Year: 1997

Uncle Mose devastated by jail election outcome

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Essay by Jerry Mosier

Prison politics – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Uncle Mose devastated by jail election outcome

by J. T. Mosier

CHICO FLATS, SAN LUIS VALLEY, COLORADO — Uncle Mose has been shaking his head and mumbling into his coffee since the 32 drubbing on election day of a proposed 100-bed jail for Chaffee County, and the consequent shattering of his hopes for a new career as a for-profit prison consultant.

“Commissioner Frank McMurry almost hit the nail on the head…weren’t any ORGANIZED opposition that killed our chances for the new jail; it was all that UNorganized opposition we didn’t count on…”

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Getting the shaft

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Essay by Martha & Ed Quillen

The golden obelisk – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

THIS IS THE SEASON of peace on earth, but it doesn’t appear that detente, perestroika, or nuclear test ban treaties are going to establish that peace any time soon.

An outfit in Crestone, however, has a new idea for establishing world peace once and for all. They plan to bring heaven to earth with a towering obelisk.

One of our spies in Crestone reports that, with the great pink-granite pyramid in apparent hibernation among the enlightened, some vortex attention has been diverted to a proposed obelisk.

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Fleeing to the desert

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Letter by Doug & Lindy Barnes

Colorado Central – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Fleeing to the desert, away from Salida’s woes

Editors:

Good morning from the Sonoran Desert.

It’s not often that I take the time to write to a magazine and its parents regardless of how it moves me (either very good or very bad). However, I must write and tell you how much I enjoyed reading “The Constitution Comes to Salida” by Ed Quillen.

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Mensa need not recruit in Salida

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Letter by John Walker

November 1997 edition – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Mensa needn’t recruit anywhere near Salida

Editor:

“How deep is the Arkansas River?” is now a stupid question? (“Stupid-Question Season,” November 1997)

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Colorado needs transportation, not monuments

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Letter by Donald Leach

Transportation – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Colorado needs decent transportation, not monuments to egos

Editors:

Recent articles in The Denver Post concerning rail transportation in Summit County and neighboring counties make it evident that a campaign for the public’s mind is in progress. The emphasis on megabuck, megaprojects of the multi-billion dollar variety is conspicuous, as the supposed salvation for traffic and pollution problems. This is understandable, since the promotion, construction, and property interests can only make multi-millions from projects that are multi-billion. A thoughtful and insightful response to these drumbeats is essential and mandatory.

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The Oft-Neglected Symptoms of Rural Road Rage

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Essay by Ed Quillen

Rural Life – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

RECENTLY THE MEDIA, from national network specials down to the local weekly interviewing a convenient state trooper, have been bombarding us with messages about the horrors of Road Rage.

Since four out of five Americans live in Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas and endure freeways, the features have focused on eight-lane provocations and reactions: the aggravating jerk who insists on driving at the speed limit, the aggressive weaver pinballing to the exit ramp, the aggrieved 18-wheeler operator so wired on crank that he hallucinates obstacles rising from the pavement and feels compelled to smash them.

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Hard Rock from Turret

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Article by Dick Dixon

Mining – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

FEW MINERS in the Turret Mountain Mining District in 1897 realized the immortality they sought for their tiny towns would come in pink granite piled on the Capitol grounds in Salt Lake City, Utah, rather than gold deposits in bank ledgers and history books.

Men who founded towns and camps such as Turret, Minneapolis, Manoa, Whitehorn, Nelson, Cameron, Badger, Minnman, Kraft, and others in the Ute Trail country northeast of Salida were after gold. They took granite for granted. It was everywhere.

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How to make charcoal, a few tons at a time

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Charcoal – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

How to Make Charcoal, A Few Tons at a Time

The hearth method of charcoal-making required a hearth about 40 feet in diameter, slightly raised in the middle for drainage, and surrounded by a ring of clean soil free from stones and organic debris.

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Charcoal, the black gold of early Leadville

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local history – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE REMNANTS of Leadville’s wild and woolly frontier mining boom days are evident throughout the “Cloud City,” from the weathered headframes and tailings piles of its historic mining district to the 1879 Silver Dollar Saloon on downtown Harrison Avenue.

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Magic Here and Now

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Brief by Central Staff

Real Estate – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Magic here and now…

On the other hand, maybe we won’t need to wait a full thirty years for Vail to arrive, judging by the July 18 edition of The Vail Trail’s Real Estate Section, which contained a full-page advertisement, part of which is reproduced here.

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A Glimpse into our ‘Magic’ future?

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Brief by Central Staff

Real Estate – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

A Glimpse into our `Magic’ Future?

In this advertisement from the September 29 Denver Post, the Game Trail development outside Buena Vista asks “Want to see what Vail and Aspen were like 30 years ago?”

Well, as we recall, Aspen in 1967 was one of the meanest and harshest places in Colorado — unless you were a millionaire, you weren’t welcome, since a long-haired kid loitering on Hyman Street might sour the high-roller Eurotrash on Aspen and make them think about wintering in Gstaad instead.

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Briefs from the San Luis Valley

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Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

You Know You’re in the Rural West …

…When a dispute involving four people constitutes a riot. An Alamosa Valley Courier article told of a “riot” in our region this October.

As the story goes, law enforcement officials from two counties and the State Patrol were called to San Luis to arrest four people, two of whom were protesting logging of the Taylor Ranch by chaining themselves to a logging truck. The other two had allegedly brandished weapons at the protesters.

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Has the fat lady sung for Elephant Rock

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Brief by Central Staff

Water – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Has the fat lady sung at Elephant Rock?

“Sometimes it has seemed that [Colorado Springs] Utilities has gone out of its way to infuriate other communities. For example, a few years ago, Colorado Springs announced plans to dam the Arkansas River [at Elephant Rock]…

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Region’s voters pass a few tax increases

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Brief by Central Staff

Politics – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Region’s Voters Pass a Few Tax Increases

ODD-YEAR ELECTIONS in Colorado are catchalls — school boards, city councils and mayors, bond questions, and local tax rates appear on various ballots.

Mainstream pundits may argue that Americans are totally opposed to raising their own taxes, but that wasn’t the case in Central Colorado, where several tax increases were approved by voters.

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Fuel for the Fire

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Column by Hal Walter

Rural Life – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

People who heat their homes with woodstoves have different perspectives on things. For instance, I take a certain amount of comfort in the tops of juniper fence posts. I’ve also eyed my wife’s oak rocking chair, a gift from her sister, with ill intent. I have often wanted to burn this torture rack, usually after stubbing my toes on its runners. Hardwoods, after all, make coals that glow for a good, long time.

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The use tax could work against local merchants

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Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Prisons – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Use Tax Could Work Against Local Merchants

Chaffee County plans to pay for building a new jail with a use tax on automobiles and construction materials.

In essence, a use tax is a way to make sure that a sales tax is paid.

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Most local jails are old and crowded

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Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Prisons – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Chaffee County’s old and crowded jail is hardly a unique problem.

Lake County Sheriff David Duarte runs a jail built with the Leadville courthouse in 1958. In 1995, he averaged 14.9 inmates per day; that rose to 20 in 1996, “and fourteen is overcrowding this jail.” He’s had to house inmates in Clear Creek County, and “we’ve got a committee looking into a new jail.”

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Can anyone escape from a 100-bed jail?

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Article by Ed Quillen

Prisons – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

In this election in Chaffee County, we get to decide about building a new jail.

For starters, there’s little argument that the county needs one. The current slammer, in the bowels of the west wing of the courthouse, was built thirty years ago to accommodate a dozen prisoners. Now it often holds twice that many, or more.

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Soho in Salida: Bright art from Marcy Misata

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Article by Ed Quillen

Local Artist – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

by Ed Quillen

Within recent memory, Salida was pretty much a lunch-bucket town. When the blue-collar jobs faded with the closure of nearby quarries and mines, so did a goodly part of downtown, with empty storefronts spread along First Street.

But Salida’s downtown now thrives with studios and galleries, among them Soho — the name of a London bohemian district, the arty South of Houston area in New York City, and since this June, one place to find work by Marcy Miata.

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Sometimes you can’t help asking stupid questions

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Essay by Columbine Quillen

Tourism – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Although I had been surrounded by it for most of my life, last summer I finally got a taste of the whitewater rafting business. That’s when I worked for Colorado Whitewater Photography — where my job involved going to various rafting companies to sell their clients pictures of their once-in-a-lifetime whitewater adventure.

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Confessions of a Survivor of Stupid-Question season

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Essay by Shelley Jacobs

Tourism – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

This portion of Central Colorado seems to have four seasons: Rafting Season, Hunting Season, Ski Season, and Mud Season. Now that the Rafting Season (subheading: Mountain biking, Hiking, Fishing, Doing-the-rustic-backwoods- mountain-thing Season) is over, and now that most of those generous vacationers have returned to their own communities to work hard so that they can make enough money for their next vacation, we can talk frankly about them.

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Prisons don’t work, so let’s build more of them

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Letter by Jerry Mosier

Prisons – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Prisons don’t work, so let’s build more of ’em

Editor:

I turned 22 in prison, a member of the first group of guards hired in 1961 under Kansas Civil Service; prior hirings had been a tradition of political patronage.

And, until I typed this, I had not taken into account that I was there at the beginning of the trend toward bureaucracy, professionalism, and protectionism that has seen salaries of correctional officers increase tenfold from the $267 per month that I received before taxes for six-day weeks.

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CDOT was never consulted about rail abandonment

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Letter by John Esty

Transportation – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

C-DOT never consulted about rail abandonment

To The Editor:

Governor Roy Romer, along with his Office of Economic Development, has made a serious error in allowing the abandonment of the Tennessee Pass line to occur.

Though transportation of people and freight across the state is the responsibility of the Colorado Department of Transportation (C-DOT), C-DOT staff were never consulted as to the viability of the “rails to trails” plan. In fact, numerous phone calls by C-DOT staff asking for input were never returned and once the decision was made, C-DOT staff was asked not to comment. Had the Governor and his Office of Economic Development staff talked with C-DOT, they would have found out that:

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UP rail merger made a mess, as predicted

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Letter by Dave Mccollough

Transportation – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

UP rail merger made a mess, as predicted

Dear Ed:

I’ve followed the fate of the Southern Pacific rail line since Governor Roy Romer made the insincere deal with the people of Colorado and the officials of the Union Pacific Railroad. Well, now that the real truth is known, another ploy of the industrial giants has slid through the cracks and only one railroad will serve the east-west corridor through Colorado.

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Mountain states have the highest suicide rate

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Brief by Central Staff

Demographics – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Deadly Mountains

Some people see beauty in the Rocky Mountains, some see real estate to sell, and others apparently see their own tombstones.

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, states in the Mountain West have the highest suicide rate. In 1995, Nevada topped the nation with 25.8 suicides per 100,000 population. After it came Montana, 23.1; Arizona, 19.1; New Mexico, 17.8; Colorado, 17.5; and Wyoming, 17.1.

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Maurice Strong makes the cover

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Brief by Central Staff

Crestone – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

A Strong cover story

The Sept. 1 edition of National Review, a conservative journal, featured Canadian oilman Maurice Strong on its cover, and devoted six pages inside to an article about him.

Central Colorado got brief mention: “…he ended up owning the 200,000-acre Baca Ranch in Colorado, now a `New Age’ center run by his wife, Hanne. (Among the seekers at Baca are Zen and Tibetan Buddhist monks, a breakaway order of Carmelite nuns, and followers of a Hindu guru called Ba ba ji.)”

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Dictionary of the New West

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Essay by John Walker

The New West – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dictionary for a New West

by John Walker

califor-ni-an (kal’u forn’yun) n. 1. resident of the state of California. 2. imprudent spender single-handedly responsible for inflated values of real property. [earlier form Texan]

en-dan-gered spe-cies (en dan’grd spe’ sez) n. 1. every group that has had a representative address a public hearing in the West: “Ranchers, miners, etc.: We’re the endangered species.” 2. a species of plants or animals facing imminent extinction. [Obsolete]

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Take the last train

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Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Take the Last Train

Last trains come in many forms, so there are several answers to this question: When did the last train roll on the old D&RGW line through the Royal Gorge and Tennessee Pass?

The last passenger excursion, along with the last steam locomotive, was on June 22. The last regular passenger service was in 1966.

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Making Hay while the sun sets

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Column by Hal Walter

Agriculture – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

During haying season, if you drive out Hermit Road, due west out of Westcliffe, you might notice a huge monument to a way of life that is disappearing at an alarming rate as our region changes from a rural, mostly agricultural, economy to a growth-for-the-sake-of-growth development economy.

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Prisoner wants help with ancient rites

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Letter from John Rothermel

Religion – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Prisoner wants outside help for ancient rites

Dear Mr. Quillen:

I hope this finds you well. I am John Rothermel, a Godi — that is, a “priest” of Asatru — here at Buena Vista Correction Facility.

Several months ago, I was told by Suzanne MacDonald you had agreed to print a letter in your magazine on our behalf.

I apologize for the delay in writing you. I have been trying to work with the administration here, but with little success. So, I would greatly appreciate any assistance you could afford us.

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Chico residents thrilled by benefits of new jail

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Letter from J.T. Mosier

Prisons – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Chico residents thrilled by benefits of new jail

Editors:

Congratulations, dear friends and neighbors in Chaffee County, on being selected to receive a state-of-the-art jail tailored to cash in on the boom in bed-and-breakfast facilities for convicts in transit.

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There’s a lot more to it than just staking a claim

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Letter from Paul Martz

Mining – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

There’s a lot more to it than just staking a claim

Editors:

I’m still trying to understand some of the points that Ken Wright was trying to make in the September edition of Colorado Central. I agree with, and certainly sympathize with, some of the things he says about the West and those of us who actually live and work here. I am further heartened to read that he is no longer a strict constructionist tree-hugger. However, his article repeats several distortions that the environmental movement promotes about the Mining Law of 1873, and I object to that.

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Donlan letter had it right

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Letter from Laurence Budd

Development – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Jeff Donlan had it right

Dear Mrs. Quillen,

I have just read the September 1997 copy of Colorado Central, and did not miss the point that Salida is having growing pains. We live near a small town in central New Mexico, and we too are having similar pains.

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RIP for SLV Magazine

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Article by Marcia Darnell

Publishing – October 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

I was shoved into the brutal world of magazine publishing by a devious manipulator known as Ed Quillen, for whom I blame for all my ensuing woes.

In the winter of 1995 I suggested to Ed that he and Martha should expand Colorado Central’s area of coverage throughout the San Luis Valley.

“And if you need another editor, I can help you,” I said, coyly, trying to suck my way into a new job. But my ploy backfired.

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