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Chaffee County,CO - c1888 - Constructing the Railroad Photograph :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 400.00 USD
Chaffee County,CO - c1888 - Constructing the Railroad Photograph :
Men take a break from clearing the path for the Railroad. Cabinet card photograph measures 7 1/4”x4 1/2”, white single matte 8”x5”, high contrast—though it does tend toward the whites, and the focus is sharp. Photographer identified as C. W. Erdlen and located in Buena Vista, Co. In addition to Buena Vista in the late 1880s, Erdlen was active in Salida, 90; Saguache and Salida, 1891; Buena Vista, Moffat, Monarch, Saguache, St. Elmo, Salida, and Villa Grove, 1892; back in Salida 1893 and 1896-98. It is of little surprise that Erdlen encountered the construction of the Colorado Midland Railroad, which ran from Colorado Springs to Newcastle (along I-70, west of Glenwood Springs). The Railroad was commissioned in 1883 and opened in 1888 (Poor’s, 1894). Up to 1894, other numerous spur lines were constructed. The location of Anderson’s Cut is uncertain, but the railroad was completed to Buena Vista on July 13, 1887. More research or intimate knowledge of the area would likely prove revealing and provide an accurate date. This photo depicts a very clear reality; building railroads was done with manual labor.