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He that is content- Benjamin Franklin EDITOR'S NOTE The second in a series of articles about early business pioneers of Roosevelt this week will feature the Leslie Ashton & Sons firm. The Roosevelt store was started with Clair R. Ashton in 1913 as the local manager. He is still carrying on in the same capacity with the help of his son-in-law and a fine crew of employees. The Top Photo, left, taken in 1916 shows the first building of Ashton's. Standing, left, is the late Ray Asthon, Clair's brother who operated the Vernal store until his death a few years ago. Right is Floyd Davis, an employee. Bottom is the present crew of Ashtons, reading left to right Voyne Walker, Leo Hancock, Carl Walker, Mrs. Jean Brisban, Cliff Angus, Mrs. Ned Gines, Bennie Schmiett and Mr. Ashton standing in front of their modern store. Top is an interior scene of the present office showing Mf. Ashton and his son-in-law, Mr. Schmiett, checking over some of the business matters. By Stan Howard In the same year that Roosevelt Roose-velt was incorporated into a city, Clarence L. Ashton made his appearance ap-pearance in the infant town, has resided here ever since, and has been one of the prominent - citizens citi-zens of the community. It was the year 1913 when Leslie Ashton, Clarence's, father, loaded a wagon with hardware, taken from his store in Vernal, and moved to Roosevelt, to set up a similar business. bus-iness. When the enterprise was set up it was named Leslie Ashton Ash-ton & Sons, and still operates under un-der that name. Clarence was born in Vernal and attended elementary and high school there. The high school in Vernal at that time was only a two-year institution and Clarence went east to attend St. John's Military Academy at Delafield, it. t: c: T 4. .1 w lSCUIllil lllir llllcu lwj yccua anu there graduated. He then stayed in the east and enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School. His graduation from college was in 1913 and he returned to the Uintah Basin and began working with his father in their new enterprise en-terprise in Roosevelt. Leslie Ashton Ash-ton & Sons first set up business across the street from the present pres-ent location of the Ashton Store. Moved Across Street In the fall of that same eventful event-ful year, the enterprise was ' moved across Main Street to its present location. At first the store occupied only the north half of the building it now occupies, and in fact, only half of that. Albin Birch in those days operated a furniture fur-niture business in one-half of the grocery section of the present store, and the Ashtons ran their hardware store in the other part. Three years, later the Ashtons erected a building on the lot now occupied by the hardware section of the present day store. This building was used as a commercial commer-cial garage, and served the community com-munity in that respect until about 1942, when it was converted into a hardware store and became combined with the grocery builds-Clarence Ashton was appointed post master in 1915 and held the office till 1917. The post office for the city was located on the same lot as the garage, and was then moved to the lot just north of Ashton's present location, where the Christensen's Store has since been built. More Revisions Made More revisions were made in the store, when in 1918, the Ashtons Ash-tons erected the building where Christensen's is now located. A dry goods and grocery department depart-ment was set up in this building. Meanwhile Birch had been bought out and the Ashtons owned a large share of the block. Chris- tensen's bought their share of the Ashton enterprise in 1950, and by this time, the Ashton company had been set up as. it is today. Clarence is manager of the store, Hazel, his wife, is vice-president of the company, Bennie Schmiett is treasurer and Evelyn Schmiett is secretary. Ervin War-die War-die and Voyne Walker are employed em-ployed in the hardware section, and Leo Hancock, Mr.s. Myrle Gines, Jean Brisbin, Carl Walker, Alfred Lloyd and Clifford Angus work in the grocery department. Leslie Ashton & Sons have operated op-erated other businesses at different differ-ent times during their many years in Roosevelt. In 1928, the company com-pany bought the service .station located at the corner of Highway 40 and Second North. It is still owned by the Ashtons and sells Phillips "66" gasoline. In past years the station has sold both Continental Oil Co. and Shell Oil Co. Products. Up to 1928, gasoline pumps had been located in front of the market, mar-ket, but when the station was purchased, pur-chased, the pumps were moved to the new site. k |