‘Tell my wife I died thinking of her,’ The story of Billy Westall

By Melissa Trenary

The late 1800s and early 1900s were the golden era of railroads throughout the country. The rails were the lifeblood of an entire nation. Colorado was no exception. Gold and silver camps that were once only reachable by sure-footed donkeys and mules and hearty prospectors, were opened up to all sorts of merchants and “civilized” folk. Yet commerce was not the only thing the railroads opened up.

The Victorian age brought about a whole new class of people and along with them a whole new idea – tourism. Rail lines through out the West discovered that the upper class liked to take day and over night trips just for the sake of getting “out of town.” Wildflower and picnic excursions became all the rage. One of the most popular of these excursions was the Sunday afternoon picnic trips on the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad.

The specially commissioned train would leave Denver’s Union Station early in the morning, traveling along the South Platte River through Waterton Canyon through Pine and Buffalo up to Bailey. From there the train followed a route over Kenosha Pass and into Como. At Como, passengers would enjoy picnic lunches, wildflower gathering or stay over night at the Pacific Hotel. The train would leave Como in time to have everyone back in Denver by suppertime.

The granite monument erected by the Ancient Order of United Workmen in memory of their fallen brother William Westall.

On Aug. 28, 1898, 450 passengers boarded the train for what should have been a relaxing trip through the foothills southwest of Denver. Little did they know that the afternoon would end in tragedy, with their beloved engineer Billy Westall fighting for his life.

Around 2 p.m., the train made its scheduled stop in Pine, taking on a few more passengers and steamed its way toward the Dome Rock station. Unfortunately, an afternoon thunderstorm had caused a flash flood along one of the small gullies that fed into the South Platte. The high waters had washed rocks, trees and debris across the tracks. Engineer Westall saw the impending crash and quickly told his firemen to get everyone off the train. Although the seasoned engineer was able to slow the train enough for his passengers and crew to jump off safely, he was unable to avoid an impact. The train rolled over, pinning Westall underneath.

Several members of the crew along with a few passengers were able to free the brave engineer and he was immediately taken to Buffalo. Sadly, Westall’s injuries were too severe and he died later that night. As he took his last breath, he held the hand of one of his firemen and uttered the words, “Tell my wife I died thinking of her.”

Due to his quick thinking, all of Westall’s passengers and crewmembers survived the accident.

Westall was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His fraternal brothers raised the money to have a monument erected in his name. On Sept. 4, 1899, a year after the accident, the AOUW, along with the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, held a memorial along the banks of the South Platte River where the horrific wreck occurred. The event was catered by some of the finest restaurants in Denver and a full band along with men’s quartet provided the music. Dignitaries from all over the state helped deliver the eulogy. The railroad commissioned a special train to carry all the former passengers who loved Billy so much.

Today, most travelers along the South Plate River have no idea that there is a massive granite monument erected just outside of the tiny burg of Foxton. Yet it stands, surviving several forest fires and countless floods, an eternal memorial to a brave man who gave his life saving hundreds of others.