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In October 100 years ago, all of Roswell was abuzz about the Second Annual Chaves County Cotton Carnival, with the carnival queen set to be voted on after a dance on Main Street "concluding sharply at 11 p.m."

According to the Daily Record archives, White Line State Company offered trips to Alamogordo, leaving at 4:15 a.m. each morning and arriving in Alamogordo at 10:15 a.m. The return trip left Alamogordo at 3:35 p.m. and arrived in Roswell at 9 p.m.

Duffy's for Men offered men's suits from $11.25 to $37.50.

"The greatest lover of all time," Rudolph Valentino, was appearing on the screen at the Princess Theater in "Monsieur Beaucaire," with the musical score performed by local musicians Alva Wilson on the pipe organ and Manuel Oración on the violin.

Among automobiles available in Roswell were Studebakers, Maxwells and a used Essex.

And according to oral tradition, also in October 1924, the Alameda Estates Apartments opened for business at 301 W. Alameda Blvd.

On Oct. 10, 1999, when the Alameda Estates were given a restoration award by the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico (HSSNM), Luis Minton, who lived across the street from the complex for many years, was quoted in the Daily Record as saying the building was in existence when she moved to Roswell in 1924.

In addition, the current owners, Alan and Holly Carter, said that long-time Roswell attorney and Probate Judge Rick Bean (1918-2009) told him that the building was there when he was a young boy. However, HSSNM has not been able to document the building's existence prior to 1931.

Whenever the apartments opened, they were meant for elite occupants.

The two-story complex sported some of the latest amenities, such as fold-down ironing boards, metal-lined iceboxes, recesses in the walls to hold crank telephones and six outhouses, one under each of the outside stairways. A row of carriage houses in the back no longer house horses and buggies, but are now used for storage.

It is unclear when electricity was installed in the building, but in his work restoring the building, Alan Carter said he has pulled out a lot of "knob and tube" wiring, which was the standard up until the 1930s.

There was no indoor plumbing in the apartments' early days, but residents could get water for bathing and cleaning from an artesian well east of the complex on Alameda Boulevard that flowed past the front of the building, according to Alan Carter.

Photographs of the building dating back to the mid-1900s show the building looking very much as it does today.

According to HSSNM, the first recorded owners were Winfield S. and Nelle Day, who sold the building to Col. Alexander H. Norton (1885-1980), who was originally a cavalry officer and later a member of the New Mexico Military Institute Hall of Fame.

Alan Carter said that while Norton owned the building, his grandmother, Demicia Trujullo, worked as a maid, and among her responsibilities was cleaning the apartments and changing the linens daily.

Prominent Roswell allergy physician Dr. Frank English (1916-2009) bought the apartments in 1967, when Walker Air Force Base was closed, according to Holly Carter.

"He practiced until the day he died at more than 90 years old," Holly Carter said.

Today, the Carters are still remodeling some of the rooms, such as upgrading the old wooden floors with carpeting.

Alan Carter said he is amazed at how well the building was constructed, using lumber harvested in the Sacramento Mountains and without the benefit of power tools.

Is the building haunted after 100 years?

The Carters agreed they have never personally seen any indication that it is.

"The people in Apartment H claim the windows open and close sometimes," Holly Carter said.

Winning an award is a wonderful experience, be it for a team or personal achievement. It is especially rewarding when the award goes to a small-town business. When Valley Bank of Commerce President and CEO Cody Burson received a nomination in the mail by The Institute for Extraordinary Banking earlier in the year, he was not surprised. After all, his bank had been nominated in the past. The "Banky Award" ceremony is the highlight of the institute's annual conference — a "super-conference" — that provides the opportunity for bank employees from around the U.S. to learn about innovative banking technology, management and business from leaders in the field. Burson had brought his employees for training purposes to the event before.

This year, Sept. 10 and 11, Jennifer Sanchez, vice president, Matthew Ingalls, assistant vice president and Jamie Fladd, loan administrator, joined Burson at the conference and awards ceremony that took place at the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort in Atlanta, Georgia.

The team knew that their bank had made it to the finals, but the winner would be voted on that very evening by the attending bankers. Only the finalists were not permitted to vote, he said.

Burson could recall the memorable evening clearly. "They have a big red carpet evening. ... We had already made a plan that we'd split up and go and visit, and introduce ourselves to people, and hopefully be able to learn from others. ... I had already met with the team, and I told them that I was very proud of them. And whether we won or we didn't, you know, the success is in the journey, not the destination. ... Also, our team back home that was taking care of the bank for us because we were short-staffed by having four people out at this award," he said.

Burson said that the team was excited but that they were very nervous. They had put in a lot of time and effort into the application, which also included a video. At the event, he said, the finalists give a presentation and a five-minute speech to persuade their peers to vote for them. "It was very humbling," Burson said. "Some of those people already know you from the two days of working with you. ... To be awarded this from your peers is also very honoring."

That evening, Roswell's very own Valley Bank of Commerce was singled out as "the 2024 Extraordinary Bank of the Year, a national honor for exemplary performance in five areas of banking: philanthropy, customer service, thought leadership, workplace culture, and financial literacy education," the letter accompanying the award reads.

"I'm very honored and humbled that we received this award," Burson said. "But without our customers and our employees — it would not be available to us. I want to thank our customers for being that loyal to us and providing an opportunity to be successful in Roswell, New Mexico."

Some of the criteria have been met hands-on by the leadership of the bank. They have been at career fairs of the Roswell Independent School District (RISD); they participate at the Roswell-Chaves County Economic Development Roundtable and are educating students at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell's (ENMU-R) Lunch and Learn program. According to the university's Facebook post referring to the bank's last participation in the program earlier this year, these lively lessons were "a game-changer." It reads, "Your passion for sharing insights on banking, career opportunities, and the unique culture at VBC truly lit up the room." The bank has also attended luncheons for United Way. Recently, fire relief donations were made to local churches for the Ruidoso evacuees.

Burson emphasized the bank's goal to create a friendly atmosphere for customers as well as positive internal working conditions. "There's a culture of production ... . You have to provide our employees with a safe, non-threatening environment in order to work. ... You give them an opportunity for success. You show them the way that they could improve their skillset so that they get more money; they get a better title. ... What they do is they improve themselves, therefore benefiting their family and the community," he said. The bank also has an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which allows employees to own a significant percentage of the bank. After three years, employees are vested, and after five years, they can withdraw money without quitting, Burson said. ESOP provides a significant retirement benefit for employees, encouraging long-term employment and loyalty, he said. These efforts resulted in receiving the award.

The Banky Award, in the true spirit of philanthropy, includes a $25,000 donation on the bank's behalf to the Unstoppable Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian organization bringing sustainable education to children and communities in developing countries. "They will build a school in Africa," Burson said with a big smile. The other award he will share with his employees, he said. It is a brand-new vehicle, custom-wrapped with the bank's branding. The award names an American base model, but he said the award conditions permit the bank owner to upgrade the vehicle, as long as they stay with an American brand. The winner is responsible for any additional costs beyond the basic price. Burson said that he will invest in a van or truck-like model so his employees can use it also to transport donations to the various nonprofits the bank supports and for other errands.

Valley Bank of Commerce was chartered in 1978 by Burson's father, John Burson. The exact date of the opening was March 1, 1978; the location was — and still is — 217 W. Second St., featured in the Roswell Daily Record on Feb. 28, 1978. John Burson arrived in 1969 in Roswell, having been elected as an assistant vice president of Security National Bank, another in the Daily Record, May 26, 1969, reads. He was born in Silverton, Texas and grew up on a ranch in that area. The graduate of West Texas State University at Canyon, Texas, received a degree in agriculture and business. Prior to moving to Roswell, he was a vice president of the Canadian Production Credit Association in Perryton, Texas.

Just a few weeks after the opening of Valley Bank of Commerce, John Burson introduced himself and his officers to the city in an advertisement, published in the Daily Record, mentioning that (at the time) it was Roswell's only locally owned bank. His officers were Bettie R. Hughes, vice president, and director and Robert D. Scaling, bank officer and cashier.

Cody Burson didn't start right away at his father's bank. He wanted to be the owner of a ranch, to be a cowboy, he said. "I got a double major right out of high school, and it was in AG business and agriculture, and then later, I got a graduate degree in finance. I wanted to work outside with that fresh air. I got into banking as a necessity. People were offering me jobs to go into the banking business," he said. He finally agreed and loved it. Being able to help people struggling in business or who wanted to own a home so they don't have to pay rent made the difference, he said. "You're a trusted advisor. And by taking care of them, you earn their respect and their loyalty over time, and so you become very much good friends with your customers," Burson said.

One of those customers is Rick Kraft. He has been with Valley Bank of Commerce for more than 40 years. In a phone interview, he talked about his experiences, and why he remains with the bank. He said that he is impressed that the bank has not changed in their personal service over the years, that they remain a community bank. "They're very involved in the community," he said. "They've got good leadership. Cody Burson ... is a great leader, very active in the community, very effective as a banker. He has very strong relationships with the people that they serve. ... He passes it down to the other members at the bank. They're very friendly. They're very warm. It's nice to have hometown people you know, who care, you know, to meet your banking needs ... ."

As an example of this care, Kraft remembered when Burson called him. "He has called me, ... to ask about (my) needs, you know, any needs that he can help me with. I mean, who does that? ... I mean, usually, 'Come to me if you need me.' But (to) get a phone call from the bank president, saying, 'How are you doing? How are we doing? (How) can we help you?' It's just kind of a relation thing," he said.

Asked about the future, Burson said that he hopes that the bank will grow while maintaining its customer service and community involvement. "The bank was very small when I went to work for them. We've grown significantly. We've added a branch at Country Club and Main. We've also added a branch at Dexter. We're the only bank who has a branch in Dexter, New Mexico," he said.

Burson has also high hopes for Roswell's growth. The air races will bring many people to Roswell, and the training required for the event will have a significant financial impact, he said. With this, he hopes for more reliable and convenient travel options from Roswell, which could attract more residents and businesses.

When he is reaching retirement, Burson said that he plans to stay involved in the bank's development and mentoring young employees.

Other organizations the Valley Bank of Commerce supports with donations are Altrusa International Foundation, Eastern New Mexico State Fair, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Chaves County Veterans, Chaves County 4-H, Chaves County Cancer Fund, Assurance Home, Inc., all RISD sports and extracurriculars, Dexter/Hagerman School District sports and Chaves County, Lincoln County and Curry County Junior Livestock sales.