In 1983 and 1984, I trained a cutting horse named Sonitas Joy. We won $320,000 in a year and a half. Her owner decided to retire her and breed her. Since she was such an exceptional mare, stallion own...

Warning! This is a history-lite column: some undisputed facts along with a few rumors and legends. Historians and writers agree that Butch Cassidy lived and worked in the mining boomtown Telluride, an...

Decades ago, Trisha Oakland took acting classes at the Sherbino Theater. She was an elementary school student at the time, growing up in Ridgway. Now, as the director of programs for the theater and W...

Thunder rumbles. It’s 78 degrees outside at midday, Ouray’s average July high. This monsoon weather dims the memory of an anomalously warm June (days 4.9 degrees above average, nights 4.3) and July (d...

By the time you read this, at least 59 days will have passed since Montrose resident Luther Medina died in Dexter Creek Canyon after being pulled over by Ouray Police Officer Brady Suppeland. We stil...

A story on Page 1 in the July 8-14 edition should have said the Ouray City Council in 2019 began subjecting to short-term regulations properties leased for less than 30 days.

Dear Editor: My family and I spent the most memorable 4th of July of my life in your amazing town. Thank you, Ouray! One of the highlights was the water fight with bonafide fire hoses. We were fascina...

50 YEARS AGO July 15, 1971 - A major piece of business was transacted in the Ouray City Council meeting Monday night that may effect a considerable change in the appearance of Ouray’s business distric...

Dear Editor: On behalf of the entire family of Paul McElrea, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the friends who helped search for our beloved Paul and the Ouray County professionals, in ...

We’ve reached the time in summer when we play a game I don’t like much. The “where’s that smoke coming from” game. The haze first brings grayish skies, muddying our views of the spectacular mountain v...

A search for a missing Ridgway man ended tragically on Wednesday morning after his body was found at the scene of a motorcycle accident. Paul McElrea, 52, had left home before midnight on Monday and d...

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail (1821-2021). This commercial route connected Missouri and Santa Fe and was an “international highway” used by travelers, settlers, freighter...

Rain spattered the plastic dessert plates as a breeze jostled the giant inflatable movie screen. “We invite you to watch the rest of the movie inside,” a voice announced. “Terry has a theater inside h...

In spite of a dry, warm May on most of the Western Slope, the San Juans and Ouray saw plentiful moisture and relatively cool temperatures the third week of the month. High mountains emerged with 5-10 ...

Since Sandy and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary, I thought it only fitting to write this column. On June 1, 2018, Sandy and I were married at Pa-Co-Chu-Puk. The following is a true sto...

Most newspapers have a policy against allowing prior review. That’s the term we use when sources want to read an article before it’s published. There are a few reasons why we don’t allow this practice...

50 YEARS AGO June 10, 1971 - “Since I have been in this office, I have bitten by dogs four times — and there is four dead dogs.” Police Chief Harold Boyd made the statement Monday night at city counci...

Travel back (way back) in time along the Trail of the Ancients, a National Scenic Byway. This route showcases the archaeological and cultural history of the Native American peoples in the Four Corners...

I'm writing this column on my 71st birthday. Now that I'm a full-fledged, certified, card-carrying member of the social security crowd, I want to inform the younger generations of what they have to lo...

Robert “Bob” DeJulio was one of many locals who worked on the classic western movie, “True Grit,” in 1968. He was a “sign painter” when he got the gig of his life turning the little ranching town of R...