The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-08-05

at the mouth of the Old Pickett Wire
Creek, He worked there until short
time before he was married and then
went to Denver, Colorado, In this
city he met and wooed Miss Agnes
Reese and they were married January
2, 1908, They left on their honeymoon
for Little Rock, Arkansas, Three
children, two girls and one boy were
born to Mr. and Mrs Stockard, but all
died,
M and Ms Stockard travelled all
over Texas and finally landed in San
Angelo, Texas and s.ayed there for
lwo years, Coming here in 1896,
September of that year he bought the
Arlington Hotel, frame structure of
Charles johnson, the site where the
Morrison Bros,' store now stands, Mr.
,Lockard conducted this hotel for
e,ght months and then bought out the
Old Pauly Hotel. (part of aud the
present site of the Grand Central Ho-
teD, This place had been closed up
by the owners Jaffa, Prayer & Com
pany, and when MIR Stockard assuln-
Ell management he closed up the Ar
lington Hotel and used that house
simply for rooniHg quarters until his
lease on The property expired, hen
h bought the Pauly Hotel be bought
the saloon that was couiucted in con-
nectinn with the house frnm Robert
Madd'x, and he per sonally conducted
th, saloon and hotel,
For time it was almost impossible
to accommodate the crowds and many
slept on the roof on inprovised cots,
The building was enlarged and i'm
proved and later was known as the
Grand Central Hotel, the name it still
bears, and it is today the leading ami
best hotel in southeastern New Mexico
In 1906 it was leased to Ella White
for one year and since that time was
taken back by Mr. Stockard who con-
Quoted the hostelry for time, Then
Mrs L D Danenberg, Now Mrs Jodie
E Zumwalt, then Woodruff & De
Freest and then Miss Grace ElIars of
Wichita, Kansas and finally the effici-
ent present management A J Witte-
man,
When Mr. Stockard retired from the
hotel business he entered the livery
business with John Deem, the firm be-
ing Stockard and Deem and he also
started an automobile business on his
owh account, the first automobile gar
age being located in the small room
west of the United States Land office.
From this humble beginning grew the
present great garae at the corner of
Second and Richardson, which is re 9
ognized as one of the greatest gar
ages in this country, The building OF
solid cement brick walls, and solid |
cement brick floors, two stories in |
height, so feet on Second Street and |
L5O feet on Richardson is a complete |
automobile garage. There are big |
wareroom, shops, repair, |
office storage and care takers depart |
nents on the first floor. On the sec
ond floor are we'll appointed living al
for Mr. and Mrs Stockard, |
as we'll as several fine rooms for Of |
ices. The big room over the automo-
bile machine shops is occupied as the
office of the Mayor of the City, Clerk |
Of the City of Roswell and as City Hall |
and meeting place of the Board of City |
This building was erected
1t d cost of s14, 900 and is one of the
pest buildings in Roswell, The first
trip over the Roswell
Torrance automobile line was taken
oy the present owner ] w Stockard
md L z McGaffey, and the feasibil-
ty OF this route was figured out by Mr.
The trip was taken in Mod
81 "a" Cadallic car. Messers Stock
ard and McGaffey experienced many
nishaps on their journey on account |
Of inclement weather and it took them |
ZEN days to make the trip, when the |
distance of about Ill miles is now
covered twice q day,
The idea of transferring the mails |
md passengers each day over the bar
ZEN prairies was conceived by Mr. |
3tockard, The company is known a |
,he Roswell Automobile Company and |
.he line as the Roswell Torrance Au-
;omobile United States Mail and Pas |
,enger Service, This service, which |
was established January 10, 1906 has
been going on uninterrupted for over |
,wo years, daily and Sunday, and the |
distance to and from Torrance Ill |
nilesis covered each day, carrying
United States mail The company is |
of Mr. Stockard and his wife |
The contract with the government for |
,he carrying of the mails does not ex-l
oire until January 1, 1910, This was
,he first automobile mail line in the |