December 1923 saw steady progress on the Moffat Tunnel, festive celebrations, and debates over Colorado-made goods versus Missouri dynamite.
Moffat Tunnel Construction Happenings from 100 Years Ago
December 1923 found the progress in the pioneer bore of the Moffat Tunnel to be steady. In fact, the headway made in absence of the machinery ordered last month was quite good and many, many news articles were eagerly anticipating the potential for a joint celebration of Colorado’s Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary) and the completion of the Moffat Tunnel to align on August 1, 1926. Students of Colorado’s history know this was not meant to be.
1923 marked the first Christmas celebrated at West Portal and East Portal. The round-the-clock work came to a halt and many employees went home to celebrate Christmas, this is borne out with mentions in the newspapers printed mid-late December, “Frank Logsdon, who has been chief painter at the West [P]ortal of the Moffat [T]unnel for two months, and Frank Dooley, machine operator in the tunnel also at the West [P]ortal, came to Steamboat Monday night to spend the holidays at home.” Also, “Word has been received from M. W. Drennon, who is employed on the Moffat [T]unnel, at East Portal, that the town is progressing rapidly and conditions are prosperous. Mr. Brennon is expecting to spend the holidays in Boulder with his family.” Or this one, “After spending six weeks as a carpenter on buildings at the [W]est [P]ortal of the Moffat [T]unnel, G. W. Hetts of Craig returned home Saturday. He enjoyed his stay and the work, and states that working conditions up there are ideal.”
The others who remained at the Moffat Tunnel construction camps had a “huge Christmas dinner” and the “mess hall and buildings were decorated lavishly with evergreens.” While undoubtedly Santa didn’t overlook either construction camp, his appearance at the Moffat Tunnel wouldn’t be noted in newspapers until the following year in 1924.
At this time, there was a push to “Use Colorado Made Goods” from coffee to dynamite. However, the experts at the Moffat Tunnel Commission weighed in that “Missouri-made dynamite is better than any other” and this definitely irked those who worked for duPont in Colorado, “If it was not a criminal offense in this state to dynamite Fish this would be a splendid opportunity to demonstrate what the explosives manufactured by the duPont plant in Douglas County will do.” As the Record Journal of Douglas County pointed out, “…[Colorado] has evidently created the impression that all products from that state explode better and do greater damage than those from other localities” but that the Moffat Tunnel Commission will continue to use Missouri-made dynamite “regardless of the continued campaign of the Colorado Made Goods boosters.”
By the end of 1923, for the three months the tunnel was under construction, 638 feet had been bored in the Water Tunnel, averaging 213 feet per month. Next year, the hard work begins as heavy equipment and additional manpower arrive at both ends of the Moffat Tunnel.
B. Travis Wright, MPS | Preserve Rollins Pass | December 31, 2023
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