Time Machine: 30 years ago, Colorado Republicans rally against effort to sell public lands to ski areas
Vail Trail/Vail Daily archive
30 years ago
Nov. 3, 1995
A measure to sell Forest Service land to ski areas was headed for a Congressional conference committee, the Vail Trail reported.
“A brain-child of the Alaskan contingent in Washington, D.C., the ski-area proposal has received strong opposition from Colorado,” the Trail reported.
Colorado Republicans Rep. Scott McInnis and Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell said they convinced Rep. Don Young of Alaska and Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska to drop Colorado from the provision.
40 years ago
Oct. 25, 1985
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Evidence of Native indigenous camps were discovered in the Homestake area of Eagle County, the Vail Trail reported.
Quoting Kevin Black, an archaeologist with Metcalf Zier Associates, the Vail Trail reported that some of the artifacts found in the area may have only been a century old, while others could have been up to 10,000 years old.
Metcalf Zier Associates, an Eagle-based archaeological consulting company, was hired by the cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora to survey an area that would have been disturbed by a proposed expansion of the trans-mountain water diversions in the area.
“Black explained that the importance of the finds is due, in part, to the high elevation of the area — 8,000 to 10,000 feet,” the Trail reported. “Few areas of the state that high in elevation have been inventoried, he said. Most of the several dozen specimens collected by the archaeologists were chips cast off during the manufacture of arrowheads, knives and scrapers. Also found were a scraper and a nearly completed arrowhead. In addition, they found mining artifacts and two sites left by army troopers who trained in the area during and after World War II. Some of the Indian artifacts found lying on the ground may be only a century old; others could be up to 100 centuries old.”
50 years ago
Nov. 7, 1975
The American Revolution Bicentennial Flag was presented to Red Cliff as the town received an official designation as a Centennial-Bicentennial community, the Vail Trail reported.
“Presentation of the flag and a framed certificate was made during a well-attended special program at the Red Cliff School,” the Trail reported. “Making the presentation was Joe Hernandez, ethnic minorities coordinator for the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission, and accepting were Red Cliff Mayor Manuel Martinez and Mary Albert, chairperson of the Red Cliff Centennial-Bicentennial Committee.”
The program included musical selections, sung with rousing enthusiasm, by the Red Cliff Elementary Chorus and accompanied by the BMHS Band, a poetry reading by Pearl Henderson, and a concert by the Air Force Academy Woodwind Quintet.
“Red Cliff is receiving this national recognition for planning a series of significant programs to commemorate the nation’s Bicentennial and Colorado’s Centennial of statehood,” the Trail reported. “Activities and events planned by the Red Cliff committee are: development of a town museum in the old town hall for mining relics and other historical artifacts; renovation of the old school house as a town meeting hall, library, day care center and recreation center; oral history program in which old timers will be interviewed and their reminiscences taped; Cinco de Mayo Festival with street dance and serving of Mexican food; revival of pilgrimages to the Mount of the Holy Cross; and Memorial Day services with annual community picnic.”
60 years ago
Oct. 28, 1965
The 1966 hunting season was predicted to attract fewer out-of-state visitors than 1965, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported.
“Out-of-state hunters have a big gripe this season — they claim that Colorado Game, Fish and Parks Department publicity in eastern states paint a different picture than the facts facing the visitors when they arrive in the state looking for deer,” the Enterprise reported.
An early blast of snow was blamed for a reduction in the number of deer killed, but the Enterprise suspected that there was other reasons for the decline.
“The truth is that there are not the deer — especially in this part of Colorado, as has been claimed,” the Enterprise wrote. “Post-seasons, multiple licenses taking of doe and fawns, has eventually caught up and surpassed the game population. In a way, the hunters themselves are to blame, too — some are out for trophy heads, killing anything that moves. If the animal isn’t what the hunter is looking for, it lays in the woods to decay. Other hunters, not wishing to go home empty handed, take the fawns — no larger than a pet dog.”
