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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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We’re excited to share that the digitization of the original Baca County History Book is now complete. This has been a labor of love—one that involved careful disassembly, professional-grade scanning, and digital processing of all 749 pages. Thanks to everyone who encouraged, advised, and shared ideas along the way. Today, we’re able to preserve this…
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History and Stories
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November 11th is Veterans Day. I have known and do know many veterans and love hearing their stories…if I can get them to talk. The past has taught me that many veterans don’t talk much about their military experiences. I have concluded it is usually for one of two reasons. Either they don’t want to relive those experiences…
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In 1991 an extreme cold front moved through the plains killing elm trees in southeast Colorado, western Kansas, New Mexico and into the panhandle of Texas/Oklahoma. The devastating freeze practically annihilated the Elm. Through the efforts of the Colorado State Forest Service, Springfield and area towns were able to replant trees in their…
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Area pine trees are now showing signs of fall. The pines lose their needles within the tree. The needles on the exterior part of the branch remains green while the innermost needles begin to brown and will eventually drop to the ground. This is why the mountains can be so flammable. The dried needles create…
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‘Ole Cheryl and I were watchin’ a documentary on sheep and sheep dogs the other night. Now I was more interested in the dogs than the sheep but I have found there’s lessons to be learned from watchin’ all critters, even sheep. After the dogs had penned the sheep and they…
