What role did toll roads play in the area's history?

Toll roads played a crucial role in the early development of transportation links between the Arkansas Valley and the Cripple Creek Mining District before railroads dominated the region. In 1892, Cañon City completed the Shelf Road as the first stage route linking the valley with the district, originally called the Cañon City and Cripple Creek Toll Road and financed by local business leaders seeking to profit from the gold rush. Toll collectors lived in small cabins nestled at either end of "The Shelf" and collected payment every time a horse, wagon, or stagecoach passed, with tolls ranging from thirty cents for a horse and rider to $1.75 for a six-horse stagecoach.

A trip along the Shelf Road took six hours upgrade and four hours downgrade, making it a significant but necessary investment for miners and merchants moving goods and gold between the mining district and population centers. Florence completed the Florence and Cripple Creek Free Road through Phantom Canyon shortly after Shelf Road opened, creating competition between toll and free routes. Eventually, the superior speed and efficiency of railroads put the toll road business out of operation, and Fremont County purchased Shelf Road, opening it as a free public route that today serves as one of the Gold Belt Byway's most scenic and historic drives.