Letter from Frank J. Ruvo
Growth – April 1994 – Colorado Central Magazine
Nearly 16 years ago, my wife, Sandy, and I moved from Fort Collins and purchased 20 acres about seven miles outside of Guffey. At the time, there were perhaps 12 people living in the town.
Despite the fact that we had never built anything in our lives, we managed to build our own home. There were six other families living in our 4,000-acre subdivision. We all have our stories of living close to the bone without electricity, running water, or jobs; of walking a mile and more through drifted snow in harsh winters, late-night bear encounters on our way to the outhouse, waiting and wondering why the person who left for town earlier is five hours late and it’s snowing hard — no phones.
We also drew close to each other. We stayed. We worked together digging trenches for water lines, raised walls, raised families. We re-opened the school in Guffey, built a community center, complete with racquetball courts. The electric and phone lines moved in, we worked our way into the 20th century.
Now, as in Field of Dreams, we built it and here they come. People trickled in. Some stayed, some didn’t, but the growth was slow and natural. Now it’s fast and furious. I wish it weren’t so, but is. I hope for the best; maybe we can have the best of both worlds, though I preferred living in just one.
Frank J. Ruvo
Guffey
