Colombia Hotel and Opera House

After the recent 5.3 earthquake centered just west of Trinidad last year in 2011 it is suspected that it caused damage to the historic Opera House on Main Street in Trinidad Colorado that is most likely going to force the owner to tear the building down. Seems that the earthquake caused a crack in the brick front near the top right of the building (not shown in this photo) and with the heavy snow and ice this winter it caused it to crack even more. All businesses located in the Opera House building have been forces to relocate.

Cost of repairs I have heard were over $5 million and cost of demolition will still be very costly. This has raised valid concerns in the town over other old historic buildings in need of repair such as the Columbia Hotel show in the photo above, the 1888 Building (show just below) located at the corner of Main and Animas Streets, the Schneider Brewery (show below) and the Presbyterian Church on Commercial Street ( also shown below)

The 1888 Building at the Corner of Main and Animas Streets

The owner of the 1888 Building, Massod Sadel who has owned the building now for 9 years, mentioned in the article in the Chronicle News Jan 10th issue written by Mike Albanese that he has put about $550,000 into the building since he has owned it. Including work replacing the roof and hiring a stone mason to repair grout and bricks and original sandstone on the building all while not seeing a return on his investment. He mentioned that the previous Mayor and City Manager showed no support for the project but that the new City Manager Ed Gil de Rubio is much more cooperative and helpful.

The Schneider Brewery

Trinidad City Planner, Louis Fineburg said that the Schneider Brewery was the most important building in Trinidad and that “anyone driving down I-25 would recognize a picture of it”. We personally love this old building and wait for the day that it is renovated and put back into use. The current owners of the building, White Construction out of Castle Rock, Colorado had plans for the structure that has gotten put off with the economy. So their plans to make this a vibrant public building again in Trinidad is on hold. But the good news is that this building has a great solid foundation that should protect it but as much work as they have done replacing the roof etc there are still open windows and repairs needed to keep it from deteriorating.

Presbyterian Church on Commercial Street in Trinidad

The article mentioned that the Presbyterian Church on Commercial Street is not in as bad of structural damage that was originally suspected but that it currently has a leaking roof that is not helping. Repairs to this building’s foundation would be most likely close to $100,000 or more.

Trinidad truly has a wonderful collection of old western, turn of the century building with many of them in need of repair. Quite a few buildings have been saved and fixed up like the old Dr. Beshoar Building that Frank Images is in on Commercial Street and the Toltec Hotel that was renovated by the owners of the Chronicle News just to mention a few.

Just looking at this old photo you will see how many buildings we have already lost to old age

We respect and admire the effort, time, love and money that has been put into many of these beautiful old buildings and sure will hate to lose the old Opera House and the history that it has shared with Trinidad all these years. It has certainly seen better days and I guess if money where no object it could be saved.

The biggest worry that I think we have in Trinidad is what will happen if we get another large earthquake. These old brick buildings sure don’t hold up well to the damage of earthquakes. And while we believe that our local earthquakes have been triggered by the deep well injection wells from the gas companies or the calculated risks of fracking by the gas industry, I just read an article that discusses that we are in an area with an active rift called the Rio Grande Rift that is moving slightly each year. This just adds to the potential of losing more of our precious old structures. So I guess we just need to enjoy them while we can.

The City of Trinidad is working on a plan to help ensure that these buildings get repaired and are safe for the public. Honestly I don’t think that fixing or repairing many of these old buildings will deem them safe from irreparable damage from the earthquakes but they certainly need to be fixed up if they are going to be useful so that they don’t get in worse shape. We need more Grant money to help fix up our buildings or owners that have the money to restore them and both are hard to come by.

So I guess we just have to take it one day at a time.  What do you think? Share your thoughts….

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at Saving and Losing Trinidad’s Downtown Buildings.
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Well I finally found the time for this project…dang that took a long time I know it. We had the 101 Family Stories on Trinidadco.com before we changed the site over to a new setup and I just couldn’t find the time to complete the conversion. It was a big project that quite honestly I dreaded…but finally you can enjoy reading these wonderful family stories about long time residents from the Trinidad Colorado area.

Visit this Link 101 Family Stories to check them out, there are some really interesting stories. Share them with your friends and family.

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at 101 Families and Century Families.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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Did you hear the good news? Well maybe you haven’t so I am hear to tell you some really good news. Rick Colander a local resident who moved here from the Denver area and settled here and built a home has decided to make a career change. This is good news for Trinidad because Rick has been playing music in a local Denver Band for many years and he felt that a local place for entertainment was something that we really needed. Well, maybe he really needs a place to play his music but hey we benefit from that too.

Full Restaurant, Full Bar, Live Entertainment Every Week

Scheduled to open between December 15th and 30th….we know how these things go so just know that they are working on opening as soon as possible.

Purgatorie on Elm

The new business is called Purgatorie and it is in one of the neatest old historic building around, the old Trinidad Train Station on Elm Street at 516 Elm Street. It will have a full Restaurant, Full Bar and Live Entertainment every week. Catering and Banquet by ” is provided by the Little Catering Company.

Their new website is at www.purgatoireonelm.com

Phone: 719-845-7450 Rick or 719-214-2856 Leona

Check out their Facebook page and give them a huge “Like”!

Pass the Word and tell all your friends so that we can support this new business.

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at New Entertainment and Restaurant Coming to Trinidad Soon.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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And Colorado Cabinets, Custom Kitchen Cabinets and Trim by Dave @ www.coloradocabinets.com

Could it be so? I have always said that there has to be a better way that will not remove or pollute our precious ground water. I hope this is the case…but the jury is still out but bottom line this is the kind of creative thinking that we need to save us from the irreparable damage that is being done to our ground water.

Read the story here: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/a-fracking-method-with-fewe-water-woes/

And let us know what you think….please comment below.

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at A New Method of Fracking that may not affect Ground Water.
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Recent Fall Colors

The fall colors in Las Animas County near Trinidad Colorado have  been spectacular this year. If you hurry you will still catch some of the color but most of the Aspens in the High Country along Highway 12 is already gone.

You can enjoy some of the beautiful fall colors by visiting the Highway of Legends website at www.highwayoflegends.com and watching the photo slideshow provided by Adobe Gold Properties, your Southern Colorado Mountain Property Specialists. Charlie and Barb with Adobe Gold Properties loves to share their photos of the local area like the photo shown here that was taken reccently west of Aguilar along the Scenic Byway to the Highway of Legends on the way to Cordova Pass and Cuchara Pass.

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at Fall Colors in Las Animas County.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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The recent earthquakes shook things up a bit in the old western town of Trinidad Colorado. Found this video online here by Earthquake-Report.com that has some information and maps

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at Short Video about the Earthquakes near Trinidad.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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And Colorado Cabinets, Custom Kitchen Cabinets and Trim by Dave @ www.coloradocabinets.com

September the 13th brought another round of earthquake swarms to the Trinidad Colorado and Raton New Mexico area. It was reported that through out the day we had 5 small quakes ranging from a 2.5 magnitude to a 4.0 magnitude. Certainly not as strong as the 5.3 we recently had in the area but still all disturbing none the less.

Wonder what is next….stay tuned.

Here are some recent news about the events.

Trinidadco.com

Light earthquakes strike near NM-Colo. border
WKYC-TV, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:05:39 -0700

It was centered 17 miles west of Raton, NM, with a depth of 3.1 miles. It came several hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo. …

More Earthquakes Shake Southern Colorado
KKTV 11 News, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:02:23 -0700

That’s about 21 miles southwest of Trinidad. It came just hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo. There were no immediate reports of …

Southern Colorado gets the shakes again
Colorado Springs Gazette, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:27:47 -0700

A series of earthquakes shook the Colorado-New Mexico border near Trinidad on Monday night and early Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey. The five small quakes ranged in magnitude from 2 to 4, all smaller than the 5.5 quake that trembled …

Light earthquakes strike near NM-Colo. border
ABC7Chicago.com, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:33:09 -0700

It was centered 17 miles west of Raton, NM, with a depth of 3.1 miles. It came several hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo.

Light Earthquakes Strike Near New Mexico-Colorado Border
OfficialWire, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:20:22 -0700

It came several hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries. AP Syndication AP.

More Earthquakes Strike Colorado
KKTV 11 News, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:15:11 -0700

The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries. The month of September is also National Preparedness month. …

Light earthquakes strike near NM-Colo. border
Grand Junction Sentinel, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:00:29 -0700

It was centered 17 miles west of Raton, NM, with a depth of 3.1 miles. It came several hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo.

Light earthquakes strike near NM-Colo. border
Alamogordo Daily News, on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:53:53 -0700

It was centered 17 miles west of Raton, with a depth of 3.1 miles. It came several hours after a magnitude 3.4 quake hit the area. The USGS says the smaller quake struck at 7:37 pm and it was centered 22 miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo.

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at Another Round of Earthquakes hit near Trinidad Colorado.
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Trinidad Colorado just thought they were shook up by the recent Earthquake, but wait until tomorrow when the Trinidaddio Blues Fest comes to town for some mind blowing entertainment. Things get started tonight, Friday August 26th, with the Pre-Fest Party at the El Rancho Bar and Cafe. Then to give you plenty of time to recoup the show starts at Noon Sharp, doors open at 11am.

Tomorrows weather is predicted to be 88 degrees with a 20% chance of thunderstorms. I do suggest that you come prepared for rain because for the last few years it seems that weather has been an issue at the Trinidaddio Blues Fest, something always happens. But the weather lately has been really nice so you can probably expect a few rain showers late in the afternoon but also some cooling shade from the clouds so it should be a nice day at the festival.

While you are in town there check out some of the local businesses and restaurants and also if you get the chance take the drive around Highway 12 on Sunday after the Blues Fest and see how beautiful the “Highway of Legends” is especially if you haven’t taken this drive.

Enjoy the Trinidaddio Blues Festival and for more information visit their website at TrinidaddoBluesFest.com

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at The Trinidaddio Blues Fest is Tomorrow Saturday August 27.
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Officials and local residents are concerned that Gas Well Fracking and Deep Water Disposal/Injection might be the cause of the recent Earthquake Swarm as well as the one in Aug/Sep of 2011.

The State of Arkansas also recently put an Emergency Moritorium on Fracking to determine if a recent swarm of earthquakes was triggered by oil and gas activities.

Read this article here on The Colorado Independent News site “Past earthquakes in southern Colorado studied for links to gas fracking, water disposal”

In this area the swarm of earthquakes have been located and pinpointed very close to the main deep injection well near Cokedale and Valdez, west of Trinidad Colorado in Las Animas County.

How do you feel about this? Do you think there is a connection?

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at Fear that Gas Fracking and Water Disposal Triggered Earthquake Swarms.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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And Colorado Cabinets, Custom Kitchen Cabinets and Trim by Dave @ www.coloradocabinets.com

Here is a list of the recent earthquakes near Trinidad Colorado. Click on this image to enlarge it.

Click to Enlarge Image

Click here to see an updated list http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US10/32.42.-110.-100_eqs.php

View this Post on Trinidadco.com at List of Recent Earthquakes near Trinidad Colorado.
Trinidadco.com is sponsored by:
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And Colorado Cabinets, Custom Kitchen Cabinets and Trim by Dave @ www.coloradocabinets.com