Hoosier Pass, Colorado

Hoosier Pass, on Route 9 south of Breckenridge, was the site of the Hoosier Ditch, which was the first recorded trans-divide water diversion in the state. It consisted of two ditches, collecting water from the west side of the Divide, and converging on the pass, where it drained into the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. The ditch was first recorded in 1860, to supply water for the placer mining operations downriver, and was further enhanced in 1929. The city of Colorado Springs has since purchased the water appropriation, and diverts the water through the Hoosier Tunnel. Hoosier Pass marks a transition for urban trans-divide watershed extensions, from Denver and its extensive suburbs and northern cities, to the urban trans-divide watershed extensions of Colorado Springs, and the eastern slope’s southern cities. While Denver captured some of the Blue River and took it over the Divide through the Roberts Tunnel, Colorado Springs takes some of the Blue River and takes it over the Divide in the Hoosier Tunnel. The tunnel is located a mile or so west of the pass.