One of my earliest memories of Lyndon Johnson, who was elected in a landslide in 1964, is of a president cautioning against partisan chest-thumping.

Johnson used to love meeting with freshman members of Congress, and after taking office we Democrats who’d been elected that same year had every expectation that he would allow us to bask at the expense of our Republican colleagues. He didn’t. “I’m an American first,” he told us. “And I’m a Democrat second.”

In years past, folks were required to show their birth certificate when registering to vote.  Usually this was accomplished through a local representative of the Registrar of Voters, who assured American votes belonged to citizens and were of legal age. As communities grew, and “rural” became “city”, the use of local registrars became impractical.

For centuries, likely millennium, humans have been consuming raw milk.  Raw milk, today, is that which has not undergone a pasteurization process that removes potential harmful pathogenic microbes; diseases such as tuberculosis and diphtheria as well as harmful bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Due to such risks involved, government regulations now require that raw milk be labeled as such.

Albert Simonson is an ardent historian.  He has traced the history of local pioneers and has provided a wealth of information to the Alpine Historical Society.  Albert and his wife Bonnie now live in Santa Ysabel and he continues to be one of our most important resources—he makes history come alive.  The following article by Albert introduces us to of one of Alpine’s famous residents – Justin Gruelle.