Photo: Saving the day 1911

The flood of October 1911 was devastating to the region. The flood caused $1.5 million in damages, or $39.4 million when adjusted for inflation. The emotional cost is hard to imagine. This November 1911 photograph was captioned: “First beer train to arrive in Durango after flood of Oct. 1911 hauled from Juanita, on D&RG.” The men and horses in this photograph were undoubtedly considered heroes. Juanita, now a ghost town, was located on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad line in Archuleta County, about 23 miles southwest of Pagosa Springs on the San Juan River. The Ice and Cold Storage Company was located on the 100 block of West Sixth Street in Durango, now West College Drive, and is where the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train corporate offices are located, formerly home to the Durango Smoke Shop and Brew Pub & Kitchen. Read more local history at durangoherald.com/westishistory <br><br>Ed Horvat for The Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org