As Time Goes By: The Thoughts, Observations and Opinions of Gordon “Shorty” Wheeler

by Gordon “Shorty” Wheeler

Shorty Wheeler was a native of the San Luis Valley, and many locals will remember him as the proprietor and chef of the Rock-A-Way Café in South Fork in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He loved this country for its beauty and bounty. He wrote articles for the local papers and regaled his readers with tales about growing up in the Valley, the people he knew and the changes he observed as the world moved forward—in ways he didn’t always relish.

Shorty’s articles cover an astonishing range of topics: life in the restaurant business, his escapades with many Valley characters, hunting and fishing in the “good old days,” his observations about the life going on around him. His memory of people and businesses in the Del Norte and South Fork area was surprisingly sharp and he told his stories with clarity and a unique perspective—sometimes politically incorrect, always honest. He never forgot the past and could pull local names and events out of his memory as if they were right on the tip of his tongue. Shorty was a local character himself, and his articles are entertaining and informative, and delightfully relevant today.

About the Author

Shorty and his wife, Peg, were in the restaurant business in Colorado for many years, running the We-Ask-U-Inn in Del Norte, the City Café and Lounge in Monte Vista—the first business in Monte Vista to serve alcohol in 1947, and the Rock-A-Way Café in South Fork. His stories about running restaurants and bars are both funny and poignant. While Shorty loved the restaurant business, nothing made him happier than being outside--hunting, fishing, or just poking around old mining sites or trails in the mountains. Sue Getz, Shorty’s daughter, says, “He was in heaven then!”

Sue Getz, a local San Luis Valley historian herself, says she found many of her father’s articles after he and her mother passed away, and she wanted to get them into a book that her children and grandchildren could read and remember the two people who were so much a part of their lives. She has dedicated the book to them. Anyone who has traveled to this part of Colorado or who has lived here for even a short time will recognize the places and many of the people Shorty talks about and will delight in his “take” on both.

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Phone 719-852-2547 Fax 847-745-0219.