What Will They Say We Left Behind?
Two old Eads school record books have somehow survived nearly a century. They are dated 1932-1933 and 1933-1934.
Long Time Gone: Meet Rich O’Brian: The Forrest Gump of Journalism
Journalism and the Independent lost Rich O’Brian on August 8th. Here at the Independent I had the great honor of interviewing Rich about his journalism career back in 2020 for our Christmas magazine entitled Meet John Doe.
Long Time Gone: A River of Bones Beneath the Cheyenne County Plains
On a quiet stretch of Cheyenne County prairie south of Firstview, little is visible today to suggest that one of North America’s most remarkable archaeological discoveries once lay beneath the soil.
Long Time Gone: The Places That Prove We Were Here
In 2026, the United States marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Colorado marks 150 years since becoming a state.
Long Time Gone: Water Beneath the Sand
There are stories buried under the plains that do not look like stories at first.
Long Time Gone and a 50-Year-Old Girls’ Track Championship
Last week the legendary Eads coach Gail Crawford was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame and spoke at length about his coaching experiences in Eads. Crawford was a superb athlete in his own right growing up in Joes, Colorado among a culture of greatness among boys’ sports competitors.
Long Time Gone: A Life Well-Lived in Service to Others
Leona Doris Krentz (Peters), a woman defined by strength, faith, and unwavering devotion to those she loved, passed away on April 9, 2026, at the age of 87.
Long Time Gone: From One Small Step to the Farthest We’ve Ever Gone
There are moments in history that don’t just pass through time—they shape it.
Long Time Gone and a Naive Hick
In the quiet pages of the Duke Chronicle on April 23, 2013, a young sportswriter named Brady Buck penned a column titled “From a ‘Naive Hick’ to a Sports Reporter.” It was a story about growth, humility, and the willingness to learn—themes that would ultimately define the way Brady lived his entire life. Thirteen years later, nearly 1,000 people gathered to celebrate that life after his courageous three-year fight with brain cancer at just 35 years old.
Long Time Gone: Coral Hickman and a Hero’s Accidental Fall from Grace
In my opinion, one of the more unpleasant aspects of an election season is the never ending quest of the media to find “dirt” in a candidate’s past. While it may be—and, at times, probably is—important to learn of the smudge on an individual’s record of personal history, it occasionally feels like a point learned long ago is being rubbed in. No one is perfect. Everyone, even those we view as heroes, has those proverbial skeletons in their closet.
Long Time Gone and Rules of the Road
In the spring of 1917, as automobiles began to replace horses and buggies on the dusty streets of rural southeastern Colorado, communities found themselves navigating a brand-new challenge: how to safely share the road. In Cheyenne Wells, town leaders responded by publishing a formal set of “Rules and Regulations for the Driving of Automobiles and Other Vehicles” in the local newspaper.
Long Time Gone: A Century of Building Big Dreams for Eads Students
Long before today’s conversations about school safety, overcrowding, and the future of education, the people of Eads were already proving something remarkable: when it comes to their children, this community builds boldly.
Long Time Gone & the Boys from Joes: How a Tiny Eastern Colorado Plains Town Shocked Colorado—and the World
On the lonely high plains of eastern Colorado, where wheat fields stretch to the horizon and towns are measured in grain elevators rather than stoplights, the story of Joes High School still echoes as one of the most remarkable chapters in Colorado basketball history—perhaps even in American history. It’s basically, the true Hoosiers story based on the plains of eastern Colorado.
Long Time Gone and McClave, Colorado: A Small Town with a Big Story
Today, McClave remains a small but sturdy settlement of just over 400 residents in eastern Bent County, located about 109 miles east and slightly south of Pueblo along U.S. Highway 50. Though no longer incorporated, the town continues to maintain its post office—first opened in 1908—which stands as one of the most enduring symbols of its early development.
Long Time Gone: Lowell Johnston
When people try to picture an image of the classic American cowboy, there’s a good chance that what comes to mind looks a great deal like Lowell Johnston. More than 80 years old, he’s slender, straight-backed and probably still more at home on horseback than afoot.
Walking in Their Footsteps: A Journey to Family and Belonging
Last week, Michael and Janet Smith of Conroe, Texas, walked into the Kiowa County Independent office with a sense of purpose. They weren’t tourists, and they weren’t just passing through.