Photo: A bridge to somewhere

The 32nd Street bridge has been in the news recently as the city of Durango determines how to extend the Animas River Trail over the river and across the bridge. This picture, taken in 1911, shows the early wood construction of the bridge, which was nearly washed away in the flood that occurred that October. Three other bridges in town were washed away that year in the greatest Animas River flood on record. This picture was probably taken in the spring, as there is still snow on the surrounding hillsides. At 32nd Street, the river transitions from a meandering middle-course river to a faster-running lower course. One of the glaciers that helped carve out the Animas Valley advanced as far as 32nd Street, leaving a terminal moraine of deposited material that acted to dam the river and form a lake. As the dam was eroded and the river began to run again, it became faster moving downstream, resulting in the familiar rapids we now see through town. Read more about local history at durangoherald.com/westishistory.<br><br>Ed Horvat for The Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org