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Boulder City Magazine® July 2010 Issue
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Boulder City History
by Shirl Naegle, Manager
Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum
Central Market Beginning
Albert Stubbs and his brother-in-law, Harold Calder, were in the fruit and vegetable business together. They had a fruit stand in Orem, Utah and another in Provo. They sold fruits and vegetables that were in season locally and would truck them to the Los Angeles market and bring back citrus fruits.
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On one of his trips to truck apples to California, Albert heard about the dam that was being built on the Colorado River. He and Harold put in for a fruit stand permit. Since Harold was a Navy veteran of World War I, they got the permit. It was the policy at the time to give veterans preference for jobs as well as business permits. It was this policy that accounted for a large number of veterans being among the Hoover Dam work force resulting in the early establishment of American Legion Post 31.
Albert and Harold opened the Central Fruit Market at 1224 Wyoming Street in 1932. The business was largely a family operation with the brothers trucking fruits and vegetables between Utah, California and Nevada and other family members working in the store. Leonard Stubbs recalls the family moving to Boulder City in 1933 to join his father when he was about twelve years old. The fruit stand was expanded to include groceries and meats and was one of only four stores in Boulder City.
Harold returned to Utah shortly after the completion of Hoover Dam. He sold his interest in the store to Albert who continued to operate the business until he sold it to Dewitt and Violet Tract and Dean Bingham of Las Vegas in 1940. Dean stayed in Las Vegas to run the Rancho Market which they also owned. Dewitt and Violet operated Central Market. In 1947 Dewitt had a larger building constructed at 1101 Arizona, the market’s present location. The building on Wyoming Street was sold to the Elks and remolded as a meeting place. In 1950 Dewitt became the sole owner of Central Market and operated the store for over 32 years until he sold it in 1973.
Central Market has had a number of different owners since then, but always kept the friendly personal service first established by its original owners.
On behalf of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association. |
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