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Durango - Cowboy Culture

Durango Pro Rodeo
June 21- July 23

Come and see the wild, exciting action of the Durango Pro Rodeo. A real rodeo competition with Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Team Roping, Sheep Riding, and much more family fun. At 6 p.m. a Western BBQ dinner is served. The rodeo action starts at 7:30 p.m. This Western tradition will be held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, located at 25th Street and Main Avenue. Call (800) 409-7295 or visit: www.durangoprorodeo.com

Gold Prospecting

Children pan for gold at the Durango Diggers' exhibit at the Gem and Mineral Show in Durango.

There's gold in them thar hills, and that's where it's going to stay unless you have the knowledge and expertise to find it. The Durango Diggers, a local chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America, offers visitors a hands-on experience in panning for gold. Members of the chapter provide the equipment and share their knowledge of how to look for flakes in the Animas River. They also share the mining history that led to the establishment of the town of Durango and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It makes for a great family outing, and if you are lucky enough to strike gold, you can take home a valuable souvenir. With advance notice, chapter members can also take families and groups on an all-day or overnight camping trip to the chapter's claim in Silverton. There is no charge for any of these activities, but donations are accepted. Call Wayne Peterson at (970) 385-7384 or Curt Mitchell at (505) 325-6971.

Picture-perfect place for Western films

The number of films made around Durango is extensive, and have included "The General," "How the West Was Won," "The Naked Spur," "Around the World in 80 Days," "The Cowboys," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "City Slickers." The films made include Hollywood greats, such as Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Harry Carey, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Widmark, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, James Garner, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Lionel Barrymore, and more. Here is a list of films shot in and around Durango. Many of the films included D&SNG Railroad trains.

1948 – "Sand"
1948 – "Colorado Territory"
1949 – "Ticket to Tomahawk"
1950 – "Across the Wide Missouri"
1951 – "Denver and the Rio Grande"
1951 – "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"
1951 – "Lone Star State"
1951 – "Viva Zapata"
1952 – "Naked Spur"
1952 – "Lone Hand"
1953 – "Three Young Texans"
1953 – "Gatlin Gun (Siege of Red River)"
1954 – "Run for Cover"
1955 – "Great Day in the Morning"
1955 – "Maverick Queen"
1956 – "Night Passage"
1957 – "These Thousand Hills"
1962 – "How the West Was Won"
1964 – "Diamond Jim Brady"
1968 – "Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid"
1970 – "Lock, Stock & Barrel"
1971 – "The Cowboys"
1974 – "Winter Hawk"
1978 – "Avalanche"
1983 – "National
Lampoon's
Vacation"
1987 – "Tracker"
1990 – "City Slickers"
1992 – "Cliffhanger"

Film crew had a blast
"Denver and Rio Grande" was the first movie to create and film an actual train crash in technicolor. The beautiful Animas Canyon north of Durango was chosen as the location to set up and film the crash. They used two old engines from the narrow gauge line, Engine 319 and Engine 268, loading them with black powder and dynamite to create the explosion in the head-on collision.

A book for buffs
Hollywood of the Rockies: The Spirit of the New Rochester Hotel, by Frederic B. Wildfang (shown above), highlights the movies that have been made in and around Durango. The book is available for $10 at the Leland House, 721 East Second Ave. in Durango.