Walsenburg
1889: Walsenburg is rapidly gaining herself a great name abroad. The outside world are [sic] not only warming by her coal, but they are talking about her future, her resources and her advantages.
1896: If Leadville can have an ice palace, what’s the matter with Walsenburg having a sand palace?
1903: J.P. James, 35, was killed in a cave-in in the Black Diamond mine near Rugby, leaving a wife and three children, and Robert Kyle, 28, was killed by a runaway trip in the Maitland. He is survived by a wife.
1910: The Landorf O.K. ball club will play under the name of the Walsenburg Columbines this season, and the maximum age of the players has been extended from 16 to 19 years.
1916: Plans are being made for a high school race between Trinidad and Walsenburg where the athletes will run the 43 miles between the two cities in teams of 10 or 15.
1922: Herman Ruffini purchased the lots at the corner of Sixth and Rita [sic] streets and will build a modern five room brick house.
1928: A $2,000 reward is being offered for the person who dynamited Romilly Foote’s house.
1935: The Walsenburg soccer team will meet the northern Colorado champions for the state title.
1942: A number of county citizens went to Pueblo to attend sessions of the F.B.I. school led by Undersheriff Carl Swift and Chief of Police Jack Evans.
1948: An ordinance enacting a two cent per package cigarette tax for the city will be prepared for city council’s approval.
1955: New directors of the board of the local Rotary club are C. Albert Anderson, Howard Burress, Star Caywood, G.G. Caldwell, John Mall and Conrad Pyle.
1961: Robert Meyer, former city council member, has been appointed executive director of the local public housing authority.
1967: New members of the National Honor Society at Walsenburg High School are Kirk Ladendorf, Joe Stinson, P.C. Murr, Robert Johnson, Melvin Martinez, Janice Visich, Juanita Quintana, Abel Martinez, Theresa Savala and Margie Tomassi.
1974: Tammy Crump was selected grand champion in the Re-1 School District Science Fair, in which 310 students from grades one through nine participated. Their projects are on display in Elks Hall.
1980: Weatherman John Figal’s figures show that Walsenburg should receive at least two more feet of snow before the end of March.
1987: Huerfano County Economic Development has received a $4,000 grant from the Department of Local Affairs which will be used primarily for the promotion of tourism.
1993: Randy Rhodes and Dick Murdock, professional wrestlers and co-owners of U-Do-Drop Inn on Main Street, will sponsor matches in John Mall High School gym to benefit the school’s athletic program.
La Veta
1882: Mr. McHalva of Placer and Curg Williams of Greenhorn had a wrestling match in Hamilton’s store at Placer on Saturday last, with the latter winning the first two falls.
1898: It would be a good idea if the board would give the outhouses at the school a good overhauling.
1904: The merchants did a large business in hats during the wind storm Wednesday and the professional tramps in Kansas will likely reap a lifetime harvest of head gear.
1911: Postmaster Woodruff divided the post office into two rooms and Mrs. Jessie Donegan will occupy the south side with a novelties shop and the north side will be devoted to post office business.
1918: About 20 attended the four day Livestock Extension School this week, conducted by Prof. Clark from the State Agriculture College, in town hall.
1924: Town Council met last night and made arrangements with the Light Company for a flat rate of $95 per month for street lighting.
1930: Zeb Moore has again leased the town lake property for $150 per year. Just a few years ago the property was renting for as much as $235 a year.
1937: The town of La Veta owns 121 lots within town limits, in 15 different blocks.
1944: Don’t forget to register if you want to vote in the town election. Two years ago, 359 of 575 registered cast ballots.
1950: The Colorado Mobile X-Ray Unit will be in La Veta March 20 and 21 to test people over 12 years old for tuberculosis.
1956: J.C. Williamson of Midland, Tex., bought the old Flagg ranch north of Highway 160 and W.W. Percifull will return to manage it.
1962: A cold wave ushered in the month of March with temperatures down to 20 below zero and a half a foot of snow.
1969: Yvette Williams went to Denver and attended a day long session on “Keep Colorado Beautiful” as a representative of the Spanish Peaks Garden Club.
1975: The county clerk’s office has so far sold 4,174 motor vehicle license plates for everything from cars to tractors to motorcycles.
1981: The first major snowstorm of the season left about a foot of snow in the La Veta area but only four or five inches in Cuchara and the snow course measurements are the lowest ever recorded. On the Apishapa course at 10,000 feet elevation only seven percent of the 1963-1977 average water content was measured.
1987: The Apishapa snow course has a record amount of snow, 45 inches, containing 11.6 inches of water, or 178 percent of the long term average of 6.5 inches.
1994: Running for the three four-year seats on the La Veta Fire Protection District Board are Gary Riggins, Peggy Arnold, Gary Eitel, William Duzenack Jr. and Ron Jameson.
