by Nancy Christofferson
Walsenburg
1877: Married, Aaron O. Willburn and Alice L. Quillian, daughter of the Reverend Asbury Quillian, both of Williams Creek.
1882: John Furphy, the late foreman at the Walsenburg coal banks, tells us the new superintendent, Mr. Lamb, is turning out 400 tons a day and will soon reach 500.
1887: Juan B. Bustos and Paula Maes de Casillas, and Jose Ignacio Cordova and Maria de los Angeles Cardenas, all of Los Crestones, were married on the 15th.
1892: Died, the Honorable Robert A. Quillain, born in Georgia in 1842 and died of paralysis. Following the Civil War he became a lawyer and came to Colorado where he opened a lawoffice in a small cabin on the Cucharas in Walsenburg.
1898: August Unfug circulated a petition and got mail service to Gardner improved so residents now receive mail and answer it the same day.
1902: Robbers held up S.W. Jellison and two clerks at Hindman’s store at the Champion Mine and secured about $300.
1907: Mrs. Tombling had a hop Saturday night to officially open her new hotel at Strong and about 18 couples attended to trip the light fantastic and enjoy an elegant supper at midnight.
1912: Pickled Pigs Feet, Lamb’s Tongues, Tripe, Quinces and other good things to eat for the holidays, at The Delicatessan, 114 Oxford Block.
1917: Professor B.H. Caughran, principal at Huerfano County High School, left yesterday to become a private in the Army.
1922: The local American Legion is sponsoring Americanization Week in Walsenburg.
1927: The Pueblo-Walsenburg highway will be improved between Crow and Greenhorn to eliminate the steep hills and dangerous curves.
1932: The Dramatic Arts Guild will present the play “Cyclone Sally” December 28 for the benefit of St. Mary Parish.
1937: The famous Blue Blaze Coal that is now being sold at the Big Six Coal Mine between Barbour and Big Four is owned by Clyde M. Johnson and Bert Amiday.
1942: Twenty persons will continue serving more than 500 hot meals for school children each day in a special program to replace the former Works Progress Administration sponsorship.
1947: The Pritchard Lumber Yard, 111 West Fifth Street, will have an open house December 15 after being closed for the past month for a thorough remodeling.
1952: A brand new little yellow school bus gleamed with wax and pride when she made her first run to pick up 10 students from Apache and bring them into Walsenburg for classes.
1957: Richmade Industries Store, 515 Main Street, had its grand opening observance Saturday and drew 215 people to sign up for prizes. Terry Toller won the grand prize of a fishing reel.
1962: Governor-Elect John A. Love will be the luncheon guest of the Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce next Tuesday noon.
1967: The Spanish Peaks Soil Conservation Board of Superintendents for 1968 are Charles Healey, Victor Brunelli, Merritt McDonald, Pete Cusimano and Albert Mestas.
1972: This year’s St. Mary High School basketball cheerleaders are Donna DiMatteo, Loretta Bellotti, Lillian Linscott, Marilyn Bevsek, Francie Ugolini, Brenda Lee Santi, Frankie Lynn Sarti and Brenda Vigil.
1977: Jay Crook was elected to his fifth term as president of the Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce, Dorothy McCart, Ed Swanson and Joe Feiccabrino, vice presidents, and Dave Higbee, treasurer. Ida Boscia was re-hired secretary.
1982: Walsenburg City Council approved the electricity, gas and water utilities department budgets totaling almost $3 million, an increase of $645,000 over the present year. Council also agreed to North Land Water Users Association replacing the extremely leaky St. Mary Cemetery water line north of the city.
1987: Lathrop State Park will host an open house Saturday, December 19 from 1-4 p.m. with guests asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Walsenburg Police Department’s Christmas basket distribution to needy families. There will be a visit from Santa Claus, park tours and free admission.
1992: Youth Center Theatre will present Agatha Cristie’s “The Mousetrap” beginning tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Cost of admission is $5 for adults and $2 for age 17 and under.
La Veta
1876: Considering the dull times throughout the country our town can be placed upon the list as one of the most thriving in the state.
1880: Dave Ryus received a [railroad] carload of flour and corn last Friday and sold it within 24 hours. He says the La Veta Coal and Mining Company, of which he is president, is shipping a carload per week.
1885: Alexander L. Moyer, Greeley, engineer for the Denver and Rio Grande at this place, will be married to Delilah J. Sease of La Veta on the 27th instant.
1890: Charles Tracy and Lillie Kerby joined the Baptist Church last week and Alexander Kerby has expressed an interest in joining this coming Sunday.
1895: O.T. Davis and his photo tent will remain in town until December 23 to take those holiday photographs.
1900: Wanted: Bids to haul coal by the ton to Francisco Switch or to La Veta. Apply A.A. Foote, superintendent Occidental Development Company, Middle Creek.
1905: J.E. Marker has rented C.F. Boyd’s blacksmith shop on Francisco and will open up in a few days.
1910: The new water mains are laid and connected; the extensions are also completed and the system should now be adequate for a good many years. G. F. Estes, who is in charge of refilling the town reservvoir, reports there is now six feet of fresh water in the lake.
1915: Adam Flockhart was fined $200 for selling intoxicating liquors.
1920: Will someone please do something desperate and tell us about it, to provide some local news?
1925: Lillie Falk and Armano, Bruno and Desolina Cassai promoted a dance in the Echo Creek school house Friday for the benefit of the junior class.
1930: The county mill levy has been set at 11.30, which is an increase of .93 of a mill over last year.
1935: Local news is particularly scarce this week but this gives our readers a chance to read the many advertisements.
1940: La Veta High School defeated Holy Trinity of Trinidad with both the first and second teams: 17-14 with the first and 12-11 for the second. It was ther first game [of the season].
1945: Paul Surace, who started the Colorado Cheese Company in 1941, began with 40 milking goats and now has 2,500. Today shipments amount to 25,000 pounds of cheese a week to 32 states and Canada.
1950: In the past year, 174 young people were enrolled in 14 Huerfano County 4-H clubs who completed one or more projects.
1955: The Redskins dropped a thriller 52-50 in a hoops contest in Walsenburg with the St. Mary Crusaders which went into overtime. Keith Kreutzer was high scorer with 16 points and Felix Cruz got 14. The La Veta “B” Squad won 36-26.
1960: The forest ranger station received a new paint job and is now a cream color with dark brown accents.
1965: LeeEtta Prator formally opened her Lee’s Fashions Saturday, December 11 in the former gift shop in the Kincaid building. Previously it was located in with Webster Insurance.
1970: The annual Christmas program by the La Veta schools will be presented free of charge in the school gym on December 17. It has always been an excellent program so don’t miss it.
1975: The Valley Art Center in Valley Hardware will hold an Open House this Saturday from 2-9 p.m. displaying many new items by local artists including the owners/teachers, Mary Hicks and Margie Bradley
1980: Francisco Fort Museum Gift Shop is open until Christmas Eve and it the only local outlet for the popular Territorial Daughters of Southern Colorado two volumns of books with personal histories written by descendents of the early families.
1985: Both the Triple G Truck Stop and the Diamond Shamrock on Highway 160 north of town were burglarized one night recently.
1990: Peggy Hohlaus will host an open house at her home at 402 Main Street with her and her daughter Suzanne’s paintings on display.
1995: The new E-911 program will be financed this year by Huerfano County’s $17,000, $27,000 from Walsenburg and $600 from La Veta. Once established it will cost county residents $1 a month.
