In August 1916, an article in the Creede Candle detailed the dedication of the new Wolf Creek Pass Highway, when over 200 vehicles traversed the new highway to celebrate its completion.
“After following the road, which reminds one of a boulevard, along the mountainside for a distance of twelve miles it emerges into a beautiful park, the scene of the celebration,” the writer reflected. “The machines began to arrive in real earnest and…there was a constant stream of automobiles pouring into the grove from both ways.”
The dedication, attended by hundreds, including the Governor of Colorado, would establish Wolf Creek Pass as an integral link between South Fork, Pagosa Springs and Durango.
“At three o’clock the celebration was over and people started on their homeward trip. It was an interesting sight to see these machines departing,” said the writer. “There were 209 cars, with an average of five passengers each, which made a beautiful sight stretched out along the mountainside.”
103 years later, Wolf Creek Pass has had many changes, and remains one of Colorado’s oldest and most beautiful scenic drives, connecting Denver’s front range to the southwestern slope. Dropping down from the pass into the Wolf Creek Valley remains one of the most breathtaking experiences offered by the Colorado rocky mountains. And most significantly for us, leads to the beautiful jewel of the San Juan Mountains…Pagosa Springs.