In the 1950s, a ticket to ride the Denver and Rio Grand from Canon City to Parkdale, Colo., through the Royal Gorge cost 35 cents per adult. We enjoyed providing relatives and out-of-town guests a beautiful scenic view as they rode in the observation car with the glass dome, so they could see the Gorge.
The train stopped under the high suspension bridge and passengers were allowed to walk on the suspended foot bridge and view the big bridge overhead. When the train stopped at Parkdale for water, my husband would be waiting to take us home in the car.
We once took two exchange students from Colombia, South America, on this trip. Another time, we took two exchange students from Japan. They all enjoyed the thrill of that 11-mile train ride. We were sorry about passenger trains discontinuing that line altogether, in the mid-1960s, I believe.
Now a special train takes tourists on that same short trip, but you’d better believe the price is several times what we used to pay. But it was a wonderful experience.
Edythe Boston
Canon City, Colo.
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
