Otto Mears
Encyclopedia
Otto Mears was a famous Colorado
railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.
Mears was known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans", because of his railroads and road building projects through Colorado's San Juan Mountains
in the late 19th Century. He built hundreds of miles of toll roads in the rough terrain of the young state of Colorado, notably the Million Dollar Highway over Red Mountain Pass
, connecting Silverton
to Ouray
.
in 1839 to a Russian mother and a British father, Otto Mears was orphaned when young. He was sent as a boy to the United States to live with relatives who had emigrated there, and sailed to San Francisco.
Mears served in the California Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War
.
, then to the San Juans.
A wheat farmer in Saguache, Mears first built a road over Poncha Pass
to gain access to the flour mill at Nathrop
, which served the Leadville
market. Mears followed advice from William Gilpin
, former Territorial Governor of Colorado, whom he encountered on Poncha Pass while building his road,. He applied to the Colorado legislature for toll road
charters for his roads and built the roads in conformations and at grades suitable for railways. His routes over Poncha Pass and Marshall Pass
were purchased for road beds by the Denver and Rio Grande
railway.
Mears built several railroads during his 91 years, including the Rio Grande Southern Railroad
from Durango
to Ridgway
, the Silverton Railroad
, and the Silverton Northern Railroad
. Several of his railroads were narrow gauge. From 1888 to 1892, Mears issued special railroad passes to dignitaries and friends to allow them to ride free on any of his lines. Some of these rare passes were made of silver or gold and are now highly prized collectors' items.
In 1876, the state legislature selected Mears as one of Colorado's three presidential electors supporting Republican Rutherford B. Hayes
. In the 1880s, Mears was elected to the Colorado legislature. The panic of 1893
reduced the value of his investments. He had to sell much property and lost control of his railroad holdings.
Mears moved to the East Coast and became involved in railroad and manufacturing ventures there. One of his most successful railroads on the east coast was the Chesapeake Beach Railway
, which ran between Washington DC and southern Maryland
.
The dome of the Colorado State Capitol
building was originally covered in copper. After the weather tarnished the copper sheathing, Mears suggested covering the dome with gold. He persuaded the Colorado Mining Association to donate 200 ounces of gold for the project, and by 1908, the dome's first gilding was complete.
Otto Mears died on June 24, 1931 in Pasadena, California
.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.
Mears was known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans", because of his railroads and road building projects through Colorado's San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
in the late 19th Century. He built hundreds of miles of toll roads in the rough terrain of the young state of Colorado, notably the Million Dollar Highway over Red Mountain Pass
Red Mountain Pass
Red Mountain Pass elevation is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains of western Coloradoin the United States.The pass straddles a divide that separates Ouray and San Juan counties. The pass is named for the nearby Red Mountain 1, 2 and, 3 on the northeast side of the pass...
, connecting Silverton
Silverton, Colorado
The town of Silverton is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, San Juan County, Colorado, United States. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District,...
to Ouray
Ouray, Colorado
The historic City of Ouray is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 813 at the U.S. Census 2000 and 1,000 as of the U.S. Census 2010...
.
Early life and education
Born in RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1839 to a Russian mother and a British father, Otto Mears was orphaned when young. He was sent as a boy to the United States to live with relatives who had emigrated there, and sailed to San Francisco.
Mears served in the California Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Career
Later Mears worked the gold fields of California before settling in Colorado, where he would make his name. He initially settled in Conejos County in Colorado Territory, but soon moved to Saguache, ColoradoSaguache, Colorado
The historic town of Saguache is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and most populous town of Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The population was 578 at the U.S. Census 2000.-Name:...
, then to the San Juans.
A wheat farmer in Saguache, Mears first built a road over Poncha Pass
Poncha Pass
Poncha Pass is a mountain pass in South-Central Colorado . It lies between the San Luis Valley to the south and the valley of the Arkansas River to the north, and is one of the lowest mountain passes in the state . It is in the saddle between the Sangre de Cristo Range, lying to the southeast, and...
to gain access to the flour mill at Nathrop
Nathrop, Colorado
Nathrop is a ghost town and a U.S. Post Office located in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The Nathrop Post Office has the ZIP Code 81236....
, which served the Leadville
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
market. Mears followed advice from William Gilpin
William Gilpin (governor)
William Gilpin was a 19th century U.S. explorer, politician, land speculator, and futurist writer about the American West. He served as military officer in the United States Army during several wars, accompanied John C. Frémont on his second expedition through the West, and was instrumental in the...
, former Territorial Governor of Colorado, whom he encountered on Poncha Pass while building his road,. He applied to the Colorado legislature for toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
charters for his roads and built the roads in conformations and at grades suitable for railways. His routes over Poncha Pass and Marshall Pass
Marshall Pass
Marshall Pass is between Salida and Gunnison at the Continental Divide. Marshall Pass was discovered by, and named for, Lt. William L. Marshall of the Wheeler Survey in 1873...
were purchased for road beds by the Denver and Rio Grande
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
railway.
Mears built several railroads during his 91 years, including the Rio Grande Southern Railroad
Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad which ran from Durango to Ridgway in the western part of the US state of Colorado...
from Durango
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
to Ridgway
Ridgway, Colorado
The Town of Ridgway, coined Gateway to the San Juans, is a Home Rule Municipality in Ouray County, in the southwestern portion of the U.S. State of Colorado. The town is a former railroad stop on the Uncompaghre River in the northern San Juan Mountains...
, the Silverton Railroad
Silverton Railroad
The Silverton Railroad, now defunct, was an American narrow-gauge railroad constructed between Silverton, Colorado and mining districts near Red Mountain Pass, Colorado. Construction of the line, a project of famed Colorado railway-builder Otto Mears, began in 1887...
, and the Silverton Northern Railroad
Silverton Northern Railroad
The Silverton Northern Railroad, now defunct, was an American three foot narrow gauge railroad constructed to reach the mining area north of Silverton, Colorado along the upper Animas River. This line, the third railroad project by Otto Mears, began in 1889 as a branch of the Silverton Railroad to...
. Several of his railroads were narrow gauge. From 1888 to 1892, Mears issued special railroad passes to dignitaries and friends to allow them to ride free on any of his lines. Some of these rare passes were made of silver or gold and are now highly prized collectors' items.
In 1876, the state legislature selected Mears as one of Colorado's three presidential electors supporting Republican Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
. In the 1880s, Mears was elected to the Colorado legislature. The panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
reduced the value of his investments. He had to sell much property and lost control of his railroad holdings.
Mears moved to the East Coast and became involved in railroad and manufacturing ventures there. One of his most successful railroads on the east coast was the Chesapeake Beach Railway
Chesapeake Beach Railway
The Chesapeake Beach Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C. on tracks formerly owned by the Southern Maryland Railroad and then on its own single track through Maryland farm...
, which ran between Washington DC and southern Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
The dome of the Colorado State Capitol
Colorado State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed...
building was originally covered in copper. After the weather tarnished the copper sheathing, Mears suggested covering the dome with gold. He persuaded the Colorado Mining Association to donate 200 ounces of gold for the project, and by 1908, the dome's first gilding was complete.
Otto Mears died on June 24, 1931 in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
External links
- Durango RV Park web site http://www.durangorvpark.com/Durango%20Colorado%20RV%20Parks%20Monthly%20Rates%20Open%20All%20Year%20hero.htm
- Colorado State Archives http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/cap/omears.htm
- Silverton Magazine http://www.silvertonmagazine.com/otto-mears.htm