100 years ago: “16,000 acres of the finest irrigable lands in the U.S. will be almost given away to the first 100 farmers who will come into Colorado and reclaim them. The state will consider any scheme, irrigation company or community reclamation work which will bring into the state 100 men who will work to get 160 acres each of land, which, under cultivation, will be worth $100 per acre. The Ignacio Carey act tract in La Plata County, formerly a part of the Ute Indian Reservation is perhaps the best land in the world open today to farmers at a nominal price. The entire tract of 16,000 acres will be sold in quarter sections to farmers at $1.75 an acre, provided it is put under irrigation promptly.”
75 years ago: “Making up a small theatre party, seven school friends, whose paths since graduation have separated widely, took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a brief reunion. Attending the cinema, the group later shared the pleasures of exchanging stories of their individual expenses over hot chocolate in a downtown shop, one of their former rendezvous.”
50 years ago: “The city’s ice skating rink at the old reservoir north of the Fort Lewis campus was scheduled to open for the rest of the holiday season. But the opening will be delayed, indefinitely. A jeep sent to clear snow from the ice fell through and fractured the ice and the skating plans.”
25 years ago: “Garbage – and what to do with it – will be on top of the public-issues pile in the upcoming decade. Those at the forefront of solid waste disposal say leaders must at least consider regional landfills, waste incinerators, recycling programs and public education. With the closure of the Van-Dal Landfill expected next fall and Bayfield Landfill’s closure a few years down the line, La Plata County already is looking to develop a landfill that will serve county residents through the decade and perhaps longer.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
