Born this way

We are lucky enough to be living at a point in history where we may choose where we live, yet it is easy to take our mobility for granted. One-hundred years ago, cross-country travel was arduous, expensive and took weeks by train – a shameful comparison when I realized that every time my plane is delayed an hour from Durango to Denver I get angry with the world. 

One-hundred-and-fifty years ago deciding to move was a life-changing event. Whether across the ocean or across the country, people often did not reach their destinations. I know because I used to play Oregon Trail on the computer after school, and most of my pioneer people died of a combination of dysentery, dehydration and too much time spent hunting buffalo. 

If those plucky pioneers of yore actually made it to their destination without getting trapped on Donner Pass or (less dramatically) dying from the flu, it was often guaranteed that they would never return whence they came, that siblings and parents and childhood memories were gone forever.

Now we can move several times in a lifetime, travel internationally on business, and see two oceans in a day. We can choose to live in a place that is more than a location, it’s a home, and many people are choosing Durango.

Just as the 19th century concept of nationalism was fueled by the Romantic movement’s emphasis on “feeling” and “identity,” localism corresponds to the 21st century need to belong. In a town of transplants, the longer one has lived in La Plata County, the higher one climbs on the social rock (Durangotangs obviously climb rocks, not ladders).

So, if you were unlucky enough to be born somewhere other than Mercy Medical Center, but you have chosen Durango as your home, when do you become a local? Having a job or buying a house isn’t enough, neither is wearing a Colorado hat or getting a hunting license. Is it time or behavior that determines your status? Perhaps a combination, along with a mastery of Colorado culture.

Language, considered the cornerstone of culture, is especially tricky to navigate for nonlocals. One must not be too much of a “bro-brah” nor a cali-surfer. Southerners will catch flack for using “ma’am” and “sir” to their peers who may respond in kind, though rife with sarcasm. Simply remembering to order a “lager” instead of a “beer” will help you tremendously. Some key jargon for newcomers to remember: “dump-truck,” “the meat,” “dry line,” “yard sale,” “shred,” “romp,” “trustafarian,” and “gapers.” When in doubt, throw the name of a bike part into everyday conversation.

Arts and literature are an essential marker for any culture throughout history; they are both products of human imagination and a form of communicating a culture’s basic beliefs. Based on Durango’s artistic expression, one can surmise a great emphasis on the outdoors, the West and biking in particular. Other artistic expressions include rock-cairn sculptures, Instagram pictures of mountain summits and big fish, and the live art expression of a balanced life in a perfectly rigged raft.

Customs and traditions in Durango revolve around bikes, trains and beer. Drinking outdoors is usually included in the mix whether at the Taste of Durango or watching the Criterium race from the Steamworks balcony during the Iron Horse. Our cultural ideas of right and wrong are not moralistic so much as they are athletic. Did you get your ride in today? Have a beer! (There are also many specifications on traditional dress, but that is another column)

Religion, an institution meant to answer the basic questions about the meaning of life and to support values, can be seen in Durango in the form of the Tuesday Night Ride. Though if you do not observe this holy day, there are other ways you remain a devout follower. The Church of Durango is in the mountains and streams of the Southwest and worships the god Athleticism; it is important to offer tribute with an epic ride, run, race or river trip.

To be a true local, one must know the history of a place. This can be absorbed through countless field trips to Mesa Verde during an educational tenure in 9R, but if you were not quite so lucky, there are just a few things you must know. You must know the difference between Animas City and Durango. You must be able to name the major peaks of the area and often their namesakes. You should know about the gunfights, the hangings and the whores of a century and a half ago. Durango has a fascinating history, only slightly less dramatic than a Netflix original series.

The economy of a place, the way in which people use limited resources to satisfy their wants and needs, can be neatly defined as industrial- or tourist-based. In fact, the economy of Durango is largely dependent upon tourism, however we are lucky enough not be at the mercy of the off season. Exactly how locals use limited resources of time and money to satisfy their want for a new mountain bike and their need for adventure is still being examined by Ivy League economists.

Government, the final cultural element, is easily accessible in Durango. Whether your junior AP History teacher was also the mayor, the D.A. is your nextdoor neighbor, or you’ve been lucky enough to have a beer with the City Manager, the local government is truly of and for the people.

Now, you newcomers have an idea of what it will take to be a local; it’s more than longevity, it’s a mentality and a lifestyle. While any form of national or local identity draws boundaries, it is only human nature to lay claim to territory and insist that “I was here first.” 

We are lucky to be able to choose where we call home; I am lucky because I was born here.

– Maggie Casey