Berthoud Pass was named for Captain Edward L. Berthoud, who completed the first survey of this saddle in the main Divide in the spring of 1861.
Berthoud’s expedition of eight people, including Jim Bridger, crossed the Continental Divide at the 11,315 foot summit and established a relatively easy way to get into Middle Park from the east. Berthoud also served as chief engineer on the Colorado Central Railroad.
It is surprising that this famous pass had played no previous role in the history of the region. Even Jim Bridger, who knew the country well, did not learn of its existence until the survey. For reasons of their own, Indians had chosen to go over the divide at higher levels further to the north. One explanation may be that the pass is not evident from most locations on either side of the Continental Divide.
R.C. Black, Island in the Rockies. Pruett Publishing Company, 1969
R.C. Black, Railroad Pathfinder, The Life and Times of Edward L. Berthoud. Cordillera Press, Inc., 1988
George R. Eichler, Colorado Place Names, Johnson Publishing, 1977