Durango in La Plata County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Main Avenue Bridge, circa 1908
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2024
1. Main Avenue Bridge, circa 1908 Marker
Everything was up to date in Durango when its trolley started to run in 1891. It eventually ran from the railroad depot two miles north to Animas City. Operating until 1920, it was the shortest franchised trolley line in the United States.
There was a bridge at this site as early as 1880. The bridge connected Durango with the Fassbinder neighborhood, part of which can be seen in the background. The bridge also allowed the flow of water from the springs, which were located where the fish hatchery is today. These springs were Durango's first water supply. The obvious source for water, the Animas River, was polluted from mining in the San Juans and ranches in the valley.
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. A free map of 19 other stanchions constituting a driving/walking tour of Durango may be obtained at the following locations: Durango Community Recreation Center, Center for Southwest Studies, Durango Arts Center, Durango Chamber of Commerce, Durango City Hall, Durango Public Library, Animas Museum. To learn more about the history of Old Durango, visit the Animas Museum.
Erected 2005 by Shan Wells' Moments Project. (Marker Number 10.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.
Location. 37° 16.847′ N, 107° 52.658′ W. Marker is in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. It can be reached from East 2nd Avenue north of East 15th Street. The marker is located along the Animas River trail, near the northwest corner of Rotary Park, overlooking the river and the bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Durango CO 81301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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: Fassbinder's Legacy (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Iron Horse (about 500 feet away); Electric Revolution (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Pleasant Summer Afternoon, circa 1885 (approx. Ό mile away); Stuart Allen Roosa (approx. Ό mile away); La Plata County Vietnam Veteran Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Fancy Ladies (approx. 0.3 miles away); Swivel End-dump Car (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durango.
Also see . . .
1. Durango's Electric Street Car - 1880s.
Excerpt: By late 1892, this small trolley system was one of the(Submitted on March 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)first in the State to become electrified. Interestingly, the amount the trolley company paid for electricity was not based on how much was actually consumed but varied according to the receipts for the days ridership. Not that this was unfair; but it ratifies the intertwining and powerful involvement that the men of the Trust, (William J. Palmer, William Bell, John Porter and Thomas Graden) had with every aspect of Durangos early development.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 20242. Main Avenue Bridge, circa 1908 MarkerLooking west from near the northwest corner of Rotary Park. The bridge is partially visible in the background.The new street cars came in two versions: 5 heated winter cars with closed in glass windows and 3 summer cars which were open with awnings over the windows. Each had the latest nickel in the slot apparatus as the ride cost a nickel each way and each car could carry between 24 and 30 people. Initially, as a horse drawn trolley, the tracks extended North from the Depot to where the Animas River crosses Main. By July of 1892, the tracks had been extended some 8 blocks to the Brookside Addition, approximately 24th and Main and where Brookside Park was created. The trolley stopped every hour on the hour at Fassbinder Park at 17th and Main. In this same vicinity, the single track split into two tracks to facilitate the passing of trolleys. Their storage barn was on the East side of Main Avenue, between 14th and 15th.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 25, 2024
3. Main Avenue Bridge
Today this modern, concrete bridge carries Main Avenue/Camino del Rio (U.S. 550) over the Animas River.
2. Moments in Durangos history (The Durango Telegraph, 2005). (Submitted on March 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 426 times since then and 263 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
