Durango in La Plata County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Durango's Smelter

1881 — 1930

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

1. Durango's Smelter Marker

Inscription.
To the west across the Animas River stood Durango’s Smelter, 1881-1930. It was a uranium mill from World War II into 1963. The last buildings were demolished in 1987: the bricks and stones used for this monument’s base are all that remain. The smelter, nearby coal mines, and hard rock mining in the San Juan Mountains sustained Durango’s development for a generation.

Two men constituted a double-jack team. One turned the steel while the other pounded it. The holes they drilled were filled with blasting powder and fired to break up the rock. They used a set of steel, each piece progressively longer and narrower, and an eight-pound hammer for this wearying work. Eventually replaced by machine drills, the skilled double-jackers took their trade to timed drilling contests, where they competed for coveted championships.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.

Location. 37° 15.675′ N, 107° 52.697′ W. Marker is in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. It is on Santa Rita Drive just west of South Camino Del Rio (U.S. 160/550), on the right when traveling west. The marker is on the north side of the parking lot in Santa Rita Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 South Camino Del Rio, 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Santa Rosa Community, circa 1948 (within shouting distance of this marker); Emma Sweeny — Movie Star (within shouting distance of this marker); Hollywood of the Rockies (within shouting distance of this marker); Santa Rita (within shouting distance of this marker); Vanishing Homeland (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the San Juan Skyway (within shouting distance of this marker); Rose Garden (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Let The Good Times Roll (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durango.

Also see . . . The Durango Smelter (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The San Juan and New York Smelting Company, (later on merged into the American Smelting & Refining Company, but commonly referred to as the "Durango Smelter") was a mineral smelter located below Smelter Mountain right in front of Durango, Colorado, operating from 1882 to 1930, processing Coke, Lead, Copper, Silver, and Gold from mines all over La Plata County, San Juan County, and elsewhere in the Southwestern Colorado Region generally serviced by railroad. It was later reinstated during World War II by the U. S. Vanadium Corporation for production of large amounts of Uranium that would be utilized in the Manhattan
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

2. Boris Uskert Memorial
In Memory of Boris UskertA dedicated Morrison-Knudsen employee whose life was lost in an airplane accident January 19, 1988 while enroute to Durango to participate in the design of this monument.
Project.
From 1963 on the smelter sat dormant until the U.S. Department of Energy cleaned up the site from 1985 to 1987 due to concerns regarding toxic mineral tailings/radioactive waste, as well as the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suing ASARCO (the successor to the American Smelting and Refining Company) for damages to natural resources in 1983. Today the site is now the City of Durango's dog park and also considered a popular local hike.
From 1903 to 1904 the Durango Smelter played a role in Colorado Labor Wars, when smelter workers went on strike. The strikes around Colorado helped influence Colorado Labor Laws.

(Submitted on January 13, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Double-jack Team Sculpture image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

3. Double-jack Team Sculpture

Durango's Smelter Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

4. Durango's Smelter Monument

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

5. Durango's Smelter Monument

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2025

6. Durango's Smelter Monument

The historical marker is on the front side of the Durango Smelter monument.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 13, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 116 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 13, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.