The photos are black and white, but the stories radiate with color according to Don Olsen author of “The North Fork in the 90’s,” a table book filled with articles, essays and photos recalling day-to-day life in the valley through the lens and pens of area reporters.
In a place like Delta County, the number of attractions and the amount of sales tax produced are normally lower than a place like Mesa County. The Town of Cedaredge is widely accepted as a “retirement community,” sometimes more specifically called a retirement community that doesn’t really f…
It’s difficult to say what creates the tapestry of a region’s social fabric. Certainly families and neighborhoods play an important role as do churches, schools and civic organizations. Not to mention politics. Then there is the coffee klatch.
The year was 2013 when Lee Tseng first saw her pitbull Roscoe.
Colorado Detours recently celebrated its first successful season of providing geological and other custom tours of the Delta County area and beyond.
Anita Evans and Lynea Schultz-Ela are on a mission to connect area youth with nature through their non-profit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) organization established in July of 2018.
You might say that Sandy Dix helped put Hotchkiss Riverside Cemetery on the map.
Some organic farms emphasize the concept of “Farm to table.” At Healing Greens Farm, where hemp is cultivated to produce CBD products, it’s more a matter of farm to label.
Whether or not a person believes in spirits, internet websites and local investigators allege that ghosts and other paranormal phenomenon are active locally.
Several sources say that police officers either retire from the police force or move up in rank to a desk position after 20 years on the job. This is due in large portion to the unpredictability and high stress of the job. It’s also due to the fact that a majority of pensions are available a…
For the last five years, every fourth grade student in the North Fork area has been offered a unique learning opportunity. Each fourth Friday in September, buses full of students, teachers and adult and student volunteers travel to Lost Lake in the Gunnison National Forest for a day of outdo…
Fifty-three years ago, Irvin and Miriam Hartig purchased a small dairy in Austin and — thanks to their youngest daughter Polly Jo and her high school sweetheart — the enterprise has been in the family ever since. Andy Wick and Polly Jo Hartig met at Cedaredge High School. The couple married …
When Sandy Wilt and Phil Berghauser ended up as neighbors in Eckert, the two photographers seemed destined to cross paths. Even when Sandy moved up Highway 65 to the metropolis of Cedaredge, they’ve remained friends and colleagues with a shared love of capturing visual images.
It was a cool, crisp morning when Gary Jensen II, pulled onto the dirt runway of the Westwinds Airport in Delta with his powered parachute. It was 6 a.m., Sept. 19, and though most would still be in bed, Jensen II was ready to take off.
Delta resident Cherie Plant developed a love for language, words and spelling as a young girl. She earned a degree in elementary education from City University of New York, where she minored in Latin. Twelve years of Catholic schooling in Brooklyn included a heavy dose of Latin, but her daug…
Isaac Daye has faced many trials in his life and through it all he still has a heart for helping others in his country. His home? Monrovia, Liberia, Africa. He thanks God that he and his family survived living in a war-torn country and later during the Ebola outbreak.
A Back Page subject should generate a thousand words and half a dozen photos and Katie Greenwood and the Future Farmers of America (FFA) certainly meet those requirements. Greenwood is a Cedaredge High School (CHS) teacher who serves as agriculture (ag) instructor and FFA advisor. Asked to i…
Cheryl Hartter started baking at the age of 4, and she's never stopped.
Growing up in Olathe, Ron Pottberg never dreamed he'd leave. But for the past 33 years he has been a teacher for the international World Bible School traveling the globe, meeting ambassadors, dignitaries and community leaders.
George and Sandra Barrie share distinctive Scottish accents, as well as a love of music, but their forms of expression are wildly disparate. Sandra is a vocalist who sang with the Del-Rose Chorus of Sweet Adelines International for 25 years. When the local female a cappella group joined forc…
Asked a few years ago to create a personal mission statement, Cedaredge resident Phyllis Hoffman knew just how to begin. "I have known ever since I was a child," she wrote, "that God gave me a special purpose."
To many Delta County residents, Don Chapman is the pharmacist in the white coat who not only fills prescriptions, but also offers helpful advice about possible side effects and how a new prescription might interact with other medications.
With summer heating up and the Fourth of July imminent, thoughts of patriotism inform the holiday alongside the parades and the fireworks and the ice cream. In the North Fork Valley there is an ever-increasing group of dedicated workers who show their regard for country and home by donating …
This Friday, "My Western Life: Paintings of a Tree Hugging Cowgirl," opens at The Cirque Cyclery in Paonia. Featuring paintings by Paonia artist Cedar Keshet, the show takes its viewers on a journey of the west's landscapes, but not in a typical, beautiful landscape-painting way.
Hundreds of Delta County kids have already registered for the 2019 Summer Reading Program "A Universe of Stories."
The list of Virginia Blackstock's creative accomplishments and honors are nearly as tall as the petite artist herself. In addition to her considerable talent as an internationally-recognized watercolorist, she has a background of performance in dance and theater, plus she's an extensive trav…
On the shore of the Gunnison River in Confluence Park, Antoine Robidoux's fur trading center of the early 1800s has been recreated by the City of Delta.
If you think yaks are only found in the Himalayas, think again. Forty years ago yaks were virtually nonexistent in the United States but their numbers are climbing. As a ranch animal, the yak is a jack of all trades. With proper training yaks can be ridden, packed for backpacking, pull a plo…
Robert A. Brown, author of "The Hunsicker Tree Roots and All," describes his book's findings:
Sitting over coffee and conversation, Les Mergelman recalls when he first met his wife Dorothy -- or rather the second time he met her.
When Ty Gallenbeck saw David Blaine's "Street Magic" while a student in college, he was so intrigued he was determined to figure out how the world-famous magician was able to pull off his spectacular tricks. He bought a book that explained a lot of the moves he saw on TV, and he watched the …
How many people get to return to scenes of their childhood and share those idyllic spots with young and old alike? Cedaredge resident, Alma Stewart Evans, PhD is one of those lucky few.
Our mission as an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) nonprofit organization is to unite Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts and supporters in an environmentally friendly atmosphere by promoting an attitude of public service, volunteerism, and safe responsible OHV riding practices, "while using not …
He's known as a builder of bamboo fly rods, a longtime fly fishing guide, fly-tying expert, author, and authority on the history of fly fishing and antique fly fishing equipment.
With a life filled with family, a chiropractic practice, music, sculpture, Dr. Mary Kleinsorge -- known to most people as Dr. Mary -- says purpose is of primary importance.
(Editor's note: This piece is excerpted from "Heroes of the Dark Staircase," written by Helen Denison while she recovered from her Labor Day accident in the rugged mountains east of Paonia.)
Ranching isn't easy, nor always profitable, but for two Delta County ranchers, Piedmontese cattle may be the key to agricultural success. Gayle Ware, Hotchkiss, first learned about Piedmontese cattle from her father. At that time, the breed had been in the U.S. for only about 10 years.
As Rene Janiece and Wayne McKinzie prepared for their 2011 wedding in northern New Mexico, things were rolling smoothly along -- like a well-planned road trip. Then, two weeks before the ceremony, they encountered a pothole. The wedding band cancelled and the couple couldn't find a replaceme…
The March 6 Back Page feature on bird dogs incorrectly identified some of the hunters featured in photos. The photo of father and sons putting their bird dog through his paces was actually son Nate, father Charlie, and son Ian Rehfeldt. The Rehfeldt family lives in Montrose. Their bird dog, …
You might say that Ben Graves has taken the ultimate field trip.
Addressing a roomful of bird dog enthusiasts last week, organizer Scott Johnson emphasized what the diverse group has in common: "We like bird dogs. We like birds. And we like to deliberately train dogs to be good hunters."
For much of his life, Ray Veatch has been interested in airplanes, particularly World War II fighters and bombers, but he avoided actually climbing into a small plane. "I get airsick," he told Pam Smythe when she invited him for a ride in her plane.
Angela Lodes, at that time a volunteer in AmeriCorp, heard about an open position at the South Pole in 1998 and thought, "Why not?"
It will come as no surprise to women in their 30s that romance novels account for a quarter of all fiction sales in America, outpacing mysteries, fantasies and science fiction. In 2017 the Romance Writers of America® reported that 82 percent of romance readers are women in the 35-39 age rang…
Carole Lazo's passion for photography stretches back to her childhood near London, England. She recalled "always running around with a brownie box camera," often taking pictures of her five siblings.
Burgoo
It's cold outside and the Broncos are out of the Super Bowl picture. So if you're looking for things to do why not pay a visit to Delta County's local antique and resale emporiums? You'll discover cozy interiors, friendly faces, and items so unique that in some cases no one is exactly sure w…
The circus has come to Paonia. There's no big top, no elephants or tigers. Instead, this circus features mind-bending stunts, comedy and live acts from performing artists like Dominic Del Signore and Rikki Morehouse. These two Paonia residents are the forces behind Homestead Circus Productions.
Francie Mion of Delta is an illustrator of children's books. Francie and writer Lois Wickstrom have a series of Loretta books out, which have received praise from professionals in the literary world and delight among their young readers.
Clarence Fivecoate creates unique works of art with his wood lathe. During a visit to his shop, located behind his home in Delta, it doesn't take long to appreciate Fivecoate's extensive knowledge of wood varieties and their characteristics. He combines his technical expertise with an eye fo…
Tragedy can come at any time to anyone but it is how you deal with that tragedy that truly defines you.
Joe Milich loves texture and he sees it everywhere: in a shimmering sunset, in the classic lines of automobiles, and the sleek design of aircraft. The prolific artist has translated his love of texture and his insightful sense of color into an amazing body of work.
In 1858, the Colorado Gold Rush produced a wave of over 100,000 people into the Rocky Mountains, leading to the creation of the Colorado territory. Since then placer mining, or prospecting in water, has died down, with most of the easy-to-reach deposits being emptied by 1863.
Weekday mornings Steve Howarth of Eckert drives his truck up to End of the Trail Rescue ranch in Olathe.
When Paonia potters Sam Brown and Tara Miller married in the mid-1980s, they imagined selling their handmade pottery and living a simple life. She was educated in literature, he had a background in zoology, natural resources and recreation, and they shared a desire to visit the world's great…
Starting a business can be terrifying. And yet, six percent of the U.S. adult population owns their own business. Reasons for ditching the normal 9-5 and embarking on the entrepreneurial journey vary.
"Wherever you go, wherever you look, you'll never find anyone more worthy of love than you."
On Oct. 22, Conner Orchards in Hotchkiss processed six and half bins of apples into 370 bag-in-a-box five liter containers. Usually, not much can be done with these number two apples, leftovers or ugly fruit.
Shrieks and screams fill the air as Amanda Meredith leads youngsters through the haunted house she creates in the driveway of her home every year. The startled cries never fail to bring a smile to her face -- not because she's got a twisted sense of humor, but because her hard work has paid …
From Delta, Highway 50 meanders toward Grand Junction. It's a winding road with sweeping curves that closely mirror the path of the nearby Gunnison River. The river, which flows west of the roadway, is not visible from the pavement.
June Mills has been a familiar face and presence in Delta County for a long time. People who come to visit other residents at Crossroads Assisted Living often greet June in the hallway, or knock on her door and stop to visit for a few minutes.
Using an innovative program to mentor and provide longterm support, Families Plus is changing lives and helping children thrive. This month, it's celebrating 20 years of serving Delta County.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
