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This week in History for August 28, 2014

Walsenburg 1876: Mr. J.G. Morton, well and favorably known in Walsenburg and Pueblo, is now located in Gardner where he is in the mercantile business. 1882: General Walsen laid out his new town between here and the coal banks and has commenced selling lots. The deeds specify that liquor will never be sold on the premises. 1888: The railroad reached the new mining camp of Rouse Aug. 26 and will when done have seven tracks. Rouse will soon be the largest coal camp in Colorado. 1894: Mr. and Mrs. Alexander “Sandy” Allison have leased the Home Restaurant. 1900: The regular democratic pow wow and circus is being pulled off today in Mazzone Hall. 1906: The town will give up its claims to the lots from Gen. Walsen’s will, also willed to Fred G. Walsen, if the latter will pay $1,500. 1912: Fred Roof of Walsenburg was elected president of the State Bankers association. 1919: A 74-year-old man was killed when his auto left the hogback crossing and fell 20 feet into the town

drainage ditch. 1928: Malcolm MacDonald was unanimously elected president of the Colorado State Elks-American Legion association convention here this week. 1934: Back to School Special, Boys Corduroy Longies, $1.69, J.C. Penney, 604-605 Main Street. 1940: Bud E. Anderson’s Jungle Oddities and Three Ring Circus will appear in Walsenburg Sept. 6. 1946: C.W. Weems and G.W. Thiel of Englewood have purchased the local taxi service from Geroge Stolte and will run two cars. 1952: Pfc. Juan R. Garcia of Walsenburg was awarded the Combat Badge for service with the 25th Infantry Division in Korea. 1958: A total of 4,901 persons are registered to vote in the Huerfano County primary Sept. 7. 1965: St. Mary School enrollment of 263 in the elementary grades and 124 in the high school is slightly lower than last years’ total of 419. 1971: Sister Naomi Rosenburger is the new principal at St. Mary School. 1977: John Mall High School Football Coach Jeff Geiser says he’s “very optimistic” for the 1977 season. 1983: Janet Korell has opened In Stitches, a new fabric and notions store, at 504 Main Street. 1989: Huerfano County Law Enforcement Center, which was scheduled to open Aug. 1, has 58 items to correct as deemed by mechanical engineers, before it can accept prisoners. 1995: The first meeting of a the authority board for the proposed privatized prison here Tuesday evening was attended by Bill Reiners, chairman, Sheriff John Salazar, Judy Jurecki, Betty Ridge and Bill Downey.

La Veta 1877: W.A. Moore has opened a large store in the new town of Garland on the west side of the pass, and with his store in La Veta has been doing a fine business in flour, feed, groceries and liquors. 1883: Corn crops were never better in this part of the state and oats are also a good crop this season. 1891: L.A. Drum will be ordered to move his barn that is standing in the street at the north corner of Locust and Francisco. 1897: The big guns from the Bulls Eye gulch are heard echoing and re-echoing over the mountains and we suppose the lessees are getting out some pay mineral. 1903: The Bald Mountain railroad grade along Middle Creek will be finished into the mine entry by Sept. 10. 1909: By rough estimate, we figure more than 1,300 running feet of cement sidewalk have been laid this summer in La Veta, along with five cement crossings and five alley crossings. The walks vary at 10 feet wide, eight feet wide and six feet wide. 1915: Elbert Kitchen brought in some fine potatoes grown on the old “milk ranch” northwest of town. 1923: The big storm necessitated a new roof and ceiling for E.L. Smith’s corner store building. This is some of the joy of owning property. 1930: A heavy rain caused a flash flood down Sand Arroya which washed out the railroad bridge. 1936: C.E. Wilson bought the filling station at the southeast corner of Ryus and Oak streets from Howard Hanka, who will concentrate on his business at Ojo Springs. 1944: Elementary teachers for the coming term will be Alice Kopine, first grade; Nell Frost, second; Minnie Matthews, third; Emma S. Vories, fourth; Cleina Bortman, fifth and Marian Ross, sixth. 1950: The high school teachers will be Thora Brown, commercial subjects, Paul S. Frick, social science, Constance Ghiardi, English and Spanish, Thomas Lally, math and coach, P.W. Richert, music, and Thomas F. Moore Jr., science. 1956: R.L. Lee, brother of Mrs. J.W. Jones and recent purchaser of the Almond cabin in Cuchara Camps, has already bagged himself a 400 pound, seven foot bear. 1964: Enrollment in La Veta schools reached a total of 203, or one more than last year, including 89 in the junior and senior high schools. The senior class is the largest with 17 students. 1970: The McRae-Duzenack Unit 57 of the American Legion auxiliary had a covered dish picnic in the beautiful yard of Stella Harrison Tuesday noon. 1977: The library realized a nice profit from its Summer Carnival in the park last Saturday despite rain, deriving from 16 game and concession booths, the Rotary barbecue and a donation from the Spanish Peaks Garden Club. 1984: The second annual Cuchara Valley Days this weekend will include a fun run, flea market in La Veta, a volleyball tournament and chili feed at Cuchara Valley Resort and a barbecue and dance in Cuchara. 1990: Returning high school teachers are Emery Ashby, Ron Pavlick, Bob Johnson, Pam Crump, Rod Falk, Chuck Pugnetti, Evelyn Heikes, Elena Carlson, Azada Casper and Donald Price.