Imogene Pass
Encyclopedia
Imogene Pass is a high mountain pass
in the San Juan Mountains
in the southwest part of the US
state of Colorado
.
It crosses a ridge connecting Ouray, Colorado
with Telluride, Colorado
, and is the highest mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains, and the second highest vehicular mountain crossing in Colorado
. The road is accessible by four wheel drive
vehicles, and is not for the novice driver.
From Ouray, the road turns off the road to Yankee Boy Basin
above the Camp Bird Mine
near the ghost town
of Sneffels
southwest of Ouray, and climbs through Imogene Basin to the summit.
From Telluride, the road takes off north of downtown and climbs past the ghost town
of Tomboy through Savage Basin to the summit.
The first long distance alternating current
power line
was constructed over Imogene Pass to carry power from the Telluride area to the Camp Bird Mine
.
"Fort Peabody" was constructed in 1904 by a local unit of the Colorado National Guard
on top of the pass to prevent union miners from crossing during a labor strike.
An annual foot race is held over the pass between Ouray and Telluride on the first Saturday following Labor Day
. This gruelling race starts at around 7800 ft (2377 m), is 17 miles (27.3 km) in length, and crests on the pass at 13,114 ft (3997 m), a change in elevation of just over a mile.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
in the southwest part of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
It crosses a ridge connecting Ouray, Colorado
Ouray, Colorado
The historic City of Ouray is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 813 at the U.S. Census 2000 and 1,000 as of the U.S. Census 2010...
with Telluride, Colorado
Telluride, Colorado
The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...
, and is the highest mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains, and the second highest vehicular mountain crossing in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The road is accessible by four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
vehicles, and is not for the novice driver.
From Ouray, the road turns off the road to Yankee Boy Basin
Yankee Boy Basin
Yankee Boy Basin is an alpine basin in Ouray County, Colorado in the United States and is located in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is well renowned for its display of wildflowers during the spring and for Twin Falls on Sneffels Creek....
above the Camp Bird Mine
Camp Bird Mine
The Camp Bird Mine is a famous and highly-productive old gold mine located between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district in the San Juan Mountains....
near the ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Sneffels
Sneffels, Colorado
Sneffels was a town in Ouray County, Colorado, United States named after Mount Sneffels. It lay west of Camp Bird.-Mining era:Sneffels was founded in 1875 and named after the mountain it was built on. The town peaked at 2000 people and grew largely between the mid 1880's until 1891.-External links:*...
southwest of Ouray, and climbs through Imogene Basin to the summit.
From Telluride, the road takes off north of downtown and climbs past the ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Tomboy through Savage Basin to the summit.
The first long distance alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
power line
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
was constructed over Imogene Pass to carry power from the Telluride area to the Camp Bird Mine
Camp Bird Mine
The Camp Bird Mine is a famous and highly-productive old gold mine located between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district in the San Juan Mountains....
.
"Fort Peabody" was constructed in 1904 by a local unit of the Colorado National Guard
Colorado National Guard
The Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is a state agency of the Government of Colorado. It supervises both the Colorado National Guard , and non-military state safety agencies.The Department consists of the Department of Military Affairs, and the Division of Veterans' Affairs, and...
on top of the pass to prevent union miners from crossing during a labor strike.
An annual foot race is held over the pass between Ouray and Telluride on the first Saturday following Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. This gruelling race starts at around 7800 ft (2377 m), is 17 miles (27.3 km) in length, and crests on the pass at 13,114 ft (3997 m), a change in elevation of just over a mile.