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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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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…
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When I give talks about technology and innovation, I often draw on an unconventional example. One of my favorites is broomcorn—that old-fashioned crop which was a cash crop staple for many years where I grew up and was once essential for making hand-tied ‘straw’ brooms. At first glance, it seems like a footnote in agricultural…
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“It’s hard to be brave,” said Piglet, “when you’re only a Very Small Animal.”“It is because you are a very small animal that you will be Useful in the adventure before us,” said Rabbit.Piglet was so excited at the idea of being Useful that he forgot to be frightened.” — A.A. Milne You want to…
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While living in Southwest Oklahoma, we came across a story that never let go of me. We read the available books to our kids and shared with them this remarkable story and now it is time to share what I have compiled with you. Two boys. Ages 9 and 6. Riding alone from Oklahoma to…













