In this issue, two stories peer into the West’s turbulent, exploitative, hubris-fueled past. Excerpted from his new book “The River of Lost Souls,” Contributing Editor Jonathan Thompson reminds us of the toxic legacy of mining in southwest Colorado and how our collective limited memory continues to impact communities there today. In his series, “Civil Conversations,” Wayne Hare explores a tiny corner of Portland, where discriminatory practices against African-Americans persisted until the far-too recent past.

Credit: Jerry McBride/ Durango Herald Credit: Jerry McBride/ Durango Herald

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Bundy, anti-hero

Cliven Bundy is not a hero to many of us (“Celebrity Scofflaw,” HCN, 4/30/18). He is a crook. He has stolen public  resources like grass and water. He owes about a million and half dollars and continues his thievery. Who would call that a heroic thing? The government’s grazing fee is very cheap. A cattleman…

by Marilyn Colyer

Climbing with care

It was sad to read about those who lost their lives attempting to climb Capitol Peak in 2017 (“Death in the Alpine,” HCN, 5/14/18). But one comment Peter Doro made was not correct: “You don’t expect a giant rock to be loose. You expect that if you grab something as big as your body, it’s…

by Steven Williams

Respect for the mountains

I was away from the mountains for the past two years with injuries (“Death in the Alpine,” HCN, 5/14/18). As a member of the 14ers.com site, I was dismayed to watch the number of inexperienced climbers with cavalier attitudes grow both on the site and in other social media. When I came to Colorado in…

by Lee Grillo

After Bunkerville

Thank you, Tay Wiles, for your hard work explaining the complex and tortured nature of the ongoing saga of Cliven Bundy and his family (“Celebrity Scofflaw,” HCN, 4/30/18). There is no easy answer to what should happen next to address the continued trespass, or the potential copycats. Right now, Cliven and his sons feel more…

by Mike Ford