Century Family

Aragons show their mettle in agriculture and business

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Martin and Louise Aragon have seen their share of changes in Larimer County. Now in their 80s, both are second-generation descendants of families who moved here from southern Colorado early in this century, seeking their fortunes in farming and business.

Martin was born in Bellvue, while Louise was born in Fort Collins. Each was in a family of nine children. Louise fondly remembers horse-drawn ice cream wagons coming by her family's home in the summertime; not so fondly, she also remembers the streets turning to gooey clay mud after a rainstorm. "If you had shoes on, you couldn't get anywhere because you'd be stuck in the mud." She recalls a lot of horse traffic in the streets and not too many cars.

Both of the Aragons have roots that go deep not only in Larimer County, but in other parts of the Southwest as well. Martin's ancestors were given land by the King of Spain in the Four Corners area, but lost it during the homesteading era to white squatters. The family headed north, the men traveling by covered wagon and the women by train.

The family arrived in Waverly in 1903, then set about purchasing farms throughout the county, including land in Bellvue and south Fort Collins. In fact, the couple just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at the Cottonwood Club near Trilby Road, on land that Martin's family used to own.

Louise's family arrived in Larimer County in 1905 from Walsenberg. Her father worked at the Halligan Dam and later helped build St. Joseph's Convent.

While Martin's father intended to purchase a farm for each of his seven sons, this plan ultimately failed; many of the family's land holdings were lost in the crash of 1929. But several of the sons remained active in farming, at one time owning five steam engines for custom threshing.

Martin and Louise were married in 1934. He helped build State Highway 1 under the Works Progress Administration, then got a job building the Frontier Refinery in Cheyenne during World War II. "That's what really gave me my start," said Martin. He owned a truck and was able to haul several men to the work site, charging each 75 cents a day.

By 1943, he said, he had bankrolled enough money to buy farm machinery and horses, and he contracted with a local farmer to raise beets, barley, pinto beans and hay.

In 1952, the couple founded Aragon Iron and Metal Corporation, which they still own. Louise performed the bookkeeping duties, while Martin took care of buying and selling auto parts, motors and scrap metal. "They used to call us salvage engineers," he said with a chuckle.

The business, located at 516 N. U.S. Highway 287, is now managed by their son and daughter, David Aragon and Priscilla Barela. Their older son, Edward, owns Western Engine in north Fort Collins.

One of the most interesting salvage jobs for the company came in 1976, when the devastating Big Thompson flood occurred. The irrigation pipe crossing the lower part of the canyon washed out, and Martin was asked to come and remove it. While the water district didn't charge for the pipe, it took Aragon and his men about two weeks to whittle it down to size and haul it away. They cut the pipe, which was 9 feet in diameter, into sections 3 feet by 18 inches.

Through the years, Louise has been very active in their church, Holy Family. Martin served as a director for the Home Federal Savings Bank.

Mixed memories

Not all memories of early days in Larimer County are pleasant, since prejudice against Hispanics was rampant during the Aragons' growing-up years.

As a youngster living on Cherry Street, Louise often walked to school with an Anglo girl. But the two had to meet around the corner, out of sight of the other girl's parents. This was very difficult for a child to comprehend, she remembers.

When Martin and Louise were first married, it was very difficult for them to either rent or buy a home. Until the family business was founded, housework was the only employment Louise could find.

One memory is particularly painful for Louise. During World War II, silk stockings were hard to come by, so when a local department store received a shipment, Louise got in line with many other women. When it was her turn, the supply was suddenly gone, but a few minutes later there were stockings for sale again. "It took everything I had to keep the peace," she remembers.

Hispanics could not enter bars or cafes, and Louise remembers signs with the harsh message, "No Mexicans or dogs allowed."

She is optimistic about the recent election of Ray Martinez as mayor of Fort Collins. "There might be a chance for someone else; it might start a trend," she said.

Besides their three children, the Aragons have 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A fourth child died at birth and is buried in the Bingham Hill Cemetery. Many nieces and nephews still live in the area, as well as Martin's sister-in-law, Helen Aragon, who moved to Larimer County in 1940.

Helen's late husband, Jesse, farmed with Martin during his young adulthood, then worked at Remington Arms in Denver and helped build the irrigation tunnel for the Big Thompson Project. He later worked for the city of Fort Collins.

Fort Collins and Larimer County have seen huge changes in the last century, and the Aragon family has participated in many of them. From their quiet street in north Fort Collins, Martin and Louise can now settle back and let the younger generation take its turn, improving life for themselves and their community in the new millennium.