Copper Canyon History

In 1872, the American entrepreneur Albert Kinsey Owen dreamed of building a rail line that would provide the shortest route to transport goods from Kansas City to the Pacific ocean. The result of his dream was the Chihuahua-Pacifico Railroad , which winds its way almost 400 miles through the Copper Canyon in northern Mexico.

Acclaimed as an engineering marvel, the rail line passes through 86 tunnels and traverses 39 bridges. Events such as the Mexican Revolution, World War II, as well as the inherent difficulties of engineering and building the mountain railway, kept the project from completion until 1961.

Due to the late completion of the railroad, Owen's vision of the railroad as a means for transporting goods never became a reality , as other forms of transportation had rendered his route obsolete. However, the rail line wasn't a complete failure for simple fact that it was carved through some of the most gorgeous territory in all of Mexico. Tourism has supported the railroad since its completion; and the ride through the spectacular canyon is one of the best parts of any tour through Northern Mexico.