75 years ago: “Hugo Bartell, miner at Silverton for more than a decade, was fatally injured in a 55-foot fall at the Shenadoah-Dives workings. Bartell accidentally fell down a shaft, a distance of some 55-feet.”

50 years ago: “Elmo McKee, 45, signed a three-year contract as superintendent of School District 9-R. McKee will be paid $13,000 a year in 12 equal monthly payments. In addition, he will receive $50 a month for travel within the school district.”

25 years ago: “Two area school districts are pulling all fresh fruit from their lunch programs in the wake of a nationwide poisoning scare. In addition, Durango grocery stores have yanked all Chilean fruits from their shelves, leaving a fruit selection that is largely limited to apples, oranges, grapefruit and California strawberries. The measures were taken after reports that cyanide had been found in Chilean grapes shipped to Philadelphia.”

Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.