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Inventory of the Gold Camp Road Collection, 1990-2005Pikes Peak Library District Special CollectionsEmail: http://www.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/SpecialCollectionsContact.aspURL: http://www.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/default.asp © 2009 Pikes Peak Library District
Biography / HistoryThe Gold Camp Road started in 1898, when Congress allowed the construction of a railway through a forest preserve to bring gold from Cripple Creek to Colorado Springs. The railroad became known as the Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway or the Short Line to Cripple Creek. When the railroad ended in 1920, ownership of the land went back to the U. S. government. However, special permission was granted in 1924, when W. D. Corley Sr., was issued a permit to open a toll road, which was constructed on top of the railroad. The road became known as Corley Mountain Highway. It passed through Pike National Forest and provided a scenic drive for many. Theodore Roosevelt felt it was, "the trip that bankrupts the English language." By 1939, it became a public highway, with a new name: Gold Camp Road, under ownership of the Forest Service again. Gold Camp Road was closed to the public after the collapse of Tunnel #3 in 1988, closing an 8.5 mile segment. It then became open only to those on foot. The Short Line to Cripple Creek Inc., a nonprofit organization, was established in 1997, by local community members who set out to raise the funds to repair Tunnel #3 and open the road to the public again. They applied for funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund, Pikes Peak Area Council of Government, as well as private individuals. The Short Line to Cripple Creek Inc. was met with resistance in 2001, when a lawsuit was filed against the Forest Service. Gold Camp Road was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Scope and ContentRecords, correspondence, clippings, ephemera and maps document the Short Line to Cripple Creek Inc.'s interests in Gold Camp Road. The "Gold Camp Road plan/environmental impact statement" refers to the 8.5 mile segment of Gold Camp Road that was closed to the public due to a tunnel collapse. The media folder includes brochures and clippings regarding the road. The Short Line to Cripple Creek Inc. folder contains reasons in support of re-opening the Gold Camp Road. The U. S. Forest Service folder contains an evaluation of Tunnel #3, conducted by URS, from 2002, and CDs from the Forest Service of their environmental impact statement. RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsThe collection is open for research. Copy RestrictionsThe researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection. Preferred CitationGold Camp Road Collection, Pikes Peak Library District Special Collections Processing InformationAmy Ziegler processed this collection in October 2009. Related MaterialSprings Area Beautiful Association Records (SPABA) MSS 0151 Box and Folder List
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