Leader

Leader Colorado

Adams County is the community of Leader.  Being miles from any railroad, the store at Leader provided most everything for the settler.  The general store building still stands at the intersection of country roads.  It is a mixture of farmlands and pastures. 

Today there are maybe a half dozen homes in the area and the Leader Volunteer fire department, firehouse is next door. 

Yet this little corner store holds a hundred and one stories plus.  Early 1900’s, travel was by wagon and mule.  Average speed was about 4 miles per hour.  The limits of the settler to travel to the store on average, less than 12 miles.  For most it was 3-6miles. That means a trip to the store was around 3-6 hour journey.  Further then that would be an all day trip.

Here at the store, the settler would get his mail and or mail letters.   There would also, usually, be a blacksmith.  All the necessary stuff one could need was found at this little general store.

In the store there would be a clothing section, there would be boots and shoes.  There also would be the sewing section, so many wore homemade clothes.  There would be bolts of cloth, buttons, and patterns for shirts. Blouses, dresses, pants, thread, needles… etc.  In another corner would be a hardware section, nails, bolts, screws and other items, hinges, hasps and various tools.  At another counter, would be ammunition and guns.  It was for varmints, not many folks liked to have skunks or coyotes pay them a visit. 

Then there were the groceries, not like we see today.  It would be bags of staples, flour, sugar, coffee and supplies for canning or processing meat.  Most had a garden and canned their veggies.  Some would can their meat so canning jars and accessories were important. 

Flour sacks would be eyed for their pattern.  Would that color and pattern make a nice dress or blouse.  Selecting the flour bag was as important as the flour.  Home baked bread, rolls, or biscuits with a gravy was a staple.  Bags of beans would be purchased.  Various seasonings, salt was in a bag, pepper in a tin. 

The trip to the store was usually a monthly adventure and supplies would have to be bought to last for the month.  Many of the people in the area would have an account with the store and when their checks for their crops or livestock came in, bills were paid off. 

The general store was also news central.  The gossip would be plentiful when going into town.  They could also find out when the barn dances were, the funerals, the weddings and births. 

Way back then, it was a different way of life.  Many say it was hard, for them it was another day of life.  Here the folks from Europe had freedom from the tyranny of the royals.  They also had their own land, not the land of the kingdom. 

The little store building that still stands on the corner is a style I have seen for other stores out on the prairie.  It would be nice if some of these little store fronts would be saved.  One of the biggest things is to get them off the tax rolls.  That is the biggest reason so many of them are torn down, get out from under taxes.  There are special state funds for preservation of historic property.  People just have to be willing to jump through the hoops of the bureaucrats.