101 Trinidad Area Family Histories

This is a collection of family stories that were written in the late 1980's about families from Trinidad. Trinidad is in southern Colorado along Highway I-25 and was once a stop along the mountain branch of the Sante fe Trail and a stop along the main railroads going both north-south and east-west. Besides being a transportation hub, it has rich deposits of coal, numerous ranches and a mixture of various cultures.

The enclosed stories were each written by individual family members. They remain the property of each writer, but were originally submitted for a book collection that was not completed. The original collection of stories was done at the expense of Curtis Media Corporation. As director of this project, I kept the stories in a drawer, but decided they should not remain there, but should be made available to the public. Therefore, this collection is being printed by Evergreen Publications of Trinidad and donated to the Carnegie and TSJC libraries. The stories may not be used for any other publication without the consent of Curtis Media Corporation or Evergreen Publications.

My interest in local history grew while documenting the history of the Primero School District. I was fascinated by the number of small schools that were reorganized in 1958. They included: Zamora, Hicks, Torres, Tercio, Stonewall, Vigil, Medina, Sarcillo, Weston, Madrid, Segundo, Valdez, Wet Canyon, Molino Canyon and Wild Cat Creek. Each had its own history and many were named for individual families.

Some of these made me curious about the legends of the area and I soon became co-author of "The Twelve Stories From The Highway Of Legends." As a member of the Trinidad Historical Society I enjoyed the speech by Joe Lopez in 1988 and helped with an oral history project. I have been fascinated by the stories of the Baca House, the Bloom Mansion, the Ludlow Masacre and the Wooton Ranch. I have taken pride in the Aultman, Mitchell and TSJC Museums as well as those museums in Aguilar, La Veta Walsenburg and La Junta. The Trinidad area has a rich source of documented history and I hope this book will add in some way to the knowledge and understanding of Trinidad area families.

The Trinidad Ministerial Association sponsored the original project and thanks is given to them for their support and encouragement. During the collection of these stories a number of the local churches celebrated their centennial anniversary. These historic churches include Trinity Episcopal Church which first met in 1871, the First Baptist Church which first met in 1884, the United Presbyterian Church which first met in 1873, the Zion's Lutheran Church which first met in 1888, and the Temple Aaron in 1883. The United Methodist Church is planning it's centennial celebration in 1994. Holy Trinity Catholic Church celebrated its centennial in 1985. We know they held Mass long before this because of the early Spanish explorations in the area including the one that gave the Purgatorie River it's name. Holy Trinity is a church at the heart of Trinidad and it's centennial collection contributed to the idea that family stories are important and must be collected in some form.

A special thanks also must be given to the Trinidad State Junior College. This institution has had a cooperative staff and excellent computers which made this project possible. A number of their groups contributed to this project and a hearty thanks is hereby extended to: Loretta Martin of the TSJC Museum, Evelyn Rios of the Carnegie Public Library and after a change of jobs, the TSJC Library, TSJC United Campus Ministries and their member churches represented by Jon Anderson, Dick Spinner, Sylvia Edwards, Father Passarelli and Roger Brunelli, Flo Morgan of the TSJC Print Shop, TSJC Upward Bound Program including: Dawn Mullins, Maria Santistevan, Dannette Vigil, Ammie Duran and Phyllis Vigil and other TSJC staff members (both past and present) like Roy Boyd, Terre Compton, Anna Bacus, Betty Owens and Margaret Apodaca.

Appreciation is also extended to the following for their work in typing, phone calls, story collection and proof reading: Barbara Lee, Rev. James Richie, Margaret Palmquist, Jill Tamburelli, Father Hoorman, Alice Romero, Janet Malin, Elaine Colangelo, Vella Jean Courtney, Sarah Compton, Robert Fabic, Lou Foubare, Rae Bulson and especially my family.

A number of persons affected the lives of those who worked on this project. Some of them helped on the project before their passing. They each worked hard to give life to their community and build memories for their families and include: Edith Tauff, Mrs. James Richie, Hap Palmquist, Mary Cholakos Adams, Mrs. Roy Boyd, Ray Lee and Lester Smith.

May their memory and the memory of all whom we love be kept bright with this collection of family stories of Trinidad area families.

Written by Allen J. Bachoroski

Read the Family Stories by Clicking Here