1947 Cheyenne Mountain Highway Souvenir Toll Ticket Lot #LT-C24457
Brief Description
This pair of tickets comes from the Broadmoor-Cheyenne Mountain Highway in Colorado Springs, CO. The tickets still have the lower stub that was intended to be torn off when the tickets were used. However, these tickets also have stamps on the back, indicating that they were used.
Info
- Date: Oct 5, 1947
- Size: 2 3/8" x 6 1/8"
- ID: LT-C24457
- Acquisition Date: May 2025
- Repository: Coloradotopia Archives
Scanned with basic cropping, no enhancements. Also photographed in light box.
Image use restricted.
Historical Dating Comments
Both tickets have stamps on the backside showing a date of Oct 26, 1947.
Comments & Discussion
This highway begins in the area by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It ascends to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, and then as a dirt road to the Broadmoor Hotel’s Cloud Camp at one of the mountain peaks, known as The Horns. If the road were to continue to the south, it would soon cross above the NORAD military facility that is built inside of the mountain.
The Highway is now known as the Cheyenne Mountain Highway. The portion from the zoo up to the Will Rogers Shrine is the Russell Tutt Scenic Highway.
Russell Tutt was the Vice President of the Broadmoor Hotel. He was also a chairman and executive at several large companies during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. His father, Charles L. Tutt, was once the president of The Broadmoor; his signature appears near the bottom of this ticket.
The Allied Partners union label can also be seen at the bottom alongside Tutt’s signature. See an enlarged version of this in the images below.
There are two historical toll gates from this highway shown below. The first image comes from a postcard that is held in the Coloradotopia archives. The second comes from the Denver Public Library.
Condition, Aging & Authenticity: Each ticket has a horizontal crease from being folded in half at some point. There is relatively little damage or wear beyond that. The security pattern in the paper’s background is similar to other tickets from this era in Colorado Springs.
About the Coloradotopia Archives Collection. The Coloradotopia archives hold a large collection of historical images and items that document Colorado’s ski and automobile history in the mountains. Subscribe to the Coloradotopia newsletter to receive weekly updates on new items as they’re added to the archives.
