Re: Ohio Pass exploration

Dave:

Floresta is not where you show it on your map. It is not on one of the roads. Also, you show a curve as Ohio Pass, at that point it is Kebler Pass. Also the town of Irwin is a bit further north than you show it. I have some detailed maps if you are interested.

The South Park grade is always assumed to be a line with the goal of going to Utah and west. But the immediate goal was to reach the CF&I anthracite coal mine at Floresta. The D&RG and DSP&P had a mini-war over grading to the mine and the D&RG won on the field and in court. That is the real reason the South Park line was never completed.
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January 28, 1893, Saturday

Right Of Way Settled

Division Engineer William Ashton of the Union Pacific, returned from Omaha Tuesday. His purpose in the city was to confer with the general officers of the Union Pacific, Chief Engineer M.H. Rogers of the Denver and Rio Grande, and J.F. Vale, attorney for the latter road, regarding the trouble between the two roads in the Gunnison country.

A few weeks ago there was a prospect of serious difficulty over the possession of the right-of-way into the anthracite coal fields thirty-two miles from Gunnison. Both roads were making rapid strides to reach the properties of the Colorado Fuel Company. In crossing the Elk Mountains, desirable routes are hard to secure.

At Ohio Pass the routes come in conflict, both companies working side by side, the Union Pacific be¬ing about 100 feet above the Denver and Rio Grande. A short distance ahead the roads must cross, and a race for this point has been in progress. It has been decidedly lively there and has been at times prospects of a serious conflict.
This was finally decided as most unprofitable and a conference was called.

The result of this is that the roads will build a joint track over the disputed ground. All future trouble will thus be avoided, so far as this locality is concerned.-------------------------

The last statement was obvioulsy incorrect as the South Park (UP) decided to stop construction of their line and leave the field to the D&RG.

In photos of the CF&I mine at Floresta, you can see the uncompleted South Park grade above the D&RG tracks. It is grown over with trees and I could not find it when I was up there in 1975.

By the way, the largest aspen grove in the world is on Kebler Pass.

Jerry Day
Longmont, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2008 06:53AM by Jerry Day.