Historic Landscapes: Summit County, Colorado Railroad Stations and Sites: Volume 1 Boreas Pass, Farnham, and More

Why historic railroad stations and sites of Summit County?

Bill Fountain first considered writing a book about the railroad stops of Summit County several years ago. Volume I follows the growth and demise of more than nine railroad stops lining the tracks from Boreas Pass to Rocky Point. Many of the photographs, gathered from a wide variety of sources, have not appeared in previous publications. They tell a story that hasn't been told before.

Using information taken from first-hand accounts, Denver, South Park & Pacific files, government and other archives, and newspaper articles, Fountain tells the story of the railroad's effects on the county's economic life. He explains why the DSP&P earned the nickname "Damn Slow Pulling and Pretty Rough Riding." Readers can compare the joyous anticipation shared by the residents when they learned of the railroad's coming and the stark reality that soon replaced it. Photographs portray the unrelenting challenges presented by winters in a high-altitude climate mixed with steep terrain, especially for those living at Boreas Pass year-round. Marvel at the 1880s version of a modern snow-blower-the rugged rotary snowplow that moved tons of snow each winter from the tracks. Find out why the myth of the original site of the third Bakers tank has now been conclusively stopped in its tracks because of detailed research into DSP&P records. Imagine what it must have been like to lay 11 miles of track to cover the 6.5 miles from Boreas Pass to Breckenridge while descending from 11,481 feet to 9,568 feet. Learn where to look for fascinating clues to the geologic history of Rocky Point and enjoy the same views of the Ten Mile Range and the Blue River Valley as those riding the trains in the 1880s.

As in all of his other manuscripts, Fountain imagined what life would have been like in the late 1800s after the arrival of the railroad and the consequences of abandoning the line in 1937. He hopes you, the reader, with the help of text and photographs, will do the same.