Cimarron in Montrose County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

From Mountain to Table

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

1. From Mountain to Table Marker

Inscription. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad opened up vast new markets to sheep and cattle ranchers. Cimarron grew to become one of the busiest loading stops in Colorado.

Breeding stock wintered in valleys to the west. Trains or spring drives brought cattle and sheep to the high country near here for the summer. In the fall ranchers drove their herds down out of the mountains to waiting trains. The noise was raucous, the smell repulsive, the dust choking.

The rush ran day-and-night to keep animals watered and fed. Twenty-car-long trains moved up to 45,000 sheep and cattle a season from these mountains to packing plants and tables around the country.

[Background photo captions read]
• Double-decked stock cars like you see here had sand strewn on the floor. Each rancher filled six to eight trains.

• Stock pens changed shapes over the years to meet the needs of ranchers and the sizes of the herds.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars.

Location. 38° 26.601′ N,

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107° 33.297′ W. Marker is in Cimarron, Colorado, in Montrose County. It is on Morrow Point Dam Road 0.1 miles north of U.S. 50, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in the railroad exhibit area adjacent to the Cimarron Visitor Center of Curecanti National Recreation Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cimarron CO 81220, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Western Slope.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Geography Sets the Stage (a few steps from this marker); Narrow Path to Prosperity (within shouting distance of this marker); Working on the Railroad (within shouting distance of this marker); All Aboard (approx. 0.6 miles away); Building a Dam (approx. 7.7 miles away); Light at the End of the Tunnel

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

2. From Mountain to Table Marker

Among reconstructed stock loading exhibit

(approx. 7.7 miles away); Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (approx. 10.3 miles away); Pegmatite Dikes (approx. 10½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cimarron.

Also see . . .
1. Historic Cimarron. (Submitted on October 29, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Narrow Gauge Railroad. (Submitted on October 29, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Livestock Cars (Trains). (Submitted on October 29, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Photo on From Mountain to Table Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Unknown, undated

3. Photo on From Mountain to Table Marker

Reconstructed Cimarron Stock Loading Exhibit Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

4. Reconstructed Cimarron Stock Loading Exhibit Area

Denver & Rio Grande Western Wooden Stock Car image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

5. Denver & Rio Grande Western Wooden Stock Car

D&RGW Stock Car Interior image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

6. D&RGW Stock Car Interior

For cattle

D&RGW Double-Deck Stock Car Interior image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 11, 2020

7. D&RGW Double-Deck Stock Car Interior

For sheep

Credits. This page was last revised on December 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 601 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 29, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.