100 years ago: In response to the “plenty of water on hand and no limit as to hours” in Durango, all water consumers were “earnestly requested to sprinkle the street in front of their premises.”
75 years ago: At La Plata County Courthouse, an important meeting was held to discuss “the vital necessity of collecting scrap” in the United States as war efforts continued.
50 years ago: Dr. Jim Turpin, founder and president of Project Concern, spoke out about “the revolutions of rising expectations of Asian peoples,” and said their first concern was a better life, not politics. “You should remember families have relatives fighting on both sides of this war and that many have turned to the Viet Cong because of their desperate conditions,” Turpin said. His message, according to The Durango-Cortez Herald, got through to audiences.
25 years ago: It was announced that, for the first time in a decade, Durango would not host a Halloween celebration on Main Avenue. “Nobody has stepped forward to sponsor anything,” Bob Ledger, city manager, said. He added that it was too late for anyone to plan an official event, and people were welcome to celebrate downtown, though it would not be part of any planned program.
Most items in this column are taken from The Durango Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
