Aug. 16, 1996

Political science professor and environmental advocate Jack Holmes, who was also the vice chair of the Holy Cross Wilderness Defense Fund, led students on a three-week wilderness course focused on the ongoing fight over the Homestake II water project.

“A companion to the existing Homestake Reservoir, Homestake II would tunnel 10 miles under Whitney Peak and other mountains and divert most of the spring runoff from Cross Creek and Fall Creek to the reservoir,” the Vail Trail reported. “Aurora and Colorado Springs would then consume the 20,000 acre feet of water. The Defense Fund contends the arrangement would dry the wetlands below the diversion points, causing a domino effect on plants and wildlife.”

Although a court victory in 1995 seemed to stop the project, supporters later attempted to weaken Colorado’s 1041 law, which gives local governments power over major projects. Holmes and his students were convinced the battle would continue in the state legislature, “a reminder of how pretty places breed ugly deals,” the Trail reported.

Aug. 15, 1986

Vail was preparing for its biggest week of the summer, with both the Jerry Ford Invitational Golf Tournament and the Coors Bicycle Classic heading to town.

Golfer Jack Nicklaus and cyclist Greg LeMond were both expected to be in town, and the events were expected to “attract thousands of people to our area and focus the eye of many tens of thousands more on us,” the Vail Trail wrote.

“Both events require thousands of hours of labor, and often the only thing the people involved receive is the satisfaction they take in doing the job,” the Trail reported.

Aug. 20, 1976

The town of Vail government filed for a temporary restraining order against the Eagle County commissioners in an attempt to block a sales tax election in the county.

“In question is the legality of the procedure followed by the County Commissioners in circulating petitions, choosing a date for a special election, and the wording of the proposals on the ballot,” the Vail Trail reported.

Vail Town Council member John Donovan testified under cross-examination by County Attorney Robert Stemwedel, saying Vail’s economy would be adversely affected if any additional sales tax were levied.

“Donovan claimed that Vail is in competition with Aspen and Steamboat, and an additional tax would be ‘gouging the tourist,'” the Trail reported.

Aug. 19, 1966

The Vail area held a series of community meetings debating the merits of incorporating into a proper town, the Vail Trail reported.

The meetings “drew large and interested crowds to hear the presentation as made by Blake Lynch, town coordinator for Vail Associates, Inc.,” the Trail reported. “Generally, it was felt the crowd favored incorporation, but doubts were raised by Lawyer John Amato, Denver resident, who has extensive investments in Vail, who felt the timing for such a step was possibly too soon.”

Amato, though favoring incorporation, doubted that Vail could carry on the being performed by Vail Associates without a sales tax which was not possible to impose without incorporating.

“Jim Slevin, owner of La Cave and Copper Bar, also felt we should still operate under the benevolence of Vail Associates until such time that more people and more businesses are available in Vail to carry such a burden,” the Trail reported. “Bob Parker, Vail’s PR Director and Chuck Lewis, Assistant General Manager of Vail Associates, Inc., both championed incorporation as a necessary step in the development of a free enterprise community that now has the opportunity of managing their own affairs rather than falling into the category of being ‘just a company town.'”

Aug. 16, 1956

Cloudburst events over Eagle County wrought damage to irrigation systems, railroad tracks and highways, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported.

The storm brought “deluges of water, boulders and debris down gulches, to fill irrigation ditches, roads and covered D&RGW tracks in the Colorado River section of the county,” the Enterprise reported. “County road crews worked nearly all night clearing the river road to one-way traffic where the deluge took the Posey Creek bridge near Burns. At the Chockie ranch on Sweetwater creek, pasture land was covered with mud and water, ditches filled, and corrals washed out. In that area an inch and a half of water fell in a matter of minutes. Rain has continued to fall throughout the week.”