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Thousands of dollars worth of Native American artifacts were recently stolen from a Durango storage facility, said longtime Durango resident and former archaeologist Branson Reynolds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t imagine how anyone knew what was in there or what it was,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a complete mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reynolds said he stored a large collection of Native American artifacts at Animas Mini Storage on U.S. Highway 160 in west Durango after he sold his home about four years ago.<\/p>\n
Most of the artifacts he collected were an assortment of pottery, bowls, and ladles, mostly from ancestral Puebloans, as well as some rare necklaces and beadwork, when he was working as an archaeologist in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, you could buy those items at a flea market,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cThey all came from legal places, but at some point I figured it wasn\u2019t right that they should be bought, so I just stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
About three weeks ago, Reynolds said a manager at Animas Mini Storage called him to say the lock on his storage unit had been removed. The manager put on another lock when he discovered it missing.<\/p>\n
Reynolds said he hadn\u2019t been to the storage unit for about a month when the manager called, so it\u2019s difficult to pinpoint when exactly the theft occurred.<\/p>\n
When he went to visit his storage unit, he discovered at least 20 to 30 items missing. He estimated the loss at $4,000 to $5,000, based on what he paid for the items more than 30 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I had more information, but I don\u2019t,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cIt must be obvious, though, because it was the only one broken into.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larry Young, manager at Animas Mini Storage who alerted Reynolds, said there hasn\u2019t been a theft at the storage facility for about seven or eight years. While there is a secured gate, there is no surveillance footage that would help in identifying the thieves, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing else (at the storage facility) was taken,\u201d Young said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like someone knew he had it in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reynolds, who has lived in the Durango area since the 1980s, said a select number of family and friends knew about the collection, but he\u2019s still at a loss as to who would know where his storage unit is located.<\/p>\n
He said he filed a report with Durango Police Department, which went to the storage unit to take pictures and search for fingerprints.<\/p>\n
Representatives with Durango Police Department did not immediately respond for comment Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Reynolds is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the persons involved in the theft. He said informant\u2019s names would be kept confidential. He can be reached at 247-5274.<\/p>\n