Royal Gorge War of 1875

📖 The Scoop

This is a true account of a little-known episode in the history of the Old West – called the Royal Gorge Railroad War.

In the 1870's a small section of narrow-gauge railroad line snaked its way down the cavernous walls of the Arkansas Canyon in the heart of Colorado. Control of this rail line would play out as a significant melodrama in the mining history of the state and would be later referred to as the "Royal Gorge War". The incident took place in the Arkansas Canyon during the years 1878-1880.

Bat Masterson and Ben Thompson, two noted gunmen of the day, sided with one of the warring railroad companies – the Atchison, Topeka, & Santé Fe (AT&SF). The rail company was trying to lay claim to the tracks that their rival, the Denver and Rio Grande (D&RG) had built in 1872 as a lucrative link between Denver and Pueblo.

One of the great true tales of the Old West as told by G.R. Williamson, a historical writer living in Kerrville, Texas. He is the author of The Texas Pistoleers (2011) and Frontier Gambling (2012). 

Genre: History / Military / United States (fancy, right?)