Growing up and living in Mead, a 70 history of the town-Nick Sekich

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This was part of an interview conducted by Lynn Wagoner, a student at Mead Middle School in 1980. She interviewed Nick Sekich, Sr. who spoke about growing up and living in Mead for 70 years.

I have lived in the Mead area for 70 years and I have seen many changes that have taken place. Mead used to be a pretty big town for its size. They had hitchposts for the horses and garages for the teacher in the school to put their buggies in. There wasn't just one school at Mead there were also many schools surrounding Mead. There was [Highlandlake], Pearl Howlett, and Liberty Hall. In 1918* the Mead School was built. They bought two buses for transportation but many kids had to walk pretty far. The buses went only around Highlandlake. Later on, they made a contract to go southward to pick up kids. Before they built the new school, they had a school on Main Street [WCR 7] in which they had first through eighth grade. The first year they built the high school, there was an enrollment of 170 kids in first through high school grades. 

Yes, it is surprising how Mead has almost vanished. Why, they had a lumber yard which had much (sic) business! They had three filling stations and they even had a hamburger shop right across from the old school. The hamburger shop was owned and run by Mrs. Cotton Johnson. Mead has always had two churches, Guardian Angel and Mead United Methodist Church. Mead even had a jail which was run by Ed Johnson. The funny thing is, that the only person he put in jail was his own son! 

Mead had many factories, a hay mill, and a pea factory. The Pea Factory was used just to shell peas and then they were canned in Longmont. Mead had a shipyard to ship cattle out to places. Tom Young owned a pool hall which was there for many years. ** Later he sold it to Grover Roberts. Mead had a printing press. They called their newspaper, The Mead Gazette. (Mr. Brust owned the printing press). 

Mead was originally started at Highlandlake. The name "Mead" came from Mrs. Johnson's grandfather, who was an early settler. 

Boy, was that fun when I went out and played basketball, danced, and roller skated in the old red tin shed on Main Street! We had so much fun. They always had a Saturday Matinee on weekends. This building was called the Roman Hall. 

There were many other businesses. Mead had a drug store which was run by Sniders, a Mead hotel, Mead Library, J. W. McCormick store. There was one doctor in Mead and his name was Dr. Climber (Clymer). "I feel that Mead has grown in population but not in business. I feel if they pave the streets, maybe the population would grow! There are more people in Mead, but Mead has a fine community!

*Note: The school was actually built in 1917, but the first classes were not held there until fall of 1918. 

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