1872: The Establishment of a Short-Lived but Record-Setting Railroad

October 2, 1872

The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railway (DPSP&P) was incorporated with 2.5 million dollars in capital in what was then the Colorado Territory. The original trustees for this narrow gauge railway were Walter S. Cheesman, Frederick A. Clark, Henry Crow, Leonard H. Eicholtz, John Evans, John Hughes, Charles B. Kountze, Donald H. Moffat, Jr., and J.C. Reiff. Within a year after being incorporated, the enterprise was reorganized as the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad with an increased capitalization of 3.5 million dollars.

This railroad took its name in part from the fact that its main line from Denver traveled southwest into the Rocky Mountains through the deep and narrow Platte Canyon and across the grassland basin of South Park. The DPSP&P was in existence for less than two decades. It was sold to the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railroad in 1889. 

Notwithstanding that relatively short lifespan, the DPSP&P managed to earn historical significance in a couple of respects. This enterprise, for example, opened up the first rail routes to a large area of Colorado’s mining district and its abundance of such sought-after ore deposits as gold, silver, lead, and zinc.

In addition, the DPSP&P could boast of having along its line the world’s highest tunnel up to that time. With an elevation of 11,523 feet (3,512 meters), the Alpine Tunnel — located east of the then-mining camp of Pitkin — remains the highest tunnel in North America. The nearby Alpine Tunnel Station is the highest-ever railroad station in the United States.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Additional information on the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad (DPSP&P) is available at https://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/5971 and https://www.coloradocentralmagazine.com/the-denver-south-park-pacific-railroad/#more-16412