By Henry J. Pratt  Nearly 170 years ago, a Vermont fisherman—Julio T. Buel—accidentally dropped a kitchen spoon in a near-by river, only to watch in awe as a pan-sized trout swallowed it and swam merrily away.  Just exactly when fishing-lure manufacturing got started in the U.S. is unknown, but Buel received the first fish-lure patent in 1852. His breakthrough in […]

By Robert Reed  Centuries ago, mahogany was considered almost magical. Elegant but not expensive, it added an entirely new dimension to fine Colonial furniture and furniture made elsewhere.  During what some consider the Age of Mahogany, amid the 18th and 19th centuries, the amazing wood cast its charm in America, as well as England, France, Italy and Spain. It was […]

 Dozens of booksellers from around the country will be offering their most interesting, most memorable, and most hard-to-find books for two days this September at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 200 Fairgrounds Rd., Castle Rock.  The Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair, now in its 39th year, is a delight for booklovers of all ages, tastes and budgets.  It’s a chance […]