Calvary Presbyterian Church of Pine River
89 E. Mill Street
Ground was broken for the foundation of the church on April 16, 1898; the building was first used for services eleven months later, on March 15, 1899. The lots were donated by W. . . . — — Map (db m160512) HM
In January of 1914, L. E. Jenkins bought the lot at the corner of Mill and Pearl Streets. In February he started construction on this building and hired J. M. Lail as his contractor. According to the Bayfield Blade, L. E. Jenkins was in his new . . . — — Map (db m160497) HM
Bayfield High School and Community Gym
Bayfield High School
659 E. South Street
Construction of this originally T-Shaped, two-story school building began in 1923, and was completed in 1925. In 1960-1961, a major addition was constructed on . . . — — Map (db m292643) HM
Dr. E. W. Newland House
1543 Hwy 160B
The April 6, 1911 Bayfield Blade reported “Dr. E. W. Newland has commenced the erection of a large dwelling on his orchard tract just north of Bayfield. This house will be modern in every particular. . . . — — Map (db m292646) HM
In 1911, this building was constructed to house the Farmers and Merchants Bank. J. M. Lail and son S. A. Lail contracted to construct the building. During the early 1920s, Dr. E. W. Newland constructed an adjacent building sharing the east wall of . . . — — Map (db m160510) HM
This property was owned by Warren Schiller, co-founder of Bayfield. In 1898, the property was leased to F. M. Anderson, upon which he built a restaurant. A photograph from the 1910s shows a false-front wood frame building with clapboard siding on . . . — — Map (db m160557) HM
H.C. Schroder bought [this] property at the end of 1899 and by 1900-1901 he had constructed a flour mill and a retail store on the property; it is likely that he built this house at the same time. The Beach family owned this house from June 1925 . . . — — Map (db m160496) HM
Hotel Central
57 W. Mill Street
The August 3, 1911 edition of the Bayfield Blade reported the completion of the "Hotel Central." This photo shows the building originally had wood clapboard siding, a wood shingle roof, and a covered . . . — — Map (db m160490) HM
[Illegible] or 19[illegible] tter purcha [illegible] he doctor and [illegible] lived at this [location?] [illegible] moving to their larger [illegible] at the north edge of [town?] in 1912. The building [illegible] similar[?] in appearance . . . — — Map (db m160518) HM
Schroder Store
64 W. Mill Street
(Second from left)
The November 7, 1901 Durango Democrat reported that H. C. "Schroeder" was building a new storehouse in Bayfield; this is the west half of this building. Between 1910 and 1919, . . . — — Map (db m160471) HM
W. A. Bay House 225 Pearl Street
The W. A. Bay Home was built circa 1898-1900. When the Bays acquired the property there existed on site a two-room wood-framed cabin and an older three-room log cabin. Around 1900, the Bays built the core of . . . — — Map (db m292645) HM
Originated on the site of a U.S. Cavalry post established in 1880 at Hesperus. From 1891 until 1956 the old fort was operated as an Indian school, a vocational high school and a junior college.
The first president of the college was Charles . . . — — Map (db m22765) HM
A Ticket to Tomahawk • In August and September 1949 20th Century Fox filmed A Ticket to Tomahawk, mainly in the Durango and Silverton area, with camp scenes at their studio in Los Angeles. • The cast included four . . . — — Map (db m294685) HM
The prominent blacksmith shop was owned by Charles Naegelin, a well-known local figure. Burros, lined up tranquilly, were possibly there to be shod. Durango had photographic studios almost from the day of its birth, ensuring a wonderful and rich . . . — — Map (db m291494) HM
Captain Charles H. Baker, who discovered gold in the San Juan in 1860, led a party of prospectors to this area in 1861. They placer mined on El Rio de las Animas, built the first bridge (300 feet north), and established the town called Animas . . . — — Map (db m177471) HM
Dedicated to Charles E. Bradshaw Jr. who established the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Mr. Bradshaw saved the Silverton branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Western from abandonment in 1981 and preserved the Railroad as a National Historic . . . — — Map (db m71079) HM
Durango's first survey stake was driven on this corner in September, 1880. Main Avenue quickly became "the" business street. The electric trolley opened in 1893 and eventually ran all the way to Animas City, two miles to the north. Animas Mountain . . . — — Map (db m267895) HM
Residents of La Plata County came forward time and again to meet the challenges presented by the fires. Each person became a hero in his or her own way.
As days turned into weeks, La Plata County fell victim to the fire. Where you are now . . . — — Map (db m160441) HM
has been designated a
Registered National
Historic Landmark
under the provisions of the
Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935
This site possesses exceptional value
in commemorating or illustrating
the history of the United . . . — — Map (db m160243) HM
The three-story building, center left, was Durango’s skyscraper, the Newman Building. It had the only elevator in the whole region. Built by Charles Newman, an early Durango druggist and politician, the structure indicated Durangoans had a great . . . — — Map (db m267896) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m291641) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m160299) HM
“Durango has electric lights for her workers, an advantage to the city’s conveniences which is far more than pleasing.” ~Durango Herald, 1888 The first electric power plant, the Durango Light Company, produced Direct Current (DC) . . . — — Map (db m267898) HM
As a building contractor and an astute businessman, Fassbinder homesteaded property on both sides of the Animas River, built the first bridge across the river, and provided drinking water for Durango from a spring on his property — located where . . . — — Map (db m267976) HM
The Florida River Railroad Bridge No. 437 (distance in miles from Denver, Colorado), provided an important river crossing in the Denver and Rio Grande's (D&RG) route to Denver. The Union Bridge Company fabricated the Pratt through-truss bridge in . . . — — Map (db m177463) HM
Originated on the site of a U. S. Cavalry post established in 1880 at Hesperus. From 1891 until 1956 the old fort was operated as an Indian School, a vocational high school and a junior college. The first president of the college was Charles Dale . . . — — Map (db m294700) HM
• Hollywood came to the San Juans in 1948 when 20th Century Fox filmed Sand and Warner Brothers filmed Colorado Territory. Sand was about an expensive show horse that escaped from a train and ran wild in Colorado . . . — — Map (db m294670) HM
In 1915, here at 10th and Main 20 year old Colorado native Jack Dempsey the “Manassa Mauler” knocksdown [sic] Andy Malloy in a ten round fight winning $50 and going on to become world heavyweight champion in 1919. — — Map (db m51813) HM
Dedicated to the men and women of La Plata County who served their country in Vietnam ☆ ☆ ☆ Let none forget they gave their all and faltered not when came the call ——— Dedicated by the Citizens of La Plata County 27 . . . — — Map (db m291498) WM
Durango had all the amenities desired by local citizens. With a diverse economy, good roads, and dependable railroads, trade goods and raw materials flowed into and out of southwest Colorado. By the turn of the century, Durango was at . . . — — Map (db m291673) HM
This man-caused forest fire burned 26,000 acres consuming approximately 150,000,000 board-feet of timber. Reforestation by direct seeding and planting of seedling trees was started in 1911 and continues today.
The project was financed by . . . — — Map (db m58966) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m267897) HM
The Utes arrived in the Southwest centuries before Europeans appeared. From the Spanish they acquired the horse, which changed their lives forever. Following the end of the Mexican War in 1848, they found themselves in United States Territory. The . . . — — Map (db m267894) HM
Every community wished to have an outstanding hotel. The Strater, opening in 1888, provided that facility. The horse drawn trolley, coming up Main Avenue, operated from 1891 to 1893. It ran from the depot, north to the Main Avenue Bridge. The . . . — — Map (db m267890) HM
Durango became the county seat of La Plata County in 1881, an important designation for commerce and politics. The mining camp of Parrott City, located near the mouth of La Plata Canyon, lost the election to its larger rival. The original . . . — — Map (db m291297) HM
Built in 1929, this building served Durango for 49 years as the Main Post Office and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Buildings. — — Map (db m160303) HM
Even though this land was Ute territory, the upper Animas River Valley was first settled by prospectors in the spring of 1860. Charles Baker, returning from the mines north of Silverton, established "Old Animas City" and built the first bridge . . . — — Map (db m177468) HM
The first Rocky Mountain
Chocolate Factory was opened
on this site in May 1981. With
the support of the people of
Durango and her visitors,
Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory, Inc. has grown to
become an international
franchisor with . . . — — Map (db m160240) HM
Established in 1940, the Garden Club of Durango cultivated roses and maintained the rose garden at the Durango Public Library. In 1992, many of the roses were moved from the library and replanted at this site in Santa Rita Park. The rose garden . . . — — Map (db m291679) HM
The right side of Main's 900 block housed many of Durango's saloons. Proper women would not walk on the west side of this block, except for the south end, where the First National Bank stood. Also, at various times restaurants, cigar stores, and . . . — — Map (db m291389) HM
Since the days of Spanish explorations and colonization in “New Spain,” Spanish-speaking people have given Colorado many place names — San Juan, Sierra de La Plata, Los Pinos, Piedra, Hermosa, Rio de las Animas, and Colorado… to name but a . . . — — Map (db m291657) HM
The settlement of Santa Rosa was named so in the 1950s. It housed smelter workers and other families and boasted a rich Latino flair. Torn down in the early 1970s to make way for the expansion of highway 550/160 and later a city park, the community . . . — — Map (db m291299) HM
Disturbances like fire, insects, and disease help maintain diversity in a forest by creating a mosaic of vegetation. Without disturbances, forest are less resilient and less healthy.
Fire helps create the scenic variety, particularly the aspen . . . — — Map (db m160444) HM
This shaft “can” skip held about one-ton of ore and required either an electric or steam powered hoist motor to lift it out of the shaft. Shaft cans or sinking skips came in many different sizes and shapes depending on the size of the . . . — — Map (db m291497) HM
The large building in the foreground is Durango's first high school. Above it is the new La Plata County Courthouse. The Boulevard, today's Third Avenue, is the street running between the two. The Ladies' Literary Society planted trees in the . . . — — Map (db m160451) HM
In 1971, Stuart “Stu” Roosa, a Durango native, was the command module pilot on the Apollo 14 mission. Roosa was born in Durango in 1933 and called Durango home. Stuart “Stu” Allen Roosa was born in Durango on August 16, 1933 and . . . — — Map (db m291392) HM
On the afternoon of June 9, 2002, a human-caused spark ignited the Missionary Ridge Fire, and a new chapter in the history of our community began.
On June 25, firefighters were further taxed when the Valley Fire started in the Falls Creeks . . . — — Map (db m160439) HM
This swivel end-dump car has a 1 1/2 ton capacity of ore, yet it could be handled and dumped by a single person. These small, swivel end-dump cars were most commonly called “one ton cars,” yet they came in a number of sizes ranging from . . . — — Map (db m291499) HM
“Resolve that the Mayor instruct the City Marshall to stop all fancy women from riding on horseback or in open carriages or otherwise exhibiting or advertising their occupation on the streets of the City of Durango.” . . . — — Map (db m291496) HM
The Denver & Rio Grande Railway was founded in 1870. Under General William Jackson Palmer this railway developed an extensive narrow gauge network throughout Colorado. Railroad lines brought growth and prosperity to the West's wide-open spaces and . . . — — Map (db m253213) HM
Listed in The National Register of Historic Places in Recognition of its Contribution to Durango’s Main Avenue Historic District — — Map (db m267982) HM
In 1880, the Durango Trust Company laid out Durango with a downtown business district and a residential area defined by “the Boulevard” …an area of fashionable homes and churches with a tree-lined median strip. The Denver & Rio Grande . . . — — Map (db m267899) HM
Built in 1892 by Senator Charles Newman, pioneer merchant, miner and legislator. He maintained his office here until his death in 1906.
Major Daniel L. Sheets, cattleman and member of Colorado’s second state legislature, operated the U.S. Land . . . — — Map (db m51814) HM
Trails & Passes
• The Colorado Rocky Mountains, appearing as a formidable barrier, have trails over almost all 260 passes.
• A trail is a corridor between two places: usually a network of paths that meet at certain key points, such as river . . . — — Map (db m153407) HM
Stony Pass
• From 1872 until 1882, when the railroad reached Silverton, Stony Pass was the vital link between the San Juan mining districts and supply towns to the east.
• A practical but tough route from Del Norte ran up the Rio Grande . . . — — Map (db m153409) HM
“Either they (the Utes) or we must go, and we are not going… the Western Empire is an inexorable fact. He who gets in the way of it will be crushed.” —The Denver Times, 1879 (This reflected the prevailing attitudes toward the Utes . . . — — Map (db m291665) HM
Welcome to Durango, Colorado, and the San Juan Skyway — a 232-mile loop drive that will take you into the heart of the San Juan Mountains on state-maintained, paved highways. The San Juan Skyway was designated a Forest Service . . . — — Map (db m291686) HM
In 1776, Franciscan Fathers Francisco Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante, and eight companions explored what is now western Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona as men of peace.
In August 1776, Fathers Dominquez and Escalante and a . . . — — Map (db m153334) HM
In 1776, Franciscan Fathers, Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Excalante and eight companions, explored what is now southern Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona, as men of peace.
Between August and December, 1776, Dominguez . . . — — Map (db m153336) HM
On August 10, 1776, there passed by here the expedition of Fathers Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante with eight companions. They were seeking a route to link the long established missions of New Mexico with Monterey, . . . — — Map (db m71613) HM
Between 1800 and 1850, the Old Spanish Trail became a regional trade route between Santa Fe and California.
Dominguez and Escalante traveled through this valley in 1776. Within twenty-five years of their expedition this trail became a . . . — — Map (db m301745) HM
