BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: I would like to know the story behind Milner Pass, which crosses the Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the small town of Milner, which is west of Steamboat Springs. – Marge Melle, unincorporated Jefferson County
A: The town of Milner in Routt County, established in 1917, was named for an early banker and merchant, F.E. Milner. The town has a population of between 100 and 150 residents.
Milner Pass on Trail Ridge Road between Grand and Larimer counties is named for T.J. Milner, an early civil engineer for the railroads. He surveyed the area as part of a proposed route of the Denver & Salt Lake Western Railroad. The route was never built. The summit of the pass is 10,764 feet. Milner Pass Road Camp Mess Hall and House in Rocky Mountain National Park was listed in 1987 on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources: “Colorado Place Names” by William Bright; “1001 Colorado Place Names” by Maxine Benson; Routt County Sheriff’s Office; U.S. Geological Survey; National Register of Historic Places
Q: What is the terrible mothball smell on I-25, south of I-76?
A: The smell is difficult to pinpoint because near there is a refinery, a shingle-manufacturing plant, an Xcel power plant, a wood-preservative plant and a rendering plant. There are also methane vents south of Interstate 76 and west of Interstate 25 from the landfills the highway was built on.
Knowing the direction of the wind or the time of day when it is strongest would help to identify the smell. Occasionally the smell from the dog-food factory on Interstate 70 will blow that way, but that is not a “mothball smell.”
The Northeast Metropolitan Industrial Council, a group organized to deal with odors and air contamination in the north metro area, meets quarterly. The next public meeting is 3:30 p.m. May 10 at the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District plant, 6450 York St. The organization may be able to help determine where the smell is coming from.
Sources: Adams County Department of Planning; Colorado Department of Transportation
– Bonnie Gilbert
Have you ever wondered how to register your child for school? What a political caucus is and how to get information about one? How many “fourteeners” Colorado has? If you’d like information about something in the state outside Denver, send questions to becauseyouasked@denverpost.com or mail to: Because You Asked, Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202. Include your name, city of residence and phone number.
