The Cheap Jeep by the fallen Water Tank
Another view of the fallen Water Tank
Abandoned Railroad Car
Railroad Bridge
Pagosa Junction was a railroad town. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, San Juan Branch ran through this little town. This was the connecting point to the Pagosa Springs branch of the RR. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad built its narrow-gauge line into the San Juan Basin, it passed through Pagosa Junction and a station house was built there in 1881. Pagosa Junction became the official name with the coming of the new railroad to Pagosa Springs and a post office opened in 1899. The 1899 postal application listed a population of 200. Down through the years, census reports list a population of 288 in 1910, 274 in 1920, and 447 in 1930. When the railroad connection to Pagosa Springs was stopped during the mid-1930s, Pagosa Junction began to decline. Stopping the Pagosa Springs railroad branch during the 1930s was the beginning of the end. When the rail line to Durango stopped still later, the death knell for the town had been sounded. The post office closed Nov. 30, 1954. In September of 1962, despite parental protests, the school closed. The earliest record we have of a school there is 1900. In September of 1962, the school had 17 students. In August of 1963, the school building was auctioned off. In June of 1968, voting Precinct 4 including Pagosa Junction as a polling place closed. A June 1979 newspaper article reported three or four residents lived in Pagosa Junction. The town contains a water tower, a siding, a narrow gauge hopper car, a tress bridge, a pump house, and many other buildings. Today the town sits on indian land. Explore at your own risk. Camping in not recommended.
The Pump House
The Pump System is still Intact
This Building might have been an Office
Another Abandoned Building
More Pagosa Junction, CO (page two)