by James Burke

[Durango, Colorado]

The old depot downtown in Durango
Dates from Eighteen and Eighty and One
And of all the depots that I’ve come to know
It may be the luckiest one.

It arose in the throes of a gold rush
With a silvery lining so fine
And its charms are enhanced when you see at a glance
It is served by a narrow gauge line.

In the fine shining years made of silver
Sterling times pre Eighteen Ninety Three
The rich and renowned of the world here stepped down
For The San Juans rich legends to see.

Here the late great conquistadores boarded
For this latter day thrust of their quest
For the gold legends claimed The San Juans were ingrained
Coronado endorsed in his rest.

Then the cars of The Rio Grande Southern
Took such traffic around to Rico
And to Telluride too which by then the world knew
Were such places where high rollers go.

Came the day when the party was over
And reality reclaimed the scene
And the glitter of gold and of silver untold
Dulled with dust of declines not foreseen.

But the wealth of these high shining mountains
Is not all to be found underground
And as time has revealed other assets appealed
To a few million folks here around.

Now the trade that parades thru this station
Far exceeds its bonanza day dreams
And a new day has dawned in The Silver San Juans
Where the train from Durango still screams. 

James Burke, railroad historian and photographer is the associate publisher of the "San Juan Silver Stage." His railroad photographs and writings have appeared in a variety of publications throughout the United States.