Durango Herald
--°F
Durango Herald
LOG IN SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWS
    • LOCAL NEWS
    • REGIONAL
    • NATIONAL & WORLD
    • BUSINESS
    • REAL ESTATE
    • BAYFIELD
    • IGNACIO
    • SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • PHOTO GALLERIES
    • VIDEOS
  • COMMUNITY
    • EVENTS CALENDAR
    • OBITUARIES
    • LOCAL BRIEFS
    • NONPROFITS
    • FAITH
    • EDITORIALS
    • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
    • COLUMNS
  • SPORTS
    • HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
    • COLLEGE SPORTS
    • PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
    • DENVER BRONCOS
    • AP SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLES
    • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
    • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • SOUTHWEST LIFE
    • AGRICULTURE
    • COLUMNISTS
    • DEAR ABBY
  • MARKETPLACE
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • JOBS
    • PUBLIC NOTICES
  • LISTEN
  • News
    • Local News
    • Regional
    • National & World
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Bayfield
    • Ignacio
    • Southern Ute Indian Tribe
    • Environment
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Obituaries
    • Local Briefs
    • Nonprofits
    • Faith
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Columns
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • College Sports
    • Professional Sports
    • Denver Broncos
    • AP Sports
  • Lifestyles
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Health & Wellness
    • Southwest Life
    • Agriculture
    • Columnists
    • Dear Abby
  • Marketplace
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Public Notices
  • Listen
  • --°F — Durango Weather
  • LOG IN
  • SUBSCRIBE
Southwest Life

Photo: Smelter Mountain Fiery Cross – 1925

Herald Staff Writer

Monday, Dec 14, 2020 12:03 PM MT

SHARE
SHARE Facebook X Email

At first glance, there is nothing particularly remarkable about this nighttime picture of downtown Durango with Smelter Mountain in the background. The downtown streets are barely discernible and there isn’t enough light to recognize any of the structures. But what this photo documents on April 22, 1925, gives this picture a special disturbing significance. The burning 125-foot cross on Smelter Mountain was lit by the Ku Klux Klan as part of their “festivities” surrounding the speech given by National Klan secretary and Berwind, Colorado, Presbyterian minister Herbert Markley to a standing-room-only crowd at Durango’s Gem Theater. Though almost eradicated in the 1870s by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, the Klan made a comeback around 1915 due in part to increased immigration in the previous decade. In Colorado, the Klan dominated politics through much of the 1920s. Though the state had a small Black population, the Klan mainly targeted Jews, Hispanics and Catholics. Durango and Bayfield had sizeable Klan memberships, but there is apparently no record of local violence, only of intimidation, threats and harassment. Peak membership in Colorado was reached in 1925, and by the early 1930s, the Klan had lost most of its membership and with it, its political influence.<br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org
At first glance, there is nothing particularly remarkable about this nighttime picture of downtown Durango with Smelter Mountain in the background. The downtown streets are barely discernible and there isn’t enough light to recognize any of the structures. But what this photo documents on April 22, 1925, gives this picture a special disturbing significance. The burning 125-foot cross on Smelter Mountain was lit by the Ku Klux Klan as part of their “festivities” surrounding the speech given by National Klan secretary and Berwind, Colorado, Presbyterian minister Herbert Markley to a standing-room-only crowd at Durango’s Gem Theater. Though almost eradicated in the 1870s by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, the Klan made a comeback around 1915 due in part to increased immigration in the previous decade. In Colorado, the Klan dominated politics through much of the 1920s. Though the state had a small Black population, the Klan mainly targeted Jews, Hispanics and Catholics. Durango and Bayfield had sizeable Klan memberships, but there is apparently no record of local violence, only of intimidation, threats and harassment. Peak membership in Colorado was reached in 1925, and by the early 1930s, the Klan had lost most of its membership and with it, its political influence.<br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected]Courtesy of La Plata County Historical Society

More And the West is History

And the West is History: Main Avenue Bridge postcard – ca. 1909
And the West is History

And the West is History: Main Avenue Bridge postcard – ca. 1909

This is how the “new” bridge over the Animas River appeared after 1906. The houses…

And the West is History: Track & Field meet at Fairgrounds – 1917
And the West is History

And the West is History: Track & Field meet at Fairgrounds – 1917

In 1917, at the San Juan Basin Inter-school track meet at the La Plata County…

And the West is History: Durango High School – ca. 1916
And the West is History

And the West is History: Durango High School – ca. 1916

This is how Durango High School appeared shortly after its construction in 1916. Located at…

Most Popular

  1. 1 Upper Pine fire district breaks ground on station, urgent care clinic
  2. 2 Rockfall mitigation work begins on Colorado Highway 3 in Durango
  3. 3 With Tax Day upon us, residents weigh in on spending priorities
  4. 4 Durango Farmers Market to host six events on Main Avenue
  5. 5 Colorado snowplow driver faces charges after fatal crash with hockey team van

Daily newsletters & breaking news alerts

Get the latest local news delivered to your inbox every morning.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading

Latest Stories

Durango Fire Protection District files antitrust lawsuit against major fire truck manufacturers
Local News

Durango Fire Protection District files antitrust lawsuit against major fire truck manufacturers

Fort Lewis College formally invests first Native American president
Local News

Fort Lewis College formally invests first Native American president

Bayfield hires new police chief
Local News

Bayfield hires new police chief

Public meetings for the week of April 20-24
Local News

Public meetings for the week of April 20-24

Photos: Watch your speed
Local News

Photos: Watch your speed

Durango Herald

Company

  • Ballantine Communications, Inc.
  • The Durango Herald
  • The Durango Herald Store
  • The Journal
  • The Tri-City Record
  • Flavor
  • Real Estate
  • Directory Plus
  • Local Jobs
  • Careers

Reach Out

  • Update our Circulation Team
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Submit Local Brief
  • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • News Tip
  • History of the Durango Herald

Social

  • Facebook
  • X / Twitter
  • Instagram

Subscribe

Choose from several print and digital subscription packages.

GET THE HERALD

Newsletter Signup

Sign up for our daily email newsletter or to receive breaking news delivered to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading

© 2026 Durango Herald | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service