Train Depot (Please Click Image To Enlarge)

Others frequented the San Juan Mountains during the first half of the 19th century. Mountain men trapped the rivers and prospectors moved into the area following the discovery of gold along the banks of the upper Animas River in 1860. A prospector's assertion that the mountainsides didn't contain much gold but rather "silver by the ton" earned the town of Silverton its name. First established as Animas City in the 1870s, the town of Durango took shape in 1881 with the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. The town was named by former territorial governor A.C. Hunt after Durango, Mexico, a name that originated from the Basque word Urango, meaning "water town." A narrow-gauge steam railroad was constructed to connect the mining town of Silverton with the coal and smelting operations of Durango. Today, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes daily trips north to Silverton, offering travelers breathtaking views of the remote wilderness of the San Juan Mountains.