MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser River The mile between these two mileage posts is often just referred to as the bottom switchback or the curve at the bottom of Berthoud Pass. For many locals this is the bottom of Berthoud Pass on the Grand County side of the Pass. Route Mile Marker X Y Longitude Latitude 1 U. S. Highway 40 236 435354.94 4409858.43-105.755519 39.836273 237 434966.20 4409223.70-105.759999 39.830524 Looking at old CDOT maps, this curve has been widened many times over the years thus changing the curve that is shown in USGS maps. (See below) Wide shoulders at the bottom are a good place to park and explore this part of the Auto Tour. The last switchback curve is a good place to discuss the words: headwaters and confluence. Both are important here. According to the dictionary 2 : Confluence: n (2): the meeting place of two or more streams Headwater/s : n: the source of a stream usu.used in pl. In this section of the Auto Tour are the headwaters of the Fraser River. It also includes the confluence with First Creek, which is the beautiful waterfall in this curve. 1 Taken from the Colorado Department of Transportation s website: http://apps.coloradodot.info/dataaccess/highways/index.cfm?fuseaction=highwaysmain 2 Merriam-Webster s Dictionary and Thesaurus Merriam-Webster, Inc. - Springfield, Mass. 2007 MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 1
The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) gave us the two topographical maps above to use for the Auto Tour. The one on the left is Berthoud Pass Quadrangle dated 1957 and the one on the right is the Empire Quadrangle also dated 1957. The author combined the two to show the drainages that make up the Fraser headwaters. The orange arrows point to U. S. Highway 40, the blue to the Fraser River and the red ones show where the Fraser meets other streams on its way down the Pass (confluence). In doing research on how the Fraser River was named, the following information was found. Robert C. Black III in his book Island in the Rockies 1 writes: Berthoud s nomenclature failed to wear well: his Moses Creek presently became the Fraser, his Dennis Creek Vasquez Creek 1 Black III, Robert C. Island in the Rockies: The Pioneer Era of Grand County, Colorado Published for the Grand County Pioneer Society by the Country Printer, Inc. Grand, Colorado 1969 MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 2
In Harrison s book, Empire and the Berthoud Pass 1, she quotes from E. L. Berthoud s Report of his trip over what would be named Berthoud Pass. It is taken from the May 13, 14 and 15 and 16 (1861) report entry: The summit is clear of obstructions, bounded by a fine forest on the east, and on the Middle Park side, giving a descent of 1 ½ to 2 miles to a small creek, which we called Moses creek, after the indefatigable member 2 of the party from Spanish bar. Determining upon the route of the wagon road to be from Empire city west 8 miles, thence north 3 miles, to the summit of the pass, thence down Moses creek to its junction with Dennis creek 12 miles, thence to St. Louis creek into the park. Later she quotes from the Rocky Mountain News (dated October 2, 1862) 3 that is written by Thau who she writes is Henry DeWitt Clinton Cowles. Only the sections pertaining to the streams are included here. I suppose the citizens of Colorado Territory will be well pleased to learn that Geo. F. Packard, J. F. Hughes and Allen T. Axe have discovered a new Pass across the Snowy Range at the head of Clear Creek. I have been talking with them in regard to it, and they report it a much better pass for a Railroad and Wagon Road than Berthoud Pass. They tell me that the grade is about the same from the Surveyor General Case s upper stake on his survey to the Pass, as it is from Joe s Cabin, to the stake, and they do think it would be over one mile through to the head of Dennis Creek (Harrison s footnote: Fraser River). They also say that Dennis falls, as near as they can judge, about 150 feet to the mile for three or four miles, and the balance of the way the grade would be easy. In the same quote from the Rocky Mountain News she writes: The mountains on this side of the creek do not come to the Park by three or four miles, so they sweep around the mountain to the south and get a grade to suite, and strike the Grand river (Harrison s note: Colorado River ) or Moses s creek (Harrison s note: Probably a tributary of the Fraser River ) at any place from fifteen to thirty miles from the Snowy Range Information on where the name Fraser came from is found in Black s book. 4 He tells how George Easton In 1905 made a preliminary filing for a Town of Easton which straddled the Moffat right of way. His name for the town would disappear and the name of the post office, Fraser, would become the name of the town. 1 Harrison, Louise C. Empire and the Berthoud Pass Published by Big Mountain Press, Denver, 1964 Pages 57-58 2 Thomas Moses of Spanish bar which is west of the current Idaho Springs. 3 Harrison Pages 102-103 4 Black Page 289 MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 3
One more reference tool is included:. The USGS website: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic This is, a wonderful website to find out information about geographic names for places on USGS topographic maps. The website lets you put in a name, asks you to identify the feature (example: stream), State and County. It brings up information including the name, variant names, when decisions were made related to that named site along with the counties it is found in, as well as other information. The author has found the decision cards to be of interest. Below is the decision card for the Fraser River. Notice that the cards make reference to other spellings of Fraser: Frazier, Frazer and Frazer. The second card states that in 1930 the Board made a decision it would be spelled: Fraser. Also of interest on the card is the reference to the Hayden Atlas Colo 1877and in reports for 1902 and 1904 for the Colorado Bureau of Mines. Another reference is to Nell s map of Colorado dated 1889. As mention before, the Seven Mile Ski Trail comes out at the bottom of this curve. This trail is used year round to access the west side of Berthoud Pass. MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 4
The Robbers Roost Campground, old USFS maps call it Spruce Lodge Campground, is located in this mile. The campground is operated by the Fraser Valley Lions Club as are several in this area. The campground is a first come, first served site, with no reservations. The campground has 11 sites which are designed for tents and recreation vehicles under 25 in length. The site does not have hook-ups for water, sewer or electricity. The U. S. Forest Service webpage for this campground states that there are no accessible sites or restrooms. The restrooms are vault toilets. The campground is an excellent place to see Moose. The USFS drawing of the campground is dated 1962. The campground seems to have maintained the same layout. MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 5
Location: 236.2 Terrain Specifications: Starting Zone elevation: 9,860 ft. Runout Zone elevation: 9,680 ft. Length of path: 439 ft. Avalanche Path: Little Crib Vertical fall to roadway: 160 ft. Maximum vertical fall: 180 ft. Avalanche Data: Length of road affected: 150 ft. Average avalanche activity affecting road/year: 0.13 Control Methods: Mobile control: None Comments: The Little Crib is a narrow erosion gully that starts beneath a short section of cribbing beneath the highway at mile 237.8. Erosion control projects along the highway have stabilized this area with new vegetation and slope repair and avalanches now rarely reach the highway. The Little Crib is the last named avalanche area coming down the west side of Berthoud Pass. MP 236 237: Headwaters of the Fraser (PAW 2012) 6