The Gable House

Durango was first established as a town in 1880, and much like the many other towns in Colorado from that time period there are many homes built with a Victorian design. This one here is called the Gable House. The Gable House today is a Bed and Breakfast establishment, but this home has a long history. It was built in 1892 by a local man who was a merchant and a flour miller named James Schutt and his wife, Eliza. For a more detailed history, visit the link above. It will take you the The Gable House's web site.
I would love to stay here for a night. I hear it is haunted too.

Falls Creek Archaeological Area

Falls Creek Archaeological Area lies in a hidden side valley north of Durango. In this area ancient ruins were found in 1937 and excavated in 1940 by Dr. Earl Morris whom is also known for his work at Mesa Verde.

The ruins are from the Ancestral Pueblo Basketmaker period, 1500 to 2000 years ago and are some of the earliest known ruins of that period. The ruins are found in a large alcove in the cliff side on the west side of the valley.

The Falls Creek Archaeological Area was Created in 1993 and encompasses 1,500 acres of land. The area west of County Road 205 is closed to protect the ruins, but there is an extensive network of trails on the east  in the flat valley bottom.

Animas City Museum

Before the town of Durango was a reality, there was a small town that inhibited the Animas River Valley on the northern end of modern Durango. It's official designation as a townsite was recorded in 1876, and by August of 1877, Animas City had 45 houses, 150 people, four stores and a post office. Animas City enjoyed steady growth until 1880, when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad decided to build it's own town, Durango, just less than a mile downstream. While Animas City could not compete with this new town to it's south, it did not just vanish off the maps.There where a handful of hardy individuals who chose to stay, and the two towns sat side by side through the early1900's, the Great Depression, and World War II. After the war, however, there was a growth spurt in population and a housing shortfall that eventually brought Animas City to it's end. Animas City was annexed to City of Durango on January 1, 1948.

This building houses the Animas Museum. It was built in 1904-05 and was the Animas City School

Chapman Hill

Here is another recreation facility provided by the City of Durango. At Chapman Hill, which is in-town, you can go rollerskating in the summer and do ice skating and skiing in the winter, weather permitting. Chapman Hill has two rope-tows for getting you up the hill, of which I understand this can be the hardest part of skiing this little hill. With about 700 vertical feet and a base elevation of 6512, this is the Durango version of a ski hill. Many locals here learned to ski on this small, steep hill.

Community Recreation Center

One of the greatest things about living in Durango is all the recreation amenities provided by the City of Durango. This 71,557 square foot facility provides something for everybody. Whether it's playing basketball, racquetball, a walk or run around the indoor track, an aerobics class, a swim in the lap pool or in the recreation pool, using any of the weight machines or other exercise equipment or even climbing the indoor wall, this place has it all. It also houses a great Community Art display and has lots of rooms available for private parties and functions

Durango Public Library

This place has it all. Story hour, great books and periodicals, an amazing collection of southwestern literature and a stunning river and railroad track right out back. This building, which was built in 2008  is a LEED Gold Certified Building and replaces the original Carnegie Library, which was built in 1907. My family and I really look forward to coming to this library any time we can find a chance. 

Fort Lewis College Clocktower

College students have little excuse for being late to their classes with this sentinel on campus.  Follow this link for a live webcam focused on the Clock Tower.

Stay tuned for more posts and information about this great school

Lake Nighthorse

Lake Nighthorse is a newly constructed reservoir built by the Bureau of Reclamation. It occupies Ridges Basin. Filling began in 2009 and was completed in the summer of 2011. Only 2 miles from downtown Durango and at an elevation of 6800 ft. above sea level, this 1500 acre lake was built as a part of the Animas-LaPlata Project to meet the water rights of the two Native American Indian tribes in Southwestern Colorado, The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The water diverted to this reservoir will also benifit five other entities in the Four Corners area, the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District, the State of Colorado, the Navajo Nation, the San Juan Water Commision, and the La Plata Conservation District.

A plan outlining recreation access is currently being drawn up.

President's Day

Happy President's Day, from Durango, Colorado!

Sayings about Colorado

There are many sayings about things in Colorado, and one of them is " If you don't like the weather, wait a little while."  After Saturday's blue skies and mild temperatures it was snowing on Sunday. This winter has seen a lack of it around here, so everybody is happy to see the white stuff falling again.

Bluebird Skies

A high pressure ridge has recently dominated the local weather here in Durango, and with it comes cloudless azure skies. I spied this Magpie in an Aspen tree in my yard taking a break from the things Magpies do

Neighbors

Some of the neighbors

There are several herds and some individuals that like to hang out up here on Hillcrest. We see some almost everyday as they make their rounds through the neighborhood looking for food. My family and I were kinda shocked when we first moved here to see so many docile deer just about everywhere we went in Durango.

Hello, and Welcome!

Welcome to Durango Daily Photo. My Mission is to bring you photos from Durango and the surrounding areas of Southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners area. Posts may be a little slow to start, but I hope to provide new pictures on a daily basis.

To get this party started, here is a shot from my front door. This view is looking southwest, with Raider Ridge on the left and Basin Ridge in the distance, obscured by clouds.