In about 1998 i was in duran and met a man that lives there and became friends with him. he told me some of the history of the town. he told me that at it's high point, there was almost 300 people living in the town and area. the man has a large sheep ranch in duran and other areas nearby. ( over 50,000 acres ) the gentleman also told me some interesting history about the old general store and hotel which is next to the railroad crossing at the intersection of the two highways. it seems that the couple that owned the store and hotel closed up shop and lived upstairs in part of the hotel over the store. one night three men knocked on the door late at night. the man that owned the store / hotel went downstairs to see what was going on. the men managed to convinc..

"The General Store was owned by a Lebanese imigrant. His name was A.J. Coury. His wife's name was Raffa and they had three children Fred, Anna and Emma. In 1914 the store was robbed and Mr coury was shot dead in front of his wife and 3 children. The 4 men responsible were caught and 3 of them were hung (possibly the last hanging in the state). The fourth man appealed his conviction and was put to death 6 months later by electric chair. His wife was shot but survived and died 1972 in Santa Fe. His son Fred lived in Albuquerque unti his death in 1991. His daughter Anna Sandoval lived in Alamagordo until her death in 2004. And his other daughter Emma Dar lived in Santa Fe until her death in 2006." Robin Shaya