RBC | The Union Pacific Railroad established a depot in Rawlins, Wyoming, in 1868, the same year as the Ute treaty that pushed the tribe into western Colorado Territory.
The first White River Agency was established in the area where the river leaves the canyon. Nathan Meeker relocated the agency buildings to Powell Park. The only practical way to get mail and supplies to the White River was by a rough wagon road from Rawlins by horseback or freight wagon.
The earliest mention I have found of a regular passenger service was a Feb. 7, 1880, advertisement in the Carbon County Journal. Foote and Dalton, proprietors of the U.S. Mail line from Rawlins to White River, were carrying passengers and express packages. It was noted that John F. Foote was handling things in Rawlins; John Porter in Snake River; and Wilbur Hugus at White River.
Wilbur Hugus was J.W. Hugus’ brother who was running the Trading Post at the Camp on the White River. By Sept. 25, 1880, John F. Foote, proprietor of the Rawlins and White River Stage Company, was touting coaches leaving on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Rawlins to White River and Gunnison country, and intermediate points. There were some old Ute trails connecting Meeker to the Grand River (now called the Colorado River). They were barely usable for freight wagons, much less stagecoaches. When James Lyttle hauled his used printing press from Leadville in 1885, it was quite an ordeal.
Meeker’s main source of supplies was still along the old “Government Road” to Rawlins and the Union Pacific Railroad depot. To the south, the D&RG railroad had only pushed its narrow gauge tracks as far as Leadville by 1880. It wasn’t until 1888 that the Colorado Midland railroad tracks in Glenwood Springs were extended west to New Castle. On Nov. 28, 1887, George Wagner began a triweekly stage run from Meeker to “Ferguson.”
“Ferguson” was the Ferguson Ranch where the railroad section house was located. It was later renamed Silt.
In March 1888, the partnership of Harp, Wright and Daum were operating a stage between New Castle and Meeker. I believe the improved road went east of the Hogback ridge along Flag Creek. There was a competing stage company operated by J.C. “Kit” Carson, mayor of Aspen, with the Pool Brothers and Fay Gorman.
In 1889 the Rio Grande railroad arrived in Rifle. A new Rifle-Meeker Stage line was needed. There was some overlap in stage service for two years. Due to train schedules, a Meeker to Rifle stage would arrive too late to catch the train, whereas the stage from Meeker-New Castle would be just in time for a connection. The Meeker-New Castle Stage continued until March 1891.
In 1892, brothers Thaddeaus and Horace S. “Simp” Harp began the Rifle-Meeker Stage. They had the mail contract between Rifle and Meeker. The trip took from 8 to 12 hours one way, changing horses three times.
The first stop was 14 miles outside Meeker. It was about a quarter-mile south of the “Hole-In-The-Rock,” between Thirteenmile Creek and Fourteenmile Creek. Today you can look for the Hole-In-The-Rock formation on Highway 13. It is about 150 yards west of the highway, just south of Mile Marker 30.
The second stop was at the Rio Blanco Hotel, which was on the old Morgan Ranch. This was close to where Piceance Creek meets Highway 13 today. Meals and rooms were available.
The third change was a barn 11 miles north of Rifle. The barn still stands today. It is a long building with the roof caved in and a tree growing through it. You can see it on the south side of Highway 13 halfway between Mile Marker 10 and 11. In 1901, Vice President-elect Theodore Roosevelt and his party took a stage from Rifle to Meeker. “Teddy” was on one of his famous hunting trips.
As personal gas-powered cars became more available in the 1920s and ’30s, horse-drawn stages were phased out. The Harp Transportation Line became more of a freight company. In 1927, the Harp family was running 10-passenger buses, cars and heavy-duty trucks to haul people and freight.
Sources: This Is What I Remember books; Rio Blanco Historical Society; Kay Bivens; Coloradohistoricalnewspapers.org; Jackie and Mike Brennan.