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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #6
May 6, 2000
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Dear Subscriber!

For local residents and those planning visits in the next couple
of months, Highway 130 will be undergoing major renovations
throughout the summer from the Village out to the Sunspot turn-
off. The traffic delays will be getting longer as crews begin to
tear up the old road and apply the new. Also, a construction
official told me the County and Village law enforcement folks
will be putting in a little extra time with their radar guns in
this area. A traffic fine in a construction area is twice the
amount of a non-construction area. Just thought you might want
to know.

Another installment in this issue featuring the Pittmans...a
pioneer family that contributed greatly to living in Cloudcroft
during a large part of the last century.

If you're planning on renting a cabin for an upcoming stay in the
Cloudcroft area, remember we are approaching the busiest part of
the tourist season. That, combined with more people opting for a
cabin rental over camping because of the forest restrictions will
likely cause a shortage of lodging, so book as early as you can.
See our list of lodgers on Cloudcroft.com.

Don Vanlandingham
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE POLITICS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- THE WESTERN
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- THE CLOUDCROFT POST OFFICE
5. A CLOUDCROFT PIONEER FAMILY -- (PART III -- DOING BUSINESS)
6. COMING EVENTS
7. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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A few teasing thunderclouds made their presence known over the
summit a couple of days earlier in the week, but outside of a few
sprinkles in the lower elevations, we remain high and dry. While
the National Forest campgrounds remain open, there are
restrictions still in place concerning fire use.

Highs have reached an unseasonably warm 80 in the mountains. The
lows are normally around 38. Temperatures are still, on average,
10 degrees cooler than Ruidoso and 20-25 degrees cooler than the
basin and desert areas.
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VILLAGE POLITICS
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Due to new construction in the Village and to better define the
roads system in a certain area of Cloudcroft for emergency fire
and medical crews, he Village council opted to change the names
of three roads in the Village. Balsam Lane (a street running
from Timberline to Big Bear) will be re-named Blanca Vista.
Balsam Lane, which joins Highway 82 near Alta Vista Motel will be
renamed Woodlands Way. Columbine Blvd. (which runs from Highway
82 near the Chamber office to Spruce Cabins) will be re-named
Lynx Avenue (no reflection, we are told, on the Columbine High
School tragedy in Colorado last year).
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- THE WESTERN
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"The Western" defines two different businesses on Burro Avenue.
The Western Cafe and The Western Bar. Both are owned by Allen
and Carol Henry and have become the focal points of downtown
life for both visitors and locals. The Western Bar is the
favorite of regulars and tourists yearning for the atmosphere of
a frontier saloon. The Western Cafe was remodeled a couple of
years ago. A cafe manager was hired, things added to the menu
and The Western Cafe is a great place to eat. It is also a good
place to over-hear local gossip. Tell them we at the Cloudcroft
Online Newsletter sent you in!
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- THE CLOUDCROFT POST OFFICE
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Up until a few years ago, Cloudcroft had a little cracker box
post office on Burro Avenue with a lack of available boxes and
outdated systems. The newer post office is state of the art,
with plenty of boxes for rent, plenty of help behind the counter
and spacious facilities contributing to quick and efficient
service. Some say the Cloudcroft Post Office might be a little
large for a village our size (as made evident by the aquarium
taking up one service window) but Post Mistress Judy Henry says
there will come a day when the new larger post office will be too
small. The Cloudcroft Post office offers all the postal services
available in bigger cities with the friendliness of a small town.
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A CLOUDCROFT PIONEER FAMILY -- PART III -- DOING BUSINESS
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The Cloudcroft Bowling Alley was a recreational focal point of
the village for over 40 years...probably the longest sustained
business in Cloudcroft no longer operating. Winnie and Thomas
Pittman purchased the bowling alley and the cabins across the
street in 1932 (at the corner of Curlew and Chipmunk, where the
Lodge Pavilion and Summit Inn are now located). While
researching this story, we ran into lots of people that worked
at the bowling alley as young men and women setting pins. The
operation began when pins were set manually - one at a time -
then they "up-dated" to a pin rack that was filled and then
the pins were lowered to their spots on the lane.

The Pittmans were also in the movie business, operating a movie
theater in Cloudcroft in what is now The Lodge Pavilion. They
must have done fairly well. They expanded to purchase or lease
theaters in Carrizozo and in Hagerman.

Winnie still found time to serve as Cloudcroft's Post Mistress
from 1930-34. Thomas and Winnie Pittman remained two of
Cloudcroft's most enthusiastic and beloved business people
until Thomas' health began to fail in 1960. That is when they
turned their business interests over to their son, Hugh. Thomas
Pittman died on October 6th, 1961 in Alamogordo. Winnie lived
another 20 years and passed away in Farmington in May, 1981.

(Next week -- a new generation)
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COMING EVENTS
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May 13, Sacramento Mountains Historical Soc. Old Timer's Reunion
May 20-21, High Altitude Classic Mountain Bike Race
May 26-28, Mayfair Weekend

June 3, National Trails Day
June 3, Cloudcroft concert, Alamogordo Community Concert Band
June 9-11, Western Roundup Weekend
June 14, Flag Day Parade (5pm, downtown Cloudcroft).
June 23-25, Bluegrass Festival
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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