La Veta
1901: W.R. Willis is building a house on his lot opposite the Presbyterian Church on west Francisco Street and Miss Anna Willis will conduct a kindergarten there this summer.
1908: Taking the examination for Forest Service employment were William Boyd, George and Arthur Bruce, Mr. Carson, James Herbin, A.R. Kent and Eugene Vories.
1914: Five new buildings are under construction at Cuchara Camps, including a large log cabin for Dr. S.J. Lamme.
1920: If there is no news this week, blame it on the wind.
1926: The Daughters of the American Revolution are interested in preserving the status of the old Francisco Plaza and will put up a metal tablet with the date of the plaza’s erection, mounted on a hard native stone to be placed on the site of the old well in the plaza center. [It’s still there.]
1932: The persistent rumors that county men had been discriminated against in the hiring of men for work on the La Veta Pass highway project were denied when state officials declared that 95% of the workers employed were Huerfano County men.
1939: Memorial services for the 18 people who died in the violence at the Ludlow tent colony 25 years ago will be Sunday.
1945: Huerfano County’s Red Cross War Fund quota of $13,400 was surpassed with $940.45 of that coming from the drive in La Veta and $3,633.72 from the annual livestock sale held in town.
1951: Jerry Masinton represented the La Veta seventh grade in the county spelling bee but went down on the word “privilege”.
1958: Harry Sager, La Veta area rancher, found a high altitude recording mechanism of the U.S. Navy eight miles due east of town after seeing the parachute in which it was dropped.
1963: The high school Pep Club had its annual banquet and dance Saturday evening with local talent performing in music, readings and speeches, and awards and gifts were given to all the coaches.
1971: La Veta High School’s two new buildings, including three new classrooms and a shop, will be dedicated tomorrow to Evalyn Capps Walker for her 23 years of devotion to school children through teaching and serving on the school board.
1987: Town Board hired Phil Wilson, deputy since March 26, 1984, as the new marshal to replace Steve Carey who was dismissed. He and his wife Frances, sometime deputy, have since moved to California.
Walsenburg
1903: E.A. Lidle is building a new slaughterhouse south of town near the Rouse road and about a half mile closer to Walsenburg than the old one that burned.
1909: Dancing every Tuesday and Saturday nights at Palace Hall, admission ten cents, and five cents per dance.
1915: Abe Bedran, 18, was shot and killed in a scrap with some Syrians from Trinidad and Aguilar on 7th Street. He was the brother-in-law of our merchant Abe Cutter.
1923: Clyde Johnson was appointed Chief of Police Wednesday night by City Council. He is a homesteader and teacher from the Turkey Ridge area east of Walsenburg.
1928: The local telephone office, employing six operators during the two day shifts and one on the night shift, under chief operator Mrs. Harold Smallwood, has been receiving more than 5,000 calls per day lately.
1932: Don Haney and His Eight Blues Ramblers were featured at the Valencia Theater Sunday night. Members of the group are Virgil Maes, Walter Chapman, Alfred Lenzotti, Thomas Socha, Hubert Chatin, Bonnie Martinez, James Benine and vocalist Josephine Dalpaiz.
1938: Lucille Saliba directed 130 St. Mary school students in last night’s play, “Swing High School”, a musical comedy.
1943: One thousand men, making up an infantry battalion stationed at Camp Carson, arrived here shortly before noon today and have set up field headquarters at Huajatolla Park west of the city at Martin Lake.
1949: Approximately 134 new cars have been sold so far this year by Huerfano County auto dealers.
1955: The 15th annual El Fandango at Huerfano County High School will be Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6.
1962: Highway 160 will be dedicated as the Navajo Trail in ceremonies at the Four Corners on Sept. 16.
1969: Seniors at St. Mary High School receiving all As were Mary Louise Bellotti, Judy Geiger, Melanie MacDonald, Bernadette Pacheco and Betty Shepic.
1975: Sixth grader Gretchen Sporleder won first in the Biological Science division of the Re-1 School District’s annual Science Fair held in Elks Hall, and Gaylene Zellar won first in the engineering category.
