Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

Historic image of an engine rides train tracks laid in a steep, narrow canyon. The railroad runs alongside a river. A small bridge spans the river between canyon walls. — "A Denver and Rio Grande train on tracks beside the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison." c. 1880-1890.
Photo by W. H. Jackson
Courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections, WHJ-10501

“We entered a gorge, remote from the sun, where the rocks were two thousand feet sheer, and where a rock splintered river roared and howled ten feet below a track which seemed to have been built on the simple principle of dropping miscellaneous dirt into the river and pinning a few rails a-top. There was a glory and a wonder and a mystery about the mad ride, which I felt keenly…until I had to offer prayers for the safety of the train." – Rudyard Kipling, 1889

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) was built toward Gunnison in hopes of tapping wealth and traffic coming in from the booming nearby gold and silver mines. The steep mountain passes, and narrow canyons made the 4' 8 1/2" standard rail width too expensive and time consuming. William Jackson Palmer, the engineer behind the railroad’s construction, decided to go with the narrower 3' gauge.The Denver and Rio Grande was not the only narrow gauge railroad to cross the Rocky Mountains, but it soon became the most successful.

When the D&RGW reached Gunnison in August 1881, it was greeted with enthusiasm from town residents. Palmer and his crew planned to continue surveying and lay track in two directions. North was the prized coal veins and silver mines near Crested Butte. West was an outlet to Montrose, Grand Junction, and the lucrative route to Salt Lake City. Between Gunnison and Montrose was land Captain John W. Gunnison described in 1854 as the "roughest, most hilly, and most cut-up" he had ever seen.

Surveying

The first 20 miles of track building west of Gunnison was fairly easy. As the line was surveyed and graded, hundreds of mostly Italian and Irish immigrant workers began to lay track. As a result, "terminal cities" were created along the way. The new settlements of Kezar, Cebolla, and Soap Creek (later changed to Sapinero) began with many saloons. These rail stations were later buried under the waters of Blue Mesa Reservoir. At the junction of Lake Fork and the Gunnison River, the D&RGW officials had a decision to make between building up and over the mesas or through Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It was decided that a route along the river would be cheaper and have a better chance of remaining snow free throughout the winters. Mountain winters. This route would prove hazardous for future railroad employees and passengers.

Black and white image of a engine and train cars in a narrow,steep canyon. A river is to the left of the railroad tracks. — Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad train going through Black Canyon.
NPS

Construction

Construction of 15 miles of railroad from Sapinero to Cimarron continued during the winter of 1881-82. Carving a railroad bed from the steep, rugged and extremely hard rock made for some of the most difficult and hazardous work. While blasting rock just west of Sapinero (near present-day Blue Mesa Dam), a crew was using an unfamiliar explosive called nitroglycerine. The nitroglycerine accidentally detonated and the foreman, Sweeny, was blown into the stream and killed. An African-American worker on the grading crew had his head, left shoulder and side so mangled, he died within an hour. Once the grade was finished, immigrant workers laid track through the canyon and up the Cimarron River to the town site of Cimarron. While working in the canyon the men often used rail cars as a combination mess hall, sleeping quarters, and social club. The final cost of building the narrow gauge railroad through Black Canyon was $165,000 a mile.

Riding through Black Canyon

The editor of the Gunnison Review-Press was on the first train through the canyon in August 1882. He commented it was "the largest and most rugged canon in the world traversed by the iron horse." Thousands of passengers were thrilled by the ride. The ride was beautiful, but also frightening for the train engineers. Avalanches and rock falls were common during winter and the train crew never knew if or when their train would be swept into the Gunnison River. Despite the dangers and constant repair work, the Denver and Rio Grande made this route the cornerstone of its "Scenic Line of the World" passenger promotions. The Curecanti Needle is featured on its emblem.

At the western end of the route through the Black Canyon was Cimarron. During railroad construction, Cimarron was a tent city. It soon became a little town whose livelihood and schedule revolved around the trains. Train relief crews, the roundhouse with helper engines, a restaurant, and Black Canyon Hotel were found here. After mining decreased in the Gunnison region, stockmen continue to gather at Cimarron to ship their cattle and sheep to market via the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

End of an Area

The increase in standard gauge routes through the Rocky Mountains and automobile use, as well as decreased mining activity, led to the gradual demise of the narrow gauge railroads in the early 1900s. The D&RGW ran regularly, although decreasing freight and passenger service through Black Canyon until 1940. Passenger traffic was then diverted north to the standard gauge track over Tennessee Pass or through the Moffat Tunnel. Freight trains continued until 1949 when the line from Gunnison to Montrose was finally abandoned and the rails torn up. The route through the canyon, including its nine bridges, became a public road, used primarily by fishermen until construction of the Blue Mesa Dam in the early 1960s. Most of the old railroad bed is now submerged beneath the waters of Morrow Point Reservoir. A short section of the old railroad bed is accessible from the Pine Creek Trail. Exhibits on the railroad are at Cimarron.