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The last train left Denver in 1937 on a round trip to Leadville, the route to Gunnison had been abandoned in 1911 when the Alpine Tunnel closed. A short line from Como serving Fairplay and Alma via Garos remained until final abandonment in 1937. The Buildings The Depot was built we believe in 1879. At a similar time the Gilman Hotel was built on our site. When the Denver Leadville and Gunnison RR took over in 1882, their Hotel division extended this building into a much larger structure, the Pacific Hotel. Pottery from this building and a photo of it under construction and completed are displayed in the bar. The Pacific Hotel burned to the ground in November 1896. The current Eating House was built in 1897 as a replacement. The Future Both the Depot and the Eating House are on the National Historic Register. In 2008, we applied and were granted Colorado Historic Society grants for each building. The depot will be further stabilized with additional foundation work we hope will be completed summer 2009. The Eating House and B&B’s work will include major energy efficiencies - refurbishing our 47 very large windows, installing insulation, updating electrics, and replacement of antiquated propane boilers with a new biomass boiler. Most of this work will not be completed until late 2010, mid 2011. All good things take time! The Denver South Park and Pacific Historical Society are the keepers of donations for the Depot. The mailing address for DSPPHS is PO Box-26, Buena Vista CO, 81211-0026. All donations will be applied to the stabilization and restoration of the Depot. All donors will receive a thank you letter, receipt, and eligibility for a tax deduction. If you have any questions about making contributions please contact Bob Schoppe at rschop@southparkco.com. To support the restoration of the Eating House and B&B, simply visit us for a week-end stay and one or two of our lovely meals..come back again and again to see how we bring these historic buildings back to life in their service to Park County visitors and locals! We are indebted to Park County, Colorado Preservation, the Colorado Historical Society and numerous others for their help and guidance as we move forward with our restoration and rehabilitation of these National Registered Historic properties.
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The Eating House 1900 |
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Historic Como Depot and Eating House |
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The Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad arrived in Como in 1879. The line left Denver and went up Platte Canyon, over Kenosha Pass and through Jefferson. From Como, trains went through South Park, down Trout Creek to the Arkansas Valley and on to Buena Vista. The boom town of the time was Leadville; the DSP&P RR shared trackage rights with Denver and Rio Grande (D&RG) into Leadville from Buena Vista. The main line carried on to Nathrop, St Elmo and across the divide through the Alpine Tunnel to Gunnison and the major coal mines at Baldwin. |
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To contact us: |
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Come to Beautiful South Park in Colorado And Stay at the Historic Como Depot! |
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Como was an important center for the DSP&P RR; it housed the largest Roundhouse on the line, the stone section of which still remains. A few years later in 1882 it also became a division point on the railroad. Relations with the D&RG had deteriorated, therefore the DSP&P RR needed to secure its own route to Leadville. They decided to build over Boreas Pass to Breckenridge, then up the Blue River, over Freemont Pass and into Leadville from the north. Part of this trackage remains and is operated by the Leadville Colorado and Southern Railroad. |
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The Eating House today |
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Phone and Fax: 719-836-2594 Como Depot 17 6th St. Po Box 109 Como, Colorado 80432 comodepot@hughes.net |
