Before Colorado became a state in 1876, the railroad had already made
inroads into the Territory. In fact, the first rails were laid in
Colorado in 1867 when the Union Pacific Railroad, building its
transcontinental line, put down nine miles of track in the very
northeastern corner of Colorado Territory near what became the town of
Julesburg. With Denver and Colorado Springs booming from gold
discoveries in nearby streams and in the mountains, railroad companies
were anxious to reach this bonanza. Competing rail lines were built
rapidly across Colorado's eastern plains to Denver, Colorado Springs,
Pueblo, and Trinidad. Train stations were constructed every ten to
twenty miles to control traffic on the rails by means of telegraphers at
the stations. Most early stations in eastern Colorado were simple
wooden structures. Brick and stone stations followed later in larger
towns. This volume examines the eastern stations, while a subsequent
volume will track the stations in Colorado's western mountains.
