Photo: Durango Downtown view – 1918

This photo, taken from what we now call the Crestview area, looks east toward the northern end of downtown. The “new” high school is prominent on the left side, as is the county courthouse seen more toward the middle of the picture. The railroad right of way can be easily seen just above the row of shacks. The area between the railroad and the river was originally considered the “wrong side of the tracks” as it was home to Durango’s first red light district. Later, many working-class families lived there. One other prominent landmark is the water wheel seen at the bottom right at the river. This wheel may have been part of the town water plant and was all that was left standing after the flood of 1911. It was located where Iris Park is today, probably very close to the Animas River Trail pedestrian bridge that crosses to Schneider Park. <br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org