And the West is History: View across ‘D’ Street – ca. 1895

When the city of Durango was first platted in 1880, the streets running south to north were designated by numbers. Today’s Main Avenue was First Street, and as one traveled east, the numbers increased accordingly. Other than Main Avenue, that naming system remains today. Streets running east to west, however, were designated by letters. Today’s College Drive was “D” Street, Seventh Street was “E” Street, and so on. This photo, taken around 1895, shows “D” Street. By 1898, the town had redesignated the east-west streets with numerical values, and north-south streets had avenue designations. “D” street became Sixth Street and remained so until 1991, when it was renamed College Drive. Note the large depression crossing the street about mid-block between Main and Second Avenue. Fill was eventually brought in, and today there is no evidence of this low-lying area. The Strater Hotel is visible in the middle of the photo. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Courtesy of the Durango Public Library.)