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Mt. Tom Plane Crash of 1952
On April 8th, 1952, a B-25 bomber crashed into Mount Tom, a 9,741 foot peak 10 miles west of Golden, Colorado. The plane crashed at a speed of 200 mph, instantly killing all 11 people inside. Low hanging clouds and dense fog clung to the mountains that day. Search parties from the Lowry Air Force… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Ouija Board Leads to Insanity
In 1973, The Exorcist terrified moviegoers with its depiction of the demonic possession of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl whose use of an Ouija board allows the demon, Pazuzu (aka Captain Howdy), to take control of her body. Although this film caused some parents to panic and throw away their kids’ Ouija boards, The Exorcist… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Jack Dempsey Accused of Draft Dodging WWI
Nicknamed the Manassa Mauler because he was born in Manassa, Colorado in 1895 and hit with an unrivaled power, William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey was one of the most accomplished heavyweight fighters of the 1920s, which is often called the Golden Age of Sports because of the larger than life sports figures that dominated headlines like… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Colorado’s Tunnel Fever
Three railroad tunnels were proposed in Colorado in 1920: Moffat Tunnel (under Rollins Pass) west of Denver, Cumbres Pass Tunnel near the New Mexico border, and Marshall Pass Tunnel near Salida. The concept of a long tunnel under high mountain passes was proven back in 1906 with the opening of the 12-mile-long Simplon Railroad Tunnel… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Colorado Ratifies 19th Amendment
On December 12, 1919, Colorado became the 22nd state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. Governor Shoup signed his approval of ratification a few days later, on December 15th. The Amendment required 36 states to ratify it in order to pass. Illinois was the first… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Farmer and Hired Man Killed by Farmer’s Son
Twenty-year-old Ole Oren “Curtis” Slinde III shot and killed his father, Ole Oren Slinde Jr., as retribution for the death of his dog at his father’s hands. The Slinde family lived in Longmont, Colorado, where the younger Slinde brought home a dog a few days before the murder. Before killing his father, Slinde III also… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: An Ode to Allergies…or Depression
Glancing past the title of this poem, which gives away the malady, you could read this as a description of depression or anxiety, which would certainly be rare in the early 20th century local newspapers. However, there are plenty of ads and articles for physical illness remedies, just not for mental illnesses. That said, it’s… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Thigh
A short story about gun safety from 100 years ago: don’t let your rifle fall through a hole in your wagon because it could kill you. Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Mob Hunts Two Murderers
In March 2019, Colorado lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 19-182, which would have abolished capital punishment in the state. Just one month later, the bill was already dead, for another year anyway. But that’s only the most recent chapter in the fraught history of the death penalty in Colorado. The death penalty has been abolished and… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Woman Kills Son With Axe, Boils Body in Lye
The Soap Kettle Murders, as this double homicide was dubbed by the Montrose Daily Press, took place on December 15, 1917, at the home of Nancy Jane Bush and her son, John O. Bush, a few miles west of Olathe, CO. On that day, John Bush killed his 11-year-old son, chopped up his body, and… Continue reading
About Me
Local history enthusiast curious about how Colorado’s present is informed by the people and places of its past
Pick and Sledge 