Gunnison Tunnel

Gunnison Tunnel
Location Montrose County, Colorado, USA
Nearest city Montrose, Colorado
Coordinates 38°29′36″N 107°43′17″W / 38.49333°N 107.72139°W / 38.49333; -107.72139Coordinates: 38°29′36″N 107°43′17″W / 38.49333°N 107.72139°W / 38.49333; -107.72139
NRHP Reference # 79000616
Added to NRHP 1979-07-22

The Gunnison Tunnel is a 5.8 mile (9.3 km) irrigation tunnel constructed between 1905 and 1909[1] by the Bureau of Reclamation.[2] At the time of its completion, it was the longest irrigation tunnel in the world. The tunnel diverts water from the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to the arid Uncompahgre Valley around Montrose, Colorado.

The tunnel opened in 1909 to much fanfare with a dedication ceremony attended by President William Howard Taft.

In 1972, the tunnel was designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

References

Further reading

Bureau of Reclamation - Uncompahgre Project

"The Uncompahgre Valley and The Gunnison Tunnel," by Barton W. Marsh (1905).

Celebration on opening of the Gunnison Tunnel, 1909
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