The Santa Fe depot in the foreground with Palmer Lake and the town in the background, circa 1888.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. "
__ Charles Dickens
Dual rails through Palmer Lake
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrign1@gmail.com
It may not have been a tale of two cities, but TWO tracks certainly, had an major effect on the way the the North/South corridor in Colorado developed.
"The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway built its own line north from Pueblo to Denver, reaching Palmer Lake in September 1887. Its tracks paralleled those of the Denver & Rio Grande’s all the way, crossing over them at three locations, including one just north of Palmer Lake. Among the Santa Fe’s facilities at Palmer Lake, on the east side of the lake, was a large frame depot with a distinctive tower where the south end of the (current) Santa Fe Trail’s parking lot, information kiosk and restroom are," writes my friend and Palmer Lake historian Dan Edwards, in one of his papers for the Vaile Museum.
"The Santa Fe and Rio Grande operated on their own tracks from 1887-1918. During World War I the United States Railroad Administration ordered that the two railroads operate their tracks from South Denver to Bragdon, just north of Pueblo as a double track railroad. To facilitate this, crossovers and connecting tracks were built at the three previous crossovers, including one at Spruce Mountain, just north of Palmer Lake to facilitate this. The D&RG track was south bound with the Santa Fe’s track north bound."
"In 1938 the two railroads created a consolidated depot at Palmer Lake, made possible because the two sets of tracks were a few yards apart where County Line Road crossed them. The Santa Fe’s closed Pring depot was moved to Palmer Lake, its bay window facing west. The closed Greenland depot baggage door and bay window were added to the east side, facing the Santa Fe’s northbound tracks. The depot was staffed by the Santa Fe. The new “joint agency” was now in service. The railroad’s separate depots were torn down in 1939," according to Edwards.
"The Santa Fe’s original depot was a large unique structure for that railroad. Its distinctive tower seemingly served no known purpose other than ornamentation. Decorative windows in the tower may have been planned but were never installed. A large rectangular, long “roof,” covered four distinct “areas.” At the southern end was an open “waiting area” with seats, then the actual depot of three rooms – the telegrapher’s office, waiting room and a freight room, then an open, covered “breezeway” and lastly a kitchen and dining room. The dining room was smaller than others but nevertheless was operated as one of the Santa Fe’s famous Harvey House dining rooms. Some/many local folks said the food was superior to that of the D&RGs Judd Eating House. The dining room did not last very long and was closed about 1902. In 1915 the “breeze way” was enclosed and along with the kitchen/dining area converted to living quarters for the agent."
The Santa Fe Section Foreman’s home is now the Palmer Lake Police Dept. and is across from the Vaile Museum, on the north-west corner of Lower Glenway Street. With the establishment of the Santa Fe – Rio Grande “Joint Depot” staffed by Santa Fe agents and telegraphers serving both roads in 1938, the unique Santa Fe depot at Palmer Lake was closed and torn down about 1938 or 1939.
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