hank Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have trouble with picturing Rockwood as a
> population center. I haven't been up there since
> 2000 and my mental picture of the area is probably
> more like 1974. So how many of these people were
> there before the railroad? Or even before it
> became the D&SNG?
> Sorta like the people who move to "The Country"
> and then complain 'cause the neighbors cow's sh*t
> stinks. At least IMNSHO.
>
> Hank
From what I can find the townsite of Rockwood existed before the D&RG arrived in 1881/82, with a post office and serving as a supply point for a toll road to Rico, as well as supplying the railroad with some of the first sets of ties when constructing the Silverton branch further north. The townsite itself was not too far north of the wye. The D&RG felt the need to establish and erect a depot there, and later on in 1941, the D&RGW felt the need to remove the depot. I don't know why but most photographs of the place after then certainly don't look populated, if I were to guess I'd say most of the Folks moved on to Durango and the post office closed. The schoolhouse and a house or two that D&S employees live in today are the only original structures.
This means at some point after then Rockwood was re-recognized as a residential area, I have no idea when but I'd assume sometime from the 1970s to the 1990s, and I highly doubt anyone in these newer neighborhoods are original Rockwood residents. There are two residential areas all consisting of custom-built medium to large homes, the first one is west of the original townsite and the D&SNG's yard, and then there's a second one further northeast of the D&SNG's yard behind the treeline of the small valley area. I think turning Rockwood back into a flagstop/depot was a Bradshaw improvement probably in 1981 but maybe later(?). All of it is accessed by County Road 200, which is in fact narrow, steep and windy when coming down the hill heading east from Highway 550.
The only legitimate problem I see with all this is how the second DH article mentions this:
Quote
Rockwood residents want relief from train departures north of Durango
“Several years ago, one of our neighbors tried to do a wedding venue down here, and she was asking for 30 to 40 people on a weekend to come down. It was denied by the county because the county road (County Road 200) already exceeded the capacity to have that much traffic,” he said.
The D&S had been doing specific excursions from Rockwood until about the turn of the century IIRC, and then occasionally did it a few other times until 2018 when parts of the railroad between Hermosa and Rockwood were washed out as a side effect from the 416 fire, where they specifically departed trains from Rockwood. The catch is they bussed passengers up to Rockwood, they didn't drive themselves. In 2019? they brought back an official Animas Canyon Express, but I don't know if they also got passengers there via bus or if they got themselves there for this. So I'd imagine for all these a number of 30-40 customers would've been involved. What we don't know is when the county set this supposed restriction for 30 to 40 people, and if they or the D&S are in the wrong here.
Anyway it definitely sounds like they're working on coming to an agreement of some sort.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2021 12:14PM by Joe Weigman.
