Rifle Pharmacy

Rifle had several pharmacies through the years. 

Rifle Pharmacy History - pieced together from information given by Steve Rippy, John Hocker and Edwin Thompson

The first photo is of Isem and Jenny Graham (of Graham Mesa whose cabin can still be seen at the top of Stephens Hill behind the red barn-shaped house) Isem sent 2 of his sons, Claude and Albert, to pharmacy school in Iowa before WWI and financed the opening of Rifle Pharmacy (3rd through 7th pictures) on the NE corner of 3rd&Railroad. The 5th picture is 1914 and the 6th is 1916. Because both sons ended up serving in WW1 there was no pharmacist to run the pharmacy and it must have been sold to someone else. Claude came back from the war and in 1919 married Laura Fae Stauffer, the niece of the competing pharmacy across the street. They moved to Leadville for a few years. As an interesting side note Claude snapped this picture of Baby Doe Tabor on the streets of Leadville. I believe Bob Wood's grandparents were in Leadville about that time. At some point Claude ended up working for Stauffers Pharmacy until he bought out Jess and his son, Harold, and ran Stauffers Pharmacy until he sold it to Harry Odgers in 1958. Note how the first 3 original buildings on the NE corner are not there now.
In the 1950's Rifle Pharmacy was owned and operated by Glenn and Rose Anderson.

Later Jack Walker purchased Rifle Pharmacy

Claude Graham

 

Claude Graham

Inside of Rifle Pharmacy

1962 Photo of Rifle Pharmacy

Reunion Committee that Jack Walker was on in 1990

Photo of building that was Rifle Pharmacy- about 2000

 

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