And the West is History: Training Ride Near Durango – 1899

Pictures of Durango bike riders in training are very common. What makes this picture unique is its age. These riders – George McLaughlin, Walter Campbell and Charles Tinker – were out on this ride 124 years ago. This is thought to have been taken on the Florida Mesa, but exactly where is unknown. The road may not look like much, but it was probably a major thoroughfare. Automobiles were nonexistent in the county. This is a wagon road, as exemplified by the horses in the background. Without cars to contend with, biking was in that regard safer then. Durango had a strong biking club in the late 1890s. The Durango Wheel Club, established in 1895, still exists today. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 04.10.354 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)