Colorado's very existence may arguably be a result of the railroads.  While Denver fought for years to obtain a rail line to serve its businesses and citizens,  the railroad companies found the Colorado Rockies far too difficult an obstacle initially and opted to build their lines north and south of Colorado through more gentle terrain.  This all changed once Colorado's rich gold and silver districts grew and developed  The rail companies had no choice but to build into and through the Colorado Rockies.  The railroad legacy can be seen today throughout Colorado in abandoned railroad beds, tunnels through the Continental Divide and routes over numerous passes, which are still in use today where our highways follow much of the old rail routes.  Much of Eastern Colorado is made up of small towns that cropped up along the rail lines.  The railroad is still important today and is used extensively to carry Colorado's rich and desirable, clean-burning coal for power in cities of Colorado, Wyoming and beyond.  Street railways were built in many burgeoning cities to provide mass transit to its residents. 

Below is just a small sample of the stock & bond certificates created through the vast financing that had to be obtained to build and operate these railroads.  We hope you enjoy them....