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Those were the days

Photo courtesy Eagle County Historical Society and Eagle Valley Library District

5 years ago

Week of June 5, 2008



Eagle County officials bristled at the “blight” declaration that the Eagle Town Board made for the Eagle River Station property east of town. The declaration was part of the tax incentive financing proposed for the project, but the county officials said the declaration “didn’t pass the smell test.”

The back door was broken and four bottles of tequila were stolen from a Mexican restaurant in Eagle. Police lifted finger and palm prints from the location to see if they could track down the thieves.

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Eagle Ranch Village sponsored an art walk event.

Eagle Mayor Ed Woodland threw out the first pitch during the Western Eagle County Metropolitan Recreation District’s Baseball Opening Day celebration.

10 years ago

Week of June 5, 2003

The Gypsum Town Council approved the Valagua golf course development plan. Valagua was planned at the former Albertson Ranch property along Gypsum Creek and included an 18-hole golf course and 535 residential units. Eventually the project’s name was changed to Brightwater.

Local business and service clubs contributed more than $151,000 and handed out 38 awards during the annual senior night celebration at Eagle Valley High School. The Class of 2003 boasted 95 graduates.

The Eagle Valley Trojans, a local summer league baseball team comprised of members of the EVHS team, recorded a 10-4 win over a squad from Grand Junction. Leading the team in scoring were Keegan Keltner, Brett Klahr and JJ Alvis.

“Eagle goes Hollywood” was chosen as the Flight Days theme.

20 years ago

Week of June 3, 1993

Both the Eagle County and Garfield County sheriffs decided to keep local rivers open to rafting despite two fatalities – on the Eagle River and one on the Colorado River — during the previous week.

Kevin Kottenstette’s shop class at Eagle Valley Middle School constructed a scale model of a home.

EVMS earned the prestigious “Blue Ribbon” award from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Comer waterwheel at McCoy was badly damaged when it caught a log. A restoration project was planned.

30 years ago

Week of June 2, 1983

Gypsum voters overwhelmingly approved a bond issue for a new fire station.

Seth Monoson was hired as Gypsum’s new recreation coordinator.

Eagle County planned a plaza at the front of the courthouse building in downtown Eagle in commemoration of the county’s centennial celebration.

In Eagle’s highly competitive ladies softball league, Miguel’s overpowered triple H Construction. Among the big hitters were Tia Sterkel, Debra Hill, Casey Stanish, Sandy Womeldorf and Pat Thomas for Miguel’s, and Cheryl Bisand, Debbie Satterfield and Tori Ross for Triple H.

Bond-McCoy columnist Vern Seaman declared Alan Echtler as “nice person of the week.” He also reported that Burns Postmistriss Eldora Skiles had won a $1,000 Safeway sweepstakes prize and had purchased a $2,000 winning Colorado Lottery ticket.

A new 10,000 square-foot library opened in Vail.

Bill Hargleroad organized a raft trip on the San Juan River for several locals. The most notable aspect of the trip was Hargelroad’s donning of a “Samurai Cook outfit” while chipping vegetables for dinner. The outfit reportedly consisted of a belt, a bath towel and a buck knife. Among the people on the trip were Randy Rukowski, Rose Quinn, Hope Hewetson, Rich Borden, Steve Scott, Steve Wujek, Chris Zier and Ray Tencza.

40 years ago

Week of June 7, 1973

Eagle residents were complaining that tennis players from Vail were monopolizing the town’s only tennis court.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management was proposing recreation designation for several parcels in Eagle County at State Bridge and near Wolcott.

Illegal dumping was polluting Alkali Creek near the Eagle County Airport.

Ronnie and Leroy Kirby moved their cattle to Red Dirt.

Kathy Albertson and Stan Knupp received the John Phillip Sousa Awards at the EVHS Awards Night Celebration.

The Eagle Valley Telephone Company introduced direct dialing service between Eagle, Gypsum, Edwards and Wolcott. Vail was still a long-distance call.

Loren and Shirley Chambers sold the Pair-O-Dice Motel in Eagle to Bill and Jody Caruthers.

50 years ago

Week of June 6, 1963

The Eagle Valley Jaycees erected a new backstop at the Gypsum baseball field. Meanwhile, the Eagle Dandylions spent about $1,600 on improvements to the Eagle Community House.

A wild early summer storm uprooted a 50-foot tall evergreen tree from in front of Hume White’s house.

Ivan Wescoatt, a fish biologist with the Colorado Game and Fish Department reported that a railroad car derailment north of Minturn resulted in the spill of petroleum into the Eagle River, affecting a 25-mile stretch. Almost all aquatic life was killed along the stretch.

The J.V. Rose Motor Company took over the showroom formerly used by Koonce Chevrolet Company in Eagle.

60 years ago

Week of June 4, 1953

Enterprise editor Marilla McCain warned that local law enforcement officers were writing lots of tickets between Eagle and Gypsum.

The Red Cross Blood Donor Train scheduled an Eagle County stop. The previous year, residents of Eagle and Gypsum contributed 102 pints of blood.

The Burns community was adding music to its “Grandaddy of Western Colorado Rodeo.”ß Denver musician Vic Luark was hired to play songs such as “Old Gray Mare” and “Old Paint” on his Hammond organ during rodeo events.

Felix Strubi of Burns won a $200 college scholarship to Colorado A&M College from Sears and Roebuck Company.

A Texas man was fined $50 for giving whiskey to three railroad workers hours before those same men were involved in a fatal car accident at State Bridge.

A Red Cliff man was sentenced to seven months in jail for his roles in a fight at the Cruz Tavern.

70 years ago

Week of June 4, 1943

Sgt. Bernard Ginther was home on a short furlough from North Camp Polk, La. Leonard Lundberg of Gypsum was accepted into the Army Air Corps for training either as a navigator bombardier or a pilot.

The local War Price and Rationing Board moved into a space above the theater in downtown Eagle.

The James Phillips family moved form Gypsum to the Fleming saw mill along Gore Creek for the summer.

George Nimon arrived home from the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, where he had been employed by Tucker McClure.

A June 2 snowstorm had Enterprise readers complaining about the fickle local weather.

80 years ago

Week of June 2, 1933

Army trucks brought 50 men from the Civilian Conservation Corps to the county to build a camp at Tigiwon in the Holy Cross National Forest above Minturn. Another 33 workers were recruited locally. Their task was to build a camp for some 200 workers who would construct rock shelter houses in the forest.

A line drive by Harry Long was instrumental in the Eagle Senior Baseball team’s victory over Steamboat. Thieves broke into the Stremme Store in Gypsum and took a small amount of merchandise and postage stamps.

The community was shocked by the unexpected death of Wolcott resident Elmer Rochford. The 39-year-old man died after an appendicitis operation.


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