Antonito grew out of the race to build the first railroad through the southern Rockies when the Denver & Rio Grande Western arrived in 1880, built the town, and pushed westward over a rugged, remote stretch of the San Juan Mountains. To save money and accommodate alarmingly tight curves, the railroad used narrow-gauge track, and as the line clung to steep slopes and twisted over the Continental Divide, it reached Chama, New Mexico, in 1881, opening a vast region of timber stands, coal fields, and mineral veins. The railroad later added deluxe tourist service in converted freight cars, carrying passengers from the old depot for a day of scenic travel along famously sharp curves. The Antonito-Chama line enjoyed only a short heyday, however, and by World War I it was losing passengers to automobiles and freight to trucking. The Great Depression further weakened the line, and by the 1950s it was used only for occasional tourist specials. In 1967 the railroad shut down, but historians and train enthusiasts quickly worked to preserve it. Because of its remarkable engineering, vintage steam engines, and place among the last pioneering railroads that helped populate the West, Colorado and New Mexico bought the sixty-four-mile route in 1970 and reopened it as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which operates every summer using historic engines and passenger cars.