Walsenburg 1882: Died, Santiago Maes, our oldest citizen at 86 years and father of County Commissioner Vicente Maes. He was born in Rio Arriba, New Mexico in 1796, leaves four sons and eight daughters, and was buried in the cemetery at Cucharas. 1889: Fred Walsen came down from Denver and let the building contract to W.A. Kearns for a fine new brick business block of four rooms adjoining the bank on the south. Each room will be 60 feet deep. It necessitates the removal of his old residence now occupied by Alex Levy. 1895: The headquarters of the Walsenburg fire department was fitted up with a carpet and chairs and the band boys intend to use it as an assembly hall with a library. 1901: M.T. Brennan has been appointed superintendent of Colorado Fuel and Iron’s new coking plant at the new camp of Tobasco. 1908: The Pansy base ball team went up to La Veta Sunday and defeated the hay throwers 15-13. 1914: Red Fox James, a descendent of Crow Indians, is en route to Washington, D.C. with a letter asking President Wilson for one day a year to be set aside as Indian Day. 1921: David E. Farr of Walsenburg was yesterday named water commissioner of District #16, Division #5, succeeding E.C. Willburn. 1927: Died, pioneer T.R. Jones, 81, who left Walsenburg in 1877. The family lived on the Bourcey place, now the site of the Victoria Hotel on Main Street. 1933: Beer and sandwiches served all day Saturdays for five cents. Open all night. Blue Parrott Inn (formerly the Green Dragon). 1940: Twenty-five members
of the Blue Spruce Girl Scout troop enjoyed a picnic at Martin Lake with sponsors Mrs. James B. Dick Jr., Mrs. Julia Sanchez and Miss Frances Vucetich. 1947: Sixty-six seniors of Huerfano County High School will leave Monday morning on two special chartered buses for a two day tour of the scenic attractions of the state. 1953: The winter that was due in January got a belated start but two days of heavy, wet snow upped the depleted water content. 1960: Thirty-five eighth grade students from St. Mary School will be graduated May 25 with Patricia Jo Nardine valedictorian and Alice Fern Franciscotti, salutatorian. 1966: Bids are being accepted at the Walsenburg Post Office for 30 tons of oil treated stoker coal for the July 1, 1966 to June 30, 1967 fiscal year. 1972: Linda Fleming, Patsy Krebs and Steve Vasey, all of the Gardner area, are showing their art work at the first annual I-25 Art Show at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. 1978: Re-1 School District Board learned Transportation Director Jake Pino had found two serviceable used buses for $5,300. 1984: The Huerfano County Commissioners decided they will support U.S. Rep. Ray Kogovsek’s Colorado Wilderness Bill which includes the closure of the jeep road on the West Spanish Peak to motorized vehicles. 1990: Bea Romer, wife of Gov. Roy Romer, will be the guest of honor at a luncheon of the Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce in the Marlboro Inn Restaurant on May 24.
La Veta 1877: It is a query how the Denver and Rio Grande company can go on making contracts, building road, and talking so loud about their intentions, when the poor men who work for them at the lowest of wages, cannot get their pay for honest labor already performed. Five months of back pay are due. 1884: Our town fathers failed once again to make a quorum so there is no board news. 1894: The Methodist ladies’ social in Ryus Hall Tuesday night was a complete success, netting $15.00. 1900: The Cucharas is higher than at any time since the big flood many years ago. All the small bridges long ago disappeared and the wagon bridge on Francisco Street was loosened so the structure was dragged to safety. And it’s still raining. 1906: Frank Raeder has been working on Silver Mountain and thinks La Veta is aptly named “the vein” for he is convinced of vast wealth in the adjoining hills. 1913: Clyde Holeman, 12, drowned in Mill Lake. This is the first loss of life there since the young Spielmann boy drowned in 1886. 1919: A Booster Club has been organized and one of its first goals will be to erect a dancing pavilion with about 60 by 75 feet worth of floor space and a stage. 1925: This year’s graduates of La Veta High School are Nelson Webster, valedictorian, Proctor Hayes, salutatorian, Gladys Campbell, Margaret Simms, Ernest Wellington, Dewain Lougheed, Everett Rick, Julian Beamer and Malcolm Kreutzer. 1931: The senior class had their sneak day Friday with a jaunt to the top of La Veta Pass, dinner at Mule Shoe Bend and a picnic supper at Ojo Spring. 1937: A drawing, sponsored by the Rialto Theater and La Veta Light, Heat and Power Company, will be held Monday and Tuesday nights at the theater with the prize being an RCA radio. 1943: Graduating seniors are Ernest Ault, Olive Jo Baysinger, Marjorie Engberg, Lloyd Flock, Clarence Heikes, Lena McCargish, Marie Smalley, Harold Vernon, Gloria Wilson and Helen Zember. 1949: About 80 members of the local Grange were joined by 30 more from Redwing for the regular meeting and program. 1955: La Veta and Pass Creek elementary schools tied for fifth place of 10 schools in the county track meet last Friday afternoon. 1961: High school students earning straight As were Marie Galvan, Helen Weir and Cleatrice Miller, seniors; John Beamer, junior; Georgia Huffman, sophomore; George Albright, James Carver and Karen Kmetz, freshmen. 1967: Mildred’s Fine Foods is starting its summer hours and will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. 1973: Student Council of LVHS for next year will be headed by Rodney Falk, president, Steve Aguirre, vice president, Beth Pene, secretary and Lane Drury, treasurer. 1979: A $250 reward is being offered by the Town of La Veta for information leading to the arrest and conviction of vandals who shot holes into the town water tank.
