75 years ago: “Miss Laura Shaw, who had been employed for the past year at the Montgomery Ward store in Durango left to visit with friends in Colorado Springs and Denver. From Denver she will return to her home in Harlington, Texas, where she has secured employment.”

50 years ago: ARBOLES – “A special train will run from Durango to Arboles for the Arboles Recreation Area dedication. The D&RGW narrow gauge run will give people a chance to see country they haven’t had an opportunity to see since the railroad dropped passenger services between Durango and Alamosa years ago. The tickets will be approximately $3 for adults and $1.50 for persons under 16 years old.”

25 years ago: “The functional illiterate can’t read and write well enough to meet the requirements of everyday working and living. In La Plata County there are 6,400 functional illiterates. In Durango, 1,400.”

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