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The Royal Gorge,here before the dinosaurs, has long been referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas. Geologists have mixed thoughts as to how the Royal Gorge Canyon was formed but the general consensus is that it was formed by the force of the mighty Arkansas River, churning and pounding rocks for millions of years. The Royal Gorge Bridge was built in 1929 over a period of 6 months without a single fatality or even a bad injury! The bridge was primarily built as a tourist attraction. Riding the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway offers visitors to the area the best panoramic view of the Royal Gorge and bridge.
Additional Royal Gorge Information.
The Royal Gorge Canyon of Colorado is located near Cañon City, Colorado.
The Royal Gorge is split by the Arkansas River. It has a width of 50 feet at its base, is as wide as 1/4 mile at the top
and has a depth of 1200 feet in places. About 3 million years ago, as the Rocky Mountains
rose from the surrounding plains, a small rivulet that would become the
Arkansas River rose with them. Over time it cut a deep
channel for through the surrounding granite at a rate of about
one foot every 2,500 years. The Royal Gorge's peculiar shape, contrasted to
broad canyons such as the Grand Canyon, can be attributed to this long, direct erosion through hard rock.
Before European settlement, the Ute Tribes
wintered in the Royal Gorge area for its protection from wind and relatively
mild climate. The Comanche, Kiowa, Sioux, and Cheyenne used the Royal Gorge
on buffalo hunting expeditions as an access point to mountain meadow
regions such as South Park Basin.
The first recorded
instance of a European arrival is the Pike expedition of
1806. Zebulon Pike's group built a crude shelter in the gorge and
explored the area, descending on horseback over the frozen Arkansas.
Nearby Cañon City was founded in 1860 to exploit possible mineral
deposits in the area. Discovery of silver and lead near Leadville in
1877 prompted a race to build rail access to the area. The infamous Royal Gorge Railroad War between crews of the Santa Fe Railroad and the
Denver & Rio Grande, was a result of this race. After two years of low-level
guerrilla warfare between the two companies, Federal intervention
prompted the so-called Treaty of Boston. The D&RG completed its
line and leased it for use by the Santa Fe.
In the 1890s,
the Royal Gorge rail line was used for passenger service for transcontinental rail
travel. Four trains per day went through the gorge. Alternate routes
through the mountains made the Royal Gorge fall from favor for
transcontinental use, and passenger trains on the main line stopped in
1967. A sightseeing train now follows the route through the gorge.
In 1929 Cañon City authorized the building of the Royal Gorge
Bridge, which, at 1,053 feet above the river, is the highest suspension
bridge in the world.
In the summer months, whitewater rafting
is a popular activity in the Royal Gorge. Tourists travel from around
the world to tackle the Class IV & V rapids of the Arkansas River and enjoy
the scenery of the gorge.
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