Opening Up in the 19th Century

In the 19th century, the Haute-Romanche changed profoundly. Opening up truly began in 1856 with the completion of the tunnels between La Grave and Villar-d'Arène, then in 1863 with the opening of the Napoleon refuge at the Lautaret Pass. These works created jobs, facilitated exchanges, and opened the way to new visitors. It was the beginning of tourism, mountaineering, and soon the first ethnographic surveys. In the 1930s, the German scholar Wilhelm Giese, studying Dauphiné, noted the “pronounced pride” of the inhabitants of the Haute-Romanche. Meanwhile, another economic engine animated the valley: the mines of Grand Clot. Long exploited, they experienced major growth around 1836 when the Compagnie des mines d'Allemont et des Hautes-Alpes modernized the site: a 75-meter iron ladder, new buildings, equipment, and housing. The activity then employed up to 42 washers, 30 miners, and 5 employees. Despite these efforts, the veins were exhausted and the mine closed in 1872. It was revived in the 1920s, with nearly 60 workers living in a mining hamlet equipped with a school. But as in the previous century, profitability declined and the mine closed again. Between road modernization and cycles of mining hopes, the 19th century opened an era of rapid transformation for La Grave, announcing the valley's entry into the modern world.