And the West is History: Third Avenue – after 1901

This photo was taken after 1901 from the 900 Block of East Third Avenue, near the intersection with 10th Street. The street was unpaved, but the boulevard trees were starting to grow. Trees and lawns could not be planted until a municipal water distribution system was built to provide necessary irrigation in Durango’s high desert environment. Native box elder and cottonwood trees grew along the Animas River banks before the town was created. In 1889, the Durango city engineer was instructed to expend $150 for trees to be planted in the median. The 15 charter members of the Durango Reading Club planted the trees. The Ladies’ Improvement Society of Durango requested irrigation funding for the trees from City Council in 1892. The cost was estimated to be about $10 per month. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 24.39.44 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)