The Mountain Route

The Mountain Route. . To the north is Raton Pass, a treacherous connection through the rough mountain terrain between Colorado and New Mexico. Wagon trains traveling on the Santa Fe Trail camped here, at a trail stop called Willow Springs, to either prepare for or recover from the trek through the pass. Called the Mountain Route, this route was longer than the Cimarron Route which crossed the flatland between Kansas and New Mexico, but it furnished more water and proved safer from Indian raids. , “Uncle Dick” Wootton , Raton Pass was a tough slog. Axles and wheels broke and the wagons had to be literally dragged uphill in some spots. Seeing an opportunity, entrepreneur Rickens Lacy “Uncle Dick” Wootton, built a 27-mile toll road in 1865, with bridges and improved grades over the pass. Tolls varied but during the years 1869 and 1870, the rate for wheeled vehicles ranged from $1.00 to $1.50 and 5c per head for livestock. , One of Colorado's most colorful mountain men, “Uncle Dick” was a trail trader, trapper, cattle rancher, hotel operator, and scout for the military He died at 77, having outlived all his five wives.