Raton Pass

History

In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, Stephen W. Kearny and his troops passed through the pass en route to New Mexico. During the Civil War, it was the primary path into New Mexico since it avoided Confederate raiders. It was later developed into a toll road by Richens Lacey Wootton.

Railroad route

In the late 19th century, Raton Pass was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (AT&SF) primary route through the mountains. Along with Royal Gorge in Colorado, the pass was one of the focal points for the 1878–79 Railroad Wars between the AT&SF and the smaller Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The route over the pass has gradients of up to 3.5% and a tunnel at its highest point, 7588 ft above sea level. The tunnel is in New Mexico, but just barely so, with its northern portal lying only a few feet south of the Colorado border.

The route is now owned by BNSF, which absorbed the AT&SF in 1996. While it is still used by Amtrak's Chicago–Los Angeles Southwest Chief, freight traffic shifted from Raton Pass to the Belen Cutoff (1908), whose gradients do not exceed 1.25%. As a result, with Raton Pass having little to no freight traffic, BNSF said in 2012 that they could not justify maintenance of the route to Amtrak's standards between La Junta, Colorado, and Lamy, New Mexico, placing the future of rail transportation over the pass in jeopardy.

Highway route

In the 20th century, the pass was used as the route of U.S. Routes 85 and 87, and later, Interstate 25 between Denver and Albuquerque. At 7834 ft above sea level, the highway is subject to difficult driving conditions and occasional closures during heavy winter snowfalls.

In popular culture

Clint Black makes reference to the Raton Pass in the song "The Goodnight-Loving" from the 1990 album "Put Yourself in My Shoes." :Ridin' against the wind in east New Mexico, :His skin is dry and worn as the Texas plains. :He's headed where the air is thin and the cold blue northers blow, :Up through the Raton Pass, but he'll have to beat the early snow,

Gallery

File:Raton Pass 1.jpg|Amtrak's Southwest Chief entering the north end of the tunnel File:Raton Pass 2.jpg|Sign marking the elevation of the Raton Pass tunnel

References

References

1. "State Register of Historic Properties, Las Animas County". [[History Colorado#Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
2. "Raton Pass". National Park Service.
3. {{NRISref
4. Harper, Jared V. "Santa Fe's Raton Pass". (1983, Kachina Press). {{ISBN. 0930724097.
5. [http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2014a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/487518C973F8421487257C30000703C4?open&file=1161_enr.pdf Colorado State Legislature, '''Preserve & Expand Amtrak Interstate Rail Service'''] p2 Section 1(b)(c)
6. "The Goodnight Lovin'".