100 years ago: “Distressingly quiet was the city. There was some dust and one petition going around.”
75 years ago: “Fire which Durango Fire Chief Henry Dietrich said started from a chimney spark, caused a damage estimated at from $200 to $250 to the upper story of the Bill Blackburn residence, 861 Sixth Ave. The fire spread through the attic of the house after starting at the junction of the roof and the porch.”
50 years ago: “Snow which has blocked rail traffic on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad’s narrow gauge line over Cumbres Pass has been cleared and traffic will resume. ... No regular passenger trains use the line, but a special passenger excursion train will travel over the pass May 29. Freight trains make the trip once a week except when snow conditions make it impossible to keep the tracks open.”
25 years ago: “Yucca House, a national monument south of Cortez, is a classic Anasazi ruin. Few people have heard of it though, because access to the site is limited. But now, thanks to the donation of land by Cortez-area rancher Hallie Ismay, access may be improved and a ranger station eventually built. Yucca House is a large, unexcavated pueblo on 6.9 acres near the base of Sleeping Ute Mountain south of Cortez. It was designated as a national monument in 1919 and is managed by Mesa Verde National Park.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Animas Museum and Center of Southwest Studies. Their accuracy may not be verified.
