(Information was gleaned from copies of the Wet Mountain Tribune, all from the third week in February.)
110 Years Ago – 1915
Our post office is now in charge of the new appointee, A.P. Dickson, who on Sunday last moved it to its new quarters just across the street, in the Merriam building, which affords it a commodious, comfortable home.
Two new post offices have recently been established in the east end of our county. One is known as Keating, and the other as Forestdale.
The frost has penetrated old terra firma to a considerable depth and as a result a good many of the service pipelines are being dug up and thawed out.
Several of our farmers up the Valley held a meeting in town on Tuesday and decided they would fight against others who are seeking to change the point of diversion of certain ditches and applying for water degrees for other ditches.
Anton Elter has decided to remain in our Valley and has, we understand, purchased the Aldrich ranch of 94 acres south of town. Consideration $2,500.
J.M. Durrett has just brought in a few head of thoroughbred, registered Angora goats. The Mohair from these goats runs in value from 15 cents to $20 per pound.
Mr. Giersberg has been running the engine on the branch train for several days in the absence of Thomas Stewart who has been in Pueblo.
Myrtle, the ten-months-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. F. Schulz in the Valley, after an illness of ten days of pneumonia, died at an early hour Monday. The funeral was held Wednesday and the burial at the Valley Lutheran church.
60 Years Ago – 1965
Miss Dorothy Pospahala, Custer County High School Senior and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Pospahala of Westcliffe, has been named the 1964-65 Good Citizen of her school by the General Marion Chapter, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.
It’s the white Wet Mountain Valley once again. Snow fell in varying amounts Tuesday night and Wednesday. Marvin Rankin, official weather observer, measured five inches of snow in Westcliffe with reports of from one to two feet in parts of the county.
Custer County’s representative to the Colorado Wheat Advisory Committee will be elected at a meeting of wheat growers next Tuesday at the ASCS office. Donald R. Donley, of Wetmore, the present member of the committee, will give a report on activities of the state committee. The meeting will be conducted by County Agent Don L. Svedman. All wheat producers are urged to attend.
The Silver Cliff Club met Wednesday at the club house with 19 members present. Officers were elected for the coming year. Marie Erps will serve as president and officers will be Margaret Stacy, Lillian Grew, Norma Salameno and Velma Cowan. Hostesses were Shirley Jennings, Lillian Grew and Gertrude Knobbe.
35 Years Ago – 1990
Residents of Westcliffe are being invited to take part in Saturday’s informal election in Silver Cliff to determine if limited gambling should be allowed there. Earlier this month, the Silver Cliff town board decided to seek public input on a proposal that would allow low-stake poker, blackjack, and slot machines. Silver Cliff’s actions come on the heels of similar proposals in the historic Colorado mountain communities of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek which hope to bolster tourism in these former mining towns.
The long-time tradition of allowing commercial timber cutting in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest would be severely curtailed under an initiative included in President George Bush’s 1991 budget proposal. The plan would be a one-year test to determine if phasing out timber sales could be offset by the expansion of recreational opportunities in the national forests. Under the plan, ten national forests, including three in Colorado, would be affected. The other two Colorado properties are the White River and the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests.
Danny Loafman is already tuning up his guitar. He’s been invited to perform March 2 at the Governor’s Mansion in Denver for Gov. Roy Romer’s “Dome on the Range” gala.
Funeral services are being held today for William Ray Stewart, 85. Mr. Stewart owned Westcliffe Milk Products for more than 45 years. He also served on the Westcliffe town board and other organizations.
20 Years Ago – 2005
Concert Staging Services of Little Rock, Ark., and Murphy Productions of Huntington Beach, Calif., have joined forces to open a production ofice here. The new headquarters is located south of Westcliffe at 15 Enterprise Dr., just south of Valley Ace Hardware, in the former Custom Homes warehouse, consisting of approximately 10,000 sq. ft. Some ten local craftsmen and builders have been hired to help build stages and develop race courses. In the past, the two firms have developed venues for political events, musical performances, the Super Bowl, and other events.
The C-1 board of Education last week hired the Pueblo construction firm H.E. Whitlock to be the construction manager for the school district’s new gym and physical education facility. The project is expected to cost $1.75 million. Voters approved the bond issue last year.
15 Years Ago – 2010
The county commissioners are continuing to study the possibility of building a new justice center. On Tuesday, the commissioners met with County Judge Pete Michaelson, Sheriff Fred Jobe, and representatives of the District Attorney’s office and the state court administrator’s office. Walter Blair, state court administrator, said Custer County is expected to handle 130 district court cases and 374 county court cases in 2010, with those numbers expected to double in 10 to 15 years. The commissioners are considering building the new facility adjacent to the sheriff’s office, which would open up the existing courtroom for the expansion of other courthouse offices.
Five Bobcat wrestlers are in Denver this week, competing in the state wrestling tournament. Representing Custer County High School are Wesley Bell, Jack Woods, Cameron Ham, Brandt Shields, and Trenton McEwen.
Testing will take place next week in Westcliffe for temporary and part-time workers who will help conduct the 2010 Census.
11 Years Ago – 2014
Rod Thornburg, owner of Take A Hike, and Paul Wenke, owner of Valley Ace Hardware, have both announced their candidacies for Westcliffe Town Trustee in the April 1 town election.
The Colorado Tree Coalition has approved a $2,000 grant for the Dundee Memorial pet park in Silver Cliff. The funds will be used to plant at least 21 trees in the newly developed park.
Navy veteran Jack Rivers of rural Westcliffe joined a group of other veterans to spend 24 hours on the U.S. Aircraft Carrier the USS Carl Vinson. Rivers’ daughter helped arrange the VIP visit; the Vinson is the ship that provided the sea burial for Osama bin Laden.
Fred Berry, president of the Custer County Stockgrowers Association, says the group will hold its annual meeting and banquet this Saturday at the Wild West Cowboy Church.