There were many owners of the Rio Blanco Store, even more operators. I was able to document most: Irvin Melville & Lilie Arnold Kellogg, Carl &Lona Dixon Lindstrom; Andrew Asberry Alley Jr; Parker L. Snyder; Donald & May Snyder McKay; Benjamin Marton Strawbridge; Gene Voeltzel; Owen “Pete” George Roberts; Christian[Read More…]
History Lessons
HISTORY LESSONS: The Rio Blanco Store
Long time residents fondly remember the Rio Blanco Store as a place to get gas, eats, and treats. It was located along Highway 13 near the intersection with the Piceance Creek road, north of the Rio Blanco School. There is nothing left to see now. The State scraped away even[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Husband finds pickle relish
March 25, 2025, a date that will live in history. This husband (me) found a jar of pickle relish in the pantry that his wife could not. I thought about renting a billboard, but none were available. Now, it is not special for men to search for 30 minutes for[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: ‘Gunsmoke’ Meeker-style
“Gunsmoke” was one of the longest-running American TV shows, airing from 1955 to 1975. Stories of the West were, and still are, popular. There is something about the elements of adventure and the independence of frontier life that continues to captivate audiences. Marshal Dillon, Doc, and Miss Kitty were fictional[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Candy chronicles from yesteryear
When I would visit my grandparents on my mother’s side, I would often get a treat. I think it is a universal thing to deny your own kids sugary snacks. Grandparents are allowed to offer bribes more readily. It is part of the contract. As a kid, if we wanted[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: JoHantgen
The White River Museum has a new item to view, a double barrel shotgun! I know what you are thinking: Big deal, my husband has 17 in his gun safe/militia arsenal. The shotgun itself is not particularly rare or ancient, but its history is unique because of its owner. The[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Speaking ‘Texican’
If history had run a different course, we in Northwest Colorado could be speaking Texican as our official language. In our Rio Blanco County treasurer’s office is a huge map of the United States. No big deal, except that it shows the U.S. just after Texas had declared independence from[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Swede Anderson
In Rio Blanco, we are rightly proud of our White River fishing. Our lake fishing is equally impressive. Early on, upriver landowners recognized that bigger lakes meant better fishing. One individual single-handedly improved the fishing lakes upriver: Swede Anderson. Using mules and a Fresno scraper, he dug ditches and moved[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The Hame Cover
The mystery photo (inset above) is something you would find on a team of horses pulling a freight wagon or stage coach. It is made of leather. If you look close at the photo of the J. W. Hugus & Company team of horses, you will see a rider on[Read More…]
HISTORY’S MYSTERIES
Continuing our identification of unusual old implements and tools, can you guess what this is and what it might have been used for? ED PECK PHOTO
HISTORY LESSONS: Groundhog Day 2025
RBC | I have an idea for the Meeker Chamber of Commerce: We could piggyback on the Pennsylvania Feb. 2 Groundhog Day hype by naming our groundhog as the one and only “Meeker Whistlepig” or the “Flattops Weather Marmot.” The Master of Ceremony would wear a Stetson and rope the[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Curie
RBC | With all the talk of nuclear power plants and storing spent fuel rods in Northwest Colorado, I thought it would be good to mention that radioactive ores and mills are nothing new to our area. Rifle used to have a big uranium milling facility in the 1970’s. It[Read More…]