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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…
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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…
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Poems of Faith (Post 1930s) by Nellie Grover Bamber
This 2nd post of Nellie Grover Bamber is again a true pleasure. There are some little things. 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 recent past I had a conversation with Nancy Hall Nelson about using…
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Dust Bowl Poems(1930s) by Nellie Grover Bamber
This post is a true pleasure. There are some little things to look for. 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 recent past I had a conversation with Nancy Hall Nelson about using her Grandma’s Poems…
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Growing Up In Baca County Part 8 By John Havens
Even though I have spent over 60 years in the ministry, there was little or no place for any church in my early childhood. It wasn’t until we moved from the farm into Vilas that religion played any part in our family life. When I was 10 or 12 years of age there was…
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Growing up in Baca County Part 7 By John Havens
I read once of a tourist who was traveling through the country and realizing he needed gas he stopped at a very small village to fill up with gas. While the station attendant was filling the car, the tourist noticed there was very little activity going on. Finally, he said to the old gentleman, “Tell…
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Baca County & the Deep Harbor Conventions of the Late 1880s & Early 1890s
This piece provides an answer to a note in the upcoming Plainsman Herald Piece by Mark Schmidt on the first twelve years of Baca County Commissioner minutes in which he states the following: A curious note from April 9th 1891 minutes is the appointment of F.M. Friend as delegate to attend “The Deep Harbor Convention…
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Growing Up in Baca County Episode 6, Part 1 by John Havens
Note this episode references Fred Holister. More on Fred Click Here: Fred Holister: A Cowboy’s Story Many older people of the Vilas Community made an impression on my life. Some were school teachers, some were business men, others were preachers, farmers, and retired folks. But one I would like to mention especially was Uncle…
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Growing up in Baca County #5 By John Havens
As a teenager working around my Dad’s service station there was always something going on to make a good story. One has to do with a fellow named Bob, who was known, for a time, as the Broomcorn King of Baca County. One would never guess that Bob was a prosperous farmer. He raised…
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Growing Up in Baca County, Episode #4 by 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…
