The charming photos shown here are a 4th. of July present from Billy Willett. The Willett family had a long history in Pagosa Springs and developed a collection of photos and history. No dates are given but it is a reasonable guess that most of these were made in the middle of the last century.
The main attraction of any parade of this time was Fred Harman. He and his tales of Red Ryder had put Pagosa Springs on the map. That was the old bank building in the background where the town leaders were known to have often locked themselves in the vault for an evening of non law interrupted poker. One of the doors in that bank is currently the front door of my house.
Native Americans had a much larger presence in Pagosa then than now. Small bands would come for the summer and set up tee pee camps where the Best Western is now located. Pagosa has always had a strong connection with the Jacarilla Indians of Dulce, N.M. and then, as now, are a part of the 4th. of July celebrations.
The Indian’s adornments are prized possessions and some may well be in use this year. Study the background in all of these photos. Most of the structures are still there with different decorations and fronts.
This group of cowboys and Indians are likely preparing to go and get in line for the parade. By this time all traces of the old sluice on Reservoir Hill has vanished. Earlier, the sluice caught water from the San Juan up river and carried it across this view and down to the “Light Plant” serving electricity to town.
Then as now, the Pagosa Pirates were the pride of the community. This photo may well have been dated 1953 as that is when the film “Peter Pan” came out.
Pagosa evidently had a soap box derby race back then. There was certainly no lack for hills to race down!
These characters were called Whistlers. They painted faces on their chests, using their bellybuttons for their mouths, and used their arms to hold up their big goofy hats. They walked the parade route whistling.
Also, then as now, Pagosa Bar!
