With the historical train from Durango to Silverton

23.05. / Monday / Durango-Silverton-Cortez

We already have to be at the Durango train station at 8.00 am, which is only 150 meters away from the hotel. We have already reserved seats in the best wagon of the old train from Germany and are looking forward to a 3.5-hour train ride with the historic steam train to Silverton.

Our wagon is from 1890 and creaks considerably. The interior is beautiful, with old lamps and complete wooden paneling. We have two benches facing each other and plenty of comfortable space. The windows can be opened.  

We get free coffee and tea. The journey starts through flat land. The locomotive whistles dramatically at every level crossing. So we are chugging along slowly and the rhythm of the tracks and the creaking of the wood stay with us until we reach the town of Silverton after 3.5 hours at an altitude of 2,700 meters. Our wagon attendant, named Ellie, not only provides us with drinks but also gives us information about the route and the best photo spots. We are constantly armed with our cameras.

The track gets steeper and beside us, the Animas River soon flows as a wild mountain river over thick boulders. The name of the river comes from the Native American word Animas, which means soul. A wild soul! The river sometimes runs deep below us in a canyon, and the rocking train is not always reassuring.

In front of us, snow-covered peaks soon spread out in the distance: the San Juan Mountains, which are up to 4,500 meters high.

On the platform at the end of our wagon, which is the last one of the train, you can sit from time to time. We also spend a lot of time on the platform between our wagon and the one in front and take pictures.

The locomotive causes heavy soot sometimes and you have to be careful not to get soot flakes in your eye, which are difficult to get out again. But Ellie is prepared for that too: with eye drops and other aids.

San Juan Mountains

The locomotive takes on water twice and after 3.5 hours we reach the town of Silverton at an altitude of 2,700 meters.

The railroad tracks end in the middle of the town.

Silverton - Railroad tracks end in the middle of the town

The founding of the town dates back to the discovery of silver, of course. While the gold rush started elsewhere, silver was mainly found here in the 1870s, and in 1872 the town was connected to the railway network for the transportation of the ore. Today there is also the so-called 'Million Dollar Highway', which connects Silverton with Durango. Therefore, you can also end the train ride adventure here and take the bus back to Durango. However, we have decided to take the historical train for the round trip.

The town, which now lives mainly from tourism, had everything you would expect from a Western town - including a red-light district, the remnants of which can be found in Blair Street. In the Shady Lady Saloon, there is still a doll placed behind the window on the first floor - one of the "ladies of the night" from back then :-) . Interestingly, this sin street was made a National Historic Landmark in 1961

Actually, there are only 3 streets here, one of which is paved. It's hard to imagine what it's like here in deep winter.

At the end of the 19th century, when the silver findings here fueled the city, there was already trouble with the local Ute Indians, who had their home here. But as Americans do, they did not leave them there and certainly did not involve them in the wealth. Besides silver, gold and other metals such as copper were also found here. At that time, 2,000 people lived here in 400 houses. This included 29 saloons and plenty of brothels on Blair Street.

The Greene Street on the other hand was the "border" to the morally respectable population.

Start young! Maybe there's a nugget?

The old prison in Silverton

We wander through the streets and in the shortest time, we experience typical Colorado weather again: sun, snow showers, clouds, sun. We are glad to have fleece jackets and wind jackets because there is a strong wind blowing from the surrounding mountains.

We sit on a bench and eat our salad from yesterday. After 2 hours in Silverton, our stay is over and we rock back to Durango in our wagon.

Our seat neighbors, a young couple from Texas, are annoying. He has easily had 8 beers by now and talks extremely loudly and constantly with another Texan who has already told us everything twice.

I retreat to the back platform and watch the landscape behind us.

Shortly before 6.00 pm we reach Durango again. We pick up our car at the hotel and drive directly to the west, towards Cortez. Assuming it is a nice place (we believed the internet description), we have reserved 2 nights here.

As it turns out, we are only an hour away from Mesa Verde, but centuries away from a nice place. Cortez consists of Highway 160 and a row of hotels, motels, simple restaurants, and fast-food chains. There is no city center or anything that could be mistaken for one. After Alamosa two days ago, this is the second place where you could reenact "Once Upon a Time in the West".

I change our reservation to 1 night and we move our two nights in Mexican Hat (Monument Valley) one day forward, which is also easily possible.

We have dinner at Denny's across the street. We go to bed early because the alarm clock goes off at 5.45 am tomorrow.