50 YEARS AGO April 8, 1971 - The Ridgway Town Council had received a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Pastore requesting a public dance permit for the Fort Smith Tavern and Little Chef Cafe. Mr. Tom Van Arsda...

50 YEARS AGO April 1, 1971 - It just may be that phone users will find the lines much busier than usual around the Ouray area this weekend, if too many people are playing with the new direct distance ...

Dear Editor: Greetings to members of the Ouray County Health Department and all volunteers who have assisted in providing the important vaccinations for COVID-19. My wife Margaret and I think of today...

Dear Editor, How long is a victim supposed to wait for their case to be heard? How long should the accused be able to kick their court case down the road? How long should the public allow the District...

50 YEARS AGO March 25, 1971 - Editorial: How come in these days of environmental concern, the cretinous “all terrain” adult toys continue to be manufactured? New types are developed every year, advert...

50 YEARS AGO March 18, 1971 - It may or may not be true, as some country folk claim, that America’s growing army of snowmobile enthusiasts is comprised chiefly of city folk too lazy to ski. But it is ...

50 YEARS AGO March 11, 1971 - Low numbers of deer and an elk population that is not increasing as fast as the elk hunting pressure were the basic considerations on which the Colorado Game, Fish and Pa...

The spring thaw will be quickly upon us. The irrigation ditches will need to be readied to accept the glorious flow of water. To ensure the hay meadows receive the optimum amount of precious water, so...

50 YEARS AGO March 4, 1971 - Anyone who is interested even in a small way, in preservation of Ouray County’s history and artifacts, should make a firm commitment to be at the meeting next Sunday, Marc...

Dear Editor: It pains me that we are engaging in a heated political debate over a giant new American flag in the valley. C’mon folks, can’t we save our brain power and passion for other, more pressing...

Ouray reached a climatological and human tipping point last weekend. Cabin fever had settled in quite nicely after 12 days of mostly cloudy weather, including to continuous snow days. Some was the ult...

50 YEARS AGO February 18, 1971 - Student Editorial from “The Voice of Troy” - Prejudice is a dangerous disease which is afflicting America today. It seems that the majority or dominant group do not su...

Ridgway is 130 years old next month. Ridgway’s story is also a railroad tale, so let’s look back. Silver and gold were found in the San Juans in the years following the Civil War, and newcomers “rushe...

In this business we ask a lot of questions. It’s kind of our job. Sometimes we ask questions that don’t lead to clear answers, and that means we keep digging. At first we might have a blurry idea of w...

Throughout the course of the nearly two years we have owned this newspaper we’ve promised to you that when we get something wrong we’ll correct it — and do so as quickly as possible. Part of building ...

50 YEARS AGO February 4, 1971 - Editorial: President Nixon’s budget text included the message that the cloudseeding project here has provided “roe first opportunity to assess possible social and envir...

50 YEARS AGO January 28, 1971 - If the flu bug bedded you fora few weeks before the end of 197o don’t worry. If your employer kept you on the payroll you have the sympathy of the Internal Revenue Serv...

50 YEARS AGO January 21, 1971 - Television in Ouray and Ridgway leaves a lot to be desired. If Ouray’s booster isn’t out, which is most of the time, there still is only one channel to watch. The repai...

50 YEARS AGO January 14, 1971 - It’s probably never been done before but there’s one sure way to camp in Yankee Boy Basin without fighting waves of tourists. A group of 12 college students from Massac...

50 YEARS AGO January 7, 1971 - Parents can no longer tell their children to “go out and play in the traffic (but watch out for cars)”, at least not as far as Ouray’s sledding areas are concerned. And ...