Well-manicured grounds. Tall, sweeping trees that line walkways. Steps leading up to a porch graced by thick pillars. These 552 acres make up the grounds of Fort Lyon, a facility in Las Animas that has been in existence for roughly 150 years and has been home, for varying lengths of time, to people in a variety of circumstances.

Not long after sunset on Sunday night, the horizon east of Eads was a dusty orange, that distinct color that always causes people living in open country to take a second, careful look. It was as people suspected: a fire was burning on property just south of the cemetery. With tall grass and a slightly gusting wind from the west, it could have quickly gotten completely out of control. In fact, smoke from the flames could be seen from Galatea.

Last week, in a parting gesture as ironic as it was fitting, former Kiowa County Commissioner Cindy McLoud let it be known she received word that her last grant request—made while she was still in office—has been awarded. This award officially makes the Murdock Building finally and fully funded to completion.

From September in 1918 to the late spring of 1919, the word “influenza” struck an almost paralyzing fear in the hearts of people as the deadly virus swept across the world. Inappropriately named the “Spanish flu”, the virus struck previously healthy people from the ages of 20 to 40 years old. Some victims died within hours of showing symptoms while others lasted a few days only to pass away, their fluid filled lungs causing them to suffocate.