Craig Daily Press

Courtsey photo

Portrait of Joe J. Stanton taken in 1941.

Craig — As the years rolled by and Craig continued to grow, it was inevitable that new technologies would find their way into the Yampa Valley. As it is today, forward-thinking individuals were the ones who introduced new methods and ideas into the community and often profited from them.

Joseph J. Stanton was born in Pennsylvania in 1877 when draft horses, oxen and carriages filled the post roads and the city streets. He was an independent boy and left home at age 12 to make his way in the world.

He went north to Buffalo, N.Y., where he got a job driving a horse-drawn hack (taxi) on the night shift. As he got older, he was able to move up the job ladder and became the manager of Buffalo’s biggest dance hall.

As age 30 approached, Stanton’s wanderlust took hold again and he began to move west. He spent a short time in Chicago before deciding to head for Alaska to seek his fortune, not in the gold fields but in the business world.

He managed to buy a transportation company in Cordova that hauled freight and passengers from the docks to the town, two miles apart. This business was a good start, but Stanton still was looking for something bigger.

He sold his first company and got a contract moving mail from Valdez to Gulcana, Alaska, 130 miles apart and separated by a high mountain pass. His four-horse team made the trip one way in six days. He was required to make two round trips a month, but during the winter months, the mountains were impassable.

The new technology of motor trucking was beginning to take hold and Stanton decided to try using a truck instead of the horses. He knew that there were no bridges or real roads along his route, but he felt that he could save time and his back with the new vehicle.

The townspeople were skeptical about this new mode of transportation, using the standard reasoning “We’ve never done it that way before.”

But J.J. Stanton wasn’t a man to stand in the crowd without moving forward. He ordered a White truck and became the first person to use a truck in Alaska. He was soon able to make his mail trip in one day.

His travels weren’t without peril and he came close to death on at least one occasion, but he loved the spirit of adventure and accepted the challenges as part of the job.

He met Marie Studdler in Valdez and the couple was married Nov. 16, 1914. They decided to move back to the United States the following year to avail themselves of the amenities available in more civilized towns. They wanted their daughter Eleanor to receive a good education and all of its social benefits.

It took the couple another ten years to find a place where they could settle down and truly become part of a community.

The Stantons moved to Craig in 1926 and established the Stanton Transportation Company with five 5-ton White trucks. He quickly gained contracts for hauling Gilsonite and other cargo. He operated the business until his retirement nearly 30 years later. The Stantons also were very active in the social and business community of Craig.

“When new roads were needed and during the years he was active in business this was most important to community growth, Mr. Stanton was always among those who took the lead in securing them. When Craig needed a new bank, Mr. Stanton took the lead and established one. When Craig needed a new hotel, it was Mr. Stanton who took the lead. When Moffat County needed a new hospital, it was again Mr. Stanton who took an important part in securing it,” according to the Jan. 26, 1955 issue of the Craig Empire.

As he did earlier in his career, J.J. Stanton never was held back by the fact that something had never been done before. He not only helped to build the community infrastructure, he also literally built it up brick by brick. He put his money where his mouth was when it came to supporting the town’s growth.

Stanton died suddenly of a heart attack Jan. 26, 1955 at his winter retirement home in Phoenix, Ariz. His many friends across the country mourned the loss of a man who was a pioneer and a brush-beater. Dual services were held in Denver and Craig to honor him.

Shannan Koucherik may be reached at honeyrockdogs@msn.com. Article written for the Daily Press and the Museum for Northwest Colorado.