May 20th, 2012

Alma Rogers 's Story

Birth Year: 1930




Table of Contents





    My name is Alma Rogers. I was born at my parents home in East Portal, Colorado with the help of a midwife; I don't know what her name was. East Portal you might not find on your map. It is west of Rollinsville, up agains the continental Divide. After they built the Moffat Tunnel between Rollinsville and Winter Park, The folks that lived in East Protal were the service people of town who worked at east face of the Moffat Tunnel. But the date was April 30th 1930. We were very poor, although we did have our own house. I did not grow up on a farm as a lot of children. My family when I was very young moved to Denver, Colorado. I was baptized at the Apple Wood Baptist Church.

    My mothers name is Ethel May Hodges. My fathers name is Marion Hodges. I have some siblings though they are all gone now. My brother's names were Vernon, Elmo, and Lloyd. I do have some sisters.

    I never went to school. So this is not that easy because I don't know how to read or write. When I had my youngest child the doctors discovered that part of my memory never developed. So I never got the chance to go to school. But that of course was many years later and too late.

    I now live at The Retreat in Westminster, Colorado. Before I moved here I was living with a girlfriend Stephanie. She took me in for a while. I lived with her, her husband and two kids. My daughter did not want me alone so she found this place and I moved in here. She takes care of my social security and my important stuff like my rent. She also does the shopping for me to buy the things that I need. It was here a man came and asked a group of us if we wanted to record our history to leave a legacy and I said, yes. So now I have a picture of me with the dollhouse and out in the lobby were I spend time socializing when I am not in my room.

    There were no special classes or programs to assist me as a child. They didn't know any better. I just stayed home with my mother. She stayed home and took care of the kids and stuff like that.  When I grew up there were no music at home and no TV.

    My father worked on the railroad. He was loading the coal for the company and one day when I was a young girl he was working and the car was moved he fell off and was killed. That was the end of him by falling off a coal car. I guess this happened when I was about nine years old.

    After my father passed away we had it tough. I was home with my mom brothers and sisters. I guess we just got by on the pension of the railroad. We also got help from the Salvation Army. We didn't have any money to bury my dad, or my mother when she went. So they helped with that.

    I don't recall doing much at home. I didn't learn to cook or clean and sew like maybe some other girls my age. I guess my mom did some of the cooking but I don't remember a lot of that. She died when I was young. There was a period that she spent a long time in the hospital with those seizures people have. (Epilepsy) She went blind after she had me because of her problems. I was still just a child. I don't think I was even a teenager yet.

    It was my brothers and sisters that help raise me and they tried to keep the family together.

    I never can remember having any important health issues. I guess about the only thing that ever happened to me other than my memory issue was I had to have a blood transfusion when my youngest daughter was born. I lost far too much blood with her. It was placenta preivia where the placenta grew over the opening.

    One of the earliest memories I have is my little red wagon that I used to pull around. I also had a dolly that I would dress up. I would put my doll in the wagon and off we would go on the next adventure. That was about it. I can't remember doing much other than that. I don't recall having any girl friends. I just spent my time alone as a child. We also had a little itty-bitty swing set. I never got to use it much because they were afraid I would fall off. At Christmas time the Salvation Army would make sure I had a toy or two or whatever we needed, you know, food and things after my parents passed on. I still have my uniform from the Salvation Army the hat and all. I think one time I volunteered to stand outside a store to raise money at Christmas when I was younger.

    When I got older I did get married and had my five children here. I was young just 20 years old when I married. I never had a boy friend as a girl. He was the first. I stayed with my husband Erin S. Rogers my whole life until he passed away. We had a good life together and with the children and stuff like that. He was in the service and got to travel I stayed home. I can't say as to how we met. I just remember he came to the house. It must have been to him, here is Alma, I like her, and I am going to marry her. No particular reason. We went over to the justice of the peace in Brighton. That was all there was to it.

    We lived on a small ranch down below Lakewood that we rented. We raised pigs. They were always getting out of the pen and we had to run around chasing them down to put them back. Of course you can picture a pigpen, all muddy and all. It was dirty work and smelly work. I don't think we had that many. They were not pets, we did not eat them and we did not raise them for money. The funny thing is they were just there.

    We had a little garden that my husband worked. I just kept the house. We raised the usual vegetables, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, that type of thing. I do like to eat fresh vegetables.

    When my husband was in the service he was injured. It was when he was in Germany or France or something that he injured his lungs. I think he was working with chemicals or in some chemical plant. It became that sickness that you get that ruins your lungs, (emphysema). He had to live on oxygen until he passed away in the Veterans Hospital. So we lived on his disability check.

    We had the five kids together after a couple of years. They were all born at Colorado General Hospital. I have Karl. He works at the Post Office and then there was Alma named after me, Maryann, she is my youngest daughter. There is Ronnie, I don't know what he does and then Kenny and that was if for me. He now works at Uhaul fixing trucks and things. The kids and I did play together when they were young. The most we really did was go to the park. I never learned to swim so I guess my kids learned by themselves how to do that.

    I am a retired housewife and now for fun I have my coloring books. I spend my time coloring in those. I sometimes listen to the radio. I like to hear the religious programs. I believe in God and I watch the religious programs on TV at times. Now my son occasionally comes over and takes me to church. I never had a car and I never did drive one. So my kids now help me when I need to go someplace. My daughter said she will take me to get a new pillow at target. The one I have is falling apart. She is also going to get me some curtains for my windows. I have blinds but I really like to have curtains. I want some color in my room. I like pink and blue! So occasionally now I get to go shopping to buy things.

    I can't do puzzles. I can paint and I have done a few paintings and also I can draw pictures, ok, when I take my time. Though I don't do much of that. That is why I use the coloring books because they have pictures already.

    I like the Fourth of July. That is coming up in a few days. I think that is my favorite Holiday. We would go to the parks and all.  My kids would have a barbeque or picnic. We never went to far. In fact I have never traveled. I have never been out of the state of Colorado. I never had any grand ideas as to things I wanted to see and do.

    I have lived a very simple and happy life.