Pages past - May 11

On this date ...

1972: Seven funnel clouds were sighted in the Nara Visa region yesterday. Six remained aloft, but a seventh stayed on the ground for several minutes. At Floyd Whatley’s residence north of town, it destroyed two windmills, two barns, a chicken house and tore off a home addition. Part of the tin barn ended up in Texas several miles away at the Bidwell Ranch.

Kathy Cammack of Nara Visa also reported four to five inches of rain fell in the area, stranding school buses. She said all the draws were full of water after being empty for years. Large hail damaged windows. “Cattle also are reported to be in pretty bad shape, scattered and wild with fright,” the report stated.

• The telegraph office and a business in Tucumcari were flooded with hundreds of telephone calls yesterday and today. Local businessmen James C. Adams and Al Marks had offered to pay for a wire containing the names of residents supporting President Richard Nixon’s actions in Vietnam, resulting in the flood of calls.

• The United Department Store in Tucumcari was advertising men’s Italian sandals for $3.94, with a regular price of $6.95.