Historic Photo Retake: San Juan River near Bluff, 1925

By Brandt Hart This set of photographs was taken just west of Bluff. They clearly illustrate a lesson in changing vegetation and river ecology. In the top 1925 image, the San Juan River flows freely. The river then, for the most part, was unencumbered by dams and diversions upriver which allowed massive floods to routinely … Continue reading Historic Photo Retake: San Juan River near Bluff, 1925

Lefty’s Soap Box: Aphids and Ladybugs (March 1996)

Aphids are nasty little critters. Their joy is ganging up on the flowers of chiles and sucking all of the life out of them. Outdoors, at least in Bluff, aphids are seldom a problem. Sometimes they cluster on the flowers of the Siberian peas, but they are easily sprayed off with a hose, or the wind blows them off, or the ladybugs get them.

Spring Fever: The gardening bug bites (March 1996)

By Linda Richmond The days have been warm and sunny, the crocus and daffodils are blooming, the elm trees bloomed weeks ago, and local gardeners have the urge to plant something. In the vegetable garden, peas, lettuce and carrots can go in now. Surveying my meager compost pile, I wondered if I could plant a … Continue reading Spring Fever: The gardening bug bites (March 1996)

Historic Photo Retake: Valley of the San Juan, 1895

In a completely unplanned and odd astronomical coincidence, February 7, the date of Jay’s retake photo, is exactly the same number of days away from winter solstice as is November 4th, the date of the original photo. Therefore, the sun’s angle and the important shadows it casts are identical.

Lefty’s Soap Box: Spring planting, starting chiles, and other gardening tips (Feb. 1995)

Note: Lefty's Soap Box, a gardening column by former Canyon Echo editor Phil Hall, ran each month throughout the 1990s. If the weather keeps up like this February may become my favorite month. Good moisture, beautiful blue sky days, nights with crystal stars. During the week of the Presidents' birthdays we planted peas. The soil … Continue reading Lefty’s Soap Box: Spring planting, starting chiles, and other gardening tips (Feb. 1995)

Editorial: Commissioner Willie Grayeyes’ Residency Claim Rests on Far More than Cultural Beliefs

To understand why San Juan County Commissioner Willie Grayeyes’ Utah residency is in dispute, it helps to understand Piute Mesa, a remote strip of redrock that contains roughly 20 modular homes and traditional hogans, many of which lack running water and electricity. Driving from the mesa to the hamlet of Navajo Mountain, Utah, requires crossing … Continue reading Editorial: Commissioner Willie Grayeyes’ Residency Claim Rests on Far More than Cultural Beliefs

Historic Photo: Entering Bluff, June 1957

An interview with Melvin Gaines. Melvin has been a resident of Bluff since about 1932 when, at the age of one, he was brought to Bluff in the back of his father’s mule drawn wagon.