Oh Dear Wise One,
A historical marker sign, apparently about the Main Avenue bridge, is off the river trail, blocked by trees and bushes, facing the wrong way, and backed by the VFW fence. Can it be moved? Or turned around? Why is it like this?
Sincerely, History Buff
Dear History Buff,
I think you’ve written before, and I think the “wise one” moniker that you use is facetious, but I’ll try to answer your question anyway.
That is more than just a historical marker, it is part of the “moments” project created by Shan Wells in 2005. There are 11 of these around town, and they seek to place the viewer in history both literally and figuratively by having people stand just as the original photographer stood facing the scene.
This is number 10 in the series, and it shows the Main Avenue bridge circa 1908. By having to climb the rock to see it, the viewer is further invested into active participation with the piece. Along with the photo of the current bridge, it discusses how there was an older bridge there as early as 1880 that carried not just people but also spring water from where the fish hatchery is now for the city’s water supply, as the Animas River was too polluted by mining and ranch waste at the time.
Hello Action Line,
Since The Durango Herald is now delivering the print newspaper via the U.S. Post Office, I was wondering when a crew from the Herald will be making the rounds to neighborhoods and county roads to collect the old yellow newspaper boxes and support stakes that are scattered about the area. Hopefully, they can be repurposed in some way. Thanks for your sleuthing,
Just Curious
Dear Just Curious,
I didn’t have to go far to get an answer on this one, from members our circulation department.
They report that they are currently driving through neighborhoods to remove and recycle/repurpose these old tubes. To ensure they don’t miss your property, please email them at [email protected] and provide your address so they can add you the pickup schedule.
Don’t throw them in your own general recycling, as I don’t think they are of the type that can be recycled with our general recycling stream here. Or maybe you’d want to organize your own art project by collecting and painting them with high-visibility paint to be placed around the “Endurance” bike sculpture that was recently restored at Florida Road Riverview Drive to help ward off further destruction by wayward vehicles?
Email questions and suggestions to [email protected] or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Today’s Fun Fact: Newspaper delivery by mail is nothing new, in fact, it far predates private carrier delivery. The original 1792 Postal Act creating the U.S. Post Office Department included subsidies so that newspapers could be affordably delivered by mail to any citizen who wanted one, and further acts by Congress into the early 20th century bolstered this practice. However, in 1970, Congress ended the subsidies while making the Postal Service completely self-funding, and newspapers have since had to pay the standard periodical rate. While paper routes carried out by both children and adults made economic sense for decades, many newspapers (including this one) are now back to being delivered by mail. Sort of appropriate for our semiquincentennial, no? Happy Independence Day, everyone!