Nicodemo and Raffaela
WALKING TRIPS
During the years that they lived in the mountains, Nick was a prodigious walker. He walked everywhere, regardless of the distance and he often trod the miles between Lake City, Denver, Pueblo, Cripple Creek and Delta. Once, he even made a bet with another man that he could walk out of
Lake City in the middle of winter and, naturally, he won his wager. It was on one of his walking trips, along the railroad tracks in the Black Canyon that Nick discovered a huge rock on the tracks. He was unable to move it and he knew that the train would never see it in time to stop safely. He ran quite a distance back along the tracks and managed to flag the train before it hit the rock. The railroad was very appreciative and wanted to reward him by giving him a lifetime pass, but he either did not want it or he did not know how to go about obtaining it so he continued to walk the tracks instead of riding them. In Anna's recollections she believed that he had been given a gold watch for his efforts.
Susie Luella was the last child to be born in Lake City and the family moved to Delta when she was just a few months old. It wasn't possible for the
Belluchie's to take all of their belongings with them, so Nick decided to sell some of them. He approached several prospective buyers but none of them would pay Nick for the items; they all wanted to be given the things, figuring that Nick would be forced to abandon then eventually anyway. But they hadn't reckoned with his stubborn streak. He piled the furnishings in the middle of the road and set them on fire. He didn't get their money, but they did not get his furniture either.
DELTA
Nick and Raffaela lived on Dry Creek, lower Ash Mesa when they first
arrived in the area. They did some "share farming" for Mr.
Wolf on the Roubideau but they soon wanted a place of their own. After
Rosina's birth, they filed for a homestead on California Mesa In 1906.
They continued to live on Dry Creek while they built a house on the
ranch. It was really little more then a one room log cabin and it must
have been very crowded when they all moved in for the family now
numbered eight people. It was also about this time that Mr. Wolf
convinced them to change the spelling of their last name and the family
became the Belluchie's.
Louis (given name Luigi) was born in 1907 and Anna came along in 1909.
It was a very busy time for all the family and life was hard. Nick,
Raffaela and the children all worked in the fields and helped to care
for the stock. They grew wheat, beets, potatoes and raised a few sheep,
cattle goats and chickens. Nick was a strict disciplinarian and he
expected everyone to do their share. Even when the children were older
and were working outside the home they were expected to turn their wages
over to their mother and father. Of course, they were only following
tradition, but the children did not always feel it was fair. Once, they
wanted a piano and they had all saved, until they had enough money to
purchase it. Their fathers was strictly against the idea but mamma
helped to smooth the way and the kids eventually got the piano.
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