A history of Delta's Main Street* - Part II

MAIN STREET’S FLAG POLE

Delta, CO's Main Street circa 1898 with the 75 ft. tall flag poll.
Delta County Historical Society Photo

As the Spanish-American War came to an end in 1898, a group of Delta businessmen thought it would be a good idea to have a flagpole in the center of town. So Delta erected a 75-foot tall flag pole in the center of the intersection of Main and Third Streets and proudly displayed a giant 45-star US flag.

In August 1898, an 86-foot tall tree was cut and hauled off of Grand Mesa to Delta. The Delta County Independent noted that several Eckert residents had reported seeing the giant pole being hauled down the Surface Creek road.

Businessmen Frank Dodge and Frank Sanders volunteered to see that the pole was properly placed. The Town of Delta built a band stand around the flagpole “for the benefit of the band boys.” Unfortunately, the affixing of a pulley to the top of the flagpole was an afterthought. The newspaper noted that "the pulley was so far down the pole that the flag flies constantly at half-mast," leaving everybody asking, “who is dead?”

When electricity came to Delta in 1900, the town thought it would be a great idea to hang a light bulb atop the flagpole (well, half-way up) to illuminate Main Street. The light bulb and wiring were attached to the flag pulley and hoisted half-way up the 75-foot pole. The pulley system was needed in order to be able to change the light bulb when it burned out. At that time, the city power plant was located at First and Main.

In 1898, traffic on Main Street, with few exceptions, was entirely horse-drawn buggies and wagons. However, within a few years automobiles were common along Main Street. The flagpole and band-stand became a frequent target of early motorists whose driving skills preceded the requirement for a driver's license. The town enacted a 7-mph speed limit within intersections, but somehow a few motorists still managed to hit the flagpole.

By 1908, the Town of Delta condemned the flagpole and bandstand as “dangerous.” On April 9, 1908, the town took down the flagpole and replaced it with a smaller one. The small flagpole might only have lasted a year or two, as there are no known photographs featuring a smaller flagpole.

DELTA'S MAIN STREET - PART OF A BIGGER TRANSPORTATION PICTURE   

Delta's Main Street circa 1958, after the widening.
Delta County Historical Society Photo

Delta’s Main Street, while a footnote in the nation’s evolving transportation debate in the mid-1950s, played a role in ensuring the Interstate did not pass through Delta County. The pre-cursors to the Interstate Highway System rested in two landmark reports requested by Congress in 1939 (Toll Roads and Free Roads) and 1944 (Interregional Highways). Each report contained a map of an illustrative "Interregional System," as it was originally called, and had an east-west route terminating in Denver and a north-south route also passing through Denver.

Edwin C. Johnson, who was one of Colorado’s US Senators in the late 1930s through the mid-1950s and was governor both prior to and after his time in the senate, envisioned a massive highway from Denver to California. After the preliminary report of Toll Roads and Free Roads, State Highway Engineer Charles D. Vail and Sen. Johnson crafted a plan to show that a westward route from Denver was feasible. By the autumn of 1939 US Route 6 was being built over Black Gore Pass. Prior to 1940, roads through the Gore Valley and along Beaver Creek were barely used. In January 1940, Black-Gore Pass was re-named Vail Pass, in honor of the engineer who was determined to prove a western roadway out of Denver would work.

In March 1973, the first bore of the I-70 Continental Divide Tunnels were opened and named for President Eisenhower. The second bore opened in December 1979 and was named for Governor Johnson who had fought for the highway. By the mid-1970s the Highway 50 Association was disbanded, as travelers began favoring the new I-70 route to the north. With the decline of traffic volumes Life magazine in July 1986 proclaimed: US 50 "The Loneliest Road" in America. Ironically, there has been talk of making US 50 a four-lane highway to help relieve the congestion now on I-70, though this has been met with the traditional “no money” argument. Perhaps it will happen someday, as some segments are already four-lane.

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 authorized designation of a 40,000-mile "National System of Interstate Highways." By 1947, the work was nearly complete and as Johnson and other state officials feared, Denver was known as the “dead-end city.” Part of the problem was the cost of building a major highway through the mountains and by law, a neighboring state had to connect to the highway and continue it.

US Hwy 50 has been widened to 4-lanes in some locations.

Utah and Nevada proposed upgrading US Route 50 to Interstate status. The plan had merit, as transiting the mountains via Monarch Pass meant fewer storms for truckers, thus  keeping freight moving. Denver was against this plan, as it meant it would keep the “dead end” title and Pueblo-Colorado Springs would have the benefit of the westward highway.

By 1955 the debate over a westward Interstate from Denver was in full swing. State Rep. Charles Conklin and State Sen. James Mowbray, both of Delta, backed Gov. Ed Johnson, in helping squash the Utah-Nevada proposal of turning US Highway 50 into an Interstate Highway (the debate which continued until the autumn of 1969). President Dwight Eisenhower, whose wife Mamie was born and raised in Denver, gave approval to the westward expansion of I-70 from Denver to Grand Junction in the Interstate Act of 1956. As a bit of irony, the Eisenhowers were married in Denver on the same day that President Wilson signed the 1916 Highway Act which got the Federal Government involved in the road business.

TREES & FLOWERS ALONG MAIN STREET

Delta has become famous for it's tree lined Main Street, flowers, and murals.
Susan Reep Photo

Delta began planting trees up and down Main Street in the 1890s. By the 1940s, the beautiful deciduous trees garnered Delta the nickname: “city of trees.” Over the years, all of the original trees have been replaced, most of them several times. Aggressive roots have caused sidewalks to buckle in some places over the years, though today this is mostly seen on side streets. Managing roots and tree size continues to require constant care.

In 1990, Delta began a major urban renewal program that included: industrial clean-up, and the creation of Confluence Park, Bill Heddles Recreation Center, and Fort Uncompahgre. At the same time, the Delta County Museum was moved from the court house to its current location at Third and Meeker, and an urban trail from Lincoln Elementary School to Confluence Park, among other projects, was established. Delta also began adding murals along Main Street along with median flowers and large pots of flowers along the sidewalks.

The flowers along Delta’s Main Street are planted and maintained by a couple of seasonal city employees, Cindy Valdez and Veronica Pacheco, they have affectionately become known as the “flower ladies.” Camelot Gardens in Montrose has had so many customers ask about the mix of flowers planted along Delta’s Main Street that the owners stock the exact same variety of flowers as the “Delta flower lady” plants.

Delta's flowers are known throughout Colorado.

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*This article, published in the Delta County Museum's quarterly newsletter, is part two in a two-part series covering the development of Delta's Main Street and the politics relating to it.

Soper, Matt. "A history of Delta's Main Street." Delta County Historical Society (Delta, Colo.) Newsletter Iss. No. 87 (July-Sept 2016) p4+

A history of Delta's Main Street* - Part I

From the muddy wallows of wagon ruts to a four-lane highway, Delta’s Main Street has held the distinction of being the center of commerce, transportation, and community life since 1882.

Delta's Main Street in 1893. Note the mature trees which line the street, suggesting they were placed there years earlier.
Delta County Historical Society photo

       As streets were laid out, and a main street designated, it quickly became apparent that there needed to be a mechanism to maintain the public right of way. When Delta County was established in 1883, a plan was devised and was implemented in 1884, whereby each able-bodied male from 21 to 50 had to pay $3.00 per annum or contribute 2 days of labor in helping keep the sixty-foot wide roads usable. Though well maintained, the original dirt street would have been very muddy in winter and spring. Livestock fouling in the road and the occasional spitting of tobacco would have greeted visitors with a familiar Wild West smell.

       In 1913, the old State Highway Commission was replaced by the State Department of Transportation; and on the national level, a federal income tax was ratified. By 1916, the federal government joined the road building business by creating matching funds for transportation projects. Many small towns’ life or death was determined by a state or federal highway passing through, giving agriculture, business, and industry access to national markets.

Delta's Main Street in 1924 before paving, showing excavation for sewer line; 500 block looking south.
Delta County Historical Society photo

       As the automobile replaced horse and buggy as the main method of travel, Delta finally began paving Main Street. The City Council opted to replace water and sewer lines prior to paving and the first paved section of Main was from First to Seventh Street. The project was completed at a cost of $92,000 in the autumn of 1924. On Armistice Day (now called Veterans Day), Delta held a special parade to dedicate the newly paved street. The following year, the county opted to resurface dirt roads with gravel.

       In late 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways approved the preliminary report which created “U.S. Route 50,” a major east-west highway, which would combine portions of existing auto trails and link others to create a continuous route from Annapolis, Maryland and Washington, D.C. to Sacramento, California. In 1926, Delta’s Main Street was designated U.S. Route 50. This designation was huge for Delta County, as in an era before the Interstate Highway system; the U.S. Route network linked the nation from coast-to-coast and provided rural America much needed access to urban centers. In turn, the automobile and newly paved roads opened up rural Colorado to tourists and sightseers. By June 1931, the Highway 50 Association was organized to pave the previously unpaved portions of the highway in Colorado and by November 1939 the last segment of Monarch Pass was paved, which completed the highway as America’s backbone. Delta had now entered the age of shared responsibility and use for Main Street.

Egyptian Theatre circa 1954, note the parking meters and orientation.
Delta County Historical Society photo

       By the mid-1950s Delta was booming. The Ag community, Sugar Factory, the Canning Factory, Delta Brick & Tile, Skyland Foods, the Tannery, and the Delta Sand & Gravel were a few of the large industries that were expanding and hiring. The County Commissioners were completing plans to build a brand-new courthouse. It was typical to see the Egyptian Theatre with four or five dozen bicycles in front during a Saturday matinée. The 4-H Beef Roasts would attract close to half of those living in the county. To top off the golden age of the 1950s for Delta, the President of the State Senate and the Speaker of the State House both hailed from the city.

       In 1955, Gov. Ed Johnson proposed widening and resurfacing Main Street (US Highway 50), along with constructing a state highway from Eckert to Cedaredge. Traffic on Main Street had become so congested, that in 1955, the City of Delta restricted cars from making a left turn across traffic, as the wait for an opening caused an even greater traffic jam. At this time, Delta’s Main was a two-lane street with diagonal parking.

       By January 1956, the City of Delta, Bureau of Public Roads, and the State Highway Department began discussions of adding a 13-foot median strip which would include 9-foot turn lanes. At first, the BPR told Delta to “forget the median strip.” However, a team consisting of Leonard Kulper, Allen Brown, and Al Neale traveled to Denver to convince state officials to put a median and curbs on the agenda. The roadway was 60-feet at the time, but the state told Delta that if they wanted a 13-foot median, then the roadway would need to be widened to 75-feet in order for state and federal funds to cover the cost.

       On February 15, 1956, the Delta City Council debated whether to accept the State’s all or nothing offer that included the median. Councilman Cliff Sammons opposed the widening, arguing that Montrose and Grand Junction didn’t have medians. Also joining the naysayers was Councilman C.A. Bowle who feared a wider Main would decrease property values and have a negative impact on downtown business. Prior to the actual vote, the city held a straw poll and found that 64% of the gallery favored a median strip. The vote passed and City Manager Kulper’s dream for Delta was becoming a reality.

       Construction began during the spring of 1956 and Main Street was widened from 60 to 75-feet, parking was changed from diagonal to curbside, and a 9-foot turn lane was added for left-turns at each intersection. The current traffic layout has met the needs of Delta for the past sixty-plus-years.

SIDEWALKS: FROM WOOD PLANKS TO CONCRETE

       As Delta emerged as a fledgling town in 1882, sidewalks quickly emerged as businesses began building along Main Street. The original sidewalks were made out of wooden planks that were half a foot wide and eight feet long. In the residential area of town, the wooden walks would have only been four feet wide. During this era of dirt streets and wood sidewalks, the man walked on the street side and the lady on the building side, so that the man could protect his lady from any passing wagons or horses splashing mud. This is still proper etiquette today, though few young couples know this custom.

       By 1905, the original wooden sidewalks were falling into disrepair to the point of being dangerous. The women of Delta were constantly complaining about the rough, uneven boards and loose nails which would catch shoes and tear dresses.

Delta's Main Street showing angled parking, concrete sidewalks, and paved street, but no median or trees.Delta County Historical Society photo

       In February 1906, the town announced it would replace the wooden sidewalks, between Fourth and Fifth Streets on the west side Main Street with concrete sidewalks. By May, the west side of the next block was under contract, but no mention of other blocks, or the east side of Main.

       “The walks are beyond repair. In the meantime, it behooves citizens to cast many an anxious glance on the boards ahead. No one can tell what wonders they may bring forth. It was only the other day we were obliged to turn our head the other way while we caught a glimpse of flying petticoats, rusty nails, weather-beaten planks and open work sox,” wrote the editors of the Delta Independent in July 1906.

       Delta citizens were becoming more and more vocal about the need to replace wooden sidewalks with concrete. The town then asked property owners to sign a petition saying they would pay for the portion of concrete sidewalk in front of their home or business.

       In September 1906, the town awarded Frank Waller of Salida the contract to pave the next three blocks along the west side of Main with cement. Waller constructed most of the original concrete sidewalks and was so skilled with a cement trowel that he even built a concrete house at the base of Garnet Mesa hill.

       In 1907, Delta’s Model Block, a housing development by the Stockham Brothers and Millard Fairlamb, from Fourth to Fifth Streets and between Grand and Howard Streets, was the first residential area to see concrete sidewalks. A sample of the original concrete sidewalk is on display in the Delta County Museum.

       Concrete sidewalks were not complete along Main Street and several side and parallel streets until June 1908. It would be another 16 years before Main Street would be upgraded from dirt to pavement, but in the meantime, the citizens of Delta were ecstatic to have smooth, solid sidewalks.

PARKING, METERS, & FINES

       As Delta grew and the demand for parking along Main Street increased, so did the need to help the downtown business community by freeing up parking spaces from time to time. In 1928 the first patent for a parking meter was issued and two decades later these devices graced Delta’s Main Street.

Parking meter policeman, Carl Wise, shown circa 1956/57 on Delta's Main Street. Meters were removed in 1977. Carl's friendly and witty disposition earned him the title of Delta's Ambassador.Delta County Historical Society photo

       On Monday, May 5, 1947 at 8:00 AM, Delta’s Main Street Parking Meter Ordinance officially went into force. The meters were installed by CarPark Meter Company of Cincinnati, Ohio and ran along Main from Second to Sixth Streets, and also extended for a half a block on the streets parallel to Main. There was a total of 270 meters.

       One cent granted the operator of the automobile a license to park in that space for 12 minutes; a nickel bought the driver the full hour. Failure to pay the meter was a violation and carried a penalty of 50 cents for the first offence. Subsequent offences carried fines of not more than ten dollars. Delta Mayor John Crawley was a stickler for the rules and made sure the ordinance and regulations were enforced, including a prohibition on “meter feeding.”

       During this time, parking along Main Street was parallel and the center median did not exist like it does today. In April 1955, Delta Police Chief Hanson issued parking tickets to car owners who blocked driveways, parked on the sidewalk, and caused their car to impede traffic in the street. Apparently quite a few frugal drivers had found all sorts of ways to circumvent paying for parking.

       In 1956, Delta’s Main Street was widened to add the median and another traffic lane in each direction; also at this time, parking orientation was changed from parallel to curbside. No letters complaining of parking orientation were published in the Delta County Independent, but one reader did register his objection to a median and left-turn lanes.

            After the widening of Main in 1956, the meters were removed in 1977 and a new scheme emerged – the chalking of tires. Patrons of downtown businesses had two hours to shop before the parking patrol would issue a parking ticket for monopolizing the space. The city continued to chalk tires (which indicated if the automobile had moved) into the early 2000s. The creation of multiple parking lots behind Main Street reduced demand for opening up spaces, and thus the practice of writing parking tickets is now a rare occurrence.

Delta's Main in the 2000s, notice the abundance of open parking and trees.
Author's Collection

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*This article, published in the Delta County Museum's quarterly newsletter, is part one in a two-part series covering the development of Delta's Main Street and the politics relating to it.

Soper, Matt. "A history of Delta's Main Street." Delta County Historical Society (Delta, Colo.) Newsletter Iss. No. 86 (Apr-Jun 2016) p4+