Near Dolores in Montezuma County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Dolores
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McPhee Reservoir
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025
1. Dolores / McPhee Reservoir Marker
Dolores
Established in 1892 with the coming of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, Dolores started out as a railroad town. In the 1930s, the RGS's answer to cutting operating costs was the Galloping Goose. The Goose was a gas-powered vehicle that could accommodate both freight and passengers and was capable of maneuvering over steep mountain terrain and narrow gauge railroad track. The Galloping Goose fleet consisted of varying combinations of the front half of a car, truck, or bus spliced to a box car-like rear frame. The final run of the Rio Grande Southern was in December 1951.
Each morning at 7:30 sharp, a goose leaves the RGS depot at Dolores for a 204-mile round trip to Ridgway [sic] with a load of mail, freight, and a small but usually interesting assortment of passengers.
Carl Fallberg
in Galloping Geese on the Rio Grande Southern by Stanley Rhine
Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO
McPhee Reservoir
Land and homes located in the Dolores River Valley that would be inundated by the lake were purchased by the Bureau of Reclamation in the 1970s prior to construction of the dam. The reservoir provides a reliable water source
this page online
Erected by The Colorado Historical Society, the Bureau of Land Management, the Family of Nellie Mulnix Joy and the Frankston Family.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 37° 28.714′ N, 108° 32.77′ W. Marker is near Dolores, Colorado, in Montezuma County. It can be reached from State Highway 184 at milepost 7, on the right when traveling west. The marker is at the McPhee Reservoir Overlook on the Escalante Pueblo Trail, near the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 27501 Colorado Highway 184, Dolores CO 81323, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West, in Colorado Plateau, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025
2. Dolores / McPhee Reservoir Marker
Looking east from the McPhee Reservoir Overlook.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Big Bend & McPhee (here, next to this marker); Wildlife or Relatives? (a few steps from this marker); Prickly Pear Cactus (within shouting distance of this marker); Big Sagebrush (within shouting distance of this marker); Piρon (within shouting distance of this marker); Juniper (within shouting distance of this marker); Farmland... Now & Then (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Sage Plain, Colorado and Utah (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dolores.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Dolores, Colorado (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Dolores, Colorado, post office opened on April 5, 1878, and the Town of Dolores was incorporated on July 19, 1900. Dolores (Spanish for "sorrows" and named for the river on which it is located) is located at the mouth of the Dolores Valley and the upper reaches of McPhee Reservoir, approximately 40 miles from the Four Corners Monument. Established as a station on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, it replaced the earlier town, Big Bend, now covered by McPhee Reservoir. McPhee Reservoir is named for a company town founded by New Mexico Lumber Company, that is now covered by the reservoir.(Submitted on December 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Galloping Goose (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Galloping Goose is the popular name given to a series of seven railcars built in the 1930s by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) and operated until the end of service on the line in the early 1950s.(Submitted on December 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Originally running steam locomotives on narrow gauge railways, the perpetually struggling RGS developed the first of the geese as a way to keep its contract to run mail into towns in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There was not enough passenger or cargo income to justify continuing the expensive steam train service at then-current levels.
All of the geese were built in the railroad's shops at Ridgway, Colorado. The first was built in 1931 from the body of a Buick Master Six four-door sedan. It had a two-axle truck in place of the front axle. Part of the rear of the car was replaced by a truck stake-bed for carrying freight and mail; this was later enclosed and partially fitted with seating.
3. McPhee Reservoir (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: McPhee Reservoir was constructed and is operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Dolores Project and dams the Dolores River to furnish municipal and irrigation water for Montezuma and Dolores counties and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation. McPhee Reservoir is named for McPhee, Colorado, a company town founded by the New Mexico Lumber Company that is now submerged under the reservoir. In 1927, the McPhee sawmill produced over half of Colorado's lumber. The town housed up to 1,500 employees. The sawmill closed in 1946.(Submitted on December 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
The lake itself may be accessed from near Dolores, Colorado, by state highways 145 and 184, and offers various boat-launching facilities, picnic areas, and campgrounds in the McPhee Recreation Area operated by the U.S. Forest Service. The lake fills the lower end of the Dolores Valley, with the dam completed in 1985 across Dolores Canyon.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 42 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
