And the West is History: Hesperus – ca. 1895

The coal-camp community of J.A. Porter’s mine, near the La Plata River, was named Hesperus by Otto Mears when his Rio Grande Southern Railroad built a rail line to the mine. The name was derived from a mountain peak 12 miles northwest in the La Plata Mountains and means “evening star.” The Rio Grande Southern Railroad had a water tank, section house, large depot and sidings at Hesperus. The new town gained a post office on Oct. 10, 1891, when the Fort Lewis Military Post closed. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum (Catalog Number: 86.03.34 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)