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| Rio De Los Pinos - at Lava Pump House |
On the barren horizon 5 miles distant a tiny geometric
shadow in the midst of the gently curvature of nature marked a solitary
structure.
“Keep your eye on the horizon; we will soon come around to
our next historic site.” I said.
I have been drawn to this isolated and strangely beautiful
place since our first visit presumably because of that very isolation. The thought of what it would have been like
during a blustering winter storm as a “snow train” reversed direction and took
on water to continue the fight against the relentless winter storms is spellbinding.
On a barren, sage filled mesa stands a water tank. The tank was found in an advanced state of
disrepair when the States of Colorado and New Mexico purchased the 64 miles of
the D&RG San Juan Extension National Historic Landmark – now known as the
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Surrounded by a closed reverse curve it is situated at the top of a dry
watershed on the extension of a long sloping plateau. The land visually appears level, though it is
actually inclined upward toward a rising plateau some 5 miles distant. The track makes a long detour from the most
efficient route to intentionally include this isolated place.
Lava tank is a non-working composite structure of parts gathered
from other places from both the active railroad and remains from a wider area
encompassing extensive abandoned areas of the original 1,300 mile D&RG narrow
gauge system; of that original system only two small pieces remain the largest
of which is the Cumbres and Toltec at 64 miles – the history of which is
another of many stories.
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| Lava Pump House - 1888 |
Because of its construction, which is all original material
but from various places, Lava Tank is a point of historic interest but not a
Historic Landmark. However, Lava is also
landmark due to a structure which lies 3/10th of a mile south and
500’ below Lava Tank. That remote
structure located on the bank of Rio De Los Pinos – “The River of Pines” – was
constructed in 1888 to house a coal fired steam pump lifting water from the
river to the distant Lava tank through a 3” line. In the 1920’s the steam pump was replaced by
a diesel pump and then later the equipment was removed and the building was
abandoned to the elements.
Over the ensuing years fine volcanic dust blown by the
constant winds of the San Luis Valley slowly piled against the building until
nearly six feet of accumulation reached the window frames and spilled into the
interior of the structure. The original
intent and capabilities of this structure and its affiliated equipment,
including Lava Tank, was on the verge of being lost to the ages. A year ago the volunteers – The Friends of
the Cumbres and Toltec – made the restoration of the pump house and all of its
equipment a priority.
G and I set this building as the destination for a day trip
and after a brief drive on a gravel national forest road, the surface of which
is a washboard, we arrived. When we
arrived at this bucolic spot we found the Volunteers had excavated around the
building and foundation clearing away many feet of soil to expose a near
pristine structure. Though the windows
are out and the roof is in poor repair all the structural components are in
excellent condition. The third week of
our stay a pump was connected to the iron 3” water line serving Lava Tank and
to everyone’s amazement it held and carried water after all these years of
abandonment.
In time this living artifact will regain its original
purpose and serve another generation of guests and volunteers on the Cumbres
and Toltec.
Life is somewhat like that.
We age and our hard won experience the skills and capabilities of a
lifetime are moved aside in pursuit of the “newer” or “better.” Through this process the experience of the
older generation which could have contributed to the resolution of newly found
issues are lost and once lost they must be relearned often imperfectly and
always with great difficulty.
The older generation ultimately has to make a choice either lose purpose and effectively wither and die, or choose to be remade using the same proven components to achieve another task. We are living artifacts who may regain our value to pass our heritage to another generation, if we choose so.
This brings me to a personal note, G and I are returning to
Chama on August 25th for a two week stay. We will enjoy the company of our son Neight
and daughter Sarah for a day and a week later a visit by long-time friends from
Denver, Jerry and Sally. We will ride
the train, have supper and talk into the evening. The next morning I will again don my Docent shirt
and go to work as both family and friends continue on their respective journeys’.
G and I will be spending a large portion of each year in
Chama commencing in 2018. We do not know
whether we will continue to rent living space, in a RV campground, or purchase a lot and build a
year round storage facility for the trailer.
With the known end of my full-time employment in December, 2017 any
future thereafter is by no means certain.
Though some comments have been made indicating some sort of part-time
arrangement, that is unresolved and at this point thus, I assume, unlikely. Our spending nearly one-half
the year in Chama means a re-arrangement of our financial affairs in
Calhoun which will impact the family.
Such a moment was inevitable and must be faced in some way by every
family with an aging senior generation - the younger generation takes full responsibility for their future.
G and I are faced with a stark choice. We can do as so many elders and simply cocoon
and molder away with our eyes affixed to a TV.
Many of our age and with greater affluence choose travel or some find a
hobby or other avocation. Some become
avid readers and some won’t let the younger generation assume control. Another group engages in volunteer work such
as Habitat for Humanity or the like. I
guess working with the Friends is like that last group except we restore the
past to pass on our heritage instead of building anew for the future.
I have been blessed with a particular gift, the ability to speak to
people in a public setting. I understand
the importance of that gift and have found a place in which I can bring
happiness to those around me by using that gift to bring an understanding of
our heritage. I now tell the story of
some of our ancestors through interpretation on a journey lasting six hours. I am honored to pass
the understanding of who we are and how we became what we are.
In my interpretations I avoid the use of the word, “Museum”,
as most think of that as a place of dead things. My job is to interpret this Living Monument
to our ancestors who dreamed, planned, engineered, built and operated the very
special place named “The D&RG San
Juan Extension National Historic Landmark.”
On a journey two weeks ago A gracious lady with a gentle southern lilt in her voice
asked me if a memorial was built to honor those who came before us to build the
San Juan Extension. I answered this way,
“You are riding on the living monument to our ancestors.”
