Answerland – mysteries of Dowd Junction
Someone wanted to know about Dowd Junction, where it got its name and what the deal is with that fireplace on the north side of I-70.
The answers come from Dick Hauserman’s book “On the Road to Vail and Beyond.” Dick, one of the founders of Vail, tells us that Dowd Junction was named after Jim Dowd, who owned a lumber company on 7 acres at the junction of the Eagle River and Gore Creek.
“The lumber mill with a railroad spur was used to make ties for the railroad tracks being built through Red Cliff to Leadville,” Dick writes. “The sawmill ceased operations many years ago.”
As for the fireplace, which stands all alone next to the interstate, Dick tells us it’s all that remains of the Edward Koch Ranch home, which burned down in the 1970s.
” A.M.
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Vail, Colorado
