Columnists - The Journal

Southwest Colorado residents can join effort to protect public lands

Open skies, big mountains, wild rivers, great trails and great people. We live in a vibrant, thriving community surrounded by spectacular public lands. We are drawn to Southwest ...

DATE: Apr 11, 2020 | CATEGORY: Stewards of the Land

Adventure seekers: FLC award inspires students to pursue outdoor dreams

Author’s note: Even with a viral pandemic and a downturn in the economy, it is important to plan for the future. Fort Lewis College is doing just that. If Durangoans can’t spend time out...

DATE: Apr 11, 2020 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's travels

Much has changed, but safe produce washing has not

I don’t imagine this place of social isolation, accompanied by major life disruptions is exactly what we envisioned spring would bring. But alas, here we are. Rather than packing...

DATE: Apr 10, 2020 | CATEGORY: Sheriff Update

James Martin Rush Jr. and the quest for a lost mine

Editor’s note: This article, the first of two parts, is based on an interview with Anna Florence Robinson on July 17, 1934. Part 2 will publish May 1, barring unforeseen circumstances.I ...

DATE: Mar 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Looking back

Pioneering passion for plants: Botanist Alice Eastwood explored the Southwest

Famous botanist Alice Eastwood explored the Southwest a flower at a time

DATE: Mar 17, 2020 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's travels

Sexual Health Clinic an important resource in rural S.W. Colorado

Sexual health is an integral component of overall health and wellness across a lifespan. San Juan Basin Public Health’s clinic provides key services to help you make informed dec...

DATE: Mar 6, 2020 | CATEGORY: County Administrator

The ranch at Big Bend, and trouble with builders and Native Americans

Editor’s note: This article is based on Anna Florence Robison’s interview with Hattie Johnson Porter of Dolores on March 26, 1934.By Montezuma County Historical Society My fat...

DATE: Mar 2, 2020 | CATEGORY: Looking back

A failed attempt to remove the Southern Utes to San Juan County, Utah

Whenever I hike in Bears Ears National Monument, I think about how it almost became an Native American reservation. Over a century ago, Durango businessmen actively campaigned to...

DATE: Feb 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's travels

My experiences as a pioneer in the Mancos Valley

Editor’s note: This article is based on Anna Florence Robinson’s interview with Mrs. Jack J. Wade dated March 21, 1934. In the summer of 1879, my father, J. M. Rush, and my husband lef...

DATE: Feb 6, 2020 | CATEGORY: Looking back

Road, bridges threaten Dolores River Canyon

Conservationists pursue protective designations like wilderness or wild and scenic rivers to help ensure the undeveloped character of cherished places is guaranteed into the future. ...

DATE: Jan 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Word Moved Into the Neighborhood

On the trail of tiny tubers This Four Corners potato was a staple of Native American diets

For years, we’ve learned that ancestral Puebloans depended upon corn, beans and squash, nicknamed The Three Sisters, for sustenance. Well, move over sisters. Little brother spud ...

DATE: Jan 10, 2020 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's travels

Resolve to try forest bathing in 2020

I’ve been looking forward to 2020. My daughter graduates from high school this year, and references and jokes about clear vision have coursed through our family for a long time. ...

DATE: Jan 10, 2020 | CATEGORY: Powerful solutions