Dolores 40 years ago

Taken from the Friday, Feb. 21, 1975, Dolores Star

The Water Resources Congress at their annual meeting on Feb. 16, 1975 for the first time endorsed a project of national urgency. The national organization known as America's Voice in water Resources Conservation and Development declared that the Dolores Water Reclamation Project in southwest Colorado was a project that had a truly national impact and a unique status in terms of issues of national importance.

This Saturday at 7:30 p.m. the Dolores FFA Chapter will be hosting the Colorado Rolling Cowboys, a professional wheelchair basketball team. The Cowboys will play the Dolores Faculty and FFA members. Rumors have it that Principals Tomberlin and Collins may even appear on the floor in the guise of players.

Colorado Forest Products was on the scene of a fire call about 5 p.m. Wednesday with the Dolores Volunteer Fire Department responding along with the Cortez Firemen and Sheriff's Office personnel when fire flashed up in the resaw equipment of the sawmill. A spark from a welder working nearby is believed to have caused the fire which was quickly extinguished and luckily resulted in minor damage.

Not too much hope can be given to recurrent rumors that the plywood factory is about to be reopened due to the unfavorable situation with the plywood market and prices. The persistent rumors around town that the plant will open soon are just that, merely rumors, according to Ken Cook, the manager of the Montezuma Plywood Co. plant at Dolores.

In a report given to the County Commissioners Monday, Montezuma County Sheriff Bob Hampton presented a rundown on the activities of the Sheriff's Department for the year of 1974 including the fact that 647 prisoners were confined in the county jail on state charges during the year. The Sheriff's department vehicles patrolled a total of 82,805 miles during the year using 6,462 gallons of gas in the vehicles. Only 22 trips were made by the Sheriff's department delivering prisoners to centers outside Cortez.

Top crimes in Montezuma County saw driving while intoxicated as the most numerous crime on the arrest record, 147. There was one murder, 42 different charges of breaking and entering; 17 charges of burglary; 52 of larceny or theft; 24 of fraud; miscellaneous traffic charges, 153; drunkeness 32; disorderly conduct, 24; possession of marijuana, 8 arrests; criminal tampering and criminal trespass, 8 ; and immigration violations, 23.

The Blue Mountain Ski Area in Monticello was slated to open Saturday, providing that everything was brought up to standard for a Forest Service safety check.

Lee Squires has announced this week his intentions to run for the Board of Education of The Dolores District Re4A seeking the position vacated by the expired term of George Green.

About 25 persons attended a meeting last Thursday at the grade school concerning the new reading and writing programs there.

The George Garretson children have been on the sick list recently.

Lenore and Kenny Goode went to Phoenix a week ago and had a three day vacation with Jim and Billy Goode who they met there.

Attending the 50th anniversary celebration of MR. and Mrs. Freed Kelly in Cortez on Sunday were Mrs. Hazel Smith and Mrs. Vaughna McClain and children. Thirty-four members of the family all went to the Pony Express after the affair for dinner.