And the West is History: Main Avenue Bridge postcard – ca. 1909 - Durango Herald
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Southwest Life

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

Monday, Apr 13, 2026 5:00 AM MT

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This is how the “new” bridge over the Animas River appeared after 1906. The houses shown are located along West Park Avenue and still exist today. Note the trolley car and the electric lines powering it above the bridge. The first timber bridge located on Main Avenue was built in 1880 by Peter Fassbinder to access his new addition to Durango. The failing timber bridge was replaced by this stone structure in 1906. John “Jack” McKinnon was the contractor. The bridge survived the 1911 flood and was widened by the Colorado Highway Department with the addition of two lanes in 1963 as part of a project to enlarge U.S. Highway 550 through Durango. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 03.53.18 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)
This is how the “new” bridge over the Animas River appeared after 1906. The houses shown are located along West Park Avenue and still exist today. Note the trolley car and the electric lines powering it above the bridge. The first timber bridge located on Main Avenue was built in 1880 by Peter Fassbinder to access his new addition to Durango. The failing timber bridge was replaced by this stone structure in 1906. John “Jack” McKinnon was the contractor. The bridge survived the 1911 flood and was widened by the Colorado Highway Department with the addition of two lanes in 1963 as part of a project to enlarge U.S. Highway 550 through Durango. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected] (Catalog Number: 03.53.18 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)

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