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And the West is History: East Third Avenue and Eighth Street – 1895

Traffic was light on “the Boulevard” the day this photograph was taken over 125 years ago. In fact, it was nonexistent. Primarily only horses, burros and carriages used the dirt road then. The advent of the automobile in town was still almost a decade away. The trees on “the Boulevard” are starting to achieve some size. Led by Mrs. A.P. Camp, the Reading Club of Durango, formed in 1882, made planting trees in the street median one of their objectives. Camp lived at 747 East Third Ave., not far from where the photographer who took this photo was standing. The city authorized purchase of the trees in 1889 and by 1892 was spending $10 per month to water them. The house visible on the corner at the far right is still there today. It is located at 810 East Third Ave. This view looks to the north. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 88.10.28 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)