The Ute Mountain Roundup returned to Cortez for its 96th year bringing thousands of visitors and top PRCA cowboys and cowgirls to the Montezuma County Fairgrounds. From the board members who organize the event year round to the stock contractor who drives twelve hours from Wyoming to bring the animals, this is a look at what it takes to put on one of the biggest events in Montezuma County.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Keesee Motor Company and Hospice of Montezuma

Durango has a packed week ahead with the True Western Roundup Rodeo at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the Durango Youth Theater's production of Peter Pan and Treasure Island at the Durango Arts Center, and the Durango Botanic Gardens' 13th Annual Gardens on Tour.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by the Payroll Department and Kroegers Ace Hardware.

Colorado was shaped by the people who fed it. In this documentary, Scott Perez traces the agricultural history of the region from its earliest roots — from the orchards that sprang up near Hermosa Creek in the 1870s to serve hungry miners, to the ditch irrigation systems first developed by indigenous communities and later adapted by American settlers, to the narrow gauge railroads that opened new markets and transformed farming across the valleys. Drawing on diaries, oral histories, and a lifetime of working the land himself, Scott paints a vivid portrait of how agriculture has always been both a livelihood and a lifeline in Southwest Colorado — and why the small farms still taking root here today carry that legacy forward.

The Power of Place Magazine is a special initiative of the Colorado 150 Southwest organizing committee, featuring 20 articles by professional historians and local writers exploring Southwest Colorado's rich and complex heritage.

By Scott Perez

This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank, Sky Ute Casino and Strater Hotel

Watch the full series, Voices of the Past: Southwest Colorado.

Scott Perez grew up in farm country and spent nearly 50 years as a working cowboy. But it was his passion for oral history that led him to dig deeper into the agricultural past of Southwest Colorado — poring over old journals, talking to longtime residents, and uncovering the small, vivid details that bigger histories tend to overlook. In this episode, Scott shares what drew him to write for the Power of Place Magazine, why he believes local agriculture deserves protection, and what indigenous land stewardship can still teach us today. It is a candid, grounded conversation about the hidden costs of losing farmland — for wildlife, for water, and for the communities that depend on both.

The Power of Place Magazine is a special initiative of the Colorado 150 Southwest organizing committee, featuring 20 articles by professional historians and local writers exploring Southwest Colorado's rich and complex heritage.

By Scott Perez

This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank, Sky Ute Casino and Strater Hotel

Watch the full Voices of the Past: Southwest Colorado series on our YouTube.

The City of Durango accepts photo submissions through August 1 for the cover of the 2026 budget book. This week Durango also has a firefly viewing party at Sunnyside Farms on Friday, June 19. And Purgatory Resort's Summer Opening Day Celebration on Saturday, June 20, just in time for Father's Day weekend.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS Durango and the FLC Center for Innovation.

Dr. Larry Grogin, 71, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Rather than let the diagnosis define him, he set out to run 100 marathons in 100 consecutive days from New Jersey to Los Angeles to raise awareness for the Davis Phinney Foundation and prove that movement is medicine.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Serious Texas Bar-B-Q and Happy Pappy's Pizza & Wings.

The Farmington Public Library hosted New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston as part of its ongoing effort to connect the Four Corners region to the wider world. Preston, who lives part of the year in New Mexico, visited the library with support from the Farmington Public Library Foundation, which covered his speaker fee.

The library, open to anyone who visits Farmington regardless of home address, is funded through the gross receipts tax rather than property tax. It has served the community since it opened in 2003 and offers programming from baby story times to teen zones, plus book clubs, online databases and public computer access. For events and more information, visit infoway.org.

By Tanner Waite

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Home2 Suites by Hilton and Durango Motor Company.

Montezuma County has a packed month ahead with the Ute Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo, Monster Truck Militia at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, and the Cortez Celtic Fair at Parque de Vida.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Big O Tires and Blondie's Trophy Room.