within 60 days of the start of construction, and that the road grade was not to exceed 15 feet in any 100- foot section. One of the road laborers was Alfred P. Camp, later President of the First National Bank of Durango, Colorado, who recalled in later years that the road crew's principal diet consisted of beans, corn beef, and bread, washed down with coffee or tea. "It was pleasant at night to gather around a high fire of pine logs," Camp recalled, "where we smoked our pipes and spun yarns without end." Depending on the terrain, Camp's crew completed between a quarter of a mile and a mile of road each day. By September the toll road was within four miles of the summit of Slumgullion Pass. The road was finally completed in November, at which time a group of the road company's owners rode over to Lake City for an evening celebration at the Hinsdale House Hotel. Toll on the Antelope Park & Lake City Road was set at $2.50 for each wagon with one pair of horses, and 50-cents for each additional pair of horses. Pack animals were charged 20-cents each, saddle animals 25-cents, and loose cattle, mules and horses 20-cents each. Sheep and goats using the thoroughfare were charged at a rate of five-cents per animal. The conditions of the road -- detractors referred to it as a trail or "rut" -- were improved by 1876 under the direction of Henry Finley. As a result, instead of the previous three days to cover the distance from Del Norte to Lake City, overall travel time was reduced to a day and a half. It was reported in June, 1876, that Lewis Crooke had made the distance in a record time of just 14 hours, leaving Lake City with a single team of horses at 6 a.m. Crooke and a considerably winded team of horses arrived in Del Norte at 10 p.m. the same day. Barlow & Sanderson, who received the government mail contract to Lake City, initiated regular coach service to Lake City on the Del Norte road beginning in 1876. The company's Concord stages had a capacity of 13 passengers and were pulled by teams continued page 24

SILVER THREAD SCENIC & HISTORIC BYWAY - SUMMER 2016 - PAGE 3

Toll Roads,

continued from page 2

road-building party. In order to finance the projected $5,000 cost of the Antelope Park & Lake City Toll Road, a company was formed in Del Norte in June, 1875, offering $5,000 in capital stock at $100 per share. A variety of business owners from Del Norte and Lake City constituted the toll road company's board of directors, including Alva Adams, later a multiple- term governor of Colorado, J.H. Shaw, Herman Schiffer, Henry Finley, E.J. Shaw, and Charles Newman. Otto Mears, a principal backer of the competing Saguache & San Juan Toll Road, belatedly purchased $500 worth of stock in the Del Norte road company in July of 1875. Henry Finley, President of the Lake City Town Company, offered to construct a portion of the toll road from Lake City to the summit of Slumgullion Pass if the Del Norte contingent would fund construction of the road from Antelope Springs to the pass summit. Total distance of the road from Del Norte to Lake City was estimated at a little over 81 miles, some 17 miles closer and following a much, much gentler terrain, it was claimed, than the toll road from Saguache to Lake City. General contractors on the Lake City road were James Phillips and Alonzo Hubbard who employed 15 to 18 men throughout the summer and fall of '75. The contract stipulated that work was to begin on July 19, 1875, and was to be entirely completed within 90 days. It was further stated that the roadway was to be capable of supporting wagons

Rules of the Road

Helpful Hints for Stage Coach Passengers

-1877-

* The best seat inside a stage coach is the one next to the driver. You will have to ride with back to the horses, which with some people produces an illness not unlike sea sickness, but in a long journey this will wear off, and you will get more rest, with less than half the jars and bumps than on any other seat. * When the driver offers through sympathy to exchange his back or middle seat with you, don't do it. Neither ride in cold weather with tight boots or shoes, nor close-fitting gloves. Bathe your feet in cold water before starting, and wear loose overshoes and gloves two or three sizes too large. * When the driver asks you to get off and walk, do it without grumbling. He will not request it unless absolutely necessary. If a team runs away, sit still and take your chances; if you jump, nine times out of ten you will be hurt. * In cold weather abstain entirely from liquor while on the road; a man will freeze twice as quick while under its influence. Don't growl at food at stations; stage companies generally provide the best they can get. * Don't keep the stage waiting; many a virtuous man has lost his character by so doing. Don't smoke a strong pipe inside, especially early in the morning. Spit on the leeward side of the coach. If you have anything to take in a bottle, pass it around, a man who drinks by himself in such a case has lost all human feeling. * Provide stimulants before starting; ranch whisky is not always nectar. Be sure and take two heavy blankets with you, you will need them. Don't swear, nor lop over on your neighbor when sleeping. * Don't ask how far it is to the next station until you get there. Take small change to pay expenses. Never attempt to fire a gun or pistol while on the road; it may frighten the team and the careless handling and cocking of the weapon makes nervous people nervous. * Don't discuss politics or religion, nor point out places on the road where horrible murders have been committed, if delicate women are among the passengers. Don't linger too long at the pewter wash basin in the station. Don't grease your hair before starting out or dust will stick there in sufficient quantities to make a respectable "tater" patch. Tie a silk handkerchief around your neck to keep out dust and prevent sunburns. A little glycerine is good in case of chapped hands. * Don't imagine for a moment you are going on a pic-nic; expect annoyance, discomfort and some hardships. If you are disappointed, thank heaven. - OMAHA HERALD, 1877.