The canary in the coal mine? To my friends and friends of friends, I want to explain a bit of history about the essence of the mining communities all across the West, to wit: As the settlers moved throughout the new territories towards the West Coast and the Pacific Ocean, it was a difficult environment where survival often was reliant on an awareness of common challenges, and mutual interests, even where the new associates had little in common historically. The basis of the Judicial system was an underlying requiremnt of a duty to the public fiduciary and common welfare. Oaths of Office had as a standard requirement, a pledge to the Health, Safety, and Welfare of the public. It was an unspoken creed of all the Westward travellers and settlers too. As a young man, I watched as my parents helped many a stranded, or injured traveller along their route again any way possible. The community locked arms and helped one another through many a difficult, stressful situation, or tragedy. The citizens of Ouray are exhibiting this sense of community, just as the miners of old in Telluride used to. In many ways we were all very different peope, races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds; but in this way we were one. I am little surprized to hear of the family of miners in the Revenue Mine struggling to save one another, even though it meant risking everything to do so. The miners were then, and are today, a wondrous breed of men(& women). Like 1st responders, they race to any tragedy and delve a way to save lives as they can. They do not look to others to save them, a reality borne of the Historic nature of the settlement of the West. The move in unison, as a flock of starlings...back and forth protecting the group. This cohesion is that element that I most miss in my beloved Telluride! It was a HUGELY tramatic event when 95% of the pre-70s residents moved on? We are slowly re-building our sense of community, but the forced urgency is now gone forever. That is why I chose to stress the sense of urgency for the sick and aged amoungst us all. Most new-comers to Telluride, Ouray, and the intermountain West communities, left behind their childhood communities and family ties to move to the area.....but they remember their mores and norms of their hometowns. Many need only to be reminded of those qualities, to incent them to apply those traits to their behavior in this valley today; Helping the sick, downtrodden, less fortunate, and aged, though the inevitable tragedies, and pitfalls of life. We are reminded daily of the fragility of life, even more so in our environment. As our population ages, cancer, MS, heart-disease and other afflictions take a toll on our members. I salute those that shoulder this burden quietly and selflessly. May the community return that service when your turn in need comes about? We have lost many a treasured neighbor this year, with still more in the que. Lock those arms my friends, stand tall. Damned 2013! Bend a knee for our bretheren in Ouray?
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 04:37:29 +0000
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