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CORONAVIRUS CASES
Updated three days a week at 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday

In Colorado

  • 1,285,987 cases
  • 58,468 hospitalized
  • 4,720,749 people tested
  • 11,985 deaths
  • 8,203 Outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities

In the region

  • La Plata County: 12,257 cases, 78 deaths among cases
  • La Plata County vaccinations: 37,352 (70% of eligible population) full vaccinations
  • Montezuma County: 5,816 cases, 24 deaths with COVID
  • Archuleta County: 2,811, 12 deaths among cases
  • Archuleta County vaccinations: 7,963 (62% of elegible population) full vaccinations
  • Dolores County: 343 cases
  • San Juan County (CO): 197 cases
  • San Juan County (NM): 39,061 cases, 707 deaths
  • San Miguel County: 2,155 cases

Videos & Photos

Durango Wrestling Club hosts annual tournamentLevi Schwettman of Durango and Charley Garrett of Farmington compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald26523180Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14632010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19471500Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13452010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14152010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children from the region participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13552010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13292010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald17891479Levi Schwettman of Durango and Charley Garrett of Farmington compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13212010Levi Schwettman of Durango and Charley Garrett of Farmington compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald12942010Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13402010jm@durangoherald.comWrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8681250Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald7861250Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8481250Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 kids participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald1026950Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 wrestlers participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald1423950Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald9971250Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8741250Dean Gordon and Sophie Mayberry wrestle on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8361250A wrestler eyes her opponent on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald9451250Wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8271250Ian Semmen and Orrin Darrow compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald9211250Eli Estrada and Diandre Chee compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8911250Angelo Aguilar of Durango and Dominic Castillo of Farmington compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald10601250Dean Gordon and Sophie Mayberry wrestle on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8121250Augustine Lucero of Farmington and Amelie Durfee of Kirtland compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald1072950Referee Ryan Dugan slams his hand on the mat declaring a pin as wrestlers compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8741250Coach Sheldon Howard yells instructions to his wrestler as Augustine Lucero of Farmington and Amelie Durfee of Kirtland compete on Saturday during the Durango Wrestling Club tournament at Durango High School. Over 300 children participated in the tournament. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald8361250
Mining a vein of artistic talentFour artists have started an artist collective in the historic Silverton Powerhouse27121934Founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, from left, Hannah Green, Hillary Cable, Anne Chase and Julian Hood stand inside the collective artists space on Tuesday at the old power station on County Road 2 north of town. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)SILVERTON – Two musicians played on a small carpet that demarcated the stage from the mass of visitors clad in duct tape-patched jackets huddled around a wood stove – the lone source of any meaningful heat – at the Silverton Powerhouse Spring Fever Event in early March.Black and white photographs clung to the walls of the former industrial building, covering up decades of wear. When the Silverton power station was built in 1906, it was a critical piece of infrastructure responsible for the distribution of hydroelectric power that was farmed from the Animas River and relayed to a network of mines scattered among the peaks of the San Juan Mountains. And while the telltale circular holes in the brick facade through which high voltage lines once ran still remain, the building now enables the mining of something else: artistic talent. 30001970The Silverton Powerhouse is a collective space for artists and community events located in the former power transfer station that once fed crucial electricity to the mines scattered about the San Juans. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)Four Silverton artists – Hannah Green, Hillary Cable, Anne Chase and Julian Hood – are what one could call the mining foremen of the Silverton Powerhouse, although they prefer the term “founding artists.”Over the last year, the team has worked to convert the former power station into a collective space for artists to work and host community events that incubate Silverton’s artistic talent. It is the building itself, Green says from her balcony studio overlooking the space’s expansive footprint, that propelled the Silverton Powerhouse into existence. “People walk in here and have 10 million ideas,” she said. The Silverton Historical Society put the building up for lease in November 2021. It had sat unused, filled with ski-making detritus, after ScottyBob Skiworks vacated the space several years earlier. Green took the initiative to gather Silverton’s artistic community and gauge what interest there might be in converting the space into an artist collective. 30002004Hannah Green, a Silverton photographer and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse collective artist space, with some of her work on Tuesday inside the old power station. Green had been searching for studio space when the powerhouse became available for rent in fall 2021. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)Cable, Chase and Hood were willing to commit to the project, and in February 2022, the group signed a lease. The artists range in age from 23 to 36. “Last year was a lot learning, just figuring out what we really wanted this space to be and how we wanted it to work,” Green said. Since signing the lease, the four artists have begun to make the space their own and open it up for community events.Many of the Powerhouse’s facilities are still under construction and meet only the minimum needs of the founding artists. The temperature in the poorly insulated building hovers below 50 degrees winter days, making it difficult for the artists to justify renting space to others. But having studio space has enabled – and in some cases required – the four to expand their artistic endeavors. They come and go as they please, although most of them are limited by the constraints of having at least one full-time job.Hood works in the uppermost balcony of the building, where he runs his brand, Notorious Blair Street Tees. His multi-armed screen printing press occupies much of the space, which he says is a step up from the basement of The Avon hotel. 30002044Julian Hood, one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, in his screen printing studio space on Tuesday inside the old power station outside of town. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)“It feels like I'm starting to be an actual business,” Hood said. “It feels legitimate.”A floor below him, Chase sits in front of an easel perched at the edge of the building’s second tier. She recently quit her day job in favor of artistic career. Chase makes landscape art across a broad range of formats, transcending the constraints of any single defined lane. 30001857Anne Chase, one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, with some of her work on Tuesday at her studio inside the old power station outside of town. She stained nearly every counter and table in her house with paint before she began working in the Powerhouse. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)“I have stained all of my kitchen counters and my dining room table with paint,” she said. “I have room for all of my prints and storage and paints. It has been huge.”Directly below her, Cable has a small enclosed studio where she is working on an epoxy backsplash for her brother’s kitchen. “I can't do the project that I'm working on right now without that space,” she said.30002066Hillary Cable, one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, said she could not have done the backsplash she is making were it not for the studio space at the Powerhouse. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)She used to work in a section of her bedroom, cordoned off by sheets of plastic hung from the ceiling. She said the studio space has financial impacts that extend in both directions; it allows her to do more work while simultaneously necessitating that she produce more in order to cover her portion of rent. Of course, the profits from Cable’s ski-pole plunger business supplement her income. The four entrepreneurs say they are envisioning the future through two different lenses. One lens is focused one step ahead, on the Powerhouse’s immediate needs. In the other lens, the artists are looking at how their collective will fit into Silverton’s community. 30001978Hillary Cable, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, holds her ski pole plunger Tuesday in her studio space. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)The Powerhouse’s facilities currently include a photography dark room and a bare-bones music studio. The darkroom, sequestered under a stairway, darkened by hanging curtains, is ripe for improvement, Hood says.The Powerhouse artists launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier this month to address some of the building’s immediate needs. The campaign, which ends April 2, has raised over $12,000 of the $19,500 goal.First up, Chase said, is heating. “We need to make the space usable year-round in order for it to be a viable business,” she said. “The four of us are pretty hearty and work in a 49-degree building. But I sometimes can't work when it's this cold because of my paint. So we need to make the building warmer.”The founders have emptied their own bank accounts into the Powerhouse and are now soliciting community support because they say the vision of what the space can be, and already is, has been widely backed by the Silverton community. “The whole community loves how beautiful this building is,” Cable said. “It's been really special to be able to share that with them and invite people out here and just enjoy the space with other people from the community.”Already, the Powerhouse has hosted the Silverton Whiteout Fat Bike Race, bonfires, birthday parties and art shows. On April 1, the artists will host a silent auction to benefit their Kickstarter campaign. Once the place can retain some heat, the founding artists say they want to create new studio spaces for up to three more makers, enhance the building for hosting events and turn it into a resource for Silverton’s broader community. They have even talked with Silverton School about opening the space up to kids. Using Durango’s Smiley Building as inspiration, the group is looking to foster a buzzing hub of artistic activity. “It's so important to have a community space in such a small town,” Chase said. “The winters here are really isolating. And (know) so many artists who all work alone, who really value the idea of working together.”rschafir@durangoherald.comJulian Hood, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, a collective artist space, at his screen printing studio space on Tuesday inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20443000The Silverton Powerhouse a collective artist space, on Tuesday that is located inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19703000Hannah Green, a Silverton photographer and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse a collective artist space, with some of her work on Tuesday inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20043000The Silverton Powerhouse a collective artist space, on Tuesday that is located inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20003000Some of Julian Hood’s work inside of the Silverton Powerhouse on Tuesday. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20473000The Silverton Powerhouse a collective artist space that is located inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19563000Anne Chase shows the music room at the Silverton Powerhouse, a collective artist space. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20003000Founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, from left, Hannah Green, Hillary Cable, Anne Chase and Julian Hood stand inside of the collective artist space on Tuesday at the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19342712Anne Chase, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, a collective artist space, with some of her work on Tuesday at her studio inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald18573000Juneau and Rufus, dogs which belong to artists at the Silverton Powerhouse, a collective artist space, play on Tuesday. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19863000Hillary Cable, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, holds her ski pole plunger that she makes and sells from her studio inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19783000Hannah Green, a Silverton photographer and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, with some of her work on Tuesday inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20813000Some of the materials that Anne Chase, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, uses on Tuesday at her studio inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald18253000Hillary Cable, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, displays some of her work on Tuesday inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19873000Anne Chase, a Silverton artist and one of the founding artists of the Silverton Powerhouse, a collective artist space, with some of her work on Tuesday at her studio inside of the old power station outside of town. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald40006000Anne Chase stops and looks at a window that is covered with ScottyBob Skiworks skis, which were once manufactured in the old power station outside of Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald60004000
Four artists have started an artist collective in the historic Silverton Powerhouse
Hop aboard for a ride on the snowplowing ‘flanger’ trainDurango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs a special trip to clear tracks after heavy snowfall30002009A Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad locomotive pulls a flanger car to push snow from the tracks north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)The temperature hovers above zero as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad crew tasked with clearing snow away from the tracks readies for departure. A blue enameled coffeepot heats atop the coal-fired caboose stove, where crew members pause to warm themselves in its glow as they move in and out of the caboose – the fog of their breath illuminated by their battery-powered lanterns.The scent of cowboy coffee and coal-fire mingle with grease and the varnish of history as the air warms inside the caboose – built in 1881 and rebuilt to add length in Alamosa in 1930. Outside, unshakable icicles hang from the car’s roof and drip from the window awnings like frozen frosting.0VideoYouTube480360With a tug from his gloved hand, engineer Nick Breeden releases a few short blasts from locomotive 481’s steam whistle before engaging the drivers of the iron horse built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia in 1925. Six a.m. – time to go – destination Cascade Canyon.The crew is working ahead of the morning passenger train, referred to by the railroaders as a “revenue train,” to push snow from the recent storm away from the tracks. It’s a small work crew with one key piece of machinery, a flanger car designed for just such a task. The couplers between cars clap tight as the locomotive pulls out the slack and the steel wheels begin to roll. The crew in the caboose settle into silence. Conductor Sean Frederick sits at a small desk where the only nod to modernity is the CB radio affixed to the paneled wall. Brakeman Sam Burbey and Trainmaster Joe Daily ease back on the padded side-facing bench seats. The two flanger (snowplow) operators, Daniel Frauenhoff and Christopher Tucson, are perched on opposite sides of the car’s elevated cupola, with its 360-degree view.30002000The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad flanger car was originally built in 1885. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)Only the bellow of the steam whistle and the crossing bells at intersections shatter the predawn peace as the abbreviated train – locomotive and tender, flanger car with its hydraulic snow-pushing wings, and the caboose – rumble through downtown Durango and across the trestle bridge that spans the Animas River, where the commotion causes deer to bolt from their riverside browse.A fingernail of a moon pinned above the mesa glows brighter with the first hint of light in the cloudless sky. The train climbs just enough to reveal an ephemeral fog nestled in the hardwoods beside the serpentine twists of the Animus before it drops into the flats of the upper valley.“It’s shaping up to be a good day,” Daily says. It is mid-February and the second call-to-duty for the flanger car to “widen the path” after a heavy snow this winter. Another train without a flanger pushed the snow off the track the day before. The first trip of the season for the flanger was “epic” with 3 feet of snow on the tracks, Daily says.Old technology that still worksThe first flanger in the West was developed in 1885, according to History Colorado, and was a “leap forward for snow removal” but it still depends on a locomotive snowplow to clear the bulk of the snow in front of the train. The flanger being used by the D&SNG was also built in 1885, then rebuilt in Alamosa in 1930, and finally had air cylinders added in 1985 so it could be controlled by operators in the caboose, Daily says. The flanger operators move the “wings” in and out while the locomotive engineer controls the vertical positioning to account for gradient, switches and crossings.30001897The railroad runs a flanger train after a heavy snow to push snow away from the tracks. The Feb. 17 trip was the second of the season for the flanger, but there have been more since. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)“I love the railroad and all the equipment we run, but as far as the flanger – just how old the technology and how well it still works,” Daily says.Twenty-nine-year-old flanger operator Frauenhoff, who hails from just south of Littleton, summed up operating the “wing valve” that moves the turn-of-the-last-century wings, in modern terms.“It kind of feels like an old video game, pulling those handles,” he said.His flanger-operating partner, 35-year-old Durango native Tucson, said if they get anymore big storms this year they’re not going to have anywhere to put the snow. Tucson described the challenges and limits of operating the flanger.“You just have to really pay attention to what’s ahead of you and know when you bring your wings in they’re going to react slow sometimes,” he said. “And the wings actually, when you push them all the way out, will lock, but in all those rocks you want to have it bent and then if it hits anything, the wing will come in automatically.“And there is a lot of close clearance, especially on the highline,” Tucson said. “If you have your window too far open, you can catch a tree branch and break a window.”Flanger operators spend most their time with heads out the windows, which open outward to create a wind screen as they watch the position of their wing in relation to approaching obstacles.Breeden gives the locomotive a full head of steam across the flat valley, where it reaches its top speed along the route of 20 mph, before the climb into the cliffside cut that winds into the Rockies steep-and-deep San Juan Mountains. Fifteen mph is the overall average speed the train travels but there are places where it slows to 5 mph, Daily says.The flanger train is clearing the tracks only as far as Cascade Canyon, a 26½-mile, two-hour round-trip with no stops, to allow for the passage of a winter “revenue” passenger train. But the summer run from Durango to Silverton is a 45.4-mile trip with an elevation gain of 2,796 feet. The grade along the route undulates a lot, Daily says, with the steepest section reaching a 4% gradient about 8 miles south of Silverton.30002053The flanger car usually gets called out to clear snow away from the tracks two to three times a year but has already surpassed that this year. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)The railroad no longer uses a coal-powered train for the run to Silverton, but when it did, it burned 4 to 5 tons of coal for a round-trip. And it used the better part of its 5,000-gallon-capacity tank of water, which shares space on the tender with the coal, by the time it reached Tank Creek just shy of Cascade Canyon.D&SNG started the process to transition from coal-powered locomotives to oil-burning late in 2018 or early 2019, Daily said, and the first oil-burning locomotive came out in January 2020. The railroad has been slowly converting the fleet since. The locomotive leading the way today is the last of the railroad’s coal-burners. The oil-burners go through 800 to 1,000 gallons of crankcase (basically used motor oil) on a run to Silverton and back.Keeping the tracks clear of snow before it builds up is a timely affair, Daily says.“If you have a lot of snow – if you have a big storm – you want to start before it’s over,” Daily says. “Or at least as soon as it’s over.If a passenger train attempted to push through track covered in deeper snow, the weight of the train vs the resistance of the snow would be too much for the locomotive and there would be the danger of not knowing what was hidden beneath the snow.“Another challenge, if there’s a lot of snow on the tracks, is rocks,” Daily says. “We get a lot of rocks that come down and it would be a big problem if the train hit them. You have to be really careful about that,” he says.Part of the reason the railroad does not operate all the way to Silverton in winter is because the track passes under several dangerous avalanche chutes. But between Durango and Cascade Canyon there is only one small slide the tracks go under and it is not significant enough to cause real danger.The locomotive slows as it wends its way up and up until the tracks wedge themselves between a towering cliff on one side and a sheer drop to the Animas River far below on the other. This is where the flanger operators earn their keep, as they jockey the wings in-and-out to avoid hitting rock outcroppings, trees, all but invisible boulders under the blanket of snow beside the tracks, and narrow rock-walled cuts that the fully retracted wings miss by inches. The little train steams on to Rockwood and a brief stop, where 19-year-old brakeman Burbey collects another bucket of coal for the caboose stove, before continuing on to stop at Tank Creek. Fireman Russell Heerdt, 24, who has been in the locomotive shoveling coal into the firebox during the trip to give Breeden, 27, the steam he needs, climbs atop the tender and lowers the spout from the trackside water tank to refill the tender. 40323024Engineer Nick Breeden from Marysville, Tennessee, has worked on the railroad for 10 years. (Garret Jaros/Durango Herald)It’s not long before Breeden has the locomotive rollicking up the tracks into the big mountains whose peaks are just now glowing orange with the rising sun. Heerdt moves in one easy motion as he scoops coal with a shovel then turns and steps on the pedal that opens the firebox’s furnace door and stokes what’s called the ring of fire. Breeden operates the levers that drive the train, and adjusts the elevation of the flanger wings with his left hand, while his head and right hand spend most their time out the window. “It’s muscle memory,” Breeden says as his left hand moves deftly between the brass- and silver-handled levers. “This one (his right hand) just sits over here and gets cold.” The train has a full head of steam as the locomotive “chuffs” its way toward deeper snow when word comes from the caboose to stop and turn around. Breeden, from Maryville Tennessee, who looks as bygone-era authentic as the locomotive he drives, releases an oath that leaves no doubt he’d like to keep going. “Well, we got the cool part, seeing that sun come up was pretty neat,” Heerdt says to Breeden. The trip back to the barn is uneventful if you don’t count the most majestic scenery in the West. Given a bit of free time, some of the crew share what brought them to work on what is one of the most heralded trains in the country. Brakeman Burbey, who has worked on the railroad for a year, got tired of the view from between his horse’s ears, he said. “Before this I was a horse packer,” he said. “I did that for about 10 years. This is a good job and I get to sleep in my own bed every night.” Conductor Frederick, 23, hails from Pittsburgh and went to work on the railroad more than four years ago after attending Fort Lewis College, where he competed on the school’s mountain bike team. “I love coming up the canyon, being outside and seeing this every day,” he said. Fireman Heerdt, who is also an engineer, grew up in southeast Iowa and used to visit the railroad and Durango with his grandfather. His favorite part of the job is sharing the history with people. “We maintain a way of life that no one has done regularly since the ’40s, and it’s good to share that with people.” Trainmaster Daily, 43, grew up near a railroad track in Maryland, and when he was young his dad took him to a tourist railroad that had steam locomotives and he got hooked, he said. He started working for them when he was a teenager. And then one day he got the bug that’s as old as the tale of the West. “I was 23 and I knew about this railroad and I kind of just wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain,” he said. gjaros@durangoherald.com
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs a special trip to clear tracks after heavy snowfall
DHS girl's basketball wins quarterfinal contestDemons beat Cañon City 49-25 to advanceDurango High School players celebrate after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald29194378Durango High School players celebrate after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald28514276Durango High School players celebrate after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald30454568Durango High School players celebrate after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald27844174Mason Rowland of Durango High School drives to the basket while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald33154972Carter Neiman of Durango High School cheers after a Cañon City High School foul on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald13412010Ellie White of Durango High School high fives head coach Tim Fitzpatrick after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald31434715Durango High School players pose for a photo after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald34475171Durango High School head coach Tim Fitzpatrick gets excited while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald41236182Ellie White of Durango High School fights for a rebound while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald49583307Riley Campbell of Durango High School takes a shot while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald28614290Durango High School players celebrate after teammate knocked down a 3-pointer while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald36485470Halle Peterson of Durango High School gets fouled while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald52437860Durango High School players rush the court after a timeout was called while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald27174074Riley Campbell of Durango High School fights for a rebound with Lorelai Murphy, left, and Zoe Kies of Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo Special to the Durango Herald29774463Mason Rowland of Durango High School drives to the basket while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald46246932Mason Rowland of Durango High School drives to the basket while playing Canon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald52737905Tyler Trujillo of Durango High School takes a shot while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald77565173Mason Rowland of Durango High School, right, rushes the court with her teammates after beating Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald42086309Riley Campbell of Durango High School makes a 3-pointer while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 5A quarterfinals game at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald57233817Mason Rowland of Durango High School drives to the basket while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald69574640Halle Peterson of Durango High School takes a shot while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald81925464Halle Peterson of Durango High School looks to the basket while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald74144945Tyler Trujillo of Durango High School looks to pass while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald51327694Mason Rowland of Durango High School takes the ball down the court while playing Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald50567580Mason Rowland of Durango High School takes a shot past Emily Burkdoll of Cañon City High School on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald78655246Tyler Trujillo, left, and Mason Rowland, right, of Durango High School fight Aly Richardson of Cañon City High School for the ball on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald45946887Mason Rowland of Durango High School get fouled by Alexi Till of Cañon City High School as she drives to the basket on Thursday in the Class 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Special to the Durango Herald68634578
Demons beat Cañon City 49-25 to advance
FLC men’s basketball defeats Regis in RMAC quarterfinalsBrenden Boatwright of Fort Lewis College is fouled while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald15172010Fort Lewis College plays Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13632010Brendan La Rose of Fort Lewis College blocks a Regis University shot on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19771500Fort Lewis College student body cheers on their team while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14042010Akuel Kot of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald21381500Sekou Dembele of Fort Lewis College blocks a Regis University shot on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald17261500Obi Agbim of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald18471500JaQuaylon Mays of Fort Lewis College is fouled while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald21631500Fort Lewis College student body cheers on their team while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13402010Akuel Kot of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald21411500JaQuaylon Mays of Fort Lewis College plays tough defense against Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16452010Obi Agbim of Fort Lewis College slam dunks the ball while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald21181500Brenden Boatwright of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot against Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13152010Dunnell Stafford of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot over Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald25021500Brendan La Rose of Fort Lewis College puts up a three-point shot over Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald2686975JaQuaylon Mays of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald22191500The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team celebrates on Tuesday after defeating Regis University in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Fort Lewis is the conference’s regular season co-champion. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13182010Fort Lewis College men’s head basketball coach Bob Pietrack cuts down the net on Tuesday after defeating Regis University in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Fort Lewis cut down the nets to commemorate them being the conference’s regular season co-champion. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13082010The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team poses for a photo on Tuesday after defeating Regis University in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Fort Lewis is the conference’s regular season co-champion. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13142010Fort Lewis College men's head coach Bob Pietrack draws up a play while playing Regis University on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald40006000Akuel Kot of Fort Lewis College and his teammates cut down the net on Tuesday after defeating Regis University in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Central Tournament at FLC. Fort Lewis cut down the nets to commemorate them being the conference’s regular season co-champion. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13532010Fort Lewis College men's head basketball coach Bob Pietrack, right, and Tyler Danielson, associate head men's basketball coach, celebrate on Tuesday after defeating Regis University in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament at FLC. Fort Lewis is the conference’s regular season co-champion. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16162010
Fort Lewis College men’s and women’s basketball teams play Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLCBrendan La Rose of Fort Lewis College slam dunks the ball on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald17232010Junior Garbrah of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald22711500Bob Pietrack, Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach, front, and Tyler Danielson, assistant coach, along with the bench get fired up on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald22831500Dunnell Stafford of Fort Lewis College pulls back a shot and finds the open man on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald23151500Akuel Kot of Fort Lewis College puts up one of his several three-pointers on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald1663975JaQuaylon Mays of Fort Lewis College steals the ball on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20691500Brendan La Rose of Fort Lewis College blocks a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald21591500Akuel Kot of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald23361500Sekou Dembele of Fort Lewis College looks to pass the ball inside on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19521500JaQuaylon Mays of Fort Lewis College plays above the rim on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20571500Brendan La Rose of Fort Lewis College goes up high on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald23641500Dunnell Stafford of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald26241500Lanae Billy of Fort Lewis College plays tough defense on Friday against Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16692010The Fort Lewis College bench cheers on their teammates on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14891500Kate Gallery of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19801500Sadie Misner of Fort Lewis College scores a basket on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald18652010Kelsey Sorenson of Fort Lewis College battles to get to the net on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20531500Lanae Billy of Fort Lewis College puts up a shot on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19081500Taylor Harris, Fort Lewis College women’s head basketball coach, shouts instructions to his team on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14482010Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck of Fort Lewis College looks to pass the ball inside on Friday while playing Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16742010The Durango High School Red Pride Band plays during the Fort Lewis College basketball games on Friday against Metropolitan State University of Denver at FLC. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13402010
Durango High School girls basketball wins first round of tournamentA rowdy Durango High School student section cheer on the girls varsity basketball team while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13412010Tim Fitzpatrick head coach of the Durango High School girls varsity team talks to his players during a timeout while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald13662010Mason Rowland of Durango High School dribbles after stealing the ball while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald19711500Tim Fitzpatrick head coach of the Durango High School girls varsity team shouts out instructions while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16992010Carter Neiman of Durango High School looks to pass the ball under Bear Creek High School defense on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20971500Reese Glover of Durango High School passes the ball while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald15691500Mason Rowland of Durango High School puts a shot while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald12892010Durango High School players cheer on their team from the bench while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14492010Ellie White of Durango High School fights for a rebound while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald17032010Tyler Trujillo of Durango High School passes the ball while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald18512010Halle Peterson of Durango High School puts a shot while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald15092010Lilly Fitzpatrick of Durango High School is fouled while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald14322010Carter Neiman of Durango High School puts a shot while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald16182010Riley Campbell of Durango High School puts a shot while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald15172010Lilly Fitzpatrick, left, and Mason Rowland of Durango High School play full court defense against Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald20811500Adde Neiman of Durango High School puts up a three-point shot while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald22941500A rowdy Durango High School student section cheer on the girls varsity basketball team while playing Bear Creek High School on Tuesday during the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald11992010
Durango boxers step into the ringIsaiah, 17, rests while training on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20283000Cora ‘CJ’ Martin, 16, trains with gym owner Katy Kopec on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)14782010Junior boxers train on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)11892010Maria Jacques, 14, trains with Katy Kopec, gym owner, on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)13482010The Good Fight Boxing Gym provides clients with gloves to work out with in the gym. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)13892010Cora Martin, 16, trains on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20613000Andrew Flamm, right, trains with Katy Kopec, owner of the boxing gym on Tuesday at Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)13392010Isaiah, 17, trains on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)19591500Gabriela Ferrell, 15, trains on Tuesday at Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)15482010Isaiah, 17, right, spars with Blue Miller-Davidson, 17, on Tuesday at Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)18701500Alyssa Scott, 15, trains with Andrew Flamm on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)13402010Isaiah, 17, trains with Maria Jacques, 14, on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)22592010Blue Miller-Davidson, 17, rests after sparring a couple of rounds on Tuesday at the Good Fight Boxing Gym in the Main Mall. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)12762010
Snowdown’s Outlaw Josie Pete's Golf Tournament0VideoYouTube48036020101508Teams compete in the Snowdown Outlaw Josie Petes Golf Tournament on Saturday at Durango Craft Spirits. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20101508Teams compete in the Snowdown Outlaw Josie Petes Golf Tournament on Saturday at Durango Craft Spirits. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Snowdown No Tragedy Quaffing Tournament0VideoYouTube48036020101408Contestants test their beer mug-catching and beer-chugging skills on Saturday during Snowdowns No Tragedy Quaffing Tournament at 11th Street Station. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20101500Contestants test their beer mug-catching and beer-chugging skills on Saturday during Snowdowns No Tragedy Quaffing Tournament at 11th Street Station. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20101463Contestants test their beer mug-catching and beer-chugging skills on Saturday during Snowdowns No Tragedy Quaffing Tournament at 11th Street Station. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)20101340Contestants test their beer mug-catching and beer-chugging skills on Saturday during Snowdowns No Tragedy Quaffing Tournament at 11th Street Station. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)