And the West is History: American Legion Hall construction – 1947

Durango American Legion Post 28 was organized in September 1919, just a few months after Congress chartered and incorporated the national organization as a patriotic, mutual-help group for wartime veterans. With no hall of their own, they met at various venues throughout Durango until after World War II. With the influx of new veteran members from that war, a committee was formed in 1945 to obtain a site and funding for a local meeting hall. Construction started on the Durango American Legion Memorial Building at 878 East Second Ave. in 1947 and opened in June 1948. It was later named Trujillo-Sheets Post 28 in honor of La Plata County soldiers Jose Enrique Trujillo and Wiley Sheets. Both died in France during World War I. Today, there are over 13,000 American Legion Posts throughout the world. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 86.19.44 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections).