Getting from There to Here

Native peoples traveled through the Upper Arkansas Valley for centuries before European and American explorers. Ute, Comanche and other tribes traveled on foot until the arrival of the Spanish and the introduction of the horse in the 1600’s. Two hundred years later, the growth of settlements, industry and commerce in this area brought an equal increase in modes of transportation. The discovery of gold in California Gulch near Leadville in 1860 and silver in the local black carbonate sands in 1870 brought a steady stream of fortune-seekers and the supplies of industry necessary to support them. Transportation between communities up and down the Arkansas River was imperative for everything from food supplies to ore smelting. Burro and mule trains were common for moving supplies and, during the 1860’s, the Barlow and Sanderson stage line began regular service from Canon City to Leadville, a 26-hour trip from start to finish. The completion of the standard gauge Denver and Rio Grande Railroad between Canon City and Leadville in 1880 ended the stage route, but remnants of the trail are still visible on the slope across the river.

Colorado · United States