laramie, hahn's peak and pacific railway haer wy-99

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WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

FIELD RECORDS

HAER WY-99HAER WY-99

LARAMIE, HAHN'S PEAK AND PACIFIC RAILWAY(Colorado, Wyoming, and Eastern Railway)(Northern Colorado & Eastern Railroad)(Laramie, North Park and Western Railroad)(Coalmont Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad)Clark Street and Cedar Street vicinityLaramieAlbany CountyWyoming

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORDINTERMOUNTAIN REGIONAL OFFICE

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior12795 West Alameda Parkway

Denver, CO 80228

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD

Laramie, Hahn's Peak and Pacific Railway (Colorado, Wyoming, and Eastern Railway)

(Northern Colorado & Eastern Railroad) (Laramie, North Park and Western Railroad)

(Coalmont Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad) (Wyoming and Colorado Railroad)

Clark St. and Cedar St. vicinity Laramie

Albany County Wyoming

HAER No. WY-99

Location: The railroad begins in Laramie, Wyoming, with the wye complex, then proceeds westerly to Centennial, then continues in a southwesterly direction, terminating in Coalmont, Colorado. The wye complex is at latitude: 41.317686, longitude: -105.60024. The coordinate represents the railroad’s former wye in Laramie, Wyoming. This coordinate was obtained March 11, 2016, using Google Earth (WGS84). The Laramie, Hahn’s Peak and Pacific Railway’s location has no restriction on its release to the public. Present Owner: Various Present Use: The Laramie, Hahn’s Peak and Pacific Railway (LHPPR) was formally abandoned by the Wyoming and Colorado Railroad in 1996. Significance: The LHPPR aided in the settlement and economic development of the area between Laramie, Wyoming, and the area known as North Park, Colorado. The LHPPR also embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. It represents an engineering achievement, particularly in negotiating the challenging terrain through the Medicine Bow Range. Historian: Jason Bogstie, Wyoming Department of Transportation, Fall 2016 Project Information: Documentation was undertaken by the Wyoming Department of Transportation as part of the mitigation of adverse effects caused by the realignment of Snowy Range Road. HAER photography was completed during the summers of 2013 and 2014 by the Wyoming SHPO photographer Richard Collier. Additional assistance was provided by the Laramie Railroad Depot Association.

Laramie, Hahn's Peak and Pacific Railway HAER No. WY-99

(page 2) Part I. Historical Information

A. Physical History:

1. Dates of Construction: 1901-1911 2. Architect/Engineer: Isaac Van Horn 3. Builders/Contractors/Suppliers: Peter Nordhurst, Niles Callanan, E. Fogarty, E. Figwort, Morgan, Hall, Carnegie Steel Company, Boston-Wyoming Lumber Company, Boswyocolo Company, Larimer and Routt County Railway Company, J.F. White and Pat J. Cain, Colorado Fuel and Iron, and Wilson and Caughy.

B. Historical Context:

The abundant natural resources of southeastern Wyoming and northern Colorado were known by the turn of the twentieth century. As noted in a 1904 newspaper article published by the Wyoming Industrial Journal:

For years everyone acquainted in any way with the conditions of the country west of Laramie has known that the resources were not only diversified and magnificent in their vastness, but that the section referred to could only be fully developed when furnished with railroad transportation, and although during the past few years large enterprises have been undertaken, that they can only reach their full commercial development when railroad facilities are at hand.1

Boston banker and businessman Isaac Van Horn understood the value of the remote and underdeveloped resources in the area around southeastern Wyoming and northeastern Colorado. Van Horn and his East Coast business associates established the Van Horn-Miller Cooperative Trust, a syndicate whose goals were to establish a business empire capitalizing on the natural resources of the area. On February 2, 1901, Van Horn’s syndicate filed articles of incorporation papers for eleven companies with the Albany County Clerk’s office in Laramie.2 The names of the trustees for each company were all consistent: Isaac Van Horn of Boston; Fred A Miller of Laramie; E. S. Crawley of Boston; Fred O. Thompson of Swampscott, Massachusetts; J. B. McKee of Haverhill, Massachusetts. The new corporations dealt with different industries, 1 “From Laramie to Grand Encampment.” Wyoming Industrial Journal (February 01, 1904): 19-20. 2 James Lowe, Termination of a Mountain Road: The Wyoming Colorado Railroad Abandonment Project (Laramie: Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, 2001), 26.


(page 3) including gold, copper, iron, coal, smelting, hay and grain, publishing and banking.3 Shortly thereafter, Van Horn and his associates revealed the centerpiece of their fledgling empire. On February 27, 1901, articles of incorporation were filed for the Laramie, Hahn's Peak and Pacific Railway Company. From the beginning, the LHPPR had issues. As noted in research conducted by Robert and Elizabeth Rosenberg:

Initially the company planned to build west to Centennial, then over the Divide to reach the Gold Hill mines in which Van Horn had interests. From the Gold Hill mines, the rail line would continue to Encampment, then turn south following the North Platte River into North Park, Colorado. However, the slow pace of construction allowed the Union Pacific Railroad to build a branch line that reached Saratoga and Encampment first, thus forcing the Van Horn interests to select a more southerly route to reach Coalmont in North Park, Colorado. Built in fits and starts, the line finally reached Centennial in June 1907. The line was finally completed to Coalmont on November 16, 1911. However, construction costs and excessive maintenance costs to keep the line open in winter, sent the line into receivership in June 1912. It was sold to John W. Dixon of the Guaranty Trust Company on May 12, 1914, thus ending the Van Horn Miller involvement in the railroad. The railroad continued to operate until 1951, relying on coal, timber, livestock, and fluorspar ore from North Park and timber and livestock from Foxpark and the Centennial Valley as its main products. It was never a profitable line and was reorganized first as the Colorado, Wyoming, and Eastern Railway Company (1914-1924), then as the Northern Colorado & Eastern Railroad Company (April-June 1924), and finally as the Laramie, North Park and Western Railroad Company (June 21, 1924 to November 6, 1951). Under an ICC [Interstate Commerce Commission] directive in 1936, the Union Pacific Railroad took over the operation but retained the Laramie, North Park and Western name. Again in 1941 the Union Pacific was forced by the ICC not to abandon the line due to local protests, especially among

3 Frank R. Hollenback, The Laramie Plains Line: Laramie, Wyoming, to Coalmont, Colorado.(Denver: Sage Books, 1960), 13.


(page 4) North Park residents. In 1951, the Union Pacific dissolved the Laramie, North Park and Western, and the 111-mile long subsidiary was renamed the Coalmont Branch of the Union Pacific. The Laramie depot was closed and demolished in 1951. The Union Pacific continued to operate the line until 1987, when it sold to the Wyoming and Colorado Railroad Company, Inc. The Wyoming-Colorado Railroad continued freight service to Walden, serving the Louisiana Pacific Lumber mill and Kerr Coal. Passenger service was added in 1988 and generally consisted of excursion trains for tourists. Kerr Coal closed in 1992 and Louisiana Pacific followed in 1994. The company attempted to increase tourist traffic by building a short spur into the historic Wyoming Territorial Prison and Old West Park in Laramie. However, the venture lasted only two seasons, and the excursion train was never profitable. As a result in 1996, the Wyoming- Colorado Railroad filed papers of abandonment with the Surface Transportation Board; approval was granted after 96 years of service.4

Part II. Structural/Design Information

A. General Statement:

1. Character: Due to the steep rise in elevation, construction of the railroad through the Medicine Bow Range provided one of the biggest challenges for LHPPR engineers. Near the town of Albany, five major horizontal curves were constructed to negotiate the steep terrain. The fill for the largest of these curves was 50’ high by 150’ wide.5 The railroad was also one of the highest elevation standard gauge railroads in the United States, at 9,055’ above sea level at the Foxpark station.6

4 Robert G. Rosenberg and Elizabeth L Rosenberg. Report of Historical Investigations WYDOT Project P261022 Laramie Streets Harney Street Viaduct (Site 48AB619: Wyoming-Colorado Railroad, Segment A-F) (Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Transportation, March 2010), 5-6. 5 James Lowe, Termination of a Mountain Road, 61. 6 Ibid., 31.


(page 5) 2. Condition of Fabric: The historic fabric of the LHPPR within Laramie is poor. In the years since the line was formally abandoned by the Wyoming and Colorado (WYCO) Railroad, nearly all of the railroad track and ties in Laramie have been salvaged, leaving only the railroad grade. A portion of the railroad grade in Laramie has been converted into the Laramie Greenbelt and is used by pedestrians and bicyclists. The 1924 engine house remains extant and is in good physical condition.

B. Description: In 1999, the spur to the Wyoming Territorial Prison was demolished. In 2013, the WYCO Railroad salvaged the railroad track and ties which composed the wye complex (Appendix A). A small section of track, approximately 500’ long remains extant along the western façade of the former LHPPR engine house. C. Mechanicals/Operation: The LHPPR railyard in Laramie featured two wyes. One wye was located approximately .3 miles north of the extant engine house. A second wye was located immediately adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad, approximately .4 miles northeast of the LHPPR engine house. The wyes were large triangular shaped junctions of track, with a switch at each corner. These switches could be configured to allow the railroad’s rolling stock to change lines between the Union Pacific Railroad and the LHPPR; equipment could also change directions through a movement closely resembling a 3-point turn made by automobiles. The eastern wye allowed for locomotives to change lines between the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and the LHPPR. The western wye allowed for locomotives to proceed west along the LHPPR route, or travel south to access various areas within the railyard. Located adjacent to the eastern wye was a UPRR switchman’s house. The switchman’s job was to engage the various switches of the wyes, to allow for the movement of the rolling stock as needed. D. Site Information: The Laramie, Hahn’s Peak and Pacific Railway began in Laramie’s west side neighborhood. The railroad started at the former wye where residential homes are to the immediate north and south. To the immediate east are the Union Pacific Railroad tracks; west of the wye complex are commercial warehouses and the Laramie River. The extant engine house is approximately .5 miles south of the wye at the western terminus of West University Avenue. As the LHPPR crossed the river, it immediately traversed to the north of the historic Wyoming Territorial Prison. In 1994, a short spur approximately .5 miles long allowed engines to bring tourists to the Territorial Prison and the Old West


(page 6) Park; this spur was in service for two seasons and closed in 1995.7 The main route proceeded westerly through the Laramie Basin for approximately 30 miles until it reached Centennial, Wyoming. The railroad then traveled southerly through the Centennial Valley until reaching Albany, Wyoming, where the railroad entered the Medicine Bow National Forest. From there, the railroad continued southwesterly into Colorado, passing through Cowdrey and Walden before terminating in Coalmont, Colorado (Appendix B). The LHPPR yard complex had numerous structures (Appendix D). Immediately to the south of the main LHPPR line was a short stretch of track used to temporarily park freight cars (A). This section of track joined with the south leg of the western wye and passed by a maintenance shed used for motor cars (B). The track then branched out into several lengths of lead track that provided access to different areas within the yard (C). The westernmost segment of track passed along the western side of the engine house to a long, rectangular snowplow maintenance building (D). The next segments allowed access to the five-stall engine house (E) and to water and sand storage tanks (F). Next to the tanks, a long segment of track lead to the southern portion of the yard, where cars could be brought to the brick factory (G) and to storage warehouses (H). The easternmost segment of track in the railyard lead to the passenger depot and freight house (I); this stretch of track connected with the track leading to the brick factory and storage houses. Outside of the railyard, to the east, was a residential neighborhood where railroad workers resided. Immediately east of the neighborhoods was the Union Pacific railyard. To the north of the LHPPR yard complex was a stockyard area (J). To the east of the stockyards was a petroleum refinery (K). The Laramie River borders the railyard to the west and some additional residential housing was to the south. Located at the western terminus of University Avenue, a five-stall engine house was constructed to allow service to the locomotives (Appendix C). Three stalls were used for general servicing, one stall was used for minor repairs (e.g. replacing brake shoes), and one stall featured a drop pit to facilitate repairs and maintenance to the underside of the locomotives and to allow wheels to be removed. Entrances to each stall were situated along the northern (rear) elevation of the engine house. Locomotives could enter each stall via a lead track. Service was limited to small repairs and routine maintenance. Significant repairs and overhauls required the locomotive to be sent to the UPRR facilities in Cheyenne. The original LHPPR engine house burned down in 1923.8 In 1924, a replacement engine house was constructed out of brick, along with an adjacent passenger depot, west of Cedar Street. The brick for the engine house was manufactured locally, in a nearby factory, from clay and lime derived from the banks of

7 Ibid., 54. 8 Jerry Hansen, Personal Communication, 2016.


(page 7) the Laramie River.9 Like its wooden predecessor, the extant engine house had five stalls for storing and repairing locomotives but was built to be bigger.10 More significant repairs could be accommodated in the new engine house, which lessened the need to send equipment to Cheyenne for repairs. The brick engine house remained in operation until 1951 when the Union Pacific acquired the line. After the change in ownership, the engine house was no longer needed as the adjacent Union Pacific roundhouse served the same purpose. Today, the engine house still stands and is privately owned. The extant engine house is an industrial building with minimal elements of style. The building is rectangular, two stories high, constructed of brick and rests on a poured concrete slab foundation. The bricks were fabricated at the nearby brick factory, which was approximately 700 feet south of the engine house. The roof is single-pitched and slopes to the south. Many of the window and door portals have been closed off with brick. Some windows are fixed single sash and some are two sash windows, with one in a hinged configuration, and wooden plain trim surrounds. Each sash has plate glass and is between four and five panes wide by three and five panes high. The southern elevation of the building served as the main entrance until a brick addition was added at an unknown date. Based on historical photographs, this addition was constructed sometime after 1940. Many of the doors and windows of the addition have been closed off with brick. More recently, two rectangular storage sheds have been constructed immediately to the north side of the building. According to Albany County Assessor records, these horizontal storage sheds were constructed in 1947 and 1949. Immediately adjacent to the east of the horizontal storage sheds sits a steel quonset hut which, according to assessor’s records, was constructed in 1947. Today, the building functions as a storage facility and a cabinetry shop for a local lumber company.

9 Mary Humstone, Carly-Ann Anderson, and Molly Goldsmith. Laramie’s West Side Neighborhood Inventory of Historic Buildings. http://repository.uwyo.edu/laramie_west_side/1, Accessed March 28, 2016, 7 10 Jerry Hansen, Personal Communication, 2016.


(page 8) Part III. Sources of Information “From Laramie to Grand Encampment.” Wyoming Industrial Journal 9 (February 01, 1904): 19-

20. Hollenback, Frank R. The Laramie Plains Line: Laramie, Wyoming, to Coalmont, Colorado

Denver: Sage Books, 1960. Humstone, Mary, Carly-Ann Anderson, and Molly Goldsmith. Laramie’s West Side

Neighborhood Inventory of Historic Buildings, http://repository.uwyo.edu/laramie_west_side/1, Accessed March 28, 2016.

Rosenberg, Robert G. and Elizabeth L Rosenberg. Report of Historical Investigations WYDOT Project P261022 Laramie Streets Harney Street Viaduct (Site 48AB619: Wyoming-Colorado Railroad, Segment A-F) Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Transportation, Cheyenne, Wyoming, March 2010.

Lowe, James. Termination of a Mountain Road: The Wyoming Colorado Railroad Abandonment Project Laramie: Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, 2001.


(page 9)

Appendix A

Figure 1: U.S.G.S. topographic map showing the location of the five segments of the wye complex and the spur to the Wyoming Territorial Prison.


(page 10)

Appendix B

Figure 2: A map showing the route of the LHPPR through Wyoming and Northern Colorado. Courtesy Hebard Historic Map Collection at the University of Wyoming Libraries.


(page 11)

Appendix C

Figure 3: An undated sketch of the extant LHPPR engine house in Laramie, Wyoming. Courtesy of Jerry Hansen, Laramie Railroad Depot Association.


(page 12)

Appendix D

Figure 4: A 1940s photograph of the Wye and surrounding area. Courtesy of Jerry Hansen, Laramie Railroad Depot Association. For an explanation of lettered-areas, see Page 6.

laramie, hahn's peak and pacific railway haer wy-99

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