And the West is History: Original Red Barn Bar-B-Q – ca. 1960

Kay K. Moore opened the Red Barn Bar-B-Q just north of Durango in 1958. He converted an 1879 dairy barn into the restaurant and it soon became one of the most popular eating establishments in the area. This original restaurant burned in September 1964. Moore rebuilt, but it burned to the ground a second time in December 1966. The indomitable Moore immediately rebuilt again. He sold the restaurant in 1968, but continued to manage it into the 1970s. He was somewhat of a local celebrity as he raced the returning Silverton train on horseback as it passed his restaurant almost every day in the summer. The Iron Horse Inn was later built on the site. Today, it’s called the Red Cliff Apartments. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 03.58.82 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)