Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway Company
Colorado Springs and Suburban Railway Company
Canon City and Cripple Creek Electric Railway Company
This is a fabulous railway bond certificate for a railway that probably never laid a single track! The vision was to run an electric railroad line from Canon City to Cripple Creek for passenger traffic.
There was fierce competition among several railroads to service the passenger and cargo needs of the relatively small Cripple Creek District, where 3 railroads finally gained a foothold reaching the District from 3 different directions.
Colorado Midland Railway Company
The Colorado Midland was a classic Colorado Mountain railroad, serving the towns of Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Trinidad, Cripple Creek, Leadville, Aspen, New Castle, Rifle and Grand Junction...just to name a few! It had connections to the Western seaboard via the Southern Pacific, Rio Grande Western and Rock Island as well as to the East via the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Union Pacific; Colorado Southern and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific...among others.
Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway Company
This famous Cripple Creek railroad was best known as the "Short Line to Cripple Creek".
This railroad was built from the major financial hub of Colorado Springs to the gold fields of Cripple Creek over a direct western route taking one through some of the most ruggedly beautiful country in the area. Then vice-President, Teddy Roosevelt once rode this line and claimed that it was "...the trip that bankrupts the English language." in referring to the incredible scenery along the route. When the railroad finally ceased operations, the roadway was purchased & converted into a auto touring road called the Corley Mountain Highway and much of the original road can still be driven today!
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company
This railroad services the oft-forgotten, vast Eastern Plains of Colorado and into Colorado Springs. The CRI&P RR was a critical link between Kansas & the East and Colorado Springs, which was one of only a few gateways into the Colorado Rockies from the east. The railroad also became important to Eastern Colorado as its other industries, agriculture & ranching, began to grow and flourish as well as to the many small towns that cropped up along its route.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company
Though many of Colorado's railroads were quite short-lived, the D&RG RR was by far one of the most important and long-lived! This line served some of the richest mining regions in the state; The San Juan's (including the still-in-operation Durango to Silverton line), Aspen, Lake City, Crested Butte, Leadville & Silvercliff. It also serviced the important supply hubs to these camps in the Gunnison Valley, the San Luis Valley, The Arkansas Valley, the Colorado River Valley and the entire Front Range from New Mexico to Denver.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company
Building railroads in Colorado was one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs of the day, next to mining. Tracks had to be laid through the rugged terrain of the mountains of Colorado. Gen. William Jackson Palmer organized the D&RG and decided to build it with narrow-gauge track. This was an ingenious endeavor which allowed the tracks to be laid with much greater flexibility to overcome Colorado's high mountain passes and tight canyon floors. The D&RG was also unique as its lines were planned in a north-south direction, which was a departure from normal railroad building of the day where lines traveled east-west.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company
While competition amongst the railroads within Colorado to reach the coveted mining camps was stiff, none was more pronounced that the battle between the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande. The prize was Leadville. And the most direct route was through the narrow Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River. There was only room for one railroad in the narrow gorge and these 2 giants met there virtually at the same time. The battle for the gorge ended up in the courts for 2 years before the D&RG finally won the right of way through the Gorge to the silver riches of Leadville.
The vignette on this certificate is a fabulous pictorial display of the line through the Royal Gorge for which the D&RG fought so fervidly for!
Pueblo and Arkansas Valley Railroad Company
The P&AV RR was a subsidiary railroad to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and was created primarily for the building of a line from the Kansas line to Pueblo. The line was extended to Trinidad and to Canon City. The ultimate goal was to build the railroad to Leadville, but it is unclear if the crews from this branch of the AT&SF were involved in the battle for the Royal Gorge. The line was eventually sold to the Santa Fe RR.
This bond is a beautiful piece of art. It is oversized and has many coupons attached. There were 3 "re-incorporations" of this company, of which this bond represents the 3rd incorporation in 1878.
Rio Grande Southern Railroad Company
The Rio Grande Southern was a narrow gauge line that ran from Ridgeway to Durango. Otto Mears, known as the "Pathfinder of the West", built the rail line to service the rich silver region around Telluride & Rico. The line, though fairly short in distance, covered very rough terrain and heavy winter snows. From Ridgeway, the line crossed over the Dallas Divide to Telluride, then turned south to Ophir and over Lizard Head Pass to Rico, Dolores and east to Durango.
This share certificate is signed by Otto Mears.
London South Park & Leadville Railroad Company
When Silver was found at a high camp near the headwaters of the Arkansas River, the entire state began to change. Silver was the new precious metal getting attention! Leadville and other districts throughout the state were producing huge amounts of silver ore and there was a dire need for infrastructure to get that ore to the processing mills. Railroads sprung up all over the state to fill this need. Many served very narrow markets and, for this reason, were short-lived. The LSP&L RR is just one example. A beautiful example!!