Royal Gorge

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Royal Gorge
Royal Gorge 1.jpg
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Royal Gorge
Length6 miles (9.7 km)
Width50 feet (15 m) (base)
300 feet (91 m) (top)
Depth1,250 feet (380 m)
Geology
Type canyon
Geography
Coordinates 38°27′25″N105°19′02″W / 38.45694°N 105.31722°W / 38.45694; -105.31722
Rivers Arkansas River

The Royal Gorge is a canyon of the Arkansas River located west of Cañon City, Colorado. The canyon begins at the mouth of Grape Creek, about 2 mi (3.2 km) west of central Cañon City, and continues in a west-northwesterly direction for approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) until ending near U.S. Route 50. Being one of the deepest canyons in Colorado, it is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas (River), with a maximum depth of 1,250 ft (380 m). The canyon is also very narrow, measuring from 50 ft (15 m) wide at its base to 300 ft (91 m) wide at its top, as it carves a path through the granite formations below Fremont Peak and YMCA Mountain, which rise above the north and south rims, respectively.

Contents

Natural history

The wall of Royal Gorge Arkansasrivercanyon.JPG
The wall of Royal Gorge
A view of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad RoyalGorgeRoute.jpg
A view of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad
A view of the Royal Gorge Bridge, from below Royal Gorge Bridge.jpg
A view of the Royal Gorge Bridge, from below

The path of the Arkansas River was already set when the granite uplift that would eventually form the Rocky Mountains began. About 3 million years ago, as the mountains began to rise from the surrounding plains, the Arkansas Riverthen only a small streambegan to wear away at the stone it flowed across. Scientists estimate that the mountains surrounding the canyon rose at a rate of approximately one foot every 2500 years. Over the millennia, this small stream grew, cutting a deep channel for itself through the surrounding granite. The gorge's peculiar shape, contrasted to broad canyons such as the Grand Canyon, can be attributed to this long, direct erosion through hard rock. [1]

Early history and European settlement

Before European settlement, Native Americans of the Ute people wintered in Royal Gorge for its protection from wind and its relatively mild climate. The Comanche, Kiowa, Sioux and Cheyenne used Royal Gorge on buffalo hunting expeditions as an access point to mountain meadow regions such as South Park Basin. Colorado's Rocky Mountain region fell under Spanish claims, and conquistador expeditions of the 17th century or fur traders may have seen Royal Gorge in their traversal of the area. The first recorded instance of a European arrival, however, is the Pike Expedition of 1806. Zebulon Pike's group built a crude shelter in the gorge and explored the area, descending on horseback over the frozen Arkansas River. [2]

Nearby Cañon City was founded in 1860 to exploit possible mineral deposits in the area. [3] Discovery of silver and lead near Leadville in 1877 prompted a race to build rail access to the area. [4] Royal Gorge was a bottleneck along the Arkansas too narrow for both the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to pass through, and there was no other reasonable access to the South Park area. Both railroads thus took to fighting the "Royal Gorge Railroad War", two years of essentially low-level guerrilla warfare between the two companies. Federal intervention prompted the so-called "Treaty of Boston" to end the struggle. The D&RGW completed its line and leased it for use by the Santa Fe. [5]

In the 1890s Royal Gorge was used as a passenger route for transcontinental rail travel. As many as four trains per day went through the gorge, though in time the establishment of alternate routes through the mountains made the Royal Gorge fall from favor for transcontinental use, and passenger train service on the main line was discontinued in 1967. A sightseeing train now follows the route through the gorge.

Modern history

On May 7, 1879, the first excursion train traveled through the Royal Gorge after years of court battles between the Denver & Rio Grande and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (AT&SF or Santa Fe) railroads.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad now operates excursion trains through the Royal Gorge throughout the year. The train travels 11 miles through the canyon from Cañon City, Colorado to the caretakers house. [6]

In 1906 Guy U. Hardy, a local newspaper editor and future Congressman, lobbied to establish an 8-mile (13 km) park at Royal Gorge by having the land ceded to the City of Cañon City. Royal Gorge Park was then created. [7]

In 1929 Cañon City authorized the building of the Royal Gorge Bridge, which at 955 feet (291 m) above the river held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 to 2001. The bridge is the centerpiece of Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, an amusement park with rides and attractions on both sides of the gorge. The land and bridge are owned by the city and leased to a Dallas-based company called the Royal Gorge Bridge Company which has held the leasing rights since 1947. Another Dallas-based company called Leisure and Recreational Concepts was hired by the Royal Gorge Bridge Company in 1984 to handle daily operations of the park. [8]

In the movie Sensations of 1945, Hubert Castle plays the role of Olaf, “The Great Gustafson,” who performs a high-wire publicity stunt above the canyon. It is notable that Cañon City’s own Bird Millman never did attempt such a feat herself.

In 1948, images from the park appeared in Canon City (film), which is based on the true story of a prison break.

In 1955, portions of the film Big House, U.S.A. , starring Broderick Crawford, Ralph Meeker, Lon Chaney Jr., William Talman, Charles Bronson and Felicia Farr (credited as Randy Farr), were filmed in Royal Gorge Park and Cañon City. [9]

ISS image of burn scars with bridge circled in red ISS image of Royal Gorge, Canon City, Colorado, USA, wildfire burn scars with markings, rotated -30 degrees and cropped, 2013.jpg
ISS image of burn scars with bridge circled in red

On June 11, 2013, a wildfire broke out near the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park which ultimately destroyed 48 of 52 buildings in the park on both sides of the gorge. The bridge was only lightly damaged, with some scorched planks requiring replacement. [10] The park was rebuilt and opened once again on August 30, 2014. [11]

In the summer months, rafting is a very popular activity in the Royal Gorge. Tourists travel from around the world to tackle the Class IV rapids of the Arkansas River and enjoy the scenery of the gorge. Named rapids in the gorge include Sunshine Falls, Sledgehammer, Wallslammer, Corkscrew, the Narrows, Boateater and Soda Pop Rock. River recreation in the gorge is regulated by the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) and daily user fees are required to launch at all of the recreation sites upstream of the gorge. There are many commercial rafting companies which are licensed by the AHRA to run the gorge and summer weekends can see hundreds of rafts packing the river.

BASE jumping, bungee jumping and rock climbing are generally not permitted at the Royal Gorge. Occasionally, during special events such as the GoFast Games, bridge jumps have been allowed by the city and the lessee of the bridge and park.

The cost of admission has increased over the years. In 2023, the price was USD$32 for adults, USD$27 for age 3 to 11. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad</span> American railroad company

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado, in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rio Grande was also a major origin of coal and mineral traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cañon City, Colorado</span> Home rule municipality in Colorado, United States

Cañon City is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 17,141 at the 2020 United States Census. Cañon City is the principal city of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area and is a part of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Cañon City straddles the easterly flowing Arkansas River and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. The city is known for its many public parks, fossil discoveries, Skyline Drive, The Royal Gorge railroad, the Royal Gorge, and extensive natural hiking paths. In 1994, the United States Board on Geographic Names approved adding the tilde to the official name of Cañon City, a change from Canon City as the official name in its decisions of 1906 and 1975. It is one of the few U.S. cities to have the Spanish Ñ in its name, others being La Cañada Flintridge, California; Española, New Mexico; Peñasco, New Mexico; and Peñitas, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park</span> National park in Colorado, United States

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an American national park located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose, while the north rim entrance is 11 miles (18 km) south of Crawford and is closed in the winter. The park contains 12 miles (19 km) of the 48-mile-long (77 km) Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The national park itself contains the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon, but the canyon continues upstream into Curecanti National Recreation Area and downstream into Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. The canyon's name owes itself to the fact that parts of the gorge only receive 33 minutes of sunlight a day, according to Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison. In the book, author Duane Vandenbusche states, "Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Colorado River</span> River in Arizona, United States

The Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about 26,500 square miles (69,000 km2) in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. Although it stretches almost 340 miles (550 km), only the headwaters and the lowermost reaches flow year-round. Between St. Johns and Cameron, most of the river is a wide, braided wash, only containing water after heavy snowmelt or flash flooding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Gorge Bridge</span> Tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado

The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado within Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, a 360-acre (150 ha) amusement park located along the edge of the Royal Gorge around both ends of the bridge. The bridge crosses the gorge 955 feet (291 m) above the Arkansas River and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001 when it was surpassed by the Liuguanghe Bridge in China. The Royal Gorge Bridge maintained the title of the world's highest suspension bridge until the Beipan River Guanxing Highway Bridge was completed in 2003, also in China. The bridge remains the highest bridge in the United States and was among the ten highest bridges in the world until 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore Canyon</span> Landform in Grand County, Colorado

Gore Canyon, elevation 6,985 feet (2,129 m), is a short isolated canyon on the upper Colorado River in southwestern Grand County, Colorado in the United States. Steep and rugged, the approximately 3-mile-long (4.8 km) gorge was carved by the river as it passed the northern end of the Gore Range southwest of Kremmling. The Colorado descends from approximately 7,300 ft (2,200 m) to approximately 7,000 ft (2,100 m) over the length of the canyon. The steep walls ascend approximately 1,000 ft (300 m) on either side. The canyon effectively marks the southwestern end of the Middle Park basin in north-central Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Grand Canyon area</span>

The known human history of the Grand Canyon area stretches back 10,500 years, when the first evidence of human presence in the area is found. Native Americans have inhabited the Grand Canyon and the area now covered by Grand Canyon National Park for at least the last 4,000 of those years. Ancestral Pueblo peoples, first as the Basketmaker culture and later as the more familiar Pueblo people, developed from the Desert Culture as they became less nomadic and more dependent on agriculture. A similar culture, the Cochimi also lived in the canyon area. Drought in the late 13th century likely caused both groups to move on. Other people followed, including the Paiute, Cerbat, and the Navajo, only to be later forced onto reservations by the United States Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Pass (Colorado)</span>

Tennessee Pass elevation 10,424 ft (3,177 m) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The pass was named after Tennessee, the native state of a group of early prospectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raton Pass</span> Interstate mountain pass in the United States

Ratón Pass is a 7,834 ft (2,388 m) elevation mountain pass on the Colorado–New Mexico border in the western United States. It is located on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton, New Mexico, approximately 180 miles (290 km) northeast of Santa Fe. Ratón is Spanish for "mouse". The pass crosses the line of volcanic mesas that extends east from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the state line, and furnishes the most direct land route between the valley of the Arkansas River to the north and the upper valley of the Canadian River, leading toward Santa Fe, to the south. The pass now carries Interstate 25 and railroad tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New River Gorge National Park and Preserve</span> American national park and nature preserve

The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a unit of the United States National Park Service (NPS) designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1978 as a national river and redesignated in 2020, the park and preserve stretches for 53 miles (85 km) from just downstream of Hinton to Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroad Wars</span> Historical rivalries between railroad companies in the United States

Railroad Wars were business rivalries between railroad companies, which occurred frequently in American history. Although they were usually little more than legal disputes inside a courtroom, they sometimes turned into armed conflicts. There has been competition between railroad companies since the beginning of railroading in the United States, but violent confrontations were most common in the final quarter of the 19th century, particularly in the Old West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway</span> Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway

The Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway is a National Scenic Byway, a Back Country Byway, and a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Fremont and Teller counties, Colorado, USA. The byway is named for the Gold Belt mining region. The Cripple Creek Historic District is a National Historic Landmark. The byway forms a three-legged loop with the Phantom Canyon Road, the Shelf Road, and the High Park Road (paved).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granite, Colorado</span> Unincorporated community in Colorado, United States

Granite is an unincorporated community with a U.S. Post Office in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The zip code of Granite is 81228. According to the 2010 census, the population is 116.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Gorge Route Railroad</span>

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Cañon City, Colorado. A 1950s-era train makes daily 2-hour excursion runs from the Santa Fe Depot through the Royal Gorge along a famous section of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 70 in Utah</span> Section of Interstate highway in Utah

Interstate 70 (I-70) is a mainline route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States connecting Utah and Maryland. The Utah section runs east–west for approximately 232 miles (373 km) across the central part of the state. Richfield is the largest Utah city served by the freeway, which does not serve or connect any urban areas in the state. The freeway was built as part of a system of highways connecting Los Angeles and the Northeastern United States. I-70 was the second attempt to connect southern California to the east coast of the United States via central Utah, the first being a failed attempt to construct a transcontinental railroad. Parts of that effort were reused in the laying out of the route of I-70.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 50 in Colorado</span> Section of U.S. Highway in Colorado, United States

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from West Sacramento, California, to Ocean City, Maryland. In the U.S. state of Colorado, US 50 is a major highway crossing through the lower midsection of the state. It connects the Western Slope with the lower Front Range and the Arkansas Valley. The highway serves the areas of Pueblo and Grand Junction as well as many other smaller areas along its corridor. The long-term project to widen the highway from two lanes to a four lane expressway between Grand Junction and Montrose was completed in January 2005. Only about 25% of the remainder of highway 50 in Colorado is four lane highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curecanti Needle</span> Granite spire in Colorado, USA

The Curecanti Needle is a 700-ft granite spire located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. A notable landmark to generations of natives and pioneers, the Needle is located on the southern bank of Morrow Point Reservoir, an impoundment of the Gunnison river between Gunnison and Montrose, Colorado. Used for many years as an advertising symbol for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, whose narrow-gauge railway famously ran along the northern bank of the river and passed near the Needle, the spire is today part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a National Park Service facility that encompasses three impoundments of the Gunnison river, including Morrow Point Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkdale, Colorado</span> Unincorporated community in Fremont County, Colorado, United States

Parkdale, is an unincorporated community in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 50 at an elevation of 5,732 feet (1,747 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grape Creek (Colorado)</span> Stream in south-central Colorado, US

Grape Creek is a tributary of the Arkansas River that flows through Custer and Fremont counties in South-Central Colorado. The creek drains much of the Wet Mountain Valley, located between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains in Custer County.

References

  1. Gregory, Lee (1996). Colorado Scenic Guide. Boulder: Johnson Books. ISBN   1-55566-144-0.
  2. The American Military on the Frontier, by James P. Tate, copyright 2002, The Minerva Group, Inc.
  3. "Encarta article about Canon City". Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  4. Court, United States Supreme (22 January 1879). "United States Reports, Supreme Court: Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Supreme Court of the United States". Little, Brown via Google Books.
  5. A Builder of the West: The Life of General William Jackson Palmer, by John Stirling Fisher and Chase Mellen, copyright 1981, by Ayer Publishing.
  6. Osterwald, Doris (2003). Rails Thru the Gorge. Hugo: Western Guideways, Ltd. ISBN   0-931788-15-3.
  7. "Nominees for the Guy U. Hardy Award for Service to Outdoor Recreation are due Sunday". Cañon City Daily Record. November 25, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  8. Dexheimer, Eric (1999-04-29). "The Royal Grudge Bridge". Denver Westword, LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  9. Stafford, Jeff. "Articles link". tcm.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  10. "Royal Gorge fire to be fully contained Sunday evening". 16 June 2013.
  11. "Royal Gorge Park reopens Saturday, 14 months after fire damaged the park and bridge". 2014-08-29. Archived from the original on 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  12. General Admission & Rides; Royal Gorge.

Further reading