Durango Colorado
Used with the permission of John Cletheroe. Click on the train to go to John's website.
In 1874, the Ute tribe signed the Brunot Agreement, ceding a large portion of land in Southwest Colorado. The land was aquired from the Ute reservation that was established in 1868.
General William Jackson Palmer, began building the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1870. The line started in Denver, then went east through Colorado Springs, turned west at Walsenburg, then came across to Durango and reached the mining town of Silverton in 1882.
By 1881, Durango was a fully-functioning town with its own government. Buildings were popping up at a great rate and the San Juan and New York Mining and Smelter Company built a smelter in town. By the early 1890's Durango had electric power, a streetcar, several newspapers, and over 2,700 residents. In the past 100 years, Durango has grown and changed with the times, but it hasn't lost it's old western charm.
The heart of the historic residential district is tree-lined Third Avenue, where many of the gracious old homes have been restored to their original granduer. Take a drive down Third, the homes are beautiful and charming. My favorite time to cruise Third, is during the Christmas Season. The neighborhood's snow lined streets are bedecked in Christmas splendor, and they give you a true feeling of peace on earth.
The Old business district of Durango, is a fun and charming place to spend a day. There are lots of shops that sell everything from the usual tourist goo-gah's, fine leather's, victorian decorations for your home, (my mom's favorite)exquisite art, jewelery, rocks and fossil's, and my favorite place to stop for a snack, the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I love to do my Christmas Shopping in downtown Durango. I can find many beautiful, and unique gift's here. The prices are reasonable. So have fun!
One of the many things to do while you are visiting Durango, is to take the trip on the Narrow Guage Railroad to Silverton Colorado. This is a beautiful trip. The scenery is inspiring. Be sure to take lots of film with you. The round trip takes most of the day, and you only get an hour or so in Silverton, before the train heads back to Durango. What I would do, is take the train to Silverton, then take the shuttle bus back to Durango that evening. Inquire about this option at the train depot. It gives you alot more time to explore Silverton, and you get to see the beautiful drive from Silverton to Durango on the Million Dollar Hiway. (hiway 550) Hiway 550 got it's name from the low grade ore that is used in the road base.
Skiing is one of the premiere attractions to the Durango area. Puragtory ski resort is only a few miles away, and there is a small ski lift on Hesperus Hill, for those who like to ski, but have a limited budget. For more info on skiing call: Purgatory Resort @ 1-800-982-6103.
For those of you who like to golf, Durango has great golfing. I personally go golfing at the Hillcrest Golf Club. Their fee's are reasonable. For more info:
Hillcrest Golf Club
2300 Rim Dr
Durango CO 81301
There are also a couple of premier golf courses in the Durango area. They are: Tamarron ResortDurango CO 81301
and the:
Dalton Ranch Golf Club & Pro Shop Durango CO 81301
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