100 years ago: “The first attempt to hold a spring racing meet in this city will be made today. The races are to be held under the auspices of the San Juan Horsemen’s Association and are particularly for the exposition of horses bred in the basin.”
75 years ago: “Durango is now headquarters for the Rio Grande Southern Railroad following completion of a move in which the managing officers of the railroad were provided quarters here so they could be closer to the scene of operation.”
50 years ago: “First irrigation water releases were made from Lemon Reservoir. Storage of water in the reservoir began during December of 1963 when the closure of the outlet works was completed. Lemon Dam and Reservoir is the key feature of the Florida Project, which was authorized as a participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project in 1956. Construction began on the Florida Project in the early summer of 1961.”
25 years ago: “A 19-year-old Bayfield boy was sentenced to 23 years in prison for robbing the Pine River Valley Bank and kidnapping the bank president’s son eight months later. The sentence culminates a lengthy court process that began in October 1987 after the boy was arrested for robbing the Bayfield Pine River Valley Bank Aug. 13, 1987.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
