Walsenburg
1881: A general consensus of opinion around our community is that Pueblo would be the best location for the state capital and most voters will choose it over Leadville or Denver in the coming election.
1889: Charley Meyer of the German bakery is going to have quite a nice place of business when he gets it fully fitted up.
1897: Ed Meyers will open a fruit and confectionery stand in the Caviness building on Main Street.
1904: Felipe Archuleta and Marina Cardenas, both of Malachite, were married in the Catholic Church Sept. 8.
1911: Joe Palisano will sell his entire stock of shoes at half price. See him in the Mazzone Block, 602 Main Street.
1918: Thursday morning at the county fair will be the judging of the swine and dairy cattle of the Boys’ Pig Clubs to determine who will go to the Colorado State Fair.
1925: Lefty Scrubby and Hurry-Up Pospahala led the Walsenburg Diavolos to a 19-2 win over Morley.
1932: Orlando Vigil, Alice Joe Unfug and Jewel Krier received free tickets to the Valencia Theater for winning the Woman’s Civic League tennis tournament.
1939: Direct economic effects of the present war in Europe are expected to be reflected in the increased coal production in the southern Colorado coal fields.
1946: With a five year old girl of Loma Park being diagnosed with poliomyelitis, the opening of school has again been postponed.
1952: Teachers are still being sought for the rural schools at Yellowstone and Red Wing, which both have 14 students.
1958: Monsignor Howard L. Delaney, pastor of St. Mary Church, will formally take office as domestic prelate on Sunday during investiture ceremonies at St. Mary.
1965: Starters for the St. Mary Crusaders tonight will be Larry Lenzotti, Ben Rizzi, Dan Kalmes, John Gasperetti, Henry Pacheco, Leo Medina, Ray Smircich, Gerald Pavlick, Jim Sudar, Gary Michelli and Frank Pineda.
1972: City Clerk Betty Price reports $56,280 in building permits were issued during August, with $51,500 of that for four new homes.
1979: Tierra of Albuquerque, formerly known as Purple Haze, will play for La Fiesta de la Plaza de los Leones dance Saturday in the Walsenburg Community Center. Admission $4.00.
1983: Virginia Castro, 16, was crowned Plaza de los Leones Fiesta Queen in pageant ceremonies in the St. Mary gym last Saturday night.
1989: Walsenburg City Council gave Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce $2,500 and will consider further funding, but some council members think subsidizing the chamber, Economic Development and Downtown Development too much of a financial burden.
1995: Lisa Vallejos will be queen of La Plaza de los Leones festivities, Deidre Armijo, Junior Miss and Stacy Maldonado, six, will be Little Miss of the celebration Sept. 16.
La Veta
1883: Robert Pooler of Stonewall won the contract to carry the mail from here to there for his bid of $475 for 10 months’ of service of two trips per week.
1891: The bid of J.H. Ross for $135 was accepted to build a fence around the town cemetery.
1898: Wild and tame animals have played havoc with the graves in the town cemetery. A sexton should be hired to superintend the grounds.
1905: The McCue family is living in old Ryus Hall behind the La Veta Hotel until they have an apartment prepared for them in the hotel.
1912: A.W. Atchison threshed out 1,700 bushels of wheat, or about 30 bushels to the acre, on his land about three miles north of town on the mesa. He also threshed about the same amount in oats and 125 bushels of flax. This is dry farming at its best.
1919: Fred Vasquez has finished his work hauling props from the mountains per his contract and will soon start up his blacksmith in town for the winter months.
1926: Our local merchants are missing the business of the departed summer visitors.
1933: One hundred and twenty students are enrolled in the grade school and 70 in the high school, and more are expected.
1940: Members and guests of the Tuesday Night Study Club held their annual picnic in the Farrar picnic grounds with a sumptuous feast to mark the club’s seventh year of existence.
1947: Elected officers of the La Veta High School sophomore class were Jean Brown, president, Paul Robino, vice president, Odis Huesties, secretary and Harry Heikes, treasurer.
1954: Huerfano County High School defeated La Veta 6-0 in the first football game of the season, played in Walsenburg.
1961: Wilmer Ryus Jones, born in La Veta in 1881, died in California. She was the daughter of town pioneers Mr. and Mrs. David D. Ryus. She leaves her husband, a daughter, and her brother D.D. Jr. Her son died in World War II.
1968: Elected class officers of the seventh grade were Rodney Falk, president, Steve Aguirre, vice president and Karen Quintana, secretary.
1975: The LVHS Redskins scalped the visiting Trinidad Catholic High School junior varsity, 60-0, last Friday afternoon.
1981: The La Veta Library received a $1,000 donation from Mrs. D.W. Forbes of Dallas in memory of longtime Forest Ranger Lewis Cummings for the reprinting of his book, “History of the Spanish Peaks Ranger District”.
1988: A local member of law enforcement went deer hunting this week and bagged a water tank, the first of the season.
1994: Groundbreaking for the new community center in La Veta was Tuesday with completion targeted for next spring. Trinidad State Junior College building trades program is providing the labor.
