Mike Rosso 
SHORTLY AFTER MOVING TO SALIDA IN 2001, I began noticing random license plate frames around town embedded with the words “Old Goats.” I soon learned there was an organization founded in Salida for the purpose of helping preserve the Rocky Mountain goat. Members are referred to as “Old Goats.” While hiking a section of the …
By Douglas B. Mendelson I have just gone through a nearly two-year long medical journey that has opened my eyes to the whole medical system so much, I felt compelled to share my experience to help educate others to my process and pitfalls encountered during my journey. I am not here to disparage any medical …
By Elizabeth Walsh TEACHER, AUTHOR, RANCHER and environmentalist, Nancy Oswald jokes, “If I ever wrote a memoir, I’d call it the crooked path.” Perhaps it is the twists and turns, the side ventures, even odd roads that lead to a full, rich, interesting life journey. Raised primarily in Denver, Nancy frequently spent time at …
By Mike Rosso Back in 1880, a Salida resident named Tom Cooke was searching for horses in the northwest mountains of the San Luis Valley. Instead, he found ore deposits which quickly gained interest from outsiders and within a year, the town of Bonanza City was founded and counted between 1,000 and 1,500 residents by …
By Forrest Whitman One of Colorado’s most spectacular train trips is back after three and a half years of rehabilitation. It’s a good time to board the Cog Railway from Manitou Springs to Pike’s Peak. The day we went, the weather was fine and the snow mostly gone. We did see moisture on the new …
By Peter Anderson Row, row, row your boat. Row it because El Rio is running high with water that has just come down off the mountain and your friends want to take their little boy on his first float; row it so he feels the waves as they push up against the floor of the …
By Chris Rourke Along a more than four-mile stretch of the Slate River near the town of Crested Butte lies a colony of Great Blue Herons. They return every spring to lay eggs, hatch their brood and tend to chicks. The majestic and colorful creatures can be spotted high in the tree tops overlooking the …
By Joyce Lohse In mid-June, Western Writers of America (WWA) converged on Loveland, Colorado, for their 68th Annual Convention. For a writer struggling with focus and direction, this was a perfect opportunity to learn about industry news and gain inspiration. Three days of listening, interacting and learning among 200 of the most talented Western writers …
By Mike Rosso We reached the end of the construction and finish phase of the house, and all that remained was the final inspection and certificate of occupancy. After a bit of ground leveling by the builder, a dump truck full of gravel was brought in to create a driveway. The builders then came in …
By Jennifer Swacina When I first heard about Nestlé mining water— right here in Chaffee County—I wished I had been here in 2009 to have joined those who rallied against it. Be careful what you wish for! In late 2019, I happened to read an article covering a routine county commissioner’s meeting with discussion that …
By Mike Rosso The Chalk Cliffs State Trout Rearing Unit sits at the base of majestic Mt. Princeton, near Chalk Creek in Nathrop. Originally a private trout farm, the state of Colorado began operating the facility in 1948 to provide catchable trout to waters throughout the Front Range and Eastern Plains of Colorado. Its stocking …
By Forrest Whitman Colorado folks, especially here in the Upper Arkansas Valley, used to be called “Colorado nice.” I still hear that sometimes, but not often. There are more of us here and that may result in less “nice” and more “grumpies.” Population booms lead to some positives and some negatives, but there’s no argument …
By Hal Walter There was a paper American flag taped to the stair handrail. Each weekday morning, through an intricate intercom system consisting of a cell phone, landline, iPod Touch and a Beats Pill speaker, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by the lunch menu, school announcements and an inspirational quote. Routines are important …
By Tom Purvis When spring came to Salida back in 2004, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced their plan to conduct a travel management planning process on their managed lands in the Upper Arkansas Valley. The trails that were available near Salida were few, rough, and not constructed sustainably. To say they were constructed …
By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez As regular readers may have already determined, I am an outdoor recreation novice, which is probably why I love Penitente Canyon so much. Although there are absolutely more challenges there than I will ever be prepared for, the canyon’s more than 25 miles of trails have hiking routes for every level of …
By Daniel Smith It was Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who initiated Earth Day in 1970, the first national effort to focus on environmental issues. Later that year the Environmental Protection Agency was formed, to be followed by the Clean Air Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act; and the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act …
By Chris Rourke Some are snowy and silent. Others are rough and rocky. Still, some lead users on a narrow strip through a field of wildflowers billowing in the summer breeze. Trails are all shapes and sizes and have many uses. And we “users” are as varied as the trails we find under our feet …
By Kenneth Jessen Excluding ghost towns on private property, possibly the hardest to reach by vehicle is located in Alamosa County near the base of three fourteen thousand peaks, Ellingwood Point (14,048 feet), Blanca Peak (14,345 feet) and Little Bear (14,036 feet). It was called Camp Commodore (a.k.a. Commodore Camp or simply Commodore). The treacherous …
By Hayden Mellsop “No theme this month. Just write about whatever is on your mind.” Words to instill fear into the heart of any columnist, at least this one. Where to begin? Without a focal point my imagination resembles something of a flat, featureless ocean. Me, bobbing at its center, scanning the horizon in all …
By Tina Mitchell In 1961, I was a 10-year-old kid in the suburbs of Chicago and Walt Disney had me smack dab in his sights. “The Wonderful World of Disney” had become “must see TV” every Sunday evening in my house. With “Bambi,” he had brought wildfire to life (and, rightly or wrongly, mother-killing hunters …
By Clay Jenkinson The chaos of the last few years about “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and the press as “enemies of the people” has rattled America’s understanding of the search for truth, the reporting of facts and incidents, the role of the media in a free society, and the idea of “objectivity” in a post-literate, …
By Forrest Whitman All eyes are on the COVID-19 pandemic. But, a story that’s been shoved aside might just be nearly as important long term. A railroad war is going on right now between the Rio Grande Pacific R.R. and the Colorado and Pacific R.R. It’s over the old main line of the Denver and …
By Mike Rosso If I were to use one word to describe Browns Park in northwestern Colorado, it would be “remote.” The nearest towns of any significance are Craig, Colorado, Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Vernal, Utah, all of which are at least 90 minutes away by automobile. Save for a few cattle ranches, there are …
By Mike Rosso Colorado has seen consistent population growth since its inception in 1876, whether is was fur trapping, gold and silver mining, or world-class skiing. The state has seen an estimated 14.5% increase in population in the past decade, affecting both cities and rural areas as well. Between 2017 and 2018 the population of …
By Ed Berg Back in 2019 I attended a meet-your-neighbors open house for a new landowner who wanted to set up a tourism business; eco-tourism was to be part of it. He stated that they would not be letting “destructive cattle” graze on the riverside property. He didn’t know that the lady standing next to …
By John Mattingly The morning after a light snow is a revealing time to walk in the brush lands of the northern San Luis Valley. Fresh snow provides a relief map of the previous night’s activity, engaged in by other creatures that live here. The footprints of various rabbits and hares, mice and moles, numerous …
By Patty LaTaille Okay, granted, there are many riveting experiences found in the mountain town of Salida. Whitewater rafting, mountain biking, climbing a fourteener, to name a few—mostly outside adventure activities. For those who prefer an indoor enthralling experience, scurry your way to downtown Salida proper and release your inner creative energy at the unique …
By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez The Frontier Drive-In, located on U.S. Hwy. 285 just minutes from the town of Center, has been vacant for years. But before the pandemic made drive-ins more popular as the most practical way to hold outdoor gatherings, the potential for the Frontier to be on the frontier (not sorry) of tourism and …
By Doris Dembosky When was the last time you changed your clothes? Mostly housebound, I’ve worn the same clothing for four or five days. I’ve lost count. Some days I’m not even sure what day it is. Recently I stumbled across “Windchime,” a poem by Tony Hoagland. The poem begins: She goes out to hang …
By Jennifer Welch I’m not very good at existential questions, especially those along the lines of: which came first, the chicken or the egg? It could have been the chicken just as easily as it could have been the egg, if you ask me. But does any of it really matter when we consider that …
By Elliot Jackson The twin towns—hamlets, really—of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, nestled in the heart of the Wet Mountain Valley, boast a surprising amount of public park land. Each town boasts a town park or two with amenities ranging from playground equipment to ball fields to tennis courts. But for sheer, true enjoyment that is …
By Suzy Kelly What can you say about Joe Cogan? Everything. Joe left us on Saturday November 2, 2020 and there is a big hole in the hearts of his family and many friends. I was behind Joe at the Buena Vista schools as he graduated in 1952 and I was in grade school. When …
By Ed Berg Solitary hikes with the family dogs are a source of relief from the anger, intolerance and antagonistic noise of this extraordinary election year in the U.S.A. I recently discovered a gulch north of town that is too steep and boulder-choked for a bike trail or even a foot path … not …
By Mike Rosso November may seem an odd time to feature a small town nestled in the mountains for this column, but since I recently had a mini-vacation there with my friend Ellen, I thought it would be worth a write-up for readers to put on their lists. When we arrived in Lake City in …
By Amy Noltensmeyer The gas erupts with a pop followed by a steady whoosh of the flame. The length of the flame jumps as the glass blower adjusts the heat. The sword of color transforms from bone white at the bottom to saffron at the tip. The artist’s hair is the same color as the reddish flame …
By Jane Parnell My friend Nancy in Buena Vista is sick and tired of my phone calls of the past nine years, ever since I purchased a home in Fairplay with two spare bedrooms that could be rented out. “This is my last tenant, so help me God,” I said in this morning’s call. “You’ve …
By Mike Rosso Fans of Colorado history and culture should consider making the trip to the town of San Luis, Colorado. The town, which lies about 16 miles south of Fort Garland on Colo. Hwy. 159, at the intersection of Colo. Hwy. 142 is the oldest continuously-occupied town in Colorado. It consists of historic Spanish-style …
By Forrest Whitman There’s a movement afoot to rename the Russell Office Building in Washington D.C. “The Ralph Carr Senate Office Building.” That would please Colorado’s Japanese-American community and many folks from the San Luis Valley. That’s because Carr stood up for the Japanese folks during World War II. He had roots in the Valley, …
By Susan Feldman Foster The classic white adobe structure sits alone like a regal throne on the crest of a hill at the base of majestic 14,049 foot Culebra Peak. For years, the unassuming one-story building was home to the only health care available to the approximately 3,000 residents of Costilla County, comprising 1,200 square …
By Andrea Carlstrom The COVID-19 pandemic has brought painful, yet valuable life lessons for Chaffee County, the U.S. and our world. Although it is likely that the pandemic will linger for some time and will most likely bring new challenges and lessons, I consider it prudent to share what I have experienced and learned thus …
By Ed Berg If you’re reading this, you’re one of a fortunate tiny minority of people. Nothing to do with this column, just that you live in a region close to the outdoors and agricultural lands, and you’re not watching television, at least at the moment. Yet early COVID fears of running out …
By Mike Rosso If you’ve traveled in Colorado’s national forests over the past 15 years, chances are pretty good you’ve seen some of Bob Rohrich’s handiwork. Rohrich is a Recreational Technician with the U.S. Forest Service and based out of the Salida shop on East 3rd and C Street. He has been designing and hand-crafting …
2019-20 – William Wei, Professor at the University of Colorado. 2018-19 – Tom Noel, Professor of History at the University of Colorado at Denver. 2016-18 – Patty Limerick, Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado and Professor of History. 2008-15 – Bill Convery, …
Duane Vandenbusche is a Professor of History at Western Colorado University in Gunnison since 1962 and has just been named Colorado’s State Historian, the first to be based outside of the Front Range in its 96-year history. He is the author of 11 books including: “The Gunnison Country,” “Around Monarch Pass,” “Lake City” (with Grant …
By Mike Rosso Here we are, heading into the fifth month of the COVID-19 pandemic and our efforts to “flatten the curve” have been met with only some success. Back in April, I mused that the pandemic could become an opportunity to hit the reset button—this crisis might be used for the betterment of society. …