Pages past — April 13

On this date ...

1976: The region awoke to puddles of water after receiving its first significant moisture since September.

Residents reported an overnight thunder and lightning display lasted about 90 minutes.

Roosevelt County saw funnel clouds, but no tornado damage. One Elida woman — Velma Hathcock — reported 1.1 inches in her rain gauge, though most of the region saw about a half inch of moisture.

1971: Strong winds, clocked at 60 mph, left destruction around Clovis.

The most significant damage occurred at the new Barry Elementary School, which was under construction on Thornton Street.

Two cinder-block walls, both 22-feet high, were blown down during the storm.

A 30-foot elm tree at 511 Gidding St. “went down with a crash,” city officials reported, requiring city crews to clean up the mess so traffic could pass.

Southwestern Public Service Co. officials also reported lines down, resulting in power outages on Pile, Wallace, Calhoun and Reid streets and Navajo Road.

1941: An unnamed Clovis News-Journal reporter waxed poetic on Easter Sunday:

“On this first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21, that part of the feminine population of Clovis which cared enough to curl its hair, bloomed like a rose and stepped out to join the Easter parade. And lo, there were men in the throng of exceptional good looks.”

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

http://www.highplainsyesterdays.com