Entry No. 4 — the Durango file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Creations from Mufflers
Three miles north of Cortez, a dirt-road corner becomes a town of white-painted metal people — Floyd has been tacking them together out of mufflers, pipes, and bike parts since ’93. “I was never a welder! Just tack and cover with cheap paint,” his sign admits. The residents plow with a tractor, wrestle a stubborn ox, pound a saloon piano, and fish a little pond. Save Boot Hill for last: its epitaphs record deaths by barstool-tripping and second-fastest draw.
The move: Turn off CO-145 onto County Road P, walk the rows of white figures reading each scene’s gag aloud to each other, then pick which Boot Hill epitaph you’d each want.
📍 Before you go The figures stand at the dirt intersection of County Road P and Road 25.6, about three miles north of Cortez: take CO-145 north, turn west onto Road P, and pull well off onto the shoulder — there is no lot. It is private property, not a park, so stick to the roadside viewing areas and keep hands off the tack-welded figures; a donation box stands in for admission, and Floyd himself sometimes appears to tell the stories behind individual pieces. The ground is flat and dusty, fine in any shoes when dry. Pair it with Cortez’s giant cow on Lakeside Drive or a Mesa Verde run on the way back toward Durango.
- 📍 Cortez
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: County Road P at Road 25.6, Cortez, CO 81321 (about 3 miles north of Cortez off CO-145)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11