Unfortunate train passengers were tossed unaware into the maddening grip of the Arkansas, unable to escape the iron coffins in which they were riding. The unified rail-yard was ripped instantly. " Pueblo 's streets filled with water up to rooftops. Suddenly, with little warning, a torrent of water rushed from the upper Arkansas Valley toward the helpless " Steel City. The streets of Pueblo were ankle deep with water by nighttime. Unfortunately, the downpour continued until the formerly parched earth became like a sponge and the Arkansas River swelled. On the 2 nd day of June, the farmers got the relief of rain they eagerly wanted. By June 1 st the many farmers downstream in the Arkansas Valley feared disaster as crops withered with thirst. The spring of 1921 started as many do in Colorado, with a drought. In 1921 that miracle would rush in, due to un-for-seen misfortune upon Colorado 's "second city" in the south of the state. Barring a miracle, it looked as if Denver and Grand County would have to settle for the unreliable Moffat line over Corona Pass. Time and again legislation that would fund the missing link between Denver and the western slope was defeated in the statehouse by those in southern Colorado who were content with their established web-link. As a result, nearby Pueblo would reap the benefits by converting from silver to gold, to become the smelting capitol of the nation.īy the early 20 th century, Pueblo 's status as an industrial powerhouse and rail center threatened Denver 's status as Colorado 's "first city." This was even further evidenced by the "powers-that-be" in the northern part of the state being unable to convince the rest of Colorado to finance a tunnel under the continental divide west of Denver. Within a few short years the new gold camp would become the world's largest producer. At the same time that depression gripped Colorado and silver was devalued, gold was discovered in Cripple Creek. Finally, Pueblo 's smelters boomed when many others withered after the "Silver Panic" of 1893. Also, the city was the site of the largest steel mill west of the Mississippi, which supplied rails for the sprawling network. In addition, Pueblo was close to the coalfields that were essential to power the locomotives. Pueblo was situated on the plains as the Arkansas River exits from the mountains, eliminating the need for boring tunnels or climbing over arduous mountain passes. As a result, rail traffic favored Pueblo over Denver. Furthermore, production shifted to the silver mines of Leadville and the Arkansas Valley. By 1880 many of those mines began to play out. In the 1870s, much of Colorado 's mineral wealth was centered directly west of Denver in Central City and Georgetown. Adding to the trouble of the unpredictable route was the fact that Colorado 's economy of the 1870s was not the same in the early 20 th century. In the winter the line would close all together. The route was challenging to keep open in the summer with the violent storms that are prone at such a location. Along with this fact came the troubles of maintaining such a wonder. At the time Corona Pass was the highest rail pass in the world. The Moffat Railroad had risen over Corona Pass and descended into the Fraser Valley. In 1904, Denver and Grand County 's long awaited dream of a direct line through the mountains and on to Salt Lake City began to materialize. Furthermore, without a line to Denver, there was virtually no practical way for industry to develop in Grand County. This meant that the only means of transportation into or out of the county was by pack animal or foot. As it stood Grand County had no for seeable future of gaining a rail line. Denver may not have had their direct route to the west and the fortunes that lay on the other side of the divide, but the city was not dead.įor Grand County, the U.P.'s decision not to penetrate the formidable barrier of Colorado 's mountains had a much greater impact. Fortunately, the city fathers of Denver did not give up on making their city the center of the Rocky Mountain Empire, as they risked financial disaster by bankrolling a spur line to the main route in Cheyenne. In the 1860s, Denver was slighted by the Union Pacific(UP), when the company chose Cheyenne as the major hub for the prized Transcontinental Railroad, before it snaked through the Rockies. For many years Denver longed for its own direct line through the continental divide, linking the city to the west coast.
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