Chama in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
1881 Log Bunkhouse
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
1. 1881 Log Bunkhouse Marker
building on railroad
1924 Coal Tipple 70 ft. high
holds 60 ton, fast empty
the only wood tipple left
1907 Water Tank holds
50,000 gal. unique style
with two waterspouts
Erected 2006.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 36° 54.289′ N, 106° 34.691′ W. Marker is in Chama, New Mexico, in Rio Arriba County. It is at the intersection of Terrace Avenue (New Mexico Route 17) and 3rd Street, on the right when traveling north on Terrace Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chama NM 87520, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico. It is also in the American Southwest, in the Mountain West, 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 New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Coal Tipple (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Chama Railyard (about 600 feet away); Chama (about 800 feet away); Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Spanish Trail (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named Chama (approx. 3.2 miles away); Cumbres Pass (approx. 7½ miles away in Colorado); Nurturing Forest (approx. 8.1 miles away in Colorado). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chama.
Related markers.
this page online
Also see . . . Cumbres & Toltec Railroad History.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grandes narrow gauge San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. The inability to interchange cars with other railroads led the Rio Grande to begin converting its tracks to standard gauge in 1890. However, with the repeal of the Sherman Act in 1893 and its devastating effect on the silver mining industry, traffic over the San Juan Extension failed to warrant conversion to standard gauge. In the decades that followed, the railroad was mostly stagnant.(Submitted on March 6, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
2. 1881 Log Bunkhouse (northwest elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
3. 1881 Log Bunkhouse (south elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
4. 1924 Coal Tipple
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
5. 1907 Water Tank
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 12, 2013
6. 1907 Water Tank (south elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 563 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 6, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
