Durango, Colorado.

One of the places in Durango, Colorado that tourists like to visit is the Diamond Belle Saloon. The saloon has a long and colorful history. It was originally built in 1887 as the Strater-Thorpe Drugstore and was owned by Dr. Charles Thorpe. The drugstore was a popular gathering place for locals and tourists and was also used as a meeting place for the local Masons.

In 1957, the drugstore was converted into a saloon by Earl Barker Jr., the son of the Strater Hotel’s owner. Barker wanted to create a saloon that would evoke the atmosphere of the Old West, and he named it after the Diamond Belle, a famous stagecoach that ran between Durango and Silverton.

Just a couple of blocks from the Durango-Silverton Railroad Terminal, the Strater Hotel is the home of the Diamond Belle. The Strater was built in 1887 and is one of the oldest hotels in the state. The six-story building features 88 rooms decorated in an Old West style, with antique furniture and Western artwork.

Notable guests in the hotel include President Teddy Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody, Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. among many others.

The Strater is a historic landmark and a popular destination for people who visit Durango and want to enjoy an old-west-style experience. In 1887, Henry Strater, a pharmacist from Cleveland, Ohio built the hotel. Strater had a vision of building a grand hotel in Durango, which was at the time a booming mining town. The hotel was built for $70,000 and was originally called the Strater Grand Hotel.

The hotel was an immediate success. It was the largest hotel in Durango and was a popular destination for tourists and businesspeople. In 1893, the city was hit by the Silver Panic, a financial crisis that led to the collapse of the mining industry in Durango. The hotel was forced to close its doors and was eventually sold.

The building remained closed until 1926 when it reopened under new ownership. Over the years, the most recent owners, The Barker Family made several improvements to the hotel, including adding a new wing and renovating the rooms. The hotel has also been featured in several movies and television shows, including “The Rifleman” and “The Wild Wild West”. Today, the Strater Hotel is a popular tourist destination and a favorite among locals. The hotel is also a living history museum, where Durango’s past lives on.

John Steiner