Iced out in Lake City | From the Newsroom

Searching for Lawrence; restoring the river

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Remembering Steven Baker Today's Monday memories have me thinking of Steven Baker, who passed away Sept. 20. I've read a number of obituaries over the years that made me think "Wow; I wish I could have known this person in life!" With Steve, I did. He was an archaeologist and — little known fact about yours truly, I have some education in that field, although it's been a hot minute, and did not compare to Steve's expertise.  Through Steve, I learned about Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera — the Spaniard whose feet beat those of Francisco Dominguez and Silvestre Escalante to western Colorado by about 11 years. Rivera's expedition made him the first Spaniard to enter Ute territory and the first European to significantly document anything having to do with what would become the state of Colorado. Steve recounted it all in his scholarly tome "Juan River's Colorado, 1765," of which I am proud to own a copy. Steve also fought to preserve local history. Through Centuries Research Inc., he conducted a full inventory of the Kallstrom farmstead jacal, which once sat in Cerise Park, near the edge of the track and the entrance to the Montrose Rotary Amphitheater. (There's now a marker there, and what was left of the jacal was taken to the Montrose Botanic Gardens, through efforts that included Alpine Archaeology and the City of Montrose.) The jacal is a type of cabin made of upright boards, sealed with mud. Steve wanted to keep the remnants of the Kallstrom jacal in situ, as one of the few surviving examples of stockade architecture in Colorado.  I am proud that Montrose had a person who was such a staunch advocate for preservation — and so knowledgable, too. Rest in peace, Steve. — Katharhynn, from the newsroom Here's Steve, in his home library, 2018. (Daily Press file photo)

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