Tunnel Drive originally had a different purpose - Cañon City, CO - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Tunnel Drive Trail is on the west side of Cañon City. This popular recreational area offers hiking, cycling, and great views of the Arkansas River below (and the Royal Gorge Trail if you are there at the right time).

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Spectacular mountain and river views, tunnels, bighorn sheep and easy hiking.

It’s no wonder that Tunnel Drive is a favorite recreational spot among many locals. For more than 100 years, people have traveled through the three tunnels and into the mouth of the Royal Gorge via Tunnel Drive, taking in the majestic scenery. However, the area was not originally intended for people to pass through but as a roadway for water to flow to areas east of Cañon City.

In 1892, a vision to build an irrigation ditch to provide water for areas east of Penrose, by the Kansas-Colorado Irrigation development was put into motion. According to a Cañon City Daily Record article, the plan called for a massive ditch system to be built at the mouth of the Royal Gorge. The ditch would direct water from the Arkansas River along the north bank of the Royal Gorge, through Skyline Drive, across areas of North Canon and through the Four Mile area and on to Penrose.

Inmate labor provided the manpower for the project and work began quickly on State Canal No. 1 as prisoners worked their way east blasting the three tunnels. Funded entirely by the state, progress was slow due to the amount of money needed for blasting supplies. As the ditch progressed so did the complaints and issues surrounding the extensive project. The final straw with the citizens came when damage was done to several homes as well as the Saint Scholastica building when attempting to blast a tunnel through the hogbacks. Lawsuits quickly followed and work on State Canal No. 1 came to a halt due to funding issues.

In 1903, Cañon City local James H. Peabody took the seat of governor and issued an official order to prevent future work on State Canal No. 1. Speculations would arise in newspapers during the next few years on whether the state even had the rights to the water. Regardless State Canal No. 1 would go unfinished.

For four years, the partially dug canal sat with no real purpose until 1908 when the City of Cañon City proposed using the area for a scenic drive, as well as a water line for the city’s new water department.

A front-page article in the Cañon City Daily Record on Jan. 2, 1908, covers the proposed drive: “The scenic possibilities of the proposed road and the great natural asset it would be to Canon’s natural charms are hard to estimate. Skyline Drive is helping to make Cañon City famous. A driveway such as the proposed Gorge road would do equally as much along this line-perhaps more.”

It soon became evident in several newspaper articles over the next few days that the majority of Cañon City residents supported the idea and money began being collected to fund the project.

In April 1908, blasting work began on the ditch area again — this time enlarging the tunnels for automobiles to pass through, the longest tunnel being nearly 400 feet in length. A 30-inch wooden pipeline ran from the center of the Royal Gorge alongside the gorge walls across the river bringing water to an open ditch.

In May 1910, the first treated water flowed into the city lines. Soon after the completion of the water line work began on the scenic drive referred to as Royal Gorge Boulevard. Coming off the success of Skyline Drive just a few years earlier Warden Cleghorn was quick to offer inmate labor to build the road. Twenty-six prisoners were put to work covering the water lines with gravel and dirt to form the newest road in the Royal Gorge area. The city, with high hopes for the scenic drive, began advertising it as a must-see along with Skyline Drive. Though it was originally dubbed Royal Gorge Boulevard, the name did not stick, and the project was completed under the name Tunnel Drive.

The city was not disappointed with the results of the new road as thousands of people traveled the three-mile stretch in horse and buggies, as well as automobiles those first few years.

Bill Plandell, a motorcycle racer, made quite a commotion in 1915 with a daring stunt on the now-famous drive. Local headlines read: Motorcyclist dares death by new stunt as he “startled the natives by spinning along the famous Royal Gorge Tunnel Drive at about 45 miles per hour while standing erect on the saddle of his motorcycle while the handlebars were left to do their own steering.”

The popularity of the road only increased over the next few decades and soon became a favorite spot for local youth to hang out. The city-owned property just outside of city limits, and out of the patrol area of Cañon City Police, found itself a hotspot of parties and underage drinking.

In June 1988, a group of teens was injured when their pickup truck rolled down an embankment. The following month a complaint was lodged with the Cañon City Council asking them to close the drive at night. Car races and large parties being held on the grounds were key points in the request. In August, the city moved forward with closing the upper section of the road at night, posting no trespassing signs and setting up roadblocks for sobriety checks.

Over the years, the narrow road underwent several improvements from adding gravel to paving certain sections, however, the original light iron bridges proved to be problematic as the cost of repairing them was too high. Built to support early era cars and water pipes the bridges struggled to handle the weight of modern-day vehicles. Several sections of the original water line began collapsing because of the weight of heavy road graders that needed to clear off the road after rainstorms. Boulders eventually were placed limiting traffic on the bridges to just foot or bicycle, but by 1990, safety concerns regarding even foot traffic on the two bridges arose again and the trail was closed.

A Cañon City Daily Record article dated Dec. 9, 1990, covers a council meeting in which plans to set aside city funds to make the trail safe for hiking and biking were discussed. However, the high costs needed to improve the trail made for a longer closure then the city originally had hoped. In 1992, the city teamed with the Park District to work on trail systems noting the growing popularity in hiking and biking, with Tunnel Drive being an ideal spot to turn into a foot and bike path.

In 1997, the City and Recreation District was able to open Tunnel Drive to the public once more by securing enough funds to open roughly one mile of the trail. However, the last stretch that went over the two dilapidated bridges remained closed.

In 2000, the city was able to obtain a 60,000 grant by the State Trails Grant Program. The money from the grant, as well as help from the local fire departments, boy scout programs, Colorado Department of Corrections labor crews, volunteers, and additional funds from the city and Recreation District, allowed the entire trail to once again be open for public use.

In January 1908, Cañon City Daily Record printed roughly 50 individual statements from locals in favor of the project, City Clerk Dawson stated; “I was greatly impressed with the possibilities of the proposed driveway into the Gorge. It would certainly be something of which all future generations will be proud.“

Funds are still poured into the local gem today, hoping to secure it as a favorite trail for future generations to enjoy.

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 07/18/2020 Publication: Cañon City Daily Record Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Health/Medicine

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