Surrounded by the vestiges of a recent snow storm, Burrlll and Windy, decked out in holiday finery, stand sentinel-like near the entryway of Flowerland Floral. Becoming popularly known in Raton as the Snow Couple, Burrlll and Windy are in their third year on the job as sort of unofficial ambassadors…
Posts published in “Veltri’s Vault”
Featured Image: Artist’s rendition of the prehistoric kill site, part of the Folsom Man exhibit at the Folsom Museum. (Photo by Jim Veltri) The Carl Schwachheim Story By Pat Veltri In memory of Thomas (Tom) Burch, who diligently worked towards establishing acknowledgement of his uncle Carl’s contribution to one of American…
Picture this scene. The Hotel Yucca, Raton, New Mexico, sometime in the 1930s. As the story goes…several immigrants had earned citizenship status and a celebratory banquet was being held in their honor. The Master of Ceremonies was posing questions to the audience, giving Raton’s newest citizens the opportunity to show…
In memory of Lina Giampietri Cash who had the foresight to collect and compile photos, news articles, and memorabilia of events, places, and people, ensuring the preservation of a good deal of Raton’s history for future generations. Coming from a notoriously athletic family, John F. Kennedy was concerned about the…
At the hillside home of Raton resident Mary Lou Pavlich an outdoor lighted Christmas nativity reminds passersby of the real reason for Christmas, while an invitation inside her home garners visitors a look at one of the most unique collections in the community – hundreds upon hundreds of nativity…
By Pat Veltri For several decades, from 1971 to 2010, Ratonians were the recipients of a delightful homemade Christmas card, in the form of an animated display featuring Santa and his reindeer traveling across the sky over a small town with snow-covered homes and businesses, – a virtual winter wonderland.…
By Pat Veltri Sad and lonely, deserted and abandoned, and mostly empty it has stood alongside the railroad tracks in Las Vegas, New Mexico for decades – a reversion to when train travel opened up tourism in the Southwest. The La Castaneda Hotel, situated along the former Atchison, Topeka,…
By Pat Veltri Store displays up in October, Christmas lights and decorations up in mid November, Black Friday, excessive consumer spending to purchase gifts and decorations, commercials for toys and electronic gizmos, stress and financial pressure – are all part of the rituals surrounding Christmas these days. Compared to…
By Pat Veltri A young man is on his knees, sobbing hysterically, screaming for his mother. The time is World War II, the place is somewhere in the Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Essex. World War II veteran, John F. “Johnny” Bacca of Raton is telling the…
By Pat Veltri It was dubbed “Our Indian” by some of Columbian Elementary School’s students. For over six decades school children passed by it on a daily basis, custodians removed it occasionally and set it on the floor while painting the wall behind it, sometimes a curious student…