By Eilene Lyon This “Found Photo” is not likely to find a family home, though it does have a name, date, and location on the back. It caught my niece’s eye when we were strolling through the local antique mart earlier this week. Maddie has been studying German for the past seven years and will... Continue Reading →
Georgia Who?
By Eilene Lyon Late last year I shared with you the story of Ann Jenkins Ransom, who was William C. Ransom’s first wife. He had five wives and an unknown number of affairs. He did not always bother with the nicety of divorcing one wife before marrying another. The wives are well-documented except Number Four.... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: First Record
By Eilene Lyon Very few possessions followed me through all my many moves. Music, to me, is life. If it didn’t exist, I’d have to invent it! That would be a sorry scrap, for sure. It’s a rare day when I put a disk on a turntable. But there are those times when it’s a... Continue Reading →
Historic Hotel Colorado
By Eilene Lyon A couple weeks ago I drove up to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to give a presentation about my book, What Lies Beneath Colorado. I’ve never spent much time in Glenwood Springs, a place well-known for its Victorian-era hot springs resort. My last visit was brief, specifically to hike up to the Linwood Cemetery.... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Mystery Portrait
By Eilene Lyon The mystery about this portrait isn’t “Who,” but all the other Ws and Hs of inquiry. The subject is my mother, Sylvia Jean (Smith) Halse (1936–2023). It’s been a little over two years since Mom died. My brother and I were just hours too late getting to Oregon for a final goodbye.... Continue Reading →
General Palmer Hotel—567 Main Ave.
By Eilene Lyon During the days when dirt and manure still muddied Durango streets, commercial construction boomed. In the early twentieth century, Durango had admirable aspirations. Though she would never achieve her dream of becoming “the flourishing metropolis of the southwest” or “a second Denver,” her prospects in 1902 looked promising. A trio of men—Michael... Continue Reading →
Olga Little, Jackpacker
By Eilene Lyon By the time the 1958 episode of TV's “This is Your Life” aired, Olga Little was already a Colorado legend. She ran her pack string of burros for nearly 30 years (1909-1947) and had been labeled the only female packer “in Colorado,” “…in the West,” and even, with a touch of hyperbole,... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Durango Story
By Eilene Lyon I spoke with my dad the other day. He was widowed not long ago. Even more recently he turned 89. He says his memory isn't great, so he's been asking me questions. One is a query I answer regularly (and reluctantly), so I thought I'd share it here for posterity. "How did... Continue Reading →
In Flight
By Eilene Lyon I've lately been reading a slim volume published in 2001 by the Quality Paperback Book Club, of which I was a member for many years. It's called The World's Best Shortest Stories (of all time) and features clever 55-word (or less) stories. Most have surprise twists at the end, some subtle, some... Continue Reading →