Following the end of WW II, the Tony and Tillie Simion took over management of the Monte Vista Lodge, a two-story log building a half a block from Tony’s saloon. Big Tony died of Black Lung at the Monte Vista in 1952.
Tillie sold the hotel in 1958. In her book Tillie: An American Life (1981), she tells of the winter when the Red River Ski Area first opened – 1959. The “biggest snow we ever had” saw the lodge filled for Christmas. Temperatures on New Year’s Eve were -42 degrees. One of the owners, Dick Harrison, was sitting in the lobby. Looking up, he saw fire burning on the floor above!
Everyone was safely evacuated, but the frigid temps froze the fire hoses which pumped water from the river a block away. The heat broke the post office windows across the street. The Monte Vista was a total loss.
No one knows when or why Carl Purkapile came to Red River. According to the late Bob Prunty, long-time resident and weather reporter for the National Weather Service, “Purk was a different man after the war.” Exactly which war is unclear. What is clear is that he had a reputation for enjoying a drink or two or three.
The story goes that Purk and his wife were living up Mallette canyon when it came time for the birth of their child during a snowstorm. Purk came to town to get help, but became sidetracked in a local drinking establishment. When he finally remembered why he came to town and told someone, hours had passed.
The locals were incensed that he had abandoned his wife in her time of need and there was talk of a beating. Cooler heads prevailed and help was soon dispatched to the cabin where Purk’s wife had already successfully given birth.
Purk spent the rest of his life in Red River, living alone in a cabin located up Goose Lake Road.
In early February 1988, a 2-day snowstorm dumped 54 inches of wet snow in the Red River Valley.
One year later on February 4, a storm began which lasted for three days, dropping 86 inches in town!
It was hard work clearing Highway 38 from Eagle Nest to Red River. The State Highway crew decided to stop plowing on the first day because the snow was falling at such a rate they couldn’t see the path they had just cleared. They decided to resume clearing the road after the snow stopped.
Red River kids who had been attending a social function at the school in Cimarron were stranded in Eagle Nest until the road was cleared. Long-time Red Riverite Daryle Brown tells the tale of digging the chairlift out at the Red River Ski Area because the snow was so deep the Red Chair lift could not operate.
Clearing the streets became the job of town employees. Katy Pierce, who is currently a Red River realtor, recalls riding in a truck with husband Jake as they plowed the roads through the night. It was a scary task as the snow was heavy and did not quit, which often obscured the road, making visibility difficult. It was a long night!
Kathy Neal lived with her family in their Upper Valley home. The snow was so deep that the Neals had to use a second floor window to let the dogs out.
The storm happened to coincide with the TV premier of Lonesome Dove, a mini-series about two Texas Rangers and a cattle drive in the old west. Fortunately the electricity did not go out, so the Neals enjoyed the classic western tale during their time of isolation.
During the Big Snow of ‘89, the false front of the Bull of the Woods Saloon collapsed. It was rebuilt. Some cabin roofs were also said to have caved-in.
