I was born and raised in Gunnison from 1935 to 1954 on a cattle and sheep ranch located just 3 miles north of town on the Baldwin branch. The double steel through truss bridge over the Gunnison River and the single through truss bridge over the Ohio Creek were located on our ranch property. They still exist as a private access road today. Our ranch dates back to the 1880's when the area was first settled but has now been all cleared away with several new structures being built. I spent many days walking over those bridges and also fishing from then as well and watching the Baldwin train pass through the area many times hauling coal and livestock
When I grew up all rail activities on the Third Division were still in place and in operation. My late grandfather, CL Braswell, was an engineer working out of Gunnison on the Crested Butte and Baldwin Branches and the mainline down through Sapinero and the Black Canyon to Cimarron and over Cero Summit to Montrose. I rode the last Rocky Mountain Railroad Club Special to Cimarron in May 1949 as well as the Shavano passenger train over Marshall Pass to Salida and on to Denver in the late 30's as a small boy. We even shipped our sheep to market on the famous stock extras out of Gunnison.
My grandfather ran the Rio Grande 268, 261, 278 and a number of the K Class engines including the OO rotary to Crested Butte and Floresta. The 278 was recently restored and placed on display at Cimarron on the steel deck bridge just below the Marrow Point Dam over the Cimarron River. As a small boy I use to go with my granddad down to the roundhouse where I use to play around all of the facilities.
The Baldwin Branch also ran through my uncle’s sheep ranch located further up Ohio Creek at the confluence of Mill Creek where my dad was born on a ranch that I fraternal grandfather homesteaded in the 1880's. I also had many relatives from Crested Butte that were involved with the various coal mines and where my grandmother was born in 1893.
It is too bad that none of the rail lines or facilities do not still exist as this could have all been a great attraction such as the Toltec and the Silverton are today.
