Denver Public Library Western History/Genealogy Digital Collections

- Colorado Obituary Project 1969-1990, Revised
- The Colorado Obituary Project is a statewide index of approximately 50,000 non-Denver obituaries mostly from the 1970s through 1990. Researchers may request a copy of the full text obituary through the Western History and Genealogy Department.
- Colorado--Genealogy--Indexes.;Obituaries--Colorado--Indexes.;Registers of births, etc.--Colorado.
- Durango
- Panoramic view of brick commercial buildings, stone churches, and the San Juan Smelter in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows the La Plata County Courthouse with a clock tower, churches, and the Strater Hotel in downtown Durango. Steep...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1910.; San Juan Mountains (Colo. and N.M.)--1890-1910.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.
- [between 1895 and 1910?]
- Prewitt & Arnold
- Men and a horse stand in front of a row of commercial buildings probably on Main Avenue in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. One man holds a cane, and leans against a utility pole. The one story buildings have bracketed cornices, pilasters, and...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Business & finance--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Insurance companies--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Liquor stores--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Real estate business--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1892 and 1900?]
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Depot, Durango, Colo.
- View of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway depot located at 479 Main Avenue, Durango, Colo. Built by O. Ernest Waters, the simple, two-story clapboard sided structure is decorated in the distinctive pale yellow and chocolate brown colors...
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad--1990-2000.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--Pictorial works.; Durango (Colo.)--1990-2000.; Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad--Pictorial works.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--Pictorial...
- 1994
- Cal Brown Durango Corral
- A man sits in a horse-drawn wagon in front of a Durango, Colorado, business in La Plata County. Eight men, one horse, and a dog stand on the boardwalk outside of the commercial storefront. One man is an amputee wearing a prosthetic device on his...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1890.
- [between 1880 and 1890]
- Durango
- Members of Durango Lodge No. 29 march in a parade in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Men in the front row carry drums and a large American flag. Spectators stand on the sidewalks in front of businesses.
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1910.; Drums--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Flags--American--1890-1910.; Fraternal organizations--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Parades & processions--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Spectators--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.
- [1886?]
- Football squad Durango High School, Durango, Colo.
- Men and teenage boys of Durango High School pose in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. They wear leather helmets, numbered jerseys, and suits and ties. The brick school building is in the background.
- Durango (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Football players--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Students--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Teenagers--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.
- [between 1930 and 1940]
- Durango exchange, interior business office
- Interior view of the business office of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company exchange building in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. A wooden partition divides the room into an office area, and a public area. A service counter...
- Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company--Buildings--1910-1920.; Durango (Colo.)--1910-1920.; Interiors--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.; Offices--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.; Telephone companies--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.
- 1915
- Durango exchange equipment, operating room
- Telephone switchboards line a wall of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company exchange building in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Cords are strung across the switchboard and numbers identify each work station. A supervisors desk...
- Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company--Facilities--1910-1920.; Durango (Colo.)--1910-1920.; Interiors--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.; Telephone companies--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.; Telephone switchboards--Colorado--Durango--1910-1920.
- 1915
- Durango smelting plant of the American Smelting & Refining Co.
- Panoramic view of the Durango Smelting Plant in Durango, LaPlata County, Colorado shows: refinery buildings, smokestacks, tailings, D. & R. G. W. train with engine and railcars.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company.; Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Buildings--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.
- 1929
- American Smelter, Durango, Colorado
- View of the Durango Smelting Plant in Durango, LaPlata County, Colorado shows: refinery buildings, smokestacks, tailings.
- Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Buildings--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.
- [between 1920 and 1930?]
- Durango, Colo.
- View of southbound Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad locomotive, number "476," and passenger cars at the Durango depot in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows the rail yard, people beside the depot, and mountains in the distance.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1920-1930.; Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Railroads--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.
- [between 1920 and 1930?]
- D&RGW Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion train, Durango yard (2-8-2) 453 backing with excursion train.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive 453 (2-8-2) vents steam and smoke while backing with a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion train in Durango (Durango County), Colorado. Shows warehouses and a mill building with signs: "Graden Flour...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1950-1960.; Durango (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Perins Peak (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Mills--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.;...
- 1951 November 21
- First Presbyterian Church, Durango, Colo.
- View of the First Presbyterian Church located at 1161 3rd Avenue, Durango, Colo. Built by O. Volk and Sons in 1890, the rough-faced native sandstone Queen Anne style church has a prominent corner bell tower with rounded arched windows. The...
- First Presbyterian Church (Durango, Colo.)--1990-2000.; Protestant Churches--Colorado--Durango--1990-2000.; Durango (Colo.)--1990-2000.; First Presbyterian Church (Durango, Colo.)--Pictorial works.; Protestant...
- 1993
- Central Hotel, Durango, Colo.
- View of the Central Hotel located at 975 Main Avenue, Durango, Colo. Built in 1892, the hotel is one of the most striking structures on Main Avenue. The red brick three-story Italianate structure has a Mansard roof on the fourth floor with...
- Central Hotel (Durango, Colo.)--1970-1980.; Hotels--Colorado--Durango--1970-1980.; Durango (Colo.)--1970-1980.; Central Hotel (Durango, Colo.)--Pictorial works.; Hotels--Colorado--Durango--Pictorial works.; Durango (Colo.)--Pictorial works.
- 1974
- Smelter
- View of a smelting complex identified as the Durango Land & Coal Company smelter in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Smoke rises from many tall smoke stacks.
- Durango Land & Coal Company--Buildings--1880-1900.; Durango (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.
- [between 1880 and 1900?]
- Durango
- Panoramic view of Durango and a smelter and smoke at the base of probably Smelter Mountain (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows streets fenced yards, frame and brick houses, and commercial buildings.
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Smelter Mountain (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1892 and 1900?]
- Bird's Eye View of Durango
- View of the town of Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Prominent buildings include: the high school, St. Paul's German Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church, and La Plata County Courthouse. The Strater Hotel is in the...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1920.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1890-1920.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1890-1920.
- [between 1890 and 1920?]
- Durango, Colorado, showing three-rail trackage and standard gauge freight cars
- View of the Rio Grande Southern depot in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado; shows people, passenger coaches, baggage carts, a bicycle, and a sign: "Durango."
- Rio Grande Southern Railroad--1920-1930.; Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Railroad passenger cars--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.
- Spring 1923
- American Smelting & Refining company
- View of the Durango Smelting Plant in Durango, LaPlata County, Colorado shows: refinery buildings, smokestacks, tailings, railroad tracks, hand car.
- Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Buildings--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.
- [1929?]
- Colorado - Durango Fish hatchery
- Durango fish hatchery in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. Architectural features of the rectangular brick building include twin towers with hipped roofs and finials on either side of the gabled entrance, vents along the center gable of the...
- Durango (Colo.)--1920-1940.; Fish hatcheries--Colorado--Durango--1920-1940.; Fishing industry--Colorado--Durango--1920-1940.
- [between 1920 and 1940]
- Dramatics Senior High School Durango, Colo.
- Cast members of a play at Durango High School in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County rehearse on the stage of the auditorium. A heavy, velvet curtain with heavy fringe hangs behind them. Three of the actors stand; one sits in a chair, and two...
- Durango (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Actors--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Students--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.
- [between 1930 and 1940]
- Durango - Savoy Hotel
- The Savoy Hotel is situated on the corner of an intersection in the town of Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. Features of the three- story building include: a cornice, lintels, and striped and plain awnings. Signs: "Drugs," "Better...
- Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Hotels--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Savoy Hotel (Durango, Colo.)--1920-1930.
- [between 1920 and 1930]
- Durango Railroad yard
- Freight cars, gondolas, coal cars, and a passenger train sit in the rail yard by a Denver and Rio Grande Western water tank, a coaling tower, and houses, in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Perins Peak, Barnroof Point, mountains, and cumulus...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1940-1950.; Durango (Colo.)--1940-1950.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroad freight cars--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroad shops & yards--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.;...
- [1946?]
- D&RGW (2-8-2) 473, "painted," coming head on Durango, yd. Colo., depot
- Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive 473 vents smoke by the depot at Durango (La Plata County) Colorado. The locomotive has a pilot head lamp and diamond smokestack. Men and women walk by the building, a sedan automobile, railroad switch, and...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1950-1960.; Durango (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.
- 1950 June 16
- D&RGW (2-8-2) 476 Durango, Colo. as modified for movie "Night Passage"
- View of Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive 478 (2-8-0) and coal tender, at Durango (Durango County), Colorado. The cowcatcher, diamond stack, and pilot headlight were added for the Universal International Pictures movie, "Night Passage."...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1950-1960.; Durango (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Railroads--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.
- 1956
- Strater Hotel, Durango, Colo.
- View of the Strater Hotel located at 669 Main Avenue, Durango, Colo. Construction of the original, four-story, brick Victorian style hotel by Henry Strater and his family began in 1887. In 1893, the hotel was combined with a three story hotel,...
- Strater Hotel (Durango, Colo.)--2010-2020.; Hotels--Colorado--Durango--2010-2020.; Durango (Colo.)--2010-2020.; Strater Hotel (Durnago, Colo.)--Pictorial works.; Hotels--Colorado--Durango--Pictorial works.; Durango (Colo.)--Pictorial works.
- 2011
- Durango Public Library
- View of Durango (La Plata County), Colorado; shows the intersection of 12th (Twelfth) Street and 2nd (Second) Avenue, wood sidewalks, and the Carnegie Library. The Italianate / Prairie Style structure has a tile roof, stucco finish, and ornate...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1910.; Clock towers--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Libraries--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Streets--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.; Wooden sidewalks--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.
- [between 1890 and 1910?]
- Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company - Durango Depot
- Shows the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company train depot in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. The building is made of wood, with a shingle roof and a two story projecting pavilion. Utility poles are in front of the building and hills are in...
- Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Company--1880-1900.; Durango (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.
- [between 1889 and 1893]
- Durango water wheel
- A view of a tub water wheel in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado.
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1910.; Waterwheels--Colorado--Durango--1890-1910.
- [between 1890 and 1910]
- Durango, Colorado
- View from a hillside of Durango (La Plata County), Colorado; shows wide dirt avenues, residences, commercial buildings, La Plata County Courthouse, the Presbyterian church, and the Strater Hotel. Smoke rises from the San Juan Smelting and Mining...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1897 and 1900?]
- Durango from the reservoir
- View of Durango (La Plata County), Colorado taken from the city reservoir. Shows the Ernest J. H. Amy residence, La Plata County Courthouse, the Presbyterian church, and the Strater Hotel. Smoke rises from the stacks of the San Juan Smelting and...
- Durango (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.
- [between 1882 and 1900?]
- Durango
- Panoramic view of Durango and the San Juan Mountains (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows dirt streets, frame and brick houses, and buildings that include Ernest Amy's house with a turret and conical dome and the Methodist Church and steeple. A truss...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1892 and 1900?]
- D&RGW 202, NG 2-8-0, switching on three-rail trackage in front of station at Durango, Colorado
- View of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad depot at Durango, Colorado; shows D&RGW locomotive 202 (Elk Creek), a Rio Grande Southern passenger train, a Farmington Branch boxcar, and men and women by baggage carts. Sign reads: "Western Union...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1920-1930.; Rio Grande Southern Railroad--1920-1930.; Durango (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Railroad freight cars--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1920-1930.; Railroad...
- Spring, 1923
- Indians Aztec arts and crafts
- View of a display of Native American (Anasazi) relics that include skulls, straw mats, and tools in Durango, Colorado..
- Indians of North America--Antiquities & archaeological sites--Colorado--Durango--1910-1930.; Pueblo Indians--Antiquities & archaeological sites--Colorado--Durango--1910-1930.; Durango (Colo.)--1910-1930.; Antiquities--Colorado--Durango--1910-1930.;...
- [between 1910 and 1930?]
- The Standard smelter, Durango, Colorado
- Photographic reproduction of a postcard shows the Standard Smelter with smokestacks in Durango, LaPlata County, Colorado.
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Buildings--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Mining--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Smelters--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- 1894
- Durango from reservoir
- View of Durango (La Plata County), Colorado taken from the city reservoir. Shows the Ernest J. H. Amy residence, La Plata County Courthouse, the Presbyterian church, and the Strater Hotel. Smoke rises from the stacks of the San Juan Smelting and...
- Amy, Ernest J. H.--Homes & haunts.; Durango (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Cities & towns--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.; Houses--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.; Presbyterian churches--Colorado--Durango--1880-1900.
- [between 1882 and 1900?]
- Durango high school
- Durango High School on a grassy lot in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. Architectural feature of the brick building include three stories, quoins, cornices, and spindles. A flag pole is outside of the building; shrubs grow around the...
- Durango (Colo.)--1910-1950.; Schools--Colorado--Durango--1910-1950.
- [between 1916 and 1950]
- Durango, Colo.
- View looking down on Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County; shows spectators on boardwalk watching workers dig into the ground to install a cistern, wagons and other machinery around hole, and commercial storefronts along Main Street.
- Durango (Colo.)--1880-1890.; Cisterns--Colorado--Durango--1880-1890.
- 1881
- Durango, Colorado
- Cars are parked in the lot outside of the Durango, Colorado, train depot in La Plata County. Located on the Denver & Rio Grande Western line, the clapboard building has a front and a side gable. Signs include: "Durango," and "Denver and Rio...
- Durango (Colo.)--1960-1970.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1960-1970.
- May, 1960
- Durango - Narrow Gauge Capitol of the World
- The 485 Denver & Rio Grande Western train is stopped on the tracks in front of the depot in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. Puffs of smoke rise off the train's smokestack; steam rises off the tracks. A conductor stands next to the engine. ...
- Durango (Colo.)--1940-1950.; Railroad stations--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company.
- [between 1940 and 1950]
- Durango train & general view of yard
- A Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive (315) and passenger coaches pass the Las Animas River in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado; houses are by the river and a bridge. The rail yard, water tank and coaling tower are in the distance.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1940-1950.; Animas River (Colo. and N.M.)--1940-1950.; Durango (Colo.)--1940-1950.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroad shops & yards--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.;...
- 1946 September 12
- Silverton train at Durango
- Men walk by Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company locomotive 453 (#8 for movie) at Durango (La Plata County), Colorado; the consist is made up of a passenger car and an open touring car, lettering reads: "[De]nver & Rio Grande Western" and...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1950-1960.; Durango (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Railroad observation cars--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Railroad shops &...
- [1953?]
- RGS narrow gauge locomotive, engine number 464, engine type 2-8-2
- Almost head on; leaving Durango, with three gondolas ahead of engine. Photographed: Durango, Colorado, August 7, 1950.
- Railroads--Trains--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Durango (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Narrow gauge railroads.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1950-1960.; Rio Grande Southern Railroad.
- 1950
- First residence of importance built in Durango in 1881 by Frank Jackson now occupied by Chas. Stillwell, President of Burns National Bank.
- The Jackson residence is situated on the corner of a intersection in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. People stand in the enclosed yard. Architectural features of the two-story, wood-frame, square house include a hipped roof and square...
- Durango (Colo.)--1880-1890.; Houses--Colorado--Durango--1880-1890.; Jackson, Frank--Homes & haunts.
- [1881?]
- Girl's physical education Durango, Colo.
- Girls at Durango High School in La Plata County, Colorado, participate in physical education exercises inside of the gymnasium. All of the participants wear a uniform of a sleeveless shirt and shorts. Spectators sit on the bleachers on the ground...
- Durango (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Calisthenics--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Gymnasiums--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Physical education--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.; Students--Colorado--Durango--1930-1940.
- [between 1930 and 1940]
- D&RGW, Durango, Colo. (2-8-2) 472, coal dock & part of yard, 210A, smoke, ET-11-2-10
- Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive 472 (2-8-2) with a coal tender and push snowplow blade, vents smoke by a coaling station (coal dock) at Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Gondola cars are in the area.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1940-1950.; Coaling-stations--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Durango (Colo.)--1940-1950.; Railroad locomotives--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroads--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.;...
- 1941 July 5
- Brick Block
- View of the Brick Block probably on Main Avenue in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. A horse drawn wagon is parked in the dirt street in front of brick buildings. The buildings have ornate cornices with brackets and dentils. One buildings has...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Commercial facilities--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Public baths--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Shoe stores--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Shops & stores--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1892 and 1900?]
- Iron works
- View of an iron works in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows rusticated stone buildings with corrugated metal roofs and monitors. One building has an arched entrance and wooden doors. A conveyor system, hoist, machinery and railroad tracks...
- Durango (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Conveying systems--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Hoisting machinery--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Industrial facilities--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.; Iron industry--Colorado--Durango--1890-1900.
- [between 1892 and 1900?]
- D&RGW
- View of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad yard in Durango (La Plata County), Colorado. Shows D&RG livestock cars, flat cars and box cars on sidings, railroad workers, a water tank and a coaling tower. The passenger depot and the roundhouse...
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company--1940-1950.; Durango (Colo.)--1940-1950.; Railroad freight cars--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroad roundhouses--Colorado--Durango--1940-1950.; Railroad shops &...
- 1949 June 6