Colorado Central Articles From — October 2003

Column by Hal Walter

Mountain life – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

I’VE HEARD IT SAID that in today’s economy one must diversify. The assumption, of course, is that there is an economy in the first place. The trouble is, when one has spent 20-odd years writing and editing for a living, and lives in scenic Custer County, the options seem rather limited. And I don’t have a stock portfolio like some of my neighbors. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ed Quillen

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

OUR STATE CONSTITUTION says that the water of Colorado belongs to the people of Colorado, but the people of Colorado seldom get to vote on water matters. You get the idea that water is just too important to be controlled by mere citizens and taxpayers. Read the rest of this article

Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local Artist – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

AT FIRST GLANCE, the alleys separating Leadville’s weathered, wooden outbuildings from the backs of its Victorian, shotgun-style houses might seem an unlikely subject for artistic endeavors.

But in the hands of artist Robert W. “Bob” Calder, these scenes of the Cloud City at its most authentic are transformed into watercolors that lead viewers along the dusty paths of Leadville’s frontier mining heyday. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

There are three major and growing Front Range cities which use water from the Arkansas River: Pueblo, population 102,121 in 2000; Colorado Springs, 380,890; and Aurora, 275,393. How much do they threaten flows in the river? Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

In essence, it’s a sales tax that isn’t collected at the point of sale, and Chaffee County voters will decide about a use tax on motor vehicles at this election.

Let’s suppose you live in Chaffee County and buy a used pickup off of a local lot for $4,000. You would pay state sales tax, as well as the county’s 2% sales tax, which works out to $80. Read the rest of this article

Article by Bob Engel

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

FOR EVERY ACTION there is a reaction. The Chaffee County Commissioners have reacted to drought and the City of Aurora by proposing a local referendum to keep water in the Upper Arkansas Valley. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

Colorado Central – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

The September Slimbo Award (most cynical and defeatist item to appear in September’s Colorado Central) goes to Cactus Jack for his cartoon about the firehoses. Every other contribution to the magazine was superlative, so there were no other nominees. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Kate Donithorne

Colorado Central – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Editors:

Though I was expecting the combined delivery of the August and September Colorado Centrals, I dropped them into the waste basket so thoughtfully provided by the Post Office for junk mail, before I realized the mistake I’d made due to the new cover format. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Laird Campbell

Railroads – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Distracted writer?

Dear Ed:

I think you must have been distracted when you approved the map which appears on page 30 of the September issue. It shows the South Park line to Baldwin on the Rio Grande Route between Gunnison and Crested Butte. Baldwin is on Ohio Creek and I enclose a tracing showing how this portion of the map should have looked. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Edward Hawkins

Economy – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Don’t believe them

Martha:

Great letter from the editor in September issue: “Divided and Conquered.” But I dasn’t let you continue life believing all those quotations, information and other junk from Kevin Phillips, Donald Bartlett, James B. Steele, and others. But I rather like the info derived from Kiyosaki, and I’m here to tell you that the middle class is alive and well in America. Education, hard work, attention to saving and willingness to let the “Joneses” get so far ahead that they’re out of sight and not worth trying to keep up with will put you in the middle class every single time…..nice and cozy. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dave Primus

Railroads – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ed,

Nice articles on the DSP&P in the recent Colorado Central. Also, thanks for mentioning our annual convention in Leadville. We had a great time, even on Saturday when the weather didn’t quite cooperate. One correction, though. We had members from across the U.S., one from Canada, and another from the U.K. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Roger Henn

Railroad history – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Ed Quillen:

Thank you for the article on the isolated C&S track [in the September edition]. Just what happened in railroading in that country, I have always wondered. Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

EITHER I AM GETTING PARANOID, or the way we develop and distribute water in Colorado is undergoing an assault. It may not be an intentional assault directed by some shadowy behind-the-scenes Fu Manchu; it may just be a trend compelled by several uncoordinated forces and cultural dustdevils. In which case I’m just being paranoid — but remember: Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out there…. Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0140178244[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Cadillac Desert – The American West and its Disappearing Water
by Marc Reisner
First published in 1986
Revised edition with afterword published in 1993 by Penguin
ISBN 0-14-017824-4 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]1573441503[/amazon-product]Review by Marcia Darnell

Fiction – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Woman Who Found Grace
by Bett Reece Johnson
Published in 2003 by Cleis Press, San Francisco
ISBN: 1-57344-150-3 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0375408126[/amazon-product]Review by Dave Skinner

History – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

A Wilderness So Immense – The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America
by Jon Kukla
Published in 2003 by Alfred Knopf/Borzoi Books
ISBN 0-375-40812-6 Read the rest of this article

Article by Ed Quillen

Local History – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

ASK SOME PEOPLE WHERE Laura Evans’s whorehouse was, and you’ll hear that it was on Sackett Street.

However, there’s one piece of Salida trivia that goes something like this: “Despite what you may have heard, there’s no Sackett Street in Salida.” “How can you say that? It’s right there, between Riverside Park and the Victoria Tavern.” “Yeah, but if you look at the street signs, or on the city maps, it’s really Sackett Avenue.” Read the rest of this article

Article by Orville Wright

Local History – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, Salida had at least two brothels. Both were conveniently located close to the train depot to provide the weary traveling man easy access to the services offered. The lesser known enterprise supposedly operated out of the Victoria Hotel and catered mainly to the independent hooker who worked the streets, bars, and train depot waiting room. Read the rest of this article

Article by Allen Best

Mountains – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

RIVAL PROPOSALS to name Colorado mountains after Carl Blaurock and William Ervin, who in 1923 became the first to climb all of the state’s 14,000-foot mountains, are headed to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. Read the rest of this article

Cactus Jack’s View

Cartoon by Jack Chivvis

Mountain Life – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Colorado Central – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Last month, we ran several articles about how Adams State College in Alamosa is responding to major changes in the way that state colleges are governed. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Outdoor recreation – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Colorado Trail extends through the mountains for 468 miles from Durango to the southwest metro area, and Central Colorado hosts many of those miles. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Martha Quillen

Regional News – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

These Sure Weren’t Disney Tales

Bizarre animal stories were a Fairplay Flume standard this August.

First a bear nabbed a llama near Bailey in late July….

Bear Bait Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Rural Life – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Here in Colorado, many rural counties pass “right-to-farm” ordinances, and they may also publish a “Code of the West” to advise new arrivals about the realities of living amid agriculture: noisy night-time harvests, aerial spraying of pesticides and herbicides, the sounds and smells of livestock, etc. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Water – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Did the federal government give away some water rights it should have kept?

That question has been raised by a lawsuit filed in September against the federal government. It concerns an agreement about the amount of water that flows through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Wildlife – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Hunting accidents happen to archers, as well as rifle hunters. A bow-hunter in the San Juans was looking for elk, but accidentally killed himself with an arrow.

James Bender, 36, of Union Town, Ohio, was found dead on Sept. 8 near Silverton. San Juan County Deputy Sheriff John Jacobs said that Bender was most likely walking with a notched arrow in his compound bow, ready to release it. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Economics – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

There’s an old joke that if you live around here, monetary wages may not be all that great, but you get some of your pay in scenery. To which there’s a frequent rejoinder: You can’t eat the scenery.

Edibility aside, how much is a mountain view worth? Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Geography – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you ended up giving directions to lost drivers trying to find the Colorado Trail, blame the Rocky Mountain News.

The Aug. 16 edition of the Denver newspaper had a long article about the Colorado Trail, a 470-mile path between Durango and the southwest metro suburbs. The article also had a suggestion for a day hike along the trail in the Leadville area. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Fire Fallout

A fire’s not over when it’s put out. South Fork is suffering damage from mudslides and sediment from runoff is killing fish and blocking roads after last year’s Million Fire. That section of the Rio Grande is — or was — known for its great trout fishing. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Oikutucs – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

Central Colorado’s political situation is in a state of flux. We can start with congressional redistricting. In the 1990s, our area was all in the Third Congressional District, which covered the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley, and the Arkansas Valley down to Pueblo. Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip written and drawn by Clint Driscoll

Mountain Life – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Essay by John Clayton

Modern life – October 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

“Just grab a shirt and let’s go,” my girlfriend said.

But I hesitated. We were going whitewater rafting with her mother, and the top T-shirt in my drawer proclaimed its wearer an “Uneducated Idiot.” Somehow it didn’t seem a wise message. Read the rest of this article

GROUPS SUE TO KEEP WATER IN COLORADO NATIONAL PARK

Environmentalists filed suit to block the federal government’s relinquishment of senior water rights in Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Rocky Mountain News; 9/8 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2238393,00.html> Read the rest of this article