Early Durango circa 1889

In Durango around 1889, a majority of the buildings visible in this scene were destroyed in the fire of 1889. The nearest block held a wide variety of businesses, including the Grand Central Livery in the building on the right, while a view down Main showed smelter smoke drifting about. To local people, that smoke represented jobs, salaries, industry, and profits, and therefore looked good in photographs as a sign of Durango's progress. Power and telephone poles became an attractive nuisance as people tacked notices, cards, playbills, and other items onto them. The City Council warned people to stop defacing the poles and had them painted, but nothing worked, so in 1907 an ordinance imposed fines of $5 to $50 on offenders.

Durango, Colorado · United States