SPONSOR LISTINGS

Visit the official site for the Durango & Silverton Railroad or call 877-872-4607

Grand Imperial Hotel
800.341.3340 - Silverton
Featured in John Fielder's "Best of Colorado". Live Honky tonk piano. Also Grumpy's Restaurant and Saloon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Full bar with local micro-brews.

Silverton Brewery
1333 Greene St
970.387..5033 - Silverton
Various styles of award winning microbrews. Great burfgers. Beer to go.

Bar D Chuckwagon
970.247.5753 - 888.800.5753
Durango
Great Western stage show and delicious barbeque supper. Open nightly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Reservations required.

Natalia's Family Restaurant
970.387.5300 - Silverton
Just 60 feet from where the train stops! Affordable family dining, serving hot American, Italian, and Mexican favorites.

Strater Hotel
699 Main Ave. - Durango
970.247.4431
Get on board and experience the charm, history and excitement.
Inside the Strater:
Mahogany Grille
Henry Strater Theater

The Jewelry Works
965 Main Ave - Durangp
970.247.3173
Creators of custom one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Silver Summit
970-387-0240 - Silverton
Full and half day jeep rentals - ghost towns, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife.

Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum
Opening June 2011

Telluride
800.854.3062
Venture back in time and stroll along main street where Butch Cassidy once roamed.

Sky Ute Casino
970.563.7777 - Ignacio
14324 Hwy 172 N
After the train ride, come visit us for all your fun.

Welcome to Silverton

View Silverton Maps and Listings

One is never quite prepared for the magical transformation that occurs as you enter the storybook setting of Silverton.

Take a step back in time starting around 1860, when Charles Baker and several prospectors entered the San Juan Mountains in search of wealth. They soon found deposits of gold and silver along the Animas River in an area that was later called "Baker's Park."

In 1874, the Silverton town site was laid out and it soon became the center of the numerous mining camps located along the Animas River. In addition to the miners, Silverton caught the eye of railroad companies in Denver. In July 1882, the first train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad rolled in to Silverton from Durango. By 1883, Silverton boasted having a population of 2,000 people with 400 buildings-two banks, five laundries, 32 saloons and several hotels. An invisible line ran down Greene Street keeping the respectable side of town divided from the bawdry red light district-the Infamous Blair Street.

During Silverton's early history, Blair Street developed as the red-light district. In May 1883, a Grand Jury brought 117 indictments against "lewd women." Prostitutes were fined $5.00 plus court costs and dance halls that were open on Sunday were fined $25.00.

Although fines were levied, gambling and prostitution were generally accepted as long as the practice did not migrate into the more respectable sections of town. Lascivious behavior was not necessarily condemned, as fines were readily used for the growing community. Today there is still a town ordinance on the books prohibiting curtains on saloon windows. The law wanted to see what was going on inside those dens of iniquity!

By the 1940s most of the gambling was over and the "ladies" had moved on, citing competition from the local girls who "gave it away" in fits of patriotic fervor during WWII. The old saloons on Blair Street had a rebirth in the 1950s as movie sets, where westerns such as "Run for Cover," "Across The Wide Missouri" and "True Grit" were shot. The train, a world-class attraction, was often the star, too. Today the train brings over 140,000 passengers a year into Silverton from Durango to visit, unloading in the middle of notorious Blair Street, a step back in time.

Today, Silverton is nationally noted for its excellent preservation of such unique history, buildings, Silverton Mountain Ski Area, Kendall Mountain Recreation Area, the scenic highway and back country byways, small town friendliness and as a year-round recreational paradise. One will have plenty to do with such a variety of shops, restaurants, lodging, camping, museums, tours, events and all your favorite summer and winter recreational offerings. Just a short drive north of Durango and easily accessible year round via US Highway 550, you will find many reasons to keep coming back to stay, shop and play.

For more information visit: www.silvertoncolorado.com, call 1-800-752-4494 or stop in at The Silverton Visitor Center: Intersection US Hwy 550 & Greene St.