The Meeker Herald – 125 years ago
• Habits of helplessness are the easiest to acquire and the hardest to discard.
• When a man is not to some extent under the influence of a woman he becomes either vicious or foolish, and sometimes both.
• Cold and blustery would be an average characterization of the weather during the week. In the early part it was very raw and cloudy, with occasional streaks of sunshine. Tuesday night the thermometer dropped to 3 above and an inch of ice formed, and yesterday morning it was 4 below. Last night was fully as cold, and today the sun is out strong and the atmosphere is clear and bracing.
The Meeker Herald – 100 years ago
• County Commissioner Fred Nichols of the Rangely district attended (at his own expense) the late meeting of the County Commissioners Association, which was held at Grand Junction.
• Hallowe’en devilment was about as evident in Meeker this year as on former occasions. Much of it seems as on former occasions to be of a malicious character, and there is a growing feeling of resentment against the wanton destruction of property.
• Everybody is commenting favorably on the good bread the Meeker Bakery is turning out. It is more like homemade bread — there is something to it. It will be still better as the large 100-loaf oven gets warmed up. Mr. Valenta is also turning out everything found in a first class city bakery. Sample his goods.
The Meeker Herald – 50 years ago
• Mrs. Chris (Suzanne) Halandras has been selected as one of the judges for Miss Rodeo America contest, a national event to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Miss Toni Mangus was named queen and Tom Brumback king at the Meeker Homecoming dance Friday night. The queen’s attendants were Miss Mardy Cook and Miss Kelly Watson.
The Meeker Herald – 25 years ago
• Humphrey the Camel has a new home in Palisade. His owner, Dick Watt, sold the Meeker Feed Barn and moved to Palisade, taking Humphrey with him. There have been a lot of colorful tales about the camel but, according to research by our intern Alan Cogswell, a fellow by the name of Tom Moore brought Humphrey to the Meeker area in 1980. The critter was mean and wild: it chased the horses and spit at people. Moore finally tamed him, and he eventually gave children rides at the ranch where he lived. When the ranch was sold to millionaire Bricklin, Humphrey went with it. Bricklin didn’t want the camel, and sold him to a California man, and the California man gave it to Watt, who has had it ever since.
Rangely Times – 50 years ago
• A Michigan hunter has the honor of killing the largest buck this fall in northwestern Colorado Philip Colton of Durand, Michigan, hunting with his 14-year-old son Tim, shot an 11-point buck on opening day in the Blue Mountain area. Colton killed the big buck, which weighed at least 240 pounds and measured 32-⅞” across the points, 45 minutes after the season opened.
• A committee of environmentalists, government and industrial representatives is embarking on a $715,000 methodical study of four environmental questions raised by the promise of oil shale development on Colorado’s Western Slope.
Rangely Times – 25 years ago
• Rio Blanco County plans to upgrade its recreational zone regulations, hoping that it will create some controlled economic development at the Kenney Reservoir, Marvine and Buford areas. The county planner hopes that recreational zone developments will propagate economic development in other areas of the county.
• Former Fire Chief Jeremy Lancaster moved from Rangely recently, leaving the chief’s position vacant for the second time this year. Mike Cushman, who was the assistant fire chief, filled Lancaster’s vacancy, who had filled a vacancy left by Boyd Milsaps earlier this year.
