Pagosa Springs Colorado
The Railroad in the San Juan

The technology of the steam locomotive to move loads overland was well established by the Colorado mining period. The train was one of mankind’s great inventions and it was only logical for people with imagination to consider trains for hauling heavy gold and silver ore out of the mountains.

The San Juan provided a strong challenge even to steam and steel. The ultimate solution was the narrow gauge railroad. Extremely steep and rough terrain meant that a train had to switch back and forth in order to gain elevation up or down a mountain side. It’s a simple fact that a short and smaller train can turn sharper corners. In some places there was not enough space to build a curved track so the cars and engine were turned one by one on a revolving platform and then reconnected and sent on in the new direction. Smaller also meant lighter and smaller turning platforms. In many areas the train path had to be cut out of solid stone and the narrow gauge train meant less cutting. The narrow gauge train was considered almost a toy by the industry which had huge locomotives pulling on the flatlands.Indeed a narrow guage train is dwarfed beside a big steam locomotive. The narrow guage train also had a fairy tail like quality compared to flatland locomotives. Down at low elevations with big engines the trains ran at breakneck speeds while the narrow guage huffed and puffed up steep mountains in a delightfully beautiful environment. It was considered a great adventure in the late 1880's to ride trains across the country in order to hook up with and tour on the narrow guage trains. Several popular books were published in the 1880's that described the train routes and places to go.

The Pathfinder of the San Juan

The name of Otto Mears is well known to in the history of the San Juan. His talent was being able to see needs and having the inventiveness and courage to accomplish them. He lost his parents in Russia at an early age and was bounced around between relatives until sent to San Fancisco to live with an uncle who had just left for South America. As a twelve years old he found himself alone and an immigrant who had no money and spoke no English. He learned a series of trades and worked for the U.S. Army and ultimately traveled to Colorado. He decided to open a store and found he could get cheaper merchandise to sell if there were better roads from the supplier to his business, so he built a road. This set the trend for the rest of Otto’s life, the roads and railway tracks put into the San Juan became his life's challenge.

Toll-Roads

The first paths beyond widened Indian trails in many areas were toll roads. The roads were always hard and expensive to install across mountain passes. There was no government to collect taxes and build roads so the toll road was the answer.

Most toll roads were only wide paths and became impassable in poor weather. Still they were vast improvements over the previous trails.

Mining towns burst upon the countryside before the toll roads were built. The roads that existed were at best only widened horse and foot trails so it was a grand day of high celebration when the toll road was finally cut into most early towns.

The Narrow Gauge Railroad

As train tracks approached the mountains it was obvious to Otto Mears to use his toll roads as a base for the tracks. He already had several toll roads to his credit along with interest in mines. When the Utes were removed in 1874 the towns of Silverton, Lake City and others bloomed to life. Lake City was "founded by Otto Mears and Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, and other cities followed short order.

The Denver & Rio Grande Railway or Otto Mears soon laid track to most locations in the San Juan. The feats accomplished to do this make one wonder why this effort is not included as one of the wonders of mankind. The technology to build the roads or tracks was literally invented as the need arose. With work at a standstill in harsh winters the warm season's efforts had to be massive. Even the survey parties that surveyed the way for the passes were considered high and dangerous adventure. When the prospect of building a railway through the huge canyon on the Gunnison River arose Mears was the man for the job. He had workers hang on 600 foot cables setting explosives on the sheer canyon walls. With a ledge blown out he lowered men, tools, wagons and burros and the work continued.

Try standing beside the road or highway in the San Juan and imagine the scene without the road. Then think of the imagination and efforts involved in charting and building these roads and passes across the very roof of the nation. Otto Mears and the other early transportation builders in the San Juan opened the wilderness to new populations and higher profits.

A sample of early train riding can be had on two narrow guage railways functioning on the original track. One train travels from downtown Durango to Silverton. The other crosses Cumbres pass between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. Either trip is an experience of a lifetime and should be a part of everyone's San Juan experience.

Many San Juan towns have train displays or museums for the public. If you have an interest in old railroads there is the Colorado Railroad Museum located in Golden, Colorado.