History came alive figuratively and literally at the Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association (CCCIA) History Share meeting on March 22.
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Coal Creek Canyon residents and railroad buffs packed the CCCIA meeting hall on March 22 to hear Michael Maio from the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum give a presentation on the history of the railroad in the canyon.
Michael Maio is the president of the board of the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum. He volunteers his time to promote heritage tourism. He received the 2021 Manni award from the city of Manitou Springs for his service to his community.
The legendary Gene Rouse added stories and insights to the CCCIA History Share meeting. Rouse was the Coal Creek Canyon Fire Chief for many years and responded to derailments and accidents involving the trains.
COAL CREEK CANYON — History came alive figuratively and literally at the Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association (CCCIA) History Share meeting on March 22.
Railroad buffs packed the meeting hall to hear Michael Maio of the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum give a presentation on the history of the railroad in Coal Creek Canyon. Pioneers in the audience who were witness to some of the events that Maio mentioned in his presentation gave their insights as to that history, adding color to the stories.
Maio gave historical background to the different railroads which, going back to the 19th century, tried to punch a way through the Rocky Mountains to Salt Lake City.
He also highlighted different trails in the canyon open to the public. Remains of one of these historic places, Craigs Lodge, can be accessed from Eldorado Springs State Park.
The presentation was titled “Moffat Road: Part 1” after David Moffat and covered the section of railroad line from the mouth of the canyon to Pinecliffe. The “road” in the presentation was the railroad line that ran up the canyon.
David Moffat (1839-1911) was a successful businessman in Denver who spent his fortune trying to build a line over the Rockies. In the late 1800s, Moffat spent $75,000 for a mile of construction and invested over $14 million of his own money in his quest. The Moffat Tunnel, completed in 1927, is named after him.
Starting in the late 1800s, Moffat and his partners started laying track from Denver and blasting tunnels through the hills. There were originally 30 tunnels in Coal Creek Canyon, ranging in length from 200 to 500 feet. Over the years, many of the tunnels have been replaced by cuts or built around, but there are still at least eight used by Union Pacific.
Maio showed a photo of a derailment that happened in the canyon in the late 1960s. Gene Rouse, who took the photo, was in attendance. Rouse was the Coal Creek Canyon Fire Chief at the time, and spoke up to give details about the accident.
Other members in the audience who knew things about the different ghost towns in the canyon that Maio spoke about contributed their stories and gave the meeting a rich layer of local knowledge.
Maio intends to come back in a few months to give a second presentation on the Moffat Road from Pinecliffe to the Moffat Tunnel.
CCCIA (coalcreekcanyon.org) maintains a calendar on their website for upcoming meetings like History Share.
