Early Durango circa 1889
A majority of the buildings visible in this photo were destroyed in the fire of 1889. The nearest block featured a wide variety of businesses, including the Grand Central Livery, the building on the right. A look down Main shows smelter smoke drifting about. To locals that smoke represented jobs, salaries, industry and profits and, therefore, looked good in photographs, thus demonstrating Durango as progressive.
The power and telephone poles proved an attractive nuisance. People tacked notices, cards, playbills and whatever else they wanted on them. The City Council warned people to stop such defacing and had the poles painted. Nothing worked, so in 1907 an ordinance levied a $5 to $50 fine on offenders.
The Moments Project is a conceptual public sculpture by Shan Wells, designed to preserve the cultural heritage of Durango, and to make visible the movement of time.
Erected 2005 by Shan Wells' Moments Project. (Marker Number 6.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 37° 16.521′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Main Post Office Professional Building (a few steps from this marker); Saloon District circa 1910 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jack Dempsey (about 400 feet away); Old Durango Courthouse circa 1892 (about 500 feet away); The Gardenswartz Building (about 800 feet away); Central Durango, circa 1900 (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Pleasant Summer Afternoon, circa 1885 (approx. 0.2 miles away); La Plata County Vietnam Veteran Memorial
Also see . . . Moments in Durangos history (The Durango Telegraph, 2005). (Submitted on November 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 782 times since then and 145 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 17, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
