Boarding house & Station as seen from the P.O. after 1908. - Poole Col. |
Romley was never a large town and in the summer of 1885, the population was only about 150 people. Of itself, the town probably didn't generate enough traffic to warrant more than a small depot. But it was encapsulated in the economics of the mining company. It isn't surprising then, that the railroad dis assemble the large depot at Hancock and brought down grade to Romley in 1887.
When the railroad arrived at Hancock in 1881, the town was already in the height of its boom. For all of the activity at Hancock the South Park built a large 16'x48' (Standard) depot. This structure had a larger platform.and a freight room over 13' x14'. But, as is wont of mountain town booms Hancock soon fizzled after 1885 and by 1887 there was very little activity in the area.. Even though there was sporadic activity from time to time the town never recovered.
2nd mill, boarding h'se, stables & depot (thru trees). 1900 - Poole Col. |
The Mary Murphy Mining Company (MMMC) continued to prosper into the 1890s. The first stamp mill was erected in 1882 and the operation expanded into the '90s. However, by the turn of the century the first mill was gone; along with the structure that stood across the tracks above the tailing ponds. These structures were destroyed by fire. A new mill was constructed next to and up grade of the old foundation. This mill would last until 1908.
Romley P.O. from the grade 1950s - Poole Col. |
The large depot at Romley also remained until 1908. Then a report in the 18 July Golden Globe (Golden, CO) described;
"Fire caused by a locomotive spark destroyed the little town of Romley on the Colorado and Southern, twenty five miles west of Buena Vista, on the 7th causing a loss of $12,000. The Colorado and Southern depot, the Mary Murphy shafthouse and equipment, two residents and several smaller buildings were consumed,"
2nd Romley Depot survived the tracks by more than 50 years - Poole Col. |
As the 20th century approached it would seem reports like this one became a systemic rhapsody of buildings built along the railroads. Fires were not uncommon but as locomotive technology implemented longer smoke boxes with straight stacks (that drafted better) the occasion of fires increased notably. The newly created Forestry Service became demanding of the railroads because forest fires were also on the rise. It turns out that a better drafting locomotive is more proficient at scattering live sparks. Without the greater volume of diamond type stacks, sparks were easily scattered abroad.
This became such a common occurrence that when new construction, such as the depot at Lyons, CO, was discussed, the railroad's documents assumed; "...when the depot burns down..." not if the depot burns down!
The C&S Ry wasted no time in replacing the Romley depot. The new structure was smaller (12'x23'). The platform - more of a covered porch - was perpendicular to the track. With an additional shed on the uphill end, the total length of the structure was just 38'. It was located exactly where the former depot had been.
The mill that was destroyed
in 1908 was the replacement of the first mill built in 1882. That mill was destroyed by
fire between mid 1890s and 1904. By that time, the property included both the
Mary Murphy and Pat Murphy mines, Romley and all of the structures
owned by the MMMC. This was sold to the
Golf Mining Company (GMC ) with headquartered in London, England in 1904. It was
that company which which quickly built the last mill at Romley,
The new mill was again built upgrade and next to the second
mill. Foundations of the 3 structures, all in a row, were still evident as of 2006.
The Third Stamp Mill in 1921 - Poole Col. |
Original Stamp Mill still operating in 1890 - Poole Col. |
The focus of the GMC quickly shifted one half mile down grade from Romley where they built the large 100 stamp Golf Mill. This location had first been called Murphy; where a small water tank was erected in the 1880s. The tank was moved before 1890 to just below St. Elmo. The Golf switch was installed very near the old tank location. About 1000 feet up grade from the Golf switch was the Lady Murphy tank (45K gal.). The complex from the Golf switch included several spurs both above and below the mill. Also, the company built tramways to connected multiple tunnels of both the Pat and Mary Murphy mines. The GMC also improved the tram from Mary Murphy's Level 4 to Romley.
By the late teens the GMC mines began to wither. WWI and economic ebbs began taking a toll on productivity. The railroad was also changing; in Oct.1910 the Alpine Tunnel closed because of a small cave-in, It was not particularly planned to be a permanent closure but at about the same time Trout Creek washed out the track from Newett to the Arkansas Valley. Except for the Denver & Rio Grande 3 rail track through Buena Vista to Leadville the Chalk Creek line had no connection to the rest of the C&S system. These factors, together with the changing fortunes of the mining industry, the railroad sought and was granted authorization to abandon the line in 1923. In 1926 the rails into Chalk Creek were completely removed.
Related "Rails & Flanges Regeared" Posts; 8, 10 & 31-33