By Martha Quillen Lots of things in the United States have run awry in recent years, including climate patterns, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, shootings, partisan politics and fake news. But perhaps the element that’s run most amok is us, we the people – America’s citizens, candidates and leaders. Today, some places are bustling like never …
By George Sibley The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime is finally behind us, and I can’t tell you how glad I am that I was overly pessimistic last month. A respectable blue wave on the national level restored a measure of democratic process to what was becoming one-party plutocratic rule under a would-be autocrat. …
By John Mattingly Ballot Measure 1A passed handily in the November 6 election, meaning there will be a small sales tax increase to raise an estimated one million dollars to fund activities that will protect forests, waters and open spaces. On November 5, Commissioner Felt offered a guest opinion in the Mountain Mail advocating for …
By Mike Rosso In the previous installment of this series, the framing of the exterior and interior walls of the new house had begun. The west end, or bedroom wing of the house, has trusses in place with soffit boards installed and sheathing on all walls, and in a staggered pattern on the roof to …
By Mike Rosso What’s a mountain dweller to do when they need to get some sand between their toes? When the nearest ocean is 1,000 miles away? One solution lies close to home in the San Luis Valley. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve sits at the base of the majestic Sangre De Cristo …
By Jennifer Welch I awoke suddenly at 2 a.m. this morning, and spent the next hour trying to fall back to sleep. Once I remembered the coming Super Moon, I gave up my futile attempts to resume slumber. My brain was awash with thoughts and ideas about cows, horses, the farm and my family. I …
By Peter Anderson Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), Japan’s most famous poet, was and still is known as a master of the haiku, a short poetic form consisting of three lines, often but not always arranged in a sequence of five-then seven-then five syllables. Dear Basho, You were born three and half centuries ago on the other …
By Ann Marie Swan In January 2018, my first steps inside A Church, with its steeple pointing toward the heavens, were tentative. The former First Baptist Church, built in 1885 on 4th and D streets in Salida, was purchased by Sheree and Kurt Beddingfield in July 2016 to create a place for community members to …
Matt Kroschel is the mountain news reporter with KCNC-TV (CBS4) in Denver. He grew up in Poncha Springs and is a graduate of Salida High School, class of 2007. CC: At what point in your upbringing did you decide you wanted to go into television journalism? MK: I can’t remember exactly when, but I know …
By Dan Smith In some parts of Colorado, and the nation, whether there was a Democratic “blue wave” this mid-term election or not depended on what stretch of political beach you were standing on. At the state government level, however, there wasn’t much debate; the numbers reflect that a true blue tsunami swept the governor’s …
By Mike Rosso Deep in a ravine below a Forest Service road on Marshall Pass is a decaying wooden sign dedicated to the first National Christmas Tree harvested from Colorado. The large wooden sign reads: “The White House Christmas Tree for Peace. John F. Kennedy President 1962. The first White House Christmas Tree from Colorado.” …
By Jan MacKell Collins During the 1870s and beyond, people in the eastern half of America were eagerly reading about pioneer adventures in the West. Only handfuls of them actually knew somebody who dared to sell what they could, pack what remained into a wagon, and set out to begin a new life in a …
By Mike Rosso Having had enough “screen time” for one morning, I took a break from magazine production and treated myself to a different type of screen, a movie in an actual theater. Never mind it was an hour’s drive each way to get that experience. (Salida’s only movie theater hasn’t been open for a …
By Daniel Smith In some parts of Colorado, and the nation, whether there was a Democratic “blue wave” this mid-term election or not depended on what stretch of political beach you were standing on. At the state government level, however, there wasn’t much debate; the numbers reflect that a true blue tsunami swept the governor’s …
By Sam Liebl The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation burned what it could not move and flooded what it could not burn. By the spring of 1968, the residents of Iola, a town 12 miles west of Gunnison, had been forced out. The Blue Mesa Dam was complete, and the impounded waters of the Gunnison River …
By Steve Chapman Baxter Stingley was one of the first people to arrive in Salida, in 1880. He was part of the exodus from nearby Cleora, when that boom town went bust overnight, following the relocation of the railroad. Stingley and his brother Jessie arrived in the Arkansas Valley from Iowa. Not much is written …
By Hal Walter I was never much of an athlete in high school. It wasn’t for lack of trying. At my mega high school in Northern Virginia, just outside of the Capital Beltway, I went out for football and baseball for the Lake Braddock Bruins, as did dozens of other boys with testosterone-fueled hopes and dreams …
By Martha Quillen I used to be a news junkie, but even I find modern politicking exhausting and somewhat pointless. I once harbored the idea that our elected officials represented the people’s mandate, but today there are seldom mandates. Now, elections are often ridiculously close, probably because Americans usually elect partisan players who deliver partisan …
By George Sibley The eternal election that was looming last month still looms this month. Mercifully, it will be behind us by next month – although we will then live with the consequences for what, in the worst case, could be a long time, setting up a possible Putinesque “White Palace” coup, unopposed by a …
By John Mattingly Note: This is the second of a three-part series looking at the tension points between economic growth and environmental conservation. Growth: Like gravity, it’s the law. Though there are solid reasons for both adoring and admonishing growth, it’s actually circulating in our economic bloodstream. Our entire economic structure, from Generally Accepted Accounting …
By Mike Rosso In this installment of the house construction, the footers and foundation have been poured and are dry. It’s now time to frame the house. First, a pressure-treated sill plate is installed on top of the concrete. This is a rot resistant barrier between the earth and the rest of the house. Next, …
By Peter Anderson Dear Nun-2-Slim, I am 5th generation here and I don’t know my neighbors anymore. Seems there’s more strangers hereabouts than family, friends, or acquaintances. We can’t hardly find enough Ladies of the Frontier anymore to bake pies for our fundraiser. I been here 85 years and sometimes I don’t know where I …
By Brian Rill Don Richmond and David Clemmer – Holy Roller and a Rolling Stone Don Richmond’s new collaborative musical work with David Clemmer is a straight-ahead folk album with an old-town vibe. This record was produced among long flat countrysides of the San Louis valley, amid dusty Colorado fields that are swarmed with wasps …
By Tina Mitchell You have to know that a bird loves cold if it willingly migrates to South Park for the winter. Of all of the hawks in the Buteo genus, only the Rough-legged Hawk is so thoroughly linked with cold climates. In North America, Rough-legged Hawks breed primarily on the tundra of the Arctic …
By Forrest Whitman Folks who live along what was once the mainline of the Denver Rio Grande and Western Railroad often wax nostalgic. They remember hearing a freight grinding up to Tennessee Pass late at night. For places like Salida, Pleasant Valley and Leadville, the railroad was a source of identity. They felt at home …
By Daniel Smith By the time you’re reading this, the mid-term elections will probably be over – and the race in the Fifth Congressional District will be settled. It was a year that saw unprecedented Republican primary opposition to incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn, and the rise of progressive support – even in strongly Republican El …
Whether a patchwork of heirloom fabrics or a collage of scrap pieces stitched together in an act of caring, a quilt carries associations and speaks of love and comfort. For members of Chaffee County Quilts of Valor (CCQofV), a quilt is a handmade offering of gratitude presented to veterans in acknowledgement of their service. “We …
By Duane Vandenbusche The date was July 14, 1878, and Nicholas Creede was tired. The veteran miner from Indiana had been prospecting for two months in the South Arkansas River country and had found nothing. Then, about five miles east of a high pass, he hit a promising strike and named it Monarch. The discovery …
On October 17, I sat down and watched some of the more compelling television I’ve seen in a while. It wasn’t on Netflix or HBO. It was on YouTube and was a broadcast of the Salida City Council meeting from the previous evening. The meeting began with a public comment period as they always do, …
Although my fascination with photography was born at a very early age, it did not become reality until 1980 when I purchased a studio and began making my living as a photographer. Soon my work was becoming recognized both in my native state of Kansas and at a national level as well. My portrait work …
By Linda Gibas Browns Canyon National Monument is a unique and rugged area which is also Colorado’s newest monument. Its journey to become a monument began when it was determined by Congress that certain Bureau of Land Managment (BLM) lands had wilderness characteristics. After studying and performing inventories, the BLM concluded in 1980 that 6,614 …
By Ron Sering The late Ed Quillen once remarked that “every time Salida seems like it’s poised for growth, something happens to set it back.” Even into the early 2000s, Chaffee County had remained relatively undiscovered amidst the massive growth along the Front Range. But with a two-year growth rate of 5.6 percent, change is …
By Steve Chapman One of the first things old West boom towns looked to establish was law and order. After enduring (or enjoying, depending on your perspective) early days of “anything goes” debauchery, criminal activity and survival of the fittest, citizens of mining communities such as Leadville, Buena Vista and Salida pitched in to hire …
By Hal Walter “I wanted you to see what real courage is … It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” – Harper Lee Coaching an athlete on the autism spectrum to run cross-country is …
By Mike Rosso In the first installment of this series, we had just completed the dirt work for the new house, and were now ready for the foundation, stem wall and floor. The first step was to form and pour concrete around the rebar in the footings. The footings equalize the load of snow and …
By Hal Walter The phone call came while I was riding the bus back from Leadville after coaching a cross-country meet there. It was Steve Short. Steve is a physician who lives in Kansas but has a long family history in Westcliffe going back to his childhood. He and wife Whitney have a home in …
By Hannes Zacharias Dear Colorado Central reader, I made it. I completed my 2,000-mile kayak journey to rediscover the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers; a repeat (in part) of the trip I did 42 years ago. It was a challenging, energizing and rewarding adventure. When last we visited, I was departing Webber Falls, Oklahoma, heading for …
By Martha Quillen Due to drought and potential fire hazards, Salida celebrated the 4th of July twice this year, in July and August, and the August fireworks were dazzling. But something is missing in modern holiday celebrations. That’s certainly not due to any lack of attractions, music and activities – at least not in Salida. …
By George Sibley It’s the culmination of summer over here in the Upper Gunnison, plantwise anyway. My partner Maryo is a serious gardener, and she’s gradually weaving me into that web of life. I reached my current relatively ripe old age without learning much about growing things – something I increasingly see as a flaw …
By John Mattingly As FACEbook proves itself worthy of being another F-word, Inner Old Man has squeezed out a new B-word: BUTbook, an emergent social media platform with but one rule: Each message and response must end in the word BUT. By BUT-ending sentences, and BUT-splicing paragraphs, a conversation can be reversed, enhanced, or surprised …
As many readers know, I’ve spent the past year having a house built on a two-acre parcel south of Salida. It has been an eye-opening experience and at the request of many readers, we are running a timeline of the construction process, from dirtwork to finish. Here is the first installment. – Mike Rosso Several …
By Jennifer Welch As Dr. Devine began the endoscopy procedure on Alex, he explained the symptoms of choke and the possible complications that could go along with it. I spent part of the time admiring his short handlebar mustache which was waxed into a slight twist at the ends. He was young, straightforward, and very …
High atop the Continental Divide, near Monarch Pass, on the eastern margin of the Upper Gunnison Basin, are the prehistoric remains of an intriguing and innovative hunting method employed by ancient tribes. The Monarch Pass Game Drive was an ingenious system of low boulder walls, hunting blinds and ambush pits designed to lure big game …
By Peter Anderson You could begin with everything in the house: the phones, the tools, appliances, the knick-knacks, the paintings on the wall. Clear out all the piles of paper – bills, tax returns, term papers written in graduate school, back issues of obscure magazines and journals. Take all your books to the library. Give …
By Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer ISBN: 978-1-77349-016-8 $19.95; 114pp. Reviewed by Eduardo Rey Brummel At the bottom of the menu board for the hospital kitchen where I work, is a place for “Quote of the Day.” It’s an odd week without any quote by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. Trommer has been an integral part of Colorado poetry …
