100 years ago: “A report on the county institutions of La Plata County will be sent to the Secretary of State at Denver by the county board of visitors. The report makes a favorable mention of all the county institutions and the local hospitals with the exception of the county jail ... They were of the unanimous opinion that such a place of detention for its unfortunate criminals was a disgrace. Dark, gloomy, damp with unsanitary bunk holes and berths reminding one of the old-time storage accommodations of waterlogged hulks would best describe the main characteristics of the prison.”
75 years ago: “Last weekend brought a preview of winter conditions to Durango streets, and it showed that the motorists seem to forget from one winter to the next the precautions that are necessary when the streets and highways are slippery with snow and ice – or both.”
50 years ago: An advertisement for Johnson Jewelry read, “Mama told me about the birds and the bees. Earl Johnson told me about diamonds.”
25 years ago: “A part-time Bayfield resident is a new Wheaties champion. Kyle Tackett, a seventh-grader in Holdenville, Okla., was named one of four Colorado state winners in the Wheaties ‘Be A Champion’ essay contest. He receives an individual package of Wheaties with his picture on it.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not have been verified.
