By Billy Willett
Across the highway from Ed’s barn was my grandparents grocery store. The store was also a residence for our family. My grandfather never let anyone go without for lack of funds, a simple hand shake and carbon copy of purchase was all that was PUTT HILL needed. Sometimes he would even accept payment in labor or whatever could be bartered. The West Side Grocery was sold in the 50s to Jim and Gay Whitefield who changed it to Gambles Dept. store. Continuing east Us160 just before entering the main business district to the north on what is now Lewis Street is one of the earliest Hotels of the area. The Los Banos was famous for its spas and indoor pools all heated with mineral water from the Hot Springs.
This was another favorite place for young boys to hone their swimming skills. It was especially fun in the winter to run from the warm pools and jump into a snow bank in the middle of winter. These pools also served as the baptismal font for the Baptist Church.
Approaching the main business portion of town, highway 160 veered to the left, on the corner was Citizens Bank, across the street was the county courthouse. Just as the road curved was a flag pole and behind was the volunteer fire department and sheriff’s station. To the right of the fire station was a bridge crossing the San Jaun river to the Hot Springs. This bridge fell victim to a drink driver and collapsed into the river. A new bridge had to be constructed on Hermosa street to allow access to the residents on the other side. The business portion of town was all located on the North side of the river. There was the Citizens Bank, Roy’s Liquor, The Pagosa Bar, La Cantina Bar, Kinser’s Diner, Hersh’s Mercantile, Pagosa Hardware, Mullins Barber Shop, Jackish Drug, Pagosa Hotel, Post Office, Trail Ways Bus, Pool Hall, Mesa Theater (Liberty), Goodman Dept. Store. The pool hall was below sidewalk level and accessed by steel stairway at the entrance to the Hotel. The pool hall was a favorite place for all the high school boys and retired old men to hang out. Curly Nelson ran the place and always had card games going on until wee hours of the morning. In order for the high school boys to gain entrance, they had to supply a permission slip from the parents. Curly made sure that if a boy needed to earn some spending money he could work by doing janitorial duties or working the concession. Running errands for the card players like getting snacks or smokes could bring a hefty tip now and then.
The art of projectionist at the theater was passed on to my oldest brother and when Dad decided to pursue a different field of employment the job was passed down. The new owner Albert Petry seemed to like my family and made sure that every member at one time or another was employed by him. I spent many week-ends taking tickets and cleaning up after the movies.
The kids pulled a Halloween prank by placing an outhouse on Mainstreet
Spring and summers in Pagosa were just what God had planned for a young boy’s adventurous mind. There were so many streams flowing through the hills and pastures, with willows growing tall and waiting to be carved into a magnificent fishing pole. Rainbow trout were lurking in the shadows to grab the juicy worm or grasshopper dangling from a line. In the fall when leaves started to change colors and the dew would turn into crackling frost. It would soon be time to follow in the steps of some favorite grown up, be it grandfather, father, or the father of one of your friends. Searching for just the right sign of a deer, an elk or even a turkey, but praying that you never see that dreaded old black bear. Winters were long and cold but if all the chores had be done properly then playing in the snow could be a lot of fun. We did not have natural gas in our home so it was important to make sure that wood was chopped and stored and the coal shed full. There were Igloos to build, sledding, skiing, Ice skating or hayrides to go on. Many a skinned knee was had from tying a rope to back of a car and being pulled along the icy road until the sled would hit a bump and flip over.
A pond about five miles west of town called “Catchpole’s Mistake” was a great place for ice skating parties. The sky would be filled with smoke from the burning tires used to keep warm along with small wood fires for roasting marshmallows .Ear aches were a common occurrence for me. It was nothing for Dr. Thomson to come to our house in the middle of the night to give a shot or a dose of some awful tasting medicine. Somehow the old school was always having frozen pipes from someone leaving the water on! That always resulted in the school having to close for a day, an event any young boy would welcome. Basketball season was always lot of fun. The games away were sometimes a real adventure just getting to them. Once while traveling by car to a game in Silverton it began to snow quite heavily when the generator on the coaches car went out and we couldn’t see a thing. Being towed along the million dollar highway was more of thrill than any theme park ride I have been on Football was the sport that captured the heart of my brothers. They were both captains of the team and chosen as homecoming king. I gave it a good try my freshman year. I made the team but only after Bob Shahan got a concussion, one year of that was enough for me. I really liked the home coming games when Ben Lynch would turn the drug store over to the team and we could stir up any concoction we could dream up. Any other day of the year would find the teenagers at the drug store sipping sodas and playing the jukebox.
Another place for the kids to hang out was down in the park in a building now known as the American Legion, but then it was a teen center. Hazing of new freshmen entering high school was very popular and a ritual of memories to last a life time. The hill across the river near the hot springs known as
reservoir hill once sported a nice “P” made of rocks. I will always remember the trip up the hill with a can of paint and tooth brush to paint that symbol.
One of busiest holiday’s for Pagosa has always been the 4th of July. Pagosa is famous for being home to one of the most talented western artist to ever live. Fred Harman wrote western novels and created a comic character by the name of “Red Ryder” and “Little Beaver.” All of the characters in the comic were of people from Pagosa that Fred knew. Every July 4th is a big celebration honoring him with a parade and rodeo known as “The Red Ryder Roundup.” Even today it’s an honor for my oldest brother to dress in his Navy uniform and participate in the parade as a member of the American Legion.
