Please note, our event today, The Cedar Mesa Perishables Project, has been postponed due to weather and travel considerations.  Stay tuned for a rescheduled date to be announced soon!

Tools for Exploring the Past 

🗓️ Wednesday, September 30, 6:00 – 7:00 PM 

📍 Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave 

🎟️ Free + Open to All

🔗 More Info 

We are excited for Archives Manager Nik Kendziorski to co-present this public session that will cover how community members can explore the history and prehistory of the region through the collections of the Center of Southwest Studies, Animas Museum, and Durango Public Library.  

What's Mine is Yours, What's Yours is Mine

🗓️ Friday, October 2, 5:00 – 8:00 PM 

📍 Studio &, 1027 Main Ave, Durango

🎟️ Free + Open to All 

🔗 More Info

Center staff, Amy Cao (Collections Manager and NAGPRA Coordinator) and Olivia Perea (Mellon Collections Research & Education Fellow), will be featured in a JO-LO (joint-solo) show in the Studio & Recess Gallery through the month of October. Stop by during the upcoming First Friday Art Walk to celebrate with us!

We are excited to share an update from Phil DeHudy (FLC History alum) on the ongoing survey of the cartographic collections in the Center's Archives.

Phil has spent the summer surveying about 2,000 materials and has uncovered some true gems, including blueprints of the inner workings of the Porter Hesperus Coal Company mines, aerial photographs of Durango and the Fort Lewis Mesa from the 1960s, archeological maps from the Four Corners region (including a unique map relating Chaco Canyon to other sites), Fred Harvey Company tourist maps, and so much more!

Since 1964, the Center of Southwest Studies has been blessed by thoughtful and generous donors that have provided thousands of maps and related cartographic materials. Some of these have already been featured in exhibits and reproduced in published works, while many more are awaiting their time in the spotlight. 

Improving the discoverability of these items is a primary focus of this project, which will empower community members, students, faculty, and visiting scholars and researchers driven by curiosity, exploration, and a desire to learn.

The deep interconnectedness of these collections is a unique asset. Multiple collections from the Durango area dating from the early twentieth century bear the signatures of Allison Kroeger and E.H. Burdick. These fixtures of the community knit together the commercial, industrial, and residential landscapes of the region, with their work enduring long after their own time. Examples are found in the Western Colorado Power Company collection, the Alton C. Dorsett Durango Real Estate development collection, the Union Carbide Western Slope of Colorado collection, and even in the records of Fort Lewis College. Their steady hands and accurate line work defined decades of development.

The rich context these primary-source materials offer is unparalleled and only available through the Center of Southwest Studies. The Southwest as a region is ancient, and always in a state of dynamic change, and these maps tell us not only where we have been, they can also offer us guidance for the future.

Map Images (top to bottom)

Early Electra Lake Reservoir Map

Chaco Canyon Region Map (detail)

Early Durango Grid Map

Porter Mine Map

“Maps have unique demands relative to the usual paper documents that make up archival collections, but meeting those demands is more than worth it for the unique benefits that these collections offer. One map of the right-of-way of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad between Durango and Silverton is so detailed that when fully unrolled it is over seventy-three feet long! This project offered an opportunity to learn more about nineteenth century paper types, lithography, architectural reproductions, twentieth century real estate development practices, and so much more. I have gained valuable new skills and perspectives and I am pleased to leave behind collections that are more discoverable than ever.” 

- Phil DeHudy

Phil DeHudy was first introduced to the Center of Southwest Studies as a Fort Lewis College student in Dr. Michael Martin’s Archival Theory and Practice course. While completing his BA in History, Phil worked at the Center as an academic intern, contributing to several collections and developing a deep passion for archives. Since graduating, Phil has returned to CSWS (when funding allows) for project-based work, bringing his growing archival expertise to complex projects, such as this comprehensive organization and re-housing of the historic maps and oversized materials. Phil is currently pursuing a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver.

Phil recently wrapped up his time this project, and we are so appreciative of his organization and diligence that will enable the work to continue under Archives Manager Nik Kendziorski and longtime volunteer Tom West. 

This project is made possible with support from Richard Ballantine and his three siblings, and the Usinowicz Family.

This month, the Center of Southwest Studies museum welcomed students of CHEM 465, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry (taught by Professor Callie Cole, Ph.D.), who reached out with an interest in analyzing deterioration in historic glass, also known as "weeping glass." The students used a minimally invasive swabbing method to take samples of water-soluble ions from the Center's large collection of glass bottles and plan to process the samples back in the FLC Chemistry Department labs using ion chromatography. We love opportunities such as this when we can connect students with collection objects for research and hands-on learning!

TYRRELL TAPAHA (Diné)

Glonnie Mack

Mixed-Media (woven flag, spruce latillas, brain-tanned Navajo Churro hide, concrete, soil, and found objects)

Join Tyrrell's Artist Talk

🗓️ Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 PM

📍CSWS Lyceum (Rm 120) | Free | More Info

Tyrrell Tapaha (he/they) is a Diné weaver, fiber artist, and sixth-generation sheepherder based in the Four Corners.  Their textiles, installations, and mixed-media work encapsulate the intergenerational agro-pastoral living handed down to them through their grandfather, great-grandmother, and other relatives willing to teach. Tyrrell’s creative approach is intimately interwoven with their feelings and memories, illuminating the complexity of their lived experience, the rich history of their Diné community, and imagined futures. 

“...working with the land, ecology, hydrology, migrating, grazing the animals, and thinking about and breeding for better fleece. I spend a lot of time looking at the minuscule and larger details of this lifestyle, and my weavings are a glimpse of that.” 

Tyrrell’s piece, Glonnie Mack, is on view through December 18 in Constellations of Place, which is a collaborative exhibit between the Center of Southwest Studies, Department of Reconciliation, and Four Corners Bridging Institute, and made possible with generous support from:

🌏 On the Map

The Center is excited to join the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Map, which showcases organizations that are creating a positive impact on communities and travelers.

☑️ On the List

The Center is featured on Deep Arrival's ranking of 15 Things to Do in Durango and described as "a genuine research collection rather than a visitor attraction dressed as one."

Upcoming Closure: Monday, October 12, 2026

Gallery: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Delaney Southwest Research Library & Archive:

Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Contact Us:

970-247-7456 (CSWS Main Line)

970-247-7126 (Archives)

970-247-7333 (Gallery/Museum)

The FLC campus does not require a parking permit Mon-Fri after 3:30 PM. Visitors may also park in paid metered spots.

Explore and plan your visit with our Digital Guide.

Center of Southwest Studies

Fort Lewis College

1000 Rim Drive

Durango, CO 81301

View a map of campus | FLC visitor parking