Walsenburg
1883: Some ore from the south side of the Spanish Peaks in Las Animas County has been assayed at over $400 in silver to the ton and 13 percent copper. Many claims have been located already.
1893: Lowenbruck and Lidle are preparing to build a stone addition to their already large butcher shop on Main Street. Charles Estes is hauling stone to use to put an ice chest there.
1898: Oh say! Were you at the cake walk on Saturday night? Well you ought to have been there. It was the best thing of the season.
1903: Reports from the upper Huerfano indicate snow is more than 20 feet deep and from the Goose Ranch up the river to McMillan is completely submerged in snow with not even the stove pipes being visible.
1908: Mazzone’s Opera House was crowded to its utmost capacity for the Walsenburg Dramatic Club’s performance Monday evening.
1913: Mrs. Ida Lierow is the new trimmer at Unfug Waist and Skirt Company. 1918: Last week the mayor and members of the town board were served with writs to appear before Judge McChesney to show cause why they have taken no steps to make this a city of the second class as proscribed by law.
1923: B.E. Klein is moving into his new residence at Third and Hendren streets and the Trinidad Electric Company office will move into the rooms in the Klein Hotel vacated by Mr. Klein.
1928: The Colorado and Southern Railroad will abandon the tracks to the old McNally and Breen mines of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, which have been closed for some time.
1933: Both the City Pharmacy and Star Drug on Main Street beautified their store fronts this week in preparation for spring clean-up and the summer trade.
1938: Knights of Columbus and former knights will meet March 22 in KC Hall, for the purpose of reorganizing under the direction of Reverend Father Raymond Newell.
1943: All qualified persons who plan to vote in the April 6 city election are reminded by City Clerk Tom Wilson they must register before March 30.
1948: Huerfano County High School has been admitted into the Southern Colorado Class A conference which includes Las Animas, Rocky Ford, Lamar and La Junta.
1953: Two loads of nine to 12 inch trout were dumped into Martin Lake this week by the state game and fish department. This was their sixth load so far this year.
1958: Born, a girl yesterday to Mr. and Mrs. Fiore Andreatta and a boy this morning to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Montana.
1963: Walsenburg High School won the Southern Peaks Class A title by defeating Del Norte 51-48 and will play in the state tournament against Yuma.
1968: Walsenburg citizens must vote again on whether they want natural gas. The proposition was approved in an election August 9, 1966, but construction costs are now lower and interest rates higher.
1973: For Sale: 1971 Pinto, $1,300: Ford 1970 Station Wagon, $1,800. First National Bank in Walsenburg.
1978: Civic League is having concrete benches made to place on the sidewalks around downtown Walsenburg for people who need to rest while shopping.
1983: Gardner School was built in 1935 and two rooms were added in 1960. Since the enrollment went from 60 to 132 in six years, the school board now wants an addition on the north for three classrooms, offices, a teachers’ workroom, gym, and bathrooms, and to update the electrical system.
1988: Huerfano Basin Stockgrowers and guests will have the annual meeting and dinner-dance Saturday evening in Rio Cucharas Inn with the Silver Eagle band providing the music.
1993: Lluvia Crockett of the Huerfano Highlanders club in Gardner will present an instrumental solo in the annual 4-H Talent Show Thursday.
La Veta
1881: “Town Lots Given Away – I will donate alternate business lots on the north side of the railroad, on Locust [Main] Street, to any who will build business houses within 90 days. Locust Street is to be THE business street of town”. /s/ C.E. McComb
1891: Town Board met in D.D. Ryus’s store for a regular meeting but transacted no business of import. This was the meeting postponed from March 4 when no quorum was reached.
1896: Notice – The Advertiser will now be carried on by C.E. Turner and Arthur A. Foote only; Heber Turner having retired from all connection with this paper.
1901: Mae L. McIntire now has charge of the high school which has an enrollment of 10 boys and 15 girls. The primary department has 29 boys and 31 girls under Miss Moss while the intermediate with Etta K. Rasmussen has 14 boys and 21 girls for a total enrollment of 120.
1906: School was closed Monday and part of Tuesday on account of the wind storm shaking the building.
1911: The town baseball players organized a team and elected Paul Erwin captain and Grady Kendall manager. They set their first game for Sunday the 26th against Pictou.
1916: Mr. Mayes has recorded 75 inches of snow since October 1 in Cuchara Camps and there is a certain uneasiness abroad about the lack of moisture so far this winter.
1921: Fred Vasquez and Dorothy Richman won the prizes for the best costumes for the St. Patrick’s Day Masquerade Dance.
1926: Colorado Resorts and Rustic Homes Company incorporated for $75,000 and will have a hotel, campgrounds, stores, filling station, dance pavilion and summer homes at a site about one mile from Sulphur Springs on Indian Creek.
1931: Homer Potts will occupy that part of the Francisco Plaza now owned by Mrs. John Hamilton.
1936: Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day and the time to sow sweet peas; several of our ladies in town followed the usual custom.
1941: The La Veta Junior Chamber of Commerce has joined the national and state organizations of Jaycees. The club also agreed to sponsor the Fourth of July celebration this year.
1946: New Rotary Club officers are Pete Gross, George O. Drury, Adolph Goemmer and Lou Coleman.
1951: The La Veta High School seniors will sponsor a dance Saturday, March 31 in the high school gym with music by Pete Lopez of Walsenburg, to raise funds to help pay for the senior trip.
1956: The Redskins ended their basketball season with a 13-8 record, fourth in the league. Playing their last high school games were seniors Don Drury, Dave Kreutzer, Jerry Masinton, Don Sneddon and Frank Strovas.
1961: The Busy Bees 4-H Club was organized Saturday with Linda Lou Nauerth president, Christy Aguirre, vice president, Donna Bowdino, secretary, Karla Ann Falk, treasurer and Cindy Britton, reporter.
1966: Pearl Kitchen spent the weekend in Lafayette to help her brother Morgan Patterson celebrate his 98th birthday.
1971: Juniors on the honor role were Charles Sawyer, Mickey Schmidt, Brett Arnold, Irene Duzenack, Mitzi Masinton, John Britton and Sherry Glover.
1976: Four La Veta girls have entered the Miss Huerfano County Pageant – DeAnna Brgoch, Lori Erickson, Tammy Smith and Crystal Leap.
1981: Having the major roles in the Spoon River Players’ production “Wait Until Dark” will be Nancy Burns, George Albright, Garrett Sheldon, Paul Horseman and Jay Aljinovich.
1986: Lack of snow in Huerfano County caused the early closure of Cuchara Valley Resort two weeks ago. The Cucharas Creek snow course shows a depth of 18 inches which is 75 percent of normal and actually shows more moisture than the courses on the Apishapa and La Veta Pass.
1991: Girls named to the All Conference Basketball team were Ann Hampton, Sherri Payne, Jenny Brown and Amy Meketi, while the boys so named were Art Carey, Eric Kreutzer, Josh Brgoch, Brooks Betts and Matt Hampton.
