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Author’s Note: A Living Archive My work on this began with a singular focus: recording the history of the place where I grew up, Baca County Colorado. I have been and am primarily interested in the preservation of the raw, unfiltered history of the High Plains and Baca County and ensuring the 1930s “Decade of…
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by Norman L. Kincaide, Ph.D. The United States Forest Service Pike and San Isabel National Forest and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands office held a Need to Change workshop at Otero College Banquet Room, La Junta, Colorado and City Hall, Elkhart, Kansas, March 11, 2026 from 4 to 7:30 P.M. At Otero College twenty participants…
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How a 1912 newspaper campaign taught farmers across the Midwest and High Plains how to grow a forgotten crop In the spring of 1912 the Springfield Democrat-Herald began running a series of articles under the headline:The articles looked practical and straightforward. They explained how to prepare the soil, how many seeds to plant per rod,…
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History and Stories
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Baca County History Book Reprint Nears Final Proof — and Volume II Submissions Coming Soon The reprint of the original 1983 Baca County History Book is one step closer to completion. After sending off the first proof copy earlier this month, we’ve been carefully reviewing every page, making improvements to ensure the final product is…
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The 1939 Plesiosaur Discovery in Baca County In March 1939, one of Colorado’s most remarkable fossil discoveries emerged from the eroded banks of a remote creek in Baca County, about 13.5 miles north of Pritchett. A recent flood had carved away a 20-foot shale cliff on the Earl Kern’s farm which was occupied by Vernon…
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Walking the Santa Fe Trail One Word at a Time During the The Bent’s Fort Years (1833–1849): Letters, Stories & Incidents from the Edge of the Frontier
NOTE: A couple years ago, I released Letters, Stories and Incidents on the Santa Fe Trail : The Bent’s Fort Years. Recently, someone asked me if the book was any good. My answer? Oh yes. It has the best discussion of the “innumerable” buffalo herds of the American West you’ll find anywhere outside the writings…
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In 2025, nearly a century after my grandparents first opened their hardware store on South Main Street in Springfield, Colorado, the building’s aging wooden facade was removed by local resident and current owner Jessica Caricato. What she uncovered wasn’t just brick and mortar—it was memory. For the first time, I was face to face with…












