A Brief History of Durango
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad established Durango beside the Animas River in September 1880 as a base for serving the San Juan mining district. Its depot site lay south of the older settlement of Animas City. Durango incorporated in 1881, and the railroad helped connect mountain mines with the city’s smelters. Workers arrived to build the railway and process ore, turning the new settlement into a regional center. Over time, recreation and historic preservation became increasingly important. The surviving narrow-gauge route to Silverton remains a tangible connection to the transportation system that helped shape the city.