Read Reflections from the Past- Part3 here.
By Billy Willett
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.
READ PART 5 Tomorrow.
