Walsenburg
1877: The Spanish Peaks gold mines south of town, discovered late in the fall, are attracting considerable attention, and several companies have been formed during the winter that will commence the work of developing in earnest as soon as a few warm days remove the little snow yet remaining on the range.
1883: A slight fall of snow Friday night but under the genial rays of the sun it soon disappeared.
1889: Joe Hurst arrived here in September with $35.00, now he is a busy a bee along with his brother recently arrived in their Palace Barber Shop in the Mazzone block. They have fine bath rooms in connection.
1895: Dr. A.J. Morton, formerly so popular in La Veta, is returning from Durango and intends to locate in Walsenburg. 1902: Stanislaus Vallejos of Cucharas, about 40, was thrown from his horse and killed. His brother Jacobo was murdered in 1898 and brother Mucio murdered two years ago, leaving only Juan, former county commissioner, to survive.
1908: Miss Lilly E. Lackey has rented rooms in the home of Miss Lester and opened a studio for the instruction of piano. 1915: The new home of Miss Lucy Lester on Pennsylvania Avenue is almost completed.
1922: The Princess Theatre in Aguilar has been sold by Che Kelloff to L.E. Summers who will operate it in association with his father, the manager of the Snodgrass Food Company in La Veta.
1929: The new bargain basement at Katz’s Department Store is nearly completed and should be open for Easter purchases.
1936: Miss Mabel McKinley of the County Agent’s office has been appointed representative
of Huerfano County for the new cooperative farm credit organization to assist farmers prepare their applications for obtaining federal loans.
1943: Lonhino DeHerrera. 23 year old Walsenburg man, was found frozen to death along the Denver and Rio Grande tracks near Cedarwood, evidently caught by a storm on the way home to see his mother.
1950: The Gardner Cooperative Dairy Breeders Association recently saw the birth of the first calf to a Jersey cow bred artificially. It was born on the farm of Florence Rahn.
1956: The $425.00 loot obtained by the car prowler who broke into the J&L Electric truck last week was found intact, hidden in some weeds near the pavilion.
1961: Fred Allan Menghini, 22, 1956 graduate of St. Mary High School and 1961 graduate of Creighton University, has been accepted for entrance into Creighton dental school.
1967: Mr. and Mrs. Dominic Quirico were honored Sunday on their 50th Anniversary. He came to Walsenburg in 1909 as a miner and when he saw the photo of Miss Marietta Ferrero of Italy in 1917, he sent for her and a week later they were married in St. Mary Church.
1974: A proposed 60-bed nursing home in Walsenburg came one step closer to reality this week according to builder James McIver, who has the building at the corner of Seventh and Albert streets. 1980: Cost for students of John Mall High School for their upcoming ski trip to Wolf Creek will be $15.00 each to cover costs of rentals, lessons and lift tickets.
1987: Huerfano County School District Re-1 will build a north wall onto its bus garage on Main Street where the wall was heavily damaged when the Candlelight Inn burned down.
La Veta
1878: Although the town board has not had a quorum since January, the trustees are still considering reducing business licenses to $10 per quarter to sell liquor and to $1.00 per for merchants.
1884: Oliver Bemen, marshal for the past six months, has been receiving $10.00 per month for his efforts.
1890: The new ordinance is now in effect requiring property owners along Francisco, Main and Birch streets to build two inch thick plank sidewalks.
1897: Jasper Kerby has started a custom saw mill in town and now Mr. Ranchman hauls a load of logs to town and returns home with a load of lumber.
1904: Walter Powell closed his school in the Sager district Feb. 26 and will open Monday, March 7, a nine month school in the Baker district on Middle Creek.
1912: An explosion Wednesday night woke several people around town and it is thought a meteor fell somewhere in the vicinity. 1918: The town hall building on Francisco Street will henceforth be open Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m. as a public reading room for the magazines and newspapers kept there.
1924: The Camp Fire girls took a hike to the butte at Goemmer’s ranch last Saturday and enjoyed a weenie roast out in the open. 1930: The Junior Class play, under the direction of Miss Constance Ghiardi, earned the class some $80.00.
1936: Steve Duzenack has purchased the former Damacio Vigil ranch east of La Veta and will move his family up there from Cameron at once.
1942: J.E. Blumberg, grade school principal the past six years, has resigned to enter civil service at a government ammunition plant in Illinois. 1948: The Sand Arroyo School, about eight miles below here, has been closed nearly four weeks due to snow.
1954: The Citizens party ticket includes Paul Gilbert for mayor, Karl Gilbert, clerk, and Cornelia Coleman for treasurer, while the Independents are offering Tony Masinton for mayor, Walter Carver, clerk and Lou W. Coleman, treasurer.
1960: Casimiro Cruz, 41, died of injuries received in a Denver and Rio Grande snowplow accident. He was born in 1918 and served in World War II. He leaves a wife, two sons and two daughters, two brothers and two sisters.
1966: The Redskins lost their game against Creede 71-62 in the district tournament.
1974: Former resident Darwin Shilling is back in La Veta and enrolled his children Heather and Heidi in school.
1980: Work will start this week at the La Veta Library on converting the former garage into a reading room. Rotary Club last week donated $500.00 toward the project
1987: The upper Cuchara Valley received four feet and 10 inches of snow in seven days last week.
