When we were in the San Luis Valley for a family reunion, we went on a picture taking expedition. These are the pictures of the Bingham family farm after many decades. We'll invite Mom and her siblings to write what they remember about this home.
When I was 9 years old, we moved from Manassa to this home. It was 3 1/2 miles from Romeo and 3 1/2 miles from Antonito.
It was a nice home, but the bathroom had never been finished, and water had never been piped into the house. The floors were hardwood and on the South side of the living room and dining room were french windows. They were like doors and could be opened like doors. there were three bedrooms on the North side of the house with a hall and the room that was not finished as a bathroom, was between the west room and the middle room. The west bedroom was the boys room and the middle bedroom was Mama and Daddy's room. There was a closet between the middle room and the girl's room, which was on the East. That closet was the full length of the bedroom and could be walked through from the middle room to the girl's room. The Livingroom and the dining room were one room. There was a fireplace between the 2 french windows. The door between the kitchen and the dining room, was a swinging door. There was a sink on the south wall of the kitcyen with cupboards on each end. The house was heated with wood and coal. The West entrance was into the kitchen and the East entrance was into the living room. In this picture you can see the windows on the North. Each bedroom had a window and the unfinished bathroom was the little window. The East bedroom had a front window also.
This picture (below) is the South side of the house. The trees are cottonwood trees. At one time we had a garden there, but it wasn't the big garden. On the back of the house, in line with the trees was a cellar. It was as big as a commercial cellar. It burned down one year when Daddy was in LosAlamos, working. It was big enough to park the car in the cold weather. It had double doors. For some reason, it did not burn the car, even though the car was parked in the cellar at the time it burned.
There were two big honeycycle bushes on the this side of the house. For several years there was a couple of yellow canaries that built a nest in those bushes. From inside the house we could see the nest and watch as the eggs were laid and hatched. That was so interesting. We were all disappointed the year that they didn't return.
On the North side of the house, we had a big garden. It was almost an acre. There was a row of rhubarb along the South fence. There was fence around it and there were willow trees along the West fence. We had a wonderful garden. We raised all vegetables and strawberries and raspberries. One year there were so many carrots that they filled a wagon box that was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. Our cellar was really used in the winter. Potatoes, cabbages, carrots, apples and anything that needed to be protected from the weather.
This is the front entrance to the house. There were bushes on each side of the porch and a beautiful lilac bush on the north corner. There was a hedge on the South side of that lawn that went from near the house to the fence in front of the house. The highway between Romeo and Antonito ran just in front of the house and a railroad track was East of the highway. There was a train that ran from Alamosa to Chama, New Mexico every morning and returned every evening.
It was a nice home, but the bathroom had never been finished, and water had never been piped into the house. The floors were hardwood and on the South side of the living room and dining room were french windows. They were like doors and could be opened like doors. there were three bedrooms on the North side of the house with a hall and the room that was not finished as a bathroom, was between the west room and the middle room. The west bedroom was the boys room and the middle bedroom was Mama and Daddy's room. There was a closet between the middle room and the girl's room, which was on the East. That closet was the full length of the bedroom and could be walked through from the middle room to the girl's room. The Livingroom and the dining room were one room. There was a fireplace between the 2 french windows. The door between the kitchen and the dining room, was a swinging door. There was a sink on the south wall of the kitcyen with cupboards on each end. The house was heated with wood and coal. The West entrance was into the kitchen and the East entrance was into the living room. In this picture you can see the windows on the North. Each bedroom had a window and the unfinished bathroom was the little window. The East bedroom had a front window also.
This picture (below) is the South side of the house. The trees are cottonwood trees. At one time we had a garden there, but it wasn't the big garden. On the back of the house, in line with the trees was a cellar. It was as big as a commercial cellar. It burned down one year when Daddy was in LosAlamos, working. It was big enough to park the car in the cold weather. It had double doors. For some reason, it did not burn the car, even though the car was parked in the cellar at the time it burned.
There were two big honeycycle bushes on the this side of the house. For several years there was a couple of yellow canaries that built a nest in those bushes. From inside the house we could see the nest and watch as the eggs were laid and hatched. That was so interesting. We were all disappointed the year that they didn't return.
On the North side of the house, we had a big garden. It was almost an acre. There was a row of rhubarb along the South fence. There was fence around it and there were willow trees along the West fence. We had a wonderful garden. We raised all vegetables and strawberries and raspberries. One year there were so many carrots that they filled a wagon box that was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. Our cellar was really used in the winter. Potatoes, cabbages, carrots, apples and anything that needed to be protected from the weather.-- Gatha --
This is the front entrance to the house. There were bushes on each side of the porch and a beautiful lilac bush on the north corner. There was a hedge on the South side of that lawn that went from near the house to the fence in front of the house. The highway between Romeo and Antonito ran just in front of the house and a railroad track was East of the highway. There was a train that ran from Alamosa to Chama, New Mexico every morning and returned every evening.
