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This week in History for September 17, 2015

Walsenburg 1862: The county commissioners approved the granting of a license to sell groceries to Rufino Watkins out of his home. 1881: The entertainment accompanying the re-opening of the Sporleder Hotel Tuesday evening was a very pleasant affair with the string band discoursing music for dancing and wines and other beverages flowing freely along with refreshments. 1893: Miss Emma Gillette arrived home in time to take on her duties as teacher in the Ute district school. She reports having a wonderful time at the World’s Fair. 1899: Juan M. Montoya and Cleofas de la Riva were married Saturday morning at 7o’clock at the home of the bride’s uncle, Doniciano Martinez. 1905: Jose Ambrocio Martinez, son of J.P, Martinez, prominent citizen, married Miss Magdalena Valdes, daughter of the Honorable J.A.J. Valdes but adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Benito Atencio when her mother died, were married September 16 in the Catholic Church followed by a wedding dance in Mazzone Hall. 1911: Beautiful Hair – Yes, Soap Weed did it. Every bag guaranteed. Levy’s Grocery Company. Phone 33. 1917: Miss Emma Douglass of Fort Collins will take the position of the first home demonstration agent in Huerfano County. 1923: Another celebration of the opening of the new Elks club rooms at the corner of Main and Sixth streets will be a dance at the lodge with music by the Sunkist Orchestra. 1929: The Huerfano County High School senior class officers are Louise Kirkpatrick, president, William Yano, vice president and Boyd Rees, secretary and treasurer. 1936: Seven-year-old Diana Shepic, a third grader at Hill school, suffered a fracture and cuts in a fall off the 100 foot tall hill behind the school building. 1942: The new Penny Milk program will reach 2,500 school children in Huerfano County by next week. 1948: A gigantic B-36 airplane will fly over Walsenburg at approximately 12:21 tomorrow afternoon. 1955: The City of Walsenburg acquired a power plant Sept. 15, paying $768,416.11 to Frontier Power Company for its plant west of town and all the transmission lines here. 1961: The Walsenburg Housing Authority has signed an $874,472 contract for low rent housing units for families and the elderly. 1968: Jim Melonas, driver, and Dan Guadagnoli, navigator, won the third annual 4-Wheel Drive rally last weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Newman came in second. 1975: City Council voted $34,000 to keep its money eating electric plant operational. 1981: The former Chevrolet garage on West Sixth Street just off Main is being demolished to make way for a parking lot for Black and White Grocery at 601 Main. 1987: The Plaza de los Leones Horseshoe Tournament was won by Dan Bobian and Dave Armijo, second went to the team of Pete Pedraza and Joseph Garcia, and Frank Armijo and Matt Martinez took third place. 1993: Citizens of Huerfano County are organizing to save space – their air space, that is – from the training flights of the Air National Guard.

La Veta 1876: The Hayes and Wheeler club raised in the center of Francisco’s plaza a liberty pole some eighty feet high. At the top of the pole floated a Hayes and Wheeler streamer, and the stars and stripes were run up with three hearty cheers followed by the glee club rendering “The Star Spangled Banner” and the crowd joining in on the chorus. 1882: W.A. White the photographer has been in town. He desires the public to know he still has views available of the pictures he took here during his 1879 visit. 1889: Mr. Herbin, the new printer of the La Veta Times, was paid $22.00 for publishing town ordinances and the Alamo Hotel’s bill of $2.00 was paid for the care of paupers. 1895: Mr. Denton has reopened his tin shop next door to the meat market and is ready for all kinds of repair work. 1901: The City Drug Company in the Masonic building was sold by Alex Lindsay to Mrs. M. Ketner, wife of J.D. Ketner of Pueblo, for $3,000, including the lots adjoining and Mr. Lindsay’s home property. 1907: Charles F. Boyd is building a nice residence on Grand Street 1913: Fred Vest has a gang of men working on Mrs. J.J. Bruce’s new stone house on west Francisco, which will be six rooms and modern in every way, and which will be completed within 16 days. 1919: The Misses Alice Coe and Ruth Baker have rented a room from Mr. and Mrs. Clark so they may attend high school in town. 1925: How about a wire snow fence on mill hill? If the road is to be traveled in winter, something will have to be done to keep it open. 1931: The First National Bank of La Veta was robbed by a masked gunman Sept. 10 who got away with $2,300 in currency. His car was later found three miles east of Badito with a flat tire and identified by the buckshot embedded in the car body. 1938: Some 40 people have accepted the invitation of the Spanish Peaks Circle No. 248 Women of Woodcraft to attend their meeting and enjoy refreshments. 1944: M-Sgt. George “Sput” Kreutzer is home on furlough after spending the past two years in Africa and Italy. 1950: A high school student council is being formed and elected officers were Patty Davis and Melvin Hurley, seniors, Louis Zember, junior, Dave Cruz and Bruce Kreutzer, sophomores and Margaret Viola and Sharron Jones, freshmen. 1957: A historical society is being formed to run the new county museum and officers are Milt Utt, president, Jeannette Thach, vice president and Amelia Sporleder, secretary and treasurer. 1963: Elected officers of the sophomore class were Donald Andreoli, president, Kenny Arnold, vice president, Teresa Gordon, secretary and Renee Goemmer, treasurer. 1969: Student Council officers are Wayne Lupton, president, Jeff Geiser, vice president, Peggy Arnold, secretary and Nancy Bailey, treasurer. 1976: Mayor Charles Masinton broke a 3-3 tie Town Board vote to pass an ordinance establishing zoning districts. Members of the new planning commission will be Yvette Williams, Edna Schmidt, Jack Rickards and Dennis Brgoch.

Cement plant concerns

Building inspector suggests a negotiated move out of Northlands to site near prison WALSENBURG — The Walsenburg City Council convened a special meeting Friday, March

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