100 years ago: “Reports that cattle were starving in that vicinity caused Stock Inspector Sam Ethredge and Constable Jack Couch to make a trip to the Oxford section. If what is said of the lack of shelter and food for the stock is true, the arrest of the owner is expected.”
75 years ago: “Some Durango merchants had been complaining that the snow pile in the middle of Main Avenue was so high that they couldn’t see the prices on their opposition’s windows across the street. Ergo the shovelers today.”
50 years ago: “Coloration from tailings dumped into the Animas River at Silverton last week was visible from the air as far south as the state line. Water samples taken as far south as Durango also show a heavy concentration of silt from dumping done by Standard Metals Corp. Veteran conservation officer Allison Mason explained that the tailings as such were not harmful to fish as they aren’t toxic but that the silt load smothers the aquatic organisms fish feed on.”
25 years ago: “The La Plata County Planning Commission denied sketch plan approval for Durango Stagecoach Resort after 80 Hermosa residents protested the development during a public hearing. The Planning Commission voted three to one to disapprove the project, which would have built sites for 80 recreational vehicles on a 9-acre historic apple orchard adjacent to the only zoned neighborhood in the county.”
Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.
