Denver & Rio Grande Completes Tennessee Pass Tunnel

On December 15, 1902, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad completed the Tennessee Pass Tunnel, a key piece of infrastructure that improved the railroad’s strategic route over the Continental Divide in Colorado. The tunnel, approximately 1,800 feet long, allowed trains to avoid the steepest grades at the summit of Tennessee Pass, facilitating more reliable freight and passenger operations across the challenging high‑altitude corridor. The line later became a major freight artery for the D&RGW, especially for coal and manifest trains heading toward Utah and the West Coast. While later overshadowed by the Moffat Tunnel route, Tennessee Pass remained an important component of the railroad’s system for many decades. The tunnel’s completion was considered a significant engineering milestone for early 20th‑century Rocky Mountain railroading, reflecting the ongoing efforts of American railroads to tame extreme terrain through tunneling and grading innovations.