By Eilene Lyon On my recent trip to Denver, I spent a couple hours at the History Colorado Center museum. They had a mix of long-term and temporary exhibits to visit. Unfortunately, I was too early for the Sand Creek Massacre exhibit that began on November 19. As I write about Colorado pioneers, I find... Continue Reading →
A Capital Visit
By Eilene Lyon I recently visited Denver to research my current work-in-progress at the Denver Public Library. Fortunately, a good friend was able to offer a place to stay, not far from a light-rail station. For $10.50, I could ride trains and buses all day and leave behind the hassle and expense of driving and... Continue Reading →
Artful Durango – 2
By Eilene Lyon In my first Artful Durango post, I shared a small sampling of murals around town, particularly more recent ones. This time I will share some sculptural, or three-dimensional art around the city. One thing I learned in doing this project is that it is very difficult to get good photographs of outdoor... Continue Reading →
The Palace Restaurant–RIP
By Eilene Lyon This is the second in my series about historic buildings on Main Ave. in Durango, Colorado. I earlier covered the unique Durango Depot. Few buildings remain in the 500 block of Main Ave. from Durango’s earliest days, and this area was known for many years as the seedier side of town (south... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Pusser’s Rum
By Eilene Lyon The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. The first real vacation I took as an adult, after college, was a two-week Windjammer cruise in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). I had been living in Durango for less... Continue Reading →
Scott Bar – Then and Now
By Eilene Lyon Scott Bar. Scott River. Scott Valley. Scott Mountains. All these geographic features center on a 60-mile-long river in Siskiyou County, California, that flows into the Klamath River near the California-Oregon state line. Sources agree that the features were named for a prospector who found gold at Scott Bar in 1850. Previous to... Continue Reading →
Sacramento Sights
By Eilene Lyon I recently spent a week in Sacramento at the National Genealogical Society conference, where I gave a well-received presentation, “Immortal Words: Keep your family history alive with a lively blog.” This was my second visit to the city in recent years, but on this occasion I had a little more time for... Continue Reading →
Artful Durango – Part 1
By Eilene Lyon I've enjoyed blogs about public art from around the world, so I am going to do a series highlighting some public art in Durango, Colorado. This installment features a few of the many murals around town. These are recent works (to my knowledge). I did not find information on the artist in... Continue Reading →
Durango Train Museum
By Eilene Lyon While train history is a big part of this museum’s raison d’etre, the exhibits range far and wide. Nine years after the original roundhouse (where the steam locomotives idle at night) burned down in 1989, a portion of the replacement structure was set aside to house the museum. At least two locomotives... Continue Reading →