50 YEARS AGO December 17,1970 - Mrs. Evelyn Bates, Ouray school instructor, has won honorable mention as a Colorado Teacher of the Year for 1971. Mrs. Bates was born in Ouray and raised here. She grad...

50 YEARS AGO December 10,1970 - Plans were made at the Ridgway Town Council meeting Monday night to build an ice-skating rink on school-owned property on the north side of town. Permission had been ob...

50 YEARS AGO December 3,1970 - Two men were seriously hurt in an accident at the Camp Bird Mine, about 5 p.m. Wednesday last week, when an ore slab of about zoo tons fell on them as they worked at the...

When we were on a book tour in New Zealand, we came across a country inn marquee advertising the “Best Muscles in the World,” green-lipped ones. We pulled in. Mussels (not muscles), beer and a band -w...

YEARS AGO November 26,1970 - Dear Editor: Once again its winter in our beautiful town. Winter means snow and snow apparently spells trouble or at least causes problems. I live at the corner of Third A...

50 YEARS AGO November 19,1970 - The Ouray Police Department received a report from the Highlander Center Monday morning that a specially dedicated United States flag, displayed on the laundromat’s wal...

50 YEARS AGO November 12, 1970 - Called “the most intensive ecological study of its kind ever undertaken,” last week the Department of the Interior announced a new phase in the Bureau of Reclamation’s...

YEARS AGO November 5, 1970 - Letter to the Editor: Dear Joyce: I have complaints. You are costing me money! Recent copies of The Plaindealer that have reached us show conclusively that you are violati...

YEARS AGO October 29,1970 - Advertisement: Easy on the dry hards. Certain things have special importance in a woman’s world. A certain blouse. Delicate. Treasured. Feminine, as she herself is feminine...

50 YEARS AGO October 22, 1970 -The Ouray County Sheriff's Office has been plagued with numerous trespass and night-poaching complaints from ranchers and farmers down the valley, who are even worse pla...

50 YEARS AGO October 15,197o - The spark of life breathed back into narrow gauge railroading in the Rocky Mountain West earlier this year is beginning to dim. Although no one is giving up hope, the ou...

Dear Editor: One of the leading issues in this election is the economy. Trump often brags that he has been responsible for the greatest economy in the history of our country. He often denigrates the e...

Dear Editor: We agree there are benefits to having medical providers in Ouray County. We also understand that the medical provider at Mountain Medical Center (MMC) is highly regarded by his patients, ...

Dear Editor, We are part of the Ouray County bi-partisan elections team responsible for processing your ballots. We are well-trained, and are required to follow state regulations to make sure every el...

Yes, we mean it. We have a letters policy and we’re sticking to it. Even during election season. Especially during election season. There’s a reason for our policy - we want to be consistent and fair...

There is an older country Western song with a very well-known line in it that advises, “Don’t fence me in.” I believe the point of the song is to convey a need to roam free and choose one’s own path. ...

Dear Editor: In a recent opinion piece, John Mitchell, the chairman of the Ouray County Republican Party, stated that, as his premise, "[t]hus, if people follow the first guideline about isolating whe...

Dear Editor: On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincerest appreciation for the steady and capable leadership Ridgway School District board, superintendent, administration, and faculty hav...

Dear Editor: On Thursday, Sept. 3, a group of four "gal" friends and I embarked on a backcountry hike on an unmaintained, come-and-go pack trail. While returning, one of the gals (Jen) took a fall on ...

5O YEARS AGO September 10, 1970 - The Uncompahgre River was as swift and at as high a flood stage as anyone can remember seeing it, as it tore down the valley Saturday night, ripping out a levee at Po...