In Phantom Canyon the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad built a spectacular railroad to serve the Cripple Creek mining district in 1893. Along with the railroad came small stops on the way up the canyon and a telegraph line. Financial trouble hit due to competing railroads and damaging floods in the canyon forcing it to end operation in 1915. The whole railroad was scrapped minus a few rails that ended up in the creek from floods and a neat bridge on a curve. Today the grade can be driven and makes for a fun drive to the high country.

Parts of the telegraph and telephone line can be seen along the road with most poles cut and recycled but a few interesting pipe poles are still present for viewing. Instead of blasting the rock out close to the railroad for wood poles, the construction gang drilled holes and seated pipe with wood arms attached via pipe fittings. Existing crossarms have steel pins with wood cobs and evidence of Brookfield CD 151 and CD 145 have been found along the road at the mouth of the canyon.