75 years ago: “Lynn Dean, town marshal of Mancos, was shot and instantly killed by a prisoner he was attempting to jail.”

50 years ago: “Nikki Bonaventura, a sparkling queen, reigned for the DHS homecoming dance at Smiley Junior High School. Her equally radiant attendants were Jane Kay and Lynda Zook.”

25 years ago: “The State Board of Agriculture is likely to approve leasing an underground coal mine site 25 miles southwest of Durango that would make American Indian students the recipients of $5 million in free tuition. King Coals wants to lease mineral rights for about 6 million tons of coal under 640 acres at the Hesperus Campus.”

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