Johnnie and Hank, Hank and Johnnie
That’s the way thousands and thousands of people knew them. The locals knew them as one of the most energetic and active couples to spend their lives in the little mountain valley of Red River. One without the other? Hard to conceive of such a thing.
John James Mutz was born in Cimarron, NM in 1916. He was a horseman, a cattleman, a crack shot, a hunter, a trapper, a farmer, a builder, heavy machine operator, lodge owner and operator, a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge, and a man whose energy was boundless. He helped organize the first Red River Chamber of Commerce, the NM Mounted Patrol and started the first 4th of July Parade. For decades he lead the Main Street show with the American Flag.
It can be argued that he was the first to bring a jeep to the high country following WWII, taking friends on tours of the breathtaking high country scenery. He also brought the first snowmobile in the 1960s, a Johnson Ski Horse.
Henrietta “Hank” Jones was from OKC, attending the University there to study music and theatre. She first came to Red River in 1945 on a vacation with a friend which was supposed to head to Colorado. Somehow they took a detour and found themselves in the Red River Valley. Hank liked the tiny mountain town and it was at Tony Simion’s Dance Hall and Casino that Hank saw a young man walk across the dance floor and asked her to dance. She later said that the first glimpse of Johnnie caused her to decide that she was going to marry that man. She did.
They wed after the end of WWII and Hank and Johnnie began life as husband and wife, living on a cattle ranch in the Moreno Valley. They would raise three fine daughters: Jan, Jeannine and June. The girls attended the Moly school and when it closed, Hank drove them to school in Taos. The girls are still living in the area.
The Mutzes were very involved in every aspect of Red River’s community life. They were founders and long-time members of such organizations as the Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Club, Friends of The Library and the Red River Historical Society and were active in the Riding Club and Red River rodeos. They helped organize the first 4th of July Parade. No one knows the year: Johnnie and Hank were not concerned about dates.
Like most Red River people in those days, they were involved in many businesses and activities. They operated a stables and took visitors on tours to the mountain peaks, including an exciting horseback trip to Wheeler Peak! In 1946 they purchased the Aspen Park Lodge located on the Upper Valley Road and operated it until 1957.
They started a dirt moving and excavation business with bulldozers, backhoes and other heavy equipment. If you find yourself on an old forest road around Red River or the Moreno Valley, the odds are high that it was built by a Mutz dozer. Once a landslide in a sulfur wash near the Moly mine covered up John’s new backhoe and he never found it.
When entrepreneur Stokes Bolton began building a ski area in downtown Red River, it was Johnnie and his machines that pushed the dirt and cut ski trails. When the Red River Ski Area opened the lift, Johnnie served as a ski instructor, teaching thousands of flatland visitors about the fun and joy of Alpine skiing.
It was a well-known fact that Johnnie and Hank were not only excellent horsemen but also fine rifle shots and enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. They were also renowned as excellent dancers and were often seen at dance halls and community dances.
Hank’s death in January 2015, a few days shy of their 70th anniversary, came as shock. Johnnie’s death just 2 years short of his 100th birthday, an age he wanted to attain, also came as a shock. Neither wanted services. That came as a shock to no one who knew them.