Wagon Wheel Gap Route

and the

Denver & Rio Grande Railway

Towns of the Railroads

The major growth in the Colorado Rocky Mountains was spurred on by the wealth that silver mining brought.

Many of the towns in the Rocky Mountains were developed by the railroads to support their expansion, the most notable of these are:

    Colorado Springs

    Pueblo

    Alamosa

The central railroad hub of the San Luis Valley included the railroad yards, repair facilities and  the four lines pointing South to Antonito then west to Durango and south to Santa Fe, West to Creede, North to Salida, East over La Vita Pass then on to Pueblo and Denver.

    Chama

A major support and maintenance town on the line to Durango, now is a Terminal of the Combres & Toltec Narrow Gauge Line  a have to ride tourist line, a have to see railroad town.

    Durango

Durango in the 1920's - Notice both Standard Gauge & Narrow Gauge Track and Cars...

Probably the best known and popular of the Railroad towns in the Colorado Mountains Durango was a hub town connected to Alamosa.  Also with feeder lines up into the mining area of Silverton, across to Telluride ( Rio Grande Southern ) and south to Farmington New Mexico. Now it is the terminus of the worlds most popular tourist narrow gauge line.

The "High Line" north out of Durango

Notable destination mining towns include:

    Creede

One of the most important mining towns in the San Juan Mountains, Creede still has the look of it's 1880's start

Creede is the northern terminus of the Wagon Wheel Gap Route.

    Silverton

Named after what the San Juan Mountains were known for, Silver and lots of it.  Still looks like it did in the 1890's 

    Telluride

The town's bank was the target of Butch & Sundance in the 1890's but the ski slopes are now the target of the rich...

Small section towns used to support railroad maintenance became farming and business centers, these include:

    South Fork

South Fork grew from a supply camp for hunters and miners in the 1870's to a railroad town by 1900. 

Southern end of the Wagon Wheel Gap Route - Railroad Water Tank is still there...

    Rico

Original farmers, cattlemen, military and hunters developed the original Colorado towns, these include:

    Fort Collins 

    Fort Garfield

    Denver

    Animas City ( later to be included into Durango )

    Monte Vista ( aka. Lariat )

Grew from a water stop for the train in 1884 to a thriving town in 1910        

Home of the Foundations Offices and Museum

The early history of Monte Vista is unique in that it claims neither single name nor founder.  Its beginnings go back to 1881, when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad placed a railroad siding named Lariat at a site by the present Fullenwider Park. This siding, with a switch, water tank and section house, was to serve the early settlers from Swede Lane and Rock Creek.   At this time a young widow, Lillian L. Taylor who became Mrs. Charles Fassett in 1882, set up a small general store south of the railroad water tank - it became the L.L. Fassett store.

Other early settlers who came were:  Henry Taylor, who purchased 160 acres from the U.S. Land Office in July, 1882, to homestead the Lariat town site near the new D. & R. G. Railroad track and depot;  Maurice Pelton who acquired this same town site in November, 1882;  and Hiram H. Marsh who homesteaded the area known today as Marsh Park.  Soon a land promoter, Theodore C. Henry, who had been looking for a likely spot for new canal ventures, arrived at the town site and brought excursionists from the east to invest in a new town. Some stayed and some went elsewhere.   Henry also borrowed great sums of money for his land and canal ventures.  Chauncey S. and Henry J. Aldrich, who had come by excursion train to the new western site,  joined Henry to form the Henry Town & Land Co.     Then in February, 1884, the Aldrich brothers purchased the Lariat town site from Maurice Pelton for the Henry Town & Land Co.  This site was the beginning of the new town of Henry, named after the ace promoter.  It was incorporated on May 1, 1884, platted, and building started at once. Each town deed included a no-liquor clause.   Henry had borrowed more money than he could repay and suddenly left town and his debts.  In July, 1885, the Travelers Insurance Co. of Hartford Conn. took over the Henry interests. They invested heavily in the new town with land and buildings, compromised with C.S. Aldrich who had lost most of his investments, and made a request for Aldrich and Judge White to rename the town.

By the time of incorporation on July 3, 1886, the town site was replatted and renamed for the mountain vistas surrounding it -- Monte Vista.    Monte Vista has always been known for its fine schools and business houses, along with many fine homes, churches and library.  One of its greatest triumphs was the acquisition, in 1892, of the State Soldiers and Sailors Home (present State Veterans Center).   Many buildings in town have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But the prosperity of Monte Vista goes back to the water, the abundant crops, the livestock and, from the early pioneers who laid a solid foundation to the present:  a rural community committed to continue as a city of homes, of churches, and of schools.

Submitted by the Monte Vista Historical Society

As time allows we will include descriptions, photos and history of these towns and cities...

Web Site E-Mail Address is Wagon-Wheel-Gap@hotmail.com

Also see our History of San Luis Valley & it's Railroads web site:

Wagon-Wheel-Gap.freehomepage.com

It's still under construction but you may find it interesting.

This is not an official web site of the D&RG Ry. Historical Foundation. 

It is a private informational site by Richard Cutter who is solely responsible for content and

content is not submitted to, approved nor controlled by the D&RG Historical Foundation.

Unless otherwise Noted

Historical Photographs 1800's to 1940's from the National Archives

Photos, Videos and Text are Copyrighted by Richard Cutter

   - Photos can be used for non-commercial use if plainly identified as to copyright holder and location, such as "at Wagon-Wheel-Gap-Route, Colorado"

The name "Wagon Wheel Gap Route" refers to the section of the Creede Branch of the Old "Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad" that extends from South Fork to Creede Colorado, the name was developed and used for this website and is considered as our trademark.

Last updated: July 03, 2005

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