Walsenburg
1882: The miners at the coal camps [at Walsen] give a grand ball tomorrow night for the benefit of Mrs. William Holmes whose husband was killed by the cars at that place a few months ago. Tickets, including supper, per couple, are $1.50.
1897: S.D. Curtis was son struck Thursday morning at three o’clock when a fine nine pound boy appeared. Steve says he can almost walk and kicks off all the covers already.
1902: A little snow on Wednesday evening helped to lay the dust and moisten the surface of the ground. We are thankful for small mercies but a two footer would be gladly welcomed.
1907: There will be a Thanksgiving service at the court house Thanksgiving night at 7:30.
1912: Vaudeville every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Otto Theater. Music provided by the Otto Theater Four-Piece Orchestra.
1917: Dr. A.A. Unfug has opened a dental parlor in the former business office of the Independent newspaper, on the second floor of the Workman building above Guaranty State Bank.
1922: The county assessor’s office shows an increase in dairy cows, hogs and mules this past year and a decrease in horses, range cattle and sheep.
1927: Huerfano County produced $6,405,000 worth of coal in 1926, one-fifth of all coal produced in Colorado and ranking it second highest producer after Las Animas county. A total of 1,965,912 tons were produced and 2,753 men were employed.
1932: Huerfano County produced 82,272 tons of coal in October, compared to 117,956 at the same time in 1931 when 1,616 men were employed compared to 1,321 this year.
1937: About 3,000 turkeys will be processed and shipped from Huerfano County this year.
1942: Ralph Ely, Charles Fouch, Dick Woods and Lee Martin are attending the U.S. Army signal corps school at Trinidad Junior College.
1947: At its first sale the new Walsenburg Livestock Sales Company sale barn handled $25,000 worth of sales of sheep, cattle and hogs.
1952: The rat population at the dump on East Eighth Street has been considerably reduced since the Heath Department began using warfarin poison.
1957: The city Christmas lights extending from the triangle to the end of Main Street will be turned on the day after Thanksgiving.
1962: Houston Construction Company’s bid of $457,457 was accepted by the Hospital Board and construction of the new 20-bed hospital and public health center will begin immediately for completion by next fall.
1967: Sharon Lynn Biggi and Max Michael Vezzani were united in marriage November 18 in St. Mary Catholic Church.
1972: Wally Padia was elected president of the Walsenburg Golf Association succeeding Dr. J.M. Lamme. Charles Pullin was elected vice president and Tony Tesitor, secretary and treasurer.
1977: The Fallen Angel will have its 12th annual Christmas Gift Show November 25, 26 and 27, at 623 Main Street, featuring Christmas gifts and original art.
1982: Several local eateries will be open on Thanksgiving Day with special holiday menus. Dinner at the Marlboro Restaurant will feature turkey and all the sides, pumpkin pie and coffee, $5.50. A buffet will be served at the Rambler with turkey, ham, roast beef and all the trimmings, $7.50. The Timbers in Cuchara will have a traditional dinner featuring live entertainment in the newly opened cocktail lounge.
1987: Died, Mary Frances Kravic, 72. She was born in 1915 on the ranch of her parents Sam and Annie (Rogers) Herlyck at the foot of the East Spanish Peak, attended Rouse school then graduated from Huerfano County High in 1932. She began teaching at 19 and taught in the Mills, Sunrise, Santa Clara and Willburn schools, then in District Re-1.
1992: President Paul Norman says the Huerfano Medical Center will host a Holiday Extravaganza December 16, a black tie affair with a guided tour, cash bar cocktail hour, and dinner catered by Joe Cordova and Ernie Fognani, followed by a dance with a band from Colorado Springs.
La Veta
1889: The snow storm caused many postponements of activities for our citizens and students. Even the Rouse mine was forced to shut down because the trains could not move in the heavy snow.
1894: The pupils in Mrs. Brubaker’s primary room gave an entertainment last Friday.
1899: R.E. Roberts is tearing down the Peterson saloon building on west Ryus and will use the lumber to construct himself a new residence at the east end of the same street.
1904: William H. Adamson is still at work cleaning up his newly acquired property known as the Colonel’s Park along the riverside in the west side of town.
1909: Will Robinson received $400 from the D&RG railroad company in damages after it started the forest fire which destroyed Will’s house on La Veta Pass a little over a year ago.
1914: Some days there is no mail delivered in La Veta because the Denver and Rio Grande Western trains do not arrive before the post office closes – the day train arrives at the convenience of the company and not the people.
1919: W.E. Smith and Sons sold a [railroad] carload of hogs in Denver Monday for $15.45 a cwt, within five cents of topping the Chicago market.
1924: G.A. Mayes has been taking advantage of the warm weather to build more cottages at Cuchara Camps. There are now many privately owned residences, belonging to 14 people from Trinidad, 10 of Walsenburg, seven from Texas, six from Kansas, and one each from Indiana and La Veta. Improvements to be added this winter include a nine hole golf course.
1929: Some energetic American removed the flag pole rope at the school house and prevented the raising of the flag for the Armistice Day observance and program.
1934: A total of 43.9 percent of the people of Huerfano County are on relief at the present time, making the county among the highest in the state with 7,480 on the relief rolls.
1939: Reverend J.H. Gerault, pastor of the Baptist Church, is in Lamme Hospital in Walsenburg suffering from severe burns he received Sunday when he attempted to fight blazes which gutted the interior of the building. Damage to the church will exceed $1,000. The cause is yet unknown.
1944: The senior class earned $49.70 on its booth at the school carnival, half of which goes to the school library.
1949: New officers elected for Tuesday Night Study Club are Constance Ghiardi, president, Dorothy Arnold, vice president, Jean Goemmer, secretary and Nell Frost, treasurer.
1954: Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Arnold became parents of another son November 13, and Mr. and Mrs. Lavoy Schmidt also had a son that day. The babies are cousins and were born 30 minutes apart.
1959: November 13 was the birthday of Brett and Dwight Arnold and their cousin Mickey Schmidt, and a party at the Schmidt home was attended by 14 of their little friends.
1964: Huerfano County Cowbelles will have a dance Saturday night in the Chuckwagon in Cuchara. Members are asked to bring sandwiches to the dance, and their husbands.
1969: New officers of the Snowy Range 4-H Club are Maurice Heikes, junior leader, Mickey Schmidt, president, Rodney Falk, vice president, Helen Schmidt, secretary and Tammy Smith, treasurer.
1974: Curtis Elwell, formerly of the Crested Butte Lodge, is the new chef at the Inn of the Spanish Peaks above Cuchara.
1979: Eighty-eight people were served at the Eastern Star annual supper and bazaar and most of the gift items with a holiday theme were quickly sold.
1984: La Veta High School Football Coach Don Price was named Coach of the Year for Division IV All Conference and Bubby Morgan was named Most Valuable Player.
1989: A local mystery this week is a downed airplane sitting beside the road on La Veta Pass which shows evidence of colliding with a car.
1994: After recounting ballots, Election Clerk Nadine McNabb found the mill levy increase for the La Veta Library had passed by one vote.
