And the West is History: Early Durango lawmen – 1904

This photo is a 1904 studio portrait of Durango Town Marshal William (Billy) Wickline, on the left, with his deputy, Jesse Stansel, and their dogs. Stansel is the best known of the two because of his infamous shootout with La Plata County Sheriff William Thompson in front of the El Moro Saloon (yes, that El Moro) in 1906. He was filling in as marshal for an ill Wickline that January day. Wickline came to the area in 1875, alternating between years as a prospector, gambler and law enforcement officer. He had varying degrees of success in each. He was a part owner of the El Moro Saloon and operated a faro table. First hired as a police officer in 1887, he was appointed town marshall in 1899 and served until 1907. After more than a decade of prospecting, he resumed his police work in the 1920s, serving as the city’s night policeman. He died in Durango in 1929. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum (Catalog Number: 15.22.8 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)