Walsenburg 1899: The stone is being dressed for the new sidewalk in front of the Walsen block at Fifth and Main streets. 1904: Decoration Day was celebrated when the parade formed at the Pythian Hall and was led to the Masonic cemetery by the military band. Twenty-four graves were decorated with the usual services. 1909: Veterans of the Blue and Gray and the Spanish war are requested to wear their uniforms May 30 and meet at Wycoff’s Drug to march as a body to the memorial services in the Presbyterian church. 1915: H.D. Palmer has purchased the Unfug and Unfug garage at the head of Main Street. 1921: George Zember and Francis Cerbo of Walsenburg were married May 21 and about 300 guests attended the dance and supper afterwards. 1926: Students of the Gardner High School will present “The Hoodoo”, a farce in three acts, with music provided by Mrs. Henry Meyer, Mrs. Gus Meyer and Mrs. Tim Hudson. 1931: The senior class at St. Mary High School had a class day program this afternoon and will have a picnic this week if it stops snowing. Commencement is Monday evening, June 1. 1936: Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad paid out $3,691 in salaries in Walsenburg Wednesday and stores will be busy, staying open until eight o’clock Friday night. 1941: Graduation exercises for 41 seniors of SMHS was last evening. Valedictorian is Dorothy Lenzini and salutatorian is Robert Klein. Tonight 98 seniors will graduate from Huerfano County High with Rebecca Gore, valedictorian and
James Stewart, salutatorian. 1947: A Pueblo man drove his 1940 Hudson deluxe sedan through three gas pumps, the water and air standard and bumper pipes at Tony Morelli’s Conoco station, 101 Main. 1952: Grand opening of the Bard and Johnson Gas Service Company at 111 West Seventh Street will be Saturday, May 31. 1958: This is the final issue of the daily World-Independent, begun May 19, 1933. Next Thursday the new weekly Huerfano World will be issued. 1964: Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Newman Sr. celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with their children Mrs. Kenneth Ritchey and Alfred Jr. and their families, and Mrs. Newman’s sister Mrs. Frank Donati of Raton. 1969: Larry Garbiso of Walsenburg High School has been awarded a music scholarship to Western State College in Gunnison. 1975: Walsenburg municipal swimming pool will open Sunday, June 1 with Mike Crump, manager, Larry Kramer, Jim Pullin, Roselyn Fini and Frank Gonzales, lifeguards. 1981: Sister Jose Sanchez, principal at St. Mary School, will be replaced by Sister Betty Werner this fall. 1987: Junior class members at WHS receiving academic letters were Barbara Garcia, Fred Menghini and Becky Stehwien who maintained grade averages of 3.5 or better. 1994: Re-1 School Board will increase the base teacher salary from $18,000 to $19,300, the first raise to be approved in six years.
La Veta 1895: Mrs. John Goemmer is selling some extra fine cabbage and tomato plants at 50 cents per 100 for cabbage starts and $1.00 for 100 tomato plants. 1901: Heavy rains the past few weeks are a godsend to the farmers but to the traveler? All the roads are impassable 1906: Some good coal is being taken from the Stranger mine and with those belonging to B.L. Smith, Charles Hector and the Occidental company, this should become a busy district by the end of the summer. 1911: The election for the purpose of voting bonds to build and furnish a new school building occurs next Monday. The four locations being considered are 1. the ball field 2. one block west of the present building 3. eight or ten lots where the small school is located and 4. a corner opposite the J.G. Hamilton residence. 1916: There was another dangerous blaze at the Spanish Peaks Hotel with a coffee boiler somehow getting out of control. 1922: Pelegrino Galassini is desirous of leasing his pool hall on Ryus Avenue with two pool and one billiard table, card tables and chairs and an assembly room upstairs. 1928: During the recent wet weather some anxiety was felt about the possible overflow and breaking of the mill lake. 1934: The first meeting of the new 4-H club was Thursday, May 24 at the home of Charles Ottinger. Ernest Atchison was elected president, Kenneth Seaman, vice president, Virgil Ottinger, secretary and treasurer and Eldon Kirkham, reporter. 1939: Snowy Range 4-H Club met May 23 at the home of Ben Seaman with 11 boys and three girls present. 1944: Private Felix B. Mestas Jr. has been transferred to the east coast from Camp Roberts, Calif., where he has been training with the U.S. Army Infantry. 1949: Sgt. Eddie Engberg, his wife and daughters Julie and Janie of Denver, are here visiting his parents. 1954: Died, the Rev. Edwin DeWitt Walker, pastor in Walsenburg from 1947 to 1952 and in La Veta since. He leaves a wife and seven children, including William S. Walker of La Veta. 1960: A record breaking 1,000 people visited La Veta Lake on the opening day of fishing season. 1965: Miss Yvette Williams and Mrs. Stella Harrison have painted all the park tables and benches for the summer. 1972: This year’s graduates are John Britton, Irene Duzenack, Gary Falk, Michael Folse, Kenneth Johnson, Lynn Lehman, Robert Long, Mitzi Masinton, Jeanette Nason, Charles Sawyer, Mickey Schmidt, Kimberly Tesitor, Juanita Vail and Lawrence Vernon. 1978: The water supply currently is 80 percent of normal, according to the Soil Conservation Service. 1983: About 100 people attended the Cuchara Valley Chamber of Commerce’s spring dinner dance in the La Veta Lodge Saturday night. 1988: George and Ed Hall of Amarillo have reopened the Bull and the Bear restaurant in the mall and will serve three meals daily. 1993: A tornado hit the ranch of Fred and Janet Crawford west of town and ripped out the interior of the barn, destroyed several small buildings, tore out several cottonwoods and scattered tin all over the county road.
