These 5 famous figures have all visited Pueblo. Here's why they came to the Steel City
How famous a person is depends on who you ask, but some of the visitors who've come to Pueblo over the years are household names throughout the country.
And while many famous figures have set foot in Pueblo at one point or another in its history, some have left a more lasting impression than others.
Some of Pueblo's most illustrious visitors include a legendary American Tejano singer, the king of West Coast rap, one of the United States' most influential presidents, a pioneer of animation and the Great Bambino himself.
Each of them are American icons in their own right and have left a lasting legacy in their respective fields.
Some figures on the list of Pueblo's most famous visitors were met with heavy fanfare, while others went relatively unnoticed during their time in the Steel City.
The following list does not include famous people who were born or ever resided in Pueblo, just those who visited over the years.
A young Walt Disney stumbles into a Pueblo brothel
Long before Walt Disney built his animation empire, he was a teenaged "news butcher"— selling newspapers and snacks to Atchision, Topeka and Sante Fe Railway passengers.
In 1917, the train carrying the 15-year-old Disney had a layover and pulled into the Pueblo Union Depot. In search of a place to stay the night, Disney walked about five blocks along Union Avenue before approaching what appeared to be an elaborately constructed Victorian hotel. He entered the hotel, admired its red velvet curtains and ordered a beer.
Hearing a woman's laughter, Disney turned around to see her — slightly undressed and leading a cowboy down the stairs. Disney quickly fled the Victorian building, believing it to be a brothel, according to several books about Disney's life including "Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom" by Michael Broggie.
Craig Moreschini of the Great American Desert YouTube channel speculates that the building named in the story may have been the Vail Hotel, citing details about the building's red upholstery and gold piano. Moreschini also said it's possible Disney lied about being served beer, as Colorado passed prohibition in 1916.
Babe Ruth belts pitches over Runyon Field fence in post-retirement exhibition
Ignoring his physician's advice, a 45-year-old George Herman "Babe" Ruth smacked a 400-foot homer beyond the centerfield wall at Pueblo County Ball Park, now Runyon Field Sport Complex.
July 7, 1940, was Ruth's final visit to baseball-crazed Pueblo County. There are three recorded instances of "The Great Bambino" visiting Pueblo: the first was in October 1922 for a barnstorming tour with New York Yankees teammate Bob Meusel. Ruth visited Pueblo again in 1938, Pueblo County Ball Park's inaugural year, to play in an exhibition game.
Ruth's 1940 visit was to celebrate an annual semipro tournament and encourage the purchase of war bonds. Wearing Yankee pinstripes, Ruth took a few swings in a "hitting exhibition." Dan "Guz" Pechek was among the many Puebloans in attendance. Pechek recounted his experience in a 1976 Chieftain story.
"He was the greatest," Pechek told Chieftain reporter Larry Lopez. "At the time, I was just a kid and he looked 9 feet tall. He was all man and all ballplayer."
'Queen of Tejano Music' Selena Quintanilla-Perez headlines State Fair Fiesta Day
The 12-hour Tejano Music Fest didn't draw the the largest grandstand crowd at the 1994 Colorado State Fair, but those who attended saw a legend perform.
Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the "Queen of Tejano Music" herself, took the stage with her band Los Dinos as one of seven acts to perform at the Tejano Music Fest. Tejano is a style of music that draws inspiration from Mexican and American influences. While a Tejano singer, Selena also incorporated elements of R&B, country and disco into her music.
Pueblo was among the spots Selena visited and performed at early in her career, due to a friendship between her father, Abraham, and Pueblo disc jockey Luis "Louis" Ibarra. Sadly, Selena's August 1994 appearance in Pueblo would be one of her last performances.
On March 31, 1995, Selena was killed by Yolanda Saldivar — manager of the Selena Etc. clothing boutique. Following news of Selena's death, staff members from Pueblo's KRMX radio station gathered in Bessemer Park to collect mementos and condolence letters from Puebloans. The mementos were distributed to Selena's family.
JFK greeted by 100,000 Puebloans before speech at Dutch Clark Stadium
Despite blistering heat on Aug. 17, 1962, about 100,000 Puebloans stood along East and West Fourth Street awaiting President John F. Kennedy's black convertible.
Kennedy was riding from the Pueblo Memorial Airport to Pueblo School District 60 Stadium, now Dutch Clark Stadium. After arriving at the stadium, Kennedy gave a speech about the Arkansas Fryingpan Project — a project transferring water from the Western Slope to Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
Over 60 years after Kennedy's visit, on April 28, 2023, crews broke ground on the Arkansas Valley Conduit — an extension of the Arkansas Fryingpan Project than will transport clean drinking water from Pueblo to 38 Southeastern Colorado communities.
Kennedy was one of many presidents to visit the Steel City. Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all visited Pueblo while president. Herbert Hoover and Donald Trump visited Pueblo while campaigning, and George H.W. Bush visited the Nature & Raptor Center of Pueblo while vice president.
Snoop Dogg snags lunch at Pueblo's Seventh Street Taco Bell
It's not always easy when everyone recognizes you, but rappers Snoop Dogg and Waka Flocka Flame were gracious when a group of about 20 students from The Connect Charter School students kept their cool.
It was a warm day during the 2011-12 school year. Connect teacher Cathy Mizicko and her homeroom class were getting lunch at the nearby Taco Bell, 703 N. Santa Fe Ave., when several students noticed a pair of familiar faces, Mizicko said.
One of them was Snoop Dogg, a hip-hop icon who had racked up 14 Grammy Award nominations and a 1994 Billboard Music Award for "#1 Male Artist" by the time of his Pueblo visit. Beside him was Waka Flocka, an emerging superstar who coincidentally is set to headline Colorado State University Pueblo's Packfest 2023 concert on Sept. 16.
Connect students returned to school excited to tell everyone who they saw, but didn't say a word while Snoop Dogg and Waka Flocka were getting lunch. Snoop Dogg reportedly approached Mizicko after lunch and praised the students for respecting the two rappers' privacy.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Snoop Dogg, Selena, JFK, Disney and Babe Ruth visited Pueblo
