Photograph of Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad — Photograph by pixelFire, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad

A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

From the record

“The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Company, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 miles (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally-designated National Historic Landmark District and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.”
Wikipedia article Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 45 National Register listings published here for La Plata County · listed in 1966 · category: District · a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. Right-of-way between Durango and Silverton, Durango, 81301
When was it listed? October 1966
Category. district
Census division. Durango
National Register reference number. 66000247 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

131 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 131 fires within 5 miles of Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad between 1992 and 2020, burning about 476 acres in total. 90 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	90
Recreation and ceremony	16
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	14
Debris and open burning	4
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Railroad operations and maintenance	2
Firearms and explosives use	1
Arson/incendiarism	1
Smoking	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
6 September 2016	Natural	under an acre	San Juan National Forest	YOUNGS
30 September 2012	Natural	5.0 acres	San Juan National Forest	SHEARER CREEK 1
30 September 2012	Natural	under an acre	San Juan National Forest	SHEARER CREEK 2
29 September 2017	Natural	under an acre	Upper Pine River Fire Protection District	UNKNOWN
29 September 2017	Natural	under an acre	San Juan National Forest	1086
26 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	San Juan National Forest	CF 1162
22 September 2013	Natural	under an acre	Tres Rios Field Office	THREE SISTERS
2 September 2019	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	San Juan National Forest	816

Every fire recorded in La Plata County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Silver State Smelting & Refining C	Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc	Past Producer

Every working recorded in La Plata County

Storms near this property

60 of 104 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Durango, the town this property stands in, in 104 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 36 flash flood, 26 heavy rain, 12 hail, 8 lightning. The reports record 2 deaths and 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2020	Lightning	Durango	1 killed, 1 hurt	A 65-year-old woman was killed and her friend was injured when struck by lightning while walking in the 200 block of Silver Queen South in the Edgemont subdivision. The lightning bolt first struck a tree and moved laterally to strike the woman.
August 1997	Lightning	Durango	1 killed	no account filed
September 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	1 hurt, $100,000	no account filed
July 2005	Lightning	Durango	1 hurt	no account filed
September 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$1,500,000	no account filed
October 2006	Flash Flood	Durango	$1,000,000	A persistent fetch of subtropical moisture brought heavy rainfall to La Plata County in southwest Colorado for two consecutive days, October 5th and 6th. The two-day rainfall amounts in the areas of heaviest flooding ranged from 1.99 to 3.51 inches. The first reports of flooding and flash flooding came from the La Plata County Sheriff's office at 1530 MST on Friday October 6th, when flooding had occurred along County Road 250 north of Durango and also near Vallecito Reservoir. In the community of North Vallecito, a 44 foot self contained RV, a cabin, and a shed were carried by the flood waters down Vallecito Creek and totally destroyed, with pieces ending up in Vallecito Reservoir. Part of a garage and two snowmobiles were swept away by flood waters and an unattended SUV was swept into the current but later pulled to high ground. Vallecito Creek carved out a new 4 to 5 foot channel in North Vallecito in the back yards of residences, with the new channel adjacent to the back decks of some homes. An enormous amount of landscape was destroyed in Vallecito and North Vallecito. Dikes and levees built in 1970 around Vallecito Creek were initially breeched at several points around 2215 MST on 10-6-06 and were subsequently destroyed. Flood waters came up to the foundation of houses, and left at least 18 houses surrounded by water. Law enforcement and other emergency service providers evacuated residents of Vallecito and North Vallecito, mostly prior to the dike and levee failures. An underground telephone cable in North Vallecito became exposed and severed by logs in the flood waters, eliminating phone service to homes and businesses around Vallecito Reservoir. Flooding also occurred along Bolteus Creek. Roads were flooded at various locations in La Plata County with fast moving water generally 6 to 18 inches deep. Several landslides were also reported, some of which closed down the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad due to debris on the tracks.
July 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$400,000	no account filed
August 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$400,000	no account filed
September 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$100,000	no account filed
September 2013	Flash Flood	Durango	$50,000	Mud flows and water up to a foot deep closed County Road 250. Flood waters also ran into some homes in the area.
July 1996	Flash Flood	Durango	$50,000	no account filed
August 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$40,000	no account filed
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Durango	$30,000	no account filed
October 2004	Tornado (F1)	Durango	$25,000	no account filed
September 2013	Hail	Durango	$20,000	Hail up to the size of golf balls accumulated 8 inches deep along County Road 240. A number of vehicles sustained damage and some windows were broken.
August 2002	Flash Flood	Durango	$20,000	no account filed
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Durango	$10,000	Several large trees were blown down across the Durango area.
July 2003	Lightning	Durango	$10,000	no account filed
August 2003	Flash Flood	Durango	$10,000	no account filed
August 2003	Flash Flood	Durango	$10,000	no account filed
July 2003	Flash Flood	Durango	$10,000	no account filed
September 1998	Heavy Rain	Durango	$6,000	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Durango	$5,000	no account filed
July 2003	Lightning	Durango	$5,000	no account filed
July 2003	Flash Flood	Durango	$5,000	no account filed
September 1997	Flash Flood	Durango	$4,000	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Durango	$3,000	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Durango	$2,000	no account filed
August 1999	Lightning	Durango	$2,000	no account filed
August 1999	Flash Flood	Durango	$2,000	no account filed
September 2022	Flood	Durango	$1,000	Minor street flooding occurred at the intersection of Main Ave and 32nd Street in Durango as a result of heavy rain from showers. A few rocks were in the road.
August 1999	Flash Flood	Durango	$1,000	no account filed
July 1998	Lightning	Durango	$1,000	no account filed
August 2016	Debris Flow	Durango	$500	The hill leading up to Fort Lewis College was temporarily closed due to mud and debris which flowed across the road.
September 2005	Hail	Durango	$500	no account filed
August 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Durango	$500	no account filed
August 2022	Debris Flow	Durango	$250	Minor debris flows occurred north of Durango off of Highway 550 as a result of heavy rain from thunderstorms.
October 2025	Debris Flow	Durango	-	Heavy rain resulted in a rockslide on County Road 250 around 430 MST.
May 2023	Flood	Durango	-	Warm temperatures increased snowmelt and caused flooding at the Oxbow Preserve along the Animas River, which led to its closure.
May 2021	Hail	Durango	-	A severe thunderstorm produced large hail measured to be the size of pennies west-southwest of Durango. The hail accumulated on the ground.
June 2018	Debris Flow	Durango	-	Rock and other debris flowed just south of the Iron Horse Inn along and onto Highway 550 as a result of heavy rainfall. CoCoRaHS observers reported 0.70 inches of rain fell with storms near that area.
July 2017	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Thunderstorms produced 0.75 of an inch of rain within a couple of hours.
July 2017	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	A total of 0.98 of an inch of rain fell within three hours.
September 2014	Flash Flood	Durango	-	Flash flooding and urban flooding from heavy rainfall occurred in Durango and north of town. Highway 550 was closed north of town due to fast flowing water and rockslides over the roadway. Manhole covers where also blown off in portions of the city due to heavy runoff which overwhelmed storm drains.
July 2014	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	A half inch of rain within a half hour produced minor flooding and mudslides onto County Road 204 below the Junction Creek Campground. Culverts under the road became clogged with a large amount of debris.
July 2014	Flash Flood	Durango	-	A large mudslide was reported to be at least 6 inches deep and prevented travel at the intersection of Florida Road and North College Drive.
August 2013	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Street flooding occurred in many areas within and near Durango. Radar estimates and CoCoRaHS reports indicated localized spots having received between 0.75 and 1.00 of an inch of rain.
September 2013	Flash Flood	Durango	-	Flash floods occurred along Highway 550, several county roads and through much of the Durango city limits. The heaviest flows were reported just north of Durango where Highway 550 was closed for several hours. Vehicles were trapped in the flow over the highway and several rescues were initiated.
September 2013	Hail	Durango	-	Half dollar sized hail was reported in the town of Durango.
July 2012	Funnel Cloud	Durango	-	A funnel cloud was photographed by a pilot who was at the Val Air gliderport. The funnel cloud was located to the west of the gliderport over the Rockridge subdivision and appeared to last around 5 minutes. It extended 300 to 400 feet below the cumulonimbus cloud base.
July 2008	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Heavy rainfall up to 0.50 inches fell in 10 minutes. Pea-sized hail also occurred.
September 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Rainfall of .65 inches fell in 10 minutes.
September 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Rainfall of .50 inches fell in 4 minutes with a total of .60 inches in 6 minutes.
December 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Persistent rainfall which began on November 30 and continued into December resulted in 24 hour storm totals of 3.51 inches at Lemon Dam and 1.76 inches at a residence 6 miles west of Durango.
November 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Storm total rainfall of 3.51 inches was measured at Lemon Dam and 1.76 inches was measured at a location 6 miles west of Durango. Both storm totals occurred within a 24 hour period. For a continuation on this event please see the December 2007 Storm Data publication.
July 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Heavy rain caused mud and debris to flow onto Highway 550 in the 3400 block area on the north side of Durango.
September 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	Rainfall of .56 inches fell in 5 minutes.
August 2007	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	A thunderstorm produced heavy rain and pea size hail in Durango. Minor flooding occurred across Highway 160 and 550 near the Home Depot.
October 2006	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	A 22 hour rainfall total of 1.10 inches was measured.
October 2006	Heavy Rain	Durango	-	A 24 hour rainfall total of 1.61 was measured.

Every storm recorded in La Plata County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 66000247 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
La Plata County	All 45 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.