Eagle County Historical Society honors Jimmy Blouch and railroad history

Jimmy Blouch was 14 years old when his father, a section foreman for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, transferred to Gypsum in 1959. The teenage boy adapted easily to being a student at Eagle County High School (now Eagle Valley High School), participating in classes, sports and school events. Weekends often involved a drive to the movie theater in Eagle.

But most of all, Blouch liked to hang around the Gypsum train depot, where a friendly depot agent let him prowl around the attic to look at old stuff, often allowing him to take some of that stuff home. And that is how some railroad ledgers dating back to the 1880s and bearing the names of some of the county’s most prominent pioneers have now become part of the historical archives maintained at the Eagle Public Library.

The Eagle Valley Library District and Eagle County Historical Society will honor Blouch for his many contributions to local history with the Eagle Valley Preservation Award on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Eagle Library. The annual award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to local history.

Historical Society President Kathy Heicher notes that Blouch has been a steady contributor to the local archives for many years.

“Jimmy is a true historian,” Heicher said. “He helps provide context on historic railroad photos, explains the workings of trains, and advised us on the re-painting of our historic caboose.”

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Working on the railroad

Blouch’s love of trains started when he was a toddler. He would stand out in a rainstorm to watch a train pass by, while his sisters observed from a window inside the house.

Following his high school graduation (Class of 1957), Blouch hired onto the D&RG section crew, helping to maintain rails in Eagle, Bond and Wolcott. He also worked track patrol, running a motorcar on the rails from Tennessee Pass to Glenwood Springs. After a stint in the military, Blouch returned to Colorado and was hired by the D&RG for an accounting job in their Denver office, where he worked for 30 years, retiring in 1998.

A collector by nature, Blouch held onto his treasures from the Gypsum depot attic, and in recent years, has been turning them over to the Eagle County Historical Society. In addition to the railroad items, his donations have included old local phone books, high school newsletters and sporting event programs, and 1950s-60s era playbills from the movie theaters in Eagle and Minturn. His historic stash includes signs from the Dotsero and Gypsum train depots and a train board (detailing train schedules) from the Wolcott depot.

“Of course, I still love trains,” Blouch said.

Guest speaker

Railroads will be the theme of the day, with a special program “Railroading through the Rockies” by railroad historian Lauren Giebler of the Colorado Railroad Museum. She will share the story of Colorado businessman David Moffat’s effort to build a railroad from Denver to the Pacific. Construction challenges included steep mountain grades, remote, high-altitude terrain, tunnel collapse, and winter weather.

The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.