Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Pages past, Oct. 11: Railroad ties were floating in streets

On this date ...

1985: Residents in Clovis’ La Salle Drive area packed city hall to ask for better drainage in their neighborhood.

Recent rains inspired about 35 people to complain about “soggy streets, drenched living rooms and underwater back yards,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.

“After the last hard rains, there’s enough force to float railroad ties into the street,” James Lavorn told city leaders. “The ties had settled into the ground, but the traveling water was strong enough to carry them into the road,” the newspaper reported.

The city had hired an engineering firm to find long-term solutions.

1970: Grade School Traffic Safety Month was going strong in Clovis. Clovis PD Officer Steve Stater said students at La Casita, Lincoln Jackson, James Bickley and Highland elementary schools were among those actively involved.

Highland Principal Frank Broome had made safety jackets and badges available for the school’s safety patrolmen.

La Casita students were performing safety skits.

Schools were competing to win a free movie at one of Clovis’ downtown theaters.

1930: Sweet potato farmers in the Portales Valley were rushing the harvest “in an effort to get them all into the curing plants before frost,” the Portales Valley News reported.

“The sweet potato crop this year is larger than usual, and is of an extra fine quality,” the paper reported. “It is now taxing the labor situation to take care of this crop, and all idle labor is being drafted to take care of it.”

The area had 35 curing plants, but storage room was at a premium and vacant buildings were being used to store the surplus crop.

It’s their business …

1970: Billy Neil and Roy Williams announced they had purchased Clovis’ Rodeway Inn from Byron, Barbara and Jimmy Black.

“We will continue to serve Clovis with the finest accommodations and service you’ve been accustomed to,” the new owners promised.

The Blacks had owned the motel four years.

Aligned with the best …

1965: If your car or truck was in need of wheel alignment, the place to go was A-1 Alignment Center, the home of Bear Wheel Aligning, according to a paid advertisement in the Clovis News-Journal.

Olas and Gary Elliott offered free pickup and delivery.

Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens. Contact:

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