Page 247 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

Figure 69. School children at Cooks. Photo courtesy of the Deming-Luna Mimbres Museum.
furniture against the wall for room to dance and used
the seats as temporary beds for the children when
they could no longer stay awake. Mary recalled that
her mother would dance until sunup, then go home
and take care of her work before collapsing in 37
sleep.
Sometimes after dancing all night, the participants
would climb the remaining distance to Cooke’s Peak
and enjoy the dawning of the new day together.
Newton Bolich and a Miss Williams (Figure 70) were
apparently one couple who indulged in this fes- 38
In 1902, a function was held Thanksgiving night to raise money for the Christmas tree fund. It was a gala celebration with one of the Nagle brothers (either Edward or Theobald) making taffy candy for the occasion. It was further set off by the perfor- mance of a marriage ceremony uniting Frank Nash and Mrs. Anabelle Tallous (or Tillous), both of Cooks. The nuptials were conducted by Judge Mc- Daniel, who, with his wife, were celebrating their
40
thirteenth anniversary
previous fall of Mrs. R. O. Tallous and her family from Santa Rita to the Gassaway family of Cooks may have led to the budding romance and sub-
41
sequent wedding.
Of course, not all of the social events were held at
the schoolhouse. About a dozen couples from Deming traveled to Cooks on a Saturday afternoon to attend the christening ball held at the new con- centrator at the Silver Cave Mine, one of the Faywood Lead Company holdings. They were hosted by Phin Headrick and Bob Miller, and Mr. and Mrs. George Heberling served a grand supper. The dancers returned to Deming Sunday afternoon
Orphaned at an early age, Bolich had gained
tivity.
experience working in his oldest brother’s shoe and leather factory in Pennsylvania prior to relocating in Deming in the early 1880s. He started a similar operation in this small southwestern New Mexico town and later expanded into a more complete mer- cantile business and became one of the leading citizens of the community. The identity of Miss Williams remains elusive, and she also eluded Bolich because he later married May Smith.39
Some of the functions held at the school were not only for entertainment but also for higher purposes.
Chapter 8
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Conceivably, the visit the