Local names for landmarks in Durango?
Hi, everyone. I lived in Durango for 7 years, but that was a long time ago now. I’m currently trying to write a story that is set in Durango, and I want it to be accurate, but I’m having trouble remembering the names local Durango folks use for bits of the landscape, and I was wondering if you could help me.
What I mean is, Durango has so many ridges and mesas and moraines around it because of all the glaciation in the past (if I’m remembering my geology correctly) that people had more specific names for things than, "the ridge that runs along 550." And I feel like a lot those names are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t quite reach them.
For instance, I feel like we used to call the plateau that Fort Lewis sits on something, but I can’t remember what. Same goes for the two main ridges that are red and white and run north-to-south along 550 as you go up towards Silverton (the east one eventually becomes Missionary Ridge, but is it called something before that?). And there is a little ridge/mesa that you can see from Camino del Rio and when you're in downtown Durango that sticks up very dramatically against the sky, particularly at sunset. In Google Maps, you can see it clearly at the split of 550 into Camino del Rio and Main St, if you look to the west.
The only names that have properly stuck in my memory are Hogback Mountain, which is what we used to call the ridge that runs along 160 on the far side of the river when you're going South/East out of town, and the names of river put-ins/take-outs and rapids: the 9th St put-in, High Bridge, Little Smelter, Smelter, etc.
Anyway, I don’t know if this question will make sense to anyone, but if it does and you feel like helping me out, I sure would appreciate it. At any rate, I hope you all have a happy New Year!
Posted Jan 1, 2016, 5:29 PM UTC
The landforms you speak are somewhat marked on Google Maps. The two red and white cliffed ridges going north out of town are Animas City Mountain on the west and Missionary Ridge on the east. The prominent feature on the western skyline from downtown is Perrins Peak with the wrinkled Hogsback below it. Smelter mountain casts its shadow on town. Further south is Moving Mountain, an old landslide. South from there is the Florida Mesa. You can ask me for further landform names as you need.
Thank you so much! I've been staring at Google Maps for the last couple of days, trying to figure out if some of the names sounded familiar because that was what we called things or if it was just because I'd been staring at the map for so long. So thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question! I really appreciate it.
I forgot to mention the "Mesa" fort Lewis sits upon was once called Airport Mesa as there used to be an airport there. And I can't forget about "Moving Mountain" south of Bodo, which is a landslide complex