100 years ago: “A fire on the slope back of Perins Peak has been burning since yesterday. The fire is in a district from which the timber has once been cut, and under the direction of the sheriff’s office are fighting the blaze. The light could plainly be seen last night.”
75 years ago: “One of the heaviest – if not the heaviest – votes in the history of La Plata County is expected the day of the big general election. Over 8,000 voters have registered and a great majority of the registrants will cast their ballots.”
50 years ago: MESA VERDE – “Visitors for the first 10 months of 1965, a total of 371,500, have topped the total number of visits during the first 35 years of the park’s existence, or up through 1940. For October, the number of visitors was 13,800, only 200 more than for the same month last year. The 10-month total however, is 9.5 percent above the 339,100 listed for the same period last year.”
25 years ago: “It was a historic moment for Durango and Colorado as residents and government officials gathered to officially close the Remedial Action Project Site, which contains more than 2.5 million cubic yards of uranium tailings removed from Smelter Mountain. Despite a steady rain falling throughout the ceremony, spirits were high among some 40 people who attended.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
