In 1936, after three years in the coal mines of Colorado and California, Candido Valdez made a life-changing decision. Without a business background, he decided to open a bar in Pojoaque Valley.

"My father was a little man, about 5' 6", and underground coal mining was a very hard job," said Roman Valdez, Candido Valdez's son and a Pojoaque Valley real-estate appraiser.

Coal mining was a killer job. It required miners to dig with a pick and shovel in low mine shafts, carbide lamps on their heads, breathing coal dust. Often there were explosions, which added to the elder Valdez's disenchantment.

Candido Valdez's decision to open a cantina got his feet above ground, but he faced one major challenge, there wasn't an available building in which to house his bar, which, in 1936, would become the only bar in the Pojoaque Valley.

"Back then," Roman Valdez said, "Candido's and Pablo Sena's grocery store were the only businesses in Pojoaque Valley."

The elder Valdez set to work. With the help of his friends, he built a
900-square- foot adobe building to house the bar, which he would name the Pojoaque Tavern. However, locals simply called the bar Candido's.

Roman Valdez said the original bar had a couple of small rooms and a little bar, a couple years later his father added a dance floor, expanding the space to about 5,000 square feet.

A grand opening of the new structure was celebrated Dec. 8, 1938 with a dance.

Candido Valdez set to work, promoting weekend dances.

"Dad was very ambitious," Roman Valdez said. "He got big bands from Mexico, and later on, he started bringing in Country and Western bands that appealed to hundreds of construction workers in Los Alamos."

Candido's also became "a community hall." There were wedding receptions, political meetings and graduation parties.

In 1976, Candido Valdez retired.

Roman Valdez said he thinks his father got burnt out, working long, stressful hours, which didn't leave him much time for anything else.

When Candido retired, he leased the building to the Las Barrancas Corporation. The corporation opened The Line Camp, an upscale restaurant, but closed its doors in 1978.

In 1979, Candido Valdez leased the building to John and Julian Harvey who converted the restaurant into a nightclub, which would put Pojoaque on the nation's musical map.

A long list of internationally known musicians performed on The Line Camp stage including Taj Mahal, The Drifters, Etta James, Johnny Lee Hooker, Dave Mason, Elvin Bishop, Flaco Jimenez, Gil Scott-Heron and Jr. Walker and the All-Stars.

In 1986, the nightclub closed, and for one year, the Hacienda Encantada Feed Store, owned by Levi and Chavela Valdez, occupied the space.

Santa Fe Trades, a business specializing in custom-made furniture leased the building from 1989 to 1996. The Line Camp Gallery, the current lessee, has rented the building since 1996.

The Line Camp, 17 miles north of Santa Fe on U.S. 84/285 remains a historic venue that gave birth to local legends.

There's a local ballad about an elegant stranger appearing at The Line Camp on Good Friday and dancing with the women until someone noticed his cloven hooves. His true identity revealed, the devil allegedly jumped out a window, leaving burn marks on the window sill.

"There are lots of memories in the building," said Roman Valdez. "Our family actually lived in the back of the bar for years. Most of the people coming into the bar were friends and neighbors. It was like one big family."

Contact John Knoll at johnknoll77@hotmail.com.