Greeley Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad Grade is a National Register-listed linear landscape in Larimer County, west of Fort Collins near LaPorte, that preserves the last intact segment of the former Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad’s Stout Branch. Constructed in 1881–1882, the line was part of an ambitious early effort to connect northern Colorado with the transcontinental railroad by extending west from Fort Collins through Poudre Canyon toward Salt Lake City. Although that larger route was never completed, this surviving segment remains an exceptionally rare and important piece of railroad infrastructure that still conveys the character of northern Colorado’s early railroad era.
The line is also significant for its association with regional commercial and industrial development. After construction began, the railroad quickly became important not only as a transportation corridor, but also as a route for moving valuable raw materials from the quarries west of Fort Collins. Sandstone from Stout was shipped on this line for use in many buildings throughout northeastern Colorado and beyond, while later branch connections to Ingleside and Rex allowed limestone to be transported to sugar beet factories on the eastern plains. In this way, the railroad helped support both the building trades and the sugar beet industry, two major forces in the economic development of northern Colorado.
With its construction in 1881 and eventual abandonment in 1988, this section of the rail line represents more than a century of railroad history. Uniquely, it is one of the few abandoned rail lines in Colorado that retains its historic alignment, railroad bed, ballast, ties, and rails. Included are three historic bridges, one of which is an especially remarkable former railroad turntable manufactured in Chicago in 1892 and originally used in Wheatland, Wyoming, before it was installed over the New Mercer Ditch in 1926. The surviving grade also retains its historic relationship to the Cache la Poudre River, nearby ditches, and the distinctive Point of Rocks landscape, all of which contribute to its historic integrity and significance.
The threat to the site is that the City of Greeley has not increased its water carrying capacity in over 50 years, and a pipeline is important for the continued growth of Greeley. The City intends to entrench a 5-foot-diameter water pipeline 10 feet deep along the route of the Greeley Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad line. Construction would effectively destroy this historic resource. While other potential routes exist, they have been deemed too expensive or too disruptive.
The City of Greeley is continuing with plans to install the pipeline in the Grade’s right-of-way. A recent settlement between the City and landowners will allow limited archaeological and biological surveying of the site, though a coalition of citizens, land owners, and preservation groups – including Colorado Preservation, Inc.– continue to lobby for the use of an alternative route that would preserve the Greeley Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad Grade.
The pipeline project is complete and was routed under one section of the railroad grade and buried. Site monitoring is ongoing by local property owners. Federal mandate required Greeley to respect historic structures and minimize environmental impact. Land was surveyed to assess what crews need to avoid or mitigate. The site needs continued monitoring for the disturbance of historic resources.