Spring Time

Welcome to spring! Once the snow and mud disappear its a wonderful time to get out the camera and go flower hunting. The picture here was taken one spring when I vacationed in Pagosa Springs and took a day trip over Wolf Creek Pass to visit the old mining town of Creede.

As a youngster I never really took the time to smell the flowers or even notice the beauty God placed before me. This time of year to a young boy in the 50s only meant that soon school would be over for the summer. It would be time for finding work for spending money and looking at all of the out of state license plates to figure out who traveled the furtherest.

Thinking back to one of those memorable times when I needed to earn some spending money. Standing on main street, leaning against the rails above the pool hall steps with hands in pocket and hoping some good looking girl would notice me. Suddenly a pick up pulled up and a rough voice called out my name and asked if I wanted to work. Not really knowing what I was agreeing to I was eager to go along with Floyd Bramwell. Floyd needed help on his ranch branding calf's. The only ranch work I had ever done was bailing hay and had no idea what I was in for. I was told that I would be the flanker on a team and had to hold the hind legs while the animal was branded and castrated. The first smell of searing hair and flesh began to turn my stomach and when the other part was done I lost everything I'd eaten for a week. I will always owe a debt of gratitude to all those ranchers who taught me the value of an honest days labor.

I recently read an article in the Durango Herald of the huge land sale of a ranch in Pagosa for

millions of dollars. I was surprised to learn that the same ranch was one I remember being owned by Lucy Turner. After researching the history and seeing how it was transformed from a working ranch to a Paradise for the wealthy I have to agree that "Bootjack Ranch" is a very prestigious beautiful place to visit. Its funny to me that for as long as I can remember tourist have come to San Juan mountains proclaiming its beauty to the world, packing up their belonging and coming to change the very beauty that brought them there in the first place. The wildlife have been driven from there breeding grounds only to learn to forge for food within the city trash bins.

I guess thats why never returned and chose to stay in a concrete forest, my heart breaks every time I visit and see that forest and grazing fields have been taken over by developers. Even fishing and hunting is no longer a sport with all the electronic gadgets to find the poor creatures.

Mother's Day

"MOTHER"

What a beautiful word to give title to the one who suffers a life time for her children. I have been blessed by enjoying the love given by my Mother and the Mother of my children. God, called my loved ones home much too early and as years pass, the empty feeling in my heart never goes away. On this upcoming day of remembrance I hope everyone takes the time to wrap arms around their living Mothers and praise them for all the years of giving.

One day in 1963 I was reminded just how special my Mother was when she was chosen as "Queen for a Day" on a television show. She was chosen for the story she told of the love of my older brother who had lost a leg in a hit and run auto accident while in the Navy. This accident ended his quest for a naval career. She lost a battle with liver disease at age of 65.

The Mother of my children passed away at age 37, no one could really fill those shoes . My children and I still wonder how we made it though so many years without her.

Just Wondering

Thinking back to the time I served in the US Navy, it was the so called cold war era. I was just a fresh kid from high school not even yet a grad and only seventeen. Two older brothers were already serving and knowing I would be draft age soon I chose to leave school and see the world with my Uncle Sam.

For years after I was honorably discharged, I kept getting all these inviting brochures in the mail inviting me to join other Vets and become a member of the American Legion. That really seemed to be an honor I would be happy to accept; however I was rejected for the time frame I served was not warranted. I don't know if any other Cold War Vets feel as I do but it appears to me that my service was not appreciated just because I never came under fire. In order to be recognized for service rendered to the country you must serve in a combat zone. Oh sure I got a medal for "China Service," playing war games with the nationalist Chinese and we found and destroyed old mines around Korea which could have killed us, but my service upon discharge was forgotten.

Even the old wooden hull minesweepers that was home to many MSO sailors are only a memory now. I still love this great country, its military forces and all the citizens who is protected by men and women in uniform who may never see a battle but are ready when called.

Perhaps someday an organization such as the American Legion will honor those who serve regardless of whether time is during a conflict or not.

Pagosa Adventure Guide | Margaret Archuleta | Pagosa Springs, Four Corners, Southwest Colorado, Indian and Settlers History in Archuleta County

Pagosa Adventure Guide | Margaret Archuleta | Pagosa Springs, Four Corners, Southwest Colorado, Indian and Settlers History in Archuleta County

Lumber Barons and Timber Pirates

Lumber Barons and Timber Pirates

While researching to try and find photos of Pagosa Springs during my childhood of the 40s and 50s I found some interesting sites and stories posted on web sites. One of the historical stories was of the way the narrow gauge found its way to Pagosa. I remember as a young boy playing in the area of the old narrow gauge train station, using a coal shoot shed as a hideout playing cowboys. The coal shed has long disappeared like so many other memories, it was located on highway 160 at Putt Hill.
One my favorite old time friends Margaret Archuleta did a marvelous job of telling her memories of Pagosa. The Archuleta family were life long friends of my family and Pagosa lost a great patriarch of the comnmunity with her passing.
One of my favorite memories of Margaret was during the big 4th of July celebration in 1965. I had proudly taken my in-laws to Pagosa to see the parade and rodeo. My father-in-law who loved to drink his beer ; sat down in Margaret's bar enjoying a cool one, when one of my old friends thought it would be funny to send a couple of Indian ladies to flirt with him. Little did my father-in-law know that they were quite serious and began bartering to see who would take him home. Margaret,seeing what was happening came to the rescue made them leave him alone. Later in the day my father-in-law left the bar with a cold bottle of beer only to be told by a deputy to get back inside. He always told the story of being thrown into a bar in Pagosa!

Changing Corner

Remembering how the corner of 4th and Lewis was when I was a youngster running across the street for a day of schooling. Lewis street where our house sat was still a gravel road,the land that now houses a gym for the school was a small hotel and grocery store with frozen meat lockers to rent. The owners of the little store would hire high school boys to help dress out deer and elk taken during hunting season. I recall one day when I was helping to prepare some of the game when a pick up pulled up and the carcass in side had shoes on the hoof, some poor farmer lost a mule to a hunter who mistook it for a deer.
Long before my family ever arrived in Colorado there was building on Lewis street across from the gym that once served as the local jail. This was one of my favorite places to play cowboys and Indians. This building was still standing
when I made a trip there in 2000 for a high school reunion. The vacant lot across the street from our house soon became home to the Post Office, which made it real nice for us to get our mail.