And the West is History: DHS Football Game at Fairgrounds – Ca. 1925

Football was a popular college sport in the early 20th century but did not become a common high school sport until the 1920s. Durango High School fielded its first school-sponsored team in 1923. In fact, it fielded two teams in that initial season, the “Reds” and the “Whites.” The team rosters were formed by random draw and besides playing each other, they also competed against teams from Aztec and Farmington in that 1923 season. Apart from a period of about eight years in the 1930s and 40s, when they played at a field in downtown Durango, DHS home games were played at the fairgrounds until the present high school was built in 1977. Here, in this view to the east, the Demons play an unknown opponent with Reservoir Hill in the background. (Catalog Number: 92.16.3 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)