Walsenburg 1881: T.L. Creesy has purchased A.R. Campbell’s old business block and will turn it into a hotel, while Mr. Campbell is constructing himself a new building. 1891: Mrs. Carter, the proprietor of the Rouse mine boardinghouse, is to marry a Mr. Elliot, a carpenter at Sopris. Her tenants went together and bought her a lovely set of China as a wedding gift. 1896: Walsenburg is on the rise. Not only has the contract been let to complete the new jail by Oct. 15, but the school board has determined to build a new schoolhouse. 1902: About 250 colored people of Pueblo made a railroad excursion to La Veta Pass on Tuesday and in the evening stopped in Walsenburg to have a dance in Mazzone’s Hall. 1908: Lee Fawks arrived from Denver to take charge of W.N. Wycoff’s drugstore. 1914: Mike Marcinko, a driver, was killed in the Walsen mine when he was crushed by a loaded coal car. He was a native of Austria and leaves a wife and six children. 1920: The Spanish Peaks Mountain Playground Association has just released a historical
sketch of the area written by Lois [sic] Sporleder. 1926: Kilmurray’s sandwich shop will open tomorrow in the former Unfug Trading Company building. 1932: Children turning in three Mother’s Bread wrappers at the Table Queen Bakery will be entitled to free tickets to a movie at the Valencia Theater Saturday. The feature will be William Boyd and Spencer Tracy in “Sky Devils”. 1938: Wojciech Ruszkicwick, of Gordon, changed his name to George Ruskwick when he received his citizenship papers. 1944: Some of the better houses at Pictou camp, with four rooms, plenty of closets, and large back porches, are for sale at only $360 though must be moved. 1950: Carl Ludvik was elected to be president of next year’s student body at Huerfano County High School. 1956: Four hundred Huerfano youngsters between the ages of five and 14 are eligible for their Salk polio shots tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m. in the county health office. 1962: A tentative budget of $497,785 has been set by School District No. Re 1 Board of Education for the 1962-63 school year. 1968: More than 150 people enjoyed the annual Huerfano County Conservation Tour last Sunday, touring the Lewis Edmundson, Harold Meredith, John Hill and John Kimbrel ranches. 1974: Joseph H. Villalon received a degree of doctorate of medicine from Stanford University School of Medicine in California. 1980: Walsenburg City Council approved the purchase of an IBM S20 computer for the utility department’s billing system at a cost of approximately $23,000. 1986: Although motel and restaurant owners report summer sales are depressed, Lathrop State Park had more than a 14 percent increase in visitors during May and so far, is 42 percent up for the month of June. 1992: The question of whether or not Walsenburg and Huerfano County will have gambling by Aug. 1, 1993 will be Amendment No. 3 on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
La Veta 1877: As we do not intend to be behind the rest of the world in educating the rising generation, a school has been established in this district, which is well attended and efficiently conducted by Miss Mary Strange, of La Veta, an accomplished young lady and in every way well qualified for the duties of her vocation [from the Pueblo Chieftain]. 1882: Colorado Telephone Company in Denver has written us to ask if the people of La Veta would like a telephone service established. 1889: The Spanish Peaks district is coming to the front and rich mines will yet be found there, if one has not already been found [Chieftain]. 1897: The worst wind storm in 20 years, accompanied by frost, turned fruit and shade trees brown and burned the crops and garden vegetables. 1903: Construction on the telephone line is proceeding quickly. Wires are being stretched through town and posts are being set throughout the country on all sides. 1909: It may be necessary to divide the town into two irrigating districts because with so many using water at the same time, the sprays are reduced to practically nothing. 1916: Mrs. Robertson desires to sell her three room cottage in Cuchara Camps for $190. It has commodious porches and fireplaces and was just built last summer. 1922: A hailstorm did widespread damage to crops and buildings from the Wahatoya all the way north to Silver Mountain. 1928: Died, Charles N. Carroll, 83, a native of Georgia who moved to La Veta in 1870. After making his fortune here from mining, farming and cattle raising, he went to Long Beach, Calif., and bought a large ranch in the Imperial Valley. 1934: The new pavilion in Cuchara Camps was officially opened with a very well patronized dance. 1940: Bill Kincaid has painted his business house cardinal and green and we mean cardinal. 1946: J.M. Gilstrap, former owner of a La Veta bakery, died in Granada while en route back to La Veta from Kansas. He leaves a daughter, Lt, Margaret Coe. 1952: Sgt. Charles Keeling of La Veta has been promoted to platoon sergeant in Korea where he has served five months. 1958: Mr. and Mrs. Byrl Goss enjoyed a family reunion with their eight daughters but their two sons in California were unable to attend. 1965: The former Sulphur Springs is now the Windham Ranch Baptist Camp for Boys. Since converting the old bath house into a boys dormitory, as many as 87 youth have been housed at the camp at one time. 1971: Lena Caudle of Houston, Texas, has arrived for the summer in her home at 219 West Cascade in La Veta. 1977: John and Linda Britton have completed most of the remodeling and have opened the Spanish Peaks Inn Restaurant south of Cuchara. The restaurant has been moved from upstairs into the former lobby, all the rooms have been refurbished and a lounge will open in the next 10 days. 1983: Chip and Elaine Baker have opened an outdoor beer garden in front of the Smokehouse in the La Veta Mall.
