Railroads of the Pikes Peak region 1870-1900

During the gilded age of rail travel in the late 1800s, Colorado Springs became one of the primary portals of westward expansion and a hub for both passenger and freight traffic. Over thousands of miles of tracks traveled merchants, industrialists, tourists, and fortune seekers, all bent on enjoying what Colorado had to offer either on a temporary or permanent basis. Much of the history of the Pikes Peak Region was predicated on the railroads, and the growth that the area enjoyed was dependent on the new residents and the trains that brought them.

In this compelling volume, local author and railroad historian Allan C. Lewis has assembled a fascinating assortment of vintage images, many never before published, to tell the unique tail of railroading in the Pikes Peak Region, including its impact on such communities as Colorado Springs, Colorado City and Manitou Springs, as well as the outlying areas.  Illustrating an array of topics from the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, from rail-related business and industry to the citizens whose livelihoods depended on them, this written retrospective chronicles the many contributions of the iron horse to the prosperity of the scenic Pikes Peak Region.