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Just a week ago, I learned that my Sunday columns will henceforth appear in Empire, the Post's Sunday magazine, because Jim Carrier came to his senses and gave up journalism for sailing.
While I was pleased that the Post resurrected Empire
several years ago, I must confess that I sometimes
associate with closet liberals, local politicians,
libertarians and other undesirables who do not always see
imperialism
and empire
as boons to
humanity.
For my part, I figure empires are as old as civilization and there's no escaping them, but sometimes it's difficult to figure out which empire you're in.
There was a time when Denver capitalists thought it was important to maintain connections throughout the empire, but after observing air service, railroad abandonments and US West, it's safe to conclude that time has largely passed.
Granted, the Post still cares about the hinterlands, but
our governor doesn't and the Rocky Mountain News
avoids the Rocky Mountains.
The Republic of Texas, now as ever, is an empire to watch, but its energy has apparently been directed southward since NAFTA. I note that a friend visiting Hinsdale County last summer, over the course of a fortnight, observed no fewer than 21 vehicles which did not have Texas license plates -- sure evidence that the Lone Star Republic is losing its grip on parts of the territory that it once controlled absolutely.
After 150 years or so of quiescence, though, the forces from the Palace of the Governors may be headed northward again. I gather this from articles in the Santa Fe New Mexican last summer, touting an art center that was reached from the capital by a pleasant four-hour drive (assuming you don't get turned around in Truchas or Ojo Caliente, but New Mexicans doubtless possess navigational skills that we Coloradans lack).
If Santa Fe, of all places, sees Salida as an art center in the midst of some spectacular scenery, the boundaries of empire must be shifting.
Then again, I saw another clipping from a Vail newspaper -- a full page advertisement for some real estate near Twin Lakes.
The 120-acre parcel came with all manner of bugling elk, verdant aspen, plowed county road and like amenities, and sat just an hour from Vail.
So there's an invasion from a northern empire looming, too, and this question may loom large in our future here: Will Salida become SouthVail or Santa Fe del Norte?
The continued energy of ImperialVail, which has already conquered Interstate 70 to operate the route for its own ends, amazes me, and I'm not the only one.
A couple of years ago, I was talking to an old friend
who then edited a newspaper there. I thought the Vail
boom would run out of steam in about 1992,
he said.
And instead, it's stronger than ever, and it's coming
over the pass after you guys,
he said.
I'm surprised, too,
I agreed. But you're
right. They're busy converting Leadville into their
ski-area slum.
It's worse than that,
he warned. The
worker-bee zones get pricey after they're discovered. Look
what's happened to Basalt and Carbondale, Aspen's old
slums. Trailer lots are selling for $25,000 in Minturn
these days. The low-rent workers are just the vanguard of
the invasion.
Will this ever end?
I asked.
I thought it would, that we'd run out of invading
People of Money eventually. But you know what I've learned
here? There's an infinite supply of rich rectums.
(Please note that the report of this conversation was
sanitized for publication.)
Scary thought, especially when there was no evidence to counter his conclusion.
Until quite recently, that is. To quote from an article
in last Saturday's Post about the Elkhorn Development near
Durango: gated security, a private equestrian center, a
trail system, a full-time ranch manager, paved project
drive, all the amenities of city life, and home sites
carved into a mountainside.
Also, prices were Aspen-like, ranging from $900,000
to more than $1.2 million per 35-acre lot.
That's the bad news. The good news: No lots have been
sold or houses built since Elkhorn was first marketed in
early 1996,
and Elkhorn faces possible
foreclosure.
And so the boundaries of empire expand and recede, leading to questions about the wisdom of us pundits and our critics.
My friend wrong about the infinite supply, and those pesky media critics are wrong, too. The news isn't always negative -- as the Elkhorn story illustrates, you can also find positive and uplifting stories which make one's heart swell with optimism about Colorado's future.
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