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Original 1903 Pike’s Peak by Rail promotional booklet for the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway and its famous Cog Wheel Route from Manitou, Colorado to the summit of Pike’s Peak.
This is the early first-edition issue, with striking full-color pictorial wrappers and 16 illustrated pages devoted to the railway, mountain scenery, stations, elevations, and the experience of traveling more than 14,000 feet above sea level by cog railway.
Details
Title: Pike’s Peak by Rail
Organization: Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway
Route: Cog Wheel Route
Place: Manitou, Colorado
Date: 1903
Edition: First edition
Printer: Poole Bros., Chicago
Format: Illustrated promotional booklet in pictorial wrappers
Pagination: 16 pages plus wrappers
Dimensions: 3 7/8 × 5 3/4 inches
Additional Details
The booklet follows the ascent from Manitou toward the 14,147-foot summit, describing the railway as “A Railroad Ride Above the Clouds.”
Illustrations include dramatic views of the railway at Phantom Curve, alpine scenery, rock formations, stations and mountain landscapes. A panoramic spread carries the wonderful caption “Get on Pike’s Peak and see how the world is built.”
The text discusses Engleman’s Glen, Minnehaha, the Half-Way House, Hell Gate, the Cog Wheel Route station at Manitou, and the exceptionally steep grades encountered during the climb.
Additional material compares the elevation of Pike’s Peak with mountains and destinations around the world and provides distances between stops along the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway.
The richly colored wrappers feature the Cog Wheel Route emblem, mountain goats, the railway climbing the mountain, and a dramatic view of the tracks passing through the rocky Colorado landscape.
Condition
Good antique condition. Pictorial wrappers show age toning, rubbing, creasing, edge and corner wear, and areas of paper loss and abrasion, particularly along the spine and left edge. Stapled binding shows wear and some stress around the staples. Interior pages remain complete and generally clean with light toning and handling wear. Illustrations and text remain clear and attractive. Please review photographs for full condition.
Subject
Pike’s Peak; Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway; Cog Railway; Colorado; Railroadiana; Travel Ephemera
Topic
1903 Colorado; Cog Wheel Route; Manitou Springs; Early Tourism; Railroad Brochures; Pike’s Peak History; Mountain Railways
