%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Raton Pass http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/raton-pass-0 <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Raton Pass</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1974--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1974.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/railroad-tunnel-under-raton-pass"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Westbound_Southwest_Chief_on_Raton_Pass_0.jpg?itok=qiPnifAy" width="1000" height="750" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/railroad-tunnel-under-raton-pass" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Railroad Tunnel under Raton Pass</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Atchison, Topeka, &amp; Santa Fe Railroad built the first railroad to Raton Pass in 1878 and opened a tunnel under the pass in 1879. A second tunnel built in 1908 still operates today, serving Amtrak passenger trains that use the route.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1975--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1975.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/interstate-25-raton-pass"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Ratonpass_Media4_0.jpg?itok=V01xuKfU" width="1000" height="750" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/interstate-25-raton-pass" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Interstate 25 at Raton Pass</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Today Interstate 25 takes travelers quickly and easily over Raton Pass using roughly the same route as the toll road that Richens Wootton constructed in 1866.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-10-27T16:20:54-06:00" title="Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 16:20" class="datetime">Thu, 10/27/2016 - 16:20</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/raton-pass-0" data-a2a-title="Raton Pass"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fraton-pass-0&amp;title=Raton%20Pass"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>At an elevation of 7,798 feet in the Raton Range on the border between Colorado and New Mexico, Raton Pass has served as an important transportation corridor since at least the start of the <a href="/article/santa-f%C3%A9-trail-0"><strong>Santa Fé Trail</strong></a> in 1821. Despite being on the less popular Mountain Branch of the Santa Fé Trail, the pass has often been seen as a symbol of the trail’s hardships and of the boundary between Anglo and Hispanic cultures. Still an important corridor traversed by a railroad and <strong>Interstate 25</strong>, the pass was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.</p> <h2>Early History</h2> <p>Raton Pass cuts through the Raton Range, which extends east from the <strong>Sangre de Cristo Range</strong> at roughly what is now the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Coming from the north, the route ascended Raton Creek to the pass summit, traversed the summit ridge, and descended Willow Creek to what is now the town of Raton, New Mexico. It was a steep and dangerous route that usually resulted in lamed animals, broken axles, or both.</p> <p>Before the first real wagon road was built over it in 1866, Raton Pass was considered so treacherous that most travelers tried to avoid it if possible. In 1719 New Mexico’s colonial governor, Antonio Valverde y Cosio, crossed the pass, but his report about the journey scared off most subsequent Spanish travelers. Instead, Spaniards and Native American groups such as the <strong>Comanche</strong> preferred to use easier passes in the Sangre de Cristo Range.</p> <h2>Santa Fé Trail</h2> <p>The Spanish kept their colony mostly closed to foreign commerce, but in 1821 Mexico won independence and opened itself to trade. The Missouri trader <strong>William Becknell</strong> arrived in Santa Fé just after Mexico became independent, and as a result, he is usually given credit for opening the Santa Fé Trail between Missouri and New Mexico. He is traditionally said to have taken Raton Pass on his way to Santa Fé, but it is more likely that he took a different, even more difficult pass to the east.</p> <p>No matter which pass Becknell took, his description of the rough route did not encourage many to follow in his footsteps. Instead, most traders hauling heavily laden wagons along the Santa Fé Trail took what was known as the Cimarron Cutoff, which cut diagonally across southwest Kansas and northeast New Mexico to avoid the mountains. Raton Pass, on the other hand, was on the Mountain Branch of the trail, which was longer and more difficult but did have the advantages of more water and less exposure to Indian attacks. It received far less traffic than the Cimarron Cutoff but was used by traders who went up the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/arkansas-river"><strong>Arkansas River</strong></a> to <a href="/article/bents-forts"><strong>Bent’s Fort</strong></a> and then turned south toward Santa Fé, especially those traveling with only a few pack animals or light wagons.</p> <h2>Military</h2> <p>Two nineteenth-century military crossings are especially notable in the history of Raton Pass. The first came in August 1846, during the Mexican-American War, when Stephen Kearny’s Army of the West used the pass to invade New Mexico. Kearny chose Raton Pass for two reasons: first, he could use Bent’s Fort as a base, and second, it had more water than the Cimarron Cutoff, an especially important advantage in the summer. Kearny left Bent’s Fort on August 2, sending road crews in advance to try to improve the route for the advancing army. Nevertheless, the army still had difficulty getting over the pass and lost many wagons descending into New Mexico, which Kearny’s army quickly claimed for the US.</p> <p>Raton Pass played an important military role again during the <a href="/article/civil-war-colorado"><strong>Civil War</strong></a>. Because the Cimarron Cutoff was more exposed to Confederate and Indian attacks, the Union used Raton Pass to supply troops stationed in New Mexico. In 1862, when Confederate troops were advancing north through New Mexico, a regiment of Colorado Volunteers marched over Raton Pass to reinforce Union troops and win a major victory at the <strong>Battle of Glorieta Pass</strong>.</p> <h2>Wagon and Railroad Route</h2> <p>After the end of the Civil War, the trapper and trader <strong>Richard “Uncle Dick” Wootton</strong> secured charters from the Colorado and New Mexico territorial legislatures to build a toll road over Raton Pass. In 1866 Wootton completed the road, making Raton Pass a relatively easy journey for stagecoaches, freight wagons, tourists, and other travelers. Wootton built his house and toll gate where the serious climbing began on the Colorado side of the pass, collecting $1.50 per wagon. The improved road resulted in a large increase in traffic over the pass. Daily stage service on the route started soon after gold was discovered in New Mexico’s Moreno Valley in 1867.</p> <p>Wootton’s toll road was the main route between Colorado and New Mexico until 1878, when the <strong>Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad</strong> (ATSF) beat the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad</strong> (D&amp;RG) to the route up Raton Pass, which had space for only one rail line. ATSF decided to tunnel under the summit of the pass to cut down on what was already a steep and grueling climb, but in the meantime it built a temporary track over the pass to allow trains to start traveling the route in late 1878. This marked the end of most wagon and stagecoach traffic over Raton Pass. The railroad tunnel under the pass opened in September 1879.</p> <h2>Twentieth Century</h2> <p>In 1908 ATSF completed a second tunnel under Raton Pass to handle increased traffic, but two other developments the same year signaled the decline of Raton Pass as a major rail corridor. First, ATSF finished the Belen Cutoff in central New Mexico, giving the railroad a southern transcontinental route that avoided the steep grades of Raton Pass. Raton Pass continued to be used for passengers and local freight, but all long-haul freight now took the Belen Cutoff route. The original 1879 tunnel under Raton Pass was closed in 1953, but the 1908 tunnel is still in service for the single Amtrak passenger train that uses Raton Pass on its route between Chicago and Los Angeles.</p> <p>The second factor in the decline of Raton Pass as a railroad route was the rise of automobile highways. In 1908–9 New Mexico used convict labor to build a new highway that crossed the Colorado border near Raton Pass. Despite its steep grades and sharp curves, the route was selected a few years later as part of the National Old Trails Road across the country, which thousands of tourists used in 1915 to attend the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.</p> <p>In 1926 the highway over Raton Pass was designated as US 85 and improved over the next few years. In 1942 it was realigned to the old Wootton route along the Santa Fé Trail, which was less steep and involved fewer tight curves. This route was incorporated into Interstate 25 in the early 1960s. The interstate runs slightly east of Raton Pass and the railroad tunnels under the pass, leaving the summit as the best place to see surviving remnants of earlier routes.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/santa-fe-trail" hreflang="en">Santa Fe Trail</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/atchison-topeka-and-santa-fe-railroad" hreflang="en">Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/richens-wootton" hreflang="en">Richens Wootton</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/stephen-kearny" hreflang="en">Stephen Kearny</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/glorieta-pass" hreflang="en">Glorieta Pass</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/interstate-25" hreflang="en">Interstate 25</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Richard Greenwood, “Raton Pass,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form (February 10, 1975).</p> <p>Jared V. Harper and John R. Signor, <em>Santa Fe’s Raton Pass</em>, 2nd ed. (Midwest City, OK: Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society, 2010).</p> <p>Stephen G. Hyslop, <em>Bound for Santa Fe: The Road to New Mexico and the American Conquest, 1806–1848</em> (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002).</p> <p>Janet Lecompte, “The Mountain Branch: Raton Pass and Sangre de Cristo Pass,” in <em>The Santa Fe Trail: New Perspectives</em>, special issue of <em>Essays and Monographs in Colorado History</em>, no. 6 (1987).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Carl Abbott, Stephen J. Leonard, and Thomas J. Noel, <em>Colorado: A History of the Centennial State</em>, 5th ed. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2013).</p> <p>George H. Drury, <em>Santa Fe in the Mountains: Three Passes of the West: Raton, Cajon, and Tehachapi</em> (Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach, 1995).</p> <p>Anne F. Hyde, <em>Empires, Nations, and Families: A New History of the North American West, 1800–1860</em> (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2012).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-teacher-resources--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-teacher-resources.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-teacher-resources.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-teacher-resources field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-teacher-resources"><p><a href="/sites/default/files/TRS_Raton_Pass.docx">Raton Pass Teacher Resource Set - Word</a></p> <p><a href="/sites/default/files/TRS_Raton_Pass.pdf">Raton Pass Teacher Resource Set - PDF</a></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Raton Pass is in the Raton Range on the border between Colorado and New Mexico.&nbsp; Raton Pass is part of the <strong>Santa F</strong><strong>é Trail</strong>. It is still an important passageway and is crossed by a railroad and <strong>Interstate 25</strong>. The pass was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.</p> <h2>Early History</h2> <p>Raton Pass cuts through the Raton Range, near the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Traveling from the north, the route went up Raton Creek to the top of the pass. Then it comes down into the town of Raton, New Mexico. The route was so steep and dangerous that animals were injured and wagons broke their axles.</p> <p>The first real wagon road was built over Raton Pass in 1866. The pass was so dangerous that most travelers tried to avoid it if possible.</p> <h2>Santa Fé Trail</h2> <p>In 1821 Mexico won independence and opened itself to trade with the United States. The Missouri trader <strong>William Becknell</strong> arrived in Santa Fé just after Mexico became independent.</p> <p>Becknell told people how difficult the Raton Pass route was. Traders hauling heavy wagons along the Santa Fé Trail took what was known as the Cimarron Cutoff instead. Raton Pass was used by traders, but only by those traveling with a few pack animals or light wagons. They went up the Arkansas River to <a href="/article/bents-forts">Bent<strong>’</strong>s Fort</a> and then turned south toward Santa Fé.</p> <h2>Military</h2> <p>In August 1846, during the Mexican-American War, Stephen Kearny’s Army of the West used the pass to invade New Mexico. Kearny chose Raton Pass for two reasons.&nbsp; First, he could use Bent’s Fort as a base. Second, it had more water than the Cimarron Cutoff.&nbsp; This was an especially important advantage in the summer. Kearny left Bent’s Fort on August 2. He sent road crews ahead to try to improve the route for the advancing army. Nevertheless, the army still had trouble getting over the pass. They lost many wagons while coming down into New Mexico. Kearny’s army quickly claimed New Mexico for the United States.</p> <p>Raton Pass played an important military role again during the Civil War. The Cimarron Cutoff was more open to Confederate and Indian attacks. So instead, the Union used Raton Pass to supply the troops that were in New Mexico. In 1862 Confederate troops were moving north through New Mexico. A group of Colorado Volunteers marched over Raton Pass to join Union troops. They won a major victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.</p> <h2>Wagon and Railroad Route</h2> <p>After the end of the Civil War, a trapper and trader named Richens <strong>“</strong>Uncle Dick<strong>” </strong>Wootton built a toll road over Raton Pass. This road made Raton Pass an easier trip for stagecoaches, freight wagons, tourists, and other travelers. The improved road brought more traffic over the pass.</p> <p>Wootton’s toll road was the main route between Colorado and New Mexico until 1878. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF) tunneled under the summit of the pass. This cut down on what was already a steep and difficult climb.&nbsp; In the meantime, it built a temporary track over the pass. This allowed trains to start traveling the route in late 1878. It also marked the end of most wagon and stagecoach traffic over Raton Pass. The railroad tunnel under the pass opened in September 1879.</p> <h2>Twentieth Century</h2> <p>In 1908 ATSF completed a second tunnel under Raton Pass to handle more traffic. ATSF finished the Belen Cutoff in central New Mexico. This gave the railroad a southern transcontinental route that avoided the steep grades of Raton Pass. Raton Pass continued to be used for passengers and local freight. All long-haul freight now took the Belen Cutoff route. The original 1879 tunnel under Raton Pass was closed in 1953. The 1908 tunnel is still in service for the single Amtrak passenger train. It uses Raton Pass on its route between Chicago and Los Angeles.</p> <p>Use of Raton Pass continued to decline with the rise of automobile travel. In 1908–9 New Mexico built a new highway. It crossed the Colorado border near Raton Pass. The route was selected a few years later as part of the National Old Trails Road.</p> <p>In 1926 the highway over Raton Pass was designated as US 85. The old Wootton route along the Santa Fé Trail was turned into Interstate 25 in the early 1960s. The interstate runs a little east of Raton Pass, and the railroad tunnels under the pass. The summit is the best place to see what remains of earlier routes.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Raton Pass stands at an elevation of 7,798 feet in the Raton Range on the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Raton Pass has served as an important transportation route since the start of the <strong>Santa Fé Trail</strong> in 1821. The pass was on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fé Trail, and has often been seen as a symbol of the boundary between Anglo (or white) and Hispano cultures. It is still an important passageway traversed by a railroad and <strong>Interstate 25.&nbsp; </strong>The pass was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.</p> <h2>Early History</h2> <p>Raton Pass cuts through the Raton Range, which extends east from the <strong>Sangre de Cristo Range</strong><strong>.</strong> It is near what is now the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Coming from the north, the route traveled up Raton Creek to the top of the pass. It then cut across the summit ridge and descended to what is now the town of Raton, New Mexico. In the nineteenth century, it was a steep and dangerous route that usually resulted in injured animals, broken axles, or both.</p> <p>Before the first real wagon road was built over it in 1866, Raton Pass was considered so dangerous that most travelers tried to avoid it if possible. In 1719 New Mexico’s colonial governor, Antonio Valverde y Cosio, crossed the pass, but his report about the journey scared off most Spanish travelers who might follow. Instead, Spaniards and Native American groups such as the <strong>Comanche</strong> preferred to use easier passes in the Sangre de Cristo Range.</p> <p><strong>Santa F</strong><strong>é Trail</strong></p> <p>In 1821, when Mexico won independence from Spain, it opened itself to trade. The Missouri trader <strong>William Becknell</strong> arrived in Santa Fé just after Mexico became independent. His description of the rough route discouraged others to follow in his footsteps. Most traders hauling fully loaded wagons along the Santa Fé Trail avoided the mountains by taking what was known as the Cimarron Cutoff. Raton Pass, on the other hand, was on the Mountain Branch of the trail, which was longer and more difficult. It had the advantages of more water and less chance of Indian attacks. It also had far less traffic than the Cimarron Cutoff because it was mostly used by traders who traveled with only a few pack animals or light wagons.</p> <h2>Military</h2> <p>In August 1846, during the Mexican-American War, Stephen Kearny’s Army of the West used the pass to invade New Mexico. Kearny chose Raton Pass for two reasons: first, he could use Bent’s Fort as a base, and second, it had more water than the Cimarron Cutoff.&nbsp; This was an important advantage in the summer. Kearny left Bent’s Fort on August 2, sending road crews ahead to try to improve the route for the advancing army. Nevertheless, the army still had difficulty getting over the pass and lost many wagons descending into New Mexico. Kearny’s army quickly claimed New Mexico for the United States.</p> <p>Raton Pass played an important military role again during the Civil War. Because the Cimarron Cutoff was more open to Confederate and Indian attacks, the Union used Raton Pass to supply troops stationed in New Mexico. In 1862, when Confederate troops were moving north through New Mexico, a regiment of Colorado Volunteers marched over Raton Pass to reinforce Union troops and win a major victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.</p> <h2>Wagon and Railroad Route</h2> <p>After the end of the Civil War, the trapper and trader Richens <strong>“</strong>Uncle Dick<strong>” </strong>Wootton gained permission from Colorado and New Mexico to build a toll road over Raton Pass. In 1866 Wootton completed the road, making Raton Pass an easier trip for stagecoaches, freight wagons, tourists, and other travelers. Wootton built his house and toll gate on the Colorado side of the pass, collecting $1.50 per wagon. The improved road resulted in a large increase in traffic over the pass. Daily stage service on the route started soon after gold was discovered in New Mexico’s Moreno Valley in 1867.</p> <p>Wootton’s toll road was the main route between Colorado and New Mexico until 1878, when the Atchison, Topeka, &amp; Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF) beat the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad (D&amp;RG) to the route up Raton Pass, which had space for only one rail line. ATSF decided to tunnel under the summit of the pass to avoid the steep and difficult climb. In the meantime, it built a temporary track over the pass to allow trains to start traveling the route in late 1878. This marked the end of most wagon and stagecoach traffic over Raton Pass. The railroad tunnel under the pass opened in September 1879.</p> <h2>Twentieth Century</h2> <p>In 1908 ATSF completed a second tunnel under Raton Pass to handle increased traffic. Two other developments the same year signaled the decline of Raton Pass as a major rail corridor. First, ATSF finished the Belen Cutoff in central New Mexico. This gave the railroad a southern transcontinental route that avoided the steep grades of Raton Pass. Raton Pass continued to be used for passengers and local freight, but all long-haul freight now took the Belen Cutoff route. The original 1879 tunnel under Raton Pass was closed in 1953. The 1908 tunnel is still in service for the single Amtrak passenger train that uses Raton Pass on its route between Chicago and Los Angeles.</p> <p>The second factor in the decline of Raton Pass as a railroad route was the rise of automobile highways. In 1908–9 New Mexico used prisoners to build a new highway that crossed the Colorado border near Raton Pass. Even though it still had steep grades and sharp curves, the route was chosen a few years later as part of the National Old Trails Road across the country.</p> <p>In 1926 the highway over Raton Pass was designated as US 85 and was improved over the next few years. In 1942 it was realigned to the old Wootton route along the Santa Fé Trail, which was less steep and had fewer tight curves. This route was included as part of Interstate 25 in the early 1960s. The interstate runs slightly east of Raton Pass and the railroad tunnels under the pass, leaving the summit as the best place to see remains of earlier routes.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Raton Pass stands at an elevation of 7,798 feet in the Raton Range on the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Raton Pass has served as an important transportation route since at least 1821, when the <a href="/article/santa-f%25C3%25A9-trail-0">Santa F<strong>é</strong> Trail</a> became a popular trade route. Despite being on the less popular Mountain Branch of the Santa Fé Trail, the pass was often seen as a symbol of the boundary between white (or Anglo) and Hispano cultures. Still an important passageway traversed by a railroad and Interstate 25, the pass was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.</p> <h2>Early History</h2> <p>Raton Pass cuts through the Raton Range, which extends east from the Sangre de Cristo Range near what is now the border between Colorado and New Mexico. Coming from the north, the early route over the pass ascended Raton Creek to the summit, cut across the summit ridge, and descended to what is now the town of Raton, New Mexico. It was a steep and dangerous route that usually resulted in injured animals, broken axles, or both.</p> <p>Before the first real wagon road was built over it in 1866, Raton Pass was considered so treacherous that most travelers tried to avoid it if possible. In 1719 New Mexico’s colonial governor, Antonio Valverde y Cosio, crossed the pass, but his report about the journey scared off most Spanish travelers who might follow. Instead, Spaniards and Native American groups such as the Comanche preferred to use easier passes in the Sangre de Cristo Range.</p> <h2>Santa Fé Trail</h2> <p>The Spanish kept their colony mostly closed to foreign business, but in 1821 Mexico won independence and opened itself to trade. The Missouri trader William Becknell arrived in Santa Fé just after Mexico became independent. He is said to have traveled Raton Pass on his way to Santa Fé, but it is more likely that he took a different, even more difficult pass to the east.</p> <p>Nevertheless, Becknell’s description of the rough route did not encourage many to follow in his footsteps. Instead, most traders hauling heavily laden wagons along the Santa Fé Trail took what was known as the Cimarron Cutoff, which cut diagonally across southwest Kansas and northeast New Mexico to avoid the mountains. Raton Pass, on the other hand, was on the Mountain Branch of the trail, which was longer and more difficult but had the advantages of more water and less exposure to Indian attacks. It received far less traffic than the Cimarron Cutoff but was used by traders who went up the Arkansas River to <a href="/article/bents-forts">Bent<strong>’</strong>s Fort</a> and then turned south toward Santa Fé. This was especially true for those traveling with only a few pack animals or light wagons.</p> <h2>Military</h2> <p>Two nineteenth-century military crossings are especially important in the history of Raton Pass. The first came in August 1846, during the Mexican-American War. Stephen Kearny’s Army of the West used the pass to invade New Mexico. Kearny chose Raton Pass for two reasons: first, he could use Bent’s Fort as a base, and second, it had more water than the Cimarron Cutoff, which was an important advantage in the summer. Kearny left Bent’s Fort on August 2, sending road crews ahead to try to improve the route for the advancing army. Nevertheless, the army still had difficulty getting over the pass and lost many wagons descending into New Mexico. Kearny’s army quickly claimed New Mexico for the US.</p> <p>Raton Pass played an important military role again during the Civil War. Because the Cimarron Cutoff was more exposed to Confederate and Indian attacks, the Union used Raton Pass to supply troops stationed in New Mexico. In 1862, when Confederate troops were advancing north through New Mexico, a regiment of Colorado Volunteers marched over Raton Pass to reinforce Union troops and win a major victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.</p> <h2>Wagon and Railroad Route</h2> <p>After the end of the Civil War, the trapper and trader Richens <strong>“</strong>Uncle Dick<strong>” </strong>Wootton secured charters from the Colorado and New Mexico territorial legislatures to build a toll road over Raton Pass. In 1866 Wootton completed the road, making Raton Pass a relatively easy journey for stagecoaches, freight wagons, tourists, and other travelers. Wootton built his house and toll gate on the Colorado side of the pass, collecting $1.50 per wagon. The improved road resulted in a large increase in traffic over the pass. Daily stage service on the route started soon after gold was discovered in New Mexico’s Moreno Valley in 1867.</p> <p>Wootton’s toll road was the main route between Colorado and New Mexico until 1878, when the Atchison, Topeka &amp; Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF) beat the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad (D&amp;RG) to the route up Raton Pass, which had space for only one rail line. ATSF decided to tunnel under the summit of the pass to cut down on what was already a steep and grueling climb. In the meantime, it built a temporary track over the pass to allow trains to start traveling the route in late 1878. This marked the end of most wagon and stagecoach traffic over Raton Pass. The railroad tunnel under the pass opened in September 1879.</p> <h2>Twentieth Century</h2> <p>In 1908 ATSF completed a second tunnel under Raton Pass to handle increased traffic, but two other developments the same year signaled the decline of Raton Pass as a major rail corridor. First, ATSF finished the Belen Cutoff in central New Mexico, giving the railroad a southern transcontinental route that avoided the steep grades of Raton Pass. Raton Pass continued to be used for passengers and local freight, but all long-haul freight now took the Belen Cutoff route. The original 1879 tunnel under Raton Pass was closed in 1953, but the 1908 tunnel is still in service for the single Amtrak passenger train that uses Raton Pass on its route between Chicago and Los Angeles.</p> <p>The second factor in the decline of Raton Pass as a railroad route was the rise of automobile highways. In 1908–9 New Mexico used prisoners to build a new highway that crossed the Colorado border near Raton Pass. Despite its steep grades and sharp curves, the route was selected a few years later as part of the National Old Trails Road across the country.</p> <p>In 1926 the highway over Raton Pass was designated as US 85 and was improved over the next few years. In 1942 it was realigned to the old Wootton route along the Santa Fé Trail, which was less steep and involved fewer tight curves. This route was incorporated into Interstate 25 in the early 1960s. The interstate runs slightly east of Raton Pass and the railroad tunnels under the pass, leaving the summit as the best place to see surviving remnants of earlier routes.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Thu, 27 Oct 2016 22:20:54 +0000 yongli 1976 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org