Craig Daily Press

Centennial

Information about Craig's Centennial

Craig — While some people who helped Craig become an established community came from distant places, others came from just “down the road.” George Welch was one of the latter.

Born Oct. 24, 1881, the Colorado native grew up in Meeker before walking to Craig with his father in 1901. He was a barber by trade but would fill many shoes in the town where he lived the remainder of his life.

Shortly after he came to Craig, Welch married a charming young woman who would spend the rest of her life at his side.

Julia White was born in Leadville, and lived there for several years until her parents moved to Grand Junction, where her father worked as a state game warden and tended a fruit farm. George met her in Grand Junction and made plans to bring his bride to the new town in the Yampa Valley.

Welch opened Craig’s first barber shop and supplemented his income during the early years by working in the Hugus store in between haircuts. He quickly was assimilated into the community and took part in the many pranks that added humor to what could be long, hard days.

On one occasion, Welch saw a stranger go into his unattended barber shop and immediately went to help him. He was surprised to find that the entire contents of the shop had been removed.

“Took me at least 30 minutes to find my belongings in an old barn,” Welch told a reporter. There was a good chance that said reporter was in on the prank. (Craig Empire Courier Feb. 13, 1952)

He also became Craig’s first town marshal and served in law enforcement for many years. He was undersheriff to Tom Blevins and George Krieger, all the while maintaining his own business. He was on the first town board, and in that position he helped to build the infrastructure of the growing town.

A man of many hats and interests, Welch began a photography studio in addition to his tonsorial and law endeavors.

Throughout the years, he took thousands of photographs documenting the growth of Craig and its people. His clearly printed name in the lower corner of his photographs was a brand that was hard to miss, and his photographer’s eye caught many interesting subjects.

He didn’t work all the time, though. He was captain of the Craig baseball team for many years and took an active part in community events.

Julia Welch also was active in the community that she and her husband had embraced. In 1918, she volunteered for the Red Cross and after several weeks of training in Denver was named home service chairman — a position she held until she retired 36 years later. She gained the nickname “Mother of Red Cross in Moffat County.”

Julia also was active in the Rebekah Lodge and the Sunday School of the Congregational Church

The couple’s three sons grew up in Craig and became valuable members of the community, as well. Their eldest son, Clarence, was born Aug. 27, 1903, and lived in Craig until his graduation in 1921. He died Aug. 25, 1949, after a lengthy illness.

Their other two sons, George M. and Walter, married and moved to other parts of the country, but for George and Julia, Craig would remain home until their deaths.

As their health began to fail, the Welchs moved into Valley View Manor nursing home. George died July 19, 1969, and Julia followed him in death only weeks later, on Sept. 10, 1969.

The contributions that George and Julia Welch made to Craig put them in the company of other great pioneers who worked hard and lived well in the community they made for all of us today.

When looking at one of Welch’s photographs, a connection can be felt to this couple who came to Craig to stay and saw their town grow from a rough outpost to a legitimate city on the Yampa.

Shannan Koucherik can be reached at honeyrockdogs@msn.com.