Glen Haven Colorado and devil's gulch Colorado

[ROMO]

Greetings, this is Andrew Wolf. I am presenting another inquiry: Did GlenHaven, Colorado, ever have a train line and a train depot? If so, I would appreciate any photographs, postcards, and maps related to it. Additionally, what was the name of the train company that constructed the train line to GlenHaven, Colorado? Furthermore, did Devil's Gulch, Colorado, ever receive a train line? If it did, what was the name of that train company? For both locations, I would like to request photographs, postcards, and maps depicting the train line and the train depot. Sincerely, Andrew Wolf.

[ROMO]

After years of waiting, I'm reaching out one more time: can someone please answer these two critical questions? That's all I need—just answers, plus relevant photographs, postcards, and maps. Despite asking numerous people, I remain in the dark, which is deeply unsettling for me. Your knowledge could end this long search and would earn my sincere appreciation. Won't you be the one to finally help? - Andrew Wolf

[Chris Walker]

Andrew,
I 'm pretty certain no; the Glen Haven name isn't on the relevant Topographical map dated revised 1927, only after that date.  CB&Q had a branch out as far West as Lyons, and vicinity.

[ROMO]

I appreciate your assistance, but I am continuing my search. Glenhaven could possibly be a single word rather than two, and it is located in Larimer County. Regardless, I do have a right to this information, and just because it isn't featured on a Tupelo map doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed. I still require details regarding the train lines to and within Glen Haven, Colorado, as well as Devil's Gulch, Colorado. Additionally, I need to know if a train depot was established, and if so, where it was situated. Furthermore, I am looking for photographs, postcards, and maps related to the train lines in both Glen Haven and Devil's Gulch, Colorado. If anyone can assist me with this, it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Andrew Wolf.

[Chris Walker]

Hi Andrew,

you can learn some more Glen Haven, Colorado

can you tell me about how come you have such an interest in these obscure places; an area of Colorado(apart from Este's Park, that I never bothered to explore?

[ROMO]

Sure, I can share a bit of information. My father and his relatives traveled to Glen Haven, Colorado, and they genuinely fell in love with the place, visiting frequently. They used to own a cabin in Allenspark, Colorado, but had to sell it because my grandparents struggled with the altitude and relocated to Estes Park, Colorado.

They lived on the golf course in Estes Park until my grandfather sadly passed away. My grandmother, along with my aunt and uncle Ollie, took care of themselves. My family's roots in Glen Haven, Drake, Grand Lake—formerly known as Grand Lake Village—and Estes Park, as well as Meeker Park, Allenspark, and Rocky Mountain National Park, have been a significant part of our family's history for many years. I need to compile a list of these locations that have a historical connection to train lines.

My family has been visiting these areas since the 1940s, and some of us have been going there since the 1920s and 1930s. I hope everyone will be eager to assist me in uncovering train line history, along with information about train depots, photographs, postcards, and maps related to any of these places. I need at least one of them to have a connection to train line history or at the very least, a train depot in their historical records that were not just planned but were actually constructed, with trains rolling down the old Train tracks. I would appreciate any help anyone can provide regarding all of those topics. Sincerely, Andrew Wolf.

[Todd Hackett]

Andrew,

Thanks for this background. It really helps us to know where some of your curiosity comes from. One think I still don't understand is why you think any of these locations were ever directly served by railroads. There really weren't very many common carrier railroads in the mountains of Colorado, and the ones that existed have been pretty well documented. Many locations relied on stage services and later auto roads to reach the nearest railhead, which could be quite a distance away. Many of the railroads you asked about in the past were paper railroads that were only proposed but never built. Any common carrier railroads that were built would be well documented because a railroad couldn't be built without adequate financing, which requires a good business plan, which would include proper advertising. Railroads other than common carriers would be industrial lines and private connections, which would not have public passenger service and therefore no depots. I sincerely doubt any of those existed in this area either, and if there were, you wouldn't likely see any postcards showing them.

State maps are available from when the earliest railroads went in and modern times, and back when passenger rail service was common, their primary emphasis was on the railroads. This map is from around 1910, which was before any major abandonments in the area, and shows the maximum penetration into the area around Rocky Mountain National Park. It shows these lines which were the nearest ones to the areas in question. The red lines are part of the original map, and show the railroads (although not with great precision), while I added the red dots and text to place a few of the locations you mentioned for reference.



The closest rail lines to any of the areas you've asked about, listed clockwise from the upper right, are:
The C&S (originally GSL&P) west from Ft. Collins to some quarries at Stout, a little south of Bellevue.
The C&S (originally GSL&P) west from Loveland to Arkins (about 7 miles east of Drake).
The Denver, Utah & Pacific to Lyons.
The C&N as far as Newmarket - just north of Ward.
The DNW&P (Moffat) through Granby with a possible spur toward Grand lake.
The Laramie, Hans Peak & Pacific south from Wyoming to Coalmont.

Please also consider that the people on this forum are members, just like you are, not people here to do your research. The group contains a huge body of knowledge, and if anyone has an answer to a question posted, they'll generally share it. Often, we waste way too much time pulling information together to help someone else with their questions and get no compensation for doing so beyond knowing it could help someone. Please be considerate and don't repeat questions (if someone had the answer, they would have provided it the first time), badger us to tell you what we probably don't know, or be demanding about what we provide. We all learned a lot of what we know from reading the books and going over material in collections (in person back in the day, and on-line these days). While it can save a lot of trouble to just ask the group a question, it's only one source, and not a substitute for individual research.

In addition to the libraries and historical societies that are often referenced in postings here, eBay is a great resource. Right now there are over 200,000 postcards listed with "Colorado" in the title or description. Narrowing the search down to "Glen Haven Colorado" still comes up with 9 results (a few of which are the same card). Even if you don't plan to collect the cards, you can at least see the images. The listings are constantly changing, so I have saved searches based on my interests and run them often. I have collected thousands of photos and postcards over the years, but my interests are in specific railroads, so I don't have much else, and while I have a lot from the C&N and a few along the Moffat, I don't have anything else from this general region.

[ROMO]

I appreciate your help, but I need to inquire whether Glen Haven, Colorado, and Drake, Colorado, still have a historical society. If they do, could you please provide me with the email addresses links of the presidents of their historical societies, regardless of whether it is their personal or professional email address? Sincerely, Andrew Wolf.

[Todd Hackett]

It looks like Glen Haven had a historical society of some type, but the web site I found hasn't been updated in many years. It does have an e-mail for volunteer opportunities, so that could be a starting point. My guess is that it was a fairly informal organization that didn't have enough interest to continue. Neither of these places really have enough population to support a historical society of their own. You might try Historic Larimer County. It looks like they deal more with preserving structures, but they can probably help with some guidance finding historical information. Their Facebook page may be a good spot for questions about old photos and postcards in this area.