by Nancy Christofferson
Walsenburg
1877: The locust swarms that have appeared the past two summers, especially in mid August, are thought to have destroyed as much as fifty percent of the crops locally.
1883: Joseph Bourcey and wife spent Thursday in La Veta and report the death of Christoval de la Riva, the brother of Antonio. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery here.
1890: A crew of about 40 men is working on building the new, larger water tank and pipeline at the Rouse mine.
1896: The special bond election to approve $4,000 to build a two room addition and repair the school house was approved by a vote of 47 to 4.
1901: At least 1,000 people attended the Corpus Christi services in the Catholic Church last Sunday.
1907: We hear a new two story, pressed brick store building, 120 by 140 feet in size, is soon to be erected on the southeast corner of Main and Sixth streets.
1913: Ladies Zoo Calf blucher shoe, $1.39; President suspenders, 39 cents; Mens fleeced drawers, 29 cents, at Guynn Mercantile Company, 610 Main Street.
1919: Members of the Mosca Pass Boosters organization of Huerfano County and the San Luis Valley are initiating a movement to have the pass reopened for general traffic.
1925: The Purity Coal Company has taken hold of Ojo mine and a store will open with Clarence Summers in charge.
1931: Steve Kukolich arrived Saturday after hitch-hiking home from Grinnell College in Iowa where he is specializing in chemical research.
1937: A band of 20 nudists cavorting on Seventh Street was captured and consisted of boys from six to 12 years old who “peeled” for a dip in the irrigation ditch near the Colorado Supply building.
1943: Members of the Walsenburg Community Church will gather at the home of the new pastor, Rev. V.H. Schroeder, for a welcoming party and to burn the mortgage paid off last month.
1949: Receiving honors at the state conclave of the Order of De Molay were Dan Summers Jr., Charles Haines and Elvin Lee.
1955: Some 1,000 orders of pancakes, sausage and coffee will be served by local members of the Lions Club in Walsenburg’s first Aunt Jemima’s Pancake celebration here Saturday.
1961: Ben Feiccabrino was elected president of the Walsenburg Lions Club to succeed A.S. Lenzini Jr.
1967: Karl and Julia Supancic, operators of the A&W Drive-In, will celebrate National Root Beer Week June 18-24 by giving away root beer with each sandwich order.
1973: The Huerfano County courthouse and jail have been officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1979: Died, Xavier “Bud” Dissler, 59. He was a veteran of World War II who in 1947 married Delphine Toller. He leaves his wife, daughters Gloria and Kim Marie and son Glen. He was buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery.
1985: Gardner will have its Firemen’s Ball July 4 with a barbecue, music by three bands, The Singing River Band, Benny and the Benefits, and Huerfano 3, games and drawings. Tickets are $4.00 each.
1991: Huerfano and Las Animas county commissioners approved construction of a 75-mile trail along Highway 12 to connect Trinidad and Walsenburg via Cucharas Pass, a project that may take 30 years to complete.
La Veta
1881: Dave Ryus is loaning the lumber to construct a speakers’ stand and dance platform for use at the Fourth of July celebration. L.W. Burtch says he intends to sell candy, lemonade and ice cream during the day.
1887: Town Board, acting on a request by the School Board, has passed an ordinance condemning Locust Street in Blocks 17 and 18 for the erection of a school building on an 80 by 320 foot lot.
1893: Mr. Ritter is handling the razor at the Alamo Hotel barber shop.
1899: We believe if we all turn out tomorrow with straw hats, the ladies in white dresses and men in linen dusters that before Monday evening rolls around the drought will be broken. Let’s try it.
1905: There are now more than 50 taps to the town water mains with G.F. Estes’ new property and the old Ryus residence the latest to be connected.
1911: Mrs. Mary Conine has improved her property on Ryus Avenue by enclosing it with a nice woven wire fence.
1917: Price’s Ranch on Indian Creek has one, two and three bedroom cabins for rent for tourists. 1923: Frank Prator wrote us from Las Cruces, New Mexico, about his marriage June 9 but gave no particulars or even the name of his bride.
1930: Died, Adeline Sisley, 65, in Dulce, New Mexico. She was born in Georgia in 1865 and came to La Veta in 1869 with her parents, the McClures. Married to William Sisley in 1882, the family moved on in 1890. Eight of nine children survive her.
1936: Electrical service failed completely the first of the week until it was discovered someone had thrown a wire over the high tension wire near the Seaman corner one and a quarter miles north of town.
1942: Work started Tuesday morning on construction of a temporary bridge across the Cucharas on the highway north of La Veta. It will be one-way and made of frame. Bus service will resume after its completion.
1948: Sgt. Francis B. Denton, killed July 7, 1944 shortly after the invasion of Normandy began, will be buried in La Veta Sunday afternoon. He was the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Denton, born Nov. 13, 1919, and the brother of Byron.
1953: For the annual 4-H Fair and Rodeo in La Veta Aug. 22-23, Ellis Smith will be manager, Bill Pendleton, assistant manager, Louis Magnino, treasurer and Bob Drury, barn boss.
1959: Mr. and Mrs. Jack Young have expanded their honey business to include a roadside stand between their residence and filling station on Main Street.
1965: Search parties from the forest service, sheriff’s department, Fort Carson and volunteers are out seeking William Scandrett, 27, of Cuchara, in the Spanish Peaks and Apishapa Pass area.
1971: Members of the Spanish Peaks Garden Club painted all the planters in town and planted colorful flowers in them.
1977: A lightning bolt struck an electrical line near Trinidad, resulting in a four and a half hour power outage in Walsenburg, La Veta, Aguilar, Trinidad and the Stonewall Valley.
