Ruedi, Colorado, showing plaster mill, coal kilns, depot, and section house. "The first white man to settle in Ruedi was John Ruedi, who showshoed up from Basalt in the spring of 1885. He homesteaded what is now known as the J revers R Ranch. Bill Smith came in 1887 and homesteaded the YS Ranch. The steel for the Colorado Midland Railroad was laid through the valley in 1887. The railroad company wanted ground for a depot and section houses....