PHILLIPS COUNTY

Colorado

 

 Many of the settlers who came to Fairfield were of Swedish ancestry. In 1915, Frank Peterson built the first general store in Fairfield on his farm just south of Sedgwick County. Shortly thereafter he built 3 additions to store and it soon became known as the “Swede Store.” Besides groceries he sold, clothes, shoes and dry goods and purchased cream and eggs from the local farmers.

 

 And ad in a local paper stated that “the Fairfield Store was looking for a clerk. The ad read in part “A Nash car to be furnished for clerk’s use”.  Since most of his customers were farmers, their purchases were placed on “Store credit”.  This credit was to be paid after corn harvest.  But when corn was only selling for 30 cents a bushel it came to the point where the farmers couldn’t pay.   Mr. Peterson was forced to close the store in 1920.

 

  Ben Marshall, who traveled from Ovid, sold groceries for the back of his Ford Roadster. When he learned of the vacant store he moved his business to Fairfield and reopened the Swede Store for a short period of time. Shortly thereafter Mr. and Mrs. Andersons, who ran a cream station in Holyoke ran the store for a while, but after the death of his wife, he closed up shop and left.

 

 Lewis Cheramy built a blacksmith shop just north of the store in 1916. His brother Ernest started a pool hall, but having little luck he soon closed its doors. Lewis, wanting to expand moved his brothers building next to his and opened a hardware store. Both businesses moved to Paoli in 1919.

 

 Mr. and Mrs. Warren Phillips operated the grocery store for a while.  Mr. Phillips drove the bus for the school and ran a barber shop in one of the rooms.  After Lewis Cheramy moved his business to Paoli Sid Johnson and Joe Anderson opened an auto repair shop. After Sid and Joe left Louis and Jim Porter took over the auto repair shop and also operated a blacksmith shop and did some carpentry work in the community.

 

 In 1923 Mr. and Mrs. Edward Johnson took over the grocery store While Mr. Johnson worked as a traveling salesman, his wife ran the store.  They ran the store for about a year then Mr. and Mrs., James Youtsey took over in 1924.  Their daughters, Edna and Elma taught at the Fairfield school.

 

The store was closed for a while till Mr. Fred Woodhams brought it back to life, but this life was to be short lived and the store again closed in January 1943.  It is said that Mr. Woodhams didn't want the hassle of collecting the rationing stamps.

 

Church is located ¾ mile north of cemetery. Town had a ball team.

 

 Fairfield

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Last updated December 2018