Day 92 of 117 on our “Go West, Young Man” Two Lane Adventure – Wednesday 9/26/18

Today we decided to get some exercise and walk around Durango. We learned one of the special things about Downtown Durango is the history. If you start down at Rio Grande Land, the home of the railroad that literally founded the town, then wander further up Main and take a look at the historic structures, many of which date back to Durango’s founding in the late 1880s and into the early 1900s.

One of the oldest buildings is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Depot. Imagine stepping off the train in 1882, you would have arrived at this Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot, which is now a National Historic Landmark. Salesmen stayed in the less expensive hotels in this block, but the more elegant hotels were located farther away from the bustle and soot of the train station.

In the early 1900’s, the block closest to the depot was the focal point for the Italian-American community. Soot from train and smoke from smelter were obvious and frequent. Between railroad and river was called “Poverty Flat.” It was the town’s red light district, saloons, gambling, dance halls, squatters, and generally a slum.

The Historic Strater Hotel opened in 1888. Architecturally, it showcases the lavishness of the Victorian era. The building itself is an eclectic mix of Italianate, Romanesque and Renaissance architectural styles. Strater Hotel, exemplifies the period of wealth from the mines, railroad and smelter.  Once the hotel was built, it was immediately leased to H L Rice.  The partnership soured quickly and 4 years later Henry Strater built the Columbian Hotel next door on the former site of the county courthouse.  The two hotels are now one establishment. There are rumors of tunnels running from the Strater Hotel and 3rd Avenue to the red-light district.

The Ute Tribe members were welcomed at allotment time (Ute Tribe  settled in Ignacio and Southern Ute Community) and camped at the corner of 7th and Main in teepees and with their ponies. This was valued as a “tourist attraction” for those staying at the Strater Hotel.  Southern Utes and other Native American tribes were here before the Europeans settled the area. The Brunot Agreement of 1873 opened land to Utes and Ignacio and it has become their tribal headquarters.

The Stuart’s building offers the smooth, simple glazed tile storefront and large glass paned windows illustrate Durango’s “modern” Downtown in the 1930s and 1940s. The building was in fact remodeled from its original Victorian era, red brick storefront to project the image of the progressive men’s clothing store that occupied the building previously. It now houses the Old Barrel Tea Company, the owner are a family of New Mexico tea lovers.

This Romanesque sandstone building, was built in 1892 by Charles Newman. It originally housed the Smelter National Bank, from 1892-1897. The bank sign remains visible on the back side of the building. Newman owned a chain of drug stores in Silverton, Alamosa, Animas City and Chama.

This is the showpiece of the Durango & Rio Grande’s land development company. It was intended to be a model for future buildings. They tried to require property owners to build in brick and stone as they had. Unfortunately, many didn’t, resulting in numerous fires. They had to watch much of the city burn in 1889. The fire of 1889 burned 7 blocks and spread to the residential neighborhood of East 3rd Avenue.

This Romanesque style building housed the Colorado State Bank from 1892 until the bank’s failure during the silver crash of 1907. Burns National Bank operated in the building from 1910 until it’s merging with Bank of Colorado.

This is the oldest bank in southwestern Colorado, the First National Bank of Durango moved south from Animas City in 1881 and operated here from 1882 to 1980. The elaborately detailed Queen Anne brickwork building with Romanesque sandstone arched windows was built for $18,00 and replace an earlier frame building that burned in 1892.

AC Richey and Brother operated a bookstore that was later replaced by the Richey Confectionary and Stationary Store. It was a well-known local soda fountain for many years with the last remnants of the candy-making business still on the front of the store. Around 1945 marble tiles were added. In the back of the building is the marble candy making block, left behind because it was too heavy to move out of the building.

The Schneider block, built in 1889, housed the Keeley Institute, a reform group devoted to the cure of liquor, opium and tobacco habits. One of four Colorado branches, the Institute operated between 1892 and the turn of the century. By 1900, part of the building had been transformed into a dance hall which stayed in the building until the 1920’s. The corner storefront was the Palace Grocery and Meat Market from 1900 to 1920’s and continued as a grocery until late 1940’s.

Since 1981 the Olde Tymers Cafe has been bringing people together. It’s a coffee shop, a café and a bar. Who would not love that! I love the refreshed old advertising on the side.

I love murals, and we found a few … some old and some new. The old mural has been here since 1981. Tom McMurray painted the mural on the wall of the building that now is home to Jean-Pierre “Le Cafe Chic” & Wine Bar, a French eatery at Sixth Street and Main Avenue, depicting life in late 19th-century Durango. In his rendering of “Durango’s Main St.” circa 1890, horses handily outnumber the city’s few people, and most of the city’s buildings are colored brown, like the mountain they sit uneasily atop, with the sky providing a bright streak of blue. He based the mural on a black-and-white photograph that he saw hanging in the old Schulter Floral Shop in 1978.

The new is called “Local is the Way!” It is a mural at Durango Joe’s College Location. It was the first work of a grass roots group called, Local First. Their goal is through creative expression and engagement with the community, they want to educate the public about the importance of building a strong, local economy while celebrating artistic expression in a manner that explores the history and uniqueness of Durango and La Plata County.

Their second mural is still a work in progress behind Kroeger’s Ace Hardware facing Narrow Gauge Avenue. Local First is seeking business sponsors for more murals and is seeking funding for more projects. The group is also exploring establishing a state-designated Creative District in Durango that would provide recognition for Durango’s community artists, help boost arts impact to the economy, and potentially bring in state money to support local arts.

The mural going up behind Kroeger’s, is an example of how art can enrich. The murals around town begin with an expression of interest from a business to Local First. Kroeger’s employees approached Local First about an idea … to create a mural on its back-facing wall. The idea had been bouncing around for years. After a willing business is identified, a process begins to design a mural that works for the business, the space it occupies and the community at large. A team of lead artists guide the mural, but it is important to involve the community, especially youth groups, to help finish murals.

This is a mock up of the finished mural. photo credit Durango News

Working with kids on the murals provides them with their first hands-on artistic experience. The broad swaths of colors on the unfinished mural behind Kroegers are by design. They give untrained youngsters an opportunity to participate, paint brush in hand. Later, more skilled artists will begin adding details to the mural. At Kroegers, the mural will emphasize the environment and the landscape of the Southwest, and human activity will form the background.

We walked some of these streets during our visit to Durango in 2016, but I focused on different things this trip. Charlie found a new friend today! Tomorrow we are going to check out the historical homes of Durango.