Log In


Reset Password
Southwest Life Health And the West is History Community Travel

And the West is History: Animas Valley Overlook – ca. 1950

In this scenic view, a man stands on a rock outcropping, surveying the flooded Animas River Valley below. This picture was taken before 1963 when U.S. Highway 550 was relocated toward the center of the valley near the railroad right-of-way that can be clearly seen. This same view is available to anyone willing to hike the Animas City Mountain Trail. One can skirt the eastern edge of the mountain with views above the Animas Valley like the one shown here. Topping out to the north, the trail offers a view of the Falls Creek and Turtle Lake areas from on-high. Finally, the trail leads down along the western rim with views of the Junction Creek drainage as it returns to trailheads at either Dalla Mountain Park or the East Trailhead at Fourth Avenue and 33rd Street. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 86.19.133 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)