Near Antonito in Conejos County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Railroad Quarters
Living on the Line
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, August 7, 2025
1. Railroad Quarters Marker
The Section House, built in 1881, provided living quarters for railroaders stationed here.
A cook, sometimes the forman's wife, prepared food for everyone at the site. Larger than many on the Cumbres route, Osier's section house had rooms to accommodate a forman and his family, a station agent, and other permanent crew. The Cumbres Route had other section houses at Big Horn (Whiplash Curve), Sublette, Toltec Creek, Los Pinos, Cumbres, and Creso.
Three standard D&RG section houses survived at Osier, Cumbres Pass, and Sublette. The D&RG added to the rear of the Osier building over the years. It served as a dining hall from 1971 to 1988. The building has concrete foundations, wood-frame walls, and a wood shingled roof. Friends volunteers renovated the building from 1993 to 2004.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 37° 0.805′ N, 106° 20.19′ W. Marker is near Antonito, Colorado, in Conejos County. It is on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 310 Main Street, Antonito CO 81120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and in the San Luis Valley. It is also in the American Mountain West. 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 walking distance of this marker: Bunkhouse Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Gravity Fed Water Tank (within shouting distance of this marker); Osier, Colorado (within shouting distance of this marker); Turntable Site (within
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Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, August 7, 2025
2. Railroad Quarters Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 79 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 27, 2025, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
