Osier

Osier sits in Conejos County, Colorado, and though federal geographic records still list it as a populated place, nobody actually lives there — it is a genuine ghost town. Its roots are as a railroad settlement, born from the needs of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Today Osier serves a unique role along that historic narrow-gauge line: it is the approximate midpoint where trains departing from opposite ends of the route converge and pause for lunch. That arrangement lets passengers choose whether to press on in their current direction or ride back the way they came. Outside of that daily railroad rhythm, the site is essentially a quiet, underpopulated stop with no permanent residents.