Boone Sante Fe Railroad Depot - Boone, CO - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com

This railroad depot is on the national historical record. But the listing there gives very little real information except that it was built in 1913. This date is important as from this date, I'm able to deduce a lot of the history from a station about 30 miles away which is on the same line.

Here is the bland history I could find on the internet:

""BOONE SANTA FE RAILROAD DEPOT (Boone Town Hall)
100 Baker Ave.
State Register 5/14/1997, National Register 6/27/1997, 5PE.2151

Designed to handle both passengers and freight, the Santa Fe Railroad constructed this combination depot in 1913. It is significant for its role as a shipping point for Boone and the surrounding region and as one of the few surviving wood frame Santa Fe depots still at its original location. Associated property with the Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission."

From looking at another station in Manzanola, CO, I've learned to hate the word "refurbished." In refurbishment nothing stays the same. In restored, it stays about the same, but it still isn't original.

Neither of the words are used with this depot which makes it very special in my mind.

There is a saying to "delve into history." Not everything can be known about the past. We have to make assumptions and hope they are true. Then compare them to what is known and see if our assumptions are least close.

As I did this, this depot became very special to me as it is a clear beacon from the past.

First from the outside, I see a wooden building near a track. Although the roof has been done, everything else seems authentic. The paint colors might have changed, but look closely at the picture of the outside. The windows seem original. Notice how low the door handle is. It's for a period when people were shorter. There is no paved parking lot, so it's sitting just as it looked in 1913. Or at least close.

Now, go to the second picture in the gallery and let's peek in. We will find a lot of history. Perhaps a soul stirring from the past.

Now I see some history. The ticket window looks authentic. Given that there IS a ticket window, we know the trains stopped here for passengers. On the walls, there are pictures of the graduating classes from 1936 to 1959. All the pictures had about 16 graduates. From this, we can deduce an approximate size for the town. TINY. The classes from 1942 to 1945 had a smaller number of graduates. About 12. From this we can deduce that about 4 kids a year left school early to go fight in the war. Maybe taking the train from this station.

We can imagine that the gas stove which isn't from the early part of the century probably was preceded by a wood stove of some sort. It can get cold in this part of Colorado, but I suspect they were warm in here. Can't you just see the breath from people walking out to the train and them rubbing their hands together to get warm?

The following comes from a historical sign for a station up the line. Since it's in the same area, we can deduce some of the history is largely the same.

In the 1930's the train there carried mail. So, we can deduce that mail delivery along the whole line was from the train. So, along with a passenger car, we can probably put a mail car on the train.

In the 50's, the line was used as a main line of transportation to the Rocky Ford sugar factory which is in the area. Maybe 30 miles away. So, we can also deduce there were freight trains going through here.

In 1973, the bigger station up the line was closed, so we can deduce this one was closed either then or before then. In 1976, the station up the line was donated to the town, so we can deduce the same for this one.

But here is where the destinies of the two stations differ. The one up the line has been refurbished and isn't near authentic. This one was used largely as it was and nothing was ruined. This is the one to see. I plan to go back and get a key from the Town Clerk in the Fire Station and go inside. There is a lot of history still intact there.

Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No Is the station/depot open to the public?: No If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: It was the town hall, but now it's not being used. You can probably get a key from the Town Clerk at the Fire Station. What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Atchison Topeka & Sante Fe Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/02/2016 LT_Dream visited it