Baca County History

by the Plainsman Herald

Month: April 2020

  • Growing Up in Baca County, Episode #5b John Havens

     As the dust storms increased many of the farm families and a few of the town residents had to pull up stakes and look for greener pastures.  As a kid working around the service station I observed first hand family after family load all their belongings into cars and onto pickups and head out to…

  • Growing up in Baca County Episode 10 By John Havens

        On Saturday afternoons and evenings there was usually a little more activity in Vilas than other times, unless there was a ball game going on out of town.      Farmers would come to town and bring their cans of cream to leave at Tony’s Market and to stock up on groceries for the coming…

  • More Poems from Grandma Bamber…

    This is the 3rd of posts of Nellie Grover Bamber. It again is a true pleasure and honor to get to post these for my friend Nancy Hall Nelson. The image of Grandma Bamber printed on an early dot matrix printer is a piece of history in itself. The poems? Priceless. In the not so…

  • Growing up in Baca County by John Havens. Episode 9 part 2

       Dad and Uncle Tony always looked forward to a reunion at the Boise City Cemetery of the Havens and Snodgrass clan.  Then we went from Boise city to Guymon to place flowers on the grave of the 13 year old sister of my Dad’s and Uncle Tony.  She had died during the year the…

  • Growing up Baca County Episode 9- By John Havens

        At one time Vilas could boast of a fairly large Hardware and Lumber Yard operated by the Hoarse Retherfords.  It was located on the North side of Main Street to the far East.  Coming back West was Mr. Wheeler’s Store. I believe there were 2 little houses located to the East side of the…

  • Growing up in Baca County Part 8b – By John Havens

    In January 1947 I married my high school sweetheart, Marie Konkel, in the Vilas Friends Church.  We then moved to Haviland, Kansas where I completed four years of education at Friends Bible College.     During the years of my ministry I have served churches in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa, then in 1993 I became Chaplain…