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Were the Dirty Thirties the Good Old Days?
Posted with permission of Gloria Jean. Original article appeared in the Huckaby Times (Cousin Newsletter), April 2004 On Sunday April 14th, 1935, the sun came up in a clear sky. The day was warm and pleasant, a gentle breeze whimpered out of the southwest. Suddenly a cloud appeared on the horizon. Birds flew swiftly ahead…
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Tools of the Lost Trade: The Broomcorn Knife
The knives were razor sharp and they wrapped their thumbs with the old style electrician’s tape (friction tape). Each night they would set around and sharpen their knives. -Ted Burhenn NOTE: This was originally posted in 2014. This update changes the name to”Tools of the Lost Trade”, referencing the long gone broomcorn industry. This update…
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When the Humble Broom built Broomcorn Empires
It has been reported that 99% of all American households have at least one broom, and that a broom is vital to everyday living. -Los Angeles Times 1988 Source: (Library of Congress) Think people don’t have strong feelings about the humble broom? A recent review at Amazon.com of an old fashioned broomcorn broom says, I…
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Sheriff’s of Baca County
1950 Baca County Sheriff Voting Tally Sheet. Also note the Voting Tally for: County Superintendent of Schools between Eva Acre and Lillian Collings County Commissioner, 2nd Commissioner District between Jess Suhler and Lee Twyford. Hope I don’t stir up some 60 year old political wounds. Here is my Granddad Huckaby’s 1953 – 54 Colorado Rail…
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I Was Working on the Railroad…In The Heart of the Dust Bowl?
Dust Bowl noun, The region in the South Central U.S that suffered from dust storms. Associated Press staff writer Robert Geiger was in Boise City Oklahoma writing a series of articles on a day that is sometimes referred to as Black Sunday. In his April 15 release for the Washington, D.C., Evening Star he wrote:…
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More Tales of the Prairie: The Kar-Vu Drive In…An American Icon
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. -Wikipedia What a treat it has been watching a social…
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Letters From a Navy Boy – November 11, 1942
As I move many of my dad’s Navy letters to a digital format I will occasionally provide samples as shown below. I picked this one simply because it was from the set of letters from 1942 which I thought was lost. Also most of the language from the letter is original. I changed a couple items…
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A Bevy of Wandering Muleteers
Some might say Orville Ewing was born 100 years too late. However, I have discovered while learning about his adventures he wasn’t alone. In various written accounts I have encountered references to muleteers traveling the countryside during Orville’s 30 plus years of traveling the highways and byways. What is a muleteer you ask? Merriam Webster…
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Orville Ewing’s Odyssey Begins
Orville Ewing called himself an “artist from the Old West”. He crisscrossed the United States in his covered wagon/trailer with his menagerie for about 30 years, selling literally thousands upon thousands of different postcards of himself over the years and described in my previous post “Orville Ewing’s Postcards” A sample is shown below: Orville’s own…
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Carrizo Springs School
The Carrizo Springs School (also called the Cole School by some) was located where the North Crease and the West Crease of the Carrizo Creek join on what was the Dunlap Ranch. The tall cottonwood trees were a beautiful setting for hide and seek places which was one of the games the children loved writes…
