The Senior Voice - September 2007

The Senior

I O C V E September 2007

Local Attractions • Scenic Places • History • Money • Health • News

Longs Ghost Peak Town First Climbers

In Northern Colorado Cheyenne

Frontier Days Longs

Peak

Celebrating 111 Years

Pioneer Climbers Famous

Fossils

Outlaws The Dent In Early Archaeology Site Near Colorado Greeley

Skiing Money Steamboat Health Springs

News

2 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

Home Foreclosures

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By State Senator Steve Johnson

“F

oreclosure” is one of the most feared words any family can hear. Losing a home is a tragedy we all want to avoid. Foreclosures in Colorado have doubled since 2003. Some say Colorado ranks number one in the nation in foreclosures, with Weld County in northern Colorado and Adams County in the Denver area leading the way in our state. How did we get into this mess? There isn’t a single answer, but one key is that credit is easier to get, and many Americans are unfortunately finding themselves deeper and deeper in consumer debt. While it isn’t the government’s job to tell us how to spend or invest our money, many of us are concerned about the foreclosure epidemic in our state and our legitimate role in responding to it. Mortgage fraud is a part of the problem, and the legislature acted decisively last session to address this aspect. Working with Attorney General John

Suthers, we passed the Foreclosure Fraud Prevention Act, which requires mortgage brokers doing business in Colorado to be licensed with the state. Before this law passed, we were one of only two states that didn’t require brokers to register. Several other laws were passed for the purpose of regulating the mortgage broker industry. Last year, we created the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline to give buyers free advice. Anyone can call the hotline at 1877-601-4673. Many foreclosures in Colorado are cases where the mortgage payment exceeds half of the family income. Experts recommend it not exceed 30%. Seven in 10 foreclosures in Denver were no down payment loans. Many are adjustable rate loans, which sound good at first but may have much higher payments later that families can’t afford. ________________ You can call Sen. Steve Johnson in Fort Collins at 223-8045. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 3

First Longs Peak Climbers VOICE The Senior

Published Locally Since 1980

By Bill Lambdin VOL. 27, NO. 10

C

limbing Longs Peak near Estes Park is one of the great outdoor adventures in Colorado, and much history is associated with this magnificent mountain. Before Major Stephen Long’s expedition arrived in 1820, Indians had climbed the peak. Some early explorers said Arapahoes trapped eagles on its summit. Major Long did not climb it, though the peak is named for him. He followed the Platte River south along Colorado’s front range to Pikes Peak, discovered in 1806 by Lt. Zebulon Pike. The first known pioneers to climb Longs were John Wesley Powell and William Byers in 1868. Powell was the well known explorer of the Grand Canyon. Byers was editor of Denver ’s Rocky Mountain News, then an infant newspaper. They found a route up the west side of Longs above Grand Lake. Powell had lost his right arm in the Civil War and made this ascent with only one arm. The sheer east-facing diamond is so difficult that it was not climbed until 1960 by two professional climbers, Bob Camps and David Rearick. In 1978, Bill Forrest made the first solo diamond climb with no ropes, which must have been one of the scariest ascents made on Longs. Today thousands of people climb the mountain every summer, of all ages from 8 to 80. A good trail requiring no technical climbing skills is available. It’s about a 13-hour hike roundtrip. You gain nearly 5,000 feet from the trailhead to the lofty 14,255-foot summit of Longs. The mountain is the northernmost peak over 14,000 feet in the entire Rocky Mountain range. Professional climbers use the diamond route up the sheer east face of Longs, considered by many to be the most difficult climb in Colorado. But amateurs are warned to take the easier route. Nearly 50 people have died climbing Longs over the years, mostly from taking a wrong route, being careless or getting caught in a sudden storm. One of the early female climbers was Isabella Bird, an English adventuress who vividly described her experience in 1873.

www.theseniorvoice.net PUBLICATION INFORMATION The Senior Voice newspaper has been published locally the first of each month since 1980 for 40,000 residents age 50-plus.

ADVERTISING Advertising is sold by fractions of a page: One full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, etc. Ad deadlines vary for publication the first of each month. Discounts for multiple issues. For rates, call:

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Many people have died climbing Longs peak. Senior Voice photo. She wrote of “wild fantastic views opening continually—a recurrence of many surprises. The air is keener and purer with every mile...I would not exchange my memories of its perfect beauty and extraordinary sublimity for any other experience of mountaineering in any other part of the world.” Isabella’s guide was a trapper called Rocky Mountain Jim Nugent. She said the last part of the ascent was so demanding that “Jim dragged me up like a bale of goods, by sheer force of muscle.” Isabella described her adventure in letters to her sister and in a book called “A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains.” Some people speculated about a romance between her and Jim Nugent. She described him as very handsome, except for one side of his face that had been disfigured when he was mauled by a bear. “His manner was that of a chivalrous gentleman, his accent refined and his language easy

and elegant.” A man such as that would have been a rare find among the rough trappers and pioneers in the mountains at that time. Isabella was obviously attracted to Jim’s mysterious charms. But he was a mountain man, accustomed to surviving in a violent place. That had shaped his character and frightened Isabella. Today many people feel the way Isabella Bird did about Longs Peak and would not exchange their memories of climbing it for any other experience. The serenity at its summit, however, can change quickly because of sudden storms that appear out of nowhere. Those storms have proved devastating for some climbers. The mood of the mountain is like that of Rocky Mountain Jim—calm and charming one minute, violent and dangerous the next. ________________ COVER PICTURE: Longs Peak. Senior Voice photo. ■

EDITORIAL DEADLINE Announcements and stories must be received by the 10th of the month. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Senior Voice welcomes readers' letters and contributions. Enclose a self-addressed envelope and return postage to: The Senior Voice, 1471 Front Nine Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525, or email [email protected]. Typed, single-spaced manuscripts are preferred. Manuscripts will be treated with care, but The Senior Voice assumes no responsibility for damaged or lost material submitted by readers.

© Copyright 2007 The Senior Voice EDITORIAL OFFICE:

1471 Front Nine Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 223-9271 www.theseniorvoice.net No material may be reproduced by any means without permission of the publisher.

Dr. William Lambdin, Publisher

4 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

Frontier Days By Margaret Laybourn

T

hree drenching cloudbursts almost flooded the Cheyenne Frontier Days arena this past July but barely dampened the spirits of the contestants who wallowed in the mud vying for the $1 million purse, the biggest in the rodeo’s history. For 111 years, through recessions, depressions, wars and every kind of weather, the rodeo has never missed a performance. The celebration was originally conceived as a booster event for Cheyenne when Colorado was holding its harvest festivals like Potato Day in Greeley, Pickle Day in Ft. Collins, and the Pumpkin Pie Festival in Windsor. Since nothing grew on the windswept plains surrounding Cheyenne, the city fathers hit on the idea of a rodeo celebrating the cattle culture. Cowboys were invited to come to

town and compete in bronc busting, steer wrestling and wild horse racing. The first year of the rodeo could have been its last. Wild horses were found about 40 miles from Cheyenne and herded into a corral at the park. They were milling around nervous and excited. A cowboy tried to rope one, and they stampeded. They broke out of the corral, ran up the race track, veered into the bleachers and broke through them. There was screaming and panic in the crowd, but no one was hurt. The second year was also nearly a disaster. Rain came down in torrents for over an hour, and water was six inches deep on the race track. The cowboys thought it was too dangerous to ride in the mud and wanted to postpone the show.

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Early wild horse race at Frontier Days. Wyoming History Museum. Clarence Richardson, head of the race committee, found a young woman, Miss Bertha Kaspernick, who had entered the bronc busting contest and asked her to do a demonstration ride in front of the grandstand. She accepted the challenge and rode one of the worst broncos until he went over backwards in the mud. She deftly slid off him and remounted as he regained his

footing; then she rode him down. The crowd went wild with excitement, and she shamed the cowboys into going ahead with the wild horse race. It was then that Clarence cast the dye for the future when he shouted triumphantly, “Come hell or high-water, this show will go on!” And so it has for 111 years in old Cheyenne. ■

Medicare Premiums By Scott Burns Financial Writer Q: Could you tell me how the change in Medicare premiums occurred after all these years of always being the same for everyone but is now indexed to income? I happened to make a transfer to a Roth IRA in 2005 and now have an additional monthly charge for Medicare coverage for this year. Had I known of the change in Medicare charges, I would have considered the added Medicare charge in my tax planning. A: Many people have been surprised by the premium increase, but it’s here and it’s real. While the monthly premium for most people (singles with income under $80,000 and couples with income under $160,000) is $93.50 for this year, it will go as high as $162.10 for singles with income above $200,000 and couples with income above $400,000. Somehow, I don’t see a mass protest movement based on this since the increase is modest relative to income, and most retirees will

pay the base amount. This is the third step our government has made to take back some of the benefits politicians of both parties have promised while seeking election. The first was the initial taxation of Social Security benefits during the Reagan administration. The second was the increase in taxation of Social Security benefits during the Clinton administration. I think we can expect more weaseling on promises from politicians of both ilks as more boomers retire. Many people who are retiring will get snagged for higher Medicare premiums because the premiums are based on 2005 reported income, not your income in 2007. Fortunately, it is possible to dispute your increase. You can find all the basic information online at www.ssa.gov/pubs/10162.html. ________________ Scott Burns is an MIT graduate and longtime financial writer for The Dallas Morning News and other papers. Send questions to: [email protected]. ■

The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 5

Free Rides to VA Hospital

V

eterans’ offices in Fort Collins and Greeley offer free van rides for veterans to VA hospitals in Denver and Cheyenne. A van from Greeley goes to Cheyenne five days a week, Monday-Friday, at 7 am from 1830 8th Avenue. A van goes to Denver the same days at 8 am from the same location. You must call 48 hours in advance to arrange a ride. The phone number in Greeley is 970-352-6188. The Fort Collins van goes to

Denver Monday-Friday and makes stops in Loveland, Berthoud, Longmont and Dacono. Another van goes from Fort Collins to Cheyenne, also Monday-Friday, with stops in Loveland and Wellington. Call 970484-1795. Ron Meyer, DAV Commander in Fort Collins, said the groups need volunteers as van drivers and office help. You can call the above numbers for more information, preferably in the mornings. ■

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66 •• September September 2007 2007 •• The The Senior Senior Voice Voice

Federal Spending By U.S. Senator Wayne Allard

T

he federal government has been on a century long growth spurt and is poised to rapidly outgrow the ability of our children and grandchildren to afford it. Just a century ago, federal spending equaled 2.8 percent of our entire gross domestic product. Today, that figure is fast approaching 20 percent. Only 40 percent of the $2.7 trillion that the government will spend this year is discretionary funding used for traditional government functions such as education, roads and national defense. The remaining 60 percent consists almost entirely of entitlement spending, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment payments and food stamps. Unlike annual discretionary spending, entitlement spending operates on autopilot and does not require action from Congress. Ironically, it is that same Congressional inaction that is threatening the long-term sustainability of these programs due to the well-known fact that the autopilot is set on an unsustainable course. For example, if the rate of growth is left unchecked, spending on just three entitlement programs—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—is set to exceed the historical amount of all federal spending by 2030. Over the course of the next 75 years, these three programs alone will represent a

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$67 trillion unfunded liability—$27 trillion more than all of the taxes collected in U.S. history. We cannot and should not tax our way out of this problem. A 2007 study by the Congressional Budget Office found that if health care costs continue to grow 2.5 percentage points faster than GDP—as they have for the past 40 years—tax rates would need to increase 160 percent to pay for entitlement programs. Such onerous tax rates would bring our economy to a grinding halt. Taxing and spending is not the answer. The first step is to responsibly reign in the rate of growth of both discretionary and entitlement spending. This year ’s federal budget presented the new democratic majority with a historic opportunity to do so. Officials ranging from the Chairman of the Federal Reserve to the head of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office testified urging the need for budget reform. Unfortunately, the democratic majority passed a budget that contemplates raising taxes by $700 billion. Congress should ensure the solvency of important entitlement programs for current and future generations and pass down to the next generation a government that they can afford. ________________ You can call Sen. Allard’s Loveland office at 461-3530. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 7

We Will All Pay for Unwise Lending By Scott Burns Financial Writer

O

ur friends in the lending business have, once again, lent us into a period of misery that may last longer than we want to contemplate. Remember the REIT bust of the late ‘70s? It was driven by carelessly generous lending. The big commercial banks fell over each other making big loans to real estate developers. The developers built whatever they wanted to build. Each assumed that their project would be successful even when it was clear that many projects would not be occupied for years. When that bust ended, I remember attending a shareholder’s meeting where the esteemed Cabot, Cabot and Forbes Land Trust declared it was no longer capable of paying its dividend. Too much got built too fast. Or how about the S&L bust of the ‘80s? That bit of excess wiped out the entire savings and loan industry and sent a mega-billion-dollar bill to Congress, which you and I collectively pay. Today, yet another wave of Nitwit Lending has put the entire financial system at hazard, and the subprime mortgage mess is only part of the problem. The rising wave of adjustable mortgage rate resets is a larger problem. Resets scheduled for next February and March alone will be more than all the resets in the first six months of this year, $197 billion.

Talk about moments of truth. That’s when many owners will become renters and many lenders will become harried owner/sellers. Then, not now, is when the housing market should start to bottom. It’s also when consumers will be tightest with their spending, so we’re likely to see a weaker economy than we see today. It would be easy to Armageddonize this, and you can read plenty of blogs doing just that. But it’s really just an unnecessary replay of earlier surges of Nitwit Lending. We’re going to have to tough it out. What’s the lesson here? The lending sector has proven itself to be unrelentingly dull-witted altogether too often. If they aren’t smart enough to change their behavior, we have to change ours. First, don’t borrow money just because a lender makes it available. Second, ask yourself whether you’ll be able to pay it back. Your lender is clueless; so it’s up to you to know. Third, don’t plan on being able to sell anything quickly or easily, because these jokers can’t be relied on to provide a steady and reasonable flow of financing. When their own foolishness comes back to bite them, they invariably make things worse by reducing lending, making a bad situation worse. Watch them do it now. They will call it “prudence.” ________________

Scott Burns is a longtime financial writer for The Dallas Morning News

and other papers. You can send questions to: [email protected]. ■

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8 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

State Medicaid Services C

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olorado ranked low among states that provide services to Medicaid recipients, according to a report from the Public Citizen Health Research Group. Medicaid (not Medicare) is a combined state and federal program that provides health care to lowincome people. The report said states vary greatly in how they determine Medicaid eligibility and provide services. The lowest ranking states included Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Mississippi, Missouri, South

Carolina, Indiana and Alabama. The higher ranking states included Nebraska, Massachusetts, Vermont, Alaska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Vermont. Researchers said no states actually received high ratings and that even the top rated states provide mediocre services to Medicaid recipients. “Federal standards are so inadequate that no state has a truly excellent Medicaid program,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen, a non-partisan, consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C. ■

Benefit Cuts for Retirees?

W

hat’s happening to retiree benefits in Orange County, California, might be an indication of what could happen to county and city retirees in other places nationwide. Many state and local governments have promised retiree pensions and health care benefits they cannot deliver in the future, according to analysts surveyed by the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. Orange County officials recently

told county retirees they will have to pay twice as much for their health care coverage as they were paying. They also told them pensions will be reduced for some retired employees. The county faces a $3.7 billion shortfall over the next 30 years for funding of retiree pensions and health care, said officials. They blamed this on pension packages that were too generous, spiraling medical costs and increased longevity among retirees. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 9

Towns Named for Frontier Soldiers

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COLORADO GRANDPARENTS: Lt. Caspar Collins, standing on the ground second from left, with others at Fort Laramie in 1864. Wyoming History Museum. By Peggy Hunt

C

asper, Wyoming, and Fort Collins, Colorado, were named for two frontier soldiers from the same family—Col. William O. Collins and his son Lt. Caspar Collins. One survived the Indian wars of the 1800s; the other did not. Col. William Collins was the commander of the famous Fort Laramie in eastern Wyoming when he established a military camp in 1864 along the Poudre River in northern Colorado, which became Fort Collins. He later retired after serving in the 11th Ohio Cavalry. His son, Caspar, was stationed at a camp called Platte Bridge at what became the town of Casper (with a spelling change). On July 26, 1865, Lt. Caspar Collins rode out with 25 soldiers to protect a wagon train headed for the camp. He knew that hundreds

of Indians were in the area. Caspar and his troops suddenly found themselves surrounded by warriors, shooting rifles and arrows at close range from thundering horses. The fighting was so close that the combatants could almost reach out and touch each other. As Caspar and his men raced back to the camp, he was shot in the hip. He was able to keep riding and might have made it if he had not stopped to help a wounded soldier get up on his horse. The warriors caught up and killed both of them. Most of the other soldiers survived. Caspar ’s friend, a soldier named Jim, later said Caspar knew he would not get back alive when he left camp that day. He told Jim, “Here is my cap that you have admired. Keep it to remember me by.” Today he is remembered by the town that bears his name. ■

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10 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

Dent Archaeology Site by Greeley

By Rich Savino

A

dozen or so mammoths, mostly females with their frightened young by their sides, found themselves trapped in the mud of a narrow draw close to the South Platte River near Greeley. Their 14-foot tusks flailed wildly in the air, their frantic cries pierced the biting cold. Above them stood

men excitedly waving long spears, their fur-clothed bodies darting from rock to rock, careful not to slip downward and into the carnage that was about to unfold. Soon, mammoth fur became indistinguishable from that of the Clovis hunters whose flint spear points pierced through the mammoths’ hide and flesh. One by one, the shrieking giants, some nearly 12 feet tall, rolled

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Model of a prehistoric creature (not a mammoth) whose bones were found near Greeley. Hazel Johnson Collection. over until they all lay dead or dying. Then the butchering began in earnest. No one knows how the mammoths became trapped in the mud nearly 11,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age—or how many Clovis hunters took part in the slaughter. Did the animals actually perish in that draw, or were they killed elsewhere and their bones washed downstream in some long ago flooding? What we do know is based on the archaeological evidence left behind. The discovery was the first of its kind in the New World when Frank Garner, an employee of the Union Pacific Railroad, woke one morning in 1932 and set out to check a remote section of track near Milliken. The protruding bones he found would eventually turn the archaeological community on its ear, due more to missed opportunity than anything else. Had archaeologists known exactly what they had in their possession at Dent, an entire cultural phenomenon would have changed— people would be referring to that juncture of history as the Dent rather than the Clovis culture. Their stone spear points would have been called Dent, not Clovis points. Excavations were undertaken first by Regis University, then by the Denver Museum. Among the skeletal remains that Garner discovered, and Father Bilgery and Dr. J. D. Figgins excavated later that year, were three large spear points found embedded in the animals’ remains—the first undeniable proof that man hunted and

killed large mammoths. Up until that time, man was thought to have salvaged only from the weaker and more infirmed members of the herds, and did not hunt the large beasts in organized fashion for food. The archaeologists didn’t make it widely known what they had found. It was not until a few years after their initial Dent excavations that they realized what they had. By then other artifacts found near Clovis, New Mexico, were given that town’s namesake. Thus the term Clovis came into accepted fashion for the culture and artifacts that existed 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Now 2007 marks the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the Dent Site. Remarkably, a silent movie taken of the excavation in 1933 still survives. Unfortunately however, one of the three original points found at Dent was lost or stolen sometime during the 1940s. Little has changed at Dent since 1932. The area is now a dairy farm, and the Union Pacific’s tracks still run through the site. In fact, several mammoth skeletons are believed to be buried beneath those tracks, awaiting some future archaeologist’s discovery. You can see the original mammoth bones from the site and thousands of other artifacts at the Loveland Stone Age Fair, September 29 and 30, at the Pulliam Building, 545 North Cleveland Avenue, in Loveland. It is free to the public. For information, see www.stoneagefair.com or call 303-938-6326. ■

The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 11

Glaucoma Testing Questioned

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hould you have your eyes tested for glaucoma? Maybe if there is a family history of the eye disease, according to experts like Dr. Dunbar Hoskins at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, affecting over 2 million people in the United States. About 130,000 of them will go blind from it. Most of the people who have glaucoma do not know they have it. There are no early symptoms or warning signs. Early diagnosis and treatment can stop its progression and usually result in a cure. But early diagnosis can be difficult. Tests are not always accurate, and there are some risks associated with treatment. Those problems led a recent federal task force (The United States Preventive Services Task Force) to not recommend early screening. Some experts disagree; so screening for glaucoma remains controversial. ■

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12 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

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Events and Exhibits

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he Greeley Keen-Age Singers will celebrate their 20th anniversary September 28, 2:30 pm, at the Greeley Senior Center by performing songs, providing refreshments and a photo show. The group gives free concerts throughout Colorado and in several other states each year for community groups and private organizations. For information, call Nancy Triplett at 3307426 or Sheri Lobmeyer at 350-9440. Events at Red Feather Lakes (at library unless otherwise noted): • September 1, 8 am to 4 pm, Friends of the Library book sale. Call 8812664 for information. • September 4-5, short course on infectious diseases presented by Dr. Charles Calisher from CSU. Call 8812510. • September 10, 8 am and 1 pm, community golf tournament at Fox Acres, benefits Red Feather library, school and Lions Club Park. Call 8812510. • September 22, 1 pm, Japanese tea ceremony demonstration by Linda Butin. Register by September 15. Call 881-2664.

• September 27, 2-3:30 pm, free computer class on digital camera basics. Call 881-2664. In Loveland, the Women’s Resource Center will present its eighth annual “Women Rock” concert, October 20, 7:30 pm, at the Rialto Theatre. Performer is national blues recording artist EG Kight. Tickets are $25. Call 970-217-0512, email [email protected]. Farr Library in Greeley will offer free computer classes September 4-6 (computer basics); September 11-13 (Windows basics); September 18-20 (Internet basics). Microsoft Word basics will be offered September 25 at Park Library, September 26 at Lincoln Park Library, and September 27 at Farr Library. Online genealogy basics will be offered September 28 at Centennial Park Library. Call 506-8518. Friends of the Fort Collins Library will hold their annual used book sale, October 5-7, at the Foothills Mall during mall hours. For information, call Rosemary Galpin, 232-9490. ■

Avoid Sitting for Many Hours

S

itting for several hours in an airplane, car or other vehicle could cause deep vein thrombosis, a potentially dangerous condition that results in blood clots, according to research from the World Health Organization. Researchers said people should not sit for more than four hours, especially those who are obese, on birth control pills, whose feet do not touch the floor, and those who often take long airplane flights. Without regular muscle contractions, blood can pool in the legs and cause a clot in deep veins. You might have no symptoms. If the clot travels to the lung, it could block blood flow and possibly result in death. That is rare, but it does happen occasionally, said researchers. To avoid the problem, people should walk around or exercise calf muscles by moving the feet and ankles. ■

Beautiful Trees

The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 13

By Arlene Ahlbrandt

T

hirty years ago, Fort Collins was proclaimed a Tree City USA, one of 120 cities nationwide with the designation. We can thank the early settlers for the beautiful trees we have. Some pioneers brought tree seeds along with them in covered wagons. When the military post was located here in 1864, there were very few trees because this is a semi-arid region. The city has over 120 different trees that are named by the forestry office. In the original town plot, east-west streets were given the names of trees; northsouth streets were named for pioneers. Some of the most common

Two Ahlbrandt boys under the shade of a big old tree. deciduous trees here are elm, ash, cottonwood and linden. The official tree for the state of Colorado is the blue spruce, named for its blue-

colored foliage. The needle-leaf trees like the spruce can tolerate drought and cold winter conditions. ■

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14 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

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dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of short people living in the house. John met a woman while on vacation and fell in love with her. On the last night of his vacation, the two of them went to dinner and had a serious talk about how they would continue their relationship. “It’s only fair to warn you, I’m a golf nut,” John said. “I eat, sleep and breathe golf. If that’s a problem, you’d better say so now.” She replied, “Since we’re being honest, I should tell you I’m a hooker.” John thought for a moment, then he said, “It’s probably because you’re not keeping your left wrist firm when you hit the ball.” Some one-liners: • Police were called to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest. • A store gave out dead batteries free of charge. • A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement; and he became a hardened criminal. • Definition of a will: a dead giveaway Members of an Indian tribe asked their new chief if they were going to have a cold winter. The chief had no idea, but he figured he should make an impression as a new chief; so he said, “It’s going to be a cold winter. Gather firewood.” Later he called the National Weather Service where a forecaster said, “We expect a cold winter.” The chief told the tribe to gather more firewood. Later he called the weather service again, and the forecaster said, “Yes, we expect a winter colder than usual.” The chief told the tribe to gather much more firewood. Later he called the weather service again, and the forecaster said, “We expect an extremely cold winter.” “How do you know?” asked the chief. The forecaster said, “The Indians are gathering firewood like crazy.” ■

First Settlers in Longmont By Lois Hall

T

he town of Longmont was named for nearby Longs Peak by shortening Longs Mountain to Longmont. In 1871 Longmont’s first settlers held a meeting, decided on the name, and announced: “The executive council have been careful to select a name for the new town which should embrace or suggest some leading and permanent feature of interest. Among all the imposing objects that help make up that picture of unrivaled beauty and grandeur which will forever greet the eye, first and foremost stands Longs Peak, and the name Longmont has therefore been decided as most appropriate.” It was a good choice. From the north side of town, you have an impressive view of the 14,255-foot mountain that dominates Colorado’s northern front range. It must have been even more impressive to pioneers who crossed the barren, dusty plains to get to Colorado. To them, it probably was what the founders said: “a picture of unrivaled beauty.” Longmont’s founders had come all the way from Chicago in 1871 to establish a “temperance” colony like the one established a year before at Greeley. They wanted no drinking or saloons in the new town. The colony’s organizers wanted “moral” and “industrious” families who would be willing to endure the hardships of the frontier. They called themselves the “Chicago-Colorado Colony.” Those who signed up paid a $150 membership fee, which went to purchase land and pay expenses of starting the town. They also had to pay for their own transportation to Colorado, homebuilding costs, furniture, supplies and business equipment. So it was not a group of downand-out people who made that journey West in 1871. About 200 of them raised $150,000 among their members—an impressive sum in those days. But why did they come? The gold rush was over. There were still threats from Indians, unknown elements and harsh conditions. Remaining in the civilized Midwest would have been more comfortable.

They came, in part, because after 1865 the Civil War had left the nation in an economic depression and many families were uprooted or forced to seek new ways of making a living. Tuberculosis in the East was widespread, and many hoped to get away from that deadly disease. But the most important reasons were the chance to buy land at reasonable prices, own businesses, and pursue their dreams of independence. And the view from Longmont is still a picture of unrivaled beauty. ■

The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 15

Longmont’s first church, built in 1875. Longmont Museum.

16 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

History of Encampment, Wyoming By Bill Lambdin

I

f you like Wyoming history, you might enjoy Candy Moulton’s book “The Grand Encampment: Settling the High Country.” It’s about the little town of Encampment in southern Wyoming and the famous Ferris-Haggarty Copper Mine there. It also deals with early settlers, ranches, lumberjacks, and pioneer towns like Battle, Swan and places that no longer exist. Moulton tells about a time outlaw Butch Cassidy and his gang came to Encampment. They heard about the big payroll brought to the mine and probably considered stealing it. They didn’t, but they did show up one day: “They stopped at the store to get supplies,” said Moulton. “About an hour after the gang departed from the community, a mounted posse rode in from Rawlins. The gang reportedly stashed some leather mail pouches along the (mine) tram route near Bridger Peak and then the outlaws separated.”

A stagecoach at Encampment. From Candy Moulton’s book. She also discusses Buffalo Bill ranches, which then totaled about pioneer ranches was in the area. The Cody’s investment in one of the 40,000 acres. They also bought the huge Swan Ranch extended from area’s copper mines, noting that he A Bar A guest ranch in the same Chugwater north of Cheyenne all the lost an estimated $60,000. That was area and used it to host an annual way to Baggs west of Encampment. just one of several bad investments gathering of executives from the The Swan family trailed their first Cody made during his lifetime. They aerospace industry. herd of longhorns to the Encampment eventually left him nearly broke The Gates family and other corpovalley in 1880 and ran up to 10,000 when he was old. rate ranchers in the area have helped head there for several years. One of Wyoming’s famous the little town of Encampment If you’ve been south of the develop a fine western history Encampment and Saratoga area, museum. Saratoga also has one. you’ve seen the signs along the road Moulton’s 240-page book (with for the Big Creek Ranch and State many photos) is available for $19.95 Line Ranch. In the late 1880s, from High Plains Press, PO Box Barney Hunter brought Texas cattle 123, Glendo, Wyoming 82213; to the Big Creek where he and his phone 800-552-7819; email family eventually owned thousands [email protected]; or see of acres, extending from Saratoga www.highplainspress.com. nearly to Walden in northern Moulton is a native of the Colorado, said Moulton. Encampment area and has done The ranch included what was later careful research on it. She has also called the State Line Ranch. The written numerous other books, owners developed such a good including “A Roadside History of system of irrigation that their hay Wyoming,” and many articles for fields at one time produced nearly newspapers and magazines. She one-fourth of all the hay in Wyoming. lives on a local ranch with her In 1967 the Gates Rubber husband and children. ■ Company family bought the

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 17

Colorado Crosswords

Rocky Mountain Travel King

By Tony Donovan

PANAMA CANAL

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ACROSS

DOWN

1. DIA predecessor 9. Independence is the highest one 13. Area near Moab, UT famous for unique rock formations 14. Watch ___. 16. LaRue of old oaters 17. Type of skiing 18. Logan County site east of Sterling 20. Membership payments 22. Stevedores’ org. 23. Cable offering for the younger set (abbr.) 24. Price tag abbr. 25. Teammate of Allen and Marcus 28. What the DEA might do during a raid 29. Pasta topping 32. High flyers 35. Diet and exercise might help this 37. This town is partly in Weld and Boulder counties 38. Fall bloomer 39. Armstrong or Simon 40. Greeley neighbor 42. Ultimatum words 44. Utah ski area 45. The Omni or Pepsi Center 47. Northern Colorado town east of I-25 near where a Japanese balloon bomb exploded in 1945 49. Ms. Gardner of filmdom 51. Greeley campus (abbr.) 53. Eggs, scientifically 54. Mine entrance 55. Link up with 58. Town mentioned in the 50s song, “That’s Amore” 60. Honeymooners’ or vacationers’ destination 61. Son of the Egyptian sun god, Ra 62. County between El Paso County and Las Animas County 63. ___ ___ time! (Never) 64. Jefferson County locale’ named for the abundant trees in the area

1.

ANSWERS

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 10. 11. 12. 15. 19. 21. 25. 26. 27. 28. 30. 31. 33. 34. 35. 36. 41. 43. 45. 46. 48. 49. 50. 52. 54. 56. 57. 58. 59.

Site of Chivington’s raid in 1864 against the Cheyenne Browns and Brookies Farms are measured in these Smart guys, briefly Greeting in #60 across Computer key This product contains DEET Good news provided by a title search Clay, later on Telluride’s county Airman first class might be promoted to this rank (abbr.) Bronco running back named Mike Native New Zealander Linkletter or Carney Stick for Minnesota Fats Office type in early Leadville or Central City Vail neighbor and key link of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Benefited by Divine Providence, maybe Lake ___ near Cameron Pass Former Aspen resident who authored Trinity For a rectangle the formula is L x W Brownie’s destiny? ___ Range Mt. Elbert’s is 14,433 Weld County locale’ between Greeley and Ault Sound made by a fan? Site of internment of people of Japanese descent named for the daughter of a Cheyenne chief who was killed at #1 down Hearing aid? Currier’s partner Sun dried bricks of clay and straw Mud ___ where the mighty Casey struck out “Final Four” org. Copy cat Diarist Anais ___ of erotica fame The number “8” on a phone “All things Considered” airer, for short Calendar page, for short

Colorado Crosswords are created exclusively for The Voice by Tony Donovan, who lives in Loveland.

SOUTH AMERICA

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PARIS

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18 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

Health Privacy Law By Peggy Hunt

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any families have been incorrectly denied information about a member’s medical condition because nurses and other health providers don’t understand the patient privacy law. The law, known as Hipaa (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), is often used as an excuse for denying important and even necessary information to families, according to research reported in The New York Times. Health providers are so afraid of being sued for violating Hipaa that some do ridiculous things to protect patients’ identity, such as using code names to call them up in a doctor’s office: “Patient alpha, the doctor will see you now.” Birthday parties in some nursing homes have been cancelled because staff were afraid of revealing residents’ date of birth, said the Times. Nurses in an emergency room did not call parents of some sick students because they feared they would be giving out confidential information. The Hipaa law does not say infor-

mation should be denied family members, but providers sometimes become overly defensive and figure it’s best to error on the side of caution than be sued for violating patients’ privacy rights. Hipaa regulations can be confusing; nurses and other providers often don’t get adequate training in the regulations, said researchers. And it’s easy for providers to adopt a big-brother attitude by saying privacy laws won’t allow them to divulge information. That can be very frustrating for family members who, under the law, have every right to information. Hipaa was never intended to deny families information. It was originally designed to help people take their health insurance coverage with them when they changed jobs, and keep their medical information private when they did that. Unfortunately, government officials have added countless interpretations to the law since it passed in 1996. Now doctors, hospital administrators and other providers are concerned that they will be charged with breaking the law. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 19

Check Defibrillator Often

H

eart patients with implanted defibrillators need to have those devices checked often, say researchers in a report published in the journal Circulation. The wires in defibrillators aren’t as reliable as many people assume. In fact, there is a 20 percent defect rate in the wires. The longer a patient has a defibrillator, the greater the risk of wire defects due simply to wear and tear. Common causes of wire failure include insulation problems (56

percent), fractured wires (12 percent), sensing failures (10 percent), and electrical circuit problems (10 percent). Defibrillators should be checked once a month, said researchers. Recent technology makes it possible to run continual checks through bedside monitors that transmit data to manufacturers. In spite of problems, researchers say defibrillators are valuable, lifesaving devices for the 70,000 Americans who use them. ■

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Low Morale Among British Docs

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ore than half of England’s doctors say morale in their profession is very low, and they blame constant government healthcare changes for the problem. An online survey of over 1,400 doctors by “Hospital Magazine” showed that only 2 percent of them said morale was excellent.

Nearly 70 percent said they would not recommend a career in medicine to friends or family. England’s healthcare system is run by the government, which some American politicians recommend for the United States. But this survey provides fuel to critics of a government-run system. ■

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20 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

North Park in the 1800s By Bill Lambdin

“P

egleg Smith, a famous beaver trapper of the 1820s and 30s, traveled through North Park (Colorado) in 1827 with a party of trappers. “A band of Indians attacked them, and in the fight an arrow struck Smith in the leg just above the ankle, causing a compound fracture. “When Smith stepped toward a tree to pick up his gun, the shattered leg bone stuck in the ground. His companions were unwilling to amputate the leg; so Smith, using a butcher knife, did it himself. “Milton Sublette, who was one of the party, then helped him finish the job by searing the stump with a redhot iron to stop the bleeding... The trappers carried him westward from North Park in a litter between two horses, finally reaching Green River... “While there, after his leg had healed, Smith fashioned a wooden leg for himself. After that, he went by the name of Pegleg Smith...” That is an excerpt from Hazel Gresham’s “North Park,” a book about the pioneers in the area around Walden, Colorado, west of Fort Collins. It is one of the finest local history books in northern Colorado, with hundreds of photographs and

Walden pioneers traveling by horse and buggy. Photo Hazel Gresham’s book. many pages of stories about early settlers and ranch families. If some of your family were from North Park, you’ll definitely want this book. If not, you’ll still enjoy the good writing and historical photographs in it. Gresham helped establish the North Park Museum in Walden years ago as a descendant of a pioneer family there. Her grandfather, Sam Brownlee, arrived in 1879 after working as a young cowboy on the Texas Trail. “Sam and Maude (Gresham’s grandmother) were married at Old Fort Saunders near Laramie City, Wyoming,” said Gresham. “When they were first married, Sam insisted on using his boots for a pillow, as he had done so many years on the Texas Trail. Finally Maude made him a pillow stuffed tight and hard, which he always used.” Gresham’s book also discusses Kit Carson, Jim Bridger and other mountain men who were in North Park in the early 1800s. Plus the Indians who lived there long before the ranchers and Teller City gold

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miners arrived. You can still reach the old ghost town of Teller City south of Gould. Gresham recalled the time a group of trappers encountered Chief Colorow, who didn’t want white settlers moving into North Park: “The chief took their visit as a personal insult, greeting the party with a gruff salutation, ‘You go!’ “As they made no move to go, the order was repeated with even more emphasis. Johnny Kite undertook to argue the matter with Colorow, who struck him over the head with a whip. “Colorow was accompanied by about 30 warriors, so it is needless to say the party did not molest North Park beaver on that trip.” Gresham also recalled a story by pioneer John Ish, about the time he and a companion were hauling elk they had killed from North Park to Fort Collins, intending to sell the meat and make a little money. Ish said: “A fellow by the name of Robertson went with me. He had a four-horse team and a heavy wagon.

I had just one team and a regular wagon. “I had four elk on my load and they were big ones, about 400 pounds each. Robertson had at least eight... “The road was steep, and his wheel brakes didn’t hold. His outfit went faster and faster down the hill, and when they came to a sharp turn, over it went, spilling Robertson and his load of frozen elk down the hill. “I expected to find him killed, and my heart stood still. But almost instantly, he bobbed up, his pipe still in his teeth.” Gresham’s book is the definitive history of North Park and a valuable addition to any Colorado collection. It contains 400 pages, with many photos, and sells for $35 plus $5 mailing, from the North Park Museum, PO Box 1174, Walden, CO 80480, phone 970-723-3282. If you’re in Walden, see the museum. It will surprise you with its fine collections and exhibits. It is two blocks west of the main street, on Logan Street, behind the court house. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 21

Eureka: Ghost Town in Colorado By Peggy Hunt

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olorado has many ghost towns that are fun to discover when you’re hiking or driving in the mountains, and they can put you in touch with the state’s colorful past. Eureka and Animas Forks were located near present-day Silverton in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. An early writer described a dance at Eureka in 1877: “Soon the damsels began to arrive, some on burros and some on foot. “The music was provided by a fiddle and banjo, and the ball opened with the ‘San Juan Polka,’ which resembled a Sioux war dance... “The ironclads of the miners began to raise the dust of the floor so that before long it was impossible to tell what was what... “Groundhog was the chief dish at the late supper, which also served big ox, gravy, bacon, coffee, tea and

Eureka in its heyday. Colorado Historical Society. a large variety of pies and cakes. After this light repast, the dance resumed till morning.” That was a good description of

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an cancer treatments cause some tumors to spread? Researchers writing in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation believe they can. They say cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation appear to raise levels of a compound called TGF-beta, which could cause cancers to spread after treatment is completed. The researchers, at Vanderbilt University, are experimenting with an antibody to block TGF-beta. They said, “The repopulation and progression of tumors after anti-cancer therapy is a well recognized phenomenon.” They suspect that removing the primary tumor allows other, undetectable tumors to grow. They hope to develop drugs that interfere with TGF-beta, but they are not sure TGFbeta is the only problem. “It probably isn’t just TGF-beta that is having this effect,” they said. Other compounds, such as “immune system signaling chemicals” may also be causing the problem. ■

a typical dance in an 1800s mining town, except the writer omitted the quantities of liquor required to wash down the dust. Eureka was established in 1860 eight miles northeast of Silverton. The huge Sunnyside Mine there was one of the largest producers in the West, operating continuously until 1931 and pouring out millions of dollars worth of gold. Eureka’s population reached 250 at one time. It wasn’t deserted until 1937; so it is one of Colorado’s most recent ghost towns. Animas Forks was four miles north of Eureka on what is now a jeep road to Lake City from Silverton (over Cinnamon Pass). That jeep road was originally a stagecoach road, and Animas Forks

was at one time the highest town in America, sitting at 11,584 feet. The location meant that it had unbearably harsh winters and dangerous snowslides. In 1884 a blizzard that lasted nearly a month dumped 25 feet of snow on the town—in addition to the rest of the snow that fell that winter. A handful of miners holed up in a saloon and kept the economy going by beating each other at cards. At a nearby valley, an entire mountain side of snow came down and left a 250-foot-deep snow bank that was nearly a half mile wide. One early writer said of Animas Forks: “The population reached 400 in the summer but dropped to a dozen men, three women and 20 dogs in the winter.” ■

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22 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

For the Fun of It

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husband came home late one night after drinking with friends, and his wife assaulted him with a broom. As he ran around the house trying to escape, he yelled to her, “Are you still cleaning or flying somewhere?” After a holiday, an elementary teacher asked the children how they spent their vacation. One child wrote: We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona. Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles and wear name tags because they don’t know who they are. They go to a building called the wrecked center, but they must have got it fixed because it is okay

now. They do exercises there, but they don’t do them very well. In the swimming pool, they all jump up and down with hats on. At their gate, there is a doll house with a man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out and go cruising in their golf carts. Nobody cooks; they just eat out. And they eat the same thing every night: Early Birds. Some of the people can’t get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center and call it pot luck. My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out so they can visit their grandchildren. ■

Some Need Extra Vitamin D

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ature people often do not get enough vitamin D, according to a report in the Journal of Gerontology. Researchers studied nearly 1,000 people over age 65 and concluded that at least 25 percent of Americans in that age group have insufficient vitamin D levels. People normally get the vitamin from exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and from foods such as fortified milk, juices and cereals.

It’s difficult for mature people to get enough vitamin D from their diet, and their skin is less able to produce it from sun exposure, said the researchers. They recommend people age 50 to 70 get at least 400 international units of vitamin D daily; those over age 70 need 600 units. The vitamin is important for bone health and muscle strength, and it may protect against colds, diabetes and other problems. ■

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recent study of hormone therapy says women over age 60 should not use it, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study also said that women over 60 are at greater risk of heart attacks if they experience hot flashes and night sweats, regardless of whether or not they take hormone therapy. The study included more than

27,000 women ages 50 to 79. A major purpose was to determine if the hormone therapy drug Prempro could prevent heart attacks, but researchers concluded that it could not. In fact, they said Prempro increased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer. Researchers said women in their 50s could probably take hormone therapy with little risk, but they should not continue it after age 60. ■

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The Senior Voice • September 2007 • 23

Snow Shoe Itinerant By Bill Lambdin

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ohn Dyer was a courageous pioneer who became Colorado’s most famous mountain preacher, braving winter blizzards and traveling alone in the wilderness to reach mining towns in the 1800s. Known as the “snowshoe itinerant,” Dyer preached in saloons, tents or wherever he could convince the rough miners to listen. He usually walked from one mining camp to the other, with no gun to protect him from outlaws, bears or other dangers. In winter, he often crossed the mountains at night when the snow was crusted over and would hold his weight. He used a pair of crude Norwegian skis about eight feet long, which he made himself. He sometimes slept on the ground in a buffalo robe. He was a powerful man. If he hadn’t been, the elements would have killed him because he was nearly 50 years old when he began his career as a circuit-riding preacher in Colorado. Born in 1812, Dyer grew up in Ohio and Illinois with little education but a strong Methodist background. He worked in lead mines in Wisconsin and later wrote, “I had nothing but my hands to depend on.” When his wife died, leaving him with five children, he was

despondent. He decided to make a new start by becoming a preacher and headed for the wilds of Colorado in 1861, two years after the gold rush began. At Omaha, he had to sell his horse. He walked the next 600 miles to Denver. Then he walked another 100 miles to the mining camps in South Park, near presentday Fairplay and Breckenridge. He made the 100-mile walk from South Park to Denver several times. He could do it in two and one-half days, even when he was over 50. He earned a living as best he could, but most miners were poor and left little in the collection plate. Sometimes families gave him sugar, flour or whatever they could spare. He worked at odd jobs. One winter he carried mail over 13,000foot Mosquito Pass to Leadville. He made a little money, but it was a hard, dangerous job. He continued to preach for years in spite of personal losses that tested his faith. One of his sons drowned at sea during the Civil War. Another lost a foot in that war. A third son, a judge in nearby Lake County, was killed by a group of vigilantes. In 1880, Dyer built a small church in Breckenridge and remained there for a few years. It was a welcome relief from

An early mailman on skies (not John Dyer). Colorado Historical Society.

John Dyer. Colorado Historical Society. trudging through the mountains to the mining camps. He enjoyed Breckenridge, and his little church was somewhat successful as miners’ wives and children, who wanted churches and schools, began settling Colorado. But Father Dyer, as the miners called him, could not afford to retire, and he continued to work into his old age. He died in 1901 at age 89. Years later, his contribution to Colorado was recognized with a stained glass portrait of him in the state capitol building. You can see it today. You can also see some beautiful, leaded glass windows

depicting him in the United Methodist Church at Breckenridge. One depicts him on skis. Another may be the most unique window ever placed in a church. It shows Dyer preaching in a saloon. A cross in the Breckenridge church is made from a ski pole and one of Dyer ’s homemade Norwegian skis. It is as unusual as the man himself. Dyer wrote an autobiography titled “Snowshoe Itinerant” and recalled that once, when he was lost in a mountain storm, he thought he would freeze to death. He didn’t, but he wrote a note in case someone found his body. It said, “Look for me in Heaven.” ■

Mistakes with Medicines

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edication errors often lead to serious problems for patients who receive liver, kidney or pancreas transplants, according to a research report in the Archives of Surgery. In a study of nearly 100 transplants, researchers said patients themselves made most of the errors, 68 percent; but pharmacies and other providers made nearly 30 percent of the errors. The most common errors were

caused by patients not taking medicines correctly, wrong prescriptions, and not enough medicines taken in a timely manner. The errors led to adverse effects that included organ failures, hospitalization and additional invasive procedures. To avoid such problems, researchers advised doctors to monitor patients more carefully and help them understand how important medicines are in such cases. ■

24 • September 2007 • The Senior Voice

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