I remember coming home from church on Sunday Dec. 1941 and someone turned on the radio.

The report of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor was being broadcast. I saw shocked looks on the faces of the adults, but especially remember my mother's gasping because her brother was stationed at Pearl Harbor.

Mancos Times-Tribune, Dec. 12, 1941

Following a treacherous Japanese attack on United States possessions in the Pacific early Sunday morning, the Congress of the United States by a vote of 82 to 0 declared war on Japan. President Roosevelt signed the declaration of war at 2:10 PM mountain standard time. The Japanese have claimed the capture of Guam, Wake and Midway islands and are attacking the Philippine islands.

County clerk Harry Thorpe has announced that 1942 auto license plates will be on sale in Montezuma county on Monday, Dec. 15. The color of the plates this year are maroon with white lettering. (My father's license plate numbers were 32-302.)

Officials of the state game and fish department this week released 15,000 trout into the streams of the area.

Mrs. Jeanie Dawson will count among her most cherished Christmas possessions this year a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Mrs. Dawson is a daughter of Mrs. Mary Weston and a niece of Hugo Weston. (Mary and Roy Weston were married in 1889. Roy passed away in 1927 and Mary in 1947. Jeanie graduated from Mancos High in 1908. She taught in the Mancos schools for ten years and retired in Durango in 1962 at the age of 72. She passed away in April 1975.

Dentist W. R. Rogers left Cortez Sunday for Grand Junction where he will establish an office to care for the dental work of CCC boys over most of southwestern Colorado.

Boy and Girl Scouts are selling Christmas trees this week to be used for improvement of their new headquarters.

Being shown on the screen by Herman Wagner is "Meet John Doe" starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.

A tree pruning demonstration is scheduled for Mancos, Dec. 16, 1-3 PM at the Harry Smithson ranch south of Mancos. I remember him as having a large number of bee hives. He married Chloe Zufelt in 1921 and was also a highway engineer. He passed away in 1966.)

The CCC boys were very uneasy Monday thinking that they might be ushered into the army in a blanket draft. By evening most of them saw the folly of such logic. Several have made application for enlistment however.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hammond of Dolores came Sunday to take their daughter Kathleen home. Kathleen had spent the week with her grandmother, Mrs. Lavina Hammond. (Lavina was my great grandmother. She passed away in 1954. Frank Hammond was the county jailer for many years.)

W.S.C.S., which was scheduled for Dec. 12 at Mrs. Charles Menefee's has been postponed due to the condition of the road. (Charles Menefee married Clara Rodgers in 1927. He passed away in 1977.)

Darrel Ellis is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at [email protected].