Changing Values

Changing Values. . A renewed appreciation for our history revitalizes downtown Silver City., From Main Street to dump to riverside park, the colorful history of the Big Ditch is now embraced and celebrated., From Dump to Oasis , For most of the 20th century, the Big Ditch was a squalid place, used as a dump and sewer. A proposal was made in the 1970s to fill it with culverts and pave it over for parking spaces. But , perhaps galvanized by the recent demolition of its historic railway depot , Silver City woke up to its own potential, and a local preservation movement was born., The Big Ditch and neighboring historic structures came to be seen not as eyesores but as opportunities to breathe new life into the town's heritage. Today, Big Ditch Park, the Silver City MainStreet Project, and other ventures honor the community's character and colorful history., A Champion of Her Community , Elizabeth Warren was an influential woman in Silver City who set out to develop the growing town's infrastructure., In 1882 Elizabeth and Orange Scott Warren moved to Silver City, where he started an insurance business. Within the year, Elizabeth joined friends from her sewing circle in creating the county's first hospital. The small cottage sported a hole in its roof to admit sunlight , quite an advanced concept in 1883!, Finding herself widowed in 1885 with three children, Elizabeth rose to the occasion and took over her husband's insurance business. Later she would expand into real estate, acquiring and managing many properties. Elizabeth's business did well, but she also used her influence and resources for the benefit of the town. As a contractor in the early 1900s, she oversaw the construction of sidewalks, buildings, and flood control structures that are still in use.