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 …