Galloping Goose Historical Society 3.08

Approximately 2,500 people visit the museum each year, coming from throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The museum and Galloping Goose No. 5 are important assets to the Town of Dolores and Southwestern Colorado. Each year, teachers bring classes of students to the museum to learn about the important role the RGS played in the Dolores community and the importance of preserving our history for future generations. The museum gives visitors insight into how people in the Southwest lived and worked and the challenges they faced. It is the only museum in Dolores and generates economic impact for the local community.

The Town of Dolores, Colorado grew up around the Rio Grande Southern Railroad in the early 1890s. The RGS transported ore, lumber, and livestock out of remote areas of the San Juan mountains. In response to severe economic challenges during the Great Depression, the first motorized railcar was built in the RGS’s Ridgway Shop in 1931. The gasoline operated ‘Galloping Goose,’ as it came to be known, was so efficient at moving passengers, U.S. mail, and essential supplies from Durango to Mancos, Dolores and the mountain towns of Rico, Placerville, Telluride, and Ridgway, that six more Geese were built during the 1930’s. They operated for twenty years and provided a daily lifeline to the outside world for mountain residents.

After World War II, as roads improved, trucks and buses became more efficient for transporting passengers and supplies. In the late 1940’s, the RGS lost the U.S. Mail contract. Tourist excursions to Lizard Head could not keep the railroad viable. The tracks were torn up and the Geese were sold. The Rotary Club of Dolores purchased Goose No. 5 and displayed it in the town’s park.

The purpose of the Galloping Goose Historical Society is to keep this important piece of railroad history alive. In 1991, the Society built a replica of the Dolores Train Depot, where the museum, gift store, and GGHS offices are now located. In the late 1990’s, the Society completely restored Galloping Goose No. 5, which is open to visitors and runs on track in front of the museum. The museum collection includes pictures (many one-of-a-kind), interpretive displays, artwork, models, reference books and papers, plus many artifacts, large and small.