And the West is History: Girl Scout Float in Fiesta Parade – 1969

Some pictures from the past are difficult to date and others are easy. On the surface one might think this picture is easy to date based on the film “Camelot” playing at the Kiva Theater, 813 Main Ave. A quick search shows the movie came out in 1967, so logically that year might be attributed to this photograph. But longtime Durangoans remember that first-run movies never debuted in Durango anywhere near the time they were released. Sometimes it took months or even years for them to be brought to the local theater. Because “Camelot” came out in October 1967, it would logically seem that this August Fiesta parade photo was taken the next year, in 1968. That would be incorrect, however. A review of The Durango Herald showed that the movie did not open in Durango until August 1969, almost two years after its theatrical release. Durango moviegoers today can see first run movies essentially when they are released, but in years gone by it was generally accepted that locals had a long wait to see new films. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 18.04.23 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)