Baca County History

by the Plainsman Herald

Category: Baca County

  • Decade of Dirt: A Book Project Primer

    Decade of Dirt: A Book Project Primer

    The Great Depression, and the much worse Dust Bowl that accompanied it, was the most impactful and profound time period, indeed the watershed moment, for southeastern Colorado. It was like year zero on our calendars, BDB – Before the Dust Bowl, and ADB – After the Dust Bowl.  Our good friend and history partner Steve…

  • The Spring Tragedy of 1895 at Konantz

    The Spring Tragedy of 1895 at Konantz

    (Once again I got a little carried away and this article is longer than it should be. Please read what intrigues you and ignore the rest.) By Steve Doner When my twin sister and I were growing up, one of our daily chores involved gathering the milk cows when we got off the school bus…

  • The Search for the Elusive Broomcorn Seeder

    The Search for the Elusive Broomcorn Seeder

    By Steve “Sodbuster” Doner Several months ago Kent Brooks and I were discussing that it was a shame that Baca County did not have any of the equipment from that bygone era in a place where people could learn of the tools of that industry.   Most of the pictures we have of broomcorn seeders…

  • A 1933 Dust Bowl Thanksgiving

    A 1933 Dust Bowl Thanksgiving

    Football Game Between Springfield and Lamar Includes Former Professionals The 1920s earned the moniker “The Golden Age of Sports” due to the dawn of high-level competitive athletics and the rise of exceptional athletes across various disciplines. With increased leisure time and improved transportation, individuals exhibited unwavering devotion to local sports, fostering an unprecedented sense of…

  • Joy Coy Twins in NFL

    Joy Coy Twins in NFL

    Baca County Boys play against the Packers, Bears and NY Giants in 1928 Originally published in print edition of the Plainsman Herald February 2, 2022. By Greg Crane A good number of Baca Countians have always had a keen interest in sports, from T-ball and pee-wee wrestling, to high school state championships in track, football,…

  • The Two Buttes Cyclone: Aug 1917

    During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, newspapers and the general public in the United States often referred to tornadoes as “cyclones.” This can be attributed to a misunderstanding of the terms and a general lack of knowledge about the distinct differences between these two weather phenomena at the time. As meteorology advanced and…

  • Orville Ewing meets Former Baca Countian in Klamath Falls Oregon, 1959

    Orville Ewing meets Former Baca Countian in Klamath Falls Oregon, 1959

    There are literally thousands of Orville Ewing references in newspapers across the country between 1938 -1971, but this one caught my attention as it references a man named Frank Cotton who apparently as a boy lived in Baca, who rode around with Ewing on a mail-delivering beat when he was a youngster in Colorado.. I…

  • John B. Garvin, an Unsung Springfield Hero from the County Seat Fights

    John B. Garvin, an Unsung Springfield Hero from the County Seat Fights

    John B. Garvin, an Unsung Springfield Hero from the County Seat Fights John Garvin is usually a footnote in the history of Baca County.  You usually see him mentioned as a name in a list of early Springfield newspapers as follows: Sam Konkel mentions him in the Springfield paper in 1918 (Right) when he pulled…

  • Baca County’s Connection to 1939 Czechoslovakia: Another Unusual Baca County Dust Bowl story.

    Baca County’s Connection to 1939 Czechoslovakia: Another Unusual Baca County Dust Bowl story.

      The Sudetenland, a region located in the western part of what was Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic until 2016, and is now called Czechia) has a long and complicated history that has been marked by controversy and conflict. The area is known for its cultural diversity, and strategic importance, which has made it a coveted…

  • HUGE IRRIGATION PROJECT ABOUT TO START

    The possibility of a dam on Two Buttes Creek had been discussed as early as the 1880’s by early settlers in the area, but it was after the turn of the century before anyone attempted to develop the idea. The Springfield Herald, Volume 22, Number 19, January 8, 1909 reprinted a Pueblo Chieftain piece on…