Colorado Central Articles From — October 2004

Column by Hal Walter

Rural Life – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

AS THE ASPENS began to turn this year, our woodstove was yanked out in favor of a freestanding propane fireplace stove with a thermostat, blower, 32,000 BTUs, “Ember-Fyre” technology, and who knows what else. How “disco” is that? The point being that 20 years of burning wood to stay warm was proof we are tough enough. Now it’s time to prove we are smart enough. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Sue Price

Salida – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT ALL STARTED with the Outside Magazine article, published in August. I’m sure you know the one – yes, the one that half of you are bemoaning because it might attract (too many) people (like me) to the area and the other half (Realtors) are thrilled over because it might attract (many!) people (like me) to the area. Anyway, my husband, Larry, and I were sweating out another 90º/90% humidity day in suburban Atlanta, Georgia (after a hour-plus commute complete with at least three near death-by-vehicle experiences) when the magazine arrived. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Allen Best

Colorado – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

A WAVE OF NOSTALGIA for “Colorado as it used to be” has been sweeping the state during the last several years.

This trend first became evident, at least to me, in the advertising pitches of ski resorts. Starved for business, Crested Butte truthfully claimed that it was not just another congested I-70 ski resort, and with nuances, Aspen and Steamboat Springs advanced the same arguments with hopes that they could become just a little more congested. Read the rest of this article

Article by Todd Malmsbury

Wildlife – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

SITTING AMID the pine-paneled walls of her two-story log home near Del Norte, longtime wildlife rehabilitator Susan Dieterich is sipping iced tea with visitors and recalling the life she and her late husband built together for nearly three decades. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Julie Luekenga

Mountain Life – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

ONE OF THE THINGS I like best about living in the mountains, away from the city, is that the nights actually get dark. Each time I visit my relatives in Denver, I’m aware that nights never get really … well … night-like. There is an eerie glow from thousands of artificial lights illuminating the darkness. It never really gets quiet there either. The nights vibrate with a constant hum of machinery powering air conditioners and vehicles. I can’t hear crickets. It disturbs me. Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Commerce – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE WAL-MART WARS have come to Gunnison. Down in Bentonville, Arkansas, the current masters of the universe have decided, for whatever reason, that Gunnison might be ready for a SuperCenter. This so inflates our sense of ourselves in the valley of the Upper Gunnison that we hardly know what to say, although we are trying out lots of statements on each other, as well as on Wal-mart. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ed Quillen

Land – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE’S AN OLD SAYING that often pops up either in semantics classes or when discussing Zen: “The map is not the territory.” Its meaning seems so obvious that we seldom give it much thought (of course there’s a difference between a drawing and the object it purports to represent), but around here, it’s something we should always bear in mind. In Central Colorado, the map is not the territory, and it may not even be a useful representation of the territory. Read the rest of this article

History – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Corpse on Boomerang Road – Telluride’s War on Labor 1899-1908
by Maryjoy Martin
Published in 2004 by Western Reflections
ISBN 1-932738-02-9 Read the rest of this article

Wildlife – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Cat attacks: True stories and hard lessons from cougar country
by Jo Deurbrouck and Dean Miller
Published in 2001 by Sasquatch Books
ISBN 1-57061-289-7 Read the rest of this article

Historical Novel – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Nothing Here But Stones
by Nancy Oswald
Published by Henry Holt and Company in 2004
A Book for Young Readers (10 – adult)
ISBN 0-8050-7465-1 Read the rest of this article

Article by Patty Lataille

Water – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

AT THE AUGUST MEETING of the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (UAWCD), the towns of Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Salida and Westcliffe, addressed the Upper Ark board with a plea to open a dialogue regarding future growth area boundaries and water provision. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Central Staff

Water – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Recently, Colorado Central Magazine reported on a controversy between the Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District, the municipal water supplier for Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, and the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, which supplies well augmentations in our region. Upper Arkansas wanted to sell augmentation plans to landowners within the 3-mile planning area of Custer County towns, and Round Mountain objected. Read the rest of this article

Sidebar by Ed Quillen

Society – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

WARNING

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me,

…

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple Read the rest of this article

Article by Marcia Darnell

Society – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

AS I SEARCHED for my seat at the Creede Repertory Theatre last summer, I found myself among a sea of purple — purple shirts, purple jackets, and purple dresses. When I saw that each of the women wore a red hat, too, I knew I’d found my kind of people. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

Politics – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

Has Home On the Range lost a bit of its old zip? Have injun raids been replaced by crop-duster attacks? Did you forgo the old sod-and-log cabin in favor of a modular? Do you manage your range with a spray-can of easy-off oven cleaner? Read the rest of this article

Letter from Pat Williams

Water – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Ed and Martha,

Enclosed is a check for $40 to cover my subscription to Colorado Central until 2006.

I like the magazine; I like your liberal outlook (I used to be one of the very few registered Democrats in Colorado Springs). Read the rest of this article

Letter from Norma Stephens

Colorado Central – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editor:

I so enjoyed the article on Creed De Avanzar [in the September editon]. This world would be a better place to live in if everyone had the outlook on life that Creed has. He’s a very caring person. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Michael D. Melio

Politics – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Editor:

Here is the essence of the Bush campaign strategy:

Make the fear of war and terrorism so central to the election debate and attack the character of your opponent so repetitively with charges of “Unfit to Command” that the voters will be equally frightened to elect Kerry. Bush then gets re-elected by default. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Jeanne Englert

Water – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Ed and Martha,

Loved the full-color warmth of the last [September] cover.

In regard to the Letter from the Editors, you probably cannot reiterate enough how our lives get directed by small, obscure government units. Reminded me of how we in TAR struggled to get the Front Strange enviros to understand how behemoth water projects like A-LP get fostered. You two have done more than anybody in the press to make these districts visible. Read the rest of this article

Cartoon by Jack Chivvis

Modern Life – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Some people call them “roadside shrines,” while others refer to them as “vernacular monuments.” Some see them as worthwhile tributes to those who have died in traffic accidents, while others see them as safety hazards. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Climate – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

We’ve encountered many theories about the drought, ranging from global warming to disruptions with El Niño.

And then, while looking up something else, we found this in the minutes of the Jan. 16, 2003, meeting of the Front Range Resource Advisory Council of the federal Bureau of Land Management at Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City: Read the rest of this article

Brief by Martha Quillen

Local news – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Missing Persons

Missing persons have made the news in several local papers recently.

James Rowe, 26, of Crestone disappeared on July 30th after visiting friends. According to a Mountain Mail story, Rowe had indicated that he was going to a hot springs, but his jeep was subsequently found abandoned about twenty miles north of Crestone. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Outdoors – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Colorado Trail, which runs about 425 miles from Durango to Denver, will celebrate its 30th birthday with a spaghetti dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at St. Rose of Lima Church parish hall in Buena Vista. (And no, the trail will not be attending.) Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

History – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Buena Vista has been actively celebrating its quarquicentennial this year, with something happening almost every night to honor the town’s 125th birthday.

Special events in October include evening lectures during Heritage Week, which runs Oct. 24-28, and culminates in a Founders Day costume ball on Oct. 29. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local lore – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

A piece of Salida lore, a fixture in local parades for nearly two decades, is now rusting in an impound lot in New York City. The “Doommobile” made it across the continent, and to the Republican National conventions in 1988 and 2000 – but it didn’t survive the 2004 convention and the intense security. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Media – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

The movie Silver City, which was partly filmed in and around Leadville last fall, should be coming soon to a theater near us; it was scheduled for release on Sept. 17 after premieres the preceding week in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Santa Fé.

Directed by John Sayles, the film features Daryl Hannah, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Murphy, and Chris Cooper – and you may see someone you know among the extras, who were recruited in Leadville and Denver. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Outdoors – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

Hunters still coming, even if it doesn’t look that way

When we moved to Salida in 1978, a friend who grew up in Cañon City told us that, in his recollection, “The busiest day of the year in Salida is the day before elk season starts.” Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Outdoors – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

It’s official now: Great Sand Dunes National Monument is now Great Sand Dunes National Park. The transition occurred on Sept. 13, when Interior Secretary Gale Norton visited the Dunes and made the proclamation.

She was in the company of two Colorado politicians: Sen. Ben Campbell and Rep. Scott McInnis, who pushed legislation through several years ago to change the area’s status. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Election – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

The old Chicago joke encourages people to “vote early and often.” In Colorado, the “vote early” part is legal.

Election Day is Nov. 2, when the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, registered voters can cast their ballots starting on Oct. 18 if they go to their county’s “Designated Early Voting” place – most likely the county clerk’s office, and that’s the place to call to find it for your county. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

‘Tis Better

Some residents of South Fork have joined to create the Greater South Fork Community Foundation. The philanthropic endeavor will collect funds to benefit causes in the community. The effort is spearheaded by Ernie Bjorkman, Channel 2 news anchor and new South Fork resident. The foundation also aims to enhance a sense of community in the area. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

History – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

When Juan Bautista de Anza came through here in 1779, he observed that “we suffered cruelly from the cold.” Thus there was a historical flavor to his return to Poncha Springs 225 years later, because it was sure chilly at the presentation of Anza by Don Garate in Chipeta Park on Aug. 27. Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip written and drawn by Monika Griesenbeck

Mountain Life – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Essay by Ben Long

Outdoors – October 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine

LIKE MOST GUN OWNERS OF America, I do not belong to the National Rifle Association. Sometimes, I am grateful for their work. But it seems ever more often, I find myself embarrassed by this consummate beltway lobby group — a group that seems to be more intent on settling political scores than solving real problems. Read the rest of this article

COLORADO CHRISTENS NEW NATIONAL PARK, PRESERVES WATER RIGHTS

Interior Secretary Gale Norton formally made Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes the nation’s 58th national park and relieved local fears that water rights would be sold to Front Range cities. Denver Post; Sept. 14 <http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2399606,00.html> Read the rest of this article