2002-06-05_PERMIT FILE - M2002004 (3)

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Proposed Limestone Quarry Access Road and Overview Cultural Resources Inventory canyons into the mining districts in the mountains, he was convinced that this rail line would be a success (Athearn 1958; Mehls and Carter 1984). Palmer turned his attention next to acquiring land along the general area the route would follow. ' The land would be sold off and proceeds used to finance the growth of the railroad. He bought all of the best parcels he could from the federal government for next to nothing using agricultural scrip. He paid 80 cents an acre for the land on which Colorado Springs would be built. A direct ' charter was granted by the government -for the land on which rail line would run, conveying a 200-ft-wide strip for the track and 20-acre parcels every 10 miles for stations (Athearn 1958). On October 27, 1870, the D&RG Railway was incorporated by Palmer, A.C. Hunt, and W.H. Greenwood with $2.5 million in capital stock and rights to issue bonds at $10,000 per mile. The Board included Palmer, Hunt, Mellen, and Thomas J. Wood from Ohio. Their intention was to build an 850-mile route connecting Denver with the Rio Grande River at El Paso, Texas. The ' Union Contract Company of Philadelphia agreed to build the line in exchange for $14 million in first mortgage gold bonds. Work began on the line on July 28, 1871 and the tracks reached Pueblo on June 19, 1872. The line was originally built as a single-track narrow gauge railway. ' The 3-foot width of the narrow gauge would be required to serve the mines in the mountainous terrain and Palmer believed the main line should match this in order to provide uninterrupted service (Athearn 1958, 1985; Baskin and Millett 1881; Mehls and Carter 1984; Whittaker 1917) ' At the same time that they were building into Pueblo, Palmer and his associates were looking to lands to the south and east of Pueblo. Much of this territory, including most of land along the St. ' Charles River, was within Nolan Grant. In 1871, the railroad bought the grant from Charles Goodnight, Peter K. Dotson, and Charles Blake (Athearn 1958, 1985; Mehls and Carter 1984). Work on the line south from Pueblo began in 1875 and the line reached Cuchara Junction, near ' Walsenburg, on February 22, 1876. At this point the line branched, with one arm heading to Walsenburg and the other south towards Trinidad. The new southern terminus at El Moro near Trinidad was reached on April 6, 1876 (Mehls and Carter 1984; Wilkins 1974). ¦ While new construction continued on lines west into the mountains, work along the Front Range consisted primarily of upgrading the existing tracks. A third rail was added to sections of track to accommodate both narrow and standard gauge (4'-8Y2") trains. In 1881, the line between Denver and Pueblo and from Pueblo south to the first station at Minnequa was converted from narrow gauge to dual gauge track. The stretch between Minnequa and Chuchara Junction was converted to dual gauge in 1887, and this same stretch was converted to standard gauge only in 1890. Curiously, the section between Pueblo and Denver was not converted to standard gauge only until 1902 (Wilkins 1974). ' The D&RG operated stations along the line at various locations. At first, these stations were placed relatively close together, every 10 miles or so. But as trains and track became more ' reliable, the distance between stations increased and stations were abandoned. From the start, the DR&G maintained a station along the line in the area to west of the project area, but within the larger lease area. This station was first called San Carlos and it may correspond with a post office with that name that existed between 1866 and 1881 (Belcha 1987). In 1898, the post office was moved to the adjacent site of Lime, but the San Carlos station continued to serve the railroad. It is not certain when the San Carlos station was abandoned. A 1913 map shows San Carlos, Lime, and Sonora all adjacent to each other and located within the proposed lease area to the west of the proposed project area (Hotchkiss 1913). A 1933 map shows only Lime UM 7