Colorado Central Articles From — January 1999

Column by Hal Walter

Mountan Life – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

I SWORE UP AND DOWN the main range when I set _up shop here in the Wet Mountains back in 1991 that I would never move again. I came here to stay. But that was then — nearly eight years ago — and this is now. If I’ve learned anything from the experience, it’s to never say never. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ed Quillen

Books – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Some Favored Reading from 1998

FOR SOME REASON, my pleasure reading in 1998 focused on the Civil War.

Actually, there may be specific reasons for this interest. One is that the editor I deal most with at the Denver Post, Bob Ewegen, is a Civil War and military history buff. In order to avoid talking about possibly painful subjects with him — i.e., the quality of my prose on a given Monday or Thursday morning when I call to see if the material arrived via modem — I can instead discourse with him about various Civil War generals. Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]155591375X[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Tourism – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Canine Colorado – Where to Go and What to Do with Your Dog
by Cindy Hirschfeld
Published in 1998 by Fulcrum
ISBN 1-55591-375-X Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0870815156[/amazon-product]Review by Martha Quillen

Ludlow Massacre – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Fire In The Hole
by Sybil Downing
published in 1996 by University Press of Colorado
ISBN0870815156 Read the rest of this article

Essay by Stephen Lyons

Western Life – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

It’s a good day to be indigenous

by Stephen Lyons

FROM THIS MOMENT ON kindly refer to my family as “indigenous.” Or, if you prefer, “First Peoples.” With the discovery of what could be my long-lost European relative — Kennewick Man — it’s time to respect my elders. Read the rest of this article

Article by Nancy Ward

Local Artists – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

“I’ll carve you a wooden leg,” is the way Jack Portice tells the story of his offer to a friend who’d just lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. That was back in 1979 when Portice had a custom motorcycle shop in Aurora, Colorado, where the artist inside him came out in the choppers he designed and built. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Laura Mccall

Western Life – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN THE 1970s, Gunnison’s only franchise was A & W — an old and somewhat quaint chain that employed car-hops in the summer months. McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Taco Bell did not exist. In 1987, a company named ALCO came to town and built their cinder block discount store, the site of the present-day Wal-Mart, over a pasture where the largest and most-magnificent bulls used to graze. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Before highway nomenclature was standardized with numbers, many were named, like the Rainbow Route becoming U.S. 50, or the Lincoln Highway turning into U.S. 30 in the West.

Some other named roads and their modern numbers: Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Transportation History – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Cañon City contributed much, in both labor and materials, to early highway construction in Colorado. The labor came from convicts at the state penitentiary, who were put to work on roads from 1905 until 1926, when the practice was abolished.

The materials — lime, gravel, stone — came from a hillside quarry, still quite visible behind Old Max on the west side of Cañon City. Read the rest of this article

Article by Alvin Edlund, Jr.

Transportation History – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

ONE OF THE LONGEST HIGHWAYS in the United States is Highway 50, which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland, to Sacramento, California, and passes through Washington D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Carson City, Lake Tahoe, and Central Colorado. A sign at Ocean City declares this coast-to-coast highway is 3,073 miles long. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Martha Quillen

Local Government – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN OUR FIVE YEARS of existence, Colorado Central has examined growth issues from numerous angles. We’ve printed articles about growth summits and seminars, and about census statistics and growth patterns. We’ve mused about the relationships between newcomers and old-timers, and pondered upon the cultural effects and consequences of growth. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Betsy Marston

Western Life – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Business Bad For Prisons

Not so long ago, comedians joked that by the year 2000, everyone in the United States would either be a prison guard or an inmate considering the astounding rate of jail construction. But what if you built a jail and no one came?

That’s the problem Santa Fé, N.M., faces after spending $27 million for an “adult correctional facility.” Private operators of the 648-bed facility have found few takers from other states for the hundreds of extra beds. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local authors – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Distinguished Contributors

Two of our frequent contributors have attained certain distinctions in recent months.

Steve Voynick of Leadville was just named to the board of directors of the National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame there, and also received an honorary lifetime membership. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Kitty Comeback

The lynx will be reintroduced in Southwestern Colorado, with 40 of the cats scheduled to appear in the Western Valley in mid-December. The Colorado Wildlife Commission plans to release the animals in the San Juan National Forest.

The lynx will wear radio collars for two or three years, so wildlife officials can monitor their adaptation. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Ed Quillen

Transportation – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Union Pacific Railroad is giving more consideration to re-opening the Tennessee Pass line, but don’t hold your breath.

Recent increases in coal production from Utah and the Western Slope of Colorado have strained capacity on the Moffat Tunnel Route between Grand Junction and Denver. Running through trains across Tennessee Pass could ease some of that congestion, and thus the renewed interest. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Penelope Reedy

Western Life – January 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Does Anyone Remember the Cowboy Code?

by Penelope Reedy

“In the moonlight he could see Harley’s body hanging from the fence, where they had tangled it upright between strands of barbed wire. Harley’s brown skin had gone as pale as the cloudy sandstone in the moonlight, and Tayo could see blood shining on his thighs and his fingertips.”

Read the rest of this article