Colorado Central Articles From — July 1996

Column by Hal Walter

Pack-Burro Racing – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Some jackasses never go away. Just ask the folks in Buena Vista, where the third leg of the Triple Crown of pack-burro racing is about to resume after a three-year hiatus. Read the rest of this article

Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local Winery – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

In vino veritas. In wine, there is truth. And in Salida, there’s truly good wine, thanks to Mountain Spirit Winery, Ltd., one of the region’s newest enterprises. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Martha Quillen

Salida Plan – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

The revised plan has policies, but no actions; the city plans to store the actions in a drawer for future use. However, the policies are hard to interpret without the actions, as with this example:

POLICY: Improve the quality of industrial development and lessen the impact on surrounding land uses. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Martha Quillen

Salida Master Plan – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

The wordy water depletion analysis and other water information included in the Salida Comprehensive Plan may make sense to an engineer, but it doesn’t make decisions easy for citizens and civil servants. Read the rest of this article

Review by Martha Quillen

Salida – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

City of Salida Comprehensive Plan
Prepared for: Salida City Council
Salida Planning & Zoning Board
Volunteers Planning Committee
Citizens of Salida, Colorado
prepared by: Leland Consulting Group
HOH Associates, Inc. & Gorsuch Kirgis Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]1555661343[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Mountain Life – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Up at Altitude – A Celebration of Life in the High Country
by M. John Fayhee
Published in 1994 by Johnson Books
ISBN 1-55566-134-3 Read the rest of this article

Review by Ed Quillen

Water – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Animas-La Plata
A video from Western Colorado Congress
P.O. Box 2461
Durango CO 81302
970-259-3583 Read the rest of this article

Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local Artist – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

When Ursula Gilgulin is piloting an airplane past the highest peaks of the Upper Arkansas Valley, she often studies the vales below and envisions–her next painting. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Christina Nealson

Forests – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Smoke pours over the Sangre de Cristos, following the route I rode on my horse six weeks ago…winding up Cotton Creek Canyon on the west, into Horse Thief Basin, traversing to the top of Three Step Pass, up and over into south Brush Creek drainage on the east side…where the smoke fans and makes white the deep green forest. Read the rest of this article

Article by George Sibley

Forests – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

In July of 1994, fourteen firefighters burned to death while fighting a wildfire in scrub oak, piñon pine, and juniper on U.S. Bureau of Land Management terrain along Interstate 70, seven miles west of Glenwood Springs. Within hours of that terrible event, an “interagency team” with representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service (USFS), and the National Weather Service, had assembled to investigate the event. Their report came out last year with predictable findings. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ellen Miller

Colorado politics – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

A lot of us would like to believe that the Rocky Mountain West is mostly rural, with people living in little towns or at most small cities. People would spend enough time in the sparsely populated regions so everybody would understand to some degree how the economics of rural survival happen. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Central Staff

Salt Works – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

The reputation of Lawyers in the Good Old Days

…the first and only salt works in Colorado. When these works were erected, in 1864, all the salt used in this whole western country had to be freighted in wagons from the Missouri river, 700 miles away, at a cost, for freight alone, of from four to 20 cents per pound. When the springs, near the works were discovered, they were thought to be very valuable, and no little contention arose as to the title. However, the first claims were settled and the business of salt making sprung up, and soon became very profitable. Then, as is too often the case in the west, litigation commenced between the owners, followed by injunction after injunction until all parties interested were impoverished. Meanwhile the railroads were advancing day by day, which meant cheap salt….We hear that it has been recently decided, now that the works are valueless, the litigants plucked, and the railroads have destroyed rich prospects. Moral: If you have a good business look out for, and keep out of the lawyers’ hands, they are hungry fellows always hunting a fat “grub stake.” Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

14 – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Why they used Salt to get Silver

Every account of the Salt Works mentions that rock salt was used Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Salt Works – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Geologists say the salt of South Park has been there for a long time — since the Pennsylvanian Period of the Paleozoic Era about 300 million years ago.

Like today, Colorado then boasted two parallel north-south mountain ranges: Uncompahgria and Frontrangia. Unlike today, these mountains were islands in a vast sea. Read the rest of this article

Article by Dan Jennings

Pioneer industry – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Just north of the junction of Highways 285 and 24 at the base of Trout Creek Pass is a treasure trove of Central Colorado history, the Salt Works Ranch, owned by one family since it was founded in the early 1860s. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Politics – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Curtis Imrie, who raises and races burros hereabouts, won’t be. He didn’t enough votes at the convention in Pueblo to get on the primary ballot.

Al Gurule, who serves on the Pueblo City Council, got the Democratic nomination, and he’ll oppose incumbent Republican Scott McInnis in the November general election. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

‘Tis the summer driving season, and there’s a site on the Internet with a state-by-state list of alleged speed traps.

You may not be surprised to learn that Colorado has its share, and so we thought we’d pass along the pertinent reports. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Hal Walter

Climate – July 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Wet Mountain Valley ain’t so wet this summer

This summer the Wet Mountain Valley and surrounding ranges just aren’t wet at all. In fact they’re drier than a Baptist wedding. Read the rest of this article