By Jan MacKell Collins At 10,846 feet in elevation, Marshall Pass remains among one of Colorado’s precarious roads. The pass, located in the Sawatch Range between Salida and Gunnison, was discovered by Lieutenant William Marshall in 1873 as he was making a mad dash in search of a Denver dentist for a bad toothache. But Marshall’s painful trip was nothing compared to the wild ride experienced by Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) engineer Nelson Edwards, and engine fireman Charles Whitehead. The D&RG was built over Marshall Pass during 1880-1881. Shortly after the rails reached Gunnison, however, stories began circulating ...