text:
Chapter V:
Adequate transportation, water, road, or rail, caused growth in nineteenth century America more than any other single factor. West-central Coloradans realized this, and over the years, worked hard to build and also encouraged the development of systems to move goods and people. Often construction capital came from outside the area, however by 1900, most roads in west-central Colorado led into Grand Junction. The river and stream valleys provided relatively easy paths and for that reason, builders prized those routes. The Continental Divide's rugged passes formed the greatest barrier for these transportation pioneers.
Road building dated to 1830-1831, in west-central Colorado when James Yount and his associates laid out what was called the Old Spanish Trail. One routing of the trail, known as the Northern Branch, followed the Gunnison River north to the Grand River and then west along that waterway into Utah. The trail was lightly used until the 1850s, during the Mormon Migration to Utah. The "Saints" sought new routes into Zion for future settlers and to connect their southwestern settlements with Salt Lake City. Mormons scouted the Grand River Valley and felt it could be used. Immigrants favored the Platte River-Wyoming route and the trail through western Colorado never saw heavy use. [1]
Large numbers of travellers did not use the Gunnison River trail until the 1880s, with the opening of the Ute Reservation for settlement. Many people followed the "Old Ute Trail" via Cochetopa Pass and the Gunnison River because that was the route used by Native Americans as a trade passageway to New Mexico. [2] Fremont and other explorers used that trail and popularized it; by 1880, it was well known, as were the dangers it presented.
Grand Junction's earliest settlers followed this pathway and successively overcame many inherent problems. Travelling in a Conestoga wagon with a team of two, four, or six oxen these families hauled all their worldly possessions hundreds of miles over roads full of tree stumps, rocks, steep grades and they used fords or ferry boats to cross rivers. Leaving their homes in late spring these future Coloradans traveled an entire summer to reach their new farms. Broken wheels, axles, and other problems plagued the travellers. Often family heirlooms, such as furniture, were discarded on the route to assure safe conquest of the mountains. Potable water was in short supply.
Highwaymen posed a constant threat. So too did the death of a oxen. Wagon trains were not widely used in this type of migration, but often two or three families would meet on the trail and travel together. Despite all the hardships, intrepid souls did reach Grand Junction ready to build their fortunes in the valley of the Grand River. [3]
The Grand River itself was a favored route for transportation planners since the 1860s. In 1867 a group of Denver business leaders felt a wagon route between the "Queen City" and California could stimulate trade and help assure Denver a position as the commercial leader of Colorado. These Denverites hired surveyors, and that year they laid out the Colorado and California Wagon Road which crossed the Continental Divide near the head of Clear Creek and proceeded west until it bisected the Grand River, it then followed that watercourse west through the Grand Valley and DeBeque and Ruby Canyons into Utah. The backers ran into financial difficulties and the project never got beyond the planning stages. [4] However, it did help draw further attention to the Grand River as a practical route for east-west communications.
The 1870s witnessed the first actual road building in the region. After the Brunot Treaty of 1873, and with the establishment of Ute Agencies on the White and Los Pinos Rivers, federal authorities recognized a need for roads to connect these far flung outposts. One such line was built by the U. S. Army via Rifle Creek and it became known as the "Government Road." While never heavily used by troops, it did provide access into the area once other Anglo-Americans arrived and it encouraged settlement around Rifle. Local legend maintained that Rifle Creek got its name because one of the soldiers who surveyed the road left his gun along the stream and it was found by ranchers in the 1880s, thereby giving them something to call the creek. [5]
The silver discoveries at Red Cliff and Aspen during the late 1870s, led to frenzied road building activity. Aspen, in particular, felt the impact of highway construction. The original conveyance between Red Cliff and Leadville was the mule train. [6] These "Rocky Mountain Canaries" were used also between Aspen and Leadville (or Buena Vista) during the camp's earlier years. [7] A lack of adequate transportation led to high prices for supplies such as flour and liquor. In addition, it was financially profitable for only the best grades of ore to be shipped out for refining. The trip itself was costly and arduous especially in the spring or fall travel season. [8]
Such problems were partially solved by building toll roads over mountain passes. From the early days, Red Cliff and Aspen promoters called for highways to aid in economic growth. As early as 1866, Denver planners envisioned crossing the Continental Divide and using the Eagle Valley as a route west that would eventually reach into old Mexico. [9]
However, it was not until the late 1870s and the silver discoveries, that roads penetrated the Valley. Kelly's Toll Road was opened in 1879, from Leadville via Tennessee Pass to Eagle City and Red Cliff. That year two companies, Wheaton and Wall & Whitter, started stage service from Leadville to Red Cliff. Henry Farnum then introduced daily stage service between those two points. [10]
Aspen's development as a transportation center followed Red Cliff's and was closely tied to development of the silver industry. The first route into town crossed Taylor Pass and connected Buena Vista on the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad. H. P. Gillespie was the driving force behind this project which was finished in 1880. [11] Stevens and Company operated the original stage service along that road. [12] Taylor Pass was not the shortest way to Leadville and other Aspen promoters soon turned their attention to Independence Pass, a rough but shorter route.
B. Clark Wheeler, during 1880, started surveying Independence Pass as a possible wagon road and the next January he, along with H. P. Cowenhoven and Andrew MacFarlane, incorporated the Aspen, Hunter Creek, and Leadville Toll Road Company to build and operate a tollway. [13] The route was opened the next year and business boomed. The road aided Aspen's prosperity by shortening the haul and thereby decreasing freight rates. [14] However, descriptions by travellers between Aspen and Leadville were quick to point out hazards along the pathway and weather conditions, especially winter snows, made the road impassable much of the year. [15]
Further to the west, roadbuilding took place in 1881, when the first settlers arrived. During that year and into 1882, a toll road was constructed from Gunnison to Grand Junction. This first thoroughfare was described as an impediment to commerce and totally inadequate for local needs. [16] Early stage service was a buckboard wagon run by H. R. Hammond. [17] William Hunter operated a freight line between Montrose and the Grand River over this road at the same time. [18] Seeking other routes to Grand Junction, toll operators such as W. P. Poff undertook construction of pathways, such as the Unaweep Road, from Ouray and Telluride or other San Juan locations. [19]
The largest single road building effort of the 1880s was the Roan Creek Toll Road that was to follow the Grand River from Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs, thereby giving Grand Junction traders a more direct and easy access to Aspen and Red Cliff. DeBeque Canyon blocked such a route and had to be breached. In the past, the canyon's old trails from Parachute (Grand Valley) to Grand Junction had taken two weeks and considerable extra distance to traverse. [20] In 1885, Edwin Price, H. R. Rhone, D. P. Kingsley, and W. A. E. Debeque formed the Grand River Toll Road Company, also known as the Roan Creek Toll Road. [21] The idea for this project began in 1884, when the Grand Junction Board of Trade called for an extensive program of road building, particularly along the Grand River. [22] This boosterism continued into the next year when Rhone and his associates made public their plans. [23]
The Roan Creek Road itself took about a year to build. Cost estimates varied from $12,000 to $18,000. [24] Wagons used the road for $2.50, while the George Barton and Johnny Hynes' stage line offered passenger service on a two day schedule between the termini with an overnight stop at Parachute, Colorado. [25] The road remained in operation from 1885 to 1889, when the Denver and Rio Grande purchased it for roadbed for its proposed standard gauge railroad line to Grand Junction. [26] Success of the Roan Creek Toll Company encouraged others to build roads throughout west-central Colorado during late 1880s and 1890s.
The Roaring Fork Valley experienced the first road building craze in west-central Colorado during the early 1880s. However, the first major road, between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, was laid out by B. Clark Wheeler in 1882. [27] Charles H. Harris soon became the man responsible for the Roaring Fork's trails. He projected and built many tollways in the Valley during the decade. [28] Barlow and Sanderson offered stagecoach service to various points in the region, with competition between Aspen and Glenwood from the Kit Carson Stageline and the Western Stage and Express Company. That trip took twelve hours one way. [29] Many of these roads were crude at best and travel remained uncertain. [30] However, as time progressed the region's road system was improved and expanded. In 1883, Pitkin County built a trail from Aspen to Emma, [31] and two years later, Jerome B. Wheeler constructed a tollway from Carbondale to Aspen in order to haul coal. [32] The last major pathway to be opened in the Roaring Fork Valley was completed in 1891, along the Crystal River between Carbondale and Marble so as to serve as a feeder for the railroad at the former location. [33]
Equally important in allowing Aspen to maintain contact with the outside world was the telegraph. Much of western Colorado received telegraph service only in conjunction with the railroads but Aspenites were impatient for "talking wires" and in 1883, Gillespie convinced Western Union to build a line from Granite to Aspen making it among the first west-central Colorado cities to have such communications. [34]
Red Cliff, the area's other mining district, was as anxious as Aspen to be the center of a road system. Arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1882 allowed Red Cliff to become the headquarters of large wagon freighting operations. Roads were built to Glenwood Springs and on to Rifle as well as to Gilman. [35] In 1880, plans were put forth to build across Vail Pass but such a route was not completed for 60 years. [36]
West of Glenwood Springs progress was somewhat slower because fewer settlers filled the area. Stage lines were built to connect various towns within and from outside the region such as from New Castle to Meeker or the Government Road from Rifle to Meeker. Not until 1887 did the citizens of Garfield County pressure the local government into building road. The county allowed its residents to pay their taxes by road crew work. Even so, much of the area's transportation was via trails well into the twentieth century. [37]
Stock trails offered pathways that travellers used in west-central Colorado. The first established was the JQS in 1885. This was the first of six stock trails that led from the Grand Valley to the top of the Cliffs by 1920. Stock trails offered pathways that travellers used in west-central Colorado. The JQS trail ran from near Rifle to the top of the Roan Cliffs. H. W. Hallett and William (Billy) Chadwick proposed and built the JQS in 1885. [38] This was the first of six stock trails that led from the Grand Valley to the top of the cliffs by 1920, however, there were no wagon roads. [39]
In the vicinity of Grand Junction, road building during this period directed itself to connecting outlying settlements with the Grand River and the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. In 1884, the Hogback Road was mapped and built from Grand Junction into the Plateau Valley. [40] At approximately the same time, Gordon's Toll Road from the Grand River to Glade Park opened for business, [41] as did a similar road to Little Park. [42] Other roads into the Glade Park area were little more than stock trails and often were used by stockmen to drive cattle from summer to winter range in the Grand Valley. [43] The first road to Grand Mesa was built in 1891 from DeBeque up the northwestern rim of the mountain. [44]
These and other roads throughout west-central Colorado saw continued use because many settlers preferred to use wagons, not railroads, to reach their new homes. This trend continued into the twentieth century. [45]
Further settlement provided state Senator Edward T. Taylor with the argument he needed to convince Colorado's legislature the next year. The law provided for an allocation of $40,000. [46] The senator received support for this idea for two reasons. Promotion of settlement attracted many backers but moreover the idea of uniting the eastern and western slopes with a road especially appealed to merchants in Denver who saw possibilities for increased trade. [47]
Construction of the turnpike started in 1899, and was finished four years later. The roadway eventually became the basis of modern U.S. Highway 6. Over the years the road has been Colorado's main east-west trade and developmental axis. [48]
At the same time that Taylor's State Road was being built, the Good Roads Movement swept the nation. In many ways Taylor's highway was part of this phenomenon. [49] Much of the clamor to upgrade the nation's roads came as part of the automobile craze that touched west-central Colorado in the early years of the twentieth century.
The first motorcar visited Glenwood Springs in 1902, driven by Colorado Springs stockbroker W. W. Price. A year later Grand Junction had the same experience as "Old Pacific," a two cylinder Packard, passed through town on an overland trip from San Francisco to Denver. [50] The auto's popularity led to new pleas with Colorado's state legislature for money to build roads and from 1906 to 1920, towns throughout the region hotly competed for highways. [51]
By 1910, the Federal government also became interested in these projects by announcing plans for a transcontinental highway. The cities of west-central Colorado, especially Fruita, Grand Junction, and Glenwood Springs, campaigned for inclusion on the path. Drives were sponsored, endorsements gathered, and arguments marshalled as to why west-central Colorado had the best route available. Foremost, the Taylor State Road could be used thereby cutting construction expenses. The boosters prevailed and by 1916, when the first paved transcontinental highway was laid out, it bisected west-central Colorado. [52]
During these same years, the road system around Grand Junction grew, thanks mainly to the efforts of John Otto. In addition to being the father of Colorado National Monument, he built many roads in the area. Among these were the Land's End Road, on the side of Grand Mesa, [as] well as trails on that Mesa and the Serpent's Tail from Fruita to Glade Park. These paths furnished easier access for two remote and inaccessible areas thereby encouraging grazing and recreation. [53]
Access was just one problem early transportation faced. Another possibly greater one was the Grand River. While it provided water for irrigation, it served as a barrier to through routes. People wishing to cross the river had to depend on finding shallow fords to wade or drive their wagons through or they used ferries. The second alternative was more practical, and towns along the waterway relied on those for many years. [54]
Occassionally, enterprising individuals built toll bridges, but most towns sought state aid to bridge the Grand River. In 1886, a state bridge was built at Grand Junction and from then until the early twentieth century, Colorado financed many such projects up and down the river. While spring floods constantly threatened these structures they proved much more satisfactory than the earlier ferries. [55]
Wolcott, Colorado, offered a good example of the economic impact of a river ford to bridge site as well as the interdependence of road travel and railroad transportation. When the Denver and Rio Grande Railway reached the area in the early 1880s and created Russell's Siding, a new route was opened north to Steamboat Springs because the Eagle River could be more safely forded. A small settlement grew up at the ford and became known as Wolcott. By 1890, a road between Wolcott and McCoy was built and state funds were secured to build a bridge over the Grand River at "State Bridge" near McCoy.
Construction and opening of the bridge led to more intense use of the Wolcott-Steamboat Springs route. It became the gateway to northwestern Colorado until 1908, when the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway reached Steamboat Springs. Wolcott served as a terminal point where teams changed, wagons loaded and unloaded, and passengers stayed over at the local hotel. The 85-mile trip took 12 hours by stage coach or 4 days by freight wagon. There was no stage station per se at Wolcott; rather a livery stable and roominghouse served traveller's needs. [56] This type of multi-mode transportation system became prevalent throughout west-central Colorado in the late nineteenth century as railroads reached the region.
Iron horse fever touched the western reaches of the territory well before initial settlement occurred. In 1862, Congress passed the first in a series of Pacific Railroad Acts to subsidize construction of a line from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to California with the route to be determined later. This opening gave Colorado promoters, most notably Governor John Evans, the opportunity to try and attract the railroad to Colorado. Boosters hired surveyors to seek a route west from Denver. Reports indicated that the Grand Valley offered a possible solution, however, crossing of the Continental Divide presented an insurmountable problem. In 1866, the Union Pacific line was finalized through Wyoming, much to the disappointment of Evans and his associates. [57]
The railroad situation in west-central Colorado remained static for the next 15 years. Developments on the eastern slope took place that would impact transportation throughout the state and region. In 1870, William Jackson Palmer, a Union Civil War General, arrived in the territory as an engineer for the Kansas Pacific Railroad and immediately was taken by the wealth of railroading possibilities that Colorado offered. In that year he chartered the Denver and Rio Grande Railway with plans to run from Denver to Mexico City along the front range. To save money he decided to use a gauge of three feet rather than the standard four feet eight and one-half inches because the "narrow gauge" was cheaper to build and more adaptable to mountainous construction than was standard gauge. [58]
Competitive pressures and the Santa Fe Railroad's capture of Raton Pass blocked Palmer's way to the south but he was determined to build west, tap the mountain trade, and possibly build on to Salt Lake City. Throughout the seventies, Palmer fought to keep the road solvent while expanding his railroad. Toward the decade's end, many financial problems were settled and the Denver and Rio Grande was ready to set forth on a new, and more extensive program. [59]
Part of the plan called for construction of a line west from the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River to Salida and then on westward via Marshall Pass to Gunnison, Colorado. From that town the road would follow the Gunnison River to the future site of Grand Junction and thence west along the Grand River into Utah. [60] While Palmer's crews were busy laying lines, other rail promoters also cast an envious eye on the Grand Valley. John Evans, denied the Union Pacific in Colorado set out during the late seventies to build his own transcontinental line, the Denver, South Park and Pacific (DSP&P). DSP&P surveyors paralleled Denver and Rio Grande crews through the Grand Valley during 1880 and 1881, but financial problems kept the company from ever building such a railway. [61] Another company, the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific, a Union Pacific subsidiary, also surveyed routes along the Grand River at the same time. Again the reports came to naught, [62] and it was Palmer's Denver and Rio Grande that eventually penetrated the region with its twin ribbons of steel.
In 1881, the first link in Palmer's plan was completed, when the narrow gauge was built into Gunnison by way of Marshall Pass. Over the winter, supplies and men gathered at the end of track preparing for the 1882 season and the push to Grand Junction. The line, known as the Utah Extension, followed the 1853 Gunnison route almost exactly. [63] During the height of the 1882 season, more than 1,000 men worked on Denver and Rio Grande construction crews, facing all variety of dangers and hardships. [64] By September of that year, Kannah Creek was reached. [65] On November 21, 1882, the first train chugged proudly into Grand Junction amid wild cheers, great speeches, fireworks, and a generally riotous atmosphere. [66]
While construction progressed so did corporate events. On July 21, 1881, Denver and Rio Grande management incorporated the Denver and Rio Grande Western, commonly referred to as the Rio Grande Western or just the Western, under the laws of Utah territory. The new company was to build and operate a railroad from Salt Lake City to the Colorado state line west of Grand Junction and there connect with the Denver and Rio Grande. Before rails reached Grand Junction, the Denver and Rio Grande leased the Denver and Rio Grande Western so as to finish construction and commence operations. [67]
Wasting little time on celebrations, Denver and Rio Grande management turned its attention to Utah after arrival at the confluence of the Gunnison and Grand Rivers. On December 19, 1882, rails reached the state line, [68] while crews continued to build west. By the end of March 1883, track laying was completed and Grand Junction, a community in its infancy, enjoyed what many towns sought and never achieved: a transcontinental railroad. [69]
Grand Junction benefited from these rail connections, but the town also advanced because Denver and Rio Grande management chose it as the location for major shops and engine servicing facilities. The company built a roundhouse, repair shop, and other services at Grand Junction. In 1883, the western terminus of the Denver and Rio Grande was specified as Grand Junction as was the eastern terminus of the Rio Grande Western. While the history of Grand Junction is much more than just the railroad, there can be no doubt that it contributed to the city's prosperity. [70] However, if the iron horse brought new wealth it also brought problems. When the railroad reached town the crews went wild drinking, celebrating, and carousing. Grand Junction experienced many of the same problems of lawless behavior normally associated with a Kansas cow town or the "Hell on Wheels" tent towns that followed Union Pacific construction crews across Nebraska and Wyoming. Grand Junction town fathers were upset but little could be done to stop the revelry. [71] Eventually the problem cured itself as the end of track moved westward into Utah. [72]
1881 and 1881 proved to be two big years for construction on the Denver and Rio Grande while towns nearby on the western side of the Continental Divide also received rail service in those years. The Rio Grande decided earlier to build north along the Upper Arkansas River from Salida to Leadville to capture the mine trade. The "Cloud City" market proved lucrative [73] and after the Eagle Valley discoveries, a narrow gauge line was built over Tennessee Pass and into the Valley. Rails reached Red Cliff in 1881, and then Eagle the next year. [74] There the railroad stopped for nearly five years.
The great amount of construction during the early 1880s sapped Palmer's railroad as well as his own wealth and he lost control of the Denver and Rio Grande, which went into receivership. The General did retain ownership of the Rio Grande Western. To survive, both companies needed each other's good will. However, both sides were hostile to each other. In 1884, relations deteriorated to the point of open warfare that centered itself in Grand Junction because of the termini. Neither company would interchange traffic with the other and the yards soon filled with freight cars. The town found itself cut off from the outside world for over two weeks during this "Summer War." [75] Peace was restored by late summer, but lost revenues could not be made up and D&RG receiver William S. Jackson found he could not afford any new projects until old debts were cleared.
If the Rio Grande was unable to undertake any improvements, another Colorado company nevertheless had started building toward west-central Coloradothe Colorado Midland Railway Company. Founded in 1883 by H. D. Fisher and other Colorado Springs businessmen, the corporation stalled until 1885 when James J. Hagerman, a Milwaukee ironmaster, joined the group as did Aspen's famed Jerome B. Wheeler. [76] The Midland was designed and built as a standard gauge line to more easily interchange with the major railroads of Colorado Springs and as such it was the first standard gauge line to penetrate Colorado's Rockies. The route entered the high country via Ute Pass west of Colorado Springs and proceeded on to Leadville via Trout Creek Pass. [77]
After serving notice on the D&RG that its mountain monopoly had ended, Midland management focused on Aspen and the mines of the Roaring Fork Valley. Hagerman and Wheeler no doubt supported this idea because of their extensive investments in the region. Original plans called for a line to be built south and west through the Saguache Range, approaching Aspen from the north. Workers bored a tunnel, the Hagerman Tunnel, through the Saguache Range beneath the pass of the same name. [78]
As the Midland's tracklayers moved toward Aspen in 1886, William S. Jackson sought and obtained permission from his stockholders and Receiver Moses Hallett for the Denver and Rio Grande to survey and begin construction on a line to Aspen. Work got underway immediately and an intense race for the silver traffic ensued. [79]
The narrow gauge company chose to follow the Eagle Valley to the Grand River, along that watercourse through Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs and then up the Roaring Fork Valley into Aspen. Actual construction did not commence until January 1887, when Denver banker and mining magnate, David H. Moffat, Jr., took over as president of the D&RG. Over 600 tracklayers worked on the project. On October 4, 1887, section hands spiked down the last rails into Glenwood Springs and the next day a twenty car special arrived as the first train into town. Governor Alva Adams, Moffat, Walter Cheeseman, and other dignitaries were greeted by fireworks displays, electric lights, brass bands, shouting crowds, and Glenwood Springs Mayor P. Y. Thomas. At Hotel Glenwood, owner William Geilder, spread a banquet for the company. With dinner completed, a round of speech-making occurred, all in praise of Moffat, Jackson, the workers, the railroad, and whomever else could be congratulated. The festivities drew to a close in the small hours of the morning as the special returned to Denver. [80]
Not wasting time, D&RG crews started for Aspen soon after the Glenwood Springs festivities ended. Proceeding down the Roaring Fork Valley, tracklayers found their job easy compared to Glenwood Canyon. Buying parts of an old toll road near Carbondale to speed their efforts, Rio Grande management succeeded in reaching Aspen by the end of October, 1887. On November 1, the town held a celebration for the victors. Colorado Midland's effort stalled at Hagerman Tunnel, giving the race to the Denver and Rio Grande. [81] Aspen feelings about rail service were eloquently summarized at the celebration dinner in the following toast:
The railroad did not prove the blessing its Aspen supporters believed it would be. The company charged from $50 to $100 a ton for freight between Denver and Aspen. [83] After the Colorado Midland arrived in February 1888, competition forced rates down [84] and as CM tracklayers worked their way through Glenwood Springs and on to New Castle, a rate war ensued. The battle for passengers became so intense that one company offered free passage between Aspen and Glenwood Springs and to retaliate the other line not only offered a no-fare ticket but also paid one's admission to the hot springs pool at Glenwood Springs. [85]
Competitive pressures caused both railroads to look at the Grand Valley and again began a building race west toward Grand Junction. During 1889, a D&RG subsidiary, the Rio Grande and Pacific, extended narrow gauge trackage from Glenwood Springs west to Rifle, Colorado, so as to block the Colorado Midland from further westward construction. [86] Moffat, as president of the narrow gauge, purchased the Roan Creek Toll Road that same year for use as a right-of-way for a railway. [87]
The eighties construction race exhausted both companies' finances and in order to reach Grand Junction they entered into a joint agreement in December 1886, to build only one line. Colorado law would not allow competitors to rent trackage from one another so the Rio Grande Junction Railway was founded with the D&RG and CM as co-equal partners. [88] The Rifle-Grand Junction line was laid down as narrow gauge on standard gauge ties in preparation for conversion of the Denver and Rio Grande from three-foot gauge to standard gauge. [89]
During 1888, Moffat undertook to standard gauge the D&RG's mainline from Denver to Pueblo and then from Pueblo west via Leadville to Rifle. Many factors caused this. CM competition played a part as did the need to easily interchange traffic with railroads that ran east and south out of Denver. [90] Other improvements to the line included a tunnel below Tennessee Pass and the purchase of new equipment. [91] 1890 witnessed the extension of standard gauging west from Rifle to Grand Junction; arriving at the latter community on November 14. [92] Later that year, widening of the rails was completed to Utah and in a joint agreement with the Rio Grande Western the same process occurred to Salt Lake City. [93]
Moffat's tenure as president of the D&RG brought many changes for the railroad. His greatest vision went unfulfilled. During the late 1880s he had surveys made for a line to go directly west from Denver across the Continental Divide near Silver Plume, and then connect with the Grand River line thus shortening the Denver-Salt Lake City route by 150 miles. When Moffat laid his proposal before the Board of Directors in 1891, it was rejected as too expensive. The President then resigned and Edward T. Jeffrey replaced him as the D&RG's chief officer. Jeffrey believed in a policy of minimum expenditure. [94] The year before Hagerman had sold his control of the CM to the Santa Fe Railway because his funds were running dry during the great expansion race of the late 1880s. [95] Fortunately for west-central Colorado, the mainline railroads were finished before these changes in management occurred.
Throughout the 1880s, other companies examined the area looking for routes from Denver westward. Foremost among these was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad. In 1885, three years after reaching Denver, the Burlington announced plans to build a line from South Boulder Canyon into Middle park using a tunnel under James Peak and then go westward, possibly along the Grand River. The next year brought renewed talk of such a line with Burlington placing engineers in the Grand Valley looking at possible routes. However, little else came of this project. [96] Some evidence indicated that the company actually graded part of a route from Elk Creek to Glenwood Springs, but there are limited references to such an effort. [97]
Promoters of the Denver, Utah and Pacific also cast envious eyes on the Grand Valley during the eighties. Denver businessmen organized this road to build a system from Denver west via Rollins Pass to the Grand River or Yampa River and then west to Salt Lake City. Organizers included Horace Tabor and David H. Moffat, Jr. Some grading was done along the front range and near Rollins Pass but by 1887, the DU&P had passed into railroad history. [98]
The mines of the Roaring Fork attracted railroads like flies to sugar. In 1885, David Moffat organized the Denver, Aspen and Grand River Railroad Company to construct a line from the "Queen City" to the new silver camp and beyond to rich coal fields near Carbondale and the Huntsman Hills south of Glenwood Springs and then from there west along the Grand River to Grand Junction. Survey instructions included orders to locate the line near coal seams and mines; the promoters no doubt felt this was a good source of traffic. Surveys were conducted but no rail was ever laid. [99]
In 1899, another syndicate announced plans to build a railroad from Grand Junction west along the Grand River to its juncture with the Green River in Utah and then southwest down the Colorado River Valley to Southern California with a proposed terminus at San Diego. Plans called for a branch line to be built from Grand Junction to New Castle so that Colorado coal could be marketed in Southern California. That summer survey crews pushed west from Grand Junction, planning a route for the Denver, Colorado Canon and Pacific as the company was named. Problems during the survey, as well as lack of enthusiasm, resulted in the suspension of all operations. [100]
While these grandiose schemes were being hatched, other individuals worked hard building short lines to act as feeders for the D&RG and CM. W. T. Carpenter, an early settler of Grand Junction, filed claims on coal lands north and east of town near the Book Cliffs. He built the Little Book Cliffs Railway in 1890, a line of some 11 miles, to haul coal from his mines to the D&RG at Grand Junction. Throughout the 1890s, Carpenter fought a running battle with the Denver railroad over rate discrimination and lack of cooperation in handling interchange traffic. [101]
The Grand Junction mine operator and railroader was not immune to visions of grandeur so in 1895, he organized the Colorado, Wyoming and Great Northern Railway to connect Grand Junction with the Union Pacific Railroad at Rawlins, Wyoming. Throughout that summer Carpenter tried to raise funds, with some success, but disagreements with investors dissolved the corporation in August 1895, after only small amounts of grading were finished. [102] Four years later, Carpenter sold the Little Book Cliffs Railroad to the Book Cliffs Railway Company that operated the line until 1920. After five years of standing idle, the tracks were torn up in 1925. [103]
Many other builders used the connection of mines with major railroads as the rationale for their dream. Aspen, in particular, enjoyed a multitude of such lines. During the closing years of the 1880s, years noted for the silver mining boom, the Aspen Mountain Railroad Company, the Aspen and Southern Railroad, the Aspen and Ashcroft Railroad, and the Aspen Public Tramway all were organized to run between various mines and either the D&RG or the CM. In 1893, the Aspen and Maroon Railway surveyed a course to Maroon Creek but, as with many of these projects, no track was ever laid. [104]
West of Aspen, in the Roaring Fork Valley, was the Crystal River Valley which offered entrepreneurs more opportunities in railroad building, as the valley formed a natural route south to McClure Pass and easy access to mineral deposits at Coal Basin and on Thompson Creek. The Aspen and Western was the first company to successfully build into the area. Incorporated in 1886, its charter called for a line between Carbondale and the head of Thompson Creek and from there to proceed in a generally western direction, possibly as far as Grand Junction or Utah. [105]
By 1888, tracklayers had placed 13 miles of narrow gauge railway up Thompson Creek to coal mines owned by Colorado Coal and Iron Company. The mines proved not to be great producers and the line closed after only a few years of operation. In 1892, it changed hands as part of John C. Osgood's purchase of Colorado Coal and Iron. Using the Aspen and Western as a base, Osgood founded the Crystal River Railway Company to extend a line south along the Crystal River Valley to Coal Basin as well as other lines to Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Harvey Gap, and Grand Junction. [106] As mentioned earlier, the Panic of 1893 and silver slump forced Osgood to postpone his plans for the Crystal River route. [107]
As the money supply returned toward the end of the nineties, Osgood revitalized his plans including a rail line. In 1898, the Crystal River Railroad Company, formed as a subsidiary of Colorado Fuel and Iron, announced plans to build from Carbondale to Placita by way of Redstone. At Redstone a branch line connected that town with Coal Basin. The route from Carbondale to Placita was standard gauge, however, narrow gauge was used between Redstone and Coal Basin, with dual gauge yards at Redstone. Rails were in place and the road was operational by 1900. [108]
After Osgood lost control of Colorado Fuel and Iron Company in 1903, the railroad changed hands and three years later was re-organized as the Crystal River and San Juan Railway. The new owners, primarily Colorado-Yule Marble Company, extended the line south to Marble. As an auxiliary to the railroad, Colorado-Yule Marble built an electric tramway from town to the quarry. These rail lines remained in more or less continuous operation until 1941. [109] The dawn of the twentieth century witnessed many new rail projects started throughout the district.
In a further effort to increase Aspen's rail service, the Taylor Park Railroad Company was founded in 1901 to connect Gunnison and Aspen. New silver discoveries during 1900 in Taylor Park led to a rush of miners and railroaders. The idea of a railroad into Taylor Park began in 1879, but no action occurred until the twentieth century. Tracklayers laid a few miles of line near Aspen but the deposits played out quickly and four years after organization the company was disbanded. [110]
During the same period, the electric railway's popularity grew throughout the nation. From 1906 to 1910, citizens of towns such as Fruita complained of needing an electrified train or interurban, as they were known. Such lines allowed for low cost operations and proved ideal for brief runs between neighboring towns. The first attempted interurban in the valley began in 1905 when the Mesa County Traction Company proposed to build from Grand Junction to Colbran and then to the Utah state line. The project failed. [111] In 1908, the Grand Junction Electric Railway Company announced plans to build from Grand Junction northeast to Palisade and northwest to Fruita. The next year the company reorganized as the Grand Junction and Grand River Railway. By July 1910, cars were running over the lines to Fruita and Palisade. [112] At approximately the same time, other financiers set up the Grand River Valley Electric Railway, commonly referred to as the "Fruit Belt." In 1909, this company succeeded in building a line from Grand Junction to Fruita and operated until 1935. [113]
As the interurban craze swept the nation, coincidental to the Good Roads Movement, demand for road paving material increased sharply. To help satisfy a need, roads began to use asphalt, of which gilsonite constituted a basic ingredient. First discovered in 1884 in Utah by Samuel Gilson, commercial mines did not open until the late eighties. [114] Development of the mines depended on cheap and fast transportation because wagons were too slow and costly. [115]
The problem was solved when William N. Vaile and his associates, on behalf of the General Asphalt Company, earlier known as the Barber Asphalt Co., incorporated the Uintah Railway on November 4, 1903. [116] The road was planned to run from Mack, Colorado, on the Denver and Rio Grande north-northwest along West Salt and Evacuation Creeks to Utah and the Dragon Gilsonite fields. Built as a narrow gauge railroad, it had the distinction of being one of the last such railways built in the United States. [117] C. O. Baxter, for whom Baxter Pass was named, planned the route to haul gilsonite and it included some of the heaviest grades and sharpest curves of any rail line in North America. [118]
Construction took two years. During 1905 the line opened for business. Mack, Colorado, built solely for the railroad, became a shipping center where crews transferred gilsonite from narrow gauge to standard gauge cars. The Uintah Railway hotel and general headquarters were also located there. All this rail activity stimulated business activity in neighboring communities, especially Fruita. Eventually this town became the site of a large gilsonite refinery. [119]
From Mack to the crest of Baxter Pass the Uintah encountered all varieties of terrain, especially the difficulties in climbing atop the Roan Cliffs from the Grand Valley, some 3,900 feet below. Parts of the route between Atchee and Baxter Pass had almost 6 miles of 7.5 percent grade. In 1924, the Interstate Commerce Commission said the Uintah had some of the most difficult railroading in the United States. [120]
To alleviate operating expenses, Uintah planners decided to open their own coal mines as a supply of fuel. Seams were found along the route and mines started to operate at Carbonera, Colorado. The town, located 20 miles north of Mack, in Garfield County, remained small and was used only by the railroad. [121]
To keep their equipment running, the company established locomotive shops and a car repair facility at Atchee, Colorado, another town built by the Uintah. Located in Y-shaped canyon, Atchee, named after a Ute chief, also served as a locomotive changing point because the engines that brought trains to and from Mack could not negotiate the grades and curves west of Atchee. At its height, the town housed over 100 people, but being so closely tied with the railroad its fortunes matched those of the Uintah. When slurry pipelines replaced the railway in 1938, and it ceased to exist, so did the town. [122]
Uintah management, in 1911, determined to extend the line from Dragon, Utah, to Watson, Utah. Contemporary rumors in Grand Junction and Fruita contended that once the extension was completed, there was a serious plan by A. E. Carlton, Cripple Creek magnate, to connect the Midland with the Uintah by using his Grand River Valley Railway (an interurban) to form the final link. Citizens of Vernal, Utah also talked of the possibility of Uintah rails reaching their town. Most of this proved to be wishful thinking. The Gilsonite Road did build from Dragon to Watson (Rainbow mine) but that was as far west as it ever got. [123]
To provide points such as Vernal or Rangely, Colorado transportation, the rail company established the Uintah Toll Road Company as well as a freight wagon and stage service. This was cheaper than building more track and served the region's needs adequately by acting as a feeder to the rail line. [124]
The Uintah eloquently testified to the problems faced by rail companies throughout west-central Colorado. While the 7.5 percent grades of Baxter Pass were unusually heavy, the terrain presented problems for all railroads, especially trying to find useable passes. Often when a route could not be found one had to be created by blasting tunnels through the mountains. Both the Denver and Rio Grande and the Colorado Midland bored under the Continental Divide at great expense. [125] Because river valleys offered the course of least resistance, and haste was the builder's watchword, often the tracks were laid too near streams and washed out during heavy rains or in spring run-offs. [126]
As if natural problems were not enough, the carriers soon found themselves besieged by angry patrons. Every town and nearly every person wanted railroads but once service was established, the steam cars proved not to be the panacea envisioned. When the D&RG first arrived at Grand Junction the entire town, including a Chinese laundryman, felt that a new day had dawned and prosperity assured. [127] Within ten years, many of these same Grand Junctionites complained of unfair rates, discrimination among shippers, and generally viewed the railroads as the source of their economic woes. The carriers were guilty of some misdeeds such as charging the same to haul goods from Denver to Salt Lake City as Denver to Grand Junction. However, this was due in large part to the competitive nature of Salt Lake City's market in comparison to Grand Junction's. Nevertheless public outcry did reach the state legislature which soon investigated rate structures. This exposure forced the D&RG to lower its Grand Junction tariffs during the early twentieth century. [128]
The new century brought change to west-central Colorado's railroads. Old routes were modernized and operations were abandoned while one new mainline made its presence felt.
The Denver and Rio Grande came under the control of George Gould, rail entrepreneur and the son of Jay Gould. George Gould, in 1900, set out to create a coast-to coast rail network. To do so he bought control of the Denver and Rio Grande Western in 1901. As part of Gould's improvements, the branchline from Montrose to Grand Junction was converted to standard gauge. The D&RG and RGW merged informally into the Denver and Rio Grande Western but due to financial distress the union was not completed. Gould's building of the Western Pacific Railroad from Salt Lake City to California drained his wealth and the Colorado companies went into receivership. A reorganization committee, without Gould, completed its work and in 1920, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company emerged financially stronger than before. [129]
The area's other major railroad, the Midland, unable to profitably compete, went out of business by 1920. As mentioned, A. E. Carlton owned the Midland during the early twentieth century. He hoped to operate it efficiently, but even with the added business of World War I the company operated in the red. In 1918, the Interstate Commerce Commission held abandonment hearings and granted permission for cessation of business despite protest all over west-central Colorado. The next year, tracks were taken up and the roadbed converted for auto use, parts of which near Basalt are still used. [130]
In 1902, while the D&RG and Midland faced hard times, a new mainline road announced plans to build from Denver to Salt Lake City. David H. Moffat, Denver promoter since 1860, backed this new line, called the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific. Moffat had long sought a direct east-west transmontane railroad for Denver and, in frustration, finally determined to build such a line himself. DNW&P engineers laid out a route from Denver into South Boulder Canyon over Rollins Pass down to Middle Park and then north up the Yampa River to Steamboat Springs, west to Craig and then on to Salt Lake City. The road only slightly touched the northeast corner of west-central Colorado. and pushed the tracks over Rollins Pass and well into Gore Canyon. With help from other Denver financiers, the road reached Steamboat Springs in 1908, while new financial arrangements were made.
The Moffat Road, as the DNW&P was called, planned to tunnel under the Continental Divide at James Peak and open a new route to Salt Lake City that would by-pass Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. This worried the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce because such a route would cost them trade and threaten their position as "capital" of the Western Slope. However, DNW&P passed within 35 miles of the D&RG mainline at Dotsero, making the possibility of a connection feasible. West-central Coloradans felt such a link would improve their rail service and protect their position vis a vis the rest of the state. David Moffat died in 1911, and two years later the road stalled at Craig. By 1920, the hopes and fears the line brought remained dead. [131]
West-central Colorado's transportation network rapidly expanded from 1880 to 1900. The region was well serviced by wagon roads and railways operating in a complimentary manner. Mining attracted some of the commerceways, while others crossed the area in search of other riches. Nevertheless, the existence of these highways and railroads stimulated all types of economic activity in the region.
Last Updated: 31-Oct-2008


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subset: commoncrawl


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OVPES mourns the loss of Dr. Najee Muhammad (1944-2014)
2014 Conference
Bergamo Center | Dayton, Ohio | September 12-14, 2014
2014 Phil Smith Lecture
Nicholas C. Burbules is the Gutgsell Professor in the Department of Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His primary research focuses on philosophy of education; teaching though dialogue; and technology and education. He is the Director of the Ubiquitous Learning Institute, dedicated to the study of new models of "anywhere, anytime" teaching and learning, given the proliferation of mobile technologies and pervasive wireless connectivity. He has published several papers and given numerous talks on "ubiquitous learning." He is currently the Education Director for the National Center on Professional and Research Ethics, located at Illinois. His most recent books are Showing and Doing: Wittgenstein as a Pedagogical Philosopher, coauthored with Michael Peters and Paul Smeyers (2010, Paradigm Press) and Feminisms and Educational Research, coauthored with Wendy Kohli (2012, Rowman and Littlefield).


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Gary Bauer
Gary Bauer is a leading conservative voice in the United States, championing pro-life, pro-family policies. Bauer served in the Reagan Administration for eight years as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor and Undersecretary for Education.
Bauer ran for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2000, and helped push conservative issues to the forefront in candidate debates and on the campaign trail. He attracted close to 10% support in early contests before withdrawing and endorsing John McCain over eventual nominee George W. Bush.
He is now President of the conservative American Values organisation. This interview with Gary Bauer was conducted in late May 2010.
Download mp3 (32mb)
John Barron: First Mr Bauer can we talk about your time in the Reagan Administration... what insights did you gain into the role of the Presidency and what a president can do?
Gary Bauer: Well certainly... those were exciting years for a conservative like myself and it was very obvious to me that if you have a president, particularly one that connects with the American people that that president can do a great deal. Obviously a president has a tremendous ability to guide American foreign policy, and Ronald Reagan did that by confronting the Soviet Union and many of us would argue played the lead role in bringing the Soviet Union eventually down. But he also on domestic policy was able to do a number of things that changed the direction that the United States was going in; he did a number of very significant tax cuts, bring the marginal tax rate here in the United States down from the mid-to-high 70's all the way down to the high twenties. He also rebuilt America's defences, was able to cause a national debate on education reform. So, yes, I did see what a good president can do and Ronald Reagan was adept at using the power of the office.
Barron: To what extent was that about the power of the office, the powers that any president has, as opposed to personal and political attributes that President Reagan possessed?
Bauer: Well President Reagan did have tremendous political attributes and I think that gave him a real advantage over other Presidents who have served in the office. Ronald Reagan had, for example, a natural charm that somebody like a Richard Nixon or a Jimmy Carter did not particularly have. And so the American people were particularly comfortable with him and he came across as an average guy, I think a lot of Americans could imagine having Ronald Reagan around to their home for a cook-out and not think they would feel uncomfortable doing that. He talked about public policy in what his critics would say was simplistic ways, but he would say that he talked about public policy in ways that the American people could understand; so he was a great story-teller because he knew, just as Abraham Lincoln did, that's a great way to teach the American people on various issues and on the way we want to go. So i do think those skills played a major role in his success.
Barron: Was President Reagan's legacy a lasting one? You were among a group of conservatives who sought to make the Reagan Revolution more permanent through the Project for a New American Century, are there things that change inevitably from administration to administration – does the country change when you have a less-conservative Republican like George H.W. Bush or a Democrat like Bill Clinton – or are there fundamental things that remain to this day from the Reagan era?
Bauer: I think there were some lasting changes. You know we are all reminded – those of us who are involved with politics – if you lose an election or win an election there's always another election. And of course things do change and the country moves on and tries other approaches, but II think Reagan did set certain standards and did reignite America's confidence in itself – after Vietnam we were very hesitant about our role in the world and whether we could legitimately when the circumstances required it use military force in order to protect liberty. Reagan was able to reignite that confidence by the American elite that there were times when we had to use force. And there was something else that I think was relatively lasting, and that was this idea that he spoke of often as America as a "shining city on a hill". Now I know to some around the world that might sound perhaps overly bold, or maybe even arrogant, but Reagan was referring to the way the founders used the phrase; it's a biblical phrase and it was used to describe the idea that America had a special role to play as a beacon of liberty to those around the world that you can be free. And I think that has become, up until recently, a pretty much ingrained idea in the American psyche. Now some would argue the current president may not share the same feelings – I'm sure folks in Australia have heard about the controversy about whether President Obama has been apologising for the United States as he's made foreign trips. So there's a lot of debate going on around the country comparing President Obama to President Reagan and those of us on the right think that Reagan comes out of that comparison pretty well. Those on the left of course disagree strongly.
Barron: There are those of course as well comparing Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter and wondering if there is another Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings – do you see those comparisons and do you see this is a time for a shift back to the conservative side of politics?
Bauer: I do. You know nothing is certain in politics, and things can change rapidly and often do because of headlines that nobody can predict... and there could be things that happen between now and November's [midterm] election for the congress... but as of now, all the signs are there for a real reaction in the electorate back to more conservative principles. We see it in the Tea party Movement; there are a number of national polls indicating the Republicans will pick up house and senate seats. There's disagreement and debate about how many, but it certainly looks like it could be a significant pickup. What is not evident however is, even of that election does go well for Republicans this coming November, I don't think that there's any consensus that there's a Ronald Reagan on the horizon for 2012. There are a number of candidates that have caught the imagination of conservative voters but nobody who seems as formidable as Reagan, and it remains to be seen if that individual, that man or woman will emerge in time for the 2012 Presidential election.
Barron: Let's go back a decade or more when you first began to consider a Presidential campaign of your own; was this something you had considered, that had been in the back of your mind given the proximity to power having worked in the Reagan administration, was it inspired by a particular event? What was your thought process?
Bauer: Well I was something of a reluctant candidate, which probably never a good thing to be if you are throwing your hat into a presidential nomination. But I had a number of people come to me – fellow conservatives in the Republican Party – many of whom had worked for other candidates over the years like Jack Kemp for example – and they were concerned as I was by what we saw as a drift in the Republican Party away from conservative principles. And they urged me to think seriously to get into the Republican primaries to try to hold the feet to the fire of the other presidential hopefuls. And so I did that and stayed in the race through the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, hoping that I could move the debate in the Republican Party further to the right.
Barron: So from the outset your thinking was that you would have the campaign structure and finances that are required to win the nomination but that it was more about recalibrating the agenda of the other Republican candidates?
Bauer: Yes, my original goal was certainly to do that, to make the other candidates in the Presidential debates respond to the points I was bring up. But I have to tell you that when you go out on the campaign trail doing ten-twelve events a day and stay in these little motels all over Iowa, and really it's a very difficult process the United States has created that one has to go through as a Presidential candidate. [But] as people began to respond to us, you certainly begin to think, well what if I do better than expected? Could we raise enough money? But unfortunately the election returns disabused me of any notion that I could conclude that I would be a strong candidate in that race.
Barron: And yet there must be those moments when you are doing those twelve events and you are meeting people in a retail politics setting who are saying 'we believe in what you believe in, we want you to be our President'- that must be compelling.
Bauer: It is, it certainly is and human nature being what it is I think that anyone would respond to that. And in addition to that, my own background was blue collar, working class, no one in my family had ever finished high school let alone go on to graduate from law school, and then go on to work for the President of the United States. So my own life had been one of reaching levels that were not easily predictable. So out on the campaign trail as people responded to that personal story that I had to tell that certainly does encourage you. And then finally, there is a straw poll that is before the causses in Iowa and in that straw poll in Ames, Iowa, in which 15 or 20-thousand Republicans from all over the state participate I was able to beat out a number of candidates that had run a number of times before. So I certainly will confess that there were times, particularly then when I thought that perhaps with a few breaks things could go a lot further than I thought.
In August 1999, Gary Bauer finished a surprisingly strong fourth in the Straw Poll conducted in Ames, Iowa – the first real test of a candidate's strength in the nominating contest. Gov. George W Bush of Texas finished first, billionaire businessman Steve Forbes second, former Red Cross Chairwoman and wife of Senator Bob Dole, Elizabeth Dole was third, then Gary Bauer. Bauer beat a large field of GOP candidates including Pat Buchanan, Alan Keyes, former Vice President Dan Quayle, Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator John McCain. The following January in the Iowa Caucuses, Bauer again came fourth, attracting 9% support.
Barron: Given that in Iowa there is a very strong evangelical support base available to Republican candidates, what impact does it have and what impact is it likely to have in 2012 – will it favour conservatives, will it work against candidates like Mitt Romney who didn't win in 2008 despite spending $30-million in Iowa?
Bauer: You are absolutely right, Iowa being a caucus first of all tends to favour whatever candidate can rally real grassroots support because with a caucus you don't just stop by, stand in a line for a few minutes and vote. You go to a meeting and it may last an hour or two, in front of your neighbours and friends you indicate who you are voting for. And in Iowa it's likely to be a cold winter night when that caucus takes place so anybody with a grassroots organization does better and in Iowa the grassroots organization that has been the most effective has been the one made up of Christian conservatives. I think that gives an advantage to someone like Mike Huckabee [winner in 2008] if he ran again, Sarah Palin if she decided to run – and it makes it harder on candidates like Mitt Romney and perhaps some of the other candidates being mentioned who don't have quite the popularity among that voter group. But Iowa is the starting line, it's not the finishing line and so you still have to go on and raise a lot of money to be competitive in a lot of states and so a bad showing in Iowa may eliminate a candidate, but it's usually not a deal-breaker for front-runners, that is they can usually go on and do well in a state like New Hampshire which is more secularly-oriented and then later in some of these big states that are very rich in delegates that you can take to the convention.
Barron: I was surprised when I was at the Straw Poll in Ames in 2007 at the level and seeming importance the issue of abortion had for many Republicans – it's not something that is part of the political debate in Australia yet at political rallies in the US you'll see graphic pictures on posters and banners being held up and it's something that people feel tremendously passionate about – it's been an important issue for you as well – can you try to explain to an outsider why this issue is so front-and-centre in American politics?
Bauer: Well I think there are a number of reasons. One of them is the way the issue was originally decide – that is back in 1973 the United States had 50 different state laws on abortions; some of those laws were very liberal and allowed abortion under very broad circumstances, other states were more conservative in their outlook and more values-oriented and would have restrictions on abortion that limited them quite a bit. Then in 1973 the Supreme Court in the Rose vs. Wade decision struck down all 50 state laws and instated essentially an abortion regulation that allows virtually every abortion for any reason in all of the states. And I think that was deeply offensive to millions of Americans that have deep moral objections against what we see as the taking of innocent life. And so that I think has contributed to the issue of abortion remaining a very hard-fought and debated issue in American politics. Interestingly, there are often controversial Supreme Court decisions but as time passes the country will reconcile itself to a Supreme Court Decision, that's not happened on this; it may be the only case in American history where it hasn't happened. It's now 37 years later and in fact the latest Gallup polls in the United States show the public is more pro-life and anti-abortion today than it was in 1973. In fact recent polls show a majority of Americans now describe themselves as "pro-life" and say they are against most of the abortions that takes place. So, I think part of it is because America has a high degree of religiosity - a much higher rates of religion let s say than our friends in Europe let's say or in countries like Australia. So it is a very emotional and very important issue.
Barron: In what way does it relate to the Presidential campaigns – I suppose two terms of President Reagan, two of George W Bush, one of George H.W. Bush [plus Nixon/Ford] they haven't been able to change the makeup of the [Supreme] Court to overturn that ruling – so what is the objective in a political sense?
Bauer: Well the objective is to change the court. During the period of time you mentioned where there were Republican Presidents some of the judges that were appointed to the Supreme Court quite frankly ended up disappointing my side. That is, we thought they were judges, by looking at their judicial philosophy, would be likely to not uphold Roe vs. Wade and a couple of them disappointed. But the consensus today is that of the nine justices, there are probably four that would very strongly would like to roll back some of the points and the ramifications of Roe vs. Wade. There may be four solidly on the other side of keeping Roe vs. Wade untouched and one justice who is unpredictable. So I fully expect the "life issue" will in 2012 again play a major role in the Presidential debate and election, and it certainly played a tremendous role in the debate that the United States just went through on healthcare reform. In fact the charge... or the debate over whether the healthcare bill would require taxpayers to pay for abortions almost killed the healthcare bill and required the President to do several things to try to avoid that happening.
Barron: Back at the start of 2000 when you dropped out of the Presidential race you endorsed Senator John McCain over then-Governor George W Bush – why was that?
Bauer: Well there were a couple of reasons. One of them was the issue we just discussed; I want an assurance from each of the candidates that if I endorsed them and they went on and won that their Supreme Court appointees would respect the sanctity of life and would want to move American in a different direction in that area. And interestingly enough, and surprising to some I felt I got that assurance from Senator McCain but could not get it from then-Governor Bush. And based on that and also my concerns about some campaign tactics that I saw being used against Senator McCain in South Carolina ultimately saw me endorse him.
Barron: There was a large number of evangelical Christian voters who came out in 2004 for President Bush who hadn't voted for him in 2000, and many credit them – about 4-millon – with making the difference in that election against John Kerry. What did he [Bush] do to win over those voters and ultimately was that support repaid?
Bauer: I think that George [W] Bush did get significant Christian votes in his first campaign, but you are absolutely right that when he ran for re-election that the commitment of those voters was even greater and they did turn out in states like Ohio at even higher rates than was previously expected. It's hard to know what lead to that, to some extent the President's own personal faith had become more obvious as he served in the White House. 9/11 had taken place and the President had made the moral case about why we needed to confront radical Islam and remove Saddam Hussein from power, and I think a lot of faith-based voters responded to those issues. And a lot were very concerned that Senator Kerry would be up to that battle and would continue those policies. And then the other thing that had happened at that time was that debate had begun to break out over the definition of marriage – we had a number of state court decisions that had authorized same-sex marriage – and that was a shocking development for many Christian conservative voters and they felt that President Bush was on their side on that issue and that the Democratic Party ultimately would not defend the normal definition of marriage. And I think particularly in states like Ohio and Florida that played a major oriole in getting out a much larger Christian voter base.
Barron: With these issues, whether it's same-sex marriage or whether it's the issue of abortion, these things can be used in the G.O.T.V. [get out the vote] effort where unlike Australia you have non-compulsory voting – do you ever sense Gary Bauer as a person of faith that people in the political process use these issues just to win votes but their heart isn't in the right place except for wanting a more conservative candidate elected?
Bauer: Well look, I've been in Washington 30 years and being able to discern the heart of a politician is not an easy task! Folks who have devoted their lives to serving and running for office certainly desire to win and we've all seen that neither political party in any country, no political party in any country has a monopoly on virtue or vice unfortunately. But I do think that in the west generally and certainly in the United States there is a significant cultural divide on issues that have a strong moral component to them between the political left and the political right. And I think when voters for whom religious faith is important, when those voters vote conservative or Republican I think they are making a rational choice – that is, they know Republican office-holders are more likely to appoint judges to the courts that will continue to make rulings on issues like life and marriage and religious liberty that are going to be more in tune to those voters. And likewise I think the Democratic Party in the United States increasingly tends to be more secular and in the judges they appoint more hostile to those faith-based voters. So I think for the foreseeable future we are going to see this divide in American politics continue.
Barron: How do you think the issue will play out looking ahead to 2012 – there is a lot of interest in Mitt Romney's presumed candidacy again the way in which some see Mike Huckabee having played a blocking role to his hopes in Iowa [in 2008] and the question of tensions between evangelicals and morons – do you have a view on that and whether evangelicals in the United States would support a Mormon for the presidency?
Bauer: You know the overwhelming majority of evangelicals I have no doubt would vote for somebody like Mitt Romney, particularly in a 2012 election against Barack Obama. But what's unknown is whether a minority, maybe 5,6,7,8-percent of that evangelical vote that would normal vote Republican if 6,7,8-percent of them stayed at home or wrote in another name, in a very closely divided country which we appear to be that might be enough to throw that election to Barack Obama being re-elected. So that's something that Mitt Romney will have to continue to deal with and overcome as he throws his hat in the ring again for the next election. Whatever Mitt Romney does, and I believe he is a good man and would make a great President, whatever he does I do think faith issues will play a major role in the election. There continue to be court decisions that are troubling Christian voters. Barack Obama has said and done a number of things that I think has irritated that voting bloc. So I believe in 2012 we could see the largest turnout of those voters we have seen in our history and I think it could be a very difficult development for President Obama to overcome if he hopes to get re-elected.
Barron: There has been a lot of attention recently on the so-called Tea Party movement – what do you think of that group and what impact they might have on the [Republican] nominating contest leading up to 2012?
Bauer: I think the key to the Tea Party movement, the thing that will make a difference in American politics is that a lot of the people that are involved appear to have never been involved in politics before. I spoken at a number of rallies and hosted radio programs where people will say they are Tea Party activists and almost all of them inevitably say they have never been involved with politics, they have seldom voted in the past and so I think this is a new force in conservative politics that's likely to increase the election turnout and in doing that make it more likely that allies of President Obama are going to find it increasingly difficult to get elected in November this year and make it more difficult for President Obama to get re-elected in 2012.
Barron: There is an interesting parallel there between the significant number of first-time voters that President Obama was able to mobilise throughout the primary and caucus process and the general election of 2008 – is the Tea Party the answer to the Obama Movement?
Bauer: I would say it is, but I would say in a generally there has been a tremendous role-reversal in only about 18 months. If you go back to November of 2008, the polling data showed that those folks who were on the left side of the spectrum, and thus supportive of President Obama, not only supported him but supported him with great enthusiasm; they were much more likely to say they would definitely vote, they were much more likely to volunteer. Likewise, on the Republican side in November of 2008 people were demoralised – those who said they were going to vote for John McCain weren't very enthusiastic about it, many of them were not willing topo volunteer. And here we are 18 months later and the enthusiasm level in the polling data seems to be all on the right. And so again I think President Obama has got a very difficult undertaking here to reignite that enthusiasm and somehow throw a blanket over that enthusiasm that has sprung up on the right to oppose his agenda.
Barron: is there a danger for the Republican Party in the Tea Party's ability to mobilise the conservative base – some say there is a danger that the party could be made unelectable by being made too conservative – do you accept that's possible or as a conservative is that a desirable thing?
Bauer: I don't really think it's likely to happen – that is that the Tea Party would push the Republican Party too far to the right. The things that the Tea Party cares most about, or the things that people involved in this thing known as the Tea Party which as you know is not an actual political party but it's a movement per se – but the things they care most about are an end to deficit spending and a halt in the growth and power of the Federal Government in Washington D.C. And as chance would have it, those are things right now that the majority of the American people are for; the polling has really become quite dramatic on this – nearly two-thirds of the country say they want the deficit brought down, they want an end to deficit-spending and they want the size of Washington to shrink, not get bigger. So to the extent that the Tea Party Movement pushes the Republican Party to be more serious about being against deficit-spending and big government I think they are likely to make the Republican Party more electable, not less-electable.
Barron: Could there be a split? What happens if the Tea Party decides they want to run [Texas Representative and 2008 candidate] Ron Paul in 2012 and he takes away 15% of Republican voters?
Bauer: I don't see that happening now, of course anything can happen in the future, but if Republicans pick up seats in the house and senate and perhaps even take control of one of those two houses after the election this November and then seriously pursue these items on the agenda; smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation etc, then I think in 2012 we are likely to keep the conservative coalition together and perhaps make President Obama a one-term President.


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2013 People's Choice Awards: Best and worst moments
Weirdest award
The new Favourite Humanitarian award is a bit self-congratulatory and strange, but there is no doubt that Sandra Bullock deserves it. The Speed star is being honoured for her ongoing support of Warren Easton High School in New Orleans after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and she certainly deserved her standing ovation. Of course she was humble and gorgeous.


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Cute little blonde girl jumping for joy in sunshine in home garden — Video by Spotmatik
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More about: Benimussa Park
Vídeos populares
The trance maestro at work for Creamfields 2014. Audio and visual goodness right here.
The man, the legend, the hero.
A behind the scenes look at Sankeys and its VOID soundsystem.
Always a nice day on Ibiza when Hawtin stops by to check in on Sven isn't it.
Últimas noticias
Silly big line-up to be enjoyed here folks.
Part two of our Ibiza 2014 review. Anniversaries, highlights, lowlights, the music...
An extra week of parties at Pacha anyone?
Steve Lawler enlists us into his Sunday night warfare one final time.


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Right is right even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
(Source: simplyheavenlyfood)
Right is right even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
(Source: simplyheavenlyfood)
(Source: dontrunfromwhoyouare, via heckyeahjesussaves)
I know Its April but Im just so excited haha.. ♡ ♡ ♡
Im Happy to Share that God has proven me that He is real and He is there for me no matter what happens. He always try to speak to me, make me remember and realize things i should remember and take note of.. through my quiet time, daily devo, bible study, everyday life happenings/ experiences, sunday message, elevate apc/ makati message, D-Grp meetings even songs. He answers my prayers. most of the time He answers simple prayers. :) He keeps connecting things.. like How He connects me to His other children.
He is there for me and leading me to the right path. with my own free will and choice. everyday with God is a learning experience for me, everyday is a new day, "there is always sunshine after the rain" "a rainbow after a storm" and i can really say.. everything happened so fast! He work on me so fast.. in a snap! I was able to do good amazing things that I don't usually do before.. that proves that " If Its Gods will. It really is Gods will." "He can use the impossible and to be possible" If He knows you are willing.. He sees and feels it in your heart. because "God looks at the heart." and not the things we do. God will really help you out, lead you and use you to lead and help others. God will blessed you and give you everthing you need to feel happy and complete. God will give you whats best for you.
Its really super amazing, fun, magical, unforgettable, memorable, first year adventure relationship with Jesus, My Lord and Savior. who is always there for me, My Father God who is watching over me and the Holy Spirit living inside of me.
Seriously, I wont be able to be who I am right now. I wont be able to do the things I can do now. If I didn't accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
It was all him. It was Him. Its not me. It was never me.. it was Him. ♡
And All I can say is Thank you Jesus, Thank you father God, Thank you Holy Spirit. I am Blessed! I feel so blessed! so loved everyday. ♡
Your Creator can see things in you that other people cannot see. Sometimes people will try to push you down or make you feel insignificant. Sometimes our own thoughts will try to convince us that we don't measure up. But God looks beyond the surface, beyond the mistakes you've made, beyond what somebody said about you and sees your incredible value. You may think, "I've messed up. I have blown it. I have failed. I'm all washed up." No, God still sees more in you. God doesn't just see what you are; He sees what you can become. You may have made some mistakes, but God still sees victory on the inside of you. People may have tried to push you down, but God sees you rising higher.
Now, you've got to do your part and get rid of those condemning thoughts. Get rid of what somebody has spoken over you and start renewing your mind. Down deep, start believing that you are redeemed, restored, talented and valuable. Even if you have made mistakes, believe that there is more in store. God's not finished with you. He looks beyond the surface and sees your potential. Stay in step with Him and watch His plan for your life unfold.
(Source: worshipgifs, via spiritualinspiration)
(Source: heckyeahjesussaves)
Of all the creations of the Almighty there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God. Who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so. Who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. - Gordon B. Hinckley.


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More Than 50 Yamaha Accessories Shown at http://www.YamahaViking.com
CYPRESS, Calif. (PRWEB) August 19, 2014
Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has launched a new Viking VI Build Your Own (BYO) site providing customers the opportunity to personalize and accessorize their vehicle online. Current and potential Viking VI customers can now see what their customized machine might look like via an interactive site at http://www.YamahaViking.com.
Yamaha currently has more than fifty accessories for the Viking VI, which is the only true six-person Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicle with full utility and off-road capabilities. The new 2015 Viking VI model was announced in June 2014 and production is now in full swing with vehicles being delivered to dealers across the country.
The Viking VI is a incredibly versatile machine made for farmers, hunters and recreational enthusiasts, said Steve Nessl, Yamahas ATV and SxS group marketing manager. Yamaha is helping customers personalize their vehicles with Genuine Yamaha Accessories that are developed in tandem with the vehicle to ensure the highest quality, durability and performance standards along with the best fit and finish.
The versatility of both the Viking and Viking VI creates an ideal platform for personalization. Existing and future Viking or Viking VI customers can now virtually customize their SxS via the BYO tool on the Yamaha website to get an idea for what accessories best suits their needs. The Yamaha accessories division is supporting that customization, and the versatility of the Viking vehicles, by developing and sourcing a comprehensive catalogue including popular products like roofs, windshields, storage boxes and sound systems that can be ordered directly from and installed by Yamaha dealers.
Build Your Own sites for other Yamaha ATV and SxS vehicles can be found at http://www.Yamaha-Motor.com.
Follow Yamaha Outdoors at http://www.Facebook.com/YamahaOutdoors and http://www.Twitter.com/YamahaOutdoors.
Follow Yamaha Accessories at https://www.facebook.com/YamahaPartsAccessories.
About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS) a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The companys ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States.
Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit http://www.yamaha-motor.com.
SxS Vehicles are recommended for use only by licensed drivers age 16 years and older.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12099453.htm
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Posted by Nicole Fende in Financial Analysis, General Finance, Risk Management | 7 comments
This unusual grouping of animals has a great finance story to tell.
Really. They do.
Have you ever wondered when you should sit tight and when is the time for action?
Numbers geeks aren't the only ones who can get caught up in the dreaded affliction Analysis Paralysis.
If you've ever spent more than 5 minutes with an Irish Setter you know that they never suffer from this terrible disease. While I love my dog (that's her in the picture), she was not bred for brains but beauty and a great nose.
I was putting my dog Sasha out one morning when I noticed a small cottontail rabbit crouched in the grass nearby. In the early morning light, with fairly long grass, it was difficult to see the rabbit.
Unlike Greyhounds, which rely primarily on sight to hunt, Irish Setters use scent so it seemed unlikely the rabbit would go undetected.
Curious, I stood on the porch to watch events unfold. Sasha ambled out onto the grass to do her business, oblivious to the rabbit. As she drew closer to the rabbit I thought surely something would happen. She would catch its scent, or the rabbit would bolt.
About 5 feet away from the rabbit she stopped to fertilize my lawn. The rabbit was so still I couldn't be sure it was breathing.
Nothing happened.
Sasha finished and ambled back over to the porch wanting her breakfast. Since the rabbit was still frozen in place on the lawn I tried pointing it out to Sasha, "Over there, look!" Often that's enough to pique her interest. Nothing doing that morning, inside to breakfast we went.
The rabbit was on an open lawn, and couldn't be sure that a bolt for the woods would be successful. (For the bunny lovers out there, the worst my dog might have done is lick the poor thing like she does with my cats.) The rabbit believed it was unnoticed, so it sat tight, waiting to see what would happen next.
Waiting was a risk for the rabbit. At 5 feet my dog might have caught it, and a Greyhound surely would have. Whether it was paralyzed with fear, or simply waiting to see what would happen we can't be sure.
When you choose to wait, or in business code "analyze the various options", what are you risking?
Being a bird dog, Sasha really isn't that interested in snakes. While we don't have any poisonous snakes around here, Garter Snakes (often referred to as Gardener Snakes) are common.
In the past when I've spotted a Garter Snake, I've tried to interest Sasha. If you've ever come across these guys before, you'll know that they do NOT sit around and wait. They take off fast. It's harder than you think to keep up with a snake.
Scent, not motion is what attracts my dog. Even if I can convince her run after a snake, she takes one good sniff and is off to chase squirrels.
Around me, the snakes are safe, in fact small ones welcome because they eat all sorts of other things I don't want in my yard. However many people are like my Dad, who believes the only good snake is a dead one. The snake's reaction on meeting a person is to take off fast, without waiting to see if it needed to move or knowing what danger it might be running into.
In business terms, there is an idea, product or promotion that you instinctively know will be a success. You jump right in, and often may be successful. Next time, consider the benefits of doing at least a day's worth of analysis first before taking action.
Sasha may be flighty, but this last lesson is not as harebrained as it seems..
Unlike tic-tac-toe, there is no opening choice with Rock Paper Scissors that will guarantee success. If you pick the rock, paper can trip you up (although I really wish someone, someday would explain to me how!). If you pick paper, then scissors are your nemesis and so on.
If my dog had been a Greyhound that cute little cottontail would have been in big trouble.
If the snake had been spotted by a bird of prey, it likely would have become lunch. In fact, just the other day I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk catch a snake. Hawks spot snakes when they move.
If you take even 30 minutes to review your situation you will dramatically improve the outcome.
Here are some questions to consider if you're sitting tight like the rabbit.
If you are tempted to react instinctively and immediately consider the following.
Are you usually a snake or a rabbit? What are the benefits? Drawbacks?
How do you overcome the dreaded Analysis Paralysis?
Interested in one-on-one profit coaching? Take Nicole for a test drive with a free, no cost, no obligation 30 minute session. Click here to schedule your appointment now.
this is exactly what i have been thinking a lot about lately – "haste makes waste"….and waiting can be useful.
I was supposed to have a phone appt with my lawyer (which means $$$) ….. I sat back for a day an thought what I wanted to get out of the mtg besides a big bill. I realized that if I waited a week or 2, I would have some more information to bring to the meeting, gaining me more results….
Great Outline of the points! Love the dog, of course….see her on skype soon – Rachel
Rachel I too can fall into the action trap, wanting to do something now. Glad it was helpful in determining when to bring in the legal expert.
Sasha appreciates the shout out, of course she knows she's adorable.
Great points Nicole.
I always like to prepare for new projects or results but will look at costs if those are involved to be sure that it is needed.
Customer requests I take very seriously and like to accomodate but I have to really look at how many customers feel the same way if I am going to act on the requests.
I never got Rock, paper , scissors. I like rabbit, snake, dog so much better!
I am usually like a snake and will move quickly into things without really analyzing anything. But lately, I feel like I have been forced into being like the rabbit. This frustrates me but at the same time I am grateful for it.
@Haralee I agree that customer requests need to be at the top of the list and that attitude is why you have been so successful.
I guess I'll teach my daughter Rabbit, Snake and Dog
@Denisse – I am definitely more of a snake. I want action, yet with my financial bent I am compelled to do some analysis first. Being a rabbit can be frustrating but also fruitful in the right circumstances.
The real lesson here is, if you have a choice of being a garter snake, a rabbit or an Irish Setter, be an Irish Setter. You can get a human to take care of you and not have to worry too much about making smart choices among survival strategies.
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The Chiefland Area Athletic Association is looking forward to opening day of its youth baseball and softball seasons on Saturday, March 15.
Opening ceremonies will start at 10 a.m.
"The VFW Flag Corps will be there,"said CAAA president Wayne Weatherford. "There will be barbecue dinners. We'll have baseball all day."
Weatherford said signups are still a little off.
"We thought the late fee would get everyone to sign up a little early, but they're still coming in wanting to play,"Weatherford explained.
The Chiefland Middle School baseball team improved its record to 2-0 with an 18-1 hammering of visiting Bronson last Saturday.
Kody Plemmons led the way with two doubles. Travis Wain had two singles. Jeremy Fisher had a triple. Derek Allen had a double. Five players had a single –Aaron Beachaump, Alden Davis, Kaleb Calpin, Shaquille Patterson and Tim Reidy.
Chiefland used three pitchers. Allen and Caplin each pitched two innings. Patterson threw a frame.
CHIEFLAND MIDDLE 15, RUTH RAINS 6 –The Braves wonm their season opener Feb. 7.
FANNING SPRINGS –Unchecked growth and the accompanying pollution can be likened to a runaway freight train.
The end result isn't pretty.
In these parts, the bottom line is tainted ground water.
As scientific studies have revealed, tainted ground water ends up compromising the crystal clear springs that this area is so famous for.
When the springs are lost, so are tourist dollars, not to mention something even more precious –clean drinking water.
BRONSON - Employees of the Levy County Board of County Commissioners will find it easier to run for office as a result of a policy amendment on Feb. 19.
A policy adopted in 2004 noted in part that, "Employees who run for elected public office will be placed on a leave of absence on the date they open a campaign account through the Supervisor of Elections Office to run for public office or the date of filing qualification, whichever happens earlier."
A recently adopted amendment to the Florida Constitution does not go far enough in cutting taxes State Sen. Charlie Dean told the Chiefland Rotary Club on Feb. 13.
Dean was in the Florida House of Representatives for the five years prior to the recent special election that put him in the Senate. Voters chose him for the District 3 seat of former Sen. Nancy Argenziano, after she became a member of the Public Service Commission.
Red Belly Day dies quietly
Staff Writer
FANNING SPRINGS - For the past 12 years, Red Belly Day has been a celebration at Fanning Springs State Park on Memorial Day Weekend.
That will be no more, said Bob Leichner of the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce. He made the announcement during the Fanning Springs Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on Feb. 12.
Alice Graham is feeling mighty pleased about how far health occupation education has come in the past half decade at Chiefland High.
"We started five years ago with 30 kids. Now I have five or six classes a day with 75 students in the program,"Graham said.
Yes, the Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) Club at CHS is excelling in training kids to be the doctors, veterinarians and nurses of tomorrow.
Proof of that is how well the local kids performed at Region 2 Conference competition held Jan. 19 at Chiefland High.
The Chiefland First Pitch Tournament brought three local schools together for preseason action last week, giving coaches a chance to look at the new rosters in game situations.
Chiefland High coach Kyle Parnell liked what he saw, as the Indians rolled to a pair of victories.
On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Chiefland belted Bronson, 11-0. Then on Friday, Feb. 8, the Indians recorded a 9-1 victory over Trenton.
We know that high school football might be on the backburner as far as sports headlines go now, but it's time for Chiefland Indian fans to assemble and honor the accomplishments of the 2007 teams.
The football/cheerleading banquet will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, at the Tommy Usher Pineland Center.
More importantly, the deadline to purchase tickets is this coming Monday, Feb. 18.
Back in September, Joey Harris made a verbal commitment to continue his football career at Florida International University.
Last Wednesday, Feb. 6, Harris proved that his word is good, as he officially signed a letter of intent to attend FIU, a Division I college located in Miami.
Harris, who played defensive end and tight end for Chiefland High, was recruited by FIU receivers coach Frank Ponce during spring practice last year.
Harris hopes to play as a true freshman. FIU plans to use him at tight end.
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