https://voicesofignacio.cvlcollections.org/files/original/1835b22321114a1211abf5b9df18a57f.pdf 24a6042b21e7286109ae1a4dd55473ad PDF Text Text -, -, 'l -, 'l ,' , l ) ) J ) J ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) MARIA BENEDITA (Lucero) CASIAS In 1898 when Leandro and Candelaria Lucero were farming near Cuba, N.M., their first child was born. Maria Benedita was the first of six children and the only girl. Two years later Benedita's father heard of good land and new opportunities across the line in Colorado, so he moved his family to a farm near La Boca. They stayed there for a year, then rented the Joe Velasquez ranch 7 miles south of Ignacio near Martin Hayes place, the first son born in the family was Manual, then Julian, Eustavio, Genino and Alfredo. Leandro had goats, chickens, pigs and sheep as well as horses for work and transportation. As the boys grew up they gave plenty of help with the irrigating and harvesting on the farm. Benedita and her mother took care of the garden and the cooking, weaving and sewing. Candelaria raised her own chili and other produce. "She dried everything," Benedita recalls, "and without refrigeration or freezers that was the best and cheapest way to preserve food. After a few years Dad bought the farm from Joe. We had an adobe house with two front rooms , two bedrooms and a kitchen. We carried water from the river until Dad dug a well near the house." To earn extra money, Leandro worked part time for Arthur Jones who lived over near Spring Creek. "I remember when I learned to make tortillas. I was so small I had to stand on a bench to reach the table top. I also remember the good smells of food at Christmas. That was a happy time in the old days, even though we never had store bought toys. My father would carve dolls and baby chairs and wooden dishes. Winter was nice because of the sled. It was so much fun, so smooth and quiet to ride on the sled. That was the best way to travel in those days." ) ) ) J ) J J J J __, .J .J ...) __, ...) ...) J J J J .J Benedita went to first grade at the agency, but thereafter she went to school at the Arroyo, (over the hill and below the present locker plant slaughter house). Fabian Martinez had built a tavern, dance hall, cafe, rooming house, etc. along the railroad tracks one mile west of Ignacio. Benedita liked the Arroyo school better because the teacher could explain things in Spanish, if necessary. In 1910 the Luceros moved to a place on the hill west of Ignacio, then they bought a place in Ignacio in 1911 {the same house where the La Febres now live). That was the year of the flood. Everyone who was at least 5 years old in 1911 remembers the flood . It rained for a week. All the people in the valley got flooded out. "We had to go through deep water in a wagon to get my grandmother out of her house. Many people spent 2-3 days in their attics. Others were lost, especially down along the San Juan." "Chrestino and his parents were our neighbors south of Ignacio for a long time. He was a nice boy. I had known him for a long time and always liked him. In those days there was a dance in Ignacio every Saturday. That was about our only entertainment. We often went to the dances together and knew one another well when we got married. For a year we lived with my parents, then got our own place west of Ignacio near the Pine River Switch (not far from Joe Chavez). We raised a garden, wheat, corn and hay. Most of our shopping was done in Bayfield because prices were cheaper than in Ignacio. 29 �A lime of great sadness came to the Lucero family in 1918. Benedita's mother was one of the thousands in this nation who died of the swine flu that year. Two years later Leandro married Marie Chavez. They had one daughter, Elisa, (now Mrs. Bennie Herrera). Chrestino and Bennedito had 5 children: Ray, Ophelia (Mestas), Helen (Cruz), Lloyd and Chrestino, Jr. In 1925 Chrestino went to Utah for 2 years to work in the mines. He earned good money, saved it, and in 1927 had enough to buy his first car, a new Chevrolet. The Casias bought a place on the hill west of Ignacio soon afterwards. "We bought the land from Arthur Smith, who at that time lived over near Jerry Young's place. We enjoyed our life here. Our kids were good kids. I guess about the only lime we overworked them, at least some of them think so, was in carrying water. For a long time the kids had to bring water from the spring down the hill. Some of them used to say they were going to become hunch-backed from all that carrying, but they didn't." Chrestino died February 16, 1974. For years he had played the guitar and violin well and was frequently asked to play for parties and dances. He will be remembered a long lime for this ability. Benedita still lives at home. Occasionally, she visits her children in Utah and California, but mostly she stays home and spends a little time each day remembering both the good and the bad times of the days long ago. Best wishes to her for many more years of happiness and good memories. April, 1976 -- Shelby Smith 30 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shelby Smith Interviews Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource https://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/?language=en Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1973-1980 Subject The topic of the resource Ignacio; Southwest Colorado Description An account of the resource Collection of biographies, predominantly of residents from the Ignacio Senior Center, based on interviews conducted by Shelby Smith from approximately 1973 to 1980. The abridged interviews were originally published as individual entries in The Thoughtful Years newsletter, published by the Ignacio Senior Center, beginning in 1973. They were later published as a whole in Smith's book: Oral Histories of the Southern Pine River Valley, from which the original scans in this collection have been derived. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smith, Shelby Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maria Benedita (Lucero) Casias Biography Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1976-04 Subject The topic of the resource Casias, Maria Benedita (Lucero); Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Description An account of the resource Biography of Maria Benedita (Lucero) Casias based on an interview conducted by Shelby Smith. Originally included in the April, 1976 issue of "The Thoughtful Years" newsletter published by the Ignacio Senior Center. Later included in the book "Oral Histories of the Southern Pine River Valley" by Shelby Smith. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Ignacio, Colorado; Southwest Colorado Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Casias, Maria Benedita (Lucero) Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/ Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smith, Shelby