Auntie Jen's Family Trees: Week 43: Transportation

How do you get around? What is your mode of transportation? A car, bicycle, skateboard, scooter, city bus, train, airplane? Whatever the case, we all use some form of transportation. And if you own your own mode of transportation, you had to get it from somewhere: Store, friend, dealership, etc. Well, if you lived in or near the town of High Ridge in Jefferson County, Missouri, it's possible you bought a car from (or had it repaired by) my Grandpa, Les Wheeler.

Between the 1950s-1960s, my Grandpa owned his own used car dealership, repair shop and towing business. They operated their business out of their home off Carol Park Road in High Ridge. Sadly, the house is no longer standing. When they redeveloped Hwy 30, they had to tear down the house to put the retaining wall in. The line on the map is where Carol Park Road used to meet up with Old Gravois Road.

Their property sat right at the end of Carol Park Road half on Old Gravois Road. Talking to Mom and Dad (Dad was friends with my Uncle Les), they both told me a lot of accidents happened right there at that intersection. You can see the stop sign right in front of their house in the picture below. That's where Carol Park Road ends on Old Gravois Road. You can also see some of the Used Cars my Grandpa Les had for sale.

I am a member of a group on Facebook called: You Grew Up In High Ridge, Murphy, House Springs, Ceder Hill area if... and I posted these photos in the group hoping to get some stories. I was not disappointed. I found a few people that were very familiar with my Wheeler family and Grandpa Les' Auto Sales.

Ira Culley: I went to school with Les Wheeler the son I guess and Ruth was my Sunday school teacher
Robert Baumhoegger: Didn't Wes drive a red 1964 vet. or am I thinking of a different guy
Doug Woolford: Yep the vet he wrecked was a 1960. I was home for the holidays, Dec 64, pegged the speedo going down Antie hill on 44. Yep he was a little wild lol!
Lou Mayes: I think the new Highway 30 took the House because of the retaining wall they had to build. When you are coming out of Carol Park Road now, the wall is right square in from of you with old Highway 30 on top of the wall within 20 to 30 feet.
Eddie Buck: Didn't one of the Les Wheelers have dump trucks?
Jen Rickards: Yes, they had dump trucks and tow trucks. Tow truck said 23 1/2 hour towing and had Ruth's name on the hood.
Don Masson: Last one I remember Les have was an LTL 9000 Ford parked down on Hunning road, along with Ottie Evans and a few others.
Lou Mayes: I think that house was on the corner of Old Highway 30 (Gravois) and Carol Park Road. I remember that they were putting up some kind of CB antenna and using an Aluminum extension ladder and it got away from them and hit the power lines. I think no one was hurt real bad but did suffer some burns. In the one picture, you can see the stop sign and the angle Carol Park Road comes into Gravois. I grew up across the street from the Wheeler’s in Starlight subdivision. Always heard them revving up their engines over there and Doug Woolford always hung around there. To get back to the Powerline accident, JD Weiskopf feet got burnt but I don’t remember how bad. It seems to me someone did die but my memory doesn't serve me very good.
Marshall Munzlinger: He [Les Jr.] drove 49 mercury then he had Corvette and many more in the years.
Donna Hoffmann: He had a 56 Chevy that he shifted with vice grips and he drove an-old Lasalle that belonged to his dad.
Doug Woolford: Les[Jr.] and I ran together all the time. My best friend. That 1960 Ford conv (convertible) Margaret’s mom's car; road in it a lot. Les and I ate dinner well we call my mom see what she had and then see what his mom was having and we ate what we liked the best. Oh sometimes we ate at both lol!
Marian Rowden Umfleet: Les Wheeler jr. Was going too fast and hit me in the backend in a 1961 Chev. Impala. My sister and I both had real bad whiplash! But that was a long time ago.
Ray Bequette: I knew the Wheelers. Knew Les Sr and Jr and went to school with Margaret. Great people.
Robert Baumhoegger: Les Jr. used to drive around in a (I think ) 1964 red Corvette.
Jody Clardy Hedge: I went to school with your mom (and with Ray Bequette). I lived on Carol Park Road (Old Gravois). Long time ago!!
Sonny Kolaks: I remember Les senior's car lot I also remember less Junior having a trucking business pulling in dumps around the area worked with him for a year or so good people.

I was so excited to hear stories about my family from the members of the group. It really made my family's stories come to life. After reading this, you can understand why I chose to write about my Grandpa for this prompt.