The Colorado Central Railroad was a U.S. railroad company that operated in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 19th century. Originally founded in the Colorado Territory in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush to ship gold from the mountains, it eventually expanded from its initial Golden–Denver line to form a crucial link connecting Colorado with the transcontinental railroad and the national rail network. The history of the railroad throughout the 1870s was driven at times by a fierce struggle between local interests, led by W.A.H. Loveland, and outside investors of the Union Pacific Railroad led at times by Jay Gould. The early struggle of the company to build its lines was a major part of the early competition between Denver and Golden for supremacy as the principal metropolis of Colorado. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... This is the article on the state. ... State nickname: Equality State Other U.S. States Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal Official languages English Area 253,554 km² (10th)  - Land 251,706 km²  - Water 1,851 km² (0. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico territories in 1860 The Colorado Territory was a historic, organized territory of the United States that existed between 1861 and 1876. ... The Colorado Gold Rush was the boom in the prospecting and mining of gold in present-day Colorado in the United States that began in 1859 and lasted throughout the early 1860s. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ... Downtown Golden, Colorado Golden, Colorado lies at the mouth of Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range. ... Colorado State Capitol Building City nickname: The Mile-High City Location of Denver in Colorado County n/a (coextensive) Mayor John Hickenlooper Area    Land    Water 154. ... Poster announcing railroads opening The First Transcontinental Railroad was a transcontinental railroad in North America that was finished in 1869. ... Events and Trends Technology Invention of the telephone (1876) and phonograph (1877) WTF Science Ludwig Boltzmanns statistical definition of thermodynamic entropy War, peace and politics Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) results in the collapse of the Second French Empire and in the formation of both the French Third Republic... The Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad in the United States. ... Jay Gould Jay Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892), American financier, was born in Roxbury, New York. ...

The company built the first rail lines up connecting historic Colorado mining communities such as Black Hawk, Central City, and Idaho Springs. Through a series of reorganizations and acquisitions, it eventually became part of the Colorado and Southern Railroad. Although its historic mountain lines were dismantled by the mid 20th century, its connecting lines on the Colorado Eastern Plains survive as active lines of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad. Black Hawk is a city located in Gilpin County, Colorado. ... Central City is the county seat of Gilpin County, Colorado. ... Idaho Springs is a city located in Clear Creek County, Colorado. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to region of the U.S state of Colorado on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, and east of the population centers of the Front Range. ... The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (AAR reporting mark BNSF) (NYSE: BNI), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and established as a result of a 1995 merger between the parent companies of the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, is one of the largest...

History

The railroad was chartered as the Colorado and Clear Creek Railroad Company on February 9, 1865 by Lovleand and other entrepreneurs in the town of Golden, which at time was the capital of the Colorado Territory. Loveland and his partners desired to build a standard gauge railroad up Clear Creek Canyon to Central City and other mining centers, as well as to connect to nearby Denver and Boulder. It would three years before actual construction on the line began, during which time company underwent several reorganizations. On January 20, 1866, the name of the railroad was changed to the Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad. The following year, in June 1867, the company was reorganized with Union Pacific investors in control, but providing no funds for construction. In that same year, the capital of the Colorado Territory was shifted from Golden to Denver. February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Central City is the county seat of Gilpin County, Colorado. ... Pearl Street Mall in Downtown Boulder Boulder (40n01, 105w16 MST) is a city located in Boulder County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 94,673. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad in the United States. ...

On January 1, 1868, construction at last began on the first line connecting Denver and Golden. On January 14, the company changed its name to Colorado Central Railroad. Construction of the initial line was slow. By the end of the year, only the small portion (less than 12 miles) between Denver and Golden had been graded. In the meantime, Territorial Governor John Evans and other business leaders in Denver had formed the Denver Pacific Railway in May 1868 with the intention of building a rail line from Denver to Cheyenne. The formation of the Denver Pacific set off an intense struggle over the next two year between the two companies to complete their lines connecting to Union Pacific. By the following year, the success of the Denver Pacific investors in persuading the United States Congress to grant them land allowing them to construct a line throughout the South Platte River valley to Cheyenne made it evident that Denver would prevail over Golden. The Denver Pacific line was complete in June 1870 and the first train arrived in Denver from Cheyenne, bypassing Golden completely. Two months later, the Kansas Pacific completed its line to Denver, linking up with the Denver Pacific, and cementing the central role of Denver in Colorado. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... The South Platte River is a river in the states of Colorado and Nebraska in the western United States. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map. ...

As a consequence, the Colorado Central turned its attention towards linking up with the Denver Pacific and Kansas Pacific lines. On September 24, 1870, the company achieved its first success with the completion of the standard gauge line from Golden to "Jersey Junction", the junction of the Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific lines located approximately 3 miles north of Denver. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ...

In May 1871 local interests regained control of the railroad from Union Pacific investors. By the following September, 150 men were at work in the mountains west of Golden to extend the line to the mining communities. In the spring of 1872 the company acquired critical right-of-way along Clear Creek to extend its line. In late August, the company took delivery of its first two locomotives (both 0-4-0T), the General Sherman, No. 2, followed a week later by General Sheridan, No. 1. On September 1, the track was completed 13.3 miles to Forks Creek. By mid-December, the line had been extended 7.7 miles further to Black Hawk. By February 24, 1873, a second line from Forks Creek had been extended 3.3 miles to Floyd Hill. 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Great Western Railway No. ... Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four wheels, all of which are driven. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... Black Hawk is a city located in Gilpin County, Colorado. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In September, the company's shop in Golden produced the first passenger car in Colorado. On May 11, 1874, the company took delivery of an 18 ton mogul from Dawson & Baily. The new locomotive replaces the "Sheridan" as the #1 locomotive. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The see-saw battle for control of the company between local and outside interests continued during the expansion of its lines into the mountains. By the spring of 1873, Jay Gould and other Union Pacific investors had contributed a large financial stake in the railroad, but the company was still controlled by Loveland. The nationwide financial collapse the following year practically halted new construction on the company lines, instigating a period of legal struggles for control of the near-bankrupt enterprise. In 1875, in the midst of the Depression, the Union Pacific controlled three-fourths of the company stock. In April, at a company board meeting, Union Pacific proxies voted to lease the company to the Kansas Pacific. The following month, the company board of directors repudiated the agreement by voiding the votes of the Union Pacific proxies on a technicality. The board re-establishes Loveland as president. On May 21, 1876, Loveland's forces seize physical control of assets of the Kansas Pacific. In retaliation, the Union Pacific sues the company, forcing it into receivership, during which time Loveland fights to keep control of the company through numerous court procedings. In February 1877, the Union Pacific relinquished control to Loveland once again. Jay Gould Jay Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892), American financier, was born in Roxbury, New York. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1877, with Loveland once again in control, and with the national Depression receding, the company began expanding its lines once again.

External link

• Colorado Central Railroad chronology (http://www.ironhorse129.com/rollingstock/CandS/chronology.htm)