History of Colorado; Volume I, Part 40

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 954

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But the Leadville excitement now completely changed the aspect of matters. The road began to prosper even though built but part of the way to the new camp. Stages and freighters completed the journey for thousands from the Denver & South Park terminus. At this time Jay Gould was investing heavily in Union Pacific, Colorado Central and Kansas Pacific stocks, and soon was able to control and complete the line to Leadville.

The Denver men continued in apparent control and on February 9, 1880, took part in the celebration which marked the completion of the line to Leadville.

In 1886 the extensions and main line comprised a mileage of 322.25. From Poor's Manual of that year the following is taken: "Gunnison extension, North- rop to Gunnison, 65.50 miles; Gunnison to Mount Carbon, 17.25; Como to Key- stone, 35.10; Dickey to Leadville, 34.40; Garo to London Junction, 15.40; Bear Creek Junction to mines, 9.70; Como to mines, 4.10; Schwanders to Buena Vista, 3.80."

In this year its capital stock was increased to $6,235,400 to meet construc- tion expense.

The Leadville excitement had died out and the road soon became a losing proposition. It was finally in 1889 sold under foreclosure and bought in by the Union Pacific interests, who reorganized it under the name of the Denver, Lead- ville & Gunnison Railway Company. It continued a heavy loser, finally going under in the panic of 1893. In that year, after a receivership, it became a part of the Colorado & Southern system.

THE DENVER & NEW ORLEANS RAILWAY COMPANY

The restless spirit of Denver's early railroad builders was forever in evidence. To them the metropolis saved from ruin by timely and determined action, was now something to build up into the ranks of the greatest cities in America. Their faith in Denver and Colorado was little short of inspiration.

Denver in 1881 had its connection with the east and west and through the Denver & Rio Grande and Santa Fé toward the Mexican border. But it needed a railroad to the metropolis of the gulf, New Orleans, whence its products could more speedily reach the growing Central and South American markets, the gulf cities of the United States, the Atlantic coastwise trade and European trade as well. So in January, 1881, these men incorporated the Denver & New Orleans Railway Company: John Evans, David H. Moffat, Cyrus W. Fisher, George Tritch, J. F. Brown, Isaac Brinker, William Barth, John R. Hanna, John A. Cooper, T. G. Lyster, K. Sidney Brown, George W. Kassler and C. B. Kountze.

Many routes were suggested, but finally the air line to Pueblo was decided on as the first branch of the system, and by December, 1882, this was in operation.

PIKE'S PEAK FROM COLORADO SPRINGS GOLF CLUB

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

Branches to Colorado Springs and to Franceville gave the new road 138 miles of track during its second year of operation. The competition with the Denver & Rio Grande was keen and finally forced the road into a receivership before the old incorporators could carry out their plan of building south of Pueblo. In May, 1885, the new company under the title, the Denver, Texas & Gulf Railroad took possession, but this was practically a purchase by the old incorporators. In 1890 it was made part of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf systems, and later was merged into what is known as the Colorado & Southern, a constituent part of the Burlington system.

In April, 1887, the Denver, Texas & Fort Worth was incorporated by the men interested in the Denver, Texas & Gulf and Union Pacific. It secured operating rights over the Denver & Rio Grande to Trinidad, this line having been equipped with the third rail.

In April, 1888, the road had built from Trinidad to Texline, and with its branches and small subsidiary lines to coal fields its mileage was approximately one hundred and seventy-six.

The Fort Worth & Denver City Railway Company incorporated in 1873, was practically taken over by the Denver, Texas & Fort Worth, and in January, 1888, had been completed from Fort Worth to Texline, 455 miles, thus making a through route from Denver to Fort Worth, and of course to gulf tidewater.

In 1890, although operated independently, it, together with the entire "Denver Gulf system," became known as the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railroad. The cut-off built in 1882 from Julesburg to La Salle, 151 miles, partly Colorado Cen- tral and partly Union Pacific construction, also became a constituent portion of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf.

Into this combination also went the Cheyenne & Northern, built in 1887 by Union Pacific interests from Cheyenne to Wendover; the Denver, Marshall & Boulder built first to Erie, and then by the assistance of Boulder citizens to Boulder; all the old Colorado Central holdings, and the subsidiary companies under which some small sections were still operating. The reorganized "South Park" line, the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison, though operated under its own name, was also part of the combination. The Denver, Marshall & Boulder had originally been the Denver, Western & Pacific and was completed to Boulder in 1886, and to Lafayette in 1888.

With a capital of $36,000,000 and a directorate of Union Pacific men, it now began operations, working into the disastrous period of 1893. It, however, did some construction, building from Wendover to Orin Junction the line which is now part of the Burlington's north and south transcontinental road. It also built a few spurs into coal and other properties in the south. The old Loveland road from Golden to Longmont, that between Ralston and Louisville Junction, and that between Fort Collins and Colorado Junction close to Cheyenne, were all abandoned.

After the Union Pacific crash in 1893 and repeated changes in receiverships, the court finally placed the entire mileage of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf under the management of Frank Trumbull, one of the ablest of Colorado's rail- road men. This receivership included 810.63 miles of standard gauge, 79.66 miles of narrow gauge, 105.92 miles of leased lines, and 469.03 miles of allied (Texas) lines, a total mileage of 1,465.24. In 1895 Mr. Trumbull added the branch from

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

Walsenburg to Acme and that from Forbes to Rolling Mills; later that from Fairplay to Leavick.

In 1894 Mr. Trumbull was also made receiver of the old "South Park" line.

In December, 1898, the holders of the debentures bought in the entire system, and on December 20th of that year incorporated the Colorado & Southern Rail- way Company, with a capital of $48,000,000. Grenville M. Dodge, of New York, was chosen chairman of the board, and Frank Trumbull, of Denver, president. This position he retained until the entire system was purchased by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in 1914 and made a constituent part of that system.

On January 11, 1899, the new owners took charge, controlling also the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway Company, which continued its through line. The La Salle-Julesburg "cut-off" had been purchased by the Union Pacific and be- came part of that system in its reorganization. In 1900 the Colorado & Southern acquired a joint interest with the Denver & Rio Grande in the Colorado Midland. In that year it also took over the "Ward" line, which had been built by private capital between Boulder and the mines at Ward and opened in June, 1898. This was in fact the old Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific project, which had actually con- structed the line as far as Sunset. Other portions too were built but abandoned. Another important branch which became a part of the Colorado & Southern system was the famous "loop" at Georgetown, built originally by a Union Pa- cific subsidiary to cross the range.

The Colorado Railroad, owned by the Colorado & Southern, was chartered July 6, 1906. In 1907 it absorbed the Fort Collins Development Railway. Its total mileage is 120.35.

The Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway was incorporated April 13, 1897, as the Cripple Creek District Railway. In November, 1899, the first-mentioned name was adopted. The electric line from Cripple Creek to Vic- tor via Midway was opened June 1, 1898; line via Anaconda, September 9, 1900; other lines in 1901. The Colorado & Southern owned practically all of its out- standing capital stock. On November 1, 1911, the road and equipment were leased to the Florence & Cripple Creek District Railway Company.

The Gilpin Railroad, from Blackhawk to various mines has a mileage of 16.50. It was chartered July 24, 1906, to purchase the Gilpin Tramway Com- pany. This was later controlled by the Colorado & Southern.

On December 21, 1908, the directors of the Burlington ratified the purchase from the late Edwin Hawley and associates of a controlling interest in the com- mon stock of the Colorado Southern and the entire system was in a few years operated in conjunction with the Burlington. The company has in the past few years built new lines from Wellington to Cheyenne and from Southern Junction to Walsenburg Junction, the latter a double track owned and operated jointly with the Denver & Rio Grande. The main line between Wendover and Orin Junction, Wyoming, has been leased to the Burlington and is part of its Billings- Denver line. Its mileage June 30, 1916, was 1,841.72. This includes

Colorado & Southern 781.52

Colorado Railroad 120.35

Trackage rights 134.20

Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway 74.25

Vol. 1-24

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

Denver & Interurban 20.36

Fort Worth & Denver City Railway 454.14

Wichita Valley Railroad 52.20

Wichita Valley Railroad

60.70

Wichita Falls & Oklahoma

22.80

Stamford & Northwestern

82.50

Abilene & Northern

38.70

1,841.72

THE BURLINGTON ROAD-THE COLORADO & SOUTHERN ROAD

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, now one of the most important systems in Colorado, had its lines directed toward Denver early in its great construction period. In 1869 "The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Nebraska" was chartered and completed to Kearney Junction. Under the Federal incorporation it had a land grant which eventually sold for more than it cost to build the road. In March, 1881, the Burlington was at Colorado's northeastern gate, and on May 29, 1882, under the corporate name "The Burlington & Colorado Railroad Com- pany" was in Denver.

As far back as 1892 the Burlington began planning its present north and south line, the first step in which, as it believed at the time, was the purchase of a little road known as the Denver, Utah & Pacific. This had been incorporated in December, 1880, and at first leased the road between Utah Junction and Burns Junction from the Denver, Western & Pacific, then built to Longmont and in September, 1885, operated the road to Lyons.

In 1900 the Burlington had completed its connection via Brush and Alliance with its Black Hills system, thus placing a splendid new territory into the trade area of Denver. In the following year it built into the coal and iron fields around Guernsey, Wyoming.

During the year ended June 30, 1915, the line extending southerly from Laurel, Montana, was completed to Orin Junction and the connection between Guernsey and Wendover was ready for operation early in 1916. This completed the line from Billings, Montana, to Northport, Nebraska. It also gave the Burlington a complete north and south line from Billings to Denver.

THE SANTA FÉ

The Atchison & Topeka Railroad Company had no astounding ambition when it was incorporated in 1859 to build a line from Atchison to Topeka. In 1863 with almost three million acres in a land grant it started, under the name Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Railroad Company, to build as far as possible along the Santa Fé Trail to the old New Mexican terminal. In 1869 actual construction was be- gun but progress was slow. In 1872 the road had reached Emporia and the stretch of 340 miles to the Colorado boundary was undertaken without much enthusiasm on the part of the directors. In Pueblo the capitalists had been looking forward to this move and were now ready to cooperate. The Colorado & New Mexico Rail- way, the Pueblo & Salt Lake, the Pueblo & Arkansas Valley, all "paper" roads,

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

were now consolidated into the Pueblo & Salt Lake Railroad, with M. A. Shaffen- burg, W. B. Orman, George M. Chilcott, M. D. Thatcher, O. H. P. Baxter, J. N. Carlisle, P. K. Dotson, and J. Raynolds as incorporators. Pueblo County in March, 1874, voted $350,000 as a subscription to the company's stock. Bent County voted $150,000. Later the Santa Fé took over the company, Joseph Nickerson, president of the Santa Fé, taking the same position in the Pueblo road, M. D. Thatcher remaining as secretary and assistant treasurer. Not until 1876 was the road in Pueblo, but in the meantime it had built its main line to Trinidad and the steps in its transcontinental program have already been detailed. In 1882 under its traffic arrangement with the Denver & Rio Grande it ran its trains through to Denver. In October, 1887, it came in on its own lines, using the route around West Denver. Its construction in Colorado since the early construction periods has been confined to spurs in the Arkansas Valley and in the coal sections.

When Governor Osborn rode over the Colorado-Kansas state line on New Year's day, 1873, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé was informed that it was en- titled to its entire land grant of about three million acres.

The building of the road over the Raton Mountains in New Mexico was an engineering feat. This was first of all a climb up Raton Cañon, the surmounting of the natural obstacles of Raton Pass, nearly eight thousand feet above sea level, and the descent through Willow Canon to the New Mexican plains. From Trini- dad to the summit of the pass is a distance of fifteen miles, with a grade in that period at some places of 185 feet to the mile. Much of the way was cut through solid rock. The road was often protected by rip-rap work and iron bridges were thrown across the canyon. When the builders got to the foot of the crest it was a case of constructing a tunnel or building a switch-back. The latter was decided on as a temporary makeshift-and a very expensive one. The enormous grade of 316.8 feet per mile was reached on the switch-back.

By 1881, however, trains were operating through a tunnel.

The Pueblo & Arkansas Valley Railroad Company was incorporated as a Santa Fé subsidiary August 31, 1878, a consolidation of the Pueblo & Arkansas Valley Railroad Company, chartered January 1, 1875, and the Canon City & San Juan Railroad incorporated February 19, 1877. This line was placed in operation from the Kansas State line to Pueblo on March 1, 1876. Its length was 148.72 miles. The road from Pueblo to Rockvale, 37.01 miles, began operation January 1, 1881.

THE MISSOURI PACIFIC

The Missouri Pacific built into Colorado in 1887, reaching Pueblo in that year, giving Colorado a second direct connection with Kansas City and St. Louis. As its interests for years have been closely identified with those of the Denver & Rio Grande, the traffic agreements give the Missouri Pacific what may be termed a through line to Denver.

THE COLORADO MIDLAND

The Colorado Midland was, to begin with, a Santa Fé subsidiary. It was in- corporated in 1883, work was begun in 1885 on a standard gauge railroad to the

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

west from Colorado Springs via Leadville, and completed to New Castle in 1889. From that point to a connection with the Rio Grande Western it built jointly with the Denver & Rio Grande, later selling out its interest in this branch to the latter road. It also built from Aspen to Aspen Junction, and in 1882 through a subsidiary company completed the Midland Terminal Railway to Cripple Creek, giving the gold camp a short line to Denver. Until 1894 it was operated by the Santa Fé. It then went into the hands of a receiver, and in the spring of 1900 was taken over jointly by the Denver & Rio Grande and the Colorado & Southern, Frank Trumbull acting as president, and Col. D. C. Dodge as vice president.

On December 13, 1912, George W. Vallery, then president of the company, was appointed receiver on the application of the bondholders' committee.

The Colorado Midland Railroad Company was incorporated May 31, 1917, buying in at public auction at Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 21, 1917, the entire property of the Colorado Midland Railway Company. The price paid was $1,425,000. A committee representing the first mortgage bondholders of the Railway Company on March 17, 1917, suggested a plan of reorganization, which failed of approval. The new owners are now projecting an eight mile road to connect the Uintah Railroad at Mack, Colorado, with the Grand River Valley Railroad at Fruita. This will mean access to the rich gilsonite deposits near Dragon.

The officers of the road, January 1, 1918, are: Chairman of the board, Spen- cer Penrose ; president, A. E. Carlton ; vice president, C. M. MacNeill; secretary, L. G. Carlton; treasurer, H. L. Hobbs. The following are directors, in addition to the officers: E. D. Shove, Irving Howbert, C. C. Hamlin, C. L. Tutt, A. V. Hunter, W. R. Freeman, C. C. Parks, Charles Boettcher, A. G. Miner, Gerald Hughes.

This directorate shows it to be in control of Colorado men, who at the public auction in April combined to save it from being sold to junk dealers.

THE MOFFAT ROAD

The vain efforts, in 1865 and 1866, to induce the Union Pacific to construct its main line through Denver, and over a shorter but more rugged route, via Berthoud Pass to Salt Lake, found a far echo in the determination of David H. Moffat to build in 1902 what was known at the outset as the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific. In the records of the secretary of state there were many incorpora- tions which had similar objects, but most of these lapsed and a few only were utilized in other branch construction.

And since the early fighting days of Governor John Evans and his associates, among whom was David H. Moffat, there had been many surveys and much ex- ploitation, and the wealth of Grand and Routt counties and what is now Moffat County, made a railroad incursion to this field full of promise.

The Denver & Northwestern, a Denver Tramway connection to a point be- yond the Leyden coal fields, furnished an entrance to Denver for the projected road.

The articles of incorporation filed July 18, 1902, named Denver, Salt Lake City and San Francisco as points on the route of this new transcontinental car- rier. The capital stock was placed at $20,000,000, $10,000,000 preferred and

373

HISTORY OF COLORADO

$10,000,000 common; the board of directors for the first year were: David H. Moffat, Walter S. Cheesman, William G. Evans, Charles J. Hughes, Jr., George E. Ross-Lewin, Samuel M. Perry and Frank B. Gibson.

This directorate made it evident that it was purely a Denver enterprise. Two of its incorporators, David H. Moffat and Walter S. Cheesman, had been con- nected with the Denver Pacific, the first road to enter Denver, William G. Evans, the son of Governor John Evans, and Charles J. Hughes, Jr., of the family of Bela M. Hughes, represented two of the principal incorporators of the earliest rail connection.

The first actual construction was in charge of the Denver & Northwestern, of which Samuel M. Perry was president, and was for the first eighteen miles west from the terminus of that road. This was let on July 23, 1902, to A. A. Utley, of Rock Springs, Wyoming.

As in the building of the other roads, however, the "Moffatt" road construc- tion work was to be in the hands of the Colorado-Utah Construction Company, which was now incorporated with a capital stock of $2,000,000 and with Sylves- ter G. Smith as president and general manager, and A. C. Ridgway, F. G. Moffat, William G. Thomas and Charles K. Durbin as directors.

It now became evident that Denver capital must be depended on at least to begin the work of building this road.

On June 24, 1902, when Mr. Moffat had returned from his first financing trip to the east, his determination to build the road was fixed; this despite the fact that he had met with but little encouragement from moneyed men in the eastern centers. It was the first of a long series of disappointments, but he did not then realize the extent of the "trunk line" opposition to his dream of a short-cut trans- continental line. His announcement to the public of Colorado was in part as follows: "I am convinced that the building of this railway is a matter of great importance to Colorado and that it will do much to further the growth of Den- ver, where my chief interests are. I am also satisfied that the enterprise is one of great merit and will be profitable in itself. For these reasons I am devoting much time and money to it. Satisfactory progress has already been made in this undertaking. Important financial assistance, both at home and in the east, is already assured. Surveying parties are in the field. Contracts for grading upon the eastern slope of the range, west of Denver, are to be let at once, and, speaking for myself and my Denver associates, whether the work goes on rapidly or slowly we propose to keep at it until the railroad is built."

On July 30, 1902, officers were elected as follows : President, David H. Mof- fat ; vice president, William G. Evans; secretary, Frank Gibson ; treasurer, George E. Ross-Lewin; general counsel, Charles J. Hughes, Jr. The contract for 500 miles of construction was approved and the debenture plan was as follows: Mort- gage for $22.500,000 to be placed, covered by 4 per cent fifty-year gold bonds. The issue was to be at the rate of $40,000 a mile, and $2,500,000 was to be held in the treasury for emergencies of construction.

Construction was to begin at Rollinsville, the proposed terminus of the Den- ver & Northwestern.

The reports of that date state "and the very first crack will be at the 11,000 foot tunnel through the main range."

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

And that "first crack" was soon side-tracked, for the sale of the bonds was not easily negotiated.

H. A. Sumner, formerly state engineer, and who had built the Florence & Cripple Creek road, was made engineer, and started on his task with enthusiasm.

On Tuesday, October 2Ist, the bond issue was placed upon the market, and while subscribed for liberally in Denver, failed to meet the expectations of the promoters of the project.

But Mr. Moffatt was determined to build, and the work, though interrupted for periods, went on with funds furnished by himself and associates.

It soon developed into a struggle with the men who controlled the eastern money markets, and in this fight Mr. Moffat, brave and determined as he was, lost out.

In February, 1903, the incorporation papers and route were filed with the Secretary of the Interior, thus giving the Moffat road the right of way through Gore Canon. In the struggle which ensued with the New Century Power & Light Company over possession of the canyon, the Moffat road finally won out.

The first section of the road, Denver to Sulphur Springs, was completed in 1905, and by November 1, 1908, the road reached Steamboat Springs. Its mile- age now was 214. The extension from Steamboat Springs to Craig, 40.51 miles, was completed November 22, 1913; the belt line to the Denver stock yards, 4.87 miles, was opened September 1, 1913.

David H. Moffat died at Hotel Belmont, New York, on March 18, 1911, his entire fortune of many millions consumed in this enterprise. In the Denver Re- publican of March 19, 1911, the following appeared, giving the reasons for the long struggle :

"Mr. Moffat pledged his personal means in the completion of the new line, and the magic of his past success brought him the generous support of local capital. But this was not enough. Such a line of railroad as was surveyed, nego- tiating heavy grades and numerous curves, almost involving a complete change in the topography of many stretches along the survey, meant money and plenty of it. * * * It was during the early days in the building of the line that a new power was rising in Wall Street, destined to dominate the railroad situation of the entire nation. Edward H. Harriman had been silently welding together the disorganized constituents of a network of railroads for the purpose of gaining the transcontinental mastery of America. Harriman speedily came into his own. The Union Pacific system he immediately marked out for vast improvements. On that line, long since constructed and controlling the greater portion of trans- continental traffic, he purposed to spend on modernization alone twice the cost of completing the Moffat road from Denver to Salt Lake. * *

* Harriman would not have been Harriman had he permitted a rival line, financed mainly by local capitalists, to pluck his plums. At the south was the Denver & Rio Grande, controlled by the Gould interests. It was enough for those interests to com- pete with the astute Harriman, let alone an air line which would slash into their hours of travel and length of mileage. But Mr. Moffat went ahead. He built the line into Sulphur Springs. More money was needed to build down the Gore Cañon. He built into Yampa. * * * When more money was needed to build into Steamboat Springs he again asked for support and was refused. Can there be any wonder that the Moffat tunnel has not been built?"

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History of Colorado; Volume I, Part 40

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Number of Pages: 954

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 954