Analyss Benally grew up in Shiprock on the Navajo Nation and went on to play Division I basketball at San Jose State before launching her professional basketball career in Europe. Today, her nonprofit, AB Five Basketball, brings free camps and clinics to Native youth across the Southwest.

This summer, AB Five returned to Shiprock with volunteer coaches, including former Los Angeles Lakers guard Andre Ingram.

By Tanner Waite

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Ace Hardware in Farmington and Fitness World.

Durango exists because of a railroad that almost went somewhere else. In this documentary, Jeff Johnson traces the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande in Southwest Colorado — from General William Jackson Palmer's original 1870 push south out of Denver, to the mining boom that pulled the rails toward the San Juans, to the founding of Durango itself in 1881 as a town built by and for the railroad. Jeff follows the line through its boom years serving the Silverton mining district, its near-collapse after the Silver Purchase Act was repealed in 1893, and its unlikely second life as a beloved tourist attraction in the postwar decades. It's a story about how a railroad meant to carry a young civilization toward the future became, in time, our clearest window into the past.

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 Jeff Johnson

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

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

Jeff Johnson's connection to Durango began with a single train ride in 1973, when a family vacation turned into a lifelong calling. That trip aboard the narrow gauge to Silverton set him on a path of decades-long devotion to Colorado railroad history, from the earliest push of the Denver and Rio Grande down through Walsenburg, Alamosa, and Chama into Southwest Colorado, to the mining boom in Silverton that the rails were built to chase. In this episode, Jeff traces the routes, the resources, and above all the people — the laborers, the families, and the women who left comfort behind to build new lives in a rugged frontier. It's a conversation about how the past never really feels that far away, and why understanding the people who came before us matters for where we're headed.

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 Jeff Johnson

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 Parks and Recreation Department hosts a free community celebration Friday, July 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Durango Recreation Center featuring food and drinks, live music, games and more to celebrate Parks and Recreation Month. On Saturday July 18, Durango Nordic hosts a running biathlon at the Durango Nordic Center combining trail running with laser rifle shooting. And the 91st annual Durango Fiesta Days Rodeo runs Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, at the La Plata County Fairgrounds with multiple performances running over the weekend.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Durango Gelato, Coffee & Tea.

Lickety-Split Comedy is a comedy and improv group based in Pagosa Springs, founded by veteran performers Karisa Bruin and Scott Morehead. After years of working as improvisers, actors and writers in Chicago and Los Angeles, the two moved to Pagosa Springs and launched Lickety-Split. The group offers classes and workshops in unscripted theater as well as monthly shows on the third Monday of each month at Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts. For more information visit LicketySplitComedy.com.

By Christi Bode

Watch this story at LNN.news.

This story is sponsored by RMW Tafoya Barrett & Associates and Dunkin Donuts.

Under the sandstone bluffs of Farmington, a professional musical theater company draws record crowds with its production of "Grease." Artistic Director Randy West sits down to talk about how Four Corners Musical Theater grew from a request by city leaders seven years ago into New Mexico's only professional musical theater company, and why he says nights at Sandstone, rainbows and all, are unlike any other stage in the state.

By Tanner Waite

This story is sponsored by Express Employment and Dickey's Barbecue Pit

Watch this story at LNN.news

The Elmore's Corner Midweek Market is a new, weekly makers market running every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grange on Highway 172 between Durango and Bayfield. Vendors sell fresh produce, local honey, sourdough bread, frozen meats from local ranchers and handcrafted goods.

By Sadie Smith.

Watch this story at LNN.news.

This story is sponsored by Durango Pizza and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q.

This week, the Total Archery Challenge comes to Purgatory Resort July 10 through 12. The 72nd annual Four Corners Gem and Mineral Show runs July 10 through 12 as well, bringing 67 dealers from around the world to the La Plata County Fairgrounds. And on Monday July 13, the La Plata County Farm Bureau will host a free drought response presentation at the fairgrounds featuring the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

By Sadie Smith

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and FASTSIGNS Durango.