The Magic City of the Southwest

The Magic City of the Southwest: Durango's mysterious origin story

Four Corners Public Radio | By Adam Burke,

Published October 17, 2023 at 9:14 AM MDT

A few clues behind Durango's mysterious origin story — A few of the clues to Durango's mysterious origin story

The Magic City of the Southwest podcast airs on KSUT monthly on a Sunday at 2 p.m.

On this episode: what we know and may never know about Durango's mysterious origins.

Durango loves to promote its Western frontier town image, and it's easy to envision the bustling boardwalks in the late 1800s and a town sprouting up thanks to the willpower of those early settlers.

This is a sweet notion, but it's not the true story.

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Adam Burke

Adam has been working on projects with KSUT since 2018. He created and launched Native Braids (in partnership with KSUT Tribal Radio), he led the One Small Step project for KSUT and StoryCorps in the Four Corners region, and he's one of the creatives behind The Magic City of the Southwest—a regional history podcast. Adam's field reporting and documentaries have aired on NPR, American Public Media, BBC, CBC.

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Kirbie Bennett

Kirbie is a freelance writer, print and audio journalist, member of the Navajo Nation. He grew up in Shiprock, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado is another place he calls home. He's part of the creative team that makes The Magic City of the Southwest, a regional history podcast.

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Jamie Wanzek

Jamie grew up in Durango, and her byline has appeared in Moonshine Ink – Tahoe/Truckee’s independent newspaper, The Telegraph, Powder Magazine, and Mountain Gazette. Jamie is part of the creative team that launched the Magic City of the Southwest—a podcast aiming to add to new stories to Durango's history books.

See stories by Jamie Wanzek