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| Above, smoke from the Durango train drifts towards The Strater Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
20+ years ago, my mom, daughter and I were touring around Forest Lawn - Glendale cemetery. While we were walking around, we came upon the final resting place of the famous western author Louis L 'Amour.
I have a few L 'Amour books. One of them was made into a movie, Hondo, starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page.
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| Above, Louis L 'Amour. |
L 'Amour did much of his writing in Durango, Colorado in room 222 (now named in his honor) at The Strater Hotel.
The Strater Hotel was built in 1887 in Downtown Durango. It is a 3-minute walk to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum.
According to Durango.com:
The Strater Hotel has been a second home to many special guests over the years. One of the most notable visitors was western author Louis L’Amour. L’Amour would take his family to Durango and stay in room 222, which is now named after him. The room was situated above the Diamond Belle Saloon. L’Amour credited the saloon for setting the mood of his Old West Novels, many of which were written inside the Strater hotel.
Today, guests can stay in room 222 and get a feeling for what inspired L’Amour in his writing career.
From LouisLamour.com:
Starting in 1966 he would take his family to spend the summer in Durango, CO, a place he had visited briefly with a mining buddy in the in the late 1920s. For over ten years they spent the month of August at the Strater Hotel, Louis dividing his time between writing in a corner room over the Diamond Belle Saloon and hiking in the La Plata or San Juan Mountains. In later years he participated in the Presidential Committee on Space, a Ute/Commanche peace treaty, and was on the National Board of the Library of Congress' Center for the Book.
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| Above, yours truly at The Strater Hotel's main entrance. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky. |
When departing or arriving at the Durango train station, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad trains pass The Strater Hotel.
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