Time Machine: 50 years ago, concerns over freedom of the press in Vail
Vail Trail/Vail Daily archive
30 years ago
Oct. 6, 1995
After Vail Pass experienced its first closure of the season a few days earlier, the Vail Trail penned an editorial urging truckers to chain up and drivers to slow down.
“Will it be another season of 35 closings?” the editorial asked. “We have seen the advent of the fearless drivers who rent 4x4s and believe they can drive I-70 at warp speed regardless of the conditions.”
The editorial called for more patrol on chain-up days, and asked citizens to “write down the license plate numbers of the truckers who are putting everyone else’s lives in danger.”
40 years ago
October 11, 1985
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Vail Mountain’s new owner declared that he will run the company himself, the Vail Trail reported.
“George Gillett, chairman of The Gillett Group, will take over as president and chief executive officer of the company Nov. 1,” the Trail reported. “Gillett said he is adjusting his management duties with other companies owned by The Gillett Group to allow him to participate directly on the management of VA’s Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek resorts.”
The Vail Trail, in the article, quoted Gillett as saying he wanted to get “an extremely close-up feel for Vail Associates” by becoming the company’s president.
“I’m looking forward to this kind of hands-on experience and in-depth relationships with the staff and the community,” Gillett said.
Gillett had acquired the company a couple months earlier, and former president Harry Frampton subsequently announced he would step down before the start of the ski season.
Under Gillett, Frampton would “remain as a member of the executive committee, a Vail Associates director, and a consultant to the company,” the Trail reported.
50 years ago
Oct. 2, 1975
The Eagle Valley Enterprise, in an editorial, emphasized the importance of freedom of the press, calling attention to a few incidents that had taken place locally.
“In the past year, the local newspapers have run into some attempts to suppress news,” the Enterprise wrote. “Reporters were asked to leave a meeting between Vail Associates, the County, and a representative of the governor concerning Beaver Creek; but were later called back into the meeting at the request of the governor’s representative. Last winter, reporters were asked to leave a meeting of Western Slope secondary school principals. In both instances, the media people were contacted after the meetings and assured by the persons involved that “absolutely nothing took place that couldn’t have been printed in the paper.” (So why were the attempts made to close the meetings?)”
The Enterprise also said attempts to manipulate the news had been made by law enforcement agencies.
“Occasionally a report of an incident which may involve a prominent person or which may be embarrassing to the agency is shuffled or misplaced,” the Enterprise reported. “These incidents can usually be attributed to individuals rather than to a depart-mentwide policy.”
60 years ago
Sept. 30, 1965
Construction of the Homestake Diversion Tunnel wrapped up, a necessary step to complete a $72 million effort to route Eagle County water to the Front Range, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported.
“Mayor Harry Hoth of Colorado Springs and Tracy Whitaker, mayor pro-tem of Aurora, detonated explosions marking completion of the 5.4-mile Homestake Tunnel — linking the eaststake tunnel — taking 37,000 acre feet annually of water from the head of Eagle River’s tributaries to Eastern Colorado,” the Enterprise reported. “The water is to be used by Colorado Springs and Aurora.”
Boring of the tunnel took 23 months to complete, the Enterprise reported. The reservoir which would store the water was expected to be completed over the course of the following year, the Enterprise reported.
