This area is currently under development.
What of the name and spelling of the “Chili Line”. There are several stories on the origin of the name. One has it that one of the main items shipped were chiles. Another has that the sight of chiles in strands known as ristras (from the Spanish word for string) drying on and around homes in the area gave it its name. Still another was that it was from the fact that chiles is a major seasoning of foods in the area. Myself, I like the ristras story best, but that’s just me. On the spelling, either chili, chilli, or chile is correct. So why use chili? The answer is that in all publications such as newspapers articles, magazines’ articles, and books that we have found spell it as the “Chili Line”. Also, remember that the D&RGW in official communications always referred to it by the name of the “Santa Fe Branch”.