Former Train Station in Colorado is now a Museum

Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot, Julesburg Colorado

Date added: October 06, 2024

Town side (north) and east elevations (2003)

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The 1930 Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot played a critical role in the development and growth of Julesburg and of northeastern Colorado. Rail service moved passengers, agricultural products, cattle and locally manufactured items to points east and west. The main line connects Julesburg with both the east and the west coasts. The Denver spur was very important for local citizens traveling to and from Denver and for area merchants to get their goods to market.

The brick structure, now the Depot Museum, has been moved approximately 110 feet north in order to save it from demolition. The building is a standard Union Pacific architectural plan of its time for a combination-type depot.

Julesburg has a mobile past. Originally founded in the 1850s, the first Julesburg burned in January 1865 during "the great Indian Raids." It was briefly re-established three miles east only to be relocated again when the Union Pacific leg of the transcontinental railroad arrived on the north side of the South Platte River in 1867.

Julesburg (III; a.k.a. Weir) was active into 1881 when the UPRR began its Denver Branch heading south at a junction several miles east. At the time, the railroad designated the new site "Denver Junction." Railroad workers, businesses and citizens moved to Denver Junction where a small wooden depot was put into service. Local sentiment and the U.S. postal authorities agreed to return to the historic name in 1884-and Julesburg (IV) reemerged.

The newly incorporated town continued to use the 1881 wooden depot. The depot was ultimately enlarged. The station was located south of the main railroad line. Photographs indicate that as early as 1890 the Union Pacific enhanced its depot property by providing a large park area to the north. Paved walks traversed the park in three directions, each leading to local hotel facilities. A gazebo was used by the town band and other organizations. Merchants provided advertising benches.

By the late 1920s, local citizens and merchants were drumming for a modern building. Union Pacific officials historically worked with the towns it served and began plans for upgrading the Julesburg depot. On Thursday, August 8^th, 1929, the Julesburg Grit-Advocate reported rumors from "reliable sources" that the UPRR was planning to build a new brick $80,000 depot in Julesburg beginning "any day now."

Two weeks later on August 22^nd, 1929, the Grit-Advocate announced that the construction contract had been let to H. E. Schraven of Salt Lake City. Work would begin by the end of August. The station was to be 118 feet long and 32 feet wide, built of variegated brick in tan and red with terra cotta trim. The roof was of color-blend asbestos shingles.

Completion of the brick building in 1930 represented much more than the Union Pacific's efforts to provide a modern, attractive depot at Julesburg. It demonstrated the company's commitment to the community and its confidence in continued passenger and freight business.

The new facility was located one block west of the original wooden depot and on the opposite side of the tracks, placing it between the north side of the tracks and First Street. A horseshoe-shaped driveway approached the station from south of Walnut Street. The other wing of the horseshoe led north to Pine Street. The drive was 80 feet wide and graveled. It was shaped around a small park 60 feet wide and 290 feet long. A parking area was provided west of the depot for public vehicles.

The brick depot was flanked by two park areas. To the east was the large tree and grass section north of the original station. A new park 40 by 240 feet was added west of the depot. Landscape gardening enhanced the depot's attractive architecture and horseshoe drive. Between the station and the tracks was a brick platform extending a total of 1,000 feet. Decorative light standards provided lighting for the brick platforms and walks.

Express, freight and baggage facilities were in the east end of the depot. West of this was the agent's room combined with the ticket office and containing the operating devices for train signals and track switching. Three ticket windows opened from this room into the waiting room. Opening off the waiting room eastward was a restroom for women and a smoking room for men with lavatory facilities attached to each. The heating plant and coal storage space were located in a central basement directly accessible from the agent's room.

An open timber effect with exposed stained wood trusses and wrought iron straps gave a rustic touch to the waiting room. Three-and-a-half-foot-high wainscoting ran 1 along each wall. Above was the new style Tiffany plaster, a rough finish in varied tints.

Julesburg planned to dedicate the depot at a big celebration on May 10^th, 1930 according to an article in the May 1^st, 1930, issue of the Grit-Advocate. Carl Gray, the president of the Union Pacific, planned to formally present the depot to the town of Julesburg. More than four inches of rain and an inch of snow fell in 36 hours causing postponement of the celebration for two weeks. A crowd of approximately 2,000 gathered on May 24^th for the dedication during which a band concert was held while a group of "Indians" gathered to re-enact the burning of the first Julesburg. The Indians were held off by "cowboys and soldiers." Free ice cream cones were served to all.

Julesburg and the Union Pacific developed together. Through the years both have seen growth and prosperity. Both had seen times of struggle. The dedication of the depot on May 24^th, 1930, could not help but bring attention to the part the town and the railroad each have played in the local history from the late 1850s.

In an article on Henry M. Stanley in the May 8^th, 1930, Julesburg Grit-Advocate, Mrs. C.F. Parker tells of the coming of the Union Pacific to Julesburg. Stanley, who later gained fame for his African expedition in search of Dr. Livingston, wrote of the adventures that surrounded Julesburg (III) as the track was being laid from Omaha. He tells that Julesburg, being the end of the division, "a junction of the roads, a point for mail and express lines from California and the East and possessing a telegraph station" was indeed a town with "many advantages." Stanley described Julesburg as "one of the most important points along the entire line" but later described it as "the end of all creation."

The depot served passenger transportation, freight and express and the Western Union telegraph. At one time, the UPRR delivered everything from newsprint to baby chicks. Milk, eggs, and other items were shipped to communities along the Denver branch.

The depot also functioned as a social hub. The station was a local gathering place for Sedgwick County citizens. People came to socialize, find out who was traveling out of town, who was coming home from a trip and even to make a call from the public telephone in the waiting area. Many came just to enjoy watching the trains.

When the June 6^th, 1947, tornado caused severe damage to the depot building, area citizens were horrified. The UPRR began immediate cleanup and reconstruction. The railroad company considered the depot to be an important operating asset. The depot was repaired while retaining its original design.

Passenger service through Julesburg ended in 1971 when Amtrak took over nationwide rail passenger service from the private railroad industry. Trains serving Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming, followed a more southerly route that bypassed Julesburg. The loss of passenger, baggage and express shipments, along with decreasing local freight movements, caused the UPRR to evaluate its continuing need for the Julesburg depot. The company elected to replace the 1930 depot with a smaller modular unit.

In 1974, Julesburg citizens learned that the UPRR planned to demolish the brick structure that locals had begun to think of as belonging to them personally. The depot was slated for demolition unless the town or some other entity agreed to move it at least 200 feet from trackside.

The determination of local citizens with a dedication to local, state and national history came together to save the depot from the wrecking ball. The UPRR donated the building to Sedgwick county and eventually agreed to the shorter 110-foot relocation. This left the building on the railroad right-of-way but out of the immediate vicinity of the mainline tracks. The value of the donation was appraised first at $80,000 and later at $150,000.

Local fundraising efforts began to pay the cost of physically moving the building and creating a museum facility. A $5,000 grant from the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission started the ball rolling. Sedgwick County contributed $15,000. Memorial bricks were auctioned with the first group of twenty-four going for between $1,000 and $5,000 each. The First National Bank in Julesburg purchased the first brick for $5,000. The second group sold for $500 each and the last batch brought in $100 each. An additional $40,000 came from raffles, a high school thespian production, 4-H Club pony rides and other activities. Some clubs and individuals unable to give cash, donated labor. A total of $90,00 was raised for the project. Professional Building Movers of Pueblo and Colorado Springs did the actual depot move at a cost of $13,000.

While Julesburg is no longer a passenger or freight hub, it remains an important part of the Union Pacific system. The UPRR also remains important to the local economy, with two businesses shipping locally grown grain to market by rail. The Union Pacific depot in its new role as a museum continues to convey the local transportation history and its association with the history and development of Julesburg.

Building Description

The Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot is a brick, one-story, gable-roofed building completed in 1930 covering 3,565 square feet. The building sits approximately 25 feet south of West First Street, surrounded on the east, north and west sides by lawn. A horseshoe-shaped drive loops around the depot from south of Pine Street on the east, along the south elevation of the building to south of Walnut Street on the west.

The depot is a standard Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) combination-type depot design with entry from both town side and track side with a waiting room between, restrooms to one side, and ticketing and station master's office to the other. Beyond the station master's office was a large open baggage handling room.

Combination depots handle passengers and their baggage, as well as freight and express shipments.

The generally rectangular-plan depot runs parallel to the passing railroad tracks. The masonry bearing walls are of structural clay tile, plastered inside, brick veneered outside. The exterior surface is composed of beige brick above the double-rowlock water table with red brick below, both with a wire struck surface.

The roof is wood trussed with the gable roof stepping down over the baggage section and the restroom-storage extension. The roof is now covered with wood shake shingles. It was originally covered with color-blend asbestos shingles (UPRR historian at Omaha, NE, Bill Kratsville, believes the shingles were either black or gray in color). Exposed rafter tails support copper gutters served with aluminum downspouts. The original downspouts were copper. A small brick chimney pierces the ridge near the center of the building.

Windows, transoms and doors are wood-framed and multi-light All the windows have rowlock sills and soldier course flat arches. The town and track side entries to the depot are identically ornamented with gray terra cotta. Engaged columns at either side of the doorways support entablatures with "JULESBURG" cast into the friezes. Terra cotta is also used to cap the pedimented parapet walls above the entries and for the UPRR crest.

Fenestration on the track side consists of a pair of four-light windows in the restroom extension, three six-over-six double-hung sash in the waiting room divided by the double-door passenger entry, a tripartite window in the station agent's extended bay, a single pedestrian office door, and in the baggage area, two sets of three six-light windows divided by the sliding double freight doors.

The town side is a near mirror image of the track side. The fenestration lacks the freight doors and the office door. The station agent's window pattern is repeated without the extended bay. A sign above the window identifies the building as a museum.

The east (baggage) end of the depot contains a pair of sliding freight doors. A small niche near the corner contains a brass memorial plaque recognizing individuals, businesses and organizations that assisted with the depot's relocation and remodeling. The plaque covers a time capsule to be opened in 2076. "JULESBURG?" is spelled out in metal letters over the door and is illuminated by a fluorescent fixture.

The west end contains two pairs of four-light windows flanking a wood hatch door above the water table. This end also contains lighted Julesburg lettering.

Photographs indicate the original waiting room and office floors were terrazzo mosaic. The new floor is covered with carpet. The lower portion of the plaster walls was originally covered with beadboard wainscoting. The walls in the former office and waiting room are now covered with wood paneling.

The waiting room and baggage room wood king-post trusses remain exposed. A lowered drywall ceiling now hides the trusses in the station master's office. The restrooms have drywall ceilings.

Steam radiators originally heated the building. Some of the radiators were integrated into the waiting benches. The benches were removed when the depot was converted into a museum.

On June 6^th, 1947, a tornado hit Julesburg. The huge whirlwind stripped off the depot roof and ceiling above the baggage room, office, and waiting room. Employees in the station took cover in the basement. The tornado moved on south to other structures, ripped out telephone and telegraph lines, then reversed direction and came back with a vengeance. The side walls of the baggage room went down under the second blast. Papers and records in the office were blown away. The shrubbery in the park north of the depot driveway was twisted and uprooted.

Depot employees and waiting passengers took shelter in the depot basement as the tornado ripped off the roof.

Repair work began immediately and the depot remained in service. Brick and structural tile from the collapsed walls were reused.

After 44 years service, the UPRR announced in 1974 that its Julesburg depot would be demolished unless it was moved. The Fort Sedgwick Historical Society, Town of Julesburg and citizens from the surrounding area came together with a plan to move the depot approximately 110 feet north and open a museum. And that is exactly what happened.

In order to move the depot from track side, the building a series of support beams pierced the building below the upper course of the brick water table. Long steel beams were then placed perpendicularly blow the support beams and the depot was raised off its lower walls. The building was towed north along steel skids and placed over a newly constructed concrete foundation. New concrete block replaced the missing wall sections and was then faced with salvaged paving brick from the depot platform. The reconstructed exterior walls contain new memorial bricks embossed with the names of donors to the museum project.

Other work included the installation of a new wood shake shingle roof. The perimeter of the building was paved with a concrete apron tight against the foundation. A ramp at the rear entry was added for handicapped accessibility. Following the relocation project, the exterior closely matched the original depot design and materials.

As part of the interior changes to convert the space for museum use, the primary spaces were joined through large openings in the transverse walls. The ceilings were lowered in the station agent's office and the storage area. Dark wood paneling was added to all the walls in the agent's office and all but the west wall of the waiting area. The remaining walls were covered with gold-colored flocked wallpaper. The concrete floors were covered with dark patterned carpeting. The bathrooms were updated and the lower portion of the walls and the floors were covered with one-inch square tiles. All windows were blocked except for the restrooms and the station master bay. The renovation also included electrical improvements and the installation of two attic warm-air furnaces with attendant ceiling vents, return grilles, and ductwork.

A sign on the west lawn is dated June 11^th, 1986, and commemorates the planting of "Peace Tree #35" by marchers in "The Great Peace March." The tree, an Austrian Pine, grows nearby. Two medium-sized deciduous trees also grow in the west lawn.

A small train consisting of engine, coal car, flat car and caboose sets on rails on the west lawn. The train was designed and built in 1969 by Jack Sawyer of Roscoe, NE. It was moved to Julesburg to commemorate the Centennial celebration of the completion of the railroad in Utah.

Near the Museum's front entry is a brick and glass sign displaying operating hours and dates. A three-panel "The South Platte River Trail' marker has been installed by the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway to provide a brief history of the four Julesburgs.

Arranged on the northeast corner of the Museum lawn are three Pony Express monuments. Two of the stone memorials commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the Pony Express and were installed on site. The other larger center monument was moved from the Julesburg Public Library grounds.

An 1876 - 1976 Centennial marker at the west side of the north entry denotes the designation of an "Official Project Commemorating Colorado's 100^th year and United States 200^th Year of Independence. Endorsed by Colorado Centennial- Bicentennial Commission" signed by Joe M. Lacy, Chairman, and Richard D. Lamm, Governor.

The Depot Museum is operated and maintained by the Fort Sedgwick Historical Society. The Society owns the contents and is responsible for the exhibits. The depot building is owned by Sedgwick County who leases the underlying land from the Union Pacific. The town leases the building and subleases the land from the county.