Animas Museum — Attraction in Durango

This was such a cool museum! I live in Durango, and while my Mom was in town we decided to go and learn more about the history of Durango!

There is so much incredible information about the early history of the town- including the area that was Animas City, mining operations, train history, and more! From outlaws, to pillars of the community, you learn about not only the history of the town, but Durango's contributions to WW2, mining operations, and more.

My favorite fact that I learned from this museum was that 90% of the material used in the Manhattan Project came from Durango and the surrounding area! Also, there was a boat named after Durango to commemorate the towns eerie, and extensive, resource contributions. SO interesting!

The staff were wonderful, and we enjoyed learning about a variety of topics throughout the museum. It is a self-guided tour but they give you a verbal history timeline talk at the beginning and are there to help with any additional questions. There's also a historic cabin, and another building that was the add-on to the cabin, that has been staged and restored to its original state, so you could see what home looked like back then. This was a really cool and unique addition to the main museum! Also- the main building that is the museum used to be one of the historic schoolhouses in the area, and it's been restored beautifully. Really adds to the experience!

Our local history is not only super interesting, but very important to keep alive- the good, bad and ugly, and everything in between. I highly recommend checking out this museum and leaving a little donation on your way out to keep our history alive. The museum is free, so any amount helps them out, but there's also no pressure!

10/10 I would recommend this stop to local and tourists alike! A great rainy...

I really appreciate it was a free museum but my experience there was odd. I was instructed to take a seat in the classroom and the man at front desk launched into a lengthy monologue with no room in any way for questions or my interests. Another couple came in during it and without taking a breath he began to repeat.. questions i had: Did Otto Mears build the railroad to Pagosa? More about the competition between Durango and Animas City for the railroad and was Albert Pfeffiers story of fighting a Navajo to the death for Pagosa Springs true...

This is a great opportunity to see what life was like in the late 1800s / early 1900s.. this old school, cabin, and house are well preserved. The tour is free, donations welcome. When you first enter, you will listen to a presentation in an old classroom, then you have access to roam by yourself. The museum has artifacts from the Ute tribes, miners, firemen,...