Durango Area History
Durango Colorado 
1880-1930
Durango!  The name rings of the frontier West, a legendary land and time, Duane Smith wrote in Rocky Mountain Boomtown.  Durango was in many ways the quintessential western town.  Many of the themes
we associate with the West were present here-mining, cattle ranching, railroading, town development, confrontations between settlers and Native Americans and yes, even saloons, gunfights and red light districts.
In the 50-year period between 1880 and 1930, southwest Colorado was transformed from a raw frontier landscape into an area dotted with towns, farms, ranches and mines, all connected by trails, roads and railroads.  In the process the Ute Indians gave up much of their land base, retreating to a narrow reservation only 15 miles wide along the Colorado-New Mexico border.
During that time, communities grew and matured.  Some survived the boom and bust cycles of the mining industry, some did not.  At the beginning of the period, the horse and buggy was the fastest mode of travel.  By 1930 automobiles were in common use and airplanes were flying in and out of Durango on a regular schedule.

        
Those were exciting times, times of rapid change.  Take a journey with us for a glimpse of the people, places and events of Durango's formative years as seen through the eyes of early day photographers.