Ok, Train Station Again!

Well this is even before the Denver and Rio Grande built a station over on the north end of Walnut.
There was no Fountain station as such when the railroad came through in 1873. As in many places there was a location where a telegrapher was located. The telegrapher’s job was to help control traffic on the line. A dispatcher in Denver knew when the trains left Denver and Pueblo. It was at this time the south end of the line was Pueblo. The dispatcher knew when a train was supposed to go through a station, and where it was supposed to pass other trains. I say that because even today trains are not always where they are supposed to be, at certain times! The telegrapher let the dispatcher know when a train stopped at, or passed his station. Se we had a box car with a telegrapher in it watching the trains, and occasionally selling tickets.

"Someone has been moved by pity for the mail messenger, who has to wait out at the railroad, which is over a half mile from town, often an hour for the mail exposed to the hot sunshine and dust, heat and cold, rain and storm without shelter or shade, to build at the crossing a little house about ten by five. The house has two rooms with a seat in each room. We have felt the need of a depot at Fountain keenly."

Ah yes, could the railroad please build Fountain a real station? Curiously enough up in Colorado Springs, they did not fare much better. Their station did not get built until 1887!

Fountain’s first real railroad station was built in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande. It was replaced by an even larger and grander building some twenty five years later. That building survived until the late 1960’s and was moved out on C&S road, where it is still used as a fine home.
The construction of the first Fountain station was not because of this little story, but it was the Post Office. I have been told about the Postmaster and how he, or she, would pick up the mail at the railroad station. The post office was upset when the mail was damaged by ‘improper care". The idea of a postmaster standing in nasty weather could be bad, but you do not want to ruin the mail! You did not want to get it damaged before it even got to the post office. Soon the D&RG was building better stations because nearly every station handled the mail.