And the West is History: Durango’s first fair parade – 1898

Though faded and damaged, this image of a parade in downtown Durango gives a good sense of how undeveloped the downtown area was just before the turn of the century. The location is the corner ofMain Avenue and Sixth Street (today College Drive), looking east. The Odd Fellows held the first fair in Durango in conjunction with their District Convention in 1889. The fair was so successful that a committee was subsequently organized, and the Colorado-New Mexico Fair was held annually for the next 20 years. Today, a picture taken in a similar direction would show the Balcony Bar & Grill, the Wild Horse Saloon, and 6th Street Liquors on the north side of the street, while Michel's Corner Crepes and The Roost would be partially visible on the south side. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org. (Catalog Number: 23.54.612 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)