Stop 21: Devil's Creek Railroad Trestle

Huge wood abutments on the north-facing cliffs across the river at the entrance to this area remain of the highest Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge which once spanned the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River for 800 feet at a height of 124 feet. Constructed in 1889, the trestle was wooden decked and ballasted in 1896 to deter fire. Two years after the train stopped running in 1933, the trestle was disassembled and the wood transported to Jorgenson Park in Gunnison for use in several civic projects.

Silver High Bridge

High Bridge Hinsdale County Museum
High Bridge, courtesy Hinsdale County Museum

lake fork bridge Hinsdale County Museum
Lake Fork Bridge courtesy Hinsdale County Museum

contentmap_plugin

Credits and Acknowledgments

The research, writing and production of this interpretive booklet were made possible by grants from the following generous organizations: Federal Highway Administration Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), colorado Historical Society, Western Colorado Interpretive Association (WCIA), Hinsdale County Lodging Tax Panel, Lake City Chamber of Commerce, the Creede and Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, the Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway Council, and the Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team. Special thanks to Grant Houston of the Hinsdale County Historical Society, Lynna Jackson of Creede, Nancy Houston, and the authors, Laurene Farley and Sandy Thompson of the U.S. Forest Service, Gunnison, Colorado. Layout and design update by B4 Studio, Creede.