When telephones made the galvanized-steel telegraph line between Durango and Silverton superfluous, the latter fell into disuse, but it didn’t go away.
As the poles fell, the wire ended up on the ground or draped across whatever was nearby, including cliff faces north of Rockwood, becoming a snare for bighorn sheep, historic residents of the canyon.
When bighorn become entangled in the 3/16-inch line and can’t free themselves, it’s not a pretty end.
“They’re strangled or they starve,” said Evan Buchanan, vice president of operations for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. “It’s not a good death.”
Railroad officials are familiar with the situation because the telegraph line followed the railroad track between Durango and Silverton.
Enter Dave Dillon, who grew up in Durango hiking bighorn country and now leads a volunteer group removing the old telegraph line in what he calls the prettiest place in the Rocky Mountains, the country north of Rockwood.
“This is a great project being done by dedicated volunteers,” said Joe Lewandowski, spokesman in Durango for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “We appreciate their concern for wildlife.”
Dillon, known for his admiration of the bighorn, was approached in early summer by wildlife authorities and D&SNG officials about removing the wire.
“There, north of Rockwood, is winter habitat for bighorn,” Buchanan said. “Bull elk have been caught in the wire, too, but they’re big enough to drag it around.”
A male bighorn may top out at 300 pounds, a bull elk at more than 700 pounds.
Dillon, former owner of Sandco Inc., is semiretired on his 170-acre ranch in the Animas Valley where he grows hay and has cows and horses.
“I didn’t jump at it, but I thought it over and decided ‘Why not?’” Dillon said.
He found ready support.
Durango-based Golden Equipment loaned a skid steer, a wheeled loader, that was outfitted with a hydraulic wire winder.
Help also came from the D&SNG, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Society, Noel’s Inc., a hardware company, and Brennan Oil Co.
“It sounded like a good project to the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Society,” Dillon said. “They asked, ‘How much money do you need?’”
Volunteer helpers give whatever time they can, Dillon said. Those who have helped so far are Buchanan, John Dillon, Robert Gerst, Rex Howard, Ron Moore, Carl Rhodes, Alan Shafer and Richard Weyer. Railroad employees Kyle Danielson and Troy Lass also have helped out.
The usual work crew consists of Dillon and two others who meet at the Rockwood train stop. They travel to the work site by a D&SNG handcar.
“I’ve had nothing but cooperation,” Dillon said.
The crew will remove wire until snow prevents access, Dillon said. But the work will resume as soon as possible in the spring.
“I intend to continue until they say I can’t,” Dillon said.
daler@durangoherald.com
