The Rio Grande, Pagosa & Northern RR began construction in 1899 and only finished 13 miles that year and completed to Pagosa Springs in September 1900. It was a logging railroad connected with the A. T. Sullenberger's interest under the name of the Pagosa Lumber Co. It had a haulage agreement where the D&RG ran over it lines and in 1904 the D&RG took full control of the branch under full ownership. Log trains still opereated regardless of the Safety Appliance Act as it was not honored until 10/30/1911 Atlanta, GA District Court rulling applying the act to any intra or inter state line.
ONLY 28 % of it right of way is under highway in the present. Road covers the line between the mileposts listed :
392.8-394, 400.9-401.3, 403.2-403.5, 404.5-406.5 in Hall canyon, 407.1-406.5 to Dyke, 408.8-411.5 by US 160 to Nutria, 419.3-421.0 local street into town. The line was 30.85 miles long between stations.
Valuation maps of this line are for sale by the Colorado RR Museum in the set Chama to Durango.
A US Geological Survey map about 1930 shows the line and that can be found on the net.
The attached photo is the first mill at Pagosa Junction and not at Pagosa Springs as improperly labeled. This mill burned 8/20/1903 and was not rebuilt, as the South Pagosa Springs mill was opening.
There were more that 50 miles of Pagosa Lumber Co. logging lines that can be explored which operated off this line and all of it trackage has not been explored or identified to this day. This logging line needs to be mapped before housing is built over it or Indians block all access to their lands.
On 4/21/1917 the Planing mill at South Pagosa Springs closed ending the era of large mills in the Pagosa County. The newly owned company moved to Dulce, NM and built a new logging line south into the Reservation.
