100 years ago: “Superintendent R.T. McGraw and General Roadmaster C.W. Whitewield of this Division of the D&RG leave for the scene of the slides on the Silverton branch, where McGraw will resume charge of the work of raising the blockade. The slides ran as never before.”
75 years ago: “Constructed under the provisions of the rehabilitation act sponsored by the federal government, the Lester Short house has been completed on the lower Florida Mesa.”
50 years ago: “Three young ‘skiers’ were dug out of an avalanche up Cement Creek above Silverton. All were alive although suffering from various broken bones, lacerations and shock. The ‘skiers’ wore overall pants stuffed with straw. The rescue was the final event in a three-day training session sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service in avalanche know-how at Silverton.”
25 years ago: “The Durango Shelter for the Homeless Inc., has reached a brick wall in establishing a permanent shelter for the homeless. ... A strong possibility for the board is the Rochester Hotel, 726 East Second Ave. It has 19 rooms and five apartments with showers and laundry facilities to accommodate the board’s plan to include separate areas for men, women and families. It has been used before as low-income housing and is not in a residential area.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Animas Museum and Center of Southwest Studies. Their accuracy may not be verified.
