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GARFIELD
COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT
Lesley Richard Estes
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Many people in the Rifle Colorado area
have found memories of working for Lesley Estes. While
he served as Mayor of Rifle he was also involved in the
nuclear explosion near Rulison Colorado
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Lee Estes
I visited Lee who is Lesley son on Jan 20,
2020. His friend Gary Swallow stopped by also and was
able to tell me a few things about Lee's life.
Lee
and Gary graduated from Rifle High School in 1952. Lee
working hauling
livestock for his Dad Jesse Boone Estes
and his uncle Les who owned Estes Trucking
When
Gary moved back to Rifle around 1956 they both played on the
town team
basketball for about 12 years. Lee chimed in
that was when Mom and Dad still
lived on Taughenbaugh
Mesa
In 1958 Lee went to work for Gary hauling oil
from Sinclair Wyoming. He worked
Gary for about 10 years
and began his own hauling business. He hauled lots of
different things but they both remembered he hauled
sheetrock. Gary recalled a
time that Lee hauled sheetrock
from Utah down to a place near Mexican Hat AZ.
He saw a
shortcut on the map and decided to take it. As he was
descending down
this road he came to a switchback that
the truck couldn't navigate. Lee couldn't
back up the
road- so he took his years of experience and as he drove the
switchback
he had to drop one wheel off of the side of
the road- and we can only imagine what
the trailer had to
do- but he made it through that switchback a few more on
this
shortcut. Once the load was delivered and he
returned to Utah- the guys there
said no way- a truck
can't go that way! Lee is probably the only truck driver
that could have accomplished it.
Rich Estes also
owned a sawmill up East Divide Creek that Lee hauled logs
for.
Lee also hauled logs off of the Cline tops for
Bob Hoffmeister and Lu Lewis. Lu
drove for Gary Swallow
about 26 years. Lu passed away last year in about May.
(https://www.postindependent.com/news/obituaries/luther-lu-lewis-november-6-1928-may-28-2019/
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Lee told us he was hauling coal on Mt Streeder -
which is where we now know
Colowyo Coal Company near
Craig.
Lee told us he bought about 3 or 4 cows. He
put them in with a larger group and hauled
to sale, but
the last one to unload was his and he was bawling and
hungry, so lee
brought him home all alone.
Lee was
married to
Darlene who has passed on
Lee owned a snowmobile
business with Bob Hoffmeister. It was called
Track and
Trail - they groomed snowmobile trails on flat tops and
other areas.
Lee lived about 3 miles east of Rifle
near Antlers and Doug his son is taking care
of his place
now.
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