Helper Clampers hold plaque ceremony at Soldier Summit

On Sept. 1, the Clampers dedicated a second plaque in as many days this time at Grassy Pass, also known as Soldier Pass or Soldier Summit.
After breakfast, the Matt Warner Chapter 1900 of E Clampus Vitus boarded their bus and headed up to place a plaque commemorating Denver and Rio Grande’s relocation of the helper engines with supporting crew and infrastructure from Helper to the summit and then back a few years later.
The company’s goal was to save money by being more efficient, but they didn’t listen to the objections of the locals who knew how much snow the summit usually got each winter.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, Danny Grills led the ceremony with John Magnuson and Ruth Metzger, who added to the colorful story of this “horrible idea.”
The plaque joins another that shares the story of the naming of the summit. Many of us looked through the viewing pipes to see if we could locate the soldiers’ headstones. All the while, motorists honked their horns at the large group of men in red shirts with an American flag in support as they passed.
The plaques and viewing tubes are in front of the old jail building just past the gas station at Soldier Summit.
(Submitted by Helper resident Cindy Lund)