The Gunnison Tunnel is an irrigation tunnel constructed between 1905 and 1909 by the U.S.

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Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The tunnel diverts water from the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...

to the arid

Uncompahgre Valley The Uncompahgre Valley is an agricultural valley of the Uncompahgre River around the town of Montrose in the western part of the U.S. state of Colorado. The valley is bounded to the south and east by the San Juan Mountains and to the west by t ...

around

Montrose, Colorado Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The mai ...

. At the time of its completion, it was the longest irrigation tunnel in the world and quickly made the area around Montrose into profitable agricultural lands. In 1972, the tunnel was designated a

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by the

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(ASCE). The idea for a tunnel is credited to Frank Lauzon, a miner and prospector. By the early 1890s he was farming in Montrose. Popular lore is that idea came to him in a dream that the waters of the Gunnison River should be brought to the valley. As construction was undertaken, two advances in technology made work safer and easier. Jackhammers fed by a compressor replaced hand-turned drill bits to set holes for blasting charges. Dynamite replaced black powder for blasting. By 1906 shifts of workers up to 30 at a time worked in the tunnel. The tunnel opened in 1909 to much fanfare with a dedication ceremony attended by

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William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. It was listed on the

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in 1979. With . The tunnel is long and is in cross-section, with square corners at the bottom and an arched roof. It drops about over its length. At the deepest, it is about beneath the surface of Vernal Mesa.

References

External links

American Society of Civil Engineers site - The Gunnison Tunnel article
* * {{authority control Gunnison River Tunnels in Colorado Water tunnels in the United States Water tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places Transportation buildings and structures in Montrose County, Colorado Curecanti National Recreation Area Historic American Engineering Record in Colorado Interbasin transfer Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Montrose County, Colorado National Register of Historic Places in national parks Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Water supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Tunnels completed in 1909

See also

References

Further reading

External links