COLORADO: The Cross That Was

On Sunday, Aug. 24, 1873, pioneer Western Photographer William H. Jackson and his helpers clambered up the iced boulders of Colorado’s wild Sawatch mountains with a bulky camera, primitive film, darkroom tent and developing chemicals to make the first photograph of a natural wonder: the Mountain of the Holy Cross. Jackson made thousands of other pictures, but Holy Cross was considered his masterpiece. Despite technical progress, the thousands of Holy Cross photographs made since never surpassed Jackson’s famous picture. And none, it turned out last week, ever will.

Legend has it that two 18th century Spanish monks first found and named the 14,000-ft. mountain with the cross, formed by two great snow-packed crevices. After Jackson’s picture made the mountain celebrated, pilgrims and plain tourists came by the thousands. Eventually, just 25 years ago, President Herbert Hoover proclaimed the mountain a national monument. With due ceremony, Colorado last week began to celebrate the monument’s 25th anniversary.

Governor Dan Thornton put out a proclamation, and Denver’s Mayor Quigg Newton called for “a pilgrimage in spirit to the Mount of the Holy Cross.” On the City Hall carillon, Faith of Our Fathers and other suitable anthems were played. The Rocky Mountain News wrote: “The hand of the Creator wrinkled the brow of this majestic peak in a symmetrical cruciform that cradles the ice and snow of ages . . .” An apologetic mountaineer heard the bells, read the paper, and called the News to say that something had been overlooked. The left arm cross has been crumbling away from slides and erosion. Four years ago, when the cross was no longer apparent, the National Parks Service recommended to President Truman that the mountain be taken off the list of national monuments. He acted accordingly.

The bells had scarcely stopped ringing last week when Colorado quietly called off the rest of the 25th anniversary ceremonies.