Gunnison History Tracker
716 Elk Avenue
Denver & Rio Grande Depot
At mile maker 350 of the D&RGW Crested Butte Branch is the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Depot, which was built in 1883. The raised freight platform had the disadvantage of being set back six feet from the main tracks, due to snow build-up that would accrue in the winters.
The north end of the depot was the passenger waiting room, the center was used as the ticket office, and the freight room was located on the south end.
The Queen Anne style architectural details on the well maintained wood frame building remain intact, and there is a new addition with a metal roof that was not part of the original structure located on the south end of the building, that was a former section house.
In 1952, when the "Big Mine" was closed, the last stationmaster for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, C.T. McCandless, used the building as his home until the 1970's.
Then, Ralph and Billie Clark paid to have the Crested Butte station repaired, restored, and converted, then donated to the Crested Butte Society in 1973, and between 2012-2016, the Town of Crested Butte completed a $600,000.00 rehab of the depot, with the help of a $400,000.00 grant from HistoryColorado.com, and continues to house office space for community groups.
