Walsenburg

1883: Last Friday the thermometer dropped to 30 degrees below zero, the coldest any old settler can remember. 1890: The Capitol Hill grocery of Jellison and Company is the agent for La Veta flour. 1897: Born to Mr. and Mrs. H.M. Woodward, a seventeen pound girl. 1902: Charles O. Unfug announces the organization and incorporation of the Copper Bull Mining Company at St. Louis, Missouri. The company property is on Pass Creek and includes the old Copper Bull mine that was worked in1882-1883 at a cost of $30,000. 1907: Town Board voted to have the Street Commissioner erect street signs at the intersections and will consider a method of numbering houses. 1912: Walsenburg must have a new post office with at least a thousand square feet of floor space now it has been made a second class post office. 1918: The Star Orchestra will play for a Pre-Lenten dance Tuesday, February 12 in Maccabee Temple. 1923: Reuss and Ahlich opened an auto paint shop in the new Joseph building at 718½ Main Street, with an elevator to take the cars upstairs. They will work in connection with the Central Garage on the ground floor. 1929: Eggs, 2 dozen 65 cents; Bananas, 3 lbs. 19 cents; Toilet Tissue, 3 rolls 25 cents. Safeway Skaggs Stores. 1934: The World-Independent and Fox Theater treated more than 150 teachers of Huerfano County to a free movie, “Little Women”, starring Katharine Hepburn. 1939: The county commissioners have completed purchase of land from Joe Dietz for a right of way for straightening several dangerous curves on Highway 69 near Gardner. 1944: Huerfano County’s bond quota was exceeded last night during a bond drive, having raised $353,606.75 in the 4th War Loan campaign. 1950: The county clerk’s office has sold 1,574 passenger car licenses, 585 commercial, 181 truck and 30 trailer licenses, for a total of 2,389 plates so far this year. 1956: With Tommy Michelli and Jimmy Malano leading the way, the St. Mary High School Crusaders beat the Pueblo Catholic High School Shamrocks 60-56. Michelli was high scorer with 25 points. 1961: Theresa Ann Mall and Thomas F.X. Mullarkey were married February 4 in St. Mary Church.

1966: A total of 1,429 license plates were mailed out this year by the county clerk’s office, 203 more than last year. Mailed were plates for 862 passenger cars, 300 trucks, 160 farm vehicles and 107 miscellaneous. 1971: Sites for 30 new low rent houses in Walsenburg have been approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the old Klein Hotel lots as well as on West Second, Sixth, Eighth and Ninth streets. 1977: City Council approved the paving, sewer and gutter projects for streets in Ward III as the community development project for 1977, on West Eighth, Ninth and Tenth streets along with some side streets. 1983: The first year of reclamation of inactive coal mines has nearly been completed under the Colorado Inactive Mine Program. It has cost approximately $173,250 for reclaiming 19 mines in eight areas. 1988: Tri-Cord Enterprises Corp of Oklahoma has chosen Walsenburg as the site for a plant to manufacture livestock feed pellets from alfalfa and corn. It will be built adjacent to town on land the company purchased last week from the City of Walsenburg for $15,000. 1993: City Council, Lathrop State Park and Department of Wildlife are discussing a plan to increase the water level in Martin Lake behind a new dam and spillway, establishing a water fowl pond and the possibility of developing the city lake into a recreational site.

La Veta

1879: Town Board met for its regular monthly meeting but the only piece of business was the approval for payment of a bill from G.W. Morton for $2.50 for a lock for the calaboose. 1885: The membership of the Baptist Church received a magnificent new pulpit designed, fashioned and given by J.C. Goss. 1893: Petitions have been circulated for the state to purchase and improve the toll roads over Abeyta (La Veta) and Middle Creek passes. Another petition is contemplated for the state to also open Indian Creek Pass. 1898: The sidewalks are finally being repaired with the broken boards removed and dirt used to fill the gaps. Laying ashes would make a better walk than this half and half job. 1903: L.M. Jones, retiring Denver and Rio Grande station agent, had a whist party in the Springer Hotel to say goodbye to his friends and fellow card lovers. 1908: E.V. Gibbons is putting up a garage for his new auto near the Francisco Plaza. 1914: V.G. Mills has purchased a Maxwell automobile and in consequence is desirous of selling his two seated surrey with genuine leather top, as well as his runabout buggy and harnesses. 1919: Some twelve or fourteen railroad cars of ice have been shipped this week from this place to the coal camps near Walsenburg. This is the second crop, the first having been cut in December. 1924: The greatest amount of annual precipitation of any U.S. Weather Bureau station in the Colorado in 1923 was 40.21 inches in Cuchara Camps. The greatest single month was August with 10.09 inches. The 15 year average of snowfall there is 150 inches, with the current standing of the 1923-24 season at 100 inches. 1930: The La Veta National Farm Loan Association elected as directors J.E. Coe, Eugene Ellis, John Elley, John M. Crouse and John Kreutzer. 1935: W.W. Light, Huerfano County relief administrator, revealed that 1,322 people are idle in the county awaiting further relief orders to go ahead with the relief programs, and that 347 families in the county must wait for direct relief. 1941: Sixteen members of the Methodist Epworth League enjoyed a toboggan and ski party on top of La Veta Pass Sunday afternoon, returning in the evening for a chili supper in the basement of the church. 1946: While opinions are divided about the proposed livestock sales ring construction, the La Veta Chamber of Commerce met with 42 in attendance and endorsed the idea after inspecting the architectural plans, as well as a smaller building to cost $49,500. 1951: Receiving Tenderfoot Scout ratings at the Court of Honor Monday night were Christy Griego, Eddie Sanchez, David Ward, Casper Vigil and Roger Sweet. Receiving second class ratings were Ben Nason, John Samartino, Don Engberg, Don Nauerth and Charles Ward. 1957: Died, Mae Dryden, 58, wife of Fred. She was born in Indiana in 1898, and came to La Veta in 1901 with her parents John E. and Julia Jewell. She was very musical and had been organist for the Baptist Church in late years. She leaves her husband and siblings James and Robert Jewell, Mrs. Ted Price and Mrs. Roy Meade. 1963: Rick Sherbondy, grandson of Mrs. Maude Coleman, will be installed Master Councilor of the local chapter of DeMolay this Sunday in the high school auditorium. 1968: The Redskins won a Southern Peaks Class A League basketball game by defeating the Creede Miners 63-44, with high scorers Wayne Smith with 25 points and Lester Green with 17. 1973: Construction work on the first phase of a new county 4-H complex will begin this spring on 13 acres in the northeast section of La Veta. 1979: Snow courses on Cuchara Creek and Apishapa are from nine to forty-three percent over the long term averages. On La Veta Pass, 47 inches of snow were measured with six inches of water content, 106 percent above average. 1985: Town Board approved a zone change for five acres on Second Street by the river for a 43-unit recreational vehicle park for Dick and Shirley Jameson.