HOW DOS CABEZAS GOT IT'S NAME

These two photos show a view of an unusual jumble of rocks along the S.D.& A. first noticed by Mexican track workers about 1918. At the mouth of the cave is what is now called the "Monkey Face" (arrow #1) and is the first "head" of DOS Cabezas. The second "head", to the right of the cave and lower down, can best be seen from down the track a short distance when the shadows are right (arrow #2).

Gaylen Dyreng, veteran engineer on the S.D.& A.E., has passed this place thousands of times and pointed this spot out to the museum speeder riders last month, many of whom had heard the story but didn't know the location. The "DOS Cabezas" are about eight feet across and are near milepost #112 on the old S.D.& A. about two miles from the water tank and siding that bears the name.

These massive boulders, many more than 30 feet thick, are typical of the terrain that the S.D.& A. had to blast through on its way to earning the title of the "Impossible Railroad". With so many piles of tumbled rocks along seventy miles of mountain railroad, this spot is very difficult to find. Thanks to Gaylen for sharing this interesting bit of S.D.& A. legend and lore with us. (Photos by Larry Rose) Museum REPORT #202, Jan-Feb 1986, page 12


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