Trailer: The Magic Southwest

[00:00:08] Speaker A: In 1881, the same year Durango was established, an artist from New York visited southwest Colorado. The artist's name was J.J. riley. He was on assignment for an east coast newspaper. [00:00:24] Speaker B: He was showing the world what the so called western frontier looked like. New new towns were springing up and railroad tracks were being laid into the ground. [00:00:33] Speaker A: During his time in western Colorado, he made a series of sketches depicting the region. There were illustrations of Antonita and the hot springs in Pagosa. The illustrations look inviting, like something you'd see on a postcard. And that was the point. These prints were a form of boosterism in the 1800s. [00:00:58] Speaker B: And then Riley made his way to Durango, probably on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad. [00:01:05] Speaker A: He made a print of two pioneer men with their backs turned. They're looking over Durango, probably from the mesa at Fort Lewis College, past the gnarled and torn trees. In the foreground, you can see a city coming into being. [00:01:20] Speaker B: The vanadium smelter is along the Animas river and Main street is just starting to crop up. There isn't a single tree covering downtown, just sagebrush and juniper. [00:01:36] Speaker A: He named this print the Magic City of the Southwest. [00:01:48] Speaker B: To Riley, Durango was the epicenter of something growth, gold, the Southwest. At the time, the US government had broken its treaties with the Ute. Nations and people from all over the world were flocking to this place. This place had magic. [00:02:04] Speaker A: According to riley, in the 1800s, magic referred to something more material. Magic meant industry and gold. It was. It was meant to attract settlers to a land ripe with promise. [00:02:18] Speaker B: Magic city was a term used for places that were rapidly growing. Miami, Birmingham and Billings were all considered magic cities in the late 19th century. [00:02:30] Speaker A: And yet Riley's sketch of Durango is unsettling. The imposing mountains in the background look militant as they watch the conquest of land. The sky looks threatening. It seems that Riley is cautious about how he is casting this place. [00:02:47] Speaker B: Maybe he can sense the myth of the frontier. [00:02:51] Speaker A: This place, it wasn't just born from the settler's imagination. It will always belong to the Utes, the Pueblos, the Jicaria Apache, the Dene and the Hopi. [00:03:04] Speaker B: When you look at this sketch today, the darkness stands out and yet you can see its destiny. A town created by the railroad and defined by the mountains. [00:03:15] Speaker A: We named our podcast after this print because to us, magic isn't related to progress or gold. It's how subtle forces transform the dense, [00:03:25] Speaker B: how history can illuminate the shadows and beauty of a place. I'm Jamie Wanczyk. [00:03:32] Speaker A: And I'm Kirby Bennett. We'll see you soon. For season two of the Magic Southwest.