In 1886 or 1887,: the Colorado Midland Railway operated along Ruxton Creek. The railway offered service between Manitou and Green Mountain Falls: through Ute Pass.: The route was extended to Leadville and Aspen.: Colorado Midland Railway—founded by Irving Howbert, J. J. Hagerman, and Jerome B. Wheeler—helped to make resort communities in Ute Pass successful in the 1890s, but it did not realize great financial success.: