100 years ago: “Sugar beet men looking to Durango. Denver representative of bank owning Monte Vista factory here to arrange with local farmers. Promise factory. If required acreage is obtainable at price of $5 a ton, plant may come to Durango.”
75 years ago: “An exposure of several hours in zero-degree weather after her horse floundered off the trail into 5 feet of snow apparently failed to phase a Florida ranch woman. Doctors said that she would lose no hands or feet, although both hands and feet were frozen when she lost her boots struggling in the deep snow.”
50 years ago: “Heavy snow – and more and more of it – along with wind is causing the highway department and the state patrol in the area some early spring headaches. Red Mountain Pass was closed when slides started running. Down came the Telescope, the Eagle, part of the Riverside and the Chattanooga. Molas Pass was closed. The Champion slide ran this morning, but a small version of it.”
25 years ago: “Blue columbines will be dotting the highways outside of Durango this spring. Al Shablo from the Colorado Division of Highways displayed new signs featuring the state flower as the art of the San Juan Skyway at the San Juan National Forest symposium.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
