"A Look Back"

The Stories presented here are about people and events during the early days when this corner of Colorado was first settled.

Gregory Cash Grocery
By Compiled by Chuck Mack

Wednesday July 4th, 1934. Compiled and Written by: Chuck Mack--January 5th, 2006 ANNOUNCEMENT. After having spent the last two years traveling many thousands of miles and visiting 41 states, we have decided to locate in Craig, go into business and try to become a helpful part of this community. Let us tell you Moffat County folks that you are fortunate. You have a bustling little city, the very best we have seen during our travels, And we predict a fine future for us (We feel like a part of Craig already). We will open our grocery store Saturday morning, July 7th, in connection with the Ragsdale Market, though the two businesses will be maintained separately. We will enjoy having you call to get acquainted and inspect Craig's newest store. Mary Lou and Oak Gregory. Gregory Cash Grocery located at Ragsdale Meat Market. Open for Business Saturday morning, July 7 We offer the following specials from July 7th, to July 12th, 1934.

Peanut butter Solitaire, quarts----- 37 cents Sol-Jel Gelatin Dessert, package---- 5 cents. Cocoa, Silver Band, two pounds---- 29 cents. Vinegar, Pure Cider, bring your jug. Gallon--- 35 cents. Raisins 4 pound bags------ 33 cents. Cornflakes Solitaire brand, large------2 for 23 cents. Wax paper 40 foot rolls---- 10 cents. Tea, Solitaire brand, Japan, 1/4 pound---- 17 cents. Tea, Solitaire brand, Orange Pekoe, 1/4 pound---- 22 cents. Pineapple Solitaire brand, sliced No. 2 1/2 can---- 27 cents. Pork and Beans, Solitaire brand, No. 2 1/2 can---- 2 for 27 cents. Green Beans, No. 2 tins---- 2 for 25 cents. Pickles sweet or sour, 6 1/2 ounce----- 15 cents. Sardines, Domestic in Oil. No. 1/4 cans------ 5 cents. Milk, Morning Brand, tall cans------ 4 for 27 cents. Coffee by the pound. Solitaire brand---- 31 cents. Del Monte brand--- 31 cents. Coffee in the Bulk---- per pound--- 23 cents. Fresh Ground Maxwell House, per pound---- 32 cents. Baking Powder, Dr. Prices, 12 ounce---- 18 cents. Calumet brand, 16 ounce---- 27 cents. Soap. Giant bars. P. & G. or Crystal White---- 4 for 17 cents. Oxydol large package----- 23 cents. Catsup 14 ounce----- 18 cents. Mustard 8 ounce. Fancy---- 11 cents. Macaroni 7 ounce package----- 7 cents. Spaghetti 7 ounce package----- 7 cents. Root Beer Extract. Solitaire brand----- 15 cents. Baking chocolate. Solitaire brand, 1/2 pound------ 17 cents. Morado Brand Jam No. 5 pails----- 49 cents. Kellogg Shredded Wheat, large package----- 13 cents. Crackers. Supreme Sodas, two pounds----- 31 cents. Mayonnaise. Solitaire brand, pints---- 25 cents. Salad dressing. Silver Band brand, pints----- 22 cents. Rice. Fancy, two pounds------ 15 cents.

Ragsdale's Meat Market Offers Grain Fed Beef. Steaks Sirloin, Round or Short Cuts, pound------- 15 cents. Steaks shoulder--- pound 12 1/2 cents. Fresh hamburger 3 pounds----- 22 cents. Pure pork sausage 3 pounds----- 25 cents. A variety of lunch meats, cheese, etc., all at reasonable prices.

By Chuck Mack. I can’t recall how long it has been since I wandered down the alley between Yampa Avenue and Russell Street. There used to be a big sign on one of the buildings that still said "Gregory Cash Grocery." Gosh, I can remember when jam and jelly came in five pound pails. They were good sturdy pails and found a lot of uses around the house after they were empty. And after they were banged up a little bit from normal household use, they were given to the kids as a play toy. How good it was to have my own pail. When my Mom would have to go over to the community hydrant for buckets of water, I could tag along and pack back some water in my own little pails. Of course I put them to use as coal buckets when I helped pack coal to the stove. A kid can get a lot of enjoyment out of a simple little thing like a jam bucket. I also remember the Root Beer Extract. People used to buy the extract and other ingredients and make their own Root Beer. All the ingredients would be put in a crock close to the kitchen stove where it would stay warm, and in a few days the Root Beer would be ready to put into the bottles. I'm telling you the truth when I say that Homemade Root Beer was at least ten times better than the store bought concoctions. Alberta and I both remember those big old bars of soap. Fact of the matter, Alberta still has a little polar bear that she carved out of a bar of soap. She carved that polar bear when she was in the second grade. I'm not lucky enough to have any of my creations, but I sure got enjoyment out of carving things from bars of soap. And of course the scraps of soap left over from carving were always used. P&G soap was a good soap for washing clothes in a washing machine. If you had a washing machine. Our washing machine for a good number of years was a galvanized washtub, and a galvanized washboard. Alberta said her mother never had a power washing machine until after her brother Gene was born and that was in 1938. When Alberta and I got married in 1950 the washing machine was given to us and our kids clothes were washed in the old family machine. Alberta still carries a scar on her hand from that old machine. She leaned over to pick up some clothes off the floor; her hair got caught in the wringer; she reached up to hit the ringer release and cut her hand on the release lever. But she was lucky. If she hadn’t been able to hit the release lever, hard telling what would happen with her hair wound up in the wringer. I'm not 100 percent positive, but I'm thinking that our first washing machine in Mount Harris was a Gasoline Powered Maytag. Anyhow I'm sure washing clothes in our tarpaper shack in the Wadge Camp of Mount Harris must have been one heck of a chore. The water had to be carried in buckets from the community hydrant, and although we were closer to it than lots of folks, it was still a couple of hundred yards away.