Colorado Ice Castles and a 1904 Toll Road Pass
In this newsletter: Talking tolls in the Pikes Peak region, and the Silverthorne Ice Castle returns.
A 1904 annual toll pass from South Cheyenne Canyon was cataloged into the archives this week. This ticket comes from the early days of the auto boom, when you would have likely seen a mix of horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles on the road. The number of cars in the Denver area grew from 90 to 4,000 between 1900 and 1910.
This toll road was built during the early 1880s to bring people to the Seven Falls attraction in Colorado Springs.
Locals were never happy that a toll gate had been put up in this canyon. Colorado College purchased land in the adjacent North Cheyenne Canyon in 1884 and began charging tolls there as well, which brought even more distaste for the practice. The cost was 25 cents to enter each canyon by that point.
There were no exceptions when it came to collecting tolls in the early days. Even back then, hikers were charged. An angry scientist from the Smithsonian Institution still had to pay 50 cents to get through the two gates while gathering specimens in 1884.
If you didn’t pay, the Hull brothers would not be afraid to go toe-to-toe and shoot it out. Here they are, defending themselves in court in 1904…
This image below was sent by the Broadmoor Hotel earlier this year. This looks like an annual pass for the canyon from 1916.
See the growing collection of Historical Colorado Toll Road Tickets Here.
The Silverthorne Ice Castle Opens This Weekend
After a long hiatus, the Silverthorne Ice Castle is back and open for visitors this weekend. Expect to pay $20–$30 depending on your age and when you go. The same event is planned in Cripple Creek, but has been postponed due to warm weather.
The castle is located near part of the Outlets at Silverthorne. You can buy tickets and find more info here - https://icecastles.com/silverthorne-colorado/.
Save the Date – Breckenridge Snow Sculpting
This is another fun snow event in Summit County to check out. There will be 12 teams from 11 countries competing in the International Snow Sculpture Championships this year. This includes one team from Breckenridge and one from Vermont.
Sculpting Week: Saturday, January 24 – Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Viewing Week: Wednesday, January 28 – Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Travel Deals
If your business would like to offer a deal to subscribers in this section of the newsletter, feel free to reach out through the website here.
DIA Group Mountain Shuttles - $75 off Denver airport shuttles w/ code “coloradotopia75” at Ridethepowder.com.
Ref Links:
Reference links in this newsletter may eventually break. The raw info is included below so that it is not lost.
The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 25, September 4, 1884, p. 6.
The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 25, September 5, 1884, p. 3.
The Colorado Daily Chieftain, Volume LXIV, Number 140, March 18, 1904, p. 7.
This is SO cool!