Questions about history of roads in Black Forest
QUESTIONS: There are two roads in the Black Forest area that I have always wondered about: Old Ranch Road and Howells Road. They both dead end from each direction. Why were they never joined through? - Liz Wilcox
QUESTION 2: What was the original purpose of Tamlin Road? - Jim Thomas
ANSWER: Well, Black Forest readers, can you help us shed some light on the histories of these roads?
posted by Linda Navarro @ 11:51 AM
1 Comments:
The roads in the Black forest have there genesis back a century and a half or so. Except those that go back even further and were originally Indian trails.
In the recent past most of the roads in the BF were constructed along section lines because the county was granted a strip of land 30 feet wide on either side of all section, range and townships lines for road purposes. When viewed from the air that is why we see the nice even grids a mile apart where the roads are located. The laws governing these so called "section line" roads go back to around 1887 when the right-of-way was originally granted and has to do with the patenting of the land.
As for the Old Ranch Road specifically. Many years ago Old Ranch road went to the headquarters of the huge Wolf Ranch complex. It went off the section line at what is now Milam road to wander southerly and easterly to the ranch buildings so there was no need to take it farther easterly. As for the deadend from east to west from Black Forest Road there is a rather large imposing hill that would have be difficult to build a road over given the equipment of the day.
Howells road deadends northerly from ORR road at Kettle Creek a rather imposing gully. The same is true from the north.
Many of the roads in the BF were constructed in the era of timber cutting and used as haul roads to get the lumber out. And the powers that be decided that it would be easier to construct a bridge over Kettle Creek at Milam road rather than Howells road.
If one investigates the patents of that area you will find many of the patents fall to the Edger Box and Lumber company. The EB&LC was a bee busy company that harvested thousands of trees for lumber to build Denver and Colorado Springs and were very successful until Denver burned to the ground and the city fathers required houses to be made of brick. I guess that was so the three little pigs would be safe from the big bad Wolf. HA
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