Photo: Baseball at the Fairgrounds – 1920s

Baseball in Durango was played at the La Plata County Fairgrounds for decades. Durango High School games were played there until the new high school was built in the mid-1970s. Durango has a rich history when it comes to the national pastime. The players pictured here, in about 1920, have names familiar even today: Corbis, Brennan, Weinig, Will, Weiland, Salazar, Stager and Williamson. Pitching seems to be the position most successful for Durango players. Johnny Seale is the only DHS graduate to play in the major leagues. He pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 1964 and 1965. Durango born major leaguer John Burke pitched for the Colorado Rockies in 1996 and 1997. Well-known local Dennis Brennan threw a remarkable no-hitter in 1972 against an exceptional Aztec Tiger team, and in 1996, the DHS Demons won their only state baseball championship.<br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org