Life in Aguilar, Colorado
Respectfully submitted by Rosanne LaRosa Mortlock June 14, 2005
My grandfather , Raffaele LaRosa, made a home in the Hasting’s camp town where a son, Ignazio, was born on March 8, 1913. He then settled his family in Aguilar where he set up shop plying his shoemaking trade. A daughter named Carmela was born on July 9, 1914 in Aguilar.
The LaRosa Shoe Business was listed in the Polk Directories prepared for Aguilar, Las Animas County, Colorado as follows:
1915 - 1916 LaRosa, Rafalli, shoemkr., LaRosa, Rosa
1918 - 1919 LaRosa, Rosa
1920 - 1921 LaRosa,R., Shoemkr
1922 - 1923 Larosa, Rosario, shoemaker
1924 - 1925 Larosa, Rosario, shoe rpr
The stone building that housed the shoe business still stands on Aguilar’s Main Street and is known as the LaRosa Building by many old timers. The family lived in an apartment behind the shop. Gordy’s Rock House Café is in the building now.
In 1918, Raffaele LaRosa was listed as working in the Valdez mines when he registered for WWI military, as required for all men born after 1872 (including aliens). He apparently kept the shoe business in the Aguilar location, with my grandmother Rosalia running it, while he worked in the various mines nearby.