By the time you read this, "The Rose"
will be open and ready for your fine dining
pleasure - if everything goes as Ailsa and
Henry 54 have meticulously planned. By opening one the first virtual restaurants
on the Internet, Ailsa and Henry 54 are taking
the wonderful world of Moove one step closer
to reality. Be looking for an upcoming review
of "The Rose" by our culinary expert. The train clickity clacked as it took the
four of us and my
Bean Tree through some
of the most glorious
country anywhere and
unfortunately the
ride was much too short.
We slowed down and pulled into Durango -
what I like to call, "one of the forgotten
towns" in Colorado. Everyone hears about
Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Grand
Junction but Durango always seem to get lost
in the morning mountain mist. I am sure some
of the
The Historic
Strater Hotel in Durango
residents are happy about that because Durango
is almost a purrfect community and growth
has destroyed so many other wonderful Colorado
towns. Durango's name comes from the Basque word
Urango meaning water
town and is located
in the Animas River
Valley which is surrounded
by the San Juan Mountains
in La Plata County,
Colorado. The iron beast pulled into downtown Durango
which has almost as many restaurants per
capita as San Francisco, the restaurant capital
of the western United States. We stopped
in front of the Durango Depot, which looks
exactly as it did when it was built in 1882. We decided to stop and have a cold beer before
checking into the
Hotel but with the Bean
Tree I was carrying,
that was out of the
question. I told
Mela that I would meet them
at the Diamond Belle
Saloon after checking
us all in at the
Strater Hotel. Steeped in history as Durango's most prominent
downtown landmark,
the Historic Strater Hotel delivers world-class accommodations and
hospitality. It features
93 spectacular Victorian
rooms, each filled
with beautiful walnut
antiques and period
wallpapers. A beautiful
and historic lobby
and several lounges,
conference
rooms, and much more.
YEE HAW...
is the word of the day at the
Diamond Belle
The Strater and the Diamond Belle are just
a short stroll from
the train station and
with me carrying
the Bean Tree, I was major
happy about the short
distance. Henry has
offered to carry
it for me being the gentleman
he is, but I declined.
I felt really attached
to the Bean Tree
- almost on a cosmic level
- whatever the heck
that means. I checked us all into our rooms and picked
up our tickets for "Dames at Sea"
which was being performed in the Henry Strater
Theater. Even though times are hard and spare
change is hard to come by, I decided to place
the four of us in the Premium rooms. Premium rooms are the most regal of the Strater
guestrooms, with
upgraded accessories such
as bathrobes and
compact disc players. Our
Premium rooms featured
small sitting areas
and were ultra romantic
with its elegant
and elaborate wallcoverings
and gorgeous
antiques. I set the Bean Tree down near the window,
checked my hair and headed downstairs to
the Diamond Belle Saloon to meet up with
my dear friends. Revered as one of the most famous original
ragtime piano bars in the Wild West, the
Belle plays host to the world's finest ragtime
entertainers, while costumed dance hall girls
&
Affordable
and MAJOR tasty Mex food can be
found at Zia
Taqueria
bartenders transport you back to the turn
of the last century. It really is not as
hokey as it seems at first. After five minutes,
you really feel as if you are in the Wild
West. As the four of us sat and sipped our ice
cold Fat Tire beers we made plans for the
day and evening. With lunchtime having come
and gone and knowing that we would be dining
at the "Dames at Sea" show, we
decided to skip the great lunch menu at the Diamond Belle and grab a small meal
at Zia Taqueria near the county fair grounds. Southwest Colorado is chock full of great
Mexican restaurants
but none have the
amazing
assembly line like
efficiency of Zia
Taqueria.
After standing in
line, which can often
reach
out the front door
and into the parking
lot,
you are greeted by
the first of several
smiling
employees who create
your order right
before
your eyes. The line moves quickly as your order is passed
to each station, where you add whatever you
are hungry for. I ordered two soft tortillas
filled with tempura-fried cod, red cabbage,
Mexican tartar
The man with
the far-away eyes.
sauce and pico de gallo. I also added some
mango habañero sauce and a coke (they have
beer as well, including several wonderful
Mexican brews). It was a bargain at under
$8.00. "Shhh, don't look", Ailsa whispered
as she leaned forward. "That man over
there is staring at us", her voice lowered
even further. "DON'T LOOK... wait, I
will take a pic with my phone". Ailsa
pretended she was calling someone and snapped
three fast pics. Laying the phone on the
table, she slowly slid it over to Henry,
who after studying the pics admitted he had
never seen the man before. Mela took a look
and although she also did not recognize the
man, she did say there was something familiar
about his eyes. Mela slid the phone over to me. The man in
the pic was a weathered cowboy with a stern
look on his face and a major kewl mustach.
He did not look dangerous but I wondered
why Ailsa camera
Henry enjoying
the fun at the Diamond Belle
Saloon
took the picture in black and white. Thank
gawd it is not in sepia, I thought to myself
and then I noticed something. There was color
in the photo, but just a glint of it in the
cowboys eyes. I zoomed in to get a better
look and I knew why the mans eyes looked
familiar to Mela. We had seen the same "gem pupils" in Africa in the small
boy. I did not mention it to anyone and closed
the phone and handed it back to Ailsa. I
don't think he is dangerous or anything",
I reassured my friends. "I mean we are
cartoons eating fish tacos in the Wild Wild
West - that's bound to get a few stares",
I laughed and the tension eased. We finished
our meal and went back to our rooms at the
Strater. After checking on the Bean Tree,
I enjoyed a quiet nap while Ailsa, Mela and
Henry went shopping in historic downtown
Durango. The history of the Durango area is limited
prior to the mid-19th century when there
were only occasional forays of Anglo-Europeans
into southwest Colorado for trapping, trading,
and exploring.
Many of the
historic buildings, like this
boarding house,
are still standing
During this period the southwest corner
of Colorado was the territory of the Ute
Indians, and few individuals ventured into
the area. The Spanish were the first to explore
the area in the 17th century with an expedition
by Dominguez and Escalante. Little is known
of this early exploration, but The Old Spanish
Trail was used as an early route through
the area up until mid-1800s. The historic
settlement of southwest Colorado really began
in earnest with the lure of mineral wealth
on the western frontier beginning in the
mid-19th Century. In spring of 1860 Charles Baker and a prospecting
party explored the
mountains around
Silverton,
and reported gold
found. A camp was
established
at Bakers Park near
Silverton, and additional
miners rushed to
the area to explore.
Placer
gold recovery techniques
were not sufficient,
and the party broke
up with some individuals
moving south to the
Animas Valley. The
first
Animas City was established
near modern day
Rockwood in 1861.
With the outbreak
of the
Civil War many of
the party members
returned
to the east, and
fought in the Confederate
Army. The historic
development of southwest
Colorado was slow
until the Brunot
Treaty
of 1873 removed the
Utes from the mountains
and opened up the
area for increased
mineral
prospecting, full
scale mining, and
settlement
of surrounding areas
to support the mining.
Mining activities increased dramatically
in the 1870's, with development of lode mining
techniques, and the beginning of large capital
investment in the mining of the San Juan
Mountains. Placer mining techniques had characterized
early attempts to extract the rich mineral
wealth of the San Juan Mountains, but most
of the rich veins were deep within the mountains
and required extensive tunneling, and ore
processing. Mountain communities such as
Rico, Ophir, Telluride, and Silverton were
founded during this period. By the late 1870s
and early 1880s surrounding areas
Ailsa looked
hot ALL of the time. I am soooo
jealous
became developed as the need to supply the
mining communities, created a market for
agricultural products, livestock, timber,
and other goods. Animas City in present day
north Durango, was one of these early communities
settled in the late 1870s. The coming of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
in 1881 provided
a means by which
goods could
be economically moved
between the mountain
mining communities
and supply towns
such
as Durango and Dolores.
Durango was established
in 1880 as the railhead
for the new line.
William Palmer was
the main developer
of
the Denver and Rio
Grande Railroad,
hoping
to corner the market
for transporting
ore
in the region. As
part of his business
endeavors
he initiated the
development of a
smelting
facility in Durango
to process the ore,
and
in 1880 the New York
Smelting Company
was
born. In addition
to the smelting works,
Palmer and his associates
purchased a limestone
quarry, and several
coal mines near Durango.
The town of Durango
developed rapidly
in
the 1880s as did
many "boom towns'
on
the western mining
frontier. Many of
Durango's
early buildings were
simple wood frame
structures,
and in 1889 a disastrous
fire broke out that
leveled most of the
downtown area. When
the
town was rebuilt,
many of the buildings
were
made of stone and
brick, which is one
reason
the downtown area
has endured so well
into
the present time.
Our private box for the "Dames at Sea"
show in the "Hank"
Mela woke me a few hours before the "Dames
at Sea" show which gave me all the time
I needed to make myself look gorgeous and
then met with Henry and Ailsa at the Henry
Strater Theater right next door to the Strater
Hotel. Everything in Durango has a colorful
history and the "Hank" as locals
call it is no exception. The world-renowned Henry Strater Theatre
is one of the oldest
and most prestigious
continually running
theatres in Colorado,
tallying over 47
years of quality
performances.
Formally known as the Diamond Circle Theatre,
the space has been
extensively renovated,
and now houses top
of the line stage lighting
and surround sound
equipment for your pleasure.
This intimate and
prestigious venue operates
year round as a community
space and theatre,
welcoming live bands
from around the nation
and both local and
touring productions of
well-known and well-loved
theatrical performances In 1961, next to the Strater Hotel was a
dusty old car garage that was screaming for
a transformation. The vision was of burgundy
and rose and the idea was to entertain locals
and tourist for years to come. The unique
and attractive theatre opened its doors on
June 23rd, 1962 with
Dancing sailors
and pretty girls. What else
do you need?
rave reviews earning national acclaims for
the Four Corners area. TIME Magazine raved
that the theatre was one of the top theatres
during its premier summer season. The Henry Strater theatre in the past has
always showcased melodramas and vaudeville
shows; however, the summer of 2008 brought
a breath of fresh air. Both tourists and
locals were ready for a new and exciting
change and were delighted when the Henry
Strater Theatre’s debut show was the off-Broadway
and Las Vegas hit Forever Plaid. The show
sold out opening night to rave reviews and
continued to pack them in for their following
performances. We were escorted to our private box by a
very nice and quite handsome young man named
Dwight who offered suggestions on what looked
yummy back in the kitchen. "The Buck
Shot Duo Roasted Wisconsin pheasant breast
glazed with apricot and honey served alongside
a seared duck breast in a wild berry veal
demi glace looks very good tonight",
Dwight informed us, "and you just have
to try the Tri-colored Chocolate Mousse for
dessert", he added as he poured water
into the spotless crystal glasses. I decided to take Dwights suggestion and
not just because he was soooo cute. I love
eating little birds. LOL. Mela and Henry
chose the Grilled Atlantic Salmon topped
with BBQ sauce and lemon-lime aioli, roasted
new potatoes and asparagus while Ailsa could
not resist the chance to enjoy the succulent
Pork Filet Mignon wrapped in apple wood smoked
bacon in a brown sugar rub, Dijon mustard
veal demi glace and new potato hash browns.
We were all still licking our lips as the
lights lowered and the show began.
By the time you read this, "The Rose"
will be open and ready for your fine dining
pleasure - if everything goes as Ailsa and
Henry 54 have meticulously planned. 
