Walsenburg
1898: John J. Pritchard is having cement sidewalks laid in front of his lots of 5th Street as an experiment. He is thinking seriously of moving his lumber yard to these lots [he did].
1905: A mass meeting of the citizens of Walsenburg was held Saturday in the court house to discuss ways and means for the laying of a system of sewers at a rate of $1.00 per month for each house with six or fewer rooms and 10¢ for each additional room.
1912: W.B. Wayt sold his lumber yard to Farmers Lumber Yard Company and W.W. Hammond will be in charge.
1919: Sporleder Selling Company is having a 30 by 70 foot addition built onto the east side of the building.
1925: In the town election, John J. Pritchard was elected mayor, C.V. Mazzone clerk and William Krier, treasurer.
1931: For every ton of coal removed from the Walsen mine, 12 tons of water must be pumped out, and the company is thinking of closing it, which would affect 300 miners.
1937: Several trucks loaded with bedding and other personal belongings for sheep shearing crews pulled out of Walsenburg this morning en route to the Wyoming sheep shearing season.
1943: Huerfano County High School seniors will present the three-act play “Stage Door” by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman at the school on Friday night.
1949: Alfred Danti was named editor of the St. Mary High School student newspaper, “The Paladin”.
1957: A Community Laundry and Dry Cleaners delivery truck was stolen from the home of Vince Ferraro, 132 Colorado Avenue.
1963: With a critical lack of water in storage and low snow pack in the mountains, Walsenburg Utilities Board has restricted water but the regular disregard of restrictions led the board to ask for police aid in apprehending violators.
1969: More than 300 children participated in the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Walsenburg Elks in the municipal pool park last Saturday.
1975: The 78 full and part time employees of Huerfano Memorial Hospital have received raises and the annual payroll will now run at approximately $440,000.
1981: Plaza de los Leones Fiesta will be July 24-26 and include a Friday Western dance, Saturday parade, street events and a modern dance, and for Sunday a mariachi mass and afternoon fiesta.
1987: City Councilwoman Anna Gasparetti has objected to the county commissioners about the Economic Development’s Revolving Funds’ loan of $123,000 to Baker Communications for its KSPK Radio.
1993: Paul E. Kenyon of Wisconsin has been named vice president of the Huerfano County Medical Center and administrator of the Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home which will open Monday.
La Veta
1900: The officials of the Denver and Rio Grande have decided to reopen the Veta Pass narrow gauge system because of the copper mines at Ojo and gold boom at Grayback.
1906: The filter at the town lake again appears to have broken down, for hundreds of small fish came through the pipes.
1912: Mary E. Kishman has obtained a divorce from her husband William, a Denver and Rio Grande engineer. She is to get $50 a month in alimony.
1917: Edwin L. Smith has bought his old house at Main and Virginia streets back and will thoroughly renovate it before he moves his family in.
1923: The Nuttall residence at the corner of Birch and Ryus has been sold to Mrs. Rose Edmisten and she and her husband Frank will soon be moving there.
1928: Old Dobbin has been put back to work after five days of snow.
1934: Some 80 educators of Huerfano County attended the teachers’ institute in La Veta last Saturday.
1941: Dan Kincaid measured 40.75 inches of snow at Blue Lake or 234% of the 1940 total for this time of year. It took him five hours to get from Cuchara Camps to Blue Lake. He says the snow averages 75 inches deep in the woods.
1947: Town Board again failed to fill the position of Town Marshal.
1952: Jerry Masinton of the 8th grade placed third and Wendell Werner of the 5th grade placed second in the county spelling contest last Friday.
1957: Mrs. Laura Moore celebrated her 94th birthday with her sons Howard, Herbert and Floyd and their wives.
1964: Charles Masinton is extending the floor space of the La Veta Cash and Carry to the west for more room for groceries and customers.
1970: The Sew-n-Sews 4-H Club organized last month elected Tammy Kreutzer, president, Amy Aguirre, vice president, Diane Duzenack, secretary and Donetta Smith, treasurer. Leaders are Betty Kreutzer and Marilyn Smith.
1977: Margie Bradley and Mary Hicks have closed their Valley Art Center but Margie will continue to have art supplies available for sale in her home on east Ryus Avenue.
1984: Town Board leased the town lake property to the school’s Vo-Ag department rather than to Dwight Harrison who wanted to include it in his golf course development.
1991: La Veta Public Library has been awarded $5,000 in a matching fund grant for the construction of an eight by 22 foot addition on the west end of the building for storage and a handicapped entrance.
