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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
Konkel’s Journalism Style and Linguistic Quirks Sam Konkel was not just a newspaper editor—he was a storyteller, historian, and chronicler of his time. As editor of The Boston World and later The Springfield Herald, he provided more than just news; he delivered a rich narrative of frontier life, regional politics, and the evolving American landscape.…
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