I LIVED IN THE RICO DEPOT (FF06}

I Lived in the Rico Depot is an oral history presented by life-long Colorado resident, Joanne Branson Smith. Joanne's earliest memories of childhood are of her adventures in and around the Denver Rio Grande Southern (RGS) railroad depot in Rico, CO. Rico is a small hamlet high in the mountains of central Colorado. It was once was a bustling boom town as the surrounding mountains swarmed with miners hunting gold, silver, copper, zinc and other metals in the late 19th century. Joanne weaves a story that tells of the symbiosis of the mining and railroad industries that made some at the turn of the 20th century deliriously wealthy. Joanne's mother was the manager of the depot while her father labored underground as a coal miner. After the railroad folded, Edgar Branson worked as a carpenter and, with his wife, started several businesses in Durango and elsewhere. Joanne's perspective is unique and layered. History buffs of all stripes will find something of interest as she tells of her family's isolated lifestyle that persisted into the 1950's. The re-telling of her early life is both illuminating and humorous. DMCA NOTICE TO COPYRIGHT HOLDERS: FAIR USE DOCTRINE IN USE! This video contains photographs and drawings obtained from various sources. They have been used in this educational, non-profit video under the provisions of the Fair Use Doctrine. Owners of copyrighted materials were contacted for permission when possible; all contributors of images have been noted in the credit roll. Animas Museum and the La Plata County Historical Society are deeply grateful for their contributions. MUSIC LICENSE INFORMATION Music appearing in this video is used under license granted to Hillcrest Video Productions, CO by Storyblocks.com