L as in Librado - builder of early Clovis

Newcomers to Clovis might misinterpret the name of L. Casillas Boulevard near the Lighthouse Mission as Las Casillas — as in The Casillas.

That’s not far off.

Librado Casillas was the Casillas who helped build Guadalupe parish, a mission of Sacred Heart Church in 1943. That complex, now lost to time, was just around the corner from today’s Lighthouse, which also ministers to searching souls.

Librado Casillas was also the Casillas who opened a grocery store next to the railroad tracks in west Clovis in 1945. That store — also the family home for a while — evolved into one of Clovis’ most popular restaurants, the Guadalajara, in 1951, before closing in 2006.

Today is a good day to remember The Librado Casillas because it was 33 years ago — on Feb. 5, 1987 — when Clovis City commissioners entertained a proposal to rename part of First Street in honor of the man.

“Some remember (Casillas) as the kindly grocery store owner who always had a sandwich and a cup of coffee for the sanitation workers who emptied his garbage,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.

“Some (remember him) as the owner of the store where a child could buy enough candy for a penny to walk away with a smile.”

Full disclosure: Commissioners actually rejected the street’s name change in 1987 because five commissioners vowed they would not rename any Clovis city streets.

But Librado’s name came back in the public spotlight in 1993 when the aging church complex he created with Rev. Conradin Stark was demolished and old-timers began remembering its history.

Commissioners quietly approved changing a portion of First Street to L. Casillas Boulevard during a meeting on July 15, 1993. The newspaper unceremoniously reported the change as part of a bulleted list following a sentence that read, “The commissioners Thursday also:”

Mary Casillas-Mendoza, who still lives in Clovis, said her father initially worked for a Clovis ice company and for the railroad before opening his grocery store in 1945.

The family arrived in town in 1927 and her dad was involved in building the Spanish-style St. James Episcopal Church at the corner of Main and 12th streets and the old bus station at Second and Pile streets.

The church complex he built near the street that today bears his name included a parish school and a convent. Casillas also helped build Our Lady of Guadalupe that still stands at Davis and West Second streets.

Librado Casillas — or The Casillas if you prefer — should always be remembered.

David Stevens writes about regional history for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

[email protected]

More local history:

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