Sanford
If Norman Rockwell were around today painting his pictures, he might select Sanford as a possible setting. It’s a nice, quiet little community, surrounded by fields and open country.
The community does figure into my genealogy. Some of my ancestors (Specifically the Franklins) came out west and helped to establish it.
Picture it. It’s 1878 and the first. Mormon pioneers led by their elder John Morgan arrive and establish Manassa. Every year, more arrived until the communities of Sanford, Richfield, and so on were established. They were an oddly eclectic bunch of people. They included Whites, Danish, Catawba Indians, and Hispanics all united by a common faith.
Sanford took its name from Silas Sanford Smith. Smith was an early pioneer and cousin to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Morman Church. The community had a post office as early as 1888. But it wasn’t until 9 Apr 1907 that it officially became in incorporated community.
I have nothing but fond memories of the town. As a kid in school, we toured the Crowther Dairy which was right on the edge of town. Later in life, I developed close friendships with several of the folks in town. I can honestly say some of the best people in the world is to be found there.
My great grandmother is buried in the Sanford cemetery. She had a fondness for hollyhocks and someone from the community planted one on her graveside. Every year it grows and blossoms.
In my novels, Pam Harmon starts as the Town Marshal of Sanford. Her and RJ share a house in town that Will describes as a Sear’s House. Near as I know, no such home exists in town and is entirely fictional.
Site with some cool history. http://www.sanfordhistorymuseum.org/?page_id=211
Las Sauces –
In my novels, one small town that gets its share of the telling. That town is Los Sauces, Colorado.
The tiny village is mostly homes, fields and the church today. But once it was the going concern complete with a store, dance hall and a post office.
The town was established in 1863 or about and was founded by Antonio Marquez, Jose Rodriques, and Fernando Borrego. They named it Los Sauces (Spanish for willows. But there was in error when applying for a post office and the “O” was transposed into an “A.” Depending on the map, you might find it referred to by either name. It’s generally referred to by the correct name by locals.
Nestled on the Rio Grande River banks, it was one place where people forded the river. It was a perfect place to get from the east side of the San Luis Valley to the west. Any further north, and you’d be adding to your trip. Further south and you’re now dealing with the beginnings of the Rio Grande Gorge and its high walls.
The biggest feature is the church. La Capilla de San Antonio de Padua was built in 1880. It was replaced with the current structure in 1928. It’s a small church and mass is still said there at least once or twice a month.
My biggest memory of the church was going with my uncle there. He was a Catholic Priest on leave and had come home to the valley. Often times he went out and said mass at the different churches. On this occasion, he was going to Las Sauces to say mass. He needed a Lecturer and altar boy, and since I did both, I agreed to go help him.
My uncle spent the night there the day before he was to say mass. The church has a small rectory in the back which would provide living quarters for the priest. In this case, think efficiency apartment with a cot. it had a kitchen, and a bathroom so small you had to step outside to change your mind. He described it as one of the spookier nights he’d ever spent. The old adobe structure creaked with every slight wind and he didn’t sleep at all well.
There’s some fascinating stories about the town associated with the occult and unearthly sightings.
One of my personal favorites has to do with a guest at a community dance.
I’ll say this for the community. Some heart-breaking, beautiful girls have come out of it. And the same must have been true back in the early days. Since it was a crossing, it wasn’t unusual to have strangers in town.
Well, this night there was a dance in town. Attending the dance was a man. Movie stars didn’t exist yet, but this man would have been considered “movie star handsome” by today’s standards. The ladies were all taken with him, and according to the story, he’d been dancing all night long. He seemed especially intrigued by one of the more beautiful girls in town.
He’d been dancing with her when someone noticed something odd about him.
He had a barbed tail, and it was sticking out of his pant leg. Legend says it was the Devil. Realizing he’d been caught, the Devil proved he was also a gentleman. He thanked the ladies for the dances. He kissed his dance partner’s hand, said good night, and disappeared in a flash of light.
Just an aside, this story seems to be famous throughout the Southwest. Either everyone has stolen it and put the name of their town into it. That or the Devil enjoys a good party, dancing with a pretty girl, and gets around some.
It makes you wonder how he finds time to create the mischief he’s blamed for.
There’s also an odd formation of rock almost due south of the community. I know it as the Devil’s Biscuit. The locals call it “Witches’ Hill.” On some nights, mysterious lights have been seen dancing around it. Brave souls have claimed to have gone out there and witnessed women dancing naked with demons. What gets interesting is when they start naming names. I think Freud would have a field day with these guys.
Of course, I’ve never seen a thing. To me, it’s just an outcropping of lava rock, with some interesting geology on the side. The rock has a high content of iron in it. Considering that, maybe the lights seen are a natural electrical discharge like St. Elmo’s Fire.
Another incident that happened, again in the vicinity of Witches’ Hill, happened back in the ’60s.
Several local kids were returning from a dance and were going down the county road. They observed what they thought was a helicopter come up over the flat top mountain. The next thing they know, a bright light has flashed down on them. They described a disk-like object fly over them and down towards the gorge. I used that incident as a basis in a chapter in Book Two.
Zebulon Pike – One of the first “American” explorers in the area – Location of his Journals: Click Here.
Links to documents concerning the Mormon communities. Very Interesting. Click Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
William R. Ablan, Police Mysteries 