Local history shared by residents

Tucumcari Talks is scheduled Saturday at the Tucumcari Historical Museum.

The event will showcase local historians as they share their memories and stories about Quay County's past.

Earl Flint is honored during an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the construction of Conchas Dam. Flint was a worker during the construction of the dam.

Now I for one enjoy events like this because history from the people that lived it is 1,000 times greater than history from a book.

You simply cannot feel the raw emotion that you'd experience from a person telling a story by reading a page of a book.

I know there will not be a lot of teens attending the event; they have so much going on, which is a shame. I'm not sure if they realize just how precious are the memories and stories carried by our elders.

I can remember speaking with Earl Flint of San Jon; some of the stories he shared with me I will never forget.

Flint is 102. He was born before New Mexico was a state.

He helped build Conchas Dam. From the description he gave me, I'm certain he installed the catwalk on either the Enola Gay or Bockscar, two planes well rooted in history.

What's incredible is these are but two of the stories Flint has shared with me about his life. The best part about hearing stories from Flint is how modest he is while telling them.

"I've done nothing special," Flint said. "Just done what was necessary to get by and provide for my family, that's all."

I've always considered myself a history buff, though sometimes people have told me I was born a few decades too soon.

(Thomas Garcia is the senior writer at the Quay County Sun. Contact him at [email protected])