Echoes of the Southwest

In 1871, under the direction of William Jackson Palmer, the Denver & Rio Grande Railway began construction.   They started by laying 3 feet narrow gauge rails south of Denver.   They chose the narrow gauge because of the tall mountains and steep valleys it will be running through.   This was cost efficient and would increase sustainability for this railroad.   They enhanced the additions of the tracks to embrace the mining towns in southwestern Colorado. It was on August 5, 1881 when the Denver & Rio Grande Railway made its way to Durango.   Then on July 10, 1882, the tracks reached the tiny town of Silverton.   Right after that they started carrying passengers and cargo.   The railroad had its challenges.   It was met with yearly snow slides and floods, but managed to survive.   After World War II, the railroad started to see a surge in passenger traffic on the train to Silverton.   In 1950, with only four passenger cars, travel increased as tourist enjoyed sightseei

When my family decided to make Durango, CO as our 2017 vacation destination, my daughter found a house big enough for all of us.  She found a house called "Trappers Ridge" about 25 miles from downtown Durango and just 5 minutes from Purgatory.  The house is three stories and sits next to a small lake and stream.  The view was amazing.  We entered on the first floor through the garage.  On that level was a bedroom, bathroom with huge shower, the hot tub and a game room.  My son and his family stayed in the room on that floor.  Up one level is where the kitchen, living room with fireplace, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kids room was located.  There were lots of large windows to enjoy the views from all angles.  On the top level was the master bedroom suite, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Every room was full. It was a short walk down to the water's edge to fish.  Our fishing area was next to a beaver damn which was destroyed so the water can flow throug

For three generations, Honeyville’s “beekeeping and honey bottling family business” has been going strong.   It is situated just outside of Durango, CO and started by Vernon Culhane in the 1920’s.   Vernon began his venture by taking away some of the honey bees from a tree close to his house to initiate his own hive.   The honey these bees were creating tasted amazing and soon the whole area heard about Vernon’s honey.   He started selling his honey in and around Durango which gained him the nickname of “The Falfa Honey Man”.   He started out taking honey to downtown Durango on his old flatbed truck where the town’s folks would be able to fill up their jars with honey.   After a while, people started coming to the Honey House for honey where people not only filled up their containers but was greeted with a tour of the farm.   Vernon’s pastime with honey turned out to be a flourishing business. Today, you can shop at the Honeyville factory store, watch them make the honey, o

Between Durango, CO, along Highway 550 and the house we rented north of the town sits an interesting rock.   We drove by it a couple of times before stopping and checking it out.   We found out it was Pinkerton Hot Springs.   The colorful rock pile was generated as a protected area for the hot springs to release water.   The water’s minerals have caused the colorful look for the rocks exterior.   The temperature of the water is a sweltering 95 to 105 degrees.   Be cautious if you decide to touch the water.

This year’s family vacation was spent in Durango, CO.   We drove from Phoenix to Durango in over 7 hours.   Since it was summer, we lost an hour.   We got there at dinnertime and barbequed hotdogs.   The town was nice and the weather was perfect.   The house we rented was about a half an hour from downtown Durango and 5 minutes from Purgatory.   My next several posts will be all about our trip with tons of photos. Durango is located in the southwestern portion of Colorado and close to the edge of New Mexico.   The tiny town came to existence in September 1880 as a planned municipality for the San Juan mining district.   The locale was selected near the Animas River by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.   The town was established and named after Durango, Mexico by Alexander C. Hunt. Today, Durango has lots to offer.   You can ride the 19 th -century Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad steam train back and forth to each town.   You pass through tall mountains and d

A few years ago a friend of mine and her hubby took an off road trip in the desert.  They came across the site of the historical Oatman Massacre.  In February of 1851, the Oatman Family was killed by Indians while traveling to California.  Two of the daughters were captured.  The family's graves are near Painted Rock Petroglyph's Site. Here is the link to books on Amazon about the massacre if you are interested in reading more. Amazon - Oatman Massacre books To find the trail, check out this website:  http://azoffroad.net/oatman-massacre-trail-1/4559541177 The heavy wagon left a mark on the rocks which are visible today. (Thanks Pam for the pictures.)