Colorado Central Articles From — March 2001

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – April 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Local Target

District Attorney Pete Comar needs a new receptionist. Diane Mondragon, the DA’s gatekeeper, was arrested for selling cocaine, allegedly right out of the office. Comar launched an investigation of his staffer after a call from an informant. A drug-sniffing dog named Bugs was one of the investigators. Read the rest of this article

Column by Hal Walter

Literature – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

IF YOU WERE TO TAKE an analytical look at the businesses in Westcliffe and try to make some sense out of the population, you might surmise a populace of heavy-drinking real-estate investors who buy a lot of tools, are wired on coffee and subsist on pizza, but do not eat fresh vegetables or read books. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Martha Quillen

Local Politics – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN THE PAST, I’ve grumbled quite a bit about partisan politics, and so has Ed, and dozens upon dozens of national columnists, and many of the people writing letters to our local newspapers, and… People on the streets, over ridges, near to bridges; in the cities, next to bays, near the highways; in the region, on the hillsides, by the legion… Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0967723434[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Transportation – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

SMARTrans – Sensible Mountain Area Railway Transport
by Edward Stewart Wright
Published in 2000
by Bookpublishers Intercontinental Ltd. in Littleton
ISBN 0-9677234-3-4 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0890133468[/amazon-product]Review by Betsy Marston

Rock Art – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Serpent and the Sacred Fire: Fertility Images in Southwest Rock Art
by Dennis Slifer
Published in 2000 by Museum of New Mexico Press
ISBN 0-89013-346-8 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]1890437190[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Local Lore – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Beyond the Great Divide – 101 True Stories of Western Colorado
by Abbott Fay
Published in 1999 by Western Reflections Press
ISBN 1-890437-19-0 Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Colorado Legislature

Public Roads – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

AN ACT CONCERNING ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

Approved March 9, 1883

2953. SECTION 1. All roads and highways, except private roads heretofore established in pursuance of any law of this State or the Territory of Colorado, and roads dedicated to public use, that have not been vacated or abandoned, and such other roads as are now recognized and maintained by the corporate authorities of any county in this State, are hereby declared to be public highways. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Colorado Legislature

Public Roads – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

AN ACT CONCERNING ROADS AND PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.

Approved March 12, 1877

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Colorado Legislature

Public Roads – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

TERRITORIAL ROAD LAW IN COLORADO

Approved August 16, 1862 by the Territorial Assembly

SECTION 1. The most usually travelled roads between the following named places are hereby declared to be territorial roads, to wit:

From Denver City to Pueblo, by way of Mrs. Coberlin’s ranch and Colorado City. Read the rest of this article

Article by Ed Quillen

Public Roads – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

WHILE OTHER AMERICANS may be debating the merits and morality of RU-486, the hot issue in our part of the world is more likely to be RS-2477.

It’s not a pill like RU-486, nor is it an electronic standard like RS-232. It’s a federal law that was adopted in 1866 and repealed in 1976, and its name is happenstance. The “RS” stands for “Revised Statutes,” and it happened to be statute number 2,477 when that book was published. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Bill Eichelberger

Colorado Central – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Ed and Martha:

I just want to say that I continue to enjoy Colorado Central, and so does my granddaughter Kelli Trujillo, who gets it as a gift subscription from me. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dale Sanderson

Maps – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ed:

I noticed in your article about reference books that you preferred DeLorme’s Atlas of Colorado. Just wanted to check whether you’ve had an opportunity to use Shearer Publishing’s Roads of Colorado atlas. I think the cartography in DeLorme is a bit more æsthetic — particularly in the recent edition, which has shaded relief. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Kate Mailly

George Sibley’s February 2001 column – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

I would like to address George Sibley’s column “Getting Globalized” in your February edition.

Obviously the article was intended as a criticism of the company that owns the Country Chronicle & Pilot and the Gunnison Country Times (our sister paper) and of corporate ownership of newspapers in general. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Marcia Darnell

Historic Renovation – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Q: Why do you want to restore this old building?

A: Del Norte has a remarkably rich history, and a surprisingly large number of surviving significant buildings dating to the period before and just after 1900. The Windsor Hotel complex is the largest of them, and is the centerpiece of this important legacy. To quote Ruth Marie Colville: “Imagine the vision and audacity of the people who built this large, elegant hotel in a tiny, remote town in 1876″. We have an opportunity to show vision and audacity in our own time by restoring this landmark as a living history showplace for future generations in our community. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Marcia Darnell

Historic Renovation – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Creede Repertory Theatre brings many artists to that small mountain town every summer, when housing is scarce. But the Rio Grande Hotel restoration project will help with that shortage starting this summer.

The Rio Grande Hotel, constructed in 1892 to house railroad workers, will include six rooms, a dining area, and other amenities. The grounds will have paving, parking, landscaping, and an amphitheater. Read the rest of this article

Article by Marcia Darnell

Historic Renovation – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

IF THERE’S A RENOVATION PROJECT in the works in the San Luis Valley, chances are Mark Jones is involved. The Del Norte architect is in the vanguard of a movement to save the Valley’s historical buildings from the fatal effects of time and neglect. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Allen Best

Roadside History – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE WAS LITTLE DISPUTE about the facts at Meeker in northwestern Colorado, yet there were two very different tellings of what happened.

The one telling we call the Meeker Massacre, and it’s a familiar story.

Nathan Meeker, the new Indian agent, had managed to annoy the Utes, and when push came to literal shove, a fearful Meeker summoned the U.S. Army from Ft. Steele in Wyoming. Read the rest of this article

Article by Allen Best

Roadside History – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

MANY OF US don’t even notice the historical markers along Colorado’s highways, and even when they do catch our attention, we seldom stop more than once. After all, we’re not going to see anything new.

But that’s changing with a new series of signs from the Colorado Historical Society which aims for inclusiveness and accuracy. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local Life – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

It’s that time of year again; everyone’s getting ready for a busy summer season.

The Salida Steam Plant Theater

The Salida Steam Plant Theater presents live music, drama, and dance. If you’re interested in volunteering your time call Marti Thomas at 539-4619. If you’re interested in putting on a performance at the theater call Shelley Jacobs at 719-539-6576 or Kay Hutchings at 719-539-7590. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local Culture – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Chaffee County Council on the Arts Writer’s Exchange is now accepting applications for their third regional literary anthology, “Ripples … In the Stream of Life.” Entries must be postmarked by May 18, 2001, publication is scheduled for May 2002. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Ed Quillen

Mountain Life – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

On one frigid Januuary afternoon I had a computer question, and called the man who has forgotten more about computers than most people will ever know — Mark Emmer, who lives a couple of miles outside Salida.

Mark sounded groggy, so I apologized for waking him during his siesta (in my view, a fundamental right guaranteed to people residing on former Mexican territory by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo). Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Colorado habits – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Newsweek recently devoted most of an edition to “Fighting Addiction,” wherein it was noted that 11 million Americans smoke marijuana at least once a month, and that “Colorado leads the pack.”

We’re not real sure how they determined that Coloradans smoke more pot than the residents of any other state. Presumably it resulted from a survey, even though we have trouble imagining people who’d discuss this topic with a stranger. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Media – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Keeping the press in line is a tough job, even for U.S. presidents, but that doesn’t keep people from trying.

For as long as we can remember, Salida’s daily Mountain Mail had a deal with the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, so that patients could receive the paper every day. But recently, the papers were terminated. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Correction – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

In the February edition, the last paragraph of one item in this “Keeping Track” section was truncated. It was a brief about alleged big-foot sightings in Colorado, and the full paragraph was supposed to read: Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local politics – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

In recent weeks, we’ve heard a lot about those damned “trustfunders,” and most of the time the term is applied to people who wish it were true.

This inspires four observations: Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local Culture – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

One of the bright spots of the winter is the annual Son-of-a-Gunn production in Gunnison.

It’s a satiric revue with a community cast to present a side-splitting parody of a Broadway production. This year’s presentation is “Annie Get Your Gunnison,” with humor based on extreme-skier Annie and her adventures among ranchers. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

Sand Dunes – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Gary Boyce, managing partner of Farallon, which owns the Baca Ranch, has filed suit against his partners to stop their sale of the ranch to the Nature Conservancy. Boyce is asking for a temporary injunction to block the sale, which he says is proceeding without his consent.

Farallon, based in San Francisco, says it holds controlling interest in the ranch and can sell with or without Boyce. Boyce counters that he has first right of refusal on the property, long the site of battles over water development. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

More Targeted

Attorney General Ken Salazar has added three names to Colorado’s lawsuit over the Summitville mess. Dennis Washington was a founder and officer of the corporation that constructed the waste pile and heap leach pad at the mine site south of Del Norte. He is named in the suit, along with two other contractors. Other defendants include four previous operators of the mine site, as well as the company that built it. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Place Names – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Last month, we ran a short quiz about street names, and inspired a stunning lack of interest.

But to cure any curiosity we didn’t know about, here are the answers: Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip by Clint Driscoll and Sweet Pea

Mountain Life – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Land Use – March 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

EARLY IN JANUARY, the Gunnison County Commissioners finally signed off on a new improved “LUR” — a 450-page Land Use Resolution to guide land use decisions in the unincorporated parts of the county. This document has been under revision for almost seven years, and as one member of the county planning commission said, “has the fingerprints of almost anyone who walked into this room and made a comment,” including “the fingerprints of people who now object to it.” Read the rest of this article

SIERRA CLUB’S COLORADO RIVER REPORT RE-RELEASED

After extensive internal peer review and revisions, the Colorado River Task Force has released its Colorado River Report. It is at http://www.sierraclub.org/rcc/southwest/COreport/

The report identifies over-allocation of the water and dam operations as the primary environmental challenges facing improved governance of the river. The report recommends 9 priorities of needs to improve the condition of the river and its environs. They are Colorado River Delta Restoration; Endangered Species Recovery; Instream Flow Protection; Grand Canyon Ecosystem Restoration; Implementation of California’s 4.4 Plan; Transbasin Diversion Depletions; Water Quality Protection; Glen Canyon Restoration; and Federal Facilities Transfers and Water Exchanges. Read the rest of this article