Walsenburg
1893: The Trinidad, San Luis Valley and Pacific Railroad Company was organized Feb. 13 to run from Trinidad, over San Francisco Pass and on to Durango. It will have branches to Taos, Gunnison, Ouray, Creede and Lake City. 1899: Mr. Wolf of Bradford may build the new hay barns for Murray and McKinley at Gardner. He is an old ship builder and one of the best carpenters in Colorado. 1905: County Commissioner Edwards is hard at work getting the new furnishings installed in the court house. 1911: Those Walsenburg Souvenir Plates that regularly sell for 50 cents are now only 25 cents at the World office. 1917: Joe Bergamo installed an Empire Milking Machine – the first in the county – at his big dairy ranch at Malachite. 1922: In the district court this week the man accused of burglary and larceny pled guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail, having already been in jail 30 days awaiting trial, and the defendant charged with assault to kill pled guilty of simple assault and was fined $25.00 and costs. 1927: Violet Wheelock and Julius Rossman have
the leading roles in the Huerfano County High School Junior Class play, “A Hidden Guest”. 1932: The HCHS Parent Teacher Association will sponsor an essay contest on the general subject of George Washington, with $5.00 going to the first place winner and $3.00 to second. 1938: Edna Beuchele, the former Edna Dick, of Pueblo, married Dr. P.G. Mathews of Walsenburg Thursday morning in Pueblo. 1943: Members of the Democratic party of Walsenburg selected Dr. G.R. Mallett, incumbent, to run for mayor, F.J. Serafini, clerk and Steve Glinsky, treasurer. For the Republicans there are Dan Unfug for mayor, A.C. Schafer, treasurer and Thomas M. Wilson for clerk. 1949: Dudley Farthing, owner of the Unfug-Peet Mortuary for the past year, announced the name of the business has been changed to Farthing Funeral Chapel. 1955: Betty Jo Wolf, a student of HCHS, will receive the annual Good Citizenship Award for her school from the Daughters of the American Revolution. 1961: Joe Mosco Sr. is observing his 45th year in the grocery business. He was born in 1872, came to America in 1900 and to Walsenburg in 1911, going into the shoe business. In 1915, he built his store on East Tenth Street when the old highway passed to the east of the store where the old bridge across the Cucharas can still be seen. 1967: Joe Mosco is having a grand opening sale at the Motor Hub, Tenth and Main streets, selling Chryslers and Plymouths. 1972: The community of Pauley, 16 miles south of Walsenburg, used to have about 40 families, a church, school, and annual harvest fair. W.E. Schooler, the father of Mrs. J.A. Murray, was postmaster and owned the grocery store. 1978: To help finance their senior trip, the John Mall High School senior class will sponsor a chili supper Friday during the sub-district basketball tournament in Walsenburg. 1983: Walsenburg attorneys E.U. Sandoval, Garrett Sheldon and Claude Appel have applied to Gov. Richard Lamm for consideration for the position of district attorney for Huerfano and Las Animas counties.
La Veta
1896: Frank Ownbey has the contract with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to provide 25,000 broad gauge railroad ties. 1901: Once again we draw the attention of the public to the practice of throwing paper loose on the streets and lots. This causes runaways as well as being unattractive. It only takes a few moments to burn them up. 1907: Messrs. Mack and Powell of the upper Cucharas have several teams on the road hauling timber to the Dick Brothers of Walsenburg for construction of a tipple at the Black Canon mine. 1912: Members of the Town Board are now studying architectural plans for a 25 by 35 foot stone building for a town hall where the hose cart house now stands on Francisco Street. 1918: Snow and muddy roads made it impossible for teams to come to town from the ranches. So, no traveling, no news. 1924: The high school girls debated the boys on the momentous question: “Resolved that women are intellectually equal to men”. The boys won, but just the same, the girls have not changed their minds concerning the matter. 1928: A skeleton was discovered near the bank of Hayes Creek, which comes down from the West Spanish Peak south of town, and those interested in archaeology are going to uncover the rest of the remains. 1934: The La Veta Follies presented by the tumbling class of Coach King grossed $57.50 for the school. 1939: All aliens, including those who have filed petitions for citizenship rights but have not yet received final papers, will be removed from Works Progress Administration membership rolls on March 5. 1944: The La Veta community bought $81,418.75 worth of war bonds in the latest drive, more than double its quota. 1950: Dorothy Kopine attended the International Ski Meet in Aspen, the first meet held in the United States, where she saw skiers from 14 foreign countries and Hollywood star Gary Cooper. 1956: The Upper Huerfano Soil Conservation District now covers 815,870 acres, or four fifths of the county. Board members are George Pepper Jr. and Paul Wolf, Gardner, Harry Willis and Charles Disert, La Veta, and Harry Capps of the Santa Clara. 1962: Paul Logan was installed master counselor for the La Veta DeMolay, Fred Rohr, senior counselor and Richard Sherbondy, junior counselor. 1968: Carrie Dee Engman and Barbara Leatherwood qualified to attend the state high school speech contest in Boulder. 1973: Seniors making the first semester honor roll were Dwight Arnold, Dennis Brgoch, Pam Chevreaux, Willard Prator, Gary Riggins, Don Ryan, Robert Schwarz, David Shrout and Diane Vezzani. 1979: The La Veta Public Library will receive $2,677 under the County Equalization Grant for 1979 and will use the funds for the large print collection. There are now 523 card holders. 1985: About 700 skiers and onlookers enjoyed the Pepsi-KILO Winter Carnival at Cuchara Valley Resort last weekend, which raised $3,200 for the Special Olympics.
