Herald Democrat March 5, 1920 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Ouija Board Leads to Insanity
Herald Democrat, February 28, 1920 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Jack Dempsey Accused of Draft Dodging WWI
Herald Democrat, February 20, 1920 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Colorado’s Tunnel Fever
Aspen Democrat-Times, December 12, 1919 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Colorado Ratifies 19th Amendment
Herald Democrat, September 12, 1919 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Farmer and Hired Man Killed by Farmer’s Son
Craig Empire, Number 31, August 27, 1919 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: An Ode to Allergies…or Depression
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.
Aspen Democrat-Times, April 12, 1919 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 …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Mob Hunts Two Murderers
Herald Democrat, April 9, 1919 Nancy Jane BushFrom Montrose Daily Press, February 1, 1919 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. …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Woman Kills Son With Axe, Boils Body in Lye
Herald Democrat, April 2, 1919 The first time I read the name, Eugene V. Debs, I thought it was a famous trial that I'd never heard of, and I started wondering, 'who is this Mr./Mrs. Eugene and what was their beef against Debs?' I think I need to read more books. Eugene Victor Debs (1855-1926), …
Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today: Eugene V. Debs, Martyr for Socialism
Pick and Sledge 