Pioneer trees come down

Paul and Carolee Curtis spent considerable time recently removing two 85-foot spruce trees from the south side of their home in Monticello. That little speck just 30 feet below the crown of the second tree is their son, Kyle, who volunteered for the dangerous job.
The trees were planted 81 years ago when Carolee’s grandfather, San Juan County pioneer A. Jay Redd, built his new home in what was then a cow pasture. Several tons of firewood has been harvested by these intrepid lumberjacks. There are enough pine boughs to decorate the entire town of Monticello, but best of all, in the words of Carolee, “Now I can quit worrying about one of the trees blowing down every time the wind blows.”
Buckley Jensen photo