Editing Durango, Colorado (section)

==History==
The town was organized from September 1880 to April 1881 by the [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad|Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]] (D&RG, later known as the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad) as part of their efforts to reach [[Silverton, Colorado]], and service the San Juan mining district, the goal of their "San Juan Extension" built from [[Alamosa, Colorado]]. The D&RG chose a site in the Animas Valley close to the [[Animas River]] near what is now the Downtown Durango Historic Business District for its railroad facilities following a brief and most likely perfunctory negotiation with the other establishment in the area known as Animas City, {{Convert|2|mi|spell=in}} to the north.<ref>Nossaman, Allen (19998). Many More Mountains Vol. 3: Rails into Silverton.</ref> The city was named by ex-Colorado Governor [[Alexander C. Hunt]], a friend of D&RG President [[William Jackson Palmer]], after [[Durango, Durango|Durango, Mexico]], based on his favorable impression of that city resulting from a scouting trip undertaken on behalf of Palmer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=Duane A.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44959038|title=Rocky Mountain boom town : a history of Durango, Colorado|date=1992|publisher=University Press of Colorado|isbn=0-585-02503-7|location=Niwot, Colo.|oclc=44959038}}</ref>

Palmer, among other D&RG associates such as William Bell, started a subsidiary company known as the Durango Trust to sell land and plan a Main Street, 2nd, and 3rd Avenue, and so on to organize the town, taking inspiration from how Palmer founded the city of [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]]. Sales from the Durango Trust skyrocketed by the completion of the D&RG's Silverton Branch, and by 1885, Durango's business district had seven hotels and restaurants, eleven saloons, dance halls and stores, two bakeries and blacksmith shops, and a variety of other businesses, also boosting the town of Silverton's population to 2,000 at the time.<ref name=":0" />

The D&RG(W) and the [[Rio Grande Southern Railroad]] were vital resources to many places, including Durango, before the major introduction of the [[Car|automobile]], helping transport goods such as produce and mineral traffic in and out of the Southwestern Colorado area, and along with other businesses such as the [[The Durango smelter|Durango Smelter]], immensely supporting the town's economy. However, the [[Great Depression]] and aftermath of [[World War II]] hurt the area's railroad industry. The Rio Grande Southern lost its contract to transport mail in 1951, and soon thereafter suspended operations. The D&RGW also ended their San Juan Express passenger service from Durango to Alamosa. However, the natural scenery along their Silverton Branch had been recognized as a major tourist attraction. In turn, the D&RGW introduced the major tourism industry into the Durango area, transporting visitors up to Silverton and back and attracting [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] into La Plata County for a time. Once the D&RGW ended up losing its freight traffic in 1968, the tracks from Durango east to [[Chama, New Mexico]], and south to [[Farmington, New Mexico]], were removed, but the Silverton Branch remained in operation until 1981 when it was sold and became the [[Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad|Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dorman|first=Richard L. |title=Durango: always a railroad town |date=1987 |publisher=R.D. Publications |isbn=0-9616656-1-0 |edition=1st |location=Santa Fe, NM |oclc=17515710}}</ref>

There are significant archaeological sites surrounding the Durango area featured on the State and National historical registers, including:
* [[Mesa Verde National Park]], a World Heritage site
* [[Chimney Rock National Monument]], the most northeastern known outpost of the Ancestral Puebloans
* [[Durango Rock Shelters Archeology Site]], a Basketmaker and [[Ancient Pueblo People|Pueblo]] culture site
* [[Spring Creek Archeological District]], a Basketmaker and Pueblo site
* [[Talus Village]], a Basketmaker site