Great American Railroad Journeys: 2x7

La Junta, Colorado, to Pueblo, New Mexico

Michael Portillo hits ranching territory in Las Animas County, Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century dudes from the east coast who came to experience life as cowboys. First up – how to use a lasso.

At Bent’s Old Fort, Michael learns about the Mexican-American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops. He also looks at America’s relationship with firearms at a NRA shooting centre in Raton, New Mexico, and discovers how guns won the West.

Back across the state line in Pueblo, Colorado, Michael is drawn to a giant steel mill mentioned in his Appleton’s that produces rails a quarter of a mile long, transported on special trains.