-
As we take part in that annual icon of the southeast Colorado prairie, the 2026 Baca County fair it seems appropriate to talk a little about the culture, history and present-day issues surrounding the event. Some circles of society might question the relevance and value of a county fair when less than 2 percent of…
-
By Kent Brooks Before the telephone reached most towns in the American West, one of the largest ranching companies in the world had already built its own private communications network stretching across what is now southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico. Most histories of rural telephones focus on the famous barbed-wire fence telephone systems that…
-
“Low characters naturally gravitated in this direction where they would be in less danger of the law. Peaceable men were sometimes forced to become murderers through association with the lawless element who were thrown in their midst. Questions were not asked of their past.” -J.R. Austin, 1936, An Early History of Baca County In the…
Be in the know
Don’t miss out on the latest news in Baca County!
History and Stories
Search “History” above to read more like this
-
In January 1939, Pritchett, Colorado residents, Frank and Theresa Mauler had saved $500 and headed out of the Dust Bowl for the Sudetenland. Wire services made them famous; world events stopped the trip. Baca County’s Dust Bowl years were never as isolated as they felt. In January 1939, Frank and Theresa Mauler of Pritchett packed…
-
After receiving proof #2, we pressed pause on the Baca County History reprint to correct layout hiccups, and run higher-quality proofs. It’s the right kind of delay—one that makes the finished book sharper and more durable. Where the reprint stands Meanwhile, the first Puzzle Companion we spoke a long while back is moving fast. The…
-
In 1905, the Rocky Mountain News dismissed the “flat country” of Baca and Prowers as good for “nothing… but broomcorn”—a cash crop that, paired with cane for feed, kept families afloat even as storms and feed shortages killed herds. A generation later, that same “nothing but broomcorn” would be recast as a badge of identity…
-
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…
