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From Heartland to High Country
JIM CRAFT
Living
in Telluride is all about balance. You work hard, you play hard, and
you give back to the community.” That’s the philosophy long-time local,
Jim Craft, has lived by for the last 26 years.
Born in
northern Iowa, near the banks of the Mississippi, Craft’s family used
to vacation in Colorado and naturally, the mountains got under his
skin. “I went to school and practiced law for a couple of years in the
heartland, but the time came when I had to move on,” he explains.
Craft and his now, ex-wife, Dar, moved to San Francisco for a couple of
years and enjoyed city life. But on a trip through the West in 1976,
they visited Telluride. Two years later, they moved to town with their
two young children. “Half the buildings were boarded up, and people
were playing Frisbee on main street,” remembers Craft. “Like a lot of
folks back then, we came for the beauty and the small-town atmosphere.”
Initially, Craft supported his family working in the trades as a
carpenter, electrician and plumber. In 1980, he passed the Colorado Bar
and opened a law office in the Nugget Building where he has remained
for the past 24 years. “I’m involved in real estate, small business and
entity development law,” he says. “I also take on family and criminal
cases. But when it comes to taxes and other complicated areas of law
practice, I know to suggest a specialist.”
Practicing law is only part of Craft’s résumé. From 1995 to 1999, he
served as a San Miguel County Commissioner. He also served on the
Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities, the Preschool Board and
was a volunteer fireman for nearly two decades. Along the way, Craft
also made time to pursue a passion for black and white landscape
photography and, of course, get out into the mountains. “I’ve hiked
most of the peaks around here, had a ski pass most every season, and
ran the Imogene Pass race six times,” he says. “The first time I ran
Imogene, it was on a bet in a pair of Converse high tops. I wore
running shoes the next time.”
Currently Craft’s son Dan—a 22-year-old graduate of Colorado State
University—is living in town with his dad. “It’s good having Dan
around, “ says Craft. “He keeps me in touch with the younger
generation.”
Craft sums up his life in Telluride with a smile. “I’m productive and happy here. Might as well stay.”
