La Plata Historical Society 2024

HISTORY LA PLATA

IRMA CAMPBELL LOFTFIELD PORTRAITS OF THOSE WHO SERVED

Irma Campbell grew up in Durango, living with her grandfather, pioneer blacksmith Charlie Naegelin. She graduated from Durango High School, then studied nursing at Boulder Hospital and College. Rather than return to Durango, Irma yearned for more adventure. She moved to California, where she worked as a nurse and even learned to surf. She met Hamlet Loftfield, a radio operator on passenger liners on Pacific routes. They married in 1930 and lived at Seal Beach in California. Perhaps their separate careers were hard on the marriage. The two separated but never divorced. Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the British forces in Egypt and North Africa were being badly beaten by German Field Marshall Rommel. They desperately needed aircraft support for damaged RAF bombers. In early 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized a secret mission sending civilians who worked for Douglas Aircraft to a base near Gura in Eritrea, at the south end of the Red Sea. Their job was to get damaged aircraft rebuilt and back in service. Irma volunteered to be a nurse for what was code named Project 19. She was sent to support the roughly 2000 volunteer aircraft mechanics at a bombed-out Italian airfield which had no defensive cover. Even though conditions were difficult, the project was successful and helped lead to the defeat of Rommel and the Afrika Corps. After that experience in the war, Irma traveled extensively for the rest of her life. She returned to La Plata County and settled in Hermosa where she died in 1986. ✪

Throughout this issue you will find short biographies of La Plata County residents who served during World War II. These stories include not only their military service, but their lives after the war. Many of them were leaders and public servants who contributed greatly to their communities. Their sense of duty and service extended well beyond the war years.

Many of these fascinating stories have been edited for length. There may be more details about some of these servicemen and women in the Animas Museum’s new WWII exhibit. Visit the Museum to learn more.

The subjects of these biographies are service members who are represented in the Animas Museum’s Collections or research resources. We would like to increase the information available for future researchers. If you have the story of a local WWII veteran, consider adding it to our research files. Please contact the Museum at info@ animasmuseum.org for details.

Featured biographies were researched and written by a team of dedicated Museum volunteers. Their research work is designated by their initials on each article. Team members are: Megan Reid (MR), Elsa Horowitz (EBH), Ed Horvat (EH) and Susan Jones (SJ). ✪

The accompanying images are from the Animas Museum’s Photo Archives unless otherwise noted.

From The President

BY SIDNY ZINK

The subject of this year’s issue of History La Plata is a tough one - World War II. Many of my contemporaries and I had a father, or possibly a mother, or other family members who served during that war. War is ugly and the Holocaust is unimaginable. But in the midst of those horrors of war there are heroes to be recognized. Although the fighting was far from La Plata County, this issue explores how the war impacted our area and how citizens responded. History holds countless stories and the La Plata County Historical Society is honored to share some of these stories with you.

At the Animas Museum, our volunteers work to develop exhibits that reflect our area’s history. To get a better idea of what we have to offer, visit our website at animasmuseum.org. There are events and webinars to consider, online exhibits to view, and more. Check out all that the Animas Museum has to offer. ✪

Sidny Zink is President of the La Plata County Historical Society Board of Directors

World War II & La Plata County

By Andrew Gulliford

After surviving World War I, La Plata County soldiers returned home to farm, mine, cut timber, and run railroads. The 1920s brought prosperity, radio, new cars, trucks, and tractors, but then the county, like the nation, plunged into the Great Depression. As war clouds gathered again over Europe and Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Americans tried desperately to stay out of another world war, but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy” according to President Franklin Roosevelt, we did what we do best as a nation—we mobilized.

Men enlisted in the Armed Services of the U.S. Army, the Marines, and the Navy. Women did too, joining the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES), and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) to fly planes across the Atlantic. On the home front sugar, coffee, meat, gasoline, oil and tires became rationed. Some families put their cars into storage in the stone building at 640 Main Avenue that was once a livery stable and now houses several businesses.

It seems that everyone started wearing khaki, flashing reflective aviator sunglasses, and donning versions of

Wallace Mollette (at right) and two Navy buddies share a laugh in the 1100 block of Main in downtown Durango (89.15.90.21). Ron Bodo, at only 5 years old, helps raise food for the war effort on the family ranch at Ridges Basin. (14.20.57)

General Dwight Eisenhower’s wool jacket. Crop prices soared. Gold and silver mines shuttered but coal production increased. Patriotic families bought war bonds for Old Uncle Sam, and as the nation came together to fight the Japanese in the Pacific and the Germans and Italians in Europe, World War II changed the county and the country. Because of all our 20th century conflicts overseas, this would be remembered as “The Good War.” America would emerge triumphant and this would become “the American Century.”

Famous song lyrics included “Praise the Lord And Pass the Ammunition,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover.” The big band sounds of Glenn Miller wafted over radios along with the Andrews Sisters, Peggy Lee, Doris Day, and Bing Crosby. Theatres filled on weekends for black and white news clips from both fronts. Newspapers ran special editions as we invaded Africa, took shellfire on the beaches of Normandy, raced towards Berlin with tanks and armed vehicles, island-hopped across the Pacific, and raised the American flag at Iwo Jima.

La Plata County history extends across the Four Corners and so do the impacts of World War II. On the west side of the

photo credit : Images from the Animas Museum Photo Archives

La Plata Mountains, the Civilian Conservation Corps had been working on Jackson Reservoir and at Mesa Verde, but almost all the CCC boys enlisted or were drafted. It would be religious conscientious objectors, many of them Seventh Day Adventists, who would finish the dam in what is now Mancos State Park. The books they bought and read would become the start of the Mancos Library. On the Navajo Nation men enlisted to become Marines and a select few became Code Talkers relaying vital radio communications across islands in the Pacific Theatre.

Known quantities of vanadium hastened the search for uranium, and it would be the old San Juan and New York Smelter, below Smelter Mountain and across the Animas River from the Hispanic community of Santa Rita, that would process ore for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. That second atomic bomb ended World War II, but in those few years between December 7, 1941 and September 2, 1945, the world had changed and La Plata County with it.

When veterans came home, they went to

college on the GI Bill swelling the classrooms and library at Old Fort Lewis. They had new ideas, new desires, and many wanted to get married, purchase a car, buy a house, and start a family. The previous economic restrictions of the Great Depression fell away as the economy surged, and the Baby Boom (1946-1964) took off with an American baby born every seven seconds in 1957. In La Plata County that meant new schools, new subdivisions in Durango, and a Cold War uranium hunt with Geiger counters.

Two of the World War II inventions that forever changed the West were Jeeps and rubber rafts that could be bought for $25 at U.S. Army Surplus Stores in cities like Denver, Albuquerque and Salt Lake City. Jeeps encouraged tourism on the old mining roads in the San Juans and a proliferation of rubber rafts jump started a river running industry that thrives today. As a teenager I had an Army surplus sleeping bag with moldy goose feathers that poked out and kept me awake. I had an Army canteen, mess kit, trenching tool or short shovel, and I later

PETE FERDINANDO

Anthony Pete “Tony” Ferdinando was born on January 16, 1922 to Oreste and Giovanna Ferdinando, who lived in the “Little Italy” section of the Florida Mesa. He graduated from 8th grade at Thompson School. Unfortunately his family couldn’t afford the daily commute to Durango High School but ten years later he earned his GED. Tony moved to Durango in 1940 and worked at Hocker Chevrolet as a mechanic. He married Trilbey Wilson and later he married Irene Waddell in 1944, the year he was drafted into the military. He became a tail-gunner on a B-24 bomber with the 8th Air Force, 392nd Bomb Group, 579th Squadron, DePalma crew known as the Crusaders. When not on a mission, he repaired weapons. In less than six months he took part in 35 missions over Germany and France, logging 229 flying hours before being honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was awarded 6 Air Medals and 3 Bronze Stars.

bought a few pairs of the white wooden skis used by the 10th Mountain Division that trained at Camp Hale. Helen Ruth Aspaas’ father fought in Italy. Once he returned from the war, Helen Ruth’s mother bought her Dad a Jeep that had seen duty on Guadalcanal. After years of ranch use, the vintage Jeep, complete with four welded handholds on the fenders to lift it out of mud and its original machine gun cradle in the back, has been retired but it is still barn fresh.

Read these pages to learn specific stories of La Plata County families and their fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters who either enlisted to fight around the world or stayed on the home front producing badly needed food and fiber. They’ve been called “The Greatest Generation” because they interrupted their lives, fought for liberty, and then came home to start again without complaint. We owe them the peace and prosperity we too often take for granted. ✪

Andrew Gulliford is a professor of history at Fort Lewis College. He can be reached at gulliford_a@fortlewis.edu

Following his discharge, Tony returned to Durango, and worked as shop foreman for Hocker Chevrolet, then partnered in Kasal and Ferdinando Auto Repair. Anthony earned his pilot’s license, bought an airplane, and maintained it. Tony was employed by Fort Lewis College as foreman of the automotive shop and taught automobile maintenance classes until he retired in 1977.

In his spare time, Anthony organized and built the Huck Finn Pond, was a wildlife adviser for the Bureau of Land Management and helped to secure land donations for Perins Peak Wildlife Area. He was a deputy posse member under five sheriffs. In the late 1980s he took on the volunteer job of master clocksmith to restore and install the original 1891 clock in the new courthouse. Tony was named Citizen of the Year by the Animas Valley Grange in 1989. Anthony Ferdinando passed away on April 7, 2016 at the age of 94. ✪

MR/EH

ANTHONY

photo credit: Image courtesy of Charles DiFerdinando

The former livery stable where some Durango residents parked their cars for the duration of the war is just visible on the right. Despite gas rationing, traffic still flowed on Main Avenue. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 01.27.7

BENNIE HERRERA

Bennie Herrera was born to Fidel and Amalia Herrera on August 6, 1923 in Pagosa Springs. The family moved to Ignacio in 1937. He graduated from Durango High School and was enrolled in college for a year before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1941. While waiting for his call-up, he worked for a contractor at an air base in Colorado Springs. By 1944 Corporal Herrera was stationed with the 8th Army Air Force, 390th Bomb Group (H) near Framingham, England servicing radio equipment on Flying Fortresses airplanes.

On May 25, 1945 Bennie was among 185,000 men and women of the 8th Army Air Force who were personally congratulated by Lt. Gen. James Doolittle for their efforts to defeat the Germans. Following his discharge in 1945, Bennie taught physical education and radio work in the Ignacio school system. He went to Fort Lewis College and graduated from Western State College in Gunnison in 1948. Bennie was hired as assistant manager at Fox Theaters in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1949.

On May 8,1950 Bennie married Connie Mier in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was assistant manager of the theater. Between 1953 and 1960 the Herreras moved to Blanco, New Mexico where Bennie taught school. During the summer of 1961, Bennie became a part-time police officer in Farmington, New Mexico. He returned to Blanco as a school principal but by January 1962 he was a full-time Farmington police officer.

On March 31, 1962, Bennie became the first Farmington police officer killed in the line of duty. Bennie was survived by his wife and six children. He was buried at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. The Farmington Police Department honored him by creating the Ben Herrera Distinguished Service Award for officers who go beyond the call of duty. They also named the lobby of the police department for him. ✪

MR/EBH

War Comes to La Plata County

The tranquility of a peaceful December Sunday in Durango was shattered with the news that Japanese forces had attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The following day’s edition of The Durango Herald-Democrat carried the news that the U.S. was at war.

Under a large headline, President Roosevelt’s address to Congress was printed in full. He declared that on “December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the empire of Japan.”

Colorado Governor Carr immediately put the state on wartime status, saying “Our chief job is to keep our feet on the ground and our heads clear.” He called an emergency meeting of the state defense council. Durango and La Plata County patriotic and civil organizations immediately pledged their full support of the national effort. The community responded quickly. The Elks Lodge offered their assistance,

while the Red Cross urged women to sign up for the upcoming Nurse’s Aide course. The county sheriff’s posse of 50 men, four planes and seven pilots offered their assistance to the governor. Local military recruiting offices were inundated with men enlisting to serve.

Initial local newspaper reports from Pearl Harbor did not recount the extent of the attack. But as the days passed, the scope of the horror became known. The Durango Herald-Democrat reported each military development. The Ignacio Chieftain and Bayfield Blade opted to focus their coverage on local men in the service, while pledging to do all they could for defense efforts.

James M. Noland, chairman of the Durango Civil Defense Council called a community meeting to prepare for wartime activities. Every man, woman and child (over the age of 16) was encouraged to attend the meeting at Smiley Junior High on December 11. Work schedules were changed and social activities

were rescheduled. The school auditorium was filled to overflowing, along with the gymnasium and the hallway between them. The Herald-Democrat reported that over 1,200 attended and patriotic songs were sung before speeches were given. Army Recruiter Sergeant G.W. Baskett explained the different branches of the service. Navy Recruiter Chief Quartermaster G.L. Kleckner asserted, “The issue now is squarely before us. We’ve got a job to do and we’ll do it. We must fight it out to the finish.”

After the meeting a Herald-Democrat editorial stated, “… there was the single silently expressed will of a Colorado community to do everything possible to perpetrate the way of life of this American Republic against every onslaught. My I have a swelling pride and faith in my own people.” And with that, World War II came to La Plata County. ✪

Carolyn Bowra

Durango area Navy recruiters (L to R) Jackson Sadler, Galen Kleckner, Wally Mollette and Ralph Moore are pictured with Mike Bible and Governor Carr (seated at right) in the early days of the war. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 13.25.1

Come On Durango and Do Your Part!

The attack on Pearl Harbor roused La Plata County citizens to a patriotic fervor. Within two days of the bombing, The Durango Herald-Democrat reported that local recruiting offices had been “deluged with applicants of all ages…” Men were called to enroll in the military, and women between the ages of 18 and 50 were encouraged to volunteer as nurse’s aides in the Red Cross. Three days after the bombing, seven enlistees left for the Navy. Twenty more men planned to depart on December 18th, beginning a wave of volunteerism that rippled through Southwest Colorado. The local sentiment mirrored the patriotic passion reverberating throughout the country. Nationally, more than five and a half million men and 350,000 women volunteered for service in the armed forces during the war years. For young men, it was not a question of whether they would serve in the military, but more a question of when they would go. The United States had already instituted the nation’s first peacetime draft system in 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. The eligible age group was expanded when America entered the war. Between 1941 and 1945, the Selective Service System registered about 50 million men from 18 to 64 years of age and drafted over 10 million men from 18 to 38 years of age. The drafted and volunteer enlistees combined to form a military force of almost

ELMER

WIELAND

16 million Americans during World War II. Women were not drafted. In December of 1941 the only American women in military uniform were members of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps. That changed in 1942 as the war progressed and each branch of the military created a women’s division. In May of 1942 the Army created the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). The word “Auxiliary” was removed in 1943 to recognize the WAC as part of the Army. In July the US Navy created the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) and the Marine Corps established the Women Reservists. In November the Coast Guard drew upon the first letter of every word in their motto, “Semper Paratus, Always Ready” to name their female unit the SPARs. Another organization that was not affiliated with a specific military branch was formed in 1943,

By Jill Seyfarth

when two all-female pilot organizations merged to create the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).

Many local women joined the WAVES, the WACs and the SPARs. Eva O’Brien, who joined the WAVES in April of 1943, wrote a letter to the Durango Recruiting Office that was published in the Durango News. Her words reflect the pride so many people took in defending their country during those challenging times. “I’m very glad I joined the WAVES….we work hard but feel we are doing our part and are proud of it. We do need more girls so come on Durango and do your part!” ✪

Jill Seyfarth’s parents both served in WWII. Her father decoded messages in Australia and her mother was in the Red Cross in France and Africa.

This draft number ticket was folded repeatedly to allow it to fit in a capsule to be drawn lottery-style by the local draft board.

photo credit : From the Animas Museum’s Collection 95.03.151

Elmer Wieland was born in Bayfield in 1922. He grew up in Durango, living with his parents Earl and Ruth at 2404 W. 2nd Ave. Elmer graduated from Durango High School in 1940. Like many young people at the time, he was infatuated with airplanes. He was living in La Jolla, California working for Consolidated Air Craft when he filled out his draft card. Before leaving Durango and heading off to war, Elmer became engaged to Beverly Powell. She graduated from DHS in 1944 and her family lived nearby.

Elmer became a pilot, earning his wings in August 1944. He was sent to the Pacific Theater and flew a C-47 cargo plane “over the Hump” in Burma in the 10th Air Force. Due to the dangerous flying conditions over the Himalayas, that route was considered more dangerous than flying a bombing mission

in Europe. On April 29, 1945, the C-47 that Flight Officer Wieland was piloting crashed over Burma. His mother received the dreaded telegram from the War Department on May 5th. Elmer was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously on August 9, 1945. Originally buried in Burma, he was reinterred in Greenmount Cemetery with full military honors.

Beverly Powell married Joe Conway in 1948 but never forgot Elmer. Earl and Ruth Wieland unofficially adopted the couple and their children. When Ruth passed away, Elmer’s effects were given to Beverly who cherished them until she died in 1999. In 2013, Beverly’s children donated the collection to the Animas Museum. ✪

Carl Aspaas, a lifelong resident of La Plata County, served in the 301st Ordinance Regiment, Third Battalion fighting in the deserts of North Africa, the rocky coast of Sicily and the vicious winter combat zones of Italy’s long boot. Carl wrote more than 250 letters home to his mother in Breen. Pieced together, one learns about Carl’s wartime experiences from 1942-1945. The Fifth Army published a book describing their battles on “The Road to Rome.” One photograph shows Carl struggling with the help of foot soldiers to get a jeep through the mud somewhere on the “Winter Line” in Italy. After his discharge in late October 1945, Carl returned to La Plata County, married, started a family and took up ranching again. He attended classes at Fort Lewis College under the GI Bill and did ranch work using his army surplus jeep that had served in Guadalcanal. The jeep is still safely stored by his daughter Helen Ruth at the historic Aspaas Ranch. Like most heroes of World War II, Carl never spoke about the atrocities and pain of war. He did recall fondly the Arab people of North Africa, the hospitality of the Italian people toward the U.S. soldiers and the beauty of Italy’s northern Alps. We know the war experiences started his love affair with jeeps. ✪

Helen Ruth Aspaas

CARL H. ASPAAS

photo credit: Image courtesy of Helen Ruth Aspaas

ALMA STRANSKY

Alma Lenoir Stransky was born on January 25, 1910 in Munden, Kansas to William and Antha Stransky. The family moved to Durango in 1923. Alma graduated from Durango High School. She attended Fort Lewis College during the 1928/1929 school year and later took Education classes at Colorado State College in Greeley. She was teaching at Middle Sortais School by August 1929. Alma served as Deputy County Superintendent of Schools in 1930 but resigned later that year to teach at Moss School in the Pine River Valley. By 1936 she was teaching at the Trimble School. Later Alma began doing bookkeeping for businesses in Durango.

In 1944 Alma enlisted in the U.S. Women’s Marine Reserves and attended boot camp in San Diego. She accompanied Mrs. Ella Birkhimer of Durango, who christened the Victory Ship USS Durango on December 16, 1944. Pvt. Alma Stransky went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for further training, then served in California and at Pearl Harbor. She could drive anything on wheels - jeeps, buses, and even 5-ton semi-trucks that moved troops, hospital supplies, equipment, and ammunition. She returned to Durango in late 1945, and began doing bookkeeping for San Juan Motor, Jackson Hardware and other businesses.

Alma was an active member of the Durango Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. She was a member of many public service clubs and organizations. In 1952 Alma became secretary and women’s matron for the Durango Police Department. In 1963 she was designated chief clerk of the municipal court which received fine payments. Alma retired in 1978. She was also interested in mining and eventually owned seven mines in La Plata Canyon. Alma died on July 11,1988 in Durango. ✪

Durango at Sea

The SS Durango Victory Ship

After WWI the U.S. merchant fleet was aging and in decline. A ship building program was begun in 1936 to remedy that problem. These efforts increased when WWII began because ships to move supplies and troops were in critical demand. The solution was a mass-produced vessel. When President Franklin Roosevelt was shown the blueprint for the proposed ship he said, “I think this ship will do us very well. She’ll carry a good load. She isn’t much to look at, though, is she? A real ugly duckling.” And a nickname was born, but the ship’s official name was the Liberty ship.

Submarines, especially the deadly German U-Boats, took their toll on Liberty ships. There was a need for larger cargo capabilities aboard a faster ship. The Victory ship program began in 1943 to meet those

demands. It was also believed the Victory ship would be critical to shipping after the war. Victory ships, like the Liberty ships before them, were outfitted as troop carriers, hospital ships, Prisoner of War transport ships, and tankers in addition to cargo operations. They served in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and were crewed by Merchant Marines and U.S. Navy personnel who provided security and communications. Victory ships tended to be named after cities/ towns and universities/colleges. Durango was honored to have a ship named for the community due to the impressive number of miliary enlistees per capita.

The SS Durango Victory (hull# 549) was built at the Permanente Metals Corporation Richmond Yard in California. The keel was laid on October 17, 1944 and the ship was

launched in December. Due to gas rationing, officials from Durango were unable to attend. Durango native Ella Birkhimer was living in San Diego at the time. The city council asked her if she would be willing to pay her own way to Richmond to do the honor of christening the ship. She agreed. Alma Stransky, also from Durango and stationed in San Diego, accompanied her.

The ship’s library was stocked with books donated by Durango residents, many of whom wrote their names and addresses inside the covers. The SS Durango Victory survived the war and went on to serve during the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1969 it was placed in the James River Reserve Fleet and was eventually scrapped in 1995. ✪

From Artifacts, the quarterly newsletter of La Plata County Historical Society

“I christen thee Durango Victory” is the caption on this action shot of Ella Birkhimer as she breaks a champagne bottle on the bow of the SS Durango Victory. The photo was part of the official documentation of the event done by the shipyard. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 90.17.122.15

Helen M. Aspaas, Second Lieutenant, Army Nurses Corps

By Helen Ruth Aspaas

Countless miles separate the Breen ranch where Helen Aspaas grew up and the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH) bordering the Ardennes Forest in France where Helen, a registered nurse in the U.S. Army Nurses Corps, cared for wounded soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge.

After attending a one-room school and graduating from Durango High School in 1937, Helen enrolled at Mercy Hospital of Denver and earned her Registered Nurse diploma in 1942. In 1943 she answered the government’s call for nurses to provide medical care for wounded soldiers in the war. Helen met the requirements: a female graduate of an approved school of nursing, single, white and a citizen of the U.S. Helen was 23 years old when she was inducted into the Army at the rank of Second Lieutenant in February 1943. The nurses’ salaries were half that of male lieutenants and despite being commissioned officers, nurses did not receive the dignity of a salute.

Nurses in the ANC were not required to complete boot camp. Their only physical training requirement was regular 5-to-10-mile hikes carrying the standard nursing field pack. Inadequately sized shoes resulted in painful blistering for many nurses.

In August 1943 Helen was deployed from Fort Devens, Massachusetts to staging areas in England for assignment to one of the field hospitals in the European Theater. The army had finally standardized the uniforms for the ANC. Second Lieutenant nurses wore a gold bar on the right lapel and on the left lapel the caduceus insignia with its superimposed “N”. See accompanying photograph.

In England Helen gained expertise setting up mobile hospitals and received advanced training in treating and evacuating casualties. Attending dances was a common pass time and at one dance Helen happily danced with Norwegian soldiers stationed in England after their evacuation from Norway. Helen’s grandparents were Norwegian immigrants. After her deployment to Belgium/ Northern France, Helen’s letters were somber as she tried to encourage folks back home about the battlefront. In one letter she described comforting a severely wounded soldier who would not recover. Needless, to say, just the presence of young, skilled women in the wards of the MASH lifted the morale of wounded and sick soldiers. Helen rarely, if ever, spoke of the grim realities she witnessed.

These U.S. Army nurses were wound treatment experts. Because of a shortage of anesthesiologists, nurses took over the role and excelled. Nurses were early administrators of penicillin, a lifesaving/infection-fighting antibiotic. Europe was experiencing one of its most severe winters on record during the Battle of the Bulge so nurses became skilled at treating pneumonia, frostbite and amputations. These nurses had grown up during the

Depression and could “make-do” when medical supply shipments were delayed. They quickly adapted existing equipment for alternative uses. These women were tough and unafraid to report to their supervisors when doctors carelessly wasted limited medical supplies. The ANC were respected and admired throughout the armed forces. They did their work under extremely hazardous circumstances and put a new meaning to the term “soldiering on.”

Upon her honorable discharge and return to U.S. civilian life in 1945, Helen married, raised two children, and

remained in nursing for her professional life. Helen was a nurse at the Cortez Memorial Hospital, practiced public health nursing in Montezuma County, directed the Tri-County Health Department and earned a graduate degree in public health. Helen died on March 13, 2012. Nursing was her lifelong career. ✪

When not tramping around the historic Aspaas ranch, Helen Ruth Aspaas, professor emerita of Virginia Commonwealth University enjoys writing about her family’s 150-year presence in La Plata County.

IVER HANSEN

Iver Hansen was born to Nels and Marie (Isacksen) Hansen on February 18, 1898 in Durango. He graduated from Durango High School in 1915. During November and December of 1915, Iver attended a 9-month course at a business college in Des Moines, Iowa. He then worked in Des Moines for 2 years before deciding to enlist in the Army Engineer Corps on April 7, 1918. He was sent to Camp Meade, Maryland, and later to France. He was discharged from the Army on July 10, 1919.

In 1920 Iver was in Cortez working as a store bookkeeper. He returned to Durango and worked in the grocery department of Graden’s in 1922. By 1930 Iver was living in Mancos and working as a bookkeeper for a federal agency. But in 1931 he resigned from that job and became a salesman for Southwestern Motor Company in Durango. The Durango branch of the Colorado Re-employment Service of the United States Department of Labor Employment Service was established and Iver was hired as the manager and senior interviewer in 1933.

In May 1942 Iver joined the Civil Defense Warden’s Corps for Durango and Animas City and was named warden for District #16. He enlisted in the military again on July 10, 1942 and served as a Warrant Officer. He was discharged on Oct. 21, 1944. Iver returned to Durango and may have continued his work with the Social Security Board Employment Service for a time. He was an employee of Basin Petroleum Company by 1951. Iver had joined the American Legion in Durango following his service in WWI. He was a very active member of the organization and held a variety of offices over the years. He was also an original member of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps (later the Goldenaires) from its founding in 1929. Iver died in Durango on Dec. 11, 1982. ✪

MR/EBH

Official Army photograph of Lieutenant Helen M. Aspaas in uniform, taken before she shipped out to Europe. photo credit : Image courtesy of Callie Blackmer and her sister Clarissa “Charlie” Blackmer-Long, Helen’s granddaughters.

FRED KLATT

Fred William Klatt II was born in Montrose on March 3, 1920, and was in the 3rd grade when the family moved to Durango. He graduated from Durango High School in 1938 and attended Fort Lewis College from 1938 through early 1940.

Fred enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941. After graduation from the Cadet Program, he was assigned to his first posting in the Philippines. His transport ship departed from Honolulu on Dec. 5, 1941, two days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Fred served his overseas duty in the South Pacific, primarily in New Guinea, where he flew A-24 dive bombers and A-20 Havoc twinengine attack aircraft. Mr. Klatt flew 39 missions and was awarded several medals and commendations, including the Silver Star. He took no credit for himself, attributing the award to luck. In a letter to his mother he noted, “Miracles and funny things happen. On November 12 I received a Silver Star. Hell, mom, I didn’t do anything outstanding. It was just a streak of luck.” His last mission there was May 2, 1943.

On June 21, 1943 Fred married Margaret Ann Rutledge of Hesperus. He spent the remainder of his military career training other pilots until his discharge in 1945. He and Margaret returned to Durango, where he joined the Army Air Reserves. In 1947 Fred partnered with E. D. Arndt in the La Plata Flying Service of Durango, teaching veterans to fly. He trained more than 75 pilots before leaving the partnership that year to become Ground Operations Manager for Monarch Airlines (later Frontier Airlines). He also flew local charters until 1950. Fred trained as a Civil Air Patrol pilot in 1951 and flew search and rescue missions, while serving as airport manager in Monte Vista, Cortez, and Durango. He also served on the Airport Commission. Fred resigned from Frontier Airlines in 1963 and operated Klatt Travel until his retirement in 1982. Fred died at his Cedar Hill, New Mexico home at the age of 92 on July 28, 2012. ✪ MR

Sadie’s Boys: Five Brothers and the Legacy of War

SBy Kim Burrows

ara (Sadie) Rose McDevitt and Leslie Thomas Burrows married in Durango, Colorado on January 1, 1918. As they were building their family over the next decade, they moved from Durango to Pagosa Springs to Pueblo. Sadie and her nine children, five of whom were boys, moved back to Durango in 1930. All five young men served during World War II - two were wounded and one was killed in action.

Of the five boys, Leslie McDevitt (nicknamed Buddy) was the oldest. He was born on February 20, 1920 in Pagosa Springs. Buddy enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the Air Engineer Squadron. He did his basic training at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan. After basic training, he was reassigned to Salt Lake City, Utah. He attained the rank of sergeant. Buddy participated in the battle of Guam during July and August of 1944. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Buddy’s squadron flew into Japan. In letters he sent home, he described the terrible smell of war. He also wrote that although the people of Japan could now afford nothing, they seemed to be able to afford cigarettes. He noted that Japanese soldiers would hide by climbing trees but American soldiers could locate them from the burning embers of their cigarettes. Buddy was discharged from the Army on February 15, 1946. He received the American Service Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

John Thomas (nicknamed Jake) was the second son. He was born on February 18, 1923, also in Pagosa Springs. Jake enlisted in the Merchant Marines, and he too was stationed in the Pacific. The Merchant Marines were responsible for delivering personnel, supplies and fuel by ship for the military. Jake received the Merchant Marine World War II Victory Medal.

Her third son, William Henry (nicknamed Hank), was born on March 2, 1924 in Pueblo, Colorado. Hank was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, a light infantry division of the U.S. Army. He was involved in

Buddy, Hank, and Lawrence Burrows are pictured in their uniforms in 1944. photo credit : Image courtesy of the Burrows Family

THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS

L. Martinez was born to Rosendo and Sara (or Serre) Martinez on July 4, 1914. He graduated from Durango High School and later enlisted with the National Guard on February 24, 1941. He was assigned to the U.S. Army 168th Field Artillery at Camp Luis Obispo, California in February 1942. By March Felix was promoted to Specialist 5th Class and was with the 168th Field Artillery at Camp McQuaide, California. In April he was attached to Headquarters Company First Battalion of the 168th at Camp Roberts, California. By April 1943 he was promoted to Sergeant and served in the Philippines with the 168th Field Artillery. Following his discharge Felix chose to live

the allied offensive in Germany. Among other medals, Hank received two Purple Hearts, having been shot twice.

On September 28, 1925, Sadie gave birth to twins, Lawrence and Leon, in Pueblo. On June 8, 1944, Leon enlisted in the Army at the age of 18. Because the family has no documentation to the contrary, it is assumed that Lawrence enlisted with his twin. Leon went to bootcamp at Camp Robinson in Arkansas, and Lawrence was at bootcamp at Camp Blanding in Florida. After bootcamp both Leon and Lawrence were transferred to the 10th Mountain Division training camp at Camp Hale in Leadville, Colorado in July of 1944. On January 3, 1945, the 10th departed Newport News, Virginia and arrived in Naples, Italy on January 13, 1945.

That following April, the 10th Mountain Unit was approximately 30 miles from Bologna, Italy fighting the Germans at the Gothic Line. The History of the 87th Division of the 10th Mountain Unit states that the 1st Platoon was clearing out German soldiers from the town of Torre Jussi. Other platoons were engaged in battle in the surrounding hillsides. This was the bloodiest of all battles for the 10th Mountain Unit, with many wounded and killed-inaction. Lawrence’s platoon was assaulting a hill that was referred to as Hill 909. He was killed on this hill on April 14, 1945. Nearby, Leon was shot and wounded as his platoon attempted to clear the small hamlet of Torre Jussi.

When Leon returned to base

in Los Angeles, California where he remained until 1948 or 1949. In 1950 he returned to Durango and worked as a dormitory assistant at the Ignacio Indian School. On November 22, 1951 Felix married Delpha Lovato (or Lobato) in Durango. The couple moved to Raton, New Mexico where Felix worked for a construction company. Later the couple lived in Denver and Felix drove a taxicab. Felix died on July 19, 1995.

Fares (or Feres) Nestor Martinez, Felix’s younger brother, was born on November 11, 1916. He graduated from Durango High School, and on February 21, 1941 enlisted in the Army at Fort McArthur, California. Private Fares was assigned to L Company,

camp, he was told that Lawrence had been killed. At nineteen years old, Leon was eventually able to locate the body of his twin brother among the casualties. Just three weeks later, Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Having fought in some of the most physically challenging battles along the spine of Italy, through the Apennine mountains and along Riva Ridge, it is incredible that Leon survived the war. He was evacuated from Italy on May 17, 1945 and arrived in Charleston, South Carolina on June 7, 1945. Leon was discharged from the Army on September 9, 1945. He received two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, the European-AfricanMiddle Eastern Campaign Medal and a Combat Infantry Badge. The above information about the Burrows boys’ experiences in World War II and the subsequent medals each received is incomplete for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the surviving brothers seldom, if ever, spoke to their families about the war and their experiences in it. Second, in 1973, there was a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Sixteen to eighteen million service records were destroyed. With both familial and national accounts gone, succeeding generations have lost valuable knowledge of an important slice of our history. ✪

Kimberly Burrows, Ph.D. is a writer and social scientist currently living in Homer, Alaska.

FRANK C. PICCOLI

Frank C. Piccoli was born on September 28, 1922 in Denver to Joseph and Dorothy Piccoli. Later the Piccolis moved to Durango and purchased the Trimble Hot Springs nightclub. He graduated from Durango High School in 1939. Frank enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in early January 1942 and attended boot camp in San Diego, California, where he trained as a Rifleman/Sharpshooter. In early July Private 1st Class Piccoli was shipped to the Solomon Islands with the 1st Marine Division, Infantry. He fought on the islands of Tulagi and Guadalcanal. On November 2, 1942 while moving from the beach to the jungle, Frank was struck by Japanese machine gun fire. He was hit in the left hip, both knees, and one leg was broken. He was sent to a hospital in San Francisco, for recovery and then to a hospital in Santa Cruz, California for rehabilitation. For his courageous acts of valor and wounds received in action Frank was awarded a Purple Heart and was honorably discharged from the military on September 25, 1943 following his rehabilitation.

31st Infantry Regiment, and was sent to the Philippines. He was reported missing in action during the Bataan and Corregidor conflicts of 1942. In July 1945 his mother was officially notified of the death of her son, Fares. He had died of dysentery on June 5, 1942 at Camp O’Donnell in Luzon, Pangasinan, Philippines which was a Japanese POW camp. His mother talked to POWs who were imprisoned there. They indicated their regular diet was boiled grass which frequently caused dysentery. Feres’ body was re-interred at Greenmount Cemetery in Oct. 1948. ✪

On December 22, 1943 he married Wilma O’Dean Wells of Bayfield. He worked at Durango Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company. In the early 1950s he was employed as County Veterans Service Officer for the Colorado Department of Veterans Affairs Office. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was Circulation Manager for The Durango Herald . He eventually drove a bus for Durango 9-R School District. Frank was a founding member of the Durango Flying Club, and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Elks Club, and the Lions Club. He moved into the Colorado Veterans Community Living Center in Homelake, Colorado, where he died on May 15, 2016. He was buried in Greenmount Cemetery in Durango. ✪

MR/EBH

Leon Burrows is pictured in his uniform in a family snapshot in 1944. photo credit : Image courtesy of the Burrows Family

Felix

MR/EBH

Leon Burrows is pictured in his uniform in a family snapshot in 1944. photo credit : Image courtesy of the Burrows Family

JOHN GOFF “JACK” STEWART

John Goff

“Jack” Stewart was born on December 2, 1915 in Bingham, Utah to William Emmett Stewart and Mabel (Porter) Stewart but was raised in Durango. He graduated from Durango High School in 1933 and began working at the meat counter of Wahler’s Grocery Store learning to be a butcher. On October 20, 1941 Jack enlisted in the United States Army and trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. By July 1942 he was part of the American Tank Corps, Company D, 13th Armored Division serving in Ireland, France, and Germany. He then saw action in Africa, Sicily, and Italy. As part of the 1st Armored Division fighting on Anzio beach in Italy, he and others got separated from their unit on May 30, 1944. They were captured as prisoners of war. After being held for 10 days, they managed to escape and made it back to their own lines.

Jack cabled his family, only saying that he was well and safe which puzzled them. A message from the War Department arrived 24 hours later indicating Jack was missing but fortunately they knew better. Jack received a Purple Heart for his experience. By early November 1944, he was stationed in New Jersey. In January 1945 Jack was sent to Santa Ana, California. Following his discharge on September 7, 1945, he returned to Durango and his job at Wahler’s Grocery. In July 1946 veterans Jack Stewart, Ralph Conner, Ruben Moreno, and Jerry Horvat purchased Wahler’s Grocery.

In 1951 Jack married Dolorine Klahn but they later divorced. By 1961 Wahler’s Grocery was no longer in business. Jack continued to work as a butcher for Basin Packing, Durango Frozen Foods, and Ignacio Sure Value Market. In 1982 Jack entered a Veteran’s home in Monte Vista, Colorado but later moved to one in Prescott, Arizona. He died there on October 4, 1984 at the age of 68. ✪

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W Home Front –La Plata County

hen La Plata County residents found themselves on wartime footing after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the patriotic can-do spirit was palpable. One of the first jobs at hand was to pay for the war. Bond sales became an important tool for citizens to make an investment in victory, while providing much needed funds as the military ramped up for combat. There were many different bond campaigns throughout the war. Most movies began with a short film promoting war bonds, and local events were often centered around a bond campaign. In Durango it was common to have a parade of some sort boosting war bonds.

In addition to funding a two-front war, the U.S. faced the need to provide materiel for the war. Rationing was a means to divert resources from consumer goods to military purposes. Not only were some food items rationed (see page 17) but shortages necessitated clothing and shoe rationing (see page 18). Patriotic appeals to the public encouraged the “privilege of not buying,” to save resources and money. Bicycles, tires, gasoline, typewriters, farm equipment, automobiles, and rubber boots were among the goods that were rationed. A nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was instituted to save gas, while the public

By Carolyn Bowra

was urged to reduce nonessential travel. Travel for sporting events was curtailed. As the war continued, ration quotas fluctuated with supply and demand. Ration books, stamps and tokens would change, leading to a dizzying array of constantly shifting regulations. Local volunteer boards oversaw rationing in La Plata County. Volunteer clerks assisted the Gasoline Panel, Tire Panel, Durable Goods Panel, as well as Price, Food and Community Service panels. In the early days of the war, teachers carried out the distribution of gas ration books. They were praised for the smooth operation, issuing over 1,100 ration books and some 200 “B-Cards”

were a popular part of War Bond campaigns in Durango. This 1943 photo of the 700 block of Main Avenue was likely from an April event. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 95.14.33

for additional gas. Rationing did not end immediately when the war did but gradually eased up as supplies became available. Cutting back on consumer goods was not sufficient to provide the resources for military operations. Citizens were also asked to help provide material. Scrap metal was particularly vital. The “Salvage for Victory Program” saw school children, hunters, farmers and “scrap scouters” looking for scrap iron, steel, and other metals for the war effort. Unusable farm equipment was particularly valuable, along with large quantity scrap metals from abandoned mines and rail lines. Publicity for the program noted that one old flatiron could be made into two steel helmets or 30 hand grenades. Five bathtubs could yield a half-ton truck while a lawnmower could become six 3-inch shells and a set of golf clubs could be made into a .30 caliber machine gun. Residents were reminded, “You can help this desperately needed war effort. If you can’t carry a gun…you can help get steel to our boys who need it and whose very lives depend upon it.” Actual guns were also sought. Gardenswartz Sporting Goods was buying old pistols to ship to “an Allied Power” with a “Send your OLD PISTOL to WAR” campaign.

Scrap paper was also needed for large caliber shells and shipping materials. School children rounded up tons of paper. Rubber was also needed for radio sets and gas masks. Burlap and rope were sought along with silk and nylon hosiery to be recycled into gunpowder bags. Household fat and fat from butchering was needed for explosives. County residents also stepped up to support the Red Cross’ efforts to boost morale. Volunteers at the Red Cross workroom at the Smiley Junior High School building turned out surgical dressing kits. Others knitted and sewed items that might comfort injured soldiers. Local librarian Sadie Sullivan spearheaded a book drive to gather recreational reading materials for the Red Cross and USO to distribute. She urged

donors to write their names and addresses in the books as “the boys will be interested to know who gave what.”

Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H clubs not only participated in scrap drives but raised funds to support the war effort. They grew Victory Gardens and organized blood drives. Boy Scouts also served as government messengers.

Residents were also part of national defense efforts, should the Axis attack the U.S. Blackout drills, a reduction of nonessential lighting, and the appointment of Air Raid Wardens increased a feeling of safety. The war permeated every aspect of life in La Plata County. Outside holiday

lighting was forbidden, Halloween trickor-treating was suspended due to sugar shortages. Stores adjusted their operating hours to reduce lighting and phone calls were expected to be short. When an allied victory seemed likely, there was one final community drive. Durango schools, churches and granges donated over 12,000 pounds of clothing for the refugees and displaced persons who would need international aid when the war was finally over. ✪

Carolyn Bowra is a retired museum professional and Animas Museum volunteer who does enjoy a parade.

LAWRENCE WEAVER Mc DANIEL

Dad always said that on the same day, September 16, 1942, he learned he had passed the Colorado Bar Exam and was inducted into the Army. Admission to the Colorado Bar was the culmination of a childhood dream. His army years, on the other hand, were not exactly the stuff of dreams.

Larry, as most people knew him, was born in Durango on December 5, 1917 to Edward and Zipporah (Mason) McDaniel. He was senior class president of Durango High School in 1935, and after two years at Fort Lewis College, he transferred to the University of Colorado, earning his law degree in 1942. Two days after his 24th birthday, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Dad’s enlistment helped the Army fulfill its September quota. After boot camp in Wyoming, he transferred to Vancouver, Washington, then to Camp Ellis, IL, and finally to Officer’s Candidate School at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA.

Dad entered active duty on June 30, 1944 and embarked on a month-long voyage to India on December 19th. Assigned to the Quartermaster Corps rather than Judge Advocate General, his orders noted that, “In addition to your other duties, you shall be defense counsel when needed or you will be the trial judge.” He soon transferred to Myitkyina, Burma on the Burma Road.

John Taylor was a noted Buffalo Soldier who settled in the Pine River Valley. He and his wife Kitty Cloud had two grandsons who saw active service in World War II in the Pacific Theater. McKean Downing Taylor, born in 1924, was the son of Edwin C. Taylor and his first wife Frances. His cousin John Taylor Valdez, born in 1922, was the son of Euterpe Cloud Taylor. The boys did not have an easy childhood, but as they grew up there are occasional mentions of them in the local press as they won prizes at rodeos and participated in school events.

McKean Downing Taylor and John Taylor

Valdez were both inducted into the army in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 22, 1941. At this point, their lives diverged greatly.

Private McKean Taylor was with the 200th Coast Artillery defending the Philippines in 1941. On April 9, 1942, the American and Filipino troops were forced to surrender to overwhelming Japanese forces. McKean was among over 76,000 soldiers in the Philippines who were forced to surrender. McKean was part of the Bataan Death March and endured inhumane conditions as a POW. He died in the Philippines as a Prisoner of War on May 31, 1942. His family had to wait four years to learn his fate. In

1949 he was buried at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe.

John Taylor Valdez’s service records indicate that he served as a platoon sergeant during the war seeing active service in New Guinea, the Northern Salomon Islands, and the Southern Philippines. He was discharged from the army on December 20, 1945 with the rank of Technical Sergeant. His wife Virginia Pinnecoose died on September 17, 1947 at age 29. They had two children. John Valdez died on May 27, 1955. ✪

“At one duty station,” Dad remembered, “I got the first acquittal in 18 months. Most of the soldiers were black, and the next day I had perhaps a hundred blacks outside my office wanting me to [represent] their buddies.” With the war over, however, Dad boarded a ship bound for home on February 10, 1946. On April 6th, his first day back in Durango, he began his law practice, a career that lasted nearly 60 years.

Dad specialized in water law, assumed leadership roles in many organizations, and received numerous awards for his community service. After his time overseas, though, he never traveled internationally again. Dad died in Durango on November 14, 2005. ✪ Robert McDaniel

Leon Burrows is pictured in his uniform in a family snapshot in 1944. photo credit : Image courtesy of the Burrows Family

Mc KEAN DOWNING TAYLOR & JOHN TAYLOR VALDEZ

photo credit: Image courtesy of Robert McDaniel Ladies were reminded to keep the box in their purses for patriotic use, even at the beauty salon.

MING S. WONG

Ming S. Wong was born to Wai “Sam” Wong, the son of an American citizen, and Yee Shee Wong. Wai and Yee Shee had been joined in an arranged marriage in Canton, China in 1922. Wai came to Durango in the early 1920s and purchased the Mandarin Café in 1922. He stayed in America earning enough money to support a family, but regularly visited his growing family in China. In 1935 Wai brought his wife and four children to Durango. Four more children were born in Durango. Ming was the third child born in China. As soon as they were old enough, all of the Wong children helped their parents in the Mandarin Café. Ming continued in the restaurant business for years, interrupted only by WWII.

On June 5, 1944 Ming traveled to Denver for the preinduction physical examination required to enter the military. He passed. By September 4 Ming was recalled to Denver for induction into the United States Navy. It is estimated that 40% of the Chinese Americans serving in the military during the war were not native-born. Ming was among them. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946 and returned to Durango and joined American Legion Post #28 in 1947. He continued to operate the Mandarin Café with his father. Ming, while still working at the Mandarin Café began cooking at the Western Steak House in 1949.

In the mid-1950s Ming married Juanita Maestas, whom he met while she was working at the Mandarin Café. The couple continued to work at Durango restaurants, until moving to Reno, Nevada in 1976. They enjoyed entertaining family and friends on a regular basis. Ming S. Wong died in 2002 in Reno. ✪

The Railroad and WWII

By Charles DiFerdinando

The local railroads were threatened by the Federal Government at the start of the war. Under-utilized railroad equipment was targeted either for scrap metal or use in areas of need such as Alaska. Due to the depression of the 1930s, much of the mining activity in the San Juan Mountains was shut down or operating on a very limited basis. The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was in receivership due to debt and lack of freight revenue due to mine closures, and the government’s desire to requisition the entire line. The Silverton Branch was also seen as underutilized and was added to the requisition list along with ten K-28 narrowgauge locomotives. Colorado Governor Carr, elected officials and private citizens organized to fight the proceedings. Local governments worried about loss of tax revenue without the railroads. Mine owners such as Elizabeth Pellet of Rico joined the fight and lobbied to get a government loan to

bail out the Rio Grande Southern. They knew it would be essential to the war effort when demands for strategic metals would require the mines to reopen. A similar argument was used to save the Silverton line. The Silverton Northern Railroad was not so lucky. It was sacrificed to save the others and the Denver and Rio Grande was able to retain three of the K-28 locomotives.

It was only a short time before the mines reopened to supply the war effort with strategic metals. At the top of the list was vanadium, used as an alloy by the steel industry to produce a stronger, high-quality steel needed for armaments and shipbuilding. Along with vanadium, uranium was also needed, but that was for a top-secret project. All the other metals found in the San Juan Mountains were also in high demand. Existing mines in the San Juans could be reopened quickly at a lower cost than opening new mines that lacked infrastructure and

transportation links. Another local resource important to the war effort was crude oil being produced in the greater San Juan Basin. The Farmington Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad serviced two oil depots in Farmington, New Mexico and also transported vanadium ore mined west of Shiprock to the U.S. Vanadium mill in Durango.

Poor roads and tire rationing limited the use of trucks and cars except in areas without rail service. The railroad transported draftees and enlistees reporting for duty. Railroads proved to be the best way to move heavy freight and passengers in and out of this isolated mountainous part of the country. ✪

Charles DiFerdinando is currently serving as the Visitors Services Manager at the Animas Museum and worked in the Historic Narration program on the D&SNGRR for many years.

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A Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive is pictured in 1944. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 15.33.172

With the smelter in the foreground, the Durango rail yard is pictured in 1940. As wartime shipping and passenger rail travel increased, it would have been a busy spot. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 23.49.2

That Woman with the Railroad Under Her Arm

State Representative Elizabeth “Betty” Pellet is pictured in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the hall in 2016 and was honored for being a “personable and colorful advocate for disadvantaged workers and the environment in Southwest Colorado.” photo credit : Image courtesy of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame

STANLEY E. GRAY

Stanley E. Gray was born to Frank L. and Lena M. Gray on March 5, 1920 in Dolores. The family moved to a ranch near Bayfield where he attended school. He went to Fort Lewis College, then Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts for his engineering degree. Stanley accepted a junior engineer position at Fort Peck, Montana. In November 1942 Stanley enlisted in the Army Air Corps, Ground Officer Division. He was sent to Boca Raton, Florida for basic training on February 5, 1943 with the Engineers Division. Stanley took post graduate engineering, earned his wings and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant at Yale University. By November he was at

By Susan Jones

n 1940 Elizabeth “Betty” Pellet was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives, the first woman representative from the Western Slope. Twenty years earlier her husband, mining engineer Bob Pellet, brought the former Broadway and silent film actress to the remote mining camp of Rico. There, following her husband, she learned the mining business. She helped him run their mining operations through the Depression. They were able to keep a full crew employed at one of their mines through the worst of it, which benefited the local economy. Her concern for Rico’s children sparked her entrance into politics and put her on the school board. Betty’s success there encouraged her to run successfully for state office.

Betty was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention, where Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated to run for an unprecedented third term. Always keeping her constituents in mind, she represented their concerns in the face of the coming war. There was a large surplus of pinto beans that year which was a staple crop from Dolores County. Betty introduced pinto beans via samples and recipes to the Army, the Navy, and the Lend Lease Program which generated contracts that helped farmers. She knew with war coming, metals including vanadium, copper, lead, and zinc produced in the Rico mines would be critical to the war effort. However, transportation to bring those metals to the processing plant in Durango was a challenge. Specifically, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) was in jeopardy. With letters of support from Colorado Senator Edward Johnson, the Colorado Mining Association, the Office of Production Management, and even Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes plus reams of railroad data in a briefcase under her arm, Betty made the rounds in prewar Washington, D.C. in January 1941. Her hope was to keep the railroad alive with a $65,000 loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) and guarantees of the mail contract from the U.S. Post Office. Using a Lend Lease payment to a railroad in South America serving mining camps producing copper, lead, and zinc as a precedent, she finally convinced White House staffer Eugene Casey to get the RFC and the post office to agree, just in time for the receivership judge. The RGS was saved and became even more critical for the transport of uranium yellow cake used in the development of the atomic bomb. Betty went on to serve in the Colorado House of Representatives for 16 more years. She passed away in Rico in 1976. ✪

Lowry Field near Denver. During April 1944 he went into active duty in India as a flight engineer assigned to the 20th Air Force which had the first B-29 Super Fortress airplanes and crews to be sent to the Far East. In November 1944 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.

On Jan. 17, 1945 Lieutenant Gray was killed in action during a bombing mission to Formosa. The Super Fortress was taking off from a base in China and experienced a run-away propeller. The pilot attempted an emergency landing but the heavy bomb load caused the plane to overshoot the runway. The pilot attempted to eject the bombs from an elevation of 250 feet but several exploded

damaging the plane. The crew bailed out. Four crewmembers were killed, including Gray, because their parachutes did not open in time. The men were buried in the military cemetery at Chen Lu, China. In March 1948 Lieutenant Gray’s body was brought home and buried at the Bayfield Cemetery. Medals awarded to Lieutenant Gray were the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart posthumously. ✪

MR/EBH/EH

Raymond F. Schaaf was born on April 24, 1925, the youngest child of Alvin and Edith Schaaf. He graduated from Durango High School, then enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 3, 1943. He attended basic training in Amarillo, Texas and later went to A & M (Aircraft and Engine Maintenance Mechanic) School. He was sent to Kingman, Arizona for Gunnery School and earned his wings. Ray served as a gunner during missions. He was a Technical Sergeant in the 8th Air Force in the European Theater and was assigned to the 534th Bomb Squadron and the 381st Bombardment Wing flying combat missions over Germany. Ray left the military and returned to Durango where he married Marjorie Horton on June 4, 1945. He went to work for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad but then decided to return to the Air Force as an Airman First Class. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He specialized as a Petroleum Officer and worked on fuel needs for Titan Missiles. During his career he was highly decorated, earning the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, Second Air Force Commendation Medal, CTO Medal with 4 Battle Stars, American Defense Medal, Legion of Merit Presidential Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense American Campaign WWII Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, and Air Force Small Arms Expert Medal. Ray retired in 1970 after serving 26 ½ years in the military and settled down in Texas. He was a lifetime member of the Masonic Lodge, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Legion. He wrote a book about his adventures titled “Time Flies.” Ray died on December 17, 2018 in Georgetown, Texas. ✪

MR

RAYMOND F. SCHAAF

SUNSHINE NASH CLOUD SMITH

Sunshine Nash Cloud, of the Southern Ute Tribe, was born to Ruth Nash and Edwin Cloud at Ignacio in 1916. She attended high school at Haskell Institute in Lawerence, Kansas in 1934 and 1935 and then took business classes at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque from 1935 to 1937.

Sunshine married Thurman Smith in 1940. They both worked for the Tribal Agency in Ignacio. She served as a nurse’s aide at the Ute Mountain Hospital in Towaoc. At the Ignacio Boarding School, she was an assistant matron.

Sunshine returned to the Haskell Institute to continue her business training and graduated in 1944. She joined the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) in 1944 and trained at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. As surgical technician, she was assigned to a general hospital in New York where she remained until the end of the war. She and Thurman lived in Los Angeles, Nevada, and Arizona before returning to live on a ranch near Ignacio in 1948.

Sunshine was elected to the Southern Ute Tribal Council in 1950 and served for 16 years. She taught traditional Ute heritage and arts, and served on the Ute Language Committee which produced the first dictionary of the Ute language. She made many trips to Washington, D.C. to establish a tri-ethnic Head Start program on the reservation and was involved with Fort Lewis College Health Services.

Sunshine was honored as an Outstanding Woman of Colorado by the Women of Color Organization. She was The Durango Herald Woman of the Month in September 1954. The Denver Post named her one of the Pioneers of Colorado. The Durango Pro-Rodeo Association presented her with a Western Heritage Service Award in 1999. Sunshine Cloud Smith died at the age of 86 on December 21, 2002 in Mancos. ✪

MR

United States Vanadium Corporation

The dawn of WWII found Durango and the San Juan Basin still suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Local mines were closed or operating sporadically, and the American Smelting and Refining Co. (ASARCO) plant in Durango had been sitting idle for eight years. The smelter had been closed for so long locals commented that it was nice to see plant life returning to Smelter Mountain. Years of exposure to toxic fumes and smoke had killed its vegetation. Others lamented that the lack of smoke meant unemployment.

In 1941, ASARCO decided to dismantle the existing plant in Durango and sell the salvageable material. A salvage company from Denver was contracted to do the work which provided short-term jobs for locals. Tons of scrap metal were shipped from the site via the railroad.

Pearl Harbor changed everything. Early in 1942, the dismantling of the old smelter halted. The United States Vanadium Corporation (USVC) had shown interest in leasing the plant site and purchasing the remaining machinery and infrastructure. On May 15, 1942 The Durango Herald-Democrat announced that “Vanadium Corporation Officials Arrive Today To Complete Plans For Local Plant, Start Construction.” USVC was able to quickly adapt the old ASARCO machinery for vanadium production. The mill could handle 100 tons of ore per day from Dolores, San Miguel, and Montrose Counties.

The Four Corners region contained the largest concentration of vanadium ore deposits in the United States with carnotite being the main vanadium-bearing ore. Peru

was the only other source of vanadium at the time. The Vanadium Corporation of America (VCA) had mines in the Peruvian Andes. Carnotite was the main vanadium bearing ore being mined. It also contained radium and uranium. Uranium would become another secret production item.

Vanadium production was done at the request of the War Production Board with USVC acting as agent for the Metals Reserve Corporation, a government agency. Because of urgent demand, it was hoped the plant would be in full production in three months.

A multi-purpose alloy, vanadium was used to harden steel for tools, ammunition-making equipment, gun mounts, tank and warship armor, helmets, etc.

Blair Burwell, General Superintendent of USVC, was a Durango native and a graduate of Durango High School and the Colorado School of Mines. His knowledge of Durango and the San Juans likely played an important role in USVC’s decision to locate in Durango which made Colorado the nation’s largest producer of vanadium.

More than 350 Durangoans applied for positions at the vanadium mill. Pyrite ores from the Rico-Telluride area, shipped via the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, were used at the Durango mill to mix with vanadium ore to produce sulfuric acid needed in the vanadium reduction process.

The Durango Weekly Herald of February 18, 1943 carried a United Press article by Leif Erickson titled “Southwestern Colorado, Major Source of Vanadium Yields Ore to Defeat Axis.” The article highlighted that vanadium production had doubled since the

By Charles DiFerdinando

start of the war due partly to the hard work of individuals who were encouraged to locate new ore deposits in the region.

Durangoans Alphonso Butell and Curtis Johnson opened a mine on Lightner Creek, and Ben Owens, a handyman, and his wife were working a claim on Deep Creek. Another mine opened in the Hermosa drainage 45 miles north of Durango which required government money to improve the access road.

USVC had mines and mills at Uravan and Rifle. The VCA had a mill and operations at Naturita. The Dove Creek district developed when several pinto bean farmers began prospecting and mining. Thomas Curran and John Wade made discoveries on the Navajo Reservation in the Carrizo Mountains west of Shiprock, New Mexico. Some 50 tons of ore were trucked per day to Farmington and shipped to Durango on the D&RGW Railroad.

An August 12, 1942 Durango HeraldDemocrat headline stated, “Smoke Issuing From Vanadium Mill Smokestack.” The roaster furnaces had been fired and would take 10 days to reach operating temperature with three shifts of men firing the furnaces around the clock. About 50 men were employed at that time. Ore arrived daily keeping the crushers busy. Ore was stockpiled at Moab and Thompson, Utah and Farmington, New Mexico. In Colorado ore was stockpiled in Placerville and Durango until the Durango plant could begin operations.

The Durango plant went into full production for the duration of the war with several upgrades to increase capacity. In 1943 USVC began reprocessing the vanadium tailings to recover uranium for the topsecret Manhattan Project. The addition of acid leaching technology in 1945 increased the recovery of uranium for the war effort. The uranium and vanadium plants were unaffected by the 1944 coal miners’ strikes which shut down the Uravan and other defense plants. The Durango-area coal mines were not unionized.

The mill operated until 1946 when it was closed. In 1949 it was leased by the VCA who later purchased it for uranium processing for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The initial milling capacity of 175 tons per day was increased to 430 tons per day by 1956 and 750 tons per day by 1958. The mill shut down permanently in March 1963. ✪

Charles DiFerdinando is a Durango native who survived the atomic age. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t glow in the dark.

The Vanadium Corporation of America mill south of Durango. Smelter Mountain is visible on the left. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 77.77.74

Rosie the Riveter

fter the attack on Pearl Harbor, the country prepared to go to war. As men joined the Armed Forces and were sent overseas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recognized there would soon be a major shortage of workers to provide the necessary supplies to fight and win the war. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson called upon the War Department to mobilize what he called “…the largest and potentially the finest single source of labor available today—the vast reserve of woman power.” President Roosevelt gave the newly established federal propaganda agency, the Office of War Information, a new assignment: to encourage women to do their patriotic war duty by taking jobs outside the home. American media took up the challenge.

In February 1943, the song “Rosie the Riveter” by the popular vocal group The Four Vagabonds was heard on radios across America. Written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb, the song may have been inspired by Rosalind Palmer Walter, a 19-year-old riveter who worked on Corsair fighter planes. The ideas expressed in the patriotic lyrics caught on as women entered the workforce in droves, doing jobs they never expected to do.

There were two iconic images of Rosie the Riveter. One image was entitled “Rosie the Riveter” and was painted by Norman Rockwell for the cover of the May 29, 1943 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.

Mary Doyle Keefe, a telephone operator from Vermont, posed for this version which was more widely circulated during the war. This image inspired many women to join the war effort. The other was drawn by J. Howard Miller around 1942 for Westinghouse and produced by the War Production Co-Ordinating Committee. It was entitled “We Can Do It!” and was not originally associated with anyone named Rosie nor was it circulated beyond Westinghouse factories at the time.

By the end of the war, nearly 20 million American women were in the workforce. This represented an increase of nearly 10 million within five years. These Rosies did everything from building ships, airplanes and munitions to running streetcars, buses, and trains. Some Rosies were pilots who ferried airplanes overseas, while others assisted in decoding enemy intelligence. Several Durango women heeded the call. Twenty-one-year-old Anne Wise (later Isgar) heard that the military was looking for women to help build aircraft while she was visiting Los Angeles in 1941. She applied and was one of the few accepted to work at Northrup Aircraft building the P-61 Black Widow Armed Night Fighter. Ruth Gensheer (later Starr) and Jean Estes left Durango to help build Liberty and Victory ships at the Kaiser Shipyard on Swan Island near Portland, Oregon.

When the war was over, most of these women lost their jobs to men returning from duty. Rosie seemed to disappear. For some it was a relief, as they found balancing long working hours and childcare to be difficult. Others resented being laid off. Women realized that they were capable of holding their own in the working world. They also appreciated the money and extra freedom the jobs provided. These women planted the seed of Rosie’s “we can do it” attitude in their daughters and granddaughters. This led to major social changes in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. ✪

Susan Jones is currently serving as Collections Manager at the Animas Museum and fervently believes that “we can do it.”

WALLACE GRAHAM MOLLETTE

Wallace Mollette was born January 26, 1898 to Alexis Rex and Rose Mollette in Kansas. The family moved to Durango by 1900, and he graduated from Durango High School in 1916. Wallace enlisted in the Navy in April 1917 and was stationed at Mare Island, California. He said he was having the time of his life while waiting for Uncle Sam to build sufficient ships to give all the Navy a taste of sea life. By November he was on the training ship “Intrepid.”

Wallace returned to Durango, worked at Pittman Motor and married Melba Pittman in 1919. During the early 1920s he played saxophone in the Green Garden Orchestra and the Syncopated Five Band. In October 1922, P. W. Pittman sold his interest in the motor company to Wallace and Dr. J. C. Darling. Wallace sold his interest in Pittman Motor in 1926 but continued working for the company. In September 1926 Wallace married Anna Wyman from Silverton. They moved to Grand Junction and then Glenwood Springs. By 1929 they were back in Durango. He was involved in the American Legion’s effort to open an airport for Durango in time for an air show on 4th of July. Wallace began working for Turner Investments in 1929 or 1930 as the president of the Auto Service Finance Company. He was selling real estate for Turner Securities Company by 1939.

In 1944 Wallace, as Chief Yeoman 1st Class, U. S. Navy Reserves, was stationed in Seattle. Upon his return to Durango, Wallace re-entered the real estate business and partnered in several construction ventures including houses in the Riverview subdivision and building Hillcrest Golf Course. He became quite a golfer in his own right and wrote “The Clubhouse Porch” column for The Durango Herald for 26 years. Wallace died in Durango on Feb. 26, 1988. ✪

MR

The Westinghouse image was not copyrighted and first appeared publicly in a 1982 Washington Post Magazine article. It has since become primarily associated with Rosie the Riveter. photo credit : from the public domain

Anne Wise Isgar was a “Rosie” at Northrup Aircraft in 1941. photo credit : Image courtesy of her daughter Joan Kellogg

CHARLES WILLIAM Mc LAIN

Charles William McLain was born in Colorado about 1889 to Roy McLain and Etha Orel Van Voorhis McLain. He attended Colorado A & M College at Fort Collins earning his bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry and a master’s degree in administration. He served as an officer in the United States Army during WWI. His first teaching position was at the high school in Hayden, Colorado and then the Consolidated High School in Timnath, Colorado. Then he became the principal at Sargent Consolidated High School in Monte Vista, Colorado. Charles arrived at Fort Lewis College near Hesperus during the 1929-1930 school year. He taught inorganic chemistry, physics, and general athletics. He also initiated football, basketball, baseball, and tumbling teams. By 1941 hobby photography had become so popular that he organized a camera club at the college. Charles set up darkrooms in each dorm for the students and one in the science building for the faculty. He organized first aid classes at the college and in Durango to help prepare citizens for WWII. In 1943 Charles took a “leave of absence until Victory” and enlisted in the United States Navy. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant and served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy’s college training program in North Dakota. Charles returned to Fort Lewis College in 1946 to resume teaching and coaching but was asked to serve as the Vice Dean. In 1947 he stopped coaching to allow more time for his new administrative duties. These had doubled in 1949 when he was asked to serve as interim college president until a new president could be hired.

Charles McLain retired on August 1, 1950 from Fort Lewis College. He and his wife, Frances Dawley McLain, moved to Greeley, Colorado. He died on February 10, 1983 in Greeley. ✪

Fort Lewis College Joins The War Effort

by Megan Reid

During the 1940s Fort Lewis College, near Hesperus, was a 2-year branch of Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts at Fort Collins. Courses included agriculture, teacher training, home economics, mechanical arts, veterinary medicine, forestry, pre-med, pre-nursing, pre-law, business administration, journalism, and athletics. The likelihood of war with the resulting draft and the increase in war-time jobs for both men and women led to changes at the school.

Courses added by the college consisted of radio training, mechanical drawing, and first aid. An experimental crop of rubber plants was grown near Cortez. War Emergency Teacher Certificates were granted after a shorter training schedule. Physics courses were geared toward helping students advance to officer positions in all military branches. Fort Lewis increased their own output of crops and livestock. Vacation times and class hours were shortened to allow faculty and staff to help nearby farmers harvest grain, fruit, and potatoes. By 1943 the college was hosting Farmer’s War Production Institutes, offering instruction concentrating on the general improvement of crop and livestock production, farm economics, and using home-

grown food to balance war rations. Guest speakers discussed wartime government needs. Women were sought as nurses and teachers. A 1943 speaker noted that each state was required to provide registered nurses for the military. Colorado’s quota that year was 700. More nurses were needed stateside to replace those going into war zones. Women were also needed as photographers and motion picture technicians. Rationing of tires and gasoline cut into sports travel. When there were enough men, the basketball team played local high school teams. However, football games ceased altogether for a time. Shortages of paper and ink caused a decrease in the printing of The Collegian newspaper. Instead, students and Durango’s KIUP radio station produced the “Fort Lewis Collegian of the Air” every other week. The Glee Club also performed on KIUP. The Drama Club wrote scripts with narrow spacing and margins, and women frequently played all parts.

Enrollment changed dramatically between 1940 and 1945. During the 1940/41 school year, 70 men and 49 women were registered. For the 1944/45 term, enrollment was 9 men and 41 women. In 1943 243 alumni were in the military, including Fort Lewis College Vice

Dean C. W. McLain. An impressive 297 alumni were serving by 1945.

In 1944 Fort Lewis began participating in the World War II Rehabilitation Program. It prepared honorably discharged ex-service men with incapacitating injuries for post-war occupations. Thus, the college was approved for post-war construction which included classroom buildings and dormitories, an infirmary, faculty cottages, a dining hall addition, auditorium, shops, and campus driveways. By the 1946/47 school year, the enrollment was 64 women and 171 men. Many were veterans attending through the G.I. Bill. Married G.I.s lived in trailers, until military barracks were hauled in from Fort Sumner, New Mexico for a “Veteran’s Village” on campus. An expanded Farm Training Program was offered, in which on-campus classes were followed by off-campus farm mentoring throughout La Plata County. The program eventually graduated 350 students. Fort Lewis College proved it could meet the post-war challenge while looking forward to a bright future. ✪

Megan Reid is a retired museum professional, and a volunteer at the Animas Museum.

Fort Lewis College students are pictured performing the “Fort Lewis Collegian of the Air” at Durango radio station KIUP in the mid-1940s.

photo credit : Image courtesy of the Cadet yearbook, Bernice Bowra estate

Grow More – Can More In ‘44.... Food Fights For Freedom

In May 1942 the Office of Price Administration (OPA) began a complex, ever-changing point system of rationing certain food products deemed to be in short supply. This was an attempt to have fair availability of these foods to everyone. Over the course of the war, four ration books were given to every man, woman and child. The books initially contained red and blue stamps with numbers. Eventually pictures and letters were added. Stamps controlled the purchase of products like sugar, coffee, meat, fish, dairy products and several processed foods. Stamps could be used for a designated period of time. For example: in Book One Stamp #7 could be used for two pounds of sugar between July 10-August 22, 1942. The stamps were also worth points which changed as the OPA selected products considered to be in short supply. A stamp’s number, color, picture, or letter could determine its use.

Customers not only had to provide the money for certain products, but also the right stamp for the right dates. Tokens were given as change for the stamps. They were made from vulcanized fiber and were about the size of a dime. Merchants were required to personally remove stamps from the books to avoid black marketing. Ration books admonished if “you don’t need it don’t buy it” when hoarding became a problem. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whiskey and cigarettes were never rationed.

In a Gallup poll conducted in March 1943 only 76 % of the women and 53 % of the men said they understood the point system. The system was so complex that local newspapers ran articles explaining how to use the books. On January 29, 1943 the Rationing Calendar in the Durango News reminded everyone that

Bean and cereal patties from a recipe which could use leftover boiled or baked kidney, lima or navy beans. The catsup sauce might have been optional. photo credit : Animas Museum

January 31 was the last day to use coupon 10 of ration book one to purchase sugar.

County Extension Services played a vital role in helping families adapt. The La Plata County Extension Service provided pamphlets on “How to Raise a Victory Garden” or “Improving Range Conditions for Wartime Livestock Production” and rented pressure cookers for those who wished to can food as advertised in the Ignacio Chieftain, January 29,1943.

Propaganda posters urged Americans to plant Victory Gardens and to can produce as a patriotic act to help make more food available for the troops. Victory Gardens sprang up all over La Plata County and the Garden Club of Durango added a new Victory Garden Exhibit to its 1943 Garden Show. The Durango Herald-Democrat announced that starting April 12,1943 many local merchants would be closing early so employees could work in the Victory Gardens.

Sugar was the first food rationed as the Japanese invaded the Philippines - a main source of sugar. People were encouraged to substitute honey, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup or corn syrup for sugar. Those who were canning their produce were offered extra sugar rations if they applied. Adaptations were made for other products like this recipe for Bean and Cereal Patties to replace a meat dish, one of the many “Ration Time Recipes” in The Durango HeraldDemocrat.

OPA set price controls in another attempt to make food accessibility fair to everyone. Prices would be the same in stores all over the country. Businesses were also involved: for example, Parson’s Drug on Main Street had to submit a form to Durango’s Ration Board

Bean Patties

2 cups cooked dried beans

3 cups corn flakes

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 egg

ERNEST A. SCHAAF

By Gay Kiene

requesting sugar and lard allotments. The local Price Control Board No. 20 had to approve the prices on the Parson’s Drug fountain menu. Ration boards were set up all over the nation staffed by volunteers. Their services were no longer needed when the war’s end halted most rationing. However, sugar continued to be rationed until June 1947. ✪

Gay Kiene is an Animas Museum

Robert Soen’s Ration Book #4. The family’s ration book was kept in the convenient envelope provided by the Durango Mercantile Company as a promotional item.

The red and blue tokens were given as change.

photo credit : From the Animas Museum’s Collection 95.03.69.5, 93.23.45, 14.27.33

Catsup Sauce

1 tablespoon catsup

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons fat

Partially mash beans. Roll corn flakes into fine crumbs. Combine beans, corn flake crumbs, onion, egg, catsup, salt and pepper; mix well. Shape into patties; fry in fat until browned, turning only once. Serve with catsup sauce. yield: 6 patties (3 inches in diameter).

note: Left-over boiled or baked navy, kidney or lima beans may be used.

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 tablespoons flour

¾ teaspoon salt

1 /8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons catsup

1½ cups milk

Melt butter; blend in flour, salt, pepper and catsup. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly over low heat until mixture thickens. Serve over Bean Patties.

yield: 1 ½ cups sauce

The Durango Weekly Herald featured this recipe on April 13, 1944. Newspapers often published recipes designed to be rationing friendly and nutritious.

Ernest A. Schaaf was born on November 5, 1917 in Murray, Utah to Alvin and Edith Schaaf. The family moved to Animas City when he was two. He graduated from Durango High School at the age of 15 and spent two years working with the Civilian Conservation Corps. He sent $25 a month home to help the family. He worked on the stone CCC projects on the hill overlooking Durango. He then went to the Morrison Camp near Denver to help with excavation for the Red Rocks Theater. Ernie returned to Durango to help his father run a sawmill making railroad ties and drove a coal truck from Hay Gulch to the Hesperus railroad siding.

Ernie married Peryl L. Kelley of Durango on August 20, 1939. He worked at Graden’s Flour Mill until enlisting in the Army Air Corps on August 18, 1943. He attended basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri and became an Air Cadet. Ernie was sent to Senn College in Cleveland, Ohio for classes in math, physics, topography, and weather. He was transferred to San Antonio, Texas for pilot training but found himself one of 6,000 officers with no planes available for training. He was transferred to Buckley Field and Lowery Air Force Base near Denver for gunnery training and then to Fort Meyers, Florida and Kingman Air Force Base in Arizona for training on B-17, B-26 and B-29 bombers. The war ended before he could be sent overseas.

Upon Ernie’s return to Durango in 1946, he went into the service station business. His first service station was located at 1101 Main, and eventually located in two other locations. He retired after 48 years in the business. Ernie was a lifetime member of Durango Rotary Club and the Elks Lodge and served on the Durango Planning Commission for 10 years. Ernie died in Durango on February 1, 2013. ✪

MR

HUGH CORNELIUS

Hugh Cornelius was born on July 22, 1921 in Aztec, New Mexico. The son of Temple Houston Cornelius and Olive Estelle Elizabeth (Frazier), they later moved to Durango. Hugh graduated from Durango High School and attended Fort Lewis College from 1938 to early 1940. He was active in music and sports. After attending college in Boulder, he worked as a surveyorin-charge for McNell Construction Company on projects in California and Nevada while waiting to be called to serve his country.

Hugh reported to the Naval Air Corps in Texas on February 12, 1942 and graduated in 1943. He received advanced dive-bomb training in Florida and was selected for the Marine Flying Corps. Before being assigned to the Pacific fleet, Hugh married Durangoan Helen Betow on March 30, 1943.

Lieutenant Cornelius’ airplane went down on a mine-laying expedition in the harbor of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea on February 14, 1944. He had successfully dropped a mine in the channel of the harbor before being brought down by Japanese shore batteries. Before the mission Hugh had written to Helen that this would be his last mission before coming home on furlough. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese and imprisoned at Tunnel Hill or Rabaul POW Camp. He died of malaria on April 29, 1944. Hugh had previously been awarded the Air Medal and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945. ✪ MR

WARdrobe

Ann Mollette modeling the definitive WWII era suit. Note the plain patch pockets, trim silhouette and shorter straight skirt.

89.15.79

Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the fashion industry worldwide started feeling the pinch of the war. Paris had long been the center of women’s fashion, but the Nazi occupation in 1940 closed major fashion houses and forced designers into hiding. British and American designers stepped in. But wartime shortages, first experienced in Britain, curtailed their creativity. Women were told it was their patriotic duty to look attractive to keep morale up, so they did what they could.

As men and women entered the military, the need for wool and other fabrics to make uniforms caused a shortage of new clothes for civilians. Uniforms also drove civilian styles - padded shoulders, tight waists, and shorter hems became popular. Full skirts were “out” and simple suits were “in.” The War Production Board ordered the clothing industry to cut fabric use by 15%. So cuffs, pleats, ruffles, wide waistbands, wide lapels, even double breasted suits were outlawed. Metal used for zippers was limited. Elastic was hard to obtain. Since the Japanese controlled natural sources in the Pacific, rubber was in short supply. Women protested when the manufacturing of girdles was

pair of (unused) leather WWII nurse’s shoes belonged to Eleanor Pingrey.

By Susan Jones

slated to be eliminated. The U.S. Government backed down and allowed continued production of this vital undergarment. Women who didn’t enter the military were strongly encouraged to enter the workforce, taking jobs in defense industries (see “Rosie the Riveter” page 15). These jobs required them to wear slacks, coveralls, and head wraps to keep longer hair out of machinery.

Rationing was introduced in 1942 and “make do and mend” was the byword of the day. One “airplane” ration stamp plus the necessary cash were required to buy a pair of shoes. High heels and trims were out because they used more of the scarce materials. In the U.S. there were exceptions for growing children. Mothers could apply to local rationing boards for extra coupons. Magazines during the war encouraged people to take advantage of hand-me-downs and other cast-off clothing, to be remade into usable garments. Durango even had a used clothing store called The Clothing Exchange at 531 Main Avenue which advertised clothing “for all members of the family” and “sewing alterations.”

Some of the shortages allowed for “scandalous” fashions to quickly take hold.

“Airplane stamps” used for rationing were necessary for most shopping. One stamp from the sheet was required for a pair of shoes, along with the price of the shoes of course.

Nylon was introduced by DuPont in 1938. This revolutionized women’s hosiery since it was soft, silky, and long lasting. But just before Pearl Harbor, DuPont was forced to use its resources to make parachutes, shoelaces, mosquito netting, glider tow ropes and other products for the military. Women who would never have been seen in public with bare legs quickly learned to shave their legs. They applied make-up and added lines on the back of their legs with eyeliner pencils to mimic hosiery seams. Fabric restrictions on bathing suits spawned the invention of the two-piece suit. This ultimately led to the

ALBERT GUNN REDD

Albert Gunn Redd, of the Southern Ute Tribe, was born May 16, 1922 to Albert and Addie Redd in Ignacio. He attended the Ute Indian School, where he was active in sports and the Working Eagles 4-H Club. Albert wrote sports stories for The Ignacio Chieftain newspaper.

On July 10, 1942 Albert enlisted in the Army. He graduated from school as a member of the military in April 1943. Private Redd spent 15 months with his infantry division fighting in Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio. He was then assigned to a base

Dorothy Louise Stone Morain and C.A. “Mack” Morain on their wedding day in 1946. Dorothy is wearing a wedding dress made from a silk parachute.

photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 24.06.1

of used or rejected silk or nylon parachutes.

One local bride, Dorothy Stone, married C.A. Morain in 1946 in a dress made from a parachute.

After the war in 1945, clothing rationing ended in the United States. Once again

This lady’s undergarment was a combination girdle/brassier/ garterbelt. Its elements were not rationed, but the precious stockings for the garters were rationed.

photo credit : From the Animas Museum’s Collection 14.27.212

HELEN (BETOW)

Helen (Betow) Cornelius was born on February 22, 1920 in Minnesota to Herman and Edith Betow. The family later moved to Durango, where she graduated from high school. Helen attended Fort Lewis College from 1938

fashionable 80 years later. ✪

Susan Jones is currently serving as the Collections Manager at the Animas Museum and dreams of textiles and databases.

She entered nurses training in Denver in 1940 and graduated from the Mercy Hospital program there in 1943. After her marriage to Hugh, she served as a civilian nurse for the American Red Cross in California while waiting for her military orders. Helen was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and attended basic training in June 1944. She was posted to the 224th General Hospital and sent overseas. Helen sailed on the Queen Mary which had been overhauled for use as a troop ship. Twelve nurses were packed into each stateroom while the men took turns sleeping on deck. Via various ships, trains and trucks, the nurses finally arrived at a surgical hospital near Evreux, France.

in Texas. He noted he had a chance to visit Rome and see its artwork but getting home on furlough was more important. Albert was awarded the Air Force Good Conduct Medal and a Combat Infantryman Badge for being a specialty rifleman.

Albert received an honorable discharge from the Army in the summer of 1945. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill and enrolled at Fort Lewis College for the 1945/46 school year. In his spare time, he played on the football and basketball teams, and served as a reporter, cartoonist, and artist on the Fort

Lewis Collegian newspaper through 1947. By 1960, if not earlier, Albert was an instructional adult education assistant at the Ute Mountain Headquarters at Towaoc for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Traditional Ute arts and crafts were his specialty. This program was considered one of the best in the United States with credit given to instructors like Albert Redd. Albert showed his own artwork in Cortez and Durango art galleries. Albert died on Sept. 20, 1982 in Ignacio at the age of 60. ✪

MR

The hospital closed in 1945, and Helen was sent to Quezon, Philippines. She developed arthritis and was mustered out of the service. Helen moved to California where she worked as a San Diego County Public Health nurse. Helen took a leave of absence in 1948 to complete her degree in public health nursing at U.C.L.A. By 1949 Helen was working as a school nurse in Chula Vista. She had remarried and died in California on May 16, 2017. ✪

MR

DR. LEO W. LLOYD

Leo W. Lloyd was born on August 6, 1909 in Palisade, Colorado to Opie and Catherine Lloyd. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles and Washington University Medical School in Missouri. He served his residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. He married Mary Sheedy in 1935 and they came to Durango in 1936. Lloyd purchased Ochsner Hospital with Dr. Charles Martin.

In 1942 Drs. Lloyd and Martin sold the hospital to La Plata County, as both were in the Medical Reserve, and subject to being called to serve in the military. By June Lloyd was reporting to Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver. He was commissioned a captain in the Medical Corps and assigned to the Colorado Hospital Unit #29. By September he was transferred to Fort Meade, Maryland and mustered into the Army. He served on the island of New Caledonia in the Coral Sea.

By November 1945 Captain Lloyd was stationed at Lowry Field near Denver, serving at Fitzsimons General Hospital. Following his military discharge in 1946, the Lloyd family returned to Durango where he opened a new medical practice. Eventually Dr. Lloyd formed Durango Medical and Surgical Association. In the 1950s he was influential in getting Durango’s water filtration plant built, supported the San Juan Basin Health Unit, established a heart clinic, served as director of the Colorado Heart Association, and won national accreditation as a specialist in internal medicine.

In April 1970 Dr. Lloyd received a Distinguished Service Award from Fort Lewis College for his service to the community, the medical profession, and the health services at the college. He was a long-time member of the Medical Examiners Board and served on the Durango 9-R School District Board of Education. He was named Durango Citizen of the Year in 1986. Leo was honored by Mercy Medical Center’s board and the La Plata County Medical Society for his years of dedicated service to the people of southwestern Colorado. Dr. Lloyd died in Durango on October 16, 1993. ✪ MR/EH

The Band Played On

During the dark days of World War II, music was more than mere entertainment. It provided a way to express emotions in a time of upheaval and uncertainty. It played an important role in boosting morale and providing comfort to soldiers and civilians alike.

Music played a multi-faceted role in the lives of soldiers, civilians and entire nations. It boosted morale and unity; it was used by government for propaganda and psychological purposes; and nationalistic and patriotic songs such as “The White Cliffs of Dover” and “We’ll Meet Again” instilled hope and determination among civilians and military personnel alike. Perhaps more importantly, music provided entertainment and an escape from the harsh realities of war.

Jazz and the era of big band music encompassed the war years. Band leaders like Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller played swing music, sentimental favorites and other tunes that lifted spirits. Miller went a step further, forming the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, which performed both live

shows and radio broadcasts in the U.S. and in Europe.

By 1940, 80% of American households owned a radio, making American music far more accessible to civilians and soldiers alike. Durango’s KIUP radio station began broadcasting in December 1936, only the second radio station on Colorado’s western slope. In this day of instant information, it’s hard to overstate the impact radio had on news, sports, politics and entertainment –especially music.

Popular songs like “I’ll Be Seeing You,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “You’ll Never Know,” and “In the Mood,” performed by artists like Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and famous jazz orchestras, wafted over the airwaves in radio land.

Local dances with live music had long been popular. As many young men entered the military, and both men and women left the area for wartime jobs, local businessman Leonard Glazer remembered that it “made quite some difference in the population.” Nevertheless, dances continued to be held

By Robert McDaniel

at the usual venues – Trimble Springs, the Strater Hotel, The College Inn and lesserknown dance halls like Tony Frasca’s Palm Palace, aka the Bucket of Blood, located at 425 East 6th Avenue in Durango.

Ernie Anderson’s band was one of the most popular local groups. Anderson, who had grown up in Telluride, suffered total blindness as a child when a miner’s blasting cap he was playing with accidentally detonated. However, his remarkable musical talent served him well throughout his life. He was the pianist and musical arranger for his bands, which played frequent engagements in Durango and the surrounding area during the war years.

Swing music, big band performances, and dance halls allowed people to momentarily forget the chaos and fear of wartime. A much-needed source of inspiration during the war, music provided a lifeline between deployed loved ones and their friends and family back home. ✪

Robert McDaniel is a fourth-generation Durango native and the founding director of the Animas Museum.

The tropical décor at the Palm Palace would have been a welcome respite from wartime worries. The traveling band pictured here adopted a playing card motif for their bandstands. The club’s owner, Tony Frasca, stands at the far right. photo credit : Image courtesy of Dawn Santa Maria

photo credit: Image from “Mercy Hospital of the San Juans” by Barbara Morehead and Guy Walton.

War Weary Citizens Welcome Victory in Europe and Japan

At 3:00 p.m. on May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill announced the end of hostilities in the war in Europe. The British people were euphoric. Parades and street parties were held throughout the United Kingdom with the celebration continuing through the night. England had entered the war on September 3, 1939, over two years prior to the U.S. entry. They had suffered greatly with 70,000 civilians killed within the island kingdom.

It was 8:00 a.m. in La Plata County when Churchill’s Victory in Europe (V-E) radio announcement was heard. The news was not unexpected, however. Early in 1945 news bulletins had generally indicated a positive outcome to the war in Europe. Local citizens, like the rest of America, were overjoyed. Parties and parades were not part of the local celebration. Businesses declared a holiday and closed. County and city offices closed, as did the public schools. Outward displays of celebration were muted if they occurred at all. Rationing for critical war items was not ending.

People in La Plata County knew the war wasn’t over. Unlike the Europeans, who understood they were done fighting, the somber feeling in the U.S. was that the war was only half-finished. After 1,248 days at war, local citizens were tired of the entire war effort. The front page of The Durango Herald-Democrat illustrated the conflicting emotions locals felt that day. A short frontpage item proclaimed the special closing of businesses and schools. Directly below was the announcement of the death of Elmer Wieland, a 1940 Durango High School graduate. He was killed while flying a military supply plane over Burma.

County residents were inured to the ongoing tragedy of war. The Herald published a weekly list of area men and women who had served or were still serving in the war. In the September 7, 1945 edition, the list had grown to 1,659 citizens or people who had close enough ties to the county to be considered residents. Fifty-four names had stars next to them signifying they had died in action. The people of Durango and the surrounding area were not in a party mood on V-E Day.

The newspaper printed a special Victory

Edition on May 8 that gave a retrospective account of the war. It also included an analysis of the fight in the Pacific. It was estimated another year would be needed before Japan could be defeated, a sobering thought for all. Even if they had loved ones stationed in the European theater, the general speculation was that they would soon be shipped to the Pacific to prepare to invade Japan.

Thankfully, the war in the Pacific lasted only another 117 days. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered, and Victory in Japan Day (V-J Day) was officially announced on September 2. The fighting, however, was essentially over by August 14 when President Truman announced the Japanese surrender.

The newspaper described the response to the joyful news as “a bedlam of celebration

By Ed Horvat

with automobile horns blaring, bells ringing, whistles blowing and vehicles piled high with celebrators parading up and down the streets yelling, shouting and singing.”

The mayor proclaimed a 24-hour holiday, then extended it another day leading to a 2-day closure of businesses. Later that evening, the Durango Dutch Band kept the celebration lively with patriotic tunes. A group of Durango High students led a snake dance down Main Avenue. On Wednesday, the jubilant locals rushed to the nearest filling stations to fill up with gasoline as rationing had ended. La Plata County, it seemed, could return to “normal.” ✪

Ed Horvat is a third generation La Plata County resident. After a 40-year career in Emergency Medical Services, he spends his retirement free time as an Animas Museum volunteer.

HORACE F. BUCHANAN

F. Buchanan was born on November 20, 1910 to Andrew and Kittie Buchanan of Oxford. He attended Fort Lewis College in 1930 and 1931. Horace entered the Navy in 1932 or 1933 and was stationed in San Diego. On July 2, 1936 Horace married Laura Dunsworth, from the Florida Mesa. She joined him in Los Angeles, where he was serving on the S.S. Saratoga. Horace and Laura divorced in 1938 or early 1939. Horace married Helen Stewart of Mancos during August 1939. He was working for the Intermountain Finance Company in Durango and by 1939 he worked for Turner Securities. When the U.S. entered World War II, he sought a job training pilots. By 1942 he was in Laramie, Wyoming having qualified as a Civil Air Patrol pilot and was training men who would be joining the Army Air Corps. By April 1943 Horace was a captain for Western Airlines flying priority government cargo between Salt Lake City, Edmonton, Canada, and Fairbanks, Alaska for the Air Transport Command. He remained active in the Civil Air Patrol. In 1943 he participated in a 3-day tour for pilots from the flatlands learning to fly over mountainous terrain. Horace led the group of 50 planes from Grand Junction, west of the La Platas, over Cortez and Mancos, to the Durango airport.

Following the war Horace returned to Durango, was employed again by Turner Securities, and continued to fly for the Civil Air Patrol. He was credited with piloting numerous mercy flights from the San Juan Basin. Horace was a member of the Durango Rotary Club and the Elks Lodge. In July 1950 he was flown to Rochester, Minnesota for an emergency operation, and in midJanuary 1951 was confined to Mercy Hospital for a few days with a chronic illness. He died in a Denver hospital on July 13, 1951 at the age of 40. ✪

MR

Horace

JOSEPH THOMAS DWYER

Joseph Thomas “Joe” Dwyer was born on December 10, 1899 to Robert Dwyer and Mary Jane (Clark) Dwyer in Durango. His father was one of the first to settle the north Durango area. He attended St. Columba School and Durango High School. His first job was delivering newspapers for publisher Dave Day. During the 1920s and 1930s, he alternated between Durango and California for work. While in California he was employed in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. When he was in Durango, he worked at Graden’s Mercantile in the ladies’ shoe department. In 1938 he joined John Mock, who opened an exclusive brand shoe store in Durango, but he was back with Graden’s the following year.

On July 7, 1942 Joseph left for his final military physical exam in Pueblo. He was among 83 local men which was one of the largest contingents of local men to depart for service. By July 10 he was enlisted in the Army. September found him at Camp Robinson, Arkansas for training. Joseph served as a Warrant Officer in the Quartermaster Corps. He was discharged on February 16, 1943 but was involved in defense work until the end of the war. He went to California and worked in the war industry building trailer houses for the government and later in a shipyard.

Joseph married Durango native Isabel Campbell on February 14, 1945 in Los Angeles, where she had been working as a nurse. She was the granddaughter of early pioneer blacksmith, Charles Naeglin. The couple moved back to Durango. In early 1946 Joseph opened Basin Beverage, a wine, beer, and liquor package store which he operated for many years. When he sold the business, he went to work for Charles Canatsey, who owned Hood Mortuary and Humphrey Chapel. His job was assisting the public with funeral arrangements. He retired in 1968 but could be counted on to help whenever needed. Joseph died in Durango on June 16, 1977. ✪

MR/SJ

At the Museum

tep back in time at the Animas Museum by visiting the 1930s Peterson House on the grounds of the Museum. The Great Depression comes to life in this charming home. Step back further in time as you visit the Joy Cabin. Just steps from the Peterson house, it provides a glimpse into life in 1870s Animas City. In the Museum’s main building, explore its history as the Animas City School in the restored 1905 classroom. Other exhibits examine the history of La Plata County. “Wish You Were Here” tells how (and why) folks came to the area. “Law & Disorder” tells the stories of local outlaws and the brave lawmen who brought stability to La Plata County. The Native American Gallery features “Durango Basketmakers: A Sheltered Life”. While “From This Earth: Timeless Beauty of Pueblo Pottery” highlights Ancestral Puebloan pottery. “Working on the Railroad” spotlights the railroad workers who were the lifeblood of this critical local industry. The Museum’s newest exhibit, “Front Lines to Home Front – La Plata County and WWII” will feature artifacts and stories inspired by this publication. Join us for the exhibit’s Grand Opening on June 8 at 10 a.m. and stay for June’s Second Saturday Seminar Series at 1 p.m. This webinar presentation will focus on the Home Front during World War II.

Second Saturday Seminars will continue throughout the summer. On July 13 join us at 1 p.m. as Ed Horvat shares stories from his new book on La Plata County. Inspired by his research for the popular historic images featured in The Durango Herald. Signed books will be available for purchase.

Mark your calendars for additional Second Saturday Seminars. On August 10 we will feature a presentation featuring the Joy Cabin. This historic log cabin was originally built in the 1870s in Animas City. It was eventually moved to Durango’s Brookside Park where it served as a tourist attraction. In 1988 the La Plata County Historical Society returned the cabin to Animas City to be part of the Animas Museum.

September is “History Live!” month with events presented by Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable. As part of that celebration on September 14 our Second Saturday Seminar Series, will feature the Animas City School. The school opened for students in 1905 and served the community as a school building until 1967. The magnificent building continues to serve our community today and is the home of the Animas Museum. In honor of the Museum’s role as a school, former students of the Animas City School are invited to a reunion on Saturday,

September 21. Reminiscing and stories about “the good old days” will be the highlight of the day. Details will be announced soon. On October 12, our Second Saturday Seminar Series continues with a “howto” presentation on Doing Oral Histories. Learn how to best capture family stories as the ultimate gift for future generations. Later in October we will release our latest documentary film, an oral history by Dolph Kuss. The stories of his career as a ski coach and Durango’s recreation director are not to be missed.

All Second Saturday Seminars may be watched on the big screen in the classroom at the Animas Museum. They will also be available on Zoom to watch live and are

recorded to watch any time. Registration is required for Zoom via a link on our website, AnimasMuseum.org.

On Saturday, October 26 join us for a Book Talk at the Museum. Author Eilene Lyons will speak about her latest work, “What Lies Beneath Colorado Pioneer Cemeteries and Graveyards”. More information will be available soon.

The Animas Museum is located at 3065 West 2nd Avenue, and is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Visit www.animasmuseum.org or call 970-259-2402 for the latest information. There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated. ✪

Thank you!

TO OUR 2024 BUSINESS SPONSORS

MYRLE CORNELIUS

Meryl and Barbara Cornelius on their wedding day.

Myrle Cornelius, Hugh’s younger brother, was born on December 24, 1922 in Aztec. He graduated from Durango High School after the family’s move. He attended Fort Lewis College for one year. After completing officers training school, Myrle worked in Denver for the engineering division of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad while waiting for military orders. He reported to the Army Air Corps in February 1942, and was commissioned on April 15, 1942. He attended basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. In 1943 he was transferred to Wisconsin for 5 months of pre-flight training.

Myrle married Barbara Gail Goodman, daughter of Ray and Edna Goodman of Durango, on April 24, 1944. He enjoyed telling everyone that he spent his honeymoon in Europe, and it was a shame Barbara wasn’t there. Myrle was honorably discharged in 1945 and the couple returned to Durango. Myrle worked with his fatherin-law at Goodman’s paint contracting business and joined the United States Army Reserves. He served as a battalion commander and a Lt. Colonel in the Reserves. Myrle eventually took over the paint business, changing the name to Cornelius Paint Company. In 1973 he was elected to the Durango City Council and served for 8 years, two of which were as mayor. Barbara taught dancing, owned a children’s clothing store, and later co-owned a fabric store. Myrle died in Mexico on July 30, 2010. Barbara died in Montana on March 2, 2019. ✪

OTIS HENRY SNOOKS, JR.

Otis Henry Snooks, Jr. was born on August 30, 1921 to Otis Henry Snooks, Sr. and Gladys Snooks in Bayfield. He was a descendant of some of the earliest settlers in the Pine River Valley. He graduated from Bayfield High School in 1939 and began dating his classmate, Irma Steele. In June of 1942, he went to Pueblo, Colorado for his final examination before being inducted into the Army. He then waited to be called up. Otis and Irma were married on December 4, 1943 in Aztec, New Mexico. By September of 1944 Otis was in the United States Army, and was assigned to the 18th Infantry, 1st Division. While in Germany, he was wounded by a sniper during the battle for the Rhine River bridge at Remagen in March of 1945. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for service. He received an honorable discharge from the Army in August 1945.

The couple moved to Durango where he became the wholesale distributor for Continental Oil Company and owner of the Durango Service Station located across the street from the Strater Hotel. In 1968 Otis and Irma moved to Farmington, New Mexico. They founded Snooks Oil Company, the Phillips 66 wholesale distributorship. They retired from that business in 1983 and decided to travel in their RV. In 1990 they moved to Bullhead City, Arizona. Irma died in 2012 and Otis moved to San Antonio, Texas to live with his daughter in 2014. He had been involved with the Durango Rotarians and Masons, and with the Elks Club in Farmington. Otis died on February 2, 2015 in San Antonio. He was buried in the Pine River Cemetery at Bayfield. ✪

FRIENDS OF THE ANIMAS MUSEUM

Nancy & Alan Andrews

R. Michael and Barb Bell

Carolyn Bowra

David M. Buchanan

Donell Deane

Charles DiFerdinando

Sheri Rochford Figgs

Jim Gillies

Gary and Kathy Gibson

Les Goldman

The Hilton Family

Mary Jane Hood

Ed and Sue Horvat

Sandy Jones

The Kiene Family

Clark & Caroline Kinser

Frank & Sheila Lee

Martha Leonhardt

Dan & Cheryl Lynn

Nancy and Derrill Macho

Barbara Martin

Robert McDaniel

Kathy C. McKenzie

Clare & Michael Mullin

Mike & Cheryl Murphy

Matt & Laurie Paxton

Megan Reid

Thank you, Animas Museum! - Susan Reese

Jill Seyfarth

Ray & Carol Schmudde

Kathy Szelag

Patricia Coleen Yeager in Memoriam

Karen Young

Chuck & Janet Williams

Sidny Zink

In honor of a Lion’s Club gathering, Navy personnel and newly sworn Navy enlistees pose with a crowd in front of the Kiva Theater on June 7, 1942. photo credit : Image from the Animas Museum Photo Archives 89.15.90.7

As a private, nonprofit organization, the La Plata County Historical Society relies on community support. Beginning with a group of dedicated local volunteers, devoted staff members, and a cast-off tired old schoolhouse, the Society has come a long way in its first 50 years. Today, history comes alive at the Animas Museum in our 1904 historic sandstone landmark building, listed in the National Register. The Museum received the prestigious Colorado Governor’s Award for Outstanding Historic Preservation from the

JOIN!

State of Colorado and is a worthy home for our history.

The Museum houses precious local artifacts, oral histories, photographs, and research materials allowing our community to explore their family, business, and institutional histories. The Historical Society’s programs, including this History La Plata publication that you are enjoying right now, celebrate our local history throughout the year.

Your contribution truly makes a difference in keeping La Plata County history alive for present and future generations. With your

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sidny Zink, President

Gay Kiene, Vice President

Caroline Kinser, Secretary

Cheryl Bryant Murphy, Treasurer

Susan Jones, Collections

R. Michael Bell

Pam Dyer

Jonni Greiner

Sandy Jones

Kathie Propp

EMERITUS

Jeff Johnson Duane Smith STAFF

Charles DiFerdinando, Visitor Services Manager

Briana Paxton, Operations Manager

membership, you join a community of curious and lively people who care about our region, love learning from the past, and look to the future. Members get exclusive access to the Museum’s online catalog database where they can peruse our photograph and artifact collection at leisure, the Society’s quarterly newsletter, and invitations to special events. Show your commitment by joining the La Plata County Historical Society today. ✪

Jill Seyfarth

LPCHS Member Since 1983