And the West is History: Downtown Durango – ca. 1895

This 1895 photograph captured downtown Durango before the introduction of the automobile. The streetcar is approaching the intersection of Main Avenue and Ninth Street. Significant development took place along Main Avenue within 15 years of Durango’s founding. The west side of the 900 block was known as the saloon district, where 10 saloons thrived by 1893, flanked by banks at each end of the block. The Strater Hotel is visible to the right of the streetcar.– Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum (Catalog Number: 89.38.13 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)