Train near Georgetown Colorado: These were from last year. While much of Colorado’s tourism centers on nature, and the tourist attractions were added in later, the Georgetown Loop...

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Train near Georgetown Colorado

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Nov 8, 2020 11:10:48 #

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

These were from last year.
While much of Colorado’s tourism centers on nature, and the tourist attractions were added in later, the Georgetown Loop train began as a tourist attraction over 143 years ago. Before that time, people who wanted to view the Rocky Mountains west of Denver had to settle for taking a train as far west as they could and hoping for a view of majestic mountains such as Mount Evans and Mount Bierstadt, which stood over 14,000 feet high. In the early 1870s, railroad men had the idea to build a railroad that could ferry tourists to these immense mountains to take in the view.

At the same time, silver was being discovered in mines in the area, such as Georgetown, Silver Plume and Grant, Colorado, which was situated close to Geneva Creek and Guanella Pass. People needed a way to move the silver that was being discovered in the area to markets both east and west of Georgetown, which was called the “Silver Queen” for a time because of all the silver in the area.

One of the men who got rich off the silver and other metals in the area, William Loveland, partnered with titan Jay Gould to pay for a railroad that could handle tourism and mining at the same time. The problem with a railroad near Georgetown were the heights of the mountains and the steep grades into the passes, such as Loveland Pass, named after the old 49er, and the highest pass in central Colorado. All of the passes made creating a railroad difficult if not impossible because of the grade. However, engineers figured out a way to reduce the railroad grade with a series of curves and bridges, which allowed engines to climb the mountain passes.

The Georgetown Loop Railroad allowed tourists to view the breathtaking scenery from dizzying heights, as well as take in the mining history of the area. Tourists flocked to the area to take in the sights–at least for a while.