Osier is a

populated place Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

Conejos County, Colorado Conejos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,461. The county seat is the unincorporated community of Conejos. Being 50.7% Hispanic in 2020, Conejos was Colorado's largest Hispa ...

, USA. It is an old railroad settlement and

train stop Part of a railway signalling system, a train stop, trip stop or tripcock (sometimes called a tripper) is a train protection device that automatically stops a train if it attempts to pass a signal when the signal aspect and operating rules proh ...

approximately halfway along the

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...

where trains from both ends of the line meet and stop for lunch, making it possible for passengers to either continue in the same direction or return to their point of origin afterwards. This location by the Rio de Los Pinos river was the halfway point on the old

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

from Conejos, Colorado, to

Chama, New Mexico Chama is a village in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the Rocky Mountains about south of the Colorado-New Mexico border. Geography Chama is located at (36.8947 ...

, and can be reached by Forest Road 103 from State Highway 17.

History

In 1878, the valley where Osier lies was the location of the toll gate for the Park View and Ft. Garland toll road. In 1880, the

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

created Osier in the course of building the narrow gauge San Juan Extension from

Alamosa, Colorado Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...

, to

Durango, Colorado Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis Coll ...

.''Ticket To Toltec'' by Doris Osterwald, 1979 The Rio Grande built several other structures at Osier including a section house, station,

water tank A water tank is a container for storing water. Water tanks are used to provide storage of water for use in many applications, drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemi ...

and bunk house. More recently, the Rio Grande's successor, the

, built a kitchen and dining facility where passengers are served a hot lunch every day the trains are running (which is only during the summer season). Osier was where six

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

riders sought refuge after becoming lost in the Colorado backcountry in early January 2008. A snowstorm and threat of avalanche delayed rescuers, and the two families in the group broke into the kitchen where they found popcorn, chicken bouillon and gravy mix, keeping them alive until help could arrive.ABCNews article
found June 12, 2011

Location

* Osier Station

Nearby locations along the Cumbres & Toltec

Cumbres Pass Cumbres Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, United States. The pass is traversed by State Highway 17 (Colorado), State Highway 17 and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. The highway has a moderate 5.8% ...

* Toltec Gorge * Sublette Station

References

External links

Official Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad web site Narrow Gauge Caterers, Inc., who feed the passengers at Osier
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Conejos County, Colorado Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Populated places established in 1880 1880 establishments in Colorado Unincorporated communities in Colorado

History

Location

Nearby locations along the Cumbres & Toltec

See also

References

External links