Pages Past— June 24

On This Date...

June 24, 1975: The driver of a pickup truck pulling a pontoon boat on a flatbed trailer was killed after striking a bridge on Route 104. The vehicle, driven by Charles H. Sherick, 49, of Albuquerque, went airborne and overturned after striking the bridge.

June 21, 1965: Tucumcari voters rejected a proposed one-cent city sales tax increase. The vote was 462-416.

Mayor Grady Huffman said the voter turnout (22 percent) was poor because, “People seemed not to be interested.”

He told the Tucumcari Daily News the low turnout might be an indication residents felt it was “OK” to raise revenue in other ways, such as utility rate increases or higher property taxes.

City officials wanted the money to “improve and develop its public facilities,” the newspaper reported.

June 21, 1960: Cliff Farmer, who operated Cliff’s Texaco station on East Main Street, was grazed by a gunshot in the head and robbed while preparing to fill his pickup with gas, the Tucumcari Daily News reported.

Farmer, who was treated at Tucumcari General Hospital and released, said the gunman took $135 from him.

Police set up roadblocks in the area, but were unable to locate the robber.

It’s their business ...

June 24, 1975: Jene’s Texaco at 123 E. Tucumcari Blvd., was offering one-third off all tire prices. “Over 400 to choose from,” a newspaper ad declared. “Free mounting.”

Pages Past is compiled by Editor David Stevens. For more regional history, check out his weblog at: http://www.highplainsyesterdays.com