100 years ago: “Everybody in Durango is going to church next Sunday judging from the interest taken in the ‘Go to Church’ movement.”
75 years ago: “Gerald Morelock, who was painfully burned about the face and neck in an accident at the Vallecito Dam is recovering nicely at Mercy Hospital where he received medical attention. Morelock was cleaning some machinery with gasoline when the gasoline exploded, burning his face and neck.”
50 years ago: “A sleek little orange and black diesel locomotive this morning was mounted for use as a switch engine in the D&RGW yards after a trip from Oregon. ... The locomotive weighs 30 tons and has a mechanical transmission for four forward speeds and four speeds backward. It has a D-17,000 Caterpillar engine. The diesel locomotive will save the railroad’s steam equipment since it will be used for switching in the yards.”
25 years ago: “Durango firefighters, looking back on the devastating Feb. 10 fire at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad roadhouse, say there was little they could have done differently with the resources they had. Confronting an out-of-control blaze, they were frustrated that they didn’t have enough men, water or equipment to stop it from devouring the historic building and damaging the six steam locomotives on which Durango’s summer tourism economy rides.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
