Embedded Files
100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
US 650 was one of the original US routes, but it was decommissioned after less than a decade. AASHO made that decision in late 1934, but according to the following article, Colorado did not replace the US 650 shields until nearly two years later:
Salida Daily Mail, Jul. 1936 (linked to source)
That explains why the 1935 issue of Colorado's state highway map still showed US 650 (as we will see below).
Until that time, some US highway routes in Colorado were numbered differently than they are now. US 285 went north from Denver, to Laramie WY, along what is now US 287. Present-day 285 from Denver southwest to Antero Junction was not on the US highway system (it was designated as SH 8). There was no US 24 in Colorado. Instead, it was US 40-S that was signed along US 24's present route from Limon through Colorado Springs, over Ute and Wilkerson passes to Antero Jct, then over Trout Creek Pass to Johnson Village, and north through Buena Vista to points beyond. Just shy of Buena Vista, near present-day Johnson Village, US 650 headed south from US 40-S along the Arkansas River to its junction with US 50 in Salida. The entirety of US 650 is shown on this map, which covers just a small area of central Colorado:
c. 1935, CDoT
Also, note the curvy railroad line to the west of Salida. The actual rail line was not that curvy. Rather, the cartographer drew in the highway lines first, and then added the RR lines later, simply for the purpose of helping drivers navigate (if they wanted to pay attention to the number of RR crossings and/or keep track of which side of the highway the RR was on). That concept figures into the historical analysis that will follow.
In most cases this website focuses on only the terminus points of US routes. However, since US 650 was so short, we will make an exception by covering the entire route. We will begin at its south end:
Salida
This map shows the current highway configuration in Salida. US 50 runs across the bottom; historically the loop formed by Oak Street, 1st Street, and "F" Street has at times been signposted as Business 50. Currently the south beginning of SH 291 is at lower right, where US 50 makes a bend. That is essentially (but not exactly) where US 650 began during the 1920s and '30s:
Sanderson
Originally US 50 extended further east from the bend, following what is now CR 105 (see lower right corner). So there was no bend in US 50 at its junction with Oak, meaning the south beginning of US 650 was roughly 100 feet north of where SH 291 begins today. This photo was taken looking west on US 50 (with part of the Sawatch Range visible in the background). The south beginning of US 650 was just to the right (north):
Sanderson, Apr. 2000
This photo was taken on southbound Oak (with part of the Sangre de Cristo Range visible in the background). The modern junction with US 50 is just ahead, but the south end of US 650 was just before reaching that point, at the intersection with historic US 50, or today's CR 105:
Sanderson, Apr. 2000
US 650 followed today's SH 291 north on Oak, which curves northwest on 1st and goes through downtown Salida. After passing 3rd Street, SH 291 makes a broad curve to the north and crosses the Arkansas River. That is a newer alignment; US 650 did not use that same curve, instead continuing due west on what is now called Grand Avenue. After its intersection with Mesa Lane, Grand begins to make its own curve to the north, but today it dead-ends just before reaching modern SH 291. Historically that curve continued until the road was aligned almost due north, crossing the Arkansas via a 1925 bridge that no longer exists. That bridge was situated just to the east of its replacement: the current CR 175 bridge. This photo appeared in the Dec. 1925 issue of Colorado Highways:
The south abutment for that bridge still exists; it is now used as a picnic area overlooking the river. After crossing the river, US 650 aligned with what is now CR 153, which curves to the northwest, parallel to the railroad. SH 291 rejoins US 650's historic alignment just beyond the intersection with CR 156.
The following interactive map may be helpful in terms of visualizing the historic alignments described on this page:
About five miles beyond CR 156, SH 291 curves to the northwest to align with its next bridge over the Arkansas. But from that curve to its north terminus at US 285, none of SH 291 is the same as historic US 650. Rather, US 650 went through the Cedar Gate subdivision, utilizing what is now CR 195-A and crossing the Arkansas via a bridge which no longer exists (that bridge was just south of the current bridge). On the west side of the river, US 650 angled almost due north, running along a short segment of road that is now part of the Stone Bridge Recreation Area. Curving to the northwest again, US 650 followed what is now CR 193.
North from CR 193, modern US 285 joins the historic alignment of US 650, but only for less than a mile, because US 650 followed what is now a loop off US 285 formed by CR 260. From the north end of CR 260, US 285 again joins the alignment of US 650, this time for 1.5 miles. At that point, US 285 drops down into a road cut and passes underneath a water conduit. But US 650 used a gentler grade, curving to the northeast, then back to the northwest, utilizing a short segment of what is now Nachtrieb Ranches Rd.
Through the town of Nathrop, US 650's original routing is entirely vacated and undriveable now (refer to interactive map above). In 1931 a new bridge was built over Chalk Creek, and US 650 was changed to follow today's CR 286 (which runs just to the west of modern US 285).
1.5 miles north of Nathrop, US 650 crossed back to the east side of the Arkansas via what is now CR 301 (except whereas modern CR 301 climbs straight up the east bank, US 650 used an S-curve alignment with a gentler grade).
near Buena Vista
Today, if one were to retrace the route of historic US 650 by continuing north on CR 301 for about 3.5 miles, after following it across modern US 24-285 they would encounter a sign that says "No Outlet". But historically drivers were obligated to go that way in order to reach the junction with the other highway in the area. In this article I will refer to it as the "TCH" (short for "Trout Creek Highway") because it carried so many different designations:
In about 1923 it became part of state highway 4.
In 1926 it became part of US 40-S.
In 1934 AASHO approved adding the US 285 designation (but Colorado did not immediately signpost it that way).
In 1935 the US 40-S designation was replaced by an extension of US 24.
In 1936 Colorado finished signposting US 285.
The TCH followed an alignment that has been vacated for so long that it is no longer visible from the field, and in fact it is becoming difficult to see even on aerial photos (please refer to the interactive map above).
The following photo was taken from US 24-285, just east of Johnson Village, from approximately the point where the historic alignment of the TCH crosses the modern highway. Westbound TCH continued ahead towards Buena Vista (visible in the background) and crossed the Arkansas near the Reformatory via a bridge that no longer exists (I have seen an old map that labeled it "Star Highway Bridge", and I have also read an account that referred to it as the "Free Gold Bridge"). US 650 came in from the lower left via today's CR 301, ending at its junction with the TCH, which may have been near the hay bales in the middleground:
Sanderson, May 2008
We're talking about a historic alignment that is essentially invisible now. And I have yet to see a detailed map that explicitly shows US 650 on the east side of the Arkansas. So how do we even know that CR 301 was the original route of US 650? There are a couple things that make me fairly confident that this is accurate information. One clue can be found on CDoT's official state highway maps from that timeframe. The following animated image switches back and forth between the 1932 and 1934 issues. Notice the railroad just south of Buena Vista changed from west of the highway (1932) to east of the highway (1934):
c. 1932 and 1934, CDoT
This gets back to the idea that I mentioned towards the beginning of this article: it is very unlikely that the actual alignment of the railroad changed like that. So why was the RR line changed on the 1934 map? Almost certainly it was because the highway was realigned to the opposite side of the tracks. One could therefore conclude that, until around 1933, US 650 crossed to the east side of the river and the railroad before reaching its junction with the TCH (specifically US 40-S on the above maps). Right around that time, US 650 must have changed to a new alignment west of the river (i.e. the same alignment as today's US 285). This theory is further supported by an article in the Sep. 1932 issue of Colorado Highways; the relevant paragraph is reproduced here:
Colorado Highways, Sep. 1932 (linked to source; see p.148)
That last sentence implies that the road that was replaced had been on the east side of the river. This next photo was taken from CR 301, near those hay bales, looking back the opposite direction. In the distance, the paved road on the left is modern US 24-285, whereas the gravel road on the right is historic US 40-S (further that direction it has a couple concrete bridges dated 1922). I am quite certain that road originally came right toward the camera on its way to Buena Vista:
Sanderson, May 2008
To the right on CR 301 was the north beginning of US 650; this photo was looking that direction, showing the northernmost segment of US 650 from 1926-1932:
Sanderson, May 2008
To the right, westbound TCH crossed the river; I think the bridge may have been aligned along what is now the property boundary between the Casa del Sol and High Country Village subdivisions (approximately where Del Sol Lane is now). After crossing that bridge, I suspect (but cannot prove) that the TCH would have gone north on Arizona Street to downtown Buena Vista, then west on Main Street to the current US 24. (Incidentally, there is an old CDOT garage in downtown BV which has since been repurposed.)
The earliest detailed map I have seen is from 1936, and it illustrates an interesting transitional timeframe that existed from 1932 (when the north-south highway was relocated to the west side of the Arkansas) to 1937 (when the current Arkansas River bridge was completed):
Census Enumeration District Map, dated 1940 but used a 1936 basemap
The TCH was still using its original alignment (former US 40-S, but labeled on this map as US 24 / US 285 / SH 4), and the original bridge near the Reformatory was still in use.
The north-south highway was shown on the west side of the river (opened Sep. 1932; former US 650, but labeled there as US 285 / SH 4).
The modern junction of US 24 and US 285 was already in use. I will refer to that as "BVJ" (short for "Buena Vista Junction"). Even though today's 1937 bridge was not yet completed, this road was still needed as a railroad crossing.
After crossing the river, US 24 went south on Arizona to modern US 24-285, then west to BVJ, then north on the current highway to Buena Vista proper. As I said above, I suspect the TCH originally went north on Arizona, so it seems a little counterintuitive that US 24 would now be directed south before going back north. However, the 1937 bridge certainly would have been under construction by this time, and it would have been known that US 24 was about to be permanently rerouted to BVJ.
During that 1932-1937 timeframe, several highway designations were changed:
In 1934 AASHO approved adding the US 285 designation to the TCH (but Colorado did not immediately signpost it that way).
In 1935 the US 40-S designation was replaced by an extension of US 24.
In 1936 Colorado finished signposting US 285 (which included the removal of US 650 shields).
So what does all that mean as far as the north terminus of US 650?
Starting in 1932, instead of using what is now CR 301, US 650 traffic would have been redirected onto the new highway that ran along the west bank of the Arkansas.
US 650 would have ended at BVJ.
That certainly would have been the case until Nov. 1934 (which is when AASHO approved the new US 285 designation to absorb the US 650 designation). But since Colorado did not immediately signpost US 285, that means BVJ actually would have been signposted as the north end of US 650 until July 1936.
From 1932-1935, US 650's BVJ endpoint would have been signed as a junction with US 40-S.
From 1935-1936, US 650's BVJ endpoint would have been signed as a junction with US 24.
This photo was looking north on US 285 at BVJ, and it shows modern signage at historic US 650's north end from 1932-1936. Today this is northbound US 285, which continues to the right with eastbound US 24 over the 1937 Arkansas River bridge. Straight ahead is "westbound" US 24, which actually heads north though Buena Vista to Leadville and ultimately I-70:
Sanderson, May 2008
These next two shots were looking west on US 24-285 at BVJ, where the routes diverge and head in opposite directions. For about four years the north beginning of US 650 was to the left:
Sanderson, May 2008
Sanderson, May 2008
Heading that direction today, southbound US 285 leaves the Arkansas River about eight miles northwest of Salida, and instead goes directly through Poncha Springs before climbing over Poncha Pass. However, it is interesting to note that in 1936 (when US 285 replaced US 650) it did not follow this direct route to Poncha. Instead it followed the former US 650 southeast to Salida, and then followed westbound US 50 to Poncha:
Census Enumeration District Map, dated 1940 but used a 1936 basemap
More specifically, US 285 replaced US 650 as far as downtown Salida, but at that point US 285 traffic was directed southwest on "F" Street in order to join westbound US 50. So the one-mile segment of former US 650 from the intersection of 1st and "F" to the intersection of Oak and US 50 was no longer on the mainline US highway system. Local interests would have been eager to restore that connection to US 50, and indeed right around this time is when the loop through downtown Salida was signposted as Business 50.
The highway heading directly north from Poncha was first made a part of the state highway system in about 1938. The '39 issue of CDOT's map showed that road was initially designated as SH 291, and the legend indicated that it was not part of the federal aid system. The 1940 map showed that this future segment of US 285 was a part of the federal aid system, and that the surface had been graded. The 1941 issue showed that this new highway was scheduled to be oil-processed and paved that year. The 1942 map was the first issue to show that the US 285 and SH 291 designations had been swapped: US 285 now headed directly north from Poncha, whereas SH 291 replaced the former US 650/US 285 into Salida. The highway between Salida and Buena Vista continued to follow US 650's original alignment for years (and even decades along some segments) before being replaced with the current bridges and/or alignments.
Research and/or image credits: Alvin Edlund; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2000;last updated Feb. 8, 2026.
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