Independence Monument is one of the famous named geologic formations at the Colorado National Monument. It is visible from the parking area as well as a hiking trail (Otto's Trail) on the canyon floor. There are also several climbing routes up the rock.
"Otto's Route ascends the broad northwest face of Independence Monument, a 450-foot-high sandstone tower in the heart of Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. The classic route, climbing Indy in four pitches, offers lots of varied climbing on mostly solid rock in a wild and beautiful desert environment. Otto's Route up the tower's northwest face and south ridge is one of Colorado's great classic routes and the easiest of the major towers on the Colorado Plateau.
This is not, however, a route for novice climbers to consider leading. Some dangerous and tricky parts are to be found. The route requires experience at leading, placing gear, routefinding, multi-pitch climbing, and rappelling. If you want to climb the route but lack the experience, consider a guided trip with Front Range Climbing Company or Colorado Alpine and Desert Adventures.
For more information on climbing Independence Monument and the other monument spires, consult Rock Climbing Colorado by Stewart M. Green and Rock Climbing Desert Rock III by Eric Bjørnstad.
John Otto's Pipe Ladder
The route is also of historic significance. John Otto, an early proponent of the monument and its first superintendent, made the daring first ascent in 1911 by laboriously drilling holes by hand and then pounding pipes into them to create a ladder to the summit. The Grand Junction Daily News called it "a perilous piece of work." Atop the tower Otto hoisted an American flag to celebrate both Flag Day and Independence Day.
About Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument, forming the southwest skyline of Grand Junction, is a spectacular 32-square-mile parkland that preserves several deep sandstone canyons on the northern edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau. The monument, administered by the National Park Service, was established in 1911. Besides its abrupt canyons, Colorado National Monument also offers an assortment of sheer spires including Independence Monument and Sentinel Spire as well as lots of great hiking and sightseeing. The free-standing towers and the vertical canyon walls are composed of Wingate sandstone, a fine-grained formation originally deposited as immense sand dunes during the Triassic Period some 210 million years ago. Their tops are protected by a harder sandstone, the erosion-resistant Kayenta sandstone.
Otto's Route (II 5.9- R)
Number of pitches: 4
Height of route: 450 feet
Climbing time: 1-4 hours
Approach hiking time: 1 hour
Descent time: 30 minutes"
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visit link) )
The photo on the postcard is starting to degrade and color shift. It is interesting to notice the development of the land just pst the monument (on the horizon) that is now developing, while the postcard shows only an open landscape!