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

100 Years Ago – 1910

A corps of surveyors is at work in Grape Creek canon below the DeWeese dam where it is reported that the new gigantic irrigation enterprise of the Arkansas valley will construct another immense dam to store flood waters.

Nothing new has been heard from the Geyser Mine for a long time. We would like to see the old-time activity renewed once more. The Bull-Domingo is hammering away with a small force employed. Discoveries of big ore in this property would create no surprise.

Arthur Tyler has been notified from district headquarters at St. Louis that he is eligible for the position of re-weigher of mails on all trains in Colorado and Kansas and solicited to send in his application if he desires the position and this he promptly did. The position carries a salary of $2.50 to $3.00 per day.

P.F. Zastrow was over from the Hardscrabble Tuesday to buy hay and grain. He says the road for three miles east of Querida is almost impassable, blockaded with snow.

Hon. A.D. MacKenzie and wife of Greenwood and Miss Spangler, school teacher at Ilse, enjoyed a sleigh ride over to the ‘Cliffe on Tuesday. Mack drove and never tipped the ladies out once.

Joe St. George, the jolly cobbler of Silver Cliff, was down Wednesday and brightened the Tribune office.

50 Years Ago – 1960

Dog owners of Westcliffe are reminded that 1960 licenses are due and positively must be paid before Feb. 1. Stan DePriest, town marshal, has been instructed to impound any dogs seen on the street after the above mentioned date which to not have new tags, and to destroy the animals unless they are redeemed immediately. Town officials have expressed concern over rabies outbreaks in other communities and do not wish to expose local residents to such outbreaks.

A March of Dimes coffee will be held Saturday in the community building in Westcliffe. County chairman Jim Christoff said excellent coffee will be served along with home made rolls baked and donated by various volunteers. All proceeds will go to the MOD drive here.

Mrs. Marie Erps entertained the Pinochle Club at her home in Silver Cliff Monday night. Mrs. Inis Falkenberg won first prize and Mrs. Edith Frank received low. Mrs. Frances Byrne and Mrs. Phyllis Kastendieck were each presented with a stork gift by the club members.

25 Years Ago – 1985

An inspection last week of Custer County School by local fire officials turned up several potential problems, the most serious being a set of front doors that have been chained and padlocked for more than a year; a cluttered furnace room where flammable materials were being stored; and at least three fire alarm bells that aren’t working properly. A second inspection is set for next week to see if the problems are adequately addressed.

The second annual Winter Snowmobile Carnival will be held next weekend in Westcliffe, with dozens of snowmobilers from across Colorado and from nearby states expected to attend. The event is sponsored by the Sangre Sno-Runners Snowmobile Club.

The season’s first snow course reading was conducted last week by Stan Coleman, Jerry Elliott, Rocky Mosher, Harvey Geroux, Kit Shy, Dan Decker and Alan Forkey. Water content ranged from 72 percent of long-term averages at the Bigelow Divide site, to 135 percent at Spruce Creek.

10 Years Ago – 2000

Republican county commissioner Larry Handy said this week that he’ll seek a second term in office for the District 3 seat.

The CCHS varsity knowledge bowl team brought home a second place win from last week’s meet in La Junta where 17 teams competed. Members of the team are James Hicks, Ryan Smith, Lorelei Hardy, Matt Engelman and Michael Allen.

The Sangre de Cristo Christian Academy will host its fourth annual fund-raising banquet next weekend. Diane Hall of Morgan’s restaurant will prepare the feast. Funds will be used for an upcoming student trip to Washington, D.C.

Hal Walter’s racing burro, Spike, was named Burro of the Year by the Western Pack Burro Association during a recent banquet at—where else?—the Golden Burro café in Leadville.

5 Years Ago – 2005

A fast-moving snowstorm Saturday and Sunday cloaked Custer County with heavy snow, causing power outages and slippery roads. As much as five-feet of snow was recorded in the Lake Isabel area. Less than a foot of snow was officially recorded in Westcliffe, though most parts of the county had at least two to three feet measured.

A delegation of local FFA students attended the National Western Stock Show in Denver and cheered on freshman member LaVern King who successfully wrangled a heifer in the catch-a-calf contest. He and club sponsor Tom Flower will travel to Gunnison next week where King will select a breeding heifer to bring home.

Freshman state legislator Tom Massey, R- Poncha Springs, told the Tribune that he’s settling-in nicely to his role representing House District 60. “It’s everything I thought it would be and more,” said Massey.

1 Year Ago – 2009

The board of directors of the Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District has cleaned shop, firing five of the district’s six employees.

Outgoing county commissioners Dick Downey and Kit Shy were honored during a community open house Saturday at All Aboard Westcliffe.

The value of property sales in Custer County in 2008 dropped about five percent from the prior year to a total value of approximately $48.2 million. The number of transactions was off 21 percent, from 382 in 2007 to 302 in ’08.

With most TV viewers in the Wet Mountain Valley relying on cable or satellite services to receive television signals, it’s unlikely that any problems will be experienced when broadcasts convert from analog to digital later this month.