And the West is History: Parade, 800 Block of Main Avenue – 1911

There is currently much debate about how Durango’s downtown streets may change in the near future. There probably isn’t any debate, however, that Main Avenue has become much easier for pedestrians to cross cleanly if not safely. In this photo, it’s clear that recent rains had made for a very muddy thoroughfare. The automobile as a common form of transportation was still in its infancy when the picture was taken. However, navigating this quagmire would have been difficult in almost any type of transportation, save possibly for the electrified trolley, whose tracks are visible in the middle of the street. The Newman building is visible, and many of the buildings on the right were destroyed in the 1970s fire. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 81.07.3 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)