Drinking It In

Right above the levee of the Arkansas River from the Union street bridge sits Union Depot. I find this area interesting. This might be due to the fact I explore this area annually on foot. But it may just be because they are a unique piece of history. Technically this area is called Union Avenue Historic District.

Union Depot July 2014 (View from the Union Street bridge)

The Union Station or Depot, as the owners  like to call it, was completed in 1890. It was erected to support 5 different railroad companies. The first train came through Pueblo in 1872. Eventually it became a union for 5 different railroad companies. I'm sure that's how the name was created. You can still see trains going by, I don't believe any stop now. Currently they have retail offices and apartments. The Pueblo Union Depot is actually located on B Street. Right now the concrete paintings are mostly gone. They had to be destroyed to fix the levee. I was sad to see them gone.

The Patriot Train behind Union Depot

I honestly took this photo because it looked like it was smiling at me. Look carefully at the white part. Later when I toured the History Museum nearby, I found out this train had a name. There are several old trains behind the depot. It's worth a visit if you are in the area.

Walter Brewery wagon outside Union Depot

Walter Brewing Company started brewing in Pueblo in 1889. The company was started by a German  with the surname Walter. It continued with a short break for prohibition through the mid 1970s. Although I just heard about it, Walter's beer has been revived in Pueblo. You can find their tap room at 126 Oneida Street. And you can bet I'm going next time I'm in town. You can find more information here: http://www.waltersbeer.com/

As it turns out, I have a couple Walter's memorabilia. Above is an ashtray from my grandparents.

This is a Walter's tray, also from my grandparents. So that's why I ended up taking a photo of the cart in front of Union Depot. Something about Walter's seemed familiar. And I know that seems like a stretch, mainly because my grandpa used to be a liquor salesman. When I was old enough he let me file his invoices. He used to give us all kinds of neat liquor t-shirts. I'm not sure what my mother thought, but she did let us wear them.

Well, I can't say exactly how I went from Union Depot to Walter's Brewery to my grandparents. I can say that I have a lot of memories from Pueblo. I remember some of when I lived there, but many fond memories come from the visits. I hope I'm still able to visit as the years go by. Until the next post... #Pueblo