Volume 7 , Issue 31

Pinkerton Springs, Animas Valley & Animas City, Colorado...

We have been searching through a Colorado history book - Pioneers of the San Juan Country (a reprint of Volumes I, II, III, and IV, by Sarah Platt Decker Chapter NSDAR) for information concerning "Pinkerton (Hot) Springs," & "Pinkerton."

What brought this search on was this photo taken in the 1930s near Durango, Colorado at a place called "Pinkerton Hot Springs Resort." Our research online shows that the Colorado Timberline Academy is now in that location at 35554 on Hwy 550, about 20 miles from Durango -- according to what we found online so far. Notice the tree horse & wagon in the photo -- are they still a part of the landscape today? We need to take a jaunt out that way one of these weekends to get some recent pictures of the Old Pinkerton Hot Springs Resort. Anyone out there have any more information about Pinkerton Springs?

The Pinkerton family (Judge Pinkerton and his wife, 3 daughters, 2 sons) were the last settlers in the Fall of 1875 to locate a ranch in the upper part of the Animas Valley, including the hot springs now known as Pinkerton in the Pines, in SW Colorado. Are these Pinkerton's related to the Allan Pinkerton that established the Pinkerton Detectives?

Their eldest daughter, Nellie, married Frank Williams and was the first marriage in the Animas Valley. Their youngest daughter, Belle, married a Ptolemy. Judge Pinkerton and his family gave the first Christmas dinner and invited everyone in the Animas Valley.

The first town in valley was Animas City and was laid out in the late Summer of 1876. It was two miles North of Durango and is now the North part of Durango. The Animas Valley was a part of the Ute Reservation until it was thrown open for settlement in 1874.

Homesteads in the Animas Valley were taken up from Pinkerton Springs to a number of miles down the river, including what became the Durango townsite, in 1880. The first school in Animas Valley was taught by Lucina "Lu" Gaines in 1877, near Pinkerton Springs.

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