"I trust that when people meet, we meet for a transcendent reason, and that the challenges we face in life are always lessons that serve our soul's growth." - Marianne Williamson _ Built in 1887, the historic Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado has a fascinating story. _ Built by Henry Strater (a pharmacist from Cleveland), his brothers and father, the construction required 376,000 native red bricks. Suites featured cutting edge features for its time (like wood-burning stoves, washstands, and even pianos). Henry leased the property to H.L. Rice who managed it successfully while Henry setup a pharmacy in the corner of the hotel. Inexperienced Strater neglected to exclude his pharmacy from the lease to Rice, who then extracted an extremely large rent from Strater. Furious at this, Strater built another hotel down the road intent on putting Rice out of business. _ In 1895 the Silver Panic ended up putting both men out of business. _ Today the Strater Hotel has become the most beautiful historic hotel in Colorado featuring the world's largest collection of American Victorian-era walnut furniture. Each suite is individually decorated and transports you back to a by-gone era. We loved staying here for 3 nights while we explored Durango and the surrounding region. _ If you love history, I highly recommend staying here. _ @visitdurango @straterhotel

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