75 years ago: “Raymond Baxter, about 25, was instantly killed when a cave-in occurred in the Hay Gulch coal mine in which he was working.”

50 years ago: “Water content of the snowpack, measured by Soil Conservation Service personnel on both the San Juan Upper Rio Grande and Animas drainages provides a heartening picture of next summer’s water supply. The picture on various snow courses ranges from 50 percent above the longtime average content to double the expected amounts, the survey showed.”

25 years ago: “Mother Nature cooperated just in time for Snowdown, the celebration of winter, as 5½ inches of snow was dumped on Durango during the past 48 hours.”

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