Description

1890s-1945

Duane A. Smith

Duane Smith came to Fort Lewis College as a professor of history and Southwest Studies in 1964. Not content to just teach, Smith also has been a prolific writer. He has published dozens of books and his columns have appeared in the Durango Herald since 1986. A wide-ranging selection of those columns are compiled into this book.

Durango Diary II is the story of Durango from its early years through World War II. Smith’s eye for detail brings the eras to life. Why were cows roaming up and down the Boulevard? What did a pound of butter cost in 1940? Where were the best country dances or church socials? How did women’s roles change in Durango? And what was the town like when Prohibition shut down all the saloons?

Durango Diary II not only shows us how Durango got where it is today, but also how some things never change.