THE ROYAL GORGE WAR
Long ago, two railroad companies had a fight about a big ditch in the
Rocky Mountains. The big ditch is in Colorado, and its name is the Royal
Gorge.
It used to be that the only way to get to the silver mines near the top
of the mountains was through the Royal Gorge. So the railroad companies
began to fight to see which one would build its tracks through the
gorge. They had quite a problem. The gorge is almost a quarter of a mile
(0.5 kilometer) deep, and the bottom is so narrow in some places that
there seemed to be no room for anything but the river running through
the gorge.
One company started building railroad tracks in the middle of the gorge.
All the men and tools had to be lowered over the sides with ropes. Then
the other company blockaded one end of the gorge. Both companies built
forts and hired many cowboys and gunslingers.
During the day, the railroad crews worked to lay the tracks. At night,
they rolled boulders down the sides of the gorge to smash each other’s
tracks. They dumped each other’s tools in the river. They even used
dynamite to wreck each other’s work.
Finally, the owners of the two railroad companies met and talked things
over. And one company agreed to sell its tracks so that the railroad
could be finished.
If you ever visit Royal Gorge, you can get a good look at the railroad
from the Royal Gorge Bridge. The Royal Gorge Bridge hangs across the top
of the gorge and is the highest suspension bridge in the world.
The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is the highest suspension bridge in
the world. ►
