Monday, March 24, 2008

The Highway Garage

Charles Llewellyn Butler
"Our pop and his pup"

Charles Llewellyn Butler
father of Jesse Llewellyn Butler
grandfather of Louis Edward Butler

Charles Llewellyn Butler (son of Henry Coddington Butler and Sarah Elizabeth Shockey) was born on Monday 26 May 1870, Lima, Allen County, Ohio. He was only four years old when his parents moved to Kent, Iowa and in his teens when they moved on to Nebraska, perhaps on the Oregon Trail.

He was married on Friday, 26 December 1890 in Lexington, Dawson County, Nebraska, to Cora Melvina Wisemiller.


Charles and Cora moved their family near Haswell, Colorado in 1908. They homesteaded two tracts of land for five years until 1913. They sold those two tracts in 1920 when Charles built the "Highway Garage" in Haswell.


C.L. Butler - Bob LaFollett - (unknown)
coal & water foreman - engineer - fireman

It is my belief that after Charles built the garage, in which his son Edwin (Jeff) was the mechanic, he worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad as the coal chute foreman.


Grandpa Butler spent most of his time at the Butler Garage. Uncle Jeff was the mechanic and Grandpa watched the front and sold the gasoline. But mostly, as I remember, he played cards while waiting for customers. There were always a lot of old men, and some young ones, playing cards most of the day. There would be lots of laughing and teasing about the game and a lot of talk about politics.

Men would come and go all day long, and it was usually in the summer when I was there and it was very hot. Chuck (my brother) and I would go back in the back of the garage where Uncle Jeff would be working on a car or truck and watch for a while, but that got boring pretty quick.


The following pictures were taken in front of the Highway Garage. The hotel was across the highway from the garage, and the Post Office was next door to the left (west).

On the right is Edwin "Jeff" Butler, the mechanic

Probably members of the Butler family

2 comments:

Yvonne and Bruce said...

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again....Lynn, what you are doing is amazing! The Butler family is lucky to have you. This work is a labor of love, and it shows. Keep up the good work. YBB

Kate said...

I love that first picture!

And I second what Yvonne says!