Animas Museum Hosts Free Hybrid Yesterday and Today Part Two Feb. 14

The Animas Museum will present the second part of its webinar series "Yesterday and Today" at 1 p.m. Feb. 14, with local historians Charles DiFerdinando and Ed Horvat leading a hybrid program that is free and will be recorded. The in-person session meets at the museum, 3065 West Second Ave., and the program will be streamed live via Zoom for remote viewers.

"Join local historians Charles DiFerdinando and Ed Horvat for the second part of their popular webinars "Yesterday and Today." The presenters will "We’ll be picking up where we left off in Part I, walking up Main Avenue starting at 8th St." The format builds on a street-level narrative that pairs artifacts and period photos with oral histories drawn from the museum’s collection, giving participants a layered look at downtown Durango’s built environment and community memory.

Access is straightforward: the museum states, "There is no charge for this hybrid event which will be recorded. Watch live at the Museum or on Zoom register for a Zoom link here." In-person seating is at the Animas Museum; remote attendees must register for a Zoom link via the museum’s Events page. The recording will be archived for later viewing, and past installments are available on the museum’s YouTube channel @animasmuseum.

The series explicitly ties material culture to personal stories. The museum describes the approach this way: "This is the first of our series, each video will tie together an artifact and photos with a story from an oral history, all from our collection. Mary Hansen's story was told to us by her grandsons. Watch the video on our YouTube channel @animasmuseum or here." As an example of the museum’s oral-history program, the museum highlights Joanne Branson Smith’s talk "I Lived in the Rico Depot," given at the museum in November, 2022 and preserved by volunteer Larry Bollinger. The site copy notes, "You can watch it on our Youtube channel here."

The Animas Museum also lists visitor hours and related resources for anyone planning a trip: it is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The museum recently announced, "New traveling exhibit, now open!" and offers downloadable local walking tours, including "Learn about the Great Fire of 1889 — Download a device friendly copy of the walking tour here or a printable version of the pdf here."

For Hidalgo County readers interested in regional culture and archival storytelling, the Feb. 14 program is a low-cost way to connect with Durango’s street-level history and recorded oral histories. You can attend in person at 3065 West Second Ave. or register on the Animas Museum Events page to receive the Zoom link; the recording will be added to the museum’s online archives for later viewing.