IT'S OPENING ON JULY 2, 2011!  After eight years of fundraising and hard work, the Depot restoration is complete.  New exhibits created by Traub Design will show the transportation and railroad stories.  Come see an authentic and beautiful Depot.

Depot Hours for Summer, 2011:  Monday - Saturday: 10:30 - 4:00.  Sunday: 12:30 - 4:00.
Most days, the docents will also lead tours through the caboose. 

This Depot was built on East Main, approximately where the current elementary school playground is now. The first railroad in Buena Vista was the Denver, South Park and Pacific in March of 1880. By the time this depot was built in 1890-91, the railroad had changed owners and was renamed the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison RR. The railroad closed in the 1920s.

In 1927, the depot was purchased and moved to the Woodland Brook cabins. It became the residence and office. Apparently, for a while, it may even have been the local birthing house.

In 2002, the kitchen caught fire, damaging the structure. Rather than tear it down, the owners offered it to Buena Vista Heritage. They included half the money needed to move it, and local businesses and individuals contributed the remainder. The Town of Buena Vista offered space in McPhelemy Park. The Depot now sits almost due west of its original location.

Buena Vista Heritage is restoring the Depot with grants from the Colorado Historical Society, contributions from individuals and business, and volunteer labor.  The restoration has been a long process due to the precise nature of taking it back to its original condition.  Great care was taken by Older Than Dirt Construction but the restoration is nearing completion.  With a recent, generous financial donation from Freeport McMoran (Climax Mine) in Leadville, BV Heritage has started on the final phase of the Depot - the displays.  Traub Design has been hired to work on the displays which will be located in the Freight Room.  The living quarters and waiting room will be outfitted with antiques and railroad paraphenalia so visitors may step back in time and experience the depot as it was in the 1890's. 

Now that it's completed, the Buena Vista Depot is a transportation museum featuring the three railroads in this area’s history.  

In 2005, a donor gave us a vintage caboose for display next to the depot. The brown paint represents the Colorado Midland's colors.  The red on the west side reflects the CB&Q colors. 

The Grand Opening is Saturday July 2, 2011! 

If you love sharing the local railroad and transportation history with others, consider volunteering as a Depot Docent.  Contact us at (719) 395-8458 or e-mail  buenavistaheritage@msn.com

The depot restoration was made possible by the generosity of numerous individuals, as well as donations from The Boettcher Foundation, Chaffee County, the Town of Buena Vista, Collegiate Peaks Bank, and the Denver, South Park and Pacific Historical Society. 

The freight room exhibits, designed by Traub Design Associates was funded through a grant from Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Foundation.

During the first phase of restoration on the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Depot, the mason determined that the bricks from the original chimneys were not strong enough to retain for the future. So we have bricks to sell to railroad enthusiasts, history buffs and anyone else who'd like a piece of this cherished building for their own.

Contact us to order one for yourself (or for your dad for Father's Day!)

The depot platform took shape during April and early May, as the piers were poured, beams laid and boards nailed into place.