The Old Timer's Photo Gallery

There was a lot of history made in our area. A lot of it occurred around the coal mines. One of the biggest tragedies of the coal mining days stems from the mine owners' vigorous attempts to make sure that “squatters” had no place to stay in the old company towns.

To accomplish this, some of the old homes were moved by rail up to Pueblo, to the area near the steel mill. Virtually all of what was left was bulldozed. The story was so that the mining companies wouldn't be charged any property taxes for the houses. That's why our landscape in the canyons just west of the Interstate between the New Mexico state line and Walsenburg are littered with old concrete and stone building foundations. Years ago there were many more people back in them thar' hills... Even today I keep coming across folks who were either born in the canyons or their parents were.