Pages past — Dec. 3

Around the region …

1984: Gary Singleterry and Paul Barnes were inviting pheasant hunters to Pleasant Hill. Cost was $25 with proceeds benefiting the Pleasant Hill Fire Department.

1970: Eight Santa Fe Railway cars derailed about two miles west of Fort Sumner. One car was loaded with cattle. De Baca County Sheriff H.P. Roy said three cows were injured in the mishap; the livestock were herded into a nearby pasture. The track was repaired about 7 1/2 hours after the derailment. Santa Fe officials declined to give a cause, but said no people were hurt.

1966: The New Mexico wing of the Air Force Association held its annual business meeting at Cannon Air Force Base. Speakers included Col. Dick Hale, a former Cannon officer, who told delegates about his experiences in Vietnam. The enemy, he said, is “a little guy weighing 90 pounds with a bag of rice and a rifle who hides in the jungle.”

Did you know …

Roosevelt County had a population of 350 in 1900; it swelled to 3,000 by 1904 and to 10,000 by 1910. The primary reason for the influx was “farmable land,” according to Central (Oklahoma) State University history Professor Donald E. Green, in a 1974 symposium held in Portales.

Price check …

1970: Sears had men’s “perma-press jump suits” on sale for $12.88. Men’s slippers — from cotton corduroy with terry cloth lining to brown vinyl with padded soles — were $3.88 to $4.88.

Pages Past is compiled by Clovis News Journal Editor David Stevens. Contact him at:

[email protected]