Will Rogers once said of Durango, "It's out of the way and glad of it." For more than 100 years, this small Western city has profited from its "out of the way" location at the base of the San Juan Mountains. Durango has been the gateway to Colorado's riches for Native Americans, fur traders, miners, prospectors, ranchers, and engineers.

Founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Durango was a rowdy community during its early days. The notorious Stockton-Eskridge gang once engaged local vigilantes in an hour-long gun battle in the main street. A local expedition to New Mexico to "dig up Aztecs" in 1885 was supplied with "5 cases of chewing tobacco, 3 cases of beer, 10 gallons of heavy liquids, 4 burro-loads of the stuff that busted Parliament, 7 reels of fuse, a box of soap, 2 boxes of cigars, a fish line, 20 pairs of rubber boots, 200 loaves of bread, a can of lard, and one pound of bacon." In the 1890s, the Durango Herald-Democrat was noted for the stinging, often profane, wit of pioneer editor "Dave" Day, who once had 42 libel suits pending against him. The headquarters of San Juan National Forest is in Durango, as well as a District Ranger office for the forest.