RR Stop ... Kipling Colorado

Kipling, Colorado

          Kipling was a wannabe RR town, where not much happened.  When the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific built to the Rocky Mountain goldfields, it was also building towns along the way.  These little villages would become customers of the railroad and also provide a place for maintenance crews. 

          When Kipling was platted out, that was the purpose.  A section crew and control point.  A siding was put in along with a depot and control signals.  There probably was also a couple of house built for the RR crews to live in. 

          Kipling is located on the eastern banks of the Republican River, overlooking the valley.  There was a trading post down in the valley that wanted the railroad to stop there but stopping at the bottom of a hill is not what they want to do.  So the Rock Island put their stop on top of the hill.

          With the passing siding at Kipling, EB trains could build up extra steam for their run across the valley, Highball down hill and have enough momentum to easily climb up to the other side.  WB trains could pull into the siding and await the high flying EB. 

Today, there are not much of any reminders that there had been a little spot on the rails.  The signal lights lay in the weeds along side the rails and there is a country grade crossing of the rails. Traffic noise from the nearby Interstate rolls over the land, blending with the prairie breezes. 

Markers from the dirty 30’s still remain alongside the RR ROW.  The snow fence that had been built to protect the tracks is now buried under drifts of blow dirt.   Posts partially peering out of the drifted dirt. 

Besides the railroad going through the area, the Indians lived in the valley for generations.  Later the French would show up and begin trading with the Indians.  This area was part of the Louisiana Purchase.  The Spanish also traveled along the river, spying or checking on their neighbors. 

Next was the wagon road to the gold in the Rockies and then the Leavenworth Stage line, traveled the valley, with a stage station just below the ridge.  It had been a busy area, with a wide assortment of travelers.  Today the train still trundles down the rails, four a week and the occasional local passes thru. 

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Carlisle Colorado PO

Carlisle Colorado

Carlisle was a small country Post Office, in operation during the early 1900’s.  On the map it is shown to be less than a mile from the RR community of Peconic. 

Operated out of a private residence, this little Post Office served the railroad workers and the few homesteaders in the area.  With a short spyglass, one can watch the jayhawkers floating on the far horizon in Kansas.

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RR built through this area in 1888.   The RR designated the stop Peconic, but not much happened there.  The Post Office was located nearby since there were no homes in Peconic.  A grain elevator was eventually built, still no homes showed up. 

Down the rails to the East was the Post Office and more than likely it was a RR section house.  Keeping the RR operating was a labor intensive and sections were close together to keep the rails maintained. 

Today where the map shows where Carlisle was located is a grove of evergreens surrounded to by ag equipment.  There is an AG dealer located at the Peconic siding and a variety of cars are spotted there.  The grain elevator sits dormant. 

The cars and trucks whiz by on the Interstate as life in the farmland moves on.  Carlisle is pretty well forgotten and but a dot on an old history map. 

Valley PO

The Valley Community

 

            The Valley Community shows two different locations for their Post Office in the NE corner of Kit Carson County.  One location is the far end of the county, next to the line with Washington/Yuma County.  The other is south about 5 miles, next to the Lincoln County line.  At the locations indicated on the map, there are no signs that anything had existed at these locations. 

            Rural Post Offices, like this were usually operated out of the farmer’s house.  Sometimes a store would arise, but for the most part, these little farm Post Offices would consolidate into a larger community. 

            With the arrival of the dirty 30’s many of these farms became vacant after being blown out.  Another farmer would buy it at auction and add it to his farm.  Over time the old farm building would be torn down and become farm land. 

            This is what appears to of happened to the building that housed the Valley PO’s.  The use of the valley name did not get lost.  Near one of the locations is the Valley Farm and Ranch.  Drive up over the ridge of one of the nearby farms is a small valley.  It appears a nice stream had flown through there at one time. 

            Before settlement, small streams and springs were quite common on the prairie of Eastern Colorado.  With settlement came tillage and water wells.  Much of this activity has directed the water to other places but with a heavy rain, some of these creeks still run.  It is amazing to see a dry sand creek full of water rushing down the valley. 

    

     

   Sprinkled in the area are a few farms and a few remains of farms and ranches that used to be.  The windmills still indicate where the water is and the gathering of the bovines.  Trees line the homes, many times hiding them in their cool shade.  Old equipment still dots the land and rolling pastures of grass. 

            Years ago an old wagon road sliced through this area, connecting trails in the south to the northern trails.  It is a land of flat fields to open rolling pastures with the occasional grove of trees.