Durango, Colorado City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Durango, Colorado Travel Guide has been your connection to Durango's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Durango History
 Beginning more than 2,500 years ago the Ancestral Puebloans were Durango, Colorado’s first residents. Their people thrived on the rich, fertile soil and abundant wildlife before moving to the mesas in the south and west of Durango, what is now Mesa Verde National Park. The Ute Indians took shelter in the cities left behind by the Puebloans. In 1860 gold was discovered in the San Juan Mountains north of Durango, and prospectors, miners, farmers, and families arrived in large numbers and though the Civil War slowed growth in the area, the railroads arrived in 1881 and growth again boomed quickly. Within one year of the railroad’s arrival, Durango had 134 businesses, including doctors, saloons, and newspapers. During the winter and spring of 1881-1882 railroad crews worked tirelessly to build the railroad in order to more quickly access the silver and ore found in the mountains. During and after this time, Durango blossomed as a town and hotels and bed and breakfasts began to rise. At the turn of the century, Durango and the Animas Valley became well known as a tourist destination, drawing visitors to the gorgeous setting where outdoor recreation provides thrills and memories to last a lifetime. Durango bed and breakfasts offer visitors the ideal Durango experience. |
