And the West is History: Dwyer brothers and friends – ca. 1905

Robert Dwyer Jr. is pictured holding the reins of his burro cart, accompanied by his younger brother, Joseph, and two friends. This photo was either taken at the corner of Main Avenue and 24th Street or at their grandmother’s home located at 2400 Main Ave. The Dwyer brothers were the sons of Robert Dwyer Sr., one of the first homesteaders in the area who arrived around 1873. His homestead was situated north of Junction Creek and south of Animas City, before its founding in 1876. Robert Sr. was elected sheriff of La Plata County in 1876 and later became the first city marshal of Durango in 1881. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum (Catalog Number: 95.02.66.27 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)