Animas City came first, then Durango, then they became one

Durango is not the oldest town on its own ground. Just to the north, an older settlement called Animas City had taken root in the 1870s. When the Denver & Rio Grande railroad came through in 1880, its leaders, including General William Palmer, chose to lay out a brand-new townsite a couple of miles south rather than build into Animas City. That new town was Durango.

Being passed over by the railroad was a hard blow. The railroad brought the smelter, the shops, and the business, and the new town grew fast while Animas City stayed small. The two communities competed for years over things like water rights and rail access. In time, Animas City was absorbed, and today it is simply the north end of Durango.

You can still find the older town’s bones. The 1905 Animas City School building now houses the Animas Museum, run by the La Plata County Historical Society, which tells this story and others from the area’s past.

It is a useful reminder that in railroad-era Colorado, where the tracks went often decided which town would grow and which would fade.

For the documented history, see History Colorado’s page on the Animas Museum and the Colorado Encyclopedia.