The Moffat Tunnel of Colorado, an Epic of Empire by Edgar Carlisle McMechen

The Moffat Tunnel of Colorado, an Epic of Empire
by Edgar Carlisle McMechen

Authorized by resolution of the Moffat Tunnel Commission
Complete in two volumes.

Denver, CO: The Wahlgreen Company
First edition, 1927

Limited de luxe edition, signed by McMechen, #244.

Includes a calling card with the name Mr. Charles MacAllister Willcox, who has an entry in Volume 2: he was the Vice President of the Moffat Tunnel Commission, and in the 1890s had been a journalist for The Denver Times and The Rocky Mountain News. The presence of the calling card would seem to imply that these were his copies.

Fuly illustrated with black and white photos of the tunnel and surrounding areas, and many portraits of the men involved with the process.

Condition: Large hardcovers; dust jackets have some minor wear, a couple small tears near spine ends, gilt titles on spines. Cover boards have very minor apparent edge wear. Page edges are dyed a dark red with a seemingly intentional abstract pattern. Interiors are clean and unmarked, and bindings remain firm and secure. A very handsome, presentable set.

wiki: "The Moffat Tunnel is a railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. Named after Colorado railroad pioneer David Moffat, the tunnel's first official railroad traffic passed through in February 1928. / The Moffat Tunnel finally provided Denver with a western link through the Continental Divide, as both Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the north and Pueblo to the south already enjoyed rail access to the West Coast. It follows the right-of-way laid out by Moffat in 1902 while he was seeking a better and shorter route from Denver to Salt Lake City. The Moffat Tunnel averages 15 trains per day. The railroad and water tunnels parallel one another; the water tunnel delivers a portion of Denver's water supply. In 1979, the tunnel was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers."