| Pagosa Junction | |
| Other Name: | Gato |
| Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Colorado |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Colorado |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Colorado |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1899 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Timezone: | Mountain (MST) |
| Utc Offset: | -7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -6 |
| Elevation Ft: | 6267 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Pagosa Junction, elevation 6267feet, is a railroad ghost town in Archuleta County, Colorado, U.S.[1]
Originally established as a stop on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's Alamosa–Durango line (also called the San Juan Extension), the location was originally called Gato when a station house was first built there in 1881.[2] [3]
In 1899-1900 a branch railroad line called the Rio Grande, Pagosa, and Northern Railroad was built between Gato and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It was a logging railroad, bringing timber and lumber from the Pagosa Springs area to the main line in Gato. In 1899, as the population grew to 200 people, a post office was built in Gato, and the name was changed to Pagosa Junction.
By 1930, Pagosa Junction's population had grown to 447. However, the branch to Pagosa Springs closed in the 1930s, and the town's population began to decline. Today, completely abandoned, some of the town's buildings remain, including St. John the Baptist Mission Church, located on a hill above the town. It was built on the hill in 1927, replacing two earlier churches — the first built in 1911 — that were destroyed by floods on the San Juan River that flows through the town.[4]
The town now lies on Southern Ute Indian Reservation land. County Road 500 (Trujillo Road) goes through the town.[5]