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 adverse effects of becoming unfit in a changing world – where mechanization and increased leisure time replaced the benefits of exercise and hard work. One of his goals, as he came into the U. S. Presidency in 1961, was to improve the nation’s fitness.
In late 1962, while perusing through White House archives, Kennedy discovered a 1908 executive order from President Theodore Roosevelt, another fitness fanatic, who said that all Marines should be able to hike fifty miles in three days. Kennedy was in agreement with this mandate, and re-issued the order to Marines of his own time, amending it to challenge them to walk the fifty miles in one day. Kennedy joked that perhaps his staff should take up the challenge as well. It was no joke for his brother Robert, the Attorney General, who on impulse faced up to the dare and walked fifty miles on February 9,1963, trudging through slush and snow, from Washington, D.C. to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
Robert Kennedy’s 50-mile walk garnered quite a bit of attention from the media and sparked a nationwide obsession with extreme walking and hiking. Ordinary people from around the country took on the challenge, including a smattering of Ratonians and others living in Colfax County, New Mexico.
What was Colfax County’s claim to hiking fame? In March, 1963, International State Bank of Raton was opening a new branch bank in Cimarron. Bank officials were searching for a crowd-pleasing attraction to promote an open house at the new bank, scheduled to take place on the afternoon of March 31. Inspired by the 50-mile hike recently touted in the national news, Vice-President Lina Giampietri suggested that the bank invite citizens throughout the county to walk from Raton to Cimarron. Her proposal was greeted with approval, and plans began to fall in place.
A meeting was held for all prospective hikers at the Hotel Yucca (home of the present day International Bank) prior to the event, according to The Raton Daily Range. Medical personnel were on hand to provide some sage advice for those making the trek. The idea was to assure that the well-being and comfort of the hikers remain unhampered while they were en-route to Cimarron. One doctor offered a suggestion for preventing foot blisters. Hikers were advised to bring along an extra pair of socks, and when one pair became damp with sweat, those socks should be exchanged for the dry ones. The wet socks would self-dry hanging from the pockets of the hiker as he or she continued walking, and the routine would begin again. Any hiker following this practical bit of advice would just about be guaranteed a blister-free walk!
The exact distance between the two towns did not quite meet the fifty mile criterion, but it came pretty close. In fact, the distance seemed to be a point of contention during the walk, as several people disagreed over the specific mileage from Raton to Cimarron. After the event was over, an article in The Springer Tribune reported that Tony Gonzales, who walked the distance using a gandy wheel, came up with 38.84 miles, while Lina Giampietri, clocked the distance at 45 miles. Moving forward to 2019: Amazon’s “Alexa” says the distance is 37.8 miles “as the crow flies” and Internet Google claims the distance is 41.6 miles by car via US Highway 64 West. Suffice it to say, regardless of the exact distance, the walk from Raton to Cimarron was a test of endurance comparable to Robert Kennedy’s 50-mile hike.
According to an article in a New Mexico banking newsletter, advance reports said 160 bank officers and Colfax County citizens initially indicated they would participate in a 41- mile “bank to bank” walk from Raton to Cimarron, but later reports showed that it was somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty people who actually started the hike. Several fitness buffs from Springer, Maxwell, and Cimarron joined enthusiasts from Raton for the beginning of the history-making adventure, in the wee hours of a crisp, but enlivening morning on the last day of March, 1963.
About one third of the sixty completed the long-distance march. The Tribune reported that nineteen hikers passed the finish line, while The Range’s account of the walk stated that seventeen accomplished the task.
Gilbert “Golden” Trujillo, age 18, Raton High School Senior and Golden Gloves boxer, and Lawrence Mesaric, age 23, of Philmont Scout Ranch, were the first to arrive in Cimarron. They stayed the course, alternately running, then walking, to finish in eight hours, forty-five minutes.
In addition to Trujillo and Mesaric The Range listed the following finishers: Ed Sandoval, M.J. Coppock, Mrs. Jack Graves (Springer); Annie Pesavento, Della Rich, Sally Schwartz, (Cimarron); Pauline Yaksich, (Koehler); Carlos Cornay, Mary Alice Cornay, Albert Garcia, Tony Gonzales, Myrtle Jean Martinez, Lina Giampietri, Christine DiLisio, Mickey Baker (Raton). The same list was printed in The Springer Tribune, but also included the names of Annie Sauble (Maxwell); and Aggie Gallegos Jr., Richard Duran (Raton)
Mickey Baker, retired Raton businessman and former town mayor, participated in the walk, and was one of the handful that finished the hike. Baker recalls that it was close to 2:00 am on the morning of March 31 when the participants set out for Cimarron. Baker says the walk began in south Raton “in close proximity to the Oasis Restaurant”.
One of the older trekkers was 62-year-old Pauline Yaksich, who completed a shortened version of the walk. Sporting a straw hat and carrying a walking stick, she joined the group at the junction of the Koehler Road and Highway 64. “That was an exciting day,” says George Yaksich, who drove his mother from the Koehler Coal Camp to the junction so that she could join the other hikers, and then followed along in his 1963 Chevy to keep an eye on her as she walked. “As a young girl in Yugoslavia and when she was the janitor in the schools in Koehler, she used to take her shoes off and run foot races with the kids up through the eighth grade, and Mom always came in first place. She was long-legged and very healthy and very spry,” Yaksich says of his mother. Pauline Yaksich was informally invited and encouraged to participate in the march by Christine Di Lisio and Joe DiLisio, Jr. – members of International State Bank’s founding family.
Baker, who walked alongside Yaksich, says, “It was easy walking. I say easy, of course for a walk that far.” He continues, “You walked anywhere you wanted. Traffic in those days wasn’t that great anyway so we didn’t have to worry too much about that.”
A stream of cars trailed the walkers, as they trekked along Highway 64 on the way to Cimarron. Some were family members carrying such amenities as spare shoes and tubs for soaking tired feet, others were bank employees toting water and food and many were curious onlookers. Radio Station KRTN was “wearing two hats” in the community in 1963. In addition to reporting late-breaking news, the station had a contract to provide ambulance services. KRTN’s manager, Gail Boles, driving the station’s ambulance, also joined the parade of vehicles on the way to Cimarron, primed and ready to administer first aid or take care of any other medical emergency that cropped up.
Baker doesn’t recall the exact time that he and Yaksich reached Cimarron, but estimates that it was sometime around mid-afternoon. Both reached the destination unscathed – no red faces, pitiful cries for water, painful foot blisters or paralyzing fatigue! Baker says he didn’t experience any physical pain or tiredness in the days following the hike. He joking says that he felt like a “big shot” when the ordeal was over. “I did it just to see if I could and I did and it was rewarding. It was a good feeling,” he remembers. George Yaksich says his mother was happy that she made the trek, and didn’t suffer any ill effects. “She knew that she could do it, and she was real pleased. She was honored that they (DiLisios) invited her,” he says. He continues, “When we got to Cimarron, all of these people were cheering everybody on. Mom got to see a lot of old friends, and they all congratulated her!”
Those hardy souls who completed the walk were rewarded with “tongue in cheek” plaques from the bank. Each plaque, inscribed with the words I Made It! , was highlighted with a slightly raised outline of a pair of worn-out shoes.
An estimated 1500 people turned out for the open house festivities at the spiffy new branch bank, designed by William E. Burk Jr. of Albuquerque and constructed by W.R. Bacon and Sons of Raton. It was a one-story brick structure boasting a community meeting room with a fireplace and full kitchen facilities. William H. Sultemeier, holding the title of vice-president, had the honor of being the first manager. The bank opened for business on April 1,1963. Nowadays, International State Bank has dropped the State from its name, but International Bank, based in Raton, continues to offer banking services to residents of Cimarron and surrounding areas at this simple, red brick structure, still bearing up fine at fifty-six years of age!
*Special thanks to Paula Grantham for suggesting the idea for this article. Featured image: Photo by Paula Grantham
Poops…Cimarron 🤪 not Raton.
I still have my Dads (Larry Mesaric’s) award. He ran a good portion of the way to Raton in cowboy boots before changing into a borrowed pair of tennis shoes.
He was one tough 🤠 cowboy.
I was drawn to this article when I saw the small plaque as I remember seeing one when I was a child living in Cimarron/Raton. So it was a pleasant surprise to see my uncle, Lawrence Mesaric in the picture and to learn of his compleation of this walk! Uncle Larry was my mother Nancy’s youngest brother and the reason we moved to this area. Larry worked and lived at Philmont ranch headquarters with his wife Louise and two young daughters for a few more years before moving on to Kingman Arizona. This as awonderful story and I plan on sharing it with friends and family, especially my Aunt Louise and her family…..thanks so much!
What a wonderful walk down through history. I grew up living in a home right across the street where Lena lived on south sixth street.. She would walk all the way to the bank in the morning and back to her home in the evening. She was a wonderful, beautiful, hard working person and this memorial write up about her is priceless. Thank you so much!
Wonderful article about the bank, Lina and all the people that walked! Enjoyed the pictures and story so much. In the photo with Mickey and Tony walking, I think the man behind Mickey is a Yob, Vinci or his brother maybe?