Re: Picture of Dolores 10/10/45

BillD Wrote:
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> Now just how available is the original
> right-of-way out of Dolores? Is it even feasable
> with sufficient funding to relay some of the
> original track? Is there any of the original
> right-of-way in Dolores still there? How about the
> original roadbed up the Dolores towards Rico? Or
> is this merely a pipe dream now, some 55 years
> after it was pulled up?

In Delores hwy 145 is on the old row, also on the row is spots from Stoner to near Priest Gulch. going towards Rico there have also been shifts in the river channel in some places but much of the rest of the row is still there. Going towards Mancos almost all the row is intact, some near Millwood has Forest service roads on it. Much of the property is privately held including large chunks purchased by the Utes.

Both directions have lots of bridges that would need replacing, large ones headed to Rico (92A, 89A, 78B, 78A, 76A, 75A, 72B, 71A,& 68A being in excess of 125', all crossing the river) towards Glencoe one large one(103A 173', Delores River) and a flock of shorter ones (103A, 105A, 107A, 108A-D, 109A, 111A-C all in the 75-125' range) over Lost Canyon Creek. This is not a complete list, btw. Back in the 70's there was a curving street leading to the river in Delores on the grade which ended at the north abutment for 103A but I couldn't find it the last time I was there (2006). Some house construction near the grade along Chicken Creek near Mancos.

All in all, assuming you have money to burn, these sections of the RGS would be some of the easiest to rebuild, I think. (other relatively easy sections might be Mancos-Dix, Cima-Denby, Brown-Deti. Pretty much all the rest would have major problems, some physical [hwy on grade, landslide, etc] and some political [summer homes, ski resorts, etc])


Oh, in response to another comment on this thread, Mr. Richardson was not yet living in Alamosa at the time the picture in question was taken. He was just back from the service and would spend the next few years working in Texas. IIRC he moved to Alamosa in '48.

hank



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2008 02:38PM by hank.