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Time Machine: A look back at past decades in the Vail Valley

Compiled by Pam Boyd
The original Eagle County High School building on a snowy winter day.
Photo courtesy Eagle Valley Library District and Eagle County Historical Society |

1 year ago

Week of Jan. 19, 2017

From rental charges at the Brush Creek Pavilion to special event liquor license fees to building permits, the town of Eagle raised 107 different town fees. Eagle officials noted it was the first fee increase in 16 years.



Eagle officials announced plans to set aside $140,000 for special events funding in 2017.

An Eagle-Vail man pleaded guilty to charges related to a 2015 hash oil explosion. He suffered severe burns in the incident.

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5 years ago

Week of Jan. 17, 2013

For the third time in eight years, Eagle Valley High School teacher Ashley Weaver accompanied a group of students to witness inaugural events in Washington D.C.

With the dawn of 2013, it was legal for people age 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and consume it in private. Local law enforcement agencies were adjusting to the new state rules.

Al Hoza, longtime owner/operator of The Eagle Pharmacy, passed away. He was 84.

10 years ago

Week of Jan. 17, 2008

Town staff members issued a report to the Eagle Town Board predicting that the community’s roads and water and wastewater treatment facilities were nearing capacity.

The town of Eagle hired an independent consultant to examine the financial details of the proposed Eagle River Station development.

Eagle Valley Middle School seventh-grader Sara Melin won the school’s Geography Bee by correctly answering “Name the independent country located entirely within the city of Rome?” The answer is the Vatican.

Mountain Living Furniture broke ground on a new showroom located at the Airport Gateway subdivision.

20 years ago

Week of Jan. 15, 1998

Vail Junior Hockey club members Tony Powell and Jason Ehrenberg shared stories from their 14-day trip to Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. While they played lots of hockey and saw many sights, their favorite memory was spending New Year’s Eve in Prague.

The town of Gypsum considered an ordinance banning teen smoking in public. Violators faced fines between $100 and $500.

The EVHS boys basketball team had a 8-0 record behind stellar play from Bob Pietrack, Josh Freisen and Troy Cunningham.

30 years ago

Week of Jan. 21, 1988

When brothers Gary and Kenneth Bertroch took off at noon for a Saturday snowmobile trip, they expected to be home for dinner. Instead the brothers spent two nights in a chilly cabin on the Flat Tops when storms prevented their return. The men were stranded while bringing supplies to Dick Osterweil — a 61-year-old man who was spending the winter at Budge’s Resort. The Bertrochs made it safely home after their third day at Osterweil’s cabin.

A heavy turnout was reported as Wal-mart hosted a job fair for prospective employees at the new Avon store.

40 years ago

Week of Jan. 19, 1978

The town of Eagle reported a surge in sales tax receipts. Revenues for 1977 totalled $89,162 compared to the 1976 total of $76,634.

EVHS’s Mary Bowman was named Colorado AA Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Reuben Restaurant in Eagle advertised Sunday specials — $4 for roast baron of beef, $3.50 for baked ham and yams and $3.25 for a chicken breast on rice.

50 years ago

Week of Jan. 18, 1968

Users of Eagle County’s newly improved airfield were proclaiming it the finest rural area airfield in western Colorado. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were only eight days during 1967 when the facility was inoperable due to weather conditions. Aircraft had taken off or landed 2,000 times during the previous year.

The Eagle Fire Department advised rural residents to keep a source of water close to their homes during the winter. The department had a rural truck that could fight fires if a water source was available.

60 years ago

Week of Jan. 16, 1958

Nick Strubi of Burns was feeding cattle for his father when a representative from the Yampa Valley Electric Association stopped by and presented him with a check for $100. It was his first place prize in a Future Farmers of America contest.

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad planned extensive improvements in Eagle County, including a four-mile section of welded track on the Dotsero Cutoff. A six-mile stretch of new rail was planned along Tennessee Pass.

The state of Colorado launched land condemnation procedures for the new highway between Gypsum and Dotsero. The land affected was the property of Cornelia Cook and Fred and Bill Hill.

70 years ago

Week of Jan. 16, 1948

Red Cliff car dealer W.W. Walsh had a brand new 1948 Ford truck on display at the Holy Cross Garage in Red Cliff.

Leland Hahn and Eldon Wilson made the trip to the Colorado Aviation Administration range on Castle Peak and they were surprised to discover thousands of mite-size insects in the snow along the road. They collected some of the insects in a jar and mailed them to the Smithsonian Institute for identification. Eagle Valley Enterprise editor Marilla McCain dubbed the critters “snow lice.”

80 years ago

Week of Jan. 21, 1938

The Calvick Cafe in Eagle was closed for two weeks for repairs and remodeling.

The American Legion Battle Mountain Post planned to honor Franklin D. Roosevelt with a President’s Day dance in Gypsum.

Harve Skiff was the head of the newly formed Gypsum Creek Cattle Growers Association. In total, association members grazed 1,200 head of cattle in the area. John Boni was hired as the group’s range rider and board members for the new association included Will Schlutter, Ray Chatfield, Gene Slaughter and John Van Horn.

The newly elected board of directors for First National Bank in Eagle included A. B. Koonce, Gus Meyer, Hume S. White and J.D. Allen.

Shirley Wilson, Phyllis Barnes, Virginia Brown and Beth Van Horn earned perfect spelling scores at the Eagle School.


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