Pages past — April 25

April 25link

On this date ...

1950: Burglars took about $800 in cash and checks from the Fort Sumner Lumber Co. Police said the door of the office safe had been blown off, The Associated Press reported.

1938: Gene Autry performed at Clovis’ Lyceum and Mesa theaters. The Clovis newspaper did not review Autry’s performance, but did report that Autry received a traffic citation while he was in town, for overtime parking.

Autry’s parents — Delbert and Elnora Autry — lived in Clovis in the 1930s.

Transitions ...

1970: The historic Conchas Hotel on Tucumcari’s Main Street was destroyed by fire. The building was first used as a general mercantile store in 1904.

Losses were estimated at $250,000.

Jessica Zurich Thompson, who had an apartment in the hotel for 30 years, lost all of her belongings, as did other residents, the Tucumcari Daily News reported.

Several firefighters were injured fighting the blaze, including Jack Grayson, who suffered a broken thumb when a ladder fell on him. Several residents were seen in the alley behind the hotel, trying to save personal belongings, before firefighters stopped them when the fire became too intense.

The newspaper reported, “the most impressive thing of all ... was to see those businessmen don masks attached to air tanks and go inside the smoke-filled and burning building to check on any occupants as well as fight the flames.”

Pages Past is compiled by Editor David Stevens. For more regional history, check out his weblog at:

http://www.highplainsyesterdays.com