100 years ago: “The snow storm which raged in the La Platas left the mountains looking as though it were midwinter.”

75 years ago: “The personnel of the engineering and maintenance departments of the state highway division have moved into the new highway building on Sixth Street, west of the railroad tracks.”

50 years ago: “There is plenty of available space throughout the balance of the week on the daily runs of the narrow gauge Silverton. The extra equipment available this year permitted an estimated 420 persons to board the train, and still have a passenger car left in the yard.”

25 years ago: “Part-time Durango area resident Louis L’Amour, whose scores of Old West novels about gunfighters, lawmen and drifters drew on his colorful past as a gold prospector, roustabout and jack-of-all trades, has died of lung cancer. He was 80.”

Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not have been verified.