In the time it takes to play a round of Outlaw Josey Pete’s golf, you can learn more about downtown Durango history than a longtime local. I speak from experience; despite my 18 years here, I learned something new on almost every page of Walking Durango: History, Sights, and Stories.
The latest publication by the Durango Herald Small Press was compiled and written by Peggy Winkworth, a local writer and generally smart person (this I know from her successful record at a local trivia competition which I host on a seasonal basis). And this isn’t just a shameless shill for the company – that’s just a coincidence and shows that someone here has good judgment when it comes to inking the press.
Coming in under 100 pages, the book looks for all the world like a tourist pamphlet. But I’d wager locals will get as much or more enjoyment and knowledge from it than visitors.
The walking tour starts at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot, heads north on Main Avenue as far as 13th Street and then doubles back on East Second and Third Avenues to wrap up at College Drive.
Along the way, Winkworth gives tourists the backgrounds of 35 buildings, homes and landmarks. Instead of providing street addresses – too easy – she provides close-up photos of interesting features on each building. The reader-walker must spot the item before continuing to that location and reading its history. It’s quite fun, really.
Some of the interesting facts about buildings we see every day but might not know much about (you’ll have to read the book to see which is which):
A Main Avenue store whose décor is only made possible by the discovery of a stash of rare Italian tile in a local storage shed.
A Third Avenue house made of wood that is one of the city’s oldest structures, miraculously surviving the fire of 1889 that razed many of its neighbors.
The first Safeway grocery store, which was next to The Durango Herald offices on Main Avenue. But not where they are now. ...
The well-known business that occupies the Amy Mansion, built in 1888 at a cost about 20 times that of the going rate for houses in the neighborhood.
Winkworth also introduces us to the people behind so many of the familiar names that honor Durango’s past but may have lost their meaning over time. I hadn’t exactly lost sleep over not knowing who Thomas Graden (Mercantile) or Thomas D. Burns (Bank) were, but it brings each of us one step closer to being a bona fide know-it-all, which can never hurt.
Walking Durango is the first in the Durango Herald Small Press’ “Detours” series of guidebooks.
ted@durangoherald.com
Meet the author
Walking Durango: History, Sights, and Stories by Peggy Winkworth, Durango Herald Small Press, 94 pages softcover, $11.99. Winkworth will speak and sign copies of the book at 6:30 p.m. today at Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. For more information, call 247-1438 or visit www.mariasbookshop.com.
