.JPG)
---Upper Left: Haviland Lake Camp-ground.
---Upper Right: Jean-Pierre's, where we enjoyed a very tasty lunch of French Onion Soup and Quiche for Irene and a delicious sandwich for Joe.
---Left: street scene. Durango is a lovely town.
---Right: the Strater Hotel, circa 1880, very Victorian. Joe had a drink at the bar while he waited for me to return on the Durango & Silverton train.
---We have always heard of Durango because of all those western movies and TV shows we watched when they were so popular. We actually stayed at Haviland Lake Campground (see above), a National Forest Service facility - which means half-price for us - about 20 miles from downtown Durango. We chose this location for its beauty, the price ($8), and because it was convenient to tour the places - Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Montrose, and the Million-Dollar Highway- we wanted to see.
"Gold Fever" in 1874 resulted in the early mining settlement of Silverton, fifty miles north of what was to become Durango. The first stake of a narrow-gauge railroad was driven in 1880 between the new town of Durango and Silverton, so Durango became a hub of transportation. These train tracks built more than 120 years ago are still going strong - used by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which is an excursion train for tourists, including us!
"Gold Fever" in 1874 resulted in the early mining settlement of Silverton, fifty miles north of what was to become Durango. The first stake of a narrow-gauge railroad was driven in 1880 between the new town of Durango and Silverton, so Durango became a hub of transportation. These train tracks built more than 120 years ago are still going strong - used by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which is an excursion train for tourists, including us!
