And the West is History: Durango Farmers Supply – ca. 1923

George Herbert Clark opened the G.H. Clark Store in 1885, selling farm and ranch supplies and equipment. Fred W. Kroeger and John Waters purchased the business in 1921 (shown here) at 145 W. Ninth St. (the current parking lot for Toh-Atin Gallery), near the railroad tracks and the D&RG freight depot. Kroeger and Waters renamed the business “Farmers Supply.” The Kroeger family assumed control of the company in 1924. The store was operated by Fred W., his wife Sadie, and their two sons, Fred V. and Jack, until Fred W. and Sadie died. This business became the foundation for the Kroeger Hardware Store in Town Plaza. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 14.22.4 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)