Year built: 1950’s
Type construction: Brick
Rail Line: Amtrak
Historical first hand account of area:
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visit link)
From Wikopedia:
The La Junta Amtrak station is a train station in La Junta, Colorado, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The Southwest Chief trains 3 & 4 stop here for 10-15 minutes. Westbound trains are scheduled to arrive at 8:15 AM and depart at 8:30 AM, while the eastbound trains arrive at 8:13 PM and depart at 8:23 PM (all times Mountain Time Zone). There are no facilities at the station itself beyond a toilet and beverage vending machine.
From this link:
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visit link)
In 1895, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (now BNSF Railway) built an elaborate multi-purpose, three-story sandstone and frame passenger depot and Harvey House and hotel (El Otero) about two blocks long. El Otero is still listed as one of the chain’s more notable structures, though it closed in 1948. The entire complex was demolished and rebuilt in the mid 1950s as the current one-story flat-roofed brick structure.
La Junta (the junction or meeting place in Spanish), the seat of Otero County, is located on the plains of southeast Colorado along the Arkansas River. Prior to the coming of American settlers, the area had been a rich grazing land for buffalo. In 1833, William and Charles Bent established Bent’s Fort near present-day La Junta on the Santa Fe Trail. For forty years, Bent’s Fort remained an import outpost for travelers, trappers and explorers.
By 1875 a small settlement was established to build the railroad, and what would become La Junta began as a construction camp for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. After the railroad moved on in 1877, this shanty-town was nearly forsaken. However, the ATSF recognized the value of the location and built a depot and roundhouse there and in 1879 established the railroad shops in the same place. La Junta became the headquarters for the ATSF Colorado division.
Its economic viability assured, the town incorporated in 1881 under Colorado state laws. Settlers from Kansas and elsewhere came in 1885 and afterwards to farm and ranch. Northern Otero County is still home to renowned melon crops as well as very large cattle commissions.
During World War II, the Army Air Force located a training base outside La Junta; that airport is still in service.
Today, the museum at Bent’s Fort, now the Koshare Indian Museum is regarded as one of the finest collections of Native American artifacts in the world. The Otero Museum preserves the town’s history and pre-history.
The facility has a waiting room and is staffed by Amtrak employees.
The station is served daily by two trains.
My impressions:
I was lucky enough to stop here when an Amtrak train was stopped there. It wasn’t planned, but it happened. The trains are a lot older than the early 1900’s but some of the nostalgia was brought back by seeing it. The conductor shouting “All aboard!” was a special time.
Map of Depots I've visited:
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visit link)