Durango

Durango is an hour’s drive from our campsite in Cortez, Colorado. It was founded in 1880 as a railhead and smelting base for the ore mined at Silverton, 45 miles away. Silverton, at 9,300 feet, is one of the highest towns in the USA. The clue is in the name: Silverton. It produced mainly silver, but some gold too.  The mining prospered and Durango grew. The General Palmer hotel was built in 1898 and has a frontier look.

General Palmer ran the company that built the narrow gauge railroad from Durango to Silverton in the years 1881/82. In 1921 the price of metals fell and mining contracted, so Silverton and Durango went into a gradual decline. Mining ceased altogether in 1991, but the railroad continued as a tourist attraction. Fortunately, it’s a very scenic route and the town has rejuvenated year on year from the visitors who come to ride the railroad.

The railroad company complex houses a museum with railway memorabilia including some old engines similar to those it actually operates.

There’s a fine coach called General Palmer after the railroad boss. I suppose that’s the same as naming Trump Tower after Donald Trump. 

Some of the locomotives have risen to wider fame. This one appeared in “Around the World in 80 Days”. The caption tells more of the story.

The open coaches await the next journey to Silverton. Arriving at 9,300 feet has to be a chilly passenger experience most times of the year. 

We parked near the long, straight track heading out of the town, so I thought we would wait and capture the arrival of the last train, the 5:15 pm from Silverton. We’d see it coming a mile away, I thought.

But the train came from the other direction and appeared unexpectedly at the station. I just got a quick snap on before it shunted off behind some engine sheds.

Durango retains a friendly, small town atmosphere and, although we didn’t ride the train, we felt that we’d experienced something of its railroad history and heritage.