(Information was gleaned from copies of the Wet Mountain Tribune, all from the second week in July.)

100 Years Ago – 1909

There were a few minor attractions, such as picnics, in the country but Silver Cliff’s celebration on the 5th was the big entertainment of the day, the crowd being drawn from all quarters of the county as well as many from outside points. The hose race was won by Silver Cliff’s world champion volunteer firefighting team, it covering the 500 feet in about 27.5 seconds. Following the baseball game, the relay races and other events that made fun for the crowd, the ball at Phillips’ Hall in the evening concluded the day’s frivolity and it was foremost among the events of pleasure that transpired during the day.

A cloud burst on the northside of the Arkansas River the first of the week played havoc on the main line of the D.&R.G. Railroad, all traffic being stopped for a couple of days until the sand and rocks deposited upon the track for a distance of five miles could be removed. In one report water covered 800 feet of the track from one to six feet deep.

Ernest W. Vickerman and Miss Louisa Emma Reis, of the south end of the Valley, were quietly married at the court house on Wednesday, July 7, County Judge John H. Leary officiating. The bride is a popular young lady of the Antelope community and the groom is an industrious, frugal young man, well worth the prize he has won.

The young ladies of the telephone office in Silver Cliff, we are told, are in want of a lawn mower to cut their meadows.

50 Years Ago – 1959

Governor Steve McNichols has announced the appointment of Miss Frances E. Kettle, of Westcliffe, as chairman for Custer County for the Colorado White House Conference on Children and Youth. The governor made the appointment on the basis of Miss Kettle’s interest in education and youth problems as well as her background in civic and state affairs.

For the Fourth of July, Mr. and Mrs. James Patterson and son, Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Saunders and family of Detroit, Mich., Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Littrell, Jim and Laurel, spent the week-end in Cimarron, N.M.

Perhaps the most newsworthy of Custer County’s recovering ailing is the fact that “Red” Baker, now confined to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Denver, is now able to sit up and have a cigarette. He was injured May 30 when he fell from a horse.

25 Years Ago – 1984

Hundreds of locals and visitors took part in the activities offered last Wednesday, July 4th.

A parade, rodeo, dance and cowboy church will all be a part of the annual Westcliffe Stampede to be held this weekend, July 14 and 15. New events will include wild cow milking and wild cow branding.

More than 200 property owners at Cuerno Verde “The Pines” and their guests enjoyed the annual pig roast at the Cuerno Verde Clubhouse hosted by project manager Don Hofer. Kevin Austin and his assistant, Steve Kozen, turned out two roasted pigs, with other foods prepared at the clubhouse by Jo Kunz, Peggy Rafferty and Helen Schneider. The evening was topped off with music by Danny Loafman and his Mountain Meadow Men.

District Forest Service Ranger Murray Hartshorn has announced that several National Forest recreational sites which have been closed for the past few years have reopened or will reopen in coming weeks. The sites involved are the Oak Creek Campground along the Oak Creek Grade, the Lake Creek Campground near Hillside, and the Smith Creek picnic ground near Wetmore.

10 Years Ago – 1999

With a $5,000 grant and a building purchase contract in hand, the county’s proposed assisted living facility is two steps closer to becoming a reality. Kathy Boulle, board member with Valley Assisted Living, Inc., said the organization has a contract pending to purchase the Mike Pearl residences located east of Colorado Mountain Bank on Highway 96 for $322,000. The group is hoping to obtain a loan through the U.S. Rural Development program.

Rural Westcliffe army veteran Bob Lettman was recently honored at Fort Campbell, Ky. along with about 30 other members of the 101st Airborne Division’s First Brigade infantry battalion for their “sacrifices and tremendous accomplishments on the battlefield 33 years ago” in Vietnam. This Presidential Unit Citation was for actions at Trung Luong in 1966, one of the longest and most fiercely waged engagements of the Vietnam War. Lettman was a squad leader in charge of machine guns.

Sheriff’s office investigator Bruce Briscoe, 35, plans to participate in the 26.2 mile San Francisco Chronicle marathon this Sunday.

5 Years Ago – 2004

A mishap during the fireworks display over Lake DeWeese last weekend could have caused serious injuries, but quick action by firemen resulted in nothing more than the loss of some of the show’s aerial displays. Sheriff Fred Jobe said firefighters were setting off the fireworks Sunday night when sparks from one fell into the container where others were being stored. The sparks caused the container to explode, but the fire was quickly extinguished. Most of the hundreds of spectators were unaware of the incident.

The Round Mountain Water District said water consumption was up three million gallons this June compared to last, an increase of approximately 20 percent. District manager Bud Piquette said the increase is likely due to the ongoing drought conditions, even though outdoor watering has been limited to just two hours every other day.

Retired county judge Harold Taylor has been sworn-in as municipal judge for Silver Cliff. He replaces Whitney Sullivan, who stepped down earlier this year.

1 Year Ago – 2008

A 16-year-old male from Georgia died Thursday, July 3, after being struck by lightning while bicycling with friends in the Bear Basin area.

With a search warrant in hand, local authorities accompanied the county zoning director to the FLDS compound in Bull Domingo last week to check for possible building and zoning violations. Reportedly, several violations were found on the 35-acre Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound, including an improper septic system and various smaller structures built without proper zoning permits.

Streets in Westcliffe were inundated with water Monday following thunderstorms and torrential rains that afternoon.