The Thompson House is of particular significance to Carbondale, being the only structure in town on the National Register of Historic Places and the home of the homesteading Thompson-Holland family, including Hattie Thompson, who passed away in the house in 1944. Setting foot inside is like stepping back in time, with many items of the […]
History
Posted inNews
Local time capsules preserve Valley histories
… Time, flowing like a river Time, beckoning me Who knows when We shall meet again, if ever But time keeps flowing Like a river to the sea … ‘Til it’s gone forever … Unless, of course, it’s properly preserved, to counter that line from the 1980 Alan Parsons Project song, “Time.” Indeed, time does […]
Posted inNews
Year in Review 2025
For many, 2025 was a challenging year. Institutions, identities, entire industries were foundationally rocked. Notably, the list of obituaries was exceptionally long and included many community staples. For months, there were protests nearly every week. From outer instability, we were challenged to draw on inner strength and the Roaring Fork Valley rose to the occasion. […]
Posted inColumns
For What It’s Worth: The Sopris Sun continues to be community journalism at its finest
Community journalism has been the very definition of my more than three decades in the trade. And I couldn’t love it more than in my current role as one of the many freelance correspondents for The Sopris Sun. My very first byline, aside from student publications, came as a young journalism major in college, when […]
Posted inColumns
Historiography: Bountiful ladies of Carbondale
Alma Osgood, the wife of mining magnate John C. Osgood, founder of Redstone, was known as “Lady Bountiful” by the town’s residents because she lavished them with gifts, especially during the holidays. Carbondale’s equivalent was Mary Jane Francis, a wealthy widow from Philadelphia who bought the Bull Dog Mine on Avalanche Creek. She helped found […]
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CVEPA Views: McClure lore and the road to power
At a town hall-style meeting in late 1971, the White River National Forest (USFS) presented its vision to designate the Chair Mountain-McClure Pass area as “primitive.” The area was basically untouched save for a horse and foot trail starting at the top of the 8,755-foot pass and an annual sheep grazing permit. There was, however, […]
Posted inBusiness
Sunlight gets a face-lift(s)
The rain came in troves Sunday night in Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, which, hopefully, is a tell of a powder season ahead at Sunlight Mountain Resort. In any case, the local ski hill has finished replacing two lifts, of the three total there, ahead of its anticipated opening day on Dec. 12. Avid skier Blake […]
Posted inOpinion
Election reflections (among other musings)
On the first Monday of November – Election Day eve – my father would have turned 100. Election Day frequently fell on his birthday over his almost 87 years. He took voting very seriously, as did my mother (who would have been 99 in August), and they instilled in my sister and me a deep […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Glenwood Springs Historical Society’s Ghost Walk returns for its 25th year
Next month, for three consecutive weekends beginning Oct. 3, the Linwood Cemetery above Glenwood Springs will again bring history to life for the Glenwood Springs Historical Society’s 25th anniversary of its Ghost Walk tradition. For the second year in a row, there will be a one-night showcase at the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue as well, Oct. […]
Posted inColumns
Historiography: Teddy Roosevelt — The Conservation President
For over a century, big game hunters have been coming to the rugged mountains of Western Colorado to escape their stressful everyday lives and lose their cares in the primal pursuit of deer, elk, sheep, lion and bear. In 1905, Jake Borah was a successful hunting guide in the Glenwood Springs area. Most of his […]