100 years ago: “W.A. Perry returned to his New Mexico ranch. He says the peaches in his section are ripening and they are of good growth, flavor and color – thinks the price will start out around $1 per box – which is 50 cents the box in advance of other sections.”
75 years ago: “Seventy-one Durango men and women will leave on the first leg of the two-day goodwill tour into New Mexico on behalf of the Spanish Trails Fiesta. The caravan will be of sufficient length to attract a lot of attention, with 18 cars on the trip.”
50 years ago: “Witching, the age-old art of finding water with a forked stick, isn’t always effective. Just ask Cal Putnam. Putnam, bus supervisor for School District 9-R, applied this ancient art at the site of the new bus garage now under construction about a mile east of Durango on Florida Road in an attempt to uncover a source of water close to the surface for a well. Well, he thought he found the right spot. Water’s here, he said, only 20 feet down. In came the drilling equipment. As of this morning, the drilling rig was down to 40 feet, still drilling and no water.”
25 years ago: “Trying to fill a niche for the ultimate all-purpose rafting sandal, the Durango designers of Flexible Feats believe they have also designed a shoe that is at the ‘height of causality’ and attractive to boot. Longtime Durango residents Stephen Saltsman and Robin Fritch are river rafting outfitters with Flexible Flyers. They started developing a sandal four years ago when they decided they needed a practical shoe to wear while rafting.” The sandals sold from $25 to $28 per pair.
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not have been verified.
