.</p> <p>The State Highway Department endorsed the Holy Cross Trail but never made it a priority for funding. In 1931 a dirt road was built to Red Cliff via Shrine Pass, but it was never paved. In 1940 Vail Pass finally came into being when the state used Public Works Administration funding to construct a paved road over the pass between West Ten Mile Creek and Black Gore Creek. This two-lane road became the route of <strong>US 6</strong> through the mountains. It also gained a reputation as one of the state’s trickiest drives, with long straightaways suddenly giving way to dangerous turns. Most traffic headed west from Denver continued to follow <strong>US 40</strong> through Steamboat Springs to Utah.</p> <h2>Interstate 70</h2> <p>Despite being less popular than US 40, the relatively direct US 6 route was selected in 1960 as the path I-70 would take through the mountains. Initially, interstate planners hoped to eliminate Vail Pass from the route and save ten miles for motorists by blasting a tunnel under the Gore Range near Red Buffalo Pass. This would have required removing land from the <strong>Gore Range-Eagles Nest Primitive Area</strong> (later Wilderness), however, and public protests in the late 1960s caused officials to abandon the plan and stick with the Vail Pass route.</p> <p>The plan for I-70 over Vail Pass was subject to years of studies, public comment, and redesigns. It was during this period, in November 1974, that the Vail Pass Camp archaeological site was first tested by Bill Briggs, Curtis Martin, and Doug Dykeman during a survey of the area. The Federal Highway Administration and the Colorado Department of Highways provided funding for a thorough excavation conducted over twelve weeks from August to October 1975. A comprehensive report about the site and the excavation was published in 1981.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the interstate over Vail Pass was completed in 1978. With its east and west lanes divided by a large natural median and the road elevated on a viaduct in some places to avoid carving into unstable slopes and stream beds, the Vail Pass portion of I-70 looks distinctly different from the rock-blasted interstate corridor farther east. At the summit of the pass, right next to the location of Vail Pass Camp, an exit provides access to a rest area, the dirt Shrine Pass Road, and two fishing lakes that were built on Black Gore Creek just north of the pass. Early plans called for the rest area to include an interpretive display about the archaeological site, but the display was never developed.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Aside from its continued use as a major transportation corridor, Vail Pass has become a popular site for year-round recreation. During the summer cyclists can follow the paved Vail Pass bike path between <strong>Copper Mountain</strong> and <strong>Vail</strong>; for several miles near Vail the path runs along the route of old US 6. Vail Pass can also be used as a trailhead for hiking and is home to fishing at the two Black Lakes, which are stocked with trout. In the winter the pass is a major access point for the 55,000-acre Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area, which contains more than 100 miles of backcountry trails for snowmobiling, skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/vail-pass" hreflang="en">Vail Pass</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/charles-vail" hreflang="en">Charles Vail</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/gore-range" hreflang="en">Gore Range</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/interstate-70" hreflang="en">interstate 70</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/archaic-period" hreflang="en">archaic period</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>John D. Gooding, <em>The Archaeology of Vail Pass Camp: A Multi-Component Base Camp below Treelimit in the Southern Rockies</em>, Highway Salvage Report 35 (Denver: Colorado Department of Highways, 1981).</p> <p>William Philpott, <em>Vacationland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country</em> (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2013).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>“<a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recreation/wintersports/recarea/?recid=40891&amp;amp;actid=89">Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area</a>,” White River National Forest, US Forest Service.</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Vail Pass is a high mountain passage through the Gore Range. Prehistoric Native Americans used the area as a high-altitude camp. In 1940 a paved highway was completed over the pass. In the 1970s, the road became Interstate 70.</p> <h2>Prehistoric Campsite</h2> <p>Prehistoric Native Americans camped at the top of Vail Pass. They used the camp for hunting from late spring to early fall. The camp was used starting as long ago as 6650 BC. The site was used for thousands of years. The archaeological site is near the Vail Pass rest stop.</p> <p>Scientists learn about the people who camped there by what is left behind. Archaeologists have uncovered forty-eight fire pits and two stone circles. They also found pots, bones, and arrowheads. The pots show that groups stayed at the site for at least a few days, maybe even several weeks. The ancient people probably camped in tents.</p> <p>Many types of tools were discovered at the site. Over thousands of years, the hunters used the same types of tools. The tools at the site could be used for different purposes. The groups who camped in the area probably brought tools with them. They used them until they broke, and then left the broken tools at the camp.</p> <p>In 1887 T.D.A. Cockerell was exploring the area. He was a founder of the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder. He found arrowheads and pottery shards. He was the first Anglo-American to write about the site.</p> <h2>Early Roads</h2> <p>Before the 1930s, going through the Gore Range was nearly impossible. Vail Pass was in the middle of huge, steep, rocky mountain. No roads or railroads went near the Vail Pass area. The roads went around the Gore Mountains. Roads going west from Denver turned north to Steamboat Springs or south to Leadville.</p> <p>In the 1920s, some people wanted to build a road called the “Holy Cross Trail.” They wanted a road to bring tourists to visit the popular Mount of the Holy Cross. The road would go through the Gore Mountains. But that road was never built.</p> <p>In 1940 Vail Pass highway was finally built. It was named for state highway engineer Charles Vail. This two-lane road became Route 6 through the Gore Range. It was a dangerous road with sharp, unsafe turns along the steep mountainsides. Most drivers chose to use other roads when they travelled west from Denver.</p> <h2>Interstate 70</h2> <p>In the 1960s, the US Government was building highways that connected all parts of the country. Route 6 was not a popular road, but the government chose Route 6 as the path that Interstate 70 would take through the mountains. They did not plan to build a road over Vail Pass. They wanted to blast a tunnel under the Gore Range. The tunnel would have ruined the Gore Range-Eagles Nest Wilderness Area. People wanted to save the wilderness. They protested building the tunnel. So, the government decided to build I-70 over Vail Pass instead.</p> <p>In 1974 and 1975 archaeologists studied the prehistoric camp at the top of Vail Pass. An excavation was conducted. A report about the site and the excavation was published in 1981.</p> <p>Interstate 70 over Vail Pass was completed in 1978. It is a beautiful, safe, four-lane highway. The road had to be raised to avoid steep slopes and streams. At the top of the pass is a rest area. The prehistoric camp is right next to the rest area. Surprisingly, there is no information at the rest area about the prehistoric camping site.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Today Vail Pass is along a major highway. The pass is a place for year-round recreation. During the summer, people hike in the area. Bikers can follow a paved bike path between Copper Mountain and Vail. The bike path runs along old US Highway 6. In the winter, people use the Vail Pass area for snowmobiling, skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Vail Pass is a high mountain passage through the Gore Range. Its summit is at an elevation of 10,662 feet. Prehistoric Native Americans used the area as a high-altitude camp, but it remained too rugged for modern travel until the twentieth century. In 1940 a paved highway was completed over the pass. In the late 1970s, that route was improved and expanded to become Interstate 70.</p> <h2>Prehistoric Campsite</h2> <p>Vail Pass Camp was a large, high-elevation prehistoric camp. The archaeological site is located near the present-day Vail Pass Summit rest stop. It preserves more than seventy archaeological features. Archaeologists have uncovered forty-eight fire hearths, two stone circles, fragments of pots and bones, and dozens of arrowheads and knives.</p> <p>The earliest occupation of Vail Pass Camp dates to between 6400 and 5800 BC. Most recently, it was used as a Ute camp in the mid-1700s. In between, the camp was occupied dozens of times.</p> <p>Evidence indicates that lightweight, tent-like shelters were used at the camp. Because of the harsh winter conditions, the site was only used during the spring, summer, and fall. Small hunting groups used the site for several generations at a time. Fragments of pots indicate that groups stayed for at least a few days, maybe even several weeks. There are two large gaps in the site’s use. This could indicate that there were environmental shifts or that there were issues between cultures.</p> <p>The tools found at the site indicate that it was used primarily for hunting and processing game. There is little variation in the types of tools discovered at the site. This shows that the groups in different periods adapted to the mountain environment in similar ways. The tools at the site show evidence of extensive use. The groups who camped in the area probably brought tools with them and used them until they broke.</p> <p>In 1887 T.D.A. Cockerell, a founder of the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder, camped near the pass while on a trip through the Rocky Mountains. He collected a variety of arrowheads and pottery shards in the area. He was the first Anglo-American to write about the site.</p> <h2>Early Roads</h2> <p>Before the 1930s, going through the Gore Range was nearly impossible. Vail Pass was in the middle of huge, steep, impenetrable mountains. No roads or railroads went near the area. The earliest automobile roads went around the Gore Range, and roads going west from Denver turned north to Steamboat Springs or south to Leadville.</p> <p>In the 1920s, residents of Red Cliff and other mountain towns asked the State Highway Department to construct a “Holy Cross Trail,” a road to bring tourists to the popular Mount of the Holy Cross. The State Highway Department supported the idea of the Holy Cross Trail but never made it a priority. Instead, in 1931 a dirt road was built to Red Cliff over Shrine Pass. It was never paved.</p> <p>In 1940 a road was finally built over Vail Pass. Colorado used federal funds to build a road through the Gore Range. The paved pass was named for state highway engineer Charles Vail. This two-lane road became US Highway 6. It gained a reputation as one of the state’s most dangerous roads, with long straight sections that suddenly gave way to hazardous turns. Most drivers chose other roads when they travelled west from Denver.</p> <h2>Interstate 70</h2> <p>In the 1960s, the US government was building the Interstate Highway system. Although it was not a popular road, it chose US 6 as the route I-70 would take through the mountains. The interstate planners did not plan to build the road over Vail Pass; instead, they hoped to blast a tunnel under the Gore Range. This would have required using land in the Eagles Nest Wilderness area, leading to public protests against the environmental damage the tunnel would cause. Officials decided to abandon the tunnel plan and build the road over the Vail Pass.</p> <p>In November 1975, Bill Briggs, Curtis Martin, and Doug Dykeman formally researched the Vail Pass Camp archaeological site. The government provided funding for a thorough excavation. A comprehensive report about the site and the excavation was published in 1981.</p> <p>Interstate 70 over Vail Pass was completed in 1978. It is a beautiful, safe, four-lane interstate highway. The road is elevated in some places to avoid unstable slopes and streambeds. At the summit of the pass, an exit provides access to a rest area, the old dirt road, and two fishing lakes. The prehistoric camp is right next to the rest area, although there is no information about the camp at the rest stop.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Today, Vail Pass is a popular site for year-round recreation. In the summer cyclists can follow the paved Vail Pass bike path that runs along the route of old US Highway 6 between Copper Mountain and Vail. Vail Pass is also a trailhead for hiking and provides access to the Black Lakes. In the winter the pass is an access point for the 55,000-acre Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area. It contains more than 100 miles of backcountry trails for snowmobiling, skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Vail Pass is a high mountain passage through the Gore Range, with a summit at 10,662 feet. Native Americans used the area as a high-altitude camp for thousands of years, but the area was too rugged for modern travel until the twentieth century. In 1940 a paved highway was completed over the pass, and in the late 1970s that route was improved and expanded to become Interstate 70.</p> <h2>Prehistoric Campsite</h2> <p>Vail Pass Camp was a large, high-elevation prehistoric camp. The archaeological site is located near the Vail Pass summit rest stop. The site has many archaeological features and represents nine periods of human occupation. Archaeologists have uncovered dozens of fire hearths, stone circles, fragments of pots, bones, and dozens of projectile points, scrapers, and knives.</p> <p>The earliest occupation of Vail Pass Camp dates to between 6400 and 5800 BC, in the Early Archaic period. Most recently, it was probably a Ute camp that dates to the mid-1700s. The camp was occupied dozens of times in between, with peak use in the Late Archaic period (1250–100 BC). Intensive use continued until the Protohistoric period (1540–late 1800s).</p> <p>Evidence indicates that the inhabitants used lightweight, tent-like shelters that have not survived. Because the site is uninhabitable for much of the year, it would have been used only from late spring through early fall. Small hunting groups used the site for several generations at a time. There are two large gaps in the site’s use, from 5500–3700 BC and from 2900­–2000 BC. This could indicate that there were environmental shifts, such as neoglacial cooling during the Middle Archaic period; there could also have been conflicts between groups or cultures.</p> <p>The tools found at the site indicate that it was used primarily for hunting and processing game. There is little variation in the types of tools discovered at the site. This suggests that groups in different periods adapted to the harsh mountain environment in similar ways. Fragments of pots indicate that groups stayed at the site for at least a few days, maybe even several weeks. The tools at the site are multifunctional and show evidence of extensive use. This indicates that the people who camped in the area probably brought tools with them and used them until they broke.</p> <p>White Americans began to settle in Colorado and explore the mountains in the mid-1800s. They occasionally stumbled upon the prehistoric campsite at Vail Pass. In 1887 T.D.A. Cockerell, a founder of the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder, camped near the pass. He identified a variety of projectile points and pottery sherds in the area.</p> <h2>Early Roads</h2> <p>Before the 1930s, Vail Pass lay in the middle of a seemingly impenetrable mass of mountains. No railroad route went anywhere near the Vail Pass area.&nbsp; The earliest automobile roads avoided going through the Gore Range; roads running west from Denver turned either north to Steamboat Springs or south to Leadville.</p> <p>The Vail Pass area started to become less remote in the 1920s. Residents of Red Cliff and other mountain towns began to push the State Highway Department to construct a “Holy Cross Trail.” The road they proposed went along the same path that I-70 would later follow. They wanted a road to bring tourists to Red Cliff, which would be used as a base for visiting the popular Mount of the Holy Cross. The State Highway Department supported idea of the Holy Cross Trail but never made it a priority. Instead, in 1931 a dirt road was built to Red Cliff over Shrine Pass. It was never paved.</p> <p>In 1940 Colorado used Public Works Administration funds to build a road through the Gore Range. Named for state highway engineer Charles Vail, the two-lane paved highway became part of US 6. It gained a reputation as one of the state’s most dangerous roads, with long straightaways that suddenly gave way to hazardous turns. Most traffic driving west from Denver continued to follow US 40 through Steamboat Springs.</p> <h2>Interstate 70</h2> <p>In the 1960s, the US government was building the interstate highway system. Despite being a less popular route than US 40, US 6 was chosen as the route that Interstate 70 would take through the mountains. The interstate planners did not plan to build the road over Vail Pass. Instead, they hoped to blast a tunnel under the Gore Range near Red Buffalo Pass. This would have required using land in the Gore Range-Eagles Nest Wilderness area, leading to public protests against the environmental damage the tunnel would cause. Officials decided to abandon the tunnel plan and to build the road over Vail Pass. The plan for I-70 over Vail Pass was subject to years of studies, public comment, and redesign.</p> <p>In 1975 Bill Briggs, Curtis Martin, and Doug Dykeman formally researched the Vail Pass Camp archaeological site. The Federal Highway Administration and the Colorado Department of Highways provided funding for a thorough excavation conducted over twelve weeks in 1975. A comprehensive report about the site and the excavation was published in 1981.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Interstate 70 over Vail Pass was completed in 1978. A safe, multi-lane highway, the route’s east and west lanes are divided by a large natural median. The road is elevated in some places to avoid unstable slopes and streambeds. The Vail Pass portion of I-70 looks distinctly different from the rock-blasted interstate corridor farther east.</p> <p>At the summit of the pass, an exit provides access to a rest area, the dirt Shrine Pass Road, and two fishing lakes on Black Gore Creek. The prehistoric camp is right next to the rest area. Although plans called for the rest area to include information about the archaeological site, the display was never developed.&nbsp;</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Today Vail Pass is a major transportation corridor and is a popular site for year-round recreation. During the summer, cyclists can follow the paved Vail Pass bike path, which runs along the route of old US Highway 6 between Copper Mountain and Vail. Vail Pass is also a trailhead for hiking and gives access to the Black Lakes, which are stocked with trout. In the winter the pass is an access point for the 55,000-acre Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area. It contains more than 100 miles of backcountry trails for snowmobiling, skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 24 Aug 2016 21:08:40 +0000 yongli 1756 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org