Skip to main content

Full text of "Progressive men of western Colorado .."

See other formats 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


I 


YV 


O 
^ 
O 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN 


OF 


WESTERN   COLORADO 


CHICAGO: 

A.  W.  BOWEN  £  Co. 

1905 


fMI     l:AK'(.  i  [GfURY  PSb 


PREFACE. 


In  placing  this  volume  of  the  "Progressive  Men  of  Western  Colorado'' 
before  the  citizens  of  this  section  of  the  state,  the  publishers  can  con- 
scientiously claim  that  they  have  carried  out  in  all  respects  every 
promise  made  in  the  prospectus.  They  point  with  pride  to  the  elegance  of 
the  binding  of  the  volume,  and  to  the  beauty  of  the  typography,  to  the 
superiority  of  the  paper  on  which  the  work  is  printed,  and  the  high  class  of 
art  in  which  the  portraits  are  finished.  Every  biographical  sketch  in  the 
work  has  been  submitted  to  the  party  interested  for  approval  and  correction, 
and  therefore  any  error  of  fact,  if  there  be  any,  is  solely  due  to  the  person 
for  whom  the  sketch  was  prepared. 

The  publishers  would  here  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  thank 
the  citizens  for  the  uniform  kindness  with  which  they  have  regarded  this 
undertaking  and  for  their  many  services  rendered  in  the  gaining  of  necessary 
information.  Confident  that  our  efforts  to  please  will  fully  meet  the 
approbation  of  the  public,  we  are 


Respectfully, 


A.  W.  BOWEN  &  Co., 

Publishers. 


15 


ITSDEX. 


Abbott,    Ursa    S 563 

Adair,    Samuel    A 436 

Adair,    William    W 100 

Adams,  Robert  L 557 

Adams,    Samuel    G 99 

Ahrens,   John  W 837 

Alerton,    Henry    650 

Alexander,    Thomas    M 460 

Allen,   John  M 176 

Anderson,  August    606 

Anderson  Brothers    667 

Anderson  'Brothers     606 

Anderson,   David    472 

Anderson,    Eric    731 

Anderson,   Fred    66? 

Anderson,  Lewis    667 

Anderson,    Olaf    606 

Andrews,    George    W 712 

Andrews,   Richard   H 712 

Ankele,  Charles    292 

Arbaney,  Alexis   163 

Armstrong,    George    W 298 

Armstrong,    William    J 64 

Ashley,   William  T 821 

Askins,    Michael     212 

Austin,    Lyman    W 79 

Avery,    Henry   A 578 

B 

Ragley,   Heaman   S 316 

Baker,   Alonzo  L 457 

Baker,    Charles    E 606 

Baker,   Charles   T 477 

Baker.    David    404 

Ball,   George 503 

Bane,    Clinton    T 541 

Banta,   Zachariah   T 41 

Bardwell,   George  D 684 

Barnard,  Hiram  H 533 

Barsch,  Jacob   513 


Barth,    Peter     116 

Barthel,  Edward  G 409 

Baxter,  Addison  H 314 

Baxter,  A.   S 67 

Beardsley,  Arthur  L 165 

Beck,    Henry     78 

Beckley,  George   339 

Bell,  John  C 370 

Belot,  Adolphe   432 

Benjamin,   George  F 635 

Bennett,    James    A 245 

Bennett,   John  G .767 

Berg,    Hagen   R 781 

Bertholf ,  John  M 761 

Bertholf,    Zachariah     394 

Bevier.   Charles    555 

Biebel,    Augustus    G 181 

Bills,   Albert    42 

Bills    Brothers    42 

Bills,  Charles  W 42 

Bird,  William  M 871 

Bivans,   Emeline    312 

Blachly,    Andrew    T ..382 

Blair,   D.   F 489 

Blair,   James  M 275 

Blair,   R.   A 266 

Blewitt,    Christopher 95 

Bogert,  Hank    759 

Bogue,    Joseph    208 

Bolem,  Henry   491 

Boner,  Leander  N 245 

Boone,    George   W 136 

Borah,    Alfred   G 688 

Borah,   Jacob  E 736 

Bosse,    Christian    654 

Bourg,  Benedict   211 

Bourg,    Louis    213 

Bowles,  Samuel    252 

Boyle,  Harry  D 305 

Boyce,   Stephen  A 278 

Breeze,  Lemuel  L 134 

Brewer,    Alonzo    515 


Briggs,  William    386 

Brock,    Norris    W 803 

Brower,    William    J 332 

Brown,    Frank    630 

Brown,    G.    W 485 

Brown,    Horace   G 26 

Brown,    John   P 710 

Brown,  Robert   866 

Bruner,    Frederick    S 564 

Bryan,  Robert  V 239 

Buchmann,    Max    574 

Bucklin,    Alvin   N 564 

Bucklin,   James   W.. 147 

Buddecke,  A.  E 301 

Budge,    James    46 

Bull,    Heman   R 840 

Bull,  Harry  W 647 

Bunting,    Isaac   N 570 

Burger,   Frank   M ' 17 

Burritt,  Fred  R.  .  .  .336 


Cain,  Charles  W 838 

Campbell,    Edmund    F 411 

Campbell,    John    A 442 

Canfield,   Isaac    373 

Cannon,    Frank    P 402 

Cannon,    Harry    M 385 

Cardnell,    William     168 

Carle,    William    W .454 

Carnahan,   James   S 146 

Carolan,    Thomas    622 

Carpenter,    John    Y 689 

Carroll,    Joseph    A 801 

Carroll,    Miles     210 

Carter,   Henry   C 60 

Cartmel,    William    0 265 

Caster,    Charles    242 

Caswell,    Charles    F 579 

Cavanaugh,    Martin    115 

Chadwick,    Charles    A 764 


INDEX. 


Chadwick.  William   250 

Chapman,    Franz    S 452 

Chapman,  George  T 421 

Chapman,  William    118 

Chapman,    W.   C 673 

Chapman,  William  L 420 

Charlesworth,   John  C 466 

Chatfield,    I.    W 68 

Chiles,  George  P 328 

Chisholm,    Daniel    W 589 

Choate,   Mark   870 

Christie,    Charles    C 719 

Clapp,    Charles    L 802 

Clare,  John  C 852 

Clark,   George   A 73 

Clark,    Harold    W 205 

Clark,    John   F 105 

Clark,   Robert    E 94 

Clark,   Samuel  B 80 

Clark,    Thomas    C 827 

Clark,    Thomas   0 83 

Clark,  William  H 33 

Clark,   Walter    S 197 

Clausen,    Jens    J 74 

Cobb,    George   W 846 

Coburn,  W.  S 285 

Coffey,   Robert   J 717 

Collins,    Frank    A 501 

Collom,   Arthur    432 

Cone,  George  H 310 

Conklin,  W.  D 742 

Cook,  John  C 76 

Cook,   John   W 458 

Cook,    William    S 396 

Cookman,   Gideon    769 

Cooper,    Byron    B 136 

Copeland,    William    S 169 

Copp,  Henry    664 

Corcoran,    George    261 

Couchman,    George    R 847 

Covey,   Charles  H 637 

Cowell,    George   E 426 

Cox,  James  W 492 

Crabill,  Aden  B 367 

Craig,   D.  H 295 

Craig,  Mrs.  Jane  0 313 

Cramer,  Samuel   219 

Crawford,  George  A 150 

Crawford,   James   H 92 

Crawley,  John  F 82 

Criswell,    J.    L 843 

Croall,  Norman  G 156 

Crook,  John  E 44 

Crossan,    George    C 516 

Crotser,   William    H 364 

Crowell,    David    C 131 


Croxton,  John  H 278 

Crumly,   Harvey   D 422 

Cullen,    Patrick    98 

Cunningham,  Joseph  L 622 

Curtis  Brothers   823 

Curtis,    George    H 823 

Curtis,    John    A 362 

Curtis,  James  W > 254 

Curtis,  Wilbur  L 823 

Curtiss,  Frank    288 

Cyr,  Nelson   728 


D 


Daggett,  Orion  W 683 

Dailey,    Charles    81 

Dappen,  Louis  C 685 

Davenport,  Vorhis   C 730 

Davidson,  James  J 609 

Davidson,  William  D 582 

Davis,  Charles    222 

Day,  George  J.  D 519 

Deakins,  William  R 537 

Delaney,    John    791 

DeLong,   Horace   T . 840 

Dennison,   L.    G 860 

Dickinson,  W.  Scott 487 

Dickson,    Amos    J 31 

Diel,    Christian    J 715 

Dirlan,  Robert  C 774 

Ditman,  William    259 

Doak,    William    A 282 

Dodgion,    A.    J 756 

Donlavy,  Frank   752 

Donnelson,  Ephus   804 

Doughty,    Carl    718 

Dow,   Andrew    415 

Downing,    James    M 680 

Ducey,  Thomas  R 807 

Duckett,  James  L 548 

Dunckley,   John    439 

Dunham,    Alfred    664 

Dunham,  John    862 

Dunn,    Dacre    463 

Dunn,    Frank    751 

Dunstan,  Richard  J 130 

Dunstan,   Thomas    799 

Dwyer,  Robert  W 155 

Dyer,  Joseph  M 410 


E 


Easterly,    Lewis   H 262 

Eaton,  Ervin  D 525 

Eaton,    Robert    389 

Ebler.    Frank    J 216 


Edgerton,    Hamlin   L 186 

Edwards,    Riley    M 822 

Eglee,    Edward    E 777 

Egry,    Charles    F 534 

Ehrhart,    Thomas   J 727 

Eilebrecht,    Herman    708 

Ellington,   A.    C 342 

Ellington,  L.  C 724 

Elliott,  Thomas  C 517 

Ellis,   Bert    494 

Ellis,  John  M 449 

Ellison,    Albert    C.. 304 

Elmer,   Mathias    437 

Elmer,  Nicholas   526 

Elrod,    John  B 248 

Erwin,    William    528 

Estes,   James  R 182 

Evans,    Milton    663 

Ewers,  James 55 

Ewing,     S.    E.... 465 


F 


Farmer,  Samuel  H 653 

Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  594 

Farrington,    John    633 

Fenlon,    James    A 746 

Ferguson,    David    D 539 

Finley,   Rowland  W 133 

Fisher,    Samuel   C 180 

Fiske,  Abram,  &  Son : .  139 

Fitzpatrick,  John  A 394 

Fitzpatrick,  Peter    740 

Fix,    Samuel    619 

Fletcher,  R.   E 259 

Fogg,  George 337 

Forker,    William 601 

Forkner,  Thomas  A 238 

Fox,   Charles   B 817 

Frahm,  Jonn  H 538 

Franz,    Charles    J 809 

Fritzler,    Thomas    J 462 

Fullenwider,  John  H.,  Sr 835 

Fuller,  Collins  D   190 


G 


Gagnon,   Thomas    540 

Gaines,  Samuel  A 675 

Gale,   William  R 360 

Galloway,    John   R 853 

Gant,  Emanuel   771 

Gant,    William    50 

Gavin,   Horace    255 

Gavin,    John    T 264 

Geiger,   J.   V 757 


INDEX. 


Geil,   John    102 

Gentry,  James  C 448 

George,  Alfred    25 

Gerbaz,  Jerry    214 

Gibbs,  Thomas  B 450 

Gibson,    George    395 

Gillaspey,  William  A .  .389 

Gilliam,   Jesse  T 469 

Goddard,    W.    E 480 

Goff,  John  B 786 

Goff,    William    H 787 

Gollagher,    S 486 

Goodrich,    George    H 765 

Goodrich,  Hubbard  W 109 

Gould,    Alec   845 

Grace,    Gustaveus    162 

Graham,    Isem    W 406 

Graves,    Arthur 836 

Graves  &   Ahrens    836 

Gray,    Elbert   H 215 

Green,    Chester    A 473 

Green,  Robert  H 795 

Griffmg,    John   L 748 

Grow,    William    J 333 

Guiney,   Cornelius  M 399 


H 


Halm,    Joseph     701 

Hall,    Augustus    756 

Hall,    James    862 

Halsey,   John   S 726 

Halsey,  John   S.,   Jr 725 

Hamilton,   Eugene   C 859 

Hamilton,   Riley   S 243 

Hammond,  Henry    362 

Hanson,   Knud    566 

Harker,    Frank    A • 789 

Harp,    Horace    S 24 

Harris,  Charles  H 127 

Harris,   John   L 616 

Harris,    J.    M 656 

Harris,   William  H 600 

Harrod,    Joseph    C 542 

Hartman,    Alonzo    174 

Hasley,   Henry    173 

Haverstick,  Simon  E 331 

Hawthorne,   D.   C 387 

Heaton,  William  V 27 

Hedges,    Leroy    C    567 

Heiner,    Joseph   F 376 

Helvey,    Robert    520 

Hemmerlee  Brothers 870 

Hemmerlee,  Louis   870 

Hemmerlee,  William  .  ..870 


Henderson,  William  J.  S 347 

Henrickson,    Hans    S 63 

Henry,    Edward    265 

Henry,   George  W 366 

Henry,   William    493 

Hernage,   Henry   J.   W 681 

Heron,   Alexander    531 

Heuschkel,    Frank    L 141 

Hick,    Lawrence   A 368 

Hickman,  John  F 61 

Hickman,    T.    C 565 

Hickman,    William    H 71 

Hicxson,   John    335 

Hills,  Francis  M 584 

Hitchens,  Joseph   443 

Kitchens,    James    H 613 

Hitchens,    William    M, 612 

Hockett,   Prior  W 231 

Hoffman,  David  J 408 

Hoffman,    George    F 631 

Holbrook,    Charles   C 643 

Holland,   M.   D 490 

Holland,    Oscar 455 

Holland,  Timothy  D 44 

Hollingsworth,  J.   S 268 

Holmes,    Albert    661 

Hook,  William  R.   K 153 

Hooker,  Thomas  P 142 

Hooper,    William    F 811 

Hoskins,    Fred 424 

Hoskins,  Owen  W 423 

Hotchkiss,   Charles   R... 854 

Hotchkiss,  Roswell  A 849 

Hotz,  Martin .192 

Howard,    David    L 348 

Hudson,   Lorenzo    D 112 

Hughes,  Dennis    640 

Hughes,   Edwin   S 170 

Hull,   Frank    101 

Humphrey,  Richard    396 

Hunter,    James    T 77 

Hunter,    Pendleton    863 

Hurlburt,  John  B 766 

Hurst,   Wilfred   L 89 

Hurt,  James  L 682 

Hutchinson,    Frisbie    D 518 

Hyde,    Arthur   B 848 

Hynes,  Laurence   430 

Hyzer,  Abram  E 419 


Ikeler,   Hiram   B 171 

Imoversteg,    Robert    754 

Innman,   Irwin  1 235 


Irving,  P.  F 

Irwin,    Charles    C. 


.193 
.769 


Jacobs,    Charles    E 159 

Jacobs,  Oliver   G 159 

Jacobson,    Jacob    775 

James,  David  S. 779 

Jaquette,  Fred  C 349 

Jarvis,    John    T ..244 

Jay,   Samuel 721 

Jaynes,  Chester  E 423 

Jaynes,   Ezra   E 391 

Jaynes,  Lester  E .427 

Jayne,   Whitaker 590 

Jeep,   Frederick 505 

Jenkins,    Charles    T 758 

Jens,  John   353 

Jensen,    John    H 258 

Jewell,    Samuel    461 

JoHantgen,  F.  N .• 352 

Johnson,    Abijah    v  . 298 

Johnson,    Albert   T 532 

Johnson,   Charles   F 292 

Johnson,    Lester    C 561 

Johnson,   Louis  A. 533 

Johnson,   Nels   P 469 

Johnson,  Wallace  A . 825 

Johnson,  William  S 53 

Jones,  Daniel  S 829 

Jones,  Joseph  J ' 611 

Jones,   J.    M 340 

Jones,  Owen  0 230 

Jones,    Price    M 511 

Jones,  Roy   E 759 

Jones,   William   G 106 

Jones,  William  H .522 

Joseph,  Edwin    856 

Judy,    Adam    H 471 

Julian,    Charles    474 

Jutten,  Gerhard    648 


K 


Kauble,  John  A 91 

Keller,    Alfred    740 

Keller,    William    A 37 

Kelley,    Daniel    M 314 

Kelley,  John    669 

Kellogg,    Irving   M 70 

Kellogg,    Joseph   E 433 

Kelsey,    J.    M 744 

Kern,   Omer   M 693 

Kendall,    John    .  ..468 


INDEX. 


Kennedy,   W.   A 269 

Kennedy,   William    P 415 

Kenney,    Daniel    707 

Kenney,  William   865 

Kermode,  Richard  868 

Kiefer,   Benjamin  F 553 

Kiefer,   Frank  D 559 

Kiggins,   Zachariah   B 189 

Kilduff,    Thomas    72 

Kimball,  G.  P.  0 403 

Kimbley,   Robert    » 132 

King,  Alfred   R 365 

King,   George   W 221 

Kinney,    James   0 700 

Kitchen,    Mrs.    Eliza   E 760 

Kitchens,   Henry    138 

Knowles,   Frank   F 838 

Koch,  Harry  G 204 

Koehne,  Theodore   341 

Koll,  John   445 

Kreuger,    Edward    874 


Lake,    Henry    F 374 

Lake,  Lucius   414 

Lando,   G.   H 747 

Lane,  Matthew   554 

Lane,   Squire   G 496 

Langstaff,  John  J 782 

Larkin,   John    763 

Larson,   Charles  H 51 

Larson,   Charles    P 75 

Laughlin,    Matthew     507 

Laurent,    J.    A 491 

Lawley,   Charles   E 509 

Lawrence,    Clinton    1 645 

Lawrence,  John    623 

Lee,  William  R 172 

Lefever,    Peter    470 

Leighton,    Charles   H 103 

LeKamp,   John   H 45 

Lewis,    Alfred    S 323 

Lewis,  Benjamin  W 784 

Lewis,    Wilbert   E. 120 

Lewy,  Adam    673 

Libbey,  Charles    377 

Light,  Frederick 86 

Lightley,   Frank   E 495 

Lightley,   George  W 179 

Lindgren,    Yomas    Ill 

Lindsay,  Thomas   P...' 104 

Linell,  Nelson  L 551 

Lines,  William  H 315 

Linton,    Harry    833 


Lof ,  Anders  J.  0 88 

Loper,  E.  A 734 

Loshbaugh,   Eli  C 62 

Lucero,  Louis   652 

Lumsden,    John   J 356 

Lundgreen.    John    90 

Lunny,    Owen    H 794 

Luxen,   Joseph    66 

Lyons,    John    800 

Lyttle,   James    232 

Me 

McBirney,    Joseph    T 416 

McCall,   Thomas  R 858 

McCarthy,    Daniel    188 

McCartney,   Oliver   P 368 

McCary,   James   T 409 

McClure,    Finla    729 

McConnell,   Albert  H 646 

McConnell,    David    A 484 

McCormick,  William  G 521 

McCoy,    Charles    H 620 

McCoy,  John  Ed    805 

McCoy,  Thomas    327 

McDonald,  James  R 659 

McDougal,  John  M 378 

McDowell,    E.    H 481 

McFarland,    Edwin    H 107 

McGrew,    J.    B 865 

McHugh,    James   B 338 

McKee,   M.   H 160 

McKenna,  James  J 874 

McKenzie,    Alexander    87 

McKinlay,   William    A 447 

McKinney,  Charles    765 

McKinnis,   Philip   R 615 

McLachlan,   Archie    236 

McLaughlin,    Farrell    792 

McLean,    Donald    776 

McMullin,    Samuel   G 575 

McMurray,   Irvin   M 359 

McPherson,    Daniel    C 52 

McQuaid,  Barney  723 


M 


Mahany,    Albert    D 561 

Mahon,  Hugh    723 

Male,   Joseph   B 446 

Mallory,  Enoch  G 156 

Manges,    Franklin     334 

Mann,   John  B 272 

Marold,    Carl   L 510 

Marsh,  William  A 575 


Martin,    Samuel    400 

Masser,    Charles    B 149 

Masters,  'George  W 258 

Matthews,    Sanford    H 668 

May,  William   864 

Melton,  George  W 603 

Meredith,    Henry    A . 705 

Meredith,  Harold  H 70G 

Merling,  John   845 

Metcalf .    Hartley    A 275 

Metzger,  Otto    223 

Miller,  C.  G 484 

Miller,    George   W 418 

Miller,  Jacob  383 

Miller,   Jacob  D 178 

Miller,    Louis    488 

Miller,  Lawrence  M 429 

Miller,    Reinhard    D 535 

Misemer,    Samviel   C 239 

Mollette,   A.   R 872 

Monroe,   J.  Vernon    183 

Monson,    William    B 482 

Monteith,    William    R 826 

Moog,  John  D 786 

Moore,   Frank  H 741 

Moore,    Joseph    744 

Moore,  Otis    494 

Moore,  Thomas  C 743 

Moore,    Thomas    M 302 

Moore,   William  W 128 

Morgan,  Stephen    855 

Morgan,  Thomas    806 

Morin,  Julian  P 797 

Morse,   Oscar   F ...233 

Mott,    George   S 851 

Mounson,    Nels    C 639 

Moyer,  William  J 144 

Mulqueen,  Andrew  E 197 

Mulvihill,   Jeremiah    384 


N 


Nachtrieb,   Charles    875 

Naefe,    Frederick    A 220 

Naeve,   John    386 

Needham,   James    119 

Neidhardt,    George    819 

Neiman,  Charles  W 451 

Nelson,  William  H 857 

Newcomb,  Cyrus  F 869 

Newell,    George    J 310 

Newman,    Joseph    D 218 

Nichols,  Benjamin  L 40 

Nicholson,    Joseph     467 

Nimerick   Brothers    47 


INDEX. 


Nimerick,    James   B 47 

Nimerick,  John  C 47 

Nisbeth,    Thomas    P 709 

Nolan,   J.   B 757 

Norton,    Enos    H 736 

Norvell,    James   L 447 

Nuckolds,    Miarshall   J 780 

Nurnberg,    Eugene 161 

Nurnberg,  John    160 


O 


Olesen,   Hans   P 113 

Olesen,   Julius   P 117 

Olesen,   Samuel   P 116 

Ornis,    Lewis   V ''. 848 

Orr,    Robert    A 270 

Osborn,   Jesse  W 678 

Osborn,  William  C 558 

Ostrom,  Ralph  W 399 

Overbay,    William    H 326 

Overman,   George   F 658 


Page,   James    266 

Palmer,   Mrs.   Ellen  T 471 

Parker,  Thadd    565 

Parlin,    John    T 713 

Parry,  Joseph  M.  B 194 

Parton,  J.  H 263 

Paterson,    John    162 

Patterick,   George  N 428 

Patterson,   S.    C 247 

Pattison,  William  L 48 

Paxton,  Livius  C 84 

Pelton,    John    E 732 

Perkins,    Herbert   E 371 

Perreault,  A.  N 698 

Peters,    Phil    281 

Phillips,  William  D 157 

Pierce,  Albert  M 226 

Pierson,    Henry    790 

Pierson,  Joseph  W 318 

Pitchford,    George    E 241 

Plank,   John   J 388 

Platt,    John    311 

Port,   John   A 716 

Porter,    James    S 56 

Porter,    Perrin    739 

Powell,    Arnold    618 

Powell,  Edwin    209 

Price,    Edwin    576 

Price,    James   F 807 

Pritchard,  William    .  ..527 


Proffitt,    John   W 585 

Puett,    Albert    M 700 

Purdy,    Samuel   L 261 

Putney,    Joseph   J 286 


R 


Ralston,    Joseph     225 

Ranney,  Charles  A 436 

Ranney,  Frank  B 237 

Ratekin,  John  B 676 

Rathnell,  William   850 

Rausis,    Henry    750 

Rausis,    Herman    750 

Ray,   Thomas    666 

Rector,    James   W 39 

Reeser,  C.   Edward    499 

Reeser,    William    498 

Reeves,  Aylmer  F 703 

Reid,  Samuel  B 804 

Reid,  Samuel  C 617 

Reigan,  Robert 793 

Reynolds,    Reuben    0 539 

Rhinehart,    William    E 560 

Rhoads,  Jasper  N 401 

Rhyne,    Charles    M 778 

Rice,    Phidelah   A 145 

Rice,   William   A.. 58 

Richner,    Herman    431 

Rider,  Jacob  W 143 

Riehl,  G.  A 341 

Riland,  James  L 229 

Rives,  Robert  B 649 

Roatcap,    Daniel    S 324 

Roatcap,    Joseph    S 343 

Roberts,  Charles  B 621 

Robertson,   Robert  A 772 

Robinson,   Andrew    J 201 

Robinson,  Edward  W 850 

Rock,  Henley  C 51 

Rodgers,   Vincent  U 662 

Rogers,   R.    N 842 

Rohrbough,   George   E 85 

Roller,    William    W 294 

Romer,  John  H 393 

Rominger,    Frank 505 

Rominger,  John   587 

Rose,  William  H 434 

Rosenberg,   Theodore    166 

Ross,    Elmer    H 279 

Ross,   Frank 380 

Ross,   Lewis  E 280 

Ross,  William  H 801 

Roth,  Joseph  556 

Rownan,   Michael   T 772 


Russey,    McKay    412 

Rutan,  J.  C 852 

Ryan,  Charles  M ,  .299 

Ryan,    Robert   M 203 


Salmon,  Elijah 224 

Sampson,    Delos    W 267 

Sampson,  Robert   738 

Sand   Creek   Indian   Fight... 627 

Sanders,    Jesse    F. 359 

Sandy,  Martin  L. 49 

Sapp,   Dexter  T 591 

Saylor,  Davis    H 868 

Scales,    Charles    287 

Scandrett,  Charles  A 509 

Schaffnit,    Henry,    Sr 440 

Scharnhorst,    Charles    J 670 

Schermerhorn,  Fred   372 

Schildt,   Stillman  H 306 

Schilling,    John    506 

Schmitt,    Adrian    547 

Schupp,   August   , ,  753 

Schutte,   John  Christian 813 

Schwartz,  William    553 

Scott,  Arthur  T 628 

Scott,    Frank    677 

Scott,    Thomas    B 546 

Scott,   Theodore  W 420 

Sebree,  Ozias  D 187 

Seeley,    C.    D 274 

Sewell,  Charles  B 413 

Sharp,   Milo   B 546 

Sharpe,  Charles  M 873 

Shaver,    Frank    E 234 

Shaw    Brothers    798 

Shaw,  Graham  O 798 

Shaw,   Herbert    798 

Shaw,    John    798 

Shaw,  Robert    198 

Sheek,  Wiley  F 343 

Shellabarger,  Adam    502 

Shelton,    Ezekiel    529 

Sherwood,   Benjamin    30 

Sherwood,  Robert  L 124 

Shindledecker,  George  W 325 

Shinn,   Edward  E 704 

Shippee,  James  H 277 

Shippee,  Marcus  L 152 

Shumate,   John   T 206 

Sieber,  Charles  R 369 

Sievers,   George    ,191 

Simmons,   Frank    477 

Simpson,    William    E 37 


INDEX. 


Slick,   B.   B 657 

Sloan,   William   C 687 

Sloss,    Sterling    P .  . . 154 

Smith,    Adam    225 

Smith,  Charles  605 

Smith,   David    36 

Smith,  Francis   768 

Smith,    Frank   R 587 

Smith,   George    656 

Smith,    George    568 

Smith,    George  J 711 

Smith,  George  P 550 

Smith,    Harvey    D 345 

Smith,  Jay  F.  . 289 

hmith,    James   H 549 

Smith,    John    R 344 

Smith,    John    R 246 

Smith,   True   Albert.... 777 

Smith,    William    L 54 

Snelson,   James   W 330 

Snoddy,   Joseph   W 317 

Songer,  Frank  E 715 

Spalding,   George   R 284 

Spencer,  Jonn  F.  . .  .' 256 

Spencer,    Walter    235 

Spencer,    William    D 638 

Spiers,  Jacob  Z 674 

Springer,  John  M 65 

Squire,    Albert    528 

Squire,  Frank  D 69 

Squire,   John   F 108 

Staats,   Henry  A 543 

Stahl,    Philip 818 

Staley,    Daniel    H 728 

Stanley,    Harvey    W 655 

Stapleton,   Timothy   C 91 

Stark,  H.   M 479 

Staton,   Hyrcanus    123 

Steinberg,  Melvin  S 599 

Stephan,    George    594 

Stephens,   David   S 290 

Sterner,   John   D 217 

Steward,    John   H 775 

Steward,  John  S 773 

Stewart,  Lemuel  T 397 

Stewart,    Mansir    500 

Stockdale,  Frank  M 861 

Stoddard,    George    762 

Stolze,    August    F 467 

Stone,  Columbus,  L 749 

Stone,  David  T 573 

Stone,   William    692 

Strehlke,   Julius  L 38 

Streit,    Martin    H 406 

Stringfleld,    Charles   W 193 

Stroud,   H.    A 401 


Strouse,  Edwin  H 604 

Stubbs,   Benajah  P 625 

Stubbs,  Dallas  B I 628 

Sullivan,   J.   F.,   Sr 490 

Swanson,  Frederick  W 833 

Sweet,  Charles  L 641 

Sweitzer,   Louis  W 309 

Sweney,  Joseph  P 271 


Tagert,    William    C 202 

Talbert,   Shadrack   T 858 

Tappan,  Stephen  V 303 

Taylor,   Arthur   G 572 

Taylor,    Edward    T 18 

Tayior,   James  C 296 

Teachout,   Henry  W 329 

Temple,  John  Charles 610 

Thatcher,  George  W 597 

Thomas,   John  L 414 

Thompson,    Benjamin    H....   28 

Thompson,    Elijah    B 794 

Thompson,   M.   C 760 

Thompson,  Robert  E 228 

Tichenor,    W.    W 405 

Tobin,    John   J 733 

Todd,   Charles   L 783 

Toland,    Frank   M 57 

Tomkins,   Henry   S 475 

Tomlinson,    Hiram    W 227 

Torrence,  Hugh    536 

Totten.  James  867 

Tourtelotte,   Henry    195 

Trimble,   James    699 

Trites,   John   W 815 

Truax,    Charles    665 

Trull,    George    E 523 

Turner,   John  W 96 

Twining,  Warren  H 200 


U 


Ulin,    August    110 

Ulin  Brothers   110 

Ulin,   Charles    110 

Ulin,  Gustavus   110 

Utley,  David    .  .  .  231 


Vader,    Palmer    H.., 184 

Van  Cleave,  H.  M 762 

Van  Cleve,  Philip  H 125 

Van  Deusen,  Robert  M 97 

Van  Hoorebeke,  Gustave  ....  571 


Van  Ostern,  William  V 487 

Van  Tassel,  Hiram   135 

Veatch,   William  L 23 

Veerkamp,  James  P .686 

Vezina,    Nelson    381 

Vickers,   Thomas    322 

Victoria    Hotel    Company.  ..  .686 

Vidal,   Regis    497 

Virden,    Thomas    755 

Von  Hagen,  H 658 

Voorhees,   Kilburn   C 164 

W 

Wachter,   Albert  G 735 

Wade,  Felix  G 379 

Waggoner,  James  Q 666 

Wald,    Peter    122 

Wales  Brothers    580 

Wales,  Edwin   582 

Wales,  Otis  A 580 

Walker,   Cullen  F 355 

Walker,  Gilbert  A 293 

Walker,    George    W 796 

Walker,   John    417 

Walker,   Samuel    J 810 

Walker,   William   R 810 

Wallihan,   Allen   G 137 

Walther,   Amos   E 720 

Ward,    Robert  A 307 

Wardlaw,    John    M 660 

Ware,  Hiram  V 58 

Warren,    William   G 43 

Wason,  Henry  H 691 

Waters,    Stephen    652 

Waters,    Thomas    253 

Watkins,   John  M 854 

Watson,    Benjamin    K 29 

Watson,  Charles  S 661 

Watson,    James 830 

Watson,   John   A 34 

Watson,    Samuel    832 

Watson,    Samuel   W 770 

Watson,  William   273 

Watson,  Zedekiah   291 

Wattle,    Theodore    W 672 

Webb,   D.   M.,   Jr 464 

Webber,  William 654 

Weeks,    Samuel   W 385 

Weir,   Andrew    121 

Weisbeck,   Martin    435 

Welch,  Milton  R 358 

Welch,    Stephen    R 426 

Welsh,   John    456 

Welty,    John     634 

Weston,    John   N 614 


INDEX. 


Wheeler,    Frank    E 679 

Wheeler,    L.    S 844 

Wheeler,    Samuel    N 569 

Whetstone,    John    Adam 444 

Whetstone,  James  M 437 

Whinnery,   John  E 319 

Whipp,    John   E 273 

Whipp,    Smith   L 596 

White,    Ralph    H 249 

Whitley,   James    350 

Whitsell,    Charles    M 35*6 

Whitsell,   James  H 356 

Wilbur,    Eddie    P 788 

Wilder,    George   C 690 

Wilheim,   Isaac  A 524 

Wilkinson,   George  S 114 

Wilkinson,    William    H 412 

Williams   Brothers    129 

Williams,    David    H 129 

Williams,  Eugene    814 

Williams,  John  Hugh    812 


Williams,  John  M 201 

Williams,    Seth    129 

Willis,   John   W 632 

Willis,    Oliver    E 754 

Willits,   Lee  R 158 

Willson,   Fred    D 403 

Wilmoth,    Sylvester .   59 

Wilson,    Charles   A 644 

Winburn,    S.    D. 668 

Wingate,   John  W 671 

Wingert,   Leonard   M. 687 

Winkelman,  John  W 856 

Winter,    Walter    257 

Wise,   R.    C .263 

Wise,  Thomas  H 240 

Wister,    George    646 

Wood.  Rufus  A 466 

Woodward,   Henry   E.. 598 

Wolbert,    Harry    H 595 

Wolf.    John    260 

Woll,    William   W..  "752 


Woolery,  Harvey   512 

Woolley,   George  D 530 

Wright,   Alonzo   S 320 

Wright,  William  S 321 

Wurts,   William  W 544 

Wurtz,   Henry  G 269 

Wylie,  John  Edward    390 


Yeaton,    Arlie    B 354 

Yeoman,  Enos  F 407 

Yessen,  John  H 551 

Yoast,   William   L 438 

Young,  George  L 766 

Yule,  George 592 

Yule,  Joseph   251 


Zanola,  Cesar    589 

Zaugg,  William  0 199 

Zerbe,    Allen    L.  .  .21 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN 


OF 


WESTERN  COLORADO 


FRANK  M.  BURGER. 

Frank  M.  Burger,  of  Mesa  county,  a  pros- 
perous and  enterprising  ranchman  and  stock- 
grower  living  twelve  miles  east  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  por- 
tion of  the  county,  and  has  been  a  great  force 
for  good  in  the  development  and  growth  of 
the  section,  giving  his  aid  to  every  promising 
undertaking  for  the  benefit  of  its  farms  and  its 
people  and  originating  and  constructing  some 
works  of  great  public  utility  himself.  Although 
somewhat  engaged  in  general  farming  and  rais- 
ing stock,  his  principal  industry  on  his  home 
farm  is  the .  production  of  large  quantities  of 
superior  fruit  of  choice  varieties.  Mr.  Burger 
is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  at  St.  Paris,  that 
state,  in  1852,  and  the  son  of  Michael  and 
Julia  (Barnheart)  Burger,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they 
moved  to  Ohio  and  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers at  Dayton.  The  father  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  and  followed  his  craft  until  his  death, 
in  1852,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one.  His  widow 
lived  until  1891,  then  died  at  a  good  old  age, 
lacking  only  three  weeks  and  ten  days  of 


being  one  hundred  years  old.     The  remains  of 
the  father  were  buried  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
those  of  the  mother  at  Grand  Junction,  this 
state.     Frank  was  the  last  born  of  their  nine 
children.     Being  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his 
father  soon  after  he  was  born,  life  was  for  him 
a  serious  matter  at  a  very  early  age.    When  he 
was  but  eleven  years  old  he  went  to  work  on 
farms  in  Illinois,  and  continued  this  employ- 
ment about  seven  years.     He  then  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist  at  Peoria,  Illinois, 
and  served  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years  at 
it.     In  1876  he  started  west,  passing  through 
Iowa    and    Kansas,  and    then    coming    on    to 
Pueblo,  Colorado,  reaching  that  city  in   1881 
and  going  to  work  in  the  machine  shops  there. 
After  being  thus  employed  for  eleven  months 
he  moved  on  October  9,  1882,  to  the  fruit  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives,  and  which  has  been  his 
home  since  the  date  last  named.     As  a  means 
of  improving  his  land  and  that  of  other  per- 
sons in  this  part  of  the  county  he  built  at  his 
own  expense  the  Mount  Lincoln. ditch,  the  con- 
struction of  which  occupied  him  nine  years, 
and  the  money  for  which  he  made  by  keeping 
a  short-order  house  of  good  grade.     He  was 


i8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


married  in  1896  to  Miss  Lydia  Curry,  of 
Palisade.  They  have  one  child,  Frank  M.,  Jr. 
Mr.  Burger  has  been  very  active  in  promoting 
the  interests  of  Grand  valley,  aiding  every  good 
enterprise  for  the  purpose  himself,  and  by  hfs 
influence  and  example  securing  the  active  and 
effective  co-operation  of  others.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  with 
membership  in  Palisade  Lodge,  No.  147,  and 
the  Elks,  Grand  Junction  Lodge,  No.  575. 

HON.  EDWARD  T.  TAYLOR. 

. 

This  distinguished  lawyer,  business  man, 
legislator  and  publicist,  who  is  now  (1904)  a 
resident  of  Glenwood  Springs,  and  forty-six 
•years  of  age,  has  passed  just  half  his  life  in 
Colorado,  and  has  had  among  her  people  a 
career  which  is  an  impressive  lesson  and  an 
inspiration.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Metamora  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  on 
June  19,  1858,  and  there  he  acquired  habits  of 
useful  industry  along  with  independence  of 
spirit  and  self-reliance.  His  father,  Hon. 
Henry  R.  Taylor,  a  native  of  England,  was 
brought  by  his  parents  in  his  infancy  to  Mor- 
gan county,  Illinois,  and  was  reared  to  man- 
hood on  a  farm  near  Jacksonville,  that  county. 
In  1857  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  M. 
Evans,  who  was  born  in  Indiana.  At  the  be- 
'ginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fifty-first  Illinois  Infantry,  and  in  that  com- 
mand he  served  to  the  close  of  the  momentous 
conflict,  seeing  much  active  service  and  facing 
death  on  many  a  hard-fought  field,  but  escap- 
ing without  wounds,  capture  or  other  disaster. 
After  the  war  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
life  as  a  prominent  and  well-to-do  farmer,  liv- 
ing as  such  for  a  number  of  years  in  Illinois 
and  afterward  in  western  Kansas.  In  the  latter 
state  he  served  frequently  in  the  legislature  and 
held  other  important  public  offices.  He  died  in 
1888,  and  four  years  later  his  widow  passed 


away,  leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
The  sons,  Hon.  Edward  T.  and  Charles  W. 
Taylor,  are  associated  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Glenwood  Springs;  and  the  three  daughters, 
who  are  all  married,  live  at  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri. The  immediate  subject  of  this  brief 
memoir  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Illinois  and  stock  ranch  in 
Kansas,  and  was  a  cowboy  for  a  number  of 
years.  His  academic  education  was  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county  and 
at  the  Leaven  worth  (Kansas)  high  school,  he 
being  graduated  from  the  latter  with  honor  in 
1 88 1.  After  his  graduation  he  at  once  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Lead vi lie,  where 
during  the  school  year  of  1881-2  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  high  school.  Resigning  this  posi- 
tion in  the  fall  of  1882,  he  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann* 
Arbor.  In  the  university  he  was  president  of 
his  class ;  took  a  special  course  in  the  literary 
department ;  passed  a  year  as  a  student  in  Judge 
Cooley's  private  office;  belonged  to  the  Phi 
Delta  Phi  college  fraternity;  and  was  a  room- 
mate of  the  late  Governor  Richard  Yates  of 
Illinois,  in  the  class  with  whom  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1884,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  Immediately  thereafter  he  returned  to 
Leadville  and  entered  the  law  office  of  his  uncle, 
Hon.  Joseph  W.  Taylor,  with  whom  he  was 
actively  associated  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  a  period  of  two  years.  Owing  to 
ill  health  from  overwork  at  college,  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  a  lower  altitude  and  in  the 
spring  of  1886  moved  to  Aspen.  There  he 
practiced  during  the  remainder  of  that  year, 
and  being  then  required  by  his  physician  to 
seek  a  still  lower  altitude,  he  located  in  Febru- 
ary, 1887,  at  Glenwood  Springs,  where  he  has 
ever  since  lived.  Giving  his  attention  wholly 
to  his  profession,  by  his  characteristic  energy, 
legal  ability  and  devotion  to  his  business,  he 
has  built  up  a  very  large  and  remunerative 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


practice  throughout  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  state.  He  has  had  many  cases  of  com- 
manding importance,  and  in  the  trial  of  them 
all  has  attracted  the  attention  of  both  his  pro- 
fessional brethren  and  the  laity  by  his  compre- 
hensive and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  law,  in 
statutes  and  decisions,  his  readiness  and  re- 
sourcefulness in  legal  expedients,  and  his  elo- 
quence and  logical  power  before  courts  and 
juries.  Meanwhile  he  has  used  his  business  op- 
portunities with  vigor  and  good  judgment,  and 
has  acquired  a  considerable  body  of  valuable 
real  estate  besides  his  residence,  which  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  western  Colorado.  From  1887 
to  1889  Mr.  Taylor  was  the  referee  of  the  dis- 
trict court  that  adjudicated  all  the  water  rights 
in  the  Roaring  Fork,  Grand  and  White  river 
countries,  and  his  decrees  have  been  followed 
by  all  other  referees  in  the  northwestern  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  He  personally  took  the 
evidence  and  prepared  the  decrees  in  more  than 
a  thousand  acres,  and  in  none  was  he  ever 
reversed  by  the  appellate  court.  He  is  there- 
fore referred  to  generally  as  "The  Father  of 
the  Water  Rights  on  the  Western  Slope,"  and 
is  everywhere  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
and  best  informed  irrigation  lawyers  in  Colo- 
rado. For  various  magazines  and  other  publi- 
cations he  has  written  numerous  articles  on  ir- 
rigation, good  roads,  needed  legislation  and 
other  subjects  of  current  interest,  one  of  the 
most  important  being  his  address  before  the 
Colorado  Bar  Association  in  1902  on  "The 
Torrens  System  of  Registering  Title  to  Land." 
In  the  thirteenth  general  assembly  he  was  the 
author  of  senate  joint  resolution  No.  7,  direct- 
ing the  governor  and  attorney  general  to  retain 
sufficient  counsel  and  go  to  whatever  expense 
might  be  necessary,  without  limit,  to  protect 
the  rights  of  Colorado  in  the  litigation  with  the 
state  of  Kansas  over  the  use  of  the  waters  of 
the  Arkansas  river.  That  was  the  initiation  of 
Colorado's  defense  in  this  memorable  litigation. 


and  is  fraught  with  vast  and  vital  importance 
to  the  state.  Taking  always  and  in  every  way 
a  lively,  earnest  and  intelligent  interest  in 
public  affairs,  Senator  Taylor  has  held  many 
important  positions  and  has  rilled  them  all  with 
credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  peo- 
ple. In  the  fall  of  1884  ne  was  chosen  as  the 
candidate  of  all  political  parties  county  super- 
intendent of  schools  for  Lake  county,  and  he 
held  the  position  until  he  left  Leadville.  He 
was  also  appointed  deputy  district  attorney  for 
that  county  and  served  as  such  until  his  re- 
moval to  Aspen.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  for  the  ninth  judicial 
district,  embracing  Pitkin,  Garfield,  Routt  and 
Rio  Blanco  counties,  and  he  held  the  position 
for  a  full  term.  In  1896  he  was  chosen  state 
senator  for  the  twenty-first  senatorial  district, 
comprised  of  Garfield  and  Eagle  counties,  and 
in  1900  he  was  re-elected  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  In  1901  Rio  Blanco  county  was 
added  to  the  twenty-first  district.  In  1904  he 
was  renominated  and  made  the  race  against 
desperate  odds.  It  was  positively  asserted  and 
generally  believed  that  there  was  fully  twenty 
thousand  dollars  expended  by  the  smelter  trust 
and  other  corporations  to  defeat  him,  but  he 
was  again  re-elected,  carrying  all  three  counties 
by  handsome  majorities,  when  each  of  the 
counties  gave  Roosevelt  large  majorities,  and 
he  is  at  the  time  of  this  writing  just  entering 
upon  his  third  four-year  term  in  the  state 
senate.  In  the  meantime  he  has  served  five 
terms  as  city  attorney  of  Glenwood  Springs. 
In  1901  and  1902  he  was  also  county  attorney 
of  Garfield  county,  and  during  the  latter  year 
was  president  of  the  State  Association  of 
County  Attorneys.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Colorado  Bar  Association,  and  was  its  vice- 
president  during  the  year  1902-3.  In  politics 
Senator  Taylor  was  originally  a  Republican, 
but  he  renounced  his  allegiance  to  the  party  in 
1896  on  account  of  its  financial  position,  and 


20 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO, 


since  then  he  has  been  actively  aligned  with 
the  Democrats.  In  their  organization  he  has 
been  for  the  past  two  years  chairman  of  the 
county  central  committee  for  Garfield  county 
and  that  county's  member  of  the  state  central 
committee.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  an  enthusi- 
astic Freemason,  being  a  Knight  Templar  and 
a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Elks.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1892,  his  wife  being  formerly  Miss 
Etta  Taber,  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  a  native 
of  the  state  of  New  York  and  who  was  reared 
and  educated  at  Council  Bluffs  and  graduated 
from  the  high  school  of  that  city.  Two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union  and  brightened 
their  household,  Edward  T.,  Jr.,  aged  ten,  and 
Etta  T.,  aged  four.  In  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  general  assemblies  of  the  state  the 
Senator  was  chairman  of  the  senate  judiciary 
committee.  In  the  thirteenth  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  reapportionment  committee,  and 
in  the  fourteenth  chairman  of  the  revision  com- 
mittee. In  each  assembly  he  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  finance  and  other  important  com- 
mittees. At  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  he  was 
elected  president  pro  tempore  of  the  senate, 
holding  the  position  from  April  I,  1901,  to 
January  7,  1903,  and  in  that  capacity  presided 
over  the  senate  during  the  extra  session  of  the 
thirteenth  assembly  in  the  absence  of  the  presi- 
dent. During  Governor  Orman's  extended  trip 
east  in  the  summer  of  1902,  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Coates  filled  the  executive  chair  and  Sen- 
ator Taylor  acted  as  lieutenant  governor.  The 
Senator  has  probably  been  the  author  of  more 
important  bills  than  any  other  member  of  the 
legislature  of  Colorado  during  its  entire  history 
as  a  state,  some  thirty  laws  bearing  his  name 
being  now  on  the  statute  books.  The  most 
important  of  these  are  the  constitutional 
amendment  passed  at  the  election  of  1900,  al- 
lowing six  amendments  to  be  submitted  at  any 
one  election ;  the  bill  appropriating  forty  thou- 


sand dollars  for  the  construction  of  the  Taylor 
state  wagon  road  from  Denver  to  Grand  Junc- 
tion over  Tennessee  Pass  and  through  the 
famous  scenic  canyon  of  the  Grand  river,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  highways  in  the 
world  as  well  as  the  first  practical  wagon  road 
across  the  state,  and  which  the  Senator  hopes 
to  make  the  Colorado  division  of  the  proposed 
national  boulevard  across  the  continent ;  the 
law  abolishing  double  trials  in  mining  and  alt 
ejectment  suits,  which  saves  a  vast  amount  of 
litigation  and  expense  to  litigants;  the  law  of 
1897  from  which  the  state  derives  a  large 
increase  of  fees  from  corporations ;  the  law  per- 
mitting counties  to  refund  their  indebtedness; 
the  surety  company  law ;  several  stock  and  four 
of  the  most  important  irrigation  laws  in  the 
Colorado  statutes,  and  many  measures  simplify- 
ing the  practice  in  the  courts  and  promoting 
general  public  economy  throughout  the  state. 
His  most  important  measures  in  the  thirteenth 
general  assembly  of  1901  were  his  constitu- 
tional amendments  consolidating  county,  dis- 
trict and  state  elections,  and  providing  that 
there  shall  be  only  one  general  election  every 
two  years  in  the  state,  thereby  saving  to  the 
taxpayers  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  every 
alternate  year,  and  being  of  vast  benefit  in  other 
ways.  These  amendments,  known  as  the 
''Taylor  biennial  election  bills,"  are  universally 
commended  as  among  the  most  far-reaching, 
statesmanlike  and  unqualifiedly  beneficial  legis- 
lative measures  ever  enacted  by  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  will  not  only  forever  redound  to- 
the  Senator's  credit,  but  have  rendered  it  im- 
possible to  ever  write  the  political  history  of 
the  state  with  his  name  left  out.  In  all  his 
public  acts  he  has  been  the  friend  of  the  farm- 
ing and  laboring  classes,  but  he  has  in  a  special 
way  befriended  the  printers  and  publishers 
also.  The  press  of  the  state  had  for  years  ap- 
pealed to  the  legislature  for  recognition  with- 
out avail.  In  the  thirteenth  general  assembly 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


21 


Senator  Taylor  took  up  their  cause  as  almost 
their  only  champion  and  forced  through  the 
session  the  remedial  legislation  they  sought. 
earning  thereby  and  securing  the  lasting  grati- 
tude of  the  entire  newspaper  fraternity.  In 
the  fourteenth  assembly  (1903)  he  was  the 
author  of  the  constitutional  amendment  abolish- 
ing the  court  of  appeals  and  increasing  the  su- 
preme court  to  seven  judges,  and  fixing  the 
term  of  office  for  them  at  ten  years ;  the  act 
governing  the  dissolution  and  renewal  of  cer- 
tificates of  incorporation  of  both  domestic  and 
foreign  corporations,  and  regulating  the  fees 
therefor;  the  act  establishing  the  present  legal 
holidays  in  Colorado  and  making  for  the  first 
time  the  birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln  one  of 
them ;  the  irrigation  law  creating  the  office  of 
superintendent  of  irrigation  and  specifying  its 
•duties  and  fixing  the  scope  of  its  authority ;  the 
law  providing  for  the  records,  maps  and  state- 
ments that  must  be  made  in  reference  to  all 
ditches  and  reservoirs  in  the  state;  and,  more 
important  than  many  others,  the  act  providing 
for  the  adjudication  of  all  rights  to  water  for 
•domestic  and  other  beneficial  purposes.  But  his 
most  important  legislative  service  to  the  com- 
monwealth and  its  people,  aside  from  the  con- 
stitutional amendments  of  which  he  was  the 
author,  was  his  securing  the  passage  of  the 
present  law  concerning  land  titles,  which  es- 
tablished in  Colorado  the  "Torrens  system  of 
registering  titles  to  land."  This  is  probably 
the  most  beneficial  and  far-reaching  act  that 
was  -ever  passed  by  the  state  legislature. 
Senator  Taylor  made  an  exhaustive  study  of 
the  subject  in  all  its  bearings,  and  he  is  wholly 
entitled  to  the  credit  for  the  introduction  and 
enactment  of  the  law.  Senator  Taylor  is  one 
of  the  best  equipped  men  in  the  state  for  legis- 
lative work,  and  seems  to  have  a  large  and 
special  natural  fitness  for  it.  He  has  remark- 
able industry,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
state's  laws,  its  financial  conditions  and  essen- 


tial requirements,  and  great  vigilance  in  look- 
ing after  the  general  welfare  and  the  special 
interests  of  his  constituents.  He  has  been  and 
will  continue  to  be  of  inestimable  value  in 
service  to  the  entire  state.  He  approaches  the 
discussion  of  every  public  question  with  full 
knowledge  of  his  subject  and  presents  it  with 
an  eloquence  and  logical  force  that  carry  con- 
viction to  the  most  skeptical.  As  an  occasional 
speaker  he  is  eloquent,  fervid  and  profound, 
and  is  in  great  demand  for  addresses  at  Fourth 
of  July,  Decoration  Day  and  other  public  cele- 
bratiofls,  and  in  political  campaigns.  But  in  the 
senate  he  seldom  makes  a  long  or  formal 
speech.  In  fact,  it  has  been  said  of  him  that 
he  talks  less  and  works  more  than  any  other 
lawyer  in  the  body.  His  activity,  learning, 
breadth  of  view  and  lofty  patriotism  have  at- 
tracted universal  attention  throughout  the  state 
and  led  to  extensive  favorable  mention  of  him 
as  a  probable  nominee  for  the  office  of  governor 
and  membership  in  the  national  congress.  With 
youth,  vigor  and  energy  on  his  side,  with  a  wide 
and  elevated  reputation  in  the  commonwealth 
for  ability,  integrity  and  sterling  manhood,  and 
with  a  laudable  ambition  to  serve  as  well  as  he 
can  in  his  day  the  people  among  whom  he  has 
cast  his  lot,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  bright 
future  and  higher  honors  that  are  before  him. 

ALLEN  L.   ZERBE. 

Born  and  reared  on  a  farm,  with  only  the 
school  advantages  common  to  country  boys 
who  have  to  work  for  their  living,  either  at 
home  or  elsewhere,  and  without  favoring  cir- 
cumstances at  any  period  of  his  career,  Allen  L. 
Zerbe  has,  by  his  own  thrift,  enterprise  and 
business  capacity,  won  a  comfortable  estate 
from  hard  conditions  and  established  himself 
in  the  lasting  esteem  and  good  will  of  his  fel- 
low men  by  his  sterling  integrity,  industry, 
interest  in  the  common  welfare  of  his  com- 


22 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


munity  and  his  upright  and  independent  citi- 
zenship. He  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
on  November  24,  1857,  the  son  of  John  and 
Maria  (Smith)  Zerbe,  also  natives  of  that  state. 
In  1878  they  moved  to  Michigan  and  he,  being 
then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  located  in  Chi- 
cago and  for  four  years  and  a  half  was  en- 
gaged in  various  occupations  of  usefulness  and 
profit  for  his  own  benefit,  he  having  up  to  that 
time  worked  at  home  on  the  farm  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  parents.  At  the  end  of  the  period 
mentioned  he  joined  them  in  Michigan  and 
again  worked  for  them  on  the  farm  uninl  1886. 
In  March  of  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Central  City,  where  he  mined 
for  wages  until  the  next  spring,  then  made  a 
trip  over  the  mountains  at  Rollins  Pass  to 
the  head  of  Middle  Creek  Park  in  the  hope  of 
finding  a  suitable  location  for  further  enter- 
prise and  a  permanent  home.  He  moved  on 
to  Steamboat  Springs,  and  after  a  short  stay 
there  proceeded  by  way  of  Dillon  and  Red  Cliff 
to  Rifle.  Here  he  located  mining  property  in 
the  fall  of  1877  which  did  not  prove  of  much 
value,  and  he  took  up  the  ranch  he  now  con- 
ducts as  a  pre-emption  claim  in  1890.  It  com- 
prises eighty  acres,  thirty  of  which  are  tinder 
cultivation.  Before  doing  this,  however,  in 
1888  he  went  to  Aspen,  and  during  the  next 
two  years  he  wras  employed  in  the  mines  there 
for  wages.  The  years  1894  and  1895  were 
spent  by  him  in  contracting  and  mining  in  the 
interest  of  a  stamp  mill  at  Breckenridge.  Then 
he  returned  to  his  ranch,  and  ever  since  he  has 
been  developing  and  improving  that  until  he 
has  made  it  a  choice  place  for  a  large  body  of 
patrons  and  one  of  the  successful  institutions  of 
its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  ranch  house  stands  upon  a  rise  of 
ground  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  Rifle 
creek.  This  stream,  taking  its  waters  from 
never-failing  springs  in  the  canons  above,  car- 
ries a  large  flow  of  perfectly  clear  water.  It 


simply  swarms  with  trout.  The  owner  of  Rifle 
Falls  ranch  absolutely  controls,  by  ownership 
or  lease,  more  than  two  miles  of  the  best  fishing 
on  the  stream,  all  directly  adjoining  the  ranch 
house.  This  magnificent  trout  stream  flows 
through  scenes  which  for  grandeur  or  beauty 
can  hardly  be  surpassed  within  the  borders  of 
Colorado.  The  sides  of  the  valley  are  of  red 
and  orange  and  buff  sandstone  whose  vivid 
colors  are  seen  through  a  thick  mantle  of  ever- 
green pinons  and  cedars.  The  bottom  of  the 
valley  is  green  with  hay-meadows,  tule  grass 
and  groves  of  trees,  through  which  flows  Rifle 
creek,  in  an  infinite  division  of  small,  clear  rills. 
From  spring  to  fall  the  meadows  and  hillsides 
are  covered  with  wild  flowers.  The  groves  are 
full  of  song  birds.  The  hillsides  are  fringed 
with  wild  fruits  and  berries.  Overhead  are  the 
constant  sun  and  the  blue  sky  that  make  the 
Colorado  climate  glorious.  The  air  is  cool  and 
dry  and  bracing,  while  instead  of  the  aridity 
which  is  so  painful  to  Eastern  eyes  in  most  of 
Colorado,  the  landscape  is  as  green  as  any  in 
Vermont. 

Although  surrounded  by  the  wilderness, 
and  remote  from  the  dust  and  noise  of  the  busy 
world,  Rifle  Falls  ranch  is  easily  reached  and 
whoever  wants  to  can  still  keep  in  close  touch 
with  all  his  affairs.  A  good  road  follows  the 
creek  twelve  miles  to  Rifle,  a  bustling  little 
town  with  almost  metropolitan  stores,  being 
the  trading  point  for  an  immense  area  of  coun- 
try. Rifle  is  on  the  main  lines  of  the  Colorado 
Midland  and  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  roads,  and 
eight  transcontinental  trains  pass  through 
every  day,  with  connections  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific.  A  good  stage  service  between 
Rifle  Falls  and  the  railway  affords  almost  daily 
mail  service.  Rifle  Falls  ranch  is  connected  by 
telephone  with  the  postoffice,  telegraph  station 
and  the  business  houses  of  Rifle,  and  has  con- 
nections to  most  of  the  principal  towns  of  the 
valley  of  the  Grand  river  also. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Rifle  Falls  ranch  caters  to  the  patronage  of 
those  who  value  cleanliness,  comfort  and  good 
cooking.  It  is  no  longer  necessary  to  put  up 
with  discomfort,  lack  of  privacy,  bad  cooking, 
dirt  and  disorder  in  order  to  get  into  the  edge 
of  the  wild.  The  guests'  rooms  are  nicely 
finished,  well  furnished,  well  lighted  and  venti- 
lated. Beds  and  bedding  are  clean,  and  mat- 
tresses and  springs  are  of  highest  quality. 
Wide  porches,  abundant  shade  and  large  living 
rooms  add  to  the  comforts  of  the  place.  The 
lower  valley  of  Rifle  creek  is  full  of  orchards 
and  gardens,  producing  the  best  of  Colorado 
fruits  and  vegetables  which,  added  to  what  can 
be  grown  on  the  place  and  can  be  brought 
from  the  town,  with  fresh  meats  from  the 
abundant  ranges  and  fish  and  game  from  the 
streams  and  hills,  afford  a  menu  of  wide  range. 
The  cooking  has  the  best  home  quality.  The 
service  is  dainty  and  appetizing. 

In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Zerbe  is  an 
earnest  and  strong  Democrat,  but  he  has  never 
sought  public  office  or  a  position  of  influence 
in  the  councils  of  his  party.  His  mother  died 
on  December  5,  1878,  and  his  father  is  still 
living,  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Michigan.  Seven 
children  were  born  in  the  family,  two  of  whom 
died  some  years  ago,  William  and  Frank.  Five 
are  living:  Margaret,  wife  of  George  Dow,  of 
Chicago;  Amanda,  wife  of  Frank  Hunt,  of 
Akron,  Ohio;  Allen  L.,  of  this  state;  Jacob,  of 
Breckenridge,  Colorado,  and  Gertrude,  wife  of 
W.  S.  Park,  of  Silt. 

WILLIAM  L.  VEATCH. 

Beginning  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  in  the  actual  and  awful  strife 
of  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  enlisted  at  that 
early  age  and  was  soon  at  the  front,  and  after 
his  three-years  term  of  enlistment  expired  con- 
tending with  a  destiny  of  toil  and  often  of 
privation  for  many  years,  the  subject  of  this 


brief  review  came  to  his  present  estate  of  public 
esteem  and  earthly  comfort  along  no  primrose 
path  of  dalliance  and  lulled  into  pleasant  slum- 
ber on  no  flowery  bed  of  ease.  His  was  the 
strenuous  life  in  its  most  exacting  form  dur- 
ing much  of  the  time  from  his  very  youth. 
But  he  was  sustained  in  the  struggle  by  his 
lofty  courage,  his  native  resourcefulness,  his 
sturdy  self-reliance  and  his  persistent  determin- 
ation. Mr.  Veatch  was  born  at  Connersville, 
Fayette  county,  Indiana,  on  September  8,  1848. 
His  educational  advantages  were  few,  and  he 
was  unable  to  make  full  use  of  what  he  had. 
Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  filled 
with  the  martial  spirit  then  flooding  the  coun- 
try in  its  hour  of  peril  and  need,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  and  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
active  field  service  passed  three  eventful  years. 
Responsibility  educates  rapidly,  however,  and 
experience,  although  a  hard,  is  a  thorough  task- 
master, and  his  military  service  much  more 
than  made  amends  for  his  lack  of  schooling, 
and  armed  him  well  for  all  the  subsequent  trials 
and  dangers  he  was  destined  to  encounter. 
After  his  discharge  at  the  end  of  his  term  he 
returned  to  his  Indiana  home  and  during  the 
next  two  or  three  years  he  remained  with  his 
parents.  In  1867,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  an 
age  at  which  many  young  men  of  promise  are 
contending  for  the  prizes  of  degrees  and 
scholarship,  or  waiting  with  hesitant  spirit  for 
opportunity  to  seek  or  be  found  for  them,  he 
once  more  essayed  the  weighty  task  of  build- 
ing his  own  fortunes,  and  moved  to  Ellsworth, 
Kansas,  where,  in  partnership  with  his  oldest 
brother,  James  C.  Veatch,  he  conducted  a  hotel, 
an  enterprise  in  which  they  were  successful  and 
prosperous  until  1874,  when  a  disastrous  fire 
swept  away  their  property  and  business,  to- 
gether with  a  large  proportion  of  their  accumu- 
lations. During  the  next  three  years  he  lived 
the  uneventful  life  of  an  Indiana  farmer.  In 
1877  he  returned  to  the  hotel  business  and  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


continued  in  it  until  1884,  his  location  being  at 
Denver,  this  state.  In  the  year  last  named  the 
business  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Veatch  moved  to 
Middle  Park  and  bought  the  improvements  on 
a  ranch  claim,  and  once  more  became  a  farmer. 
He  remained  there  engaged  in  ranching  until 
1886,  when  he  moved  to  the  White  river 
country  among  the  earliest  settlers.  Here  he 
followed  mining  and  prospecting  in  various 
camps,  but  still  held  an  interest  in  the  hotel 
enterprise.  He  located  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  soon  afterward  added  an- 
other of  the  same  size  to  his  possessions.  He 
set  about  diligently  and  with  energy  to  improve 
his  property  and  continued  his  efforts  with 
steady  progress  until  he  owned  a  good  farm, 
two  hundred  acres  of  which  were  under  cul- 
tivation, the  ranch  being  eight  miles  southeast 
of  Meeker.  His  principal  occupations  at  this 
point  were  ranching  and  raising  stock,  and  he 
continued  them  with  profit  until  he  sold  out  in 
1902.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed  by  the 
secretary  of  the  interior  supervisor  of  the 
forest  reserve,  a  position  which  he  is  still  filling 
with  general  satisfaction  to  all  parties  inter- 
ested. He  has  been  generally  successful  in 
business  notwithstanding  his  several  reverses, 
and  is  now  one  of  Colorado's  prosperous  and 
prominent  citizens.  When  he  reached  the 
White  river  country  the  whole  section  was 
"  sparsely  populated  and  Indians  in  the  region 
were  still  numerous,  but  they  gave  the  whites 
no  trouble.  There  were  few  roads  and  no 
bridges,  and  even  the  common  conveniences  of 
civilized  life  were  scarce  and  often  unattain- 
able. But  the  early  settlers  there  were  men  of 
hardihood  and  courage,  boldly  confronting 
their  difficulties  and  privations,  challenging 
fate  herself  into  the  lists  and  ready  to  meet  her 
on  almost  equal  terms.  In  all  the  movements 
for  advancement  Mr.  Veatch  took  an  active  and 
helpful  part.  He  is  an  earnest  and  unwavering 
working  Republican  in  politics,  and  among  the 


fraternal  organizations  he  has  affiliation  with 
four,  the  Freemasons,  the  Odd  Fellows,  its 
sister  organization  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah, 
and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  His  par- 
ents were  George  and  Eliza  (Baringer)  Veatch, 
the  former  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in 
Pennsylvania.  They  passed  the  greater  part 
of  their  mature  lives  in  Indiana,  where  they 
died,  the  father  on  February  21,  1875,  and  the 
mother  on  February  28,  1900.  The  father  was 
a  farmer,  kept  a  hotel  and  conducted  a  real 
estate  and  stock  brokerage  business,  and  was 
very  successful.  All  of  their  six  children  are 
living,  James  C.,  in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  John 
S.,  in  Chicago;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  Octave 
Bigouess,  in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  William  L., 
at  Meeker,  Colorado;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Hilton 
B.  Hall,  at  Momence,  Illinois,  and  Nancy  C., 
wife  of  Tucey  Tyler,  at  Kremmling,  Colorado. 
Mr.  Veatch  was  married  on  October  15,  1874, 
to  Miss  Emma  C.  Bellows,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
who  died  in  October,  1884,  leaving  one  child, 
their  son  Charles  E. 

HORACE  S.  HARP. 

Horace  S.  Harp,  of  Meeker,  in  Rio  Blanco 
county,  who  also  has  interests  at  Rifle  and  else- 
where in  Garfield  county,  and  whose  active 
mind  and  busy  hands  are  variously  employed 
in  the  mercantile  and  industrial  interests  of  this 
state,  is  a  native  of  Marion  county,  Iowa,  born 
on  December  21,  1860.  Since  the  age  of  thir- 
teen he  has  been  the  sole  architect  of  his  for- 
tunes and  has  builded  them  well  and  wisely. 
He  began  earning  his  own  living  by  working 
on  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  for  very 
small  wages,  and  continued  to  be  so  employed 
there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen.  In 
1880  he  came  to  Colorado  under  the  influence 
of  the  mining  excitement  at  Ashcroft.  He 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  time  and  place, 
locating  a  quartz  claim  and  worked  it  and  other 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


mining  properties  until  1882,  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  livery  and  transfer  business 
at  Crested  Butte.  In  1884  he  sold  out  at  a 
good  profit  and  moved  to  Meeker,  which  at 
that  time  contained  only  seventy-five  inhabit- 
ants. Here  he  conducted  a  hotel  with  good 
results  until  1887,  then  sold  the  business  and 
began  running  stage  lines  between  Steamboat 
Springs  and  Rifle.  In  1894  he  established  a 
line  between  Axial  and  Rifle  and  dropped  the 
lines  to  Steamboat  Springs.  The  lines  between 
Axial,  Meeker  and  Rifle  he  is  still  running. 
He  is  also  largely  interested  in  ranching,  and 
raising  stock,  having  a  ranch  of  his  own  com- 
prising three  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of 
tillable  land,  and  extensive  herds  of  full  blooded 
thorough  and  range-bred  cattle,  and  raising 
large  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  The 
water  supply  for  his  land  is  abundant  and  the 
right  belongs  to  him.  The  ranch  adjoins  the 
town  of  Meeker  and  is  admirably  located  for 
the  purposes  to  which  it  is  devoted.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  Mr.  Harp  is  a  partner  with  A.  C. 
Moulton  in  a  one  thousand  two  hundred-acre 
ranch,  seven  hundred  acres  of  which  are  under 
cultivation,  being  irrigated  from  a  reservoir 
built  for  the  purpose.  The  remaining  five  hun- 
dred acres  are  used  for  grazing.  Besides  his 
ranching  interests,  which  are,  as  can  be  seen, 
extensive,  Mr.  Harp  is  connected  with  a  large 
blacksmithing  enterprise  conducted  at  Meeker 
by  the  Harp-JoHantgen  Manufacturing  and 
Blacksmithing  Company,  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  corporations  of  Rio 
Blanco  county.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  an  Odd 
Fellow  and  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and  in 
political  faith  a  determined  Republican.  His 
parents  were  William  C.  and  Hannah 
(Brouse)  Harp,  the  former  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  was 
a  large  and  successful  stock  shipper  and  specu- 
lator and  a  man  of  considerable  local  promin- 
ence. He  was  an  active  Republican  in  politics. 


They  had  a  family  of  ten  children.  Pleasant 
P.  and  Mary  J.  are  deceased.  The  eight  living 
are:  Charles  W.,  of  Marion  county,  Iowa; 
Sarah,  wife  of  A.  E.  Rees,  of  Meeker,  Colo- 
rado; Dr.  John  F.,  of  Prairie  City,  Iowa; 
Horace  S. ;  Thaddeus,  of  Rifle;  Sherman,  of 
Sioux  City,  Iowa;  Margaret,  wnfe  of  Clinton 
Smith,  of  Newton,  Iowa,  and  Isaac,  of  Otley, 
Iowa.  The  father  died  in  1886,  and  the  mother- 
now  makes  her  home  at  Newton,  Iowa.  On 
August  II,  1893,  Mr.  Harp  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Charlotte  Beemer,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Margaret 
Beemer,  who  have  made  Grand  Junction,  Colo- 
rado, their  home  since  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harp  have  four  children,  Horace.  Margaret, 
Con  and  Russell.  Mr.  Harp's  success  in  busi- 
ness has  been  exceptionaly  good  and  his  stand- 
ing in  the  communities  where  he  is  kno\vn  is 
exceptionally  high. 

ALFRED  GEORGE. 

The  career  of  Alfred  George,  of  the  Rifle 
neighborhood,  in  Garfield  county,  is  full  of  in- 
terest and  valuable  suggestions,  and  his  citi- 
zenship is  of  the  sterling  and  useful  character 
which  has  made  the  American  workingman 
notably  one  of  the  controlling  factors  in  mod- 
ern civilization.  Mr.  George  was  born  in  Calla- 
way  county,  Missouri,  on  October  i,  1851,  and 
in  that  state  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of  thir- 
teen, then  coming  with  his  mother  and  sister 
to  Colorado  in  1864,  he  has  since  mingled  with 
the  activities  in  this  state,  always  bearing 
cheerfully  the  share  of  his  community's  bur- 
dens properly  belonging  to  him  and  performed 
faithfully  the  share  of  its  duties  which  has  been 
incumbent  on  him.  He  received  a  slender  com- 
mon-school education,  remaining  at  home  and 
working  in  the  interest  of  his  parents  until 
death  ended  their  labors,  the  father  dying  in 
1858,  when  the  son  was  seven,  and  the  mother 


26 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


in  1872,  when  he  was  twenty-one.  His  par- 
ents were  Alfred  and  Margaret  (Robinson) 
George,  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  settled  in 
Missouri  when  young,  where  the  father  died 
and  the  mother  and  children  moved  to  this 
state  in  1864.  The  father  was  a  cabinetmaker 
and  dealt  in  real  estate,  but  he  also  made  money 
as  a  farmer.  He  supported  the  Democratic 
party  in  political  affairs,  and  with  his  wife  he 
belonged  to  the  Methodist  church.  They  had 
a  family  of  eight  children,  but  two  of  whom 
are  living,  Annie,  wife  of  Jasper  P.  Sears,  of 
Denver,  and  Alfred.  The  latter  had  the  usual 
experience  of  country  boys  in  the  West,  for 
even  the  Missouri  home  of  the  family  was  on 
the  frontier,  and  at  an  early  life  became  inured 
to  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life. 
The  trip  from  Missouri  to  Colorado  was  made 
over  the  plains  with  an  ox  team  and  occupied 
three  months.  There  were  Indian  troubles  be- 
fore and  behind  the  train,  but  it  suffered  no 
disaster  and  was  not  attacked.  After  the  death 
of  his  mother  Mr.  George  rented  land  and 
ranched  on  it  until  1886.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  moved  to  the  Roaring  fork,  near 
Emma,  and  the  next  spring  to  Grand  Junction. 
From  there  he  went  out  on  the  trail  and  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle.  In  1887  ne  settled  on 
East  Middle  Rifle  creek  and  for  a  year  was 
occupied  in  ranching  on  shares  with  H.  G. 
Brown.  He  then,  in  partnership  with  G.  W. 
Noble,  bought  the  improvements  on  his  present 
ranch,  which  he  pre-empted.  It  comprised 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  a  few  years 
later  the  land  was  divided,  each  partner  taking 
one-half.  Mr.  George  has  since  sold  forty 
acres  of  his  tract,  and  he  is  now  profitably  en- 
gaged in  farming  the  other  forty  with  good 
results,  producing  large  yields  of.  hay,  grain, 
vegetables  and  fruit,  and  raising  numbers  of 
good  cattle  and  horses.  He  has  a  good  water 
right  and  his  land  responds  generously  to  skill- 
ful tillage.  On  March  16,  1886,  he  was  mar- 


ried to  Miss  Clare  V.  Noble,  who  was  born  in 
Iowa  on  September  4,  1860,  and 'is  the  daughter 
of  George  W.  and  Marietta  (Woulsey)  Noble, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  Iowa.  Mrs.  George  is  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Charles  H.  Harris,  of  this  state,  and  the  family 
record  of  her  parents  appears  in  a  sketch  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris,  which  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  Five  children  have 
been  born  in  the  George  household.  One 
daughter,  Anna  L.,  died  on  April  26,  1901. 
The  living  four  are  Claude  A.,  Harry  N.,  Clara 
M.  and  William  Jasper.  Mr.  George  has 
found  a  fruitful  field  for  his  enterprise  in  Colo- 
rado, and  is  well  pleased  with  the  state  and 
devoted  to  its  best  interests  in  every  way.  He 
is  well  esteemed  by  its  people  who  know  him 
and  withholds  no  effort  due  on  his  part  to 
promote  their  substantial  progress  and  develop- 
ment and  lasting  good. 

HORACE  GREELEY  BROWN. 

Horace  Greeley  Brown,  of  Garfield  county, 
who  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  Rifle 
creek  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
and  popular  citizens  of  that  portion  of  the 
county,  was  born  on  April  8,  1855,  in  Burling- 
ton county,  New  Jersey,  and  was  there  reared 
and  educated,  attending  only  the  district 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty,  then  passed  some  years 
working  in  a  machine  shop  at  Smithsville,  in 
his  native  state,  at  small  wages.  After  that  he 
opened  a  meat  market  there  on  his  own  ac- 
count, which  he  conducted  six  months. 
He  then  moved  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  secured 
employment  in  the  machine  shop  of  Hall, 
Brown  &  Company,  of  which  his  brother 
Charles  S.  is  president.  From  St.  Louis  he 
went  to  Joplin  and  later  to  Granby,  Missouri, 
and  at  the  latter  place  he  conducted  a  meat 
market  eighteen  months  with  good  results.  In 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


27 


the  spring  of  1879,  under  the  influence  of  the 
gold  excitement  at  Leadville,  this  state,  he  came 
to  that  camp  and,  making  his  headquarters 
there,  he  freighted  between  that  place  and 
Pueblo  and  Canon  City,  and  also  carried  on  a 
meat  market  at  Leadville,  being  successful  in 
both  enterprises,  but  losing  all  his  money  in 
mining.  On  April  3,  1883,  he  moved  to  the 
ranch  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  taking  a 
squatter's  right  to  a  tract  of  land,  and  after  the 
government  survey  was  made  pre-empting  one 
hundred  and  sixty-four  acres,  to  which  he  has 
since  added  forty,  making  his  present  ranch 
two  hundred  and  four  acres  in  extent,  of  which 
about  three-fourths  can  be  easily  cultivated. 
The  place  has  an  abundant  supply  of  water  in 
its  own  right,  and  as  he  tills  the  land  with  care 
and  judgment,  the  returns  for  his  labor  in  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables  are  very  good.  He  also 
has  ten  acres  in  fruit  which  yield  abundant 
harvests  of  superior  products  and  bring  him  in 
a  handsome  revenue.  His  main  reliance,  how- 
ever, is  upon  hay  and  cattle.  Mr.  Brown  has 
been  prominent  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  sec- 
tion, and  has  ever  been  foremost  in  every  work 
of  improvement  and  every  duty  of  a  good 
neighbor  and  citizen.  He,  J.  J.  Langstaff  and 
William  L.  Smith  buried  the  first  white  man 
who  died  in  this  vicinity,  the  coffin  for  the  pur- 
pose being  made  by  James  Moss,  of  Rifle,  out 
of  a  wagon  bed,  timber  in  the  neighborhood 
being  very  scarce.  When  Mr.  Brown  settled  in 
this  region  it  was  the  unbroken  wilderness,  still 
abounding  with  wild  game  of  all  kinds  and  in- 
fested with  beasts  of  prey.  Indians  also  were 
numerous,  but  in  the  main  they  were  not  un- 
friendly. The  nearest  trading  points  were  As- 
pen and  Grand  Junction,  settlers  were  few  and 
it  was  far  between  them,  and  the  conveniences 
of  life  were  scarce  and  difficult  to  get.  But 
the  spirit  of  the  settlers  was  resolute  and  tri- 
umphed over  every  obstacle,  pushing  forward 
the  progress  of  the  region  with  good  speed  and 


on  a  substantial  basis.  Mr.  Brown  is  the  son 
of  George  C.  and  Harriet  (Swing)  Brown, 
natives  of  New  Jersey  and  residents  of  a  place 
known  as  Brown's  Mills.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  operated  saw  and  grist-mills  and 
also  conducted  a  store  and  a  hotel.  In  addition 
he  was  active  in  the  real-estate  business,  and 
as  a  zealous  Republican  took  a  leading  part  in 
local  affairs.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  The  father  died  on  March 
20,  1863,  and  since  then  the  mother  has  made 
her  home  at  Mt.  Holly.  Three  of  their  four 
children  are  living,  Charles  S.,  president  of 
the  Hall  &  Brown  Wood  Working  Machine 
Company  of  St.  Louis;  Horace,  and  Georgia, 
wife  of  John  Adams,  of  Waco,  Texas.  Mr. 
Brown  was  married  on  October  8,  1895,  to 
Miss  Hannah  L.  Lacy,  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
daughter  of  James  R.  and  Elizabeth  (Craw- 
ford )  Lacy,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married 
in  Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Ohio  in  the  early 
days  of  its  history.  They  came  to  Colorado  in 
1887  and  are  now  living  at  Rifle.  Although 
possessing  business  acumen  and  personal  char- 
acteristics that  would  probably  have  made  him 
successful  in  any  environment,  Mr.  Brown  has 
found  in  Colorado  circumstances  adapted  to  his 
tastes  and  has  made  -them  subservient  to  his 
progress  and  prosperity.  He  is  therefore  wTell 
pleased  with  the  state  of  his  adoption  and  looks 
forward  with  confidence  to  the  great  future  that 
is  in  store  for  it.  Its  people  are  enterprising 
and  broad-minded  themselves,  and  they  ap- 
preciate enterprise  and  breadth  of  view  in 
others.  So  he  stands  well  in  his  community, 
and  what  is  more  to  the  purpose,  he  deserves 
the  regard  in  which  he  is  held.  , 

WILLIAM  V.  HEATON. 

Living  on  a  fine  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one  acres  which  he 'originally  took  up  as 
a  pre-emption  claim,  one  hundred  and  forty-five 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


acres  of  which  are  under  ditch  with  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  water,  and  which  is  located  four 
miles  north  of  Rifle,  Garfield  county,  and  there 
quietly  pursuing"  the  peaceful  and  productive 
life  of  a  prosperous  and  progressive  rancher 
"far  from  the  madding  crowd's  ignoble  strife," 
William  V.  Heaton  would  seem  to  be  safe  from 
all  the  shafts  of  adversity  and  have  a  portion 
in  the  struggle  for  supremacy  among  men  in 
full  accord  with  the  quiet  tastes  of  a  modest 
and  unassuming  man,  such  as. he  is  known  to 
be.  He  was  born  near  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
on  March  28,  1852.  His  parents  were  David 
R.  and  Jane  (Vincent)  Heaton,  who  also  were 
born  in  Indiana,  the  father  on  January  14, 
1828.  The  mother  died  in  1862  in  Ree  county, 
Iowa,  and  the  father  died  on  January  5.  1902, 
at  the  home  of  the  subject.  In  the  family  of 
William  Heaton's  parents  six  children  were 
born.  Two  of  these  are  dead  and  the  other 
four  living:  William  V.,  of  this  state;  Fred- 
erick, of  Reno  county,  Kansas ;  Frank,  of  Ant- 
lers, Colorado,  and  Jane  M.,  of  Livingston 
county,  Missouri.  William  V.  Heaton  secured 
the  little  education  it  was  his  privilege  to  get 
in  the  district  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
assisting  his  parents  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-one,  moving  with  them  from  Indiana 
to  Iowa  and  later  from  there  to  Missouri.  He 
farmed  in  the  latter  state  until  1883,  then  sold 
out  and  came  to  Colorado,  living  at  Buena 
Vista  and  Leadville  until  1884,  when  he  moved 
to  the  ranch  he  now  occupies.  Here  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  actively  engaged  in  raising 
cattle,  but  for  some  time  past  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  \vholly  to  general  ranching  and 
the  management  of  his  real  estate  interests  at 
Rifle.  The  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit 
which  he  raises  for  the  markets  are  excellent 
in  quality  and  abundant  in  quantity,  and  the 
work  on  his  ranch  affords  scope  for  all  his  ef- 
forts and  satisfaction  for  all  his  aspirations. 
He  was  married  on  December  8,  1882,  to  Miss 


Emma  L.  Reynolds,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  on  December  16,  1861,  and  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Lucinda  (Precise) 
Reynolds,  also  born  and  reared  in  that  state 
and  afterward  moved  to  Missouri  where  they 
ended  their  days  as  prosperous  farmers.  The 
father  died  on  December  31,  1883,  and  the 
mother  on  January  15,  1898.  They  had  ten 
children.  Elizabeth  is  deceased  and  the  other 
nine  are  living,  George,  John,  Daniel,  Margaret 
and  Emma,  at  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  Frances 
and  Susan,  at  Trenton,  that  state,  and  James 
and  Milton  in  Utah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heaton 
have  six  children,  Ernest  E.,  Janie  C,  Frances 
M.,  Helen  L.,  William  R.  and  Hazel  R. 

BENJAMIN    H.   THOMPSON. 

It  was  on  June  14,  1857,  and  at  the  busy 
little  mart  of  Sunbury,  Pennsylvania,  that  the 
useful  life  of  this  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive ranch  and  stock  man  of  Garfield  county 
began,  but  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early  man- 
hood were  passed  in  Henry  county,  Towa.  He 
got  his  education  at  the  country  schools  and 
acquired  the  habits  of  industry,  thrift  and  fru- 
gality which  have  -distinguished  him  through 
life  on  the  paternal  homestead  aiding  in  its 
arduous  but  invigorating  labors.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  with  the  self-reliance  for  which  he 
is  noted,  he  began  to  make  his  own  living,  fiirst 
engaging  in  farm  work  and  later  in  clerking  in 
a  country  store.  In  1880  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Leadville,  being  led  to  that  place 
by  the  excitement  over  its  rich  mineral  deposits 
then  recently  discovered.  He  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  teaming  at  Independence  and  afterward 
to  puddling  in  the  stamp  mills.  In  the  spring 
of  1883  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Rifle  and 
located  the  ranch  now  owned  by  C.  J.  S. 
Hoover.  Next  he  took  a  squatter's  right  to  a 
tract  of  land  but  did  not  prove  on  the  same 
and  sold  his  improvements  to  George  Williams. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


29 


He  then  located  the  Stone  Cabin  ranch  on  West 
Rifle,  which  he  afterward  gave  to  his  brother 
Arthur.  Mr.  Thompson  now  devotes  his  time 
to  ranching  and  raising  cattle  on  the  place  he 
makes  his  home,  and  there,  in  addition  to  his 
stock  industry,  he  raises  large  crops  of  hay, 
grain,  vegetables  and  fruit,  all  of  superior 
quality.  The  water  supply  is  good  and  his 
farming  is  first  class  in  every  particular.  In 
fraternal  circles  he  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  politics  is  a  con- 
sistent and  serviceable  Republican.  On  April 
i,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Steven- 
son, a  native  of  Seward  county,  Nebraska,  and 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Garafelia  M.  (Os- 
born)  Stevenson,  the  father  a  native  of  near 
Westminster,  Maryland,  born  on  June  5,  1833, 
and  the  mother  of  Indiana.  The  father  moved 
to  Nebraska  in  1867,  and  afterwards  to  Adams 
and  later  to  Henry  county,  Illinois.  In  1881 
he  brought  his  family  toColorado.  locating  near 
Buena  Vista.  On  Christmas  night,  1882,  he 
settled  on  Rifle  creek,  being  now  the  oldest 
settler  on  that  stream.  Here  he  took  a  squat- 
ter's claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  which  after  the  government  survey  he 
pre-empted.  Since  then  he  has  given  his  whole 
attention  to  improving  and  farming  his  ranch 
and  building  up  his  stock  industry,  taking  an 
active  part  all  the  while  in  advancing  the  in- 
terests of  the  section  and  promoting  the  wel- 
fare of  its  people.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  Freemasons  and  the  Odd 
Fellows  in  fraternal  circles,  and  from  its  foun- 
dation has  supported  the  Republican  party  in 
politics.  He  and  his  wife  had  one  child,  Carrie, 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Thompson.  Mrs.  Stevenson 
died  on  December  12,  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  have  three  children,  Ralph  S.,  Susan 
A.  and  Alice  G.  The  parents  were  early  set- 
tlers on  Rifle  creek  and  they  are  now  among 
the  leading  and  most  esteemed  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the  county. 


BENJAMIN  K.  WATSON. 

After  many  years  of  toil,  in  which  the  ele- 
ments of  danger,  hardship  and  privation  have 
often  been  present  in  large  measure,  and  in 
which  he  has  courageously  and  vigorously 
paddled  his  own  canoe  from  the  early  age  of 
sixteen,  the  approaching  evening  of  life  finds 
Benjamin  K.  Watson,  of  near  Rifle,  in  Garfield 
county,  comfortably  settled  on  a  fine  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  midst  of  a 
productive  and  progressive  region  of  this  state, 
where  he  was  an  early  arrival  and  has  been  a 
potent  factor  in  the  development  and  improve- 
ment of  the  country  around  him.  He  located 
here  when  the  whole  section  was  a  veritable 
wilderness,  still  the  abode  of  its  native  denizens 
in  human  and  animal  life,  and  the  soil  was  as 
yet  untouched  by  the  persuasive  and  molding- 
hand  of  systematic  husbandry.  And  to  its 
progress  from  that  state  of  savage  wildness  to 
its  present  condition  of  fruitfulness  and  ad- 
vancing civilization  he  has  been  not  only  an 
interested  witness  but  a  substantial  contributor. 
Mr.  Watson  was  born  on  August  20,  1830,  in 
Onondaga  county,  state  of  New  York.  The 
family  moved  from  there  to  Wisconsin  and  he 
afterward  took  another  flight  in  the  wake  of 
the  setting  sun,  locating  in  Iowa.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  in  his  boyhood,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  took  up  the  burden  of  life  for 
himself,  becoming  a  bookkeeper  in  the  city  of 
Dubuque.  He  next  sought  the  seductive  smiles 
of  fortune  in  the  mining  camps  of  Montana  and 
Utah,  and  in  1879  moved  to  Denver.  With 
that  place  as  winter  headquarters,  he  passed  his 
summers  mining  and  prospecting  in  various 
portions  of  the  state  until  1884.  In  that  year 
he  located  on  the  ranch  which  has  since  been 
and  is  now  his  home,  six  miles  north  of  Rifle, 
taking  up  the  land  as  a  pre-emption  claim,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which  forty-five 
are  well  irrigated  and  under  good  cultivation. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


On  this  portion  he  raises  excellent  crops  of  hay, 
grain  and  potatoes  with  other  vegetables,  and 
large  quantities  of  superior  fruit,  the  latter 
being  his  main  product  and  chief  reliance.  He 
has  also  devoted  considerable  attention  to  the 
stock  industry,  being  connected  with  the  Grand 
River  Sheep  Company  from  1887  to  1892. 
Before  coming  west  he  rendered  good  service 
to  his  country  in  'a  time  of  its  extreme  peril, 
being  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  war,  a  member  of  Company  I,  Second 
Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisting  as  a  private  and  being 
mustered  out  in  the  fall  of  1865  as  a  captain. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  in  politics 
earnestly  supports  the  Republican  party.  Mr. 
Watson  stands  well  in  his  community  as  3 
worthy  citizen  and  has  the  lasting  regard  and 
good  will  of  all  classes  of  its  people.  His 
parents  were  Joseph  and  Ann  (Metcalf)  Wat- 
son, natives  of  England,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1827.  The  father  was  a  manu- 
facturer of  woolens,  successful  in  business,  and 
always  a  staunch  Democrat  in  politics.  Both 
parents  have  long  been  deceased.  They  had 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  Sophie, 
wife  of  Ladayette  Odell,  of  New  Jersey;  Dr. 
William  Watson,  of  Oak  Park,  Chicago; 
Joseph  M.,  of  Newcastle,  Colorado,  and  Ben- 
jamin K.,  the  interesting  subject  of  this  sketch. 

BENJAMIN  SHERWOOD. 

Born  and  reared  in  Connecticut  and  en- 
dowed by  nature  with  the  native  ingenuity, 
thrift  and  shrewdness  of  the  New  Englander, 
Benjamin  Sherwood  by  his  advent  into  this 
state  brought  a  valuable  addition  to  the  rer 
sources  and  mechanical  skill  of  her  then  small 
and  scattered  population,  and  his  career  here 
has  not  disappointed  the  promise  of  his  early 
manhood  or  the  hopes  of  his  usefulness  cher- 
ished by  those  who  knew  him  in  youth.  He 


was  born  at  Danbury,  Connecticut,  on  January 
1 6,  1847,  tne  son  °f  Albert  and  Eleanore 
(Turkington)  Sherwood,  natives  of  the  same 
state  as  himself.  The  father  was  in  his 
younger  manhood  a  manufacturer  of  shoes, 
but  in  later  life  gave  his  attention  to  politics 
and  public  office.  He  was  an  active  working 
Democrat  and  for  many  years  was  sheriff  and 
jailer  in  his  native  county.  '  In  fraternal  life 
he  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  to  the 
Know-Nothings  as  long  as  that  organization 
was  a  non-political  secret  society.  He  and 
his  wife  were  Methodists.  They  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  Benjamin; 
William,  at  Danbury,  Connecticut;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  N.  E.  Barnum,  of  the  same  place,  and 
Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Charles  Allen,  also  living  in 
Connecticut.  The  father  died  in  1890  and  the 
mother  in  1897.  Their  son  Benjamin  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one.  He  then  passed 
some  years  lumbering  in  Michigan  and  Penn- 
sylvania, and  afterward  located  in  Kansas 
where  the  town  of  McPherson  now  stands,  re- 
maining there  until  1872.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Brookville,  on  the  Kansas  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  where  he  kept  .a  hotel  with  excellent 
profits  until  a  disastrous  fire  destroyed  the 
town.  Then  being  left  without  funds  he  en- 
gaged in  driving  cattle  up  and  down  the 
Smokyhill  river  country  until  1873,  when  he 
moved  to  Great  Bend  and  built  the  fifth  house 
in  the  town.  He  was  at  that  time  engaged  in 
butchering  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  conducting  his  operations  along 
the  road  and  continuing  them  in  that  connection 
until  1874.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
hunting  buffalo  and  was  very  successful  in  the 
business.  In  1875,  in  company  with  other 
buffalo  hunters,  James  Watts,  Jack  Howe,  Ben- 
jamin Howard,  John  Barker,  Peter  Hoss,  Red 
Saunders  and  George  McKay,  he  came  over- 
land from  Lakin,  Kansas,  to  Buena  Vista  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


this  state,  and  there,  in  partnership  with  Jack 
Howe,  located  placer  claims  and  followed  min- 
ing and   prospecting  until    1875,   his   success 
being  irregular.     In  the  year  last  mentioned 
he  occupied  himself  in  getting  out  ties  from 
Cottonwood  creek  into  the  Arkansas  river,  and 
next  with  his  partner  located  hay  ranches  at  a 
place  called  Jack's  Cabin.    Here  they  also  con- 
ducted a  general  store,  a  postoffice  and  a  hotel 
for  nine  years  and  made  money  at  the  business. 
When    the    Rio    Grande    Railroad    was    built 
through  this  section  they  sold  out  at  that  point 
and  journeyed  overland  to  Aspen,  where  for  a 
time  they  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
Mr.  Sherwood  next  pre-empted  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  three  miles 
south  of  Carbondale,  on  which  he  ranched  until 
1896.     He  then  sold  this  land  and  moved  to 
California  for  the  benefit  of  his  wife's  health. 
Seven  months  later  he  returned  to  Colorado 
and  during  a  number  of  the  following  years 
worked  at  carpentering  at  Glenwood  Springs, 
although  originally  a  hatter  by  trade.    In  1897 
he  was  attached  to  the  C.  C.  &  I.  Coal  Com- 
pany  as   an   authority   on   prospecting.      The 
enterprise  proved  a  failure,  so  he  filed  on  a 
timber  and  stone  claim  for  his  services.     His 
ranch  comprises  forty  acres  and  is  seven  miles 
north  of  Rifle.     Mr.  Sherwood  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  public  life  of  his  community,  and 
is  one  of  the  broad-minded  and  progressive 
promoters  of  its  progress  and  development.   He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  although  zealous 
in  the  service  of  his  party,  he  is  not  an  aspirant 
for  official  position  of  any  kind.     On  Novem- 
ber 20,  1 88 1,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Libby  Palmer,  a  native  of  Iowa  who  was  reared 
at  Golden,   Colorado,  where  her  parents  set- 
tled early  in  their  married  life.    They  had  two 
children,    Mrs.    Sherwood    and    her    brother, 
Clough,  both  living.     The  father  died  in  1875 
and  the  mother  in  1883.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sher- 
wood have  three  children,  Mary  E.,  wife  of 


O.  Roby,  of  Routt  county,  Clara  and  Brownie 
B.  For  nearly  thirty  years  now  Mr.  Sherwood 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  state,  and  in  a  num- 
ber of  places  he  has  left  the  impress  of  his 
progressive  spirit,  his  unyielding  energy,  his 
mechanical  skill  and  his  breadth  of  view  in 
reference  to  public  affairs.  Wherever  he  has 
lived  he  has  a  good  name,  and  the  general 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  those  who  know 
him  best  proves  that  he  deserves  it.  He  is  re- 
garded in  Garfield  county  as  one  of  its  best 
and  most  useful  citizens. 

AMOS  JACKSON  DICKSON. 

The  press  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  lead- 
ing educators  and  most  influential  potencies  in 
molding  and  directing  public  opinion  in  the 
modern  world,  and  it  is  more  or  less  useful  ac- 
cording as  it  is  wisely  and  lucidly,  forcibly 
and  honestly  conducted  or  otherwise.  Among 
the  agencies  in  the  expression  of  public  thought 
and  the  enforcement  of  a  proper  public  desire 
in  the  western  part  of  this  state,  in  the  realm 
of  journalism,  is  the  Glenwood  Post,  one  of  the 
best  and  most  influential  newspapers  on  the 
Western  slope,  edited  and  owned  by  Amos  J. 
Dickson,  who  purchased  it  in  January,  1898, 
of  C.  L.  Bennett,  and  since  that  time  has  greatly 
enlarged  its  popularity  and  circulation,  in- 
creased its  power  in  the  community  and  placed 
its  affairs  on  a  sound  financial  basis.  Mr.  Dick- 
son  hails  from  Champaign  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  bom  on  May  6,  1861.  His  par- 
ents are  Andrew  S.  and  Henrietta  (Boggs) 
Dickson,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
the  latter  of  Ohio.  They  located  at  an  early 
day  in  Illinois,  where  the  father  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  until  1869,  when  the  family 
moved  to  Kansas  and  after  a  residence  of 
twenty  years  in  the  Sunflower  state  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Colorado  Springs, 
moving  from  there  to  Glenwood  Springs  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1902.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war  and  bore  his  full  share  of  the  burdens  of 
the  momentous  conflict,  losing  a  leg  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Georgia,  and  spend- 
ing a  year  of  awful  privation  and  distress  in 
Andersonville  prison.  He  was  a  member  of 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth 
Illinois  Infantry,  a  regiment  that  did  good 
service  on  many  a  hard-fought  field  and  won 
distinction  throughout  its  term  of  service. 
There  were  four  children  born  in  the  family, 
all  of  whom  are  living,  Amos  J.,  at  Glenwood 
Springs;  Oscar  F.,  at  Calhan,  Colorado;  Sarah 
J.,  wife  of  Charles  D.  Foster,  at  Ness  City, 
-Kansas,  and  William  S.,  at  El  Paso,  Texas. 
The  father  supports  the  Republican  party  in 
political  affairs,  and  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  Both  parents  are  Methodists. 
Their  son  Amos  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  reared  on  the  farm,  remaining  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years. 
He  then  began  to  earn  money  with  which  to 
secure  a  more  advanced  education,  and  after- 
ward attended  the  State  University  of  Kansas 
for  two  years.  Next  he  devoted  several  years 
to  teaching  school  in  that  state,  and  in  1886 
opened  a  book  and  stationery  store  at  Ness 
City,  Kansas,  which  he  conducted  successfully 
for  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was 
appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  district  court  of 
Ness  county  and  served  in  that  position  two 
years.  After  coming  to  Colorado  he  located  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Arlington,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state. 
Later  he  abandoned  this  and  moved  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  and  soon  afterward,  in  1889. 
settled  at  Glenwood  Springs.  Here  he  soon 
became  deputy  clerk  of  Garfield  county,  and 
after  holding  the  position  five  years  started  a 
real-estate  and  insurance  business  in  1895, 
which  he  continued  until  January,  1898,  when 
he  bought  the  Glenwood  Post,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  the  proprietor  and  editor.  The  busi- 


ness of  the  paper  seems  to  have  been  badly 
managed  before  this  and  the  enterprise  was  run 
down  to  a  low  state  of  prosperity  and  influence. 
He  began  at  once  to  build  it  up  vigorously,  and 
has  continued  his  efforts  in  this  direction  with 
such  energy  and  capacity  that  he  has  made  the 
paper  one  of  the  most  prosperous,  potential  and 
admired  in  the  western  portion  of  the  state. 
The  plant  is  equipped  with  fine  appliances  suf- 
ficient to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  up-to- 
date  journalism  within  the  scope  of  this  paper 
and  of  a  first-class  job  printing  business  in  all 
its  departments.  Mr.  Dickson  is  an  active  and 
earnest  advocate  of  every  form  of  judicious 
public  improvement,  and  always  willing  to  do 
his  part  in  the  promotion  of  every  good  enter- 
prise for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
the  community.  He  is  one  of  the  five  irrigation 
division  engineers  of  the  state,  the  territory  in 
which  he  works  being  the  whole  northwesteni 
part  of  the  state,  having  under  his  supervision 
fifteen  water  districts,  each  in  charge  of  a  water 
commissioner.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  a  promi- 
nent Odd  Fellow,  standing  at  the  head  of  the 
order  in  this  state,  having  served  in  1904  as 
grand  master  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Colorado 
and  now  grand  representative  to  the  sovereign 
grand  lodge.  In  politics  he  is  a  firm  and  faith- 
ful supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  In  the  councils  of  his  party  he 
has  a  place  of  commanding  influence  and  is  an 
attendant  at  all  its  party  conventions,  county 
and  state.  On  March  29,  1891,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Imelda  J.  Phillippi,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, daughter  of  Louis  N.  and  Mary 
(Weaver)  Phillippi,  Pennsylvanians  by  na- 
tivity who  settled  in  Illinois  soon  after  their 
marriage  and  later  moved  to  Kansas.  The 
father  is  a  merchant  and  farmer,  a  staunch  Re- 
publican and  a  loyal  and  earnest  Freemason. 
The  parents  are  living  at  Milan  in  Sumner 
county,  Kansas.  Both  are  Methodists.  They 
have  four  children,  John,  Mrs.  Dickson,  Edgar 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


33 


and  Bert.  In  the  Dickson  household  two 
bright  and  interesting  children  have  been 
born,  Eldie  Ray  and  Genevieve  Lucile. 

WILLIAM    H.    CLARK. 

Born  in  Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  and  re- 
moving from  there  to  Missouri  with  his  par- 
ents when  he  was  but  one  year  old,  then  chang- 
ing his  residence  to  Kansas  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen and  to  Colorado  in  1880,  when  he  was 
twenty-three,  William  H.  Clark,  of  Meeker, 
Rio  Blanco  county,  has  had  knowledge  of  peo- 
ples and  conditions  in  four  states,  and  from 
the  experience  thus  gained  has  had  his  views 
broadened  and  his  faculties  quickened,  so  that 
he  is  a  man  of  much  worldly  wisdom  and  prac- 
tical common  sense.  He  has  also  had  ex- 
perience in  several  occupations  in  different 
places,  and  has  profited  in  the  same  way 
through  them.  He  began  life's  journey  on 
December  29,  1857,  an(l  ^n  tne  new  horrie  to 
which  the  family  moved  a  year  later  received 
a  common-school  education.  The  death  of  his 
mother  when  he  was  sixteen  caused  all  the 
children  who  were  old  enough  to  begin  earn- 
ing their  own  living,  and  he  prepared  himself 
for  the  profession  of  school  teaching  by  attend- 
ing private  schools  and  individual  effort.  He 
took  up  school  teaching  as  a  profession,  which 
he  followed  in  Montgomery  county,  Kansas, 
five  years,  in  the  meantime  qualifying  himself 
for  a  life  work  of  wide  usefulness  by  studying 
civil  engineering,  in  which  he  acquired  great 
proficiency  and  is  still  engaged.  In  1880  he 
located  in  Colorado,  and  in  1883  became  one 
of  the  early  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Meeker. 
Here  he  found  a  wide  and  profitable  field  for 
his  new  professional  knowledge,  the  country 
being  new  and  undeveloped,  and  there  being 
need  of  many  surveys  and  works  of  construc- 
tion throughout  this  and  adjoining  counties. 
He  entered  into  the  work  with  eagerness,  and 
3 


ever  since  then  he  has  been  busily  occupied  in 
its  various  branches  with  great  credit  to  him- 
self and  advantage  to  the  territory  he  has 
wrought.  From  1897  to  1900  he  was  also 
county  superintendent  of  the  public  '  schools, 
and  in  this  department  of  public  usefulness 
he  wras  also  of  great  service.  During  his  pro- 
fessional career  of  more  than  twenty  years  in 
this  state  he  has  made  many  government  sur- 
veys, and  has  done  a  large  amount  of  valuable 
work  in  several  counties,  especially  those  of 
Garfield,  Rio  Blanco  and  Routt.  Giving  earn- 
est attention  to  the  proper  use  of  the  public 
domain,  he  was  instrumental  in  having  the 
department  of  the  interior  eliminate  from 
forest  reserves  vast  areas  of  agricultural  land, 
and  had  introduced  and  passed  the  bill  for  a 
resurvey  of  the  northwestern  portion  of  the 
state  embracing  about  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  townships,  thereby  settling  many  contests 
and  much  litigation.  In  1883  he  took  up  a 
ranch  which  he  improved  and  which  he  sold 
in  1887.  When  the  hour  was  ripe  for  the 
separate  organization  of  Rio  Blanco  county  he 
took  an  active  part  in  the  movement  and  was 
very  helpful  in  promoting  it  and  hastening  its 
conclusion,  saving  the  new  county  from  getting 
the  worst  of  it  by  finally  adjusting  the  bound- 
aries. He  then  secured  the  patent  for  the  town- 
site  of  Meeker  and  devoted  himself  energetic- 
ally to  building  up  and  developing  the  town. 
He  stands  high  in  the  community  and  is  gen- 
erally cordially  esteemed  for  the  work  he  has 
done  in  promoting  its  best  interests.  He  served 
three  years  as  mayor  of  Meeker,  and  his  ad- 
ministration of  the  office  was  marked  by  wis- 
dom and  vigor,  enterprise  and  breadth  of  view. 
In  political  allegiance  he  is  an  earnest  and  zeal- 
ous working  Republican,  and  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His 
parents  were  George  W  and  Lavina  (Myers) 
Clark,  the  father  a  native  of  New  York  state 


34 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN   OF  WESTERN   COLORADO. 


and  the  mother  of  Indiana.  They  were  farm- 
ers and  were  fairly  successful  at  the  business. 
The  father  served  in  the  Civil  war  from  its 
beginning  to  its  close,  entering  the  army  as  a 
private  'and  being  mustered  out  as  an  officer. 
He  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  took  a  great 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  died  in  1882, 
having  survived  his  wife  nine  years.  They  had 
a  family  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  survive 
them,  James,  of  Meeker;  Mary,  wife  of  John 
Petti  John,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana;  William 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Benjamin  F.,  of 
Meeker;  Ida,  wife  of  Andrew  Hardy,  of  St. 
Joseph,  .Missouri,  and  Charles  E.,  of  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana.  William  was  married  on  April 
9,  1885,  to  Miss  Frances  Pierce,  a  daughter  of 
D.  W.  and  Lucretia  (Higgins)  Pierce,  who 
were  born  and  reared  in  Ohio  and  soon  after 
their  marriage  settled  in  Michigan,  removing 
later  to  Kansas,  where  the  father  died.  The 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  lost 
his  life  in  the  memorable  contest.  Of  their 
three  children  two  are  living,  Mrs.  Clark,  and 
Jessie,  wife  of  Thomas  Sweet,  of  Manhattan, 
Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  had  five 
children,  of  whom  Robert  E.,  Douglas  E., 
Hazel  and  William  K.  are  living  and  Donald 
is  dead. 

JOHN  A.  WATSON. 

In  the  fifty-six  years  of  his  life,  nearly 
twenty  of  which  have  been  passed  in  Colorado, 
John  A.  Watson,  like  other  members  of  his 
family,  has  rendered  important  service  to  the 
public  interests  of  his  country,  local  and  gen- 
eral, in  peace  and  war.  No  call  to  public  duty 
has  ever  been  unheeded  by  him,  no  effort  for 
the  advancement  or  improvement  of  his  locality 
or  the  betterment  of  its  people  has  failed  of  his 
cordial  and  substantial  support.  Mr.  Watson 
came  into  the  world  on  April  28,  1848,  at 
Woodsfield,  Monroe  county,  Ohio,  and  is  the 
son  of  James  and  Maria  Jane  (Smith)  Wat- 


son. James  Watson  was  a  native  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  who  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Ohio  in  the  early  life  with  his 
parents,  who  remained  in  that  state  until 
death.  The  mother,  Maria  Jane  (Smith)  Wat- 
son, was  of  Irish  parentage,  but  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  near  Steubenville,  Ohio.  James 
Watson  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  portion 
of  the  state,  held  in  high  esteem  by  its  citizens 
and  chosen  by  them  to  many  offices  of  im- 
portance and  responsibility.  He  served  them 
well  as  justice  of  the  peace,  postmaster  at 
Graysville  for  sixteen  years,  representative  in 
the  legislature  two  terms  from  January  i, 
1874,  to  January  i,  1878,  master  commissioner 
and  president  of  the  Monroe  County  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and  in  various  other  official 
capacities.  He  was  also  a  prominent  merchant 
at  Graysville  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
war,  when  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union 
and  entered  the  service  in  its  active  defense  as 
lieutenant  of  Company  D,  and  afterwards  as 
captain  of  Company  I,  Seventh  West  Virginia 
Infantry.  His  command  was  soon  at  the  front 
and  in  most  of  the  important  engagements  of 
that  portion  of  the  field  of  conflict  in  which  it 
was  located  bore  itself  gallantly.  At  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  in  the  Slaughter  Pen  as  it 
was  called,  while  fighting  under  General  Burn- 
side,  Captain  Watson  was  shot  in  the  shoulder, 
receiving  an  ounce  ball  which  disabled  him  and 
led  to  his  retirement  from  the  service.  His 
first  marriage  was  with  Miss  Maria  J.  Smith, 
and  brought  him  seven  children,  Maria  Jane 
(deceased),  John  A.,  Smith  H.  (deceased), 
James  A.,  Mary  H.,  Archibald  J.  and  Maggie. 
After  the  death  of  their  mother  he  married 
Miss  Mary  S.  Devore,  who  bore  him  two  chil- 
dren, Devore  (deceased)  and  Katie  (deceased). 
The  third  marriage  occurred  on  November  22. 
1865,  and  was  to  Mrs.  Hester  Ann  Beard- 
more,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucinda  (Cook) 
Latshaw,  both  born  in  Monroe  county,  Ohio. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


35 


Six  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  marriage, 
Henry  Knox,  Olive  L.,  Roy  Heber,  David 
Okey,  G.  W.  W.,  and  Columbus  M.  The  Wat- 
son family  and  their  relatives  were  full  of 
martial  spirit  and  fervently  patriotic.  Robert 
Smith,  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge; 
William  Watson,  another  uncle,  became  a  vic- 
tim of  consumption  from  exposure  in  the 
service  and  thereby  gave. his  life  to  the  cause 
of  the  Union;  another  uncle  was  a  soldier  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio  Infantry, 
and  still  another  in  Seventh  West  Virginia  In- 
fantry; while  their  cousins,  the  Givenses  and 
other  families  related  to  them,  sent  large  num- 
bers of  their  best  and  bravest  men  to  the  Union 
side  in  that  memorable  conflict.  James  Allen 
Watson,  a  brother  of  John  A.,  also  had  the 
martial  spirit  and  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
ran  away  from  home  to  take  part  in  one  of 
General  Custer's  campaigns  against  the  In- 
dians and  joined  Company  K,  Nineteenth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  for  the  purpose.  In  the 
service  which  followed  he  suffered  great  hard- 
ship, nearly  starving  on  the  plains,  under- 
going long  forced  marches,  fighting  at  times 
with  great  odds  and  in  imminent  peril,  and  en- 
countering all  the  worst  phases  of  Indian  war- 
fare from  a  foe  savage  with  the  fury  of  despair. 
On  being  mustered  out  of  this  service  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  entered  Mt.  Union  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the 
scientific  course.  He  then  served  a  number  of 
years  as  principal  of  the  Woodsfield  schools. 
John  A.  himself  was  a  soldier  for  the  Union  in 
the  Civil  war,  although  he  did  not  reach  the 
proper  age  for  entering  the  army  until  the  con- 
test was  nearing  its  close.  After  being  edu- 
cated at  the  common  schools  and  Spring  Bank 
Academy,  at  Woodsfield,  Ohio,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-sixth 
Ohio  Infantry,  in  February,  1865,  and  served 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at 


Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  then  returned  to 
Ohio  and  entered  his  father's  store  as  a  clerk, 
soon  rising  to  a  partnership  in  the  establish- 
ment. In  the  meantime  he  took  a  course  of 
business  training  at  Duff's  Commercial  Col- 
lege at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  When  the 
father  was  elected  to  the  legislature  the  sons 
took  charge  of  and  conducted  the  business  until 
1884.  Then  John  A.  sold  his  interests  in  it, 
having  been  elected  treasurer  of  his  township. 
He  also  kept  a  hotel  at  Graysville  for  a  few 
years.  In  1885  ne  kft  the  scenes  and  associ- 
ations of  his  childhood  and  youth,  and  coming 
to  Colorado  entered  actively  on  a  new  field  of 
stirring  activities.  Locating  at  Meeker,  he  pre- 
empted one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  townsite,  to  which  he  has  added 
thirty-five  acres  by  a  subsequent  purchase.  The 
ranch  is  well  supplied  with  water  for  irrigation 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  it  are  in  an 
advanced  state  of  cultivation.  Four  ditches,  in 
which  Mr.  Watson  has  interests,  help  to  irri- 
gate his  land,  and  that  of  many  others,  the 
Beard  &  Watson,  the  Highland,  the  Meeker 
and  the  Meeker  Bridge  Gulch,  and  these  he  aids 
in  maintaining  for  the  common  service  of  the 
locality.  While  carrying  on  his  ranching  and 
cattle  industries  he  has  also  bought  and  sold 
land  as  a  business  and  for  the  development  and 
settlement  of  his  section  of  the  county.  He  was 
largely  engaged  in  the  stock  business  until  the 
fall  of  1901,  when  he  was  elected  county 
treasurer,  a  position  which  he  is  now  filling. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Union  Oil  and  Gas 
Company  near  Rangeley  and  owns  twenty 
valuable  building  lots  in  Meeker.  In  1889  ne 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  district  court  by 
Judge  Rucker,  and  he  held  the  office  eleven 
years.  Thus  in  almost  every  line  of  productive 
energy,  official  usefulness  and  personal  worth 
he  has  served  this  people,  and  by  all  classes 
of  them  he  is  well  esteemed.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Mason  of  the  Royal  Arch  degree  and  a  mem- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ber  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
politically  he  is  firm  and  faithful  in  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Democratic  party.  On  Janu- 
ary i,  1867,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline 
Allen,  daughter  of  "David  and  Pauline  (Hill) 
Allen.  They  have  had  five  children,  Mary  E., 
Nora  M.,  Evart  H.,  who  died  on  December  27, 
1877,  Frank  E.  and  Beatrice  K.  Mr.  Watson's 
mother  died  in  April,  1860,  and  his  father  in 
September,  1901. 

DAVID  SMITH. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  Mr.  Smith,  one  of 
western  Colorado's  most  active  and  enterpris- 
ing business  men  and  public-spirited  citizens, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  state,  and  for  about 
seventeen  has  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Meeker.  During  all  this  time  he  has-  been 
prominent  in  the  business  and  public  life  of  the 
community  of  his  home,  and  to  every  under- 
taking for  its  advancement  he  has  contributed 
essentially  and  substantially,  his  helping  hand 
being  strongly  felt  in  many  phases  of  the  in- 
dustrial and  mercantile  activity  of  the  section. 
He  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  Fifeshire  on 
January  22,  1854.  His  parents,  Andrew  and 
Ann  (Durie)  Smith,  were  natives  of  Scotland. 
The  father  was  a  busy  contractor  and  builder 
and  also  held  public  office  as  an  inspector  and 
collector.  He  died  in  1898  and  the  mother  in 
1903.  Their  son  David  obtained  his  education 
in  a  common  school,  and  leaving  \vhile  yet  a 
youth  became  a  bookkeeper  and  cashier  in  the 
office  of  a  distillery.  After  a  service  of  some 
years  in  this  capacity  he  began  to  study  brew- 
ing practically  in  the  distillery  and  prosecuted 
his  study  of  the  business  a  number  of  years. 
In  1885  he  came  to  the  United  States  and, 
impelled  by  the  promise  of  favorable  oppor- 
tunities for  business  of  all  kinds  in  the  West, 
located  at  Fort  Lupton,  this  state.  Here  he 
purchased  railroad  land,  which  he  sold  after 


farming  it  for  awhile.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he 
moved  to  Meeker  and  located  a  ranch  six  miles 
south  of  the  town  on  what  is  commonly  known 
as  Strawberry.  On  this  ranch  he  became  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  sheep  industry  as  a 
member  of  the  Robinson-Smith  Sheep  Com- 
pany. He  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  made  extensive  improvements,  then 
in  1891  sold  the  place  and  bought  the  one  he 
now  owns  in  the  vicinity  of  Meeker.  This  also 
contains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  on 
it  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vegetables  are  produced 
with  success  and  profit.  The  land  is  well 
watered  from  the  Town  ditch,  which  Mr.  Smith 
owns.  Having  a  commercial  turn  of  mind, 
since  1888  he  has  been  prominent  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  since  1889  with  the  saw-mill  in- 
dustry, his  enterprise  in  the  latter  being  the 
first  one  started  in  Rio  Blanco  county.  He  also 
has  valuable  interests  in  the  oil  trade  and  in 
coal  fields.  By  his  efforts  the  lumber  company 
in  which  he  is  interested  has  so  prospered  and 
progressed  that  it  is  equipped  to  meet  all  de- 
mands for  first-class  material.  The  name 
under  which  it  trades  is  the  D.  Smith  Lumber 
Company.  He  was  also  for  some  time  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Meeker  and  occupied 
this  position  at  the  time  of  the  robbery  of  the 
institution  on  October  13,  1896.  The  robbers 
fired  two  shots  at  him,  but  he  escaped  without 
injury.  He  has  been  active  in  the  fraternal 
life  of  the  community,  being  connected  with 
the  Masonic  order  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World ;  and  in  the  spirit  of  progress  and  de- 
velopment in  the  community  he  has  been  one 
of  the  valued  inspirations.  On  March  5,  1891, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Allsebrook,  and 
their  home  has  been  brightened  and  blessed 
with  six  children,  Andrewr  L.,  Dorothy  H., 
Allan  D.,  David  H.,  Colin  A.  and  Isabel  L. 
Mr.  Smith  has  in  a  marked  degree  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  the  business  and  social 
life  of  the  county  and  adjacent  territory,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


37 


is  generally  accounted  one  of  the  best  citizens 
and  representative  men  on  the  Western  slope. 

WILLIAM  A.  KELLER. 

A  Virginian  by  nativity,  and  born  in  Rock- 
ingham  county  on  March  25,  1850,  then  losing 
his  father  by  death  two  years  later,  William  A. 
Keller,  of  near  Meeker,  one  of  the  prominent 
ranchers  and  self-made  men  of  Rio  Blanco 
county,  began  life  under  very  unpromising  con- 
ditions, as  in  addition  to  his  orphanage  his  sec- 
tion of  country  a  few  years  later  was  bearing 
the  brunt  of  the  Civil  war,  which  paralyzed 
every  industry  of  its  people  and  laid  untold 
hardships  upon  them.  Under  the  circum- 
stances Mr.  Keller  had  almost  no  opportunity 
for  attending  school,  but  was  obliged  to  begin 
hustling  for  himself  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  He 
remained  in  Virginia  until  April  5,  1870,  when 
he  left  for  Missouri,  locating  first  in  Lafayette 
county  and  later  in  Clay.  Here  he  worked  as 
a  farm  hand  for  small  wages  until  1873.  With 
a  party  of  ten  men  he  then  crossed  the  plains 
from  Carney  to  Chery  creek,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Denver,  consuming  six  weeks  in  the 
journey.  He  came  to  this  state  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health  and,  desiring  still  an  outdoor  life, 
he  became  a  cattle  herder  for  the  Coberly 
Brothers,  with  whom  he  remained  until  winter. 
At  that  time  he  moved  to  Denver  and  occupied 
himself  in  an  express  business  which  later  he 
sold  and  afterward  went  to  Hall's  Gulch,  where 
he  worked  in  the  mines  for  the  Hall's  Gulch 
Mining  Company  three  months.  From  there 
he  moved  to  Caribou  and  continued  the  same 
line  of  work  until  1876.  At  that  time  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Boulder  and  his  occu- 
pation to  keeping  a  hotel.  This  he  continued 
two  years  with  profit,  then  went  to  Leadville 
and  there  mined  and  kept  a  hotel,  remaining 
until  1887,  when  he  sold  his  interests,  and  mov- 
ing to  Lone  Tree  creek,  pre-empted  one  hun- 


dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  the 
ranch  on  which  he  has  since  lived  and  which 
he  has  increased  to  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  Here  he  has  carried  on  extensive  in- 
dustries in  raising  stock  and  general  ranching, 
his  cattle  for  the  greater  part  being  Short- 
horns and  Herefords  of  good  quality.  His 
water  suppjy  is  sufficient  for  the  cultivation  of 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  and  it  is  highly 
fertile  and  productive,  yielding  good  crops  of 
the  ordinary  farm  products  suited  to  the  region, 
hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits,  but  the 
cattle  being  his  principal  reliance.  His  suc- 
cess in  this  enterprise  has  been  exceptional  and 
he  is  'rated  as  one  of  the  leading  stock  men  of 
the  county.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Elks 
and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  politically  he  is  a 
firm  and  loyal  Democrat.  His  parents'  were 
Joseph  and  Margaret  (Crickenberger)  Keller, 
natives  of  Virginia,  where  the  father  was  a 
blacksmith  and  died  in  1852.  The  mother  still 
resides  at  the  old  family  homestead,  and  is  past 
eighty-one  years  old.  They  had  two  children, 
a  daughter  Susan,  who  died,  and  William.  On 
October  26,  1876,  Mr.  Keller  was  united  in 
wedlock  with  Miss  Wilda  Younker,  a  native 
of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio. 

WILLIAM  E.  SIMPSON. 

William  E.  Simpson,  of  Meeker,  one  of  the 
county's  most  substantial  and  influential  men, 
was  born  on  July  4,  1855,  in  Jefferson  count}-, 
Pennsylvania,  but  was  raised  in  Indiana  county, 
that  state,  whither  his  parents  moved  when  he 
was  quite  young.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion, attending  the  public  schools  and  Mount 
Union  College  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1874.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  began  teaching  school  and  followed 
this  profession  seven  years  in  Indiana  county. 
He  also  conducted  a  store  and  the  postoffice  at 
a  small  place  called  Hammil.  Here  his  health 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


failed  and  he  was  obliged  to  come  to  Colorado 
for  its  improvement.  In  the  spring  of  1888  he 
located  at  Meeker.  For  some  years  he  was  as- 
sociated with  T.  B.  Watson  in  business  and 
afterward  with  J.  W.  Hugus  &  Company. 
From  1891  to  1894  he  conducted  the  Antlers 
Hotel.  During  the  next  four  years  he  carried 
on  a  meat  market  and  also  dealt  in  hides, 
finding  both  lines  of  business  profitable.  In 
1891  he  also  engaged  in  ranching,  purchasing 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the 
North  Fork  of  White  river,  to  which  he  has 
since  added  four  hundred  and  forty  acres.  The 
ranch  is  thirty  miles  east  of  Meeker,  and  is 
well  supplied  with  water  and  timber.  Two 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  under  cultivation 
in  the  usual  products  of  the  section,  hay  and 
cattle  being  the  chief  sources  of  profit.  In  the 
public  affairs  of  Meeker  and  the  county  he 
takes  an  active  and  serviceable  part,  having 
served  as  president  of  the  school  board  for 
many  years  and  also  as  mayor  of  the  town, 
elected  on  the  citizens'  ticket.  -In  the  fraternal 
life  of  the  community  he  is  prominent  and 
serviceable  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  .in  business  his  success  has  been  very  good. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  to  the  needs 
of  his  party  he  contributes  in  personal  work 
and  material  substance.  His  parents  were 
James  and  Jane  Simpson,  who  were  successful 
farmers.  Six  children  were  born  in  the  family, 
of  whom  Ellen  and  Catherine  are  dead  and 
John  M.,  of  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania; 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  James  E.  Dilts),  of  Leon; 
Kansas;  James  M.,  of  Colorado,  and  William 
E.  are  living.  The  father  died  in  1856  and 
the  mother  in  1898.  On  January  4,  1882,  Mr. 
Simpson  was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Almyra  A.  McKillip,  a  native  of  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  Hamil- 
ton and  Elizabeth  McKillip,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  father  was  a  miller  and  a  manu- 
facturer of  woolen  goods  for  many  years,  but 


devoted  the  later  years  of  his  life  to  farming. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  father  died  on  March  2,  1878, 
and  the  mother  on  January  18,  1898.  They 
had  six  children,  of  whom  James  S.  and  Mary 
A.  have  died,  and  William,  Mrs.  Simpson, 
Hamilton  L.  and  Anna  J.  are  living.  Although 
conducting  his  ranch  operations  in  person  and 
giving  them  close  and  energetic  attention,  Mr. 
Simpson  makes  his  home  in  the  town  of 
Meeker.  His  life  among  this  people  has  been 
potential  for  their  good  and  he  is  highly  es- 
teemed among  them  as  a  business  man,  a  genial 
and  obliging  friend  and  an  upright  and  public- 
spirited  citizen. 

JULIUS  L.  STREHLKE. 

This  skillful  mechanic  and  successful  ranch 
man,  who  was  well  esteemed  in  the  community 
of  his  residence,  was  a  native  of  Stugard,  Prus- 
sia, Germany,  born  on  April  14,  1837.  His 
parents  were  Gotfried  and  Florentine  Strehlke, 
natives  of  Prussia,  where  they  were  industrious 
and  prosperous  farmers,  and  devout  Lutherans. 
Their  offspring  numbered  nine,  three  of  whom 
are  living,  Henrietta,  Ferdinand  and  Caroline. 
Julius  attended  the  public  schools,  receiving  a 
good  education  within  the  limit  of  their  course, 
and  assisted  his  parents  on  the  farm  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  seventeen,  when,  according 
to  the  law  of  the  country,  he  entered  the  army 
for  a  term  of  three  years.  At  the  end  of  his 
service  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith 
and  worked  at  it  in  his  native  land  until  1863, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  at 
Detroit,  Michigan.  There  he  wrought  at  his 
trade  at  various  places  in  and  around  the  city 
until  1867.  At  that  time  he  went  to  the  copper 
region  along  Lake  Superior,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  employed  in  the  mines.  In  1875 
he  came  to  Colorado,  traveling  by  stage  from 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


39 


Atchison,  Kansas,  to  Denver.  In  that  city  he 
secured  employment  as  traveling  blacksmith 
of  the  Overland  Stage  Company,  in  whose  em- 
ploy he  remained  one  year  and  a  half.  He  next 
moved  to  Central  City  and  worked  at  his  trade 
a  few  months,  after  which  he  opened  a  liquor 
store  which  he  conducted  until  the  excitement 
over  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Leadville  took 
him  to  that  promising  camp,  where  he  found 
an  active  demand  for  his  mechanical  skill  as 
a  blacksmith.  In  1885  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests there  and  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Meeker.  He  pre-empted  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  there,  to  which  he  added 
forty  by  purchase  and  had  the  whole  of  the 
two  hundred  acres  under  cultivation.  Cattle 
and  hay  were  his  principal  resources,  but  he 
also  raised  some  grain  and  vegetables.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  action, 
and  was  well  pleased  with  Colorado  for  a  home 
and  place  of  business.  On  August  9,  1869,  he 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Alvina  Pis- 
chel,  a  native  of  Prussia.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  one  died  in  infancy,  and  Albert, 
Fred,  Louis  and  Carl  are  living.  Albert  and 
Carl  are  residents  of  Meeker,  Fred  lives  at 
Cape  Nome,  Alaska,  and  Louis  at  Montrose  in 
this  state.  Mr.  Strehlke's  death  occurred  on 
May  31,  1904,  his  loss  being  keenly  felt  in  the 
community  which  had  been  benefited  by  his  life. 

JAMES  W.  RECTOR. 

James  W.  Rector,  of  Rangely,  in  Rio 
Blanco  county,  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
successful  ranchers  in  the  section,  is  a  native 
of  Barton  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was  born 
on  August  29,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Jane  E.  (Peery)  Rector,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky  and  the  mother  of  Illinois. 
After  their  marriage  they  located  in  Missouri, 
where  they  were  prosperous  farmers.  The 
father  died  in  1869,  and  after  that  sad  event 


James,  who  was  the  oldest  of  the  four  children, 
was  obliged  to  work  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
aid  in  supporting  the  family.  His  wages  were 
small  but  of  material  assistance  in  this  laudable 
desire.  The  other  children  are  Jacob,  who 
lives  in  Scott  county,  Kansas;  Benjamin  F., 
also  of  Scott  county,  Kansas,  and  Alice,  wife  of 
John  Taylor,  of  Kansas.  Under  the  circum- 
stances surrounding  his  boyhood  and  youth  it 
was  impossible  for  Mr.  Rector  to  get  much 
education  in  the  schools,  but  he  managed  to 
attend  a  few  terms  in  the  winter  months.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  started  out  for 
himself,  going  to  western  Texas  and  making 
Colorado  City  his  headquarters.  There  he  was 
employed  as  a  range  rider  until  1882.  He  then 
moved  to  a  point  one  hundred  miles  north  of 
Pacos,  Texas,  on  Seven  Rivers,  in  New 
Mexico,  and  continued  range  riding  in  the  em- 
ploy of  William  Adams,  an  extensive  cattle- 
grower.  From  the  spring  of  1884  to  the  fall  of 
1885  he  was  engaged  in  bringing  outfits  over 
the  trail.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  pre-empted  a  ranch  four  miles  west 
of  Rangely,  to  which  he  has  added  by  pur- 
chases from  time  to  time,  until  now,  in  part- 
nership with  R.  G.  Peters,  of  Manistee,  Michi- 
gan, he  owns  seventeen  hundred  acres,  one 
thousand  of  which  are  under  cultivation  in  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables.  The  ranch  has  an 
abundant  supply  of  water  for  this  acreage  and 
the  land  is  highly  productive  and  thoroughly 
cultivated.  The  improvements  are  extensive 
and  valuable,  being  of  an  unusually  ornate  and 
costly  order,  and  were  all  made  by  Mr.  Rector 
who  is  the  active  manager  of  the  property  and 
business.  The  dwelling  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing and  beautiful  in  this  section  of  the 
county,  being  in  the  midst  of  extensive  grounds 
tastefully  laid  out  and  carefully  tended.  In 
political  faith  Mr.  Rector  is  a  firm  and  faith- 
ful Democrat,  taking  an  earnest  and  helpful 
part  in  the  councils  of  his  party  and  always 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


working  with  energy  for  its  success.  He  has 
been  a  county  commissioner  since  1900,  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  choice  is  manifested  by  the 
excellence  of  his  work  in  the  office.  He  belongs 
to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
and  in  their  workings  he  also  takes  an  active 
interest.  He  was  married  on  April  9,  1899, 
to  Miss  Rose  M.  McNew,  who  was  born  in 
Barton  county,  Missouri,  and  they  have  two 
children,  James  R.  and -Ruble  L. 

BENJAMIN  L.  NICHOLS. 

The  scion  of  old  Kentucky  and  Virginia 
families  who  long  lived  and  labored  in  those 
historic  states  of  this  great  republic,  Benjamin 
L.  Nichols,  of  Meeker,  in  the  various  fields  of 
labor  which  have  engaged  his  attention,  has 
well  sustained  the  traditions  of  his  ancestry  and 
proved  the  elevated  character  of  his  own  man- 
hood. He  was  born  in  Switzerland  county, 
Indiana,  on  February  26,  1849,  and  is  the  son 
of  William  H.  and  Nancy  (Wiley)  Nichols,  the 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of 
Virginia,  who  made  their  early  home  in  Indi- 
ana and  in  1855  moved  to  Kansas  where  they 
were  among  the  very  early  pioneers.  They 
farmed  successfully  and  the  father  took  an 
active  part  in  politics  on  the  Republican  side. 
He  died  in  1861  and  the  mother  in  1895.  Their 
offspring  numbered  seven,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  William  F.,  at  Fort  Collins ;  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  Bennett),  in  Kansas;  Lucy  (Mrs. 
Webb),  at  Joplin,  Missouri,  in  addition  to  the 
pleasing  subject  of  this  brief  review.  He  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  and  when 
he  was  but  sixteen  answered  the  last  call  for 
volunteers  in  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  Civil 
war,  and  gallantly  took  the  field  as  a  member 
of  Company  E.  Sixteenth  Kansas  Cavalry.  Re- 
turning to  his  Kansas  home  at  the  close  of  the 
gigantic  conflict,  he  assumed  his  father's  place 
in  managing  the  work  of  the  farm  and  re- 


mained there  so  occupied  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-five.  At  that  time  he  moved  to 
St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  farmed  two  years  in 
that  locality.  In  1876  he  changed  his  residence 
to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in 
that  city,  first  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Beal 
&  Nichols,  and  after  selling  his  interests  in 
that  establishment  to  Mr.  Beal,  as  a  partner  of 
Mr.  Collins.  His  success  in  trade  was  gratify- 
ing, but  he  had  a  desire  for  life  farther  west, 
and  in  1881  he  sold  out  in  Omaha  and  came 
to  Colorado.  Three  months  after  his  arrival 
he  located  a  ranch  in  North  Park,  which,  after 
improving  it,  he  sold  in  1884.  He  then  moved 
to  Meeker,  at  that  time  a  small  village  with  but 
few  inhabitants,  and  for  a  year  conducted  a 
dairy  with  profit,  then  located  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  eight  miles  south  of 
Meeker,  the  one  now  owned  by  Henry  Wilson. 
This  he  traded  for  the  ranch  which  Robert 
Crawford  afterward  secured  by  purchase. 
After  selling  it  Mr.  Nichols  devoted  a  number 
of  years  to  freighting  between  Meeker  and 
Rawlins,  Wyoming,  in  the  service  of  Hugus 
&  Company.  Prior  to  this,  however,  he  was 
appointed  road  overseer  and  built  the  roads 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  county.  He  was  also 
appointed  the  first  marshal  of  Meeker  and 
served  a  year.  In  1900  he  was  again  appointed 
to  this  office  and  held  it  until  April,  1904.  He 
was  very  active  in  the  defense  of  the  bank  at 
the  time  of  its  robbery  on  October  13,  1896, 
and  for  his  bravery  and  skill  on  this  occasion  re- 
ceived a  handsome  and  costly  rifle  from 
Hugus  &  Company  as  a  testimonial.  Mr. 
Nichols  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  political  faith, 
and  belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  fra- 
ternal life.  He  was  married  on  August  9,  1874, 
to  Miss  Anna  Von  Kennel,  a  native  of  Jackson 
county,  Ohio.  They  have  had  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living,  Myra  (Mrs.  George 
Bloomfield),  at  Meeker,  Fred,  at  Rangely,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Hazel,  at  home.  An  infant,  and  a  son  named 
Clarence,  who  passed  away  on  September  14, 
1895,  are  dead.  Mr.  Nichols  is  universally 
recognized  as  a  most  worthy  and  useful  citizen 
who  fully  deserves  the  high  esteem,  in  which 
he  is  held  on  all  sides. 

ZACHARIAH  T.  BANTA. 

Having  lived  in  Colorado  more  than  half 
the  duration  of  a  human  life  as  fixed  by  the 
sacred  writer,  and  during  that  time  participated 
in  many  of  its  varied  industries  and  productive 
occupations  in  a  forceful  and  helpful  way,  wit- 
nessing the  progress  of  the  state  from  a  wilder- 
ness to  what  it  is  now  and  aiding  materially 
in  bringing  about  the  change,  Zachariah  T. 
Banta,  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  is  entitled  to  the 
position  he  holds  in  the  regard  of  the  people 
of  the  commonwealth,  and  justly  enjoys  the 
pride  he  feels  in  the  achievements  he  and  others 
like  him  have  won  here  from  obdurate  and 
obstinate  conditions  confronting  them  at  the 
start,  yet  hiding  beneath  their  unpromising 
surface  unbounded  wealth  of  opportunity  and 
of  material  substance.  It  was  in  Henry 
county,  Missouri,  and  on  March  14,  1838,  that 
his  life  began,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Abraham 
and  Elizabeth  Banta,  natives  of  Kentucky  who 
moved  to  Missouri  soon  after  their  marriage 
and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
successfully  engaged  in  the  peaceful  pursuit  of 
agriculture.  The  father  was  in  his  young 
manhood  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Whig  party,  but  later  became  as  firm  a 
Democrat.  He  died  in  1882  and  the  mother  in 
1885.  Of  their  seven  children  four  are  living, 
Zachariah  was  educated  at  the  public  schools 
and  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  1859,  when  he 
determined  to  leave  home  and  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  he  came  overland  by  way  of 
Santa  Fe  and  up  the  Arkansas  to  Pueblo,  then 


on  to  Denver.  After  a  short  stay  at  that  town 
he  located  at  Boulder  and  engaged  in  mining. 
Later  he  moved  to  Spring  gulch  where  he  con- 
tinued the  same  pursuit.  In  the  fall  of  1859 
he  went  back  to  Missouri  and  in  the  spring  of 
1860  returned  with  freight  and  in  the  fall  of 
1860  returned  to  Missouri  by  the  Platte  route 
and  engaged  in  farming  in  Henry  county  until 
1862.  The  times  and  place  getting  too  hot  for 
a  young  loyal  Democrat,  he  went  north  to 
Davis  county.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  re- 
turned to  Henry  county  and  put  in  a  crop  of 
wheat,  but  in  August  things  were  so  unsettled 
he  again  left  that  locality  and  came  back  to 
Colorado.  Until  1864  he  was  occupied  in 
ranching  near  Colorado  City.  He  next  located 
at  Buffalo  Flats,  where  he  again  engaged  in 
mining  with  profit  until  1867.  At  that  time  he 
returned  to  Missouri  for  a  short  visit,  going 
overland  by  the  Platte  route,  but  while  there 
embraced  an  opportunity  for  a  little  profitable 
farming  which  kept  him  until  near  the  close 
of  1868.  Then  disposing  of  his  interests  in 
that  state,  and  collecting  a  herd  of  cattle,  he  re- 
turned to  Colorado  by  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail. 
There  were  Indian  troubles  behind  and  before 
his  party,  and  to  avoid  having  his  cattle  stolen 
by  savages  he  sold  them  at  Fort  Harker.  He 
then  hired  the  government  outfit  to  bring  him 
and  his  family  to  Pueblo.  He  bought  land 
ten  miles  west  of  the  city  and  followed  ranch- 
ing there  until  1871.  Then  selling  the  ranch, 
but  retaining  the  cattle,  he  moved  up  to  Buffalo 
Flats.  The  cattle  were  placed  on  the  range  near 
Brecken ridge  for  a  time,  then  taken  to  the 
Arkansas  valley.  In  1872  he  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Fremont  county,  above  Canon  City, 
and  located  a  stock  ranch  on  which  he  remained 
six  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  sold 
this  ranch  and  bought  another  on  the  Arkansas 
river  where  he  lived  until  1885,  conducting  a 
store  during  much  of  the  time.  Selling  out 
once  more,  he  turned  his  attention  to  getting 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


out  ties  for  the  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  and  also 
furnished  beef  for  the  company  under  contract. 
After  disposing  of  all  his  interests  in  the  Ar- 
kansas valley  he  moved  to  the  ranch  which  is 
his  present  home  four  miles  west  of  Rangely. 
This  comprises  eighty  acres,  is  well  watered 
and  highly  productive,  yielding  good  crops  of 
the  ordinary  farm  products,  and  also  supports 
comfortably  his  cattle,  these  and  hay  being  his 
main  reliance  in  the  business.  When  he  located 
here  there  were  but  few  settlers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, his  land  was  wholly  unimproved  and 
all  that  men  wanted  in  the  way  of  development 
of  the  section  was  yet  to  be  worked  out.  His 
ranch  as  it  is  now  is  the  result  of  his  own  in- 
dustry and  persistent  attention,  and  the  retro- 
spection of  the  past  recalls  some  thrilling 
episodes  of  local  history.  From  the  top  of  his 
abode  cabin  he  witnessed  the  soldiers,  seventy 
volunteers  and  two  hundred  territorial  militia 
drive  the  Indians  out  of  this  section  of  the 
country  as  a  penalty  for  their  having  stolen 
horses  and  cattle  from  the  settlers,  the  hostiles 
having  camped  three  miles  west  of  his  home. 
A  number  of  the  whites  were  killed,  among 
them  the  noted  Lieutenant  Ward,  deputy 
sheriff,  and  Mr.  Curly,  and  of  course  many 
more  of  the  Indians.  The  country  at  the  time 
was  overgrown  with  wild  sage  brush,  willows 
and  kindred  untamed  vegetation.  Mr.  Banta 
was  married  on  September  14,  1862,  to  Miss 
Louisa  Owen,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy 
Owen,  natives  of  Platte  county,  Missouri. 
They  have  had  eleven  children,  four  of  whom 
have  died,  one  in  infancy  and  three,  George, 
Mary  and  Elizabeth,  later  in  life.  The  seven 
living  children  are  John,  Nancy,  Charles, 
Virda,  Fannie,  Astena  and  Irene.  Their 
mother  died  on  November  25,  1901,  and  on 
September  21,  1903,  the  father  married  a  sec- 
ond wife,  Mrs.  Virginia  Stotts,  widow  of  J. 
P.  Stotts  and  daughter  of  George  G.  and  Mary 
W.  Grove,  of  Winchester,  Virginia;  she  was 


born  and  raised  in  Virginia,  but  afterwards 
lived  in  Missouri,  coming  to  Colorado  in  1901. 

BILLS  BROTHERS. 

The  ranching  and  stock-growing  firm 
known  as  the  Bills  Brothers,  doing  business  on 
a  good  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-two 
acres  eight  miles  southeast  of  Meeker,  is  com- 
posed of  two  brothers  who  are  natives  of  Lin- 
coln county,  Nevada,  where  Charles  W.  was 
born  on  October  21,  1865.  and  Albert  on  April 
19,  1876.  They  are  the  sens  of  David  and 
Sarah  Bills,  the  father  a  native  of  Iowa  and 
the  mother  of  Utah.  The  father,  who  is  now 
prosperously  engaged  in  blacksmithing,  ranch- 
ing and  raising  stock,  did  good  service  for  his 
country  in  a  time  of  need,  being  a  soldier  for 
the  Union  in  the  Civil  war  in  a  Wisconsin 
regiment,  in  which  he  enlisted  as  a  private  and 
was  mustered  out  as  sergeant,  his  term  extend- 
ing from  early  in  1862  to  the  end  of  the  strife. 
Seven  children  were  born  in  the  family,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  Albert,  Charles  W.,  George, 
Lewis,  Elizabeth  and  Iva.  A  daughter  named 
Ava  is  deceased.  The  brothers  who  compose 
the  firm  were  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  remained  at  home  assisting  their  parents 
until  they  neared  the  age  of  manhood.  In 
1894  they  came  to  Colorado  and  during  the 
next  six  years  were  variously  employed  in  dif- 
ferent localities.  In  1900  they  bought  the 
ranch  they  now  own  and  occupy  and  which 
they  are  vigorously  cultivating.  They  have 
sufficient  water  to  provide  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  entire  ranch  of  over  two  hundred  acres, 
and  on  this  they  get  good  harvests  of  hay, 
grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruit,  and  also  run 
a  number  of  cattle  suited  to  the  size  and  yield 
of  the  place.  They  are  successful  in  their  busi- 
ness and  are  well  thought  of  in  the  com- 
munity. Both  are  active  Republicans,  earnestly 
interested  in  the  success  of  their  party,  and  are 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


43 


wide-awake  and  progressive  men.  Albert  was 
married  in  August,  1898,  to  Miss  Princetta 
Collett,  a  native  of  Vernal,  Uinta  county,  Utah, 
and  they  have  had  three  children.  Elden  and 
Lloyd  are  living,  and  Bliss  has  died.  The  mar- 
riage of  Charles  occurred  on  August  30,  1900, 
and  was  with  Miss  Nellie  Richardson,  who  was 
born  in  Peru,  Indiana,  and  reared  in  Kingman 
county,  Kansas.  Their  household  has  been 
brightened  by  two  children,  one  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  and  the  other,  a  son  named  Herbert, 
is  living.  The  father  belongs  to  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  work  of  his  camp.  Conducting  their  busi- 
ness with  enterprise  and  progressiveness,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  citizenship  with  upright- 
ness and  earnestness,  living  among  their 
neighbors  with  credit  and  esteem,  these  factors 
of  the  ranch  and  cattle  industry,  one  of  the 
great  sources  of  wealth  and  power  in  Colorado, 
are  well  worthy  of  the  standing  they  have  in 
business  and  civic  circles  and  the  substantial 
success  they  have  won. 

WILLIAM  G.  WARREN. 

Beginning  a  life  of  labor  in  the  mines  of 
Colorado  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  ever  since 
then  actively  engaged  in  productive  pursuits  of 
various  kinds,  William  G.  Warren,  of  the 
White  river  valley,  living  on  a  good  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  tw.enty  acres  twelve  and  a 
half  miles  southeast  of  Meeker,  has  found  no 
time  for  idling  in  his  busy  life,  but  has  ever 
been  present  with  pressing  duty,  and  the  results 
of  his  ready  and  capable  response  to  its  calls  are 
seen  in  the  productive  activities  flourishing 
around  him  and  the  advanced  state  of  improve- 
ment of  the  countryr  in  which  he  has  lived  and 
labored.  His  life  began  on  April  8,  1862,  in 
Otonogan  county,  Michigan,  where  his  parents, 
George  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Shepherd)  Warren, 
settled  some  time  after  their  emigration  to  this 


country  from  their  native  England,  the  father 
having  been  born  in  Devonshire  in  that  country 
and  the  mother  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne.  On  ar- 
riving in  the  United  States  they  first  located  in 
New  Jersey,  then  some  time  afterward  to 
Michigan,  and  finally  to  Colorado.  The  father 
engaged  successfully  in  mining  and  followed 
that  pursuit  to  the  end  of  his  life.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  works  of  construction  of  magnitude, 
being,  in  addition  to  other  things  in  this  line, 
overseer  of  the  work  on  the  Hoosac  tunnel.  In 
political  faith  he  was  an  earnest  Republican  and 
fraternally  belonged  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. The  family  comprised  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  Thomas  H.,  James  W., 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Thomas  Parsons),  Emma 
(Mrs.  James  Cox)  and  William  G.  The 
mother  died  in  July,  1868,  and  the  father  in 
January,  1897.  The  facilities  for  education 
afforded  to  William  were  meager,  as  in  his 
youth  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  work  in  the  mines 
at  Georgetown,  this  state,  being  employed  there 
from  the  age  of  fourteen  until  1878.  He  then 
moved  to  Leadville  and  mined  for  wages  there 
until  1882.  During  the  next  seven  years  he 
was  following  the  same  pursuit,  most  of  the 
time  on  his  own  account  at  the  Holy  Cross,  Red 
Cliff  and  Iron  Mask  mines.  On  selling  his 
property  at  Gillman  in  1889  he  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Meeker,  taking  up  half  of  his  pres- 
ent ranch  on  White  river  and  afterward  adding 
the  other  half.  Of  this  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  one  hundred  and  eighty  can  be 
cultivated,  the  water  supply  being  abundant  for 
this  purpose,  as  Mr.  Warren  owns  an  individual 
ditch.  He  also  has  a  one-half  interest  in  the 
Warren-Dreyfuss  and  Warren-Smith  ditches. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Workmen.  On  September  29,  1886,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  W.  Ter- 
rell, a  native  of  Nebraska  reared  in  Missouri. 
They  have  had  six  children,  one,  Ralph,  being 
dead,  and  Jessie  E.,  Daisy  C,  George  William. 


44 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Clara  A.  and  Edna  living.  Mr.  Warren  is  one 
of  the  prominent  and  influential  men  in  this 
county,  forceful  in  every  phase  of  its  public 
life  and  business  enterprise,  and  has  the  regard 
and  confidence  of  all  its  people. 

JOHN  E.  CROOK. 

Born  in  Harrison  county,  West  Virginia, 
on  November  12,  1860,  and  growing  to  man- 
hood at  a  time  when  the  whole  section  sur- 
rounding his  home  was  in  the  throes  of  the 
Civil  war  and  suffering  from  its  disastrous  ef- 
fects, the  early  life  of  John  E.  Crook  afforded 
but  little  opportunity  for  his  systematic  edu- 
cation and  gave  the  entire  generation  to  which 
he  belongs  only  irregular  and  disturbed  busi- 
ness chances.  He  therefore  sought  a  wider  and 
more  settled  field  for  effort  when  he  reached  his 
legal  majority  by  moving  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  five  years. 
In  1886,  when  the  excitement  over  Oklahoma 
was  at  its  height,  he  moved  to  southern  Kansas, 
but  accomplishing  nothing  to  his  own  ad- 
vantage, he  returned  to  Lincoln.  SoVne  little 
time  later  he  changed  his  residence  to  Cheyenne 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  homesteaded  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  ^of  land  and  devoted 
two  years  to  farming,  but  suffered  repeated 
losses  through  fires  and  hail  storms.  In  the 
fall  of  1887  ne  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at 
Calumet,  where  he  worked  at  saw-milling  for 
wages  a  few  months,  then  moved  to  Buena 
Vista  and  there  for  a  period  of  eighteen  months 
he  got  out  ties  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad  under  contract  at  a  good  profit.  After 
closing  that  contract  he  was  engaged  by  the 
D.  &  M.  Ranch  Company  as  a  range  rider.  In 
1889  he  moved  to  Meeker,  and  here  he  con- 
tinued range  riding  and  other  ranch  work  in 
the  employ  of  others  until  1897,  when  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on 
White  river  thirteen  miles  southeast  of  the 


town.  He  has  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  his  tract  under  cultivation,  with  a  good 
water  supply,  and  is  steadily  improving  his 
property  and  enlarging  his  arable  acreage.  His 
main  dependence  is  on  cattle  and  hay,  but  he 
raises  other  farm  products  in  good  quantities 
and  of  superior  quality.  Mr.  Crook  belongs  to 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  takes  an  earn- 
est and  helpful  interest  in  politics  as  a  Republi- 
can. He  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Harrietta 
(Wolf)  Crook,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  the  latter  of  West  Virginia,  who  were 
farmers  in  that  section,  and  died  where  they 
had  lived  and  labored,  generally  esteemed,  the 
mother  passing  away  in  1872  and  the  father  in 
1899.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  all 
of  whom  are  dead  but  their  son  John  E.  He 
was  married  on  November  12,  1894,  to  Miss 
Hannah  Pierson,  a  native  of  Central  City,  Colo- 
rado, and  they  have  one  child,  their  son  Frank 
M.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Crook  were  natives  of 
Sweden. 

NOTE. — Since  the  above  sketch  was  written 
the  dark  angel  has  visited  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Crook,  removing  the  light  of  the  house- 
hold, the  child  of  their  hopes  and  solicitous 
care,  their  son  Erank,  who  died  May  24,  1904. 

TIMOTHY  D.  HOLLAND. 

Born  of  Irish  parents  who  sought  in  this 
country  a  better  chance  in  life  than  was  offered 
in  the  inhospitable  land  of  their  birth,  and 
bringing  to  their  new  home  the  characteristic 
energy  and  versatility  of  ther  race  which  they 
transmitted  to  their  offspring,  Timothy  D.  Hol- 
land has  well  borne  out  in  his  own  labors  the 
thrift  and  frugality  they  exemplified  in  theirs, 
and  built  for  himself  a  substantial  estate  in  thq 
western  portion  of  the  country  just  as  they  did 
for  themselves  in  the  eastern.  His  life  began 
in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  on  Septem- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


45 


ber  17,  1852,  and  there  he  received  an  ordinary 
common-school  education,  finishing  with  a 
high-school  course.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
began  to  earn  money  with  a  view  to  his  ad- 
vancement in  life,  doing  with  a  will  and  a  cheer- 
ful disposition  whatever  he  found  to  do.  In 
1875  he  entered  business  life  as  a  grocer,  and 
continued  in  that  line  until  1879,  when  he  sold 
his  interests.  In  the  ensuing  spring  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Den7 
ver  where  he  was  associated  with  the  Denver 
Omnibus  Company  for  a  period.  He  then 
moved  with  a  party  of  sixteen  men  6ver  Mos- 
quito pass  to  Leadville,  and  there  for  a  year 
worked  in  the  lumber  industry  of  George 
Bennett.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  bought 
a  team  and  outfit  and  began  hauling  ore  from 
the  various  mines,  continuing  his  operations  in 
this  occupation  until  January,  1893.  The  work 
was  hard  and  trying  but  the  profits  were  large, 
and  so  he  \vas  enabled  to  gain  from  it  both 
strength  of  body  and  a  stake  for  a  start  in  a 
more  congenial  engagement.  Selling  out  his 
outfit  at  the  time  last  mentioned,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  livery  business,  which  he  con- 
tinued with  gratifying  success  until  conditions 
were  made  less  favorable  by  the  strike  of  1896. 
He  kept  on  in  his  enterprise,  however,  until 
1899,  then,  disposing  of  his  holdings  at  Lead- 
ville, he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Meeker  and 
moved  to  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  one- 
half  of  which  he  had  pre-empted  in  1885,  tne 
other  half  having  been  since  acquired  by  pur- 
chase. He  has  now  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  one-half  of  which, can  be  cultivated  with 
good  returns,  and  on  the  entire  tract  he  runs 
a  good  band  of  cattle  and  horses.  The  ranch 
is  located  fourteen  miles  southeast  of  Meeker, 
so  that  a  ready  market  is  easily  within  reach, 
and  as  he  owns  independent  ditches,  the  water 
supply  is  abundant.  He  has  made  all  the  im- 
provements on  the  land  himself,  putting  into  the 
property  all  his  energy  and  business  capacity. 


and  from  a  state  of  natural  wildness  he  has 
transformed  it  into  an  attractive  and  fruitful 
home.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  faith 
and  takes  an  earnest  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  His  parents  were  Timothy  and 
Hannah  (Tobin)  Holland;  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  were  born  in  county.  Cork.  They  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1849  and  settled 
in  New  York  city.  The  father  was  a  pros- 
perous paper  manufacturer,  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  Catholic  in  church  affiliations, 
as  was  'also  his  wife.  He  died  on  October  19, 
1891,  and  the  mother  on  June  12,  1897.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Ellen,  Timothy  D.,  Katharine,  John 
and  Charles.  Timothy  was  married  on  Janu- 
ary 25,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Casey,  a 
native  of  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Matthews) 
Casey,  the  father  born  in  county  Tipperary  and 
the  mother  in  county  Meath,  Ireland.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  pros- 
pered greatly  at  the  business.  Although  born 
in  Ireland  he  was  reared  in  England.  In  the 
politics  of  this  country  he  supported  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  served  as  constable  for  a 
period  of  eighteen  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  Catholics.  They  had  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  Katharine  (Mrs.  Owen 
Sullivan),  Mrs.  Richard  Tague,  Mrs.  Holland, 
John,  Michael,  James  and  William.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Holland  have  three  children,  Nora  L.,  the 
wife  of  Michael  Schneider,  Katharine  T.  and 
John  A.  Mrs.  Holland's  mother  died  on  June 
27,  1890,  and  her  father  on  April  26,  1896. 
Both,  were  highly  respected  and  esteemed 
where  they  were  known. 

JOHN  HENRY  LEKAMP. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago  the  subject  of 
this  brief  review  took  up  as  a  squatter's  claim 
a  portion  of  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns  and 


46 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


occupies,  the  land  at  the  time  being  in  its  state 
of  primeval  nature,  virgin  to  the  plow  and 
almost  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  the  all-con- 
quering white  man.  There  were  but  few  set- 
tlers in  the  neighborhood  at  the  time,  and  each 
man  was  obliged  ta  make  the  best  of  his  op- 
portunities and  provide  as  well  as  he  could  for 
his  necessities  himself.  There  was  much  to 
commend  the  wild  and  self-reliant  life  of  so 
remote  a  section,  where  nature  and  her  various 
brood  were  almost  the  only  companionship  of 
the  adventurous  spirit,  yet  where  hardships 
were  not  wanting,  privations  were  often  press- 
ing and  danger  was  ever  present.  For  bounti- 
ful as  nature  was  to  provide,  she  was  at  the 
same  time  armed  against  the  intruder  and  as 
ready  to  destroy.  After  the  government  sur- 
vey was  made  Mr.  LeKamp  pre-empted  his 
land,  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
eighteen  miles  southeast  of  Meeker,  which  he 
has  since  increased  to  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  He  set  to  work  diligently  to  improve 
his  property,  make  it  habitable  and  bring  the 
untamed  land  into  responsive  fruitfulness  with 
the  products  of  cultivated  life.  For  awhile  he 
had  slow  and  slender  success  as  there  was  no 
water  supply  for  systematic  irrigation.  This 
difficulty  was  in  time  overcome,  and  he  now 
has  sufficient  from  independent  ditches  to  pro- 
vide for  the  cultivation  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  and  these  respond  generously  to 
his  persuasive  and  skillful  husbandry,  yielding 
good  crops  and  supporting  in  comfort  his  large 
herds  of  cattle  which  have  replaced  the  horses 
which  he  formerly  raised.  Mr.  LeKamp  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  on  April  28,  1818. 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  LeKamp, 
who  were  born  and  reared  in  Germany  and  de- 
scended from  long  lines  of  ancestry  in  that 
country.  In  1830  the  family  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  located  at  Cincinnati.  The 
father  was  an  industrious  man  and  found  re- 
munerative employment  in  various  fields  of 


labor,  and  both  parents  were  devout  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  John  H.  is  the  only  survivor. 
The  parents  also  have  died.  Their  son  John 
attended  school  for  a  few  terms  in  the  winter 
months,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  tailor.  After  learning  his  trade 
he  worked  at  it  in  various  parts  of  Ohio  until 
1869,  then  came  west  and  located  in  Saline 
county,  Nebraska.  There  he  followed  farming 
with  profit  until  1879,  when  he  came  to  this 
state  and  here  he  devoted  his  attention  to  min- 
ing and  prospecting  until  1883.  At  that  time 
he  moved  to  where  he  now  lives,  the  pioneer  of 
the  section,  and  began  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  his  present  home  and  prosperity.  He  is 
one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  region  and  has 
been  "prominent  in  all  phases  of  its  development. 
Although  an  active  and  loyal  Democrat  in 
political  faith,  he  has  given  serviceable  atten- 
tion to  promoting  the  general  welfare  of  his 
neighborhood  without  reference  to  party  con- 
siderations, and  has  been  potential  in  useful- 
ness to  every  element  of  its  progress  and  pros- 
perity. He  married,  in  1848,  Miss  Christina 
Haselbrook,  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself. 
They  have  had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  Gerhardt,  Henry  and  two  infants  hav- 
ing died.  Those  living  are  Mrs.  B.  F.  Nichols, 
Albert,  Charles,  Mrs.  John  Knottingham,  Mrs. 
David  Steele,  Mrs.  LeKamp  and  Frank.  All 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

JAMES  BUDGE. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  observation  and 
general  human  experience  that  to  a  great  extent 
the  circumstances  of  his  birth  and  rearing 
shape  the  man  and  determine  largely  his  course 
through  life.  The  sailor  is  oftenest  born  beside 
the  heaving  ocean  which  he  makes  his  future 
home,  the  ardent  advocate  of  liberty  on  the 
mountain  side,  the  lumberman  in  the  forest. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


47 


And  so  it  happens  that  James  Budge,  although 
now  one  of  the  flourishing  and  progressive 
ranch  and  stock  men  of  Rio  Blanco  county, 
this  state,  having  been  born  in  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, in  the  mining  districts,  and  reared  amid 
those  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  in  this 
country,  became  a  miner  and  prospector  him- 
self and  followed  those  lines  of  employment 
for  many  years.  He  came  into  the  world  on 
June  15,  1872,  the  son  of  Christopher  and 
Emma  (Alford)  Budge,  also  natives  of  Eng- 
land, the  father  born  in  Devonshire  and  the 
mother  in  Cornwall.  The  father  was  a  miner 
in  his  native  land,  and  naturally  sought  the 
same  field  of  labor  when;  in  1874,  he  brought 
his  family  to  this  country.  He  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  after  working  at  his  chosen  vocation 
in  a  number  of  places  in  the  state,  finally  settled 
at  Aspen,  where  he  died  in  1892,  and  where  the 
mother  is  now  living.  The  father  was  success- 
ful in  his  pursuit  and  lived  actively  among  his 
fellows,  taking  an  interest  in  their  welfare  and 
uniting  in  their  pleasures  and  elevating  means 
of  enjoyment.  He  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Foresters,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church.  Seven  children  were 
born  in  the  family  and  five  of  them  are  living, 
James,  Harry,  Edmund,  Lillian  and  Chris- 
topher. James  was  well  educated  according  to 
his  opportunities,  attending  the  common  and 
the  high  schools.  On  leaving  school  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  began  at  once  to  take  his  part  in 
the  useful  work  of  the  race  and  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  at  the  same  time  aiding  his 
parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five. 
He  mined  for  wages  and  also  leased  mines  at 
Aspen,  pushing  both  lines  of  profitable  employ- 
ment vigorously  in  that  locality  until  1901.  He 
then  determined  to  engage  in  another  of  Colo- 
rado's great  industries  and  purchased  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns,  twenty  miles  southeast  of 
Meeker.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  with  a  good  water  supply  he  finds  it 


easy  to  cultivate  one  hundred  acres  of  the  tract. 
He  also  raises  horses  and  cattle  in  profitable 
numbers,  and  they  are  his  main  reliance  as 
ranch  products.  In  the  fraternal  life  of  his 
community  he  has  an  active  interest  as  a  Wood- 
man of  the  World,  and  in  its  political  affairs 
as  a  devoted  Democrat.  His  marriage  oc- 
curred on  June  22,  1892,  and  was  to  Miss  Anna 
Schmidt,  who  was  born  in  Green  county,  Wis- 
consin, and  is  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary 
(Durst)  Schmidt,  Swiss  by  nativity  and  emi- 
grants to  this  country  in  1836,  when  they  lo- 
cated in  Green  county,  Wisconsin,  where  the 
father  rose  to  prominence  and  influence  in 
politics,  serving  successively  as  county  clerk 
and  recorder,  assessor,  treasurer  and  county 
commissioner.  He  was  also  for  a  time  active 
in  the  real-estate  business.  Since  1903  he  has 
been  living  in  South  Dakota  and  farming.  He 
is  a  United  Workman  and  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  church.  The  family  comprised 
eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living, 
Nicholas,  Carrie,  Matthew,  Mary,  Theodore, 
Rose,  Anna,  Bertha  and  Clara.  In  the  house- 
hold of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Budge  three  children 
have  been  born  and  are  living,  Russell  E.,  Orin 
E.  and  Durst. 

NIMERICK  BROTHERS. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  firm  of 
ranch  and  cattle  men  is  composed  of  James  B. 
and  John  C.  Nimerick,  the  former  born  on 
February  22,  1858,  in  Monroe  county,  Illinois, 
and  the  latter  on  May  5,  1860,  in  Madison 
county,  Illinois,  the  sons  of  James  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Glass)  Nimerick,  natives  of  St. 
Clair  county,  Illinois.  The  father's  life  began 
on  August  31,  1822,  and  he  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  place  after  the  manner  of  boys  of 
his  time  and  locality,  attending  the  common 
schools  and  working  on  the  home  farm.  He 
also  had  a  term  or  two  at  McKinley  College. 


48 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


When  twenty-six  years  old  he  began  learning 
the  trade  of  milling,  and  during  the  next 
twenty-five  years  he  followed  that  craft,  after 
some  years  building  a  mill  of  his  own.  In 
1864  he  came  west,  going  up  the  Missouri  as 
far  as  Fort  Benton,  Montana.  Later  he  went 
into  Utah  and  Colorado,  returning  to  his 
eastern  home  from  Denver.  Indians  were 
plentiful  and  often  he  wras  obliged  to  seek  shel- 
ter from  their  fury.  In  1872  he  purchased  land 
near  Greenland,  forty-eight  miles  south  of 
Denver,  and  there  he  was  occupied  in  ranching 
until  1886.  He  then  sold  his  interests  in  that 
locality  and  moved  to  the  section  in  which  he 
now  lives.  Soon  afterward  he  made  a  trip 
through  Washington  Territory  as  it  was  then, 
and  on  the  return  trip,  stopping  at  Salt  Lake, 
devoted  some  time  to  speculation.  In  1889  his 
family  came  to  the  White  river  valley  and  took 
up  a  squatter's  claim  on  which  they  followed 
ranching.  The  father  became  prominent  in  the 
political  affairs  of  the  section,  representing 
Elbert  and  Douglas  counties  in  the  territorial 
legislature  while  he  lived  in  one  of  them.  He 
also  held  local  offices  in  Illinois  before  leaving 
that  state,  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
probate  judge.  He  was  married  on  November 
9,  1846,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Glass,  a  native  of 
the  same  county  in  Illinois  as  himself.  Of  their 
nine  children  five  are  living,  Jennie  (Mrs. 
Lloyd  Stealey),  Neil  G.,  James  B.,  John  and 
Nellie  (Mrs.  George  Taylor).  The  two  sons 
who  form  the  subjects  of  this  review  were  edu- 
cated at  the  common  schools  and  early  began 
learning  on  the  paternal  homestead  the  les- 
sons of  thrift  and  useful  industry  which  have 
been  their  main  stay  through  subsequent  life. 
They  have  a  good  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres, 
eighty  of  which  are  under  cultivation  in  the 
usual  farm  products  of  the  region,  and  they 
carry  on  a  flourishing  stock  industry.  The 
ranch  is  twenty-eight  miles  east  of  Meeker, 
which  affords  them  a  good  market.  The  pos- 


sessions they  have  and  their  good  standing  in 
their  community  are  the  legitimate  fruits  of 
their  own  enterprise  and  worth,  and  their 
career  affords  a  forcible  illustration  of  the 
benefits  of  forecast,  industry  and  careful  atten- 
tion to  a  chosen  pursuit  in  this  land  of  wide  and 
fertile  opportunities.  Both  are  Democrats  and 
earnestly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  their 
party.  The.y  are  the  pioneers  of  the  north  fork 
of  the  White  river,  their  mother  and  nephew, 
Guy  M.  Stealey,  accompanying  them.  They 
were  obliged  to  cut  their  way  for  many  miles 
through  underbrush  which  grew  along  the 
river  and  forded  that  stream  nine  times  in  order 
to  reach  the  location  of  their  present  home.  It 
was  a  wild,  unbroken  country  and  far  from  the 
civilization  of  white  people.  Mrs.  Nimerick 
was  the  first  woman  to  settle  in  the  North  Fork 
valley.  Since  those  days  the  country  has  been 
well  developed  and  Nimerick  brothers  have 
done  their  share,  having  constructed  four  miles 
of  the  present  road  to  their  ranch.  They  have 
also  built  irrigating  ditches,  etc. 

WILLIAM  L.  PATTISON. 

Orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother  when 
he  was  one  year  old  and  that  of  his  father 
five  years  later,  and  thus  thrown  upon  the 
attentions  of  others  for  rearing  and  prepar- 
ation for  life's  usefulness,  William  L.  Pattison 
was  not  favored  by  circumstances  in  his  start, 
and  he  has  not  depended  on  fortune's  favors 
for  advancement  at  any  subsequent  stage  of 
his  career.  He  was  born  in  Logan  county, 
Illinois,  on  January  26,  1853,  and  is  the  son 
of  Daniel  and  Laura  (Harcourt)  Pattison,  na- 
tives of  Indiana.  There  were  seven  children  in 
the  family,  five  of  whom  are  living,  Hannah, 
wife  of  Grandson  Dawson;  John;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Philander  Semico;  Jennie,  wife  of 
Frank  Hackley;  and  William  L.  The  mother, 
died  in  1854  and  the  father  in  1859.  When  but 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


49 


a  boy  William  was  put  to  work  in  his  own  be- 
half and  thereafter  was  employed  at  various 
kinds  of  labor  in  his  native  state  until  1868. 
He  then  moved  to'Winfield,  Kansas,  and  during 
the  next  three  years  he  farmed  in  that  vicinity 
with  indifferent  success.  In  1871  he  came  to 
Colorado  and,  locating  at  Colorado  Springs, 
.furnished  logs  under  contract  until  1874,  when 
he  moved  to  Middle  Park.  Here  for  ten  years 
he  followed  mining  and  prospecting  with  many 
successes  and  reverses.  In  1884  he  took  up 
his  residence  at  Trappers'  Lake  and  there  con- 
ducted a  summer  resort  until  1893,  at  which 
time  he  homesteaded  one-half  of  his  present 
ranch,  which  now  comprises  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  two  hundred  of  which  are  yield- 
ing good  crops  of  the  usual  farm  products 
grown  in  this  region  under  his  careful  and 
systematic  cultivation.  He  also  raises  cattle  to 
a  profitable  extent.  The  ranch  is  twenty-nine 
miles  east  of  Meeker,  and  is  pleasantly  and  ad- 
vantageously located.  In  the  fraternal  life  of 
the  community  Mr.  Pattison  takes  an  earnest 
and  serviceable  interest  as  a  member  of  the 
Woodman  of  the  World  and  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  politically  he  is  a  cordial  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  was  married  on  April 
13,  1884,  to  Miss  Laura  Spurgeon,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  They  have  two  children,  Pearl  and 
Lyton.  Both  parents  are  far  from  the  scenes 
and  associations  of  their  childhood,  but  they 
have  established  a  pleasant  home  in  this  state, 
and  they  find  the  conditions  of  life  around  them 
and  the  field  for  enterprise  in  which  they  are 
located  agreeable,  and  in  consequence  they  are 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  Colorado  and  among 
its  useful  and  respected  citizens. 

MARTIN  L.  SANDY. 

From  old  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  on 
November   14,    1869,   in  Rockingham  county, 
Martin  L.  Sandy,  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  this 
4 


state,  brought  the  traditions  and  lessons  of 
families  long  resident  in  the  Old  Dominion 
from  which  he  is  descended,  and  also  the  con- 
dition of  poverty  and  disaster  which  the  great 
Civil  war  in  this  country  put  upon  the  section 
from  which  he  came.  Because  of  the  general 
paralysis  of  every  industry  in  that  section 
through  the  mighty  conflict,  he  started  in  the 
race  for  supremacy  among  men  seriously  handi- 
capped, and  was  able  to  snatch  from  the  stream 
of  knowledge  as  it  sparkled  across  his  pathway 
but  a  small  portion  of  its  invigorating  waters, 
attending  only  the  common  schools  at  intervals 
for  a  brief  period.  He  is  therefore  a  self-made 
man  and  has  built  his  fortunes  by  his  own 
efforts-  unaided  by  circumstances  or  favorable 
conditions,  except  that  he  had  health,  courage, 
endurance  and  a  determined  spirit  of  enter- 
prise. From  the  age  of  fifteen  he  has  paddled 
his  own  canoe,  and  although  he  found  the  cur- 
rents rough  at  times  and  the  progress  slow,  he 
has  made  steady  advances.  In  the  spring  of 
1888  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Meeker.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Oakridge  Park  ditch  and  con- 
tinued working  in  its  construction  until  1891, 
at  which  time  he  located  his  home  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  seven  miles 
southeast  of  Meeker.  He  also  has  acquired  the 
ownership  of  another  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  in  the  two  has  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  good  land  sufficiently 
supplied  with  water  for  profitable  cultivation. 
He  raises  cattle  in  goodly  numbers  and  carries 
on  a  general  ranching  business.  His  home 
ranch  has  been  improved  until  it  is  one  of  the 
best  and  most  attractive  in  his  section  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Sandy  owns  an  individual  ditch 
and  has  interests  in  the  Oakridge  Park  and 
the  Archie  &  Holland  ditches,  and  not  only  in 
the  matter  of  improvements  of  this  kind  for 
the  benefit  of  his  district,  but  in  all  matters 
which  make  for  the  general  weal  of  it  and  its 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


people,  he  takes  an  earnest  and  serviceable  in- 
terest. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  is 
prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party  and  also 
in  the  common  public  life  of  the  community. 
His  parents  are  William  and  Susan  (Keller) 
Sandy,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  Virginia 
and  the  father  is  still  living  there,  making  his 
home  at  Staunton,  Augusta  county.  He  was 
for  many  years  prosperously  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  is  now  retired  from  active  pursuits. 
The  mother  died  in  1870.  They  had  two 
children,  both  of  whom  are  living,  Ella  Vir- 
ginia (Mrs.  John  Nielsen)  and  Martin  L.  The. 
latter  is  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  whose 
work  in  the  improvement  of  that  portion  of  the 
state  proclaims  him  as  worthy  of  honorable 
mention  among  any  enumeration  of  the  pro- 
gressive men  thereof. 

WILLIAM  GANT. 

Traveling,  freighting  and  prospecting  all 
over  the  western  country,  enduring  with  com- 
mendable fortitude  its  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold  in  various  places,  and  encountering  with 
courage  and  resourcefulness  its  dangers  of 
various  kinds  under  various  circumstances, 
William  Gant,  of  near  New  Castle,  Garfield 
county,  one  of  the  prosperous  and  enterprising 
ranch  and  cattle  men  of  his  section,  may  be 
said  to  know  this  part  of  the  United  States  as 
well  as  any  one  and  to  have  seen  its  manifesta- 
tions of  wild  and  tame  life  in  as  many  forms 
and  under  as  many  different  conditions  as  any 
citizen  of  this  state.  He  is  a  Canadian  by 
nativity,  born  at  Hamilton,  in  the  province  of 
Ontario,  on  June  9,  1845.  He  received  only 
a  common-school  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
twelve  began  making  his  own  living  by  farm- 
ing and  market  gardening.  Impressed  with 
the  belief  that  "The  States"  offered  better  op- 
portunity for  enterprise  and  skill,  his  parents 


migrated  to  Iowa  in  1854.  When  a  young 
man  the  subject  worked  in  the  coal  mines  for 
a  couple  of  years  in  that  state,  then  changed 
to  Nebraska  and  three  years  later  to  Kansas 
where  he  leased  a  coal  mine  which  he  worked 
until  1873.  In  1864,  in  the  interest  of  Jones 
&  Hendry,  he  made  a  freighting  trip  from 
Plattsmouth  to  Denver,  this  state.  From  1873 
to  1876  he  made  Boulder  his  headquarters  and 
was  employed  in  the  Rob  Roy,  Baker  Stewart 
and  other  mines,  and  in  1877  and  1878  he  was 
mining  on  Coal  creek  below  Canon  City,  after 
which  he  located  at  Leadville  for  a  short  time. 
He  also  made  several  prospecting  trips  through 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  November  29, 
1 88 1,  he  squatted  a  claim  a  portion  of  which 
is  his  present  home,  and  on  November  29,  1891, 
took  full  and  final  possession  of  it.  It  com- 
prised one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres,  part 
of  which  he  has  since  sold.  He  has  now  sixty 
acres  under  cultivation,  producing  good  crops 
of  the  general  products  common  to  the  neigh- 
borhood but  depending  on  onions  as  his  staple, 
which  he  raises  in  great  abundance.  Mr.  Gant 
built  the  first  cabin  between  Grand  Junction 
and  Glenwood  Springs,  and  wherever  he  has 
been  has  been  enterprising  and  progressive  ac- 
cording to  the  needs  of  the  region.  He  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  order  in  lodge  and  chapter,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  bodies. 
In  politics  he  is  independent  of  party  control 
but  he  is  by  no  means  indifferent  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  county  and  state.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Grant)  Gant,  natives  of 
England  who  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Canada  soon  after  their  marriage.  In  1854 
they  moved  to  Iowa,  where  they  remained  until 
1866,  then  found  their  final  location  in  Kansas. 
They  were  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
stock  until  the  end  of  their  days,  the  father 
dying  on  December  3d,  and  the  mother  on  De- 
cember 4,  1903.  They  were  Methodists  in 
church  relations  and  he  was  a  Republican  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


politics.  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  William;  James  L.,  of 
Phoenix,  Arizona;  Emanuel;  John,  of  Colo- 
rado, and  Minnie,  of  Kansas.  On  September 
3,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Mc- 
Burney,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  George  Yule,  of  Gar- 
field  county  (see  sketch  elsewhere  in  this 
work).  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and 
Elizabeth  McBurney  and  was  born  at  Pitts- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gant  have 
had  six  children.  Two  who  died  in  infancy 
and  a  daughter  named  Elizabeth  are  deceased. 
Another  Elizabeth  E.,  James  L.  and  Emma  M. 
are  living.  The  parents  are  Presbyterians, 
active  in  church  work  and.  respected  by  all  who 
enjoy  their  acquaintance. 

HENLEY  C.  ROCK. 

Henley  C.  Rock,  of  near  Meeker,  Rio 
Blanco  county,  was  born  in  Lee  county,  Vir- 
ginia, on  April  20,  1849,  and  is  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Nancy  (Webb)  Rock,  who  were 
born  and  reared  in  Craig  county,  Virginia,  and 
moved  to  Greenwood  county,  Kansas,  in  1873. 
The  father  has  been  a  farmer  through  life  and 
prospered  at  the  business.  He  is  an  ardent 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Christian  church.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  four  living  and  three 
dead.  Oscar  died  in  1865,  Sarah  in  1879  an(^ 
Gustavus  in  1900.  The  four  living  are  Martha 
A.,  wife  of  James  A.  Robinson,  a  farmer  of 
Greenwood  county,  Kansas,  Henley  C.,  Clifton 
P..  a  banker  of  Stillwater,  Oklahoma,  and  Van 
Buren,  a  stockman  of  Indian  Territory.  Their 
son  Henley  remained  at  home  and  assisted  in 
the  work  of  the  farm  until  1873.  He  received 
a  good  business  education,  and  when  he  left 
home  went  to  work  on  a  farm  in  Kansas,  re- 
maining there  so  occupied  until  1876,  during  a 
portion  of  the  time  carrying  on  the  farm  in 
partnership  with  his  father.  In  1876  he  became 


a  resident  of  Colorado,  locating  in  the  San 
Juan  country  near  Lake  City,  where  he  fol- 
lowed mining  with  moderate  success.  In  1879 
he  moved  to  Leadville,  where  he  continued  min- 
ing until  1882.  He  then  bought  a  portion  of 
the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home,  and  which 
he  has  since  increased  to  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  He  can  cultivate  three  hundred 
acres  of  the  tract,  and  on  this  part  he  raises 
good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  He 
is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  cattle  in- 
dustry, raising  large  numbers  of  thoroughbred 
Hereford  cattle  and  horses  of  superior  grades. 
The  water  supply  for  irrigation  is  sufficient  for 
present  purposes  and  can  be  increased  when 
necessary,  as  he  has  an  interest  in  the  High- 
land &  Miller  creek  ditch.  The  ranch  is  lo- 
cated seven  miles  east  of  Meeker,  the  soil  is 
fertile,  the  tillage  is  skillful  and  the  results  are 
gratifying.  Mr.  Rock  found  the  land  wild  and 
unimproved,  and  what  the  ranch  is  today  it  has 
become  wholly  through  his  own  efforts  and 
wise  management,  he  having  made  all  the  im- 
provements, and  raised  his  property  to  the  first 
rank  among  the  ranch  homes  in  this  valley.  In 
the  fraternal  life  of  the  community  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen,  and  in  political  faith  he  is  an 
unwavering  Democrat,  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  his  party  and  at  all  times  willing  to 
aid  in  its  contests.  On  January  23,  1893,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  S. 
Hayes,  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county.  They  have  had  five  children, 
of  whom  three  died  in  infancy  and  two  are 
living,  Lois  V.  and  Frederick  H. 

CHARLES  HENRY  LARSON. 

Young  as  Colorado  is  in  the  world's  his- 
tory, she  is  yet  old  enough  to  have  produced  a 
generation  or  two  of  good  men  of  brain  and 
brawn  and  women  of  force  of  character  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


resolute  endurance  through  whom  her  interests 
have  been  well  cared  for  and  her  resources  have 
been  materially  developed,  or  who  have  at 
least  greatly  aided  in  the  mighty  work.  Of 
these  is  Charles  Henry  Larson,  of  the  vicinity 
of  Newcastle,  Garfield  county,  who  was  born 
in  the  state,  educated  at  her  public  schools, 
reared  to  habits  of  industry  on  her  prolific  soil 
and  acquired  his  first  knowledge  of  the  duties 
of  citizenship  in  the  activity  of  her  civil  institu- 
tions. His  life  began  at  Kokomo,  Summit 
county,  on  August  3,  1881,  and  he  is  the  son 
of  Charles  P.  and  Carrie  (Anderson)  Larson, 
a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Mr.  Larson  attended  the  primitive 
country  schools  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  a 
wild  country,  and  assisted  in  the  farm  labors  of 
the  homestead  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  On  October  19,  1902,  soon  after 
reaching  his  legal  majority,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with -Miss  Maud  L.  Conner,  and  early 
in  1903  he  bought  his  present  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  twelve  miles  southwest 
of  Newcastle,  Garfield  county.  Seventy 
acres  of  the  tract  are  under  cultivation  and 
yield  abundantly  of  cereals  and  hay,  with  other 
farm  products  suitable  to  the  section,  and  give 
a  generous  support  to  his  cattle,  which  he  pro- 
duces in  goodly  numbers.  The  ranch  is  well 
supplied  with  water"  from  an  independent  ditch, 
and  is  steadily  advancing  in  value,  in  the  acre- 
age devoted  to  tillage  and  in  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  its  yield.  Mr.  Larson  belongs  to  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  His  wife  is  a  daughter 
of  Edward  M.  and  Ophelia  J.  (Sartwell)  Con- 
ner, and  was  born  and  reared  near  Witchita. 
Kansas.  Her  parents  were  born  and  grew  to 
maturity  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  after 
a  residence  of  some  years  in  Kansas  came  to 
Colorado,  settling  in  Garfield  county,  where 
they  now  live  and  are  actively  engaged  in 
ranching  and  raising  cattle.  Her  father  is  a 


stone  mason  and  contractor  by  regular  occupa- 
tion, but  he  now  devotes  nearly  all  of  his  time 
to  his  ranching  and  stock  interests.  He  has 
also  followed  railroading,  lumbering  and  min- 
ing at  times.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larson  have  one 
daughter,  Verda,  who  was  born  on  the  2ist 
of  October,  1903. 

DANIEL  C.  McPHERSON. 

Born  in  Scotland  on  March  15,  1853,  and 
coming  to  this  country  in  his  boyhood.  Mr 
McPherson  early  began  to  imbibe  the  spirit  of 
our  institutions  and  use  to  advantage  the  op- 
portunities for  advancement  afforded  by  his 
new  home.  He  attended  the  public  schools  for 
a  short  time  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  began  to 
learn  shipbuilding  as  a  trade,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years  at  Boston.  He  fol- 
lowed his  craft  three  years  longer,  and  then  was 
at  sea  for  some  time  as  second  mate  on  a  fruit 
vessel  running  between  Ponce,  Porto  Rico  and 
New  York,  Providence  and  Boston.  He  next 
engaged  in  bridge  building  from  Providence 
and  Worcester,  devoting  three  years  to  the 
work.  In  1877  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Denver,  and  here  he  again  engaged  in 
building  bridges,  being  employed  on  lines  be- 
tween that  city  and  Wallace.  At  the  end  of  a 
year  passed  in  this  occupation  he  went  to  Lead- 
ville,  where,  in  partnership  with  John  Stevens, 
he  passed  another  year  in  mining  and  prospect- 
ing, but  with  very  little  success.  In  1880  he 
located  at  Aspen  and,  continuing  his  mining 
operations,  he  located  a  number  of  claims  of 
value.  For  three  years  he  carried  on  the  work 
independently,  then  sold  out  his  interests  and 
turned  his  attention  to  herding  cattle  and  range- 
riding  in  the  employ  of  the  Yule  Brothers,  with 
whom  he  remained  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  located  his  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  which  he  took  up  as  a  pre- 
emption claim,  but  of  which  he  has  since  sold  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


53 


portion.  Sixty  acres  are  under  cultivation,  the 
crops  raised  being  those  of  the  section,  potatoes 
being  the  principal  vegetable  produced.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  in  politics  and  is  always 
active  in  the  service  of  his  party.  His  parents, 
now  both  deceased,  were  John  arid  Sarah  Mc- 
Pherson,  natives  of  Scotland  who  came  to  this 
country  when  young  and  located  in  Massachu- 
setts. The  father  was  an  industrious  laborer 
and  a  man  of  upright  character.  They  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  one  of  whom,  John, 
is  deceased.  The  six  living  are  Niel,  Angus, 
Catherine,  Margaret,  Mary  apd  Daniel.  The 
parents  were  Presbyterians.  Mr.  McPhersoq 
is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  Colorado  and  her  people,  and  is  always  ready 
to  contribute  his  share  of  inspiration  and  more 
substantial  means  to  promote  their  interests. 

WILLIAM  S.  JOHNSON. 

William  S.  Johnson,  of  Garfield  county, 
living  on  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  fourteen  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
New  Castle,  is  a  self-made  man  and  one  of  the 
most  enterprising,  progressive  and  successful 
young  ranchmen  of  the  Western  slope  in  this 
state,  and  one  of  its  most  representative  citi- 
zens. It  was  on  a  farm  near  Mt.  Vernon,  Mis- 
souri, that  his  life  began,  and  the  date  of  his 
birth  was  May  2,  1864.  He  is  the  son  of 
Larkin  and  Roselba  (Blackburn)  Johnson,  na- 
tives of  eastern  Tennessee  who  located  in  Mis- 
souri early  in  their  married  life,  and  there 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days  farming  and 
raising  stock,  the  leading  pursuits  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  they  lived,  the  father  also  was  a 
devoted  and  loyal  Democrat,  taking  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs  in  a  local  way.  Of  their 
nine  children,  a  daughter  named  Laura  is  de- 
ceased and  the  other  eight  are  living.  They 
are :  Louise,  wife  of  William  Colley,  of  Law- 
rence county,  Missouri ;  Hugh,  of  Shawnee, 


Indian  Territory ;  Sarah,  wife  of  James  Colley, 
of  Lawrence  county,  Missouri ;  Joseph,  of  New 
Mexico;  William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Thomas  L.  and  Florida,  wife  of  Jefferson 
Steele,  both  of  Lawrence  county,  Missouri ;  and 
John,  of  Mam  creek,  Colorado.  William  re- 
ceived a  scant  education  at  the  common  schools 
and  also  attended  for  a  short  time  the  Baptist 
College  at  Pierce  City,  in  his  native  state.  He 
also  pursued  a  thorough  course  at  a  good  busi- 
ness college.  He  remained  at  home  and  worked 
in  the  interest  of  his  parents  until  he  reached 
his  twenty-third  year.  In  the  spring  of  1888 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  for  eight  months 
worked  in  the  employ  of  Austin  &  Toland,  then 
of  William  L.  Smith,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume,  with  whom  he 
remained  eight  years.  In  1897  ne  purchased  of 
Jack  Cunningham  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  has 
since  taken  up  forty  acres  additional  adjoining 
his  purchase.  Of  the  whole  tract  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  are  naturally  tillable,  and  on 
these  he  raises  good  crops  of  cereals,  hay,  vege- 
tables, and  also  produces  cattle  in  good  num- 
bers. His  vegetables  have  an  especially  high 
rank  in  the  markets,  his  potatoes  being  the 
largest  grown  in  the  state.  He  is  now  under 
contract  to  raise  two  thousand  pounds  of  this 
vegetable  for  exhibition  at  the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase Exposition  at  St.  Louis  in  1904.  His 
ranch  is  well  supplied  with  water  and  he  fur- 
nishes the  brain  and  a  good  portion  of  the 
brawn  necessary  for  its  successful  cultivation. 
In  national  politics  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  faithful 
Democrat,  but  in  local  affairs  his  interest  in  the 
general  welfare  of  the  community  overbears  all 
party  considerations.  On  October  31,  1900,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Nora  Steward,  a  native  of 
Lawrence  county,  Missouri,  where  her  parents 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Allen)  Stewart,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  that  state  and  the  latter  of  Ten- 
nessee, lived  many  years  engaged  in  successful 
farming  and  stock-growing,  and  where  the 


54 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


father  is  now  living,  the  mother  having  died  on 
February  19,  1892.  Of  their  ten  children  seven 
survive  her,  Hiram,  Obe,  Benjamin  (of  Bisbee, 
Arizona),  John  (of  Garfield  county,  Colorado), 
Annie  and  Jennie  (of  Garfield  county,  Colo- 
rado), and  Mrs.  Johnson,  who  shares  in  the 
aspirations  and  enterprises  of  her  husband,  and 
is  a  cheerful  and  inspiring  aid  and  encour- 
agement in  his  progress  and  success. 

WILLIAM  L.  SMITH. 

Since  1864  Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  resident 
of  Colorado,  working  at  its  various  industries, 
enjoying  and  promoting  its  progress  and 
through  effort  and  vicissitude,  through  triumph 
and  defeat,  through  trial  and  privation,  win- 
ning his  way  by  a  varied  course  to  final  suc- 
cess and  prosperity.  He  is  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  on  November  13,  1840,  and  the 
son  of  Robert  and  Sophronia  (Lewis)  Smith, 
natives  of  that  state  who  emigrated  to  Iowa  in 
1849.  They  remained  in  that  state  until  1867, 
at  which  time  the  father  came  to  Colorado, 
where  he  joined  the  Second  Colorado  Battery 
against  Price.  He  served  three  years  under 
McLean  and  had  three  encounters  with  the 
Indians  prior  to  the  decisive  engagement  and 
his  enlistment  under  Russel  and  Major  Wad- 
dell  as  a  wagon  master.  They  freighted  pro- 
visions from  the  Missouri  river  through  Colo- 
rado to  Salt  Lake.  After  leaving  this  service 
he  became  a  frontier  ranchman,  following  the 
pursuit  he  had  in  Iowa.  He  belonged  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  as  his  widow  is  now. 
He  died  at  the  Soldie.rs'  Home  at  Monte  Vista 
on  May  16,  1902.  The  mother  is  living  at  New 
Castle,  Garfield  county.  Their  family  com- 
prised eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living: 
William  L. ;  Mary  J..  wife  of  George  H.  Nor- 
ris;  Rosamond  A.,  wife  of  John  M.  Springer, 
of  New  Castle;  Zachariah  T.,  of  Wyoming; 


Isaac  J.,  and  Cyntha,  wife  of  W.  J.  Myrtle,  of 
New  Castle.  William  attended  the  public 
schools  available  to  him  for  short  periods  at  in- 
tervals, beginning  at  the  age  of  thirteen  to 
assist  his  parents  in  supporting  the  family,  and 
he  has  been  a  help  in  this  respect  ever  since. 
While  in  Iowa  he  learned  his  trade  as  a  cooper 
and  also  acquired  a  good  practical  knowledge 
of  farming.  In  1864  he  started,  in  company 
with  Abraham  Springer,  George  Brooks  and 
Thomas  Venator,  to  travel  overland  with  three 
yoke  of  cattle  and  an  outfit  from  Napello 
county,  Iowa,  to  Denver,  and  after  their  ar- 
rival at  that  city  he  turned  his  interest  in  the 
outfit  over  to  his  companions,  and  with  his 
blankets  on  his  back  started  for  the  mines.  On 
the  way  he  met  a  man  who  gave  him  employ- 
ment on  a  ditch  on  Clear  creek.  He  completed 
his  work  on  August  29,  1864,  an^  his  employer 
had  no  money  to  pay  him  for  it,  so  gave  him  a 
milk  cow  in  part  payment.  This  he  took  to 
Golden,  where  he  sold  it.  From  there  he  moved 
on  to  Mill  creek  and  there  engaged  in  saw- 
mill work  at  five  dollars  a  day,  continuing  his 
labors  until  the  snow  got  too  deep.  He  then 
returned  to  Golden  and  opened  a  meat  market. 
Credit  business  ruined  him  and  in  the  spring  of 
1865  he  was  obliged  to  close  his  doors.  He 
was  next  employed  in  partnership  with  a  Mr, 
Burts  in  burning  lime  near  Morrison.  This  en- 
terprise he  continued  eight  years  at  a  fair  profit. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Jefferson 
county  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  term  in  1875  he  was  re-elected.  In 
1878  he  moved  to  Leadville  and  there  passed 
the  spring  and  summer  prospecting  with  only 
moderate  success.  He  returned  to  Morrison 
and  traded  some  limestone  property  which  he 
owned  for  a  livery  and  feed  stable  which  he 
conducted  three  years,  then  sold  it  at  a  good 
profit  in  1882.  After  the  sale  he  moved  to 
Garfield  county  and  located  the  ranch  he  now 
owns,  a  squatter's  claim  which  his  mother  filed 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


55 


and  he  afterward  purchased.  He  has  made  ad- 
ditional purchases  and  the  ranch  now  comprises 
six  hundred  acres,  one-half  of  which  can  be 
easily  cultivated.  It  has  a  good  supply  of  water 
and  responds  generously  to  the  persuasive  hand 
of  the  husbandman.  Hay  and  cattle  furnish  his 
staple  industry,  and  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit 
are  raised  with  success.  He  owns  the  oldest 
orchard  on  the  south  side  of  the  Grand  river, 
and  its  products  are  of  the  finest  quality,  the 
apples  taking  the  first  premium  at  the  state  fair 
of  1895.  The  ranch  is  sixteen  miles  southwest 
of  New  Castle  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive region  wrhich  is  abundant  in  all  sorts  of 
farm  products  suitable  to  the  climate.  In  1884 
he  was  elected  county  commissioner  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  in  1900  he  was  re- 
elected.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  as  a 
Master  Mason,  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a 
Knight  Templar,  and  is  very  active  and  service- 
able in  the  work  of  the  various  bodies.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Emeline  Fowler,  who  was  born  in  Iowa. 
They  had  two  children,  Lafayette,  living  at 
home,  and  Martha,  wife  of  John  Cunningham, 
of  Aspen.  Their  mother  died  on  February  29, 
1880,  and  on  February  28,  1893,  the  father 
married  a  second  wife,  Mrs.  Adell  Adams,  a 
native  of  Medina  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of 
James  S.  and  Jane  (Cannon)  Stephenson,  the 
father  born  in  New  England  and  the  mother  in 
Pennsylvania.  They  settled  in  Ohio  in  early 
life  and  later  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  finally 
to  Minnesota,  being  farmers  in  three  states. 
They  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  Theresa,  George,  James, 
Franklin,  Alphius,  John  and  Mrs.  Smith.  Mr. 
Smith  is  well  pleased  with  Colorado,  both  on 
account  of  its  extensive  industries  which  af- 
ford large  and  fruitful  opportunities  to  men  of 
enterprise  and  the  generally  agreeable  condi- 
tions of  life  for  residents. 


JAMES  EWERS. 

James  Ewers,  whose  industry  and  capacity 
have  won  for  him  a  substantial  prosperity  and 
a  well  established  regard  among  his  fellow 
men  in  the  wilds  of  Colorado,  now  blooming 
and  fruitful  with  all  the  products  of  cultivated 
life,  was  born  near  the  town  of  Mason  in  Ing- 
ham  county,  Michigan,  on  October  2,  1854,  and 
is  the  son  of  Joseph  C.  and  Eunice  (Liver- 
more)  Ewers,  natives  of  New  York  state  who 
settled  in  Michigan  when  it  was  a  part  of  the 
western  frontier.  There  they  devoted  their 
energies  to  farming  and  raising  stock,  ending 
their  days  on  the  soil  which  they  had  redeemed 
from  the  wilderness,  having  built  a  home  in 
the  virgin  forest  and  helped  to  start  a  civiliza- 
tion where  as  yet  the  savage  roamed  and  the 
deer  disported.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  the  father  supported  the 
Republican  party  from  its  foundation  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1897,  he  having  for 
thirty-seven  years  survived  his  wife,  who  died 
in  1860.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  but  two  are  living,  a  son  Frank  at 
Morrison,  Colorado,  and  James.  The  latter 
had  the  usual  experiences  and  hardships  of 
country  boys  on  the  frontier,  short  and  infre- 
quent attendance  at  the  public  schools  and  con- 
tinual and  arduous  labor  on  the  farm.  He  re- 
mained wTith  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
one,  then  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Denver 
on  February  I,  1879.  He  worked  in  that  neigh- 
borhood for  awhile  on  ranches  for  wages,  then 
began  an  enterprise  in  the  business  for  himself. 
He  also  did  some  mining,  locating  claims  at 
the  head  of  Rock  and  Maroon  creeks,  which, 
however,  proved  to  be  of  little  value.  He  gave 
up  prospecting  at  the  end  of  a  year,  and  in  1883 
took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  doubled  by 
purchase  of  another  one  hundred  and  sixty 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


acres  adjoining  it.  Half  of  his  land  is  naturally 
tillable  and  he  has  a  large  acreage  under  culti- 
vation in  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit,  ha}' 
and  cattle  being  his  main  reliance.  He  has 
prospered  in  his  undertaking  and  is  held  in  high' 
regard  by  the  people  around  him.  In  politics 
he  supports  the  Republican  party,  but  in  refer- 
ence to  local  affairs  affecting  the  welfare  of  the 
community  he  works  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  people.  On  May  10,  1891,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Belle  Cozad,  who  was  born 
in  Kansas  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  G.  and 
Rovina  (Sullivan)  Cozad,  the  father  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  the  mother  of  Missouri.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  in  early  life  but  after- 
ward became  a  wholesale  merchant.  They  came 
to  Colorado  in  the  early  days  of  its  history, 
and  here  the  father  freighted  for  a  number  of 
years,  then  turned  his  attention  to  ranching  and 
raising  stock  on  Divide  creek.  He  supported 
the  Republican  party  with  zeal  and  fidelity,  and 
took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  Their 
family  comprised  three  children,  Mrs.  Ewers, 
Eunice  B.,  the  wife  of  Emanuel  Grant,  and 
Andrew,  living  at  Purdy.  The  father  died  on 
February  22,  1895,  and  the  mother  has  since 
lived  at  Purdy.  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Ewers  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  Eunice,  Nellie,  Joseph, 
Laura,  Rosa  and  Frank.  Mr.  Ewers  recently 
completed  a  commodious  residence  of  modern 
"construction,  which  is  one  of  the  best  on 
Divide  creek. 

JAMES  S.  PORTER. 

Born  more  than  fifty  years  ago  in  western 
Missouri  and  there  reared  to  the  age  of  twenty, 
then  coming  to  Colorado  when  it  was  the  far 
frontier,  James  S.  Porter,  of  Garfield  county, 
living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Raven,  has  passed 
the  whole  of  his  life  as  a  pioneer  and  is  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  spirit  and  aspirations 
of  the  class  as  well  as  familiar  with  their  ex- 


periences, their  point  of  view,  their  methods 
of  thought  and  action,  and  the  services  they 
have  rendered  to  the  cause  of  civilizing  the 
wilderness  and  developing  its  resources.  His 
life  began  on  February  4,  1851,  in  Johnson 
county,  Missouri,  where  his  parents,  Alexander 
A.  and  Adeline  (Phillips)  Porter,  the  former  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky, 
settled  in  early  life.  In  1874  they  followed  him 
to  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Golden  City,  gave 
themselves  up  to  ranching  and  raising  stock  for 
a  number  of  years.  Of  late,  for  some  time  now, 
the  father  has  been  janitor  at  the  schoolhouse 
in  that  town.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  both  parents  belonged  to  the  Chris- 
tian church.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  Mary,  then  Mrs.  Robert 
Tharington,  died  on  February  15,  1898.  The 
living  six  are  Lee  A.,  at  Rich  Hill,  Missouri; 
James  S. ;  Nancy  (Mrs.  Ryan),  at  Denver; 
Andrew,  at  New  Castle,  this  state;  Margaret, 
wife  of  George  Crosen,  of  Golden  City;  and 
Wood,  living  at  Telluride.  Mr.  Porter  had  but 
few  and  scant  means  of  education  in  the  schools, 
being  obliged  from  an  early  age  to  bear  his 
part  in  the  farm  work.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  left  his  parents,  whom  he  had  assisted  up 
to  that  time,  and  began  doing  farm  work  for 
wages  in  his  native  state  to  support  himself.  In 
1871,  when  he  was  twenty,  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  locating  at  Golden  City  near  Denver, 
passed  the  next  eight  years  ranching,  and  the 
next  two  mining,  but  in  the  latter  occupation 
he  was  unsuccessful.  From  Golden  he  came 
to  Divide  creek  and  located  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  took  up  as 
a  squatter  and  after  the  survey  pre-empted.  He 
has  since  bought  additional  land  and  sold  some 
and  now  has  about  the  extent  of  his  original 
claim,  of  which  he  can  cultivate  one  hundred 
acres.  Hay  and  cattle  are  his  main  products, 
but  he  also  raises  grain  and  vegetables,  and  at 
this  writing  (1904)  pays  special  attention  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


57 


raising  mules.  In  business  he  is  prosperous  and 
progressive,  and  in  public  local  affairs  is  stimu- 
lating and  helpful  in  example  and  activity.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  national  politics,  but  rather 
independent  in  local  matters.  On  April  22, 
1885,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cora 
Wendell,  a  native  of  Clark  county,  Wisconsin, 
the  daughter  of  Charles  D.  and  Cynthia  (Mc- 
Donald) Wendell,  New  Yorkers  by  nativity, 
who  located  in  Wisconsin  in  early  days.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  made  a  good  living 
at  his  trade.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a 
member  of  Company  F,  First  Colorado  In- 
fantry. He  came  to  the  neighborhood  of  Pike's 
Peak  when  gold  was  first  discovered  there,  and 
lived  through  all  the  early  life  of  excitement, 
danger  and  privation,  making  his  headquarters 
at  Denver.  Later  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
New  Castle,  and  there  he  died  on  October  22, 
1903,  his  wife  having  passed  away  on  Febru- 
ary 20,  1 88 1.  Five  of  their  children  survive 
them:  Mrs.  Porter,  Fannie  (Mrs.  Joseph  C. 
Austin),  Earl  B.,  Ralph  R.  and  Millie  (Mrs. 
Ben  Gillam).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter  have  eight 
children,  Bessie  A.,  Emma  C.,  Charles  A., 
Lillian  P.,  Nellie  M.,  Carl  P.,  May  B. 
and  Edith  N. 

FRANK  M.  TOLAND. 

Frank  M.  Toland,  of  Garfield  county,  living 
on  a  fine  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  the  vicinity  of  Raven,  whose  record  in  this 
state  and  elsewhere  illustrate  with  force  and 
impressiveness  the  necessity  for  push  and 
energy,  and  persistent  and  well  applied  effort, 
even  amid  the  boundless  possibilities  for  suc- 
cess in  the  early  days  of  Colorado's  history,  is 
a  native  of  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  born  on 
June  17,  1852.  His  parents,  Clark  and  Siddie 
(Crane)  Toland,  were  also  natives  of  Ohio,  and 
moved  to  Johnson  county,  Missouri,  when  it 
was  on  the  frontier,  and  there  devoted  their 


energies  to  farming  and  raising  stock.  The 
father  was  a  man  of  local  prominence  in  his  sec- 
tion and  took  an  active  part  in  political  affairs 
on  the  Democratic  side.  They  had  a  family  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  survive  the 
father,  who  has  been  deceased  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  mother  is  still  living  in  Johnson 
county,  Missouri.  The  living  children  are 
George  C.,  of  Johnson  county,  Missouri ;  Frank 
M.,  of  this  sketch;  Eva,  wife  of  Frank  Dod- 
son,  and  Charles,  the  last  two  living  in  Pratt 
county,  Kansas.  Frank  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-one  and  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools.  After  attaining  his  legal  ma- 
jority he  began  farming  for  himself  in  Johnson 
county,  Missouri,  remaining  until  1881,  when 
he  moved  to  Kansas.  The  change  was  dis- 
astrous, fate  seeming  to  be  against  him  in  his 
new  home  where  the  drought  and  the  grass- 
hoppers combined  to  destroy  all  the  fruits  of  his 
labor.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Twin  Lakes.  Here  he  engaged  in  freighting 
from  Leadville  and  Granite  to  Independence, 
in  this  state,  and  found  the  business  very  profit- 
able. He  continued  it  until  1884,  then  disposed 
of  his  outfit  and  interests  at  a  good  profit.  He 
next  located  at  Aspen  and  during  the  following 
four  years  worked  in  the  mines  for  wages.  In 
1888  he  located  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  is  a  part  of  his 
present  ranch.  He  has  since  purchased  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  additional,  and  the 
whole  tract  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
can  be  easily  tilled,  an  unusual  condition  for 
ranches  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  raises  fine 
crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables  and  excellent 
fruit.  Cattle  and  horses  are  also  extensively 
produced  for  market.  The  water  supply  to  the 
ranch  is  abundant,  and  as  he  cultivates  his  land 
with  industry  and  skill,  the  good  results  he 
achieves  follow  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
ranch  is  fifteen  miles  southeast  of  Rifle,  so  that 
good  markets  for  its  products  are  easily  avail- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


able.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Toland  is  an  un- 
wavering Democrat.  He  was  married  on  Oc- 
tober 5,  1876,  to  Miss  Nancy  Hayhurst,  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio  and  daughter  of  James  and  Jane 
(Rineyear)  Hayhurst,  also  native  in  that  state, 
where  they  are  prosperous  farmers.  Four  of 
their  eight  children  are  living  as  follows  :  Mary 
J.,  living  at  Sandcoulee,  Montana,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Smith;  Ann,  wife  of  John  Davis,  of  Gar- 
field  county,  Colorado;  Mrs.  Toland,  and 
Charles,  of  Johnson  county,  Missouri.  The 
mother  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Toland  have 
four  children,  James  F.,  Ernest,  Stella  (Mrs. 
Johnson),  and  George,  all  of  whom  live  in 
Garfield  county,  this  state. 

WILLIAM  A.  RICE. 

The  statement  is  as  true  as  it  is  old  that 
death  loves  a  shining  mark,  and  such  a  mark 
was  found  in  the  demise  of  the  late  William 
A.  Rice,  of  Grand  Junction.  He  departed  this 
life  suddenly  on  April  12,  1901,  of  pneumonia, 
and  a  few  days  later  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Masonic  cemetery  on  Orchard  mesa,  with 
every  demonstration  of  popular  esteem  and 
affection.  His  useful  life  began  in  Dade 
county,  Missouri,  on  November  30,  1846.  His 
parents  returned  to  their  old  home  in  Barren 
county,  Kentucky,  when  he  was  less  than  a 
year  old  and  there  the  father  died  in  1850. 
Soon  after  the  mother  moved  again  to  Missouri 
with  her  four  children.  There  William  grew 
to  manhood  and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  a  select  school  near  Green- 
field. Three  years  of  his  early  manhood  were 
passed  in  teaching  school,  and  these  were  fol- 
lowed by  eight  in  mercantile  life  in  Newtonia, 
Missouri.  In  1871  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Elizabeth  Gover,  of  Stanford,  Kentucky,  and 
in  1 88 1  moved  to  Canon  City,  this  state,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with  his 
brother,  P.  A.  Rice.  Two  years  later  the  firm 


of  Rice  Brothers  moved  to  Grand  Junction, 
where  W.  A.  took  charge  of  and  built  up  the 
business,  while  P.  A.  manufactured  lumber  at 
his  mills  on  Pinion  mesa.  In  1896  William 
withdrew  from  the  lumber  business  and  turned 
his  attention  to  horticulture  and  stock  raising. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character  and  public 
spirit,  ever  ready  to  aid  in  every  enterprise 
looking  to  the  moral  and  material  improvement 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was 
throughout  life  a  consistent  and  serviceable 
member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
church  and  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death 
was  a  valued  officer  thereof.  He  also  belonged 
to  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  in 
the  latter  standing  especially  high.  A  Pro- 
hibitionist in  politics,  he  was  recognized  as  the 
leader  of  that  party  in  western  Colorado,  being 
its  candidate  for  congress  in  1894.  Ever 
working  for  the  elevation  of  his  fellow  man,  it 
is  doubtful  if  his  influence  for  the  promotion 
of  every  element  of  the  general  welfare  of  his 
section  has  ever  been  surpassed  by  that  of  any 
resident  of  the  western  part  of  the  state. 

HIRAM  VALENTINE  WARE. 

Acquiring  his  first  knowledge  of  Colorado 
in  1864,  after  making  a  trip  to  the  territory 
overland  with  ox  teams  from  Omaha,  in  which 
the  progress  of  the  train  of  one  hundred 
wagons  to  which  he  was  attached  was  stub- 
bornly resisted  by  the  Indians,  and  helping  to 
fight  a  way  through  them,  and  then  finding  the 
conditions  of  life  so  entirely  to  his  taste  here 
that  wherever  he  has  been  since  he  has  longed 
for  them  again,  Hiram  V.  Ware,  of  near  New- 
castle, Garfield  county,  returned  to  the  state  in 
1 88 1  and  has  since  made  it  his  permanent 
home.  He  is  a  Virginian  by  birth  and  rearing, 
having  been  born  in  Randolph  county  of  the 
Old  Dominion  on  August  17,  1838.  His  par- 
ents, William  and  Matilda  (Ware)  Ware,  were 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


59 


also  Virginians,  as  their  forefathers  had  been 
for  many  generations  before  them.  The  father 
was  a  planter  there,  a  prominent  man  in  local 
affairs,  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Free- 
mason in  fraternal  life.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  church,  dying  many 
years  ago  in  full  sympathy  with  the  organiza- 
tion. Five  children  were  born  to  them,  of 
whom  only  Hiram  and  his  brother  William,  of 
their  native  county,  are  living.  Mr.  Ware  was 
educated  at  subscription  schools  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent, receiving  the  bulk  of  his  education 
through  travel,  reading  and  observation.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  set  out  in  life  for  him- 
self and  made  his  own  living  in  various  occu- 
pations until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty.  He 
then  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  afterward 
worked  at  it  for  a  period  of  about  twenty-five 
years.  In  1876  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
trade  in  St.  Louis,  at  the  corner  of  Market  and 
Twenty-second  streets,  in  partnership  with  F. 
E.  Bush.  They  continued  in  the  business  until 
1878,  when  Mr.  Ware  disposed  of  his  interest 
and  again  came  to  Colorado,  locating  at  Lead- 
ville  in  1881.  Here  he  followed  carpenter  work 
for  a  year,  then  moved  to  the  Grand  river  and 
located  his  present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  claim 
of  ninety-two  acres,  eighty-seven  of  which  are 
under  cultivation,  producing  good  crops  of  ex- 
cellent hay  and  supporting  his  large  herds  of 
cattle.  He  also  has  ten  acres  of  the  tract  in 
fruits  and  its  products  are  large  in  quantity  and 
superior  in  quality.  Grain  and  potatoes  are 
also  grown  in  a  small  way.  The  water  supply 
is  sufficient  for  ample  irrigation,  he  being  a 
stockholder  in  the  first  ditch  built  from  Elk 
creek,  two  miles  west  of  Newcastle.  He  is  so 
well  pleased  with  Colorado  that  he  says  he 
would  not  live  in  any  other  state.  He  takes  a 
cordial  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  state,  in 
politics  being  an  unyielding  Democrat.  In  1857 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Westfall,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 


dren. Mary  lives  at  Denver;  Sophronia  B.  at 
Sacramento,  California,  where  Leonora  (Mrs. 
Taylor)  and  John  H.,  the  youngest  son,  also 
live.  Their  mother  died  on  December  27,  1865, 
and  on  December  14,  1867,  the  father  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Rebecca  Jones,  also  a  native  of 
Virginia.  They  had  one  child,  Reuben  E.  His 
mother  died  on  December  28,  1873.  Nearly 
two  years  afterward,  on  September  13,  1875, 
Mr.  Ware  married  his  third  and  present  wife, 
Miss  Alice  Markley,  who  was  born  in  Carroll 
county,  Illinois,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  (Durfee)  Markley,  who  were  born  in 
Ohio.  Of  their  marriage  four  children  were 
born,  all  of  whom  are  living:  George  W.,  at 
Leadville;  Josephine  (Mrs.  Frank  Siefert),  at 
St.  Louis;  Irene  (Mrs.  Deprey),  at  St.  Louis; 
Mrs.  Ware,  of  this  state.  Her  father  was  a 
successful  farmer  who  died  on  June  18,  1902, 
since  which  time  her  mother  has  made  her  home 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ware.  They  have  had  six 
children.  Allie,  Maud  and  Delia  have  died, 
and  Josephine  (Mrs.  Paul  Greenwood),  of 
Newcastle,  Garfield  county,  and  Irene  and  Earl 
are  living.  Mr.  Ware  is  accounted  one  of  the 
most  substantial  and  representative  citizens  of 
the  county,  or  even  the  whole  Western  slope. 
He  is  enterprising  and  progressive,  with  a 
breadth  of  view  and  energy  in  reference  to  im- 
provements in  his  section  that  has  been  pro- 
ductive of  much  good  to  its  people,  and  a  pleas- 
ing and  entertaining  manner  that  wins  him 
general  popularity  wherever  he  is  known. 

SYLVESTER  WILMOTH. 

Sylvester  Wilmoth,  of  Garfield  county,  a 
prosperous  and  successful  ranchman  who  is  set- 
tled on  a  good  ranch  of  eighty  acres  not  far 
from  Newcastle,  was  born  in  Randolph  county, 
in  that  part  of  Virginia  which  is  now  West 
Virginia,  on  July  23,  1851.  His  parents, 
Arnold  and  Rachel  (Triplett)  Wilmoth,  were 


6o 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


also  born  and  reared  there  and  followed  in  the 
wake  of  long  lines  of  ancestors  who  were 
prominent  in  the  history  of  that  part  of  the 
Old  Dominion.  The  father  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  tanner,  a  zealous  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  an  energetic  man  in  matters  in- 
volving the  improvement  and  development  of 
his  county  and  state.  He  held  a  number  of 
local  offices  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  his  vicinity.  He  died  in  June, 
1892,  leaving  two  children  who  are  yet  living, 
Rebecca,  wife  of  George  A.  Dick,  of  Elkins, 
West  Virginia,  and  her  brother  Sylvester.  The 
latter  attended  good  schools  in  his  boyhood 
and  youth  and  also  pursued  a  course  of  study 
at  West  Virginia  College.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  then 
began  to  make  his  own  living  by  teaching 
school  in  his  native  state  and  farming  in  connec- 
tion therewith.  After  teaching  fifteen  terms 
there,  he  sold  his  farming  interests  in  1885  and 
moved  to  Nebraska,  a  year  later  changing  his 
residence  to  Kansas,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  teaching  and  working  in  each  place.  His 
success  was  not  flattering  in  Kansas,  and  so  in 
1889  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Breck- 
enridge.  There  he  followed  mining  for  wages 
until  he  moved  to  his  present  location  or 
vicinity  and  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  and  a 
desert  claim,  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in 
all,  which  he  improved  with  a  ditch  and  some 
buildings  and  then  sold  them  at  a  good  profit. 
He  next  purchased  the  ranch  of  eighty  acres 
which  he  now  owns  and  on  which  he  lives. 
He  intends  to  build  a  ditch  to  this  and  seventy 
acres  will  then  be  fit  for  cultivation.  At  pres- 
ent he  raises  good  crops  of  hay  and  all  kinds 
of  vegetables  from  the  ground  that  is  produc- 
tive and  fruit  of  excellent  quaHty.  The  ranch 
is  two  miles  west  of  Newcastle,  is  a  good  farm- 
ing region  with  markets  within  easy  access. 
Mr.  Wilmoth  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  in  political  activity  supports  the  principles 


and  candidates  of  the  Democratic  party.  In 
September,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Chenoweth,  a  native  of  the  same  county 
as  himself  and  daughter  of  Hickman  and  Julia 
C.  (Meek)  Chenoweth,  also  Randolph  county 
West  Virginians.  The  father  is  deceased  and 
the  mother  is  still  living  in  Randolph  county, 
past  ninety-two  years  old.  Two  of  their  chil- 
dren are  living,  Mrs.  Wilmoth  and  George  W. 
Chenoweth,  of  Randolph  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilmoth  have  had  four 
children.  Two  died  in  infancy  and  Cora  A. 
(Mrs.  James  Heatherly),  on  Divide  creek,  and 
Doyle  R.,  at  home,  are  living. 

HENRY  CLAY  CARTER. 

Born  and  reared  far  away  in  the  South- 
land, and  when  the  dread  cloud  of  civil  war 
overspread  the  country  following  his  convic- 
tions through  the  terrible  struggle,  facing 
death  on  many  a  hard-fought  field  and  endur- 
ing untold  hardships  and  privations  in  camp 
and  on  the  march.  Henry  C.  Carter,  of  Garfield 
county,  this  state,  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
progressive  ranch  and  cattle  men  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Newcastle,  knows  much  of  our 
great  country's  history  from  actual  experience 
and  observation  under  circumstances  most 
likely  to  make  lasting  impressions  and  heighten 
the  pleasures  of  peaceful  enjoyment  of  its 
boundless  opportunities  and  the  products  of  its 
prolific  soil.  He  first  saw  the  light  of  this 
world  in  Chesterfield  county,  South  Carolina, 
on  April  6,  1844,  and  is  the  son  of  Simon  and 
Margaret  (Seals)  Carter,  the  former  born  in 
South  Carolina  and  the  latter  in  North  Caro- 
lina. They  passed  their  lives  in  the  Carolinas, 
where  they  were  engaged  in  farming,  raising 
corn  and  cotton,  and  enjoying  a  modest  pros- 
perity until  the  war  came.  The  father  was  an 
ardent  devotee  of  the  section  in  which  he  lived 
and  heartily  supported  the  Democratic  party  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


61 


politics.     There  were  seven  children  born  in 
the  household,  of  whom  three  are  living,  Henry 
C,  of  this  sketch,  Robert,  a  resident  of  South 
Carolina,  and  Simon,  living  in  the  vicinity  of 
Newcastle.     The  deceased  children  are  Alex- 
ander,  who  died  in    1854,   George,   who  was 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  died  in 
Duke's  Hospital  in  Mississippi,  and  Gilbert  and 
Debbie.     Henry  was  educated  at  the  district 
schools  of  his  home  neighborhood,  remaining 
with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one   except   during   the   period   of   the 
Civil  war.    When  that  broke  out  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  First  Infantry  of  the  Confederate 
army,  and  his  service  to  the  cause  did  not  cease 
until  the  last  flag  of  the  Confederacy  went  down 
in  everlasting  defeat.     He  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Smith's  plantation  in   1865  and  paroled  at 
Heart's  Island  in  New  York  state  in  June  of 
the  same  year.     He  then  returned  to  northern 
Alabama,   and   in   the  ensuing  fall  moved  to 
Arkansas.      There   he   worked   on    farms    for 
wages  three  years,  in  1868  going  to  Lawrence 
county,    Missouri,    where    he    remained    until 
1870.      At   that  time  he   began   to   learn   the 
carpenter  trade,  which  he  followed  at  various 
places  for  a  number  of  years,  working  at  it  in 
Erath  county,  Texas,  a  year,  then  at  Fort  Grif- 
fin, where  he  was  also  a  post  trader  and  con- 
tractor.    In  1872  he  was  at  Dallas  for  a  time, 
and  in  November,  1873,  came  to  Colorado.     In 
1875   he  helped  to   build  the   Malta   Smelter 
Company's  plant  at  Leadville,  and  after  wan- 
dering about  two  years,  working  at  his  trade, 
returned  there  in   1877,  at  which  time  there 
were  but  three  white  women  in  the  camp.     Re- 
maining there  'until    1881,  he  took  up   ranch 
work  for  Mr.  Hayden,  mined  and  prospected 
and  worked  at  his  trade,  there,  in  South  Park 
and    elsewhere,    until    the    winter    of    1883-4, 
when  he  came  to  his  present  location  in  Gar- 
field  county.    On  June  12,  1884,  he  took  up  his 
present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hun-. 


dred  and  sixty  acres,  which  was  full  of  wild 
sage  brush  at  the  time.  He  has  improved  the 
place  and  brought  a  considerable  portion  of  it 
to  advanced  cultivation,  fourteen  acres  being 
set  out  in  choice  fruit  which  is  considered  the 
best  in  the  county,  including  apples,  peaches, 
pears,  plums,  grapes  and  small  fruits.  He  al- 
so raises  good  crops  of  hay  and  grain.  The 
ranch  is  three  miles  west  of  Newcastle  and  is 
well  supplied  with  water. 

On  November  26,  1904,  Mr.  Carter  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Dora  Priddy,  a 
native  of  DeKalb  county,  Missouri,  daughter 
of  Strawder  and  Ellen  (Patton)  Priddy,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  were  married  in  Ohio  and  soon 
after  went  to  Missouri.  In  1880  the  family 
moved  to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  where  Mrs.  Priddy 
soon  after  died.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  serving  in 
an  Ohio  regiment. 

JOHN  F.  HICKMAN. 

This  prosperous  and  progressive  ranchman, 
cattle-grower  and  fruit  culturist  of  Garfield 
county,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Rifle,  locating  there  be- 
fore the  town  was  laid  out  or  started,  hails  from 
far-away  Tennessee,  where  he  was  born,  near 
Strawberry  Plains,  in  Jefferson  county,  on  No- 
vember 25,  1865,  and  where  his  parents,  Fred- 
erick and  Elizabeth  (Mount)  Hickman,  also 
were  born.  They  moved  to  Missouri  in  the 
fall  of  1870,  when  he  was  but  five  years  old, 
and  located  in  Caldwell  county,  where  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days  farming  and 
raising  stock.  The  father  was  an  ardent  Re- 
publican in  political  faith,  and  when  armed  re- 
sistance threatened  the  integrity  of  the  Union 
he  joined  the  Federal  army  and  served  three 
years  in  the  memorable  contest  under  General 
Rosecrans.  The  parents  were  Baptists  in 


62 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


church  affiliation.  The  mother  died  on  April 
13,  1878,  and  the  father  on  May  21,  1901. 
Their  nine  children  are  all  living :  William  H., 
Owen  P.,  James  H.,  Martha  S.  (Mrs.  Eli  Mc- 
Comas),  John  F.,  Samuel  M.  and  Thomas,  all 
reside  in  the  vicinity  of  Rifle,  this  state ;  Sarah 
(Mrs.  James  Sneed)  lives  in  Oklahoma  Ter- 
ritory; and  Mary  (Mrs.  Daniel  McCullpugh) 
is  a  resident  of  Ray  county,  Missouri.  John 
F.  was  educated  to  a  limited  extent  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  remaining  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  seventeen  years  old.  Then,  after  work- 
ing one  season  in  a  flour-mill  at  Hardin,  he 
began  farming  on  his  own  account,  and  he  con- 
tinued his  operations  in  this  line  in  Missouri 
until  1887,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated on  Rifle  creek.  Here  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Grand  River  Ranch  and  Cattle  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  remained  six  years,  serving 
as  foreman  during  the  last  three.  After  leav- 
ing the  service  of  this  company  he  engaged  in 
ranching  for  himself,  having  sold  to  his  part- 
ner, Dr.  Edward  Norris,  of  Rifle,  his  interest 
in  the  first  stock  of  drugs  and  groceries  held  in 
that  vicinity,  after  the  partnership  had  lasted 
three  years.  He  purchased  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Henry  the  ranch  he  now  owns, 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
the  partnership  continued  until  it  was  har- 
moniously dissolved  in  1901,  since  when  Mr. 
"Hickman  has  owned  and  operated  the  property 
alone.  His  principal  industry  here  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  was  raising  cattle,  which  he  car- 
ried on  extensively.  The  last  few  years  he  has 
given  more  attention  to  fruit  culture  with  ex- 
cellent results.  He  has  thirty-five  acres  in 
trees  of  good  bearing  order,  and  their  product 
is  the  pride  of  the  neighborhood  and  the  top  of 
the  market.  He  also  raises  hay,  grain  and 
vegetables  in  profusion,  and,  in  short,  conducts 
a  general  farming  industry  with  success  and 
profit  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
men  in  his  line  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In 


fraternal  life  he  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  lodge  and  the  camp  of  Modern 
Woodmen  in  his  locality,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Good  Templars.  In  political 
allegiance  he  is  a  Republican.  On  April  3, 
1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emma  Stephenson,  who  was  born  in  Ray 
county,  Missouri,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Carl 
and  Susan  (Johnson)  Stephenson,  prosperous 
farmers  in  that  county  for  a  number  of  years 
and  both  now  deceased,  the  father  having  died 
on  May  24,  1884,  and  the  mother  on  August 
27,  1889.  Both  were  members  of  the  Church 
of  God.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom 
Caroline  (Mrs.  Owen  Hickman),  James  S.,  of 
Ray  county,  Missouri,  and  Emma  (Mrs.  John 
Hickman)  are  living.  Three  have  been  born  to 
the  Hickman  household,  Ralph  B.,  Earl  F.  and 
Ruth.  The  parents  are  Methodists  and  are  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  throughout  all  the  sur- 
rounding country. ,  They  are  well  pleased  with 
Colorado,  and  proud  to  be  numbered  among 
the  state's  progressive  citizens. 

ELI  C.  LOSHBAUGH. 

Eli  C.  Loshbaugh  came  into  being  near 
Dayton,  Ohio,  on  September  15,  1854,  but  be- 
fore he  had  knowledge  of  that  rich  and  pros- 
perous agricultural  and  manufacturing  region, 
his  parents,  John  and  Sarah  (Hartman)  Losh- 
baugh moved,  within  the  year  of  his  birth,  to 
Texas,  where  they  remained  two  years  and  a 
half.  They  then  changed  to  Iowa,  and  made 
their  home  in  that  state  nine  years,  after  which 
they  took  up  their  residence  in  Kansas,  and 
there  they  remained  until  death  ended  their 
labors,  the  father  dying  in  1869,  and  the 
mother  on  July  14,  1894.  He  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  she  of  Ohio.  Both  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Dunkard  church,  and  in  political 
faith  he  was  a  firm  and  loyal  Republican.  Of 
their  seven  children  three  are  living:  Eli  C., 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Laura,  wife  of  Jacob 
Richel,  of  Newcastle,  Colorado,  and  Orley,  a 
resident  of  Indian  Territory.     Eli  received  a 
limited  common-school  education  and  remained 
at  home  assisting  his  parents  on  the  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-four.     He  then  began  to  work 
independently  for  himself,  hiring  out  on  farms 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.     In  1879  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Denver,  where  he 
remained  two  years  working  on  ranches.   From 
1 88 1  to  1886  he  was  at  Durango  and  Telluride 
prospecting    and    mining.      In    the    year    last 
named   he  moved  to  Glenwood    Springs   and 
from  there  to  Camp  Defiance,  where  he  passed 
the  summer  prospecting.     In  the  autumn  of 
1887  he  changed  his  base  to  Red  Cliff  and  his 
occupation  to  getting  out  railroad  ties  under 
contract.     From  the  fall  of  that  year  to  the 
spring  of   1898  "he  rented  land  and  occupied 
himself  in  ranching.     In  April,  1898,  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  of  the  ranch  which 
he  now  owns,  to  which  he  has  since  added  sixty 
acres,  and  here  he  has  from  that  time  been 
actively  engaged  in  conducting  a  general  ranch- 
ing and  stock  industry.    One  hundred  acres  of 
his  land  are  under  cultivation  and  produce  good 
crops  of  the  character  common  to  the  region 
and  abundant  supplies  of  fruit.     He  has  an 
orchard-  of  twelve  acres  which  is  very  prolific 
and  thrifty,  and  this  he  finds  a  source  of  con- 
siderable revenue.     The  water  supply  for  his 
land  is  fair  and  its  fertility  is  of  a  high  order. 
During  the  last  twelve  years  he  has  carried  on 
a  flourishing  cattle  industry  with  every  care  to 
the  business  needed  to  secure  the  best  results. 
In  fraternal  connection  he  is  an  interested  Odd 
Fellow,   and  in  political  faith  an  ardent  Re- 
publican, especially  in  national  affairs.    On  Oc- 
tober 21,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Laura 
Leas,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Shurr)  Leas.     She  was 
born  on  October  19,  1853,  and  died  on  March 
27,   1901,  leaving  three  of  their  four  children 


to  survive  her,  Silas  L.,  Charles  O.  and  Fan- 
nie. The  other  child  died  in  infancy.  Her 
father  was  an  active  Republican  and  for  many 
years  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died 
on  August  29,  1891,  having  survived  his  wife, 
who  passed  away  on  June  7,  1858,  thirty-three 
years  of  age,  deeply  lamented  by  all. 

HANS  S.  HENRICKSON. 

One  of  the  foreign  contributions  to  the  in- 
dustrial and  agricultural  forces  of  the  United 
States  who  is  entitled  to  mention  in  any  account 
of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  men  of  the 
Western  slope  in  Colorado  is  the  subject  of  this 
brief  review,  Hans  S.  Henrickson,  of  Garfielcl 
county,  residing  and  carrying  on  a  profitable 
business  in  the  vicinity  of  Newcastle.  He  has 
become  thoroughly  Americanized  in  his  ideas 
and  methods,  and  is  deeply  loyal  to  the  in- 
terests and  instructions  of  his  adopted  country 
and  in  full  sympathy  with  the  welfare  of  its 
people.  Mr.  Henrickson  was  born  in  Denmark 
on  June  27,  1860,  and  is  the  son  of  Annie 
Paline  and  Soren  Henrickson,  Danes  by  na- 
tivity and  dwellers  in  their  native  land  from 
infancy,  as  their  forefathers  had  done  from  .im- 
memorial times.  The  father  was  a  merchant 
in  his  young  and  vigorous  manhood,  but  be- 
came a  farmer  when  he  retired  from  mercantile 
life.  They  had  six  children,  four  of  whom 
survive  the  father,  who  died  in  1898.  They 
are  Martin,  of  Spokane,  Washington,  Hans  S., 
of  Colorado,  and  Frank  and  Metta,  still  living 
in  Denmark,  where  the  mother  also  still  resides. 
The  father  was  successful  in  business  and  es- 
teemed throughout  his  community.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Lutheran  church,  as  his  wife  does. 
Their  son  Hans  educated  himself  in  his  father's 
store  mainly,  attending  the  state  schools  only 
for  a  short  time.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
and  in  1883  came  to  the  United  States,  locat- 


64 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ing    near    Bloomington,     Illinois,    where    he 
worked  on  farm§  for  wages  until   1884.     He 
then  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  a  short  resi- 
dence at  Denver,  moved  to  Fort  Collins,  where 
he  again  took  up  ranch  work  for  a  year.     In 
1885   ne  moved  to  Leadville  and   for  a  year 
conducted  a  dairy  there  in  the  interest  of  the 
Sherman  Brothers.     Portions  of  the  next  two 
years   were  passed   in  useful   industry   in  the 
smelters,   and  in  August,    1887,  he  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  Antlers,  Garfield  county,  locat- 
ing a  pre-emption  claim.     After  spending  four 
years   improving  his  property  and  making  it 
productive,   he   sold   it  at  a   considerable   ad- 
vance  on   his   investment.      He  then  made   a 
visit  to  Denmark,  but  was  so  well  pleased  with 
Colorado  that  he  soon  returned  and  purchased 
eighty  acres,  a  portion  of  which  is  included  in 
the   home   which  he   now   occupies.      He   has 
bought  additional  land  and  sold  some,  and  now 
has  seventy  acres,  of  which  he  can  cultivate 
sixty-five.    His  crops  are  principally  hay,  grain 
and   vegetables,  but  he  also  raises  cattle  and 
horses.     His  land  is  well  supplied  with  water 
by  its  own  right,  and  his  tillage  is  vigoroiis  and 
skillful,  so  that  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should 
not  prove  to  be  of  greater  and  greater  value 
and  productiveness.     While  taking  an  interest 
in  the  political  affairs  of  this  country,  local  and 
general,  he  is  independent  of  party  control,  and 
in  all  respects  is  a  good  and  useful  citizen.    As 
such  he  is  well  esteemed,  and  both  by  his  own 
activity  and  the   force  of  his   example  he   is 
recognized   as   an    influence    for   good    in   the 
section  and  county  in  which  he  lives. 

WILLIAM  J.  ARMSTRONG. 

William  J.  Armstrong,  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous and  progressive  ranchmen  of  Mesa  county, 
living  on  a  well  improved  and  highly  pro- 
ductive ranch  two  miles  northeast  of  Grand 
Junction,  is  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  born 


on  December  28,   1855,  and  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Jackson,  Michigan.     In  1880  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  for  a  number  of  years  worked 
at  mining  and  on  ranches.     In  the  spring  of 
1901  he  moved  to  Mesa  county  and  soon  after- 
ward settled  on  the  ranch  he  now   occupies, 
being  married  on  Christmas  day,  1902,  to  Mrs. 
Amanda  (Bowers)  Wellington,  the  widow  of 
John   A.    Wellington,    who   owned   the   place. 
Mr.  Wellington  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts 
who   came   to   Colorado   in    1882   among   the 
early  settlers  of  the  western  part  of  the  state, 
and  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Mesa  county  not  far  from  Grand  Junc- 
tion, which  he  afterward  sold.     In  1894  he  lo- 
cated on  a  tract  of  wild  land  and  by  industry 
and  skill  transformed  it  into  a  good  home  and 
a  productive  farm,  it  being  the  one  on  which 
the  Armstrongs  now  live.     The  land  is  above 
the  level  of  the  irrigating  ditch  and  Mr.  Wel- 
lington put  in  a  private  plant  in  the  form  of  a 
huge  water  wheel  to  lift  the  water  forty  feet 
which   furnishes   enough   to   irrigate  his   land 
and  that  of  two  or  three  neighbors.     He  also 
owned  town  property  and  other  ranches.     In 
March,  1902,  he  died  on  this  land,  and  after 
that  his  widow  carried  on  the  ranch  until  her 
marriage  with  Air.  Armstrong.     She  is  a  na- 
tive  of   Toledo,    Ohio,    and   the   daughter   of 
Eleazer  and  Polly   (Woodbury)    Bowers,   the 
former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of 
Vermont.      They   were  married   at    Ravenna, 
Ohio,  and  died  in  Lenawee  county,  Michigan, 
the  mother  in   1877  and  the  father  in   1882. 
They  moved  there  when  Mrs.  Armstrong  was 
two  years  old,  and  there  she  was  reared  and 
educated.      There    also    she    was    married    to 
lames  N.  McKay,  by  whom  she  had  four  chil- 
dren, John  R.,  James  H.  and  a  pair  of  twins, 
now  all  deceased.     In  1892  James  H.  came  to 
Mesa   county,    this   state,    where   he   died   the 
next  year,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  daugh- 
ters, the  oldest  of  the  latter.  Amanda,  who  is 


THE   WELLINGTON  RANCH. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


now  fourteen  years  old,  living  with  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  are  prosper- 
ous in  business,  active  in  social  life  and  the 
general  affairs  of  the  community,  and  are 
highly  esteemed  on  all  sides  as  leading  and 
representative  citizens. 

JOHN  M.  SPRINGER. 

The  cattle  industry  when  viewed  in  all  its 
ramifications  and  immensity,  is  one  of  the 
modern  wonders  of  the  world.  It  employs  the 
brain  and  brawn  of  thousands  of  men,  women 
and  children,  many  of  them  among  the  fore- 
most business  minds  of  the  age.  In  the  num- 
ber of  those  \vho  aid  its  conduct  and  develop- 
ment in  an  individual  way  John  M.  Springer, 
of  near  Newcastle,  Garfield  county,  is  entitled  to 
honorable  mention  as  one  who  conducts  his 
share  of  the  gigantic  enterprise  in  a  manner  and 
with  a  capacity  that  give  him  success  and  pros- 
perity for  himself  and  enlarge  the  usefulness 
of  the  industry  in  his  section  in  a  potential 
magnitude.  He  was  born  in  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  on  May  30,  1840,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Strait)  Springer,  na- 
tives of  New  York  state,  w7ho  settled  early  in 
Ohio  and  afterward  removed  to  Iowa,  where 
they  prospered  as  farmers  and  raised  some 
stock  too,  in  a  small  way.  The  father  was  a 
sterling  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  gave 
his  party  good  service  on  all  occasions,  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
but  three  of  whom  are  living,  John  M.,  Phil- 
ander, a  resident  of  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  and  Lucy 
(Mrs.  Louis  Montgomery),  of  Jennings,  Kan- 
sas. Mr.  Springer  enjoyed  only  the  limited 
educational  advantages  which  are  the  lot  of 
country  boys  who  have  no  resource  in  this  re- 
spect but  the  public  schools,  and  he  had  also 
their  usual  experience  of  hard  work  on  the 
farm.  He  remained  with  his  parents  and 
worked  in  their  interest  until  he  was  twenty- 


one  years  of  age.     He  then  engaged  in  inde- 
pendent farm  work  in  Iowa  until  1868,  when 
he  moved  to  Nebraska  City,  wrhere  he  passed 
two  years  teaming  on  the  streets.     In  1870*  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Mt.  Vernon, 
fourteen    miles    west    of    Denver.      Here    he 
bought  a  timber  claim,  on  which  he  labored  one 
year  in  the  way  of  improvement,  then  moved 
on  to  Gunnison  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
various  occupations,  among  them  selling  goods 
and  freighting.    He  next  settled  in  the  vicinity 
of  Newcastle,  taking  up  a  squatter's  right  on 
Divide  creek,  where  after  the  survey  was  made 
he  proved  up  on  as  a  pre-emption  claim.     He 
made  all  required  improvements  and  started  a 
cattle  industry  and  did  general  ranching.     In 
1902  he  disposed  of  this  ranch  to  Al.  Robinson 
and   then   purchased   the   ranch  on   which   he 
now  lives.     This  comprises  twenty-three  acres 
and  is  devoted  chiefly  to  raising  cattle,  although 
some  general   farm  products  are  also  raised, 
such  as  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits. 
The  ranch  is  two  miles  and  a  half  west  of  New- 
castle and  is  well  watered  so  far  as  necessity 
requires.      Mr.    Springer    is    an    unwavering 
Democrat,  and  always  aids  materially  in  the 
campaigns  of  his  party.    On  November  I,  1867, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Roasmond 
A.    Smith,   a   sister  of  William   L.    Smith,   a- 
sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page  of 
this  work.     She  was  born  in  Campbell  county, 
Kentucky,  on  October   15,   1847.     They  have 
one  child,  Jennie,  now  the  wife  of  Al.  Robin- 
son, of  South  Canyon,  Garfield  county.     Mr. 
Springer  is  a  loyal  citizen  of  this  state,  devoted 
to  its  interests,  strong  in  his  faith  in  its  future, 
and  well  satisfied  with  its  present  conditions 
for   residence  and   business.     And   as   it   has 
been  a  child  of  his  earnest  solicitude,  so  it  has 
not  only  rewarded  his  labor  with  substantial 
success,  but  has  enshrined  him  in  the  regard 
and  good  will  of  its  people  as  one  of  his  county's 
most  useful  and  representative  citizens. 


5 


66 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


JOSEPH  LUXEN. 

A  self  made  man  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
term,  since  he  began  the  battle  of  life  in  his 
own  interest  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  has 
since  continued  it  with  success  and  increasing 
prosperity  through  the  unaided  force  of  his 
own  capacity  and  resourcefulness,  meeting 
every  emergency  with  a  spirit  of  undoubting 
courage  and  self-reliance,  Joseph  Luxen,  of 
Rifle,  Garfield  county,  this  state,  is  entitled  to 
the  position  of  substance  and  consequence  he 
occupies  among  the'people  around  him,  and  the 
satisfaction  he  must  enjoy  as  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune.  And  knowing,  too,  the  stings 
of  adversity,  he  has  won  the  grateful-  thanks 
of  scores  of  'men  in  temporary  need  he  has 
helped  over  difficulties  and  to  either  a  first  or 
a  new  start  in  life.  He  first  saw  the  light  of 
this  world  on  July  6,  1853,  in  .Newton  county, 
Missouri,  and  is  the  son  of  Richard  and  Lu- 
cinda  (Roberts)  Luxen,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Alabama.  On  his 
arrival  in  this  country  the  father  located  in 
Alabama  and  some  little  time  after  his  mar- 
riage moved  his  family  to  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  prosperously  engaged  in 
tailoring  until  his  death  in  the  spring  of  1860. 
Four  children  were  born  in  the  family,  and  of 
these  Joseph  is  the  only  survivor,  Alfred,  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  having  died  some  years  ago,  the 
last  named  being  at  the  time  of  her  decease  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Lively,  of  Philipsburg, 
Montana.  The  mother  lived  thirty-four  years 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  dying  in  1894. 
Both  were  Methodists  and  the  father  belonged 
to  the  Masonic  order.  He  was  an  ardent  Re- 
publican in  politics.  Joseph  attended  the  public 
schools  for  brief  periods  in  his  boyhood  and 
when  he  was  ten  years  old  began  to  earn  his 
own  living  by  working  as  a  messenger  boy  in 
the  United  States  quartermaster's  department 
at  Springfield  in  his  native  state.  He  did 


service  there  in  that  capacity  three  years,  then 
began  mining  lead  at  Granby,  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  state.  He  received  one  dol- 
lar and  a  half  a  day  for  his  work  and  continued 
at  it  until  1869,  when  he  moved  to  Indian  Ter- 
ritory and  passed  two  years  there  as  a  range 
rider.  In  the  spring  of  1871  he  transferred  his 
energies  to  Texas,  where  he  followed  the  same 
occupation  near  the  town  of  Fort  Worth.  In 
the  fall  of  1872  he  returned  to  his  Missouri 
home  and  after  a  visit  of  some  months  there, 
came  to  Colorado,  locating  at  Georgetown. 
There  he  followed  mining  in  the  mines  on 
Democrat  mountain  until  the  summer  of  1874. 
He  then  entered  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  moving  troops  and  hauling 
supplies  from  Camp  Colonel  near  Forts  Lari- 
mer, Fetterman  and  Kinney,  and  also  to 
Meeker  after  the  Indian  massacre  in  1879.  He 
remained  in  the  service  of  the  government  until 
T  88 1,  then  moved  to  Utah  where  he  passed 
three  years  in  retail  merchandising.  In  1884 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Rio  Blanco  county, 
this  state,  and  engaged  in  raising  cattle,  Meeker 
being  his  nearest  town.  This  industry  oc- 
cupied his  attention  until  1898,  when  he  sold 
his  stock  and  moved  to  Rifle.  For  a  year  and 
a  half  he  conducted  a  hotel  there,  the  hostelry 
now  known-  as  Clark's  hotel,  in  which  he  made 
many  improvements  and  carried  on  a  thriving 
business,  although  at  that  time  the  town  was 
small  and  rural  in  comparison  with  his  present 
condition.  In  the  spring  of  1900  he  bought  a 
ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  seven  miles  from 
Rifle,  making  the  purchase  of  J.  J.  Clausen. 
This  he  has  since  doubled  in  extent,  and  now 
has  three  hundred  acres  of  his  tract  under 
cultivation.  He  raises  large  crops  of  hay, 
grain,  vegetables  and  fruit,  and  conducts  & 
cattle  industry  of  large  proportions.  Mr. 
Luxen  has  been  very  successful  in  his  business, 
and  is  esteemed  throughout  his  community  as 
one  of  its  best  business  men  and  most  repre- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


sentative  citizens.  He  belongs  to  the  Order  of 
Elks  and  the  United  Workmen,  and  in  politics 
gives  a  firm  and  loyal  support  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  With  the  public  life  of  the  county 
he  has  been  prominently  connected  for  years, 
and  while  living  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Rio  Blanco  served  three  years  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  His  ranch  is  one  of  the  best 
and  most  skillfully  cultivated  in  the  county. 
He  is  a  man  of  extensive  knowledge  of  men 
and  countries,  having  traveled  much  and  with 
observing  faculties  so  that  he  acquired  a  good 
command  of  several  languages.  He  is  a  typical 
range  rider  of  the  West,  full  of  courage,  gen- 
erous to  "a  fault,  with  an  abiding  faith  in  his 
fellow  men  and  breadth  of  view  as  to  the  pos- 
sibilities of  his  section.  On  October  8,  1882, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Belle  Hall, 
who  was  born  at  Aetna  in  Coles  county,  Illinois, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Marie 
(Tuel)  Hall,  natives  of  Indiana  who  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  later  to  Missouri,  where  they  died, 
the  mother  in  1869  and  the  father  in  1883. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  successful  contractor 
and  builder,  and  also  a  manufacturer  of 
wagons,  a  leading  Republican  politician,  and 
•for  years  mayor  of  Granby,  Missouri.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  connected  with  the  Masons  and 
the  Odd  Fellows.  Two  of  their  children  are 
living,  Mrs.  Luxen  and  Mrs.  John  Shepherd, 
of  Seneca,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luxen 
have  one  child,  Richard. 

A.  S.  BAXTER. 

A.  S.  Baxter,  of  Garfield  county,  pleas- 
antly located  on  a  good  ranch  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Glenwood  Springs,  although  born  on 
a  day  of  the  month  fateful  in  our  history  and 
pregnant  with  the  genesis  of  bloody  strife  and 
battle  over  political  questions  on  two  occasions, 
has  been  a  man  of  peace  and  productive  useful- 
ness and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors 


in  even  greater  peace  than  that  in  which  he  won 
them.     His  life  began  on  April   19,   1861,  in 
Clay  county,  Missouri,  and  he  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Kate    (Hickman)    Baxter,   natives 
of  Kentucky  who  located  in  Missouri  in  the 
early  days  of  its  history.     The  father  was  a 
farmer,  especially  during  the  later  years  of  his 
life.     He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in  politics 
and  a  great  lover  of  law  and  order;  and  he 
was  therefore  called  upon  to  serve  the  people 
of  his  county  for  many  years  as  deputy  sheriff 
and  sheriff.     He  died  in  1884,  and  the  mother 
is  living  at  Glenwood  Springs.     Eight  of  their 
ten  children  are  living :  William,  at  Newcastle : 
George,  on  Piccance  creek,  Rio  Blanco  county; 
Ella,   wife  of  James'  Siebert;   A.    S.,   of  this 
sketch;  Fannie,  wife  of  William  Limning,  of 
Red  Bluff,  California;  Sallie,  wife  of  G.  W. 
Talkenbaugh,  of  near  Rifle ;  Wallace,  at  Rifle ; 
and  Kate,  at  Glenwood  Springs.     Mr.  Baxter 
received   a   very   limited   common-school   edu- 
cation, at  the  age  of  ten  beginning  to  aid  his 
parents  on  the  farm,  and  at  seventeen  starting 
out  for  himself.    In  1877  ne  went  to  California 
with  his  mother,  and  after  remaining  in  that 
state  six  years  came  to  Colorado  in  1883.     He 
took  up  a  squatter's  right  on  Canyon  creek,  and 
after  the  government  survey  was  made  he  pre-- 
empted it.     The  claim  comprised  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  after  making  some  im- 
provements on  the  property  he  sold  it  for  a 
good  price  in  1900,  at  which  time  he  bought 
a  part  of  the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home. 
This   also  comprised  one  hundred   and   sixty 
acres  and  is  located  near  Glenwood  Springs. 
He  has  added  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on 
Canyon  creek  to  his  original  purchase,  and  of 
the  whole  tract  which  he  now  owns  he  can 
cultivate  three  hundred  acres,  which  yield  hay, 
grain   and   vegetables   of  excellent  quality   in 
abundance,  and  a  desirable  quantity  of  small 
fruits.     His  water  right  is  the  second  on  the 
creek  and  is  ample  for  his  purposes.     In  ad- 


68 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


dition  to  ranching  Mr.  Baxter  has,  during  the 
last  eighteen  years,  acted  as  a  guide  throughout 
several  of  the  western  states,  and  has  won  a 
high  rank  and  wide  reputation  as  a  leader  of 
hunting  parties,  his  outfit  for  the  work  being 
one  of  the  best.  It  comprises  eighty-five  pack 
animals  and  twenty-one  hounds.  He  is  a 
Woodman  of  the  World  in  fraternal  circles 
and  an  ardent  and  active  Democrat  in  political 
affairs.  On  June  27,  1886,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Harbin,  a  native  of  California  and 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Addline  (Peevey) 
Harbin,  who  were  born  in  Kentucky.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Baxter  have  one  child,  Thomas  A. 
Baxter,  who  is  living  at  home. 

I.  W.  CHATFIELD. 

Born  in  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  in  the  region 
which  slopes  away  peacefully  to  Lake  Erie, 
reared  on  a  farm  in  Illinois,  taking  a  turn  in 
the  commission  business  when  he  was  but  nine- 
teen, burned  out  by  a  disastrous  fire  when  he 
was  conducting  a  prosperous  hotel  enterprise, 
living  in  the  midst  of  alarms  at .  the  time  of 
the  border  war  in  Kansas,  traveling  back  and 
forth  overland  across  the  plains,  buying  and 
selling  ranches  in  Colorado,  frequently  whirled 
about  in  the  maelstrom  of  politics,  I.  W.  Chat- 
field,  of  Garfield  county,  this  state,  whose  home 
is  at  Rifle,  has  had  an  eventful  and  interesting 
career.  His  life  began  on  August  n,  1836, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  Levi  T.  and  Levina  (Mas- 
ters) Chatfield,  New  Englanders  by  nativity, 
the  father  born  in  Connecticut  and  the  mother 
in  Vermont.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
followed  his  vocation  for  a  number  of  years  in 
Ohio.  Then  in  1844  he  moved  to  Mason 
county,  Illinois,  but  after  a  short  residence  in 
that  state  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  1848.  The  mother  soon 
afterward  made  Illinois  once  more  the  home  of 
the  family,  and  there  she  taught  school  at  the 


town  of  Bath.  She  died  in  1858.  Both  par- 
ents were  Episcopalians  and  in  politics  the 
father  was  a  Whig.  Of  their  six  children  only 
three  are  living,  I.  W.,  Clark  S.,  at  Basalt,  and 
Airs.  Ellen  S.  Batchelor,  at  Denver.  Mr.  Chat- 
field  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  state,  having 
passed  much  of  his  residence  in  it  on  the 
frontier;  and  he  is  also  one  of  its  best  repre- 
sentative men  and  most  useful  citizens.  He 
had  very  little  schooling,  and  while  a  boy  began 
to  work  on  the  farm  for  a  compensation  of 
six  dollars  and  a  half  a  month  and  his  board. 
In  this  way  he  was  employed  until  he  reached 
his  nineteenth  year.  He  then  became  as- 
sociated with  Gatten  and  Ruggles  in  the  com- 
mission business  at  Bath,  Illinois,  and  he  re- 
mained with  them  four  years,  during  which 
time  he  was  rapidly  promoted  in  their  business. 
At  the  end  of  the  period  named  he  took  charge 
of  a  hotel  in  partnership  with  his  mother,  and 
prospered  in  the  undertaking  until  they  were 
burned  out.  After  that  Messrs.  Gatten  and  Rug- 
gles backed  him  financially  for  another  venture 
in  the  hotel  business,  and  this  he  conducted 
until  the  excitement  over  the  discovery  of  gold 
at  Pike's  Peak  induced  him  to  sell  at  a  good 
profit  and  start  for  the  new  eldorado  with  three 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  stock  of  provisions.  The 
train  was  two  months  on  the  way  to  Denver, 
and  after  arriving  Mr.  Chatfield  remained  only 
a  short  time,  then  returned  east  to  Kansas.  He 
located  at  Fort  Scott  and  settled  on  a  squat- 
ter's claim,  but  the  border  troubles  breaking 
out  soon  afterward,  he  with  his  wife  and  his 
brother  Charles  journeyed  overland  to  his  for- 
mer home  in  Illinois.  There  he  was  variously 
employed  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  the 
Twenty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  During  his 
service  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  ser- 
geant, and  as  such  fought  in  the  battle  of  Island 
No.  10,  and  also  that  of  Stone  River.  There 
he  was  taken  ill  and  sent  to  the  hospital.  Later 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


69 


he  was  made  lieutenant  at  the  battle  of  Farm- 
ington  on  May  9,  1862.  After  leaving  the 
army  in  1863  he  went  to  St.  Louis  where  he 
fitted  out  with  ox  and  horse  teams  and  again 
came  to  Colorado,  consuming  eight  weeks  on 
the  trip  and  having  with  him  his  wife  and  his 
sister,  now  Mrs.  Batcheler,  of  Denver,  and  R. 
M.  Wright,  now  a  resident  of  Fort  Dodge, 
Kansas.  They  located  where  the  town  of  Flor- 
ence has  since  been  built,  Mr.  Chatfield  patent- 
ing the  land  on  which  it  stands,  which  was  then 
covered  with  wild  sage  brush.  He  farmed  in 
this  neighborhood  until  1871,  on  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  bought 
of  William  Ash,  adding  to  the  purchase  until 
he  owned  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  When 
he  disposed  of  this  property  he  moved  to  Bear 
creek  and  bought  out  J.  B.  Hendy,  who  now 
lives  in  Denver,  and  whose  ranch  comprised  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  This  he  traded  for 
the  Daniel  Wetter  ranch  on  the  Platte  river,  on 
which  he  remained  until  1879.  He  then  sold 
it  to  Frank  Caley  and  moved  to  Lead vi lie, 
where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  and  rail- 
road contract  work,  remaining  there  until  1884. 
In  that  year  he  again  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Aspen.  Here  he  once  more  began  merchandis- 
ing and  continued  until  1888.  At  that  time  he 
bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
at  Emma  of  Good  &  Childs,  and  this  he  con- 
tinued to  work  until  1896,  when  he  sold  it  at 
a  profit.  While  living  at  this  point  he  intro- 
duced the  growing  of  potatoes  in  the  section, 
a  movement  that  has  added  greatly  to  the  value 
of  the  land  there.  On  selling  his  interests  at 
Emma  he  moved  his  cattle  to  Rio  Blanco 
county,  where  he  has  since  kept  them  and  car- 
ried on  the  stock  industry  on  a  large  scale, 
although  maintaining  his  home  at  Rifle.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  In 'politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  served  as  alderman  at  Lead- 
ville  and  as  state  senator  of  his  county,  occupy- 


ing the  latter  position  in  the  years  1880,  1881 
and  1882.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  legislature  for  the  counties  of 
Pitkin,  Montrose,  Delta,  Mesa  and  Gunnison. 
On  May  20,  1858,  he  \vas  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  A.  Herrington,  a  native  of  Iowa  who 
was  reared  in  Texas  and  Missouri.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Sylvinus  and  Jane  (Anderson) 
Herrington,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  moved  to 
Iowa,  then  to  Illinois  and  finally  to  Texas,  and 
were  successful  farmers.  The  father  was  a 
Whig  in  political  affiliation  and  both  were  Pres- 
byterians. But  three  of  their  nine  children  are 
living,  Clara,  Riley  and  Mrs.  Chatfield.  The 
mother  died  in  1846  and  the  father  is  also  dead. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chatfield  have  had  nine  children. 
Willard.  Wirt,  Grace  and  Myrtle  have  died. 
The  five  living  are:  Mrs.  Josiah  A.  Small,  at 
"Pueblo;  Elmer  E.,  in  Bighorn  Basin,  Wyo- 
ming; Jacquelina  A.,  at  Canon  City;  and 
Charles  A.  and  Calla,  at  Rifle.  Mr.  Chatfield 
has  in  his  possession  a  cherished  memento 
a  roll  of  honor  presented  to  him  by  Colonel 
Sheridan,  on  which  his  name  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous place. 

FRANK  D.    SQUIRE. 

Born  and  partially  reared  on  an  Illinois 
farm,  educated  in  the  public  schools,  migrat- 
ing to  this  state  a  number  of  years  ago  and 
here  engaging  in  a  number  of  different  pur- 
suits, ranching,  freighting,  raising  stock,  Sincl 
doing  other  useful  and  profitable  things,  Frank 
D.  Squire,  an  esteemed  citizen  of  Garfield 
county,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rifle, 
has  had  much  variety  in  his  career  and  has 
seen  human  life  under  many  different  circum- 
stances. His  life  began  at  Rockford,  Win- 
nebago  county.  Illinois,  on  November  25.  1858, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  Reuben  and  Mary  E. 
(Simpson)  Squire,  natives  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  the  father  born  in  Livinsrston  * 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


county  and  the  mother  at  Norfolk,  in  St. 
Lawrence  county.  Soon  after  their  marriage 
they  located  in  Illinois,  then  in  1863  moved  to 
Iowa  and  in  1865  to  Colorado,  locating  in  El 
Paso  county.  Previous  to  coming  to  this  state 
they  were  farmers,  but  here  the  father  turned 
his  attention  to  lumbering  and  met  with  fair 
success.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  in  his  sec- 
tion and  heartily  supported  the  Republican 
party  in  political  matters.  He  and  his  wife 
belonged  to  the  Congregational  church.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  The  other  seven  sur- 
vive the  father,  who  died  on  January  31,  1875. 
They  are :  Eva,  wife  of  Jonathan  Goodrich,  of 
Rifle;  Frank  D.,  of  Garfield  county;  Elmer  E., 
of  Telluride;  Charles  G.,  of  Grand  Junction; 
Laura,  wife  of  Smith  Harper,  of  River  Bend; 
Reuben  M.,  of  Pueblo;  and  Walter  S.,  of 
Grand  Mesa,  all  residents  of  Colorado.  Frank 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  fifteen, 
working  on  the  farm  and  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, and  attending  the  public  schools  when 
he  could.  When  he  reached  the  age  mentioned 
he  began  hustling  for  himself,  freighting  until 
the  fall  of  1887.  Until  1879  he  was  in  El 
Paso  county  with  headquarters  at  Buena  Vista, 
then  went  to  Jefferson  county  and  later  to 
Aspen,  carrying  on  the  same  business,  and  at 
the  last  named  place  also  staging.  From  1886 
until  1887  he  had  charge  of  the  toll  road.  On 
November  16,  1886,  he  bought  twenty-five 
acres  of  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and  he  has 
since  added  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  by 
purchase.  Of  the  whole  tract  he  can  cultivate 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  he  raises 
good  crops  of  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit, 
but  cattle  form  his  chief  production  and  his 
main  reliance.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in 
politics  gives  an  ardent  and  effective  support 
to  the  Republican  party.  On  April  n,  1886, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Russell,  who 


was  born  in  Illinois  and  is  the  daughter  of  Asel 
and  Ellen  Russell,  natives,  respectively,  of  Ohio 
and  Connecticut.  They  moved  from  Illinois  to 
Colorado  in  1872,  and  here  the  father  became 
a  merchant  instead  of  farming  as  he  had  done 
before.  He  was  the  founder  of  Rocky  Ford 
and  prospered  there  in  mercantile  business,  at- 
taining prominence  in  local  affairs  as  a  zeal- 
ous working  Republican,  and  also  as  a  superior 
business  man  and  good  citizen.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  served  as  county  judge  in  Bent 
county.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  Masonic 
order.  They  had  six  children,  one  of  whom, 
then  Mrs.  M.  Williford,  died.  The  other  five 
survive  their  father,  who  died  on  July  6,  1903. 
They  are :  Josie,  wife  of  Joseph  Brant,  of  Den- 
ver; Augusta  R.,  wife  of  Glen  Reynolds,  of 
Texas;  Anna,  wife  of  Mr.  Squire;  Warren, 
living  in  California;  and  Platt,  a  resident  of 
Denver.  Their  mother  died  on  April  TO,  1892. 

IRVING  M.  KELLOGG. 

Born  to  a  destiny  of  privation  and  toil,  and 
ever  without  the  aid  of  adventitious  circum- 
stances and  fortune's  favors,  Irving  M.  Kellogg 
has  triumphed  over  all  difficulties  by  his  own 
industry,  thrift  and  native  force  of  character. 
He  was  born  on  February  17,  1855,  m  Lorain 
county,  Ohio,  and  is  the  son  of  Clement  A. 
and  Susan  (Reynolds)  Kellogg,  who  were 
both  born  and  reared  in  Ohio.  The  father  was 
an  inventor  and  made  good  profits  out  of  his 
genius  from  time  to  time.  He  was  an  earnest 
and  loyal  Democrat  in  political  affiliation,  and 
stood  high  in  the  community  of  his  home. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  but  three 
of  whom  are  living.  They  are  Estella,  wife 
of  Mr.  Leslie,  of  Elgin,  Ohio;  Irving  M.,  at 
Rifle ;  and  Boyd,  of  East  Carmel,  Ohio.  The 
father  is  deceased  and  the  mother  now  lives  in 
Ohio.  Irving  is,  so  far  as  scholastic  education 
is  concerned,  a  product  of  the  public  schools. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


but  he  also  received  a  good  business  education 
at  Oberlin,  in  his  native  state.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  braved  the  world  and  all  its  trials 
in  an  effort  to  make  his  own  living,  and  from 
then  on  has  provided  for  himself.  He  started 
as  a  cash  boy  in  the  employ  of  R.  A.  D.  Forrest, 
of  Cleveland,  with  whom  he  remained  six 
years,  rising  by  merit  in  this  period  to  the  post 
of  chief  clerk  in  the  establishment.  In  1875 
and  1876  he  was  engaged  in  the  retail  meat 
and  grocery  trade  on  his  own  account.  He 
then  became  a  traveling  salesman  of  patent 
rights  and  followed  this  line  for  a  time.  From 
1877  to '1880  he  lived  at  Columbus  Grove, 
Ohio,  then  in  the  latter  year  moved  to  what  is 
now  South  Dakota,  where  he  farmed  with  in- 
different success  until  1886.  In  that  year  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Leadville 
where  he  worked  in  the  freight  department  of 
the  railroad  company  until  1896,  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  road  house  between  Rifle  and 
Meeker,  and  in  connection  with  that  conducted 
a  ranch,  continuing  until  1902,  at  which  time 
he  sold  the  ranch  and  his  cattle  at  a  good  price 
and  went  back  to  Ohio  on  a  visit.  Being  well 
pleased  with  Colorado,  he  returned  and  bought 
a  ranch  comprising  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  Piceance  creek,  which  he  held  until 
1903,  then  sold  it  and  moved  to  the  one  he 
now  owns  and  works.  This  comprises  sixty- 
three  acres,  of  which  he  can  cultivate  forty- 
five  in  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit  of  all 
kinds,  the  hay,  grain  and  a  dairy  business  being 
his  principal  dependence.  Although  actively 
interested  in  public  affairs  and  the  growth  and 
improvement  of  his  neighborhood,  Mr.  Kel- 
logg is  independent  in  politics.  On  September 
12,  1876,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lillian  Arnold,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  who 
was  reared  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Peleg  R.  and  Betsey  (Carpenter) 
Arnold,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  Rhode 
Island  and  who  moved  to  Ohio  in  1856,  re- 


maining in  that  state  until  1879,  when  they 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Leadville.  In 
1894  they  changed  their  residence  to  Kokomo, 
where  the  father  still  resides,  the  mother  hav- 
ing died  on  December  16,  1899.  The  parents 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  the 
father  has  long  been  a  wholesale  and  retail 
meat  merchant.  All  of  their  six  children  are 
living:  Frederick,  at  Leadville;  Luella  (Mrs. 
Henry  Damon),  at  Winnebago.  Minnesota; 
Mrs.  Kellogg,  in  Garfield  county;  Mary  (Mrs. 
Frank  Wood),  at  Morgantown,  West  Vir- 
ginia; Franklin,  at  Salt  Lake  City;  and  Wil- 
liam, at  Englewood,  Illinois. 

WILLIAM  HUMPHREY  HICKMAN. 

The  prosperous  and  enterprising  ranchman 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch  is  a  brother  of 
John  Hickman,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
on  another  page  of  this  work,  and  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Mount)  Hickman. 
He  was  born  near  Strawberry  Plains,  in  east- 
ern Tennessee,  on  March  31,  1853,  and  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  attending  the  district  schools 
when  he  could,  and  there  receiving  a  limited 
education.  He  remained  with  his  parents  and 
worked  on  the  farm  in  their  interest  until  he 
was  twenty-four.  Living  then  in  Missouri,  he 
at  that  time  began  farming  in  that  state  for 
himself,  and  he  continued  his  independent 
operations  there  ten  years.  In  1879  he  moved 
to  Ohio,  where  he  attended  the  Preparatory 
Order  schools  at  Findlay  for  three  years,  then 
entered  the  ministry,  in  which  he  remained 
eleven  years,  working  in  Iowa  and  Illinois. 
Owing  to  the  failure  of  his  wife's  health  he 
was  obliged  to  give  up  the  ministry  and  come 
to  Colorado.  After  a  residence  of  one  year  in 
this  state  they  returned  to  Illinois,  but  came 
back  to  Colorado  in  1901  and  then  he  bought 
the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rifle.  Garfield  county.  It  comprises  forty 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


acres,  thirty-five  of  which  are  under  cultivation 
in  the  ordinary  crops  of  the  neighborhood,  but 
he  makes  a  specialty  of  potatoes,  and  has  the 
reputation  of  raising  the  best  quality  and 
largest  yield  per  acre  of  this  popular  vegetable 
in  the  county.  One  unusual  yield  in  recent 
years  was  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  sacks, 
averaging  in  weight  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
pounds  each,  from  seven-eighths  of  an  acre  of 
measured  ground.  He  also  has  one  thousand 
three  hundred  fruit  trees,  apples  and  peaches, 
all  in  good  bearing  order,  the  products  of 
which  bring  in  a  handsome  revenue.  Mr. 
Hickman  is  a  third-degree  Freemason,  an  Odd 
Fellow,  one  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  a 
Knight  of  the  Maccabees.  In  political  faith 
he  is  a  zealous  Republican.  He  was  married 
on  March  20,  1879,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Myers, 
who  was  born  on  February  3,  1861,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Foster) 
Myers,  natives  of  Tennessee  who  moved  to 
Missouri  when  young  and  there  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  farming  and  raising 
stock.  Her  father  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  they  had  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living:  Louisa,  wife  of  D.  Blevins, 
of  Caldwell  county,  Missouri ;  Mary,  wife  of 
Marion  F.  Nickel,  of  Oklahoma;  Martha  A., 
wife  of  Mr.  Hickman;  and  Rosa,  wife  of  Sam- 
uel Stephenson,  of  Ray  county,  Missouri.  The 
father  died  in  1875  and  the  mother  in  1886. 
One  child  has  been  born  to  the  Hickman  house- 
hold, a  son  named  Charles  W. 

THOMAS  KILDUFF. 

A  bachelor,  yet  earnestly  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  his  county  and  state,  and  always 
willing  to  contribute  his  share  of  effort  and 
material  aid  to  their  advancement,  Thomas 
Kilduff.  of  near  Meeker,  Rio  Blanco  county, 
Colorado,  has  been  a  potential  force  in  the 
progress  and  development  of  the  common- 


wealth and  enjoys  in  a  marked  degree  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  its  people  among  whom 
he  is  known.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
state  nearly  thirty  years,  and  during  the  whole 
of  that  time  has  been  employed  in  adding  to  its 
commercial  and  industrial  wealth  and  promot- 
ing the  comfort  and  welfare  of  its  citizens.  He 
was  born  in  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
December  i,  1855,  and  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  hav- 
ing the  usual  experience  of  country  boys  in  his 
locality,  slender  school  opportunities  at  the 
district  schools  and  plenty  of  hard  work  on  the 
farm.  In  1875,  at  the  a§"e  °f  twenty,  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Alma,  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother  in  conducting  a 
hotel  at  that  place.  This  lasted  until  July,  1877, 
and  was  a  profitable  enterprise.  At  the  time 
mentioned  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and 
he  moved  to  Fairplay  and  again  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business,  but  sold  out  at  a  profit  at 
the  end  of  a  year.  He  then  moved  to  Kokomo, 
where  he  devoted  a  year  and  a  half  to  retail 
merchandising  with  good  success.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1880  he  transferred  his  business  to 
Leadville,  and  there  he  conducted  it  for  another 
period  of  a  year  and  a  half  on  a  profitable  basis. 
In  1882  he  changed  his  base  of  operations  to 
Aspen,  but  carried  on  the  same  business,  con- 
tinuing it  at  that  point  until  1885.  Tiring  then 
of  mercantile  life,  he  took  up  a  pre-emption, 
claim  in  the  vicinity  of  Meeker,  and  he  still 
owns  and  operates  the  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  which  it  included.  He  has 
since,  however,  become  a  partner  of  the  Baer 
Brothers,  and  works  with  them  as  manager  of 
the  properties  belonging  to  the  firm,  which 
comprise  three  thousand  five  hundred  acres,  of 
which  two  thousand  can -be  cultivated.  Cattle 
are  raised  by  this  firm  on  a  scale  of  great  mag- 
nitude and  enormous  crops  of  hay  and  grain 
are  produced.  In  1903  the  yield  of  hay  was 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  tons  from  five  him- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


dred  acres  of  land.  The  properties  have  good 
water  supplies,  the  soil  is  fertile  and  productive 
and  the  tillage  is  first  class  in  every  particular. 
Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Kilduff  the  re- 
sults have  increased  in  magnitude  and  im- 
proved in  quality,  and  the  enterprise  of  the 
firm  is  now  one  of  the  most  imposing  and 
profitable  on  the  Western  slope  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Kilduff  is  an  earnest  working  Odd  Fel- 
low, and  in  politics  a  faithful  supporter  of  the 
principles  and  candidates  of  the  Democratic 
party,  not  now  and  then,  but  every  day  in  the 
year  and  by  every  proper  means.  He  is  con- 
sidered a  typical  and  representative  stock  man 
of  Rio  Blanco  county,  and  has  the  universal 
respect  and  good  will  of  all  classes  of  its  citi- 
zens. His  parents  were  Patrick  and  Ella 
(Laughlin)  Kilduff,  natives  of  Ireland  who 
emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  the  father  dying  in  1867,  on  February 
1 6th,  and  the  mother  in  1892,  on  February 
1 2th.  Five  of  their  seven  children  survive 
them :  Susan,  wife  of  Eugene  Crawley,  of 
Bradford,  Pennsylvania;  Mary,  wife  of  Fred 
Schultz,  of  Buffalo;  Edward,  living  at  Alma, 
this  state ;  Thomas,  and  Ella,  wife  of  William 
Sill,  of  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania. 

GEORGE  A.   CLARK. 

George  A.  Clark,  the  leading  hotel  keeper 
of  Rifle,  where  he  owns  and  conducts  a  house 
that  pleases  the  commercial  tourists  and  the 
general  public  in  its  appointments  and  the 
manner  in  which  its  accommodations  are 
served,  is  a  native  of  Hartford  county,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  was  born  on  October  1 1 , 
1844.  His  education  was  secured  by  a  limited 
attendance  at  the  public  schools  and  a  term 
or  two  at  Lewis  Academy.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  went  to  work  in  a  shoe  store,  and  from 
that  time  until  1865  he  was  so  occupied  in  his 


native  state  and  Wisconsin,  during  a  portion 
of  the  time  being  also  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile 
house.  In  1865  he  moved  to  Marquette,  on 
the  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  where  he  was 
variously  employed  until  1871,  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  Connecticut  home,  and  after  re- 
maining there  for  a  number  of  months  came 
to  Colorado  in  1872.  He  made  a  short  stay  at 
Denver,  then  moved  to  Fairplay  where  he  and 
A.  B.  Crook  started  a  mercantile  business 
which  they  conducted  until  1876,  meeting  with 
good  success.  In  the  year  last  named  Mr. 
Clark  opened  the  first  hotel  with  hot  springs 
bathhouse  attached  that  was  ever  conducted  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  In  the  spring  of  1878 
he  changed  his  residence  to  Leadville  and  soon 
afterward  to  Malta.  Here  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising and  the  livery  business,  and  in  con- 
nection therewith  conducted  the  postoffice  and 
for  nine  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  1887  ne  s°ld  out  his  interests  at  Malta  and 
moved  to  the  Rifle  valley,  where  he  purchased 
the  improvements  on  the  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  which  he  still  owns.  When  he 
settled  here  the  country  was  also  wholly  un- 
developed, there  being  few  roads  and  no 
bridges,  the  settlers  being  obliged  to  ford  the 
river  when  they  wished  to  cross.  Of  his  ranch 
one  hundred  acres  are  tillable  and  produce 
abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and 
fruit,  hay  and  cattle,  however,  being  the  chief 
resources  of  revenue  thereon.  Since  1895  Mr. 
Clark  has  been  a  hotel  keeper  and  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  one  in  the  town  of 
Rifle,  showing  in  his  business  a  skill  in  man- 
agement and  a  suavity  of  manner  that  make 
him  and  his  house  universally  popular.  In 
political  faith  he  is  an  unwavering  Republican, 
and  in  fraternal  life  belongs  to  the  Elks  and 
the  Eagles.  He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Hen- 
rietta N.  (Cowles)  Clark,  the  former  of  Scotch 
and  the  latter  of  English  descent.  The  father 
was  a  blacksmith  and  machinist  and  also  a 


74 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


farmer.  He  supported  the  Republican  party 
with  ardor  and  pushed  his  business  with  vigor 
and  successful  enterprise.  He  died  in  1880, 
having  for  a  year  outlived  his  wife,  who  passed 
away  in  1879.  They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Josephine,  at 
Denver,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Clark,  at  Fairplay,  George 
A.,  at  Rifle,  all  in  Colorado,  and  Edward  A.,  at 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Of  the  other  six  four 
died  in  infancy  and  Frederick  A.  and  John  in 
later  life.  George  was  married  on  April  29, 
1874,  to  Miss  Minnie  Norman,  a  native  of 
Chillicothe,  Missouri.  Mr.  Clark  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  man  of  liberality,  public-spirit 
and  enterprise  who  has  been  a  potent  factor  in 
promoting  the  growth  and  development  of  his 
county  and  community,  and  as  a  genial  and 
companionable  citizen. 

JENS  J.  CLAUSEN. 

Jens  J.  Clausen,  a  progressive  and  suc- 
cessful stock  and  ranch  man  of  Garfield  county, 
who  is  now  living  in  the  city  of  Rifle,  and  who 
through  hard  knocks  and  diligent  toil  well  ap- 
plied has  risen  to  consequence  and  won  a  sub- 
stantial estate,  is  a  native  of  Slesvig,  Denmark, 
now  a  part  of  Germany.  He  was  born  oq 
August  20,  1843,  where  his  parents,  Jens  and 
Marelane  (Raven)  Clausen,  were  also  born 
and  reared,  and  where  after  long  and  useful 
lives,  they  were  laid  to  rest  in  their  natal  soil, 
the  mother  dying  in  1848  and  the  father  in 
1887.  The  father  followed  various  occupa- 
tions and  both  were  devoted  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  Two  children  were  born  to 
them,  a  daughter  Christina,  who  died  in  early 
life,  and  their  son  Jens,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, who  is  now  the  only  survivor  of  the 
family.  He  received  a  common-school  educa- 
tion and  at  the  age  of  twelve  became  the  builder 
of  his  own  fortunes,  beginning  to  earn  his  liv- 
ing by  working  on  farms  in  the  vicinity  of 


his  home,  and  doing  whatever  else  his  hand 
found  to  do,  and  doing  all  faithfully  and  with 
close  attention  to  every  demand  of  duty.  In 
1882  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  arriv- 
ing in  Colorado  on  March  27th,  and  stopping 
for  a  period  of  six  weeks  at  Fairplay.  From 
there  he  moved  to  Ashcroft,  where  he  passed 
a  month,  and  then  located  on  the  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  now  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  Joseph  Luxem,  which  he  pre-empted, 
some  time  later  taking  up  forty  acres  ad- 
ditional. The  country  was  very  wild  and 
its  population  was  scant,  Mr.  Clausen's  nearest 
neighbor  being  George  Yule,  who  lived  at  a 
distance  of  twenty-five  miles  from  him.  To 
this  point  Mr.  Clausen  brought  the  first  wagon 
over  the  Indian  trail  from  Fourmile,  being  ac- 
companied on  the  trip  by  Mr.  Starkey  and  the 
late  Charles  Kelma,  and,  aided  by  them  and  his 
wife,  he  built  the  first  road  in  this  neighbor- 
hood. There  was  nothing  growing  on  the 
land  for  many  miles  around  but  wild  brush,  and 
the  roadmakers  were  seriously  handicapped  for 
tools,  having  but  one  pick  and  two  shovels. 
They  were  occupied  two  months  in  building 
the  road,  and  then  it  was  necessarily  incom- 
plete and  somewhat  rude,  but  it  was  a  great  im- 
provement in  the  section  for  that  time  and 
proved  very  serviceable  to  themselves  and  later 
settlers.  Mr.  Clausen  then  devoted  his  energies 
to  the  improvement  of  his  ranch,  during  the 
first  two  years  of  his  residence  on  it  selling 
its  products  at  Aspen,  seventy-five  miles  away. 
Later  he  turned  his  attention  to  raising  cattle, 
in  which  he  has  been  successful  from  the  start. 
He  had  no  money  when  he  came  to  this  part  of 
the  state,  and  he  was  confronted  with  dif- 
ficulties in  every  enterprise  he  started.  But  by 
hard  work,  frugal  living  and  continued  shrewd- 
ness in  business  he  has  made  gratifying  prog- 
ress and  has  become  one  of  the  substantial  and 
influential  men  of  the  region.  He  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  politics  and  gives  his  party  loyal 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


75 


and  effective  service  on  all  occasions.  On  May 
24,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta 
Fredericka  Erhard,  a  native  of  Lygomskloster 
and  daughter  of  August  F.  and  Christina 
(Apel)  Erhard,  the  former  born  at  Bruns- 
wick and  the  latter  at  Lygomskloster,  Germany. 
The  father  was  a  tanner  and  prospered  at  the 
business.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  but  four  of  whom  are  living,  Anna 
M.,  wife  of  August  Steinberg,  of  Chicago: 
Mrs.  Clausen;  Augusta,  living  at  home;  and 
George  H.,  of  Washington,  Utah.  The  father 
died  on  September  28,  1840,  and  the  mother  on 
June  n,  1893.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clausen  belong 
to  the  Lutheran  church.  Mrs.  Clausen  was  one 
of  the  first  white  women  to  settle  in  Garfield 
county. 

CHARLES  P.  LARSON. 

Born  at  Philifstad,  in  the  province  of 
Wermland,  Sweden,  and  reared  and  educated 
in  that  country,  where  he  remained  until  he 
was  twenty-one,  learning  his  trade  as  a  mason 
there  and  engaging  in  a  number  of  useful  occu- 
pations, in  which  he  acquired  a  general  knowl- 
edge of  business  and  habits  of  fruitful  industry, 
Charles  P.  Larson,  of  Garfield  county,  came  to 
this  country  in  his  early  manhood  well  prepared 
for  the  duties  of  the  strenuous  life  in  which 
he  was  to  take  part,  and  since  his  arrival  he  has 
been  active  and  serviceable  in  developing  and 
building  up  the  sections  in  which  he  has  lived 
and  labored.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  by  herding  stock,  at 
which  he  continued  until  1865.  He  then  began 
to  learn  his  trade  and  worked  at  that  and  other 
pursuits  until  1869,  when  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  on  June  ist.  His  first 
location  was  at  Ishpeming,  Marquette  county, 
Michigan,  where  he  devoted  his  time  to  con- 
tracting and  building  and  also  to  butchering 
at  intervals.  He  also  engaged  in  mining  and 


prospecting  in  that  state  and  Wisconsin,  spend- 
ing some  money  and  time  at  the  business  with- 
out satisfactory  results.  On  October  15,  1877, 
he  arrived  in  Colorado  and  remained  at  Denver 
until  the  following  December,  then  was  led  by 
the  gold  excitement  to  Leadville.  Some  little 
time  afterward  he  moved  to  Kokomo,  and 
here  he  again  engaged  in  mining  without  suc- 
cess. He  then  once  more  turned  his  attention 
to  contracting,  working  on  the  Blue  river  ex- 
tension of  the  Rio  Grande  Railroad.  In  this 
enterprise  he  made  good  profits.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1 88 1  he  again  moved  to  Leadville,  and 
worked  at  hauling  timber  until  the  spring  of 
1882.  Then  on  account  of  failing  health  he 
was  obliged  to  seek  a  different  location  and 
took  up  his  residence  on  Divide  creek,  in  Gar- 
field  county,  where  he  pre-empted  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  until  he  now  owns  and  farms  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  that  neighborhood.  He 
has  been  diligent  and  enterprising  in  improv- 
ing his  land  and  carrying  on  a  vigorous  and 
thriving  stock  industry  and  a  general  ranching 
business,  raising  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and 
potatoes.  His  land  is  favorably  located,  the 
water  right  is  sufficient  for  its  proper  irriga- 
tion and  the  tillage  he  gives  it  is  first  class.  He 
also  owns  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
acres  at  Rifle  where  he  maintains  his  home  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  good  school  facilities 
for  his  children.  A  considerable  portion  of 
this  ranch  has  been  laid  off  in  town  lots,  which 
sell  from  time  to  time  at  good  prices.  The  rest 
yields  a  good  revenue  from  its  farm  products. 
Mr.  Larson  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
this  part  of  the  state  and  one  of  the  original 
promoters  of  its  improvements  and  public  con- 
veniences. He,  Mr.  Starkey  and  Jens  J.  Clau- 
sen, assisted  by  Mrs.  Clausen,  built  the  first 
road  to  Fourmile,  and  he  took  a  prominent 
and  active  part  in  other  enterprises  of  public 
utility.  He  is  the  son  of  Lars  and  Anna  M. 


76 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


(Bergquist)  Larson,  natives  of  Sweden  and 
earnest  Lutherans.  The  father  was  prosperous 
as  an  iron  manufacturer  in  his  native  land. 
They  had  three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  The  other  two  and  the  mother  sur- 
vive the  father,  who  died  on  November  14, 
1851.  One  son,  Olof,  resides  at  Templeton, 
California,  and  the  mother  makes  her  home 
with  the  other,  Charles  P.  He  was  married 
on  December  22,  1881,  to  Miss  Carrie  Ander- 
son, a  native  of  Sweden,  and  eight  children 
have  blessed  and  brightened  their  household, 
Charles  H.,  John  R.,  Emma,  Swan,  Edith, 
Alfred,  Oscar  and  Otto.  Mr.  Larson's  success 
in  this  state  has  been  of  such  a  character  and 
so  pronounced  as  to  make  him  well  pleased  with 
the  state  as  a  residence  and  field  for  enterprise, 
and  also  to  have  been  of  great  service  to  the 
welfare  of  the  commonwealth  and  its  people. 

JOHN  C.  COOK. 

John  C.  Cook,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  Rifle  section  of  Garfield  county,  this  state, 
is  a  native  of  Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  born 
on  October  29,  1838,  and  the  son  of  Elisha 
and  Charlotte  (Briddle)  Cook,  the  father  born 
in  the  state  of  New  York  and  the  mother  in 
Maryland.  They  settled  in  Indiana  in  very 
early  days  and  remained  in  that  state  until  1852, 
when  they  moved  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Wapello 
county.  There  the  father  became  a  successful 
and  prosperous  farmer.  He  was  an  ardent 
Republican  in  political  .allegiance,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  active  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Their  offspring  numbered  eight,  four 
of  whom  have  died.  The  four  living  are  An- 
drew N.,  a  resident  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa; 
John  C.,  the  subject  of  this  article;  and  Nancy 
J.  and  Sarah  E.,  twins,  who  are  still  living  in 
Wapello  county,  Iowa.  The  father  died  in 
1880  and  the  mother  in  1886.  John  C.,  the 
second  in  age  of  the  living  children,  received  a 


common-school  education  and  remained  at 
home  working  for  his  parents  until  he  attained 
the  age  of  twenty-seven.  He  then  began  farm- 
ing in  Iowa  for  himself  and  remained  there  en- 
gaged in  that  pursuit  until  1874.  Before  this, 
however,  early  in  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  D, 
Fifteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  was  in  active  field 
service  until  he  was  seriously  injured  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh.  This  disabled  him  for  further 
service  and  he  soon  afterward  received  an 
honorable  discharge.  After  spending  a  short 
time  at  his  Iowa  home  when  he  returned  from 
the  war,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  on  the 
Divide,  north  of  Colorado  Springs.  Here  he 
ranched  and  raised  stock  until  1885,  when  he 
moved  to  his  present  location,  three  miles 
north  of  Rifle.  He  has  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  one  hundred  acres  of  which 
are  easily  cultivated  and  yield  abundant  and 
profitable  crops  of  hay,  fruit  and  vegetables. 
He  has  a  good  water  right  to  his  property  with 
a  sufficient  supply  of  water  for  irrigation  and 
the  wants  of  his  large  herds  of  cattle,  arid  his 
business  in  both  general  ranching  and  the  stock 
industry  is  extensive.  He  is  a  zealous  Repub- 
lican in  political  affiliation  and  takes  a  leading 
part  in  public  local  affairs.  From  1888  to  1892 
he  served  as  county  commissioner  and  in  ad- 
dition has  held  other  local  offices  of  importance, 
rendering  good  and  faithful  service  to  the 
county  in  each  and  winning  the  approval  of  the 
citizens  generally  without  regard  to  party.  On 
December  28,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Josephine  Calvin,  who  was  born  in 
Edgar  county,  Illinois,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
John  C.  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Lewis)  Calvin.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  her  mother 
of  Illinois.  The  father  was  a  merchant  in  early 
life,  and  on  retiring  from  this  business  became 
a  farmer.  He  also  was  a  stanch  Republican 
in  politics.  He  died  in  1873,  having  survived 
his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1869,  four  years. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


They  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, Wesley,  Charles,  William  P.,  Amos, 
Josephine  (Mrs. 'Cook),  and  Margaret,  wife  of 
Isaac  N.  Craven.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  had 
seven  children.  Grant  died  on  July  12,  1880, 
and  Elisha  R.  on  November  8,  1903.  The  five 
living  are  Elmer,  Frank,  Harry,  Josephine  G. 
(Mrs.  Ora  Card,  of  Salt  Lake  City)  and  Roy. 
When  Mr.  Cook  located  on  his  present  ranch 
the  country  was  wild  and  undeveloped.  Deer, 
he  says,  were  as  thick  as  snow-birds  and  In- 
dians were  numerous,  but  they  gave  the  new 
settlers  no  trouble.  The  region  was  a  good 
field  for  his  enterprise  and  this  was  wisely  and 
diligently  employed. 

JAMES  T.   HUNTER. 

James  T.  Hunter,  who  is  now  conducting 
an  active  and  profitable  livery  business  at  Rifle, 
Garfield  county,  has  had  a  varied  and  interest- 
ing career  in  the  West  and  has  profited  by  his 
experiences,  learning  much  of  the  best  business 
methods  for  this  portion  of  the  land  and  of  the 
men  who  live  and  labor  in  it.  He  was  born 
on  February  25,  1834,  in  Washington  county, 
Missouri,  where  his  father,  John  A.  Hunter,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  was  an  early  settler,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Martha  A. 
Talbott,  was  a  native.  The  father  in  his  early 
manhood  was  a  merchant.  Then  for  a  number 
of  years  he  was  a  miller  on  the  Missouri  river, 
and  the  latter  portion  of  his  life  was  devoted  to 
farming.  Politically  he  supported  the  Republi- 
can party  and  fraternally  was  connected  with 
the  Masonic  order.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
strict  Baptists  in  church  relations.  They  had 
a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  but  three 
are  living,  James  T.,  Jennie  E.,  wife  of  John 
Amouett,  of  Washington  county,  Missouri, 
and  William  T.,  a  resident  of  the  same  county. 
Mr.  Hunter's  educational  advantages  were 
limited.  In  1849,  when  he  was  but  sixteen,  he 


accompanied  his  father  on  a  trip  to  California 
in  which  they  spent  five  months  in  driving  a 
five-yoke  bull  team  across  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  to  Hangtown, 
in  the  former  state.  There  they  were  pros- 
perously employed  in  placer  mining  until  the 
first  great  flood  experienced  by  the  whites  in 
that  country  swept  everything  away  in  1852. 
The  father  then  returned  to  Missouri  and  the 
son  turned  his  attention  to  freighting  between 
Stockton  and  the  mines,  continuing  in  this  oc- 
cupation with  varying  success  until  1864.  Then 
with  two  eight-mule  teams  he  went  to  Idaho. 
After  his  arrival  there  he  made  a  freighting 
expedition  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  when  he 
reached  that  place  he  determined  to  remain  for 
awhile,  and  so  started  a  livery  business  which 
he  carried  on  until  January  i,  1865,  at  which 
time  he  sold  out  to  four  Eastern  speculators 
for  a  consideration  of  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred dollars  and  moved  to  Boise.  The  snow 
blocked  the  roads  badly,  but  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  his  destination  in  fourteen  days.  Then 
finding  the  snow  so  bad  all  around  him,  he 
gave  up  the  idea  of  returning  and  passed  the 
winter  in  freighting  between  Boise  and  Idaho 
City.  Returning  to  Salt  Lake  in  the  spring,  he 
again  engaged  in  the  livery  business  and  con- 
tinued in  it  until  his  establishment  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  Hearing  at  this  time  of  the 
White  Pine  gold  excitement  in  the  vicinity  of 
Austin,  he  opened  an  eating  house  station 
thirty  miles  east  of  that  town.  This  he  con- 
ducted until  the  Union  Pacific  was  built 
through  the  section,  when  he  sold  out  and 
moved  eighty  miles  farther  east  and  started 
again  in  the  same  business,  and  in  addition 
managed  a  toll  road  over  Diamond  mountain. 
About  this  time  the  Eureka  mining  camp 
opened  up  and  Mr.  Hunter  became  very  busy 
supplying  the  miners  with  food.  After  the 
town  was  located  he  took  up  a  ranch  two  miles 
and  a  half  from  the  place  and  also  invested  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


town  lots  which  he  afterward  sold  at  a  good 
profit.  He  started  a  livery  business  there  and 
kept  it  going  until  1872,  when  he  returned  to 
his  Missouri  home  and  gave  his  attention  to 
farming  in  that  state  until  the  Lake  City 
mining  excitement  broke  out  in  this  state. 
Then,  with  a  carload  of  mules,  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Denver.  He  made  a 
number  of  trips  to  Lake  City  and  met  with 
much-  success.  Moving  to  Cheyenne,  Wyo- 
ming, he  freighted  for  a  time  between  that 
town  and  Fort  Fetterman,  on  the  North  Platte, 
after  which  he  did  hauling  for  the  Red  Cloud 
and  Spotted  Tail  agencies.  Next  he  took  a 
contract  for  grading  in  the  interest  of  the  Colo- 
rado Central  Railroad  in  1876,  and  had  thirty 
teams  at  work.  Later  he  sold  his  outfit  to  the 
railroad  company  and  moved  fifteen  miles  west 
of  Denver,  where  he  managed  a  ranch  for  his 
sister  until  1885.  In  that  year,  with  three  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  twenty  horses,  he 
moved  to  the  Mam  creek  region  in  Gar- 
field  county  and  purchased  of  Emanuel 
and  John  Gant  a  squatter's  claim  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he 
afterward  increased  to  four  hundred  acres.  He 
improved  the  ranch  and  on  it  conducted  a  thriv- 
ing ranching  and  cattle  industry  until  July  13, 
1903,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  to  John 
A.  Stephens,  and  since  then  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  Rifle.  In  politi- 
cal matters  Mr.  Hunter  is  independent  and 
takes  no  special  interest.  On  August  7,  1865, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  A.  Miller,  a 
native  of  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Rose 
Ann  (Sharp)  Miller,  Pennsylvanians  by  birth, 
who  settled  in  Iowa  when  they  were  young  and 
after  some  years  moved  to  Colorado.  In  1864 
they  changed  their  residence  to  Salt  Lake,  and 
in  1866  to  Nevada,  where  they  conducted  a 
hotel  until  they  moved  to  California,  where 
both  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  have  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  Fannie,  John,  Robert, 


James,  Olive  and  an  infant  have  died,  and 
John  F.  and  Robert  H.  are  living,  the  latter  in 
British  Columbia. 

HENRY  BECK. 

Henry  Beck,  of  Aspen,  a  leading  merchant 
and  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of 
Pitkin  county,  is  a  native  of  Filipstadt, 
Sweden,  where  he  was  born  on  February  20, 
1 86 1,  and  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Olson) 
Beck,  also  natives  of  that  country,  where  the 
father  was  a  diligent  and  prosperous  worker 
in  the  iron  ore  mines.  When  his  son  Henry 
was  eight  or  nine  years  the  father  came  to  the 
United  States  and,  after  a  short  residence  in 
Pennsylvania,  settled  on  the  border  of  Lake 
Superior  in  1871  and  there  continued  mining 
iron.  He  was  moderately  successful  in  his 
operations  and  became  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  and  a  loyal  Republican  in  political  af- 
filiation. He  died  in  1878,  and  his  widow  is 
now  living  in  her  native  land.  They  belonged 
to  the  Lutheran  church  and  had  a  family  of 
four  children,  Henry,  Carl  J.,  Mary  and  Selma. 
Henry  had  but  little  opportunity  to  attend 
school,  as  at  the  age  of  ten  he  was  obliged  to 
go  to  work  in  the  iron  mines  and  from  then 
on  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  wrorld.  In 
1879  he  came  to  this  country,  being  at  the 
time  about  eighteen  years  old,  and  located  in 
the  Lake  Superior  mining  region  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  In  1881  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  settled  at  Leadville.  There  for  four 
years  he  wrought  in  the  silver  mines  as  a 
laborer  at  three  dollars  a  day  and  his  board. 
In  1885  he  returned  to  his  native  land  and  pur- 
sued a  course  of  instruction  at  the  high  school. 
Two  years  later  he  again  came  to  America  and 
once  more  located  at  Leadville,  but  instead  of 
mining  he  became  shipping  clerk  for  a  whole- 
sale liquor  house,  and  remained  with  it  until 
1892.  On  January  ist  of  that  year  he  moved 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


79 


to  Aspen  and  assumed  charge  of  the  Baer 
Brothers  wholesale  liquor  business.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  service  of  that  firm  until  January 
i,  1896,  then  bought  the  stock  and  business  and 
has  since  conducted  its  operations  for  himself. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  the  enterprise 
and  has  also  extensive  mining  interests.  He  is 
a  prominent  and  influential  citizen,  taking  a 
deep  and  continuing  interest  in  public  local 
affairs,  and  standing  well  in  the  good  will  and 
regard  of  his  fellow  men.  He  belongs  to  the 
Elks,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Eagles,  holding 
the  rank  of  past  president  in  the  order  last 
named.  During  the  last  two  years  he  has 
served  the  people  of  Pitkin  county  wisely  and 
faithfully  as  a  county  commissioner,  being 
elected  in  the  fall  of  1902  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  On  January  13,  1890,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ida  M.  Echberg,  a  native 
of  Sweden.  Her  parents  were  successful  farm- 
ers and  useful  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
They  died  some  years  ago,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren surviving  them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  have 
four  children,  Edith,  Verner,  Ellen  and  Carl. 
The  parents  are  Lutherans  in  religious  belief 
and  active  members  of  the  church.  Mr.  Beck 
is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
and  most  representative  citizens  of  his  portion 
of  the  state. 

LYMAN  W.  AUSTIN. 

Entering  the  Union  army  near  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  First 
Iowa  Cavalry,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  ac- 
quiring in  that  service,  perhaps,  a  love  of 
variety  in  scene  and  associations  and  adventure 
in  life,  and  thereafter  trying  his  hand  at  various 
occupations  in  a  number  of  different  places,  but 
chiefly  at  farming,  Lyman  W.  Austin  worked 
gradually  from  his  early  home  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley  to  his  present  location  in  the 
mountains  of  Colorado,  where  he  is  now  per- 


manently   and    comfortably    established    on    a 
good  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  two  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Rifle, 
Garfield  county.     He  was  born  on  January  3, 
1848,  in  Pike  county,  Ohio,  and  when  he  was 
four  years  old  moved  with  his  parents,  Walter 
and  Sarah  (Kittles)  Austin,  natives  of  Mary- 
land, to  Iowa.     The  father  was  a  successful 
farmer    and    an    active    Republican    with    an 
earnest  interest  in  local  affairs.     Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  Methodists.     He  died  in   1866 
and  she  is  also  dead.     They  had  a  family  of 
nine  children,   four  of  whom  are  living:  Isa- 
belle,  wife  of  William  Nash,  of  Craig,  Mis- 
souri ;  Martha ;  Josephine,  wife  of  James  Tyler ; 
and  Lyman  W.     The  last  named  received  a 
slender   common-school    education,    and   early 
in  1864,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  enlisted  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  in  the  great  Civil  war  whose 
end  was  then  visibly  approaching.     He  served 
two  years,  being  mustered  out  in  the  spring 
of   1866.     After  the  war  he  returned  to  his5 
Iowa  home  and  engaged  in  farming,  continu- 
ing his   operations   in  that  state   until    1871, 
when    he    moved   to    Holt   county,    Missouri. 
There  he  followed  the  same  pursuit  six  years, 
then  changed  his    residence    to    Ness    county, 
Kansas,  where  he  remained  and  farmed  until 
1890.     At  that  time  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
in  1899  purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives,     which     comprises     one     hundred     and 
seventy-five  acres,  one  hundred  and  twenty  of 
which  can  be  cultivated,   the  place  having  a 
good  water  right  and  plenty  of  water  for  suf- 
ficient irrigation.    Here  he  raises  good  crops  of 
hay,  grain  and  potatoes  and  carries  on  a  thriv- 
ing stock  industry.     He  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  in  fraternal  circles  and  is  a  firm  and 
serviceable  Republican  in  politics.     On  March 
21,   1867,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Sitler,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Anna  M.  (Bowers)  Sitler,  the  father  born 


8o 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  in  Maryland. 
Early  in  their  married  life  they  moved  to  Iowa 
where  the  father  carried  on  blacksmithing  ex- 
tensively and  profitably.  Both  were  Method- 
ists and  in  political  faith  the  father  was  a  Re- 
publican. Their  family  numbered  nine  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  then  Mrs.  A.  Powers,  is 
deceased.  The  other  eight  are  living :  Martha, 
wife  of  James  Adams,  at  Washington,  Iowa; 
Clark,  at  the  same  place;  Mrs.  Austin,  near 
Rifle,  this  state;  Dilla;  Peter,  at  Oskaloosa, 
Iowa;  Patience,  wife  of  Clark  Brown,  at  Well- 
man,  that  state ;  Collet,  also  at  Wellman,  Iowa ; 
and  Charles,  at  Oskaloosa.  Their  mother  died 
on  October  26,  1883,  and  their  father  is  also 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austin  have  had  six 
children.  One  died  in  infancy,  and  Charles, 
James,  Dilla,  Bertha  (Mrs.  Martin  Roy,  of 
Rifle)  and  Susan  are  living.  Mr.  Austin  has 
been  very  active  in  promoting  the  progress  and 
welfare  of  his  community  and  ranks  among  its 
most  useful  and  respected  citizens. 

SAMUEL  BRITTON  CLARK. 

.  With  a  strong  and  active  mind  encased  in 
a  body  with  many  frailties,  Samuel  Britton 
Clark,  of  Aspen,  has  been  from  his  childhood 
seriously  handicapped  in  the  race  for  supremacy 
among  men,  but  his  native  force  of  character 
and  business  capacity  added  to  his  persistent 
energy  have  enabled  him  to  win  a  substantial 
triumph  and  secure  a  goodly  competence  of 
worldly  possessions.  He  was  born  at  Kala- 
mazoo,  Michigan,  on  August  25,  1856,  and  is 
the  son  of  George  Jahiel  and  Antoinette  (Ran- 
som) Clark,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York 
and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  They  accom- 
panied their  parents  to  Michigan  in  early  life 
and  in  that  state  they  were  reared,  educated 
and  married.  In  1858  they  located  at  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas,  where  the  father  served  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  postmaster.  In  1861  he  was 


appointed  captain  and  ordnance  commissary  in 
the  Union  army  and  served  in  this  capacity 
until  he  \vas  mustered  out.  He  next  became 
associated  with  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott 
&  Gulf  Railroad  as  traveling  passenger  agent. 
with  headquarters  at  Bloominglon,  Illinois,  and 
continued  to  be  so  employed  until  his  death,  in 
August,  1899.  .  His  widow  now  resides  at 
Aspen.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  an 
Episcopalian  in  church  affiliation.  Six  children 
were  born  in  the  family,  one  of  whom,  Mrs. 
Bradish  P.  Morse,  is  deceased.  Those  living 
are  Wrilliam  Ransom,  Charles,  Samuel  Britton, 
Maria  (Mrs.  Walter  Kent)  and  Frances  (Mrs. 
Adclison  Rucker).  Owing  to  his  poor  eye- 
sight Samuel's  education  was  limited.  He  was 
reared  at  Fort  Scott  and  at  the  age  of  ten  began 
to  help  his  father  in  the  railroad  ticket  office. 
In  1868  he  entered  the  First  National  Bank  of 
that  city  as  a  messenger  boy,  and  at  the  end  of 
fifteen  years  was  chief  bookkeeper  and  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  institution.  Then  his  health 
began  to  fail  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  a 
milder  climate.  He  went  first  to  Arizona  and 
later  to  California,  passing  two  years  in  re- 
cruiting his  vigor.  In  1881  he  located  at  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  and  there  during  the  next  six 
years  he  was  engaged  in  various  capacities  in 
one  of  the  express  offices.  During  this  period 
he  started  a  commission  business  at  Aspen,  and 
in  the  year  last  named  he  moved  to  that  town 
and  took  active  personal  charge  of  his  busi- 
ness, the  same  that  he  is  now  conducting.  He 
handles  groceries,  produce,  fruit,  hay  and 
grain,  and  is  also  interested  in  real  estate  and 
life  insurance.  He  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful and  is  well  established  in  a  large  and 
expanding  trade  with  increasing  profits.  In 
fraternal  life  he  is  connected  with  the  order  of 
Elks,  and  in  politics  is  Democratic.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1888,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Florence  Maria  Johnson,  a  native  of  England 
who  was  reared  in  Utah.  She  is  the  daughter 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


81 


of  William  M.  Johnson,  of  England,  who  was 
born  in  that  country  on  February  4,  1833,  and 
who  for  a  number  of  years  lived  in  the  United 
States  and  carried  on  successful  mining  oper- 
ations at  Ogden,  Utah.  He  is  now  an  artist 
and  lives  at  South  Kensington,  England.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Kibble 
Showell,  was  born  in  London,  England,  on 
March  18,  1839,  and  died  at  Aspen,  this  state, 
on  March  u,  1895.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children,  two  of  whom  have  died,  Mrs. 
Lavina  M.  A.  Christian,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
six,  and  Charles,  at  that  of  forty-one.  The 
living  children  are  Mrs.  Alice  Marian  Corria, 
of  Butte,  Montana,  Mrs.  Florence  Maria  Clark, 
of  Aspen,  Colorado,  Mrs.  Edith  Hepzibah 
Schlageter,  of  Ogden,  Utah,  and  Mrs.  Ada 
Eliza  Lavender,  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark  are  Episcopalians.  They  have 
three  adopted  children,  Florence,  Ada  and 
Ethel. 

CHARLES  DAILEY. 

Even  more  than  the  stage  is  the  press  a 
mirror,  showing  forth  "the  very  age  and  body 
of  the  time,"  recording  all  doings  and  happen- 
ings among  men,  presenting  each  day  a  picture 
of  the  world  and  its  multiform  activity.  But 
more  than  this, — it  is  a  watchman  on  the  tower, 
taking  note  of  wind  and  sky,  and  if  need  be, 
giving  warning  of  approaching  danger.  It  is 
a  guide  and  a  restraint,  governing  the  trend  of 
public  opinion,  and  holding  it  away  from 
wrong  channels.  It  is  a  creator  and  a  de- 
stroyer, providing  stimulus  and  nourishment 
for  what  is  good,  and  seeking  to  overbear  all 
the  insidious  influences  of  evil — uncovering  to 
the  public  gaze  the  true  gods  in  morals,  and 
taste  and  politics,  and  opposing  the  false  with 
resolute  and  relentless  energy.  Holding  this 
lofty  ideal,  the  Aspen  Daily  Democrat  strives  in 
its  modest  way  to  perform  its  true  function  and 
meet  the  requirements  of  its  high  duty.  It 
6 


labors  to  be  a  pleasure  and  a  help  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  it  is  circulated,  with  many 
shortcomings,  doubtless,  but  with  a  large 
measure  of  success,  as  its  present  prosperity  and 
influence  attest.  Charles  Dailey,  the  popular 
and  accomplished  editor  and  owner  of  this  jour- 
nal, was  prepared  for  his  duties  by  a  long  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  newspaper  office.  He  was 
born  at  Geneseo,  Henry  county,  Illinois^  on 
April  29,  1866,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  and 
Lydia  F.  Dailey,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  The  father 
was  a  shoemaker  and  worked  at  his  trade  many 
years  with  success.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  and  the  Civil  wars,  serving  in  each 
with  the  valor  of  a  true  American  citizen 
whose  ordinary  duty  lies  in  the  fields  of  peace- 
ful production,  and  never  takes  up  arms 
in  military  conflict  unless  the  honor  or  the  wel- 
fare of  his  country  requires  it,  and  then  bears 
himself  in  the  struggle  as  if  all  the  interests  of 
home  and  family  and  country  were  at  stake. 
After  their  marriage  the  parents  settled  in 
Illinois,  and  there  the  father  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  in  December,  1880. 
He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in  political  faith, 
and  constant  and  efficient  in  the  service  of  his 
party.  There  were  six  children  in  the  family, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  William  A..  Mrs. 
George  G.  Farley,  Charles  and  Mrs.  John  H. 
Reinhardt.  On  June  6,  1886,  the  mother  mar- 
ried a  second  husband,  Dr.  Frank  Fulton,  of 
Monte  Vista,  Colorado,  the  leading  physician 
of  the  San  Luis  valley  and  one  of  its  most 
prominent  and  esteemed  citizens.  He  was  a 
Freemason  of  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  on  April  17,  1903,  was 
a  member  of  the  Populist  party  in  political  as- 
sociation. Charles  Dailey  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Denver,  and  at  the  age  of 
twelve  became  a  mail  boy  for  Messrs.  Chain  & 
Hardy,  stationers  of  that  city.  After  four 
months'  service  as  such  he  Avas  made  assistant 


82 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


shipping     clerk,     and     at     the     end     of     his 
first     year     was     appointed     shipping     clerk, 
so     high     was     the     order     of     his     fidelity 
and     capacity     and     his     character.       From 
1 88 1  to  1886  he  was  night  sealer  in  the  yards 
at  Denver  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road.    In  1887  he  moved  to  Monte  Vista  and 
apprenticed  himself  in  the  office  of  the  Graphic 
newspaper  to  learn  the  printing  trade.     When 
his  apprenticeship   was   completed  he   became 
foreman  of  the  office,  and  this  position  he  held 
until  1896.    During  the  next  four  years  he  was 
editor   and   manager   of   the   Daily   Miner   at 
Creede,  Colorado.   On  July  29,  1900,  he  moved 
to  Aspen  and  took  the  post  of  manager  of  the 
Aspen  Daily  Democrat  and  as  such  conducted 
the  paper  until  January  i,  1903.     He  then  pur- 
chased it,  and  he  has  owned  and  edited  it  ever 
since.     When  he  bought  it  the  journal  had  a 
feeble  and  languishing  existence,  an  insufficient 
patronage,  a  load  of  debt,  and  a  rather  low 
place  in  public  estimation.-    He  has  placed  it 
firmly  on  its  feet,  greatly  enlarged  its  circu- 
lation and  support,   considerably  enlarged   its 
popularity,  raised  its  tone,  and  established  it 
firmly  as  one  of  the  admired  and  influential  in- 
stitutions in  the  community.    This  he  has  done 
not  by  feeding  popular  vanity  or  catering  to 
personal  whims  or  yielding  to  public  clamor; 
but  by  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  people 
generally,    and    showing    a    commendable    in- 
dependence of   individual   and  class  opinions, 
interests  and  ambitions.    In  consequence  of  this 
policy,  the  paper  is  as  regularly  expected  now 
in  the  ordinary  life  of  the  territory  in  which  it 
circulates  as  necessary  food  or  raiment.     Mr. 
Dailey  inherited  the  martial  spirit  of  his  father, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Colorado  National 
Guard  from  1887  to  1896.     In  this  organiza- 
tion he  displayed  the  same  energy,   zeal  and 
comprehensiveness    of    view    that    have    dis- 
tinguished him  in  other  lines  of  activity,  and 
by  his  merit  he  rose  from  the  ranks  to  the 


position  of  captain.  In  fraternal  relations,  he 
is  connected  with  the  order  of  Elks,  the  Ma- 
sonic order  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  his 
political  allegiance  is  firmly  and  loyally  given 
to  the  Democratic  party.  On  April  18,  1894, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Emeline  B.  Bennick,  a 
native  of  Boston,  Massachusetts.  They  have 
one  child,  Charles  Dailey,  Jr.  It  should  be 
added  that  while  endeavoring  to  publish  a  first- 
class  newspaper,  and  make  it  a  valuable  party 
organ,  Mr.  Dailey  has  not  omitted  clue  atten- 
tion to  the  needs  of  advertisers,  and  has  one 
of  the  most  completely  equipped  newspaper 
offices  in  his  portion  of  the  state. 

JOHN   FRANCIS   CRAWLEY. 

Beginning  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  as  a  farm  hand  at  ten  dollars  a  month 
and  his  board,  and  since  then  hoeing  his  own 
row  with  assidious  industry  and  making  his 
way  slowly  but  steadily  toward  a  substantial 
competence  and  a  firm  footing  in  the  good  will 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men,  undaunted  by 
danger  and  undeterred  by  difficulties  and  ad- 
versities, John  F.  Crawley,  one  of  the  best  and 
most  successful  business  men  of  Aspen,  ex- 
hibits in  a  forcible  manner  the  value  of  pluck, 
determination  and  courage  in  the  race  for  su- 
premacy among  men,  and  gives  an  impressive 
proof  of  the  wealth  of  opportunity  open  to  dili- 
gence, thrift  and  capacity  in  the  American  re- 
public. He  was  born  on  May  24,  1854,  in 
Waukesha  county,  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Mi- 
chael and  Rose  (O'Brien)  Crawley,  natives  of 
Ireland  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1830, 
and  located  in  what  were  then  the  wilds  of 
Wisconsin.  There  the  father  was  prosperous 
as  a  laborer  and  reared  his  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, one  of  the  eight  born  to  him  having  died 
in  infancy.  He  was  a  loyal  and  active  Demo- 
crat in  politics  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  He  ended  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


labors  and  laid  down  his  trust  on  May  30, 
1891,  and  his  wife  followed  him  to  the  spirit 
world  on  July  7,  1899.  Their  seven  surviving 
children  are  John  Francis,  James  E.,  Mary  J., 
Julia  E.,  Wilsey,  Joseph  and  Louis  H.  The 
first  born,  John  Francis,  had  but  little  oppor- 
tunity for  acquiring  the  education  of  the 
schools,  since,  as  has  been  noted,  he  was 
obliged  to  go  to  work  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  as  a  farm  hand.  His  compensation 
during  the  first  two  years  of  his  service  was  ten 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  The  money 
consideration  w-as  then  raised  to  sixteen  dol- 
lars a  month,  and  at  the  close  of  his  engage- 
ment he  was  getting  twenty rtwo.  But  he  had 
aspirations  above  being  a  laborer  for  wages  and 
about  the  -year  1876  apprenticed  himself  to  a 
butcher  in  Milwaukee  to  learn  the  business. 
He  began  with  a  compensation  of  ten  dollars 
a  month,  and  four  years  later,  at  the  close  of 
his  apprenticeship,  was  receiving  twenty -five. 
In  the  winter  of  1 880-81  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Leadville,  where  he  received 
good  wages  in  the  same  occupation,  and  a  year 
later,  on  January  4,  1882,  he  entered  the  busi- 
ness of  butchering  for  himself  in  partnership 
with  three  others  under  the  firm  name  of  J. 
F.  Crawley  &  Company.  They  bought  sheep 
in  New  Mexico  and  fattened  them  in  the  moun- 
tains near  Leadville,  after  which  they  were 
slaughtered  and  sold  as  mutton.  Soon  after 
forming  the  partnership  Mr.  Crawley  moved 
to  Ogden  and  opened  a  meat  market  there,  his 
partner  driving  sheep  for  the  business  up  from 
New  Mexico.  The  health  of  his  family  was 
poor  at  Ogden  and  he  was  obliged  to  return  to 
Leadville.  Then  being  dissatisfied  with  the 
business  outlook,  after  leaving  his  market  for 
a  time  in  charge  of  Mr.  Morrison,  he  sold  out 
to  him,  the  two  dividing  the  real  estate  of 
which  they  were  joint  owners  harmoniously 
between  them.  In  1892  Mr.  Crawley  moved 
to  Aspen  and  purchased  E.  M.  Dawson's  gro- 


cery. He  then  formed  a '  partnership  with 
Grover  W.  Tobin  and  they  added  a  meat 
market  to  the  business.  The  partnership  con- 
tinued until  the  fall  of  1899,  when  Mr.  Crawley 
bought  his  partner's  interest  and  he  has  since 
conducted  the  business  alone.  By  close  at- 
tention to  its  requirements  and  good  business 
capacity  he  has  made  a  gratifying  success  of 
his  undertaking  and  is  now  considered  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  the  county.  He  is 
also  interested  in  mining,  having  a  number  of 
promising  claims  of  his  own  at  Idaho  Springs. 
He  has  in  addition  his  residence  property  at 
Ogclen.  He  takes  an  earnest  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  warmly  supports  the  principles  and 
candidates  of  the  Democratic  party.  In  fra- 
ternal circles  he  is  connected  with  the  United 
Workmen,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Red  Men,  the  Wolf  Tones  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  He  and  his  wife  are  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  On  February  5, 
1884,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  A.  Mc- 
Koen, like  himself  a  native  of  Waukesha 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Ann  McKoen,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  early  in  life.  Her  father  is  a  farmer  in 
business  and  a  faithful  Democrat  in  politics. 
His  wife  died  in  1899,  leaving  two  children, 
a  son,  John  Henry  McKoen,  and  Mrs.  Craw- 
ley. Since  1901  the  father  has  made  his  home 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawley.  They  have  two 
children,  Francis  Henry,  and  James  Mar-shall. 

THOMAS  O.  CLARK. 

Turning  his  back  resolutely  on  the  adven- 
turous occupation  of  his  father,  which  though 
full  of  incident  and  interest  is  also  full  of 
hazard,  ever  since  steam  has  depoetized  com- 
merce and  reduced  the  fury  of  wind  and  wave 
to  some  measure  of  control,  Thomas  O.  Clark, 
of  Aspen,  and  one  of  the  progressive  and 


84 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


prominent  ranchmen  of  Pitkin  county,  has 
found  in  the  wilds  of  Colorado  one  as  full  of 
perils  and  hardship  at  times,  wherein  often  the 
chances  of  life  and  death  seemed  even,  but  in 
"which  the  danger  and  privation  came  from  men 
and  beasts  and  not  the  watery  waste.  He  is  a 
native  of  St.  George,  Knox  county,  Maine, 
born  on  April  2,  1857,  and  the  son  of  Reuben 
and  Sophronia  (Blake)  Clark,  also  natives  of 
that  state.  The  father  has  served  many  years 
on  sailing  vessels  as  cook,  mate  and  captain 
successively.  He  is  a  skillful  navigator  and 
has  weathered  many  a  storm  at  sea  when  the 
stoutest  hearts  have  quailed,  and  brought  his 
craft  safely  through  the  tempest.  He  is  a  de- 
termined Democrat  in  politics  and  a  man  of 
fine  public-spirit  in  reference  to  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  his  country.  Three  children  were 
born  in  his  family,  two  of  whom,  Dora  and 
Thomas  O.,  are  living.  A  daughter  named 
Abbie  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  The 
son,  Thomas  O.  Clark,  received  a  public  school 
education  in  his  native  town,  and  in  1873,  when 
he  was  sixteen,  came  to  Colorado  in  search  of 
fortune,  or  at  least  an  opportunity  to  make 
one  if  he  could.  He  located  in  Gilpin  county 
and  went  to  work  as  a  teamster  at  two  dollars 
and  a  half  a  day.  After  working  faithfully  in 
this  capacity  for  three  years  and  a  half,  he  pur- 
chased an  outfit  of  his  own  and  during  the  next, 
thirteen  years  was  engaged  in  freighting  and 
teaming  on  his  own  account.  In  the  autumn  of 
1889  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Aspen,  and 
with  that  place  'as  his  base  of  operations  con- 
tinued teaming  until  the  fall  of  1902.  He  then 
leased  of  the  railroad  company  the  ranch  he 
now  occupies,  which  comprises  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land,  four  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  which  can  be  cultivated.  To  the  im- 
provement and  development  of  this  property 
he  has  since  devoted  himself,  and  he  has  suc- 
ceeded abundantly  in  his  laudable  ambition  to 
make  it  one  of  the  best  ranches  in  the  countv. 


It  yields  under  his  skillful  husbandry  large 
crops  of  hay  and  grain  and  a  plentiful  supply 
of  other  ordinary  farm  products.  He  has  also 
given  some  time  and  attention  to  mining  with 
success.  He  owns  a  residence  in  the  town  of 
Aspen  where  his  family  live  in  the  winter  so 
as  to  secure  good  school  facilities  for  the  chil- 
dren. In  the  social  and  fraternal  life  of  the 
community  he  is  active  and  serviceable,  belong- 
ing to  the  Masonic  order  in  blue  lodge  and 
Royal  Arch  chapter,  to  the  order  of  Elks  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  and  his  wife 
are  zealous  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  On 
May  12,  1875,  he  married  with  Miss  Emma 
Seavey,  like  himself  a  native  of  St.  George  in 
Knox  county,  Maine.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Captain  John  H.  and  Catherine  Seavey,  also 
natives  of  Maine.  The  father  was  a  sea  cap- 
tain and  sailed  from  New  York  to  various 
European  countries,  and  after  years  of  life  on 
the  ocean,  braving  many  dreadful  storms  and 
other  dangers  of  the  deep,  was  finally  lost  in 
the  gulf  of  Mexico  in  September,  1856.  He 
took  over  the  first  cargo  of  wheat  donated  by 
the  United  States  to  Ireland  in  the  time  of  the 
great  famine  there.  He  was  an  ardent  Demo- 
crat in  political  faith  and  an  enthusiastic  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order.  By  his  first  mar- 
riage Captain  Seavey  became  the  father  of  one 
child,  Charles,  who  died  in  1863.  His  second 
marriage  was  to  the  sister  of  his  first  wife,  Miss 
Clara  C.  Hooper,  and  they  had  two  children, 
Ella  and  Mrs.  Clark.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark- 
have  had  three  children, -Earl  and  Lyster  living, 
and  De  Loss,  their  first  born,  deceased. 

LIVIUS  C.  PAXTON. 

Although  born  and  partially  reared  in  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where  his  life 
began  on  May  5,  1861,  Livius  C.  Paxton,  of 
Pitkin  county,  living  on  a  fine  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  two  miles  west  ot 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Aspen,  is  an  excellent  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  fully  in  sympathy  with  the  aspirations 
and  aims  of  the  country  and  devoted  to  the 
welfare  of  its  people.  His  parents  were  Wil- 
liam and  Charlotte  (Churchill)  Paxton, 
Canadians  by  birth  and  reared  and  educated  in 
that  country.  In  1875  the  father,  having 
moved  to  this  country,  conducted  a  flourishing 
creamery  in  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  and  later 
carried  on  the  same  business  in  Lyon  county, 
that  state.  In  1892  he  moved  to  California  and 
for  a  time  was  engaged  in  various  pursuits 
there.  His  later  years  have  been  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  oranges,  in  which  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful. He  is  a  genial  and  obliging  gentle- 
man, with  breadth  of  view  and  an  intelligent 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  'Section,  and  in 
political  action  is  independent.  He  is  a  Baptist 
in  religious  faith,  as  was  also  his  wife  during 
her  lifetime.  She  died  in  1867.  She  was  his 
second  wife  and  bore  him  six  children,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased.  By  the  first  marriage  he 
was  the  father  of  five.  The  children  living  are 
Livius  C. ;  Mrs.  F.  H.  Huetson,  of  Owatonna, 
Minnesota;  Joseph,  assistant  superintendent  of 
the  Newman  tunnel;  William  A.  and  Archie 
D.,  twins,  living  in  California;  Charles  H.,  in 
California;  Effie,  a  school  teacher  in  the  Phil- 
ippine islands ;  and  Margaret  and  Jessie,  in 
California.  Livius  C.,  the  second  born  of  the 
first  marriage,  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, being  graduated  from  the  high  school 
and  afterward  attended  the  Bryant  &  Stratton 
Business  College  at  Chicago.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  went  into  the  creamery  business  to 
assist  his  father,  and  in  1882  moved  to  South 
Dakota,  where  he  was  interested  in  flax  and 
tow-mills,  located  on  the  edge  of  that  state  and 
Iowa.  In  1890  he  changed  his  base  to  the 
northern  part  of  South  Dakota  where  he  de- 
voted his  time  to  farming  until  1901,  but  met 
with  little  success  on  account  of  the  drought. 
He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  purchased  his 


present  home  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
acres,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  which  are  fit 
for  cultivation  and  on  which  he  produces  good 
crops  of  grain,  hay  and  other  farm  products. 
He  is  always  earnestly  interested  in  public  local 
affairs  with  a  view  to  securing  the  best  results 
for  the  community,  and  is  independent  in  po- 
litical action.  In  1885  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ruby  Herman,  a  native  of  Lyon 
county,  Iowa,  and  daughter  of  William  G.  and 
Addie  M.  Herman,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Iowa  in  1878. 
The  father  is  a  successful  farmer  and  a  loyal 
Republican  in  political  affiliation.  They  are  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom  are 
living,  and  one,  Mattie  L.,  is  deceased.  Those 
living  are  Ruby  L.  (Mrs.  Paxton),  William 
D.,  Frank  E.,  Delia  J.,  John  R.,  Lottie  M., 
Edith,  Clifford,  Benjamin,  George  and  Wal- 
ter. The  parents  live  at  Beloit.  Iowa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Paxton  have  had  five  children,  Elsie, 
John,  George  and  Joseph,  living,  and  Rachel, 
one  of  twins,  deceased.  Thus  through  aspir- 
ation and  resolute  industry,  through  business 
-capacity  and  worldly  wisdom,  Mr.  Paxton  has 
won  a  competence  without  the  aid  of  favorable 
circumstances,  and  even  over  obstacles  and  ad- 
versities which  would  have  cooled  the  ardor  if 
they  did  not  destroy  the  courage  of  many  a 
man.  And  by  exhibiting  an  intelligent  and 
helpful  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  section  of 
the  state  and  its  people  he  has  secured  their 
lasting  regard. 

GEORGE  ELMORE  ROHRBOUGH. 

Between  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia 
and  the  mountains  of  Colorado  there  may  not 
be  much  difference  in  appearance,  but  there  is 
as  wide  a  difference  in  climate  and  agricultural 
conditions  as  there  is  distance  in  space  between 
the  two  regions,  as  George  Elmore  Rohrbough 
has  learned  by  practical  experience.  Yet  he 


86 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


illustrates  forcibly  that  a  man  of  capacity  and 
real  grit  is  not  deterred  from  success  by  cir- 
cumstances and  conditions,  but  is  able  to  win 
success  anywhere  if  he  have  a  fair  chance  to 
use  his  abilities.  He  was  born  in  Lewis  county, 
West  Virginia,  on  January  10,  1873,  and  is 
the  son  of  George  M.  and  Louisa  (Brake) 
Rohrbough,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  that 
state.  They  moved  to  Illinois  in  1881  and 
located  in  Marion  county,  but  a  year  later  re- 
turned to  their  native  state,  and  after  passing 
some  years  in  merchandising  turned  their  at- 
tention again  to  farming,  in  which  they  have 
been  successful.  The  father  is  a  zealous  Re- 
publican and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  both  parents  are  Methodists.  Seven  of 
their  eight  children  are  living :  William  Law- 
rence; Mary  E.,  now  Mrs.  L.  B.  Chidester; 
Gertrude  I.,  now  Mrs.  Luther  L.  Casto;  How- 
ard Freeman,  Elsie  Eva,  George  Elmore,  and 
Oswald  J.  A  daughter  named  Blanch  died  at 
the  age  of  fourteen.  All  the  living  reside  at 
Buckhannon,  West  Virginia,  except  Oswald, 
who  lives  at  Belington,  West  Virginia,  and 
George,  who  lives  at  Aspen,  this  state.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Upshur  county 
in  his  native  state,  completing  the  common  and 
high-school  courses  and  afterward  being  gradu- 
ated at  the  West  Virginia  Conference  Semi- 
nary. He  began  teaching  school  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  devoted  four  years  to  the  work 
in  Upshur  county  and  one  in  Harrison  county. 
In  1894  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Aspen.  Here  he  again  taught  school,  continu- 
ing his  work  in  this  line  until  1901,  when  he 
bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  four 
miles  west  of  the  town  and  comprising  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  greater  part  of 
which  produces  good  crops  of  hay  and  grain. 
He  is  also  interested  in  raising  cattle  and 
horses,  and  in  all  his  efforts  is  measurably  suc- 
cessful. As  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows he  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  fraternal 


life  of  the  community,  and  as  a  zealous  Re- 
publican devotes  a  commendable  energy  to  the 
promotion  of  its  political  welfare  according  to 
his  views  of  public  matters.  On  August  25, 
1896.  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maud 
Lynch,  a  native  of  '  Harrison  county,  West 
Virginia,  and  daughter  of  Peter  and  Virginia 
A.  (Elliott)  Lynch,  also  natives  of  that  state, 
where  they  are  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock.  They  are  both  Metho- 
dists, and  have  reared  a  family  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, Tillman  D.,  Truman  J.,  Waitman  E., 
Florence,  George  G.,  Etta  Maud  (Mrs.  Rohr- 
bough), Charles  L.,  Mollie,  •  Willie,  Clarence, 
Bertha,  Howard  and  Mabel.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rohrbough  have  had  five  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Jay 
Keating,  Elmore,  Lynn,  George  and  Irwin. 
The  parents  are  Methodists  and  are  active  in  all 
the  benevolent  works  of  their  church. 

FREDERICK  LIGHT. . 

Owning  and  operating  with  skill  and  suc- 
cess one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  Pitkin  county, 
which  is  of  ample  size,  comprising  nine  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  and  sufficiently  fertile  and 
productive  to  yield  abundantly  of  cereals  and 
hay  and  liberally  support  large  numbers  of  cat- 
tle and  horses,  Frederick  Light,  of  near  Snow 
Mass,  is  so  situated  that  he  may  laugh  adversity 
to  scorn  and  feel  secure  of  an  expanding  and 
substantial  prosperity  during  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  He  was  born  on  January  17,  1856, 
at  Morrisonville,  Clinton  county,  New  York, 
the  son  of  Charles  and  Matilda  (Raymond) 
Light,  natives  of  the  province  of  Quebec, 
Canada,  where  they  grew  to  maturity  and  were 
educated  and  married.  They  are  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  in  New  York,  where  they 
enjoy  in  a  marked  degree  the  respect  of  the 
people  around  them.  Both  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  the  father  is  a  zealous  and 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


effective  working  Democrat.  Eleven  children 
blessed  their  union,  three  of  whom  have  died, 
Delia,  Benjamin  and  Louis.  The  eight  living 
are  Frederick;  George  H.,  who  lives  at  Daw- 
son  in  the  Klondike;  Melvina;  Jennie;  Emily; 
Medrick,  who  lives  at  Scaley  Falls,  New  York ; 
William,  residing  on  the  homestead  at  Morri- 
sonville,  New  York;  and  Louise.  Frederick 
had  but  little  opportunity  for  attending  school, 
as  he  was  early  put  to  work  on  the  home  farm, 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  went  to  Keysville,  New 
York,  and  wrought  one  year  in  a  shingle-mill 
at  thirteen  dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  He 
then  devoted  three  years  to  learning  carriage 
trimming  at  A.  F.  Welcome's  establishment, 
and  two  under  instruction  in  the  works  of  the 
J.  B.  Brewster  Carriage  Company.  The  next 
three  were  passed  in  the  carriage  trade  in  the 
service  of  the  Brewster  Company,  and  in  1879 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Leadville. 
Here  he  gave  a  year  of  earnest  effort  to  min- 
ing, then  moved  to  Aspen,  where  he  continued 
prospecting  until  1882.  At  that  time  he  lo- 
cated on  a  part  of  his  present  ranch,  which  he 
had  taken  up  as  a  pre-emption  claim  in  1881. 
To  this  he  has  made  additions  by  subsequent 
purchases  and  otherwise  until  he  now  has  a 
body  of  nine  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  ex- 
cellent land,  the  greater  part  of  which  can  be 
successfully  cultivated.  During  1882,  1883 
and  1884  he  carried  on  a  freighting  business 
between  Aspen,  Leadville  and  Granite  in  con- 
nection with  his  ranching  industry.  He  is  ex- 
tensively occupied  in  raising  grain  and  hay  and 
producing  superior  grades  of  horses  and  cattle. 
His  trip  from  Leadville  to  Aspen  in  1880, 
through  Independence  pass,  was  eventful  and 
full  of  excitement  because  of  the  fires  which 
were  then  burning  over  all  the  country  he  had 
to  pass  through,  which  made  travel  very  dan- 
gerous and  the  utmost  care  necessary.  On  lo- 
cating at  Aspen  he  at  once  took  an  active  part 
in  the  affairs  of  the  country,  and  in  1895  his 


ability  for  legislation  and  his  manifest  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  state  made  him  the  choice 
of  the  people  for  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  to 
which  he  was  elected  as  the  candidate  of  the 
Populist  party.  He  is  now,  however,  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  is  still  active  and  serviceable  in 
political  matters.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Elks, 
the  Modern  Woodmen,  the  United  Workmen 
and  the  National  Aid  Association.  On  No- 
vember 5,  1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  McClimont,  a  native  of 
New  York  state  and  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Agnes  (Campbell)  McClimont,  natives  of  Scot- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  when  they  were 
a  young  married  couple  and  settled  in  New 
York  city,  where  the  father  was  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business.  In  1880,  moved  by  the 
promise  of  great  prosperity  in  farming  in 
Kansas,  which  was  then  being  actively  boomed, 
they  sold  out  in  New  York  and  migrated  to 
Kerwin  in  the  promising  state.  Here  their 
expectations  were  realized  and  they  became 
prosperous  and  extensive  farmers,  that  is,  the 
mother  became  one,  as  the  father  died  the  next 
year  after  arriving  at  his  new  home.  The 
mother  passed  away  at  Aspen,  this  state,  in 
1902.  The  father  was  a  good  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  both  were  devoted  members  of 
the  Catholic  chuich.  They  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Light  have 
eight,  Effie,  Edith,  Leo,  Raymond,  Frederick. 
Jr.,  Helen,  Howard  and  Mildred. 

ALEXANDER  McKENZIE. 

The  late  Alexander  McKenzie.  who  lived 
on  a  large  and  well-improved  ranch  not  far 
from  Watson,  Pitkin  county,  this  state,  and 
there  carried  on  a  profitable  stock  and  ranching 
business,  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  neighborhood,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  born  in  1827,  and  the  son  of  Alex- 


88 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ander  and  Catharine  (McKenzie)  McKenzie, 
with  whom  he  remained  and  worked  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one.  They 
moved  to  Australia  in  1875  an<^  from  then  until 
the  end  of  their  days  were  successfully  engaged 
in  farming  in  that  country.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  father 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Both  are  now  de- 
ceased, and  but  three  of  their  nine  children 
survive  them,  Kenneth,  James  and  Anna  B. 
Alexander  was  a  mason  by  trade  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1859,  locating  at  Chi- 
cago, and  some  time  later  moving  to  Lewis- 
town,  Illinois,  in  both  places  working  at  his 
trade.  In  1880  he  came  to  Colorado  and,  lo- 
cating at  Leadville,  again  wrought  at  his  trade, 
remaining  there  until  1883,  except  a  portion  of 
the  time  which  he  passed  at  Gunnison.  He 
traded  a  horse  and  some  valuables  for  his  ranch, 
the  consideration  being  one  hundred  dollars, 
and  after  taking  possession  of  it  added  a  home- 
stead claim.  Here  he  worked  at  his  trade  and 
his  children  conducted  the  ranch.  He  was 
married  on  August  i,  1873,  to  Miss  Anna  Fair- 
bairn,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  daughter  of 
Walter  and  Anna  (Fischer)  Fairbairn,  also 
bom  in  that  country  where  they  passed  their 
lives  profitably  engaged  in  farming.  They 
were  Presbyterians  and  died  in  active  connec- 
tion with  that  church.  Of  their  twelve  chil- 
dren only  two  are  living,  Margaret,  now  Mrs. 
Alexander  Cameron,  of  Aspen,  this  state,  and 
Mrs.  McKenzie.  The  offspring  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McKenzie  number  four,  James,  Walter, 
Jennie  and  Catherine.  Mrs.  McKenzie  is  a 
Presbyterian,  as  was  her  husband  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  Since  he  passed  away  she  has 
managed  the  ranch  and  cattle  interests  with 
success  and  profit  and  continued  the  improve- 
ments which  he  had  begun.  The  ranch  now 
comprises  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of 
which  three  hundred  are  under  cultivation,  and 
the  yield  of  hay,  grain  and  other  farm  products 


is  extensive  and  of  good  quality.  In  addition 
to  her  cattle  she  raises  a  number  of  horses  of 
good  strains'  for  market  and  is  prosperous  in 
this  branch  of  the  business.  Mr.  McKenzie 
did  some  prospecting  and  mining  in  his  time, 
but  without  success  worthy  of  note.  He  was 
highly  esteemed  as  a  good  citizen,  friend  and 
neighbor,  and  was  prominent  in  all  undertak- 
ings for  the  benefit  of  his  community. 

DR.  ANDERS  J.  O.  LOF. 

The  life  of  a  country  physician,  particu- 
larly in  a  new  and  unsettled  section,  is  full  of 
privation  and  toil.  There  is  no  class  of  serv- 
ants to  humanity  more  useful  to  the  com- 
munity, and  in  point  of  fact,  none  more  appre- 
ciated, however  scant  and  unimpressive  the 
evidences  of  approval  may  be  in  ordinary 
times.  When  pain  and  anguish  cloud  the 
brow  the  doctor  becomes  a  ministering  angel, 
affording  solace  in  sorrow,  relief  in  suffering, 
companionship  in  solitude  and  even  consolation 
in  death.  To  this  class  of  public  benefactors 
belongs  Dr.  Anders  J.  O.  Lof,  of  Aspen,  this 
state,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  success- 
ful professional  men  in  his  portion  of  the  state. 
He  came  to  this  section  in  1896,  after  an  ex- 
tensive and  careful  preparation  for  his  life 
work  secured  at  some  of  the  best  technical 
schools  and  in  practical  experience,  and  to  it  he 
has  devoted  all  his  energies  and  the  results  of 
continuous  study  and  careful  observation.  The 
Doctor  was  born  on  April  25,  1867,  at  Gotten- 
borg.  Sweden,  where  his  parents,  Lars  and 
Mary  (Johnson)  Lof,  were  also  native.  The 
father  was  a  successful  and  prosperous 
merchant  tailor,  working  industriously  and 
living  frugally  until  his  death  in  1879.  The 
mother  is  still  living  in  her  native  land.  They 
had  two  children,  the  Doctor  and  his  brother 
August,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Sweden  and 
profitably  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  his  father. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


89 


merchant  tailoring.  The  Doctor  attended  the 
state  schools  of  Sweden,  then  passed  three 
years  at  a  gymnasium.  After  coming  to 
America  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  Denver  University,  graduating  in  1896. 
Later  in  1902  he  pursued  special  courses  in 
professional  instruction  at  the  Universities  of 
Berlin  and  Vienna,  hospitals  in  Sweden  and 
London.  In  1896  he  located  at  Aspen,  where 
he  has  since  been  actively  engaged  in  a  general 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  in  the 
comparatively  short  time  of  his  work  here  he 
has  attained  to  a  high  rank  in  professional  cir- 
cles and  won  general  commendation  from  the 
people  for  his  skill  and  ability  and  the  fidelity 
of  his  devotion  to  duty.  He  is  also  warmly  in- 
terested in  the  welfare  of  his  county  and  state, 
and  gives  good  and  serviceable  support  to  every 
commendable  undertaking  for  their  advance- 
ment. In  politics  he  is  independent  but  by  no 
means  indifferent,  and  in  every  element  of  good 
citizenship  his  record  is  an  example  worthy  of 
general  imitation.  He  is  one  of  Pitkin  county's 
most  esteemed  citizens  and  most  popular  men. 

WILFRED  L.  HURST. 

Although  his  boyhood  and  youth  was 
clouded  with  the  shadow  of  a  domestic  sorrow, 
and  he  was  early  thrown  on  his  own  resources 
to  make  his  way  in  the  world,  Wilfred  L. 
Hurst,  of  near  Aspen,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  prominent  ranchmen  of  Pitkin 
county,  has  won  his  way  with  steady  success 
and  credit,  and  is  now  well  established  in 
business  and  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his 
fellow  men.  He  was  born  in  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  on  March  18,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of 
Dennis  and  Sarah  A.  (Kingrey)  Hurst,  both 
natives  of  Illinois.  They  had  but  one  child, 
their  son  Wilfred,  -and  ceased  to  live  together 
while  he  was  yet  a  mere  boy.  The  father 
moved  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where  he 


passed  his  earlier  years  in  the  express  business 
and  is  passing  the  later  ones  in  collecting  for  a 
large  milling  -company.  The  mother  moved  to 
Kansas,  where  she  remained  until  her  death, 
in  September,  1886.  Their  son  Wilfred  at- 
tended the  public  schools  when  he  had  oppor- 
tunity, and  secured  a  course  of  instruction  at 
the  Pella,  Iowa,  high  school.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  trade  and  passed 
three  years  in  learning  it,  then  in  1871,  when 
he  was  but  fifteen,  he  began  herding  cattle  by 
contract  at  a  compensation  of  one  hundred  dol- 
lars a  month.  The  work  was  arduous  and  ex- 
acting, the  herds  containing  from  one  thou- 
sand one  hundred  to  one  thousand  five  hundred 
cattle,  but  he  was  interested  in  the  work  and 
remained  at  it  six  years.  In  1874  he  moved  to 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  engaged  in  freight- 
ing between  that  place  and  points  in  Indian 
Territory.  After  two  years  and  a  half  of  this 
work  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Lead- 
ville  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  there  turned  his 
attention  to  mining  and  prospecting,  continu- 
ing the  work  until  1884,  when  he  made  a  trip 
to  his  old  home,  wintering  in  Iowa.  In  the 
spring  of  1885  he  returned  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Aspen,  and  there  he  devoted  three 
years  to  mining  for  wages  in  the  Emma,  One 
Thousand  and  One  and  Durant  mines.  Late 
in  1887  he  occupied  himself  in  selling  water  at 
thirty-five  cents  a  barrel,  and  die'  well  at  this 
until  a  war  of  rates  cut  the  price  to  twenty-five 
cents.  Still,  he  continued  the  trade  two  years 
and  a  half,  then  sold  out  at  a  profit  and  bought 
a  portion  of  the  ranch -he  now  occupies,  and 
which  at  this  time  comprises  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  three  hundred  and  twenty  of  it 
being  well  adapted  to  cultivation.  His  prin- 
cipal crops  are  hay.  grain  and  vegetables,  the 
hay  being  particularly  good  and  having  the 
highest  rank  in  the  markets.  He  also  raises 
cattle  and  horses  extensively.  In  political  mat- 
ters he  is  independent,  and  in  fraternal  life 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
On  September  15,  1885,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Eleanor  Hamblin,  a  native  of  Madi- 
son county,  Iowa,  born  near  Winterset,  the 
county  seat,  and  daughter  of  Simeon  and 
Eleanor  (Thompson)  Hamblin,  the  former 
born  in  Vermont  and  the  latter  at  Pittsburg. 
Pennsylvania.  They  first  located  in  Ohio, 
then  in  Wisconsin,  and  last  in  Iowa,  and  pros- 
pered as  farmers  in  each  location.  Both  are 
now  deceased,  as  are  two  of  their  nine  children, 
Christopher  C,  who  died  at  Galveston,  Texas, 
on  his  way  home  from  the  Civil  war,  in  which 
he  served  until  taken  down  with  the  measles; 
and  Hulda,  who  died  in  Iowa.  The  surviving 
children  are:  John,  of  Roseburg,  Oregon; 
Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Wesley  Cochran;  Joseph- 
ine, living  in  Iowa;  Martha,  now  Mrs.  James 
Kirk,  of  Kasson,  Iowa ;  Seth  T.,  of  Lincoln. 
Kansas;  Robert  F.,  of  Winthrop,  Arkansas; 
and  Mrs.  Hurst.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurst  have 
had  five  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, Leon  H.,  Eleanor  and  Wilfred  L.  The 
two  living  are  Raymond  O.  and  Herbert  V. 
Mr.  Hurst  has  been  unusually  successful  in  his 
ranching  and  cattle  industry,  but  his  success  is 
not  the  result  of  accident  or  fortuitous  circum- 
stances. He  selected  his  ranch  with  judgment, 
and  both  in  location  and  in  quality  and  variety 
of  soil  it  proves  his  wisdom  in  the  choice.  And 
he  cultivates  it  with  skill  and  conducts  all  its 
operations  with  such  business  capacity  and 
vigor  as  to  command  the  best  results  at  all 
times.  His  standing  in  the  community,  too, 
is  due  to  real  merit  and  intelligent  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lives 
and  practical  service  in  promoting  it. 

JOHN  LUNDGREEN. 

This  prosperous  and  enterprising  ranchman 
and  cattle  grower  is  far  from  the  land  of  his 
nativity  and  the  associations  and  companion- 


ships of  his  early  life,  but  he  is  well  established 
in  his  new  home,  and  through  difficulties  and 
privations,  toils  and  dangers,  he  has  attained 
to  a  substantial  competence  and  an  elevated 
place  in  the  regard  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
citizens  therein.  He  was  born  in  Denmark, 
on  September  5,  1849,  the  son  °f  Par  Hogan- 
son  and  Ellen  Magdalene  (Holnengreen) 
Lundgreen,  natives  of  Sweden,  but  early  in 
their  lives  residents  of  Denmark,  where  he 
worked  diligently  at  his  trade  as  a  cooper. 
They  had  seven  children,  one  dying  in  infancy, 
and  the  others  still  living.  The  father  died  in 
1865  and  the  mother  in  1879.  Their  son  John 
was  educated  at  the  state  schools  to  a  limited 
extent,  while  a  mere  boy  beginning  to  learn 
the  cooper  trade  under  instruction  from  his 
father.  After  the  death  of  the  latter  he  car- 
ried on  the  business  three  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  in  1869,  went  to  Sweden,  and 
during  the  next  four  years  worked  at  his  trade. 
In  1873  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated at  Chicago,  where  he  again  was  employed 
at  his  trade,  remaining  until  1877.  ^e  tnen 
moved  to  Omaha,  and  after  passing  three 
years  in  that  interesting  city,  came  to  Colorado 
in  1880,  and  settled  at  Rollinsville,  Gilpin 
county,  where  he  passed  the  summer  in  placer 
mining.  In  the  fall  he  returned  to  Omaha,  and 
soon  afterward  moved  to  Nebraska  City.  Here 
he  worked  at  coopering  until  spring,  then  came 
once  more  to  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Aspen, 
turned  his  attention  to  prospecting,  continuing 
his  operations  until  1885.  At  that  time  he 
found  profitable  employment  in  the  smelters 
and  later  in  the  lumber  industry,  working  for 
a  number  of  different  firms,  but  never  out  of 
a  job.  His  last  move  was  to  locate  the  ranch 
on  which  he  now  lives  and  conducts  a  thriving 
farming  and  cattle  business.  This  he  took  up 
as  a  pre-emption  claim  and  has  since  improved 
it  and  brought  it  to  an  advanced  state  of 
cultivation.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


sixty  acres,  half  of  which  was  naturally  till- 
able and  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  hay 
and  grain.  Portions  of  the  rest  have  been 
made  productive  by  irrigation  and  other  ar- 
tificial means.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary 
farm  products,  Mr.  Lundgreen  raises  numbers 
of  good  cattle.  In  political  matters  he  supports 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  much  pleased 
with  Colorado  and  warmly  interested  in  the 
state  and  his  county,  omitting  no  effort  on  his 
part  to  promote  their  substantial  welfare  and 
the  comfort  and  advancement  of  their  people, 
among  whom  he  is  highly  esteemed  and  has  a 
serviceable  influence  for  good. 

TIMOTHY  C.  STAPLETON. 

The  late  Timothy  C.  Stapleton,  of  Aspen, 
one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  Pitkin  county  whose  death  on 
September  10,  1903,  when  in  the  full  maturity 
and  usefulness  of  his  powers,  was  generally  la- 
mented, was  a  native  of  county  Tipperary,  Ire- 
land, and  was  reared  to  the  age  of  seventeen  in 
that  country.  His  parents  were  Michael  and 
Julia  Stapleton,  also  natives  of  the  Emerald 
Isle,  and  who  passed  their  lives  in  that  country 
profitably  engaged  in  farming.  They  had  a 
family  of  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  and  all  the  rest  have  since  passed  away 
except  one  son  named  Thomas.  The  parents 
also  have  been  dead  for  many  years.  Timothy 
received  a  very  limited  education  at  the  public 
•  schools,  being  obliged  to  take  part  in  the  labors 
of  the  farm  from  an  early  age.  When  he  be- 
came seventeen  he  emigrated  to  America  and 
settled  in  Connecticut,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  Then,  in  1865,  he  moved 
west  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence  at 
Georgetown,  where  he  followed  mining  and 
prospecting  five  years.  In  1870  he  changed  his 
base  to  the  San  Juan  country,  and  later  made 
trips  to  California  and  Nebraska,  returning  to 


this  state  and  locating  at  Leadville  in  1879. 
Here  for  two  years  he  devoted  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  mining  and  prospecting.  In 
1 88 1  Jie  located  a  homestead  claim  in  the 
vicinity  of  Aspen,  which  is  a  part  of  the  ranch 
now  occupied  by  his  family,  and  to  this  he 
added  by  subsequent  acquisitions  until  the 
ranch  comprises  eight  hundred  acres.  It  is 
largely  fertile  and  productive  land,  and  yields 
abundantly  of  hay,  grain  and  other  ordinary 
farm  products,  and  the  family  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle  and  horses.  The  ranch 
is  pleasantly  and  advantageously  located  about 
four  miles  west  of  Aspen,  and  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mrs.  Stapleton  and  her  sons,  since 
the  death  of  her  husband,  it  is  growing  in  pro- 
ductiveness and  value.  He  was  an  ardent  and 
active  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian 
in  religious  belief.  Nine  children  were  born 
in  the  family,  the  present  Mrs.  Stapleton  being 
the  second  wife.  The  children  are  William, 
Mary,  John,  Edwin,  Thomas,  Timothy,  Julia, 
Nettie  and  Margaret.  Mrs.  Stapleton's  maiden 
name  was  Miss  Ellen  Kilker.  She  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Missouri,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Monahan)  Kil- 
ker, natives  of  Ireland,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married  and  soon  after  came  to  the  United 
States.  Both  are  deceased. 

JOHN  A.  KAUBLE. 

John  A.  Kauble,  of  near  Aspen,  Pitkin 
county,  after  years  of  various  employment  in 
which  he  sought  the  favors  of  fortune  with  suc- 
cessions of  prosperity  and  adversity,  and  in 
which  he  had  the  usual  run  of  incident  and  ad- 
venture of  the  western  pioneer,  has  settled 
down  to  the  peaceful  and  profitable  life  of  a 
ranchman  and  stock  breeder,  on  a  fine  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  one  hundred 
of  which  he  has  under  cultivation  and  the  rest 
devoted  to  grazing.  He  was  born  near  Terre 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Haute,  Indiana,  on  November  10,  1860,  and  is 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Emaline  (Hicks)  Kau- 
ble,  who  settled  in  Ohio  in  1863  and  moved  to 
Kansas  in  1872.  They  were  farmers  and  sue- 
cessful  at  the  business.  The  mother  was  a 
Baptist  and  the  father  a  Methodist.  Their 
family  comprised  ten  children,  two  of  whom, 
Harry  and  Margaret,  have  died.  The  eight 
who  are  living  are  Mary,  Elizabeth,  John  A., 
Alma,  Jennie,  George,  of  Florence,  Colorado. 
Lou,  and  Clara,  who  lives  in  Indian  Territory. 
John  A.,  the  third  in  order  of  those  living,  at- 
tended the  public  schools  at  infrequent  inter- 
vals for  short  periods,  his  opportunities  being 
limited,  as  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  obliged 
to  begin  earning  his  own  living.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Pueblo,  where 
he  remained  six  months,  then  passed  two  years 
at  Alpine,  this  state.  Since  1885  he  has  divided 
his  time  between  Leaclville  and  Aspen,  and  was 
engaged  in  teaming  and  packing  down  to 
1899,  when  he  purchased  the  ranch  on  which 
he  has  since  lived  and  carried  on  a  flourishing 
industry  in  general  ranching  and  raising  stock. 
He  produces  large  quantities  of  hay  and  grain 
of  excellent  quality  and  raises  horses  and  cattle 
of  good  strains  in  numbers.  Fraternally  he  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
On  December  23,  1892,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Collins,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin and  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Col- 
lins, the  father  born  in  Ireland  and  the  mother 
in  Wisconsin.  Their  earlier  married  life  was 
passed  at  various  places  in  the  West,  the  father 
being  a  railroad  contractor  and  doing  grading 
for  a  number  of  roads.  He  now  lives  in  Wis- 
consin and  the  mother  in  Arizona,  Both  be- 
long to  the  Catholic  church.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  one  of  them.  John, 
dying  in  February,  1892.  The  four  living  are 
Margaret  (Mrs.  Kauble),  Mamie  (Mrs 
Thomas  Dwyer),  Joseph  and  Josie.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kaubls  have  one  child,  their  daughter 


Velma.  Mr.  Kauble  is  a  citizen  of  enterprise 
and  public  spirit  in  local  affairs,  an  earnest 
Democrat  in  politics  and  a  much  esteemed  man 
in  his  general  relations  to  the  community  and 
its  people. 

JAMES  HARVEY  CRAWFORD. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  belongs 
to  that  class  of  men  who  are  needed  in  our 
land  with  every  generation.  They  make  their 
way  upward  as  painstaking,  honest  men,  with 
the  skill  and  conscience  to  do  well  the  tasks  that 
lie  before  them.  They  are  resolute  and  per- 
sistent in  their  calling,  without  ostentation  or 
boastfulness,  but  they  laugh  circumstances  to 
scorn  and  make  a  career  of.  serviceable  produc- 
tiveness in  any  environment.  The  work  of 
their  hands  wears  well,  and  the  work  of  their 
brains  guides  well  the  hands. of  other  men  and 
they  invariably  leave  behind  them,  when  they 
lay  down  their  trust,  a  spirit  of  public  improve- 
ment and  the  tangible  results  of  its  beneficent 
activity.  Oftentimes,  as  in  the  case  of  Mr. 
Crawford,  they  are  adventurous  men  and  chal- 
lenge fate  on  any  field,  finding  by  their  very 
boldness  and  indifference  to  consequences  the 
best  and  most  fruitful  opportunities  for  useful- 
ness to  mankind,  and  at  the  same  time  a  boun- 
tiful largess  of  fortune's  favors  for  themselves. 
Whether  it  be  peace  or  war  that  calls  them  into 
action,  they  meet  the  demands  of  duty  with 
courage  and  constancy,  and  without  a  too  ten- 
der regard  for  consequences  personal  to  them- 
selves. James  Harvey  Crawford  is  a  native 
of  Pettis  county,  Missouri,  born  near  Sedalia 
on  March  30,  1845,  an(^  the  son  of  John  Ed- 
ward and  Sarilda  J.  (Donnohue)  Crawford, 
who  were  born  in  Kentucky.  The  father  was 
one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  central  Missouri. 
He  was  a  farmer  but  was  also  active  in  politi- 
cal life,  serving  in  the  state  legislature  and  for 
vears  as  a  colonel  in  the  State  Guard.  He  was 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


93 


also  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  was  long  recognized  as  a  leader  in 
the  organization  in  Missouri.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  of  whom  five 
are  living,  John  D.,  Anne  E.  -(Mrs.  James  J. 
Ferguson),  Cynthia  M.  (Mrs.  Bailey  T. 
Thomas),  James  H.  and  Ulysses  Grant,  and 
all  are  residents  of  Sedalia,  Missouri,  except 
James  H.  The  father  died  in  November,  1879, 
and  the  mother  in  February,  1883.  Their  son 
James  H.  received  a  limited  common-school 
education,  remaining  at  home  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civ.il  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  as  a  member  of  the  Seventh 
Missouri  Cavalry,  Company  E,  entering  the 
service  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  a  private  and 
being  soon  afterward  promoted  second  ser- 
geant, and  mustered  out  as  first  lieutenant  on 
April  14,  1865,  at  St.  Louis.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  home  and  during  the 
next  eight  years  was  engaged  in  farming  in 
his  native  county.  In  1873  he  crossed  '  the 
plains  with  teams  by  the  Smoky  Hill  route 
through  Kansas  to  Denver  in  this  state.  The 
trip  consumed  thirty-five  days.  Leaving  his 
family  at  Empire,  Colorado,  he  made  an  ex- 
ploring expedition  into  what  is  now  Routt 
county.  On  this  trip,  while  journeying  on  foot, 
he  discovered  the  fine  mineral  springs  at  which 
he  now  lives,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Steamboat  Springs  from  the  sound  made  by 
the  rapid  rush  of  the  water  which  resembled  the 
puffing  of  a  steamboat.  He  had  left  his  teams 
at  Egeria  Park,  being  unable  to  get  them 
farther  through  the  wild  and  trackless  country. 
Finding  the  region  around  the  springs  promis- 
ing, he  moved  his  family  to  the  place  in  1874 
and  thus  became  the  first  settler  at  the  town  and 
its  founder.  He  laid  out  the  townsite  and  gave 
his  whole  attention  to  promoting  ttye  growth 
and  welfare  of  others  who  followed  him  to 
this  favored  localitv,  and  his  home  in  the  town 


is  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  interesting  in 
the  town,  the  various  rooms  being  abundantly 
and  tastefully  decorated  with  the  trophies  of 
his  skill  as  a  hunter.  Here,  where  he  cast  his 
lot  in  the  veritable  wilderness,  he  has  found 
and  developed  a  thriving  little  city,  and  is  held 
in  high  esteem  by  its  people  and  those  of  the 
surrounding  country,  being  especially  noted  for 
his  liberality  and  general  worth  as  a  citizen,  a 
man  of  fine  public-spirit,  and  a  general  author- 
ity on  all  matters  of  interest  to  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  has  fine  cabinets  of  valuable  speci- 
mens of  minerals  peculiar  to  the  section,  his 
collection  being  considered  rare  and  valuable. 
Besides  organizing  the  Steamboat  Springs 
Company,  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
other  schemes  for  the  improvement  and  de- 
velopment of  this  portion  of  the  state,  being 
largely  interested  in  the  Onyx  mine,  and  in 
one  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
anthracite  coal  land,  and  having  holdings  of 
value  in  copper  claims,  and  the  Yampa  Land 
Company,  as  well  as  in  the  Water  and  Land 
Company  at  Elberta  Lakes.  He  helped  to  or- 
ganize the  Routt  County  Pioneer  Association 
in  1903  and  served  as  its  first  president.  In 
political  faith  he  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat, 
and  has  rendered  his  party  good  service  both 
in  private  life  and  in  public  offices  of  great  re- 
sponsibility and  importance,  having  served  two 
terms  in  the  state  legislature,  and  as  judge  of 
Routt  county,  first  by  appointment  of  the  gov- 
ernor and  afterward  by  election  by  the  people. 
At  a  critical  time  for  the  school  system  of  the 
county  he  was  appointed  county  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools.  He  was  also  the  first 
postmaster  at  Steamboat  Springs.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  On  May  25, 
1865,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
garet E.  Bourn,  a  native  of  Pettis  county,  Mis- 
souri. They  have  four  children.  Lulu  M.,  wife 


94 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  Carr  W-  Pritchett,  of  Denver,  Logan  B., 
John  D.  and  Mary  B.  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  self- 
made  but  broad-minded  and  intelligent  man, 
an  honor  to  American  citizenship  and  an  orna- 
ment to  the  section  in  which  he  lives. 

ROBERT   ELLIS   CLARK. 

Coming  to  Colorado  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health  when  he  was  but  nineteen,  and  being 
doubly  orphaned  by  the  death  of  both  parents, 
and  having  already  for  six  years  been  making 
his  own  living,  Robert  Ellis  Clark,  of  Steam- 
boat Springs,  has  by  indomitable  energy  and 
perseverance,  and  through  natural  ability 
which  made  him  capable  and  a  cheerful  and 
courageous  disposition  that  made  him  willing 
for  any  sort  of  work,  won  his  way  to  conse- 
quence and  a  substantial  estate  and  a  high 
place  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow 
men.  He  is  a  native  of  Clinton  county,  Mis- 
souri, born  near  Lathrop  on  June  23.  1859,  and 
the  son  of  Robert  P.  and  Delilah  (Long) 
Clark,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky  and  the 
latter  in  Ohio.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they 
settled  in  Missouri,  and  here  they  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives,  the  mother  dying  in 
June,  1863,  and  the  father  in  August,  1872. 
They  were  industrious  and  comfortable  farm- 
ers and  of  their  nine  children  seven  grew  to 
maturity  and  are  living,  John  L.,  Peter  H., 
David  M.,  Elizabeth,  James  M.,  Robert  E.  and 
George  J.  After  the  death  of  his  father  Robert 
E.,  then  but  thirteen  years  old,  began  to  make 
his  own  living  by  working  on  farms  for  very 
small  wages.  After  six  years  of  this  exacting 
and  poorly  paid  toil,  his  health  began  to  fail, 
and  he  sought  the  benefits  of  a  more  salubrious 
climate  in  this  state,  coming  hither  in  1878  and 
locating  at  Georgetown.  He  remained  there 
a  year,  then  set  out  on  foot  for  Leadville. 
However,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  George 
town,  where  he  remained  until  July  5,  1879, 


when  he  started  with  three  of  his  brothers  for 
Steamboat  Springs.  They  journeyed  with 
teams  by  way  of  Middle  and  at  Rand  saw  the 
last  house  until  they  reached  the  Springs.  The 
hardships  and  privations  along  the  route  were 
many,  and  young  men  less  determined  might 
have  been  forced  to  abandon  their  purpose  and 
return  to  a  region  nearer  the  centers  of  civiliza- 
tion in  the  state.  But  they  persevered,  and 
found  they  were  wise  in  doing  so,  as  the  region 
to  which  they  came  was  full  of  promise  and 
furnished  them  with  good  opportunities  for 
advancement.  After  their  arrival  at  Steam- 
boat Springs  Mr.  Clark  carried  the  mails  be- 
tween that  point  and  Hayden  and  Rock  Creek, 
continuing  until  September  29,  1879,  when  he 
was  forced  to  stop  because  of  the  Indian  out- 
break of  that  period.  Then  for  a  time  he 
served  as  a  herder  of  horses,  and  during  the 
winters  of  1879  and  1880  the  people  of  the 
section  received  no  mail  except  when  he  was 
able  to  travel  on  snow  shoes  to  and  from 
Hahn's  Peak,  there  being  but  three  deliveries 
between  September  3,  1880,  and  the  summer 
of  1 88 1.  In  the  summer  last  named  he  began 
raising  cattle,  which  he  continued  until  1896, 
when  the  panic  caused  him  to  quit  the  business. 
After  this  disaster,  with  characteristic  energy, 
instead  of  bewailing  his  losses,  he  opened  a 
general  blacksmithing  business  at  Steamboat 
Springs,  of  which  the  special  feature  has  been 
and  is  horseshoeing.  He  is  well  skilled  in  this 
branch  of  his  craft  and  has  been  very  successful 
in  winning  and  holding  a  large  trade.  While 
sparsity  of  population  in  the  region  made  his 
progress  in  this  enterprise  somewhat  slow  for 
awhile,  it  was  steady  and  kept  laying  an  ever 
increasing  scope  of  country  under  tribute  to 
his  forage,  as  he  applied  both  brain  and  brawn 
to  his  labor  and  soon  demonstrated  that  he  was 
intelligent  in  it  as  well  as  industrious.  His 
shop  is  now  one  of  the  valued  institutions  in 
the  industrial  life  of  the  town  and  enjoys  a 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


95 


Avide  and  a  high  reputation.  Game  was 
abundant  when  he  settled  here  and  the  wild 
country,  undeveloped  as  it  was,  furnished 
freely  and  abundantly  many  of  the  necessities 
of  life  and  some  of  its  luxuries,  so  that  while 
work  was  hard  and  its  returns  were  slow,  a 
comfortable  living  was  not  difficult  to  get.  Fra- 
ternally-Mr.  Clark  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Politically 
he  has  always  supported  the  Democratic  party 
with  ardor.  He  was  married  on  December  18, 
1886,  to  Miss  Nellie  Fisk,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  the  daughter  of  A.  Fisk,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
They  have  five  children,  DeEtte,  Delilah,  Ter- 
relia,  Trevinia  and  Leneve. 

CHRISTOPHER  BLEWITT. 

With  a  decided  bent  for  the  line  of  useful- 
ness to  which  he  was  born,  and  which  his 
father  successfully  followed  before  him,  Chris- 
topher Blewitt,  the  active,  capable  and  popular 
treasurer  of  Routt  county,  was  engaged  in  it 
for  many  years  in  his  native  land  and  in 
various  parts  of  this  country  to 'which  he  came 
from  his  native  Cornwall,  England,  in  1867 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  was  born  on  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1848,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Jane 
Blewitt,  also  natives  of  England,  where  the 
father  was  a  successful  and  prosperous  miner, 
and  where  both  parents  and  one  of  their  three 
children  died,  leaving  Christopher  and  Henry 
the  only  .survivors  of  the  family.  The  section 
in  which  he  lived,  the  nature  of  his  surround- 
ings and  the  early  death  of  his  parents  deprived 
him  of  almost  all  educational  advantages,  but 
he  'had  a  native  force  of  mental  endowment 
and  a  spirit  of  inquiry  and  investigation  which 
in  large  part  supplied  the  deficiency,  and  made 
him  what  he  is  now,  a  man  of  extensive  and 
accurate  general  information.  After  the  death 
of  his  parents,  which  occurred  during  his  child- 


hood, he  found  a  home  with  other  relatives  and 
worked  in  the  mines  of  county  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen.     He 
then,  in  1867,  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
and  soon  after  his  arrival  found  congenial  and 
profitable  employment  in  the  copper  mines  of 
the  Lake  Superior  region  in  Michigan.     He 
remained  there  until  the  autumn  of  1868,  then 
became   a    resident    of    Colorado,    locating   in 
Gilpin   county,   where  he  prospected,   worked 
leased   mining  properties  and   worked   in   the 
mines  for  wages  until  1872.     In  that  year  he 
sold  his  Colorado  interests  and  moved  to  Cali- 
fornia, engaging  in  mining  at  North  Bloom- 
field,  Nevada  county.    After  six  months  of  suc- 
cessful operations  there  he  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  the  state  of  Nevada,  and  until  the  fall 
of  1874  worked  in  the  old  Comstock  camp  at 
Virginia  City  with  profitable  returns,  then  re- 
turned to  California  and  until  July,  1875,  fol- 
lowed mining  with  energy  and  success.    By  this 
time  his  long  residence  in  mining  camps  and 
his  arduous  labors  in  various  kinds  of  mining 
atmospheres    began    to    seriously    impair    his 
health  and,  going  to  San  Francisco,  he  was  laid 
up  seven  months  with  a  serious  illness.    After 
his  recovery  he  again  turned  to  mining  and  fol- 
lowed for  eight  years  longer  the  voice  of  the 
gold    excitements,    now    in    Eureka    county, 
Nevada,  then  at  Tuscarora  in  the  same  state, 
afterward  at  Silver  City,  Idaho,  then  in  Lemhi 
county,  that  state,  and  finally  on  the  East  Fork 
of  the  Salmon  and  Wood  rivers,  seeking  always 
good   opportunities    for  his   favorite   vocation 
and  seldom  failing  to  find  them.     In  the  fall 
of  1883  he  moved  to  Routt  county,  this  state, 
and  took  up  a  homestead  in  the  canyon  between 
Hayden  and    Steamboat    Springs.      This   was 
known  as  the  Blewitt  ranch  and  here  he  was 
actively  and  prosperously  engaged  in  ranching 
and  raising  stock  until  1901.     He  made  all  the 
improvements  on  his  ranch  and  built  up  there 
an  extensive  business  in  ranching  and  the  stock 


96 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


industry  which  marked  him  as  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  and  progressive  men  in  the  trade, 
as  he  had  been  one  of  the  most  resourceful  and 
successful  mining  men  prior  to  that  time.  In 
1901  he  sold  his  ranch  and  cattle  to  Adair  & 
Solant,  of  Hayden,  and  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  county  treasurer,  which  he  is  still  hold- 
ing. He  is  a  pronounced  Republican  in  politics 
.and  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  in  fraternal  life.  In  September, 
1871,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Jones, 
who  died  on  the  22d  of  September,  1879,  and 
on  July  2,  1891,  he  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage, being  united  on  this  occasion  with  Miss 
Kate  Harrington,  a  native  of  Plymouth,  Dev- 
onshire, England.  Mr.  Blewitt  is  universally 
popular,  prominent  in  the  public  life  of  his 
county,  recognized  as  a  man  of  great  useful- 
ness in  promoting  every  interest  of  value,  and 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  as  a  citizen. 

JOHN  W.  TURNER. 

Born  and  reared  in  North  Carolina,  and 
approaching  the  dawn  of  his  manhood  in  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war,  when  the  whole  section 
of  his  nativity  was  prostrate  and  wasted  by 
the  awful  contest,  John  W.  Turner  entered 
upon  the  stage  of  personal  responsibility  and 
activity  under  very  unfavorable  auspices,  and 
found  the  shadow  of  that  destiny  over  him  for 
many  years  afterward.  But  although  thus 
handicapped  at  the  beginning  of  his  career,  his 
native  force  has  enabled  him  to  triumph  over 

•  all  difficulties  and  has  carried  him  forward  in 
a  steady  current  of  progress,  even  though  he 

.  has  suffered  reverses  at  times  and  has  found 
his  way  impeded  by  difficulties  of  weight  and 
moment.  His  life  began  along  the  picturesque 
Yadkin  river  in  Yadkin  county,  of  the  Old 
North  state,  on  August  13.  1843,  an^  owing  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  family  and  the  state 
of  the  countrv  around  him  his  educational  ad- 


vantages were  few  and  meager.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
losing  his  mother  by  death  in  1853,  when  he 
was  ten  years  old,  and  his  father  in  1864,  when 
he  was  just  twenty-one.  A  few  months  prior 
to  that  sad  event  he  left  the  sunny  South  for 
the  western  frontier,  and  in  that  land  of 
promise  and  opportunity  he  has  since  had  his 
home.  By  the  Platte  route  he  freighted  in  and 
out  of  Denver,  this  state,  for  one  year,  then 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  the  grocery 
trade  in  Arkansas,  in  which  he  was  engaged  in 
that  state  until  1878.  In  that  year  he  went  to 
Texas  and  became  a  factor  in  the  great  cattle 
industry  of  that  section,  remaining  until  1882, 
when  he  returned  to  Arkansas  and  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  state  occupied  himself  in 
raising  apples  with  poor  success  for  ten  years. 
In  1892  he  moved  to  Jasper  county,  Missouri, 
and  for  six  years  thereafter  was  busily  and 
profitably  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  In 

1898  he  sold  this  and  changed  his  residence 
to  New  Mexico,  but  not  being  pleased  with  the 
outlook  there,  soon  afterward  came  again  to 
Colorado  and   locating  at   Colorado    Springs, 
passed  a  year  and  a  half  in  freighting  between 
that  city  and  Cripple  Creek,  and  in  helping  to 
build  the  Short  Line  Railroad.     In  the  fall  of 

1899  he  moved  to  Steamboat  Springs,  Routt 
county,  and  opened  a  livery  barn  which  he  is 
still  conducting,  having  by  studious  effort  and 
commendable   enterprise   equipped   his   stables 
with  every  requirement  for  quick  and   satis- 
factory service  to  his  patrons.     In  1902  he  lo- 
cated a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
sixteen  miles  northwest  of  Steamboat  Springs, 
and  to  the  improvement  of  this  property  he  has 
since  given  a  due  share  of  his  time  and  energy. 
He  now  has  one  hundred  acres  of  the  tract, 
which  he  took  up  as  a  homestead,  under  good 
cultivation  and  yielding  large  annual  crops  of 
hay.  grain  and  hardy  vegetables.    The  ranch  is 
on  Deep  creek  and  is  well  watered.     He  has 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


97 


made  all  the  improvements  on  it  and  is  steadily 
converting  it  into  a  comfortable  home  for  his 
declining  years,  should  he  choose  to  pass  them 
there.  In  political  affairs  he  supports  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  fraternally  he  has  been 
connected  for  many  years  with  the  Masonic 
order  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  married 
on  November  2,  1869,  to  Miss  Letitia  Fort,  a 
native  of  Arkansas,  and  they  have  had  eight: 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Elias  W., 
Mrs.  Ettie  Obenchain,  Mrs.  James  Zering,  Wil- 
liam S.,  James  A.  and  Ella  G.  Mr.  Turner  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Miller)  Turner, 
natives  of  North  Carolina  who  made  Arkansas 
their  final  earthly  home.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fraternal  life.  Both 
parents  were  Methodists.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living. 

ROBERT  MEADE  VAN  DEUSEN. 

Successful  and  serviceable  in,  many  lines  of 
useful  activity,  prominent  in  business,  esteemed 
as  a  capable  public  official,  and  held  in  the 
highest  regard  as  a  citizen  of  great  public- 
spirit  and  progressiveness,  Robert  M.  Van 
Deusen,  of  Steamboat  Springs,  Routt  county, 
has  established  himself  in  the  confidence  of  the 
community  and  done  much  in  his  short  life 
there  of  nine  years  to  aid  in  the  development 
of  the  town  and  surrounding  country  and  the 
improvement  of  all  its  elements  of  growth  and 
power.  He  was  bom  in  Bay  City,  Michigan, 
on  December  2,  1867,  and  is  the  son  of 
Stewart  A.  and  Nancy  (Meade)  Van  Deusen, 
natives  of  the  state  of  New  York.  Down  to 
1893  the  father  was  prominent  as  a  miner, 
hotel-keeper  and  civil  engineer,  employed  in 
many  valuable  works  of  construction,  active  in 
improving  mining  methods  and  devices,  and 
enjoying  a  wide  and  well  deserved  reputation 
as  a  most  capable  and  popular  boniface.  In 
7 


his  professional  capacity  as  a  civil  engineer  he 
installed  the  water  works  at  Bay  City,  built  the 
greater  part  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  between  Bay  City  and  Detroit, 
and  made  the  survey  for  the  old  Texas 
&  New  Orleans  Railroad.  He  also  served 
eight  months  in  the  Civil  war.  In  1878 
he  moved  to  Colorado  and  followed  mining  in 
Park  county  until  he  was  disabled  by  an  ac- 
cident in  1893.  He  now  lives  at  Steamboat 
Springs.  His  wife  died  on  March  19,  1896. 
Of  their  three  children,  Walter  E.  died  in  1880 
and  Almyra  R.  and  Robert  M.  are  living.  The 
father  has  been  a  Democrat  from  his  youth. 
The  son,  Robert  Meade,  was  educated  in  the 
common  and  high  schools  at  Bay  City,  and  at 
a  grammer  school  in  New  York  city  and 
Buchtel  College  in  Akron,  Ohio.  He  assisted 
his  father  in  his  hotel  and  mining  business,  and 
in  addition  devoted  some  time  to  assaying.  In 
1895  he  moved  to  Routt  county  and  located  at 
Steamboat  Springs.  Here  he  has  given  atten- 
tion principally  to  janching  and  the  real  estate 
business,  acquiring  his  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  on  Elk  creek  by  purchase. 
The  tract  is  substantially  all  tillable  and  on  it 
hay  and  cattle  are  raised  with  great  success.  In 
1901  Judge  J.  T.  Shumate  appointed  him  clerk 
of  the  district  court  for  Routt  county,  and  he 
is  still  filling  the  position  with  satisfaction  to 
all  concerned.  He  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in 
politics  and  a  blue  lodge  and  chapter  Free- 
mason fraternally.  Since  1903,  in  connection 
with  his  official  duties,  he  has  devoted  his 
energies  principally  to  the  real  estate  business 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Van  Deusen  & 
Myler,  the  most  reliable  and  energetic  firm  in 
this  line  in  the  neighborhood  of  Steamboat 
Springs.  Both  members  are  prominent  and 
successful  men  in  other  lines,  and  they  have 
put  into  this  enterprise  all  the  energy  and  high 
character  for  which  they  are  distinguished  else- 
where, and  are  winning  a  success  commensur- 


98 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ate  with  their  merits,  which  are  of  a  high  order. 
On  one  occasion  Mr.  Van  Deusen  was  con- 
nected with  the  Huntoon  Land  &  Investment 
Company,  and  was  employed  by  it  to  examine 
the  mineral  springs  at  Mt.  Constance  in  the 
Olympic  mountains,  in  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton. They  made  the  trip  to  the  place  of  em- 
ployment by  a  route  from  Hood's  canal  they 
were  the  first  white  men  ever  to  take.  Mr. 
Van  Deusen  was  married  on  April  29,  1891, 
to  Miss  Olive  Slade,  a  native  of  Columbus, 
Ohio.  They  have  four  children,  Stewart  A., 
Marion,  Nancy  M.  and  Alice;  the  latter  died 
at  the  age  of  one  year. 

PATRICK  CULLEN. 

The  versatile  and  resourceful  race  of  peo- 
ple who  inhabit  the  Emerald  Isle  have  written 
their  salient  characteristics  in  every  history  of 
the  world,  in  modern  times  at  least,  where 
valor  is  appreciated,  energy  is  productive, 
poetry  is  pleasing,  and  sympathetic  feelings  en- 
list attention..  In  works  of  construction  also, 
whatever  the  burden  and  howsoever  little  the 
reward,  they  have  shown  their  worth,  all  ob- 
stacles yielding  to  their  skill  and  readiness  of 
resources,  and  all  conditions  being  made  sub- 
servient to  their  requirements.  Among  the 
conquests  in  which  they  have  borne  an  honor- 
able and  highly  serviceable  part  is  the  coloniza- 
tion and  development  of  America  from  the  time 
when  as  a  new  world  she  rose  from  her  couch 
of  long  slumber  to  greet  her  lord  in  the  period 
of  discovery,  until  now  when  her  last  frontier 
has  yielded  to  the  march  of  civilization  and  be- 
come a  portion  of  her  wide  and  generous  do- 
main which  ministers  in  countless  ways  to  the 
good  of  mankind.  Patrick  Cullen,  of  Routt 
county,  one  of  the  makers  and  builders  of  the 
Western  slope  in  this  state,  belongs  to  that  race 
and  has  exhibited  in  his  career  many  of  its 
most  valued  attributes.  He  was  born  in  Ire- 


land on  March  i,  1865,  and  remained  in  that 
country  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen, 
receiving  in  its  common  schools  the  rudiments 
of  an  education  and  sharing  in  the  destiny  of 
toil  and  slender  opportunities  which  it  made 
inevitable  to  its  people  of  his  class.  In  1882 
he  migrated  to  Scotland  and  for  four  years 
worked  on  farms  in  that  country  for  small 
wages.  Feeling  all  the  while  within  him  a 
longing  for  the  land  of  promise  across  the  sea, 
he  finally,  in  1886.  yielded  to  the  impulse  and 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  on  landing  in 
the  city  of  New  York  determined  to  remain 
there  for  a  time,  which  he  did,  always  finding 
work  because  he  was  willing  and  capable  to 
do  whatever  offered  in  which  there  was  no  dis- 
honor or  want  of  proper  remuneration.  After 
spending  some  months  in  the  great  metropolis, 
he  passed  a  year  at  Jersey  City  in  the  employ 
of  the  Erie  Railroad,  then,  in  1888,  sought  a 

o 

home  and  a  more  congenial  situation  in  the 
great  unsettled  West,  coming  to  Colorado  and 
locating  in  Routt  county.  Here  he  concluded 
to  devote  himself  to  farming  and  raising  cat- 
tle, and  to  this  end  pre-empted  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  improved 
and  afterward_  sold.  He  then  took  up  a  home- 
stead which  forms  a  part  of  the  ranch  he  no\v 
owns,  which  comprises  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  one-half  of  which  is  under  culti- 
vation in  crops  usual  in  the  neighborhood,  his 
principal  resources  being  hay  and  cattle.  He 
hesitated  not  to  go  to  the  real  frontier,  being 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  county,  and  lo- 
cating here  at  a  time  when  the  whole  country 
was  yet  in  a  state  of  almost  primeval  wilder- 
ness and  free  from  the  intrusion  of  the  all-con- 
quering white  man  and  his  lofty  ambitions. 
Wild  game  was  most  plentiful,  wild  beasts  were 
still  numerous  and  defiant,  and  the  savage  peo- 
ples of  the  waste,  who  fed  upon  nature's  un- 
restrained bounty,  were  yet  in  possession  of 
the  soil.  He  settled  six  miles  southeast  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


99 


Steamboat  Springs,  and  here  he  has  erected  a 
fine  farm,  comfortably  provided  with  good 
buildings  and  other  improvements,  and 
brought  the  reluctant  lancl  to  a  cheerful  and 
generous  obedience  to  systematic  husbandry. 
The  development  and  improvement  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  has  been  a  matter  of  grave 
and  practical  concern  with  him,  and  he  has 
labored  assiduously  in  promoting  it.  omitting 
no  share  of  the  toil  and  responsibility  that  was 
properly  his/  and  stimulating  others  to  like  in- 
dustry and  breadth  of  view  by  his  influence  and 
example.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  political  affili- 
ation and  has  ever  been  warmly  and  serviceably 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  party,  and  by 
liis  zeal  in  this  and  his  general  attention  to 
public  affairs,  he  has  become  widely  known  and 
well  acquainted  throughout  the  country,  every- 
where being  recognized  as  a  leading  man  and 
full  of  progressive  spirit.  His  parents  were 
Owen  and  Margaret  Cullen,  also  natives  of 
Ireland  and  after  the  manner  of  that  country 
prosperous  farmers.  They  are  devout  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church,  and  have  carefully 
reared,  according  to  their  opportunities,  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  John,  Dennis,  Patrick. 
Joseph.  Peter,  Frank,  Owen  and  Annie.  A 
daughter  named  Elizabeth  died  many  years 
ago.  Mr.  Cullen  has  not  been  disappointed  in 
Colorado.  The  promise  it  held  out  to  him  has 
been  fully  realized,  although  the  price  exacted 
for  the  benefits  offered  has  been  required  in  full 
measure,  and  included  plenty  of  hardship  and 
privation,  arduous  toil  and  patient  waiting.  He 
is  well  pleased  with  the  state  and  loyal  to  its 
every  interest  and  aspiration. 

SAMUEL  GAINES  ADAMS. 

While  the  lessons  of  adversity  are  not  al- 
ways salutary,  sometimes  awakening  and  in- 
tensifying humors  which  lie  near  the  surface  of 
our  being,  and  exciting"  the  uncomfortable  feel- 


ings that  spring  from  envy  and  kindred  pas- 
sions, they  are  in  the  main  beneficial  in  that 
they  strengthen  character,  multiply  resources 
and  increase  self-reliance.  When  the  burdens 
laid  upon  us  appear  heavy  beyond  our  years 
and  unjust  in  proportion  to  those  of  others,  a 
sense  of  duty  is  aroused  and  the  reserve  forces 
of  our  nature  are  called  into  action,  and  by 
their  very  exercise  they  are  built  up  and  forti- 
fied. It  was  so  in  the  case  of  the  interesting 
subject  now  under  consideration.  Called  upon 
at  the  early  age  of  eleven  to  support  himself 
and  assist  in  the  support  of  his  widowed 
mother,  he  nerved  himself  for  the  task  and  in 
the  very  effort  gained  new  power  and  greater 
self-confidence.  And  the  gain  thus  made  has 
continued  through  life  to  him,  enabling  him  to 
meet  later  trials  and  difficulties  with  greater 
fortitude  and  more  extensive  facilities.  Mr. 
Adams  was  born  at  Kingsport,  Sullivan  county, 
Tennessee,  not  far  from  the  Virginia  line,  on 
July  6,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Susan  (Crickenberger)  Adams,  natives  of  the 
Shenandoah  valley  in  Virginia.  The  father 
farmed  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1863. 
He  supported  the  Republican  party  in  politics 
and  was  generally  esteemed  a  good  and  useful 
citizen  of  his  county  and  state.  The  mother 
and  their  one  child,  Samuel  G.  Adams,  survived 
him,  'the  mother  living  until  September  12. 
1886.  The  son  grew  to  the  age  of  eleven  with 
scarcely  any  schooling,  as  he  was  obliged  to 
work  at  whatever  he  was  able  to  do  from  a 
very  early  age.  In  1873  ne  anc^  m's  mother 
moved  to  Colorado  Springs,  this  state,  and 
there  he  at  once  became  connected  with  news- 
paper work,  using  his  spare  time  in  attending 
school.  The  summers  of  1874,  1875  and  1876 
he  devoted  to  running  cattle  in  the  employ  of 
A.  V.  Hunter.  He  next  moved  into  the  moun- 
tains and,  in  partnership  with  S.  B.  Clark, 
raised  cattle  on  the  open  range,  being  successful 
at  the  business  and  making  a  gratifying  profit 

j* 


IOO 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


out  of  their  venture.  The  partnership  con- 
tinued until  the  fall  of  1878,  when  it  was  har- 
moniously dissolved.  In  March,  1879,  Mr. 
Adams,  then  nearly  seventeen,  changed  his 
residence  to  Leadville  and  his  occupation  to 
prospecting"  and  mining,  in  which  he  had  vary- 
ing success  for  two  or  three  months.  In  May 
he  moved  to  the  Tincup  country,  where  he 
mined  and  prospected  for  a  year,  then  passed 
an  equal  portion  of  time  near  Salida.  In  the 
summer  of  1881  he  became  a  news  agent  on 
the  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  and  in  time  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  conductor  on  this 
line,  remaining  with  the  road  until  1893.  "  He 
was  then  sent  to  the  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago  to  represent  the  state  of  Colorado  in 
the  department  of  natural  history,  exhibiting 
especially  tht  native  animals  and  birds  of  the 
state.  After  the  close  of  the  fair  he  returned 
to  Colorado  and  followed  mercantile  life  at 
Minturn  until  1898,  then  selling  out  his  in- 
terests there,  he  moved  to  Routt  county,  locat- 
ing at  Steamboat  Springs  in  July.  Here  he 
has  been  continuously  engaged  in  keeping  a 
hotel  and  dealing  in  coal  lands,  and  was  inter- 
ested in  the  Steamboat  Springs  Pilot,  a  publi- 
cation devoted  to  the  development  of  the  county 
by  making  known  the  value,  extent  and  char- 
acter of  its  mineral  lands,  of  which  he  makes  a 
special  study.  His  services  in  this  behalf  have 
been  so  valuable  and  so  much  appreciated  that 
he  has  the  credit  of  having  done  more  to  de- 
velop the  county  and  bring  its  hidden  wealth  to 
the  notice  of  investors  and  into  the  channels  of 
trade  than  almost  any  other  man  living  within 
its  borders.  In  politics  he  is  not  an  active  par- 
tisan, but  in  national  and  state  affairs  supports 
the  Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Brotherhood  of 
Railway  Conductors.  On  December  19,  1886, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ada  L. 
Weaver,  a  native  of  Massachusetts  reared  in 
Vermont. 


WILLIAM  W.  ADATR. 

William  W.  Adair,  of  Routt  county,  whose 
career  covers  several  lines  of  active  and  pro- 
ductive usefulness,  has  been  successful  beyond 
many  men  who  have  had  greater  opportunities 
because  his  natural  qualifications  for  business 
and  thrift  have  made  him  so.  He  is  a  native  of 
McMinn  county,  Tennessee,  born  on  Decem- 
ber 19,  1856,  and  the  brother  of  Samuel  Adair. 
of  the  same  county,  a  sketch  of  whom,  contain- 
ing the  family  history,  is  to  be  seen  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  He  received  an  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  remaining  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen,  when  he  took  up  the  work  of  mak- 
ing his  own  way  in  the  world,  learning  his 
trade  as  a  sawyer  and  working  at  it  in  his 
native  state  until  1878.  He  was  next  with  the 
Wason  Car  Works  at  Chattanooga  for  a  year, 
then  taught  school  one  term.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Colorado  and,  selecting  Routt  county  as  his 
place  of  abode  and  future  efforts,  located 
through  homestead  and  pre-emption  claims  a 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  ten 
miles  west  of  Hayden.  This  he  improved  and 
on  it  conducted  ranching  and  stock  industries 
until  1888,  when  he  sold  it  and  moved  to 
Steamboat  Springs,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising until  1901.  He  then  sold  his  busi- 
ness to  A.  and  G.  Whithers  and  purchased  the 
ranch  he  now  owns,  which  comprises  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  arable  land,  all  of  which  he  has 
under  cultivation  and  fruitful  with  good  annual 
crops  of  hay,  grain,  hardy  vegetables  and  small 
fruits ;  and  there  also  he  carries  on  a  large  and 
profitable  cattle  business,  which  is  his  main  re- 
liance from  the  ranch.  The  location  is  five 
miles  south  of  Steamboat  Springs,  and  the  land 
is  of  excellent  quality  and  well  supplied  with 
water.  Mr.  Adair  has  also  made  good  im- 
provements in  the  way  of  many  and  ornate 
buildings/ and  the  other  necessary  equipment?; 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


101 


of  ranch  work  in  the  best  style.  He  has  proven 
himself  one  of  the  progressive  and  far-seeing 
ranch  and  cattle  men  of  the  county,  and  in  the 
matter  of  public  progress  and  development  one 
of  its  most  energetic,  broad-minded  and 
patriotic  citizens.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  fraternal  life  of  his  community  as  a 
Woodman  of  the  World  and  in  political  affairs 
as  a  stanch  and  zealous  Democrat.  On  Janu- 
ary 27,  1886,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sallie  C.  Harris,  a  native  of  Monroe 
county,  Tennessee,  and  a  sister  of  John  L.  Har- 
ris, a  memoir  of  whom  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  Although  amid  scenes,  associ- 
ations, social  customs  and  methods  of  farming 
far  different  from  those  of  his  youth,  Mr. 
Adair  has  shown  ability  to  adapt  himself  thor- 
oughly to  his  present  conditions  and  surround- 
ings, demonstrating  the  great  adaptability  of 
the  American  mind,  and  the  qualities  of  gen- 
tility and  social  courtesy  of  his  own  particular 
section,  which  make  the  Southern  gentleman 
at  home  everywhere  and  win  him  popularity 
and  high  regard  from  all  classes  of  people. 

FRANK  HULL. 

Coming  to  Colorado  in  1877,  and  locating 
at  Georgetown  among  the  earliest  settlers  of 
the  neighborhood,  without  a  dollar  of  capital, 
afterward  becoming  the  third  man  to  locate  at 
Steamboat  Springs,  and  now  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  prosperous  ranch  and  cattle  men 
of  Routt  county,  Frank  Hull  shows  in  his 
career  the  wealth  of  opportunity  in  this  state 
for  thrift  and  energy,  and  justifies  the  estima- 
tion in  which  he  is  held  as  a  far-seeing,  enter- 
prising and  ready  man.  He  was  born  in  Ma- 
haska  county,  Iowa,  near  the  city  of  Oska- 
loosa,  on  July  28,  1857,  h^s  parents,  Benjamin 
F.  and  Nancy  (Shilling)  Hull,  who  were  born 
and  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  having  made  that 
portion  of  the  Mississippi  valley  their  home 


soon  after  their  marriage.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  prosperous  at  the  business,  with 
some  of  its  reverses  intersprinkled  with  his 
prosperity.  He  was  a  Republican  in  political 
allegiance  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church.  The  mother 
died  in  1865  and  the  father  in  1894.-  They  had 
.three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs. 
William  Shoeberlein  and  Frank.  The  latter  re- 
ceived a  common  and  high-school  education, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  began  to  make  his  own 
living  by  working  on  farms  near  his  home  for 
wages.  After'pursuing  this  means  of  advance- 
ment for  a  few  years  he  began  to  farm  for 
himself,  and  continued  to  do  so  in  his  native 
state  until  1874,  then  moved  to  Kansas,  where 
lie  clerked  in  a  hardware  store  in  Lyon  county 
and  completed  his  education.  In  1877  he  came 
to  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Georgetown,'  found 
employment  in  a  saw-mill  for  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Leadville, 
and  after  following  the  same  vocation  there  a 
few  months  returned  to  Georgetown,  where  he 
again  engaged  in  it  until  1882.  He  then  eon- 
ducted  a  sheep  ranch  on  the  plains  for  a  time 
and  in  the  winter  of  1883  worked  in  the  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  shops  at  Denver.  In  March, 
1884,  he  took  up  a  ranch  in  Routt  county  on 
a  pre-emption  claim,  and  after  making  some 
improvements  on  it  sold  it  to  William  W. 
Adair  in  1901.  After  that  he  located  another 
ranch,  of  which  he  has  since  sold  all  but  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  the  whole  body  of 
which  is  arable  and  under  cultivation.  Here 
he  is  peacefully  established  and  carrying  on  a 
profitable  stock  industry,  running  both  cattle 
and  horses,  and  raising  good  crops  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables.  His  location,  five  miles  south 
of  Steamboat  Springs,  is  one  of  the  best  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  is  well  supplied 
with  water  and  improved  with  good  buildings. 
He  also  owns  the  Onyx  Hotel  at  the  Springs 
and  a  number  of  promising  coal  claims.  In 


IO2 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


political  relations  he  is  a  confirmed  Socialist. 
On  July  27,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rose 
Sttttle,  a  native  of  Lyon  county,  Kansas.  They 
have  had  six  children,  of  whom  Ethel,  Victor 
and  an  infant  have  died,  and  Cora  B.,  Horace 
and  Beulah  are  living. 

JOHN  GEIL. 

Born  at  Pfalze,  on  the  banks  of  the  historic 
Rhine,  and  reared  there  to  the  age  of  eleven, 
and  now  one  of  the  well  settled  and  enterpris- 
ing ranchmen  of  Routt  county,  John  Geil  has 
wandered  far  from  the  home  of  his  childhood, 
and  in  his  wanderings  has  covered  many  miles 
of  travel  and  engaged  in  many  occupations  at 
different  places  widely  separated.  But  endowed 
with  an  energy  and  willingness  to  work  that 
is  characteristic  of  his  race,  he  has  found  in 
even*  place  something  to  do  and  has  well  and 
cheerfully  performed  his  task,  uninviting  and 
unprofitable  as  it  has  sometimes  been.  But 
though  reverses  come  in  the  life  of  an  indus- 
trious and  resourceful  man,  they  cannot  keep 
him  down,  or  very  long  or  materially  retard 
his  progress.  Mr.  Geil  first  saw  the  light  of  this 
world  on  March  24,  1831,  the  son  of  Francis 
J.  and  Katharine  B.  (Keller)  Geil,  who  were 
also  natives  of  Germany,  and  who.  when  he 
was  eleven  years  old,  left  the  picturesque  and 
progressive  but  somewhat  over-crowded 
fatherland  and  sought  a  new  home  where  their 
hopes  might  have  more  room  to  expand  and 
flourish  in  this  country,  coming  hither  in  1842 
and  settling  near  Waverly,  Ohio,  which  was 
their  final  location.  The  father  was  an  in- 
dustrious and  well-to-do  farmer  and  both  par- 
ents belonged  to  the  Catholic  church.  The 
mother  died  in  1863  an(^  the  father  in  1869. 
Of  their  five  children  John  and  Christina  are 
living,  and  of  the  three  who  are  dead  Michael 
C,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Fourth  (or  Fifth) 
Ohio  Cavalry,  was  wounded  by  a  piece  of  a 


shell  while  in  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  and  finally  died  from  the 
effects  in  1877;  one  died  in  infancy;  and  Anna 
M.  passed  away  at  a  more  advanced  age.  John 
attended  school  two  or  three  years  in  his  native 
land,  but  after  reaching  this  country  was  soon 
obliged  to  go  to  work,  and  from  that  time  until 
he  reached  his  legal  majority  had  almost  no  op- 
portunity to  pursue  his  studies  ;  and  since  he  has 
been  a  man  life  has  been  too  exacting  in  labor 
for  him  to  renew  them  except  in  the  form  of 
desultory  reading,  so  that  he  is  practically  a 
self-made  man.  In  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  1856,  he  worked  on  farms  and  at  clear- 
ing land  six  years,  then  became  a  hand  in  a 
brick  yard  and  a  clerk  in  a  store  successively. 
In  1856  he  moved  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  part- 
nership with  Thomas  Flood.  They  prospered 
in  their  enterprise  until  the  panic  of  1857  (^e" 
stroyed  their  market  and  they  were  obliged  to 
suspend  operations.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  again  became  a  brick  yard  hand 
for  a  few  months,  at  the  end  of  which  he  made 
a  trip  south  and  passed  some  time  in  Louisi- 
ana and  Mississippi  cutting  wood,  and  also 
served  as  watchman  on  a  steamboat  on  the 
Mississippi  and  Red  rivers.  In  the  spring  of 
1859  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  located  at 
St.  Joseph,  where  he  followed  brick  making 
for  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1860  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  during  the  next  two  years  was 
variously  occupied  in  this  state,  prospecting 
and  mining,  making  brick,  and  doing  other 
things  as  occasion  required  and  opportunity 
offered,  among  them  hunting  and  trapping,  and 
in  all  meeting  with  ups  and  downs.  In  the  fall 
of  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Second 
Colorado  Cavalry,  in  defense  of  the  Union,  and 
in  that  command  he.  served  to  the  end  of  the 
war,  being  discharged  at  Leaven  worth. 
Kansas,  in  October,  1865.  Returning  then  to 
Colorado,  he  mined  and  served  as  salesman  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


103 


a  store  until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  then  the  center  of  industry  in  the 
construction  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 
Here  he  engaged  in  making  adobe  for  houses 
for  the  workmen  and  new  settlers  until  winter. 
Then  going  to  the  headwaters  near  Sherman 
Summit,  he  passed  the  time  until  the  spring  of 
1869  making  ties  for  the  Union  Pacific  under 
contract.  At  the  time  last  mentioned  he  again 
came  to  Colorado,  and  from  then  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1888  he  wrought  at  making  brick  as  a 
hand  on  the  yard,  as  overseer  for  Loveland, 
who  had  the  contract  for  this  work  for  the 
Colorado  Central  Railroad,  and  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  also  cut  cord  wood  and  mined  at 
intervals.  In  the  summer  of  1888  he  located 
his  present  ranch,  becoming  thereby  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  Steamboat  Springs.  His  ranch 
comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and 
of  the  tract  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  can  be 
cultivated,  and  Mr.  Geil  has  omitted  no  effort 
required  on  his  part  to  make  the  most  of  it. 
His  principal  crop  is  hay,  which  he  raises  in 
large  quantities  of  excellent  quality.  The  im- 
provements on  the  place  have  all  been  made 
by  him  and  they  are  worthy  of  his  effort.  The 
ranch  is  six  miles  south  of  Steamboat  Springs, 
in  a  locality  well  favored  by  nature  and  mak- 
ing rapid  progress  under  the  industry  of  a  very 
enterprising  people.  In  the  politics  of  this 
country  Mr.  Geil  sides  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  in  its  fraternal  life  is  connected  with 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  married  on 
February  17,  1857,  to  Miss  Mary  Miller,  a 
native  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  She  died  in  the 
autumn  of  1857. 

CHARLES  H.  LEIGHTON. 

Inheriting  from  his  parents  a  spirit  of  ad- 
venture and  conquest,  Charles  H.  Leighton. 
now  peacefully  settled  in  Roiitt  county  on  a 


good  ranch  three  miles  southwest  of  Yampa, 
passed  the  years  of  his  early  manhood  farm- 
ing in  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Tennessee  and  Wis- 
consin, unsatisfied  until  the  wild  frontier  of 
this  state  furnished  food  for  his  appetite  for 
danger  and  the  more  strenuous  life  of  the 
border,  where  with  the  wild  before  and  around 
him,  and  the  world  at  his  back,  he  has  been 
able  to  confront  and  subdue  the  untamed  forces 
of  nature  and  build  himself  a  home  of  comfort 
and  value  out  of  the  surrenders  they  have  made. 
Mr.  Leighton  was  born  on  March  12,  1852,  in 
Cowass  county,  New  Hampshire,  and  moved 
soon  afterward  with  his  parents  to  Minnesota. 
He  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  (Gib- 
son) Leighton,  natives  of  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  early  life  and 
took  up  their  abode  in  New  Hampshire.  After 
a  residence  of  some  little  time  there,  desiring 
to  farm  on  a  larger  scale,  they  moved  to  Min- 
nesota, and  in  that  prolific  region,  where 
bounteous  harvests  of  cereals  usually  reward 
the  faith  of  the  husbandman,  they  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father  was  a 
blacksmith  and  wrought  at  his  trade  in  connec- 
tion with  his  farming  operations.  His  wife 
died  in  Minnesota  in  1862  and  he  in  South 
Dakota  in  1903.  Four  of  their  children  sur- 
vive them,  Charles  H.,  Arthur,  Alexander  and 
Jane,  wife  of  James  Warington.  Charles 
passed  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life  with  his 
parents,  and  since  then  he  has  shifted  for  him- 
self and  made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  What 
scholastic  training  he  had  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools.  In  1867,  when  he  was  but 
fifteen  years  old,  he  leased  a  farm  in  Minne- 
sota, where  he  remained  until  1870,  then  moved 
to  the  vicinity  of  Spencer,  Clay  .county,  Iowa, 
where  he  spent  two  years  in  farm  work.  In 
1872  he  changed  his  residence  to  Wisconsin, 
but  still  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit,  and  after- 
wards followed  it  in  Tennessee.  He  retained 
his  Iowa  farm  until  1893,  but  in  1889  he  came 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


to  Colorado  and  took  up  by  pre-emption  a  por- 
tion of  his  present  ranch  in  Yampa  valley. 
This  now  comprises  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  acres,  three  hundred  of  which  are  tillable 
and  in  a  state  of  advanced  cultivation.  Here 
•his  main  resource  has  been  hay-growing  and 
the  cattle  and  horse  industry,  but  he  also  raises 
some  grain  and  the  vegetables  suited  to  the 
region.  What  the  ranch  is  at  this  time  it  has 
been  made  by  his  own  industry  and  skill,  for  it 
was  all  in  wild  sage  when  he  located  on  it  and 
without  improvements  of  any  kind.  It  is  favor- 
ably located  and  well  supplied  with  water,  and 
under  his  vigorous  management  is  steadily  in- 
creasing in  fruitfulness  and  value.  Tn  politics 
Mr.  Leighton  is  a  Democrat,  but  while  loyal 
to  his  party  and  always  eager  for  its  success, 
he  is  not  himself  an  active  party  worker. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  On  October  12,  1875,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Ellen  J.  Gould,  a  native  of  Ed- 
wards county,  Illinois.  They  have  had  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Walter 
Laughlin,  Ellen  Jane  and  Charles  Robert. 

THOMAS  P.  LINDSAY. 

Thomas  P.  Lindsay,  one  of  the  progressive 
and  far-seeing  ranch  and  cattle  men  of  Routt 
county,  whose  well  cultivated  and  highly  im- 
proved ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is 
located  four  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of 
Yampa,  and  who  has  been  connected  with  other 
enterprises  of  value  in  that  section,  was  born  at 
Louisiana,  Missouri,  on  December  24,  1861, 
•and  received  a  common-school  education.  From 
the  age  of  twelve  he  made  his  home  with  his 
grandmother  Booth,  of  Buffalo,  Missouri,  re- 
maining a  member  of  her  household  until  1880. 
and  during  that  time  was  an  active  assistant  en 
her  farm.  In  1880  he  went  to  New  Mexico 
and  secured  employment  as  water  carrier  for 
the  workmen  who  were  building  the  Rio 


Grande  Railroad,  and  after  its  completion  as 
a  brakeman  in  its  service.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  joined  a  United  States  surveying  party, 
with  which  he  remained  nearly  a  year,  then 
came  to  this  state  and  took  up  his  residence  at 
Leadville.  Here  he  followed  various  occupa- 
tions, among  them  freighting  on  the  Blue  river 
and  working  in  the  Harris  Reduction  Furnace, 
until  1883,  when  he  moved  to  South  Park, 
where  for  six  years  he  burned  charcoal  for 
wages.  In  the  year  last  named  he  located  a 
ranch  on  which  he  made  his  home  and  engaged 
in  ranching  and  raising  stock  two  years,  then 
in  1891,  returning  to  New  Mexico,  he  engaged 
in  burning  charcoal  for  his  former  employer 
two  years.  On  May  15,  1893,  he  purchased  his 
present  ranch,  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of 
which  are  tillable,  and  on  which  he  is  busily 
occupied  in  farming  and  raising  cattle  with 
good  returns  for  his  outlay  of  labor  and  'care. 
He  holds  an  interest  in  the  H.  J.  Hemage  Mer- 
cantile Company,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest 
as  he  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  promoters 
of  improvement  in  his  part  of  the  county,  build- 
ing the  first  hotel  at  Yampa,  the  one  now 
known  as  the  Antlers,  which  he  kept  with  suc- 
cess to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  its  patrons 
from  1899  to  1901.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest 
and  active  Democrat,  and  fraternally  a  Wood- 
man of  the  World,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Free- 
mason and  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  East- 
ern Star.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  county's 
best  and  most  progressive  citizens  and  is  widely 
popular  among  its  people.  His  parents, 
Thomas  P.  and  Lucinda  Lindsay,  were  natives 
of  Missouri  and  farmed  in  that  state  until 
death,  that  of  the  mother  occurring  in  1888, 
and  the  father  in  1892.  Eight  of  their  children 
are  living,  Thomas  P.,  John  W.,  Mrs.  Jacob 
Fry,  Mrs.  George  Fry,  Lemuel,  Ira,  Mrs.  L. 
Bird  and  Ovie  B.  Mr.  Lindsay  was  married 
May  7,  1886,  in  Denver,  Colorado.  Carefully 
reared  in  a  peaceful  household,  and  early  taught 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


105 


the  importance  of  faithful  performance  of  duty, 
Mr.  Lindsay  has  followed  the  precepts  of  his 
home  life,  and  wherever  he  has  lived  has  won 
commendation  and  esteem  by  his  fidelity  and 
capacity,  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  country  and  his  wise  attention  to  all 
the  claims  of  a  true  and  elevated  citizenship. 

JOHN  FREDERICK  CLARK. 

Although  the  son  of  American  parents, 
John  Frederick  Clark,  of  Routt  county,  living 
on  a  well  improved  and  productive  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  twelve  miles 
west  of  Yampa,  was  born  in  Munich  or  Mun- 
chen,  Germany,  on  August  16,  1860,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  E.  and  Caroline  C.  (Doty)  Clark, 
the  former  a  native  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Michi- 
gan, and  the  latter  of  Rochester,  New  York. 
They  dwelt  for  years  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan, 
and  when  the  Civil  war  began  the  father  raised 
a  company  in  the  Fifth  Michigan  Cavalry,  and 
from  then  to  the  close  of  the  war,  except  a 
period  of  nine  months  during  which  he  was 
confined  in  Libby  prison,  he  was  in  active 
service  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He  was  pro- 
moted rapidly  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was 
a  colonel  of  cavalry.  After  the  return  of 
peace  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Ann  Arbor, 
and  took  a  government  contract  for  surveying 
the  Sioux  country,  in  Dakota,  and  then  became 
a  professor  of  mathematics  for  a  number  of 
years  in  Ann  Arbor.  He  then  was  employed 
in  the  same  capacity  at. Yale  University,  in  the 
Sheffield  School,  for  thirty  years.  He  is  now 
living  retired  on  Long  Meadow,  near  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  but  his  public  spirit  and 
ardent  interest  in  all  public  affairs  make  him 
still  a  useful  citizen,  active  in  all  undertakings 
for  the  general  welfare.  Of  his  five  children 
four  are  living,  John  F.,  William,  Mrs.  Helen 
Miles  and  Alice.  The  first  named  received  only 
a  common-school  education,  and  at  the  age  of 


fourteen  shipped  as  a  cabin  boy  on  a  merchant 
vessel.  He  was  so  employed  for  more  than  a 
year,  and  in  1876,  when  he  was  but  sixteen,  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Pueblo.  From 
there  as  a  base  of  operations,  he  passed  four 
years  as  a  range  rider  for  P.  T.  Barnum  and 
D.  W.  Sherwood,  who  were  at  the  head  of  the 
Colorado  Cattle  Company.  In  1880  he  became 
associated  with  Prior  Brothers,  who  had  large 
cattle  interests  in  southern  Colorado  and 
northern  Texas,  serving  them  faithfully  until 
1886  in  driving  cattle  between  their  several 
ranches  and  ranges.  During  all  this  service  in 
both  companies  his  hardships  and  dangers  were 
many,  but  nothing  daunted  him  and  the  very 
hazard  of  his  occupation  gave  it  an  added  zest 
in  his  enjoyment.  In  1886  he.  took  up  a  part 
of  his  present  ranch  as  a  desert  claim,  and  he 
has  since  added  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
by  purchase,  making  the  ranch  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  all.  It  was  covered  with 
wild  sage  when  he  took  possession  of  it,  and 
from  that  unbroken  condition  he  has  trans- 
formed it  'into  its  present  state  of  high  culti- 
vation and  productiveness  and  enriched  it  with 
all  the  improvements  required  for  his  industry. 
His  energy  and  diligence  here  have  been  wisely 
applied  and  fruitful  of  the  best  results.  He 
has  a  fine  ranch  and  a  profitable  business  on  it, 
raising  immense  crops  of  hay  and  numbers  of 
first  class  cattle  and  other  stock.  In  political 
relations  he  adheres  to  the  Republican  party 
with  fidelity  and  ardor,  and  in  the  campaigns 
of  that  organization  he  is  always  an  earnest 
and  active  worker.  On  April  22,  1883,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Georgia  D.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Georgia.  They  have  had  ten  children,  one  of 
whom,  a  son  named  John  F.,  died  on  October 
5,  1885.  Those  living  are  Emory  E.,  Alice. 
Helen,  Louisa  A.,  Clay  A.%  James  E.,  Thomas 
S.,  Caroline  and  Frank  R.  Through  toil  and 
trial,  Mr.  Clark  has  steadily  made  his  way, 
losing  no  foothold  he  once  gained,  and  moving 


io6 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


slowly  at  times  but  continuously  forward 
toward  the  goal  of  his  desires  in  the  state  of 
prosperity  and  consequence  he  now  enjoys. 

WILLIAM  GUY  JONES. 

By  continued  effort  and  application,  by 
close  attention  to  whatever  he  had  in  hand,  by 
diligent  lookout  for  opportunities  of  advance- 
ment and  vigilant  enterprise  in  the  use  of  them, 
William  Guy  Jones,  of  near  Sidney,  Routt 
county,  where  he  is  a  leading  and  progressive 
ranch  and  cattle  man,  has  achieved  his  success 
in  life  and  made  his  way  to  the  substantial  com- 
fort and  public  consequence  he  enjoys.  He  is 
a  native  of  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York, 
born  on  December  31,  1835,  and  the  son  of 
Harry  and  Nancy  Jones,  the  former  a  native  of 
the  state  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Canada. 
The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
After  a  residence  of  many  years  in  New  York 
the  parents  moved  to  Canada  where  they  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  dying  there  at  ad- 
vanced ages.  The  father  was  a  machinist  and 
steamboat  builder  and  was  very  successful  and 
widely  known  for  his  skill.  In  dominion  poli- 
tics he  belonged  to  the  Liberal  party,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  were  devout  and  prominent 
Methodists.  William  Guy  Jones  is  their  only 
surviving  child  and  has  inherited  all  the  strong 
and  commendable  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
that  distinguished  his  parents.  Entering  on 
the  stage  of  independent  action  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  he  has  ever  since  been  self  support- 
ing and  has  always  gloried  in  the  fact  that  he 
owed  nothing  to  fortune's  favors  or  adventi- 
tious circumstances.  Receiving  a  limited  educa- 
tion at  the  common  schools,  he  began  at  an 
early  age  to  acquire  mechanical  skill  as  a  ma- 
chinist, carpenter  aqd  blacksmith.  Then,  when 
he  was  twenty-one,  leaving  home,  he  turned  his 
attention  away  from  all  of  these  and  engaged 
in  business  as  a  butcher  in  partnership  with  a 


man  named  Fischer,  the  firm  being  Jones  & 
Fischer.  The  partnership  lasted  until  1860. 
when  a  harmonious  dissolution  took  place  and 
Mr.  Jones  associated  himself  with  A.  S.  Wood 
£  Company,  who  had  extensive  oil  interests  in 
Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  acquired  one-third. 
The  business  of  the  firm  in  the  unctuous  fluid, 
which  often  made  millionaires  over  night,  was 
large  and  profitable  until  all  their  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  the  disaster  cleaning  Mr.  Jones 
out  of  everything.  Meeting  this  condition  with 
resolute  fortitude,  he  accepted  employment  in 
a  butcher  shop  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
a  month,  and  after  a  faithful  service  of  six 
months  in  this  engagement  he  opened  a  grocery 
of  his  own  at  Tidioute,  a  beautiful  little  town 
on  the  Allegheny  river  which  was  once  an 
active  oil  mart.  He  carried  on  the  grocery 
with  success  for  a  time,  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  oil  trade  again  and  acquired  new 
interests  of  value  which  after  three  months  he 
sold  to  a  company  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  capi- 
talists. From  the  oil  trade  he  turned  to  build- 
ing a  steamboat  for  Scribner  &  Company  to 
use  on  the  Des  Moines  river.  His  next  move 
was  to  Boone,  Iowa,  where  he  clerked  in  a  store 
for  a  time,  then  came  to  Denver,  this  state,  be- 
fore it  had  a  railroad.  Here  he  clerked  until 
1868,  when  he  bought  a  store  for  himself  in 
the  city  and  during  the  next  two  years  he  con- 
ducted this.  In  1870  he  sold  his  mercantile  in- 
terests and  moved  to  Rocky  Ford,  this  state, 
where  he  pre-empted  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  on  which  he  lived  and  worked  until 
1873.  In  that  year  he  sold  the  ranch  and 
moved  to  Del  Norte,  and  at  that  picturesque 
and  flourishing  little  town  he  carried  on  a 
profitable  flour  and  feed  business  for  three 
months.  Closing  this  out  at  the  end  of  that 
period,  he  took  a  train  of  twelve  ox  teams  and 
wagons  to  the  San  Miguel  county,  the  first  to 
enter  that  region.  At  San  Miguel  he  opened 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


107 


a  store  and  kept  the  postoffice  and  from  that 
place  as  headquarters  ran  three  trains  of  burros 
as  pack  animals  to  various  other  points.  He 
found  this  business  very  profitable  and  con- 
tinued it  three  years,  then  in  1879  sold  it  and 
returned  to  Denver.  Here  he  remained  a  short 
time,  then  moved  to  Buena  Vista.  Mr.  Jones 
was  one  of  the  first  men  to  follow  mining  in- 
dependently in  that  section,  and  he  was  very 
successful  in  his  undertakings  until  he  quit  the 
industry  in  1891  and  located  a  portion  of  his 
present  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  by  a  homestead  claim.  He  has  three  hun- 
dred acres  under  cultivation  in  hay,  grain, 
vegetables  and  small  fruits,  and  raises  cattle  on 
an  extensive  basis,  and  fine  horses  for  market 
in  considerable  numbers.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  also  owned  and  managed  the  stage 
station  between  Yampa  and  Steamboat  Springs. 
His  ranch  is  twelve  miles  south  of  Steamboat 
Springs  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
valley.  Tt  is  well  watered  by  independent 
ditches  and  cultivated  with  all  the  vigor  and 
skill  of  which  Mr.  Jones,  who  is  one  of  the  best 
farmers  .in  his  neighborhood,  is  capable.  Mr. 
Jones  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in  political  faith, 
and  a  prominent  and  widely  esteemed  citizen. 
He  was  married  on  December  14,  1870,  to  Miss 
Phebe  A.  Basford.  They  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  have  died,  Harry  and  Flor- 
ence. Those  living  are  Edward  D.,  Guy  W., 
Cora  E.,  Ida  B.  and  Neva  C.  All  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  are  affiliated  with  the 
Methodist  church. 

EDWIN  H.  McFARLAND. 

Edwin  H.  McFarland,  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers and  now  one  of  the  leading  ranchmen  in 
'the  neighborhood  of  Yampa,  Routt  county,  was 
born  near  Darlington,  Fayette  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, on  January  24,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  A.  (McKee)  McFarland,  na- 


tives of  Kentucky,  whose  final  earthly  home 
was  in  Iowa,  whither  they  moved  in  1864.  The 
father  was  a  successful  merchant  and  farmer, 
a  zealous  Democrat  in  politics  and  an  active 
Odd  Fellow  in  fraternal  life.  They  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  two,  Emma  and  Jennie,  died, 
and  Robert  A.,  Samuel  B.,  William  P.,  Ed\vin 
H.,  John  B.,  Charles  N.  and  Mrs.  David  Bart- 
lett  are  living.  The  parents  were  Methodists. 
The  mother  died  in  1890  and  the  father  in  1902. 
Edwin  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his  par- 
ents until  he  reached  his  legal  majority,  then 
in  1878  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer 
and  stock-grower.  He  had  received  a  limited 
common  school  education,  but  was  further  pre- 
pared for  the  battle  of  life  by  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  farming  acquired  on  his  father's 
farm  and  under  the  instruction  of  that  esti- 
mable and  progressive  man.  His  farming 
operations  in  1878  and  1879  were  not  profit- 
able owing  to  the  prevalence  of  hog  cholera, 
which  destroyed  his  stock,  and  the  ravages  of 
the  chinch  bug,  which  destroyed  his  crops.  In 
1880  he  moved  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Breckenridge.  where  he  devoted  his  energies 
to  prospecting  and  mining  with  but  little  capital 
but  fair  success.  This  he  continued  until  1883, 
when  he  moved  to  his  present  location  in  com- 
pany with  nine  other  colonists.  These  men 
were  all  good  friends,  and  determined  to  de- 
cide a  friendly  rivalry  for  the  choice  of  ranch 
lands  by  a  game  of  cards.  Mr.  McFarland's 
location  thus  secured  was  one  of  the  best.  He 
has  added  to  his  original  entry  until  he  now 
owns,  together  with  his  wife,  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  tillable  land,  with  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  water,  his  being  the  second  right 
on  the  creek,  and  is  also  the  sole  owner  of  the 
Roberta  reservoir.  Here  he  carries  on  an  ex- 
tensive ranching  and  cattle  industry,  hay  and 
cattle  being  his  staples,  and  grain  and  vege- 
tables being  produced  in  abundance.  His  im- 
provements are  good,  his  land  is  well  cultivated. 


io8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


his  cattle  industry  is  vigorously  managed  and 
every  element  of  profit  in  his  work  is  made 
serviceable.  The  ranch  is  ten  miles  south  of 
Yampa,  and  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
most  desirable  in  that  neighborhood.  Mr.  Mc- 
Farland  is  essentially  a  self-made  man  and  his 
standing  and  prosperity  are  the  results  of  his 
own  native  force  and  industry.  He  is  popular 
throughout  the  county,  always  winning  and 
holding  friends  by  his  sterling  worth  and  pleas- 
ant manner,  and  receiving  general  com- 
mendation for  his  progressiveness  and  enlight- 
ened public  spirit.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Odd 
Fellows,  and  in  political  relations  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  On  October  28,  1902,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Alice  Wilson, 
a  native  of  Oak  county,  Missouri,  at  the  time 
a  widow  with  two  children,  James  and  Roberta 
Wilson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  have  two 
children,  their  son  Don  C.  having  been  an  early 
settler  in  this  region,  and  Fanny  A.  Mr.  Mc- 
Farland has  always  been  earnestly  devoted  to 
its  best  interests  and  has  given  freely  of  his 
time  and  energy  to  promote  them,  actively  en- 
gaging in  all  commendable  undertakings  for 
the  development  and  advancement  of  the  sec- 
tion, and  aiding  ever  in  arousing  public  senti- 
ment in  this  behalf. 

JOHN  FRANK  SQUIRE. 

Not  until  recently  did  the  United  States 
do  anything  in  the  way  of  colonizing  in  for- 
eign lands,  and  the  work  done  by  our  govern- 
ment in  this  line  in  the  last  few  years  came  to 
it  as  the  fortune  of  war.  Our  policy  until  it 
became  necessary  to  vindicate  our  national 
honor,  avenge  our  martyred  dead  of  the  bat- 
tleship "Maine,"  and  redeem  Cuba  and  the 
Philippines  from  the  tyranny  of  Spain,  was  to 
develop  the  wide  domain  and  boundless  wealth 
of  our  land  by  offering  inducements  to  all  the 


world  to  come  and  live  among  us,  through 
liberal  homestead  and  naturalization  laws,  be- 
fore which  all  should  be  equal,  and  enjoy  free- 
dom from  governmental  oppression  of  every 
form.  And  in  consequence  of  this  policy  we 
have  seen  the  steady  progress  of  civilization 
westward  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  over  the 
Alleghanies,  through  the  rich  alluvial  sloping 
in  either  direction  from  the  Father  of  Waters, 
across  the  stupendous  Rocky  mountains  and  on 
to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  until  we  have  well 
nigh  realized  that  three-quarters  of  a  century 
ago  was  hopefully  prophesied  for  our  far  fu- 
ture :  "As  the  sun  rises,  on  a  Sabbath  morning, 
the  anthem  of  praise  will  begin  with  the  hosts 
on  the  coast  of 'the  Atlantic,  be  taken  up  by  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  in  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  continued  by  the  thousands 
of  thousands  on  the  Pacific  slope."  Nature 
gave  us  a  boundless  empire,  and  our  hospitality 
and  opportunity  for  all  mankind  has  magnifi- 
cently developed  it.  In  the  march  of  progress 
the  subject  of  this  review  has  been  one  of  the 
valiant  soldiers  of  the  mighty  army,  and  in  the 
contest  with  nature  he  has  borne  his  part  as 
such.  His  life  began  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on 
January  18,  1853,  anc^  ne  ^s  the  son  °f  Jonn 
and  Mary  J.  (Cassell)  Squire,  the  former  a 
native  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  the  latter 
of  Missouri.  The  father  was  a  wholesale 
merchant  of  bar  iron  and  did  well  in  the  trade. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  city  of  his 
merchandising  and  highly  respected  by  its  peo- 
ple. His  political  affiliation  was  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  he  seldom  took  an  active 
part  in  partisan  contests.  He  died  in  1862  and 
his  wife  in  1875.  Their  son  John  F.  is  their 
only  surviving  child.  He  obtained  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois, 
and  at  the  Episcopal  College  of  Palmyra,  Mis^ 
souri.  After  completing  his  course  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  drug  trade  and  learned  the 
business  from  its  foundation  bv  close  attention 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


109 


to  its  every  phase  and  detail,  following  it  five 
years  in  his  native  city.  In  August,  1876,  he 
came  to  Colorado  without  capital,  and  locating 
at  Golden,  served  one  year  as  ticket  agent  in  the 
office  of  the  Colorado  Central  Railroad.  The 
next  three  years  he  passed  as  deputy  county 
clerk  there,  two  years  as  an  appointee  of  a 
Democratic  clerk,  although  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. In  1 88 1  the  excitement  over  the  rich  dis- 
coveries of  gold  at  the  Mountain  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  in  Gold  Park,  led  him  thither,  and  for 
a  year  he  was  bookkeeper  for  the  transportation 
company  at  that  place.  In  1882  he  moved  to 
Redcliff,  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  he  was  elected 
the  first  county  clerk  and  recorder  of  Eagle 
county  as  the  candidate  of  the  Republican 
party.  At  the  end  of  his  tenure  of  this  office, 
which  lasted  six  years,  he  engaged  in  mining 
on  Battle  mountain,  working  for  others  and 
leasing  properties  for  himself,  and  also  served 
as  manager  of  the  Ben  Butler  mines  owned  by 
F.  A.  Reynolds  near  Canyon  City.  In  March, 
1890,  he  closed  out  his  interests  in  Eagle 
county  and  went  prospecting  in  British  Colum- 
bia, but  without  success.  Returning  to  this 
country,  he  put  in  one  year  as  assistant  pay- 
master for  the  Anaconda  Mining  Company,  at 
Butte,  Montana,  then  nearly  two  as  bookkeeper 
for  Doll  Brothers  in  the  Gypsum  valley,  Colo- 
rado. In  1902  he  was  appointed  deputy  treas- 
urer of  Fremont  county,  this  state,  and  served 
two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  became 
register  of  the  United  States  land  office  at 
Glen  wood  Springs,  and  this  office  he  is  still 
holding.  In  his  wanderings  through  the 
Rocky  mountain  region  and  Canada  he  suf- 
fered many  hardships  and  reverses,  but  on  the 
whole  his  success  has  been  very  good,  and  he 
»  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  section. 
His  interest  in  the  numerous  fraternal  orders 
is  shown  by  his  active  and  zealous  membership 
in  two  of  the  most  prominent  of  them,  the 
order  of  Elks  and  that  of  Freemasonrv,  in  the 


latter  of  which  he  is  of  the  Royal  Arch  degree. 
On  December  6,  1876,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emily  W.  Scanland,  a  native  of 
Pittsfield,  Illinois,  who  died  in  1903,  leaving 
one  child,  James  F.  Mr.  Squire  is  a  man  of 
high  character,  great  energy  and  ususual 
ability.  In  all  the  relations  of  public  and 
private  life  he  has  exemplified  the  commanding 
attributes  of  the  best  American  citizenship,  and 
is  well  worthy  of  the  elevated  place  he  occupies 
in  public  estimation. 

HUBBARD  WARNER  GOODRICH. 

This  leading  merchant  of  Eagle,  whose 
business  capacity  and  enterprise  have  made  him 
successful,  and  whose  sterling  manhood  and 
elevated  citizenship  have  made  him  universally 
respected,  was  born  far  from  the  scenes  of  his 
present  activity,  and  reared  to  the  age  of  seven- 
teen amid  conditions  far  different  from  those 
which  now  surround  him.  But  taught  by  an 
exacting  and  exigent  experience  to  adapt  him- 
self to  circumstances  as  he  found  them,  and 
having,  moreover,  great  native  force  of  char- 
acter and  business  acumen  of  a  high  order,  he 
has  felt  at  home  in  all  the  trying  situations  of 
a  varied  career,  and  made  the  most  of  his  op- 
portunities on  every  heath  where  he  has  pitched 
his  tent.  His  life  began  at  Pittsford,  Rut- 
land county,  Vermont,  on  February  17,  1845, 
and  he  received  a  good  business  education.  His 
parents,  David  and  Sally  E.  (Keller)  Good- 
rich, were  born  in  Vermont  and  moved  to  the 
state  of  New  York  in  1850,  where  they  died, 
the  father  on  March  19,  1865,  and  the  mother 
in  Maine  in  1882.  After  leaving  school,  and 
just  when  "manhood  was  darkening  on  his 
downy  cheek/'  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, stirred  by  the  armed  resistance  to  the 
Union  on  the  part  of  the  southern  states,  and 
obeying  one  of  the  early  calls  for  volunteers  to 
defend  it,  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and 


no 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Eighteenth  New  York  Infantry  as  a  private 
soldier.  He  served  until  June  13,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  at  Richmond,  Virginia, 
with  the  rank  of  sergeant,  to  which  he  had  risen 
by  meritorious  conduct  on  many  a  gory  field. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and 
worked  at  it  until  1869,  when  he  started  to 
keep  good  hotels  in  Vermont  during  the  sum- 
mer and  in  southern  Florida  during  the  win- 
ter, continuing  this  line  of  occupation  ten  years. 
In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Park  county.  There  he  turned  his  attention  to 
prospecting,  the  almost  universal  occupation  of 
the  region,  and,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Gilpin 
and  W.  K.  Goodrich,  discovered  the  Mollie 
mine,  which,  after  they  sold  it,  proved  to  be 
a  good  producer.  In  1881  he  moved  to  Eagle 
county  and,  locating  at  Eagle,  began  working 
at  his  trade,  building  many  of  the  best  dwel- 
lings and  business  houses  in  the  place  during 
the  six  years  he  devoted  to  the  trade  there. 
Tn  1887  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Red- 
cliff,  Eagle  county,  and  he  held  the  office  until 
1892.  In  1886  he  was  elected  county  commis- 
sioner and  served  three  years  and  in  1894  he 
was  appointed  county  commissioner  to  fill  a 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  William  Not- 
tingham, and  this  important  office  he  filled  for 
one  year  with  satisfaction  and  advantage  to 
the  people.  But  prior  to  his  appointment,  that 
is,  in  1895,  he  opened  a  merchandising  estab- 
lishment at  Redcliff  which  he  conducted  until 
1898.  In  that  year  he  sold  the  business  and 
assumed  the  management  of  the  mercantile  in- 
terests of  the  Tierney  Merchandise  Company  at 
Basalt,  the  proprietor  being  the  founder  of  the 
business  there.  A  year  later  he  returned  to 
Redcliff  and  again  started  a  store  which  he 
kept  on  his  own  account  until  he  consolidated 
with  the  Ten-Mile  Mercantile  Company,  the 
name  being  changed  to  the  Redcliff  &  Oilman 
Mercantile  Company,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected until  1901,  when  he  sold  his  interest  in 


the  concern.  In  1902  he  was  the  candidate  of 
the  Republican  party  for  county  treasurer,  but 
was  defeated  at  the  election  owing  tO'  the  large 
adverse  majority  in  the  county,  which,  how- 
ever, his  personal  popularity  greatly  reduced. 
He  then  moved  to  Eagle  and  started  the  busi- 
ness he  is  now  conducting,  a  general  wholesale 
and  retail  trade  in  hardware,  meats,  groceries 
and  dry  goods.  In  this  he  has  been  eminently 
successful  and  has  become  the  leading  merchant 
of  the  county.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican and  fraternally  a  devoted  Freemason. 
On  June  3,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Rosella  A.  Rugg,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
who  died  on  December  9,  1895.  Mr.  Goodrich 
was  married  October  19,  1904,  at  Eagle,  to 
Mrs.  Frances  B.  (Bridge)  Richter,  a  native 
of  Carroll  county,  Indiana.  Mr.  Goodrich  has 
one  brother.  Willis  K.  Goodrich,  who  is  now 
living  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts.  There 
were  eight  children  in  his  father's  family,  of 
whom  two  sacrificed  their  lives  to  the  Union 
cause  during  the  Civil  war,  and  another  who 
served  in  that  conflict  has  since  died.  There 
are  three  sisters  living,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Green,  of 
Essex  Junction,  Vermont;  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Wood,  of  Middle  Grove.  New  York,  and  Mrs. 
E.  A.  Goodwin,  of  Garland,  Maine.  Their 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  an  ardent 
and  active  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  promi- 
nent and  highly  respected  citizen. 

ULIN  BROTHERS. 

These  three  enterprising  and  prosperous 
ranchmen  and  cattle-growers  and  excellent 
citizens,  Gustavus,  August  and  Charles  Ulin, 
are  natives  of  Sweden,  the  first  born  on  April 
1 6,  1863,  the  second  on  August  10,  1865,  and 
the  third  on  October  2,  1867,  and  son  of  Nels 
and  Mary  (Magnisdotter)  Ulin,  also  natives 
of  Sweden,  where  the  father  died  on  August 
5,  1890,  and  the  mother  and  the  rest  of  the 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in 


family  are  still  living.     The  father  was  during 
his  manhood  foreman  in  extensive  iron  mines 
and  prospered  in  his  occupation  by  steady  in- 
dustry and  attention  to  duty.     He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  to  which  also  his 
widow  belongs.     Seven  of  the  children  born 
to  them  are  living,  Nels,  Victor,  Ole,  Louise, 
and  the  three  who  are  the  subjects  of  this  ar- 
ticle.    These  three  sons  were  all  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  their  native  land  ex- 
cept Charles,  who  had  also  a  course  in  the  high 
school.     They  worked  in  the  interest  of  their 
parents  until  they  became  men,  and  then  sever- 
ally came  to  the  United  States,  Gustavus  ar- 
riving in  Colorado  in   1885.  Charles  in   1888, 
and  August  in  1890.     Gustavus  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  Gypsum  valley.   He  came 
to  this  country  on  borrowed  capital,  and  after 
his  arrival  worked  on  ranches  for  wages,  sav- 
ing his  money  until  he  paid  off  the  loan  and  had 
enough  to  buy  a  ranch,  which  he  did  in  1890 
He  improved  this  ranch  and  lived  on  it  until 
1901.  then  sold  it.     It  is  located  one  mile  east 
of  Gypsum  in  a  fertile  and  well-favored  region, 
and  he  turned  it  over  to  its  purchaser  in  good 
condition  as  to  tillage  and  with  good  buildings 
and  other  necessary  improvements  sufficient  for 
present    purposes.     The    three    brothers    then 
together  bought  the  ranch  which  they  now  oc- 
cupy and  on  which  they  have  since  expended 
their  energies  to  such  good  purpose  that  it  is 
one  of  the  best  of  its  size,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  in  Eagle  county.     Cattle  are  raised 
on  it  extensively,  and  good  crops  of  hay  and 
grain  are  produced.     Nearly  the  whole  acreage 
is  under  cultivation,  the  dwelling,  barn,  sheds 
and  corrals,   with   fences  and  other  improve- 
ments, are  such  in  number,  extent  and  quality 
as  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  situation 
and  to  indicate  the  native  thrift,  taste  and  en- 
terprise of  its  occupants.     The  water  supply  is 
from  independent  ditches  and  furnishes  enough 
for  the  needs  of  the  place  at  present,  and  there 


is  a  means  and  source  of  increasing  it  as  oc- 
casion may  demand.  The  brothers  do  the 
greater  part  of  their  work,  and  find  in  the  new 
home  which  they  have  built  up  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  western  world  congenial  and  profit- 
able employment,  opportunity  for  advancement, 
freedom  from  restraint  in  thought,  speech  and 
action,  and  beneficial  civil  institutions,  that 
have  fully  justified  the  expectations  and  hopes 
which  brought  them  hither.  They  have  been 
warmly  welcomed  in  the  region  as  aids  in  de- 
velopment, and  have  so  conducted  their  busi- 
ness and  their  private  lives  as  to  win  the  com- 
mendation of  their  neighbors  and  fellow  citi- 
zens generally,  and  add  substantially  to  the 
civic,  industrial  and  social  forces  of  the  county 
in  which  they  have  cast  their  lot.  They  are 
all  Republicans  in  political  affairs,  and  Gus- 
tavus and  August  are  Odd  Fellows  fraternally. 
When  such  emigrants  as  these  smite  the  rock 
in  our  wilderness,  it  is  no  wonder  that  streams 
of  living  water  gush  forth  in  refreshing 
abundance: — when  such  as  they  command  it,  the 
opposing  forces  of  nature  are  bound  to  yield  a 
prompt  and  generous  obedience. 

YOMAS  LINDGREN. 

From  the  land  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and 
Charles  XII,  of  Swedenborg  and  Ericsson,  ice- 
bound but  progressive  and  enlightened  Sweden, 
have  come  to  this  country  and  assisted  in  its 
progress  and  development  in  many  leading 
ways  a  host  of  able  and  broad-minded  men, 
with  brain  to  conceive  and  brawn  to  execute 
great  schemes  of  improvement,  or  carry  for- 
ward in  steady  though  unostentatious  advance- 
ment the  great  work  of  agricultural  and  in- 
dustrial production  already  in  motion,  and 
among  the  latter  class  few  if  any  are  entitled 
to  more  credit  than  the  subject  of  this  brief 
article,  who  was  born  on  September  18,  1854, 
the  son  of  Sockrey  E.  and  Anna  Hilda  (Sul- 


1  12 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


livan)  Lindgren,  also  natives  of  Sweden,  and 
life-long  residents  of  that  country,  where  they 
were  well-to-do  farmers  and  devout  members 
of  the  Lutheran    church.     The    mother    died 
about  1860,  and  the  father  about  1875.     They 
lived  in  useful  service  to  their  community  and 
died  universally  respected.     Four  of  their  chil- 
dren are  living,  Yomas,  Charles  P.,  Adolph  and 
Schroegern.     The  first  named  obtained  a  com- 
mon-school   education    and    worked    on    his 
father's  farm  until  he  was  fifteen,  then  went 
into  the  employment  of  the  railroads  and  the 
mining  interests,  remaining  in  his  native  land 
until  1877,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  in  the  mining  regions  in  Michigan. 
There  he  passed  two  years  working  in  the  iron 
mines,  then  in   1879  came  to  Colorado,   and 
during  the   next   two  years   was   engaged   in 
quartz  mining  at  Leadville.    In  1881  he  moved 
to   Glenwood   Springs   for   the  benefit  of  his 
health,  and  two  years  later  located  a  ranch  in 
the  Gypsum  valley  through  a  homestead  claim, 
and  in  1888  purchased  the  ranch  oji  which  he 
now  lives,  which  comprises  two  hundred  acres, 
with  one  hundred  and  seventy  under  cultiva- 
tion in  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.    He  has  made 
good  and  valuable  improvements  on  the  prop- 
erty, which  is  within  the  town  limits  of  Gyp- 
sum and  an  excellent  home,  giving  every  evi- 
dence that  it  is  in  the  hands  of  a  progressive 
and  prosperous  man  whose  knowledge  of  its 
requirements    is    sufficient   to   make   the   land 
obedient  to  his  will  and  whose  skill  and  in- 
dustry in  applying  that  knowledge  brings  about 
the  best  results,  and  proclaim  him  as  one  of  the 
most    successful    and    far-seeing    men    in    the 
neighborhood.     Mr.  Lindgren  is  affiliated  with 
the    People's    party    in    political    affairs,  and 
throughout  the  county  of  his  residence  he  is 
widely  and  favorably  known.    He  was  married 
March  3,  1882,  to  Miss  Anna  Dahl,  a  native  of 
Norway,   the  daughter  of  Ola  and  Ingeborg 
(Anderson)    Dahl,    also   natives   of    Norway, 


where  they  still  reside.  Mrs.  Lindgren  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1887,  joining  friends  in 
Minnesota,  where  she  remained  three  years. 
After  a  visit  to  her  parents  she  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  was  married  at  Glenwood  Springs. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindgren  have  an  adopted 
daughter,  Engrid  Solvida. 

LORENZO  D.  HUDSON. 

Through  both  sides  of  the  line  in  the  an- 
cestry of  Lorenzo  D.  Hudson,  of  near  New- 
castle, Garfield  county,  this  state,  the  strain  of 
martial    music   has    run    almost   continuously, 
there  being  scarcely  any  contest  from  our  early 
history  in  which  our  country  has  been  engaged 
that  members  of  both  families  have  not  been 
prominent.     Mr.  Hudson  was  born  in  the  state 
of  New  York  in  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  Horace 
and  Mary  (Earl)  Hudson,  also  New  Yorkers 
by  nativity  and  the  children  of  veterans  of  the 
war  of  1812.    The  father  of  the  subject  moved 
to  Michigan  in  middle  life  and  there  died.    He 
was  a  farmer  and  was  highly  respected  in  his 
neighborhood.      His   wife    died    in    Michigan. 
Their    son    Lorenzo    lived    in    Texas    with    a 
brother  from  his  childhood  until  he  was  four- 
teen.    His  brother  then  started  him  home,  but 
being  of  a  resolute  disposition  and  wishing  to 
take  care  of  himself  in  the  world,  he  stopped 
in  the  Indian  Territory  instead  of  going  home, 
and  during  the  next  eight  years  he  lived  there 
engaged  in  farming.     He  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado and   located  at   Leadville,    reaching  that 
place  in   1880,  and  for  three  years  thereafter 
he  was  employed  in  hauling  ore  and  timber. 
In  1884  he  located  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives  on  Garfield  creek,  and  since  that  time  he 
has  lived  on  this  place  and  devoted  his  energies 
to  improving  it,  developing  its  resources  and 
bringing  it  to  an  advanced  state  of  cultivation. 
It  has  well   repaid  his  labors  and  responded 
generously  to  his  skillful  husbandry,  and  the 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


cattle  industry  he  has  carried  on  in  connection 
with  his  farming  operations  has  become  one 
of  the  leading  ones  in  his  portion  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Hudson  has  been  prominent  in  educational 
circles  in  his  section,  having  served  acceptably 
as  secretary  of  the  school  board  for  five  years. 
He  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Beulah  For- 
sythe,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  Horace, 
who  died  in  1884,  aged  two  years,  and  Frank- 
lin. Mrs.  Hudson's  father,  Abram  Forsythe, 
\vas  a  soldier  on  the  Southern  side  in  the  Civil 
war  and  her  grandfather,  also  named  Abram, 
was  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mr.  Pludson  had 
three  brothers  in  the  Civil  war,  and  also  a 
cousin  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Antietam. 

HANS  P.  OLESEN. 

Coming  to  this  country  and  to  Colorado  at 
the  age  of  nineteen,  making  the  long  journey 
from  his  native  Germany  and  beginning  his 
employment  here  on  borrowed  capital.  Hans 
P.  .Olesen,  of  Eagle  county,  w<ho  owns  two 
ranches  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  is  one1  of 
its  most  progressive  and  prosperous  ranch  and 
cattle  men,  has  in  the  sixteen  years  of  his 
residence  here  accumulated  a  comfortable  estate 
and  risen  to  a  high  regard  in  the  general  es- 
timation of  the  people  around  him.  His  success 
has  been  based  on  no  favors  of  fortune  or  fa- 
vorable circumstances,  but  is  the  logical  re- 
sult of  his  own  energy,  frugality  and  capacity. 
He  was  born  in  the  fatherland  on  February  21, 
1869,  and  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Christina 
Olesen,  natives  of  that  country  and  life-long 
residents  in  it.  Their  forefathers  lived,  labored 
and  died  there  for  many  generations,  and  there 
the  mother  of  Hans  also  died,  passing  away  in 
1877,  on  April  7th.  The  father  is  stil!  'living 
there  and  is  prosperously  engaged  in  farming. 
Twelve  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  Eagle 
county,  this  state,  but  at  the  end  of  that  period 
he  returned  to  his  native  land  content  to  pass 
8 


the  remainder  of  his  days  amid  the  scenes  of 
his  childhood  and  youth  and  die  with  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  his  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors. Of  his  offspring  seven  are  living. 
Samuel,  Andrew,  Fred,  Hans  P.,  Christian, 
Mass  and  Julius.  Hans  obtained  a  fair  com- 
mon-school education  in  his  native  land  and 
remained  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen.  The  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life 
were  passed  on  the  paternal  homestead  and  as 
soon  as  he  was  able  he  began  to  assist  in  its 
work.  In  1885  he  went  to  work  for  himself 
as  a  farm  hand  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.. 
Three  years  later  he  determined  to  gratify  his 
longing  to  enlist  in  the  great  army  of  industry 
which  was  conquering  the  western  wilderness 
of  our  land  and  converted  it  into  comfortable 
and  productive  homes  and  so  in  1888  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and,  coming  at 
once  to  Colorado,  he  located  at  Gypsum,  E^gle 
county,  beginning  life  here  indebted  to  the 
kindness  of  friends  for  the  price  of  his  passage 
and  the  means  of  living  until  he  could  earn 
something  for  himself.  He  worked  a  year  for 
wages  on  a  ranch,  then  leased  one  for  himself 
which  he  farmed  until  1891.  In  that  year  he 
took  up  a  homestead  on  Brush  creek,  of  which 
he  still  owns  one-half,  having  sold  eighty  acres 
of  it.  He  has  since  acquired  the  place  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  which  he  lives, 
two  miles  and  a  half  east  of  Eagle.  Nearly 
all  of  each  ranch  is  under  cultivation,  and  they 
yield  large  annual  harvests  of  hay,  grain,  vege- 
tables and  small  fruits.  His  main  reliance  is, 
however,  on  hay  and  cattle,  and  in  these  lines 
he  is  one  of  the  leading  and  most  successful 
producers  in  his  neighborhood.  The  hard- 
ships and  privations,  the  struggles  and  delayed 
returns  of  his  earlier  years  here,  while  they 
were  grievous  and  hard  to  bear  in  passing 
through  them,  now  serve  only  to  heighten  his 
pleasure  in  his  present  comfort  and  prosperity 
and  make  him  thankful  for  the  determined 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


spirit  which  brought  him  hither  and  sustained 
him  until  his  hopes  began  to  yield  a  generous 
fruitage.  While  building  his  fortunes  with  in- 
dustry and  continued  labor  well  applied,  his 
uprightness,  public  spirit,  and  general  worth  as 
a  citizen  have  established  him  high  and  firmly 
in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  the  people 
around  him,  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  popular 
and  influential  men  in  this  section  of  the 
county.  In  political  affairs  he  supports  the 
principles  and  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  in  fraternal  life  he  is  actively  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Al- 
though not  married,  he  maintains  a  domestic 
establishment  which  is  always  open  to  the 
worthy  wayfarer  for  shelter  and  good  cheer 
dispensing  with  liberal  hand  the  hospitality 
which  the  country  tendered  to  him  in  his  first 
years  of  labor  on  its  prolific  soil.  In  thrift, 
frugality  and  enterprise  he  is  a  commendable 
example  of  his  countrymen;  and  in  all  the 
elements  of  manhood,  progressiveness  and  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  he  is  an  exemplar  of  an 
elevated  American  citizenship. 

GEORGE  SUMNER  WILKINSON. 

The  old,  old  story  of  a  youth  leaving  his 
parental  roof-tree  and  starting  out  in  life  for 
himself  armed  with  nothing  but  his  energy, 
determined  spirit,  native  ability  and  wrhat  little 
education  he  has  been  able  to  snatch  from  a 
few  brief  terms  of  attendance  at  one  of  our 
country  schools,  and  seeking  his  fortune  in  the 
wilderness  of  our  vast  unsettled  domain,  brav- 
ing the  dangers  and  enduring  the  hardships  of 
an  overland  journey  in  the  wake  of  the  setting 
sun  into  the  wilderness,  then  bravely  entering 
upon  the  work  of  clearing  that  for  his  pur- 
poses, and  while  drawing  out  its  venom  extort- 
ing benefit  from  the  vanquished  enemy,  making 
its  mischievous  torrents  drudge  for  him,  its 


wild  beasts  useful  for  food,  or  dress,  or  labor, 
its  stubborn  forces  and  rocks  into  habitation, 
and  thus  from  a  small  beginning  building  up  a 
comfortable  estate  and  bringing  the  unpruned 
and  hitherto  unoccupied  landscape  into  at- 
tractiveness and  fruitfulness  as  a  comfortable 
home,  is  repeated  and  well  illustrated  in  the 
memoir  of  George  Sumner  Wilkinson,  of  Eagle 
county,  Colorado,  who  started  to  make  his  own 
living  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  and  has  ever 
since  done  so.  He  was  born  near  Hiawatha, 
Brown  county,  Kansas,  on  August  24,  1863, 
the  son  of  Balaam  and  Mary  (Coil)  Wilkin- 
son, natives  of  Indiana,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  eastern  Kansas,  where  they 
farmed  and  raised  stock  to  the  end  of  their 
lives,  the  father  dying  there  in  1864  and  the 
mother  in  1873.  They  had  five  children,  but 
two  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Hiram  J.  Ful- 
ton and  George  S.  The  latter  left  his  parents 
in  1877,  when  he  was  but  fourteen  years  old, 
and  came  to  Colorado,  finding  employment  for 
that  summer  on  the  ranch  of  William  Brown 
at  Florissant,  Teller  county.  His  journey  to 
this  state  was  made  overland  with  horses  and 
wagons  through  Ellsworth,  Kansas,  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  then  through  Ute  Pass  to  Breck- 
enridge,  where  the  teams  and  wagons  were  dis- 
posed of.  The  trip  lasted  twenty-seven  days, 
but  the  train  encountered  no  hostile  Indians 
and  the  jaunt  was  uneventful.  In  the  summer 
of  1878  Mr.  Wilkinson  worked  for  wages  in 
the  placer  mines,  and  in  the  fall  moved  to  Park 
county.  Afterward  he  spent  three  months  in 
the  employ  of  Borden  Brothers,  who  conducted 
a  feed  stable  on  the  road  between  Weston  and 
Leadville,  his  duty  being  to  sell  feed.  He  next 
returned  to  Park  county  and  devoted  the  sum- 
mer of  1880  to  logging  and  saw-milling,  and 
in  the  fall  migrated  into  Brush  Creek  valley 
in  company  with  Webb  Frost.  Here  the  next 
spring  he  pre-empted  and  homesteaded  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


improved  and  sold,  then  bought  his  present 
ranch  of  two  hundred  acres,  which  has  water 
sufficient  for  the  cultivation  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  and  is  well  adapted  to  hay  and 
vegetables,  with  some  grain.  He  raises  cattle 
extensively  and  is  one  of  the  leading  ranch 
and  cattle  men  of  the  neighborhood.  When  he 
located  here  there  were  but  three  settlers  in  the 
valley.  He  has  made  good  improvements  on 
his  ranch,  which  was  all  in  wild  sage  when  he 
purchased  it,  and  raises  profitable  crops.  Of 
course,  his  progress  has  not  been  one  of  un- 
broken success.  In  the  unusually  severe  win- 
ter of  1890  he  lost  at  least  half  of  his  stock. 
But  nothing  daunted  by  the  disaster,  he  has 
gone  on  prosperously  and  is  now  well  fixed  and 
has  a  place  of  steadily  increasing  value  and  a 
business  of  growing  magnitude.  On  May  9, 
1889,  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Mc- 
Kenzie,  a  native  of  New  York  state.  They 
have  two  interesting  children,  Clarence  Ed- 
mund and  Edna  Lillian. 

MARTIN  CAVANAUGH. 

Born  in  the  state  of  New  York  of  Irish 
parentage,  and  inheriting  from  his  ancestry  a 
disposition  to  go  forth  into  the  unknown  parts 
of  the  world  and  conquer  new  kingdoms  of  ma- 
terial and  industrial  wealth,  Martin  Cavan- 
augh,  who  is  popularly  known  as  "Mat,"  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  prosperous  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  Eagle  county,  has  wandered  from 
his  parental  fireside  many  longitudes  and 
worked  out  his  desire  to  win  a  home  and  a 
place  in  the  public  esteem  for  himself.  His 
life  began  on  January  I,  1862,  in  Onondaga 
county,  New  York,  near  the  city  of  Syracuse, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  John  and  Ann  (McDonald) 
Cavanaugh,  who  were  born  in  Ireland  and  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  soon  after  their 
marriage,  moving  later  to  Michigan  and  lo- 
cating in  Ottawa  county,  where  the  mother 


died  on  November  17,  1901,  and  the  father  is 
still  living.  The  latter  is  a  farmer  and  does 
grading  work  under  contract.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  political  connection  and  usually  deeply 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  Four 
of  the  children  survive  the  mother.  James,  Mrs. 
Ellen  J.  Buswell,  Mrs.  Mary  Bidlack  and  Mat. 
The  last  named  attended  the  common '  schools 
near  his  home  and  the  business  college  at  Grand 
Rapids,  meanwhile  working  on  the  home  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen.  He  then  devoted  several  years  to 
railroad  work  as  engineer  and  yard  master  in 
Michigan  at  Grand  Rapids.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Pueblo  on  March  I3th, 
and  there  he  served  as  yard  master  for  one 
of  the  railroads  until  1890.  He  then  moved 
to  Custer  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
cattle  industry  three  years,  or  nearly  that  length 
of  time.  Late  in  1892  he  moved  to  Mesa  and 
two  years  later  to  Whitewater,  Mesa  county, 
at  both  places  continuing  his  connection  with 
the  stock  industry,  which  he  afterward  con- 
tinued further  in  Rio  Blanco  county,  enlarging 
his  interests  and  his  operations  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Rangely  until  1898.  In  that  year  he 
sold  out  there  and  changed  his  residence  to 
the  vicinity  of  Carbondale,  on  Cattle  creek. 
Garfield  county,  where  he  remained  until  1900, 
and  then  purchased  his  present  ranch  in  the 
Gypsum  valley.  This  comprises  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  tillable  land,  owning  also 
another  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres, 
of  which  ninety-five  are  under  cultivation.  His 
principal  products  are  hay  and  cattle  which  he 
raises  extensively  in  good  qualities.  Since  be- 
coming possessed  of  these  properties  he  has 
made  many  improvements  on  them,  building 
on  the  home  place  a  comfortable  and  attractive 
modern  dwelling,  new  corrals  and  other  neces- 
sary structures.  He  lives  four  miles  south  of 
the  town  of  Gypsum  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  section,  taking  an  active  part 


n6 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  matters  of  local  improvement  as  a  man  of 
progress  and  breadth  of  view  and  in  politics 
as  an  ardent  Democrat.  He  was  married  on 
November  22,  1887,  to  M'ss  Anna  Brady,  a 
"native  of  Galesburg,  Illinois.  They  have  had 
two  children,  Mat  and  James,  both  of  whom, 
have  died.  Mr.  Cavanaugh  has  mingled  freely 
with  the  Ute  Indians  in  his  wanderings  and 
speaks  their  language  fluently. 

SAMUEL   P.    OLESEN. 

This  substantial  and  leading  citizen  of  the 
Gypsum  valley,  where  he  carries  on  a  prosper- 
ous and  profitable  ranch  and  stock  industry, 
came  to  Colorado  from  his  foreign  home  across 
the  ocean  with  about  ten  dollars  in  capital,  al- 
most his  only  worldly  possession  except  the 
clothes  on  his  back,  and  by  his  own  industry, 
frugality  and  capacity  has  advanced  himself  to 
his  present  comfortable  estate  in  this  land 
where  opportunity  is  wealth  if  properly  seized 
and  used,  and  where  no  artificial  boundaries  of 
privilege  restrain  the  aspiring  spirit.  He  is  a 
brother  of  Hans  P.  Olesen,  in  whose  sketch  on 
another  page  the  family  record  will  be  found. 
He  was  born  on  July  12,  1863,  at  Nordschles- 
wig,  Germany,  where  he  was  educated  at  the 
state  schools  and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade. 
He  remained  in  his  native  land  working  at  his 
trade  until  1883,  then  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  making  his  headquarters  at  Gypsum, 
Eagle  county,  this  state.  During  his  two  years 
of  hard  labor  on  the  Rio  Grande  Railroad  im- 
mediately after  his  arrival,  in  which  he  saved 
his  earnings,  he  secured  sufficient  means  to 
join  his  father  as  a  partner  in  ranching  in  the 
Gypsum  valley,  and  the  partnership  continued 
until  1892,  when  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
his  father,  who  then  returned  to  Germany. 
He  now  owns  two  ranches,  the  home  place  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  the 
other  eighty,  with  sixty-five  acres  in  each  under 


cultivation,  the  latter  being  located  within  the 
town  limits  of  Gypsum  and  the  former  two 
miles  south  of  the  town.  The  home  ranch  is 
well  improved  with  a  good  modern  dwelling 
and  other  needed  buildings,  and  the  land  in 
both  has  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  de- 
velopment. Hay,  grain  and  vegetables  are  the 
staple  products,  with  cattle  as  the  main  reliance 
for  revenue.  He  has  been  very  successful  here 
and  is  classed  among  the  most  enterprising 
ranchmen  of  the  region,  giving  close  and  care- 
ful attention  to  his  own  affairs  and  taking  a 
serviceable  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity. He  is  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the 
Eagle  County  French  Coach  and  Percheron 
Horse  Breeders'  Association,  is  independent  in 
politics  and  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  in  fraternal  relations.  The  land  he 
owns  was  covered  with  wild  sage  when  he  took 
possession  of  it,  and  much  of  it  was  rocky  and 
rugged.  He  has  redeemed  it  from  this  con- 
dition to  one  of  fruitfulness  and  value,  and  it 
stands  to  his  credit  now  among  the  best  in  the 
vicinity.  On  October  22.  1894,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Bettie  Oleson,  a  native  of  Sweden. 
They  have  been  blessed  with  three  children,. 
Julius,  Albert  and  Frederick. 

PETER  BARTH. 

Coining  into  the  world  on  the  banks  of  the 
historic  Rhine,  in  a  region  so  beautiful  that  in 
its  midst  one  can  almost  feel  the  celestial  soul 
that  lights  the  smile  on  nature's  lips.  Peter 
Barth  was  yet  born  to  a  destiny  of  toil  and 
poverty  in  his  early  life,  and  obliged  to  take 
upon  himself  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen  the 
task  of  making  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
This  he  has  done  so  successfully  that  he  is 
now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  respected 
citizens  of  Eagle  county,  with  a  comfortable 
estate  in  worldly  wealth  and  an  influential  voice 
in  all  the  affairs  of  the  section  in  which  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


117 


lives.  He  was  born  on  March  14,  1847, 
after  a  short  and  irregular  attendance  at  the 
common  schools,  was  apprenticed  to  a  black- 
smith and  learned  his  trade  with  such  care  and 
attention  to  its  every  detail  that  he  is  now  con- 
sidered by  many  persons  the  best  blacksmith 
in  Colorado.  He  is  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Katharine  (Earth)  Barth,  natives  and  life-long 
residents  of  Germany,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1888  and  the  father  in  1897.  They  were 
farmers  and  members  of  the  Evangelical 
church,  lived  useful  and  upright  lives  and  at 
their  close  were  laid  to  rest  with  every  demon- 
stration of  public  esteem.  The  son  worked  at 
his  trade  in  his  native  land  until  1871,  then 
hearing  responsively  the  call  from  this  coun- 
try for  volunteers  in  her  great  army  of  in- 
dustrial progress  which  was  clearing  her  un- 
occupied lands,  draining  her  marshes,  develop- 
ing her  farms  and  building  her  marts  of  busi- 
ness and  highways  of  travel,  he  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  and  after  a  residence  of  five 
months  in  New  York,  found  a  more  congenial 
rield  for  his  enterprise  in  Colorado,  locating 
at  the  corner  of  Larimer  and  Thirty-fourth 
streets  in  Denver  in  1872,  and  there  doing  rail- 
road blacksmithing  five  months  and  after  that 
general  blacksmithing  until  1874.  In  that  year 
he  moved  to  Hall's  Gulch,  and  for  a  short  time 
smithed  for  the  smelter,  then  moved  on  to 
Middle  Boulder,  where  he  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman in  a  shop  of  his  craft  uritil  the  spring 
of  1875.  At  that  time  he  took  up  his  residence 
at  Montezuma  and  opened  a  general  black- 
smith shop  of  his  own,  also  building  the  second 
hotel  in  the  town.  He  remained  there  until 
April  i,  1880,  succeeding  well,  then  moved  to 
Breckenridge.  at  that  time  a  new  and  busy 
camp  so  overcrowded  with  seekers  for  wealth 
that  he  was  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  floor  in  a 
shoemaker's  shop  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  beds. 
Here  he  made  some  money  speculating  and 
working  at  his  trade  and  remained  until  1886. 


when  he  came  to  his  present  location,  being  the 
third  settler  in  the  Gypsum  valley  and  pur- 
chasing a  tract  of  land  rocky  and  covered  with 
wild  sage.  This  he  has  improved  and  culti- 
vated until  it  is  one.  of  the  most  fruitful  and 
attractive  ranches  in  the  valley.  It  comprises 
one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  and  yields 
good  crops.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
in  fraternal  life  a  member  of  the  order  of  Red 
Men.  He  was  married  in  October,  1884,  to 
Miss  Katharine  Straundt,  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany.  They  have  had  four  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living,  Charles,  Willie  and  Mrs. 
George  Mullen.  A  son  named  Peter  was  re- 
moved by  death  some  years  ago. 

JULIUS   P.   OLESEN. 

This  prominent  business  man  of  Eagle 
county,  who  is  the  leading  merchant  of  Gyp- 
sum, is  a  brother  of  Hans  P.  and  Samuel  P. 
Olesen,  sketches  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
other  pages  and  in  them  the  family  record  ap- 
pears. He  was  born  in  Germany  on  February 
1 6,  1876,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  state 
schools,  being  graduated  in  their  higher 
courses.  In  his  native  land  also  he  learned  his 
trade  as  a  bookbinder  and  worked  at  it  until 
1889,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
joined  his  brothers  in  this  state.  After  his  ar- 
rival here  he  did  all  kinds  of  work  that  came 
his  way  in  order  to  get  enough  money  to  pur- 
sue a  course  of  business  training  at  the  State 
Agricultural  College,  located  at  Fort  Collins, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  due  course.  In 
1892  he  became  associated  with  J.  E.  Mulligan 
at  Leadville  as  bookkeeper,  and  after  remain- 
ing with  him  seven  months  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  extensive  general  merchandis- 
ing business  of  F.  M.  Belding  at  Eagle.  After 
leaving  that  engagement  he  became  the  man- 
ager for  the  Riley  Company  at  Gypsum,  and 
conducted  its  affairs  two  vears  and  a  half.  In 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1903  he  bought  a  store  for  himself  at  Eagle, 
and  on  March  15,  1904,  he  started  another  at 
Gypsum,  conducting  them  separately  until  the 
1 5th  of  the  following  September,  when  he  con- 
solidated them  at  Gypsum,  where  he  has  since 
given  his  whole  attention  to  the  business.  He 
carries  a  complete  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise, groceries  and  fresh  and  salt  meats,  and 
by  studious  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity meets  the  requirements  of  a  large  and 
growing  trade  in  the  town  and  throughout  a 
large  extent  of  the  surrounding  country.  On 
June  19,  1904,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Iva 
Beck,  a  native  of  Iowa,  a  cultured  lady  who 
was  principal  of  the  schools  at  Gypsum  two 
years,  and  two  years  a  teacher  and  two  prin- 
cipal at  Poncho  Springs.  Mr.  Olesen  is  em- 
phatically a  self-made  man  and  his  friends  are 
proud  of  the  job.  He  meets  all  the  require- 
ments of  the  best  American  citizenship  in  a 
manly  and  masterful  way,  and  gives  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives  an  excellent  example 
in  all  the  relations  of  life.  On  all  sides  he  is 
highly  respected,  and  in  every  element  of 
progress  for  the  people  around  him  he  is  wise. 
active  and  helpful,  deeply  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests and  institutions  6f  his  adopted  country 
and  doing  his  part  in  promoting  their  welfare. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  fraternally 
a  Woodman  of  the  World. 

WILLIAM  CHAPMAN. 

William  Chapman,  the  junior  partner  in 
the  ranching  and  cattle  firm  of  Chapman  &  Son, 
doing  business  near  Glenwood  Springs,  is  a 
native  of  Michigan,  born  near  Saginaw  on 
January  14,  1862,  and  the  son  of  Simpson  and 
Julia  (McAlpin)  Chapman,  natives  of  Canada, 
the  father  being  born  and  reared  near  Niagara 
Falls.  They  farmed  in  their  native  land  with 
moderate  success  and,  thinking  to  better  their 
condition,  moved  to  Michigan  where  the  father 


turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber  business,  be- 
coming a  contractor,  with  saw-mills  in  the 
woods.  He  was  thus  engaged  four  years,  then 
passed  five  in  association  with  the  Otto  Lake 
Lumber  Company.  In  these  engagements  he 
was  successful  and  prosperous.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  at  Golden  City  pros- 
pected and  worked  as  a  laborer,  and  went 
broke.  He  then  made  his  way  to  Glenwood 
Springs  in  1883,  at  the  time  when  the  town 
was  being  laid  out  and  consisted  of  one  house 
and  some  sixty  tents.  He  had  but  twenty  cents 
in  money  and  his  rifle  was  his  only  other  pos- 
session except  the  clothes  he  wore.  But  he 
found  credit  and  bought  a  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion and  started  out  for  game.  It  was  plentiful 
then  and  he  had  no  trouble  in  getting  it  in  large 
quantities,  often  making  as  high  as  twenty 
dollars  a  day  hunting  for  the  markets.  A  year 
and  a  half  was  passed  in  this  way,  his  success 
being  all  the  time  exceptionally  good.  He  then 
opened  the  first  livery  barn  at  Glenwood,  which 
he  conducted  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  rented  the  barn  at  fifty  dollars  a  month 
for  a  few  months,  then  sold  it  at  a  good  price 
and  purchased  the  improvements  on  a  portion 
of  the  ranch  on  which  the  business  of  the  firm 
composed  of  himself  and  his  son  William  is 
carried  on.  The  first  purchase  covered  one 
hundred  and  sixty-six  acres  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  have  been  added  since.  Of 
the  joint  tract  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  with  good  water  rights  to 
the  place,  and  the  yield  in  hay,  grain  and  other 
farm  products  is  abundant  in  quantity  and  su- 
perior in  quality.  Cattle  are  also  raised  in 
numbers,  and  a  flourishing  and  profitable  dairy- 
business  is  conducted  during  the1  summers.  In 
political  matters  both  father  and  son  are  in- 
dependent, having  more  regard  for  the  general 
welfare  of  the  county  and  state  than  for  al- 
legiance to  any  party.  Mrs.  Chapman,  the 
mother  of  William,  died  in  1876.  Five  chil- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


119 


dren  were  born  in  the  family.  A  daughter 
named  Mary  is  deceased,  and  the  four  living 
are:  Florence,  the  wife  of  George  McFail,  of 
Flint,  Michigan;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Al- 
berta, Canada ;  Monroe,  living  at  Denver,  and 
William,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch. 
All  are  members  of  the  society  of  Friends. 
William  Chapman  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Michigan  and  Canada,  and  after 
leaving  school  remained. in  Canada  until  1881 
working  on  farms  and  in  the  lumber  woods, 
In  the  year  last  named  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Golden,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment on  a  ranch.  Some  time  afterward  he 
went  to  Wyoming  and  from  there  to  Cali- 
fornia, devoting  three  and  one-half  years  to 
profitable  employment  on  ranches  and  fruit 
farms.  Being  pleased  with  Colorado,  he  re- 
turned to  the  state  and  settled  at  Glenwood 
Springs  and  soon  after  entering  into  partner- 
ship with  his  father  in  business.  On  May  29, 
1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Haff,  a 
native  of  Colorado,  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
and  the  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  Haff. 
Her  father  was  a  carriage-maker  and  also  a 
carpenter  and  miner.  He  now  lives  near  Dil- 
lon on  the  Blue  river.  His  wife  died  on  June 
16,  1 88 1.  They  had  seven  children.  One  son, 
William,  has  died.  The  living  are  George,  a 
resident  of  Gold  Hill,  Oregon ;  Abbie,  now  Mrs. 
Lafayette  Cox,  of  Garfield  county,  this  state; 
Mabel,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Chapman;  Harris,  at 
Alma,  Colorado;  Horace,  at  home  with  his 
father;  and  Charles,  a  resident  of  Fairplay, 
this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  have  five 
children,  Eunice.  Lloyd,  Bessie,  Amos  and 
Nellie.  The  careers  of  the  Chapmans,  father 
and  son,  forcibly  illustrate  the  value  of  thrift, 
industry  and  courageous  perseverance  in  effort, 
with  clearness  of  vision  to  see  and  alertness  to 
seize  opportunities,  and  capacity  to  make  the 
most  of  them. 


;      JAMES  NEEDHAM. 

Twenty-five  years  of  the  useful  life  of  this 
excellent  citizen,  prosperous  ranchman,  helpful 
promoter  and  strong  civic  force  have  been 
passed  in  Colorado,  and  in  that  period  he  has 
met  almost  every  form  of  adversity  and  con- 
tended with  almost  every  species  of  difficulty 
and  danger,  but  he  has  triumphed  over  them 
all,  and  now,  when  approaching  the  evening 
of  life,  and  suffering  from  an  accident  which 
disabled  him  from  active  pursuits,  he  has  a 
competency  for  all  his  needs,  a  substantial  es- 
tate for  his  heirs,  and  a  well  fixed  hold  on  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  Al- 
though a  Canadian  by  birth,  he  was  reared  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  American  institutions  and  ardently 
devoted  to  every  element  and  manifestation  of 
the  greatness,  power,  uprightness  and  glory  of 
his  country.  His  life  began  on  April  4,  1839, 
at  Kingston,  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  where 
his  parents,  Isaac  and  Ann  Needham,  located 
on  their  arrival  from  their  native  England  early 
in  their  married  life.  Not  long  after  his  birth 
they  moved  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  days 
engaged  in  the  peaceful  vocation  of  farming. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  the  father  supported  the  Republican  party 
in  politics  from  the  time  of  its  formation.  Both 
have  long  been  dead,  and  eight  of  their  nine 
children  survive  them.  These  are  William, 
John,  Hiram  K.,  James,  living  in  Chicago; 
Isaac,  at  Cattle  Creek,  Colorado;  Silas,  in 
Kansas  City,  Missouri ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
Hiram  Wreckerly,  and  Armantha,  the  wife  of 
Frank  Heald,  both  also  in  Kansas  City.  James 
had  but  little  opportunity  for  schooling,  being 
obliged  to  assist  his  parents  on  the  farm  from 
an  early  age.  He  remained  with  them  until 
he  was  eighteen  and  worked  very  hard  in  their 


J2O 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


interest.  He  then  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
a  tinsmith  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
completing  his  apprenticeship  moved  to 
Oregon,  but  after  a  short  residence  in  that  state 
went  east  again  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  until  1866.  In  that  year 
he  changed  to  Wyandotte,  Kansas,  then  went 
to  Texas.  In  the  places  named  he  was  engaged 
in  selling  implements,  and  losing  heavily  in 
Texas,  the  general  result  of  his  operations  was 
poor  success.  On  June  12,  1879,  ne  located  at 
Leadville  in  this  state,  and  at  once  began  min- 
ing, first  purchasing  a  boarding  house  which 
he  exchanged  for  a  saloon,  and  then  traded  that 
for  mining  property.  He  had  a  partner  from 
Texas  named  Harry  Bussick,  of  whom  he 
thought  well  enough  to  give  him  a  one-half 
interest  in  this  property.  It  was  a  bad  case  of 
misplaced  confidence,  for  Bussick  sold  the  prop- 
erty for  seven  thousand  dollars,  and  immedi- 
ately disappeared,  and  the  money  went  with 
him.  Mr.  Needham  then  sold  the  greater  part 
of  some  property  he  had  at  Red  Cliff,  and  soon 
after  pre-empted  a  portion  of  his  present  ranch. 
To  this  he  added  other  land  until  he  owned 
four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  but  he  has  since 
disposed  of  all  his  land.  On  this  he  secured  ex- 
cellent returns  for  the  labor  expended  in  hay, 
grain,  potatoes  and  other  vegetables,  and  in 
connection  with  his  farming  raised  cattle  and, 
horses.  In  1886  he  met  with  an  accident  that 
so  disabled  him  that  he  was  obliged  to  give  up 
active  work,  and  he  rented  his  farm.  Since 
then  he  has  resided  at  Carbondale.  Mr.  Need- 
ham  has  been  an  Odd  Fellowr  since  1873,  and 
a  firm  and  unwavering  Democrat  since  the 
dawn  of  his  manhood.  He  was  married  on  No- 
vember 27,  1876,  to  Miss  Cyrene  Underwood, 
who  was  born  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on  Janu- 
ary 25,  1845,  the  daughter  of  Jesse  B.  and 
Nancy  (Walton)  Underwood,  the  former  a 
native  of  North  Carolina  and  the  latter  of  Mis- 
souri. The  maternal  ancestors  were  Virgin- 


ians, Mrs.  Underwood's  father  removing  to 
Missouri  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  passing 
the  rest  of  his  life  with  that  state  as  his  home. 
He  made  two  trips  across  the  plains  in  1849 
with  Colonel  Sublett,  and  on  one  return  was 
obliged  to  go  by  way  of  the  isthmus  of  Panama 
on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians.  He 
had  previously  been  engaged  in  trading  in  the 
western  counties  of  Missouri,  and  after  his 
second  trip  turned  his -attention  to  farming  and 
raising  stock  extensively  and  with  good  profits. 
He  and  his  \vife  were  Methodists  and  he  was  a 
faithful  and  active  Democrat.  The  mother 
died  in  1867,  and  the  father  on  April  20,  1876. 
They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of 
whom  but  five  are  living :  James  W. ;  Eliza, 
now  Mrs.  William  Maunder,  of  Kansas  City- 
Mrs.  Needham ;  and  Charles  and  Joseph,  also 
residents  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Needham  have  had  three  children.  Annie 
died  on  May  31,  1894.  and  Jesse  and  Guy  are 


living. 


WILBERT  E.  LEWIS. 


Spending  the  earlier  years  of  his  life  in  the 
Green  mountains  of  Vermont  and  his  later  ones 
in  the  more  rugged  and  ambitious  ones  of  Colo- 
rado, and  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  one  state  and 
now  conducting  one  in  the  other,  a  casual  ob- 
server would  conclude  that  there  has  been  but 
little  change  in  the  surroundings  and  pursuits 
of  Wilbert  E.  Lewis,  an  enterprising  and  pros- 
perous ranchman  of  Garfield  county,  located 
eight  miles  northeast  of  Carbondale.  But  while 
there  is  similarity  in  both  surroundings  and 
occupation,  the  conditions  in  detail  are  widely 
different.  In  his  native  state  the  unit  of 
measure  for  landed  estates  of  magnitude  is 
small  compared  with  that  in  Colorado,  and  the 
soil,  climate  and  other  circumstances  affecting 
the  business  of  farming  are  by  no  means  the 
same.  Mr.  Lewis  was  born  in  Rutland 
county,  Vermont,  on  January  29,  1843.  His 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


121 


parents,  Ethelbert  and  Pauline  (Goodspeed) 
Lewis,  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  and  set- 
tled in  Vermont  soon  after  their  marriage. 
They  remained  in  that  state  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  death  ended  their  useful  labors,  the 
father  dying  in  1885  anc^  the  mother  in  1891. 
They  were  loyal  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  for  many  years,  and  the  father 
was  a  stanch  Republican  from  the  foundation 
of  that  party.  Their  offspring  numbered  four, 
Oscar,  of  Salt  Lake  City;  Cornelia,  a  resident 
of  Vermont,  and  Wilbert  E.  are  living.  An- 
other son,  Jarius,  died  some  years  ago.  Wil- 
bert was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
the  Troy  Conference  Academy  in  his  native 
state.  After  leaving  school  he  remained  at 
home  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  the  interest 
of  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  He  then  started  out  to  make  a 
way  for  himself  in  the  world,  and  coming  to 
Colorado,  passed  two  years  at  Blackhawk  and 
Central  City,  working  in  quartz  mills  at  five 
dollars  a  day.  He  then  returned  to  Vermont 
and  began  manufacturing  wagons,  which  he 
continued  nine  years  with  success  and  profit. 
Disposing  of  his  interests  in  this  enterprise  in 
1880,  he  came  back  to  Colorado  and  settled  at 
Leadville.  Here  he  started  a  hay  and  grain 
business  which  he  conducted  a  year  and  a  half 
with  gratifying  prosperity,  then  sold  out  at  a 
good  profit.  On  July  28,  1882,  he  moved  to 
his  present  location  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
claim,  to  which  he  has  since  added  land  and  he 
has  also  disposed  of  some.  He  now  owns  two 
hundred  acres,  of  which  he  has  fifty  acres  under 
good  cultivation.  The  water  right  to  the  land 
is  of  good  proportions  and  the  yield  from  the 
tillage  is  abundant  in  quality  and  excellent  in 
quality.  Hay,  grain,  potatoes  and  hardy  vege- 
tables are  raised  and  a  flourishing  cattle  in- 
dustry is  carried  on.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  of  pronounced  convictions  and  earn- 
est activity  in  the  service  of  his  party.  He  was 


married  on  February  6,  1886,  to  Miss  Anna 
Ellis,  a  native  of  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin,  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Davis)  Ellis, 
the  father  born  in  New  York  state  and  the 
mother  in  Wales.  They  settled  in  Wisconsin 
in  early  life,  and  were  successful  in  farming 
and  trading.  The  father  was  a  strong  Demo- 
crat in  political  affiliations.  They  had  four 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Lewis  is  the  only  sur- 
vivor. The  father  died  in  1860  and  the  mother 
in  1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  have  two  chil- 
dren, their  daughter  Pauline  M.  and  their  son 
Oscar  W.  The  parents  stand  well  in  social 
circles  and  the  general  estimation  of  their  com- 
munity ;  and  they  are  well  pleased  with  the  sec- 
tion and  state  in  which  they  have  cast  their 
lot. 

ANDREW  WEIR. 

This  progressive  and  enterprising  business 
man,  successful  rancher  and  public-spirited 
citizen,  who  has  been  very  prosperous  in  his 
ranch  industry  and  has  greatly  surpassed  his 
achievements  in  that  line  of  his  operations  in 
real  estate,  has  had  a  varied  career,  pursuing 
many  lines  of  business  and  occupation  and  win- 
ning almost  unbroken  success  in  all.  He  first 
saw  the  light  of  this  world  in  Minnesota  on 
January  4,  1856,  but  was  reared  near  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  where  his  parents  settled  not 
long  after  his  birth.  His  father,  William  Weir, 
was  born  in  New  York  and  his  mother  in  Ohio. 
The  father  moved  to  Ohio  as  a  young  man,  and 
after  his  marriage  dwelt  a  short  time  in  Min- 
nesota, then  took  up  his  residence  at  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  where  he  became  prosperous  as 
a  cabinetmaker  and  lumber  merchant.  Later  in 
life  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  He 
supported  the  Republican  party  in  politics,  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Their  family  comprised  nine  children, 
of  whom  a  daughter  named  Rebecca  died  in 
1874.  The  parents  are  both  dead.  The  eight 


122 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


children  living  are:  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  John 
Bradley,  of  Oklahoma;  Sarah,  now  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Henry  Tawney,  of  DeLeon,  Florida ;  An- 
drew, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Margaret,  now 
Mrs.  Los  Brown,  of  Yates  Center,  Kansas; 
Mary,  now  Mrs.  James  Rogers,  of  Pawnee, 
Oklahoma;  Cora,  now  Mrs.  William  Reed,  of 
Amoret,  Missouri;  Henry,  of  Stillwater,  Okla- 
homa; and  Fred,  of  Louisburg,  Kansas.  An- 
drew attended  the  public  schools  during  the 
winter  months  of  a  few  years,  and  assisted  his 
parents  until  he  reached  his  twenty-third  year. 
In  the  meantime  he  started  to  learn  the  black- 
smith trade,  but  after  working  eighteen  months 
at  it  gave  it  up  because  he  did  not  like  the 
work.  He  then  went  to  work  on  a  farm  at 
seventeen  dollars  a  month  and  his  board,  and 
continued  at  this  until  he  determined  to  come 
west  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Wil- 
liam H.  Tawney.  They  bought  some  mules  in 
Missouri  and  started  for  Denver,  where  they 
arrived  in  due  time  and  without  incident 
worthy  of  note.  They  then  took  a  load  of  flour 
overland  to  Gunnison,  where  they  sold  the  flour 
and  all  the  mules  but  one  team  which  they  re- 
served to  haul  supplies.  Their  first  purchase 
was  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
which  adjoined  the  town  limits  and  which  Mr. 
Weir  sold  at  a  satisfactory  profit,  then  they 
prospected  for  three  years  but  without  success. 
At  the  end  of  this  experience  they  returned  east 
to  Louisburg,  Kansas,  and  there  until  1888 
conducted  a  livery  business  and  stock,  shipping 
on  an  extensive  scale.  In  this  venture  the  suc- 
cess was  pronounced  and  the  profits  were  large. 
Mr.  Weir  sold  out  in  the  livery  business  at  a 
good  advance  on  his  investment,  but  retained 
the  stock  interest.  In  1889  he  purchased  land 
at  Nelson,  Nebraska,  in  partnership  with  I.  C. 
Rogers,  which  he  held  until  1893,  then  sold  it 
and  moved  to  Cameron,  Missouri,  and  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business  from  1894  to  1896. 
In  the  vear  last  named  he  returned  to  Nelson 


and  began  feeding  six  hundred  head  of  cattle 
and  cribbing  thirty  thousand  bushels  of  corn. 
He  continued  in  this  line  until  1899,  when  he 
came  to  Colorado  a  second  time  and  bought  the 
Chatfield  ranch  near  Emma.  Here  he  followed 
ranching  until  1892,  then  sold  the  ranch  to  its 
present  owners,  N.  G.  Coall  and  W.  D.  Phil- 
lips. He  has  recently  purchased  land  near 
Louisburg,  Kansas,  and  intends  to  make  that 
his  future  home  and  farming  his  future  occu- 
pation. He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  United  Workmen,  and 
in  political  action  ardently  supports  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  On  June  16,  1889,  he  married 
Miss  Lou  M.  Athey,  a  native  of  Farmer  City, 
De  Witt  county,  Illinois,  the  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Elizabeth  Athey,  who  were  born 
and  reared  in  Virginia  and  moved  to  Illinois  in 
early  life,  remaining  there  until  death,  prosper- 
ously engaged  in  farming.  The  mother  died  in 
October,  1889,  an<^  the  father  in  May,  1893. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  the  parents  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  living,  one  having  died  in  infancy.  The 
living  are  William,  Henry  B.,  Jacob,  George. 
Alice,  Fannie,  Annie,  Sallie  and  Mrs.  Weir. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weir  have  one  child,  Clyde  Wil- 
liam, who  was  torn  on  February  4,  1890.  Mr. 
Weir  is  well  pleased  writh  Colorado  and  sees 
for  the  state  a  great  future.  His  change  of 
residence  is  due  to  no  dissatisfaction  with  it. 

PETER  WALD. 

Peter  Wald,  of  Garfield  county,  a  portion 
of  whose  ranch  is  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  Carbondale,  and  who  is  extensively  engaged 
in  general  ranching  and  raising  cattle,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Switzerland,  born  on  May  28,  1834,  and 
descended  from  long  lines  of  ancestors  who 
bore  well  their  part  in  the  history  of  that  in- 
spiring little  republic  in  peace  and  war.  His 
parents  were  Conrad  and  LTrsula  (Margreth) 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


123 


Wald,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  Switzer- 
land also.  They  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1852,  and  after  a  residence  of  six 
years  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  moved  to 
Buffalo  county,  in  the  same  state,  and  there 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  peaceful 
and  prosperous  husbandry,  and  as  devoted  and 
zealous  members  of  the  German  Reformed 
church.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living  and  survive  their  par- 
ents, who  departed  this  life,  the  father  in  1874 
and  the  mother  in  1900.  The  living  children 
are  Jacob,  and  Katharine,  the  wife  of  Wieland 
Allemann,  both  living  in  Buffalo  county,  Wis- 
consin, and  Peter,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
review.  Peter  was  educated  at  the  state  schools 
and  remained  with  his  parents  assisting  in  the 
work  of  the  farm  until  he  reached  his  thirtieth 
year.  He  then  began  farming  for  himself  in 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until  1888, 
when  he  came  to  Colorado,  which  at  that  time 
was  very  wild  and  undeveloped.  He  bought  the 
improvements  on  a  pre-emption  claim,  which  is 
his  present  ranch,  and  has  greatly  developed  it. 
Of  the  two  hundred  acres  seventy  can  be  easily 
cultivated  and  are  in  alfalfa,  hay,  potatoes  and 
other  farm  products  and  the  cattle  industry  is 
also  carried  on  extensively.  He  is  thrifty  and 
progressive  in  his  business  and  controls  it  in 
such  a  way  as  to  make  every  hour  of  time  and 
every  ounce  of  energy  count  to  its  advantage, 
and  he  carries^he  same  spirit  into  his  connec- 
tion with  the  local  affairs  of  the  community,  in 
which  he  -takes  a  deep  and  intelligent  interest. 
In  the  fall  of  1863  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Leonhardy,  and  they  have  had  seven 
children,  one  of  whom,  a  son  named  Paul,  died 
on  May  19,  1895.  The  six  living  are:  Ursula, 
wife  of  Olaf  Larsen,  of  New  Castle,  Colorado ; 
Edward  J. :  Anna,  wife  of  H.  C.  Jessup ;  Frank. 
Oscar  and  Conrad.  All  the  members  of  the 
family  belong  to  the  German  Reformed  church, 
and  all  the  voters  are  independent  of  party  con- 
trol in  politics. 


HYRCANUS  STATON. 

Although  made  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  by  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr.  Staton 
did  not  experience  the  hardships  often  incident 
to  that  condition,  for  his  father  had  been 
thrifty  and  was  able  to  leave  enough  for  the 
support  and  education  of  his  children,  and  so 
they  were  properly  prepared  for  the  battle  of 
life,  and  he  received  careful  rearing  at  the 
hands  of  his  mother.  He  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Illinois,  on  March  14,  1844,  and  is  the 
son  of  Wesley  and  Elizabeth  (Cisna)  Staton. 
the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter 
of  Ohio.  They  settled  in  Illinois  wrhile  the  In- 
dians were  still  numerous  there,  and  suffered 
many  of  the  privations  and  dangers  of  early 
frontier  life.  The  father  was  a  manufacturer 
of  hats  during  the  earlier  portion  of  his  life, 
but  in  later  years  devoted  his  energies  to  farm- 
ing and  operating  a  grist-mill.  He  was  suc- 
cessful in  business  and  stood  well  in  his  com- 
munity. In  political  relations  he  was  an  un- 
compromising Democrat,  and  in  religious  faith 
•i  Methodist,  his  wife  also  belonging  to  that 
church.  He  died  in  1851  and  she  in  18931 
They  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  four  of 
whom  survive  them :  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel 
Ellis,  living  near  Arlington,  Illinois;  Hyrcanus, 
living  near  Glenwood  Springs,  this  state;  Caleb 
L.,  living  at  Oklahoma;  and  Franklin  P., 
living  at  Eagle,  Colorado.  Hyrcanus  was  edu- 
cated at  the  public  schools  and  the  Southern 
Illinois  College,  and  secured  enough  book 
learning  to  qualify  him  to  teach  school.  He 
began  work  in  this  line  in  his  home  county, 
and  continued  it  there  thirteen  years.  He  then, 
in  1880,  came  to  Colorado,  and  during  the  next 
two  years  was  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  at 
Golden  and  Malta.  The  next  three  years  were 
passed  by  him  in  conducting  a  dairy  at  Lead- 
ville,  which  he  found  to  be  a  profitable  business, 
the  average  price  of  milk  during  the  period 
being  eighty  cents  a  gallon.  In  1885  he  pur- 


124 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


chased  the  squatter's  right  to  the  ranch  he  now 
owns  and  operates,  and  which  he  has  improved 
and  brought  to  productiveness.  It  is  located 
seven  miles  south  of  Glenwood  Springs,  in  Gar- 
field  county,  and  comprises  one  hundred  and 
fifty-three  acres,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
being  under  cultivation.  The  water  right  is 
good  and  the  supply  sufficient,  and  hay,  grain 
and  potatoes  of  excellent  quality  are  produced 
in  abundance,  and  cattle  are  also  raised  ex- 
tensively. Mr.  Staton  has,  in  addition  to  his 
ranching  and  cattle  industries,  been  the  local 
representative  of  the  National  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance Company  of  Denver  for  the  last  six 
years,  and  has  also  served  for  a  number  of 
years  as  the  school  furnishing  agent.  He  was 
married  on  November  2,  1873,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet M.  Holmes,  a  native  of  Carroll  county. 
Ohio,  but  reared  in  Wayne  county,  Illinois,  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Wisman) 
Holmes,  the  father  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
the  mother  in  Ohio.  They  located  in  Illinois  in 
the  early  days  of  its  history  and  there  became 
prosperous  farmers.  The  father  was  a  man  of 
public-spirit  and  took  great  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  In 
Ohio  he  served  a  number  of  years  as  county 
clerk  and  auditor.  In  politics  he  was  an  ar- 
dent Democrat,  and  both  were  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Four  children  were  born 
to  them,  Eli,  Mrs.  Staton,  Mary,  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Westfall,  of  Glenwood  Springs,  and 
George,  of  Canon  City.  The  mother  died  in 
1867  and  the  father  in  1885.  They  were  Pres- 
byterians. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Staton  have  had  eight 
children.  One  died  in  infancy  and  a  son  named 
Charles  C.  in  more  advanced  life.  The  six 
living  are  William  F.,  Gertrude,  wife  of  Mar- 
cus L.  Shippee,-  living  at  Emma,  Colorado; 
Herbie  G.,  residing  at  Franklin,  California; 
Elbert  Forest;  M.  Leta,  a  school  teacher,  and 
Cana  Ivan.  As  a  business  man,  a  public  official, 
a  good  citizen  and  a  promoter  of  every  com- 


mendable enterprise  for  the  advancement  of 
his  country  and  section  of  the  state,  Mr.  Staton 
has  been  faithful  and  serviceable,  and  on  his 
demonstrated  merit  he  has  attained  to  a  high 
standing  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fel- 
low men.  He  has  won  success  and  consequence 
in  Colorado,  and  is  loyal  to  every  interest  of 
the  state  and  every  proper  ambition  of  her 
people. 

ROBERT  L.  SHERWOOD. 

Robert  L.  Sherwood,  of  Carbondale,  Gar- 
field  county,  this  state,  is  a  product  of  the  West, 
and  he  has  tried  many  of  its  various  lines  of 
usefulness  with  varying  success,  sometimes  on 
the  crest  of  an  advancing  wave  of  prosperity 
and  again  in  the  trough  of  a  sea  of  deep  ad- 
versity. But  by  persistent  effort  and  natural 
ability  he  has  at  length  steered  his  barque  to 
a  safe  harbor  and  is  securely  anchored  to  a  sub- 
stantial prosperity  and  an  elevated  place  in  the 
regard  of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  born  at 
Helena,  Montana,  on  April  14,  1865,  where 
his  parents  had  settled  a  number  of  years  be- 
fore. He  is  the  son  of  Anson  and  Meda  (Leg- 
gett)  Sherwood,  the  father  a  native  of  Cold- 
water,  Michigan,  and  the  mother  of  New 
York  state.  During  the  Civil  war  the  father 
served  as  a  captain  in  the  Union  army,  and 
was  injured  in  the  service.  On  his  return  to 
Helena  he  conducted  a  hotel  until  his  death, 
in  1868.  After  that  sad  event  his  widow 
moved  her  family  to  Georgetown,  Colorado, 
where  she  carried  on  a  millinery  business  from 
1869  to  1872.  She  then  removed  to  Denver 
and  opened  an  establishment  of  the  same  kind, 
which  she  conducted  until  1876,  when  she  sold 
out,  and  took  up  her  residence  in  1881  at  Buena 
Vista,  this  state.  Here  she  once  more  started 
in  the  millinery  business,  which  she  carried  on 
until  her  death  in  January,  1882.  There  were 
two  children  in  the  family,  Clara,  wife  of  Frank 
A.  Moore,  of  Florence,  and  Robert  L.  The 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


125 


son  was  educated  to  a  limited  extent  at  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  became  a 
helper  in  the  clerical  department  of  a  leading 
drug  store  at  Denver.  He  was  next  a  sacker 
in  a  rlouring-mill  in  the  same  city,  and  was 
then  in  the  employ  of  Dr.  Huggins,  of  Denver, 
and  while  working  for  him  was  able  to  attend 
school  a  portion  of  the  time.  Three  years  were 
spent  in  his  service,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
period  Mr.  Sherwood  engaged  in  market  gard- 
ening and  found  a  profitable  trade  in  the  city. 
In  1879  he  moved  to  Leadville  and,  in  part- 
nership with  P.  J.  Hall  and  L.  J.  Cella,  con- 
ducted several  peanut  stands.  This  also 
proved  a  profitable  venture  and  at  the  end  of 
a  year  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  for 
six  hundred  dollars.  He  next  opened  a  restaur- 
ant at  Durango,  but  as  the  population  was  at 
that  time  largely  composed  of  outlaws  who 
were  bad  pay,  he  was  obliged  to  close  his  doors 
in  a  short  time.  Moving  on,  he  went  to  Silver- 
ton,  but  not  being  pleased  with  the  outlook,  he 
went  farther  to  Rico  where  he  worked  in  the 
mines  at  a  compensation  of  three  dollars  and 
a  half  a  day.  Here  he  got  a  financial  start 
again,  then  continued  working  in  the  mines  at 
Georgetown,  but  on  his  own  account.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  he  moved  to  Routt  county  and 
located  a  ranch  and  devoted  a  year  to  raising 
cattle.  In  1884  he  disposed  of  his  interests  for 
two  bronchos  and  a  note  for  the  sum  of  thirty 
dollars,  then  moved  to  Hot  Sulphur  Springs. 
Here  he  secured  a  contract  to  carry  the 
United  States  mails  between  that  place  and 
Steamboat  Springs,  which  he  continued  to  do 
for  eighteen  months.  He  then  returned  to 
Georgetown  and  leased  a  mine  which  he* 
worked  with  moderate  success  until  he  changed 
his  residence  to  Aspen,  where  he  dealt  in 
grain  and  hay  for  a  period.  After  that  he 
rented  a  ranch  two  miles  and  a  half  northwest 
of  Aspen,  and  after  conducting  its  operations 
some  time,  bought  one  of  two  hundred  and 


forty  acres,  which  he  managed  until  1900,  when 
he  sold  it  to  Charles  Wise.  Soon  after  this  he 
bought  the  business  he  now  owns  and  runs,  a 
livery  and  transfer  enterprise,  making  the  pur- 
chase of  H.  C.  Jessup.  This  has  been  very 
profitable  and  continues  to  be.  Mr.  Sherwood 
was  married  on  February  28,  1888,  to  Miss 
Emma  Cruikshank,  a  native  of  Chicago  and 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Margaret  Cruik- 
shank, the  former  born  in  New  York  state  and 
the  latter  in  Scotland.  They  located  in  Illinois 
in  early  life  and  in  1879  moved  to  Colorado. 
The  father  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  and 
followed  his  business  at  various  places.  In 
1880  they  moved  to  Aspen,  and  here  he  con- 
tinued in  the  industrious  pursuit  of  his  voca- 
tion until  he  accidentally  met  his  death  in  1886. 
He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  order,  being  the 
oldest  member  of  Aspen  Lodge,  and  was  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian  in 
church  affiliation.  The  mother  was  a  Congre- 
gationalist.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living:  Minnie  A., 
wife  of  Clifton  Warren,  of  Chicago;  Lottie  B., 
wife  of  Josiah  Dean,  of  Denver;  Nellie,  wife 
of  Mortimer  Flack,  of  Lake  Geneva,  Wiscon- 
sin; and  Mrs.  Sherwood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sher- 
wood have  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom 
have  died,  two  passing  away  in  infancy,  Meda 
on  August  15,  1902,  and  Stella  on  July  10. 
1900.  The  four  living  are  Lottie,  Robert, 
Clara  and  Eloise. 

PHILIP  H.  VAN  CLEVE. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  rich  alluvial  soil  of 
Indiana,  and  learning  the  art  of  agriculture  in 
Illinois,  and  now  practicing  it  successfully  in 
Colorado  fields  made  fertile  and  productive  by 
his  own  vigorous  and  skillful  efforts,  Philip  H. 
Van  Cleve,  of  the  Glenwood  Springs  region  of 
Garfield  county,  has  between  the  two  sections 
been  tried  by  both  extremes  of  fortune,  enjoy- 


126 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ing  at  times  a  brave  and  comely  prosperity  and 
at  others  sounding  all  the  depths  of  abject  and 
oppressive  adversity.  His  life  began  on 
August  5,  1841,  in  Orange  county  of  the 
Hoosier  state,  where  his  father,  James  Van 
Cleve,  also  was  born.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Lucretia  Holcomb,  was  a 
native  of  Yadkin  county.  North  Carolina. 
Some  time  after  the  birth  of  this  son  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Clay  county  and  a  year  later  to 
Richland  county,  Illinois,  and  two  years  after- 
ward took  up  their  residence  in  Morgan  county, 
Illinois.  There  they  remained  until  1864,  then 
moved  to  Scott  county  in  the  same  state.  In 
1885  the  father  joined  his  son  in  Colorado,  the 
mother  having  died  in  1853.  He  followed  her 
to  the  other  world  on  March  20,  1891. 
Throughout  his  life  he  was  an  industrious  man, 
and  down  to  the  Fremont  campaign  in  1856 
supported  the  Democratic  party,  but  then  he  be- 
came a  Republican  and  remained  one  to  the  end 
of  his  days.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  church.  Of  their  children  one 
died  in  infancy,  George  K.  was  killed  in  1878, 
as  a  soldier  in  the  regular  army,  and  Nancy  J., 
then  Mrs.  Fielden  Gibbins,  died  in  1892; 
Perry  L.,  of  Bluemound,  Illinois,  Philip  H., 
and  Mary  E.,  wife  of  David  Farnam,  of  Zen- 
obia,  Illinois,  are  living.  Philip  was  educated 
to  a  limited  extent  at  the  public  schools  and  at 
an  early  age  began  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  At  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  he  farmed 
and  conducted  a  butchering  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  with  good  returns  for  his  enter- 
prise and  labor.  He  then  engaged  in  shelling 
corn  and  shipping  it  to  St.  Louis,  with  head- 
quarters at  Virden.  Illinois,  remaining  there 
until  1869,  when  he  moved  to  Kansas,  and 
after  devoting  some  time  to  farming  in  that 
state,  went  to  Indian  Territory.  From  there  he 
made  a  trip  to  Texas,  from  whence  he  returned 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Macon  county.  Here 
he  served  as  clerk  for  his  brother  and  Mr.  Clay- 


pool,  who  were  carrying  on  a  general  country 
store  under  the  firm  name  of  Van  Cleve  & 
Claypool,  and  at  the  end  of  six  months  bought 
Mr.  Claypool' s  interest,  the  firm  name  then  be- 
coming Van  Cleve  Brothers.  In  1879  he  sold 
out  to  his  brother  and  came  to  Colorado,  buying 
an  outfit  at  St.  Louis  and  making  the  journey 
overland  to  Pueblo,  where  he  arrived  on  May 
8th.  After  his  arrival  in  this  state  he  did 
various  kinds  of  work,  mining,  wood-chopping 
and  prospecting,  for  a  few  months.  The  net 
result  of  his  labor  in  November  was  the  sum 
of  twenty  cents;  so  he  quit  prospecting  and 
went  to  Leadville  where  he  found  work  in  the 
smelter  and  afterward  in  the  mines  for  a  com- 
pensation of  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  day. 
In  1880  he  trapped  and  hunted  on  Cattle  creek 
in  Garfield  county,  a  short  time,  then  moved  to 
Aspen  where  he  served  as  a  cook  in  a  saw-mill 
camp  belonging  to  Andrew  M.  McFarland,  and 
received  for  his  work  sixty  dollars  a  month  and 
his  board.  In  the  summer  of  1881  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Gus  Carlson  and  took  a  con- 
tract to  furnish  wood  for  the  smelter  owned  by 
Shepard  &  DeWolf.  The  profits  in  this  un- 
dertaking were  good,  and  the  work,  although 
hard,  was  not  otherwise  unpleasant.  In  the 
spring  of  1882  he  located  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  his  present  ranch  as  a  pre-emption 
claim.,  to  which  he  has  since  purchased  addi- 
tions until  he  now  owns  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  On  April  15,  1882,  when  he  located  on 
this  land  all  he  owned  was  comprised  in  a 
pony,  a  bridle  and  saddle,  some  blankets,  a 
batching  outfit  and  an  order  on  Mr.  Cowen- 
hagen  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars.  He  has 
prospered  here  and  made  extensive  improve- 
ments on  his  land,  is  sole  owner  of  the  ditch 
which  irrigates  it,  and  raises  good  crops  of  the 
usual  farm  products  of  this  section.  He  has 
also  a  flourishing  cattle  and  dairy  industry, 
from  which  the  returns  are  large  and  steadily 
on  the  increase.  The  ranch  is  nine  miles  south- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


east  of  Glenwood  Springs,  in  a  fine  agricultural 
region  and  a  delightful  climate.  In  politics 
Mr.  Van  Cleve  is  a  Republican  and  in  fraternal 
life  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
having  served  over  three  years  in  Company  I, 
Fourteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  and  participating  in  several 
important  battles.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  he 
owns  real  estate  at  Glenwood  Springs. 

CHARLES  H.  HARRIS. 

Charles    H.    Harris,    of    near    Carbondale, 
who  owns  and  manages  one  of  the  largest  and 
richest  ranches  in  Garfield  county,  is  a  native 
of   Clintonville,    Clinton    county,    New    York, 
and  the  son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Jayne) 
Harris,  whose  history  is  given  more  at  length 
on  another  page  of  this  work.   He  was  born  on 
April   i,   1852,  and  was  four  years  old  when 
the    family    moved    to    Wisconsin.      He    was 
reared  on. the  paternal  homestead  to  the  age  of 
nineteen,  assisting  in  the  work  on  the  farm  and 
attending  the  public  schools  in  the  neighbor- 
hood when  he  could.     In   1871   he  moved  to 
Howard  county,  Iowa.     He  labored  four  years 
as  a  farm  hand  for  wages,  then  in   1875  mi- 
grated to  the  Black  Hills   in   South   Dakota, 
where  he  put   in   five  years   prospecting  and 
mining  but  without  success.     In  1880  he  came 
over  the  Independence  pass  to  Colorado,  and  in 
partnership  with  Thomas  Cannon  built  a  cabin 
at  Aspen  which  was  used  as  a  supply  house. 
In  June  of  that  year  he  squatted  on  his  present 
ranch,  or  a  portion  of  it,  on  which  he  after- 
ward proved  up  as  a  pre-emption  claim.     It 
comprises    one    hundred    and    fifty-eight    and 
three-fourths  acres  and  was  at  that  time  a  part 
of  the  Ute  reservation.     He  has  since  acquired 
six  hundred   and   forty  acres   additional,    and 
now  has  one  of 'the  most  productive  and  valu- 
able ranches  in  this  whole  section  of  the  state. 
It  yields  every  variety  of  farm  products,  but  is 


particularly  prolific  in  hay  and  potatoes  of  the 
finest  quality.     In  1881  he  received  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  dollars  a  ton  for  his  hay  crop 
alone.     He    also    raises    superior    cattle    and 
horses   extensively.      Owning  his   own   water 
rights  and  having  an  interest  in  a  large  out- 
side ditch,  he  has  abundant  means  of  irrigating 
his  land  as  far  as  necessary,  and  can  conduct 
his   farming  operations  with  full  success  and 
vigor.     He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
this  region  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  poten- 
tial  factors  in  its  development  and  progress. 
He  brought  the  first  wagon  and  the  first  cook- 
ing stove  into  the  valley,  packing  the  latter  on 
horseback   in  sections   for  transportation.      In 
1884,  in  company  with  sixteen  other  men,  he 
built  in  six  weeks  the  wagon  road  around  the 
mountain  near  Emma,  which  the  builders  af- 
terward donated  to  the  county.     The  men  who 
aided  actively  in  this  enterprise  were  William 
H.    Harris,     Riece    Brown,     Newton     Lantz, 
Timothy  Carey,  Frank  Dalton,  John  Cox.  Pat- 
rick Meeney,  Edward  Staffacker,  John  Rudie, 
the  two  Luxinger  brothers,  John  Cummings. 
Cyrus    Reed,    William    Hopkins    and    Walter 
Vance.     This  highway  has  been  of  inestimable 
service  to  the  section  and  is  today  a  gratifying 
and    impressive    monument    to   the    enterprise 
and  public  spirit  of  its  builders.     At  the  first 
election  held  in  the  region  known  as  the  Sum- 
mit Mr.   Harris  and  James  Landers  acted  as 
the  judges,  and  the  check  for  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  issued  to  Mr.  Harris  as  compensation 
for  his  services  is  still  in  his  possession.     The 
election   was  held   at  Glenwood   Springs.      In 
political  thought  and  action  Mr.  Harris  is  in- 
dependent.    He  was  married  on  January   19, 
1886,  to  Miss  Rosetta  Noble,  a  native  of  Iowa 
and    the    daughter    of    George    and    Marietta 
(Woolsey)    Noble,    the    former    a    native    of 
Pennsylvania  and    the    latter    of    Iowa.     The 
father   was  a  blacksmith  and  a  preacher.     For 
a  number  of  years  he  wrought  at  his   forge 


128 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


during  the  week  and  preached  on  Sundays,  but 
later  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  first  at 
Rifle  and  later  at  Plateau,  Mesa  county.  Five 
of  their  six  children  survive  the  mother,  who 
died  in  February,  1862.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris 
have  four  children  living,  Nettie,  Dora,  Am- 
brose V.  and  Clara  B.  Another  daughter 
named  Ruth  died  some  years  ago. 

WILLIAM  W.   MOORE. 

As  a  'leading  and  public-spirited  editor  of 
various  newspapers  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  William  W.  Moore,  of  Routt  county, 
now  a  prominent  and  enterprising  ranch  and 
cattle  man  on  Williams  Fork,  near  Craig,  has 
made  valuable  contributions  to  the  awakening, 
direction  and  concentration  of  public  sentiment 
for  the  good  of  the  country,  and  as  a  laborer 
in  various  fields  of  enterprise  in  Colorado  he 
has  been  of  considerable  service  in  helping  to 
develop  the  state's  resources  and  building  up 
her  material  interests.  He  was  born  at  Green- 
field, Indiana,  on  August  2,  1853,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  the  graded  schools  of  that  city.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
the  trade  of  a  printer,  serving  his  apprentice- 
ship in  the  office  of  the  St.  Louis  Globe-Demo- 
crat, where  he  worked  four  years.  Then,  in 
partnership  with  his  father,  he  started  a  paper 
at  Wheatland,  Hickory  county,  Missouri, 
known  as  the  Wheatland  Mirror.  They  were* 
measurably  successful  in  this  enterprise  and 
sold  the  plant  and  business  at  a  fair  profit, 
after  which  they  moved  to  Sedalia,  in  the  same 
state,  and  for  a  year  had  charge  of  the  daily 
there  owned  by  J.  F.  Leach,  Mr.  Moore,  the 
younger,  serving  as  foreman.  Then  father  and 
son  together  bought  the  Democratic  paper  at 
Nevada  City,  which  they  conducted  together 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
failing  health  induced  the  son  to  move  to  Colo- 
rado. He  took  up  his  residence  at  Georgetown, 


where  he  remained  until  1875  engaged  in  a 
number  of  different  pursuits.  In  that  year  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  A.  Fisk  in  conduct- 
ing saw-mills  at  Georgetown,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued with  good  success  until  March  16,  1879. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Moore  journeyed  on  snow- 
shoes  to  Kokomo  and  from  there  moved  on  to 
Leadville.  Here  he  was  employed  for  a  short 
time  on  the  Reveille  and  Chronicle,  then  he 
moved  to  the  Arkansas  river  and  took  charge 
of  a  saw-mill  owned  by  May  &  King.  In  No- 
vember, 1880,  he  became  manager  of  two 
saw-mills  belonging  to  Bull  &  Harrison,  and. 
moving  them  to  Durango,  he  continued  in 
charge  of  them  until  August,  1881.  From 
Durango  he  went  to  Pueblo  where  he  carried 
a  hod  until  October  loth.  At  that  time  he 
joined  in  business  again  with  Mr.  Fisk  and. 
purchasing  a  four-mule  outfit,  they  moved  to 
Bear  river.  In  the  autumn  of  1882  he  located 
a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Hayden,  which  he  improved.  In 
the  winter  of  1883  ne  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Carbondale,  where  for  awhile  he  prospected 
without  success.  Next  starting  from  Glen- 
wood  Springs,  he  traveled  on  snow-shoes  to 
Carbondale,  but  he  soon  afterward  returned  to 
Glenwood  Springs  where  he  passed  some  time 
cutting  cord  wood  for  use  in  burning  brick.  The 
company  for  which  he  and  eight  others  worked 
was  unable  to  pay  its  employees  and  they 
started  for  Leadville  with  a  joint  capital  of 
four  dollars.  At  the  last  named  town  he 
was  variously  employed  until  1887.  From  then 
until  1895  he  was  once  more  in  partnership 
with  Mr.  Fisk,  their  enterprise  during  this 
period  being  the  stock  business.  In  1895  he 
bought  Mr.  Fisk's  ranch  interest,  and  on  De- 
cember 28th  of  that  year  he  met  with  an  ac- 
cident while  prospecting  for  coal,  by  which  he 
lost  his  left  leg.  He  sold  the  ranch  he  then 
had  in  1902  at  a  good  profit  and  the  next  year 
bought  the  one  he  now  owns  on  Williams  fork. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


129 


"his  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
>f  which  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  are  under 
advanced  cultivation.  Here  he  conducts  a 
flourishing  cattle  industry  on  a  large  scale,  in 
which  he  finds  congenial  employment  and  ex- 
cellent returns  for  his  labor.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs  as  a  Republican  and 
gives  the  principles  and  candidates  of  his  party 
loyal  support.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Amanda  (Woodworth)  Wood,  the  former  a 
native  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  the  latter  of 
the  state  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  promi- 
nent physician,  a  graduate  of  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Edinburg,  and 
at  times  was  connected  with  newspaper  work 
in  an  editorial  capacity.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  public-spirit  and  a  zealous  Republican  in 
political  faith.  Both  parents  have  been  dead  for 
a  number  of  years.  Their  living  children  are 
Edwin  R.,  Pinckney  M.,  William  W.,  Mrs. 
Belle  Snyder,  Mrs.  Florence  Agune  and  Mrs. 
Laura  S.  Morris. 

THE  WILLIAMS  BROTHERS. 

This  firm  of  leading  Garfield  county  ranch- 
men and  stock-growers  doing  business  on  a 
well  improved  and  highly  cultivated  property  in 
the  neighborhood  of  New  Castle,  is  composed 
of  Seth  and  David  H.  Williams,  natives  of 
Clinton  county,  Ohio,  and  sons  of  Ennion  and 
Scythia  J.  (Paris)  Williams,  who  were  born 
in  Kentucky  and  after  a  short  residence  of  a 
few  years  in  Ohio  after  their  marriage,  moved 
to  Iowa  while  it  was  yet  a  territory.  They 
lived  in  Warren  county,  that  state,  until  1865 
when  they  came  overland  from  Plattsmouth, 
Nebraska,  to  Denver,  this  state.  The  train 
had  no  positive  conflict  with  the  Indians,  but 
was  frequently  threatened  and  obliged  to  line 
up  for  defense.  They  heard  of  numerous  par- 
ties in  u^ir  front  and  rear  being  attacked,  and 
as  the  country  was  full  of  danger  they  were 
9 


not  allowed  to  go  beyond  a  United  States  mili- 
tary post  unless  they  had  at  least  fifty  well- 
armed  men  for  their  protection.  They  were 
on  the  road  from  June  to  August.  On  arriv- 
ing in  this  state  the  parents  bought  a  ranch  and 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives  they  were 
engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  stock,  the  lead- 
ing pursuits  of  this  section  in  those  days.  They 
had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
William,  Seth,  David  H.  and  Martha,  wife  of 
Lash  Bottom,  of  Black  Mountain,  Park  county. 
The  father  died  in  1881  and  the  mother  in  1890. 
He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  early  history 
of  the  section  and  an  active  Democrat  in. 
politics.  Owing  to  the  circumstances  of  the 
case  the  children  had  but  little  opportunity,  to 
attend  school  and  were  obliged  to  get  their 
preparation  for  the  battle  of  life  from  their 
own  experience.  After  reaching  years  of  ma- 
turity Seth,  who  was  born  on  February  14. 
1838,  went  east  to  Bowling  Green,  Clay 
county,  Indiana,  then  in  1861,  the  Civil  war 
having  begun,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Infantry,  in  which  he" 
served  until  he  was  honorably  discharged  on 
account  of  sickness  in  1864  an(l  returned  to 
Iowa.  When  he  arrived  at  Denver  with  his 
parents  he  located  a  ranch  on  Cache  La  Poudre 
river,  near  Greeley,  which  comprised  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  here  for  a  period  of 
sixteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  and 
raising  cattle;  and  in  connection  therewith  he 
freighted  from  point  to  point  in  that  portion 
of  the  state.  At  the  end  of  the  time  mentioned 
he  deeded  his  ranch  to  his  mother  and  moved 
to  Breckenridge  in  Summit  county  and  turned 
his  attention  to  freighting  across  Snowy  Range, 
being  interested  also  in  the  Bed  Rock  placer 
claims.  The  enterprise  was  not  profitable  in 
either  case  and,  moving  to  Red  Cliff,  he  de- 
voted his  time  for  a  year  and  a  half  to  hauling 
supplies  to  mining  camps.  He  then  rented 'a 
ranch  and  during  the  next  two  and  one-half 


130 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


years  was  occupied  in  working  it.  In  1890  he 
took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  Garfield  creek,  the  nucleus 
of  the  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  which  he 
owns  in  partnership  with  his  brother  David. 
They  have  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  their 
land  under  cultivation  and  produce  good  crops 
of  hay  and  raise  large  numbers  of  cattle.  They 
also  raise  fruit  and  vegetables  and  some  horses 
for  market.  The  ranch  is  nine  miles  southeast 
of  New  Castle  in  a  good  agricultural  and  graz- 
ing region  and  is  a  valuable  property.  Mr. 
Williams  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  is  a  Democrat.  He  Was  married 
in  1865  to  Miss  Margaret  Richard,  a  native  of 
France.  They  have  one  child,  Elmer. 

DAVID  H.  WILLIAMS,,  a  younger  brother 
and  partner  of  Seth,  was  born  on  July  10,  1841, 
and  after  his  arrival  in  Colorado  in  1865  be- 
came  a  ranchman  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  William  at  Breckenridge,  and  con- 
tinued the  relation  until  1870.  The  partner- 
ship was  then  dissolved  by  mutual  consent  and 
David  freighted  for  a  time,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  Iowa  and  was  occupied  in  farming 
and  dealing  in  cattle  there  from  the  spring  of 
1871  to  1879.  In  the  year  last  named  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Leadville,  and  here 
he  was  engaged  in  freighting  until  1886.  In 
1887  he  sold  his  farm  in  Iowa,  and  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  Seth  did  contract  work 
on  the  Loveland  and  Greeley  canal,  and  fol- 
lowed various  other  lines  of  productive  activity. 
They  made  a  trip  to  the  Black  Hills  with  a 
freighting  outfit,  being  ninety  days  on  the 
road.  They  also  hauled  railroad  ties  for  Sar- 
gent &  Montrose,  then  to  Silverton,  to  Breck- 
enridge and  to  Red  Cliff.  Since  locating  the 
ranch  which  they  now  own  in  partnership  on 
Garfield  creek,  he  has  been  an  equal  partner 
with  his  brother  in  all  its  interests.  He  was 
married  in  1864  to  Miss  Miriam  Higgins,  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri.  They  have  had  six  children. 


four  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  two  living 
are:  Clara,  wife  of  Asa  Starbuck,  of  Garfield 
county,  and  Ira,  living  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
Mr.  Williams  is  a  zealous  Democrat  in  political 
allegiance,  and  both  he  and  his  brother  find  the 
conditions  of  life  and  the  opportunities  for 
business  enterprise  satisfactory  in  Colorado 
and  are  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  their  state 
and  county.  They  are  held  in  high  esteem  as 
progressive  men  and  good  citizens  on  all  sides. 

RICHARD  J.   DUNSTAN. 

This  valued  and  extensively  useful  citizen 
of  Colorado,  who  is  a  younger  brother  of 
Thomas  Dunstan,  and  was  for  many  years  his 
active  partner  in  various  productive  enterprises 
(see  sketch  of  Thomas,  elsewhere  in  this 
work),  was  born  in  Australia  on  May  29,  1863, 
and  accompanied  his  parents  to  this  country  in 
1872.  The  family  lived  in  Kansas  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  the  parents  died  in  that  state. 
Richard  remained  at  home  with  them  until 
1878,  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Denver,  where  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  brother  Thomas,  as  has  be"en  noted. 
They  were  engaged  in  railroad  contract  work 
until  1885,  when  they  separated  and  Richard 
conducted  a  hotel  for  two  years.  In  1887  he 
moved  to  the  Williams  Fork  country,  in  Routt 
county,  and  squatted  on  a  claim  which  he  pre- 
empted after  the  survey  was  made.  He  has 
since  purchased  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
additional  and  'now  has  a  good  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  ninety  acres,  of  which  one  hun- 
dred acres  produce  excellent  crops  of  hay, 
grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits.  His  chief 
resources  is  his  cattle  industry  and  he  has  an 
extensive  range  of  good  grazing  ground.  The 
improvements  on  the  place  were  made  by  him- 
self, and  their  character  and  the  general  con- 
dition of  the  place  show  him  to  be  a  man  of 
good  judgment,  enterprise  and  skill.  From 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1886  to  1892  he  was  associated  with  his  brother 
Thomas  in  the  ranching  and  stock  industry,  but 
since  the  latter  year  they  have  conducted 
separate  industries  in  these  lines.  Richard  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  undertakings,  has 
risen  to  prominence  in  the  community  and  has 
a  commanding  influence  in  the  councils  of  the 
Republican  party,  of  which  he  is  a  devoted 
member.  On  May  29,  1884,  ne  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Josephine  (Ferris)  Hauck, 
a  native  of  Oswego,  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Norman  F.  and  Harriett  (Simons)  Ferris, 
the  former  a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter 
of  New  York  state.  They  first  settled  in  the 
state  of  New  York,  having  been  married  in 
Canada,  and  afterward  moved  to  Illinois,  and 
in  1859  to  Wisconsin,  where  they  ended  their 
days,  the  father  dying  in  1889  anc^  tne  mother 
in  1892.  The  father  was  a  sailor  on  many 
seas  and  the  mother  reared  the  family.  Their 
offspring  numbered  eleven,  five  of  whom  died 
in  infancy  or  early  life.  The  six  living  are 
Elizabeth,  Josephine,  Charles,  Julia,  Mary  and 
Lucias.  By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Duns- 
tan  had  two  children,  Mary  and  John  W.,  the 
daughter  having  died  in  infancy.  From  her 
marriage  with  Mr.  Dunstan  there  are  also  two. 
Augusta  M.  and  Thomas  H.  The  latter  was 
the  first  white  boy  born  on  the  Williams 
fork.  Augusta  M.  was  one  of  the  particularly 
bright  pupils  at  the  Grand  Avenue  high  school 
in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  She  there  pursued  a 
special  course  in  Latin  and  science,  and  made 
a  high  reputation  as  an  essayist,  six  of  her  pro- 
ductions being  placed  on  exhibition  at  the  St. 
Louis  World's  Fair  in  1904.  The  subjects  were 
"People  We  Meet,"  "History  Note  Books," 
"Greek  Gymnastics,"  "Private  Life  of  the 
Greeks,"  "French  Examination  Papers,"  and 
"Geometry  Exercises."  As  a  Colorado  product 
she  is  highly  honored  in  this  state  for  her 
scholastic  attainments  and  literarv  abilitv. 


DAVID  C.  CROWELL. 

Born  in  Pulaski  county,  Virginia,  on  March 
i,  1841,  at  a  time  when  the  differences  between 
the  North  and  the  South  were  taking  definite 
form  and  an  inevitable  tendency  toward  the 
arbitrament  of  the  sword,  by  which  they  were 
afterward  settled,  David  .C.  Crowell,  of  Craig, 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
merchants  of  that  community,  grew  to  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  in  his  native  county  amid 
indications  of  approaching  turbulence  which 
overshadowed  every  other  consideration  and 
left  him  but  slender  opportunities  for  attend- 
ing school  or  preparing  himself  for  business. 
He  secured  a  limited  education  at  the  district 
schools  and  remained  at  home  with  his  parents, 
Joseph  and  Mary  (McLaughlin)  Crowell,  like 
himself  native  Virginians,  and  assisted  in  the 
work  on  the  farm  until  the  war  cloud  burst  on 
our  unhappy  country.  Then,  joining  his  for- 
tunes with  those  of  his  section,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  army  as  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  Virginia  Infantry,  Stonewall  Brigade, 
in  which  he  served  until  April  9,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  as  a  first  lieutenant.  Dur- 
ing his  army  experience  he  was  in  almost 
constant  active  field  service,  participating  in 
many  of  the  leading  engagements  of  the  war 
and  many  of  its  most  trying  marches,  taking 
food  when  he  could  get  it  and  snatching  often 
at  long  intervals  a  few  hours  of  repose  from 
the  exacting  duties  in  which  his  command 
was  continually  occupied.  He  saw  all  forms  of 
hardship  incident  to  the  war  except  wounds 
and  imprisonment,  and  was  called  on  to  per- 
form all  kinds  of  hazardous  service.  Prior  to 
entering  the  army  he  passed  a  year  as  fireman 
on  the  Virginia  &  Tennessee  Railroad,  a  service 
also  oftentimes,  at  that  period  and  in  that  sec- 
tion, fraught  with  peril  and  privation.  After 
the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  and  went  to 


132 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


work  as  a  carpenter,  continuing-  until  1870. 
when  he  moved  to  Denver,  this  state.  Here  he 
spent  nine  years  contracting  and  building,  then 
moved  to  Leadville  and  soon  afterward  located 
at  Ten  Mile,  where  he  opened  a  general  store 
which  he  conducted  with  good  success  until 
the  fall  of  1 88 1.  He  then  sold  out  his  interests 
there  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Frisco  in 
Summit  county,  where  he  carried  on  a  hotel 
and  livery  business  and  also  served  as  clerk 
and  recorder  until  1883.  1°  tnat  year  he  moved 
to  Bear  River  and  located  the  ranch  now  owned 
by  Gary  Brothers,  and  which  they  purchased 
from  him  in  1888.  After  the  sale  of  this  he 
changed  his  base  of  operations  to  Steamboat 
Springs.  There  he  ranched  and  devoted  his 
time  to  contracting  and  building  with  good  re- 
turns until  1894,  then  sold  out  and  moved  to 
a  ranch  on  Fortification  creek,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1893  and  which  he  occupied  until 
1903,  when  he  sold  it  to  Charles  Ranney.  Since 
then  he  has  been  in  active  personal  charge  of 
his  confectionery  store  at  Craig,  which  is  one 
of  the  leading  mercantile  enterprises  of  the 
place.  He  was  married  on  June  6,  1865,  to 
Miss  Mary  J.  Hawthorn.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mary  E.,  wife  of  William  Ger- 
rish,  and  Walter  W.  are  living,  and  Mrs.  J.  D. 
Ashley  has  died.  Mr.  Crowell  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low, a  Republican  in  politics  and  belongs  to 
the  Christian  church.  His  parents  died  in  Vir- 
ginia some  years  ago. 

ROBERT  KIMBLEY. 

The  early  life  of  Robert  Kimbley,  now  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  successful  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  Routt  county,  with  two  ranches 
in  the  vicinity  of  Craig,  was  clouded  over  with 
toil  and  privation.  He  is  the  son  of  a  coal 
miner  and  from  his  childhood  was  obliged  to 
work  at  or  in  the  mines.  It  was  inevitable 
that  there  was  no  chance  for  him  in  the  higher 


walks  of  learning,  but  it  seemed  very  hard  in- 
deed that  he  could  not  get  an  opportunity  to 
secure  even  the  rudiments  of  an  education  in 
an  enlightened  and  progressive  country  which 
boasts  of  the  freedom  and  cultivation  of  its 
people.  He  was  born  on  April  15,  1847,  at 
Staffordshire,  England,  and  at  the  age  of 
seven  was  obliged  to  go  to  work  as  a  helper 
outside  of  a  coal  mine  in  which  his  father 
worked,  and  two  years  later  began  to  assist  his 
father  inside  the  mine.  Here  he  worked  with 
diligence  until  1881,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  without  much  money  but  with 
a  complete  practical  knowledge  of  coal  min- 
ing. He  located  at  Caseyville,  Illinois,  and  for 
five  months  worked  in  the  coal  mines  at  that 
place.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  moved 
to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Coal 
Creek,  Fremont  county,  where  he  worked  in 
the  coal  mines  six  years  for  wages.  In  1887 
lie  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Craig,  Routt 
county,  and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  has  since  bought 
another  ranch  of  the  same  size,  and  on  the  two 
he  has  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  under  good 
cultivation,  from  which  he  realizes  .first-rate 
returns  in  the  ordinary  farm  products  of  the 
region  and  runs  large  herds  of  cattle.  He  has 
put  up  good  buildings  on  these  places  and 
made  each  complete  in  equipment  for  ranching 
and  the  cattle  industry  and  comfortable  as  a 
home.  His  knowledge  of  coal  mining  has 
been  of  great  service  in  this  state  as  he  has 
opened  well  and  wisely  several  mines  of  value 
wherein  coal  is  found  in  abundance.  In  1867 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Holder,  a  native 
of  England.  They  had  nine  children,  five  of 
whom  survive  their  mother,  who  died  on  Au- 
gust 1 6,  1893.  They  are  Nancy  (Mrs.  Zar- 
zoeter),  Thomas.  Jennie  (Mrs.  Martin  Early), 
Fannie  and  James.  On  February  3,  1902,  Mr. 
Kimbley  contracted  a  second  marriage,  being 
united  on  this  occasion  with  Miss  Patience 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Holder,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Starting 
with  less  than  nothing  in  life,  and  having  no 
opportunities  for  advancement  except  what 
he  made  or  hewed  out  for  himself,  Mr.  Kim- 
hley  enforces  in  his  life  work  and  success  the 
value  of  self-reliance,  thrift,  industry  and  fore- 
sight in  all  human  existence,  and  their  especial 
importance  in  a  land  like  ours  wherein  oppor- 
tunity for  usefulness  and  progress  are  always 
at  hand  when  there  are  clearness  of  vision  to 
see  them,  alertness  of  action  to  seize  them  and 
tenacity  of  purpose  to  hold  on  to  and  make 
the  most  of  them.  Among  the  progressive 
men  of  western  Colorado  he  is  entitled  to  a 
high  rank,  and  as  a  worthy  and  serviceable 
American  citizen  he  should  enjoy  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
lives  and  labors. 

ROWLAND   W.   FINLEY. 

The  settlement  and  growth  of  Routt 
county,  which  began  scarcely  more  than 
twenty  years  ago.  has  been  rapid  and  in  many 
respects  surprising  in  volume  and  vigor,  and 
as  \vell  in  the  productiveness,  of  its  forces. 
But  the  features  of  the  case,  however  conspic- 
uous and  striking,  are  in  large  measure  easily 
explained.  The  county  has  been  generously 
blessed  by  nature  in  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and 
its  adaptability  to  certain  lines  of  industry,  and 
when  the  fullness  of  time  had  come  it  was  oc- 
cupied by  an  unusually  fertile,  enterprising 
and  capable  class  of  people.  They  came  from 
many  sections  of  our  own  country  and  many 
portions  of  other  lands,  and  they  have  assimi- 
lated harmoniously  and  blended  their  merits 
into  a  civilization  at  once  progressive  and  con- 
servative, combining  potency  and  flexibility  in 
a  marked  degree,  and  thus  preparing  to  meet 
all  requirements  and  conquer  all  difficulties. 
That  great  hive  of  industry  and  varied  wealth 
of  production,  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  con- 


tributed its  quota  to  the  army  of  occupation 
and  conquest,   and   in   that  quota   the  subject 
of  this  sketch  is  entitled  to  honorable  mention, 
although  he  is  a  late  comer.     He  has  at  least 
well   maintained   the  reputation   and  standard 
of  the  earlier  arrivals,   and  met  with  proper 
spirit  the  demands  of  his  day  as  they  did  those 
of  their  day.     He  brought  to  the  performance 
of  his  duties  here  not  only  a  good  scholastic 
education,  but  a  wisdom  ripened  by  a  fund  of 
general  information  and  an   experience  gath- 
ered in  varied  occupations  in  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent places  under  circumstances  of  great  di- 
versity.    Mr.  Finley  was  born  at  Philadelphia. 
Pennsylvania,  on  June  i;  1851.     His  parents 
were  James  and  Catherine    (O'Neal)    Finley, 
the  former  a  Pennsylvania!!  by  nativity  and  the 
latter  born   in  Vermont.     The   father  was  a 
prominent  merchant  and  miller.     In  the  early 
part  of  his  career,  in  company  with  two  other 
merchants,  he  went  to  Europe  to  purchase  silks 
and  other  fine  dress  goods  for  his  trade,  and 
while  they  were  returning  with  their  purchases 
on  board,  the  ship  was  wrecked.     The  goods 
and  the  other  merchants  were  lost,  and  the 
elder  Finley  was  one  of  the  very  few  of  the 
passengers   rescued.      He   continued   his   mer- 
cantile operations  many  years,  rose  to  promi- 
nence in  business  circles  and  in  politics  as  a 
Whig,  had  a  high  social  standing,  and  occupied 
an  elevated  post  in  the  councils  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,   to  which   he  and  his  wife  be- 
longed.    He  died  in  February,  1858,  and  his 
,widow  in  October,  1900.     Four  of  their  seven 
children  are  living,  John  B..  Byron  S.,  Row- 
land W.  and  Florence  E.     The  son,  Rowland 
W.,  received  a  good  district  school  and  college 
education,  a  part  of  which  he  paid  for  out  of 
his  own  earnings,  which  began  to  accumulate 
at  an  early  age  of  his  life.    When  he  was  thir- 
teen he  left  his  native  state  and  came  west  to 
Towa,    arriving    at    Ottumwa    with    but    fifty 
cents  in  money  and  no  settled  occupation  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


prospect.  He  made  his  way  into  Marion 
county,  that  state,  and  there  secured  employ- 
ment as  a  farm  hand,  which  was  very  wel- 
come although  the  wages  were  small.  In  due 
time  he  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account, 
remaining  in  Iowa  until  1878,  when  he  moved 
to  Kansas.  During  the  twenty  years  of  his 
life  in  that  state  he  farmed,  raised  stock,  con- 
ducted mills  and  became  prominent  in  local 
politics  on  the  Democratic  side,  serving  as 
county  commissioner,  county  clerk  and  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  State 
Agricultural  College.  In  1890  he  built  the 
City  Rolling  Mills  at  Goodland,  and  had  also 
an  interest  in  the  Colby  Mills  there.  These 
he  helped  to  conduct  with  vigor  and  success 
until  the  financial  crash  of  1893.  which,  to- 
gether with  successive  droughts,  occasioned 
severe  losses.  Mr.  Finley,  however,  continued 
milling  until  the  spring  of  1897.  -^  tnat  time 
he  came  to  Colorado  to  live  and  located  in 
Routt  county.  Until  1900  he  lived  on  the 
ranch  located  by  Hulett  &  Torrence  in  the 
early  days,  and  on  which  still  stands  the  first 
log  cabin  built  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
This  ranch  he  bought  and  still  owns.  In  1900 
he  purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives, 
which  adjoins  the  other  one,  the  two  compris- 
ing two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which  two 
hundred  are  under  cultivation.  Hay  and  cat- 
tle are  his  principal  products,  but  he  also  raises 
good  crops  of  the  other  farm  products  grown 
generally  in  the  region.  In  the  fraternal  and 
political  life  of  the  county  he  has  taken  an  ac- 
tive and  prominent  part,  being  a  Knight-Tem- 
plar Mason,  and  having  served  as  county  com- 
missioner since  1902.  He  was  married  on 
December  24,  1874,  to  Miss  Laura  E.  White, 
a  native  of  Licking  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter 
of  William  W.  and  Levina  (Hewitt)  White, 
the  father  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  and 
the  mother  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Thev  were  farmers  and  members  of 


the  Baptist  church.  Politically  the  father  was 
a  Republican.  He  died  on  October  29,  1891, 
and  the  mother  is  now  living  in  Cass  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  settled  a  number  of  years 
ago.  They  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine 
are  living,  Daniel,  Mrs.  Finley,  Robert  E.,  Lin- 
coln. Alice,  Margaret,  George  T.,  Emma  E. 
and  John  H.  In  the  Finley  household  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  Lavina  M.  died  on  May 
9.  1879.  while  Tames  W.,  William  P.,  Robert 
B.  and  Mrs.  Catharine  Woolley  are  living. 

LEMUEL  L.  BREEZE. 

Lemuel  L.  Breeze,  scholar,  school  teacher, 
lawyer,  and  now  a  progressive  and  success- 
ful ranch  and  cattle  man  of  Routt  county,  living 
near  Craig,  who  has  tried  his  hand  at  several 
vocations  and  won  success  in  greater  or  less 
degree  in  all,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Il- 
linois, on  June  18,  1852.  He  received  a  good 
scholastic  and  professional  education,  attend- 
ing the  public  schools,  the  Southern  Illinois 
Agricultural  College,  Butler  University  in  In- 
diana, Hanover  College  in  the  same  state,  and 
the  State  University  of  Iowa,  being  graduated 
from  the  law  department  of  the  last  named. 
In  order  to  get  this  full  measure  of  collegiate 
education  he  taught  school  in  Illinois  and  the 
state  of  Washington,  and  after  completing  the 
law  course  at  the  Iowa  University  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  Illinois.  In  1881  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  here  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Summit  county  three  years.  -In  1883 
he  located  his  present  ranch,  three  miles  south- 
east of  Craig.  The  water  supply  is  sufficient  to 
make  a  large  acreage  tillable,  and  he  raises  good 
crops  of  the  usual  farm  products  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
fraternal  life  of  the  country  as  a  Freemason  and 
an  Odd  Fellow,  and  in  its  political  life  as  an 
earnest  working  Republican.  On  May  18. 
189,1.  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rosella 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


135 


Teagarden.  They  have  one  child,  Willard  L. 
Mr.  Breeze  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Martha  J. 
(Downs)  Breeze,  who  were  born  in  Indiana 
and  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  Illinois,  locating  there  when  almost 
the  whole  county  was  a  wilderness.  There  the 
mother  died  on  April  14,  1882,  and  soon  after- 
ward the  father  moved  to  Colorado,  taking  up 
his  residence  in  the  vicinity  of  Craig,  Routt 
county.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  until  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  He  then  became 
a  Republican  and  followed  the  fortunes  of  that 
party  to  the  end  of  his  life,  which  came  on 
February  19,  1897.  He  was  a  man  of  promin- 
ence and  influence  in  Illinois  and  also  in  this 
state.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  They  had  nine  children,  of 
whom  Charles,  Nancy,  Robert  and  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Wayman  are  dead,  and  Lemuel  L.,  John  M., 
Lewis  H.,  Mrs.  Henry  Lucas  and  Mrs.  Sallie 
C.  Jackson  are  living. 

HIRAM  VAN  TASSEL. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  West  and  North- 
west of  this  country  have  been  for  the  most 
part  men  who  were  born  to  poverty  and  "pri- 
vation and  who  learned  early  in  life  the.  lessons 
of  self-denial  and  self-reliance,  and  by  taking 
care  of  themselves  acquired  readiness  in 
emergencies  and  resourcefulness  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. To  this  type  belongs  Hiram  Van 
Tassel,  an  influential  citizen  of  Routt  county, 
conducting  a  large  and  profitable  ranching  and 
cattle  industry  five  miles  east  of  Craig.  Mr. 
Van  Tassel  was  born  on  March  15,  1859,  m 
Antrim  county,  Michigan,  and  is  the  son  of 
Andrew  and  Adeline  Van  Tassel,  the  father  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  of  Eng- 
land. They  became  residents  of  Michigan  in 
early  days  and  in  that  state  they  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  the  mother  dying  in 
1859  and  the  father  on  January  20,  1890.  The 


father  was  a  gunsmith  and  carpenter,  and  work- 
ing at  these  crafts  he  achieved  a  gratifying 
success.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  political  faith 
and  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fraternal  relations.  Five 
children  were  born  in  the  family,  only  two  of 
whom  are  living,  Hiram  and  his  older  brother 
Charles.  Hiram  was  obliged  to  look  out  for 
himself  at  an  early  age  and  consequently  his 
opportunities  for  education  at  the  schools 
were  very  limited.  Until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty  years  he  was  variously  employed  in 
Michigan,  Pennsylvania  and  Illinois.  In  1879 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and,  locating 
at  Lake  City,  he  furnished  supplies  for  the  John 
J.  Crook  mines  under  contract,  continuing  in 
the  business  until  he  "went  broke"  at  it  in  1881. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  raising  cattle 
near  the  boundary  line  between  Gunnison  and 
Saguache  counties,  and  remained  there  so  oc- 
cupied until  September,  1903.  He  then  sold 
the  ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  which  he  had 
acquired,  getting  a  good  price  for  it,  and  moved 
to  the  one  he  now  occupies,  which  he  bought. 
It  comprises  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  an  1 
he  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  a  good 
state  of  fertility  and  productiveness,  raising 
hay,  grain,  small  fruits  and  vegetables  in 
abundance,  but  finding  cattle  and  hay  his  most 
prolific  and  profitable  products.  He  is  an  en- 
terprising and  progressive  citizen,  and  shows 
an  earnest  interest  in  every  phase  of  the  de- 
velopment and  growth  of  his  community.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  politically  he  is  independent.  Mr. 
Van  Tassel  was  married  on  February  3,  1887, 
to  Miss  Lydia  J.  Lovell,  a  native  of  Will  county, 
Illinois,  born  on  January  4,  1860.  They  have 
had  four  children,  of  whom  one  daughter 
named  Pearl  died  on  April  3,  1896,  and  Olive 
F.,  Earl  A.  and  Blanche  P.  are  living.  In  his 
long  life  in  this  state  Mr.  Van  Tassel  has  had 
many  trials,  endured  many  hardships  and  taken 
part  in  many  thrilling  incidents.  He  witnessed 


136 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  capture  of  Packer,  the  noted  cannibal,  and 
helped  to  build  the  scaffold  on  which  he  was  to 
have  been  hanged.  He  also  witnessed  the 
hanging  of  Betts  and  Downing,  two  notorious 
outlaws.  The  last  words  of  Downing  were, 
"Give  me  a  chew  of  tobacco."  While  at  work 
at  the  smelter  Mr.  Van  Tassel  also  witnessed 
the  shooting  of  his  partner,  George  Young. 

GEORGE  W.  BOONE. 

A  self-made  and  very  successful  and  pros- 
perous man,  George  \V.  Boone,  of  near  Craig, 
Routt  county,  furnishes  in  his  career  a  stirring 
tribute  to  the  value  of  self-reliance  and  perse- 
vering industry,  and  illustrates  forcibly  what 
it  is  possible  for  these  qualities  to  accomplish 
in  such  a  fruitful  field  for  effort  as  Colorado. 
He  is  a  native  of  McMinn  county,  Tennessee, 
born  on  July  10,  1861.  The  Civil  war.  which 
was  then  already  in  progress,  left  that  portion 
of  the  country  with  all  its  industries  paralyzed, 
its  commercial  forces  stagnant  and  its  people 
without  the  means  to  resuscitate  and  revitalize 
its  creative  and  productive  energies  at  once. 
Tt  was  not  possible  therefore  for  him  to  secure 
much  of  an  education,  as  family  necessities  de- 
manded the  utmost  work  of  every  able  hand, 
and  he  had  therefore  only  a  few  terms  of  short 
duration  at  the  district  schools,  and  these  were 
irregular.  Until  he  reached  his  nineteenth 
year  he  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his  fa- 
ther on  the  farm.  Then,  seeking  a  better  out- 
look for  himself,  he  made  several  trips  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  West,  in  the  hope  of  finding 
a  suitable  location  for  the  employment  of  his 
energies  to  his  own  advantage.  In  1885  he 
took  up  his  residence  near  Rawlins,  Wyoming, 
where  he  found  employment  as  stock  tender  for 
the  Overland  Stage  Company.  The  next  year 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  homesteadecl  a  por- 
tion of  his  present  ranch,  purchasing  since  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  additional,  so  that  his 


ranch  now  comprises  three  hundred  and  forty' 
acres.  While  the  land  at  the  time  was  wholly 
wild,  and  unimproved,  he  was  not  deterred 
from  the  expectation  of  securing  good  results 
from  continued  effort,  and  he  went  to  work 
with  a  will  to  make  his  property  habitable  by 
erecting  a  dwelling  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings, and  by  reducing  the  land  to  productive- 
ness and  increasing  fertility.  He -has  so  far 
succeeded  that  a  considerable  acreage  brings 
him  good  annual  crops  of  hay.  grain,  vege- 
tables and  small  fruits,  and  he  has  a  main  reli- 
ance in  a  large  cattle  industry  which  thrives 
on  the  place.  Wrhile  taking  an  active  and  help- 
ful interest  in  public  local  affairs,  and  with- 
holding no  effort  of  his  needed  to  promote 
good  enterprises  for  the  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity, he  is  independent  in  politics.  On  June 
6.  1889,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
garet Walker,  a  native  of  Georgia.  Mr. 
Boone's  parents  were  Allen  and  Anna  (Hardy) 
Boone,  natives  of  North  Carolina,  who  be- 
came early  residents  of  Tennessee  and  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  there,  the  father 
dying  in  that  state  in  1885,  and  the  mother 
being  still  a  resident  thereof.  Fourteen  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  died. 
The  nine  living  are  Thomas,  James,  John,  Rob- 
ert, George  W.,  Susan,  Martha,  Mary  and 
Julia.  The  father  was  an  extensive  farmer 
and  stood  well  in  his  community. 

BYRON  B.  COOPER. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review  who  is 
one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  ranchers 
and  cattle  men  of  Routt  county,  was  born  at 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  on  April  14,  1857,  and  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Amanda  Cooper,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Delaware  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
They  lived  for  awhile  in  Indiana,  then  moved 
to  Iowa  when  it  was  still  a  territory.  Here 
the  father  was  engaged  in  running  a  stage  line 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


137 


for  a  time  and  afterward  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  farming.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  belonged  to  the  Democratic 
party.  He  died  in  1858,  leaving  two  children 
to  be  reared  and  supported  by  his  widow.  The 
children  are  Eugene  E.  and  Byron  B.  At  the 
time  of  his  father's  death  the  latter  was  but 
one  year  old.  The  circumstances  of  the  family 
and  the  struggle  of  the  mother  in  rearing  her 
young  family  made  it  impossible  for  the  son 
to  receive  educational  advantages  of  any  magni- 
tude or  duration.  When  he  was  twelve  years 
old  he  began  to  work  in  his  mother's  interest, 
and  he  is  still  doing  so.  He  left  Iowa  in 
1880  and  came  to  Leadville,  this  state,  where  he 
prospected  without  success  until  the  fall  of 
1885.  He  then  moved  to  the  Bear  river 
country,  in  Routt  county,  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead which  is  part  of  his  present  ranch.  To 
this  he  has  added  forty  acres  by  purchase  and 
now  has  two  hundred  acres.  In  connection 
with  working  this  he  farms  his  mother's  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  adjoins 
his.  They  have  one  hundred  acres  under  culti- 
vation and  use  the  rest  for  grazing  purposes, 
carrying  on  an  extensive  cattle  business.  Mr. 
Cooper  is  very  enterprising  and  progressive, 
and  manages  his  affairs  with  vigor  and  close 
attention,  seeking  by  all  means  that  are  proper 
to  secure  the  best  returns  for  his  labor.  To  the 
affairs  of  the  community  in  which  the  welfare 
of  its  citizens  is  involved  he  gives  the  same 
energetic  and  broad-minded  attention.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  for  four  years 
served  as  deputy  under  -Sheriff  Dug  Lee.  On 
September  25,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ossa  L.  Haughey.  who  was  born  in 
Iowa.  They  have  one  child,  Maud  R. 

ALLEN  G.  WALLIHAN. 

During  the  last  twenty-two  years  the  sub- 
ject of  this  brief  memoir  has  been  a  resident  of 
Routt  county,  and  during  that  period  he  has 


borne  his  full  share  of  labor  and  responsibility 
in  the  development  and  advancement  of  the  sec- 
tion. He  is  a  progressive  and  far-seeing  ranch- 
man, a  photographer  of  live  game  of  wide  re- 
nown and  a  writer  of  note.  In  each  branch  of 
his  business  and  in  all  his  sports  and  pleasures 
his  wife  is  an  active  assistant  and  an  enthusi- 
astic partner  with  him,  she  being  the  only  lady 
widely  noted  as  a  successful  photographer  of 
wild  game.  Mr.  Wallihan  was  born  at  Fort- 
ville.  Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  on  June  15, 
1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Pierce  and  Lucy  L. 
(Flower)  Wallihan,  natives  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  tailor  and 
farmer.  In  1870  he  brought  his  family  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  at  Denver.  He  engaged  in 
ranching  near  the  city,  but  owing  to  the  rav- 
ages of  the  grasshoppers  was  obliged  to  aban- 
don this  venture,  and  then  returned,  to  his  old 
Wisconsin  home,  where  he  died  in  1898,  hav- 
ing survived  his  wife  twenty-one  years.  The 
father  was  a  Republican  politically,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  belonged  to  the  Methodist 
church.  Six  of  their  eleven  children  are  living. 
Orlando  F.,  Dr.  Samuel  S.,  Sylvanus  F., 
George  P.,  Allen  G.  and  Mary  K.  Allen  re- 
ceived his  slender  education  in  the  common 
schools,  supplementing  the  lessons  learned  there 
in  the  subsequent  school  of  experience  and  by 
general  reading.  He  remained  at  home  work- 
ing in  the  interest  of  his  parents  until  1876. 
then  began  operations  for  himself,  working 
on  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  until  1879, 
when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Leadville.  Here  he  expended  his  time 
and  money  to  prospecting  and  mining  without 
success.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  moved  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  and  after  passing  nearly  a  year 
there  in  a  variety  of  occupations,  in  1881 
changed  his  residence  to  Alpine,  where  he  again 
engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining,  with  al- 
ternate success  and  failure.  In  July,  1882,  he 
located  on  a  ranch  in  Routt  county,  which  he 


138 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


took  up  on  a  pre-emption  claim  and  on  which 
he  lived  until  1885,  engaged  in  raising  horses 
for  market.  He  then  homesteaded  on  the  one 
he  now  occupies,  and  in  addition,  in  the  years 
1885,  l886  and  l887>  leased  the  Ora  Haley 
ranch.  His  location  is  at  Lay,  on  Bear  river, 
twenty-two  miles  west  of  Craig,  and  his  ranch 
comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Ac- 
tively interested  in  the  success  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  to  which  he  yields  a  loyal  support, 
and  recognized  as  a  man  of  force  and  useful- 
ness in  its  councils,  he  has  been  the  postmaster 
at  Lay  continuously  since  1885,  and  is  said  to 
be  the  oldest  postmaster  by  continuous  service 
in  the  state.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  property 
Mr.  Wallihan  owns  an  interest  of  magnitude 
in  a  tract  of  ten  thousand  acres  of  bituminous 
coal  land  in  which  the  deposit  is  two  hundred 
feet  thick. .  When  he  settled  in  this  region  the 
whole  of  it  was  in  its  primeval  condition  of 
wildness  and  game  was  very  abundant.  This 
inspired  him  and  his  wife  to  cultivate  their  taste 
for  photographing  and  they  acquired  great 
skill  in  taking  pictures  of  wild  animals  in  their 
various  attitudes  and  movements.  They  have 
a  fine  collection  of  such  photographs  which  has 
so  high  a  rank  that  at  the  Paris  exposition  in 
1900  it  secured  a  diploma  as  the  finest  col- 
lection ever  exhibited,  and  was  awarded  a 
bronze  medal  at  St.  Louis  in  1904  Mr.  Walli- 
han also  published  a  book  entitled  "Camera 
Shots  at  Big  Game,"  an  introduction  to  which 
was  written  by  Mr.  Roosevelt,  now  President 
of  the  United  States.  On  April  1 1,  1885,  Mr. 
Wallihan  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Farn- 
ham,  a  native  of  Milwaukee  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  credited  with  being  the  first  white 
child  born  in  that  county.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Elisha  and  Eliza  Higgins,  natives  of  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  who  moved  to 
Milwaukee  in  1835.  The  father,  a  Methodist 
minister,  was  a  carpenter  in  early  life,  and  has 
the  credit  of  building  the  first  house  in  Mil- 


waukee. He  served  there  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  many  years,  and  in  other  ways  was 
serviceable  in  the  local  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity, actively  supporting  the  principles  and 
candidates  of  the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolu- 
tion. He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  wrhom  four  are  living,  Martha, 
wife  of  W.  H.  Gildersleeve;  Dr.  C.  W.  Hig- 
gins, Thomas  R.  Higgins,  and  Mrs.  Wallihan. 
A  son  named  Franklin  died  in  1902.  The 
father  died  in  1874  and  the  mother  in  1883. 

HENRY  KITCHENS. 

To  keep  a  good  livery  stable,  equipped  with 
everything  required  for  its  work,  and  conduct 
it  properly,  is  to  be,  not  only  a  valuable  serv- 
ant of  the  public,  but  a  real  public  benefactor, 
so  numerous  and  various  functions  of  utility 
such  an  institution  can  fill,  and  so  necessary  to 
the  general  business  and  economy  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  it  is  established.  In  this  role. 
Henry  Kitchens,  of  Hay  den,  has  served  the 
section  of  country  in  which  he  lives  during  the 
last  ten  years,  and  his  service  has  been  espe- 
cially necessary  and  valuable  there,  for  it  is  far 
from  railroads  and  other  means  of  transporta- 
tion and  in  a  sparsely  settled  region  where 
private  teams  are  seldom  available  for  public 
use.  Mr.  Kitchens  is  a  native  of  Clay  county. 
North  Carolina,  born  on  December  19.  1861, 
in  the  midst  of  the  troublous  times  of  the  Civil 
war.  He  therefore  was  obliged  to  forego  the 
usual  advantages  of  school  training  common 
to  Southern  boys  of  his  condition  and  pros- 
pects, for  all  the  industries  of  the  section 
were  crushed  by  the  iron  heel  of  war,  all  the 
available  men  were  in  the  field  where  "red 
battle  stamps  his  foot,"  the  ordinary  pursuits 
of  life  were  largely  suspended  for  want  of  the 
necessary  force  to  carry  them  on,  and  the  en- 
ergies at  hand  were  taxed  to  their  utmost  to 
feed,  clothe  and  equip  the  armies  and  supply 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


139 


the  commonest  necessaries  of  life  for  the  wo- 
men and  children  left  at  home.  After  the  war 
the  paralysis  continued  many  years,  and  every 
hand  was  called  into  service  for  useful  labor, 
so  that  during  the  childhood  and  youth  of  Mr. 
Kitchens  the  work  of  the  schoolmaster  was 
almost  wholly  suspended  in  the  region  of  his 
nativity.  He  had,  however,  closeness  of  ob- 
servation and  wisdom  of  application,  and  was 
able  to  secure,  in  a  measure,  in  the  school  of 
experience  the  mental  development  denied  him 
in  academic  shades.  Accepting  with  alacrity 
the  destiny  that  had  befallen  him,  he  went  to 
work  on  farms  for  wages  at  an  early  age  and 
thereby  supplied  his  own  wants  and  rendered 
assistance  to  his  parents.  In  his  young  man- 
hood, and  after  the  death  of  his  parents  left 
him  free  to  choose  a  future  for  himself,  the 
West  wore  a  winning  smile  to  his  hopes,  and 
in  1884  he  came  to  Colorado  and,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Lemuel  E.  Kitchens, 
Ixmght  land  on  White  river  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Hayden,  on  which  he  lived  two  years 
and  which  he  helped  to  improve.  There  were 
but  few  settlers  in  this  section  at  the  time  and 
every  man  was  largely  dependent  on  himself, 
without  the  aid  of  the  community  of  effort 
]x>ssible  in  thickly  populated  regions.  So  the 
work  was  arduous  and  its  returns  were  neces- 
sarily small.  In  1886  be  sold  his  interest  in 
the  ranch  and  stock  to  his  brother,  and  during 
the  next  seven  years  was  in  the  employ  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Hayden.  In  1894  he  started  the  liv- 
ery business  at  Hayden  which  he  is  now  con- 
ducting, and  which  he  has  steadily  enlarged  in 
range  and  patronage  until  he  has  made  it  one 
of  the  leading  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  north- 
ern Colorado.  He  has  not,  however,  aban- 
doned the  stock  industry,  but  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  raising  well-bred  shorthorn  cattle  and 
Poland-China  hogs.  Politically  Mr.  Kitchens 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  fraternally,  a  Free- 
mason. On  May  21,  1893,  he  was  married  to 


Miss  Sarah  A.  Walker,  a  native  of  Georgia, 
the  fruit  of  the  union  being  one  child,  Perry 
W.  His  mother  died  on  December  30,  1897, 
and  on  January  31,  1901,  the  father  married 
a  second  wife,  Miss  Amanda  M.  Tiger,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  county  as  himself.  They 
also  have  one  child,  William  G.  Mr.  Kitchens 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Hooper) 
Kitchens,  who  passed  the  whole  of  their  lives 
in  North  Carolina.  They  were  prosperous 
planters  there  until  the  war  ruined  everything, 
and  after  that  were  able  to  maintain  only  a 
moderate  prosperity.  Their  family  comprised 
eleven  children  and  nine  of  these  are  living, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Sellars,  Lemuel  E.,  James  D., 
William  P.,  Mary  A.,  Sarah  G.,  Haseltine, 
Mrs.  Laura  Woods  and  Henry.  The  two  who 
died  are  Monroe  and  Mina  J.  The  parents 
were  devout  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
highly  respected'  citizens  of  their  locality,  and 
attentive  to  every  duty  in  life.  The  father 
died  on  June  24,  1865,  and  the  mother  on  July 
3,  1874.  The  business  done  by  Mr.  Kitchens 
with  his  livery  outfit  covers  a  very  large  ex- 
tent of  territory,  and  throughout  it  all  he  is 
well  known  and  well  thought  of.  He  is  also 
esteemed  for  his  energy  and  wisdom  in  local 
affairs  and  his  earnest  efforts  to  promote  the 
development  and  progress  of  his  county  and 
all  its  interests. 

ABRAM  FISKE  &  SON. 

This  firm  of  enterprising  and  progressive 
lumbermen,  who  are  pioneers  in  the  business 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Hayden,  where  they 
carry  on  extensively  both  in  sawing  and  hand- 
ling the  products  of  other  mills,  have  a  large 
trade  and  a  well  established  reputation  for  cor- 
rect business  methods  and  energy  and  fore- 
sight which  meet  all  requirements.  The 
father,  Abram  Fiske,  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence county,  New  York,  on  December  24, 


140 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


1832.  He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  was  apprenticed  to  the 
blacksmith  and  machinist  trades,  and  after  com- 
pleting his  apprenticeship  worked  at  his  craft 
in  his  native  state  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war.  When  the  cloud  of  that  sanguinary 
conflict,  which  had  long  hung  over  our  un- 
happy land,  enveloped  it  in  strife,  he  enlisted 
in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  private  soldier, 
and  at  its  close  was  mustered  out  as  a  sergeant. 
In  1867  he  came  to  this  state  and  located  in 
Clear  Creek  county.  Here  he  helped  to  build 
a  quartz  mill  for  the  St.  John  Company,  and 
as  a  machinist  worked  in  the  construction  and 
interest  of  the  Burley  tunnel.  In  1869  he  en- 
gaged in  the  saw-mill  industry,  in  which  he 
continued  until  1878.  He  then  turned  his 
attention  to  the  hotel  business,  keeping  the 
Half-way  House  between  Breckenridge  and 
Georgetown.  In  this  venture  he  found  profit 
as  well  as  congenial  employment.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Hayden,  one  of  the  three  first  per- 
manent settlers  in  the  region,  Adair,  Fiske  and 
Brock.  He  pre-empted  a  claim  which  he  af- 
terward proved  up  as  a  homestead,  and  on  this 
he  ranched  and  raised  cattle  until  1902.  when 
he  sold  his  interests  there  and  began  to  devote 
all  his  energies  to  the  business  in  which  he  is 
now  engaged.  Enterprising  and  a  leader  in 
all  things  which  engage  his  attention,  he  is 
credited  with  planting  the  first  successful  gar- 
den, building  the  first  irrigating  ditch  and 
reservoir,  and  sowing  the  first  alfalfa  seed  in 
Routt  county.  He  has  also  successfully  raised 
wheat  and  hogs  here,  being  among  the  first  to 
make  the  attempt.  He  continued  his  efforts 
with  very  gratifying  and  profitable  results  in 
these  lines  for  six  years.  His  early  work  in 
ditching  led  others  to  follow  his  example  and 
he  may  be  justly  considered  the  originator  of 
the  svstem  that  has  been  so  extensivelv  carried 


out  and  has  been  of  such  o-reat  value  to  the 

o 

county.  On  his  arrival  in  the  county  he  had 
nothing  in  the  way  of  capital,  and  for  a  time 
followed  trapping  foxes  to  get  a  grub  stake, 
and,  as  wild  game  was  plentiful,  he  found  this 
enterprise  very  satisfactory  in  results.  His 
nearest  trading  point  in  those  days  was  Raw- 
Hns,  Wyoming.  Fraternally  Mr.  Fiske  is  a 
Master  Mason,  and  politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  is  the  son  of  Hiram  and  Diantlvd 
Fiske.  the  former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the 
latter  of  New  York.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
in  occupation  and  a  Whig  in  political  alliance. 
He  died  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1835,  anfl 
the  mother  reared  the  family.  They  had  six- 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Simon  J., 
Hiram,  Abram  and  Mrs.  L.  L.  Hebbern.  Mr. 
Fiske  was  married  on  July  4,  1855,  to  Miss 
Adelaide  Leonard,  a  native  of  New  York. 
They  also  had  seven  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  and  a  daughter  named  Ger- 
trude at  a  later  age.  The  five  who  are  living 
are  DeEtta,  Mrs.  Nellie  Clark,  Mrs.  Lennie 
Ralston,  Hiram  and  Charles.  The  mother  died, 
on  November  18,  1903.  Charles,  who  is  his 
father's  partner  in  the  lumber  business,  is  a 
native  of  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York, 
born  on  May  20,  1859.  He  received  a  good 
common  school  education,  and  after  leaving 
school  began  at  once  to  take  an  active  part  in 
his  father's  business  and  other  interests.  He 
was  married,  on  December  25,  1894,  to  Miss 
Etta  Frary,  a  native  of  this  state,  born  in  Doug- 
las county.  They  have  four  children,  Lloyd, 
Rose,  Veva  and  Hampton.  Their  father,  now 
a  man  of  forty-three  and  in  the  full  maturity  of 
his  powers,  is  a  gentleman  of  fine  business 
capacity,  strict  integrity  and  progressive  ideas. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  gener- 
ation in  his  neighborhood,  and  has  a  voice  of 
potency  and  wisdom  in  all  matters  involving  its 
best  interests  and  enduring  welfare. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


FRANK  L.  HEUSCHKEL. 

Tempest  tossed  by  wind  and  wave  on  al- 
most every  sea,  tried  by  almost  every  form  of 
hardship  and  privation,  laid  under  conditions 
of  hard  labor  to  make  a  living  in  many  places, 
and  finding  for  years  every  sky  frowning  upon 
him,  Frank  L.  Heuschkel,  of  Garfield  county, 
this  state,  who  is  living  near  Glenwood 
Springs,  finds  himself  at  last  comfortably  fixed 
for  life,  owning  a  fine  property,  conducting  a 
profitable  business  of  magnitude,  with  a  world- 
ly competence  that  secures  him  .against  adver- 
sity, and  firmly  established  in  the  regard  and 
good  will  of  the  community  which,  during  the 
last  nineteen  years,  he  has  helped  to  build  up 
and  develop.  He  was  born  in  Saxony.  Ger- 
many, on  December  27,  1853.  and  is  the  son  of 
Carl  Ferdinand  and  Annestina  (Wedeman) 
Heuschkel,  of  that  country,  where  the  father 
was  for  thirty-nine  years  game  and  wood 
keeper  in  the  employ  of  the  government.  In 
1880  the  parents  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  on  the  island  of  Saplo,  near  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  *  where  they  soon  after  died 
They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  in  business  the  father  was  very  successful. 
Three  of  their  five  children  survive  them, 
Frank.  Minnie  and  Carl  B.,  the  last  a  resident 
of  Clarksville,  Missouri.  Frank  L.,  the  oldest  of 
those  living,  was  educated  in  the  state  schools 
of  his  native  land  and  at  a  high  grade  semin- 
ary there.  On  leaving  school  he  desired  to  en- 
ter the  German  navy,  but  his  parents  objecting 
to  this,  he  ran  away  from  home  and  for  three 
years  served  as  a  sailor,  visiting  in  the  time 
many  countries.  He  then  passed  an  examina- 
tion at  South  Shields,  England,  for  the  position 
of  mate,  in  which  capacity  he  afterward  served 
nine  years.  During  nine  months  he  had  entire 
charge  of  Blackbird  island  in  the  interest  of 
the  government,  his  duty  being  to  prevent  ne- 
groes from  firing  the  timber  used  for  shipbuild- 


ing. He  next  turned  his  attention  to  fishing 
and  in  connection  with  this  pursuit  carried 
the  mails  between  the  islands  of  Dubois  and 
Blackbird,  the  latter  being  used  as  a  quarantine 
station  under  Dr.  Elliott.  In  those  days  the 
mail  pouch  was  strapped  to  the  back  of  the 
carrier  and  could  not  be  taken  off  until  he 
reached  his  destination.  In  this  service  he  suf- 
fered many  hardships  and  confronted  many 
dangers.  His  next  engagement  was  as  a  boat- 
keeper  in  the  interest  of  Clancy  near  Dubois 
island,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year  passed  in  that 
service  he  concluded  to  come  to  Colorado, 
and  reached  Leadville  in  1880.  He  remained 
in  the  vicinity  of  that  town  and  in  the  adjoin- 
ing county  of  Park  until  1885,  engaged  in  vari- 
ous occupations,  among  them  leasing  mining 
properties  and  prospecting,  but  without  suc- 
cess. He  also  worked  at  the  Cummings  &  Fin 
Company  Smelter  at  Leadville  and  did  some 
teaming.  In  the  spring  of  1885  he  located  a 
portion  of  his  present  ranch,  a  pre-emption 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which 
he  has  since  added  by  purchase  until  he  has  an 
excellent  property,  of  which  about  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  are  fit  for  cultivation.  Since 
taking  possession  of  this  property  he  has  de- 
voted his  energies  to  its  development  and  im- 
provement, and  has  brought  much  of  it  to  an 
advanced  state  of  cultivation,  producing  large 
crops  of  hay.  grain  and  vegetables,  and  raising 
cattle  on  an  extensive  scale  and  some  horses 
for  market.  In  connection  with  his  ranching 
and  stock  industry  he  runs  a  dairy  business 
which  is  highly  profitable.  His  success  in  his 
latest  venture  has  been  exceptionally  good  and 
he  ranks  in  the  general  estimation  as  one  of  the 
best  and  most  prosperous  ranchmen  on  the 
Western  slope.  In  fraternal  life  he  belongs  to 
the  United  Workmen,  in  politics  supports  the 
Democratic  party,  in  official  circles  has  been 
a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  in  reference 
to  the  general  affairs  of  the  community  is  one 


142 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


of  the  most  enterprising  and  forceful  of  its 
citizens.  On  September  18,  1880,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Josephine  Ann  Roberts, 
a  native  of  Cornwall,  England,  and  daughter 
of  John  and  Josephine  A.  (Andrews)  Roberts, 
also  natives  of  that  country.  The  father  fol- 
lowed mining  from  the  age  of  seven  years  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  He  brought  his  family  to 
the  United  States,  and  after  reaching  New 
York  determined  to  come  to  Colorado.  He 
traveled  all  the  way  in  a  stage  coach  to  Cen- 
tral City,  this  state.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Lead- 
ville,  and  here  he  entered  the  employ  of  Ting- 
ley  S.  Woods  and  Judge  Ward,  who  were  pro- 
moters of  the  Florence  mine,  in  which  Mr. 
Roberts  served  as  shift  boss.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  the  father  of  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living :  Josephine 
A.  (Mrs.  Heuschkel)  ;  Mrs.  Thomas  Black- 
well,  of  Aspen;  John,  living  at  Leadville; 
James  R.,  a  resident  of  Garfield  county ;  and 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Westbury,  of  Liver- 
pool, England.  The  father  died  on  December 
15,  1886,  and  the  mother  at  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, in  April,  1901.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heusch- 
kel have  had  eight  children.  Of  these,  Francis 
L.  died  on  March  25,  1895;  and  Ellen  (Mrs. 
Gilmore),  Joseph  A.,  William  O.,  John  R., 
Bertha  H.,  Thomas  H.  and  Alta  E.  are  living. 
The  opportunities  offered  them  here  to  win 
fortune  and  standing  among  the  people,  the  de- 
lightful climate,  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
citizens,  and  the  general  conditions  of  life  have 
made  them  all  well  pleased  with  Colorado  as 
a  place  of  residence. 

THOMAS  P.  HOOKER. 

Thomas  P.  Hooker,  who  is  now  a  peaceful 
and  progressive  ranch  and  cattle  man  of  Routt 
county,  with  a  pleasant  home  in  the  vicinity 
of  Hayden,  has  been  active  and  prominent  in 


the  public  life  of  this  state  and  an  energetic  par- 
ticipant in  some  of  the  tragedies  incident  to 
the  unsettled  conditions  of  its  earlier  history. 
He  was  born  on  July  4,  1849,  at  Big  Flats,  New 
York,  and  is  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Margaret 
(Reser)  Hooker,  natives  of  Delaware,  who, 
while  living  in  the  state  of  New  York,  were 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  the  father 
being  a  lumber  dealer  there.  He  was  an  earn- 
est Republican  until  1866,  then  became  a 
Democrat  and  remained  one  until  his  tragic 
death  in  1877,  in  Elber  county,  this  state,  when 
he  was  killed  by  desperadoes  whom  he  was  as- 
sisting his  son,  Julius  A.  Hooker,  then  sheriff 
of  the  county,  to  arrest.  There  were  five  chil- 
dren in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are  living, 
Thomas  P.,  Virginia,  wife  of  James  Whet- 
stone, and  Patrick  H.  One  of  the  deceased, 
Julius  A.,  who  died  in  1901,  was  a  prominent 
man  in  Elbert  county,  serving  with  credit  to 
himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people  as 
sheriff,  county  assessor  of  Elbert  county  and 
county  treasurer  of  Routt  county,  holding  the 
last  named-  office  six  years.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  forcible  and  fearless  in  ad- 
vocating the  cause  of  his  party,  as  he  was  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  A  daugh- 
ter named  Mary  died  in  1864.  The  mother 
resides  with  her  son  Thomas  P.  He  received 
a  common-school  education  in  his  native  state, 
remaining  there  with  his  parents  and  working 
in  their  interest  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one.  From  New  York  he  moved  to 
Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Wisconsin  in  suc- 
cession, and  in  all  those  states  worked  at  his 
trade  as  a  carpenter.  In  1869  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  a  ranch  which  he  occupied  and 
farmed  until  1877,  working  at  his  trade  also 
during  that  period.  He  theri  moved  to  Lead- 
ville and  devoted  two  years  to  mining  and  pros- 
pecting, but  without  success.  In  1879  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Routt  county,  and  after 
improving  a  ranch  which  he  then  sold  to  A. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Pain,  he  bought  the  one  on  which  he  now  lives, 
comprising  eighty  acres,  all  of  which  is  under 
cultivation  in  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  hay 
and  cattle  being  his  chief  productions  and  main 
sources  of  revenue  from  the  place.  Although 
an  old-time  citizen,  he  is  a  progressive  one 
and  his  example  is  well  worthy  of  emulation 
by  the  younger  generation.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  allegiance  and  as  such  served 
seven  and  one-half  years  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Elbert  county.  Having  seen  some  of  the 
sterner  features  of  western  life,  which  he  con- 
fronted with  a  manly  spirit,  he  has  enjoyed 
all  the  more  the  quieter  fields  of  productive 
industry  in  which  he  is  now  engaged,  and  to 
them  he  has  devoted  his  energies  and  his  fund 
of  general  information  to  good  advantage  for 
himself  and  for  the  section  in  which  he  has 
cast  his  lot,  taking  an  active  part  in  its  develop- 
ment and  improvement  and  performing  with 
zeal  and  intelligence  all  the  duties  of  good 
citizenship,  thereby  winning  an  enduring  hold 
on  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 

JACOB  W.  RIDER. 

Jacob  W.  Rider,  the  first  settler  in  the  lo- 
cality of  his  present  residence,  whose  excel- 
lent farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is 
wholly  the  result  of  his  own  continued  indus- 
try and  skill,  was  born  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio, 
on  September  7,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Cornelia  (Vannatta)  Rider,  natives  of 
New  York,  who  moved  early  in  their  married 
life  to  the  virgin  prairie  of  Ohio,  and  there 
wrought  out  of  the  wilderness  a  good  farm 
and  a  comfortable  estate,  remaining  there  until 
death  ended  their  labors  and  rearing  seven  of 
their  nine  children  to  maturity.  Of  the  nine, 
James  and  Marietta  died,  and  Zilpaha,  Electa, 
Joseph  D.,  Jacob  W.,  Eliza,  Naomi  and  Eu- 
phemia  are  living.  The  father  died  in  1864 
and  the  mother  in  1883.  Jacob  was  reared  on 


the  paternal  homestead,  educated  at  the  public 
schools,  and  entered  on  the  work  of  making 
his  own  living  in  his  native  county.  But  being 
of  an  adventurous  disposition  and  filled  with 
a  desire  to  do  wholly  for  himself  and  see  some 
of  the  world  in  making  the  effort,  he  left  home 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  and  moved  to  Iowa, 
making  his 'home  in  Tama  county,  with  head- 
quarters for  business  at  Tama  City  in  what  is 
now  Tama  county,  remaining  there  until  1871, 
when  he  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  lived  ten 
years.  In  both  these  states  he  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  with  varying  success. 
While  residing  in  Kansas  he  saw  many  Indians 
and  buffalo,  but  by  prudence  he  avoided  the 
hostility  of  the  former  and  escaped  the  vio- 
lence of  the  latter.  At  one  time,  through  fear 
of  the  Indians  all  the  other  settlers  in  his  neigh- 
borhood left,  he  being  the  only  white  man  to 
remain  and  dare  the  dangers  of  his  situation. 
But  he  preserved  peaceful  relations  with  the 
savages  and  prospered  in  their  midst  by  treat- 
ing them  fairly.  In  1881  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests in  Kansas  and  became  a  resident  of 
Colorado.  Locating  near  Evergreen,  twenty- 
five  miles  west  of  Denver,  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing, prospecting  and  other  occupations  incident 
to  the  time  and  locality  until  1887.  In  that 
year  he  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty-, 
nine  acres  of  good  land  in  Williams  Park,  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  which  he  has  re- 
duced to  abundant  productiveness,  raising 
large  crops  of  hay  and  grain  and  comfortably 
providing  for  a  valuable  herd  of  cattle  of  in- 
creasing numbers.  When  he  moved  here  his 
land  was  without  the  sign  of  human  habitation 
or  the  ordinary  conveniences  of  cultivated  life, 
and  there  was  not  a  neighbor  within  many 
miles.  He  planted  his  adventurous  foot  lit- 
erally in  the  wilderness  and  began  to  make 
it  blossom  and  bear  fruit  for  the  sustenance 
of  man  and  thus  opened  a  way  for  the  coming 
of  others  who  looked  upon  the  land  and  found 


144 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


it  good,  so  that  now  he  sees  all  around  him  the 
firm  establishment  and  the  pleasing  products 
of  a  civilization  in  this  region  of  which  he  was 
the  founder.  Accepting  the  conditions  which 
he  found,  he  became  a  mighty  hunter  and  fish- 
erman, and  as  time  passed  his  renown  in  these 
lines  was  spread  and  his  skill  increased.  In 
ranching  also  he  has  a  wide  and  well  fixed 
reputation,  many  of  the  predominant  qualities 
of  the  soil  being  discovered  and  noted  by  him 
in  his  experience  for  the  benefit  of  others.  As 
the  patriarch  of  the  community  he  has  been 
influential  in  shaping  its  public  life  and  work- 
ing out  its  development.  He  is  a  zealous  work- 
ing Democrat  in  politics,  and  without  seeking 
any  of  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  party  suc- 
cess for  himself.  On  September  29,  1868,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  Sheets, 
a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio.  They  have 
seven  children,  Weldon,  Ephraim,  Anna,  Ada. 
William  H.,  Nellie  and  Mabel.  Thus  a  pioneer 
in  three  states,  beginning  in  the  first  blush  of 
his  young  manhood  to  mingle  in  the  wild  life 
of  the  plains,  and  continuing  until  now  when 
he  is  approaching  the  shady  side  of  human 
existence,  he  has  become  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  the  frontier,  and  in  his  vig- 
orous, versatile  and  self-reliant  maturity  is  es- 
sentially its  product.  And  with  an  experience 
more  varied  and  interesting  than  that  of  the 
dwellers  in  the  East,  who  witness  without  no- 
tice unless  the  facts  are  called  to  their  atten- 
tion the  expansion  of  old  and  long  established 
cities,  counties  or  states,  he  has  seen  the  very 
wilderness  rise  from  its  sleep  of  centuries  and 
come  forth  clad  in  homeliness  and  beauty  at  the 
command  of  the  lord  of  the  heritage,  civilized 
man  armed  with  the  intelligence,  the  authority 
and  the  equipment  of  a  master.  In  the  trans- 
formation he  has  borne  his  full  share,  and  is 
honored  by  his  fellows  in  the  advance  as  a 
leader  and  a  man  of  many  parts,  always  faith- 
ful to  his  duty  and  ready  for  whatever  emer- 
gency might  arise. 


WILLIAM  J.  MOVER. 

Of  William  J.  Moyer,  proprietor  of  the 
Fair  department  store  and  vice-president  of 
the  Grand  Valley  National  Bank  at  Grand 
Junction,  it  might  almost  be  said  that  in  mer- 
cantile life  he  was  born  in  the  purple,  for  from 
his  childhood  he  has  been  connected  with  this 
line  of  business  and  to  it  he  has  devoted  all 
the  years  and  energies  of  his  subsequent  life. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  August  21,  1859,  the  son  of  William 
H.  and  Elizabeth  (Kissenger)  Moyer,  who  are 
themselves  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  be- 
long to  families  resident  for  generations  in  that 
state,  both  sides  of  the  house  being  of  Holland 
Dutch  ancestry.  They  are  still  living  on  the 
old  homestead  near  Reading,  and  farming  it 
with  success.  When  their  son  William  was 
ten  years  old  he  accepted  employment  in  a 
country  store  in  his  native  county,  and  being 
continually  occupied  in  that  department  of  in- 
dustry thereafter,  he  had  but  limited  oppor- 
tunities for  schooling,  and  is  therefore  prac- 
tically a  self-made  and  self-educated  man.  He 
remained  near  his  home  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  then  migrated  to  Indiana, 
Minnesota  and  Kansas  in  turn,  finding  employ- 
ment in  stores  in  various  places.  In  1885  ne 
became  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale 
dry-goods  house  at  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  three  years  he  was  on  the  road 
in  its  service.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  became  manager  of  a  general 
store  at  Coal  Creek  for  the  Colorado  Trading 
Company.  In  1890  he  changed  his  residence 
to  Grand  Junction,  and  soon  after  his  arrival 
founded  the  Fair  store  in  a  room  twelve  by. 
twenty,  with  a  stock  of  seven  hundred  dollars. 
Under  his  vigorous  and  judicious  management 
the  business  has  grown  greatly  and  now  occu- 
pies three  rooms,  seventy-five  by  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  feet  each,  with  a  general  stock  of 
goods  of  all  kinds.  Fourteen  persons  are  em- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ployed  in  conducting  it  and  they  are  among 
the  best  paid  employes  of  their  kind  in  Grand 
Junction,  it  having  been  Mr.  Moyers  policy 
from  the  start  to  secure  good  help  and  pay  good 
wages,  and  he  now  attributes  a  large  measure 

)f  his  success  to  the  loyalty  shown  by  his  em- 
ployees to  his  interests  and  the  excellent  assist- 
mce  they  have  rendered  in  promoting  them. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Grand 
Valley  National  Bank  and  is  vice-president  of 
the  institution,  which  is  one  of  unusually  good 
management  and  successful  operation.  In 
politics  Mr.  Moyer  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  not 
an  active  partisan,  although  firmly  attached  to 
the  principles  of  his  party.  On  February  26. 
1894,  he  was  united  in  marriage  witli  Miss 
[da  Shantz,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  who  ac- 
:ompanied  her  parents  to  Kansas  in  her  girl- 
hood, and  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage at  Atchison,  where  the  ceremony  was 

^rformed. 

PHIDELAH  A.  RICE. 

P.  A.  Rice  was  born  near  Glasgow.  Barren 
:ounty,  Kentucky,  on  January  22,  1845,  anc^ 
is  the  son  of  David  and  Selina  H.  (Bender) 
,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  of 

relch  descent,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana,  of 

icrman  descent.  His  paternal  great-grand- 
father was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  first  Presbyterian  preacher  in 
that  state.  He  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profes- 
sion and  the  general  influence  and  duties  of 

ood  citizenship.  Mr.  Rice's  father,  who  was 
teacher,  died  in  1850,  when  the  son  was  but 
>ix  years  old,  and  eight  years  later  the  mother 

loved  to  southwestern  Missouri,  taking  with 
ler  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  some 
fears  afterward  she  died  there.  Phidelah,  the 
>ldest  of  the  children,  received  a  limited  public 

:hool  education  in  his  native  state,  and  after 
reaching  Missouri  had  the  benefit  of  a  two- 
TO 


years  course  at  the  State  University.  After 
leaving  that  institution  he  entered  the  ministry 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  for  two 
or  three  years  he  was  employed  in  traveling 
mission  work.  His  duties  were  arduous  and 
impaired  his  health.  He  was  then  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  First  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
church  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  one  of  the  most 
important  appointments  in  the  synod.  After 
one  successful  year  he  was  obliged  to  quit  his 
post,  owing  to  the  state  of  his  health,  and  seek 
an  outdoor  life.  He  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Canon  City.  Here  he  engaged  in 
the  cattle  industry,  and  as  he  regained  his 
strength  he  returned  to  the  ministry  at  various 
times,  only  to  be  forced  out  again  by  failing 
health.  In  1883  he  came  to  Grand  Junction 
and,  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  William 
A.  Rice,  established  the  lumber  business  which 
he  is  now  conducting,  his  brother  having  re- 
tired in  1896.  This  enterprise  has  grown  to 
great  proportions  and  been  a  very  successful 
venture.  In  addition  to  it  Mr.  Rice  has  ex- 
tensive saw-mill  interests  in  the  San  Juair 
country,  and  he  also  is  engaged  in  raising  fruit, 
having  developed  an  extensive  and  valuable 
ranch.  He  is  still  recognized  as  a  minister, 
and  is  frequently  called  upon  to  officiate  at 
funerals  and  other  services.  He  is  a  regular 
attendant  at  the  presbyteries,  and  always  is 
deeply  interested  in  church  work  of  every  kind, 
giving  freely  of  his  time  and  money  to  all 
forms  of  its  usefulness.  With  his  late  brother 
William  he  started  the  prohibition  movement 
in  Mesa  county,  and  from  time  to  time  has  been 
its  candidate  for  public  office,  twice  for  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state.  In  the  fall  of  1870 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  M.  Bernard,  a 
native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  the  daughter  of 
Joab  and  Arabella  (Biers)  Bernard,  Mary- 
landers  by  nativity  who  located  in  Westport 
in  1856,  when  Kansas  City  was  known  as  West- 
port  Landing.  The  father  was  engaged  in 


146 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


freighting  and  did  an  extensive  business.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rice  have  five  children,  Mary  B., 
Bernard  L.,  Phidelia  D.,  William  O.  and  Ralph 
H.  The  oldest  son  has  taken  the  Bachelor  of 
Arts  course  at  -Colorado  College  and  spent  one 
year  at  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Cumber- 
land University  in  Tennessee.  The  second  son 
is  also  well  educated,  having  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1904  at  Colorado  College. 

HON.  JAMES  S.  CARNAHAN. 
i 

The  legal  profession,  which  draws  to  its 
inspiring  and  highly  intellectual  fields  of  la- 
bor many  of  the  best  minds  among  our  people, 
has  a  fine  representative  in  Hon.  James  S. 
Carnahan,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Carnahan  &  Van  Hoorebeke,  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, who  has  exhibited  marked  ability  both  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  and  in  of- 
fices of  trust  and  importance  incident  thereto. 
He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  March  28, 
1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah 
(Moore)  Carnahan,  also  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, as  were  their  parents.  The  father  is  a 
farmer,  and,  being  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
has  all  the  thrift  and  resourcefulness  of  that 
wonderful  combination  of  nationalities.  He  is 
now  living  at  York,  Nebraska,  having  moved 
there  in  1882,  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
Judge  Carnahan's  mother,  who  departed  this 
life  in  1875.  Their  offspring  numbered  five 
sons,  of  whom  the  Judge  was  the  last  born, 
and  all  of  whom  are  living.  The  father  has  a 
daughter  by  each  of  two  subsequent  marriages. 
Judge  Carnahan  was  reared  in  his  native  state 
and  there  received  a  district  school  and  aca- 
demic education.  When  he  was  twenty  years 
old  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at 
Georgetown,  engaged  in  mining  until  the  fall 
of  1884.  He  was  moderately  successful  and, 
with  a  commendable  ambition  for  a  higher 
sphere  in  life,  saved  his  earnings  in  order  to 


apply  them  to  the  gratification  of  a  long  cher- 
ished desire  to  enter  the  legal  profession.  At 
the  time  last  mentioned  he  went  to  York,  Ne- 
braska, and  read  law  with  his  brother,  J.  C. 
Carnahan,  a  prominent  attorney  of  that  place, 
and  after  finishing  his  course  passed  a  year  in 
Valparaiso,  Indiana.  In  the  spring  of  1887  ne 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Nebraska,  and  at 
once  located  at  Julesburg,  this  state,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Colorado  courts. 
On  the  organization  of  Sedgwick  county  in  the 
spring  of  1889,  with  Julesburg  as  the  county 
seat,  he  was  appointed  county  judge,  and  in  the 
ensuing  fall  he  was  elected  to  the  same  position 
for  a  term  of  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1892 
he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  legislature,  representing  Logan, 
Sedgwick  and  Phillips  counties,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1894  he  was  re-elected.  He  was  active  in 
the  service  of  his  constituency  and  the  state 
in  the  body  and  was  identified  in  a  prominent 
way  with  a  number  of  measures  of  important 
legislation.  One  bill  in  particular  of  consider- 
able public  utility  which  he  introduced  and  se- 
cured the  passage  of  provided  for  the  purchase 
of  all  county  supplies  by  contract.  In  the  sec- 
ond session  he  served  with  credit  and  advant- 
age to  the  state  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary 
committee.  In  the  summer  of  1895  he  moved 
to  Grand  Junction  and  renewed  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  in  which  he  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful and  continuously  occupied  since  that 
time.  At  present  he  is  the  city  attorney,  hav- 
ing been  once  appointed  and  twice  elected  to 
that  office.  In  January,  1903,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  G.  Van  Hoorebeke,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Carnahan  &  Van  Hoorebeke,  and 
this  has  become  one  of  the  leading  law  firms 
of  the  county.  On  December  10,  1889,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Rose  E.  Yeager,  a  native  of 
Fulton  county,  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  Yeager,  also  natives  of  that 
state.  They  are  still  living  in  Fulton  county, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


prosperous  farmers.  The  Judge  and  Mrs.  Car- 
nahan  have  two  children,  their  sons  Lawrence 
B.  and  Clarence  H.  The  Judge  belongs  to  the 
Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

HON.  JAMES  W.  BUCKLIN. 

A  renowned  and  active  tribune  of  the  peo- 
ple, whose  life  has  been  stormy  and  full  of  con- 
tests because  of  his  ardent  advocacy  of  their 
interests  in  every  forum  wherein  public  opinion 
is  made  or  directed,  Hon.  James  W.  Bucklin. 
of  Grand  Junction,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
bar  in  the  state,  has  won  commanding  promin- 
ence and  influence  throughout  Colorado  and  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  elsewhere  in  this 
country  and  in  portions  of  many  others.  He  is 
a  product  of  rural  life,  having  been  born  on  a 
farm  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  his  life  begin- 
ning on  November  13,  1856.  His  parents  were 
George  andN  Arethusa  (Winch)  Bucklin,  the 
former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter  of 
New  Hampshire,  both  of  English  descent  and 
belonging  to  families  that  have  been  in  the 
United  States  more  than  three  hundred  years, 
their  American  progenitors  having  come  to  this 
country  in  early  colonial  times.  Mr.  Bucklin's 
paternal  grandfather  and  maternal  great- 
grandfather were  Revolutionary  soldiers.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  and  in  the  early  'fifties 
moved  to  Illinois,  settling  first  in  Kane  county 
a.nd  later  in  De  Kalb,  where  he  ended  his  days 
in  1875,  his  wife  dying  in  1868.  Their  son 
James  was  reared  in  that  state  and  educated  at 
the  district  schools,  finishing  his  scholastic 
training  with  a  two-years  course  at  Wheaton 
College.  In  1875  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  State  University  of  Michigan,  and 
was  graduated  there  in  1877  before  he  was 
twenty-one.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Denver,  also  before 
he  reached  his  legal  majority.  At  that  time 
what  is  now  Mesa  county  was  a  part  of  the  Ute 


Indian  reservation,  and  as  it  was  to  be  opened 
to  settlement  at  an  early  date,  Mr.  Bucklin, 
after  practicing  three  years  at  Denver,  deter- 
mined to  locate  in  this  section.  He  proceeded 
as  far  as  Gunnison,  but  owing  to  Indian  mas- 
sacres and  delay  in  opening  the  reservation,  he 
remained  there  two  years  practicing  his  pro- 
fession. In  the  fall  of  1881  the  reservation  was 
opened  and,  with  a  party  of  friends,  he  was 
among  the  first  to  make  an  effort  to  locate,  fol- 
lowing the  Indians  as  they  were  removed  by 
the  soldiers.  They  met  Governor  Crawford  at 
Delta,  where  he  had  located  a  townsite,  but 
they  persuaded  him  to  join  forces  with  them 
and  move  on  to  the  site  of  the  present  Grand 
Junction.  The  company  which  organized  this 
town  comprised  the  Governor,  Mr.  Bucklin  and 
Messrs.  Mobley,  Warner,  White  and  Rood. 
Mr.  Bucklin  is  the  only  one  of  the  number  now 
living.  The  next  spring  he  located  permanently 
here  and  has  lived  here  ever  since.  There  were 
at  the  time  of  his  arrival  about  sixty  or  seventy 
persons  living  within  the  present  county  limits, 
and  there  was  not  a  frame  building  or  floor  or 
glass  window  in  Grand  Junction.  On  Febru- 
ary 28,  1882,  he  opened  the  first  law  office  in 
what  had  been  the  Ute  reservation,  and  soon 
afterward  put  up  a  log  building  on  Main  street 
which  he  used  as  an  office  for  a  number  of 
years.  Lumber  then  sold  at  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  one  thousand  feet  and  no  frame 
buildings  were  possible.  The  nearest  post- 
office  and  trading  point  was  Gunnison,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  The  first  post- 
office  name  of  Grand  Junction  was  Ute,  but 
that  lasted  only  three  months,  when  the  present 
name  was  adopted.  A  week  after  Mr.  Buck- 
lin's arrival  a  stage  line  was  established  be- 
tween Gunnison  and  this  point.  On  this  he 
made  a  trip  to  Gunnison  which  kept  him  nine 
days  on  the  road  and  he  was  obliged  to  walk- 
part  of  the  way.  He  was  the  bearer  of  a  pack- 
age of  money  to  Montrose  for  the  establish- 


148 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ment  of  the  First  National  Bank  there  as  a 
branch  of  the  San  Miguel  Bank  of  Gunnison. 
The  package  was  sewed  in  his  overcoat,  and  he 
afterward  learned  that  it  contained  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  His  first  law  case  in  his  new 
home  was  conducting  the  defense  of  an  Indian 
arrested  for  stealing  blankets.  He  volunteered 
his  services  and  cleared  his  client.  In  laying 
out  the  town  a  liberal  policy  was  pursued,  lots 
being  reserved  for  churches,  schools,  public 
parks  and  public  buildings,  while  every  settler 
who  was  willing  to  build  a  home  for  himself 
had  a  lot  given  to  him  for  the  purpose.  In 
the  nature  of  the  case  a  man  as  liberally  en- 
dowed by  nature  and  as  ripened  by  study  as 
Mr.  Bucklin  was  in  demand  for  public  service. 
In  the  fall  of  1884  ne  was  tne  Republican  can- 
didate for  the  legislature  from  Gunnison,  Pit- 
kin,  Montrose,  Delta  and  Mesa  counties  and 
carried  all  of  them.  One  of  his  principal  acts 
in  the  ensuing  session  was  the  introduction  of 
a  bill  to  secure  an  appropriation  of  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  construction  of  a  bridge 
over  the  Gunnison  at  Grand  Junction,  the  pro- 
vision being  to  take  the  money  out  of  a  govern- 
ment fund  for  public  improvements  which 
seems  to  have  been  overlooked  and  forgotten 
until  recalled  to  notice  by  him.  Another 
measure  which  he  introduced  was  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  labor  bureau.  This  failed  at 
the  first  session  but  was  passed  at  the  next, 
and  provided  for  the  establishment  of  one  of 
the  first  bureaus  of  the  kind  formed  in  the 
United  States.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  the  town,  and  while  in  office 
secured  the  repeal  of  the  poll  tax,  and  there  has 
been  none  since.  He  also  inaugurated  the  plant- 
ing of  trees  in  the  parks  and  throughout  the 
city.  For  two  years  he  was  county  attorney 
and  for  one  year  city  attorney.  In  the  latter 
post  he  revised  the  ordinances  and  established 
a  system  of  city  legislation  which  has  since 
been  followed  here,  and  has  been  copied  by 


other  cities  of  this  and  other  states.  His  legis- 
lative experience  attracted  his  attention  to  the 
subject  of  political  economy,  which  he  studied 
thoroughly,  making  a  specialty  of  the  single 
tax  theory,  which  he  studied  for  the  purpose 
of  refuting  the  arguments  of  Henry  George; 
but  his  investigation  of  the  subject  convinced 
him  that  Mr.  George  was  right  and,  leaving  his 
old  party  affiliation,  he  became  an  ardent  ad- 
vocate of  that  theory,  organizing  a  movement 
in  Mesa  county  for  securing  its  adoption.  In 
1896  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  as  the 
advocate  of  this  theory,  and  during  the  next 
few  years  he  labored  arduously  in  both 
branches  of  the  legislature  to  get  his  theory 
passed  into  law,  but  through  machinations  of 
one  kind  or  another  his  purpose  was  defeated 
until  1901,  when  a  bill  for  the  purpose  was 
passed.  Immediately  afterward  vicious  attacks 
were  made  on  it,  an  anti-Bucklin  League  was 
organized,  large  sums  of  money  were  raised 
and  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  was 
called  to  repeal  the  law.  The  movement  failed, 
however,  and  in  the  fall  of  1902  the  question 
was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  as  an 
amendment  to  the  constitution,  and  it  was  de- 
feated at  the  polls,  although  receiving  a  large 
vote  and  carrying  eight  counties.  Another  bill 
of  which  he  was  the  father  was  the  public  utility 
bill,  which  aimed  to  give  the  people  of  different 
sections  of  the  state  the  right  to  acquire  by 
purchase  or  condemnation  water  works,  gas 
and  electric  light  plants,  and  similar  utilities  at 
the  actual  cost  of  their  construction.  This 
measure  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the  corpor- 
ations and  the  contest  became  one  of  the  most 
noted  in  the  history  of  the  legislature.  After 
the  passage  of  this  bill  it  was  stolen  and 
recovered  in  time  for  the  signatures  of  the 
presiding  officers  only  through  his  herioc  ef- 
forts. The  speaker  of  the  house  signed  it  just 
one  minute  before  the  final  adjournment.  In 
the  session  of  1899  ne  na^  a  commission  ap- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


149 


pointed  to  investigate  for  the  benefit  of  the 
state  the  tax  system  of  Australia.  Mr.  Buck- 
lin  was  made  chairman  of  the  commission,  and 
going  to  Australia  made  his  investigation  so 
thorough  and  his  report  so  masterful  that  in 
February,  1901,  the  matter  was  taken  up  by 
congress  and  his  report  was  printed  in  the 
Congressional  Record.  In  the  trip  to  Australia 
and  for  the  work  of  his  investigation  he  de- 
frayed his  own  expenses,  declining  to  be  re- 
imbursed by  the  state.  In  the  session  of  1901 
he  also  secured  the  passage  of  a  law  reducing 
the  rate  of  interest  on  state  warrants  from  six 
to  four  per  cent.  In  all  his  legislative  experi- 
ence he  has  been  an  active,  working,  fighting 
member,  serving  on  important  committees  and 
as  chairman  of  some.  He  is  an  ardent  advo- 
cate of  municipal  ownership,  and  the  law  firm 
of  Bucklin,  Staley  &  Safley,  of  which  he  is  the 
head,  has  carried  on  legal  and  political  war- 
fare for  thirteen  years  to  secure  the  application 
of  such  ideas  to  the  affairs  of  Grand  Junction, 
finally  resulting  in  a  fine  water-works  plant 
owned  and  managed  most  successfully  by  the 
city.  As  a  lawyer  he  has  been  very  successful, 
building  up  a  large  and  representative  prac- 
tice. He  has  been  married  twice,  first  in  1884. 
to  Miss  Margie  Champion,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  two  years  old.  She  died  in 
March,  1885,  and  on  January  i,  1895,  he  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  Miss  Mary  Lapham,  a  na- 
tive of  Canada  but  reared  and  educated  in 
Colorado,  her  parents  being  among  the  pioneers 
of  Mesa  county.  They  have  two  children, 
James  W.,  Jr.,  and  Louis  Lapham.  Mr.  Buck- 
lin is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  holding 
the  rank  of  past  master  in  his  lodge,  and  being 
also  a  Knight  Templar.  He  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
from  his  boyhood.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  church  at  Grand  Junction  and  helped  to 
organize  the  Sunday  schools  at  that  place  and 


Gunnison.  He  also  read  the  first  funeral 
service  at  Grand  Junction.  In  business  he  has 
been  very  successful,  acquiring  considerable 
property  and  adding  much  by  his  improvements 
to  the  value  and  beauty  of  the  town. 

CHARLES  B.  MASSER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Charles  B.  Masser  was  born  in  St.  Jo- 
seph county,  Michigan,  on  October  i,  1839, 
the  son  of  William  and  Rachel  (Boone)  Mas- 
ser, who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
were  reared,  educated  and  married  in  that 
state.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  became 
pioneers  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  where 
they  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  government 
land  which  they  developed  and  improved  into 
an  excellent  farm.  The  father  also  kept  a  store 
at  Three  Rivers  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
both  parents  died  there.  Their  offspring  num- 
bered eight,  of  whom  only  two  are  living,  the 
Doctor  and  a  brother  who  still  resides  in  Michi- 
gan. The  Doctor  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  received  his  early  education 
at  its  primitive  country  schools  of  that  day. 
After  leaving  school  he  engaged  for  some 
years  in  farming  and  railroading,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  began  the  study  of  medicine, 
pursuing  it  a  number  of  years  and  practicing 
in  Michigan.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Kansas 
and,  locating  in  the  county  of  Republic,  again 
devoted  his  attention  to  his  profession.  Prior 
to  this  time,  in  1869.  he  was  graduated  from 
the  Kansas  City  Medical  College.  He  re- 
mained in  Kansas  actively  engaged  in  practice 
until  the  spring  of  1888,  when  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  settled  in  Mesa  county,  at  the 
town  of  Fruita,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home  and  the  seat  of  his  active  professional 
work.  He  has  taken  several  post-graduate 
courses  at  the  medical  schools  of  Denver,  and 
by  a  close  and  judicious  study  of  the  literature 
of  his  profession  has  kept  abreast  with  its 


'50 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


most  advanced  ideas.  In'  1891  he  established 
a  drug  store  which  he  has  since  conducted  in 
connection  with  his  practice,  and  in  both  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  was  married  on 
January  15,  1868,  to  Miss  Gertrude  A.  Pow- 
ers, of  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan.  They 
have  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, James,  Henry,  Gertrude,  Mary  and  Lulu. 
Those  deceased  are  Marta,  Bonita  and  Lillie. 
In  political  faith  the  Doctor  is  a  Prohibition- 
ist, and  he  is  firm  in  the  support  of  the  prin- 
ciples he  espouses. 

HON.  GEORGE  A.  CRAWFORD. 

The  strong,  true  men  of  a  people  are  ever 
its  most  priceless  possession.  They  are  po- 
tent for  good  not  only  in  what  they  accom- 
plish by  their  own  immediate  work;  but  by  the 
forces  they  inspire  and  vitalize  in  others 
through  their  influence,  and  by  the  example 
they  give,  which  acts  as  a  stimulus  while  they 
live  and  after  they  are  gone.  To  this  class 
belonged  the  late  Hon.  George  A.  Crawford,  of 
Grand  Junction,  whose  record  is  written  in 
pleasing  and  enduring  phrase  in  the  city  he 
built  and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  and  progres- 
siveness  he  implanted  in  its  citizens.  Small  in 
stature  and  frail  in  physique,  and  waging  a 
life-long  war  with  sickness  and  bodily  weak- 
ness, his  transcendent  will  and  mighty  spirit 
triumphed  over  all  obstructions  and  made  him 
great  in  both  undertakings  and  achievements 
- — the  most  forceful  man  of  his  time  in  this 
section.  The  story  of  his  life  in  many  places 
and  amid  a  great  variety  of  pursuits,  would 
be  intensely  interesting,  every  part  of  it,  and 
would  epitomize  in  brief  the  struggle  of  ad- 
vancing civilization  in  this  western  world  with, 
first  the  savage  denizens  of  the  wilderness,  men 
and  beasts,  and  later  its  more  insidious  and 
dangerous  foes,  outlaws  and  fugitives  from 
justice  in  the  older  sections  of  the  land  who 


deemed  the  hardy  and  industrious  pioneers  of 
a  new  and  unsettled  country  the  legitimate 
prey  of  their  unbridled  lust,  rapacity  and  law- 
lessness. It  is,  however,  with  Governor  Craw- 
ford's career  in  Colorado  that  we  have  now 
mainly  to  do.  Whatever  else  of  his  heroic  life 
it  may  be  found  necessary  to  narrate  is  only 
incidental  and  illustrative.  George  Addison 
Crawford  was  born  in  Clinton  (then  a  part  of 
Lycoming)  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  July, 27, 
1827.  His  parents  were  Judge  George  and 
Elizabeth  (Ouigley)  Crawford,  the  ancestors 
on  the  father's  side  being  Scotch-Irish  Presby- 
terians and  on  the  mother's  German  Luther- 
ans. His  scholastic  education,  begun  in  the 
primitive  district  schools  of  his  day  and  local- 
ity, was  continued  at  Clinton  Academy  on 
Pine  Creek,  of  which  his  father  was  president, 
and  Lockhaven  Academy,  and  was  finished  at 
Jefferson  College.  Sent  home  from  the  col- 
lege for  a  time  on  account  of  feeble  health,  he 
yet  kept  up  with  his  class  and  was  graduated 
with  it  in  1847,  standing  among  the  first,  al- 
though the  class  numbered  sixty-seven  mem- 
bers. After  his  graduation  he  went  South  with 
other  students  and  taught  school  at  Salem, 
Kentucky,  among  the  relatives  of  President 
Taylor.  Later  he  joined  his  room-mate,  Col. 
Samuel  Simmons,  in  the  management  of  a  se- 
lect school  at  Canton,  Mississippi.  After  one 
winter  in  this  enterprise  he  returned  to  his  na- 
tive state  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  of- 
fice of  Messrs.  Allison  &  Ouigley.  In  1850. 
still  pursuing  his  law  studies,  he  became  the 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Clinton  Demo- 
crat, the  organ  of  his  party  in  Clinton  county. 
He  at  once  became  active  and  effective  in  poli- 
tics, both  in  the  editorial  columns  of  his  pa- 
per and  on  the  hustings  showing  unusual  ca- 
pacity and  force,  arid  there  evincing  an  ascend- 
ancy and  control  over  men  which  was  through 
life  one  of  his  salient  characteristics.  From 
then  on  until  he  left  Pennsvlvania  he  was  one 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  the  influential  men  in  the  councils  and  con- 
ventions of  his  party  in  the  state,  rendering 
such  signal  service  in  harmonizing  differences 
and  strengthening  the  cause  that  he  received 
personal  letters  of  thanks  from  Presidents 
Pierce  and  Buchanan.  In  1856  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Dillon,  Jackson  &  Company, 
which  had  a  contract  to  build  a  railroad  from 
Superior  City  to  Hudson,  Wisconsin,  the  com- 
pany being  obliged  to  cut  sixty  miles  through 
a  dense  forest  in  the  deep  snows  of  winter. 
The  road  was  completed  on  time  and  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  its  promoters,  and  then  Mr.  Craw- 
ford determined  on  a  visit  to  Kansas.  That 
child  of  turbulence  and  strife  was  then  in  the 
agonies  of  its  border  warfare  and  needed  such 
men  as  he  to  calm  its  fevered  pulse  and  quiet 
its  contending  factions,  and  he  concluded  to 
remain  there.  While  at  Lawrence  on  the  way 
to  Lecompton,  he  fell  in  with  a  party  going  to 
Fort  Scott  to  secure  the  townsite.  and  at  once 
accepted  an  offer  of  transportation  by  mule 
team  and  partnership  in  the  town  project.  On 
arriving  at  the  fort,  then  an  abandoned  mili- 
tary post  occupied  by  pioneers,  Mr.  Crawford 
and  his  companions  bought  claims  to  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  organized 
the  Fort  Scott  Town  Company,  of  which  he 
was  elected  presi'dent.  He  served  in  that  ca- 
pacity nearly  twenty  years,  and  in  arranging 
for  the  development  of  the  place  marked  on  a 
plat  two  prospective  lines  of  railroad,  and  the 
two  leading  railroads  of  the  state  have  since 
been  built  on  almost  those  very  lines.  His  ac- 
tive mind  and  genius  for  leadership  soon  made 
him  prominent  in  the  stirring  political  activities 
of  Kansas,  and  led  to  his  nomination  for  the 
office  of  governor  in  1861.  In  the  election  he 
secured  a  clear  majority  of  the  votes  returned, 
but  the  state  canvassers  refused  to  canvass  the 
returns,  and  under  mandamus  proceedings  the 
court  declared  the  election  due  to  a  miscon- 
struction of  the  constitution  and  therefore  il- 


legal. The  next  year  his  friends  determined 
to  nominate  him  again  for  this  office,  but  owing 
to  complications  in  the  convention  he  refused 
to  submit  his  name  for  governor  and  was  unan- 
imously nominated  for  secretary  of  state. 
This  nomination  he  declined  to  accept.  After 
some  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  more  of  strenu- 
ous activity  in  Kansas  politics,  during  which 
he  filled  a  number  of  important  positions  and 
rendered  numberless  important  services,  he 
turned  his  face  toward  the  setting  sun  and  took 
in  a  survey  of  Colorado.  This  was  at  that  time 
a  frontier  country  full  of  dangers  and  infested 
with  the  acolytes  of  lawlessness  and  violence; 
but  his  experienced  eye  told  him  it  was  a  land 
of  promise,  and  acting  on  his  excellent  judg- 
ment, he  came  hither  and  founded  Grand  Junc- 
tion, deeming  this  the  proper  place  for  the  large 
city  that  would  inevitably  be  the  commercial 
center  of  the  mighty  empire  latent  in  the  re- 
gion. He  located  and  named  the  town,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  its  stead- 
fast, untiring  and  liberal  friend.  The  first  year 
he  organized  a  company  and  built  a  ditch  to 
supply  his  bantling  with  water,  erected  cabins 
as  homes  for  newcomers  and  put  up  a  hotel 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  traveling  public. 
The  next  year  he  planted  shade  trees  in  front 
of  all  public  property  and  all  lots  belonging  to 
the  town  company,  and  encouraged  all  citizens 
to  follow  his  example.  He  organized  a  com- 
pany for  the  manufacture  of  pressed  brick  and 
supplied  the  railroad  company  with  all  the 
brick  it  needed  at  the  Junction  and  as  far  west 
as  Prove.  He  also  built  many  cottages,  and 
advertised  the  town  and  valley  all  over  this 
and  in  many  foreign  countries,  winning  friends 
for  the  section  wherever  he  made  its  virtues 
known.  A  man  of  nerve,  tact,  education-  and 
resources,  he  pushed  the  work  of  improvement 
forward,  kept  down  all  opposition,  and  infused 
into  the  people  a  spirit  of  progress  wonderful 
in  its  immediate  results  and  its  continuing 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


power.  Nor  is  it  to  be  inferred  that  he  neg- 
lected the  more  spiritual  and  elevating  con- 
comitants of  the  civilization  he  was  planting  in 
these  western  wilds.  Schools,  churches  and 
the  public  press  received  his  earnest  and  unre- 
mitting attention.  Sustained  by  a  will  power 
remarkable  in  intensity  and  an  intellect  won- 
derful in  scope,  force  and  resourcefulness,  he 
never  gave  up,  but  commanded  circumstances 
to  his  purposes  and  made  even  difficulties  his 
ministrants.  And  through  all  he  was  ever  the 
same  bland,  cultivated,  courtly  and  obliging 
gentleman.  On  Monda)',  January  26,  1891, 
the  life  that  was  the  most  earnest  and  useful 
ever  known  in  western  Colorado,  ended.  And 
now,  when  men  seek  his  monument,  it  is 
enough  to  say,  here  is  Grand  Junction,  here  is 
Mesa  county,  here  is  the  Western  slope — they 
proclaim  the  energy,  the  manliness,  the  mighty 
creative  spirit  of  Governor  Crawford,  what 
more  can  be  desired! 

MARCUS  L.   SHIPPEE. 

Born  and  reared  to  the  age  of  seventeen 
in  the  Green  Mountain  belt  of  Vermont,  and 
coming  from  there  as  a  youth  to  the  mountains 
of  Colorado,  Marcus  L.  Shippee,  a  successful 
and  progressive  ranchman  and  cattle-grower 
of  Pitkin  county,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Emma,  has  not  greatly  changed  his  surround- 
ings, as  far  as  natural  appearances  go,  but  finds 
himself  in  a  very  different  state  of  the  farming 
interest  from  that  which  he  was  used  to  in  his 
native  section  of  the  country.  Still,  his  general 
ability  and  adaptiveness,  coupled  with  his  self- 
reliance  and  intelligence  in  observation  soon 
made  him  as  successful  and  capable  as  a  farmer 
here- as  he  could  ever  have  been  in  the  East. 
His  life  began  near  Bennington,  Vermont,  on 
August  22,  1862,  where  his  parents,  James  S. 
and  Mary  (Calista)  Shippee,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Massachu- 


setts, located  early  in  their  married  life,  and  to 
the  time  of  the  father's  death  in  1880,  they 
were  profitably  engaged  in  farming  and  raising1 
stock.  The  father  was  a  stanch  Republican 
in  political  faith.  Their  children  numbered 
ten,  five  of  whom  are  living:  James  H.,  city 
marshal  of  Delta,  Colorado;  William,  a  resi- 
dent of  Vermont;  Marcus  L.,  of  Pitkin  county, 
this  state ;  Albert,  of  New  York  state ;  and  Al- 
mond, living  in  Massachusetts.  Marcus,  who 
is  one  of  Pitkin  county's  most  prosperous  and 
enterprising  ranchman,  is  essentially  a  self- 
made  man.  His  opportunities  for  attending 
even  the  public  schools  were  few  and  of  short 
duration,  as  while  he  was  yet  a  mere  boy  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  work  on  his  father's  farm 
as  a  regular  hand,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  was 
able  to  do  a  man's  work.  He  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-one,  then,  in 
1873,  went  to  New  York  state  and  followed  the 
same  occupation  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Georgetown  where  he  worked  in  the  mines  for 
wages.  The  next  year  he  moved  to  Leadville 
and  became  connected  with  the  coal  trade  un- 
der contract  with  the  Malta  Smelter  Company. 
Six  months  later  he  quit  this  trade  and  started 
a  dairy  business  which  he  conducted  six 
months,  then  sold  out.  In  this  he  made  good 
profits  as  the  price  of  milk  was  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  a  gallon  at  retail,  and  he  had 
ready  sale  for  all  he  could  supply.  He  next 
freighted  between  Leadville  and  Red  Cliff,  con- 
tinuing in  the  business  until  1882;  then,  selling 
out  at  a  good  profit.-  he  purchased  a  ranch  in 
the  vicinity  of  Emma.  This  he  sold  a  year  la- 
ter and  then  bought  the  one  he  now  owns  and 
manages.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  acres,  one  hundred  acres  of  which  are  un- 
der cultivation  in  hay,  grain  and  other  ordinary 
farm  products.  He  also  raises  numbers  of  cat- 
tle and  horses,  live  stock  and  hay  being  his 
principal  products.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Fellows,  the  Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  supports  the  Democratic  party. 
On  November  29,  1899,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Alma  G.  Staton,  a  native  of  Illinois,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Hyrcanus  and  Margaret  (Melissa)  Sta- 
ton, the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Ohio.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they 
located  in  Illinois  where  they  remained  until 
1879.  They  then  came  to  Colorado  and  set- 
tled at  Leadville,  and  there  they  carried  on  a 
profitable  dairy  business  until  1885.  In  that 
year  they  changed  their  residence  to  Glemvood 
Springs  where  they  now  live,  the  father  being 
engaged  in  farming  and  giving  a  share  of  his 
time  and  energy  to  building  up  socialism,  in 
which  he  is  an  ardent  believer  and  worker.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Their  children  number  eight,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Those  living  are  William 
F.,  Herbert  G.,  Elbert  F.,  Merriam  L.  and  Ca- 
ney  I.,  of  Glenwood  Springs,  and  Mrs.  Ship- 
pee,  the  second  in  the  order  of  birth  of  those 
who  are  living.  She  and  her  husband  have  had 
three  children,  of  whom  Ivan  Elster  died  on 
January  9,  1901,  and  Leta  Luella  and  Lois  Ca- 
lista  are  living. 

•WILLIAM  R.  K.  HOOK. 

William  R.  K.  Hook,  the  oldest  settler  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Emma,  Pitkin  county, 
this  state,  where  he  located  in  1882,  on  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
acres  of  good  land,  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  which  are  naturally  tillable,  and  where  he 
has  since  conducted  a  prosperous  and  expand- 
ing stock  industry  and  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing operations,  is  a  native  of  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  on  March  II, 
1842.  His  parents,  Peter  U.  and  Elizabeth 
(Herman)  Hook,  were  also  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  passed  the  earlier  years  of  their 
married  life  in  merchandising,  conducting  an 


extensive  trade  in  dry  goods  and  groceries,  and 
their  later  years  in  conducting  a  good  hotel, 
winning  prosperity  in  both  lines  of  activity. 
Both  are  now  deceased,  and  of  their  nine 
children  only  three  are  living :  George,  the  post- 
master at  Grand  Ridge,  Illinois ;  Mr.  Hook,  of 
Pitkin  county,  Colorado;  and  Julia,  the  wife  of 
J.  B.  Marshall,  of  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  is  the  editor  of  the  Genius  of  Liberty, 
which  was  established  in  1815  by  John  Irwin. 
Their  mother  died  in  1864  an<i  their  father  in 
1869.  Mr.  Hook's  educational  advantages 
were  few  and  limited  in  scope.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  began  to  learn  steamboat  engineer- 
ing at  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Mo- 
nongahela  river,  devoting  a  year  to  the  business 
at  a  compensation  of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
a  week,  scarcely  enough  to  pay  his  board. 
When  the  Civil  war  began  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  enrolling  on 
May  8,  1861,  and  being  mustered  into  the 
service  at  Washington,  D.  C,  on  July  29th  fol- 
lowing. He  served  three  years,  and  was  dis-i 
charged  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  June 
6,  1864,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  Soon 
after  this  he  went  to  work  as  fireman  on  the 
Pittsburg  &  Connellsville  Railroad,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  fourteen  months  was  promoted 
engineer.  In  this  capacity  he  served  the  road 
until  1871,  when  he  came  west,  and  after  pass- 
ing some  time  at  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and 
Ottawa,  Illinois,  located  at  Marshall,  Michigan, 
just  after  the  great  Chicago  fire.  There  he  re- 
mained seven  years  employed  in  the  Wind 
Engine  Works.  In  April,  1879,  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Leadville,  where  he 
worked  at  engineering  and  installing  machin- 
ery, remaining  until  1881,  then  moved  to  As- 
pen. Here  he  continued  engineering  in  saw- 
mills for  a-  year,  then  in  1882  took  up  his 
ranch  as  a  pre-emption  claim.  Since  that  time 
he  has  lived  on  his  land  and  given  himself 


154 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


up  wholly  to  its  development,  improvement  and 
cultivation.  His  principal  product  is  live  stock, 
but  he  also  raises  good  crops  of  hay  and  grain 
and  other  ordinary  farm  products.  He  is  an 
active  Republican  in  politics,  and  for  years 
was  an  earnest  working  Odd  Fellow.  In  1880 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  M.  Ausborne, 
a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  daughter  of  John 
Ausborne,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  his  wife  being 
a  native  of  Vermont.  They  settled  in  Wiscon- 
sin in  early  life,  and  there  for  a  number  of 
years  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  mill- 
wright, but  later  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. The  mother  died  in  1865  and  the  father 
in  1896.  Mrs.  Hook  is  a  graduate  of  the  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  high  school.  She  taught 
school  in  that  city  and  in  Chicago  in  the  East, 
and  also  at  Leadville  and  Emma  in  this  state. 
Her  husband  at  one  time  conducted  a  dairy 
business  at  Aspen  for  a  period  of  nine  years. 
Approaching  now  the  evening  of  life,  they  are 
comfortably  fixed  to  pass  their  remaining  days 
pleasantly,  and  are  secure  in  the  respect  and 
good  will  of  their  fellow  citizens  wherever  they 
are  known. 

STERLING  PRICE   SLOSS. 

Born  in  St.  Clair  county,  in  western  Mis- 
souri, where  his  parents  were  among  the  very 
•first  settlers,  and  passing  the  reit  of  his  life 
there  and  in  Colorado,  so  far  Sterling  P.  Sloss 
has  lived  almost  wholly  on  the  frontier,  and 
has  well  learned  its  lessons  of  thrift,  self-re- 
liance, manly  courage  and  consideration  for  the 
rights  and  feelings  of  others.  Taking  its  op- 
portunities for  advancement  as  they  come  and 
making  good  and  timely  use  of  them,  he  has 
been  one  of  the  forceful  factors  in  pushing  for- 
ward the  advance  of  civilivation  and  holding 
the  ground  it  has  gained  from  the  wilderness 
and  its  savage  denizens.  His  life  began  on 
October  25.  1862.  and  his  parents  were  Joseph 
and  Margaret  (Coulthard)  Sloss,  the  former 


born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  England. 
They  located  in  St.  Clair  county,  Missouri, 
among  its  first  settlers,  and  in  1866  they  moved 
to  Arkansas,  settling  in  a  region  as  new  and 
wild  as  that  they  left.  They  farmed  with 
moderate  success,  and  the  father  rose  to  promi- 
nence by  his  breadth  of  view  and  public  spirit 
in  local  affairs  and  by  his  ardent  support  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.'  Both 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
died  in  1874  and  his  wife  in  1895.  Five  of 
their  seven  children  survive  them.  Sterling, 
who  is  one  of  the  most  respected  and  influential 
citizens  of  Eagle  county,  and  one  of  the  most 
'extensive  and  popular  cattle  men  in  this  whole 
region  of  country,  had  but  little  opportunity 
for  schooling.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
took  his  place  regularly  among  the  hands  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  when  he  was  fourteen 
he  was  able  to  do  a  man's  work  there  and  com- 
mand a  man's  wages,  thus  making  his  own  liv- 
ing from  that  early  age.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Colorado,  and  locating  at  Silver  Cliff,  worked 
as  a  ranch  hand  for  a  compensation  of  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  he  moved  to  South  Park,  where  he 
drove  cattle  for  A.  J.  Bates  until  the  spring  of 
1882.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  W.  King  (see  sketch  elsewhere)  to  con- 
duct a  dairy  business  at  Ashcroft,  which  later 
was  moved  to  Aspen.  Milk  sold  at  fifty  cents 
a  gallon  and  the  enterprise  flourished  vigor- 
ously. After  some  time  he  bought  Mr.  King's 
interest  and  took  his  own  brother  John  W.  in 
as  a  partner.  They  continued  the  business  un- 
til 1885,  and  at  the  same  time  conducted  a 
ranch  on  Sopris  creek.  At  the  end  of  six  years 
the  partnership  was  harmoniously  dissolved. 
In  1902  he  bought  a  ranch  on  the  Frying  Pan. 
nine  miles  east  of  Basalt.  On  this  land  good 
crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables  are  raised, 
but  cattle  form  the  most  important  product  and 
greatest  source  of  revenue.  Mr.  Sloss  is  con- 
nected with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


155 


Daughters  of  Rebekah,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  the  Women's  Circle  of  Woodcraft,  and 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
In  political  allegiance  he  stands,  firmly  by  the 
Democratic  party.  On  February  5,  1889,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Edith  A.  Bogue, 
a  native  of  Harrison  county,  Missouri,  born  on 
February  3,  1870,  and  the  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Permalia  (Cox)  Bogue.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  her  mother  of  Indiana. 
They  were  prosperous  farmers  and  the  father 
supported  the  Republican  party.  He  died  on 
December  10,  1896,  leaving  eleven  of  his 
twelve  children  to  survive  him.  They  are 
Newton  H.,  who  lives  at  May  wood,  Nebraska ; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Charles  Redding,  also  living  in 
Nebraska ;  Sytha,  wife  of  Thomas  Lawrence, 
of  Carbondale,  Colorado;  Charles  E.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Arkansas  Junction,  this  state;  Joseph 
T.,  of  DeBeque,  Colorado;  Viola  J.,  wife  of 
Albert  Bell,  of  Dayton,  Iowa;  Allen  C,  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah;  Alfred  T.,  of  Cherokee 
county,  Iowa;  Louis  W.,  of  Griswold,  Iowa; 
and  Emma  E.,  of  Glen  wood  Springs,  Colorado. 
In  the  household  of  Mr.  Sloss  two  children 
have  been  born,  Alfred  M.  and  Alvin  J.,  twins. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  In  the  public  affairs  of  his  section  Mr. 
Sloss  takes  an  active  and  intelligent  interest  at 
all  times,  and  is  at  all  times  ready  to  aid  in 
the  promotion  of  its  welfare.  He  is  chief  cattle 
inspector  for  the  district  between  Leadville  and 
Glenwood  Springs.  Mr.  Sloss  has  recently 
been  appointed  a  member  of  the  live  stock  in- 
spection board  by  Gov.  Jesse  F.  McDonald  for 
two  years.  Mr.  Sloss  was  county  commissioner 
of  Pitkin  county,  Colorado,  from  1895  to  1898. 

ROBERT  W.  DWYER. 

R.  W.  Dwyer  is  a  native  of  Ross  county. 
Ohio,  born  on  May  14,  1855.  and  the  son  of 
John  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Duncan)  Dwyer,  the 


former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter 
of  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  stock 
dealer  during  the  whole  of  his  mature  life  and 
was  successful  and  prosperous  at  the  business. 
He  also  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
serving  as  county  assessor  of  Ross  county, 
Ohio,  for  a  period  of  eighteen  years,  being 
elected  to  the  office  on  the  Republican  ticket  as 
he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  that  party  in 
political  matters.  In  middle  life  he  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  he  continued  farming  and  stock- 
growing  until  his  death,  in  1896.  His  wife 
preceded  him  to  the  other  world  more  than 
twenty-five  years,  she  dying  in  1870.  They 
were  Presbyterians  in  religious  affiliation,  and 
had  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  James,  a  resident  of  Alaska;  Frank, 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Aspen;  Robert  W.,  the 
immediate  subject  of  these  paragraphs ;  and 
John,  who  lives  in  Ohio.  Robert  remained  at 
home  assisting  on  the  farm  in  Iowa  until  1878. 
the  family  residence  being  near  Sidney  in  Fre- 
mont county,  that  state.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  during  the  next  ten 
years  prospected  in  various  parts  of  the  state 
along  the  Western  slope.  In  1887  he  located  at 
Aspen,  and  for  nine  years  thereafter  he  was 
engaged  in  dairying/  getting  fifty  cents  a  gal- 
lon for  milk,  and  sometimes  more.  In  1896 
he  sold  his  business  and  purchased  a  portion  of 
the  ranch  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  buying 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  has 
since  added  eighty  acres  by  another  purchase. 
About  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  the 
tract  are  under  cultivation  and  yield  abundantly 
to  the  persuasive  industry  of  the  husbandman. 
Mr.  Dwyer  supports  the  Republican  party  in 
political  contests,  and  in  fraternal  life  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He 
was  married  on  April  26,  1876,  to  Miss  Dora 
Pepple,  a  native  of  Ross  county,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Emma  (Middleton) 
Pepple,  who  are  also  natives  of  Ohio.  They 


'56 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


have  always  been  farmers  and  have  prospered 
in  their  industry.  The  father  is  a  Democrat 
in  political  allegiance,  and  both  are  Methodists 
in  church  relations.  They  have  been  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  and  of  the  number  Abra- 
ham L.  is  deceased,  and  these  are  living:  An- 
nie, the  wife  of  Frank  Dwyer;  Gertrude,  who 
is  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Riverside,  Wyo- 
ming; Robert  W.,  and  Melissa,  the  wife  of 
Alexander  Higgins,  of  Bainbridge,  Ohio.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dwyer  have  two  children,  Ernest,  and 
Roberta,  the  wife  of  Edmond  Limbach,  of  Gilt 
Edge,  Montana. 

NORMAN  G.  CROALL. 

Norman  G.  Croall  is  a  native  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  where  he  was  born  on  May  30,  1869. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1900,  locating 
at  Colorado,  where  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  stock  industry  and  general  farming  in  the 
Plateau  country  in  Mesa  county.  In  1903  he 
purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he  is  now  lo- 
cated, near  Emma,  Pitkin  county,  and  which 
formerly  belonged  to  Mr.  Chatfield.  It  com- 
prises two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  of  which 
can  be  profitably  cultivated,  and  produces  hay, 
potatoes  and  fruit  in  abundance.  One  of  its 
special  features  of  interest  and  value  is  an  ex- 
cellent orchard  of  eighteen  acres  set  out  in  fine 
fruit  trees  now  in  good  bearing  order.  The 
ranch  has  a  first-class  water  right  appertaining 
to  it,  and  is  considered  the  best  in  the  valley  in 
which  it  lies.  It  is  known  as  the  Hermiston 
ranch  and  has  a  wide  and  well-earned  reputa- 
tion for  the  excellence  of  its  products  and  its 
vast  resources  of  productiveness. 

ENOCH  G.  MALLORY. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  ranch- 
man and  cattle  breeder  of  Eagle  county,  this 
state,  with  a  fine  property  in  the  neighborhood 


of  Basalt,  comes  of  a  sturdy  strain,  with  a  fam- 
ily record  for  longevity  in  years,  prodigious 
energy  in  youth,  manhood  and  middle  life,  and 
great  clearness  of  mind  and  endurance  of  body 
even  in  very  old  age.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
Brunswick,  Canada,  born  on  May  29,  1837, 
the  son  of  William  N.  and  Jane  (Snow)  Mai- 
lory,  the  father  born  at  Yarmouth,  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  mother  in  Nova  Scotia.  In  his 
young  manhood  the  father  moved  to  Canada, 
and  there  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  he 
was  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  fann- 
ing. Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  he  was  known  as  Dea- 
con Mallory.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  five  .of  whom  are  deceased:  Eliza- 
beth died  October  3,  1850;  Josiah,  who  died 
on  February  22,  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four;  Margaret,  then  Mrs.  Elijah  Osser,  who 
died  in  Carlton  county,  New  Brunswick,  on 
October  30,  1903;  Elisha,  who  died  in  Florida, 
on  January  13,  1894;  and  Harriet,  in  1904. 
The  six  children  living  are :  John,  who  resides 
in  Carlton  county,  Canada,  and  was  born  at 
W'akefield  on  November  20,  1820;  Anna  K., 
born  on  February  8,  1822 ;  Hilkiah,  born  on 
June  i,  1825;  William  A.,  born  on  March  4, 
1829;  Ezekiel,  born  on  March  29,  1833;  and 
Enoch  G.,  tern  on  May  29,  1837.  The  father, 
who  was  born  in  July,  1795,  died  in  March. 
1885,  and  the  mother,  born  on  September  i, 
1801,  passed  away  on  August  15,  1847.  They 
were  married  on  November  12,  1818.  Their 
son  Enoch  attended  such  schools  as  were  avail- 
able at  the  time,  and  when  but  a  boy  began  to 
make  a  hand  on  the  farm  in  the  assistance  of 
his  parents.  He  remained  with  them  until  he 
reached  his  twentieth  year,  then  rented  his  fa- 
ther's farm  and  farmed  it  until  1874.  At  that 
time  he  gave  up  farming  and  became  propri- 
etor of  saw  and  grist-mills  which  he  operated 
two  years,  then  moved  to  Ness  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  nine 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


157 


years.  In  the  meantime,  however,  during  this 
period,  leaving  his  farm  in  the  care  of  his  fam- 
ily, he  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  spending 
seven  years  in  this  state  had  his  family  join  him 
here.  After  a  short  residence  at  Leadville  he 
moved  to  Ashcroft,  then  some  time  later  to 
Aspen.  Mining  was  his  principal  occupation 
during  these  years,  but  he  also  devoted  some 
attention  to  lumbering  and  milling.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1887,  he  took  a  squatter's  right  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of  land  which  he 
afterward  converted  into  a  pre-emption  claim, 
and  which  is  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies. Here  he  has  quietly  pursued  the  vocation 
of  a  western  farmer  and  cattle-grower,  improv- 
ing his  property  and  bringing  it  to  productive- 
ness, until  he  has  one  of  the  choice  country 
homes  in  his  neighborhood,  cattle  being  his 
main  resource.  He  was  married  on  June  21, 
1857,  to  Miss  Levicy  A.  Hoyt,  a  native  of  New 
Brunswick,  born  on  October  16,  1831,  and  the 
daughter  of  Orlo  and  Phoebe  (Wood)  Hoyt, 
also  Canadians  by  nativity,  and  successful' 
farmers  in  that  country.  They  were  members 
of  the  Free  Baptist  church  and  the  father  was 
a  prominent  Orangeman.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living,  Emma,  wife  of 
Lawrence  Mersereau,  and  Mrs.  Mallory. 
Their  mother  died  on  April  26,  1837,  and  their 
father 'on  August  28.  1875.  In  the  Mallory 
household  eight  children  were  born,  and  six 
of  them  are  living.  Marshall  N.  lives  at  Sump- 
ter,  Oregon;  Ezekiel  at  New  Chicago,  Mon- 
tana; Joseph  F.,  at  Otter,  Kansas;  Carrie  S. 
Mrs.  William  Smith),  at  Niles,  Kansas;  Mur- 
ray C.  in  Indian  territory  and  Sarah  (Mrs. 
Frederick  Stiffler),  at  Basalt,  Colorado.  The 
parents  belong  to  the  Baptist  church. 

WILLIAM  D.  PHILLIPS. 

William  D.  Phillips,  who  was  formerly  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  N.  G.  Croall  in  conduct- 
ing the  ranch  and  stock  business  on  the  Her- 


miston  ranch,  is  a  native  of  Ivegill,  county 
Cumberland,  England,  born  on  December  18, 
1869,  and  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
Phillips,  who  were  also  born  and  reared  in  that 
country.  The  father  was  a  clergyman  of  the 
church  of  England,  and  is  now  canon  of  one  of 
the  cathedrals  there,  which  position  he  has 
held  for  five  years.  His  family  comprised  seven 
children,  two  of  whom,  James  R.  and  Edward, 
have  died.  The  former  of  these  was  consul 
general  for  Great  Britain  on  the  gold  coast  of 
West  Africa,  and  was  murdered  by  the  natives 
near  the  city  of  Benin  in  January,  1897.  Ed- 
ward died  in  London  in  April,  1903.  The 
living  children  are:  Ella,  the  wife  of  the  late 
Nigel  Buchanan,  of  Carlisle,  England ;  Charles 
Wr.,  a  clergyman  of  the  church  of  England, 
living  at  home;  Katharine,  residing  at  North- 
wood  near  London;  Agnes,  at  the  abbey  of 
Carlisle,  England ;  and  William,  the  only  mem- 
ber of  the  family  resident  in  this  country. 
Mr.  Phillips,  after  a  preliminary  scholastic 
training  in  other  schools,  attended  the  Socl- 
bergh  school  in  Yorkshire  in  his  native  land. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  life  for  himself 
as  a  farmer,  and  after  two  years  of  valuable  ex- 
perience under  instructions,  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  a  farm  for  himself,  which  he  con- 
trolled five  years,  raising,  in  connection  with 
his  general  farming  operations,  fine  strains  of 
horses  in  which  he  took  especial  pride  and 
pleasure.  In  this  branch  of  his  business  he 
was  eminently  successful,  raising  one  draught 
horse  in  particular  that  took  the  championship 
prize  and  sold  for  a  fancy  price.  He  was  also 
very  successful  with  saddle  horses,  producing 
many  prize  winners  in  this  line.  In  1895  he 
made  a  business  and  pleasure  trip  to  Australia 
which  consumed  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then 
returned  to  England,  and  entered  the  army  for 
a  term  of  nine  months,  but  owing  to  sickness  he 
only  served  eight  months.  Soon  afterward  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  at  the  end  of  ten 
months,  passed  in  West  Virginia,  in  1902 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


joined  Mr.  Croall  in  Plateau  valley.  The 
mother  of  Mr.  Phillips  died  in  August,  1899. 
His  father,  as  has  been  noted,  is  still  living  in 
his  native  land. 

LEE  R.  WILLITS. 

After  residing  and  practicing  productive 
interest  in  several  states,  and  finding  the  condi- 
tions of  life  more  or  less  agreeable  in  all,  Lee 
R.  Willits,  of  Eagle  county,  Colorado,  a  pros- 
perous and  progressive  ranch  and  stock  man 
living  near  Basalt,  finds  this  state  the  best  of 
all  and  is  ardently  devoted  to  its  interests  and 
the  enduring  welfare  of  its  people.  He  is  a 
native  of  New  Boston,  Mercer  county,  Illi- 
nois, born  on  December  23,  1848,  and  the  son 
of  John  E.  and  Mary  C.  (Frick)  Willits,  the 
father  born  in  Indiana  and  the  mother  in  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  early  years  of  their  married 
life  they  located  in  Illinois,  where  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  the  father  was  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  at  New  Boston  and  Keithsburg,  but 
on  account  of  the  state  of  his  health  he  found 
it  necessary  to  have  an  outdoor  life,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  turned  his  attention  to  farming. 
He  thereupon  moved  to  Kansas,  and  after  liv- 
ing in  that  state  seven  years  changed  to  Texas, 
\vhere  he  continued  in  the  same  occupation, 
and  where  his  death  occurred  on  December  I, 
1890.  He  was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  frater- 
nal life,  and  a  strong  Democrat  in  politics. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs  and  at- 
tained prominence  in  the  public  life  of  his  com- 
munity, serving  as  county  commissioner  in  Illi- 
nois and  also  in  Kansas  a  number  of  years. 
He  was  a  Presbyterian  in  church  connection. 
Of  his  seven  children  six  are  living :  Lee  R. ; 
Clarence  W.,  of  Seaton,  Illinois;  Ada  H.,  wife 
of  the  late  A.  J.  Robinson,  of  Aspen,  this  state; 
Katie,  wife  of  George  Loomis,  of  La  Porte, 
Oklahoma;  Frederick  E.,  of  Canon  City,  Colo- 
rado; and  Edith,  wife  of  Dr.  Virgil  Clark,  of 


Basalt,  with  whom  the  mother  makes  her  home. 
Her  father,  Frederick  Frick,  helped  to  make 
the  state  constitution  of  Illinois  in  1^48,  and 
took  a  leading  part  in  public  affairs  in  other 
ways.  Lee  R.  Willits  attended  the  district 
schools  near  his  home,  as  country  boys  do  who 
have  to  work  on  the  farm,  and  there  received 
a  limited  scholastic  training.  He  remained  at 
home  and  worked  in  the  interest  of  his  parents 
until  he  became  twenty-two  years  of  age,  at 
which  time,  in  1870,  he  began  farming  inde- 
pendently in  Kansas,  where  he  remained  until 

1873,  then  moved  to  Texas,   where  he  lived 
fourteen  years  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
stock.    In  1887  he  came  to  Colorado  very  much 
handicapped    by    circumstances,    and    secured 
employment  as  foreman  on  the  ranch  of  Gilles- 
pie  &  Robinson  on  the  Roaring  Fork,  seven 
miles  and  a  half  east  of  Carbondale.     After 
passing   some   years   in   this   engagement   he 
bought  the  ranch  'on  which  he  now  lives,  which 
comprises  one   hundred   and   sixty  acres,   one 
hundred  and  'forty-five  acres  being  under  culti- 
vation.    Here  he  raises  enormous  crops  of  hay 
of  excellent  quality  and  potatoes  in  abundance, 
and  also  carries  on  a  thriving  business  in  cattle 
and  horses.     He  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politi- 
cal allegiance,  and  as  such  has  served  six  years 
as  county  commissioner    He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  thirteenth  legislature  of  the  state, 
and  is  now  and  has  been  for  years  a  member  of 
the  Eljebel  school  board,  a  capacity  in  which  he 
also  served  in  Texas.     Fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.    On  February  25. 

1874,  he   was   married   to    Miss    Cornelia   A. 
Robinson,  a  native  of  Henderson  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  daughter  of  Elhanen  and  Phoebe  A. 
(Moore)   Rob.inson.     Her  father  was  born  in 
Kentucky  and  her  mother  in  Indiana.     They 
located  in  Illinois  when  young  and  later  moved 
to  Kansas,  then  to  Texas  and  finally  to  Colo- 
rado, settling  in  the  vicinity  of  Basalt.     They 
were  farmers  and  members  of  the  Methodist 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


159 


church,  and  the  father  gave  a  steadfast  and 
loyal  support  to  the  Democratic  party.  Their 
offspring  numbered  seven,  four  of  whom  are 
living  :  Emma,  wife  of  D.  S.  Shehi,  of  Taylor 
Park,  Colorado;  Sarah,  wife  of  H.  B.  Gillespie, 
of  Denver;  Mrs.  Willits,  of  Eagle  county;  and 
Charles  M.,  of  Pendleton,  Oregon.  The 
mother  died  in  1886  and  the  father  in  Novem- 
ber. 1898.  The  Willits  household  has  been 
blessed  and  brightened  with  four  children : 
Pearl  E.,  wife  of  William  Shanks,  of  Leadville; 
Irene  E.,  living  at  home;  Marcia  E.,  wife  of 
I.  H.  Mitchell,  of  Basalt;  and  Bramlett.  living 
under  the  parental  roof. 

CHARLES   E.   JACOBS. 

Born  in  Wood  county,  Ohio,  on  Septeml^er 
3,  1871,  and  now  living  and  prospering  in  Colo- 
rado, Charles  E.  Jacobs,  of  Eagle  county,  a 
successful  ranch  and  cattleman  living  near 
Basalt,' has  come  to  his  present  location  and  es- 
tate by  progress  through  two  or  three  interven- 
ing states  and  industrious  effort  for  advance- 
ment in  them  all.  His  parents,  Oliver  and 
Lavina  (Locy)  Jacobs,  were  also  natives  of 
Ohio;  and  in  1873  moved  to  Iowa,  then  to  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas,  afterward  to  Joplin,  Missouri, 
and  from  there  in  1878  to  Colorado,  locating 
at  Leadville.  where  they  lived  until  1881,  when 
they  moved  to  Gunnisoii  county.  In  his  youn- 
ger life  the  father  was  engaged  in  farming,  and 
his  later  years  were  devoted  to  the  drug  busi- 
ness. In  this  state  he  occupied  himself  in  min- 
ing, sometimes  in  the  employ  of  others,  some- 
times independently  for  himself.  He  supported 
the  Republican  party  in  political  matters  and 
fraternally  was  connected  with  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  Three  of  the  five  children  born 
in  the  family  are  living,  Charles  E.,  Oliver  G., 
and  Luetta,  wife  of  James  Bowles,  of  New- 
castle, this  state.  The  father  died  on  July  3, 
1885,  and  since  then  the  mother  has  made  her 


home  with  her  son  Charles.  He  was  educated 
at  the  public  schools,  with  meager  advantages, 
and  while  yet  a  mere  boy  began  to  assist  in  the 
farm  work  in  the  interest  of  his  parents.  He 
remained  with  them  until  1892,  then  rented  a 
ranch  for  himself  in  Eagle  county,  which  he 
farmed  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
took  charge  of  the  home  ranch.  This  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which 
ninety  can  be  cultivated.  Large  crops  of  ex- 
cellent hay  are  produced,  with  grain,  vegetables 
and  fruit  in  abundance,  and  cattle  are  raised  for 
market  and  horses  for  use  on  the  place.  Mr. 
Jacobs  conducts  his  business  with  vigor  and 
success  and  stands  well  in  the  estimation  of 
the  people  around  him.  He  belongs  to  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  independent  in 
politics.  The  ranch  is  well  located  five  miles 
west  of  Basalt  and  has  many  natural  advant- 
ages for  farmjng  and  .the  stock  industry.  Mr. 
Jacobs  was  united  in  marriage  June  i,  1904, 
with  Miss  Marian  Pearson,  a  native  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Anna  (Ghent)  Pearson,  the  former  a  native 
of  England  and  the  latter  of  Frankfort,  Indiana. 
They  now  live  at  Rifle,  Colorado. 

OLIVER  G.  JACOBS,  a  younger  brother  of 
Charles,  and  also  an  Eagle  county  ranch  and 
stock  man,  was  born  on  February  4,  1873,  in 
Joplin,  Missouri,  and  came  to  Colorado  with 
his  parents  in  1878.  In  1888  he  located  his 
present  ranch,  and  on  it  since  that  time  he  has 
built  up  a  good  business  in  raising  cattle  and 
horses,  along  with  a  general  ranching  industry. 
He  is  wide-awake,  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive, fully  in  touch  with  the  spirit  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  one  of  its  most  esteemed  citizens. 
In  political  matters  he  is  independent,  and  in 
local  affairs  is  warmly  interested  in  a  practical 
way  in  the  advancement  and  improvement  of 
the  community,  the  county  and  the  state.  On 
September  29,  1893.  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Marion  Patterson,  who  was  born  on  August 


i6o 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1 6,  1884,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Beggs)  Patterson,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  Jacobs 
has  been  fairly  successful  in  his  operations  and 
his  place  is  improving  in  character  and  increas- 
ing in  productiveness.  Both  he  and  his  brother 
find  Colorado  a  good  state  to  live  in  and  are 
well  pleased  with  it,  fervently  devoted  to  its 
interest  and  always  willing  to  promote  its'  wel- 
fare and  the  comfort  and  conveniences  of  its 
people. 

M.   H.   McKEE. 

M.  H.  McKee,  of  near  Collbran,  Mesa 
county,  presents  in  his  interesting  and  varied 
career,  in  which  he  has  Iried  both  extremes  of 
fortune,  a  striking  illustration  of  the  versatility 
of  American  manhood  and  the  wonderful 
variations  of  American  life.  He  was  born  at 
Etna,  Pennsylvania,  June  5,  1859,  and  is  the 
son  of  Matthew  and  Ann  (Wilson)  McKee, 
natives  of  Ireland  and  of  Scotch  parentage., 
who  came  to  America  in  childhood  with  their 
parents  and  found  a  home  at  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  where  they  grew  to  maturity  and 
were  married.  The  father  was  foreman  in  a 
nail  factory  there  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven.  The  mother  died  at  the  same 
place,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  She  was  a 
relative  of  James  Wilson,  of  Pennsylvania,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. Their  family  comprised  six  children,  and 
their  son  M.  H.  was  the  fifth.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools.  In  1880  he  came 
'  to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  there  was  employed 
in  the  steel  works  about  five  months.  He  then 
moved  to  Bonanza,  Saguache  county,  where 
he  remained  two  years  engaged  in  prospecting. 
In  1883  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Grand 
Junction  and  during  the  next  two  years  con- 
ducted a  barber  shop  and  bath  house  at  that 
place.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  moved  to  the 


ranch  he  now  occupies,  which  comprises  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  excellent  land  and 
is  very  pleasantly  located  along  Kimball  creek 
in  Plateau  valley.  On  this  ranch  Mr.  McKee 
carries  on  a  flourishing  stock  industry  which 
he  has  built  up  wholly  by  his  own  industry 
and  business  capacity.  He  came  to  this  region 
a  poor  man  owning  almost  nothing,  and  now 
owns  his  ranch  and  about  three  hundred  and 
eighty  thrifty  and  well-conditioned  cattle.  On 
his  ranch  he  also  has  a  fine  orchard  of  choice 
fruit  which  yields  abundantly  and  for  which 
he  finds  a  ready  and  profitable  market.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  campaigns  of  his  party,  as  he  does 
in  all  phases  of  the  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity. In  December,  1883,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Addie  E.  Jones,  who  was  born  near 
Denver,  Colorado.  They  have  five  children, 
John  W.,  Aaron,  Clarence  C,  Alf  C.  and  their 
daughter  Matt,  all  living  at  home  and  assist- 
ing him  in  running  the  ranch. 

JOHN  NURNBERG. 

Although  born  and  reared  far  from  his 
present  home,  and  recollecting  with  pleasure 
the  scenes  and  associations  of  his  native  land, 
loyal  too  to  its  history  and  the  aspirations  of 
its  people,  John  Nurnberg,  of  near  Carbondale, 
Garfield  county,  this  state,  is  well  pleased  with 
Colorado,  preferring  it  to  all  the  states  of 
which  he  has  knowledge,  and  not  now  willing 
to  exchange  it  for  the  older  civilization,  more 
populous  conditions  and  historic  aspirations  of 
his  native  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  where  he 
was  born  on  February  8,  1831,  and  where  also 
his  parents,  George  and  Eliza  Nurnberg,  first 
saw  the  light  of  this  world,  descendants  of  long 
lines  of  ancestors  born  and  reared  in  the  father- 
land. The  parents  came  to  the  United  States 
soon  after  their  marriage  and  located  in  Michi- 
gan, being  among  the  early  settlers  of  that 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


161 


state.  Some  time  afterward  they  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  and  there  they  passed  the  remain- 
der of  their  days,  contentedly  occupied  in  the 
peaceful  pursuit  of  agriculture  and  living  in 
the  lasting  respect  of  all  \tho  knew  them. 
They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  only  four 
are  living,  Frederick,  Christopher,  Barbara  and 
John.  The  last  named  attended  the  common 
schools  near  his  home  ,from  the  age  of  six  to 
that  of  fourteen,  then  during  the  next  two 
years  assisted  his  father  on  the  home  farm,  af- 
ter which  he  began  to  make  his  own  living  by 
Avorking  on  other  farms  for  wages  awhile  and 
later  as  manager  for  himself.  He  continued  his 
industry  in  this  line  for  a  period  of  thirty  years, 
and  raised  live  stock  in  connection  therewith. 
In  1887  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  his 
present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres,  purchasing  the  im- 
provements already  made  by  a  former  tenant. 
Of  this  tract  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  can 
be  cultivated  with  profit  in  hay,  grain  and 
other  ordinary  farm  products,  and  of  these  Mr. 
Nurnberg  raises  good  crops.  He  also  carries  on 
a  flourishing  industry  in  cattle,  that  commodity 
and  hay  being  his  principal  resource  and  both 
being  extensively  produced.  He  also  raises 
some  fruit  for  market.  The  ranch  is  well  sup- 
plied \vith  water  and  arrangements  have  been 
made  for  its  judicious  distribution  over  the 
land  according  to  need.  The  improvements 
are  sufficient  in  magnitude  and  comfortable  in 
character,  and  the  appliances  at  hand  for  the 
business  of  farming  and  giving  proper  attention 
to  the  stock  are  ample  and  of  the  latest  pat- 
terns. Although  independent  in  politics,  Mr. 
Nurnberg  is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
his  community,  and  heartily  supports  all  its 
elements  of  growth  and  prosperity.  He  is  es- 
pecially active  in  the  cause  of  public  education, 
having  served  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  lo- 
cal school  board,  following  a  similar  service  of 
several  years  in  Wisconsin.  On  December  n, 
ii 


1 86 1,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  Harris,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  (Jayne) 
Harris  and  a  sister  of  William  and  Charles  H. 
Harris,  sketches  of  whom  are  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nurnberg  have  had  nine 
children,  of  wrhom  four  have  died,  twins  in 
infancy,  and  Julia  in  1867  and  Gertrude  in 
1871.  The  five  who  are  living  are:  Annie 
(Mrs.  August  Sunnicht),  of  Carbondale;  Es- 
tella  (Mrs.  Samuel  Weber),  of  Fruita;  Eugene, 
who  conducts  the  home  ranch  for  his  father; 
Mabel  (Mrs.  Edward  Nevitt),  of  Aspen;  and 
Maud  (Mrs.  Arthur  Ward),  of  Pasadena,  Cal- 
ifornia. While  independent  in  politics,  the  fa- 
ther has  a  decided  leaning  toward  the  Republi- 
can pa'rty. 

EUGENE  NURNBERG,  a  son  of  John,  who 
conducts  the  operations  of  the  paternal  home- 
stead, was  born  on  January  I,  1868,  in  the 
state  of  Wisconsin,  and  when  he  was  nineteen 
years  old  accompanied  his  parents  to  this  state, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married 
on  May  12,  1892,  to  Miss  Rose  Smith,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  and  Mary  (Duerst)'  Smith,  na- 
tives of  Wisconsin,  where  she  also  was  born 
and  reared.  They  are  now  residing  at  Troy,. 
South  Dakota,  and  are  engaged  in  farming', 
in  connection  with  which  they  carry  on  a  thriv- 
ing dairy  business.  While  living  in  Wisconsin 
the  father  served  as  treasurer  of  his  county 
three  terms,  being  elected  to  the  office  on  the 
Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
Eleven  children  were  born  in  the  family,  two 
of  whom,  Adam  and  Wilhelm,  have  died.  The 
nine  living  are :  Nicholas,  of  Green  county. 
Wisconsin;  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Kundert,  of  South  Dakota;  Matthew,  also  a 
resident  of  that  state ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Legler,  of  Pocatello.  Idaho;  Theodore, 
living  at  Monroe,  Wisconsin ;  Rose,  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Nurnberg;  Annie,  the  wife  of  James 
Budge,  of  Rio  Blanco  county;  Bertha,  the  wife 


1 62 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  Nicholas  Grenfell:  and  Clara,  the  wife  of 
Peter  Wells,  of  South  Dakota.  The  parents 
and  most  of  the  children  belong  to  the  Meth- 
odist church.  Mr,  Nurnberg  the  younger  is  a 
popular  man  in  his  community,  and  is  rising 
rapidly  to  prominence  in  business  circles  and 
in  public  esteem. 

JOHN  PATERSON. 

p 

Almost  the  only  schooling  received  by  the 
subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was  had  under  the 
exacting  but  effective  taskmaster  Experience, 
and  it  is  due  to  his  own  indomitable  energy, 
pluck  and  perseverance  that  he  has  succeeded 
in  life  and  won  a  comfortable  estate  from  hard 
conditions  and  under  adverse  circumstances. 
He  belongs  to  the  great  democracy  of  the 
United  States,  which  works  in  its  shirt  sleeves 
where  work  will  pay,  and  by  persistent  effort 
and  undaunted  courage  builds  up  great  in- 
dustries, mighty  marts  of  commerce,  fertile 
farms  in  the  wilderness  and  rich  common- 
wealths fruitful  in  all  the  blessings  of  cultivated 
life.  Mr.  Paterson  was  born  in  Scotland  on 
September  8,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Jane  P.  (Stewart)  Paterson,  of  that  country, 
where  their  forefathers  lived  and  labored  for 
many  generations.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  also  engaged  in  other  occupations.  He 
was  a  loyal  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
as  was  also  his  wife,  and  gave  intelligent  and 
manly  attention  to  all  the  duties  of  citizenship. 
The  family  comprised  eleven  children,  of 
whom  two  died  in  infancy  and  one  at  a  more 
advanced  age.  The  living  are  Jane,  James, 
Margaret,  Alexander,  William,  John  and  Bar- 
bara. When  John  was  but  seven  years  old  he 
began  to  make  his  own  living  by  herding  cattle, 
in  which  he  was  occupied  in  his  native  land, 
until  1880.  in  connection  with  various  other 
kinds  of  work.  In  that  year  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  located  in  Colorado  on  his 


present  ranch,  eighty  acres  of  which  he  bought 
with  the  improvements  out  of  money  he  had 
saved  from  his  slender  earnings.  He  after- 
wards bought  fifty  acres  additional,  and  to  the 
development,  improvement  and  cultivation  of 
his  land  he  has  since  continuously  devoted 
himself.  He  has  ninety  acres  of  the  tract  in  a 
good  state  of  productiveness  and  raises  fine 
crops  of  hay,  grain,  potatoes  and  fruit,  owning 
his  water  rights  and  having  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  water  for  necessary  irrigation.  He  is  a 
man  of  public-spirit  and  helpful  in  all  com- 
mendable undertakings  for  the  advancement  of 
the  best  interests  of  his  community,  but  is  in- 
dependent of  party  control  in  political  activity. 
On  January  20,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary 'A.  Begg,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Ross)  Begg,  of 
that  country,  where  the  father  was  overseer  for 
John  Forber,  a  great  land  owner  and  sheep 
breeder.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in  church  re- 
lations, and  died  in  1884.  The  mother  is  still 
living  in  Scotland  and,  like  her  husband,  she 
is  loyal  and  devoted  to  the  king.  Four  of  their 
five  children  are  living,  Jane,  Mary  A.,  George 
and  Margaret.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paterson  have 
five  children:  Helen,  the  wife  of  S.  Geigel. 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Carbondale;  Marion, 
the  wife  of  Oliver  Jacobs,  living  in  the  vicinity 
of  Emma;  Gladstone  E.,  Clara  and  Hugh.  The 
parents  are  Presbyterians.  Mr.  Paterson's 
father  died  in  1881  and  his  mother  in  1891. 

GUSTAVEUS  GRACE. 

Orphaned  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  by  the 
death  of  his  father,  who  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  for  the  Civil  war  and  was  never  seen 
again,  Gustaveus  Grace,  now  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful and  progressive  ranch  men  of  Eagle 
county,  has  had  a  struggle  in  life  from  his 
boyhood,  and  what  he  has  is  the  result  of  his 
own  energy,  capacity  and  thrift.  He  was  born 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


163 


at  Hinesburg,  Chittenclen  county,  Vermont,  on 
July  1 6,  1854,  the  son  of  Harrison  B.  and 
Miranda  (Hosier)  Grace,  the  former  a  native 
of  Bangor,  Maine,  and  the  latter  of  Hinesburg, 
Vermont.  In  1850  the  family  moved  to  the 
state  of  New  York,  and  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  war  the  father  joined  the  volunteers 
in  defense  of  the  Union,  and,  as  has  been  stated 
that  was  the  last  ever  seen  of  him  by  his  fam- 
ily. There  were  four  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  three  are  living,  Gustaveus,  Benjamin 
D.,  of  Courtney  at  Bonner's  Ferry,  Idaho,  and 
Lorenzo  F.,  of  Glenwood  Springs.  Their 
mother  died  on  July  30,  1902.  Gustaveus,  the 
oldest  of  the  living  children,  received  a  very 
limited  common-school  education,  the  absence 
of  his  father  making  it  necessary  to  aid  in  sup- 
porting the  family  at  an  early  age,  and  he  re- 
mained at  home  in  this  laudable  work  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Then  he  started 
out  to  farm  for  himself  and  later  turned  his 
attention  to  saw-mill  work,  his  wages  being 
very  small.  In  1876  he  came  to  Colorado, 
reaching  Denver  on  April  8th,  en  route  to 
Hamilton,  now  called  Como.  From  there  he 
moved  on  to  Breckenridge  and  then  to  a  min- 
ing camp  known  as  Park  City,  where  he  de- 
voted six  months  to  mining  for  wages.  He 
then  made  a  short  visit  to  his  old  home  in  New 
York,  and  on  his  return  to  this  state,  after  a 
short  stay  of  six  weeks  at  Breckenridge,  took 
up  his  residence  at  Lincoln  gulch,  where  he 
worked  in  the  mines  until  September  15,  1877, 
for  a  compensation  of  three  dollars  a  day.  On 
the  date  last  mentioned  he  moved  to  Leadville, 
and  there  lie  wrought  in  the  smelters  until 

1881.  when  he  returned  to  Breckenridge,  and 
there  and  at  Holy  Cross  passed  six  months, 
after  which  he  went  back  to  Leadville.     For 
some  time  then  he  teamed  and  freighted  be- 
tween that  town  and  Aspen  and  Glenwood,  he 
and  his  brother,  L.  F.  Grace,  being  the  first  to 
move  groceries  into  Glenwood.     This  was  in 

1882,  and  they  continued  their  joint  operations 


two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  he  sold  his  in- 
terests in  the  enterprise  to  his  brother.  In 
February,  1885,  ne  settled  on  the~ranch  which 
is  now  his  home,  taking  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  as  a  pre-emption  claim.  Of  the 
tract  he  has  ninety  acres  in  hay,  grain,  vege- 
tables and  fruit.  He  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the. 
Republican  party,  and  a  valued  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  October  5,  1882, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Minerva  Case,  a  native 
of  Plattsville,  Wisconsin,  the  daughter  of, 
Austin  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Wright)  Case,  the 
former  boni  in  Connecticut  and  the  latter  in 
New  York.  They  moved  to  Wisconsin  as 
young  people,  and  in  1880  came  to  Colorado. 
The  father  was  engaged  many  years  in  burn- 
ing lime  and  railroad  grading  under  contract, 
but  for  some  time  has  lived  retired  from  active 
pursuits.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a 
Freemason  in  fraternal  circles.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing near  Watson  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Dobson,  his  wife  having  died  on  Decem- 
ber 13,  1887.  Of  their  eight  children  Lafayette 
was  killed  in  the  Civil  war  and  Mary  died  in 
Wisconsin.  The  six  living  are :  Almeda, 
wife  of  Edward  Gilkey,  of  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington ;  Minerva,  Mrs.  Gustaveus  Grace ; 
Charles,  of  near  Snow  Mass ;  Truman,  of  Gun- 
nison ;  Gilbert,  of  Aspen;  and  Georgia,  wife  of 
William  Dobson,  of  Watson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grace  have  six  children,  Claude  M.,  Mabel  E., 
Georgia  G.,  Nina,  Gerald  and  Austin.  The 
parents  attend  the  Methodist  church  and  take 
an  active  interest  in  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  the  community  in  which  they 
live,  in  which  they  are  highly  esteemed  and 
have  a  host  of  admiring  friends. 

ALEXIS  ARBANEY. 

From  far-away  and  sunny  Italy,  near  Aosta 
on  the  Baltea  and  under  the  shadow*  of  the 
Appenines,  came  Alexis  Arbaney  to  the  United 
States,  when  he  was  a  young  man  of  twenty- 


164 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


nine,  and  here  he  has  given  his  time  and  energy 
to  developing  a  ranch  and  building  up  thereon 
a  flourishing  stock  and  general  ranching  in- 
dustry. He  was  born  on  November  27,  1861, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  B.  and  Margaret  Ar- 
baney,  natives  of  that  country  and  belonging 
to  families  long  resident  there.  They  were 
prosperous  farmers,  according  to  the  ways  of 
the  country,  and  devout  members  of  the 
Catholic  church.  After  long  lives  of  usefulness 
death  ended  their  labors,  the  mother  dying  on 
September  17,  1896,  and  the  father  in  March, 
1901.  Five  of  their  thirteen  children  survive 
them,  Demiticus,  Egyptian,  Baslease,  Alexis 
and  one  other.  Alexis  had  but  few  and  scant 
opportunities  for  education  in  the  schools,  being 
obliged  to  assist  his  parents  on  the  farm  from 
an  early  age.  When  he  was  twenty  he  entered 
the  Italian  army  and  served  four  years.  Then 
returning  home,  he  devoted  four  years  more  to 
manufacturing  cheese.  In  1890  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  made  his  first  location 
at  Delray,  Wayne  county,  Michigan.  Here 
he  engaged  in  lumbering  for  a  time  and  later 
in  foundry  work.  On  October  10,  1890,  he 
arrived  in  western.  Colorado,  and  soon  after 
went  to  work  as  a  ranch  hand  for  Charles  Har- 
ris, who  paid  him  twenty-six  to  thirty  dollars 
a  month.  At  the  end  of  a  year  he  rented  the 
ranch  belonging  to  Samuel  Cramer,  and  during 
the  next  four  years  he  conducted  its  operations 
with  gratifying  success.  While  so  engaged  he 
wintered  at  Aspen  and  lived  on  the  ranch  in 
summer.  In  1892  he  worked  ten  months  in  the 
Pride  of  Aspen  mine  for  wages,  then  sold 
some  interests  he  had  acquired  to  his  brother 
Henry  and  purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he 
now  lives,  making  the  purchase  in  partnership 
with  his  cousin,  L.  C.  Clavell.  The  ranch 
then  comprised  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  and  after  buying  his  cousin's  interest 
after  a  partnership  of  seven  years,  he  bought 
forty  acres  more,  so  that  he  now  has  three  hun- 


dred and  sixty.  One  hundred  acres  of  the  tract 
can  be  cultivated  and  yields  abundantly  of  hay, 
grain  and  potatoes,  hay  and  grain  being  the 
principal  crops.  The  ranch  is  two  miles  east 
of  Basalt  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
in  this  whole  section  of  the  state.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  Arbaney  is  independent,  but  he 
is  cordially  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
country  and  state,  and  devoted  to  the  institu- 
tions of  his  adopted  land.  He  was  married  on 
June  17,  1886,  to  Miss  Felicity  Gerbaz,  an 
Italian  like  himself  and  born  on  July  2,  1862. 
She  is  a  sister  of  Jarry  Gerbaz,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arbaney  have  two  chil- 
dren, Flalin,  born  on  February  28,  1888,  and 
Isabelle,  born  on  December  4,  1890.  The  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
are  well  esteemed  as  good  citizens  and  enter- 
prising, progressive  farmers. 

KILBURN  C.  VOORHEES. 

One  of  the  active  and  progressive  business 
men  of  Glenwood  Springs,  where  he  conducts 
a  prosperous  livery  business,  Kilburn  C.  Voor- 
hees  has  aided  materially  in  promoting  the 
growth  and  development  of  this  section  of  the 
state  and  building  up  its  interests.  In  addition 
to  his  business  in  town  he  carries  on  a  flour- 
ishing and  profitable  ranching  and  stock  indus- 
try in  the  county,  and  is  active  in  every  worthy 
enterprise  for  the  advancement  of  the  commu- 
nity and  the  benefit  of  its  people.  He  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  on  September  10,  1862,  and  is 
the  son  of  Tunis  V.  and  Maria  (Clifford) 
Voorhees,  the  father  a  native  of  New  York 
state  and  the  mother  of  Canada.  The  pater- 
nal ancestors  of  the  family  came  over  in  the 
"Mayflower"  and  have  been  zealous  and  promi- 
nent in  the  history  of.  the  country  at  every 
stage  of  its  progress  since  early  Colonial  times. 
Mr.  Voorhees'  immediate  parents  settled  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1 6; 


Wisconsin  in  their  early  married  life,  but  not 
long  afterward  moved  to  Iowa,  then  to  Ne- 
braska and  afterward  to  Illinois.  Down  to 
1880  the  father  was  a  farmer,  but  he  is  now 
receiver  for  the  board  of  trade  in  Chicago,  and 
is  doing  well.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  from  time  to  time  has  held  local  offices  in 
the  place  of  his  residence.  His  fraternal  rela- 
tions are  with  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  in  religious  affiliation  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Congregational  church,  as  is 
also  his  wife.  They  have  had  seven  children. 
One,  May  D.,  died  in  1890.  The  six  living  are 
Kilburn  C,  Perry  F.,  Franklin  V.,  James  M., 
Emma  and  Wright.  Kilburn  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm, 
remaining  at  home  until  he  was  nearly  eigh- 
teen years  old.  In  1879  ne  came  from  Ne- 
braska to  Colorado,  arriving  in  the  summer, 
and  after  passing  six  months  in  Denver  occu- 
pied in  various  employments,  in  the  spring  of 
1880  he  moved  to  his  present  locality  and  be- 
gan prospecting  and  mining,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  ten  years.  Some  of  the  mines  dis- 
covered and  located  by  him  during  that  period 
have  since  proven  to  be  good  properties.  With- 
in this  time  he  also  conducted  a  ranch  four 
years  at  Delta.  In  1893  ne  so^  a^  ^is  prop- 
erty and  coming  to  Glenwood,  engaged  in  the 
livery  business,  buying  out  F.  A.  Enoch  and 
forming  a  partnership  with  A.  E.  Yewell, 
which  continued  five  years  from  July  i,  1893, 
and  was  then  harmoniously  dissolved,  he  pur- 
chasing his  partner's  interest.  Since  then  he 
has  conducted  the  business  alone.  He  is  also 
interested  in  a  large  ranch  located  near  Glen- 
\vnod  which  produces  good  crops  of  hay,  grain, 
fruit  and  the  best  quality  of  potatoes.  He 
takes  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  public 
local  affairs,  and  has  served  four  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  aldermen.  Frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Eagles,  and  politically  is  an  ardent  Re- 


publican. On  November  25,  1898,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Minnie  L.  Young,  a  native  of 
Quincy,  Illinois,  and  daughter  of  James  Young. 
Her  father  was  a  steamboat  captain  for  many 
years,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  have  paid  na- 
ture's last  debt,  dying  some  years  ago. 

JUDGE  ARTHUR  L.  BEARDSLEY. 

The  courts  in  this  country  are  the  last  ref- 
uge of  liberty  for  the  citizen  and  the  ultimate 
bulwark  of  defence  for  his  life  and  property; 
and  it  is  well  for  any  community  when  its 
judges  are  men  of  proven  probity,  extensive 
legal  learning,  patriotic  devotion  to  the  public 
good  and  unyielding  force  of  character  in 
standing  up  for  essential  justice  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  important  trusts  which  they 
have  in  charge.  In  nothing,  perhaps,  have  the 
states  of  the  farther  West  been  more  fortun- 
ate and  distinguished  than  in  the  uprightness 
and  capabilty  of  their  courts  in  general.  Their 
judges  have  dignified  an.d  adorned  their  juris- 
prudence by  a  wealth  of  legal  lore,  and  in 
cases  where  this  has  been  in  some  measure 
lacking,  the  force  of  character  and  triumphant 
sense  of  fairness  of  the  judges  have  made  suf- 
ficient amends  for  the  deficiency  to  subserve 
the  ends  of  justice  in  their  decisions  and  make 
the  rights  and  interests  of  the  citizens  secure. 
In  the  particular  instance  of  Judge  Beardsley 
both  the  legal  learning  and  the  force  of  char- 
acter are  present,  and  there  is  besides  a  wide 
and  accurate  knowledge  of  men  gathered  in 
experience  with  them  in  the  toilsome  avoca- 
tions of  life.  The  Judge  was  born  in  Newark, 
Essex  county,  New  Jersey,  on  January  26, 
1860,  and  is  the  son  of  Theodore  and  Henrietta 
E.  (Baldwin)  Beardsley,  the  former  born  in 
Sussex  county,  that  state,  and  the  latter  in  Es- 
sex. The  father  was  a  merchant  and  besides 
being  successful  in  business  was  prominent  in 
the  councils  of  the  Prohibition  party  in  poli- 


i66 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


tics,  being  at  one  time  its  candidate  for  mayor 
of  his  home  city.  He  and  his  wife  were  Bap- 
tists in  religious  affiliation.  Their  offspring 
numbered  six,  of  whom  five  survive  them,  the 
mother  having  died  on  January  i6th,  and  the 
father  on  November  2,  1895.  The  living  chil- 
dren are  Arthur  L.,  Grace,  William,  Mabel  and 
Theodore.  The  Judge  began  his  scholastic  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  and  finished  it  at 
the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  his 
own  industry  and  frugality  furnishing  the 
money  for  the  more  advanced  courses  of  in- 
struction. In  1873  he  came  to  Colorado,  and 
here  he  devoted  four  additional  years  to  school 
in  special  courses.  In  June,  1878,  he  took  a 
position  on  a  cattle  ranch  in  the  employ  of  W. 
L.  Beardsley,  of  Huerfano  county,  living  near 
the  present  town  of  Walsenburg.  He  re- 
mained with  Mr.  Beardsley  until  January, 
1879,  then  turned  his  attention  to  merchandis- 
ing at  Leadville.  From  there  he  moved  to  Tin- 
cup  and  began  the  study  of  law.  After  pursu- 
ing the  study  the  required  time  and  attending 
the  schools  belonging  to  the  profession,  he  be- 
gan to  practice  at  Glenwood  in  1887,  remain- 
ing there  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
moved  to  Newcastle,  where  he  passed  eleven 
years  in  active  practice,  nine  of  them  as  city 
attorney.  In  1898  he  was  elected  county  judge 
of  Garfield  ,  county,  and  in  1901  and  in  1904 
he  was  re-elected,  being  each  time  the  candi- 
date of  the  Republican  party,  the  first  time  of 
the  Silver  Republicans  and  the  second  and  third 
of  the  regulars.  The  last  election  was  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  In  the  administration  of 
his  exalted  and  important  office  he  has  given 
great  satisfaction  to  all  classes  of  the  people 
and  made  a  high  and  enduring  reputation  for 
himself.  He  is  active  and  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  order,  belonging  to  the  lodge  and  the 
Royal  Arch  chapter,  in  the  latter  body  holding 
the  office  of  captain  of  the  host.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  On  May  21, 


1902,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rhoda  Belle  Mc- 
Donald-, a  native  of  Valeene,  Indiana,  her  fa- 
ther born  in  Kentucky  and  her  mother  in  In- 
diana. Almost  the  whole  of  his  mature  life 
was  passed  in  the  latter  state,  where  he  was 
for  many  years  a  miller  and  later  a  farmer. 
He  died  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
Mrs.  Beardsley  was  at  one  time  a  school 
teacher  in  Kentucky  and  afterwards  at  Car- 
bondale,  this  state.  She  and  the  Judge  became 
the  parents  of  one  child,  which  died  in  infancy, 
and  Mrs.  Beardsley  died  June  16,  1904,  in  giv- 
ing birth  to  a  daughter,  who  survives  her. 

THEODORE   ROSENBERG. 

Thoroughly  educated  in  some  of  the  best 
technical  schools  of  his  native  land  and  ac- 
quiring breadth  of  knowledge  and  artistic  skill 
through  practical  experience  in  his  work,  Theo- 
dore Rosenberg,  of  Glenwood,  has  been  a  valu- 
able assistant  to  the  people  of  his  locality  in 
developing  its  resources,  building  up  its  in- 
terests and  promoting  its  conveniences  and 
public  improvements.  He  was  born  in  Vienna. 
Austria,  on  May  10,  1845,  anc^  is  tne  son  °f 
Paul  and  Fannie  (von  Stein)  Rosenberg,  the 
father  native  at  Landau  and  the  mother  at 
Duerkheim.  The  father  served  in  the  Austrian 
army.  He  died  in  1863,  as  a  retired  general, 
and  the  mother  is  still  living  at  her  old  Vienna 
home.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living.  Their  son  Theodore 
received  an  excellent  education,  both  general 
and  technical.  He  attended  the  common 
schools,  a  Latin  school,  the  military  academy 
four  years  and  the  Vienna  University  and  the 
Polytechnic  School.  In  1871  he  began  practice 
as  a  civil  engineer,  and  since  then  has  followed 
this  line  of  work  in  connection  with  architect- 
ure, first  at  Vienna,  then  in  England,  where 
he  passed  eighteen  months,  and  afterward  in 
the  United  States,  one  year  in  New  York,  two 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


167 


in  Pennsylvania  and  Massachusetts  and  one 
in  Ohio.  Meanwhile  he  made  a  trip  to  Colo- 
rado, and  being  pleased  with  the  country,  ar- 
ranged his  affairs  in  the  East  and  returned 
to  this  state  to  remain  in  1886,  locating  at 
Colorado  Springs  where  he  was  engaged  as  ar- 
chitect for  the  Colorado  Midland  Railroad,  and 
later  in  a  similar  position  until  1889  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Glenwood  Hot  Springs  Company. 
He  was  in  charge  of  construction  of  the  im- 
provements made  by  that  company  and  de- 
signed and  constructed  a  number  of  long  span 
bridges  for  the  state  and  several  counties.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  three 
times  elected  county  surveyor,  holding  that  po- 
sition at  this  time  (1904).  On  September  8. 
1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Theresa  Dietrich, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Theresa  (Franzen)  Dietrich,  who 
were  born  in  Germany.  The  father  was  a  mill- 
wright and  contractor,  and  he  died  in  1900. 
The  mother  now  lives  at  Northampton,  Mas- 
sachusetts. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosenberg  have  four 
children,  William,  Karl,  John  and  Helen. 
They  are  well  pleased  with  Colorado  and  the 
opportunities  for  advancement  it  has  furnished 
them,  and  having  made  good  use  of  their  time 
here,  they  stand  high  in  the  public  estimation 
and  have  a  host  of  cordial  and  admiring  friends. 

WILLIAM  STEPHEN  COPELAND. 

Prominent  and  serviceable  in  the  industrial, 
commercial  and  educational  life  of  Pitkin 
county,  proprietor  of  the  Glendale  Stock  Farm 
of  fourteen  hundred  acres  four  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  Aspen,  and  of  the  extensive 
stock  business  conducted  thereon,  active  in  so- 
cial and  church  circles,  and  giving  intelligent 
attention  and  hearty  support  to  every  good  en- 
terprise for  the  benefit  of  the  community,  Wil- 
liam Stephen  Copeland,  of  Aspen,  is  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the  state 


and  an  ornament  and  an  inspiration  for  good 
to  the  people  among  whom  he  lives  and  la- 
bors. As  manager  of  the  large  and  highly  de- 
veloped sample  works  of  the  Taylor  &  Brun- 
ton  Sampling  Works  Company,  in  which  is 
employed,  by  common  repute  the  finest  and 
most  complete  system  of  sampling  ores  in  the 
world,  he  has  made  an  excellent  reputation  as 
an  expert  sampler  and  become  an  authority  on 
all  subjects  connected  with  the  business;  as  a 
stock  man  with  interests  of  magnitude  in  the 
business  in  his  charge,  he  has  established  him- 
self in  public  opinion  as  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  capable  men  engaged  in  the  in- 
dustry and  as  president  for  a  number  of  years 
and  now  secretary  of  the  local  school  board  he 
has  been  a  potential  stimulus  to  the  educational 
forces  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country, 
and  he  has  done  a  vast  amount  of  good  for  the 
school  interests  around  him.  Mr.  Copeland 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
on  August  4,  1 86 1,  and  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  (Smith)  Copeland,  the  father  of 
the  same  nativity  as  himself  and  the  mothe" 
born  in  New  York  state.  The  father  was  dur- 
ing the  years  of  his  early  manhood  a  machinist, 
and  in  later  life  a  farmer.  He  supported  the 
Reform  party  in  politics,  and  belonged  to  the 
United  Workmen  in  fraternal  circles.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  church,  as  his  widow 
does  now.  Since  his  death,  which  occurred 
several  years  ago,  she  has  been  living  at  Nor- 
wich in  the  province  of  Ontario.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children.  A  daughter  named 
Lottie  has  died:  the  five  who  are  living  are: 
William,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Lewis  A., 
manager  of  Taylor  &  Brunton's  interests  in 
Utah;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Culp, 
of  Toronto,  Canada;  George  E.,  manager  of 
Taylor  &  Brunton's  interests  at  Cripple  Creek ; 
and  Nellie,  the  wife  of  Edward  Butler,  of  St. 
Thomas,  Ontario.  William  was  well  educated 
in  his  native  land,  attending  the  primary  and 


1 68 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


high  schools,  the  Teachers'  Training  School, 
the  Brantford  Collegiate  Institute  at  Brant- 
ford,  and  the  Toronto  Normal  and  Art  Schools, 
of  which  he  is  an  honor  graduate.  He  was 
also  thrifty  in  early  life,  at  the  age  of  ten  be- 
ginning to  earn  money  and  saving  it  for  future 
use;  and  the  habit  thus  formed  has  been  his 
mainstay  through  his  subsequent  career.  In 
1891  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  As- 
pen where  he  began  work  as  a  clerk  in  the 
sampling  works  of  the  Taylor  &  Brunton  Sam- 
pling Works  Company.  After  serving  the 
company  six  years  in  that  capacity  he  became 
manager  of  its  works  and  is  still  creditably 
filling  that  position.  From  his  advent  into  this 
section  of  the  country  he  has  taken  an  active 
and  useful  interest  in  educational  matters.  He 
served  several  years  as  president  of  the  local 
school  board  and  is  now  its  secretary.  He  has 
also  been  for  a  number  of  years  president  of 
the  board  of  examiners.  His  enthusiasm  in 
school  matters  and  his  influence  on  others  in 
this  behalf  secured  for  the  city  the  donation 
of  its  present  excellent  high  school.  All  inter- 
ests of  the  town,  county  and  state  have  his 
earnest  and  effective  support.  He  is  treasurer 
of  the  Qommercial  Club  and  one  of  its  most 
active  members.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  United  Work- 
men, the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
"Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  political 
allegiance  he  is  a  stanch  and  zealous  Republi- 
can. On  December  21,  1887,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Aggie  E.  Brunton,  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Agnes  (Flowie)  Brunton,  of 
Scotland,  who  came  to  Canada  in  early  life  and 
settled  in  Ontario,  where  they  were  success- 
fully engaged  in  farming  until  death  ended 
their  labors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Copeland  have  four 
children,  Fred  Brunton,  Charles  William,  Maud 
Marie  and  Norman  Reid.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  While 
Mr.  Copeland's  position  as  manager  of  the 


sampling  works  is  his  chief  business  engage- 
ment, his  stock  industry  is  by  no  means  a 
small  part  of  his  commercial  enterprise,  and 
is  worthy  of  special  consideration.  He  owns 
the  Glendale  stock  farm,  near  Aspen,  which 
comprises  fourteen  hundred  acres,  one  thousand 
acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation  and  yield 
hay,  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  potatoes  in  abun- 
dance. On  this  farm  he  also  conducts  a  large 
and  profitable  cattle  business  and  produces  a 
high  grade  output  for  an  extensive  market. 
He  owns  the  water  rights  appertaining  to  the 
ranch,  and  these  are  extensive  and  well  devel- 
oped. Many  thousands  of  acres  of  public  land 
surround  him  and  give  him  a  wide  range  for 
his  cattle,  so  that  he  is  able  to  carry  on  this 
branch  of  his  business  with  vigor  and  expand- 
ing profit.  He  is  also  interested  in  mining  at 
Leadville  and  Aspen.  In  every  line  of  his  ex- 
tended usefulness  he  exhibits  excellent  judg- 
ment, great  enterprise  and  admirable  breadth 
of  view.  In  naming  over  the  leading,  most 
representative  and  most  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  Pitkin  county,  his  name  would  be  one 
of  the  first  pronounced. 

WILLIAM  CARDNELL. 

The  character,  stamina  and  aspirations  of  a 
community  are  often  fully  typified  by  its  public 
officials,  and,  tried  by  this  standard,  Garfield 
county,  this  state,  may  claim  a  high  place  in 
the  public  estimation  if  its  clerk  and  recorder, 
William  Cardnell,  be  taken  as  the  standard  of 
judgment.  In  enterprise,  progressiveness. 
breadth  of  view  and  public-spirit  in  reference  to 
commercial,  industrial  and  public  affairs,  in 
scholarship  and  general  capacity,  in  knowledge 
of  men  acquired  in  a  long  and  varied  ex- 
perience among  them  under  widely  different 
circumstances,  and  in  uprightness  and  fidelity 
to  duty,  he  is  easily  one  of  the  first  men  in  the 
county  and  a  representative  of  its  best  citizen- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


169 


ship  and  most  worthy  ambitions.  And  what 
he  is  may  be  accounted  all  the  more  to  his 
credit  because  he  is  largely  a  self-made  man, 
the  product  of  his  own  natural  abilities  and 
characteristics  without  extraneous  aid  of  mo- 
ment or  the  help  of  fortuitous  circumstances. 
He  was  born  in  Essex  county,  England,  on 
December  n,  1842,  the  son  of  William  and 
Emily  G.  (Waters)  Cardnell,  the  former  born 
in  Essex  county  and  the  latter  in  Kent,  Eng- 
land. The  father  was  a  baker  and  confectioner 
and  made  a  good  living  for  his  family  at  the 
business.  His  wife  was  what  is  known  as 
a  "Hard  Shell  Baptist."  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
William  being  the  oldest  son.  Both  parents 
are  dead.  William  attended  the  common  or 
national  schools  two  years,  then  was  for  a 
short  time  at  an  academy  and  a  private  school. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  shipped  as  a  cabin 
boy  on  a  trading  vessel  and  passed  two  years  at 
sea  on  ships  hailing  from  various  ports  in  Eng- 
land, and  to  ports  on  the  continent.  Afterwards 
he  made  his  home  with  his  uncle,  Robert  Wa- 
ters, manager  for  W.  H.  Smith  &  Son,  of  Lon- 
don, prominent  publishers  and  printers,  who 
employed  one  thousand  men,  the  son  becoming 
subsequently  the  well  known  first  lord  of  the 
admiralty,  some  of  whose  characteristics  were 
depicted  in  the  burlesque  '''His  Majesty's  Ship, 
Pinafore."  Mr.  Cardnell  served  three  years 
as  an  apprentice  in  the  mechanical  part  of  the 
printing  department,  then  came  to  New  York 
and  enlisted  in.  the  Fourteenth  New  York 
Cavalry,  and  served  one  year  under  Generals 
Butler,  Banks  and  Canby  on  the  Red  River 
expedition  and  other  parts  of  the  South,  but 
being  ill  and  incapacitated  from  service  in  con- 
sequence of  hardships  endured  on  the  memor- 
able retreat  he  was  honorably  discharged,  and 
returned  to  New  York.  He  next  appeared  at 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he  conducted  a 
printing  business.  In  1872  he  first  came  to 


Colorado  and  located  at  Denver.  Here  he  had 
a  printing  plant  on  Blake  street  and  carried  on 
the  same  business.  Soon  after  starting  the  en- 
terprise in  the  capital  city,  he  left  the  business 
in  charge  of  his  foreman  and  joined  the 
memorable  diamond  and  gold  expedition  to 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  In  this  success  was 
alternating,  but  not  satisfactory,  and  he  es- 
tablished the  first  newspaper  published  at  Sil- 
ver City,  New  Mexico,  and  remained  in  the 
territory  ten  years.  Since  the  Civil  war  he 
has  passed  the  whole  of  his  life  on  the  frontier. 
In  his  experience  as  gold  hunter  in  Arizona  he 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  Indian  customs  and 
languages  and  became  acquainted  with  Cachise, 
Victoria  and  other  chiefs  of  the  great  Apache 
nation.  This  acquaintance  was  of  value  in  pre- 
venting hostilities  between  the  Apaches  and  the 
gold  hunters,  as,  though  encounters  were 
many  times  threatened  by  the  Indians  under 
him,  a  compromise  was  always  effected  through 
Mr.  Cardnell.  The  party  with  which  he  went 
into  Arizona  was  the  first  large  one  that  entered 
that  territory.  It  had  six  months'  supplies  and 
a  large  outfit  of  mining  tools,  which  were  car- 
ried on  thirty-six  pack  animals,  and  no  white 
men  were  seen  in  several  months'  time.  After 
eight  months'  hard  labor  on  this  expedition  he 
started  the  newspaper  in  Silver  City.  After  this 
he  learned  the  profession  of  a  metallurgist  in 
one  of  the  reduction  works  and  became  super- 
intendent of  a  mill  for  reducing  ores,  located 
in  Silver  City,  eight  hundred  miles  from  the 
nearest  railroad  station.  In  this  position  he 
was  employed  five  years,  then  returned  to 
Denver  and  from  there  moved  to  Glenwood 
Springs  in  1886,  arriving"  on  April  6th.  He 
at  once  became  manager  and  editor  of  the 
Glenwood  Echo.  In  1890  he  bought  the  Daily 
Republican.  The  publication  of  this  he  con- 
tinued four  years  as  a  weekly  paper,  changing 
its  name  to  the  People's  Herald,  a  weekly 
People's  party  paper,  severing  his  connection 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


with  it  in  1896,  by  sale  of  the  plant  to  the  Car- 
bondale  Item.  During  this  period  he  had  some 
mining  interests  and  served  as  an  assayer,  win- 
ning a  high  reputation  in  the  business  as  an 
expert.  In  1899  he  was  a  candidate  for  county 
clerk  and  recorder  on  the  Populist .  ticket  and 
was  elected  to  the  office  by  a  large  majority, 
and  in  1901  he  was  re-elected  as  the  candidate 
of  the  Democratic  and  Populist  parties.  He 
was  again  re-elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
for  a  third  term  November  8,  1904.  In  1872 
he  was  married  at  Denver  to  Miss  Fannie  Cris- 
pin, a  native  of  London,  Ontario,  Canada. 
They  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  Emily,  the  wife  of  F.  C.  Ewing,  drug- 
gist of  Glenwood  Springs;  William  G.  and 
Herbert  E.  This  wife  died  in  1882,  and  on 
June  14,  1883,  he  married  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Susan  (Crispin)  Korn.  They  were  daughters 
of  George  and  Annie  (Frost)  Crispin,  who 
were  born  in  England  and  soon  after  their 
marriage  moved  to  Canada,  where  the  father 
was  a  promoter  and  builder.  Both  are  now 
deceased.  They  belonged  to  the  Episcopal 
church  and  stood  high  in  their  community. 

EDWIN  S.  HUGHES. 

Starting  in  life  with  nothing,  and  by  steady 
industry  and  thrift,  coupled  with  skill  and  in- 
ventive genius,  building  his  own  fortunes  to 
good  proportions  and  permanent  substance  of 
magnitude,  Edwin  S.  Hughes,  of  Glenwood, 
is  not  only  a  self-made  man  but  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  on  the  Western  slope  of  this 
state.  He  was  born  on  April  10,  1856,  at 
Flemington,  Hunterford  county,  New  Jersey, 
the  son  of  Jared  and  Rhuhama  (Hartpence) 
Hughes,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  who  passed 
their  lives  in  farming  and  the  father  was  also 
engaged  in  shipping  stock  to  market.  He  was 
successful  in  his  business,  and  died  after  many 
years  of  usefulness  and  prosperity.  His  wid- 


ow is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  at  Croy- 
ton,  New  Jersey.  The  father  was  an  active 
Democrat  in  politics  and  held  a  number  of  local 
offices.  He  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  as  his 
widow  is  now.  They  had  eight  children,  two  of 
whom  are  dead  and  six  living.  Those  living  are 
Lambert,  Josephine,  Edwin  S.,  Bishop,  Fred 
and  Hiram.  Edwin  S.  attended  the  country 
schools  until  he  was  seventeen,  then  began  to 
make  his  own  living,  moving  to  Bushnell,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  conducted  a  butchering  business 
and  also  clerked  in  a  hotel,  remaining  there  un- 
til 1879,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Leadville.  Here  he  opened  a  bottling  estab- 
lishment, which  he  conducted  five  years.  He 
then  moved  to  Aspen,  this  state,  where  he 
opened  another  establishment  of  the  kind,  con- 
ducting it  in  the  interest  of  Charles  Lang.  It 
was  the  first  enterprise  of  this  character  in  the 
section  and  he  remained  in  charge  of  it  as 
manager  one  year  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  changed  his  residence  to  Glen- 
wood Springs,  but  continued  the  same  line  of 
work,  starting  a  plant  of  his  own.  To  this 
in  1894  he  added  a  wholesale  liquor  business, 
and  of  the  two  he  has  made  a  great  success, 
building  up  his  business  to  great  size  and  ac- 
quiring considerable  real  estate  comprising 
ranch  and  mining  lands.  He  has  the  finest 
bottling  works  in  the  West,  and  his  operations 
therein  are  rendered  much  more  effective  by 
a  number  of  devices  for  the  business  which  he 
has  invented  and  patented  himself.  Much  of 
his  property  is  located  at  Glenwood  Springs, 
and  some  of  it  is  considered  among  the  very 
best.  In  the  fraternal  life  of  the  community 
Mr.  Hughes  is  connected  with  the  Elks  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  is  an  ar- 
dent Democrat,  and  has  been  chosen  a  member 
of  the  town  board  at  Glenwood  Springs,  serv- 
ing when  the  streets  and  sidewalks  of  the  town 
were  constructed.  On  January  18,  1888,  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


171 


was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Helen 
Heichmer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Annie  Heichmer,  na- 
tives of.  Germany  who  came  to  Pennsylvania 
in  early  life  and  remained  in  that  state  until 
1879,  when  they  moved  to  Colorado.  They 
are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  Henry,  Tony, 
Helen,  Eva,  Fred,  Lizzie,  Annie,  Joe  and  Char- 
lie. Mr.1  and  Mrs.  Hughes  have  two  children, 
Charles  A.  and  Helen  L. 

HIRAM  BRUCE  IKELER. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  business 
man,  with  a  plant  at  Aspen  and  one  at  Glen- 
wood  Springs,  this  state,  whose  citizenship  is 
an  honor  to  the  commonwealth  and  whose  busi- 
ness activity  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
developing  its  commercial  and  industrial  inter- 
ests, is  a  native  of  Bloomsburg,  Columbia 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  September  n, 
1865,  and  is  the  son  of  Eri  and  Caroline 
(Crouse)  Ikeler,  also  natives  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  the  father  is  still  living  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  raising  stock.  He  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party  in  politics,  and 
stands  well  in  his  community.  Of  the  eight 
children  born  in  the  family,  one,  Bradley,  has 
died.  The  other  seven  survive  their  mother, 
who  passed  away  on  March  23,  1895.  The 
living  children  are  Annie,  the  wife  of  Amos 
Traulpin,  a  resident  of  Pennsylvania;  Oscar, 
who  lives  in  the  same  state ;  Hiram  B. ;  Philip, 
who  resides  in  Mississippi ;  Boyd.  living  in 
'ennsylvania ;  Ida,  the  wife  of  Freese  Ferter, 
ind  Mary,  the  wife  of  Moss  Elder,  both  resi- 
lents  of  Pennsylvania.  Hiram  attended  the 
jublic  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  be- 
m  the  battle  of  life  for  himself,  going  to 
Jeorgia  for  the  purpose,  and  there  being  occu- 
)ied  in  saw-mill  work,  running  a  locomotive 
tramway.  Five  years  were  passed  in  Georgia 
this  and  other  pursuits,  and  in  1887  Mr.  Ike- 


ler came  to  Colorado  and  after  devoting  a  year 
to  stationary  engineering,  found  employment 
in  plumbing  for  the  S.  F.  Sloss  Plumbing  Com- 
pany. After  that  engagement  terminated  he 
worked  two  years  in  diamond  drill  work,  then 
returned  to  plumbing,  opening  an  establish- 
ment in  this  business  for  himself.  He  located 
first  on  Mill  street  and  in  1900  changed  to  Hop- 
kins street.  He  began  operations  on  a  small 
basis,  but  by  industry  and  close  attention  to 
business  he  has  made  his  place  the  leading 
plumbing  establishment  at  Aspen,  in  fact  he 
is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive 
men  in  the  business  in  Pitkin  and  Garfield  coun- 
ties, he  having  opened  a  branch  house  at  Glen- 
wood  Springs  on  May  15,  1904,  which  he 
intends  to  develop  to  large  proportions.  At 
both  places  he  makes  a  specialty  of  putting 
in  heating  and  plumbing  plants  and  has  a  high 
reputation  for  skill  and  ability  in  the  work. 
He  also  has  interests  in  mining"  claims  and  owns 
the  Mill  street  sewer  at  Aspen.  In  fraternal 
life  he  is -connected  with  the  Masons  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  On  December  24,  1892, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  B.  Bai- 
ley, a  native  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Dore)  Bailey, 
the  former  born  in  England  and  the  latter  in 
Wales,  but  both  reared  in  Ohio,  where  Mrs. 
Ikeler's  grandparents  settled  in  early  life.  They 
moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Aspen  in 
1887,  and  here  the  father  has  devoted  the 
whole  of  his  time  to  mining  with  fair  success. 
There  were  seven  children  born  in  the  family. 
Three  of  these  have  died,  and  the  four  living 
are  :  Abel,  who  lives  at  Platte  River,  Missouri ; 
.  Mrs.  Ikeler;  Lacey,  of  Canon  City;  and  Annie, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Yerkes,  of  Colorado 
Springs.  Both  parents  are  Methodists  and 
the  father  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ikeler  have 
two  children,  their  sons  Lamar  and  Bruce. 
The  parents  are  Presbyterians. 


1 72 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


WILLIAM  R.  LEE. 

Mr.  Lee,  who  is  one  of  Colorado's  most 
active  and  prominent  promoters,  conducts  a 
ranch  of  two  .hundred  and  forty  acres  located 
eight  miles  west  of  Rifle,  and  also  is  proprietor 
of  the  Glenwood  Hotel,  is  a  native  of  Dresden, 
Muskingttm  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  torn 
on  September  9,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  John  N. 
and  Eliza  (Rittenhouse)  Lee,  the  father  born 
in  West  Virginia  near  Harper's  Ferry  and  the 
mother  in  Ohio,  but  both  descended  from  Vir- 
ginia families.  The  parents  located  in  Ohio  in 
early  life  and  remained  there  to  the  end  of  their 
days.  They  were  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  the  father  was  a  successful  mer- 
chant in  business  and  an  active  Democrat  in 
politics.  They  had  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  have  died,  George  in  1866,  Charles  A. 
in  1881,  Frank  M.  in  1888,  and  Edward  in 
infancy.  The  three  of  these  who  grew  to  ma- 
turity all  fought  in  defense  of  the  Union  in 
the  Civil  war.  The  father  died  in  -1864  and 
the  mother  in  1865.  Tne  four  living  children 
are :  John  J.,  who  lives  at  Leeton,  Missouri ; 
Albert,  a  resident  of  Colorado;  William  R.,  the 
immediate  subject  of  this  paper;  and  Howard 
T.,  who  lives  in  Denver  and  is  interested  in  the 
Daily  Sentinel  which  is  published  at  Grand 
Junction.  William  R.  Lee  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools,  and  had  but  limited  advantages 
in  them,  as  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  obliged 
to  make  his  own  living,  which  he  did  by  work- 
ing on  the  farm  at  eight  dollars  a  month  and 
his  board.  In  1875,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  after  passing  a  short 
time  at  Las  Animas,  wintered  at  Pueblo.  In 
the  spring  of  1876  he  moved  to  California 
Gulch,  now  Leadville,  where  he  followed  min- 
ing and  engaged  in  other  pursuits  for  two 
years.  He  was  then  interested  for  a  time  in 
real  estate  deals,  and  in  1887  settled  at  Glen- 
wood  Springs,  where  he  occupied  himself  in 


ranching  and  raising  stock,  especially  cattle, 
which  proved  both  interesting  and  profitable. 
Here  he  also  dealt  in  real  estate  to  an  extent, 
buying  and  selling  several  properties.  He 
now  owns  a  fine  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  can  be  easily  cultivated  and  the  rest 
is  good  grazing  ground.  His  principal  crops 
are  hay,  grain  and  fruit.  He  owns  the  water 
rights  to  his  land,  and  has  excellent  springs 
near  the  dwelling  for  domestic  purposes.  The 
ranch  is  on  the  south  side  of  Grand  river, 
about  eight  miles  west  of  Rifle,  as  has  been 
stated,  and  is  admirably  located  for  its  present 
uses.  Mr.  Lee,  however,  lives  at  Glenwood 
and  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Glenwood  Hotel. 
But  prosperous  and  well-to-do  as  he  is  now, 
his  life  in  the  West  has  not  been  wholly  free 
from  privations  and  hardships.  He  made  the 
journey  to  Aspen  on  foot  with  his  blankets 
packed  on  his  back.  There  he  located  a  num- 
ber of  mining  claims  which  he  subsequently 
sold,  but  was  not  very  successful  in  mining. 
On  February  2,  1878,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Otelia  Grant,  a  native  of  Ottumwa.  Iowa,  the 
daughter  of  John  M.  and  Lucinda  L.  (Lew- 
ellyn)  Grant,  the  former  a  native  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Bowling  Green,  Ken- 
tucky. The  mother  died  at  Colorado  Springs 
on  September  12.  1876,  and  the  father  at  Lead- 
ville in  1880.  The  father  was  a  civil  engineer 
and  came  to  this  state  with  the  Horace  Greeley 
colonists.  He  assisted  in  laying  out  Colorado 
Springs,  and  was  a  successful  man  in  all  his 
life  work.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Three  children  were  torn  in  the 
family.  One  of  them,  Mrs.  Alice  Pomeroy, 
died  in  1880.  The  two  living  are  Mrs.  Lee  and 
her  sister  Jane,  the  wife  of  Henry  Guy  11,  who 
lives  in  Newcastle,  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lee  have  had  eight  children,  three  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  five  living  are  Francis  A., 
of  Glenwood  Springs:  Vera  M.,  the  wife  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


William  J.  Toepfer,  of  Glenvvood  Springs ; 
Alice,  Ethel  and  Gladdys.  Mr.  Lee  has  been 
an  active  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows 
during  the  last  twenty-five  years.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  is  an  active  man  in  Republican 
politics  and  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  the 
progress  and  development  of  the  Western 
slope,  being  earnest  and  zealous  in  every  com- 
mendable enterprise  involving  the  welfare  of 
the  section  or  the  comfort  and  convenience  of 
its  people.  Coming  among  this  people  an  un- 
known boy,  with  almost  nothing  in  the  way  of 
worldly  wealth  except  the  clothing  on  his  back, 
he  has  shown  an  enterprise  and  public  spirit 
that  have  raised  him  to  consequence  and  given 
him  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  every  element 
in  the  community,  of  which  he  is  an  honored 
and  much  esteemed  citizen,  widely  known  on  all 
sides  for.  breadth  of  view,  wisdom  in  counsel, 
energy  in  action  and  a  genial  and  gracious  man- 
ner which  helps  to  soften  the  asperities  of  life 
for  others  and  add  to  its  sunshine. 

HENRY    HASLEY. 

Eor  a  full  quarter  of  a  century  this  pro- 
gressive and  successful  business  man  has  been 
a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  during  the  whole 
of  that  time  he  has  been  prominent  in  business 
and  devoted  in  thought  and  serviceable  activity 
to  the  progress  and  development  of  the  state. 
He  is  a  native  of  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania, 
born  on  September  3,  1857.  His  parents  were 
Jacob  and  Anna  Hasley,  natives  of  Switzer- 
land who  came  to  this  country  in  early  life  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  the  father  be- 
came prominent  as  a  successful  manufacturer 
of  soap  and  speculator  in  oil.  Later  in  life  he 
turned  his  attention  to  butchering,  and  in  1894 
retired  from  active  pursuits.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing at  Allegheny  and  with  his  wife  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  his  long  and  useful  labors.  They 


are  the  parents  of  six  children :  John,  a  resi- 
dent of  Denver,  Colorado;  Margaret,  the  wife 
of  Charles  Frazier,  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania ; 
Henry,  the  subject  of  this  writing;  Anna,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Neiss,  of  Pittsburg;  Rose,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Walters,  of  the  same  city;  and 
Katharine,  the  wife  of  William  Fetter,  of 
Washington,  D.  C.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
Henry  Hasley  was  apprenticed  to  a  butcher 
at  Allegheny  City,  in  his  native  state,  and  re- 
ceived for  his  work  eight  dollars  a  month  and 
his  board,  the  money  compensation  being  in- 
creased to  twenty-five  dollars  a  month  by  the 
end  of  his  three  years'  service.  In  1879  ne 
came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence 
at  Leadville.  Here  he  engaged  in  mining  and 
prospecting  for  a  short  time,  then  became  asso- 
ciated with  Reef  &  Nuckolls,  wholesale  butch- 
ers, as  the  foreman  of  their  slaughter  house. 
He  passed  five  years  in  their  employ,  and  at 
the  end  of  that  period  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  a  Mr.  Mulock  under  the  style  of  Mulock 
&  Hasley,  for  carrying  on  the  same  line  of 
trade.  In  1889  Mr.  Reef  purchased  Mr.  Mu- 
lock's  interest  in  the  business,  and  during  the 
next  two  years  the  firm  name  was  Hasley  & 
Company,  then  a  consolidation  of  the  three 
large  firms  engaged  in  the  butchering  business 
was  made  and  the  name  of  the  new  firm  was 
Hasley,  Pierce  &  Company.  After  this  Mr. 
Hasley  wras  also  associated  with  Mr.  Reef  in  a 
similar  enterprise  at  Ogden,  Utah,  which  con- 
tinued for  a  year  with  only  moderate  success. 
Having  severed  his  connection  with  the  Utah 
house,  Mr.  Hasley  returned  to  Leadville  and 
became  the  leading  man  in  the  Leadville  Live 
Stock  Company,  with  which  he  continued  his 
connection  ten  years,  owning  a  one-half  inter- 
est in  the  concern.  He  also  owned  and  oper- 
ated mining  properties  of  value.  He  and  Mr. 
Reef  still  own  the  land  on  which  the  live  stock 
company  operated  principally,  and  have  leased 
it  to  Tucker  &  Company.  Mr.  Hasley  now 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


conducts  a  wholesale  meat  business  in  Grand 
Valley  and  runs  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres 
at  Silt,  between  Rifle  and  Newcastle,  which  he 
bought  in  1899.  His  land  is  well  supplied  with 
water  rights  and  is  all  capable  of  easy  cultiva- 
tion. It  yields  large  crops  of  hay,  grain,  vege- 
tables and  fruit.  His  potatoes  are  of  particu- 
larly fine  quality  and  took  the  first  prize  at  the 
state  fair.  He  also  raises  cattle  extensively 
and  finds  the  business  profitable.  In  the  local 
affairs  of  the  county  he  is  active  and  influen- 
•  tial,  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican  on  national 
questions,  and  in  citizenship  he  is  faithful,  up- 
right, enterprising  and  progressive.  On  No- 
vember 8,  1888,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Zona  McCurdy,  a  native  of  Ohio,  \vho  was 
reared  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  where  her  parents 
settled  early  in  their  married  life,  and  re- 
mained until  the  end  of  their  days,  which  came 
some  years  ago.  Her  father  was  a  prosperous 
grain  merchant  there.  Mrs.  Hasley  died  on 
November  13,  1898,  and  in  May,  1902,  Mr. 
Hasley  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs.  Berdette 
Gutchel,  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  a 
widow  with  two  children,  Mildred  and  Leslie 
Gutchel. 

ALONZO  HARTMAN. 

Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  worthy 
and  esteemed  father,  who  was  a  pioneer  in  three 
states,  Alonzo  Hartman,  of  Gunnison,  who 
owns  and  operates  the  largest  and  best  cattle 
ranch  in  the  county  and  carries  on  one  of  the 
most  extensive  ranching  and  cattle  industries 
on  the  western  slope  of  this  state,  boldly  strode 
into  the  wilderness  when  what  is  now  Gunnison 
county  was  a  part  of  Lake  county  and  an  In- 
dian reservation,  with  no  white  men  within 
fifty  miles  of  where  he  "stuck  his  stake,"  and 
there  challenging  fate  list,  determined  to  meet 
her  on  almost  equal  terms.  During  the  first 
winter  of  his  residence  in  the  benighted  region 
the  snow  was  almost  continuously  four  feet 


deep,  and  hardships  and  privations  were  ever 
present  and  pressing.     True,  he  had  a  position 
under  the  United   States  government  at  the 
Los  Pinos  Indian  agency  to  look  after  cattle, 
but  that  was  a  post  of  danger  and  difficulty, 
and  he  had,  even  in  performing  its  duties,  to 
rely  largely  on  his  own  resources  and  meet  the 
conditions  around  him  with  courage  and  de- 
termination.    His  career  in  that  new  country 
has  demonstrated  his  fitness   for  the  task  he 
selected    for   himself,    and    justified    his    self- 
reliance.     Mr.  Hartman  was  born  on  Septem- 
ber 3,  1850,  on  a  farm  near  Iowa  City,  Iowa, 
where  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary  (Boone) 
Hartman,  settled  in  early  life  and  were  reared 
and  married.      The   former   was   a   native   of 
Canada   and  the   latter  of   Pennsylvania,    she 
being  a   descendant  of  the   renowned   Daniel 
Boone.    The  father  as  a  pioneer  in  that  part  of 
Iowa  took  up  the  paternal  homestead  and  be- 
came one  of  the  prosperous  and  extensive  farm- 
ers of  the  section.  The  family  afterward  moved 
to  Kansas  and  later  to  Colorado,  being  pioneers 
in  each  state.     The  father  died  at  Denver  in 
1885,  and  the  mother  now  lives  at  Montrose. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, all  of  whom  are  living  but  the  daughter 
the  sons  being  residents  of  western  Colorado. 
Alonzo  was 'reared  on  farms  and  received  a 
limited  common-school  education  in  the  primi- 
tive and  incomplete  country  schools  of  a  new 
country.      He  was   eight  years   old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Kansas,  and  thirteen  when 
they  became  residents  of  this  state.    They  took 
up  their  residence  at  Denver,  the  father  giving 
his  attention  to  mining  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  son  was  then  able  to  attend  for  a  time  the 
Denver  Seminary,  the  first  high  school  in  that 
city.     The  principal  business  part  of  the  city 
at  the  time  of  his  arrival  was  on  the  West 
Side,  and  soon  afterward  Blake  street  became 
the  chief  business  center.    As  a  boy  and  young 
man  he  worked  in  the  mines  and  at  whatever 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


175 


else  he  could  find  to  do,  being  two  years  at 
Golden  and  two  at  Central  City.  In  1865  his 
father  entered  the  cattle  industry,  and  the  son 
remained  with  him  until  seventeen  years  of  age. 
During  the  next  three  years  he  was  employed 
on  a  range  and  in  buying  and  selling  cattle.  In 
1870  he  moved  into  the  San  Luis  valley  with  a 
herd  of  cattle  and  started  a  cattle  and  ranching 
business  of  his  own.  Two  years  later  he  ac- 
cepted the  government  position  already  alluded 
to  in  what  is  now  Gunnison  county  at  Los 
Pinos  Indian  agency,  arriving  at  his  post  of 
service  on  Christmas  day,  1872.  The  region 
was  remote,  uninhabited  by  settlers  and  devoid 
of  roads  and  the  other  conveniences  of  life,  and 
all  who  were  there  had  to  "rough  it"  in  heroic 
style.  The  life  was  strenuous  enough  to  satisfy 
the  most  adventurous  and  the  outlook  was  suf- 
ficiently unpromising  to  deter  all  but  the  most 
determined.  Mr.  Hartman  remained  in  the 
government  service  nearly  four  years,  then  in 
1876  started  a  trading  post  and  small  store  for 
dealings  with  the  Indians.  Soon  afterward  the 
postoffice  at  Gunnison  was  established  and  he 
was  appointed  postmaster,  but  was  obliged  to 
hire  a  man  to  carry  the  mails  once  a  week,  or 
oftener  as  occasion  demanded.  This  was  one 
of  the  first  postoffices  on  the  Western  slope  and 
he  had  charge  of  it  a  number  of  years.  His 
store  was  on  a  part  of  his  present  ranch,  and 
having  his  operations  concentrated,  as  the  town 
grew  and  the  number  of  settlers  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  increased,  he  soon  found  him- 
self with  a  flourishing  and  steadily  increasing 
trade.  When  Gunnison  county  was  organized 
he  and  James  P.  Kelley,  who  were  partners, 
bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
and  laid  out  the  townsite  of  Gunnison  in  1879. 
Not  long  after  this  he  built  a  store  on  the  town- 
site,  and  from  that  time  his  rise  in  prosperity 
and  consequence  in  the  community  was  rapid. 
As  an  indication  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
place  and  development  of  the  region,  it  should 


be  noted  that  when  the  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished he  could  carry  all  the  mail  in  his  vest 
pocket,  but  after  the  railroad  was  built  through 
his  salary  as  postmaster  was  three  thousand 
dollars  a  year  and  he  was  obliged  to  employ 
several  clerks  and  other  help.  He  continued 
merchandising  until  1885,  and  since  then  he  has 
been  giving  his  attention  almost  wholly  to  his 
ranch  and  cattle  interests.  His  start  in  this  was 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he 
took  up  in  1877,  it  being  one  of  the  first  home- 
steads and  he  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the 
county  as  it  is  now.  That  tract  is  still  a  part 
of  the  ranch,  which  now  embraces  two  thou- 
sand acres  and  is  one  of  the  most  highly  de- 
veloped and  best  improved  in  the  county.  He 
has  a  fine  modern  brick  dwelling,  with  brick 
barns,  sheds  and  other  needed  structures,  and 
equipped  with  all  the  conveniences  of  life 
known  to  the  progressive  man  at  this  period. 
The  ranch  yields  fifteen  hundred  to  sixteen 
hundred  tons  of  good  hay  a  year  and  with  this 
and  its  extensive  pasture  lands  supports  in  com- 
fort the  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  cattle 
which  are  regularly  fed  on  it.  Mr.  Hartman  is 
now  one  of  the  most  extensive  cattle  dealers  on 
the  Western  slope,  buying  and  selling  in  large 
numbers  in  addition  to  what  he  raises.  The 
ranch  is  beautifully  located  in  the  valley  of 
the  Gunnison  and  Tomichi  rivers,  which  form 
a  confluence  on  it,  and  it  has  eight  miles  of 
mountain  streams  running  through  and  fertiliz- 
ing its  expansive  domain.  These  streams  af- 
ford the  finest  trout  fishing  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  incidental  to  his  other  pursuits, 
some  years  ago  the  proprietor  built  ponds  and 
a  fish  hatchery  and  paid  considerable  attention 
to  the  propagation  of  trout.  This  industry  is 
not  now  in  active  operation,  but  the  structures 
for  it  are  still  intact  and  good  condition.  But 
the  dairy  which  he  started  at  nearly  the  same 
time  he  still  conducts,  keeping  thirty  milch 
cows  of  chosen  breeds  to  supply  its  trade. 


i76 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Politically  Mr.  Hartman  is  a  Republican,  but 
he  is  seldom  active  in  party  contests,  although 
he  has  served  one  term  as  county  commissioner. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Gunnison.  On  January  29,  1882, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Haigler,  a  native 
of  West  Virginia,  a  daughter  of  William  P. 
and  Mary  (Hinkle)  Haigler,  who  moved  from, 
their  native  state,  West  Virginia,  and  located 
near  Olathe,  Kansas,  in  1860,  and  Avere 
pioners  in  that  part  of  the  state.  The  father 
died  in  Colorado  in  1888,  and  since  then  the 
mother  has  made  her  home  with  her  daughter. 
Mrs.  Hartman.  In  the  Hartman  household 
three  children  have  been  born,  Hazel  H., 
Alonzo  Bruce  and  Leah  L.,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home.  Their  father  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  oldest  settler  in  Gunnison 
county,  and  in  addition  is  one  of  its  most  re- 
spected citizens. 

JOHN  M.  ALLEN. 

Born  and  reared  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  the 
region  so  highly  honored  by  the  poetical  genius 
and  the  sterling  manhood  of  Robert  Burns,  and 
losing  his  mother  by  death  when  he  was  but 
six  years  old,  then  coming  to  this  country  at 
the  age  of  nineteen,  and  trying  his  hand  at  a 
number  of  different  occupations  in  various 
places,  in  which  he  traversed  over  many  parts 
of  this  great  land,  John  M.  Allen,  of  Gunnison 
county,  living  on  a  fine  ranch  six  miles  north 
of  Gunnison,  on  which  he  conducts  a  flourish- 
ing general  ranching  and  stock  business,  has 
found  after  the  trials  and  difficulties  of  numer- 
ous pursuits  and  many  wanderings  a  peaceful 
anchorage  in  a  safe  harbor,  where  he  has  a 
pleasant  home  and  an  occupation  pleasing  to  his 
tastes  and  profitable  in  its  returns  for  his  labor. 
His  life  began  on  February  20,  1847,  and  he 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Jennie  (Nichol)  Allen, 


like  himself  natives  of  Scotland,  where  the 
mother  died  in  1853  an(^  tne  father  is  still  liv- 
ing, at  the  age  of  more  than  ninety-two  years, 
retired  from  active  work  after  a  long,  honor- 
able and  prosperous  career  as  a  contractor  and 
builder.  Nine  children  were  born  in  the  house- 
hold, of  whom  four  are  living,  John  M.  being 
the  sixth  born.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  after 
receiving  a  limited  common-school  education, 
he  was  apprenticed  to  the  tailor  trade  and  after 
serving  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  and 
ninety  days,  he  went  to  Glasgow  to  complete 
his  trade  by  qualifying  himself  as  a  professional 
cutter.  In  1868  he  emigrated  to  this  country, 
arriving  in  New  York  city  on  July  4th.  The 
booming  of  cannon  in  celebration  of  the  day 
alarmed  him  with  the  fear  that  another  civil 
war  was  in  progress,  the  echoes  of  the  sanguin- 
ary contest  of  1861-5  having  scarcely  died  out 
of  the  world's  recollection.  He  soon  afterward 
took  up  his  residence  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  there  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  cutter 
and  tailor,  and  also  attended  the  Iron  City  Busi- 
ness College.  In  addition  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  as  a  merchant  tailor,  but  on 
account  of  the  failing  health  of  a  sister  whom 
he  had  brought  with  him  from  Scotland,  gave 
up  bright  prospects,  sold  his  business  and 
moved  to  Denver,  this  state,  arriving  there  in 
March,  1870.  The  great  metropolis  of  the 
state  was  then  a  thriving  little  city  of  some  five 
thousand  inhibitants,  but  had  already  shown 
signs  of  its  marvelous  growth  and  in  a  small 
way  struck  the  pace  of  progress  which  has 
made  it  a  modern  wonder  of  the  world.  He 
became  cutter  for  the  tailoring  establishment  of 
Messrs.  Lennan  &  Hanna,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  now  president  of  the  City  National  Bank, 
and  he  remained  at  Denver  about  two  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1872  he  went  on  the  first 
regular  passenger  train  on  the  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road to  Colorado  Springs,  then  a  lusty  little 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


177 


bantling  but  recently  baptized  into  municipal 
life.  There  he  erected  a  building,  bought  a 
stock  of  goods  and  opened  a  flourishing  mer- 
cantile emporium.  The  business  prospered 
and  he  carried  it  on  three  years,  then,  impelled 
by  his  own  failing  health,  sold  out  and  during 
the  next  five  months  traveled  through  southern 
Colorado  and  portions  of  New  Mexico,  never 
sleeping  under  a  roof  in  that  period,  making 
his  conveyance  and  his  lodging  place  in  a 
wagon.  Regaining  his  health  and  vigor  by 
this  heroic  treatment,  he  returned  east  to 
Illinois  and  passed  a  year  at  Mendota,  that 
state,  clerking  in  a  store.  There  he  met  the 
lady  whom  he  afterward  married,  "when  love 
took  up  the  harp  of  life  and  smote  on  all  its 
chords  with  might."  In  the  spring  of  1876  he 
came  again  to  Colorado  and,  going  to  the  San 
Juan  country,  passed  the  season  in  mining, 
and  he  still  has  some  interests  in  that  region, 
where  his  partner  in  the  venture  still  lives. 
Lake  City  started  that  year  and  late  in  the  fall 
Mr.  Allen  transferred  his  energies  to  that 
promising  camp.  In  January,  1877,  he  went 
back  to  Illinois  and  was  married.  That  sum- 
mer he  opened  a  store  at  Lake  City.  This  he 
sold  a  year  later,  and  returning  to  Mendota, 
Illinois,  remained  three  years  clerking  for  his 
former  employer.  Intending  to  make  that 
place  his  permanent  residence,  he  procured  for 
himself  a  fine  home  there,  furnished  with  all 
the  modern  conveniences ;  but  the  western  fever 
was  still  running  in  his  veins  and  would  not 
be  reduced.  This  brought  him  to  Colorado 
again  in  1882,  and  on  his  arrival  he  opened  a 
general  store  at  Gunnison  in  partnership  with 
Mr,  Latimer  under  the  firm  name  of  Latimer 
&  Allen.  The  great  boom  was  on  the  town  and 
section  at  the  time,  and  the  business  grew  to 
proportions  of  magnitude,  making  a  very  large 
extent  of  the  surrounding  country  tributary  to 
its  trade  and  its  proprietors  well  known  all  over 
the  Western  slope  of  the  state.  In  1898  he 
12 


bought  Mr.  Latimer's  interest  in  the  business 
and  carried  it  on  alone  thereafter  until  March 
30,  1902,  when  a  disastrous  fire  destroyed  more 
than  half  of  his  forty  thousand-dollar  stock  of 
goods.  In  the  -meantime,  in  1886,  he  had 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  of 
the  present  congressman  from  Colorado,  Hon. 
H.  M.  Hogg,  who  had  built  a  cabin  on  the 
land  but  had  made  no  other  improvements  on 
it.  Mr.  Allen  purchased  more  land  from  time 
to  time,  and  at  the  date  of  the  fire  owned  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  This  he  improved 
from  a  totally  wild  condition  to  one  of  great 
productiveness,  and  enriched  it  with  a  good 
dwelling  and  other  buildings,  and  on  it  since 
the  fire  he  has  been  carrying  on  a  large  and 
prosperous  stock  and  ranching  industry  with 
cumulative  profits,  having  now  about  five  hun- 
dred cattle  of  superior  grades,  and  everything 
about  him  to  indicate  a  vigorous  management 
of  an  extensive  undertaking  and  a  state  of  ad- 
vanced prosperity.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  fraternally  is  connected  with 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  with  membership  in 
the  lodge  of  the  order  at  Gunnison.  On  Febru- 
ary 20,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss. 
Lucia  Ella  Clark,  a  native  of  Mendota,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Warren  and  Juliaette  (Al- 
drich)  Clark,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  Their  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Vermont  and  soon  after  they 
moved  from  Massachusetts  to  Mendota,  where 
the  father  was  a  contractor  and  builder 
and  very  successful  in  his  business  affairs. 
He  died  in  1888,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Allen,  the  mother  passing  away  at 
the  old  Illinois  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen 
have  had  four  daughters  and  a  son,  Ruth  R., 
now  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Lake,  Jr.,  of  Gunnison, 
Ralph  R.,  Florence  M.,  and  Winona  and 
Naomi,  twins,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1889, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  The  other  four 
are  living. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


JACOB  D.  MILLER. 

Jacob  D.  Miller,  the  pioneer  meat  merchant 
of  Gimnison  county  and  the  oldest  by  continu- 
ous connection  with  the  trade  in  the  business, 
is  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  born  on  August 
3.  1855,  and  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Paul) 
Miller,  who  were  born  in  Alsace-Lorraine,  the 
province  wrested  from  France  by  Germany  in 
war,  and  were  of  French-German  ancestry. 
They  emigrated  to  the  United  States  when 
young  and  located  at  Cincinnati,  where  they 
were  married.  The  father  was  a  gardener  and 
died  at  Hamilton.  Ohio,  in  1891,  and  there  the 
mother  still  makes  her  home.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  Jacob 
D.  being  the  first  born  of  the  sons  and  the  third 
in  order  of  birth  in  the  family.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Hamilton,  re- 
maining at  home  until  he  was  seventeen,  when 
he  started  to  learn  his  trade  as  a  butcher  in 
Hamilton.  Later  he  worked  in  packing  houses 
there  and  at  Middletown,  in  the  same  county, 
acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  meat 
business  in  all  its  branches.  In  February,  1880, 
he  started  west,  and  after  working  at  his  trade 
a  short  time  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  arrived  at 
Gunnison  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  and 
here  he  has  lived  ever  since.  At  that  time  there 
was  no  railroad  to  Gunnison  and  he  came  by 
•  way  of  Leadville,  walking  from  that  city  to  his 
destination  in  company  with  three  other  men 
with  burros  as  pack  animals.  Soon  after  reach- 
ing Gunnison  he  opened  the  Elk  Horn  meat 
market,  the  first  enterprise  of  its  kind  in  the 
country,  which  then  extended  to  the  Utah  line. 
He  began  business  on  a  small  scale,  and  by  in- 
dustry, thorough  knowledge  of  his  craft  and 
the  needs  of  the  community  and  close  attention 
to  his  work  he  has  built  up  the  largest  estab- 
lishment and  trade  of  its  kind  on  the  Western 
slope,  carrying  a  large  body  of  wholesale  pa- 
trons in  all  parts  of  this  section  and  conducting 


a  very  extensive  retail  trade  locally.  In  1897 
Mr.  Miller's  brother  Lewis  bought  an  interest 
in  the  business  and  since  then  the  firm  has  been 
J.  D.  Miller  &  Brother.  As  a  feeder  to  their 
trade  the  firm  has  for  years  carried  on  a  flour- 
ishing ranch  and  cattle  industry  on  their  ranch 
of  four  hundred  acres,  which  is  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  fattening  beeves  for  the  store.  The 
excellence  of  the  meats  and  the  integrity  of  the 
business  methods  have  laid  all  the  mining 
camps  and  other  aggregations  of  people  and 
large  interests  of  the  region  under  tribute  to 
their  dealings,  and  caused  a  steady  stream  of 
profits  to  flow  into  their  coffers.  Mr.  Miller 
and  his  brother  are  also  interested  in  valuable 
mines,  all  their  properties  being  in  Gunnison 
county.  Firm  and  constant  in  his  support  of 
the  Republican  party  in  political  affairs,  Mr. 
Miller  has  not  declined  to  serve  his  party  as  its 
candidate  for  mayor  of  the  city  on  two  oc- 
casions, and  to  foster  and  promote  the  interests 
of  the  people  in  this  office,  which  he  filled  dur- 
ing the  years  1893  and  1894.  When  he  retired 
from  the  office  one  of  his  home  papers  said : 
"The  best  mayor  Gunnison  ever  had  retired 
Wednesday  after  holding  the  office  two  terms. 
He  reduced  the  town  debt  over  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars.  Through  his  efforts-  the  annual 
rental  for  light  and  fire  privileges  was  reduced 
about  one  thousand  three  hundred  dollars.  And 
by  an  economical  system  of  conducting  the 
finances  the  town  has  for  the  past  twelve 
•months  been  on  a  cash  basis,  besides  paying  the 
interest  on  the  bonds  and  creating  a  small  sink^ 
ing  fund  to  apply  on  the  payrpent  of  the  prin- 
cipal." In  fraternal  life  Mr.  Miller  is  con- 
nected with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  with 
membership  in  Lodge  No.  39,  Encampment- 
No.  36  and  Canton  No.  4,  at  Gunnison.  and 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  in  Camp  No. 
39  at  the  same  place.  He  was  married  on 
April  21,  1 88 1,  to  Miss  Laura  Riley,  a  native 
of  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  Thev  have  had  four 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


179 


children,  Joseph  J.,  Charles  E.,  Alonzo  and 
Louis,  the  last  named  being  deceased.  Mr. 
Miller  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  ^world 
from  youth,  being  rather  stimulated  by  his 
difficulties  than  restrained  by  them,  and  has 
ever  been  guided  in  his  upward  march  to  suc- 
cess and  widening  public  esteem  by  rectitude 
and  devotion  to  his  calling,  which  has  so 
largely  been  characteristic  of  the  pioneers, 
along  with  their  unwavering  faith  in  the  sec- 
tion in  which  they  have  cast  their  lot  and  their 
ability  to  develop  its  resources  and  make  it 
progressive.  He  is  essentially  and  emphatically 
a  self-made  man,  and  wherever  he  has  lived  has 
commanded  circumstances  to  his  service  and 
made  even  privations  minister  to  his  growth 
and  advancement.  He  is  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  his  county  and  one  of  its  brightest  and 
best  business  men. 

GEORGE  W.  LIGHTLEY. 

The  interesting  subject  of  this  article,  who 
is  one  of  the  most  prosperous,  progressive  and 
prominent  ranch  men  and  stock  growers  of 
Gunnison  county,  and  owns  and  operates  a 
ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  on  Ohio  creek, 
eight  miles  north  of  the  county  seat,  was  born 
on  March  3,  1850,  at  Buffalo,  New  York, 
which  was  then  a  city  of  some  forty  thousand 
inhabitants  and  is  now  a  mighty  mart  of  com- 
merce of  nearly  ten  times  that  number,  its 
growth  in  population,  industrial  wealth  and 
commercial  enterprise  in  the  little  more  than 
half  a  century  since  his  birth  having  been 
phenomenal.  His  parents  were  John  and  Louie 
Anna  (Maltby)  Lightley,  the  former  a  native 
of  England  and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  The 
father  came  to  the  United  States  a  young  man 
and  located  at  Buffalo,  at  the  time  a  village  on 
the  lake  front,  insignificant  in  size  and  import- 
ance. There  he  was  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  1855,  when  he  moved  to  Wis- 


consin, changing  his  residence  in  1861  to  Free- 
born  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  became  an 
extensive  farmer,  raising  enormous  crops  of 
wheat  after  he  reduced  his  wild  land  to  pro- 
ductiveness and  succeeded  in  gathering  around 
him  the  appliances  and  conveniences  of  hus- 
bandry on  a  large  scale,  which  were  wholly 
wanting  in  the  section  when  he  settled  there 
as  a  pioneer.  His  wife  died  at  Austin,  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Mower,  in  1899,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-eight,  and  he  at  the  same  place 
in  1901,  at  that  of  ninety-three.  They  were 
the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  living,  their  son  George  being  the  eighth 
in  the  order  of  birth.  His  love  of  travel  and 
adventure  was  born  in  his  childhood-  as  he  saw 
the  expanding  shipping  of  the  growing  mart 
come  and  go  on  the  lake  and  the  Erie  canal,  and 
quickened  by  his  trip  at  the  age  of  five  from  the 
city  of  his  birth  to  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin. 
This  was  made  on  the  lakes  to  Milwaukee  and 
from  there  overland  to  Beaverdam  through  a 
country  devoid  of  railroads  and  but  scantily 
supplied  with  wagon  roads.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  paternal  farm  and  received  such 
scholastic  training  as  could  be  furnished  by  the 
primitive  country  schools  of  a  new  and  un- 
settled country,  remaining  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  then  went 
to  northern  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  in  the 
lumber  woods  ten  years.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Colorado,  and  located  in  Gunnison  county, 
walking  from  Buena  Vista,  the  last  railroad  sta- 
tion on  the  way,  with  his  blankets  on  his  back. 
He  was  attracted  to  this  part  of  the  state  by 
the  mining  boom  of  the  time,  but  on  his  arrival 
in  Gunnison  county  did  not  engage  in  mining. 
On  the  contrary,  being  trained  to  farming,  and 
seeing  with  prophetic  eye  the  agricultural  pos- 
sibilities of  the  region,  in  the  ensuing  autumn 
bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land, 
which  is  a  part  of  his  present  ranch  and  was  the 
best  improved  tract  of  land  at  the  time  on 


i8o 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Ohio  creek,  although  it  had  no  buildings  on  it, 
having  been  taken  up  and  brought  to  an  ad- 
vanced stage  of  cultivation  by  Henry  Furrier. 
Here  Mr.  Lightley  has  since  resided,  increasing 
his  ranch  to  one  thousand  acres,  enriching  it 
with  first-class  buildings  and  improving  it  with 
ditches  and  other  works  necessary  to  its  proper 
development.  He  has  his  land  now  practically 
all  under  good  irrigation  and  raises  on  it  an- 
nually about  eight  hundred  tons  of  hay.  Of 
this  he  bales  an  average  of  five  hundred  tons  of 
excellent  timothy  for  which  he  finds  ready  sale 
at  good  prices  at  Cripple  Creek  and  Leadville. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he  began  to  engage 
in  the  stock  industry,  handling  cattle  prin- 
cipally, and  gradually  enlarging  his  herd  until 
he  now  owns  about  five  hundred  head.  His 
dwelling  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  com- 
pletely furnished  in  the  neighborhood,  and  his 
barns  and  other  outbuildings  are  also  first-class 
in  every  respect.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  takes  no  active  part  in  party 
contests  locally,  devoting  his  time  wholly  to 
his  business  and  the  general  improvement  and 
welfare  of  the  county  without  regard  to  par- 
tisan considerations.  On  August  20.  1890,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Delia  M. 
(Harris)  Moore,  who  was  born  at  Marion, 
Indiana,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Z.  M.  and 
Sarah  J.  (Beatty)  Harris,  natives  of  Indiana 
and  members  of  old  and  long  established  fami- 
lies in  that  state.  They  are  now  living  at 
Manitou,  Colorado.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lightley 
have  two  children,  their  daughters  Lena,  aged 
thirteen,  and  Lou,  aged  seven. 

SAMUEL  C.  FISHER. 

Born  at  Greenfield,  New  Hampshire,  on 
January  4,  1846,  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  that 
neighborhood,  then  teaching  school  in  New 
Jersey  for  a  time,  Samuel  C.  Fisher,  who  is 
now  a  prosperous  and  progressive  ranch  and 


stock  man  of  Gunnison  county,  with  a  well  de- 
veloped and  highly  improved  ranch  of  seven 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Ohio  creek  four 
miles  north  of  the  county  seat,  for  a  period  of 
nearly  twenty-five  years  turned  his  back  upon 
the  vocation  of  his  father,  to  which  he  was  well 
trained,  and  devoted  his  energies  and  the 
special  knowledge  he  acquired  by  industrious 
study  to  the  development  and  enlargement  of 
the  mining  and  other  industries  of  Colorado 
suffering  in  the  venture  many  reverses,  but  at 
the  same  time  keeping  his  courage  up  and  his 
determination  to  win  out  in  the  race  in  its 
pristine  strength  and  youthful  freshness.  He  is 
the  son  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda  (Robinson) 
Fisher,  whose  lives  also  began  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  they  were  nearly  all  passed  on  a 
farm  in  Hillsboro  county.  In  1855  the  father 
made  a  trip  to  Osawotamie,  Kansas,  with  the 
intention  of  locating  in  that  then  unsettled  sec- 
tion, where  he  was  a  pioneer,  and  while  there 
he  fought  in  the  border  warfare  under  old  John 
Brown.  The  outlook  was  not  promising  for 
a  peaceful  and  prosperous  career  there,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  1856  he  returned  to  his  native 
state,  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
the  course  of  years.  Three  of  their  five  chil- 
dren are  living,  Samuel  being  the  third  in  the 
order  of  birth  and  the  older  of  the  two  living- 
sons.  His  education  was  begun  in  the  public 
schools  at  North  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
and  concluded  at  the  State  Normal  School  in- 
New  Jersey,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1865. 
After  teaching  school  in  New  Jersey  a  short 
time,  he  became  a  student  in  the  metallurgical 
department  of  Rutgers  College  at  New  Bruns- 
wick, that  state,  and  on  completing  his  course 
came  to  Colorado  in  1867,  and  was  soon  after 
his  arrival  made  foreman  of  a  quartz  mill  at 
Buckskin  above  Alma,  Park  county,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  W.  H.  Stevens.  In  the  ensuing  fall  he 
moved  to  Central  City  and  the  next  spring  to 
Georgetown,  operating  a  number  of  mills  at 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


181 


these  places  for  about  two  years.  In  1869  nt 
looked  once  more  toward  the  rising  sun  and 
went  to  Butler  county,  Kansas,  where  he  took 
up  land  intending  to  farm  and  raise  cattle.  But 
in  1870  he  came  again  to  Colorado  and,  locat- 
ing at  Georgetown,  engaged  in  milling  and 
freighting  with  headquarters  at  that  place  until 
1878,  during  this  period  also  doing  some 
freighting  between  Colorado  Springs  and 
Leadville.  In  the  summer  of  1879  he  built  a 
toll  road  between  Gunnison  and  Crested  Butte, 
which  he  owned  and  managed  thirteen  years 
finding  the  enterprise  very  profitable,  especially 
in  the  earlier  years  of  its  history.  In  the  mean- 
time he  became  interested  in  placer  mining  and 
sunk  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  this 
captivating  but  uncertain  pursuit,  at  Dallas, 
Ouray  county.  In  1890  he  took  up  a  portion 
of  his  present  ranch  on  Ohio  creek,  four  miles 
north  of  Gunnison,  on  which  he  has  since  lived, 
and  which  he  has  increased  to  seven  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  all  of  which  is  now  practically 
well  irrigated.  The  land  was  raw  and  un- 
watered  when  he  settled  on  it  and  he  has  been 
forced  to  make  his  own  improvements  and 
build  his  own  ditches.  The  last  of  the  latter,  a 
high-line  ditch  twelve  miles  long,  has  but  re- 
cently been  completed  at  a  considerable  outlay, 
and  is  proving  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  his 
ranch,  which  has  a  capacity  of  one  thousand 
tons  of  hay  a  year  and  is  always  a  sure  reliance 
for  at  least  six  hundred.  Since  1880  he  has 
also  been  extensively  interested  in  live  stock, 
horses  and  cattle,  but  now  runs  cattle  prin- 
cipally, and  has  about  three  hundred,  mostly 
well-bred  Shorthorns.  Politically  he  is  a  firm 
but  not  an  actively  partisan  Republican,  taking 
a  general  and  effective  interest  in  the  local 
affairs  of  his  section,  but  with  a  view  to  "the 
best  results  for  the  people  without  special  refer- 
ence to  party  considerations.  On  January  i, 
1878,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie 
H.  Gleason,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  who 


came  to  Colorado  with  her. mother  in  1876. 
They  have  two  daughters,  Marjorie  A.  and 
Augusta  M.,  the  latter  the  wife  of  P.  B.  Ander- 
son, and  their  son  Andrew  M.  Miss  Marjorie 
has  won  a  commendable  reputation  as  an  artist 
in  oil  and  possesses  remarkable  ability  with  the 
brush.  She  is  particularly  proficient  in  nature 
studies  of  wild  animals  of  the  Colorado  hills. 
A  recent  life  size  painting  of  a  coyote  has  added 
to  her  laurels  and  will  no  doubt  prove  a  master- 
piece. In  the  various  pursuits  in  which  Mr. 
Fisher  has  engaged,  in  this  state  and  elsewhere, 
he  has  faithfully  done  his  best  for  the  general 
weal,  and  he  has  to  his  credit  a  long  record 
of  permanent  usefulness  and  elevated  citizen- 
ship, for  which  he  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  many  parts  of  the  state. 

AUGUSTUS  G.  BIEBEL. 

The  late  Augustus  G.  Biebel,  of  Gunnison 
county,  whose  death  on  April  16,  1888,  at  the 
early  age  of  forty-nine,  took  from  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  he  lived  one  of  its  most  active 
and  useful  citizens,  and  left  his  widow  and  chil- 
dren with  the  care  of  an  extensive  ranching  and 
cattle  business  which  his  industry  and  good 
business  ability  had  built  up,  was  a  native  of 
Bavaria,  Germany,  born  on  August  29,  1840. 
His  parents,  George  and  Sophia  Biebel,  were 
also  born  and  reared  in  Bavaria,  and  passed  the 
whole  of  their  lives  in  that  country.  They  were 
well-to-do  and  gave  their  son  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. He  remained  with  them  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  then  determined  to 
come  to  the  United  States  in  search  of  larger 
opportunities  for  advancement  than  he  deemed 
open  to  him  in  his  native  land.  He  landed  in 
New  York  city  in  1860,  just  before  the  ominous 
cloud  of  the  Civil  war,  which  had  long  threat- 
ened the  peace  and  prosperity  of  our  unhappy 
country,  and  espousing  warmly  the  cause  of 
the  Union  entered  the  armv  in  its  defense 


1 82 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


among  the  first  in  response  to  President  Lin- 
coln's earliest  call  for  volunteers.  He  and  his 
kinsman  raised  a  company  of  Germans  for  the 
service,  and  at  the  end  of  their  term  re-enlisted 
in  the  Fourth  New  York  Cavalry  after  its  con- 
solidation with  the  Ninth.  Mr.  Biebel  was  in 
many  hard-fought  battles  and  saw  all  the  hor- 
rors of  war  on  a  scale  of  great  magnitude  and 
fatality.  He  was  with  Sheridan  in  his  re- 
nowned and  spectacular  campaign  in  the  Shen- 
andoah  valley  and  took  part  with  him  in  the 
battle  of  Winchester.  After  that  battle  he  was 
sent  with  dispatches  to  Winchester,  and  while 
on  this  duty  was  cut  off  from  his  command  with 
a  companion,  and  they  were  surrounded  by 
the  Confederates  under  Colonel  Mosby,  who 
took  his  companion  prisoner  and  shot  him  in 
the  left  knee.  He  continued  fighting,  however, 
until  exhaustion  from  loss  of  blood  caused  him 
to  fall  from  his  horse  in  sight  of  the  Union 
lines.  •  The  Confederates  overtook  him  as  he. 
lay  on  the  ground  unconscious,  robbed  him  of 
his  dispatches,  his  money  and  his  watch,  and 
were  about  to  kill  him  when  a  troop  of  Union 
cavalry  rescued  him.  His  wounded  limb  was 
amputated  first  below  the  knee  and  afterward 
above  it,  and  after  being  confined  for  a  long 
time  in  a  hospital  at  David's  Island  in  Ne,w 
York,  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  there 
on  October  21,  1865.  He  then  became  a  book- 
keeper in  New  York  city  and  later  engaged  in 
merchandising  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  part- 
nership with  a  younger  brother.  In  the  spring 
of  1.879  ne  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  look- 
ing over  the  country  around  Gunnison,  where 
he  had  a  brother  then  living,  he  took  up  a 
homestead  which  is  a  part  of  the  ranch  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  family,  and  re- 
turned to  New  Jersey,  where  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  and  came  back  to  Gunnison  county 
to  make  it  his  permanent  home,  bringing  his 
family  with  him,  and  arriving  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  last  named.  They  located  on  the  land 
four  miles  north  of  Gunnison  on  Ohio  creek. 


and  gave  almost  their  whole  attention  to  the 
improvement  and  development  of  their  prop- 
erty, which  has  since  been  increased  by  pur- 
chases to  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  two 
hundred  acres  having  been  acquired  by  Mrs. 
Biebel  since  her  husband's  death.  Here  he  soon 
became  well  and  favorably  known  as  an  enter- 
prising and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  here  he 
died  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  on  April  16. 
1888,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  daughters. 
Mrs.  Biebel  at  once,  after  his  death,  took  hold 
of  the  business  vigorously  and  she  has  ever 
since  conducted  it  with  industry  and  success, 
winning  commendations  from  all  the  country 
side  for  her  good  management  and  wise  atten- 
tion to  its  every  detail.  She  has  educated  her 
daughters  and  made  steady  progress  in  her 
ranching,  increasing  the  value  of  the  property, 
adding  to  its  improvements  and  enlarging  its 
arable  acreage  from  year  to  year.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Louisa  Grotz,  and  she  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Plick)  Grotz,  who  we're  life-long  resi- 
dents and  members  of  old  and  long  established 
families  in  that  country.  When  Mrs.  Biebel 
was  about  fifteen  her  mother  died,  and  she  soon 
afterward  came  to  this  country  to  make  her 
home  with  an  uncle  in  New  York  city.  There 
she  met  Mr.  Biebel  and  they  were  married. 
They  had  two  daughters.  Elizabeth  Sophia  and 
Ida  Anna.  The  latter  is  now  the  wife  of  R. 
Rominger  and  lives  in  North  Carolina.  The 
older  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  still  lives  at 
home,  has  been  of  great  help  to  her  mother  in 
the  trying  and  multitudinous  duties  of  the 
ranch,  bearing  her  full  share  of  its  labors  and 
manifesting  a  lively  interest  in  all  its  interests. 

JAMES  R.  ESTES. 

With  his  childhood  darkened  and  all  his 
early  prospects  blighted  by  the  awful  shadow 
of  our  Civil  war,  which  had  for  him  a  por- 
tentous meaning  as  during  four  years  of  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


183 


struggle  his  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army  and  at  the  front  in  the  midst  of  the  hottest 
fighting,  James  R.  Estes  was  born  in  Wright 
county,  Missouri,  on  April  15,  1857,  anc^  when 
he  was  nine  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
Jasper  county  in  the  same  state.  His  parents, 
Richard  and  Caroline  (Tatum)  Estes,  were 
native,  respectively,  in  West  Virginia  and  Ten- 
nessee. They  were  married  in  the  latter  state 
and  soon  afterward  moved  to  Wright  county, 
Missouri,  where  they  were  pioneers.  The 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  a  number  of 
years  in  Jasper  county,  Missouri.  In  1878  the 
family  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Delta 
county,  where  he  was  extensively  engaged  in 
business  as  a  merchant,  farmer  and  miner.  The 
father  died  in  February,  1903,  and  the  mother 
is  now  living,  making  her  home  on  the  farm 
which  they  located  there.  James  R.  was  reared 
in  his  native  state,  and  in  1878  came  to  Colo- 
rado with  his  parents,  and  during  the  next  two 
years  freighted  between  Canon  City  and  Lead- 
ville  and  other  points,  and  also  did  some  pros- 
pecting and  mining.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he 
moved  to  Gunnison  county  and  located  the  Lee 
Taylor  mine,  at  what  was  then  Ruby  camp  in 
the  Elk  mountains,  but  is  now  the  town  of 
Irwin.  He  worked  this  mine  vigorously  and 
developed  it  into  a  good  property,  remaining  at 
Irwin  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  took  up 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the 
Gunnison  river,  northeast  of  the  county  seat. 
On  this  land  he  lived  about  fifteen  years,  de- 
veloping and  improving  the  property  and  mak- 
ing it  productive  and  valuable.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  sold  this  ranch  and  bought  the 
one  on  which  he,  with  his  family  consisting  of 
wife  and  daughter,  now  lives  on  the  Gunnison, 
four  miles  and  a  half  west  of  the  city.  Here  he 
owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  is 
all  well  irrigated  and  highly  productive,  yield- 
ing annually  three  hundred  to  four  hundred 
tons  of  good  hay  and  producing  ample  suste- 


nance for  his  herd  of  cattle,  he  having  started 
his  stock  industry  soon  after  he  began  ranching. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  fraternally 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  being  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  camp  of  the  latter  at  Gunnison. 

J.  VERNON  MONROE. 

To  progress  from  a  condition  of  obscurity 
and  poverty,  beginning  with  no  capital  except 
his  natural  endowments  of  a  hopeful  dis- 
position, a  clear  head,  an  honest  heart  and  a 
determined  and  resourceful  spirit,  to  a  large 
landed  estate  with  great  herds  of  cattle,  is  to 
make  a  long  stride  in  success  and  prosperity, 
but  it  is  one  that  has  been  made  by  many  a  man 
in  this  western  land  of  great  opportunities  and 
boundless  resources  that  can  be  had  by  dili- 
gently searching  for  them  and  fully  deserving 
them  through  earnest  and  persistent  efforts  to 
secure  them.  Among  this  number  J.  Vernon 
Monroe,  one  of  the  leading  ranchers  and  stock- 
growers  of  Gunnison  county,  is  entitled  to  a 
high  rank  in  public  estimation  for  the  efforts 
he  has  made  and  the  success  he  has  won.  Mr. 
Monroe  was  born  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio, 
on  November  2,  1852,  the  son  of  parents  in 
moderate  circumstances,  and  he  lost  them  both 
by  death  when  he  -was  but  three  years  old.  His 
father,  D.  B.  Monroe,  was  also  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Margaret  Veitch,  was  born  in  Scotland  and 
came  to  this  country  when  a  girl  with  her 
mother,  her  father  having  died  in  her  native 
land.  Vernon  was  the  second  of  their  three 
sons,  and  was  reared  from  the  age  of  three 
years  to  that  of  twelve  by  relatives.  From  the 
age  of  twelve  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  with  but  little  education  gained  outside 
of  the  great  and  thorough  school  of  experience, 
beginning  his  career  as  a  farm  hand  at  five  dol- 
lars a  month,  the  wage  he  received  for  hard 


1 84 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  earnest  work  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
He  then  clerked  in  a  country  store  in  his  native 
county  about  ten  years,  and  in  the  spring-  of 
1876  moved  to  Missouri  and  during  the  next 
two  years  kept  a  grocery  store  at  Richmond, 
Ray  county,  that  state.  Then,  lured  by  the  ex- 
citement over  the  rich  discoveries  of  gold  in 
the  Black  Hills,  he  sold  his  business  and  went 
to  that  promising  region  in  search  of  a  better 
fortune.  After  passing  about  two  years  in 
various  occupations  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Deadwood,  he  returned  to  Richmond,  Missouri, 
a  somewhat  wiser  but  it  cannot  be  said  a  sadder 
man.  The  experience  was  valuable  and  he  so 
accounted  it.  In  1883,  m  tne  spring  °f  the 
year,  he  again  turned  his  steps  westward,  com- 
ing to  Colorado,  where  he  spent  the  first  year 
on  the  plains  east  of  Denver.  The  next  spring 
he  moved  to  North  Park  and  took  up  a  ranch, 
starting  without  money,  but  gradually  working 
himself  out  of  debt  and  into  possession  of  a 
good  herd  of  cattle,  at  the  same  time  improving 
his  property  and  increasing  its  value  by  vigor- 
ous and  systematic  cultivation,  having  nothing 
for  a  time  to  depend  on  but  nature's  bounty 
and  his  own  energy  and  skill ;  for  his  land  was 
all  in  wild  sage  brush  when  he  took  hold  of  it 
and  without  improvements  of  any  kind.  He 
sold  it  to  good  advantage  in  the  fall  of  1900, 
after  which  he  moved  at  once  to  Gunnison 
county  and  bought  the  ranch  of  nine  hundred 
and  forty  acres  three  miles  and  a  half  east  of 
Doyleville  which  he  now  owns.  This  he  has 
all  under  irrigation  and  in  a  high  state  of  pro- 
ductiveness, cutting  on  it  annually  an  average 
of  seven  hundred  tons  of  excellent  hay,  and 
feeding  six  hundred  to  seven  hundred  cattle 
of  good  grades.  It  is  one  of  the  really  superior 
ranches  in  the  Tomichi  valley,  beautifully  lo- 
cated in  the  shadow  of  Tomichi  Dome,  a  lofty 
and  majestic  mountain  which  is  one  of  the 
well  known  landmarks  of  the  region,  visible 
for  many  miles  from  every  part  of  the  sur- 


rounding country.  Here  enterprise  and  busi- 
ness tact,  and  a  wise  application  of  the  lessons 
of  experience,  have  paid  and  prospered  him 
handsomely,  and  his  manliness  and  sterling 
worth,  and  his  energy  and  prudence  actively 
employed  in  the  development  of  the  section  of 
his  home,  have  made  him  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  esteemed  men  of  the  county.  In  po- 
litical affairs  he  always  actively  and  effectively 
supports  the  Republican  party,  but  ever  without 
ambition  for  a  share  in  the  honors  or  emolu- 
ments of  public  office,  which  he  has  never  had 
and  never  sought.  In  fraternal  life  he  belongs 
to  the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  at  Gunnison,  and  he 
is  zealous  and  appreciated  in  the  benevolent 
activity  of  the  order  and  useful  in  the  'service 
of  his  lodge.  His  first  marriage  occurred  in 
Missouri  on  June  30,  1880,  and  was  with  Miss 
Julia  Warinner,  a  native  of  Richmond  in  that 
state.  She  died  on  March  17,  1882,  leaving 
one  son,  J.  Vernon  Monroe,  Jr.,  now  a  resident 
of  Denver.  On  July  n,  1898,  the  father  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage,  being  united  on  this 
occasion  with  Miss  Rose  McMurtry,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri  and  born  in  Galloway  county, 
a  direct  descendant  of  Daniel  Boone.  They 
have  one  child,  their  son  Allan  Miller,  now 
four  years  old  ( 1904) . 

PALMER  H.  VADER. 

This  prosperous  and  enterprising  ranch- 
man, who  lives  on  a  fine  property  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  on  Tomichi  creek, 
nine  miles  east  of  Gunnison,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Colorado  since  1876,  and  during  the  almost 
thirty  years  of  his  life  in  the  state  has  seen  all 
the  phases  and  confronted  many  of  the  dif- 
ficulties, dangers  and  hardships  of  the  frontier. 
He  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York, 
on  November  14,  1857,  the  son  of  Isaiah  and 
Lodema  (Rider)  Ramer,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  York  state  and  the  latter  of  Vermont. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


185 


They  were  married  in  New  York  and  farmed 
there  until  1868.  The  father  served  during 
three  years  of  the  Civil  war  in  the  Twelfth  New- 
York  Sharpshooters  in  the  Union  army.  After 
the  close  of  the  contest  the  family  moved,  in 
1868,  to  Greene  county,  Iowa,  and  there  the 
father  became  one  of  the  extensive  farmers  of 
the  Mississippi  valley,  owning  large  farms  in 
Greene  and  the  adjoining  county  of  Carroll. 
His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
review,  died  in  1880,  and  he  married  again,  the 
second  wife  surviving  him  May,  1901,  when 
he  died  at  Glidden,  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  aged 
eighty  years.  Of  the  first  marriage  six  sons 
and  three  daughters  were  born,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Palmer  having  been  the  third  of 
the  nine.  He  was  eleven  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  to  Iowa,  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  parental  estate  in  that  state,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  schools,  which 
in  the  newness  and  unsettled  condition  of  the 
country  in  which  they  lived  during  his  mi- 
nority were  crude  in  character,  meager  in 
facilities  and  very  limited  in  scope.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  the  spring  of  1876,  when 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  during  the  first  two 
years  of  his  residence  here  he  was  employed 
on  a  ranch  near  Longmont.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Denver  and  in  that  city  he  worked 
two  years  in  a  feed  and  sales  stable.  In  No- 
vember, 1880,  he  became  a  stage  driver  on  the 
line  between  Canon  City  and  Silver  Cliff,  and 
the  next  spring  became  a  resident  of  Gunnison 
county  and  was  employed  in  driving  a  stage 
from  Parlin  east  over  Alpine  Pass  to  connect 
with  the  Denver  &  South  Park  (now  the  Colo- 
rado Southern)  Railroad,  which  was  then  in 
course  of  construction.  He  continued  to  be  so 
occupied  until  June,  1882,  when  the  road  was 
completed  to  Pitkin.  He  then  worked  for  a 
time  on  a  ranch,  after  which  he  kept  a  boarding 
house  and  later  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Den- 
ver &  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  In  the  mean- 


time he  had  got  together  a  number  of  cattle  and 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a 
part  of  his  present  ranch,  and  in  1887  he 
located  on  this  land  and  began  to  improve  it 
as  a  home  and  make  it  productive  for  his  fam- 
ily and  the  maintenance  of  his  stock.  He  has 
made  additional  purchases  until  he  now  owns 
five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  kept  on  im- 
proving until  he  has  his  ranch  well  watered, 
supplied  with  first  rate  buildings  of  every  kind 
necessary  for  its  purposes,  and  in  an  advanced 
state  of  cultivation.  It  yields  an  average  of 
tliree  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  hay  per  annum 
and  furnishes  ample  feed  for  his  four  hundred 
cattle.  While  his  prosperity  has  been  great 
and  very  gratifying,  it  is  all  the  result  of  his 
own  efforts,  heroically  made  in  the  face  of  dif- 
ficulties and  adverse  circumstances,  and  has  an 
additional  value  to  him  and  his  numerous 
friends  because  of  the  fact.  In  political  affairs 
he  supports  the  Democratic  party  warmly,  and 
in  fraternal  life  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  United  Workmen  at  Gunnison. 
On  July  n,  1882,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Miss  Maggie  Stanton,  a  native  of  Mus- 
catine,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Rush)  Stanton,  who  were  born,  reared  and 
married  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  soon  after  their  marriage,  first  locating 
at  St.  Louis,  Misouri,  and  afterward  moving 
to  Iowa.  The  mother  died  at  Muscatine,  in  the 
latter  state,  and  the  father  in  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Vader  have  had  ten  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  Francis  W.,  Hattie  M., 
Richard  I.,  Margaret  E.,  Joseph  D.  H.,  Henry 
D.  and  Julia.  Those  deceased  are  Katie,  John 
and  Grace.  Through  all  the  obstructions  to  his 
progress  which  he  has  encountered  Mr.  Vader 
has  steadily  hewed  out  his  way,  holding  firmly 
all  the  ground  he  has  gained  in  his  onward 
march  to  success  and  prosperity,  and  at  the 
same  time  has  had  a  far-seeing  eye  and  ready 
hand  for  the  advancement  and  improvement 


1 86 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


of  the  section  in  which  he  cast  his  lot.  He  has 
been  constant  in  service  to  his  community,  and 
by  all  classes  of  its  people  he  is  highly  respected 
for  his  sterling  worth  and  usefulness. 

HAMLIN  L.  EDGERTON. 

Hamlin  L.  Edgerton,  of  Carbondale,  who  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  enterprising 
manufacturers  and  promoters  of  the  Western 
slope  of  this  state,  was  born  on  January  12, 
1 86 1,  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  and  is  the 
son  of  Daniel  G.  and  Mary  (Brewer)  Edger- 
ton, the  former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the 
latter  of  Connecticut.  In  1856  the  parents 
moved  to  Ohio,  and  after  living  there  a  number 
of  years  took  up  their  residence  in  Illinois. 
The  father  was  a  skillful  manufacturer  of 
cheese  and  built  one  of  the  finest  factories  for 
the  purpose  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  This  he  con- 
ducted successfully  until  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire  with  a  heavy  loss  to  him.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Leadville,  his  wife 
and  children  having  preceded  him  hither  two 
years.  After  his  arrival  here  the  father  en- 
gaged in  the  saw-mill  business  on  Tennessee 
pass.  Two  years  of  successful  prosecution  of 
his  enterprise  there  enabled  him  to  sell  out  the 
business  and  plant  to  his  sons.  He  then  moved 
to  Glenwood  Springs,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1883  ne  bought  a  ranch  five  miles  northwest  of 
Carbondale,  where  for  some  years  he  conducted 
a  dairy  and  manufactured  cheese.  He  and  his 
wife  are  now  living  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits at  Carbondale.  They  are  zealous  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in  political  affilia- 
tion he  is  a  Republican.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  children.  Of  these  one,  Louise, 
then  the  wife  of  Eugene  Thomas,  died  on  July 
20,  1899.  The  living  children  are:  Julius  B., 
of  Leadville;  Irvin  N.,  a  Methodist  minister 
at  Montrose;  and  Hamlin  L.,  of  Carbondale. 
The  last  named  remained  with  his  parents  un- 


til he  reached  his  legal  majority,  aiding  in 
whatever  enterprise  his  father  was  carrying  on 
and  attending  the  public  schools  when  he  had 
opportunity,  thereby  securing  a  limited  educa- 
tion, but  learning  practical  usefulness  in  serv- 
iceable labor.  He  accompanied  his  mother  to 
this  state  in  1878,  and  in  1882  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  J.  B.  Edgerton  &  Company, 
engaged  in  saw-milling,  a  business  which  the 
sons  purchased  of  their  father.  In  1884  Ham- 
lin disposed  of  his  interest  in  this  business  and 
located  a  ranch  six  miles  west  of  Carbondale  in 
Jerome  Park.  He  continued  ranching  here 
until  1899,  then  sold  out  at  a  good  profit  and 
bought  his  present  home  at  Carbondale.  He 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing cheese,  and  in  addition  is  interested 
in  raising  cattle.  His  ranch  comprises  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  acres,  forty  of  which 
can  be  cultivated  and  the  rest  is  given  up  to 
grazing.  The  water  supply  is  good  and  the 
land  produces  hay  and  grain  in  abundance.  In 
political  activity  Mr.  Edgerton  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  in  the  public  local  affairs  of  his 
community  and  county  he  is  a  man  of  influence 
and  enterprise.  He  was  married  on  November 
6,  1887,  to  Miss  Mary  Brown,  a  native  of 
Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  but  reared  in  Iowa, 
where  her  parents,  Charles  and  Ella  (Hard- 
ing) Brown,  settled  when  she  was  young. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  her 
mother  in  Illinois.  They  were  farmers  in  their 
earlier  married  life,  and  in  later  years  the  fa- 
ther became  associated  with  a  street  car  com- 
pany at  San  Jose,  California.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  affiliation.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children,  Rosa  M.,  William,  of 
Duluth,  Minnesota,  and  Mrs.  Edgerton.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edgerton  have  eight  children,  Ernest 
E.,  Bessie  R,  Lloyd  G..  Iva  G.,  Mary  L.,  Wes- 
ley, George  H.  and  Ruth  M.  Mr.  Edgerton  is 
successful  in  business,  useful  in  citizenship,  and 
generally  esteemed. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


187 


OZIAS  D.  SEBREE. 

Ozias  D.  Sebree,  of  Carbondale,  one  of  Gar- 
field  county's  most  wide-awake,  enterprising 
and  successful  cattle-growers,  whose  life  in  this 
state  has  been  full  of  usefulness  in  developing 
its  resources  and  promoting  the  interest  of  its 
people,  was  born  at  Canton,  Fulton  county, 
Illinois,  on  February  18,  1839,  and  acquired 
business  capacity  and  enterprise  in  a  store  con- 
ducted by  his  father  in  that  city,  and  strength 
of  body  and  independence  of  spirit  on  a  farm. 
His  parents,  Robert  T.  and  Elizabeth  (Ryan) 
Sebree,  were  natives,  respectively,  of  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  but  reared  in  Virginia.  They  set- 
tled in  Illinois  in  1836,  and  there  the  father 
was  a  successful  merchant  and  also  connected 
with  other  enterprises  in  which  he  was  prosper- 
ous. Both  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  They  had  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  have  died.  The  two  living  are  George 
and  Ozias,  both  residents  of  Colorado.  The 
mother  died  in  1863  and  the  father  in  1881. 
Their  son  Ozias  received  a  good  public-school 
education  in  his  native  town,  and  when  he  was 
fourteen  took  a  position  in  his  father's  store, 
but  he  was  unable  to  continue  long  at  the  con- 
fining work,  and  in  order  to  restore  his  failing 
health  went  to  work  on  a  farm.  After  a  few 
years  of  the  exhilarating  life  in  the  open  air 
thus  available  to  him,  he  accepted  another  mer- 
cantile position  as  traveling  salesman  for  an 
omnibus  line  at  Kansas  City,  serving  with  sat- 
isfaction to  the  company  from  1869  to  1874. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  came  to  this  state, 
and  after  a  short  stay  at  Denver,  moved  to  Col- 
orado Springs,  where  he  was  connected  with  a 
transfer  company  two  years  and  a  half.  He 
then  moved  into  the  Arkansas  valley  and  be- 
came interested  in  the  toll  road  on  Cottonwood 
pass  in  partnership  with  Charles  Holmes,  Not 
long  afterward  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  en- 
terprise at  a  good  profit,  and  going  to  Free 


Gold,  where  Buena  Vista  now  is,  he  opened  a 
grocery  which  he  sold  after  operating  it  profit- 
ably a  year,  disposing  of  his  interest  to  his 
partner,  Charles  Holmes.  He  then  began 
freighting  between  Leadville  and  Canon  City 
and  Colorado  Springs,  and  in  this  enterprise 
was  very  successful;  but  he  sold  his  outfit  a 
year  and  a  half  later  and  became  interested  in 
a  saw-mill  business  conducted  by  the  Fasson 
Company.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  quit  this 
company  and  located  at  Aspen,  where  he  de- 
voted some  time  to  prospecting.  In  the  autumn 
of  1 88 1  he  located  a  homestead  nine  miles 
northwest  of  Aspen,  and  two  years  later  he  sold 
the  improvements  he  had  made  on  it  and  aban- 
doned it.  In  the  meantime  he  was  conducting 
a  feed  store  at  Aspen,  which  he  continued  to 
carry  on  until  1888,  then  rented  it  until  1892, 
giving  his  attention  to  training  horses  for  the 
race  tracks.  In  1893  ne  so^  the  feed  business 
and  began  devoting  his  entire  time  to  training 
horses  and  raising  cattle  and  ranching  on  a 
place  which  he  now  owns  and  which  is  two 
miles  and  a  half  southeast  of  Carbondale.  This 
comprises  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  and 
yields  excellent  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  pota- 
toes, and  gives  a  generous  support  to  his  herds, 
which  are  profitable.  He  is  a  man  of  public- 
spirit  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  On  Novem- 
ber 7,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Alberta 
(Grubb)  Winters,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  daughter  of  Edward  and  Sarah  Jane 
Grubb,  also  born  in  that  state.  They  moved  to 
Mankatp,  Minnesota,  in  1867,  and  there  the 
father  followed  his  trade  as  a  tanner.  Four  of 
their  nine  children  survive  him,  he  having  died 
on  April  20,  1899.  The  mother  now  makes 
her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sebree.  Her  liv- 
ing children  are  Lloyd,  Eugene,  Alberta  and 
Josephine,  the  last  named  being  the  wife  of 
Eugene  Silvester,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 
Mrs.  Sebree  has  been  during  the  past  ten  years 
the  postmistress  at  Carbondale,  and  during  the 


1 88 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


last  five  the  town  clerk.  She  is  an  accomp- 
lished lady  and  a  popular  official,  discharging 
the  duties  of  her  two  offices  with  skill  and  fidel- 
ity, and  in  a  manner  that  is  creditable  to  her- 
self and  satisfactory  to  the  patrons  of  both. 
Mr.  Sebree  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  business 
man  and  a  good  citizen,  and  has  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  the  whole  surrounding  coun- 
try in  the  midst  of  which  he  has  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  lived  and  labored. 

DANIEL  MCCARTHY. 

Daniel  McCarthy,  of  near  Carbondale,  one 
of  Garfield  county's  most  enterprising,  success- 
ful and  esteemed  ranchmen  and  cattle-growers, 
brought  with  him  to  his  present  location  and 
business  the  native  resourcefulness  and  adap- 
tability of  his  race,  fortified  by  the  wisdom 
gained  in  a  varied  experience  and  many  con- 
tests with  difficulty  and  hardship.  He  was  born 
on  December  IT,  1859,  in  county  Limerick, 
Ireland,  where  his  parents,  Dennis  and  Cath- 
erine (Barry)  McCarthy,  were  also  born  and 
reared.  Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1889, 
they  made  their  way  at  once  to  this  state  and 
settled  at  Aspen,  where  they  followed  farm- 
ing until  the  death  of  the  mother,  on  March  I, 
1898,  since  which  time  the  father  has  made  his 
home  with  his  son  Daniel.  Both  belonged  to 
the  Catholic  church,  and  were  devoted  in  atten- 
tion to  their  religious  duties.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  them,  one  named  Mary  being  de- 
ceased. The  living  six  are  Daniel,  of  Garfield 
county;  Nora,  the  wife  of  Anton  Galina; 
John,  living  at  Cripple  Creek;  Lizzie,  the 
wife  of  Alexander  Crook;  Dennis,  a  resi- 
dent of  Telluride;  and  Michael,  a  citizen 
of  Leadville.  Daniel  received  but  little 
schooling,  and  that  at  the  common  schools 
which  he  attended  for  short  times  at 
irregular  intervals.  .  He  remained  with  his 
parents,  working  in  their  interest,  until  he 


reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  then  in  1880 
came  to  this  country  to  make  his  own  living  and 
embrace  the  opportunities  held  out  here  to  thrift 
and  enterprise.  His  first  location  was  at  Gal- 
veston,  Texas,  where  he  followed  milling  for  a 
year.  In  1881  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  after 
working  as  a  laborer  on  railroad  construction 
for  a  year,  was  promoted  foreman,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  Rio 
Grande  and  Colorado  Midland  railroads  ten 
years.  In  1891  he  began  ranch  life,  purchasing 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  of  Newton 
Lentz,  and,  succeeding  in  his  venture,  in  1903 
he  bought  five  hundred  acres  adjoining  this, 
known  as  the  Lloyd  Grubb  ranch.  Of  these 
properties  he  is  still  profitably  engaged,  raising 
the  best  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  potatoes,  which 
are  produced  in  abundance  and  of  excellent 
quality.  He  also  raises  stock  in  numbers  which 
have  a  high  rank  in  the  markets.  As  a  side  is- 
sue he  invents  improvements  in  machinery,  and 
in  this  branch  of  his  industry  he  exhibits  unus- 
ual skill  and  ability.  He  is  actively  interested  in 
the  w:elfare  of  his  section  of  the  state,  support- 
ing with  ardor  and  enterprise  every  commend- 
able project  for  its  promotion  and  advance- 
ment. In  politics  he  is  independent,  and  in 
fraternal  life  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  He  was  married  on  July 
24,  1882,  to  Miss  Maria  Wills,  a  native  of 
Queens  county,  Ireland,  where  her  parents, 
Thomas  and  Ann  (Malone)  Wills,  were  also 
born.  Her  father  was  a  merchant  after  pass- 
ing a  portion  of  his  life  as  a  laborer.  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
They  had  two  children,  Annie,  who  resides  in 
her  native  county  in  Ireland,  and  Mrs.  McCar- 
thy. The  father  died  in  1860  and  the  mother 
in  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCarthy  have  had 
six  children.  A  son  named  Arthur  is  deceased. 
The  five  living  are  Mary  J.,  Annie  E.,  Ida  C, 
Ella  Nora  and  Grace  Frances. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


189 


ZACHARIAH  B.   KIGGINS. 

Having  come  to  his  present  prosperity  in  a 
worldly  way,  and  his  high  standing  in  the  good 
will  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men  through 
many  hardships  and  trials,  with  a  dreary  suc- 
cession of  triumphs  and  adversities,  and 
through  all  having  made  his  own  way  from  his 
youth,  without  the  aid  of  favorable  circum- 
stances or  outside  aid,  Zachariah  B.  Kiggins, 
of  near  Carbondale,  one  of  the  successful  and 
prosperous  ranchmen  and  stock-growers  of 
Garfield  county,  and  in  many  ways  one  of  the 
earnest  promoters  of  the  welfare  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  he  has  cast  his  lot,  can  greatly 
appreciate  the  struggles  of  young  men  in  the 
battle  of  life  and  the  value  of  unwavering  cour- 
age, personal  enterprise,  judicious  thrift  and 
persistent  effort.  The  story  of  his  life  is  an 
oft-told  tale  in  Western  United  States  history, 
and  it  illustrates  not  only  the  opportunities  af- 
forded by  this  portion  of  the  country,  but  as 
well  the  price  of  endurance  and  continued  en- 
deavor at  which  they  are  held.  He  was  born 
on  May  n,  1870,  in  Madison  county,  Iowa, 
where  his  parents,  Samuel  J.  and  Rebecca 
(Bertholf)  Kiggins,  settled  early  in  their  mar- 
ried life.  In  1884,  when  he  was  fourteen 
years  old,  they  moved  to  Colorado  and  located 
in  the  Plateau  valley,  on  a  pre-emption  claim 
over  which  the  town  of  Plateau  has  since 
grown.  Here  they  lived  as  western  pioneers 
were  obliged  to  in  those  days,  eking  out  a  living 
from  the  reluctant  soil  and  contending  with  the 
privations  and  absence  of  conveniences  inci- 
dent to  the  time  and  locality.  They  were, 
however,  industrious  and  frugal,  and  although1 
the  family  was  large  and  the  means  for  its  sup- 
port was  for  years  scant  and  not  easily  attain- 
able, they  made  steady  progress  toward  sub- 
stantial comfort  and  a  growing  competence. 
The  father  was  a  ranchman  and  became  an  ex- 
tensive cattle  breeder  and  dealer.  He  and  his 


wife  are  Methodists  in  church  affiliation,  and  in 
reference  to  political  questions  the  father  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  Fourteen  children  were 
born  to  them,  and  of  these  nine  are  living : 
John,  a  resident  of  Oregon ;  Zachariah,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Ezra,  deceased;  Rose,  the 
wife  of  Leland  Crosier,  of  the  Plateau  valley; 
Lillian,  the  wife  of  George  Salisbury;  James; 
Delia,  the  wife  of  Earl  Wendell;  Hattie,  the 
wife  of  Leon  Rassmussen ;  Oliver  and  Robert. 
The  one  with  whom  we  are  at  present  most 
concerned  had  brief  and  irregular  attendance  at 
the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
began  the  race  for  supremacy  among  men  for 
himself.  Ten  years  were  passed  in  Utah  and 
other  states  handling  cattle,  and  encountering 
all  sorts  of  hardships  and  dangers.  The  next 
five  were  devoted  to  arduous  labor  on  a  farm 
in  the  interest  of  Richard  S\vann.  Then  he 
rented  a  ranch  and  ran  it  two  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  the  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  which  he  now  owns  and  operates.  He 
cultivates  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  this 
in  hay,  grain,  potatoes  and  fruit,  and  also 
raises  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses.  His  crops 
are  excellent  in  quality  and  generous  in  quan- 
tity, and  his  stock  commands  a  high  price  in 
the  markets.  The  ranch  is  ten  miles  east  of 
Glenwood  Springs  in  a  specially  rich  and  pro- 
gressive region.  Mr.  Kiggins's  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  section  has  been  manifested  in 
many  ways,  notably  in  his  extended  service  as 
road  overseer  and  the  unusually  good  roads  he 
built  during  his  tenure  of  the  office.  He  is  an 
ardent  Republican  in  political  matters,  but  a 
public-spirited  man  in  reference  to  local  affairs, 
in  which  he  takes  an  active  part  without  refer- 
ence to  politics.  On  May  n,  1898,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  J.  Weaver,  who 
was  born  in  Colorado  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Philip  E.  and  Mary  A.  (Heiter)  Weaver,  who 
came  from  their  native  Pennsylvania  to  this 
state  in  1866  among  the  early  settlers  and  lo- 


190 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


catecl  at  what  is  now  Colorado  Springs.  There 
the  father  conducted  a  grist-mill,  one  of  the 
first  in  thajt  section.  He  was  prosperous  in 
business,  and  earnestly  interested  in  the  local 
affairs  of  the  community.  In  political  action 
he  was  a  firm  and  steadfast  Democrat.  The 
family  comprised  five  children,  all  of  whom 
survive  the  father,  who  died  on  August  6,  1899. 
They  are :  Ella,  wife  of  Charles  Lehno,  of 
Carbondale;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Conrey,  of 
the  same  place;  George,  living  at  the  home  of 
Mr.  Kiggins  ;  John,  a  resident  of  Bayfield,  Col- 
orado; and  Mrs.  Kiggins.  In  the  Kiggins 
household  there  are  two  interesting  children, 
Estella  and  John  Homer. 

COLLINS  D.  FULLER. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  and  well  pleased  with  the  success  he 
has  achieved  in  the  state,  Collins  D.  Fuller,  a 
prosperous  ranchman  living  on  a  fine  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which  he  cul- 
tivates ninety  acres,  is  devoted  to  the  welfare  of 
the  state,  and  has  made  essential  contributions 
to  its  growth  and  development.  He  is  a  native 
of  Allegany  county.  New  York,  where  his  life 
began  on  October  16,  1845,  at  tne  village  of 
Hume,  fifty  miles  from  Buffalo,  the  nearest 
city  of  any  size.  His  parents.  Milo  C.  and  Dor- 
othy S.  (Barnard)  Fuller,  were  natives,  respec- 
tively, of  Vermont  and  New  York  state.  They 
located  in  Iowa  in  1852,  at  Davenport,  where 
the  father  abandoned  his  former  occupation  of 
shipbuilding,  which  he  had  carried  on  at  Buf- 
falo, and  became  a  nurseryman.  In  time  he 
removed  to  Platteville,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  insurance  business, 
but  still  retained  his  interests  in  Iowa.  In 
1879  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  a  residence 
of  two  years  at  Leadville,  returned  to  Iowa, 
and  assisted  his  son  in  farming  until  1902, 
when  he  came  back  to  this  state  and  settled  at 


Carbondale,  where  he  is  now  living  retired 
from  active  pursuits.  His  wife  died  in  1900. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  as 
he  has  long  been.  They  had  four  children. 
Eugenia,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy,  and  Col- 
lins. Lizzie  and  Arthur,  of  Omaha,  Nebraska, 
are  living.  Collins  was  educated  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  at  the  Platteville  (Wisconsin) 
Academy.  While  he  was  pursuing  his  stud- 
ies at  this  institution  the  Civil  war  broke  out 
and  he  joined  the  Union  army  as  a  member 
of  the  Seventh  Wisconsin  Infantry,  although 
at  the  time  he  was  only  sixteen  years  old.  In 
the  memorable  contest  he  saw  active  and  ardu- 
ous service,  facing  death  on  many  a  hard- 
fought  field  and  being  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  He 
was  confined  in  the  notorious  Andersonville 
prison  at  Richmond,  and  suffered  his  share  of 
the  hardships  of  the  place.  But  he  escaped  af- 
ter a  time  and  made  his  way  to  the  Union  lines 
at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  making  his 
escape  on  February  22,  1865.  After  complet- 
ing his  term  of  service  in  the  war  he  returned 
to  the  academy  at  Platteville  and  renewed  his 
studies;  and  on  leaving  the  institution  took  a 
course  of  business  training  at  Eastman's  Com- 
mercial College  in  Chicago.  He  then  taught 
school  in  Wisconsin  and  northern  Illinois  in 
the  winter  and  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpen- 
ter in  the  summer  until  1873,  when  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Georgetown,  here  pass- 
ing three  years  in  mining  and  building.  The 
next  three  years  he  lived  at  Lake  City  and  was 
engaged  principally  in  building.  From  there 
he  went  to  Leadville,  where,  notwithstanding 
the  temptations  of  the  place  for  a  different 
course,  he  gave  up  mining  and  devoted  himself 
wholly  to  building.  In  this  craft  he  did  well, 
but  in  mining  he  never  accomplished  much. 
Tn  1885  he  secured  the  ranch  on  which  he 
now  lives  by  purchasing  the  improvements  from 
its  former  owner  and  settled  on  it  as  a  perma- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


191 


nent  residence.  To  its  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment he  has  given  his  whole  attention  ever 
since,  and  his  success  in  the  enterprise  has 
heen  steady  and  very  gratifying.  He  raises 
large  crops  of  excellent  hay,  grain,  vegetables 
and  fruit,  and  finds  himself  prosperous  and 
contented  in  his  occupation.  The  supply  of 
water  for  the  ranch  is  abundant,  and  belongs 
to  the  ranchmen  under  the  ditch.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  has  supported  the  Republican  party  all  of 
his  mature  life.  His  first  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred on  March  26,  1871,  was  with  Miss  Kate 
Snyder,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  had  one 
child,  their  daughter  Kate  L.,  now  the  wife  of 
Harry  Gardner,  of  Carbondale,  this  state.  Her 
mother  died  on  December  29,  1871,  and  on 
June  4,  1876,  he  was  married,  to  Miss  Lavina 
Belcher,  a  native  of  Bates  county,  Missouri. 
Milo,  one  of  their  three  children,  died  in  1879. 
The  other  two  are  Charles  H.  and  Chester  L., 
the  former  living  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  the  , 
latter  remaining  at  home. 

GEORGE  SIEVERS. 

The  native  persistency  and  productive  en- 
ergy of  the  German  people,  which  never  flags 
in  its  efforts,  and  never  fails  in  accomplishing 
worthy  results,  which  has  made  their  land 
great  at  home  and  respected  abroad,  and  has 
done  so  much  for  other  lands  where  they  have 
settled,  especially  the  United  States,  in  whose 
development  in  times  of  peace  and  defense  in 
times  of  war  have  been  so  materially  aided  by 
them,  is  well  illustrated  in  the  career  of  George 
Sievers,  of  Garfield  county,  this  state,  where 
he  is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing stock-growers  and  ranchmen  of  the  county 
and  one  of  its  inspiring  forces  in  promoting 
progress  and  the  general  weal.  He  came  to 
this  country  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  with 


almost  nothing  in  the  way  of  worldly  wealth, 
and  now,  almost  entirely  through  his  own  ef- 
forts, owns  one  of  the  largest  and  best  ranches 
in  his  section  of  the  state,  and  conducts  on  it 
one  of  the  most  extensive  and  profitable  ranch 
and  cattle  industries  to  be  found  on  the  West- 
ern slope.     Mr.  Sievers  was  born  at  Holstein, 
in  the  fatherland,  on  September  17,  1855,  ancl 
was  reared  and  educated  in  that  part  of  the 
country.-    His  parents,    Max  and    Katharine 
(Rathjen)   Sievers,  were  natives  of  the  same 
place,  and  for  many  generations  their  forefa- 
thers lived  and  labored  there.    They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  pros- 
pered as  farmers,  rearing  to  maturity  seven  of 
their  ten  children,  who  are  still  living  and  are 
Clans,  Elsabe  (Mrs.  Peter  Doosa),  and  Mar- 
garet (Mrs.  Peter  Claussen),  all  of  whom  live 
in   Germany;   and   Henry,   of  San   Francisco, 
George   and   T'imm,   of   Garfield   county,   and 
John,  of  Gunnison,  this  state.     Their  mother 
died  in  1876  and  their  father  in  1895.     George 
was  educated  in  the  common  state  schools  and 
trained  to  habits  of  useful  labor  on  the  farm. 
He   also    saw   military   service,    serving   from 
1874  to   1877  in  the  German  army.     He  re- 
mained at  home  working  in  the  interest  of  his 
parents,  except  during  this  interval  of  three 
years,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
then  in  1880  came  to  the  United  States,  and 
after  passing  a  short  time  at  Valparaiso,  Indi- 
ana, came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Denver. 
Soon  afterward  he  moved  to  Granite,  where  he 
passed  four  years  in  placer  mining  during  the 
season   for  such  work,  in  the  employ  of  the 
Twin  Lakes  Hydraulic  Mining  Company.     In 
the  fall  of  1885  he  secured  a  portion  of  his 
present  ranch  by  purchasing  the  improvements 
on  it  made  by  its  previous  owner.     These  con- 
sisted of  two  little  cabins,  and  as  his  brother 
was  his  partner  in  the  enterprise,  there  was  one 
for  each.    They  made  many  improvements  and 
reduced    the    land    to    productiveness,  buying 


192 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


more  as  they  prospered  until  the  place  now 
comprises  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  In 
1894  the  partnership  was  harmoniously  dis- 
solved, George  purchasing  his  brother's  inter- 
est, and  since  that  year  he  has  been  conduct- 
ing the  business  alone.  He  has  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  under  cultivation  in  hay,  grain 
and  potatoes,  which  are  produced  in  large 
quantities  and  first-class  quality.  Cattle  are 
also  raised  on  an  extensive  scale  and  some 
horses  for  market.  The  ranch  is  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  having  its  own  ditch,  and  is 
in  every  respect  in  fine  condition.  It  is  nine 
miles  southeast  of  Glenwood  Springs  and  four 
north  of  Carbondale.  Mr.  Sievers  is  also  in- 
terested in  other  enterprises,  and  both  in  busi- 
ness and  in  all  the  elements  of  good  citizenship 
is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  in  national  affairs  supports 
the  Republican  party.  He  was  married  on 
April  30,  1894,  to  Miss  Johanna  Sass,  who  also 
was  born  at  Holstein,  Germany,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Dora  Sass,  of  the  same 
nativity  and  well-to-do  farmers  there,  the  fa- 
ther being  in  addition  a  manufacturer  of  wag- 
ons. They  are  members  of  the  German  Luth- 
eran church,  and  highly  respected  citizens. 
Their  offspring  numbered  five,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  Christopher,  Henry  and  Mary,  now 
Mrs.  Theodore  Burmahl,  all  in  Germany;  and 
Mrs.  Sievers,  of  this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sie- 
vers have  two  children,  Katharine,  born  on 
April  15,  1895,  and  John  M.,  born  on  the  loth 
day  of  November,  1896. 

MARTIN  HOTZ. 

Martin  Hotz,  who  is  one  of  the  extensive 
and  successful  stock-growers  and  ranchmen  of 
Garfield  county,  and  who  lives  on  a  rich  and 
well-tilled  ranch  of  eight  hundred  acres  eight 


miles  north  of  Basalt,  was  born  and  reared  at 
Baden,  Germany,  and  is  the  son  of  Valen- 
tine and  Elizabeth  Hotz,  of  that  portion  of  the 
fatherland,  and  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
his  family,  both  of  his  parents  and  the  rest 
of  their  six  children  having  died,  the  father 
on  March  31,  1858,  and  the  mother  on  March 
18,  1866.  The  father  was  a  prosperous  and 
skillful  farmer,  being  accounted,  before  he  lost 
his  eyesight,  the  best  farmer  in  his  whole 
neighborhood.  The  parents  were  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  and  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  five  of  whom  died  at  various  ages. 
They  were  Vincense,  Mary  A.,  Barbara,  Kath- 
erine  and  Theresa.  Martin  attended  school 
nine  years  in  his  native  land  and  between  the 
terms  aided  his  parents  on  the  farm.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
cooper,  and  in  r872  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  worked 
there  at  his  trade  until  1889,  at  which  time  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  at  once  pre-empted  a 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch,  which  he  has 
increased  by  subsequent  purchases  to  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  seven  hundred  of  which  are  under 
cultivation  and  yield  abundantly  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables.  He  also  raises  large  numbers 
of  cattle  and  enough  horses  for  his  own  use. 
During  the  past  four  years  his  sons  have  oper- 
ated a  threshing  outfit  and  found  it  a  profitable 
enterprise.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Hotz  is  a 
zealous  Republican,  and  in  fraternal  life  be- 
longs to  the  St.  Joseph  and  the  St.  Nicholas  ben- 
eficial societies.  He  was  married  on  September 
3.  1874,  to  Miss  Mary  Hunt,  of  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, the  daughter  of  Anton  and  Frances 
Hunt,  who  were  born  at  Baden,  Germany,  and 
came  to  this  country  soon  after  their  marriage. 
The  father  was  an  industrious  and  skillful  la- 
borer, and  made  a  good  living  for  his  family. 
They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church, 
and  devoutlv  attentive  to  their  church  duties. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


193 


Six  children  were  born  to  them.  Of  these  two 
died  in  infancy  and  a  son  named  George  on 
July  3,  1893.  The  children  living  are  John  A., 
of  Salt  Lake  City;  Frances,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Hotz;  and  Bernhardt,  of  Rosette,  Utah.  The 
mother  died  on  August  27,  1886,  and  the  fa- 
ther on  March  3,  1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hotz 
have  eight  children,  whose  names  are  Clara, 
Elizabeth,  George,  Bernhardt,  Joseph,  Mary, 
Theresa  and  Augustine. 

CHARLES  W.  STRINGFIELD. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review  is  a  prod- 
uct of  the  West  and  all  his  life  he  has  been 
identified  with  its  interests  and  occupied  in 
its  industries.  He  was  born  in  Fremont  county, 
Iowa,  on  January  26,  1854,  and  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Nebraska.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  Kentucky  and  removed  to  Missouri  in  the 
early  forties  where  they  lived  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civil  war,  when  the  father,  being 
in  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  church,  went 
with  the  anti-slavery  branch  of  the  church,  and 
moved  North,  all  the  rest  of  the  family  ex- 
cept his  immediate  household  going  with  the 
South  in  the  struggle.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
history  of  Kansas,  when  the  border  troubles 
were  prevailing,  the  father  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  old  John  Brown  and  Gen.  Jim  Lane, 
who  were  prominent  in  the  stirring  events  of 
that  day.  From  Iowa  the  family  moved  to 
Nebraska,  settling  in  the  southeastern  county 
of  the  state,  where  the  father  built  the  first 
flour-mill  in  that  section.  This  he  continued  to 
operate  until  his  death,  on  July  15,  1869.  His 
widow  survived  him  twenty-five  years,  dying 
in  1896.  In  politics  he  was  an  enthusiastic 
Whig  and  Republican  and  took  great  interest 
in  the  success  of  his  party.  The  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  and  at  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Peru  and  the  State  University  at  Lincoln,  Ne- 


braska.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  for 
a  time  on  the  farm  and  in  1883  came  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  at  once  went  to  riding  the  range 
in  the  cattle  industry.  In  1886  and  for  several 
years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  on  the  cattle 
trail  between  Wyoming  and  Canada.  Return- 
ing to  Colorado  in  1890  he  secured  employment 
at  railroad  work  in  Pueblo.  From  there  he 
came  to  Aspen  in  1892  as  chief  inspector  of  the 
Colorado  car  service  bureau,  resigning  that 
position  in  January,  1901,  to  become  clerk  of 
the  district  court  of  Pitkin  county,  succeeding 
J.  F.  McEvoy,  who  had  served  in  this  capacity 
twelve  years.  Mr.  Stringfield  is  still  filling  this 
office  and  discharging  his'  duties  in  a  manner 
that  reflects  credit  on  himself  and  gives  satis- 
faction to  all  who  have  business  there.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  order,  to  the  lodge,  chap- 
ter, council  and  commandery,  in  Aspen  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Order  of  High  Priesthood  of 
this  fraternity  at  Denver.  He  is  also  a  Wood- 
man of  the  World,  and  in  politics  is  an  active 
and  serviceable  Democrat,  warmly  attached  to 
his  party  and  zealous  in  securing  its  welfare. 

P.  F.  IRVING, 

A  Canadian  by  birth  and  rearing,  and  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  political 
institutions  of  his  native  county,  P.  F.  Irving 
has  nevertheless  lived  long  enough  in  the 
United  States  to  imbibe  the  genius  of  our  peo- 
ple and  become  thoroughly  attached  to  the  in- 
stitutions and  interests  of  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. His  life  began  on  Prince  Edward  Island 
on  November  20,  1854,  and  he  is  the  son  of 
Philip  Franklin  and  Sophia  (Forrest)  Irving, 
natives  of  Scotland.  The  father  passed  his 
years  of  earlier  manhood  as  a  sea  captain  and 
his  later  life  as  a  farmer,  achieving  success  in 
both  pursuits.  Both  parents  are  Presbyterians, 
and  in  politics  the  father  is  a  Tory.  They  had 
eleven  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy 


194 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


and  eight  are  living,  P.  F.-  being  the  youngest. 
He  received  a  limited  education  in  the  public 
schools,  his  opportunities  for  attending  being 
few  and  of  short  duration,  as  he  was  obliged  to 
go  to  work  on  the  farm  at  an  early  age.  This 
he  continued  until  he  was  twenty-five,  when  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  settling  at  Central  City, 
Gilpin  county,  went  to  work  at  mining  and 
teaming.  He  continued  at  this  employment 
ten  years,  and  in  1889  located  at  Aspen.  He 
kept  on  mining  and  also  was  engaged  in  team- 
ing until  1899,  except  during  the  year  1897 
when  he  was  captain  of  the  Aspen  police  force. 
In  1899  he'was  elected  sheriff  of  Gilpin  county, 
and  in  1902  went  into  the  livery  business  as 
the  successor  of  Mr.  Themer,  whom  he  bought 
out.  In  this  enterprise  he  was  successful,  sell- 
ing out  to  good  advantage  in  the  latter  part 
of  1904.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat, always  loyal  and  serviceable  to  his  party, 
and  always  earnestly  anxious  for  its  success. 
In  fraternal  life  he  is  a  Freemason,  a  Knight  of 
Pythias  and  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and 
also  a  social  member  of  the  Fraternal  Union. 
On  June  17,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Frances  V.  (Wootton)  Fitzgerald,  a  native  of 
Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard 
and  Frances  (Smith)  Wootton.  In  his  young 
manhood  the  father  was  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  California,  having  gone  thither  from 
his  native  Virginia,  where  his  Scotch  ancestors 
settled  many  years  before.  Both  of  Mrs.  Irv- 
ing's  parents  are  deceased.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  active  in 
its  works  of  benevolence.  The  mother  passed 
away  while  her  daughter  was  young. 

JOSEPH  M.  B.  PARRY. 

No  man  is  better  educated  than  he  who 
knows  how  to  do,  when  to  do  and  where  to  do, 
and  who  stands  ready  with  a  hearty  will  to  do, 
whatever  may  be  incumbent  on  him  to  do,  per- 


ilous though  it  be,  and  apart  from  a  sense  of 
duty  repulsive.  Such  as  this  is  the  education 
for  life's  duties  shown  by  the  record  and  ca- 
reer of  Joseph  Mellard  Bibby  Parry,  of  Aspen, 
manager  of  the  Bonnybel  mine  near  the  town. 
When  he  has  been  unable  to  get  employment 
in  his  chosen  line  of  activity  and  in  consonance 
with  his  special  abilities,  he  has  cheerfully  ac- 
cepted what  he  could  get  and  has  performed 
his  service  in  that  with  all  his  energy  and  ca- 
pacity :  and  when  disaster  and  privation  have 
been  his  portion  he  has  risen  superior  to  them 
and  made  even  adverse  circumstances  minis- 
ter ultimately  to  his  advancement.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  England,  born  at  Barnoldswick  in  York- 
shire, on  July  17,  1856,  and  the  son  of  Dr. 
Hugh  and  Elizabeth  (Lord)  Parry,  both  na- 
tives of  England,  born  in  Lancashire,  the  fa- 
ther of  Welch  descent  and  belonging  to  fam- 
ilies long  resident  in  Flintshire  in  that  coun- 
try. Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
church  of  England.  During  the  Civil  war  in 
this  country  the  father  was  a  volunteer  sur- 
geon and  rendered  efficient  service  to  the  Union 
army.  He  was  a  Freemason  in  fraternal  rela- 
tions, and  in  politics  supported  the  Conserva- 
tive party.  Their  offspring  numbered  eight, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  a  son  named 
Thomas  in  1900.  The  living  are  Ellen,  Sarah. 
Joseph  M.  B.,  Arthur  and  Hugh.  Joseph  M. 
B..  the  immediate  subject  of  these  paragraphs, 
was  graduated  at  Liverpool  College  in  his  na- 
tive land  in  1872,  and  his  technical  knowledge 
acquired  in  the  class  rooms  was  supplemented 
by  practical  work  and  experience  in  the  con- 
struction of  roads,  docks  and  batteries  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  Great  Britain.  In  the  spring  of 
1880  he  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in 
Canada,  where  he  passed  a  year  in  various  en- 
gineering projects  and  three  in  a  vain  attempt 
to  find  the  route  to  wealth  by  raising  cattle  in 
the  vicinity  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  He  soon 
found,  however,  that  chasing  cattle  through  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


195 


cranberry  swamps  of  western  New  York,  al- 
though exciting  at  time,  had  not  enough  of 
snap  and  liveliness  in  it  to  suit  his  active  tem- 
perament, and  accordingly  the  opening  of  1884 
found  him  on  one  of  the  large  cattle  ranges  of 
northern  Colorado  and  southern  Wyoming. 
Two  years  of  cow-boy  life  satisfied  him  that 
the  fruits  of  his  labor  in  that  line  were  not  com- 
mensurate with  its  magnitude  and  danger,  and 
so  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  mineral  fields 
of  Colorado  with  higher  hopes.  From  1886  to 
1888  he  dug  and  sweated  and  swore  in  the 
gulches  and  among  the  rocks  of  Colorado  with 
much  the  same  success  that  attends  the  average 
lessee  of  mines  or  prospector  for  lodes, — that 
is  to  say,  rumor  credits  him  with  showing  up 
at  Aspen  in  1888  broke  and  hunting  a  job.  An 
experienced  observer  has  remarked  that  a  man 
never  fully  appreciates  life  in  Colorado  until  a 
turn  of  fortune's  wheel  leaves  him  penniless, 
sick  and  practically  friendless.  Then  what- 
ever of  manliness  there  is  in  him  comes  to  his 
aid  and  carries  him  through  his  difficulties. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Joe  Parry,  as 
everybody  calls  him,  experienced  almost  every 
vicissitude  incident  to  the  improvident,  semi- 
vagabond  life  of  a  genuine  prospector;  and  it 
is  known  that  his  cheerful,  sanguine  disposi- 
tion never  wavered  or  faltered,  and  that  no 
thought  of  discouragement  was  ever  enter- 
tained by  him.  His  philosophy  was  that  condi- 
tions not  theories  confronted  him,  and  his  man- 
hood dictated  that  those  conditions  must 
change.  '  So  when  he  applied  to  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Bonnybel  mine  for  employment 
and  was  told  there  was  nothing  there  for  him, 
he  insisted  that  there  must  be  something  at 
which  he  could  work.  His  persistency  won 
and  he  was  set  to  tending  the  masons  in  the 
construction  of  an  assay  furnace.  It  soon  be- 
came apparent  through  his  efficiency  and  dili- 
gence that  he  knew  more  about  building  assay 
furnaces  than  did  the  masons  he  was  tending, 


and  it  was  not  long  before  negotiations  were 
under  way  which  resulted  in  a  switching  of 
jobs.  This  was  the  turn  in  Joe's  fortunes,  for 
the  superintendent  appreciated  the  value  of  the 
man  who  had  thus  come  to  him,  and  Parry's 
promotion  was  rapid  and  in  full  accord  with 
his  talents  and  capacities,  he  becoming  miner, 
foreman,  assayer,  superintendent  and  finally 
manager  of  the  mine  in  turn,  and  filling  each 
place  with  conspicuous  ability.  He  still  holds 
the  post  of  manager  of  the  Bonnybel  mine, 
where  he  was  once  a  mason's  helper,  and  the 
owners  of  the  mine  are  proud  of  him  because 
of  his  strict  integrity  and  his  successful  man- 
agement of  their  interests.  On  February  6, 
1890,  he  married  with  Miss  Nancy  Little,  a 
native  of  Carroll  county,  Illinois,  the  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Drollinger)'  Little,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  who  migrated  to  Illi- 
nois in  1853  an(l  a  few  years  later  moved  to 
Cedar  county,  Iowa.  She  was  one  of  their 
ten  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Her 
mother  died  in  1891  and  her  father  in  1892. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parry  have  three  children,  Jo- 
seph M.  B.,  Jr..  Margaret  G.  and  Helen  W. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Episcopalian 
church,  and  the  father  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  the  Royal  Black  Knights 
and  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew.  Since 
1894  he  has  been  president  of  the  Citizens  Hos- 
pital Association. 

HENRY  TOURTELOTTE. 

A.  prominent  prospector  and  mining  man  of 
the  Aspen  fields,  and  having  located  in  that 
section  in  the  early  days  of  its  history  when 
the  population  was  scant  and  the  develop- 
ment scarcely  more  than  begun.  Henry  Tour- 
telotte  knows  the  whole  history  of  the  region 
and  has  been  one  of  the  principal  agencies  in 
promoting  its  growth  and  development  and 
bringing  its  wealth  to  the  knowledge  of  the 


196 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


world.  He  was  born  on  September  27,  1839, 
at  Downer's  Grove,  Dtipage  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  reared  and  received  a  limited 
education  by  short  and  irregular  terms  at  the 
public  schools.  He  assisted  his  parents  on 
the  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen, 
then  in  1858  went  to  Minnesota  and  secured 
employment  from  the  Indian  traders  at  the 
Winnebago  agency,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1860  at  a  compensation  of  twenty-five 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board,  being  part  of 
the  time  a  clerk  and  part  a  teamster.  In  1860 
he  came  to  Colorado,  at  that  time  an  unorgan- 
ized territory  and  attached  to  Kansas  for  ju- 
dicial purposes.  He  located  at  Clear  creek, 
where  he  passed  one  season  in  placer  mining 
without  much  success.  At  the  end  of  the 
season  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  enlisted 
in  defense  of  the  Union  for  the  Civil  war  in 
the  Second  Minnesota  Infantry,  but  after  a 
service  of  one  year  was  sent  home  on  a  fur- 
lough because  of  sickness  and  while  at  home 
was  discharged.  He  was  ill  a  year,  and  when 
he  had  partially  recovered  his  health  he  went 
to  southwestern  Minnesota  and  engaged  in 
hunting  and  trapping  with  good  success  for 
three  years,  then  began  merchandising  at  Man- 
kato,  Minnesota,  which  he  continued  twelve 
years.  The  grasshoppers  had  their  sway  at 
the  end  of  that  period  and  closed  his  business 
*by  stripping  the  country  of  its  productions  and 
depriving  the  people  of  the  means  of  trading. 
In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  to  remain  and 
located  at  Leadville,  but  in  the  latter  part  of 
that  year  moved  to  Aspen.  This  section  of  the 
state  was  then  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness, 
with  few  inhabitants  and  few  of  the  conven- 
iences of  life.  He  took  up  his  residence  in 
what  is  now  known  as  Tourtelotte  Park  and 
began  prospecting  and  mining,  passing  a  por- 
tion of  his  time  down  to  1894  at  Cripple  Creek, 
where  he  leased  mines  independently  and 
worked  them.  He  was  on  his  own  ground 


when  the  Indian  troubles  started  on  White 
river,  the  Indian  reservation  being  but  twelve 
miles  from  his  present  location.  During  his 
residence  here  he  has  located  many  claims,  a 
number  of  which  have  turned  out  to  be  very 
profitable.  While  the  conveniences  of  culti- 
vated life  were  few  and  hard  to  get  in  his 
early  days  in  this  section,  wild  game  of  even- 
kind  was  abundant  and  no  one  was  obliged  to- 
go  hungry.  Mr.  Tourtelotte  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  many  years  ago  was 
initiated  into  the  Masonic  order.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1865  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  (Andrews) 
House,  a  native  of  Dupage  county,  Illinois,  and 
daughter  of  F.  C.  and  Jerusha  Andrews,  na- 
tives of  Massachusetts  who  moved  to  Illinois 
in  early  days  and  there  became  prosperous- 
farmers.  In  1859  they  moved  to  Missouri  and 
engaged  again  in  farming  in  connection  with- 
stock-raising.  When  the  Civil  war  began  they, 
being  Northern  sympathizers  and  radical  Re- 
publicans, were  obliged  to  leave  their  farm  and 
returned  to  Illinois,  settling  near  Kankakee, 
where  they  fanned  until  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tourtelotte  had  three  children,  all  of  whom 
died  in  youth.  Mrs.  Tourtelotte  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Universalist  church.  She  died  in 
1869.  I11  J872  Mr.  Tourtelotte  married  a 
second  wife,  Miss  Josephine  Grubb,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  daughter  of  Ed- 
mond1  H.  and  Sarah  Jane  Grubb,  also  native 
in  that  state.  They  moved  to  Minnesota  after 
the  war,  in  which  Mr.  Grubb  was  a  soldier  and 
orderly  sergeant  in  a  Pennsylvania  cavalry 
regiment.  For  disabilities  incurred  in  the  serv- 
ice he  drew  a  pension  to  the  end  of  his  life, 
and  since  that  event  his  widow  gets  it.  He  con- 
ducted a  tannery  and  manufactured  fur  goods 
at  Mankato,  Minnesota,  and  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  politics.  The  family  consisted  of 
six  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those 
living  are  Eugene  H.,  William  L.  and  Joseph- 
ine* Mrs.  Tourtelotte.  By  his  second  mar- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


197 


riage,  to  Mrs.  Seebree,  Mr.  Tourtelotte  had 
two  children,  Maud,  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Henry  Lee,  now  a  captain  in  the  Third  Regi- 
ment of  the  Minnesota  National  Guard.  He 
was  born  in  Mankato,  Minnesota,  and  reared 
and  educated  at  Aspen.  He  is  now  associated 
with  the  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroad 
as  contracting  freight  agent,  and  has  been 
since  1897. 

ANDREW  E.  MULQUEEN. 

A  native  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, where  he  was  born  on  November  30,  1856, 
and  of  Irish  ancestry,  but  educated  in  the 
United  States  and  living  and  working  in  this 
country  during  almost  the  whole  of  his  mature 
life,  the  nationality  of  Andrew  E.  Mulqueen, 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Aspen,  presents  variety  enough 
in  suggestiveness  to  fitly  illustrate  the  wealth 
of  opportunity  afforded  to  the  world  by  our 
country,  and  the  conglomerate  nature  of  our 
population,  which  is  one  of  its  great  sources 
of  strength  and  enterprise.  His  parents  were 
Patrick  and  Dora  (Hayes)  Mulqueen,  natives 
of  Ireland  who  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  located  in  New  York  while  they  were  chil- 
dren. The  father  was  a  successful  and  well- 
known  lake  captain,  an  independent  in  politics 
and  a  Catholic  in  religion.  Eight  children  com- 
posed their  family,  four  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. Those  living  are  Andrew  E.,  Margaret 
E.,  Dora  M.  and  Daniel  M.  The  mother  died 
in  1866  and  the  father  in  1901.  Andrew  E.;, 
their  first  born,  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  Oswego,  New  York,  and  after  com- 
pleting their  course  attended  commercial 
schools  in  New  York  city  and  Toronto.  He 
also  was  employed  as  a  clerk  from  1872,  when 
he  was  sixteen,  until  1883,  when  he  was  twen- 
ty-seven, and  during  this  period  devoted  a  por- 
tion of  his  time  to  theatrical  business.  In  the 


spring  of  1884  he  came  to  Colorado,  locating 
at  Aspen  where  he  engaged  in  mining.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  was  appointed  assistant  post- 
master and  held  the  position  until  1889.  In 
1890  and  1891  he  was  county  clerk  of  Pitkin 
county,  and  after  leaving  that  office  began  his 
present  business  in  real  estate,  money  loaning 
and  silver  and  lead  mining  in  Colorado,  Utah 
and  Nevada.  In  the  fall  of  1903  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  state  leg- 
islature, and  served  as  chairman  of  the  county 
central  committee  of  his  party,  the  Democratic, 
and  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  his  entire 
ticket  elected.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  legis- 
lature in  the  fall  of  1904.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions he  is  connected  with  the  Elks,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Fraternal  Union.  On  No- 
vember 10,  1885,  he  married  with  Miss  Mary 
Tuttle,  a  native  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mulqueen  have  two  children,  Cicily  and 
Howard.  Just  in  the  full  maturity  and  vigor  of 
his  powers,  and  firmly  established  in  business 
and  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow 
men,  the  future  holds  out  bright  prospects  be- 
fore Mr.  Mulqueen,  and  his  past  record  and 
achievements  are  proofs  that  he  will  not  dis- 
appoint the  expectations  of  his  friends  and  the 
general  public. 

WALTER  S.   CLARK. 

One  of  the  founders  of  Aspen,  and  promi- 
nently connected  with  its  history  from  the  start, 
Walter  S.  Clark,  of  that  town,  has  been  a  very 
influential  factor  in  building  it  up,  developing 
its  resources,  adding  to  its  commercial  impor- 
tance and  giving  substance  and  shape  to  its 
governmental  affairs.  Locating  here  in  1879, 
he  was  one  of  the  four  original  prospectors  in 
the  camp  and  helped  to  locate  its  principal 
mines,  the  Smuggler,  the  Durant,  the  Thou- 
sand and  One,  Monarch,  the  Hoskins  and  the 


198 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Iron.  He  wrote  the  first  location  certificate, 
built  the  first  cabin  and  helped  to  survey  the 
first  claim  in  the  camp.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  born  on  November  12, 
1850,  and  was  reared  in  Wisconsin,  whither 
his  parents  moved  in  his  childhood.  They 
were  Griffith  C.  and  Sarah  T.  (Tillinghast) 
Clark,  New  Englanders  by  nativity,  the  father 
born  in  Connecticut  and  the  mother  in  Massa- 
chusetts. They  conducted  a  hotel  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  after  they  moved  to  Wisconsin  en- 
gaged in  farming!  They  were  Presbyterians 
in  church  connection,  and  in  politics  the  father 
was  an  unwavering  Democrat.  Nine  children 
were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. A  son  named  James  M.,  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  I,  Second  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry, in  the  Civil  war,  was  killed  at  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  at  the  age  of  eighteen;  another 
named  George  T.  died  at  Denver  in  November, 
1884,  and  John  H.  passed  away  at  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  in  September,  1902.  The  living 
children  are  Mrs.  -S.  L.  Sheldon,  of  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  and  Walter  S.,  of  Aspen.  The  fa- 
ther died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  and 
the  mother  in  1878,  at  the  same  age.  Their 
son  Walter's  educational  advantages  were  very 
limited,  as  he  was  obliged  to  begin  earning  his 
own  living  at  the  age  of  fourteen  by  clerking 
in  a  drug  store,  and  through  practical  exper- 
ience he  became  a  well  qualified  druggist  in 
Wisconsin.  In  1872  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Denver,  where  he  was  employed  by 
Bucklin  &  Clark,  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth 
and  Larimer  streets.  After  two  years  of  suc- 
cessful trading  in  this  line  they  sold  out  to 
Solomon  Bros.,  and  then  Mr.  Clark  became  the 
traveling  representative  of  Daniel  Hurd  & 
Sons  at  Twentieth  and  Blake  streets,  Denver. 
He  remained  with  them  one  year,  at  the  end 
of  which  he  turned  his  attention  to  mining, 
prosecuting  this  business  in  Georgetown,  Lead- 
ville.  Aspen,  Old  Mexico,  British  America, 


Montana,  Idaho  and  Utah,  following  it  thir- 
teen years  and  experiencing  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  miner's  life  of  uncertainty.  On  July  8, 
1879,  he  located  permanently  at  Aspen,  and 
here  followed  mining  and  prospecting  until 
1887,  wrhen  he  again  turned  his  attention  to 
mercantile  pursuits,  becoming  a  wholesale  and 
retail  grocer,  and  continuing  in  business  as  such 
until  the  financial  crash  of  1894  closed  his  es- 
tablishment. In  June,  1897,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Aspen  by  President  McKinley, 
and  at  the  end  of  his  term  was  re-appointed 
by  President  Roosevelt.  He  is  an  Elk  and  a 
thirty-second-degree  Mason,  and  also  an  active 
Ribab.  On  October  10,  1901,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Rosa  A.  Tonard,  a  native 
of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

ROBERT  SHAW. 

Robert  Shaw,  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Pitkin  county,  this  state,  carrying  on 
a  general  trade  in  hay,  grain  and  feed,  and  con- 
ducting a  prosperous  coal  business  at  Aspen,  is 
a  native  of  Ireland,  born  on  June  15,  1855,  and 
is  the  son  of  William  and  Bessie  (Long)  Shaw, 
also  native  there.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  in  the  Sacramento 
valley  of  California  during  the  great  gold  ex- 
citement in  that  state,  and  devoted  two  years 
to  mining,  at  which  he  was  very  successful. 
He  then  moved  to  Canada  and  remained  four 
years,  at  the  end  if  which  he  crossed  to  Eng- 
land, and  two  years  later  returned  to  his  former 
home  in  Ireland.  Three  children  were  born  in 
the  family,  William  J.,  Catherine  and  Robert. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  Their  son  Robert  was  educated  at 
the  common  schools,  and  when  he  was  eigh- 
teen years  old  began  life  for  himself  working 
on  farms.  In  1873  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Middlesex  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  for  five  vears  he  worked  on 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


199 


farms  for  wages.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Iowa, 
and  locating  in  Page  county,  continued  his 
farming  operations.  The  next  year  he  came 
to  Leadville,  Colorado,  and  went  to  prospect- 
ing, devoting  one  year  to  this  work  with  but  in- 
different success.  He  then  moved  to  the  por- 
tion of  "\yhat  was  then  Gunnison  county  that  is 
now  Pitkin,  stopping  at  Crested  Butte  where 
there  was  great  excitement  over  new  discover- 
ies of  gold.  Soon  afterward  he  moved  on  to 
Silverton  and  continued  mining  independently 
for  a  year,  then  changed  his  residence  to  Du- 
rango,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing  for 
a  short  time  in  partnership  with  Dennis 
Hughes,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  Retiring  from  this 
engagement,  he  purchased  some  teams  and 
went  to  Arizona  where  he  contracted  to  haul 
matte  to  the  railroads  from  the  smelter  and 
coke  to  the  smelter  from  the  railroads,  contin- 
uing his  industry  in  these  lines  until  the  smel- 
ter closed  in  1883.  He  then  went  to  Flagstaff, 
in  that  territory,  and  for  a  short  time  wrought 
in  the  lumber  regions.  Returning  to  Colorado 
in  1885;  he  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  As- 
pen and  began  freighting  between  that  town 
and  Granite,  an  enterprise  fraught  with  diffi- 
culty and  danger.  The  country  was  wild  and 
uninhabited,  Indians  and  road  agents  were  not 
wanting  to  add  to  the  hazards,  and  wild  beasts 
still  stubbornly  contested  the  right  of  man  to 
invade  their  domains.  But  he  continued  his 
operations  until  the  advent  of  the  railroads 
through-  this  section  rendered  them  unprofit- 
able. At  that  time  he  settled  permanently  at 
Aspen  and  started  the  business  in  which  he  is 
now  engaged,  and  at  which  he  has  been  very 
successful,  building  up  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive trades  in  his  special  commodities  in  this 
portion  of  the  state.  He  also  represents  the 
Continental  Oil  Company  and  does  a  consid- 
erable business  for  that  corporation.  In  polit- 
ical matters  he  is  independent,  and  in  fraternal 


life  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World.  In  November,  1888,  he  was  mar- 
'ried  to  Miss  Dora  Kline,  a  native  of  Indiana 
and  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Kline, 
who  located  in  Colorado  in  the  early  days  and 
have  been  continuously  and  successfully  en- 
gaged in  ranching.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  have 
one  child,  William  D.  R.  Mr.  Shaw  has  been 
successful  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  enjoys 
an  enviable  reputation  as  a  wise,  upright  and 
useful  citizen. 

WILLIAM  OSWALD  ZAUGG. 

One  of  the  prosperous  and  progressive  men 
of  the  Western  slope  of  this  state,  who  seems 
to  have  the  touch  of  Midas  without  his  sor- 
didness,  touching  everything  he  takes  hold  of 
to  gold  but  using  his  gains  for  the  promotion  of 
his  section  and  the  development  of  its  re- 
sources and  the  expansion  of  all  forms  of  its 
industrial,  commercial  and  moral  life,  William 
Oswald  Zaugg,  of  Aspen,  has  had  an  interest- 
ing and  instructive  career.  He  is  a  native  of 
Independence,  Kansas,  where  his  life  began  on 
November  7.  1871,  and  where  his  father  still 
.lives,  the  mother  having  died  there  on  August 
i,  1885.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Ruegsegger)  Zaugg,  were  born,  reared  and 
married  in  Switzerland,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  soon  after  their  marriage,  locat- 
ing,at  Independence,  Kansas.  There  the  fa- 
ther has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  and  loaning  money.  Both  parents 
were  Presbyterians,  and  the  father  is  an  ar- 
dent Democrat  in  political  faith  and  allegiance. 
They  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are 
deceased,  Fred,  Benjamin,  Mary  and  Emma. 
The  four  living  are  William  O.,  Peter,  Otto 
and  Rosalie.  William  O.,  the  eldest  of  these, 
attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native  place, 
and  was  graduated  at  the  high  school  there 
and  later  at  the  State  University.  While  yet  a 


200 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


boy  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  and 
took  full  charge  of  the  books  in  the  money 
loaning  business.  In  1891  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Aspen.  He  at 
once  began  leasing  mines  and  grub  staking  men 
to  work  them.  Among  the  number  he  thus 
started  on  the  highway  to  success  and  prosper- 
ity was  W.  C.  Bates,  who  went  to  Cape  Nome, 
Alaska,  where  he  located  some  excellent  claims, 
five  of  them  afterward  being  sold  for  a  large 
figure.  Mr.  Zaugg  still  owns  a  number  of  the 
claims  and  has  refused  to  sell  them  at  the  same 
rate.  He  is  prominent  in  the  social  and  frater- 
nal life  of  his  community  as  well  as  one  of  its 
leading  business  and  mining  men,  belonging  to 
the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  proceedings  of  the  aerie  to 
which  he  belongs  in  the  order.  In  politics  he 
is  an  independent  voter,  and  in  church  rela- 
tions is  a  Presbyterian.  With  youth,  health, 
enterprise  and  an  already  well-established  suc- 
cess in  his  favor,  and  having  the  cordial  good 
will  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  all 
classes,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  limit  to  his 
achievements  and  his  working  out  an  honor- 
able and  very  serviceable  career  but  his  own 
desires.  He  belongs  to  the  type  of  men  who 
command  circumstances  to  their  service  and 
make  all  conditions  minister  to  their  will. 
And  such  men  have  made  this  country  great 
and  respected,  pushing  forward  all  the  ele- 
ments of  its  progress  in  peaceful  industry^  and 
stubbornly  defending  its  rights  and  interests 
when  assailed  by  hostile  forces  or  unjust  ag- 
gression. Among  the  citizens  of  Pitkin  county 
none  stands  higher  and  none  is  more  deserving 
of  the  public  regard.  For  although  he  has  been 
fortunate  beyond  most  men  is  his  undertakings, 
his  success  is  not  the  result  of  accident.  He 
has  chosen  his  opportunities  with  judgment 
and  used  them  with  capacity,  and  what  he  has 
accomplished  is  due  to  merit. 


DR.  WARREN  HUGH  TWINING. 

Dr.  Warren  Hugh  Twining,  of  Aspen,  Pit- 
kin  county,  is  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
highly  esteemed  professional  men  and  citizens 
of  his  section  of  the  state,  having  a  high  rank 
in  his  profession  and  holding  an  elevated  and 
enviable  place  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of 
his  fellow  men.  He  is  a  native  of  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  on  January  12, 
1875,  and  is  the  son  of  Hugh  A.  and  Elmira 
A.  (Field)  Twining,  the  former  born  in  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  and  the  latter  at  Mount  Ver- 
non,  Vermont.  At  an  early  age  the  father  mi- 
grated to  Wisconsin  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  with  success  until  1880,  when  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  on  Clear  creek,  near 
the  town  of  Georgetown.  Here  he  was  occu- 
pied in  the  real-estate  business  and  mining  un- 
til his  death,  in  1898.  He  was  a  prominent 
Freemason  and  a  Patriotic  Son  of  America, 
holding  the  office  of  state  master  of  forms  and 
ceremonies  in  the  organization  of  the  latter  or- 
der. In  religious  affiliation  he  was  an  Episco- 
palian. His  widow  survived  him  two  years, 
passing  away  in  1900.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, Sarah  L.,  Florence  A.  and  Warren  Hugh, 
the  Doctor,  all  of  whom  are  living.  The  last 
named  was  educated  at  the  public  schools,  tak- 
ing an  elementary  and  a  high-school  course. 
After  leaving  school  he  served  as  assistant 
postmaster  at  Georgetown,  and  in  1896  entered 
the  Gross  Medical  College  at  Denver,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1900.  He  served  a  year 
as  house  physician  at  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  in 
Denver,  and  afterward  as  assistant  surgeon  at 
the  Rock  Springs  (Wyoming)  Hospital.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1901  he  located  at  Aspen, 
and  since  then  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  and  around 
that  city.  Although  the  time  of  his  residence 
and  work  at  this  point  has  been  short,  he  has 


•PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


201 


built  up  a  good  patronage  and  won  an  excel- 
lent reputation  as  a  physician  and  surgeon.  He 
is  secretary  of  the  United  States  board  of  ex- 
amining surgeons  of  Pitkin  county,  and  in  all 
professional  lines  is  energetic  and  diligent.  He 
is  also  interested  in  mining  and  owns  a  fruit 
ranch  of  great  productiveness  at  Montrose.  In 
the  fraternal  life  of  the  community  he  takes  a 
zealous  and  helpful  interest,  being  connected 
with  several  of  the  benevolent  associations.  He 
was  married  December  31,  1903,  to  Miss  Lula 
B."  Goodson,  a  native  of  Hopkins,  Missouri, 
and  the  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Goodson,  a 
well  known  physician  and  public  spirited  citi- 
zen of  that  place. 

DR.  ANDREW  J.  ROBINSON.    - 

? 

This  prominent  professional  man  and  ex- 
emplary and  influential  citizen  of  Aspen,  over 
whose  municipal  interests  he  now  presides  as 
mayor,  is  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  born  on  June  i,  1846,  and 
the  son  of  James  and  Mary  A.  (McKee)'  Rob- 
inson, also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion,  where 
the  father  was  a  successful  planter  and  promi- 
nent citizen.  While  the  war  with  Mexico  was 
in  progress  he  raised  a  troop  of  volunteers  for 
the  service,  and  was  chosen  its  captain ;  but  be- 
fore the  troop  took  the  field  the  war  was  ended 
and  so  he  never  got  into  active  service.  He 
was  an  earnest  and  zealous  Democrat  in  polit- 
ical faith,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  active 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Both  are  now 
deceased,  the  father  passing  away  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two  and  the  mother  at  seventy- 
seven.  Their  offspring  numbered  seven,  one 
of  whom,  named  Charity,  is  dead.  The  liv- 
ing are  Sarah  M.,  Andrew  J.,  Alexander  L., 
Thomas  J.,  Elizabeth  and  Virginia.  Andrew 
J.,  the  second  born  of  the  survivors,  was  edu- 
cated at  the  district  schools  near  his  home  and 
at  Friendship  Academy  in  his  native  county. 


In  1869  he  moved  to  Bureau  county,  Illinois, 
and  engaged  in  farm  work  during  the  summer 
and  teaching  school  during  the  winter  to  earn 
the  necessary  money  to  take  him  through  med- 
ical college.  After  his  graduation  he  began 
practicing  at  Cambridge,  Illinois,  in  1878. 
Two  years  later  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Gunnison,  where  he  remained  until 
1885.  He  then  moved  to  Aspen,  where  he  has 
since  lived  and  been  energetically  engaged  in  a 
general  practice  with  a  growing  body  of  pa- 
trons and  a  widening  reputation,  for  skill  and 
good  judgment  as  well  as  extensive  profes- 
sional learning.  During  the  past  six  years  he 
has  served  as  hospital  physician,  and  his  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  his  wis- 
dom in  promoting  the  welfare  of  its  people 
have  been  such  that  in  1903  he  was  named  by 
citizens  of  all  parties  as  their  choice  for  mayor 
and  was  elected  to  the  position  by  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  voters.  He  is  also  interested  in 
raising  cattle  on  White  river  on  an  extensive 
scale.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  a  Master  Mason, 
a  Woodman  of  the  World,  a  Knight  of  Pyth- 
ias and  a  member  of  the  United  Workmen. 
On  April  9,1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ber- 
tha Parks,  a  native  of  Virginia  who  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Illinois,  where  her  parents  set- 
tled in  1855  and  were  prosperous  farmers.  They 
were  Baptists  in  church  relations  and  the  fa- 
ther was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics.  They 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  all  are  living  but  a 
son  named  James  and  Mrs.  Robinson,  the  lat- 
ter dying  on  April  6.  1897,  and  leaving  one 
child.  Dr.  Oliver  T.  Robinson,  a  prominent 
dentist  of  Aspen. 

JOHN  M.  WILLIAMS. 

One  of  the  active  and  enterprising  mem- 
bers of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Tagert  &  Wil- 
liams at  Aspen,  and  thus  connected  in  a  lead- 
ing way  with  the  commercial  interests  of  the 


202 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


community,  John  M.  Williams  has  been  a  po- 
tent factor  in  building  up  the  community  and 
bringing  its  resources  to  the  notice  of  the  out- 
side world.  He  was  born  on  July  2,  1873,  in 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  par- 
ents, John  Rosser  and  Celia  (Simpson)  Wil- 
liams, were  prosperously  engaged  in  farming 
at  the  time.  They  were  also  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  father  being  born  in  Mercer 
county,  that  state,  on  February  22,  1850.  He 
was  the  son  of  Timothy  T.  and  Elizabeth  Wil- 
liams, natives  of  Wales  who  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  early  life.  The  father  was  a  con- 
tractor in  coal  mining  and  successful  at  the 
business.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  from 
the  foundation  of  the  party,  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  Baptists  in  church  affiliation.  Two 
children  were  born  to  them,  John  R.,  the  father 
of  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  a 
daughter  named  Ruth,  who  died  in  her  youth. 
Their  mother  died  in  1874  and  the  father  now 
resides  in  Mercer  county,  Ohio.  Their  son, 
John  Rosser  Williams,  attended  the  public 
schools  at  intervals  and  assisted  in  the  labors 
of  the  home  until  he  was  twelve,  when  he  went 
to  work  with  his  father  in  the  mines.  .  In  1873 
he  went  to  Tennessee  for  the  winter  and  in 
the  following  spring  moved  to  Nebraska  where 
he  passed  three  years  on  the  plains.  In  1877, 
lured  by  the  gold  excitement  then  at  its  height, 
he  moved  to  the  Black  Hills,  and  there  he  pros- 
pected for  a  year  with  fair  success.  From  there 
he  wandered  to  the  Yellowstone  and  through 
the  Big  Horn  country  of  Montana  until  the 
fall  of  1879.  He  then  came  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Leadville,  and  there  prospected  until 
1880,  when  he  moved  to  Roaring  Forks,  and 
pre-empting  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  cattle, 
also  continuing  his  operations  as  a  prospector 
and  miner.  His  pre-emption  claim  was  north 
of  Aspen  and  in  addition  he  located  a  home- 
stead claim  twelve  miles  west  of  that  town.  In 


all  his  undertakings  he  has  been  moderately 
successful  and  is  now  in  a  comfortable  condi- 
tion of  worldly  prosperity,  and  his  profits  are 
still  increasing.  The  principal  products  of  his 
ranch  lands  besides  cattle  are  hay,  grain  and 
potatoes,  and  he  harvests  -large  quantities  of 
each.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  in  fra- 
ternal life  a  Freemason.  In  1871  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Celia  Simpson,  like  him- 
self a  native  of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  John 
M.,  William  W.,  Mary  and  Harry  C.  and 
Emma,  twins.  The  first  born,  John  M.,  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  at  the  various 
places  of  his  early  residence  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  engaged  in  the  ice  business  on  his 
own  account.  This  he  continued  one  year,  then 
from  1894  to  1897  was  busily  and  hopefully 
occupied  in  prospecting.  Jn  the  year  last 
named  he  started  an  enterprise  in  the  feed 
trade,  but  soon  afterward  he  abandoned  all 
other  business,  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  William  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  ranching  on  a  property  thirteen  miles  west  of 
Aspen.  This,  however,  did  not  satisfy  his  as- 
pirations, and  at  the  end  of  a  year  he  purchased 
his  present  interest  in  the  firm  of  Tagert  &  Wil- 
liams, with  which  he  has  since  been  actively 
connected.  He  is  an  earnest  and  active  Repub- 
licas  in  politics,  and  a  Freemason  and  an  Elk 
in  fraternal  life.  His  success  in  all  lines  of 
business  has  been  good,  and  he  is  esteemed  as 
one  of  Pitkin  county's  best  and  most  useful 
and  popular  citizens. 

WILLIAM  C.  TAGERT. 

Beginning  life  for  himself  by  arduous  and 
continued  labor  even  in  his  childhood,  and  from 
that  time  on  building  his  own  fortunes  without 
the  aid  of  favorable  circumstances  or  friendly 
interest  in  his  welfare,  William  C.  Tagert  has 
made  of  himself  one  of  the  leading  business 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


203 


men  and  citizens  of  his  section  of  the  state,  and 
the  fiber  of  his  manhood,  toughened  by  adver- 
sity, is  such  as  to  withstand  all  enervating  in- 
fluences and  resist  all  importunities  to  be  less 
than  it  should.  He  is  a  native  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  born  on  June  5,  1873,  and  the  son  of  Jo- 
seph R.  and  Mary  A.  (Gates)  Tagert,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of 
Illinois.  They  migrated  to  the  Black  Hills  in 
1858,  and  for  several  years  thereafter  the  fa- 
ther was  engaged  in  contract  work  for  the 
United  States  government.  In  1862  he  moved 
to  Denver,  this  state,  and  at  once  engaged  in 
mining,  continuing  his  operations  until  1870, 
when  he  changed  his  residence  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  he  traded  with  the  Mormons  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1874  he  went  to  St.  Louis 
and  in  that  city  was  occupied  in  the  livery 
business  for  a  few  years.  In  1879  he  moved  to 
Leadville,  and  after  prospecting  there  three 
years  transferred  his  energies  in  1882  to  As- 
pen. Here  he  passed  six  years  in  prospecting, 
then  in  1888  made  a  trip  through  portions  of 
South  America  and  Alaska,  but  his  search  for 
better  opportunities  in  those  countries  being 
unavailing,  he  returned  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Cripple  Creek,  where  he  prospected  two 
years.  His  final  location  was  at  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, where  he  has  conducted  a  profitable 
lumber  business  ever  since  settling  there.  He 
is  an  active  Republican  and  a  zealous  member 
of  the  Masonic  order.  The  mother  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Their  off- 
spring number  eight,  Lincoln  J.,  Cora  L.,  Ma- 
bel, William  C,  Joseph  R.,  Frederick  S.,  Frank 
and  Olive  L.  The  fourth  born,  William  C., 
had  very  limited  educational  advantages. 
While  yet  a  mere  boy  he  worked  on  a  ranch 
in  order  that  he  might  attend  night  school,  and 
this  was  almost  his  only  schooling.  At  the  age 
of  five  he  was  brought  west  and,  being  ambi- 
tious, engaged  in  selling  newspapers  and  such 
other  work  as  a  boy  of  his  age  could  do,  being 


then  at  Leadville.  In  1883  ne  settled  at  Aspen 
with  his  parents  and  went  to  work  on  a  ranch. 
Later  he  drove  a  wagon  for  a  feed  store  for 
two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  went 
into  the  feed  business  for  himself  in  partnership 
with  Frank  Bourg,  who  was  at  that  date  en- 
gaged in  the  business  alone.  In  1879  Mr.  Ta- 
gert's  present  partner,  John  M.  Williams, 
bought  Mr.  Bourg's  interest  and  became  a 
member  of  the  firm,  which  still  continues  in  the 
style  it  then  assumed.  The  establishment  deals 
generally  in  hay,  grain  and  other  feed,  coal, 
farming  implements  and  vehicles  of  all  sorts. 
These  gentlemen  also  own  one  of  the  finest  cat- 
tle ranches  in  Pitkin  county  and  are  extensively 
engaged  in  the  stock  industry.  Their  success 
in  both  lines  of  enterprise  has  far  surpassed 
their  largest  expectations,  and  they  are  among 
the  leading  business  men  in  this  portion  of  the 
state.  In  politics  Mr.  Tagert  is  independent, 
and  in  fraternal  relations  is  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Fraternal  Or- 
der of  Eagles.  On  December  15,  1895,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  CoraA.Torrance, 
a  native  of  Kansas  and  daughter  of  Edwin  K. 
and  Louise  Torrance.  In  1890  her  parents 
came  to  Aspen  and  the  father  began  an  enter- 
prise in  the  feed  trade,  which  he  is  still  conduct- 
ing. They  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters, 
Mrs.  Tagert  and  her  sister  Lulu.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tagert  also  have  two  daughters,  Nellie 
and  Wilma.  The  parents  stand  well  in  social 
circles,  and,  are  universally  esteemed  as  among 
the  most  representative  persons  of  the  town. 

ROBERT  MICHAEL  RYAN. 

Robert  M.  Ryan,  of  Aspen,  clerk  and  re- 
corder of  Pitkin  county,  has  during  almost 
the  whole  of  his  life  in  the  county  been  promi- 
nent and  influential  in  its  politics  and  public  af- 
fairs, and  is  esteemed  one  of  its  best  and  most 
representative  citizens.  He  was  born  on  March 


204 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


9,  1862,  at  St.  John's,  Clinton  county,  Michi- 
gan, and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Catherine 
(O'Connor)  Ryan,  natives  of  Ireland  who  em- 
igrated to  this  country  and  settled  at  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  in  1850.  The  father  has  been 
an  ardent  Democrat  during  all  of  his  residence 
in  the  United  States,  and  is  an  industrious  and 
well-to-do  shoemaker.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church.  They  now 
reside  at  St.  John's,  Michigan.  Nine  children 
were  born  in  the  family,  of  whom  seven  are 
living,  Moria,  Honora,  Anna,  Robert  M.,  Ellen, 
Kate  and  Sarah.  The  only  living  son,  Robert 
M.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  finishing  his  course  at  the  high 
school  there.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began 
teaching  school,  which  he  continued  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1882  he  came  to  Coloralo  and 
located  at  Durango  where  he  devoted  his  time 
to  prospecting  and  mining  for  three  years  with 
varying  success.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  moved 
to  Aspen  and  was  here  engaged  in  mining  un- 
til 1901,  when  he  was  elected  clerk  and  recor- 
der of  Pitkin  county,  and  in  fall  of  1904  was  re- 
elected  to  that  office  on  the  Independent  ticket. 
He  is  an  active  Democrat  in  political  faith  and 
in  fraternal  circles  belongs  to  the  Elks,  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  United  Workmen  and  the  Eagles. 
On  November  10,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Lida  W.  Young,  a  native  of  Missouri  and 
daughter  of  James  and  Harriett  (CoryelH 
Young,  the  former  born  in  Scotland  and  the 
latter  in  Iowa.  The  father  is  a  blacksmith, 
successful  and  prosperous  in  his  business,  and 
a  firm  and  loyal  Democrat  in  politics.  They 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children  and  now  live 
at  Memphis,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan 
have  seven  children,  Bertha  M.,  Frances  E., 
Anna  I...  Robert  T.,  James  W.,  Estella  I.  and 
an  infant  son.  In  the  performance  of  his  offi- 
cial duties  Mr.  Ryan  is  eminently  careful  and 
attentive,  and  is  winning  golden  opinions  of 
commendation  from  all  classes  of  citizens  who 


are  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  county.  In 
social  life  he  stands  high  and  in  all  the  ele- 
ments of  good  citizenship  his  example  is  an  in- 
citement and  a  -stimulus.  No  citizen  of  the 
county  is  held  in  higher  regard,  and  none  de- 
serves the  confidence  and  good  will  of  his 
fellow  men  in  larger  measure. 

HARRY  G.  KOCH. 

Successful  in  business,  although  at  times 
suffering  the  reverses  that  may  always  be  ex- 
pected in  mercantile  life,  and  with  breadth  of 
view  and  public-spirit  in  promoting  the  general 
interests  o£  the  community  in  which  he  lives 
and  operates,  Harry  G.  Koch,  of  Aspen,  this 
state,  is  recognized  as  one  of  Pitkin  county's 
most  worthy  and  useful  citizens,  and  enjoys  in 
a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens  throughout  the  county 
and  a  much  larger  scope  of  country.  He  was 
born  on  May  10,  1865,  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  is 
the  son  of  Edward  W.  E.  and  Anna  M.  (Mark- 
schefrle)  Koch,  natives  of  Germany,  the  former 
born  in  Brunswick  and  the  latter  in  Hanover. 
In  1852  they  came  to  the  United  States,  at  the 
time  when  Hon.  Carl  Schurz  came  over,  and 
settled  in  Wood  county,  Ohio.  There  the  fa- 
ther became  a  professor  of  languages  and  su- 
perintendent of  the  public  schools.  Afterward 
the  family  moved  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and 
there  he  continued  teaching  for  a  year  and  a 
half.  Returning  to  Toledo  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  he  passed  a  number  of  years  in  that  city 
as  editor  of  the  German  Express.  The  later 
years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  the  culture  of 
fruit  and  the  manufacture  of  wines.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Aspen.  He 
helped  to  build  the  first  log  cabin  in  the  vil- 
lage and  was  one  of  the  party  of  four  in  com- 
pany with  Walter  S.  Clark  and  others  who 
were  the  original  prospectors  in  this  region  and 
located  a  number  of  its  most  valuable  mining 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


205 


claims.  After  remaining  at  Aspen  sixty  days 
he  returned  to  Toledo,  but  later  made  several 
trips  between  the  two  places.  He  was  very 
successful  in  all  his  undertakings,  ardently  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party  in  political  matters 
and  with  his  wife  gave  earnest  allegiance  to 
the  Lutheran  church.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  fa- 
ther's life  ended  on  July  25,  1903,  and  the 
mother  is  now  living  at  Toledo.  The  seven 
living  children  are  Mrs.  E.  K.  Reinhardt,  of 
Toledo;  William  C.  E.  Koch,  a  lumber  mer- 
chant at  Nelson,  British  Columbia ;  Edward  E. 
Koch,  in  the  same  business  at  Sandusky,  Ohio; 
Charles  L.,  lumbering  at  Perry sburg,  Ohio; 
and  Harry  G.  Koch  and  Mrs.  B.  C.  Feast,  of 
Aspen,  Colorado.  Harry,  after  attending  the 
public  schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  six- 
teen, worked  on  his  father's  farms  until  he  was 
nineteen,  then  went  on  the  road  as  traveling 
agent  for  his  father,  selling  fruit  and  other 
products  of  the  homestead.  In  1885  he  came 
to  Aspen,  and  after  working  four  days  digging 
ditches  at  ten  cents  a  foot  for  the  water  com- 
pany under  contract,  he  became  foreman  of  the 
construction  gang  and  later  superintendent  and 
general  manager  of  the  company,  remaining 
in  its  service  from  1885  to  1902,  a  period  of 
seventeen  years.  In  1900  he  made  a  trip  to 
Europe,  and  since  his  return  has  been  contin- 
uously engaged  in  the  lumber  trade.  From 
1888  to  1892  he  also  conducted  a  stock 
brokerage  business,  and  in  1896,  1897  an<^ 
1898  he  was  in  the  grocery  trade  as  a  member 
of  the  Mesa  Mercantile  Company.  This  ven- 
ture was  not  successful  owing  to  bad  manage- 
ment, and  he  soon  retired  from  connection 
with  the  company.  In  1899  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  S.  H.  Finley  in  the  lumber  business 
of  Finley  &  Rose,  and  changed  the  style  of  the 
firm  to  the  Koch  Lumber  Company.  Later  he 
purchased  the  interest  of  William  E.  Kelley, 
and  baptized  the  establishment  Koch  Lumber 


Company,  the  name  it  still  bears.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  lumber  business  Mr.  Koch  manu- 
facture boxes  and  deals  in  wood,  coal,  hay  and 
grain.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Glenwood 
Lumber  Manufacturing  Company  in  Glenwood 
Springs.  In  political  matters  he  is  a  silver 
Republican,  and  in  fraternal  circles  a  Modern 
Woodman  and  Elk.  He  is  also  a  notary  public 
in  and  for  Pitkin  county.  On  April  30,  1884, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  C.  Liebold,  a 
native  of  Gena,  Germany,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  parents  when  she  was 
six  years  old.  The  parents  located  at  Toledo, 
Ohio,  where  they  are  still  living  and  where 
the  father  is  a  successful  architect.  He  is  an 
active  Republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Foresters  and  the  United  Workmen. 
Both  parents  are  devoted  Lutherans.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Koch  have  had  five  children,  of  whom 
two,  Dorothy  and  Edward,  are  living,  the  other 
three  having  died  in  infancy. 

HAROLD  W.  CLARK. 

Harold  W.  Clark,  of  Aspen,  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  prominent  and  highly  es- 
teemed attorneys  and  counselors  of  western 
Colorado,  is  a  native  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  where 
he  was  born  on  October  10,  1861.  He  began 
his  scholastic  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  later  was  graduated  from  the  collegiate 
department  of  the  Iowa  State  University  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  in  1885. 
He  pursued  the  regular  course  in  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  University  and  became  a  grad- 
uate of  that  in  1888.  The  same  year  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  locating  at  Aspen  in  1889  at 
once  entered  on  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
soon  afterward  forming  a  partnership  in  the 
business  with  the  late  W.  W.  Cooley,  which 
continued  until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1894, 
since  which  time  Mr.  Clark  has  been  practicing 


206 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


alone.  From  1896  to  1902  he  was  city  attor- 
ney of  Aspen,  and  in  1899  was  appointed 
county  attorney  of  Pitkin  county,  a  position 
which  he  is  now  filling  (1904).  He  is  also  in- 
terested is  mining  and  is  an  owner  in  a  large 
ditch  and  land  enterprise  in  Delta  county.  In 
fraternal  circles  he  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Elks  and  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  college  frater- 
nity, and  in  politics  he  is  a  stanch  and  unwav- 
ering Democrat,  serving  now  as  chairman  of 
the  county  central  committee  of  his  party.  His 
parents  were  J.  Warren  and  Sophia  M. 
(Clapp)  Clark,  natives  of  Ohio  who  moved  to 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  in  early  life.  The  father  died 
in  1866  from  the  effects  of  service  in  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  The  mother  died  in  1884. 
Of  their  four  children  one,  Mrs.  Florence  Gilli- 
land,  of  Glenwood,  Iowa,  is  deceased.  The 
three  living  are  Charles  C,  a  leading  lawyer  of 
Burlington,  Iowa,  partner  of  his  brother-in-law, 
John  J.  Seerley,  a  representative  in  con- 
gress in  1892;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Seerley, 
wife  of  John  J. ;  and  Harold  W.  In 
his  practice  Mr.  Clark  has  been  very 
successful,  rising  to  a  high  rank  in  his 
profession  and  winning  an  elevated  place  in 
the  regard  and  confidence  of  the  people  of  the 
county  and  state  in  which  he  is  well  estab- 
lished. He  was  married  on  November  20, 
to  Miss  Mariette  Vincent,  a  native  of 


Monona  county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Mitchell 
and  Mary  J.  Vincent,  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  moved  to  Iowa  when  young.  The  father  is 
a  relative  of  Bishops  Vincent  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  and  John  H.  Vincent  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  civil  en- 
gineer and  railroad  contractor.  In  the  family 
of  Mrs.  Clark's  parents  there  are  eight  chil- 
dren:  Edward  D.,  a  lieutenant  and  civil  engi- 
neer in  the  United  States  army,  now  engaged 
in  government  work  at  the  Yellowstone  Na- 
tional Park :  Hobart,  a  civil  engineer  at  Dead- 
wood,  South  Dakota,  where  he  is  also  interested 


in  mining  and  in  the  service  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Railroad,  as  consulting  engineer ;  Mrs.  Effa 
Bernard  Freeland,  of  Onawa,  Iowa;  Blanche 
(Mrs.  Sewell  Allen)  ;  Louise,  Margaret,  Lou- 
ise (Mrs.  Howard  Woodman),  Thayer  and 
John,  a  civil  engineer  in  Arkansas  and  manager 
of  a  mine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  three  chil- 
dren, Vincent,  aged  eleven ;  Catherine,  aged 
eight,  and  Helen  E.,  aged  six.  Mrs.  Clark  is 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Clark's  brother,  Charles  C.  Clark,  is  grand 
master  of  Masons  of  the  state  of  Iowa. 

HON.  JOHN  T.  SHUMATE. 

To  many  men  in  this  country,  where  the 
citizens  are  the  sovereigns,  the  capacity  for 
wise  and  serviceable  administration  of  public 
trusts  and  performance  of  official  duties  is 
given  in  such  large  measure,  and  is  so  readily 
adaptive  to  conditions,  that  it  is  recognized 
without  difficulty  by  their  fellow  men,  and  as 
long  or  as  often  as  circumstances  will  permit  it 
is  gratefully  employed  in  behalf  of  the  general 
welfare.  The  career  of  Hon.  John  T.  Shumate, 
of  Aspen,  Pitkin  county,  now  judge  of  the  dis- 
trict court  for  the  ninth  judicial  district  of  this 
state,  embracing  the  counties  of  Pitkin,  Gar- 
field,  Routt  and  Rio  Blanco,  affords  a  striking 
illustration  of  this  fact.  He  became  a  resident 
of  Colorado  in  1877,  and  during  the  twenty- 
seven  years  of  his  subsequent  life  here  he  has 
served  the  people  well  and  wisely  in  important 
official  stations  nearly  all  of  the  time,  all 
of  the  offices  to  which  he  has  been  chosen  being 
in  the  line  of  his  profession  as  a  lawyer.  Judge 
Shumate  was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Vir- 
ginia, on  September  22.  1852,  and  is  the  son 
of  Dr.  Bailey  and  Ann  E. -(Weaver)  Shumate, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
The  father  was  descended  from  independent 
and  liberty-loving  families  of  French  Hugue- 
nots who,  after  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


207 


Nantes  by  Louis  XIV  in  1685,  sought  in  Vir- 
ginia an  asylum  from  persecution  in  their  na- 
tive land  on  account  of  their  religious  belief. 
The  fugitives  soon  became  prominent  in  colo- 
nial affairs,  and  when  the  iron  hand  of  Eng- 
land began  to  weigh  heavily  on  the  land  of  their 
adoption,  they  ardently  espoused  the  cause  of 
American  independence  and  fought  valiantly 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Dr.  Bailey  Shu- 
•mate  was  born  in  Clarke  county  in  the  beauti- 
ful and  historic  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
after  receiving  a  good  academic  education  en- 
tered the  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Phila- 
delphia, from  which  in  due  time  he  w7as  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He 
then  practiced  his  profession  in  Fauquier 
county,  Virginia,  for  many  years,  retiring  at 
length  to  his  plantation  there,  on  which  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs  and  frequently  rep- 
resented his  county  in  the  legislature,  being  in 
the  course  of  this  service  several  times  a  mem- 
ber of  each  house  of  the  assembly.  His  wife, 
the  daughter  of  William  Weaver,  a  prominent 
planter,  was  descended  from  German  ancestors 
who,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  founded  Ger- 
mantown,  Virginia,  a  settlement  now  extinct. 
On  her  mother's  side  the  Judge's  mother  was 
related  to  John  Marshall,  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States,  and  her  paternal  ancestors  were 
also  soldiers  in  the  Revolution.  Of  the  off- 
spring of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Shumate  three  sons  and 
one  daughter  are  living:  W.  B.  G.  Shumate, 
formerly-  probate  judge  of  Fauquier  county, 
Virginia,  but  now  a  planter  residing  on  a  part 
of  the  old  family  homestead;  Edward  J.  Shu- 
mate, manager  of  the  freight  department  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  at  Washington,  D. 
C. :  Bettie,  the  wife  of  Lucien  Holtzclaw,  also 
living  on  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead ;  and 
the  Judge.  The  last  named  was  graduated 
from  Norwood  College  in  Virginia  in  1873,  and 
then  completed  the  law  course  in  the  University 


of  that  state.  In  July,  1877,  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Denver,  Colorado,  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Patterson.  Within 
the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Colorado 
bar  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Denver.  The  next  year,  to  serve  his  turn  in 
one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the  state,  he 
moved  to  Lead vi lie  and  engaged  in  mining.  In 
M'arch,  1880,  he  began  mining  at  Pitkin  in 
Gunnison  county,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  to°k 
up  his  residence  at  Ouray,  where  he  served 
some  fifteen  months  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court  under  Judge  M.  B.  Gerry.  In  July,  1885, 
he  again  turned  his  attention  to  mining  with 
headquarters  at  Aspen,  and  in  1886  moved  to 
Glenwood  Springs,  then  a  hopeful  hamlet  of 
tents  clustered  around  the  wonderful  healing 
springs  and  amid  the  rare  natural  beauties  and 
vast  mineral  resources  which  have  made  it  re- 
nowned throughout  the  world  as  a  resort  for 
tourists  and  transformed  it  into  a  progressive 
city  of  growing  industrial  activities  and  beauti- 
ful homes.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at  the 
Springs  Mr.  Shumate  was  appointed  deputy 
county  clerk  and  recorder,  but  a  little  later  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1887  he  was 
elected  city  attorney  of  Glenwood  .Springs  and 
also  county  of  Garfield;  and  during  the  same 
year  he  was  appointed  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  at  the  Springs,  but  declined 
the  position.  From  1888  to  1890  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  city  council,  being  elected  as 
the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  to  which 
he  has  always  given  a  firm  and  faithful  alle- 
giance. Again  in  1895  he  was  chosen  county 
attorney  for  a  term  of  three  years ;  and  in  1896. 
while  still  holding  this  office,  which  he  filled  to 
the  end  of  his  term,  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  state  legislature  as  the  candidate 
of  his  party,  endorsed  by  the  National  Silver 
party  and  the  Populists.  The  next  year  he  was 
chosen  by  the  Democrats  and  Silver  Republi- 
cans district  attorney  of  the  ninth  judicial  dis- 


208 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


trict,  which  comprises  Pitkin,  Garfield,  Routt 
and  Rio  Blanco  counties,  and  in  1900,  as  the 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  was 
chosen  judge  of  this  district,  an  office  he  still 
holds.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  last  named 
his  increasing  practice  at  Aspen  obliged  him  to 
move  to  that  flourishing  center,  and  there  he  is 
now  living.  In  the  fraternal  life  of  his  section 
he  takes  an  active  and  helpful  interest  as  a 
Freemason  and  an  Elk.  He  was  married  in 
1887  to  Miss  Sara  E.  Churchill,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Churchill,  formerly  a  prominent  mer- 
chant of  Avon,  New  York,  but  later  a  resi- 
dent of  Aspen,  Colorado.  Mrs.  Shumate  also 
comes  of  old  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  stock, 
some  of  her  ancestors  having  come"  over  in  the 
"Mayflower."  Her  father  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Josias  and  Elizabeth  (Foote) 
Churchill,  of  Weatherford,  Connecticut,  who 
were  married  in  1638.  He  was  a  Union  sol- 
dier in  the  Civil  war.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Jemima  Duell  Jackson,  was  of 
Quaker  and  Huguenot  descent.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  the  Judge's  household, 
Churchill,  Ruth  and  Bailey,  who  are  living, 
and  John  Edward,  who  died  when  nearly  seven 
years  of  age.  In  his  long  professional  and  offi- 
cial career  the  Judge  has  won  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  an  able  attorney  and  counselor  and  a 
public  servant  of  exceptional  ability  and  fidel- 
ity. He  and  his  wife  move  in  the  best  social 
circles  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  exemplify 
the  best  attributes  of  American  citizenship. 

JOSEPH  BOGUE. 

Breeder  of  high  grade  Hereford  cattle,  with 
many  registered  in  the  best  circles  of  that  breed 
in  the  world,  and  handling  some  forty  or  fifty 
work  and  saddle  horses,  Joseph  Bogue  has  a 
thriving  business  which  is  a  help  to  the  com- 
mercial and  stock  industries  of  the  county  in 
which  he  lives  and  to  the  whole  section  wherein 


it  is  conducted.  His  ranch  is  in  Mesa  county 
near  the  village  of  Mesa,  and  is  a  fine  property, 
well  improved,  highly  cultivated  and  thor- 
oughly equipped  for  its  business;  and  Mr. 
Bogue  brought  to  his  enterprise  a  knowledge 
of  the  industry  acquired  in  long  and  varied 
practical  experience  elsewhere.  He  was  born 
January  15,  1860,  in  Warren  county,  Iowa,  and 
is  the  son  of  Josiah  and  Parmelia  (Cox) 
Bogue,  natives  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  After 
their  marriage  they  moved  to  Iowa,  and  the 
father  died  in  Colorado  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four.  The  mother  is  now  living  in  Pit- 
kin  county,  Colorado,  and  is  more  than  seventy 
years  old.  Their  son  Joseph  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen, 
then  began  to  make  his  own  living,  coming 
west  to  Nebraska  and  remaining  there  two 
years  engaged  in  riding  the  range  as  a  cowboy. 
In  1879  he  moved  to  Leadville,  and  there  for 
six  years  he  worked  for  a  thriving  cattle  and 
dairying  outfit,  his  services  being  appreciated 
by  frequent  raises  in  wages.  The  next  two 
years  were  passed  in  Pitkin  county,  this  state, 
and  in  1887  ne  removed  to  his  present  resi- 
dence and  has  since  resided  there.  His  ranch 
is  considered  by  many  capable  judges*  the  best 
in  Mesa  county.  It  comprises  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  supports  more  cattle  and  other 
stock  than  is  handled  by  any  other  individual 
stockman  in  the  county  and  within  a  much 
larger  range  of  the  surrounding  country.  His 
Hereford  herd  have  many  cattle  related  to  some 
of  the  best  of  that  strain  in  the  world,  as  has 
been  stated.  In  1884  Mr.  Bogue  was  married 
to  Miss  Lucinda  Pritchett,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Jasper,  Alva,  Velma, 
Pearl  and  Venie.  He  is  a  leading  and  repre- 
sentative man  in  his  community  and  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  classes  of  its  people.  In  its 
public  life  and  its  development  he  has  been 
an  important  factor.  In  politics  Mr.  Bogue 
is  a  Democrat.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  charter 


JOSEPH  BOGUE. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


209 


member  of  Rhone  Creek  Lodge,  No.  125,  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  Debeque, 
while  he  also  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  at  Debeque  and  the  Masonic  lodge"  at 
Mesa. 

EDWIN  POWELL. 

Beginning  at  the  age  of  ten  to  earn  his 
own  living,  and  since  then  making  his  own  way 
in  the  world,  and  having  to  fight  not  only  the 
hard  conditions  of  poverty  and  want  of  help, 
but  one  disaster  after  another  in  fire  which 
swept  away  in  a  few  hours  the  accumulations 
of  years,  Edwin  Powell,  of  Pitkin  county,  one 
of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  stock  and 
ranch  men  of  the  Western  slope  in  this  state, 
has  steadfastly  persevered  in  his  efforts  for  ad- 
vancement, and  as  one  point  of  vantage  has 
been  taken  from  him,  has  with  resolute  courage 
and  persistent  self-reliance  sought  another,  un- 
til he  has  planted  his  feet  firmly  on  stable 
ground  and  gathered  around  him  a  substantial 
and  enduring  prosperity.  The  story  of  his  life, 
if  it  could  be  told  at  length  and  in  detail,  would 
furnish  stimulus  and  incitement  for  many  a 
struggling  worker  combating  adverse  circum- 
stances, and  show  impressively  that  in  the  bat- 
tle of  life  steadfast  nerve,  unyielding  endurance 
and  continuous  effort  are  after  all  the  best  weap- 
ons of  both  aggression  and  defense.  He  is  a 
native  of  Herefordshire,  England,  born  on  Jan- 
uary 7,  1842,  and  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Watkins)  Powell,  also  natives  of  that 
country,  who  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Ontario  county,  New  York,  in 
1868,  he  having  come  over  three  years  previ- 
ously. The  father  has  devoted  his  life  in  this 
country  to  farming  and  fruit  culture  and  has 
been  fairly  successful  in  his  work.  He  is  an 
active  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church,  as  is  also  his  wife.  Both 
are  living,  the  father  at  the  age  of  ninety-six 
and  the  mother  at  that  of  ninety-eight.  They 


were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  living:  James,  a  resident  of  Cross- 
wall,  England;  George,  living  in  Ontario 
county,  New  York;  Joseph,  a  citizen  of  the 
same  location ;  Charles  Benton,  of  Yates 
county,  New  York;  Edwin,  of  Pitkin  county, 
Colorado ;  Phebe,  wife  of  John  Donohue,  of 
Southampton,  England;  Celia  J.,  wife  of  Griff 
Thomas,  of  Hailey,  Idaho;  and  John,  living 
at  Sacramento,  California.  Those  who  have 
died  are  Philip  and  Elizabeth  and  two  who 
passed  away  in  infancy.  Edwin,  the  fifth  in  or- 
der of  the  living,  had  a  few  brief  terms  at  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at  the 
age  of  ten  began  the  battle  of  life  for  himself 
by  working  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  home.  In  1865  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  New  York  state,  in  On- 
tario county.  There  he  was  occupied  in  farm- 
ing until  the  latter  part  of  1867,  when  he  made 
a  visit  to  his  native  land  and  remained  some 
months.  On 'his  return  to  this  country  he  took 
up  his  residence  at  Canandaigua,  New  York, 
and  found  employment  in  a  spoke  factory,  first 
as  engineer,  next  as  sawyer,  then  at  the  end  of 
a  year  as  one-third  owner  of  the  plant  and  busi- 
ness. A  few  days  after  purchasing  a  one- 
third  interest  in  the  establishment,  he  bought 
half  of  another  third,  and  at  the  end  of  three 
years  bought  all  the  rest  of  the  interests  besides 
what  he  already  owned.  The  factory  was 
known  as  the  Canandaigua  Spoke  Works,  and 
in  connection  he  conducted  a  saw-mill  and 
dealt  largely  in  farm  wagons,  buggies  and  other 
vehicles,  employing  about  fifteen  men  in  the 
summer  months  and  thirty  in  winter.  In  1877 
the  factory  burnt  down  and  he  lost  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  property,  on  which  he 
had  an  insurance  of  only  three  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  at  once  opened  a  new  establishment 
of  the  same  kind  at  Chapinville,  in  the  same 
county,  and  a  year  later  was  again  burned  out. 
He  then  became  proprietor  of  the  Irondequoit 


210 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


flour  mill,  which  he  conducted  two  years  suc- 
cessfully, selling  out  at  the  end  of  that  period. 
He  moved  to  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  and 
during  the  next  five  years  conducted  a  planing 
mill  in  that  city,  but  was  again  burned  out  and 
suffered  a  new  loss  of  seven  thousand  dollars. 
In  the  meantime,  on  January  26,  1886,  he  pat- 
ented a  machine  for  sawing  hoop  poles,  and  on 
September  /th  of  the  same'  year  one  for  cut- 
ting hoops.    From  these  he  realized  a  good  sum 
of   money,    and   afterward    passed   a   year   at 
Williamsport,  working  as  a  millwright  and  pat- 
tern maker.     In  1888  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Aspen  with  his  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren, and  two  dollars  in  money.     In  a  little 
while  he  accumulated  some  property,  and  soon 
afterward  traded  it  for  the  ranch  on  which  he 
now  lives,  which  once  belonged  to  the  late  Gov- 
ernor Waite.    This  comprises  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  with  one  hundred  acres  of  it  in 
a  good  state  of  productiveness,  yielding"  timo- 
thy hay  of  excellent  quality  in  abundance.     He 
also  raises  some  grain  and  vegetables  for  mar- 
ket, and  numbers  of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs. 
The  first  money  he  made  in  Aspen  was  from 
the  sale  of  a  mule  purchased  by  the  Denver  & 
Rio   Grande  Railroad.      Having  good  spruce 
timber  on  his  ranch,  in  the  years  1901,   1902 
and   1903  he  conducted  a  saw-mill  with  suc- 
cess and  profit.     In  politics  he  supports  the 
.Republican  party,  and   fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order.    On  February 
8,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  J.  Perr, 
a  native  of  East  Bloomfield,  New  York,  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  and  Ellen  (Splann)  Perr,  who 
were  born  in  Ireland  and  settled  at  East  Bloom- 
field  early  in  their  married  life,  afterward  re- 
moving to  Rush  and  from  there  to  Canandai- 
gua,  the  father  being  a  shoemaker,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  working  at  his  trade,  conducting  retail 
stores  at  a  number  of  places.     He  died  some 
years  ago,  and  the  mother  now  lives  at  Victor, 
New  York.     They  had  twelve  children,   one 


of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  two  others  have 
since  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powell  have  four 
children,  Edwin  J.,  Franklin  A.,  George  A. 
and  Frederick  W.  Of  these  Edwin  J.  and 
George  A.  are  residents  of  Aspen.  The  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  and  active  in  its  work. 

MILES  CARROLL. 

Miles  Carroll,  one  of  Pitkin  county's  most 
prosperous  and  progressive  ranch  and  cattle 
men,  who  lives  not  far  from  Aspen,  is  a  native 
of  Ireland  born  in  1848,  and  the  son  of  Miles 
and  Anna  (Christian)  Carroll,  of  the  Emerald 
Isle,  who  were  prosperous  farmers,  devout 
Catholics  and  highly  respected  citizens.  They 
had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  all  now  de- 
ceased, but  Miles  and  his  brother  John.  The 
father  died  in  1860  and  the  mother  a  few  years 
later.  Their  son  Miles  was  not  allowed  much 
in  the  way  of  educational  advantages.  His  fa- 
ther was  a  stern  and  unyielding  believer  in  work 
as  a  preparation  for  life's  duties  and  put  his 
theories  into  practical  operation  with  all  his 
children  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to  do  any- 
thing of  value.  But  their  mother  had  more  lib- 
eral views,  and  after  the  death  of  the  father  she 
hired  a  teacher  to  come  to  the  house  three 
evenings  in  each  week  for  a  time  to  teach  the 
children.  Miles  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  sixteen,  then  began  to  earn  his  own  liv- 
ing, later  conducting  the  farm  at  home  for  a 
period  of  two  years.  In  1865  ne  came  to  the 
United  States  and,  locating  at  New  Entry  on 
Long  Island,  farmed  for  wages  three  months, 
then  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  from  there  a 
short  time  later  to  Marine  Square,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  quarried  stone  for  two  years. 
From  there  he  changed  his  base  to  the  coal  re- 
gions and  passed  some  time  digging  soft  coal, 
living  also  and  doing  similar  work  near  Pitts- 
burg  and  Allegheny  a  portion  of  the  time.  In 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


2ir 


the  summer  of  1868  he  moved  to  Kentucky, 
and  after  a  short  residence  in  that  state  went 
to  Point  of  Rocks  in  Maryland  and  assisted  in 
the  construction  of  the  tunnel  there  for  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  In  the  latter  part 
of  that  year  he  located  at  Lemont,  Illinois,  and 
there  wrought  in  the  stone  quarries,  getting 
out  gray  marble  for  large  buildings  in  Chicago, 
remaining  until  1871.  The  winter  of  1873  was 
passed  at  Streator,  Illinois,  in  coal  mining,  and 
there  he  met  with  an  accident  in  the  mines 
which  laid  him  up  for  a  number  of  months. 
In  1878  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  near 
Canon  City,  where  he  was  employed  in  railroad 
work.  He  next  appeared  at  Leadville  and  de- 
voted his  time  to  burning  brick,  of  which  he 
made  a  great  success  for  his  employer,  being  a 
first-rate  hand  at  the  work  of  burning  and 
pressing  the  product  of  the  yards.  He  also 
passed  some  time  in  that  vicinity  working  in 
the  mines  for  wages.  In  company  with  James 
McKinney,  Edward  and  John  Ward,  James 
McEvoy  and  Frank  Kelley,  he  started  mining- 
and  prospecting,  continuing  this  until  i88~, 
when  he  located  a  part  of  his  present  ranch  of 
five  hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Aspen. 
Of  this  tract  two  hundred  acres  yield  grace- 
fully to  tillage  without  artificial  aid,  and  pro- 
duce excellent  crops  of  hay  and  grain,  and  he 
raises  in  addition  horses  and  cattle  in  goodly 
numbers.  In  all  the  lines  of  his  activity  he 
is  successful  and  prosperous,  and  as  his  work 
is  to  his  taste,  he  finds  great  enjoyment  in  life. 
He  is  independent  in  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Wolf  Tones  in  fraternal  relations  and 
a  Catholic  in  religious  affiliation.  In  1871  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Larkin,  a  native 
of  Cook  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  William 
and  Bridget  Larkin,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Ireland  and  came  to  this  country  soon  after 
their  marriage,  locating  in  Illinois,  where  they 
farmed  successfully.  The  father  was  a  Demo- 
crat politically  and  both  were  members  of  the 


Catholic  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living,  William 
and  Margaret.  Mrs.  Carroll  died  in  1889, 
leaving  six  of  her  fourteen  children  to  survive 
her,  Mary,  Miles,  James,  Charles,  Martha  and 
Nellie.  In  June,  1893,  Mr.  Carroll  married  a 
second  wife.  Miss  Maggie  Askins,  who  was 
born  at  Streator,  Illinois.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Michael  and  Katherine  (O'Garra)  Askins, 
a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Three  children  have  been  born  of 
the  second  marriage,  Margaret,  Bessie  and 
John  E.,  all  still  at  home. 

BENEDICT  BOURG. 

Although  the  Parisian  may  miss  the  gay 
salons  and  other  attractions  of  the  beautiful 
city  when  absent  from  it,  the  ordinary  native 
of  France  has  an  adaptability  of  nature  and  vi- 
vacity of  disposition  that  make  him  feel  at 
home  anywhere,  and  an  energy  of  industry  and 
force  of  character  that  win  success  in  life  from 
almost  any  circumstances.  It  is  so  with  Bene- 
dict Bourg,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
progressive  ranchmen  and  stock-growers  of 
Pitkin  county,  whose  beautiful  and  fertile 
ranch  of  eight  hundred  acres,  located  nine  miles 
northwest  of  Aspen,  is  considered  the  best  in 
the  valley.  He  was  born  at  Privas.  Ardeche, 
France,  on  December  17,  1842,  and  is  the  son 
of  Victorian  and  Ursule  (Chalaye)  Bourg,  also 
French  by  nativity.  The  father  was  a  skillful 
and  successful  ditcher  and  mine  shaft 
sinker,  working  for  the  greater  part  un- 
der contract,  and  both  parents  were  ar- 
dent Catholics  in  religious  faith.  The 
mother  died  in  1851  and  the  father  in  1893. 
Their  family  comprised  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  have  died,  Victorian,  Louis,  Matilda 
and  two  infants.  The  three  living  are  Eliza, 
Leopold  and  Benedict.  The  last  named  at- 
tended the  state  schools  for  short  periods  at 


212 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


intervals,  being  obliged  to  go  to  work  in  the 
mines  near  his  home  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 
He  remained  \vith  his  parents  until  the  death 
of  the  mother  and  after  that  with  his  father 
until  1865.  then  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
was  employed  in  mining  coal.  He  remained 
in  that  locality  until  1867,  then  moved  to 
Broadtop  in  the  same  state,  and  during  the 
next  eighteen  months  he  did  the  same  kind  of 
work  there.  At  the  end  of  that  period  the 
mines  closed  operations  and  he  returned  to 
Pittsburg  and  mined  until  1871.  In  that  year 
he  moved  to  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  the 
next  nine  years  were  .passed  in  the  coal  mines 
there.  In  1880  he  came  to  Colorado,  and,  set- 
tling at  Leadville,  mined  silver  under  contract 
until  1884,  in  the  meantime,  in  the  year  1882, 
locating  a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
To  this  he  has  since  added  by  purchase  and 
otherwise  until  he  has  eight  hundred  acres, 
much  of  which  is  as  good  and  productive  land 
as  can  be  found  anywhere.  In  1903  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  and  principal  stockhold- 
ers of  the  Salvation  Ditch  Company,  which  was 
incorporated  for  twelve  thousand  dollars,  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  ditch  eleven  miles 
long,  taking  water  out  of  the  Roaring  Fork 
river  two  miles  above  Aspen  in  order  to  irri- 
gate some  of  the  high  mesa  land.  The  ditch 
was  recently  completed,  at  a  cost  of  over  twen- 
ty-two thousand  dollars,  and  Mr.  Bourg  is  con- 
structing an  extension  of  eight  miles  of  ditch 
to  furnish  water  for  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  owned  by  him.  He  has  six  hun- 
dred acres  under  cultivation  in  hay,  oats  and 
other  grain  and  vegetables,  and  he  raises  num- 
bers of  good  cattle  and  horses  for  market.  In 
his  early  manhood  after  coming  to  this  coun- 
try he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  of  late  years  he  has  been  a 
Populist.  Asa  candidate  of  the  Populist  party 


he  was  elected  county  commissioner  of  Pitkin 
county  in  1892,  and  is  now  serving  his  third 
term  in  the  office.  On  April  27,  1867,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eulalia  Raroux, 
a  native  of  Paris,  France,  and  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Mary  (Guay)  Raroux,  who  were 
also  born  and  reared  in  France.  In  1065  the 
father  came  to  America  and  the  mother  and 
children  followed  in  1866.  They  lived  at 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  the  father  engaged 
in  mining,  until  1883,  when  they  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  took  up  their  residence  on  a  ranch 
near  the  one  occupied  by  Mr.  Bourg,  a  prop- 
erty now  owned  by  Thomas  Gannon.  In  1898 
they  sold  their  ranch  and  moved  to  Youngs- 
town,  Ohio,  where  the  mother  died  in  1899, 
and  the  father  is  now  living.  In  politics,  while 
living  in  this  state,  he  was  a  Populist.  They 
had  sixteen  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bourg  have  had  thir- 
teen children,  twelve  of  whom  are  living  and 
one  dead,  Anthony.  The  living  are  Frank  B., 
of  Seattle;  Nettie  A.  (Mrs.  True  Smith,  of 
this  county)  ;  Iritis,  Ursule,  Lilly  O.,  Paul, 
Eulalia,  Victor.  Alexander,  Eliza  D.,  Mamie 
L.  and  Evangeline.  Their  mother  died  on  De- 
cember 9,  1903,  aged  about  fifty-five  years. 

MICHAEL  ASKINS. 

For  a  period  of  twenty  years  Michael  As- 
kins  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  that  time,  up  to  the  full 
measure  of  his  capacities  and  opportunities, 
he  has  contributed  to  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  state  and  the  expansion  of  its  in- 
dustries. He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1833. 
the  son  of  Edward  and  Katharine  Askins,  also 
natives  of  Ireland,  where  their  forefathers  had 
lived  for  many  generations,  and  where  the  fa- 
ther was  actively  and  profitably  engaged  in  the 
shipping  trade.  He  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church,  and  both  died 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


213 


some  years  ago,  leaving-  five  of  their  eight 
children  to  survive  them,  the  father's  death  oc- 
curring in  1881  and  the  mother's  in  1897. 
Their  son  Michael  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land  at  intervals  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  then  began  to 
help  his  father  in  his  shipping  business,  in 
which  he  was  employed  eight  years.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  he  went  to  Scotland,  and 
during  the  next  five  months  worked  at  rail- 
roading at  a  compensation  of  fourteen  shillings 
a  week.  In  1863  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  engaged  in  coal  mining.  Six  months 
later  he  moved  to  Schuylkill  county,  and  two 
years  afterward  to  Northumberland,  where  he 
was  still  employed  in  coal  mining,  and  he  con- 
tinued this  line  of  useful  activity  at  Welch- 
berry  until  1872.  In  that  year  he  moved  to 
Illinois,  locating  at  Fairbury  in  Livingston 
county.  Six  months  afterward  he  moved  to 
La  Salle  county,  where  he  remained  ten  years. 
In  1884  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his 
present  ranch,  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  acres,  one  hundred  acres 
of  which  he  has  under  cultivation,  producing 
hay.  grain  and  other  farm  products,  and  rais- 
ing cattle  and  horses.  The  business  is  pros- 
perous and  the  profits  are  increasing,  and  Mr. 
Askins  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  successful  and 
up-to-date  farmers  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians 
and  the  Order  of  Wolf  Tones,  and  belongs  to 
the  Republican  party.  In  July,  1866,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Katharine  O'Garra,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  daughter  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  O'Garra,  also  native  there.  Her  father 
was  a  merchant  and  farmer  and  both  parents 
were  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  They 
died  sometime  in  the  'sixties.  Mr.  and  this 
Mrs.  Askins  had  eight  children,  but  five  of 
whom  are  living,  Katharine,  Margaret,  Patrick, 
Sarah  and  Anna.  Their  mother  died  in  No- 


vember, 1885,  and  on  November  10,  1897,  the 
father  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs.  Rebecca 
(Davidson)  Brown,  a  native  of  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, and  daughter  of  John  D.  and  Mary 
(Quick)  Davidson,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Scotland.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  and 
farmer,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  Wesleyan 
Methodists.  She  died  in  1863  and  he  in  1884. 
Six  of  their  eleven  children  are  living,  Rose, 
John,  Isaac,  James,  Rebecca  (Mrs.  Askins) 
and  Alice,  all  respected  and  honored  citizens. 

LOUIS  BOURG. 

The  third  in  order  of  the  living  children 
of  Benedict  and  Eulalia  (Raroux)  Bourg,  a 
sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
work,  and  himself  a  progressive  and  prosper- 
ous ranchman  of  Pitkin  county,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  January  17,  1871,  and  when  he 
was  nine  years  old  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Colorado.  He  remained  at  home  with  the 
family  through  its  wanderings  until  1902,  se- 
curing in  his  boyhood  and  youth  a  good  com- 
mon-school education,  and  assisting  his  father 
as  soon  as  he  was  able  in  the  work  in  which  he 
was  engaged.  In  1902  he  leased  a  ranch  of 
True  Smith,  his  brother-in-law,  a  sketch  of 
whom  is  also  in  this  volume,  and  after  operat- 
ing it  for  a  time,  purchased  one  of  his  own 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  ex- 
cellent land,  and  also  homesteaded  eighty  acres 
adjoining,  on  which  he  raises  good  crops  of 
hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  and  carries  on  a 
thriving  and  expanding  cattle  industry.  It  is 
high  praise,  but  just,  to  say  that  he  is  a  worthy 
follower  in  industry,  thrift  and  public  spirit 
of  his  father's  notable  example,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  promising  and  ca- 
pable young  men  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  the  county.  He  takes  an  earnest  in- 
terest in  every  commendable  enterprise  for  the 


214 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


benefit  of  his  community  and  county,  aiding  to 
direct  public  sentiment  along  lines  of  whole- 
some and  profitable  development  and  giving 
substantial  support  where  that  is  needed.  In 
political  affiliation  he  is  a  Populist,  but  does 
not  let  his  party  zeal  overbear  his  genuine  de- 
sire for  the  promotion  of  every  good  element 
of  progress.  In  business  he  is  energetic,  capa- 
ble and  successful ;  in  social  life  companionable 
and  entertaining;  and  in  reference  to  public 
affairs  broad  in  views  and  determined  and 
forceful  in  action.  No  young  man  in  the  county 
stands  higher  in  the  general  regard  of  the 
people,  and  none  deserves  a  higher  place. 

JERRY  GERBAZ. 

Born  in  sunny  Italy  on  September  20, 
1864,  Jerry  Gerbaz  is  far  from  the  scenes  and 
associations  of  his  nativity;  and  reared  to  hab- 
its of  industry  and  thrift  on  his  father's  farm, 
he  came  to  Colorado  well  prepared  for  the  life 
of  peaceful  labor  and  prosperity  he  has  here 
found  in  the  same  line  of  active  effort.  His 
parents,  Clement  and  Felicity  (Letey)  Gerbaz, 
were  also  Italians  by  birth,  and  both  belonged 
to  families  long  resident  in  that  historic  coun- 
try. They  were  prosperous  farmers  and  had 
a  family  of  twelve  children,  five  of  whom 
they  reared  to  maturity,  and  all  are  living. 
They  are  Clement,  Oyen,  Jerry,  Victorine  and 
Felicity.  Jerry  received  a  slender  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  took  his  place  regularly  as  a 
hand  on  his  father's  farm.  He  remained  home 
until  he  was  nearly  twenty-eight,  then,  heark- 
ening to  the  voice  of  America  pleading  for 
volunteers  to  come  and  help  conquer  her  wil- 
derness and  make  it  fragrant  with  the  bloom 
and  fruitful  with  the  products  of  cultivated 
life,  he  came  to  this  country  in  1892.  Locat- 
ing at  Detroit,  he  wrought  diligently  in  a  glass 
factory  for  a  period  of  four  years  in  order  to 


get  a  sum  of  ready  money  wherewith  to  put 
into  effect  his  cherished  design  of  becoming  a 
ranchman  and  stock-breeder  in  the  farther 
West.  In  1896  he  came  to  Colorado  for  this 
purpose,  and  purchasing  the  excellent  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Watson,  Pitkin  county,  he  began  at 
once  to  devote  himself  to  the  practical  reali- 
zation of  his  hopes.  He  has  improved  his 
ranch  with  substantial  and  comfortable  build- 
ings, equipped  it  with  all  the  necessary  appli- 
ances for  its  proper  management,  and  brought 
a  body  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  it  to 
an  advanced  state  of  cultivation,  producing 
on  it  a  goodly  quantity  of  grain  and  large  re- 
sults in  hay  and  cattle,  also  some  horses. 
Earnestly  devoted  to  the  welfare  and  lasting 
good  of  his  adopted  land,  he  is  zealous  and 
energetic  in  his  support  of  all  commendable 
enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  his  county  and  sec- 
tion, and  performs  all  the  duties  of  good  citi- 
zenship with  fidelity  and  manliness.  In  politi- 
cal action  he  favors  the  Democratic  party,  and 
in  religious  affiliation  he  and  his  wife  belong  to 
the  Catholic  church.  On  March  24,  1892,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cecilia  Cuaz, 
a  native  of  the  same  country  as  himself,  and 
daughter  of  Baptist  and  Felicity  (Net)  Cuaz, 
also  native  there,  where  the  father  is  profitably 
engaged  in  farming.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living. 
Peter,  Alexander,  Jerry,  Anthony,  Victorine. 
Ciserine,  Lottie.  Mary  and  Cecilia.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gerbaz  have  had  five  children.  One  son 
named  Oman  died  in  1903.  The  four  who  are 
living  are  Auzel,  Esther,  Alice  and  Orjst.  Mr. 
Gerbaz  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  suc- 
cessful ranchmen  in  the  portion  of  the  county 
in  which  he  lives,  and  one  of  its  most  respected 
.and  useful  citizens.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Ger- 
baz died  on  June  n,  1903,  and  was  mourned 
by  a  large  circle  of  admiring  and  devoted 
friends. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


215 


ELBERT  H.  GRAY. 

Elbert  H.  Gray,  a  progressive  and  success- 
ful ranch  and  cattle  man  of  Eagle  county,  liv- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Basalt,  is  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  born  in  Morris  county  on  August  6, 
1852,  and  the  son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Cor-, 
win)  Gray,  natives  of  the  same  state.  The 
father  was  a  millwright  and  wrought  at  his 
trade  with  industry  and  profit.  He  supported 
the  Democratic  party  in  national  politics,  and 
was  a  well  esteemed  man  in  his  home  neighbor- 
hood. Six  children  were  born  in  the  family, 
Elbert,  Theodore  T.,  Annie  E.,  Frederick, 
George  E.  and  Joseph,  all  residents  of  New 
Jersey  except  the  first  born.  The  parents  be- 
long to  the  Methodist  church  and  are  promi- 
nent in  its  works  of  benevolence  and  also  in 
local  social  circles.  The  oldest  child,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  on  completing  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  learned  his  father's 
trade  under  the  instruction  of  that  estimable 
gentleman,  spending  three  years  in  his  ap- 
prenticeship. He  then  engaged  in  farming  in- 
dependently in  his  native  county,  and  continued 
this  line  of  industry  until  1881,  when  he  came 
to  this  state  and  located  at  Longmont  in  Boul- 
der county.  Here  he  passed  four  years  work- 
ing on  ranches  for  wages,  during  which  time 
he  spent  six  months  attending  the  State  Agri- 
cultural College  at  Fort  Collins.  After  leav- 
ing this  institution  in  1885  he  came  to  the 
vicinity  of  Aspen  and  worked  on  the  ranch  of 
G.  W.  Gillespie  a  year  for  wages,  then  bought 
a  ranch  for  himself  at  Emma,  which  he  farmed 
two  years,  then  sold  it  at  a  profit.  He  re- 
mained in  the  neighborhood,  however,  and 
during  the  next  two  years  conducted  the  af- 
fairs of  a  ranch  which  he  rented.  He  then 
gave  up  farming  and  turned  his  attention  to 
merchandising,  acting  as  clerk  seven  years  for 
C.  H.  Mather.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
came  to  his  present  location  and  purchased 


the  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and  of  which  one»hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres  are  under  cultivation,  pro- 
ducing good  returns  for  his  labors  in  hay, 
grain,  vegetables,  cattle  and  horses.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  in  fraternal  life,  and  in  political 
allegiance  is  a  firm  and  loyal  Democrat.  On 
May  15,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
E.  Gillespie,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  daughter 
of  George  W.  and  Belle  (Hull)  Gillespie,  who 
were  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky  and  moved 
from  there  to  Kansas  in  early  life,  coming  soon 
afterward  to  this  state  where  the  father  fol- 
lowed mining  instead  of  farming  as  he  had 
done  in  former  residences.  He  supports  the 
Democratic  party  in  politics  and  he  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Christian  church.  They 
had  a  family  of  four  children,  Cora,  wife  of 
William  Tennis,  of  Aspen;  Annie  (Mrs. 
Gray),  now  deceased;  Ollie,  wife  of  Peter  Mc- 
Cave,  of  Aspen,  and  Gertrude,  wife  of  Frank 
Allen,  of  Wyoming.  The  parents  of  this  Mrs. 
Gray  reside  at  Boulder.  In  the  Gray  house- 
hold three  children  were  born  of  the  first  mar- 
riage, Ernest,  Harold  and  Beulah.  Their 
mother  died  on  May  31,  1898,  and  on  May  20, 
1902,  Mr.  Gray  married  with  Mrs.  William 
(Scott)  Tierney,  a  widow  with  five  children. 
Bertha,  Gladys,  Mabel,  William  and  James. 
The  second  Mrs.  Gray  is  the  daughter  o£ 
Timothy  E.  and  Isabella  (Birth wick)  Scott, 
and  was  born  near  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Her 
parents  live  at  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and  are 
engaged  in  farming.  The  father  supports  the 
Liberal  party  in  Canadian  politics,  and  both 
belong  to  the  Methodist  church.  Seven  of  their 
nine  children  are  living,  Mrs.  Gray,  Ida  (Mrs. 
Daniel  Greenmyer),  of  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri; Jennie  (Mrs.  Elmer  Shryock),  of  Chi- 
cago; Eliza  (Mrs.  John  Ridington),  of  New 
Mexico;  Alexander,  of  the  Woody  Creek  vi- 
cinity, this  state;  Martin,  of  the  same  vicinity. 


2l6 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  Walter,  living  in  British  Columbia.  Mrs. 
Gray's  first  husband,  William  Tierney,  was 
born  at  Toronto,  Canada,  in  1850,  and  died  in 
Colorado  on  April  18,  1897.  Both  of  his  par- 
ents died  when  he  was  but  a  small  boy,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  for  him- 
self at  an  early  age.  He  became  a  sailor  and 
followed  the  sea  for  a  number  of  years,  visit- 
ing many  lands  but  confining  his  voyages 
mostly  to  places  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts  of  this  country.  When  he  quit  the  sea 
he  went  to  Alaska,  British  Columbia,  Cali- 
fornia, Arizona  and  South  Dakota  in  search  of 
gold.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Leadville  in  time  to  have  the  benefit 
of  the  boom  at  that  place  in  its  early  days.  In 
1883  he  moved  to  Independence  and  became 
assayer  and  amalgamator  in  the  mills  of  the 
Farewell  Consolidated  Mining  Company. 
From  1884  to  1890  he  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Woody,  where  he  devoted  his  time  to 
ranching  and  raising  stock.  In  December, 
1890,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Basalt  and 
started  a  mercantile  business,  a  line  of  com- 
mercial activity  of  which  he  was  the  father  in 
that  locality.  His  success  was  unusually  good 
and  he  became  the  most  prominent  man  in  that 
section  of  the  state.  He  was  energetic  in  every 
good  cause  for  the  promotion  of  its  interests, 
and  in  its  fraternal  and  social  life  was  a  recog- 
nized leader,  being  an  active  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  lodge,  the  only  fraternal  or- 
ganization in  the  region  in  those  days.  On 
February  10,  1881,  his  marriage  to  Mrs.  Gray 
occurred.  He  died  on  April  18,  1897. 

FRANK  JOSEPH  EBLER. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  Aspen 
merchant,  ranchman  and  cattle-grower,  who 
owns  a  fine  ranch  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  excellent  land  in  Rio  Blanco  county, 
is  a  native  of  Karlsruhe,  Baden,  Germany, 


where  he  was  born  on  March  24,  1863,  and  the 
son  of  Frank  Joseph  and  Philippine  (Yeager) 
Ebler,  both  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself. 
In  his  early  manhood  the  father  was  a  passen- 
ger conductor  on  a  railroad,  and  in  later  life 
was  engaged  in  a  profitable  transfer  business. 
His  success  was  moderate  but  steady  through 
life.  He  and  his  wife  were  devout  Catholics 
in  religion,  and  had  good  standing  in  their 
•community.  The  father  died  in  February, 
1867,  and  the  mother  in  June,  1872.  Of  their 
six  children,  William,  Mary  and  Annie  have 
died,  and  Adolph,  of  Altoona,  Pennsylvania, 
Julius,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  Frank  J., 
of  Aspen,  Colorado,  are  living.  The  last 
named,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written,  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  fourteen,  then  began  to  learn  cabinet- 
making.  After  completing  his  apprenticeship 
he  worked  at  the  trade  two  years  and  a  half  in 
his  native  land,  then  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
served  as  janitor  in  a  large  building  two  years. 
After  passing  another  year  selling  oysters  and 
liquors,  he  sold  out  his  business  and  came  to 
Colorado  in  1882.  He  settled  at  Leadville  and 
secured  profitable  employment  as  a  carpenter 
and  timberman  in  the  mines.  In  April,  1883, 
he  met  with  an  accident  there  which  disabled 
him  for  a  year,  and  when  he  was  able  to  work 
again,  he,  in  company  with  George'  Gilmore 
and  George  O.  Rise,  conducted  a  toll  road  in 
Pitkin  county,  remaining  connected  with  this 
enterprise  until  the  spring  of  1885,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  interest,  and  during  the  next 
two  years  worked  for  the  parties  he  sold  it  to. 
In  1887  he  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Rio  Blanco  county, 
and  has  since  added  by  purchase  to  his  land 
until  he  has  an  entire  section,  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  in  the  vicinity  of  White  river.  On 
this  he  carries  on  an  extensive  cattle  industry 
and  raises  large  quantities  of  hay,  grain  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


217 


other  farm  products.  In  1893  he  opened  a 
grocery  and  meat  market  at  Aspen,  in  which 
he  has  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade,  be- 
ing successful  in  this  venture  as  he  has  in  all 
others.  It  is  not  only  the  oldest  business  in 
this  line  in  Aspen,  but  is  also  the  most  exten- 
sive and  is  widely  and  popularly  known  as  the 
Blue  Front  Market.  He  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Fraternal  Union, 
and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  of  United 
Workmen  at  Aspen.  In  politics  he  is  an  earn- 
est and  active  Democrat.  On  April  20,  1889, 
he  united,  in  marriage  with  Miss  Belle  Benson, 
a  native  of  Swreden,  and  daughter  of  John  and 
Anna  (Germanson)  Benson,  also  Swedes  by 
birth,  who  in  their  life  were  farmers  in  their 
native  land.  The  father  died  on  September 
12,  1880,  and  the  mother  on  October  4,  1903. 
They  had  five  children,  Mary,  John,  Christina, 
Ingrad  and  Belle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebler  have 
four  children,  Frank  A.,  Frederick  J.,  Philip- 
pine and  Geneva. 

JOHN  D.  STERNER. 

Beginning  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  ten 
by  working  hard  as  a  common  laborer  in  the 
copper  mines  of  Michigan,  yet  performing  his 
daily  duties  with  fidelity  and  skill,  John  D. 
Sterner,  of  Aspen,  this  state,  learned  early  the 
lessons  of  self-reliance  and  the  use  of  all  his 
faculties  in  promoting  his  own  interests,  les- 
sons which  have  been  of  great  value  to  him  in 
all  of  his -subsequent  career.  He  was  born  on 
November  9,  1854,  in  Keweenaw  county, 
Michigan,  where  his  parents,  John  and  Bar- 
bara (Ennis)  Sterner,  natives  of  Germany, 
settled  soon  after  their  marriage.  The  father 
was  a  skilled  mechanic  and  helped  to  build  the 
International  Canal  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The 
family  lived  four  years  in  Wisconsin,  and  the 
rest  of-  the  time  the  parents  were  residents  of 
Michigan  until  their  deaths,  that  of  the  father 


occurring  on  July  5,  1880,  and  that  of  the 
mother  in  1890.  The  former  was  a  Catholic 
in  religion  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  The 
mother  was  a  Presbyterian.  Annie,  one  of 
their  seven  children,  is  deceased.  The  other 
six  are  living,  John  D. ;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Anthony 
Watzling,  of  California ;  Mary,  wife  of  Charles 
Paul,  of  Aspen,  Colorado ;  Anthony  and  Annie, 
living  in  Routt  county,  this  state ;  and  Frances, 
•  wife  of  Thomas  Garlan,  of  Aspen.  The  oldest 
of  these,  John  D.,  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Michigan  until  he  was  ten  years  old,  then 
went  to  work  in  the  copper  mines  as  a  com- 
mon laborer,  remaining  there  and  so  employed 
until  he  was  seventeen.  He  then  became  fore- 
man of  the  mine  in  wrhich  he  was  working, 
and  continued  in  the  position  six  years.  In 
1877  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Georgetown,  where  he  mined  for  wages  three 
years.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Breckenridge, 
and  there  conducted  a  hotel  and  saloon  during 
the  next  five  years,  but  met  with  very  little  suc- 
cess in  the  business.  On  February  10,  1885,  ne 
arrived  at  Aspen,  and  in  that  region  he  fol- 
lowed mining  until  1890,  when  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch,  or  a  portion  of  it,  increasing 
it  by  later  purchases  to  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  On  this  he  raises  hay  and  cattle  ex- 
tensively, and  some  grain  and  horses.  He  also 
conducts  the  largest  dairy  in  the  county,  and 
in  all  his  undertakings  he  is  very  progressive 
and  enterprising.  He  has  a  good  citizen's  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  community,  but  in 
politics  he  is  independent  of  party  control.  On 
April  15,  1901,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Florence  (Lockwood)  Corbett,  a  native 
of  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Sarah  Lockwood,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  New  Jersey  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
The  father  was  a  prominent  and  successful 
bridge  builder  for  many  years,  but  is  now  liv- 
ing retired.  The  mother  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  They  are  the  parents  of 


2l8 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


three  children,  Lillian,  the  wife  of  Norman 
Rice,  of  Aspen;  Mrs.  Sterner;  and  Edna,  the 
wife  of  Herman  Klann,  of  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri. Mrs.  Sterner  has  three  children  by  her 
former  marriage,  Flora,  Mark  and  Fay,  the 
last  named  the  wife  of  Albert  Cox,  of  Du- 
rango,  this  state.  Mrs.  Sterner  is  a  Christian 
Scientist.  Both  she  and  her  husband  are 
much  esteemed  in  Pitkin  county,  and  are  rec- 
ognized as  among  its  best  citizens. 

JOSEPH  D.  NEWMAN. 

One  of  the  leading  mine  superintendents  of 
Colorado,  and  an  acknowledged  authority  on 
all  subjects  connected  with  the  industry  in 
which  he  is  engaged,  Joseph  D.  Newman,  of 
Aspen,  occupies  a  high  place  in  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  the  people  and  has  been  of  great 
service  in  developing  the  mining  resources  of 
the  state.  He  was  born  in  Scioto  county,  Ohio, 
on  March  16,  1857,  the  son  of  David  and  Mary 
(Dever)  Newman,  who  settled  in  that  state  in 
early  life.  The  father  devoted  his  earlier  years 
to  the  hotel  business,  but  later  became  and  re- 
mained a  farmer.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat 
in  political  faith,  and  served  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
only  three  of  whom  are  living,  Newton,  who 
lives  at  Canton,  Ohio,  and  is  connected  with 
the  American  Bridge  Company ;  Lena,  also  liv- 
ing at  Canton,  Ohio;  and  the  subject  of  these 
paragraphs.  Both  parents  are  now  deceased. 
Joseph  received  only  a  limited  common  school 
education,  beginning  work  as  a  farm  hand  in 
order  to  earn  his  own  living  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.  Afterward  he  served  as  clerk  in  a 
store  at  Burlington  Junction,  Missouri,  for  a 
time,  and  in  the  spring  of  1880  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  settled  at  Leadville.  Here  he  was  oc- 
cupied for  awhile  in  mining,  then  became  con- 


nected with  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Express 
Company,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  until 

1882.  The  next  two  years  were  passed  in 
Montana,  Idaho  and  Utah  in  various  occupa- 
tions, and  on  his  return  to  Colorado  in  1884  ne 
located  a  pre-emption  claim  at  Debeque,  near 
Grand  Junction.    He  remained  there  two  years, 
and  in  those  days  venison  was  the  only  meat 
procurable   in   the   section.      After   improving 
this  ranch  he  sold  it  at  a  good  profit  in  1900. 
Prior  to  this,  however,  he  had  come  to  Aspen 
in  1886  and  purchased  another  one  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  in  Eagle  county,  two  miles  and  a 
half  south  of  the  town  of  Eagle.     All  the  land 
in  this  ranch  is  naturally  tillable,  and  on  it  Mr. 
Newman  raises  large  crops  of  hay  and  num- 
bers of  excellent  cattle.     Since   1888  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  Durant  Mining  Com- 
pany, beginning  in  its  employ  as  a  miner  and 
rising  on  demonstrated  merit  to  the  position 
of  superintendent,  a  position  he  has  held  for 
twelve  years  and  in  which  he  has  exhibited 
unusual  capacity  and  intelligence.     He  is  mas- 
ter of  every  phase  of  his  business  and  an  ac- 
knowledged authority  on  all  matters  involved 
in  the  mining  industry.     Aside  from  his  busi- 
ness he  enjoys  the  regard  and  confidence  of 
the  people  because  of  his  enterprise  and  breadth 
of  view  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity and  his  engaging  social  qualities.     In 
fraternal  relations  he  is  an  enthusiastic  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  Elks.     On  September  28, 

1883,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma 
Odd,  a  native  of  London,  England,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Margaret  Odd,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  country.     On  emigrating 
to  the*  United  States  they  located  at  Ogden, 
Utah,  but  for  a  number  of  years  they  lived  at 
Salt  Lake  City.    They  were  loyal  members  of 
the  Mormon  church,   and  the  parents  of  ten 
children,   six  of  whom  survive  them :   Eliza, 
wife  of  Charles  Robinson,  of  Blackfoot,  Idaho; 
Alice,  wife  of  John  Mitchell,  of  Boise,  Idaho; 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Ellen,  wife  of  Alfred  Williams,  of  Salt  Lake 
City;  Ada,  living  at  Eureka,  Utah;  Charles, 
living  near  Salt  Lake  City;  and  Mrs.  Newman, 
of  Aspen,  this  state.  The  mother  died  on  Janu- 
ary 13,  1875,  and  the  father  is  also  deceased. 
In  political  matters  Mr.  Newman  is  altogether 
independent  of  party  control,  but  he  takes  an 
active  and  intelligent  interest  in  all  public 
affairs. 

SAMUEL  CRAMER. 

A  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  a  farmer  in  Iowa, 
a  pioneer  in  Colorado,  and  here  a  miner,  a 
ranchman  and  a  valued  public  official,  Samuel 
Cramer,  of  near  Basalt,  Garfield  county,  has 
borne  the  duties  of  citizenship  with  fidelity 
and  courage  however  the  line  of  life  have 
fallen  for  him,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  the 
esteem  and  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
fellow  men.  He  is  a  native  of  Linn  county, 
Iowa,  born  on  April  28,  1847,  and  the  son  of 
Solomon  and  Mary  A.  (Billiter)  Cramer,  the 
father  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  in 
North  Carolina.  They  settled  at  Muscatine, 
Iowa,  in  1840,  and  in  1843  moved  to  West 
Liberty,  Linn  county,  the  same  state.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  blacksmith  and  for  many  years 
wrought  industriously  at  his  trade.  The  later 
years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  farming  with 
good  returns  for  his  labor.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
Methodists  in  church  connection.  He  died  on 
April  10,  1863,  and  his  widow  on  February 
15,  1887.  Two  of  their  nine  children  died  in 
infancy  and  five  in  later  life.  The  other  two 
are  living:  Samuel,  of  this  review;  Matilda, 
wife  of  William  Kester,  of  Pagosa  Springs, 
Colorado,  whose  husband  is  an  architect  and 
builder.  Samuel  attended  the  public  schools 
and  Western  College  in  his  native  county.  In 
the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Sixteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  served  one  year, 
being  mustered  out  honorably  at  Louisville, 


Kentucky.  He  remained  with  his  parents  and 
assisted  them  in  the  work  on  the  farm  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two,  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself  in  the  same 
county  for  ten  years.  In  1880  he  came  to  Col- 
orado, and  for  six  months  mined  and  pros- 
pected in  Chaffee  county.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Pitkin  county  and  on  April  7,  1881, 
located  a  ranch  at  the  mouth  of  Sopris  creek, 
later  selling  his  right  to  the  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  at  a  profit.  He  was  a 
pioneer  in  that  section  and  in  1882  built  a 
half-way  house  where  Emma  now  stands,  be- 
tween Aspen  and  Glenwood.  He  then  contin- 
ued prospecting  and  mining  until  1884,  and 
during  the  next  three  years  served  as  county 
commissioner,  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
At  the  end  of  his  term  he  located  a  part  of  the 
ranch  he  now  owns  and  afterward  bought  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  additional  and  sold 
one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  place  is  near  Ba- 
salt on  the  line  between  Garfield  and  Pitkin 
counties,  along  the  Roaring  Fork  river.  From 
1888  to  1893  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  com- 
mission business,  but  now  devotes  his  entire 
time  to  ranching.  One  hundred  acres  of  his 
land  can  be  easily  cultivated  and  produces 
abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables. 
Cattle  and  horses  are  also  raised  in  good  num- 
bers and  superior  grades.  He  belongs  to  the 
United  Workmen  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  On  January  5,  1870,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Amerzette  Ammerman, 
who  was  born  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Martha  Ammer- 
man, natives  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a 
wagonmaker  and  followed  his  craft  success- 
fully in  Iowa.  He  was  a  Republican  in  poli 
tics  and  a  man  of  local  prominence  in  his 
county.  He  died  in  1865.  Two  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  Cramer's  first  marriage,  Frank 
and  Maud,  who  live  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Cramer's 
second  marriage  occurred  on  November  5, 


22O 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1893,  and  was  with  Mrs.  Lutie  R.  (Gardner) 
Binning,  a  native  of  New  York  and  reared  in 
Jackson  county,  Michigan,  and  the  daughter 
of  William  and  Catherine  (Turner)  Gardner, 
the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  Wales.  They  passed  their  earlier 
days  in  New  York  state,  but  for  a  long  time 
have  been  living  and  farming  in  Michigan. 
The  father  is  a  Democrat  and  both  parents  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Four  of 
their  six  children  are  living:  Jennie,  wife  of 
Harry  Graham,  of  Buffalo,  New  York;  Cora, 
wife  of  William  McCay,  of  Jackson,  Michigan ; 
Mrs.  Cramer,  and  Earl,  residing  in  Jackson 
county,  Michigan.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs. 
Cramer  had  three  children.  Albert  died  on 
February  15,  1897,  and  Ernest  and  Richard 
survive  their  father,  who  passed  away  on  Au- 
gust 21,  1889.  The  marriage  took  place  on 
November  21,  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramer 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Clementine  Alice, 
who  is  in  her  ninth  year. 

FREDERICK  A.  NAEFE. 

In  the  case  of  the  interesting  subject  of 
this  brief  review  the  natural  thrift  and  persist- 
ency of  effort  of  the  German  has  been  stimu- 
lated and  quickened  by  the  vivacity  and  rush 
of  American  conditions  to  a  largely  increased 
activity  and  productiveness,  so  that  he  has  not 
only  won  a  substantial  competence  for  life  for 
himself  on  the  soil  of  this  country,  but  has 
exhibited  the  attributes  of  its  best  citizenship 
and  an  elevated  patriotism  in  love  for  its  insti- 
tutions and  honest  energy  and  intelligent  appli- 
cation in  promoting  its  welfare  in  every  com- 
mendable way.  He  is  a  native  of  Saxony, 
Germany,  where  he  was  born  on  October  6, 
1831,  and  the  son  of  Frederick  W.  and  Chris- 
tina (Rudolph)  Naefe,  also  natives  of  the  fa- 
therland. His  father  was  a  skillful  weaver  of 
fabrics,  and  had  an  interest  in  a  factorv  de- 


voted to  the  business  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
He  and  his  wife  were  Lutherans  in  church  rela- 
tions, and  they  had  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  Carl  and  Augusta, 
who  are  residents  of  Germany,  and  Julia,  Her- 
man and  Frederick  A.,  who  live  in  this  country. 
The  mother  died  in  1863  in  Germany  and  the 
father  in  1862,  at  Elmira,  New  York,  where 
he  had  been  living  for  a  number  of  years. 
Their  son  Frederick  received  a  common  and 
high  school  education  in  his  native  land,  but  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  began  to  learn  the  business 
of  weaving  under  instruction  from  his  father. 
He  continued  at  this  work  until  1846,  then  be- 
gan patenting  devices  for  its  improvement. 
Three  years  were  passed  in  this  occupation, 
then  in  1849  ne  joined  an  uprising  against  the 
king  of  his  native,  country,  which  lasted  six 
days.  At  its  close  he  took  refuge  in  Russia, 
where  he  remained  until  the  storm  blew  over, 
then  he  returned  to  his  home.  In  1850  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Buf- 
falo, New  York.  Two  years  later  he  moved 
to  Elmira,  the  same  state,  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  went  to  Panama,  where  he  remained 
until  January,  1855,  employed  in  painting  rail- 
road engines  and  cars.  He  was  a  painter  of 
artistic  merit,  and  his  work  was  in  great  de- 
mand and  well  paid  for.  In  1855  ne  returned 
to  England  on  a  visit,  and  while  there  was  im- 
pressed into  the  English  army  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  In  1856  he  came  back  to  this  country 
and  took  up  his  residence  at  Elmira,  New 
York,  from  where  he  removed  soon  afterward 
to  Hamilton,  Canada.  There  he  became  a 
boss  painter  in  large  works,  but  being  enam- 
ored of  New  York,  he  returned  to  that  state 
and  remained  until  1860,  when  he  once  more 
went  to  Canada.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union 
in  the  Twenty-third  New  York  Infantry,  and 
in  this  regiment  he  served  to  the  close  of  the 
memorable  contest.  Returning  to  Elmira,  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


221 


again  took  up  painting  as  an  occupation,  and 
conducted  the  business  successfully  in  that  city 
until  1869.  He  then  moved  to  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  remained  until  1874,  when 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Denver. 
Ten  years  were  passed  in  that  growing  and 
enterprising  city,  then  after  wintering  in  1884- 
5  at  Grand  Junction,  he  moved  in  the  spring 
to  Aspen.  In  1886  he  located  a  ranch  near 
Emma,  on  which  he  has  since  lived  and  which 
he  has  converted  into  a  very  valuable  and  pro- 
ductive fruit  farm.  Here  he  raises  fruit  of  all 
kinds,  large  and  small,  in  great  quantities  and 
of  superior  quality,  his  output  having  so  good 
a  reputation  in  the  markets  that  his  place  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  the  Pioneer  Fruit,  Bee 
and  Honey  Farm.  He  has  not,  however,  been 
wholly  absorbed  in  his  own  affairs,  exacting  as 
they  have  been,  but  has  given  active  and  serv- 
iceable attention  to  local  public  matters,  being 
the  oldest  justice  of  the  peace  and  humane  so- 
ciety officer  on  the  Western  slope  by  continu- 
ous service.  He  is  an  earnest  and  loyal  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  in  fraternal  circles  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  holds 
the  rank  of  past  chancellor,  and  the  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  being  a  past  grand  in  the  latter 
order.  In  January,  1860,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Caroline  Beck,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Ro- 
sanna  (Scherer)  Beck.  Her  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Baden  and  her  mother  of  Wurtemberg, 
Germany.  He  died  in  1852  and  she  in  1898. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naefe  have  had  three  children, 
but  only  one,  August  Frederick,  Jr.,  is  living. 
The  two  who  have  died  were  Annie  and  Julia. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  are  active  in  all  its  good  works. 

GEORGE  W.  KING. 

George  W.  King,  of  near  Basalt,  Garfield 
county,  was  born  on  January  n,  1854.  at 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  and  grew  to  maturity 


there  with  his  young  life  overshadowed  by  the 
momentous  issues  of  the  Civil  war.  He  is  the 
son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  J.  (Johnson)  King, 
who  remained  in  Alabama  until  1885,  then 
moved  to  Arkansas,  and  later  on  to  Texas. 
The  father  was  a  physician  and  farmer,  and 
met  with  fair  success  in  both  lines  of  useful- 
ness. He  was  an  active  Democrat  in  politics 
and  a  Freemason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fra- 
ternal relations.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
Methodists.  The  mother  died' on  February  5, 
1890,  and  he  on  February  5,  1899.  Seven  of 
their  ten  children  survive  them :  John 
H.,  of  Dallas,  Texas;  James  E.,  of 
Greer  county,  Oklahoma;  William  H.,  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  Missouri ;  Joseph  H.  and  Clara  L. 
(Mrs.  E.  H.  Curtis),  both  of  Dallas;  George 
W.,  of  Garfield  county;  Mattie,  wife  of  John 
S.  Routt,  of  Fannin  county,  Texas;  and  Le- 
donia,  of  Basalt,  this  state.  George  W.  King 
is  a  self-made  man.  He  attended  school  very 
little,  being  obliged  at  an  early  age  to  aid  his 
parents  on  the  home  farm,  which  he  did  until 
he  was  twenty  years  old.  He  then  rented  a 
farm  for  himself  and  worked  it  two  yeaVs. 
In  1877  ne  located  in  Washington  county, 
Texas,  where  he  was  given  the  entire  manage- 
ment of  a  large  plantation  in  the  interest  of 
John  S.  Smith,  who  was  an  extensive  cotton- 
grower.  In  1878  he  moved  into  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, and  soon  afterward  into  Lawrence 
county,  Missouri,  where  he  farmed  until  1879. 
He  then  started  across  the  plains  to  Colorado 
with  mule  teams,  and  after  his  arrival  in  this 
state  he  freighted  until  1880,  then  traded  his 
outfit  for  cattle,  and  while  developing  his  stock 
industry  worked  as  a  ranch  hand  for  W.  H. 
Berry  at  the  head  of  Current  creek,  remaining 
in  his  service  until  June,  1882,  when  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Sterling  P.  Sloss  (see 
sketch  on  another  page)  under  the  firm  name 
of  King  &  Sloss,  and  started  a  dairy  business 
that  they  continued  until  October  of  that  year. 
At  that  time  Mr.  King  moved  to  South  Park 


222 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  later  to  Pueblo,  devoting  the  greater  part 
of  his  time  to  painting.  He  next  located  at 
Ashcroft,  where  he  conducted  a  dairy  until 
October  6,  1883.  From  there  he  moved  to 
Aspen  and  continued  his  dairy  business  at  that 
point  until  the  summer  of  1884.  Disposing  of 
his  interest  to  his  partner,  in  June  of  the  same 
year  he  purchased  a  ranch  on  Sopris  creek  and 
was  occupied  in  ranching  and  raising  cattle 
until  November,  1900,  on  this  place.  He  sold 
it  at  that  time  and  moved  to  the  one  -he  now 
occupies,  which  he  bought  on  October  23,  1902. 
This  ranch  is  near  Basalt  and  comprises  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  on  it  crops  of  hay, 
potatoes,  corn  and  other  grain  are  successfully 
raised,  but  cattle  are  the  chief  product  and  main 
source  of  profit.  The  ranch  is  conceded  to 
be  one  of  the  best  in  the  region,  and  his  man- 
agement of  it  is  first  class.  He  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  in  political  affiliation  is  an  unwavering 
Democrat.  On  November  5,  1882,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Sophronia  M.  Martin,  a  native  of 
Marshall  county,  Alabama,  and  daughter  of 
Asbury  and  Martha  (Pogue)  Martin,  who 
were  born  and  reared  in  Georgia  and  moved  to 
Alabama  soon  after  their  marriage.  The 
father  was  a  planter,  and  in  the  Civil  war  gave 
his  life  in  defense  of  his  convictions,  being 
killed  in  the  Confederate  army  in  1863.  He 
was  an  earnest  and  zealous  working  Democrat 
and  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in 
his  section.  Five  children  were  born  to  them, 
all  of  whom  are  living:  James  H.  resides  in 
Pitkin  county,  this  state,  on  Sopris  creek; 
William  T.  on  Frying  Pan  creek,  Eagle 
county;  Emanuel  C.  at  Santa  Ana,  California; 
Mrs.  King  in  Garfield  county ;  Josephine,  wife 
of  W.  H.  Barker,  at  Fruita,  Mesa  county ;  and 
her  mother  lives  with  her  there.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  King  have  had  six  children.  Everett 
died  on  October  31,  1897,  and  Geneva,  Joseph 
S..  Sallie,  Ella  and  Lizzie  B.  are  living.  The 


parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 
Being  prosperous  in  their  business,  well  es^- 
teemed  by  the  people  around  them,  and  in  full 
view  of  the  progress  and  development  of  the 
state,  they  are  well  pleased  with  Colorado,  and 
loyal  to  its  interests  in  every  way. 

CHARLES  DAVIS. 

Bom  on  April  10,  1848,  in  Howard  county, 
then  on  the  edge  of  civilization,  and  afterward 
living  in  the  wilds  of  Kansas  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  came  overland  to 
Colorado,  Charles  Davis,  of  Pitkin  county, 
one  of  the  progressive  and  successful  ranch 
and  stock  men  living  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Emma,  has  passed  the  whole  of  his  life  on  the 
frontier,  and  is  thoroughly  inured  to  its  priva- 
tions, hardships,  dangers  and  achievements, 
the  graver  part  of  which  have  passed  away 
forever,  but  linger  in  his  memory  vividly  as 
portions  of  his  personal  experience,  when  at 
almost  every  step  there  lurked  a  peril  for  the 
adventurous  pioneer,  and  his  own  resources 
were  nearly  his  whole  reliance  for  safety  and 
the  means  of  living.  His  parents,  Sylvester 
and  Louisa  (Pulliam)  Davis,  were  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  The 
father  moved  to  the  latter  state  in  his  early  life 
and  remained  there  until  1854,  when  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  Kansas,  where  the  family 
lived  until  1863.  In  that  year  they  came  to 
Colorado  and  began  farming  near  Colorado 
Springs,  being  fairly  successful  in  their  work. 
The  mother  was  a  Baptist  and  died  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  church  on  April  24,  1895.  The 
father  was  an  active  Democrat  in  politics  dur- 
ing his  life,  and  took  an  earnest  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  party.  He  died  on  April  25, 
1899.  Of  their  twelve  children  five  are  living, 
Frankie,  the  wife  of  Robert  Gaddis,  of  Delta, 
Colorado;  Charles,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  sketch ;  Wade,  living  at  Trinidad,  this 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


223 


state;  Laruah,  the  wife  of  John  Gibbons,  of 
Canon  City;  and  Annie,  living-  at  Canon  City. 
Charles  received  a  slender  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  accompanied 
the  rest  of  the  family  to  Colorado,  making  the 
trip  overland  from  Kansas  to  Denver.     Seven 
weeks  were  consumed  in  the  journey,  and  it 
was  fraught  with  hardships  and  dangers.   Hos- 
tile Indians  disputed  the  advance  of  the  train 
and  engaged  the  party  in  frequent  skirmishes ; 
wild    beasts    harassed    and    threatened    them; 
wood  was  limited  in  quantity  and  variety ;  and 
the  way  was  rugged  at  best  and  many  times 
for  weary  miles  was  unbroken.     But  they  kept 
their  courage  up  and  persevered,   landing  at 
last  in  the  rude  village  of  uncanny  log  cabins 
which  was  destined  to  become  the  metropolis 
of    the    state.      After    his    arrival    here,  boy 
though  he  was,  Mr.  Davis  engaged  in  driving 
a  freight  team,  and  received  a '  compensation 
of  sixty  dollars  a  month  and  his  board  for  his 
work.     He  made  seven  trips  across  the  plains 
with  this  team,  two  trips  a  year  being  the  av- 
erage accomplishment,  and  in  the  intervals  be- 
tween the  journeys  he  did  other  work.     From 
1868  to  1875  he  was  employed  in  teaming  and 
driving  cattle,  with  headquarters  in  the  Black 
Hills  of  South  Dakota.     The  next  three  years 
were  passed  in  freighting  on  his  own  account, 
and  in  them  he  had  many  more  Indian  troubles 
and  other  perils.     In  1878  he  moved  to  Lead- 
ville, this  state,  and  some  little  time  afterward 
to  Denver.     Here  he  was  again  occupied  in 
driving  cattle  and  later  in   railroad  work  as 
foreman  for  I.  W.  Chatfield.     In  the  autumn 
of  1879  he  returned  to  Leadville,  and  there  he 
opened  a  feed  store  and  carried  on  a  freighting 
business.    In  both  he  had  excellent  success,  but 
in  the  midst  of  it  he  was  stricken  down  with 
rheumatism  which  disabled  him  for  active  work 
for  a  period  of  two  years.    When  he  recovered 
his  health  he  once  more  drove  cattle,  remaining 
in  this  business  until  1884,  when  he  moved  to 


Aspen,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  that  year 
and  the  winter  of  1885.  Beginning  in  the 
spring  of  1885,  ne  sPellt  three  years  driving 
cattle  for  Mr.  Chatfield  in  Bent  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1888  he  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-one  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Emma, 
Pitkin  county,  and  at  once  began  to  improve 
and  develop  it  and  make  it  productive.  He  has 
now  one  hundred  acres  of  it  under  cultivation, 
and  raises  good  crops  of  hay,  grain,  vegetables 
and  fruit,  and  'also  numbers  of  cattle  and 
horses.  He  belongs  to  the  Democratic 
party  in  political  affiliation,  and  gives  to  the 
support  of  its  principles  and  candidates  his 
best  efforts.  On  March  14,  1888,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Gladdis  I.  Nutting,  a  native  of 
Linn  county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Eugene 
and  Sarah  (Burtis)  Nutting,  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 
They  settled  in  Iowa  in  early  life  and  the  father 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  there  in  peace- 
ful and  prosperous  farming.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
in  political  faith  he  was  a  Republican.  He  died 
on  March  6,  1898,  leaving  his  widow  and  five 
of  their  eight  children  as  his  survivors.  The 
living  children  are :  Burtis,  who  lives  at  Delta, 
Colorado ;  Charles,  who  lives  in  Pitkin  county ; 
Harry  E.,  who  lives  at  Littleton;  Drusilla  B., 
who  lives  at  Leadville;  and  Rupert  E.,  who 
lives  at  Littleton.  Their  mother  lives  at  Canon 
City.  The  father  was  a  member  of  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Davis  have  five  children  living,  Lona, 
Irena,  Sylvester,  Thelma  and  Merrick.  A 
daughter  named  Madge  died  some  years  ago. 

OTTO  METZGER. 

Otto  Metzger  was  born  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  on  March  24,  1851.  He  was  .edu- 
cated at  the  state  schools  and  a  polytechnic  in- 
stitute, and  after  leaving  school  he  learned  the 


224 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


trade  of  a  blacksmith,  at  which  he  wrought 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He  then  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Madison 
county,  Illinois,  where  for  a  time  he  worked  in 
a  brewery.  He  afterwards  became  owner  of 
the  plant  and  also  of  one  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  these  he  operated  until  1880.  In  that  year, 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  turned  his  attention 
to  brewing  at  Leadville,  where  he  remained 
until  1885,  at  which  time  he  located  his  present 
home,  pre-empting  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  and  at  once  starting  the  improvements 
which  it  now  contains.  He  has  added  to  his 
domain  until  his  ranch  comprises  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  can  be  cultivated.  His  general 
ranching  yields  good  results,  but  his  main  in- 
dustry is  raising  cattle,  which  he  produces  in 
numbers  and  of  good  quality.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  undertakings  and  ranks 
among  the  leading  and  most  progressive  ranch- 
men in  his  neighborhood,  and  he  is  well  es- 
teemed throughout  the  community  for  his 
manhood,  his  enterprise  and  his  faithful  atten- 
tion to  all  the  duties  of  citizenship.  Politically 
he  supports  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  yet,  while  taking  an  active  interest  in  its 
welfare,  he  is  devoted  to  the  advancement  and 
development  of  the  section  in  which  he  lives 
without  regard  to  party  considerations.  His 
parents  were  John  and  Caroline  (Kicherer) 
Metzger,  natives  of  Germany,  where  the  father 
was  a  successful  and  well-to-do  manufacturer 
in  iron,  owning  a  plant  of  his  own.  He  also 
was  occupied  in  farming  and  milling.  Both 
parents  were  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
The  father  died  in  March,  1874,  and  the 
mother  in  the  spring  of  1885.  They  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  nine  are  living,  Charles. 
Gottlieb,  Robert,  Otto,  Frederick,  Mary, 
Amelia,  Elise  and  Emma.  On  March  13 
1 877, 'Mr.  Metzger  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Bertha  Mever,  a  native  of  St.  Louis, 


Missouri.  They  have  had  thirteen  children. 
One  died  in  infancy  and  the  others  are  living : 
Emma,  wife  of  John  Marshall;  Rosa,  wife  of 
Joseph  Baldauf;  Gertrude,  Clara,  Robert, 
Elsie,  Otto,  Rubie,  Carl,  Florence,  Frank,  and 
Ida,  wife  of  Fred  Baldauf.  The  parents  be- 
long to  the  Episcopal  church. 

ELIJAH   SALMON. 

Elijah  Salmon,  of  the  vicinity  of  Meeker, 
Rio  Blanco  county,  owner  of  three  ranches, 
two  of  which  are  in  Routt  county,  is  a  native 
of  Somersetshire,  England,  and  has  made  his 
own  way  in  the  world  from  boyhood,  with  no 
favoring  circumstances  and  with  scarcely  any 
schooling  outside  of  experience.  In  his  native 
land  he  was  variously  occupied  until  1861. 
when  he  moved  to  Wales  and  became  a  coal 
miner.  Two  years  later  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  located  at  Sharon,  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  mining  coal  in  that  state  and  Ohio 
until  1874.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and, 
making  his  home  at  Coalcreek,  near  Canon 
City,  continued  mining  until  1876.  At  that 
time  he  moved  to  Nevada,  where  he  remained 
a  year  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  returned  to  Coalcreek,  in  this  state,  and 
since  then  he  has  been  connected  with  the  stock 
industry.  In  1886  he  located  on  Bear  river, 
in  Routt  county,  taking  up  a  pre-emption  and 
a  homestead  claim,  which  he  developed  and 
worked  until  1893,  when  he  bought  the  ranch 
on  which  he  now  lives.  He  now  owns  three 
ranches,  all  of  which  he  manages  vigorously 
and  from  which  he  gets  good  returns.  The 
home  ranch  comprises  two  hundred  acres,  of 
which  he  cultivates  one  hundred  acres.  Hay 
and  cattle  are  the  principal  products,  both  being 
of  good  quality  and  produced  on  a  large  scale. 
He  is  a  Knight  Templar  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


225 


politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His  par- 
ents are  Alfred  and  Harriet  (Smith)  Salmon, 
both  natives  of  England  and  both  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  a  miner  in  his  native 
land  through  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  In 
the  local  life  of  his  community  Mr.  Salmon 
is  heartily  interested  and  among  its  people 
he  is  highly  esteemed.  He  was  married  July 
31,  1884,  to  Annie  Edwards,  a  native  of  Wales, 
who  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her 
parents  when  three  years  old. 

JOSEPH  RALSTON. 

Born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  Joseph  Ralston  has  passed  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits  and 
the  stock  industry.  His  life  began  on  Febru- 
ary i,  1840,  and  in  his  native  county  he  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education,  remaining 
with  his  parents  and  working  in  their  interest 
until  1 86 1.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Wash- 
ington county,  Iowa,  and  in  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  an  Iowa  in- 
fantry regiment.  He  saw  active  service  in  the 
war,  but  received  no  injury  and  was  never 
taken  prisoner.  On  July  15,  1865,  he  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  and  returned  to  his 
Iowa  home,  where  he  farmed  until  1869.  He 
then  moved  to  Osage  county,  Kansas,  and 
there  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1871. 
At 'that  time  he  moved  cattle  for  Millett  &  May- 
berry  from  the  Red  river  in  southern  Texas 
up  the  Missouri  river  to  Kansas,  suffering 
great  hardships  and  privations  on  the  trip  and 
undergoing  trials  which  he  will  never  forget. 
From  1877  to  1884  he  farmed  in  Kansas.  He 
then  sold  his  interests  in  that  state  and  moved 
to  Colorado,  but  owing  to  the  heavy  snows 
was  compelled  to  remain  at  Rawlins,  Wyo- 
ming, until  late  in  the  fall,  when  he  reached 
Meeker,  at  that  time  a  small  place.  He 
squatted  on  a  claim  which  he  afterward  sold 

15 


to  J.  L.  McHatton,  disposing  of  it  in  1877, 
after  which  he  leased  a  ranch  in  Powell  Park, 
which  he  farmed  until  1903.  He  then  came 
to  his  present  ranch  in  the  same  locality, 
which  comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  eighty-five  acres  of  it  being  under  culti- 
vation. Hay,  grain,  vegetables,  cattle  and 
horses  are  the  principal  products,  and  the  in- 
dustry in  both  farm  products  and  stock  is 
profitable.  He  runs  his  business  vigorously, 
farms  his  land  with  industry  and  skill  and 
omits  no  effort  needed  on  his  part  to  secure  the 
best  results.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Moore)  Ralston,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  soon  after  their  marriage.  They  were 
well-to-do  farmers  in  Ohio.  The  mother  died 
in  1867  in  Kansas,  the  father  having  died  in 
California  in  1849.  He  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  John,  Robert,  Mar- 
garet and  Joseph.  On  May  16,  1879,  Mr.  Ral- 
ston was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Goff,  a  sister 
of  John  B.  and  William  H.  Goff,  sketches  of 
whom  are  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralston  have  four  children, 
Ethel  C.,  Clarence  A.,  Frances  E.  and  Clyde  B. 

ADAM  SMITH. 

From  his  childhood  Adam  Smith,  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  living  on  a  well-improved  and 
highly  cultivated  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Meeker,  has  been 
engaged  in  or  connected  with  farming  and  rais- 
ing stock;  and  bringing  to  the  enterprise  in 
these  lines  which  he  is  now  conducting  the  wis- 
dom acquired  in  his  long  experience  elsewhere, 
and  acquiring  by  close  observation  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  and  requirements 
of  the  business  in  his  present  location,  and  ap- 
plying with  intelligence  the  knowledge  thus 


226 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


acquired,  his  success  has  been  very  good  and 
his  progress  steady  and  continuous.  He  was 
born  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  on  Novem- 
ber 25,  1834,  and  was  educated  at  the  district 
schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home.  Re- 
maining at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  he  worked  on  the  farm  in  the 
interests  of  his  parents.  Then,  desiring  to 
make  a  living  and  a  record  for  himself,  he 
moved  to  Douglas  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
was  occupied  in  farming  and  raising  stock  two 
years.  In  1859  he  came  to  Colorado  and  until 
1884  lived  in  Douglas  county,  engaged  in  lum- 
bering and  ranching.  He  also  served  two 
terms  as  sheriff  of  that  county  and  at  various 
times  took  an  active  part  in  fights  with  the  In- 
dians. In  1884  he  moved  to  Rio  Blanco  county 
and  located  on  his  present  ranch,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  which  he  took  up  as  a  pre- 
emption claim,  the  other  twenty  acres  being 
since  added  by  purchase.  .  He  has  sufficient 
water  to  make  the  cultivation  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  profitable,  and  this  tract 
he  has  in  grain,  hay,  vegetables  and  fruit.  He 
also  raises  cattle  to  a  limited  extent  and  with 
good  results.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  loyal 
Democrat,  and  in  the  success  of  his  party  he 
takes  an  active  part  and  an  earnest  interest. 
His  parents,  Jacob  R.  and  Jane  (Hearsey) 
Smith,  were  natives  of  Ohio,  like  himself,  and 
migrated  to  Kansas  in  1855.  •  The  father  was 
a  successful  farmer,  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
a  public-spirited  citizen  with  the  best  interests 
of  his  community  ever  foremost  in  his  mind 
and  action.  Twelve  children  were  born  in  the 
family,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  Adam,  Ed- 
ward, James,  Joseph,  William,  Louisa,  Mary 
J.  and  Elizabeth.  The  mother  died  in  August, 
1855,  and  the  father  in  1863.  Mr.  Smith  was 
married  on  February  14,  1855,  to  Miss  Re- 
becca Cameron,  a  native  of  Fulton  county,  Il- 
linois. They  have  had  nine  children.  Kath- 


arine, Joseph,  Eliza  and  Thomas  have  died, 
and  James,  Mary  E.,  Dora  A.,  Frank  and  Eva 
are  still  living. 

ALBERT  M.  PIERCE. 

Albert  Pierce,  one  of  the  Pierce  Brothers, 
extensive  cattle  and  ranch  men,  with  large 
ranches  in  Rio  Blanco  and  Routt  counties,  and 
in  charge  of  one  of  the  largest  and  most  pros- 
perous businesses  in  their  lines  in  this  portion 
of  the  state,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in 
Mercer  county  on  October  8,  1852.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  and  on  this  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, attending  the  common  schools  and  tak- 
ing his  place  in  the  farm  work  at  an  early  age, 
as  is  the  custom  of  country  boys  in  all  parts  of 
this  land  of  great  agricultural  wealth  and  pro- 
ductiveness. When  he  reached -his  legal  ma- 
jority he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  near 
Canon  City,  where  for  ten  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle  on  the  open  range.  In 
1882  he  moved  to  Maybell,  on  Bear  river  in 
Routt  county,  where  he  took  up  a  ranch  which 
he  increased  in  size  until  he  now  owns  eight 
hundred  acres  in  that  county,  all  of  which  can 
be  cultivated.  The  land  is  adaptable  to  all  the 
ordinary  products  of  the  soil  in  this  region 
and  yields  abundant  harvests.  In  1895  he  pur- 
chased the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  six 
and  one-fourth  miles  east  of  Meeker,  which 
comprises  three  hundred  and  forty  acres,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  under  cultivation. .  He 
is  a  part  owner  of  the  Highland  and  the  Miller 
creek  ditches,  and  has  plenty  of  water  for  the 
proper  irrigation  of  the  ranch;  and  as  he 
pushes  its  cultivation  with  due  enterprise  and 
commendable  skill,  he  reaps  results  of  magni- 
tude and  profit  from  his  labor  on  it.  He  also 
owns  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  Coalcreek,  which  is  all  hay  land  and 
given  up  to  the  production  of  horses  and  cattle 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


227 


in  large  numbers.  Mr.  Pierce  is  associated  in 
the  ranch  and  stock  business  with  his  brother, 
J.  M.  Pierce,  of  Routt  county,  and  the  firm  is 
widely  known  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
and  successful  as  well  as  among  the  most  ex- 
tensively engaged  on  the  Western  slope.  Mr. 
Pierce  is  independent  in  politics  and  active  in 
local  affairs  and  all  undertakings  for  the  benefit 
of  the  western  part  of  the  state.  He  is  a  lead- 
ing citizen  in  this  section  and  well  worthy  of 
the  high  regard  in  wrhich  he  is  universally  held. 

HIRAM  W.  TOMLINSON. 

Hiram  W.  Tomlinson,  of  Rio  Blanco 
county,  now  one  of  the  enterprising  and  pros- 
perous ranchmen  of  the  Western  slope  in  this 
state,  came  into  the  world  under  auspices  that 
were  by  no  means  favorable,  and  has  since  had 
adversities  numerous  and  weighty  to  contend 
with  and  difficulties  of  magnitude  to  overcome. 
Yet  he  has  met  his  responsibilities  faithfully 
and,  with  steady  industry  and  worthy  fru- 
gality, has  triumphed  over  every  obstacle  and 
won  a  substantial  estate  for  himself  and  by 
his  own  efforts.  He  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  on  December  8,  1850.  At 
that  time  and  during  his  boyhood  the  section  of 
the  country  in  which  he  had  his  home  was 
disturbed  by  the  conditions  preceding  and 
overshadowed  by  the  gathering  clouds  of  the 
Civil  war  and  the  opportunities  for  business 
and  education  alike  retreated  before  the  com- 
ing storm.  In  addition  he  lost  his  mother  by 
death  when  he  was  but  three  years  old  and  his 
father's  household  was  broken  up.  He  found 
a  new  home  with  his  grandparents,  and  with 
them  he  lived  until  he  reached  the  age  of  four- 
teen. His  parents  were  Jabez  and  Eliza 
(Robinson)  Tomlinson,  also  natives  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  where  the  father  was  a  shoemaker 
and  where  the  mother  died  in  1853.  The 
father  became  a  soldier  on  the  Confederate  side 


in  the  Civil  war  and  served  with  fidelity  as 
color  bearer  in  the  Great  Spring  Company.  He 
died  in  1876,  a  faithful  Democrat  in  political 
faith  and  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  section 
in  which  his  life  was  passed.  There  were  six 
children  in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, Alexander,  James  and  Hiram.  The  last 
named,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  entered  the 
employ  of  Claibourn  Kelley,  who  taught  him 
to  work  and  allowed  him  to  attend  the  com- 
mon school  near  his  home.  When  he  was 
nearly  nineteen  he  left  Mr.  Kelley  and  moved 
to  Illinois,  locating  in  Stark  county.  There 
he  farmed  for  wages  three  years,  then  rented  a 
farm  for  himself  which  he  managed  one  year. 
In  1873  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  Monument,  on  the  divide  between 
Colorado  Springs  and  Denver.  He  passed  a 
year  raising  hay  and  grain  on  a  rented  ranch, 
then,  trading  a  horse  for  a  yoke  of  oxen,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  baling  hay.  In  1875 
and  1876  he  worked  as  a  ranch  hand,  then,  in 
partnership  with  a  Mr.  Augustine,  he  fur- 
nished ties  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road under  contract.  In  1879  he  quit  this 
work  and  went  to  Leadville,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining  until  1882,  when  he  moved  to  the 
vicinity  of  Meeker  and  located  the  ranch  now 
owned  by  Adam  Smith.  In  partnership  with 
Al.  E.  Lloyd  and  Harry  Rock,  he  floated  two 
thousand  one  hundred  logs  down  the  White 
river,  his  share  being  three  hundred  of  the  logs, 
which  he  received  as  compensation  for  his 
labor  and  out"  of  which  he  made  one  thousand 
feet  of  lumber  for  sale  and  enough  for  the 
construction  of  the  home  he  now  occupies.  His 
ranch  comprises  one  hundred  and  eighty-six 
acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres  of  which  can  be  cultivated,  the  water  sup- 
ply being  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  He  is  in- 
terested in  the  Highland  ditch,  one  that  he 
aided  in  building.  He  also  helped  to  construct 
the  Mitchell  ditch,  but  as  the  enterprise  was 


228 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


not  a  success  financially  he  lost  all  the  time  and 
labor  he  devoted  to  it.  His  ranch  is  eight 
miles  east  of  Meeker  and  on  it  he  raises  num- 
bers of  good  cattle  and  horses  in  connection 
with  his  general  ranching  business.  Mr.  Tom- 
linson  has  always  been  earnestly  interested  in 
the  local  affairs  of  his  community.  He  car- 
ried the  ballot  box  from  Glenwood  Springs  to 
Meeker  for  the  first  election  held  in  Garfield 
county,  and  in  many  other  ways  has  been  ser- 
viceable to  the  section.  In  1895,  1896  and 
1897  he  acted  as  a  tourists'  guide  under  Solon 
Patterson  and  the  Wells  Brothers  at'  the  Mar- 
vin Club  House,  and  found  the  work  both 
pleasing  and  profitable.  He  is  an  unyielding 
Republican  in  politics  and  is  always  active  in 
the  service  of  his  party.  On  March  i,  1899,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Phalen,  a  native  of 
Kansas,  reared  near  Kewanee,  Illinois,  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Ruth  (Clement)  Pha- 
len, well-to-do  farmers.  The  father  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  He  died  in  1867  and 
the  mother  passed  away  a  short  time  afterward. 
Five  of  their  eight  children  are  living,  Robert, 
Susan,  Mary,  Mrs.  Tomlinson  and  Mattie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Tomlinson  have  one  daughter, 
Helen  E.  When  the  war  against  the  hostile 
Utes  was  waged  Mr.  Tomlinson  served  in  the 
conflict  nine  days,  during  which  time  the  ra- 
tions consisted  chiefly  of  buckskin  and  sadt. 
He  then  returned  home  and  took  care  of  the 
crops  on  the  T.  T.  ranch.  He  was  soon  called 
into  the  service  again,  and  moved  with  the 
troops  under  General  Reardon  to  Rangely. 
He  is  very  popular  in  his  county  and  well 
worthy  of  the  high  and  general  esteem  in  which 
he  is  generally  held. 

ROBERT  E.  THOMPSON. 

Robert  E.  Thompson,  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  and  frontiersmen  of  ^  Rio  Blanco 
county,  who  helped  to  make  the  trails  into  this 


part  of  the  state  and  blaze  the  way  for  the  set- 
tlement of  the  region,  is  a  native  of  Macon, 
Missouri,  where  his  life  began  on  October  15, 
1 86 1.  He  is  the  son  of  Harvey  and  Sarah 
(Ballard)  Thompson,  who  were  Southerners 
by  nativity,  the  father  having  been  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  the  mother  in  Kentucky.  They  lo- 
cated in  Missouri  in  their  early  life,  and  the 
father,  who  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  put 
up  the  first  house  for  a  residence  in  Macon. 
He  was  also  a  manufacturer  of  tobacco  and 
prospered  in  his  business.  In  political  faith 
he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  church  affiliation 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  Methodists.  Both 
have  been  dead  for  a  number  of.  years,  and 
of  their  ten  children  only  seven  are  living. 
They  are  John  W.,  Richard  A.,  Thomas  J., 
Fannie  (Mrs.  William  M.  Watson),  Mattie 
and  Robert.  The  last  named  had  the  usual  ex- 
perience .of  boys  in  his  locality  and  station,  a 
common-school  education,  a  term  or  two  at  a 
good  academy,  and  a  life  of  useful  industry  in 
work  assigned  him  by  his  father.  At  St.  James 
Academy  he  received  a  good  business  educa- 
tion, and  after  leaving  it  learned  his  trade  as 
a  tinner  at  his  native  town.  After  completing 
his  apprenticeship  he  worked  at  'his  trade  in 
Iowa,  Kansas,  Missouri  and  Colorado.  In 
1883  he  went  to  Indian  Territory  and  Texas 
and  passed  three  years  riding  the  range, .  re- 
turning to  this  state  in  1886.  But  prior  to 
going  south  he  had  valuable  experience  in 
service  as  a  scout  for  the  Second  Cavalry  dur- 
ing the  suppression  of  the  Navajo  outbreak. 
On  arriving  in  this  state  on  his  return  he  con- 
tinued his  occupation  as  range  rider,  first  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Trinidad  and  afterward  in 
various  parts  of  the  Western  slope  from  Wyo- 
ming to  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  In  1898  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  on  Fawn  creek,  which  he  soon 
afterward  sold  at  a  profit,  then  again  turned 
his  attention  to  riding  the  range,  which  he 
followed  until  the  fall  of  1899.  At  that  time 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


229 


he  located  his  present  ranch,  taking  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  adding  as  much  more  by  purchase.  He 
has  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  under  culti- 
vation and  raises  numbers  of  good  cattle,  many 
of  them  being  registered  Durhams.  The  ranch 
is  forty-two  miles  west  of  Meeker  on  White 
river,  and  is  well  located  for  the  ranching  and 
stock  industries  and  pleasantly  for  a  residence. 
Mr.  Thompson  has  been  one  of  the  public  men 
of  the  county,  with  a  continuing  interest  in  its 
.  welfare  and  capacity  for  the  service  of  its  peo- 
ple. He  has  been  county  assessor  since  1902, 
elected  to  the  ofHce  as  a  Democrat,  and  has 
made  a  record  of  unsurpassed  usefulness  and 
good  judgment  in  the  management  of  his 
office.  On  November  i,  1899,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Cora  Kivett,  a  native  of 
Howard  county,  Missouri,  and  daughter  of 
Maranda  A.  and  Roscilla  (Miller)  Kivett, 
farmers  born  and  reared  in  Missouri,  Method- 
ists in  church  membership,  and  in  sympathy 
with  the  Democratic  party  in  politics.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kivett  have  four  children,  Cora,  Henry, 
Luman  and  Guy. 

JAMES  L.  RILAND. 

Thrown  on  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  and  since  then  accepting  his  op- 
portunities with  alacrity  and  using  them  with 
industry  and  good  judgment,  James  L.  Riland, 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  White  River  Re- 
view, at  Meeker  in  this  state,  is  living  a  useful 
life,  and,  although  denied  all  but  the  most 
meager  educational  advantages,  has  through 
his  own  efforts  and  the  lessons  of  experience 
become  a  well-informed  man  and  capable  force 
in  directing  and  disseminating  the  best  public 
opinion  in  his  portion  of  the  state.  He  first 
saw  the  light  of  this  world  at  Pine  Grove, 
Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  May  5, 
1857,  and  in  1870  assumed  the  burden  of  pro- 


viding for  himself  as  a  farm  hand  in  Iowa, 
where  his  parents  settled  in  1858.  Soon  after- 
ward he  learned  to  weave  wire  cloth,  which 
was  then  done  by  hand,  and  from  the  time 
when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  earned 
good  wages  at  this  work  until  his  skill  and  that 
of  others  in  the  same  line  was  superseded  by 
machinery  driven  by  steam.  When  the 
change  came  he  was  working  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  and  he  then  entered  the  office  of  the 
Dubuque  Herald  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  printer. 
After  two  years'  service  at  his  apprenticeship 
there  his  health  failed,  and  for  its  improve- 
ment he  came  to  live  in  Colorado,  locating  in 
Summit  county  in  1876.  For  a  year  he  fol- 
lowed mining,  then  moved  to  Colorado  Springs 
and  until  1879  worked  as  a  compositor  on  the 
Gazette  of  that  city.  Then  changing  his  head- 
quarters to  Leadville,  he  served  as  foreman 
and  a  reporter  for  the  Leadville  Herald  and 
also  the  Democrat  at  that  place  and  also 
worked  on  other  papers  at  various  places  on 
the  Western  slope  until  1885.  During  this 
period  he  grub-staked  many  prospectors  on 
shares  and  by  means  of  this  generosity  he  se- 
cured a  number  of  mining  claims  of  more  or 
less  value.  In  1885  he  established  at  Glen- 
wood  Springs  the  Echo,  the  first  newspaper  in 
Garfield  county,  and  managed  it  for  B.  Clark 
Wheeler.  On  February  22,  1901,  he  founded 
the  White  River  Review  at  Meeker.  Since 
then  he  has  been  in  active  ownership  and  man- 
agement of  this  paper,  and  by  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  his  business  and  close  attention  to  its 
requirements  as  well  as  to  popular  taste  and 
the  needs  of  the  county,  he  has  built  up  a  large 
patronage  and  fixed  his  enterprise  on  a  firm 
foundation  financially  and  in  popular  esteem. 
He  is  always  a  great  booster  of  the  interests  of 
the  county  in  his  columns,  and  uses  every 
proper  means  to  make  its  resources  and  busi- 
ness opportunities  known  to  the  public.  He 
is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 


230 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Republican  party  and  his  paper  is  a  party  or- 
gan in  his  section  of  the  state.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World, and  their  auxiliary  organiza- 
tions. His  press  is-  in  continual  demand  for 
job  work,  which  he  does  in  good  style,  at  the 
same  time  raising  the  standard  of  taste  in  the 
community  in  this  line  of  work  and  meeting  its 
most  exacting  requirements. 

OWEN  O.  JONES. 

Between  mining  slate  from  the  bowels  of 
the  earth  in  Wales  and  Pennsylvania  and  con- 
ducting a  flourishing  ranch  and  cattle  industry 
on  the  fertile  soil  of  Colorado  there  is  a  wide 
difference  in  employment  and  conditions,  and 
it  is  a  tribute  to  the  versatility  and  adaptive- 
ness  of  a  man  when  he  can  easily  and  success- 
fully turn  from  the  one  to  which  he  has  been 
long  accustomed  and  engage  in  the  other. 
This  has  been  the  experience  of  Owen  O.  Jones, 
of  Rio  Blanco  county,  whose  well  improved 
and  highly  cultivated  ranch  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty-one  acres  in  Powell  Park  is  a  gratify- 
ing evidence  of  his  energy,  skill  and  foresight 
as  a  husbandman.  Mr.  Jones  was  born  in 
Wales  on  March  17,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of 
Owen  and  Margaret  (Williams)  Jones,  also 
natives  of  that  country,  where  the  father  de- 
voted his  time  to  a  number  of  different  occu- 
pations. He  was  the  father  of  three  children, 
Thomas,  deceased,  Owen  and  Robert  O.,  both 
of  whom  are  living,  the  latter  being  a  son  by  a 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Jones.  The  mother 
died  in  1848  and  the  father  in  1875.  The 
death  of  his  mother  when  he  was  but  two  years 
old  and  the  circumstances  of  the  family  limited 
the  educational  advantages  of  Owen  within 
very  narrow  bounds  and  placed  upon  him  at  an 
early  age  the  burden  of  making  his  own  living. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  went  to  work  as 
a  regular  hand  quarrying  slate  in  his  native 
land,  and  after  four  years  of  active  industry  in 


this    occupation    there    he    emigrated    to    the 
United  States  in  1866,  and  locating  in  Penn- 
sylvania,   pursued   the   same   calling   there   in 
Lehigh  county  until  1872.     He  then  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  a  homestead  in  the  San 
Luis  valley,   making  his   residence  at  Golden 
City.     He  began  to  improve  his  ranch  and  at 
the   same   time   engaged   in   mining   in   many 
places  on  the  Western  slope.     In  1878  he  dis- 
posed of  his    ranch    and    bought    another    in 
Sagauche  county,  and  this  also  he  sold,  then  in 
September,  1883,  ne  moved  to  the  White  river 
valley  and  soon  afterward  bought  the  ranch  on 
which  he  now  has  his  home  in  Powell  Park. 
This   comprises   three   hundred   and   fifty-one 
acres  and  three  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  it 
are  under  cultivation.     He  raises  general  farm 
products  in  abundance,   especially  grain,   hay 
and  vegetables,  and  always  runs  a  large  band 
of  cattle.     He  has  been  successful  in  his  under- 
takings here  and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
substantial  and  representative  men  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives.     He  raised  the  first 
crop  of  oats  in  the  White  river  valley,  thus 
adding  a  new  product  to  its  range  of  commodi- 
ties, and  also  was  the  father  of  the  first  white 
child  born  in  the  section.     He  was  married  on 
July  6,  1883,  to  Miss  Margaret  Jones,  a  native 
of   Columbia   county,   Wisconsin,    a   daughter 
of  David  and  Anna  (Roberts)  Jones,  who  were 
born  and  reared  in  Wales  and  emigrated  to 
this  country  soon  after  their  marriage,  locating 
in  Wisconsin,  where  they  passed  the  rest  of 
their    lives.     The    father    was    a    prosperous 
farmer,  and  in  political  affairs  supported  the 
Republican  party.     Their  living  children   are 
William,    David,    Griffith,    Thomas,    Winifred 
and  Mrs.  Jones.     The  mother  died  on  Febru- 
ary 5,  1893,  and  the  father  on  April  12,  1898. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owen  Jones  have  had  five  chil- 
dren.    David  died  on  October  12,  1886;  Anna, 
Margaret,   Owen  and   Levi   are   living.     The 
family  are  Methodists  in  church  connection. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


231 


PRIOR  W.  HOCKETT. 

The  thread  of  individual  effort  which 
runs  through  the  great  web  of  human  life,  and 
which  forms  one  of  the  strands  of  its  most  ma- 
terial substance,  fashioned  for  the  wear  of 
daily  duty  without  reference  to  the  special 
adornment  of  the  pattern,  is  one  of  the  most 
useful,  and  enduring  factors  of  the  fabric,  and 
it  is  this  relation  to  the  whole  structure  that 
the  career  of  Prior  W.  Hockett,  of  the  West- 
ern slope  in  this  state,  a  resident  and  pro- 
gressive ranch  and  cattle  man  of  Rio  Blanco 
county,  is  to  be  considered.  Without  ostenta- 
tion or  self  praise,  without  aspiration  to  a  posi- 
tion of  leadership  among  his  fellows,  but  with 
the  laudable  desire  to  do  his  whole  duty  in  the 
station  to  which  nature  has  assigned  him  and 
do  it  well,  he  has  labored  at  whatever  his  hand 
has  found  to  do,  he  has  passed  his  years  from 
boyhood,  providing  for  himself  from  an  early 
age  and  making  steady  progress  in  the  effort 
over  obstacles  and  in  spite  of  difficulties.  He 
came  into  the  world  on  August  13,  1856,  in 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  and  is  the  son  of 
Nathan  and  Hulda  (McAllister)  Hockett,  na- 
tives of  South  Carolina,  who  were  early  set- 
tlers in  the  Hoosier  state.  The  father  was  an 
industrious  farmer,  a  loyal  and  zealous  Demo- 
crat, a  good  and  useful  citizen.  He  died  in 
1880  and  his  wife  in  1872.  Their  children 
numbered  nine,  five  of  whom  are  living,  Wil- 
liam A.,  Sarah  E.,  Prior  W.,  Etta  and  James 
M.  Prior,  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  liv- 
ing children,  attended  the  district  schools  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home  and  worked  on  the 
farm  with  his  parents,  as  country  boys  are 
wont  to  do  all  over  the  country,  remaining  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
He  then  left  the  paternal  roof-tree,  and  after 
passing  three  years  in  various  occupations  in 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  came  to  Colorado  in 
1874  and  took  up  a  tract  of  land  on  Williams's 


fork  in  Routt  county.  This  he  occupied  and 
worked  for  two  years,  making  desirable  im- 
provements, then  sold  it  and  bought  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns  and  lives  on.  In  addition 
to  his  original  purchase  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  he  has  taken  up  a  desert  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and,  with  water 
sufficient  for  the  cultivation  of  one  hundred 
and  ninety  acres  of  the  whole  body,  he  carries 
on  a  prosperous  and  profitable  general  farm- 
ing and  cattle  business.  The  ranch  is  eight 
miles  west  of  Meeker,  pleasantly  located,  well 
improved  and  steadily  increasing  in  value. 
Since  1892  F.  N.  JoHantgen,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work,  has 
been  associated  with  him  in  his  enterprise.  Mr. 
Hockett  is  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fraternal  life  and 
an  earnest  Republican  in  political  affiliation. 
He  has  one  child,  Jessie  B.  The  success  he  has 
won  in  this  state  has  been  very  gratifying  to 
Mr.  Hockett,  and  has  made  him  a  firm  believer 
in  the  commonwealth  as  an  excellent  field  of 
opportunity  for  proper  effort  and  also  as  a 
place  of  residence.  He  looks  forward  to  a 
great  future  for  it  and  its  people,  who  know  its 
wealth  and  are  imbued  with  the  spirit  that  will 
develop  it.  In  his  community  he  stands  well 
as  a  man  of  integrity,  a  progressive  citizen  and 
a  useful  and  respected  man. 

DAVID  UTLEY. 

The  parents  of  David  Utley,  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  ranch  and  stock  men 
and  leading  citizens  of  Routt  county,  who  lives 
on  a  fine  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hamilton. 
Benjamin  B.  and  Rebecca  (Stevens)  Utley, 
were  born  and  reared  in  Indiana.  Soon  after 
their  marriage  they  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Bushnell,  Illinois,  where  their  son  David  was 
born  on  April  30,  1861,  and  later  they  moved 
to  Christian  county,  that  state.  The  parents 


232 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


have  followed  farming  all  their  lives  so  far, 
and  are  engaged  in  that  occupation  now  in 
Bates  county,  Missouri,  where  they  settled  in 
1871.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  have  died.  The  five  living  are  Rebecca, 
Miranda,  David,  Joseph  and  George.  David 
was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  at  the  dis- 
trict schools.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  until  he  reached  his 
nineteenth  year,  then,  in  1880,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Colorado.  In  this  state  he  first  located 
at  Gunnison  and  there  he  followed  mining  and 
prospecting  three  years.  In  1883  he  moved  to 
Lead vi lie,  where  he  mined  for  wages  and  pros- 
pected for  a  period  of  eight  months.  In  the 
spring  of  1885  he  took  up  by  pre-emption  a 
portion  of  the  ranch  which  has  since  been  his 
home,  and  subsequently  added  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  more  by  purchase.  The  ranch 
is  located  on  Williams  fork  and  is  one  of  the 
best  in  that  highly  favored  region.  Mr.  Utley 
has  a  large  acreage  under  cultivation  and  raises 
excellent  crops  of  hay  and  grain,  but  his  main 
dependence  is  on  cattle  and  hay.  These  he 
produces  on  a  large  scale  and  of  superior  qual- 
ity. He  is  a  very  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  is  highly  esteemed 
throughout  the  whole  section  in  which  he  lives, 
being  always  foremost  in  matters  of  public  im- 
provement and  moral  questions  in  which  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  are  concerned. 
He  was  married  on  October  26,  1891,  to  Miss 
Anna  Miller,  a  native  of  Cooper  county,  Mis- 
souri, but  who  grew  to  maturity  in  the  border 
county  of  Bates,  that  state.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Moore)  Miller,  the 
father  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  the 
mother  in  the  state  of  Indiana.  They  made 
Missouri  their  final  home,  and  here  the  father 
was  a  prosperous  blacksmith.  They  had  eleven 
children.  Thomas  and  Daniel  died,  and  Wil- 
liam, John,  Joseph,  James,  Carl,  Augusta, 
George,  Gertrude  and  Anna  are  living.  The 


father  was  an  ardent  Republican  in  political 
faith  and  took  a  cordial  interest  in  public  local 
affairs.  He  died  in  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Utley 
have  one  child,  Ralph.  Having  lived  now 
nearly  twenty-five  years  in  this  state,  and  all 
the  while  actively  engaged  in  some  of  its  lead- 
ing industries,  Mr.  Utley  has  contributed  es- 
sentially and  substantially  to  its  growth  and 
development,  and  is  deeply  and  serviceably  in- 
terested in  every  element  of  its  greatness, 
wealth  and  power.  Throughout  the  section  in 
which  he  lives  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  and 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  influential  and  rep- 
resentative men. 

JAMES  LYTTLE. 

Coming  to  Colorado  nearly  twenty-five 
years  ago,  and  continuously  since  his  arrival  in 
the  state  actively  engaged  in  promoting  its  wel- 
fare through  the  public  press,  of  which  he  is 
an  honored  representative,  James  Lyttle,  owner 
and  editor  of  the  Meeker  Herald,  is  well  es- 
teemed in  the  community  wherein  lies  the  scene 
of  his  greatest  activities,  and  is  favorably 
known  in  other  parts  of  the  state  as  a  vigor- 
ous and  fearless  advocate  of  the  best  interests 
of  the  commonwealth,  ever  giving  words  of 
encouragement  to  all  good  undertakings,  and 
inspiring  hope  of  the  best  results  even  in  times 
of  depression  and  trouble,  at  the  same  time 
and  all  the  while  by  his  example  of  business 
energy  and  confidence  in  the  future  of  the  state 
spurring  others  to  renewed  efforts.  He  was 
born  on  July  28,  1858,  in  county  Tyrone,  Ire- 
land, and  soon  afterward  accompanied  his  par- 
ents, Joseph  and  Mary  Lyttle,  who  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  to  the  United  States, 
where  they  found  a  new  home  of  hope  and 
promise  in  the  fruitful  fields  of  industry  in 
Pennsylvania.  In  his  native  land  the  father 
was  a  farmer,  but  after  coming  to  this  coun- 
try he  became  foreman  of  a  large  steel  mill 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


233 


and  rendered  good  service  to  his  employers  in 
that  capacity  until  his  death.  The  son  attended 
the  district  .schools  as  he  .  had  opportunity, 
which  was  seldom  and  for  only  short  periods 
at  a  time,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  was 
apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office 
of  the  Pittsburg  (Pennsylvania)  Gazette.  He 
served  three  years  on  that  paper,  then  moved 
to  Chicago  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  as 
a  journeyman  until  1880.  Before  that  year 
was  ended  he  was  a  resident  of  Denver,  this 
state,  and  later  he  became  a  resident  of  Lead- 
ville.  In  those  two  cities  he  was  employed  as 
a  printer  until  1885,  when  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  Meeker,  and  on  August  I5th 
founded  the  Meeker  Herald,  of  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  the  owner  and  editor.  He  has 
wisely  developed  his  enterprise  and  improved 
his  plant,  and  now  has  one  of  the  most  in- 
fluential papers  and  best  printing  establish- 
ments on  the  Western  slope.  Other  business 
undertakings  have  engaged  his  attention,  es- 
pecially such  as  have  involved  the  promotion 
of  the  county's  progress.  He  aided  in  organiz- 
ing the  Union  Oil  Company  and  from  its  start 
has  been  one  of  its  leading  stockholders  and 
promoters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  city 
council  of  Meeker  and  later  was  mayor  of  the 
town  and  superintendent  of  the  public  schools. 
He  also  represented  the  county  in  the  state 
legislature  several  terms.  At  all  times  and  in 
all  conditions  he  has  been  potential  in  instruct- 
ing and  directing  public  opinion  to  the  best 
ends,  through  the  columns  of  his  paper,  and  in 
official  station  of  every  kind  has  endeavored  to 
put  into  practical  operation  the  lessons  he  has 
elsewhere  tried  to  teach.  Incidentally  he  has 
followed  the  common  course  of  the  western 
people  in  devoting  a  share  of  his  time  to  min- 
ing and  prospecting,  following  these  lines  of 
industry  in  Summit  and  Park  counties.  Po- 
litically he  is  an  ardent  advocate  of  Demo- 
cratic principles,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to 


the  Masonic  order,  the  United  Workmen  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  On 
August  28,  1895,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Lelena  Doak.  They  have  three  children, 
Hugh  D.,  George  H.  and  Richard  G. 

OSCAR  F.  MORSE. 

For  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  more  than 
half  of  his  life,  Oscar  F.  Morse,  of  Rio  Blanco 
county,  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado  and 
lived  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home, 
two  miles  and  a  half  south  of  Meeker.  He  is 
therefore  in  full  sympathy  with  the  aspirations 
and  interests  of  the  people  of  this  neighbor- 
hood, and  has  proven  it  by  his  active  support 
o.f  every  commendable  enterprise  for  their 
progress  and  the  development  of  the  country. 
He  was  born  in  New  Haven  county,  Con- 
necticut, on  March  4,  1868,  and  is  the  son  of 
Riley  and  Hannah  Morse,  industrious  farmers 
of  that  state  whom  he  assisted  in  their  labors 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  under 
whose  direction  he  received  a  limited  education 
at  the  comrrion  schools  near  his  home.  In- 
heriting the  spirit  of  industry  and  thrift  and  ac- 
quiring the  habits  of  useful  diligence  char- 
acteristic of  the  New  England'people,  he  came 
to  his  new  home  in  the  far  West  in  1887,  a 
young  man  of  nineteen,  well  prepared  for 
whatever  destiny  of  toil  and  privation  its  un- 
settled condition  might  lay  before  him.  Two 
years  after  his  arrival  in  the  vicinity  of 
Meeker  he  pre-empted  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  about  two  miles  and  a 
half  from  the  town,  and  at  once  gave  himself 
wholly  to  the  task  of  improving  it  and  mak- 
ing it  habitable  and  productive.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  years  he  bought  another  quarter  sec- 
tion and  now  has  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  arable  land,  all  of  which  is  under  culti- 
vation and  yielding  good  returns  for  the  time 
and  energy  he  devotes  to  tilling  it.  All  the  im- 


234 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


provements  on  the  place  in  the  way  of  build- 
ings and  advanced  husbandry  he  has  made, 
having  taken  the  land  in  its  state  of  natural 
wildness  and  transformed  it  into  a  comfortable 
home,  fruitful  in  all  the  products  of  cultivated 
life  suitable  to  its  character  and  ministrant  to 
the  swelling  tides  of  commerce  and  the  aggre- 
gate wealth  of  the  land.  Like  other  good 
American  citizens  Mr.  Morse  takes  an  active 
and  serviceable  part  in  the  public  life  of  his 
section  and  the  country  generally,  earnestly 
supporting  the  Republican  party  in  politics  and 
lending  his  aid  in  many  ways  to  the  advance- 
ment and  enrichment  of  his  county  and  state. 
He  is  highly  respected  as  an  upright  man,  a 
useful  citizen  and  a  stimulating  force  in  the  de- 
velopment and  direction  of  a  healthy  public 
sentiment  in  the  community. 

FRANK  E.  SHAVER. 

Frank  E.  Shaver,  of  near  Axial,  one  of 
Routt  county's  most  successful  and  prominent 
ranch  and  cattle  men,  came  to  the  state  at  the 
dawn  of  his  manhood  and  at  once  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  its  industries  and  became  an  active 
working  force  among  its  people.  His  life  be- 
gan in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  on  Oc- 
tober 17,  1866,  and  there  he  received  a  good 
education,  especially  for  business.  In  1887  he 
left  his  father's  home  and  all  the  blandishments 
of  social  life  to  make  his  way  amid  the  wilds 
and  discomforts  of  the  far  western  plains  of 
Colorado,  courageously  braving  the  hardships 
and  privations  and  daring  the  dangers  of  the 
lot  he  had  chosen.  He  reached  the  neighbor- 
hood in  which  he  is  now  living  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  and,  although  a  young  man  just 
past  twenty-one  years,  soon  afterward  entered 
into  partnership  with  John  A.  Hall  in  the  cat- 
tle industry.  He  was  associated  with  Mr.  Hall 
in  this  great  business  until  1890,  when  he 
bought  all  the  interests  of  the  company  which 


he  did  not  then  own.  Since  that  time  he  has 
conducted  the  enterprise  alone  and  by  his  vigor 
and  skill  of  management,  his  close  attention  to 
every  phase  of  the  work  and  his  excellent  busi- 
ness capacity,  he  has  built  up  one  of  the  lead- 
ing cattle  trades  of  the  section.  His  ranch 
comprises  one  thousand  acres  and  seven  hun- 
dred acres  of  the  tract  are  under  good  culti- 
vation. He  has  in  addition  to  this  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  under  lease.  The  ranch,  which 
is  located  twenty-two  miles  northeast  of 
Meeker,  yields  large  crops  of  the  general  farm 
products  suitable  to  the  region  and  generously 
supports  a  cattle  industry  of  commanding  pro- 
portions. It  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that 
a  man  so  successful  in  the  management  of  his 
own  affairs,  and  so  prominent  in  the  business 
circles  of  his  county,  cannot  escape  taking  a 
leading  part  in  the  public  life  and  local  affairs 
of  his  portion  of  the  state;  and  in  this  respect 
Mr.  Shaver  has  never  sought  to  shirk  his  re- 
sponsibility or  fall  short  of  his  due  service  to 
the  people  around  him.  Although  a  firm  and 
loyal  Republican  in  national  politics,  he  gives 
attention  to  the  material,  moral  and  educa- 
tional interests  of  the  county  without  regard  to 
political  considerations;  and  while  influential 
and  helpful  in  all  undertakings  wherein  those 
interests  are  vitally  involved,  he  is  held  in  high 
esteem  for  the  wisdom  and  public  spirit  with 
which  he  uses  his  influence. 

Mr.  Shaver  was  married  on  November  12, 
1892,  to  Miss  Belle  Wilkinson,  a  native  of 
Minneapolis.  They  have  had  four  children, 
one  of  whom,  a  daughter  named  Frances,  died 
in  January,  1894.  The  other  three,  Margaret, 
Florence  and  Harold  E.,  are  living  and  still 
brighten  the  homestead  with  their  presence. 
The  parents  of  Mr.  Shaver,  Edward  and' 
Louisa  (Van  Gaasbee)  Shaver,  were  natives 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  where  the  father 
died  on  February  23,  1904,  and  the  mother  is 
still  living,  making  her  home  at  Jamestown. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


235 


There  were  four  children  in  the  family,  Flor- 
ence, wife  of  E.  H.  Sherman,  who  died  in 
1897;  Martha,  wife  of  Lynn  Mead;  Jessie  M., 
wife  of  W.  K.  Cooper;  and  Frank  E.  Their 
father  was  for  many  years  profitably  engaged 
in  the  lumber  and  oil  .industries. 

WALTER  SPENCER. 

As  owner  and  editor  of  an  influential  news- 
paper in .  Routt  county,  as  one  of  the  leading 
teachers  and  superintendents  in  the  public 
schools  for  a  number  of  years,  as  agent  of  a 
strong  and  well  patronized  fire  insurance  com- 
pany, as  deputy  county  assessor  and  as  post- 
master of  his  home  town  since  1902,  Walter 
Spencer,  of  Craig,  Routt  county,  this  state,  has 
been  and  is  now  of  signal  service  to  the  people 
of  Colorado  in  several  useful  lines  of  public 
service  and  private  effort,  and  has  won  the  re- 
ward of  his  fidelity  in  the  high  standing  and 
lasting  esteem  which  he  enjoys  among  them. 
Wherever  his  services  have  been  required  he 
has  been  found  ready  and  capable,  and  in  per- 
forming them  he  has  shown  commendable  en- 
terprise and  breadth  of  view.  He  is  a  native 
of  Dickinson  county,  Kansas,  born  on  Novem- 
ber 19,  1874,  and  there  he  received  a  good 
common  school  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented by  a  high  school  course  at  Las  Animas, 
this  state,  and  one  at  the  State  University  at 
Boulder.  He  taught  school  in  Routt  county 
nine  years  and  served  several  as  principal  of 
the  schools  at  Hayden.  In  1903  he  took  charge 
of  the  Routt  County  Courier  at  Craig  as  editor 
and  has  since  conducted  it  with  vigor  and  en- 
terprise, earnestly  advocating  at  all  times  the 
best  interests  of  the  county  and  state  and  con- 
tributing to  the  awakening,  concentration  and 
direction  of  a  healthy  public  sentiment  in  favor 
of  their  advancement.  His  office  has  a  good 
jobbing  outfit  which  does  a  large  business  and 
has  a  high  reputation  for  the  character  of  its 


work,  it  being  considered  by  many  the  best  of 
its  kind  in  the  county.  Mr.  Spencer  also  repre- 
sents the  Liverpool  &  London  Globe  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  which  has  a  considerable 
patronage  in  the  surrounding  country.  For 
some  time  he  has  served  the  people  of  the 
county  well  and  wisely  as  deputy  county  as- 
sessor and  since  1902  the  citizens  of  Craig  as 
postmaster.  In  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and,  being  a  man  of  strong  convic- 
tions, he  gives  his  party  earnest  and  helpful 
support.  His  interest  in  the  fraternal  life  of 
"his  community  is  shown  by  an  active  and  ap- 
preciated membership  in  the  Masonic  order, 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  lodge  and  encamp- 
ment, and  the  order  of  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
On  September  13,  1899,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Elizabeth  Brown.  They  have 
two  children,  John  N.  and  Dorothy  A.  Mr. 
Spencer  is  the  son  of  Sylvester  N.  and  Lydia 
J.  (James)  Spencer,  who  passed  many  years 
in  profitable  farming.  The  mother  died  on 
February  28,  1899,  and  the  father  now  has  his 
home  at  Craig.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican 
and  a  highly  respected  citizen. 

IRWIN  I.  INNMAN. 

After  receiving  a  good'  education  in  the 
common  and  high  schools  of  Illinois  and  at- 
tending an  excellent  academy  in  that  state,  Ir- 
win  I.  Innman,  of  Routt  county,  this  state, 
came  west  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  em- 
ployed in  the  hazardous  occupation  of  a  fire- 
man at  Denver  and  Leadville,  in  which  he 
gained  vigor  of  frame  and  flexibility  of  func- 
tion, combining  as  the  result  of  his  training  in 
this  trying  field  of  heroic  effort  alertness  of 
mind,,  force  of  nerve,  suppleness  of  body  and 
readiness  in  action.  These  qualities  have  been 
of  great  service  in  his  subsequent  career  as  a 
ranch  and  stock  man  and  proprietor  of  a  lead- 
ing livery  business.  Mr.  Innman  came  into  the 


236 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


world  on  March  26,  1868,  in  Union  county, 
.Illinois,  the  son  of  Murphy  M.  and  Martha  F. 
(McCurddy)  Innman,  natives  of  Georgia  who 
moved  to  Illinois  in  early  life.  The  father 
prospered  as  a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  that 
state  until  advancing  age  obliged  him  to  retire 
from  active  pursuits,  and  he  is  now  living  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  The  mother  died  on  No- 
vember 14,  1903.  Ten  children  were  born  to 
them,  of  whom  five  are  living,  Mollie  J.,  Eliza- 
beth F.,  Emma  F.,  Zora  and  Georgia  having 
died  at  various  ages.  The  living  children  are 
Ira  F.,  David  H.,  Murphy  M.,  Iva  C.  and  Ir- 
win  I.  The  last  named  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  paternal  homestead  in  his  native  state,  and 
there  learned  the  business  of  farming  thor- 
oughly under  favorable  circumstances.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  home,  was  graduated  at  a  high  school, 
and  afterward  passed  several  terms  at  Union 
Academy  in  his  home  county.  In  1887  he 
started  out  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  farther 
West,  and  coming  to  Colorado  located  at  Den- 
ver, where  he  became  a  member  of  the  city  fire 
department.  In  this  branch  of  the  public 
service  he  did  good  work  for  a  period  of  eight 
years,  part  of  the  time  as  a  private  and  the  rest 
as  captain.  In  1896  he  was  sent  to  Leadville 
to  re-organize  the  fire  department  there,  and 
when  the  re-organization  was  completed  he 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  department  as 
chief,  he  having  also  been  the  purchasing  agent 
of  a  new  outfit  for  the  service.  He  held  the 
position  of  chief  four  years,  then  resigning  in 
1900,  he  moved  to  Routt  county  and,  in  part- 
nership with  Dr.  J.  H.  Cole,  engaged  in  raising 
cattle  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  sold  his  interests  to  his  partner  and  bought 
the  Thomas  E.  Ferguson  ranch  on  Williams' s 
fork,  which  comprised  two  hundred  acres  at 
that  time.  After  greatly  improving  the  place 
and  bringing  it  to  an  advanced  state  of  pro- 
ductiveness he  traded  it  in  May,  1904,  for  the 


livery  business  owned  by  E.  B.  Thompson  at 
Craig.  To.  this  enterprise  he  has  since  given 
his  attention  with  good  results,  building  up  a 
large  and  increasing  trade  and  equipping  his 
stables  with  every  needed  appliance  for  a  first- 
class  business.  Politically  Mr.  Innman  is  a  Re- 
publican in  national  affairs  and  fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  was 
married  on  March  20,  1894,  to  Miss  Maud  A. 
Hodson,  a  native  of  Wichita,  Kansas.  They 
have  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  died  in 
infancy  and  Raynetta  S.  and  Adella  are  liv- 
ing. Mr.  Innman  has  made  good  use  of  his 
opportunities  in  this  state  and  has  prospered 
in  all  undertakings.  He  is  a  well  esteemed  and 
influential  citizen,  wise  in  counsel  and  vigor- 
ous in  action  for  the  general  good  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 

ARCHIE  McLACHLAN. 

Mr.  McLachlan,  who  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous and  progressive  ranch,  cattle  and  busi- 
ness men  of  Routt  county,  is  a  Canadian  by 
nativity,  born  in  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia 
on  February  28,  1847,  and  the  son  of  William 
and  Jane  McLachlan,  who  were  born  in  Scot- 
land and  emigrated  in  early  life  to  Canada.  The 
father  farmed  in  the  land  of  his  adoption  until 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  led  him  to 
that  land  of  promise  in  1849.  He  made  a  good 
strike  there  and  while  on  his  return  home  in 
1852  was  murdered  for  his  money.  The 
mother  came  to  Colorado  with  the  subject  and 
died  near  Golden,  this  state,  on  October  10, 
1893.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Their  son  Archie  had 
almost  no  opportunity  for  schooling.  From 
the  age  of  eight  to  sixteen  he  worked  on 
farms  and  then  was  put  to  work  to  learn  his 
trade  as  a  millwright,  and  he  worked  at  this 
until  he  reached  his  legal  majority.  Then,  in 
1868,  he  moved  to  Boston  and  later  to  Chicago, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


237 


and  in  these  cities  he  did  carpenter  work  and 
contracting-  until  1872,  when  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Colorado.  Locating  then  at  Golden 
City,  he  established  a  saw-mill  nine  miles  west 
of  the  town,  which  he  conducted  with  varying 
success  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  In  1883  he 
moved  to  Bear  river,  a  region  at  that  time 
wholly  unsettled,  and  here  he  located  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  one  of  the 
first  six  ranches  taken,  up  in  that  section.  He 
now  owns  also  another  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  the  same  vicinity,  and  on  the 
two  has  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  under 
cultivation.  He  raises  cattle  and  horses  ex- 
tensively, and  has  good  crops  of  hay,  grain, 
vegetables  and  small  fruit.  He  has  in  addition 
valuable  real  estate  at  Craig  and  runs  a  saw- 
mill on  a  tract  of  fine  timber  land  twenty-fi\e 
miles  northeast  of  the  town.  This  engages 
him  in  an  extensive  and  profitable  lumber  busi- 
ness which  gives  him  prominence  in  commer- 
cial circles  as  well  as  in  the  stock  industry. 
He  is  a  chapter  Mason  in  fraternal  life  and  an 
ardent  and  active  Democrat  in  politics.  On 
May  26,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  E. 
Ranney,  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  in  Ionia 
county.  They  have  four  children,  Audrey, 
Archie  H.,  Cora  A.  and  Edwin.  When  their 
father  came  to  Colorado  he  was  without  capi- 
tal and  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  people. 
He  accepted  with  cheerfulness  and  alacrity  the 
opportunities  for  useful  labor  and  advance- 
ment which  came  to  him,  and  by  his  own  ef- 
forts he  has  risen  to  good  financial  and  busi- 
ness standing,  prominence  in  local  public  af- 
fairs and  a  well  established  position  in  public 
esteem.  He  has  been  successful  in  all  his 
undertakings  here  and,  being  by  his  long  resi- 
dence in  the  state  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  its  people  and  sympathy  with  their 
interests,  he  is  generally  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  useful  and  representative  citizens  in 
his  community. 


FRANK  B.  RANNEY. 

The  parents  of  Frank  B.  Ranney,  Edwin 
and  Eliza  (Button)  Ranney,  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  York  respectively, 
and  were  reared  amid  the  scenes  and  inspir- 
ations to  industry  and  thrift  characteristic  of 
New  England  and  the  adjoining  country. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  moved  to 
Michigan,  and  there  they  became  prosperous 
and  respected  citizens,  accepting  cheerfully  the 
hardships  of  frontier  life  and  doing  their  part 
faithfully  in  developing  and  building  up  the 
new  country  in  which  they  had  cast  their  lot. 
The  father  was  a  cooper  during  his  earlier 
manhood  but  passed  his  later  life  in  farming, 
dying  on  the  place  which  was  hallowed  by  his 
labors  and  improved  by  his  diligence  and  skill, 
where  his  wife  also  died,  she  passing  away  in 
1865,  and  he  thirty  years  afterward  in  1895, 
They  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  Charles,  Albert  M.,  Frank 
B.,  Cora,  wife  of  Archie  McLachlan,  of  this 
state  (see  sketch  elsewhere  in  this  work),  Ed- 
win J.,  Marcia  A.  and  Lowden.  Their  son 
Frank  B.,  the  fourth  born  of  their  offspring, 
came  into  the  world  on  September  21,  1854,  in 
Kent  county,  Michigan,  confronted  with  a 
destiny  of  toil  devoid  of  much  apparent  oppor- 
tunity for  seeing  any  of  the  world  beyond  the 
confines  of  his  home  neighborhood,  and  no  real 
chance  for  extended  schooling.  The  situation 
of  the  family,  in  an  undeveloped  country 
wherein  the  conveniences  of  life  were  scarce 
and  difficult  of  attainment,  and  even  the  neces- 
saries were  not  always  easily  procured,  laid 
upon  every  able  hand  the  burden  of  its  own 
support,  and  accordingly  at  an  early  age  he 
took  his  place  in  the  ranks  of  useful  labor  and 
began  to  earn  his  living.  He  assisted  his  par- 
ents in  whatever  they  found  for  him  to  do 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  'eighteen  years, 
then,  learning  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


worked  at  it  and  in  a  sash  and  blind  factory 
until  1883.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Craig,  where  he 
pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  taking  up  one  of  the  first  six  ranches  set- 
tled upon  in  the  region.  This  ranch  has  ever 
since  been  his  home,  the  object  of  his  attentive 
and  skillful  care  and  the  seat  of  his  expanding 
ranches  and  stock  industry.  The  improve- 
ments on  it  have  all  been  made  by  him  and 
the  state  of  productiveness  in  which  it  is  now 
is  the  result  of  his  labors  and  wise  manage- 
ment. It  is  considered  one  of  the  best  ranches 
in  the  country,  and  its  excellent  crops  of  hay, 
grain,  vegetables  and  fruit  justify  the  opinion. 
His  cattle  industry  is  not  extensive,  but  is  suf- 
ficient in  volume  for  his  own  needs,  farming 
being  his  main  reliance,  and  in  this  hay  is  his 
principal  product.  He  is  a  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive man,  a  stanch  Republican  in  national 
politics  and  a  Master  Mason  in  fraternal  af- 
filiation. On  May  i,  1898,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Agnes  Sturdevant,  a  na- 
tive of  Fort  Collins,  this  state.  Both  are  held 
in  great  respect  and  good  will  by  the  people 
throughout  a  large  extent  of  country  around 
them  and  have  a  widening  influence  in  the  in- 
dustrial, commercial  and  social  life  of  their 
home  community. 

THOMAS  A.  FORKNER. 

The  Civil  war  in  this  country,  which  left 
the  states  that  seceded  from  the  Union  crippled 
in  all  their  industries,  poor  .in  finances  and 
awfully  prostrated  in  their  civil  institutions, 
was  yet  not  an  unmixed  evil,  since  those  con- 
ditions impelled  many  of  their  best  and  bright- 
est men  to  seek  new  homes  in  the  still  unde- 
veloped West,  and  thus  open  new  sources  of 
wealth  to  the  country  and  of  opportunity  to  in- 
dividual men  and  women.  And  this  tide  of 
migration  toward  the  setting  sun,  where  there 


were  untrodden  fields  and  vast  rewards  for  en- 
terprise, was  not  stayed  until  succeeding 
generations  followed  the  first  and  filled  up  in 
some  measure  the  mighty  domain  then  await- 
ing occupation  and  development.  Thomas  A. 
Forkner,  of  near  Craig,  Routt  county,  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  successful  ranch  and  cat- 
tle men  of  that  neighborhood,  was  among  the 
men  thus  indicated,  who  although  born  South, 
in  the  midst  of  the  war,  grew  to  man's  estate 
before  its  trail  of  horror  was  wholly  over- 
grown by  the  beneficent  products  of  a  later 
time.  His  life  began  in  Monroe  county,  Ten- 
nessee, on  June  17,  1863,  and  he  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Julia  A.  (McGuire)  Forkner,  of 
that  state,  where  the  father  has  throughout  his 
mature  life  been  a  prominent  planter  and  manu- 
facturer of  tobacco,  this  being  the  principal 
crop  raised  on  his  plantation.  He  supports  the 
Republican  party  in  politics  and  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order  in  .fraternal  circles.  The 
mother  died  in  her  native  state  on  May  2,  1898. 
They  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, John,  Lawrence,  Stephen,  James,  Nancy 
and  Thomas  A.  The  last  named  received  only 
a  common-school  education,  and  worked  on 
the  paternal  homestead  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years.  He  then  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself,  and  continued  to  be  so  oc- 
cupied in  his  native  state  until  1891,  when  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  for  a  time  after  his  ar- 
rival here  he  worked  as  a  hired  hand  on 
ranches.  He  was  desirous,  however,  of  con- 
ducting a  business  for  himself,  and  to  this  end 
he  leased  a  ranch  and  began  raising  cattle.  In 
1898  he  bought  the  one  he  now  owns  and 
farms,  which  was  one  of  the  six  taken  up  in 
1883,  the  first  ones  occupied  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Craig.  He  has  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  from  the  time  of  settling  on  the 
land  he  has  been  making  improvements 
and  increasing  his  arable  acreage  until 
he  now  has  a  comfortable  and  well-equipped 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


239 


home,  with  one  hundred  acres  under  good 
cultivation,  yielding  abundant  supplies  of  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables.  He  also  raises  cattle  in 
numbers  and  considerable  quantities  of  small 
fruits.  In  the  ranching  and  stock  industries  he 
is  prominent  and  successful,  in  the  public  life 
of  the  county  he  is  influential  and  helpful,  and 
in  fraternal  circles  he  has  an  appreciated  mem- 
bership in  the  Masonic  order  and  its  adjunct, 
the  order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  also' in  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  Politically  he  is  an 
earnest  and  active  Republican.  On  December 
28,  1887,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  E.  Norvell,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  They 
have  three  bright  and  interesting  children, 
Bessie  M.,  Rosie  M.  and  Clifton  E. 

SAMUEL  C.  MISEMER. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  and  losing 
his  mother  by  death  at  the  dawn  of  his  young 
manhood,  his  mother  dying  in  1882,  when  he 
was  twenty  years  old,  and  his  father  twenty 
years  later,  Samuel  C.  Misemer  is  the  last  sur- 
vivor of  his  family,  and  has  had  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  without  the  aid  of  for- 
tune's favors  of  any  kind.  He  was  born  in 
eastern  Tennessee  on  January  22,  1862,  the 
son  of  William  B.  and  Mary  A.  Misemer,  also 
natives  of  Tennessee.  The  mother  died  in 
Tennessee  and  the  father  in  Missouri.  The 
father  was  a  merchant  and  farmer,  a  Democrat 
politically,  a  Freemason  fraternally,  and  a  citi- 
zen of  standing  and  influence  in  his  com- 
munity. The  son  received  a  slender  education 
at  the  district  schools  and  made  himself  service- 
able to  his  parents  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  In 
1884  ne  came  west  and  located  at  Dixon,  Wyo- 
ming, where  he  was  employed  in  range  riding 
by  the  Pottock  Cattle  Company  and  others, 
and  after  some  years  of  service  in  this  capacity 
as  a  stage  driver  between  Rawlins  and  Meeker, 


Colorado,  by  C.  F.  Perkins.  In  1891  he  home- 
steaded  on  the  fanch  which  is  now  his  home, 
twelve  miles  north  of  Craig,  and  which  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  one  hun- 
dred of  which  can  be  cultivated.  The  place 
has  been  improved  by  him,  there  being  nothing 
in  this  line  on  it  when  he  located  on  it,  and  all 
its  fertility  and  productiveness  are  due  to  his 
systematic  and  well  applied  labor.  Hay  and 
horses  are  his  principal  products,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  his  ranching  he  has  done  considerable 
freighting.  Although  now  comfortably  set- 
tled on  a  good  place  and  with  an  abundant 
living,  his  early  years  in  this  state  were  full 
of  hardships  and  dangers,  the  country  being 
almost  wholly  unsettled  and  very  sparsely  in- 
habited. Since  1900  he  has  also  done  a  great 
deal  of  work  in  engineering  and  carpentering. 
He  is  enterprising  and  progressive,  always 
ready  to  accept  a  favorable  opportunity  for  his 
profit  and  zealous  in  promoting  every  under- 
taking for  the  benefit  of  the  community.  He 
is  a  Democrat  politically  and  a  Modern  Wood- 
man fraternally.  On  July  i,  1891,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Salina  Romjue,  a  native  of 
Oregon.  Their  hearthstone-  has  been  bright- 
ened by  two  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  The  other,  Hazel,  is  living. 

ROBERT  V.  BRYAN. 

Robert  V.  Bryan,  now  a  valued  public  of- 
ficial of  Routt  county,  where  he  has  also  been 
connected  with  the  ranching  and  stock  in- 
dustries and  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter, 
has  had  a  varied  and  interesting  career,  having 
been  engaged  in  a  number  of  occupations  at 
many  different  places.  He  is  not  one  of  the 
men  who  abandon  one  plan  and  go  earnestly 
to  work  on  another,  which  is  fresh  from  the 
forge  of  his  imagination,  or  had  at  some  for- 
mer time  been  cast  aside  half  finished,  but  one 
who  has  clearness  of  vision  to  see  and  alert- 


240 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ness  of  energy  to  seize  his  opportunities  ana 
made  the  most  of  them,  and  so  has  never  been 
long  without  profitable  employment,  and  has 
made  a  substantial  success  of  his  chances.  He 
was  born  on  February  8,  1855,  near  Hillsboro, 
Montgomery  county,  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of 
Daries  and  Elizabeth  (Hamilton)  Bryan,  the 
former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of 
Illinois.  The  father  moved  to  the  Prairie  state 
in  early  life,  and  there  he  was  married  and 
carried  on  farming  successfully  until  1867, 
when  the  family  moved  to  Arkansas,  where  the 
parents  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
The  father  was  a  faithful  Republican  in  po- 
litical life  and  fraternally  belonged  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  The  children  in  the  family  num- 
bered ten,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  Roxie, 
Lorenzo  Dow,  Amputus,  Algeernon,  Alonzo 
N.,  Robert  V.,  Belle  Z.  and  William  E.  Robert 
received  a  common  and  high  school  education 
and  also  attended  a  commercial  college  as  a 
preparation  for  business.  In  1867,  when  he  was 
twelve  years  old,  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Arkansas,  and  there  finished  his  scholastic 
education  and  took  the  commercial  course  al- 
ready mentioned,  the  college  being  located  at 
Little  Rock,  that  state.  He  also  assisted  his 
father  on  the  farm  here  until  1877  and  in  the 
hotel  at  Russellville,  which  was  also  owned  by 
his  father.  He  then  returned  to  Illinois  and 
began  to  learn  his  trade  as  a  carpenter.  In 
this  he  made  such  progress  that  at  the  end  of 
a  year  he  came  to  Colorado  prepared  to  do 
journey  work.  Settling  at  Silver  Cliff,  he 
helped  to  build  some  of  the  first  houses 
erected  in  the  town.  In  1879  and  1880  he 
freighted  between  Colorado  Springs,  Canon 
City  and  Leadville.  This  occupation  was  be- 
set with  hardships  but  was  profitable.  Moving 
to  Pueblo  in  1881,  he  there  became  agent  for 
the  Pueblo  &  Silver  Cliff  Stage  Line  Company, 
and  after  a  time  changed  his  residence  to  Wet- 
more,  where  he  engaged  in  getting  out  props 


and  ties  under  contract  for  the  coal  mines  at 
Coal  Creek.  In  1882  he  rented  a  ranch  near 
Wetmore,  on  which  he  passed  two  years,  then 
rented  one  on  Doby  creek  which  he  farmed  for 
a  year.  In  July,  1885,  he  became  a  resident  of 
Routt  county.  After  wintering  at  Maybell  he 
moved  in  the  spring  of  1886  to  Newcastle, 
Garfield  county,  and  there  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  some  time,  helping  to  build  the  first 
house  in  the  town  and  many  other  structures. 
Returning  to  Routt  county,  he  took  a  contract 
to  build  the  fence  around  Lily  park,  being  en- 
gaged in  the  work  two  years.  The  next  two 
were  passed  in  freighting  between  various 
points,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  he  moved 
to  Boise,  Idaho,  and  in  the  spring  of  1891  he 
located  his  home  at  Craig,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  has  been  much  occupied  in  range 
riding  and  is  considered  a  typical  cowboy.  He 
has  also  done  considerable  contracting  and 
building  at  Craig.  In  1900  and  1901  he  was 
deputy  cousty  assessor,  and  since  1902  has 
been  county  assessor,  having  been  elected  to 
the  office  on  the  Republican  ticket.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Freemasons,  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  November  29, 
1882,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy 
A.  Goodwin,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  and  who 
died  on  August  26,  1886,  leaving  two  daugh- 
ters, Nellie  M.  and  Maud  E.  These  are  living 
and  have  been  carefully  reared  by  their  father. 

THOMAS  H.  WISE. 

Belonging  to  the  great  Wise  family  of 
Virginia,  Thomas  H.  Wise,  of  near  Craig, 
Routt  county,  this  state,  a  prominent  rancher 
and  cattle  man,  has  well  sustained  in  the  new 
fields  of  enterprise,  which  he  sought  as  a  young 
man  of  twenty-three,  the  traditions  and  fame 
of  his  ancestry  in  the  Old  Dominion.  His 
father,  William  H.  Wise,  was  a  native  of  that 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


241 


state,  where  his  forefathers  lived  and  took  a 
prominent  part  in  public  affairs  for  gener- 
ations; and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Caroline  Smith,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Ohio.  They  were  prosperous  farmers  in  the 
latter  state  for  a  number  of  years,  then  moved 
to  Illinois,  where  their  son  Thomas  was  born 
on  March  n,  1863,  the  place  of  his  birth  being 
Galesburg,  Knox  county.  The  father  was  a 
Democrat  in  national  politics.  He  died  in 
1869  and  the  mother  in  1871.  They  had  nine 
children,  two  of  whom,  Thomas  H.  and  his 
older  brother  John  M.,  are  living.  Thomas  re- 
ceived very  little  education  in  the  schools,  his 
wisest  and  best  teacher  being  experience.  Even 
in  his  boyhood  he  earned  his  own  living  by 
working  on  his  father's  farm,  removing  with 
his  parents  to  northwestern  Missouri  in  1870. 
Here  he  learned  lessons  of  useful  industry  on 
the  paternal  homestead  located  near  the  city  of 
St.  Joseph.  He  remained  in  Missouri  engaged 
in  farming  until  1884,  then  became  a  resident 
of  Colorado,  and  ranched  in  Boulder  county 
until  1886.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Routt 
county  and,  in,  partnership  with  his  older 
brother,  took  up  a  fine  ranch  of  five  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  Williams  fork,  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  Since  the  death  of  his 
brother  Francis  M.,  in  1895,  he  has  had  entire 
management.  He  found  his  land  full  of 
promise,  but  with  all  its  possibilities  as  yet  un- 
developed and  containing  nothing  in  the  way 
of  a  human  habitation  or  other  necessary  build- 
ings or  appurtenances  for  the  business  which  it 
was  his  purpose  to  carry  on  there.  He  has 
made  extensive  improvements  and  has  brought 
two  hundred-  acres  of  his  domain  to  an  ad- 
vanced state  of  cultivation.  The  cattle  industry 
is  his  principal  dependence,  but  he  also  raises 
good  crops  of  grain,  hay  and  vegetables.  In 
the  public  life  of  his  neighborhood  Mr.  Wise 
has  taken  an  active  interest  from  the  start,  and 
he  is  universally  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
16 


ing  citizens  of  the  county.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  order,  and  in 
political  faith  he  is  a  firm  and  zealous  Demo- 
crat. He  has  found  excellent  opportunities  for 
advancement  in  Colorado  and  is  a  loyal  citizen 
of  the  state,  ardently  devoted  to  its  every  in- 
terest and  in  every  commendable  way  earnest 
in  the  work  of  promoting  the  welfare  of  its 
people.  He  carries  into  the  affairs  of  his 
county  in  which  the  progress  and  enduring  ad- 
vantage of  his  fellows  are  involved  the  same 
breadth  of  view,  commanding  energy  and  pro- 
gressive spirit  which  he  applied  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  private  business,  and  helps  to  sub- 
serve the  public  interest  without  stint  to  the 
best  of  his  abilities. 

GEORGE  E.  PITCHFORD. 

George  E.  Pitchford,  of  Routt  county,  who 
owns  and  occupies  a  good  ranch  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  which  is  located  on 
Williams  fork,  and  which  he  took  up  in  its 
state  of  primitive  nature  and  has  redeemed 
from  the  waste,  improving  it  with  good  build- 
ings and  making  it  one  of  the  attractive  and 
profitable  country  homes  of  the  section,  is  a 
native  of  Bates  county,  Missouri,  born  on 
March  26,  1874,  and  the  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Utley)  Pitchford,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Illinois,  where  they  were  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  number  of  years, 
after  which  they  moved  to  Missouri,  and  there 
carried  on  the  same  business  until  death  ended 
their  labors,  the  mother  dying  in  1877  and  the 
father  in  1878.  It  does  not  appear  who  cared 
for  the  helpless  young  orphan,  the  last  born 
of  the  three  living  children  of  the  family,  but 
at  the  age  of  nine  years  he  began  the  battle  of 
life  for  himself  and  had  almost  no  schooling 
for  the  struggle  before  him,  having  attended 
the  common  schools  but  a  very  limited  time. 
Six  children  were  born  to  the  parents,  of  whom 


242 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


only  Naomi,  Charles  and  George  E.  are  living. 
George  E.  began  life  as  a  youthful  hand  on 
.the  farm  and  has  adhered  to  the  vocation  of 
the  patriarchs  ever  since.     In  1886,  when  he 
was  but  twelve  years  old,  he  moved  to  Kansas, 
and  there  he  continued  farm  work  until  1892, 
when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  joined  the  great 
army  of  farmers  and  stock  men  in  this  state. 
He  was  employed  on  a  ranch  until  1900,  when 
he  located  the  ranch  he  now  occupies,  taking  up 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  afterward  adding  one  hundred  and  sixty 
more  by  purchase.     His  principal  industry  is 
raising  cattle,  but  he  also  raises  first-rate  crops 
of  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits,  and 
he  conducts  every  phase  of  his  enterprise  with 
close  attention  to  details,  vigorous  management 
and  an  enlightened  intelligence.     In  political 
affiliation  he  is  a  Democrat  and  in  fraternal 
.life  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.    On  October 
29,    1902,   he   united   in   marriage   with   Miss 
Phoebe  Frame,  a  native  of  Illinois.    They  have 
one  child,  Ruth  E.     By  his  sterling  worth  as 
a  man,  his  energy  and  progressiveness  in  busi- 
ness  and   his   enterprise   and  public   spirit   in 
matters    of    interest   to   the   community,    Mr. 
Pitchford  has  won  the  cordial  regard  and  good 
will  of  his  fellow  citizens,  among  whom  he  is 
generally  accounted  one  of  the  most  represent- 
ative men  in  his  portion  of  his  county.     Start- 
ing in  life  with  nothing,  he  has  secured  a  com- 
fortable competence  for  himself,  and  through 
his  own  struggles  has  learned  to  properly  ap- 
preciate   the    difficulties    and    misfortunes    of 
others.     Grateful  for  his  opportunities,  he  has 
shown  at  all  times  a  willingness  to  multiply  so 
far  as  lay  in  his  power  the  chances  for  his  fel- 
lows who  are  striving  to  work  their  way  up- 
ward, at  the  same  time  endeavoring  to  make 
all  the  industries  of  his  adopted  state  not  only 
worthy  of  her  greatness  and  power,'  but  as 
fruitful  of  good  to  her  people  as  possible. 


CHARLES  CASTER. 

Born  to  a  destiny  of  privation  and  toil,  and 
for  many  years  employed  in  humble  capacities 
of  various  kinds,  Charles  Caster,  now  a  pros- 
perous and  progressive  ranch  and  cattle  man  of 
Routt   county,   this  'state,   living  on  his   own 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  good 
land  near  Hamilton,  has  met  the  requirements 
of  his  position  with  a  brave  and  manly  spirit, 
a  productive  enterprise  and  a  cheerful  willing- 
ness for  every  duty  that  has  brought  him  suc- 
cess and  secured  for  him,  even  in  his  boyhood, 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 
His  life  began  in  St.  Clair  county,  Missouri, 
on  October  n,  1872.     In  1880,  when  he  was 
eight  years  of  age,  he  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Colorado  and,  locating  with  them  in  Denver, 
he  became  a  cash  boy  in  the  employ  of  the  Mc- 
Namara  Dry  Goods  Company.     Here  he  was 
also  a  news  boy  and  a  messenger  for  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegraph  Company.     His  oppor- 
tunities for  attending  school  were  very  limited, 
but  he  was  able  to  get  one  year's  good  instruc- 
tion after  moving  to  Morrison  in  1883.     The 
next  year  he  became  a  resident  of  Routt  county, 
and  from  then  until  1897  worked  on  the  ranch 
with  his  parents.     During  a  portion  of  this  in- 
terval, however,  he  did  cooking  at  ranches  and 
for    cowboys.     In    the    year    last    named    he 
bought  the  ranch  he  now  occupies,  of  which  he 
has  sixty  acres  under  first-rate  cultivation  and 
on  this  part  of  his  ranch  he  raises  good  crops 
of  the  usual    farm    products    common    in    the 
neighborhood.     He  also  carries  on  a  stock  in- 
dustry of  a  size  suitable  to  the  extent  of  his 
land.     Throughout  his  early  struggles  and  his 
later  life  he  has  been  cheered  and  inspired  by 
music,  of  which  he  is  an  ardent  devotee  and  a 
cultivated  practitioner,  being  considered  one  of 
the  best  performers  on    the    violin    in    Routt 
county  and   being  in   frequent  requisition  on 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


243 


short  notice  to  furnish  the  music  for  all  sorts  of 
entertainments.  Thus  he  has  also  been  able 
to  contribute  greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of 
others,  while  pleasing  himself.  The  lessons  of 
his  early  life  have  not  been  lost  upon  him. 
He  conducts  his  business  Avith  enterprise  and 
vigor,,  by  his  industry,  frugality  and  capacity 
making  it  profitable  and  winning  a  substantial 
estate  from  hard  and  unpromising  conditions. 
In  political  affiliation  he  is  an  earnest  working 
Republican.  On  June  19,  1898,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Bridgie  Kelley,  a  native 
of  Leadville,  this  state.  They  have  one  child, 
John  Harold.  Mr.  Caster's  parents  are  Ben- 
jamin F.  and  Amelia  (Stevens)  Caster,  the 
father  born  in  Iowa  and  the  mother  in  Indiana. 
The  father  is  a  shoe  and  harnessmaker,  and, 
being  well  educated,  having  been  graduated  at 
a  good  college  in  Keosauqua,  Iowa,  has  devoted 
some  years  to  teaching  school.  He  has  also 
been  engaged  in  ranching  at  times  in  this  state. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  in  his  earlier 
manhood,  but  for  some  years  has  belonged  to 
the  Democratic  party.  Both  parents  belong  to 
the  United  Brethren  church.  Two  children 
were  born  to  them,  of  whom  one,  a  daughter 
named  Lutie,  died  a  number  of  years  ago. 

RILEY  S.  HAMILTON. 

Riley  S.  Hamilton,  a  prominent,  progres- 
sive and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Routt 
county,  who  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  stock 
industry  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hamilton, 
was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Ohio,  on  February 
i,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  S.  and  Mary 
A.  (Slates)  Hamilton,  natives  of  Ohio,  who 
moved  to  DeKalb  county,  Missouri,  in  1869, 
and  there  engaged  in  farming,  an  occupation 
which  they  are  still  following,  with  their  home 
near  Maysville,  that  state.  The  father  was  a 
shoemaker  in  Ohio,  but,  with  a  longing  for 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  determined  to  devote 


himself  to  them  and  found  his  choice  wise  and 
his  enterprise  profitable.  His  death  occurred 
there  June  18,  1904.  Their  offspring  numbered 
nine.  One  died  in  infancy  and  Riley  S., 
Thomas  H.,  Hannah  (Mrs.  William  H.  Mil- 
ler), Fred  E.,  Edward,  Elizabeth,  and  James 
and  William,  twins,  are  living.  Riley,  the  first 
born  of  the  children  who  are  living,  grew  to 
manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Missouri  and 
was  educated  at  the  common  schools  with 
rather  meager  opportunities.  He  remained  at 
home  assisting  his  parents  on  the  farm  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  then,  in  1881, 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Breckenriclge. 
Here  for  a  few  months  he  worked  in  the  mines 
for  wages,  then  moved  to  South  Park  and 
"found  employment  until  winter  on  a  ranch. 
During  the  winter  he  was  employed  in  hauling 
lumber  at  Last  Resort,  after  which  he  leased 
a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  'Collins  which 
he  farmed  two  years.  In  July,  1885,  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Routt  county,'  and  in  May 
following  took  up  a  pre-emption  and  a  timber 
claim,  the  two  amounting  to  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  These  he  has  added  to  until  he 
now  owns  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  two 
hundred  of  which  he  has  under  productive  culti- 
vation. His  principal  industry  is  raising  cat- 
tle, however,  and  this  he  conducts  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale.  His  was  the  first  ranch  located 
on  Moore  Rapids  creek,  and  when  he  settled 
there  the  whole  section  was  wild  and  un- 
broken, without  roads,  bridges  or  other  con- 
veniences of  a  public  nature.  He  gave  himself 
with  ardor  and  energy  to  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  his  property,  and  found  steady 
and  increasing  rewards  for  his  labor.  Soon 
other  settlers  located  in  the  neighborhood  and 
the  rapid  progress  and  development  of  the  re- 
gion followed.  As  a  pioneer  there  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton was  an  important  factor  in  building  up  the 
country  and  the  village  which  grew  up  near 
him  was  named  in  his  honor.  He  is,  a  verv 


244 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


broad-minded  and  enterprising  man,  with  a 
keen  desire  for  all  improvements  involving  the 
general  welfare  of  the  community,  and  takes  an 
active  and  serviceable  interest  in  every  phase 
of  its  public  life.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is 
a  Freemason,  and  in  political  matters  is  inde- 
pendent. On  April  16,  1892,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Clara  Duse,  a  native  of  Ken- 
dall county,  Illinois,  and  the  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sophronia  (Watkins)  Duse,  the  for- 
mer born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  the  state 
of  New  York.  They  settled  in  Missouri  at  an 
early  day  and  located  near  Maysville,  where 
they  are  still  living  and  are  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Both  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  The  father  is  a  Republican 
in  politics.  Seven  of  the  eight  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duse  are  living,  Hattie,  Mary  J., 
William  A.,  Herbert  M.  and  Henry  M. 
(twins),  Edward  and  Clara  E.  A  daughter 
named  Tina  died  on  May  30,  1902.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hamilton  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Earl  L.  and  William  Henry. 

JOHN   T.   JARVIS. 

Mr.  Jarvis  belongs  to  an  old  and  highly 
respected  Virginia  family,  and  was  born  in 
Doddridge  county,  in  what  is  now  West  Vir- 
ginia, on  October  8,  1849.  His  parents  were 
Granville  D.  and  Sarah  M.  (Chapman)  Jar- 
vis,  both  natives  of  Virginia  and  belonging  to 
families  long  resident  in  that  state.  In  1852 
they  moved  to  Missouri  and  located  in  Knox 
county,  where  they  farmed  with  success  and 
profit  to  the  end  of  their  lives.  They  had 
eleven  children,  and  of  these  seven  are  living, 
Mrs.  Louisa  Brunick,  John  T.,  Mrs.  Virginia 
Burk,  Mrs.  Angeline  Houghtaling,  Frank, 
Mrs.  Laura  Sanders  and  Edward.  Three  of 
the  others  died  in  infancy  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Brunick  in  1898.  Their  son  John  T.  received 
a  common-school  education  and  learned  habits 


of  useful  industry  and  frugality  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead,  remaining  with  his  parents 
until  he  reached  his  twenty-fourth  year.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  mining,  ^oing  to 
California  and  locating  for  the  purpose  on  the 
Middle  fork  of  the  American  river.  He  fol- 
lowed mining  and  prospecting  in  that  state 
from  1880  to  1886,  with  the  too  frequent  luck 
of  the  men  engaged  in  these  enticing  but  un- 
certain pursuits,  securing  nothing  of  value  for 
his  labors.  In  the  year  last  named  he  moved 
to  Leadville,  this  state,  and  here  he  met  with 
better  success  both  in  mining  for  wages  and 
working  leased  properties.  In  1891  he  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  time  and  energies  to  ranch- 
ing, and  with  this  purpose  in  view  moved  to 
his  present  location  on  Williams  fork,  where  he 
pre-empted  one  claim  and  homesteaded  an- 
other, securing  in  all  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  He  also  owns  a  one-fifth  interest  in 
forty  acres  of  bituminous  coal  land.  His  ranch 
yields  abundantly  of  the  usual  farm  products, 
but  his  main  reliance  is  raising  cattle.  He  takes 
an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  public  local 
affairs,  withholding  his  support  from  no 
worthy  enterprise  in  which  the  general  wel- 
fare of  his  community  is  involved.  In  political 
matters  he  supports  the  Democratic  party  with 
ardor  and  stands  high  in  the  counsels  of  his 
party.  On  May  8,  1902,  he  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  John  Kellogg,  a  widow  whose 
maiden  name  was  Susan  Peirson,  a  native  of 
Tompkins  county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter 
of  Albert  and  Julia  A.  (Rhodes)  Peirson,  the 
former  born  in  Orange  county,  New  York, 
and  the  latter  in  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania. 
In  their  early  married  life  they  became  resi- 
dents of  Illinois,  locating  at  Harvard  Junction, 
McHenry  county.  There  the  father,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  an  earnest  Republican,  died 
in  1874.  At  present  the  mother,  who  is  past 
ninety-one  years  old,  makes  her  home  in  Yel- 
low Medicine  county,  Minnesota.  They  had 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


245 


thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living, 
Mrs.  William  H.  Bowen,  Schuyler  J.,  James 
A.,  Mrs.  Jarvis,  Frank  S.,  John  M.,  William 
P.  and  Mrs.  George  W.  Conn.  Three  died  in 
infancy  and  Hattie  E.  and  John  in  later  life. 
Mrs.  Jarvis  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  on  Deer  creek  and  also  has  a 
homestead  in  another  place- — four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  good  land  in  all:  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jarvis  are  highly  respected  and  have  a 
wide  and  wholesome  influence  throughout  all 
the  country  surrounding  them. 

LEANDER  N.  BONER. 

Although  born  and  reared  to  the  age  of  six- 
teen in  a  town  of  good  size,  and  habituated  to 
its  occupations  and  modes  of  life,  none  the  less 
successful  as  a  ranch  and  cattle  man  is  Leander 
N.  Boner,  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  living  six 
miles  west  of  Meeker,  his  native  ability  and  in- 
dustry and  thrift  enabling  him  to  turn  his  at- 
tention to  new  fields  of  labor  with  readiness 
and  enter  into  the  spirit  of  his  work  and  meet 
the  requirements  thereof  without  hesitation  or 
difficulty.  His  life  began  at  Kalamazoo,  Michi- 
gan, on  April  21,  1853,  and  there  he  lived  with 
his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen, 
receiving  a  common-school  education,  and  at 
the  age  of  twelve  devoting  himself  regularly  to 
useful  labor.  In  1869  he  journeyed  toward  the 
Pacific  coast  in  search  of  better  opportunities 
than  he  deemed  available  at  home,  and  locating 
in  Nevada,  worked  for  a  number  of  years  as  a 
ranch  hand.  In  1880  he  bought  a  ranch  of  his 
own  and  during  the  next  six  years  he  gave  this 
close  and  profitable  attention,  carrying  on  there 
a  flourishing  ranch  and  cattle  business.  In 
1886  he  disposed  of  all  his  Nevada  interests  ex- 
cept his  cattle,  and  these  he  moved  to  Muddy 
creek,  Wyoming,  where  he  purchased  a  ranch 
and  conducted  a  road  house  and  stage  line  be- 
tween Rawlins,  that  state,  and  Slater,  Routt 


county,  Colorado.  He  kept  at  these  lines  of 
employment  two  years  and  a  half,  then  in  1900 
sold  his  Wyoming  property  and  bought  the 
ranch  on  White  river  in  Powell  Park  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  He  has  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  one  body  and  cultivates 
three  hundred  acres  of  it.  The  land  is  \Vell 
watered,  very  fertile,  and  yields  abundant  crops, 
liberally  supporting  large  numbers  of  cattle. 
The  improvements  made  on  the  place  by  Mr. 
Boner  render  i.t  very  comfortable  as  a  home 
and  add  much  to  its  beauty  and  attractiveness. 
He  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising 
men  of  the  neighborhood,  taking  an  earnest  in- 
terest in  the  development  and  improvement  of 
the  country  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  adding 
to  its  industrial  and  commercial  wealth  by  his 
business,  giving  inspiration  and  vivacity  to  its 
fraternal  life  as  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and 
keeping  in  close  touch  with  its  government  and 
political  interests  as  an  ardent  Democrat.  His 
parents  were  David  and  Eleanor  Boner,  the 
former  born-  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in 
the  state  of  New  York.  They  were  early  set- 
tlers in  Michigan,  where  they  ended  their  days, 
the  father  dying  in  1865  and  the  mother  in 
1898.  The  father  served  three  and  one-half 
years  in-  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war, 
being  a  member  of  Company  K,  Twenty- 
eighth  Michigan  Infantry.  At  other  times  he 
was  a  farmer.  In  political  faith  he  was  a 
Democrat.  Two  children  were  born  in  the 
family,  Leander  N.  and  Ella,  wife  of  Press  Na- 
tion. 

JAMES  A.  BENNETT. 

The  ancestry  of  James  A.  Bennett,  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  successful  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  the  Williams  Fork  region  in 
Routt  county,  were  of  the  sturdy  Scotch  race, 
his  parents,  Robert  and  Agnes  (McCrery) 
Bennett,  having  been  natives  of  Scotland  and 
descendants  of  families  living  in  that  country 


246 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


for  many  generations.  They  came  to  the 
United  States  in  early  life,  and  after  living  at 
several  different  places,  finally  settled  in  Wis- 
consin, where  they  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  days,  the  father  dying  there  in  1886  and 
the  mother  on  December  31,  1903.  They  were 
well-to-do  farmers  in  this  country,  and  had  a 
family  of  six  children.  Of  these  Margaret  died 
and  James  A.,  Anna,  John,  Andrew  and 
George  are  living.  Their  son  James  was  born 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  July  30,  1857. 
He  attended  the  common  and  high  schools  of 
his  native  city  and  assisted  his  parents  in  the 
work  of  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years 
old.  In  1877,  leaving  the  scenes  and  associ- 
ations of  his  childhood  and  youth,  he  started 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  with 
almost  nothing  beyond  his  ardent  spirit,  high 
hopes,  willingness  for  useful  labor  of  any  kind 
that  he  could  make  profitable  and  earnest  re- 
solve to  succeed  by  his  own  efforts.  Devoting 
himself  to  this  resolve  with  all  his  energy,  from 
1877  to  1885  he  engaged  in  mining  and  pros- 
pecting and  also  did  some  contract  work  at 
Georgetown,  Leadville  and  Breckenridge.  His 
success  was  moderate  but  gratifying  until  the 
state  of  his  health  took  him  to  the  Williams 
fork  region  and  changed  his  occupation  and 
the  course  of  his  life.  After  seeking  a  renewal 
of  his  vigor  and  energy  in  various  portions  of 
this  highly  favored  section  of  the  state,  in 
1887  he  homesteaded  on  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  his  present  ranch  and  went  to  work 
in  earnest  to  improve  his  property,  get  his 
land  into  productiveness  and  make  a  home  in 
what  was  then  almost  a  wilderness.  He  suc- 
ceeded from  the  beginning  in  his  undertaking, 
and  as  time  passed  he  was  able  to  purchase  ad- 
ditional land  until  he  now  owns  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  are  under  an  advanced  stage  of 
cultivation,  yielding  good  crops  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables.  He  also  carries  on  an  ex- 


tensive cattle  industry,  and  this,  with  his  large 
annual  yields  of  hay,  furnishes  the  main  source 
of  his  revenue.  In  the  political  and  fraternal 
life  of  his  neighborhood  he  takes  an  ardent  in- 
terest, being  an  earnest  Republican  in  political 
faith  and  an  enthusiastic  third-degree  Mason 
in  fraternal  connection.  As  showing  his  inter- 
est in  local  public  affairs,  he  has  served  his  com- 
munity as  postmaster  at  Pagoda,  his  home 
office,  since  1889.  But  his  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people  around  him  is  not  shown  only 
by  the  efficient  and  satisfactory  discharge  of 
his  official  duties.  Every  worthy  project  for 
the  advancement  and  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity and  county  has  his  cordial  sympathy 
and  his  active  help.  Among  the  men  of  his 
section  none  is  more  highly  esteemed  and  none 
is  more  worthy  of  high  regard. 

JOHN  R.  SMITH. 

Building  his  own  fortunes  by  his  unaided 
efforts  from  an  early  age,  and  while  he  was 
yet  a  youth  providing  a  home  for  his  brothers 
and  sisters  who,  like  himself,  were  orphaned 
by  the  death  of  both  parents  before  they 
reached  maturity,  John  R.  Smith,  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  has  met  life's  responsibilities 
and  calls  to  duty  with  a  manly  spirit  and  shown 
a  degree  of  fraternal  devotion  that  is  worthy  of 
all  praise.  And  in  the  measure  of  his  exhibi- 
tion of  that  devotion  he  has  won  regard  in  re- 
turn from  the  community  around  him,  who 
have  found  in  him  the  same  consideration  for 
his  kind  in  a  general  way  which  has  character- 
ized him  in  the  special  cases  of  his  own  family, 
and  the  same  attention  to  public  that  he  has 
to  private  duties.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in 
Larimer  county,  Colorado,  near  Fort  Collins. 
on  November  15,  1875,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
R.  and  Frances  L.  (Hardin)  Smith,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Missouri. 
They  became  residents  of  Colorado  in  1860  am 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


247 


located  near  Fort  Collins,  where  the  father  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  freighting  until  his 
death  in  1894.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  political 
affiliation,  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fraternal  life,  and 
a  man  of  deep  and  earnest  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare and  progress  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lived.  When  the  'Civil  war  began  he  promptly 
answered  the  call  of  his  country  to  her  de- 
fense, and  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a 
member  of  a  regiment  of  Colorado  infantry, 
and  he  served  with  fidelity  to  the  end  of  his 
term.  The  mother  died  in  1890.  Seven  of  the 
nine  children  born  in  the  family  are  living : 
John  R.,  May  (Mrs.  Al.  Ellison),  Rebecca  I., 
Effie  M.,  Samuel  A.,  Burnaham  and  Guy  L. 
The  parents  belonged  to  the  Christian  church. 
Their  son  John  R.,  who  was  the  first  born  of 
their  living  children,  was  obliged  to  aid  in  the 
work  on  the  paternal  homestead  from  his  boy- 
hood, and  had  therefore  opportunity  for  only 
a  common-school  education.  When  his  mother 
died  he  was  but  fifteen  and  when  his  father 
died  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  thus  on  the 
very  threshold  of  his  young  manhood  he  found 
himself  with  a  family  much  dependent  on  him 
for  support  and  guidance.  He  assumed  the 
work  of  caring  for  and  rearing  them  with 
cheerfulness  and  carried  it  on  with  energy,  so 
that  their  comfort  was  well  provided  for  and 
their  training  for  life's  duties  was  not  neglected. 
He  leased  a  ranch,  which  he  managed  until 
1897,  then  secured  employment  as  a  hand  on 
ranches  belonging  to  various  persons  in  the 
neighborhood.  This  occupation  he  continued 
for  only  a  few  months,  as  he  was  eager  to  get 
a  home  of  his  own  and  devote  his  energies  to 
its  development  and  improvement.  Accord- 
ingly he  pre-empted  a  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  White  river  in  1898,  the 
lancl  lying  eleven  miles  southeast  of  Meeker. 
He  has  about  sixty  acres  under  cultivation  and 
gets  good  crops  of  the  products  usual  in  that 
region.  He  also  raises  cattle  in  numbers,  and 


finds  both  lines  of  his  ranching  industry  profit- 
able. He  takes  an  active  part  in  politics  as  a 
Republican,  and  in  fraternal  life  as  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  the  improve- 
ment and  progress  of  the  community  he  is  al- 
ways earnestly  interested  and  actively  service- 
able. 

S.  C.  PATTERSON. 

Having  acquired  a  goodly  store  of  worldly 
wisdom  in  the  thorough  school  of  experience, 
which  has  quickened  his  natural  abilities  and 
given  knowledge  of  himself  and  of  others,  S.  C. 
Patterson  is  well  equipped  for  the  pursuits  in 
which  he  is  engaged  and  might  without  dis- 
advantage turn  his  hand  to  many  others.  He 
is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  on  December  5, 
1854,  and  in  his  native  state  he  secured  a  slen- 
der education  at  a  preparatory  school  which  he 
attended  a  few  terms.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he 
was  called  into  the  great  field  of  human  action 
to  earn  his  own  living,  and  since  then  he  has 
been  one  of  the  producing  toilers,  fanning  and 
working  at  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  Vermont, 
and  migrating  to  this  state  while  young.  He 
located  at  Greeley  and  secured  employment  in 
ranch  work,  which  he  continued  four  months, 
then  turned  his  attention  to  range  riding  in  the 
service  of  Quillett  &  Lusk  for  a  drive  to  Run- 
ning Water,  Wyoming.  The  rage  of  the  ele- 
ments often  oppressed  him,  snow  storms  and 
blizzards  endangered  his  life  and  his  herds, 
savage  hostility  threatened  him  with  peril,  and 
many  other  forms  of  hardship  made  his  task 
difficult  to  perform  at  times  and  his  lot  hard 
to  endure.  But  he  did  his  duty  faithfully  and, 
won  thereby  the  commendation  of  his  employ- 
ers. He  also  held  cattle  on  the  Cache  La 
Poudre  for  old  Mr.  McClellan  one  year,  and 
from  that  time  for  three  years  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  as  head 
axman  and  level  runner.  Where  Rustic  now 
stands  on  Cache  La  Poudre  he  traded  for  a 


248 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ranch,  which  he  sold  a  year  later,  then  moved 
to  his  present  location  in  the  White  river 
country  in  1885.  Here  he  took  a  squatter's 
claim,  which  he  sold  in  1887,  and  next  he  en- 
gaged as  a  ranch  hand  in  the  employ  of  T.  B. 
Ryan  &  Company.  After  leaving  their  em- 
ployment he  became  a  trapper  and  hunter  for 
big  game  and  also  served  as  a  guide  for  tourists 
and  hunting  parties,  continuing  these  occupa- 
tions until  1890.  In  this  time  he  killed  about 
ninety  bears  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
mountain  lions.  From  1893  to  1898  he  con- 
ducted the  Marvine  Lodge,  in  partnership  with 
William  Wells,  and  during  the  time  served  as 
forest  ranger.  In  the  year  last  named,  in 
partnership  with  W.  L.  Parrott,  he  purchased 
a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  they  have  since 
increased  to  seven  hundred  and  twenty.  Of 
this  body  five  hundred  acres  can  be  cultivated 
and  much  is  under  vigorous  tillage.  The  ranch 
is  thirty  miles  east  of  Meeker  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  region  well  supplied  with  wild  game.  Cat- 
tle is  the  principal  resource  of  the  industry,  but 
general  farm  products  are  also  extensively 
raised.  The  place  is  improved  with  a  fine  lodge 
and  other  necessary  buildings  and  all  its  oper- 
ations are  conducted  on  an  elevated  scale  of 
magnitude  and  skill.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  son 
of  Phineas  and  Maria  Patterson,  natives  of 
Vermont,  where  the  father  was  a  well-to-do 
carpenter.  He  died  in  September,  1899,  and 
the  mother  in  July,  1897.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living,  S.  C.  and  Ai. 
Two  other  sons,  Philo  and  Hosea,  died  some 
years  ago. 

JOHN  B.  ELROD. 

John  B.  Elrod,  of  near  Rifle,  Garfield 
county,  this  state,  who  has  won  success  in 
business  and  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
the  people  all  around  him  by  his  industry,  ca- 
pacity and  .sterling  manhood,  is  a  native  of 


South  Carolina,  born  on  January  12,  1845,  and 
moved  from  there  with  his  parents  to  Kansas 
in  1856.  His  early  life  was  therefore  filled 
with  the  ominous  forebodings  of  the  coming 
struggle  between  the  sections  of  our  unhappy 
country  soon  to  be  rent  by  civil  strife  and  bap- 
tized in  the  blood  of  its  best  and  bravest  sons. 
He  can  therefore  all  the  more  appreciate  the 
blessings  of  the  peace  and  prosperity  which  we 
have  since  enjoyed,  and  rejoice  in  the  com- 
manding greatness  of  a  re-united  and  more 
harmonious  land,  the  different  portions  of 
which  now  understand  one  another  better  than 
they  did  before  and  are  more  disposed  to  work 
in  harmony  for  the  common  good.  When  the 
strife  burst  forth  he  bore  his  part  in  it  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  traditions  and  teachings  of 
his  section,  and  has  nothing  to  regret  on  that 
account.  His  parents  Were  Allen  and  Amanda 
Elrod,  descendants  of  old  South  Carolina 
families,  and  in  1856  they  moved  to  Kansas, 
carrying  with  them  the  faith  of  their  fathers 
which  found  expression  in  the  border  troubles 
of  that  state  which  were  unmistakable  heralds 
of  the  greater  contest  that  was  to  come.  They 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  Kansas 
engaged  in  farming,  the  father  as  a  loyal 
Democrat  taking  part  in  all  public  affairs  and 
exerting  a  decided  influence  on  their  trend  in 
his  locality.  Eight  children  were  born  in  the 
family,  three  of  whom  have  died.  The  five  liv- 
ing are  George  F.,  of  Aspen;  John  B.,  of  Rifle; 
Sarah,  wife  of  J.  W.  Cunningham,  of  Kansas 
City,  Missouri;  Harvey  H.,  of  Oswego,  Kan- 
sas, and  Maria  J.,  wife  of  a  Mr.  McArthur, 
of  Victor,  Colorado.  The  father  died  in  1856 
and  the  mother  in  1899.  John  was  educated  at 
subscription  schools  with  good  results.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  work  as  a  farm  hand 
on  plantations  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home 
for  small  wages,  and  near  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  was  about  nineteen,  he 
joined  the  Confederate  army  under  Colonel 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


249 


Condiff  in  Shelby's  brigade,  in  which  he  served 
about  a  year  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then 
returned  home  and  apprenticed  himself  to  a 
blacksmith  to  learn  the  trade.  He  acquired  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  it.  and  devoted  five 
years  to  its  various  branches  in  Texas  and  at 
Kansas  City,  Missouri.  In  1874  he  came  to 
Colorado,  reaching  Denver  on  April  ist. 
Three  months  later  he  moved  to  Central  City 
and  there  »wrought  at  his  trade  until  1882.  He 
then  sold  out  at  a  good  profit  and  returned  to 
Denver  for  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  moved  to  Leadville  where  he  opened  another 
shop  and  worked  at  his  trade  until  the  winter 
of  1883,  when  he  went  to  Twin  Lakes  and  took 
charge  of  the  shop  for  the  stage  line  belonging 
to  J.  C.  Carson.  In  this  position  he  remained 
two  years  and  a  half,  then  in  October,  1887, 
purchased  a  squatter's  right  to  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  the  ranch  he 
now  owns  and  occupies.  Of  this  he  can  culti- 
vate one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  he  finds  it 
very  fertile  and  productive.  He  raises  good 
crops  of  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  fruit,  but 
cattle  form  his  main  reliance.  The  water  right 
to  the  land  is  good,  and  the  markets  are  within 
easy  reach,  the  ranch  being  five  miles  southwest 
of  Rifle.  Mr.  Elrod  is  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fra- 
ternal circles  and  a  zealous  Democrat  in  na- 
tional politics.  Locally  he  is  devoted  to  the 
welfare  of  his  community  without  regard  to 
party  considerations,  and  has  rendered  it  valu- 
able and  appreciative  service  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  during  the  last  nine  years. 
On  July  i,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
F.  Richmond,  a  native  of  Greene  county,  Il- 
linois, and  daughter  of  William  O.  and  Mary. 
A.  Richmond,  the  father  born  in  Indiana  and 
the  mother  in  Pennsylvania.  They  located  in 
Illinois  in  1865  and  later  moved  to  Kansas. 
Eighteen  months  afterward  they  changed 
their  residence  to  Independence,  Missouri,  and 
after  living  there  eight  years  moved  to  Central 


City,  this  state,  in  1876.  Since  1879  they  have 
been  living  at  Leadville.  The  father  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  allegiance.  The  family 
comprised  twelve  children,  of  whom  but  six  are 
living,  the'  others  having  died  in  infancy.  The 
living  six  are :  Sarah  F. ;  Jasper,  living  at 
Tombstone,  Arizona;  Naomi,  wife  of  Herbert 
Corwin,  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  Rifle ;  Wil- 
liam, at  Aspen ;  and  Ottis,  at  Leadville.  Their 
mother  died  on  June  17,  1873.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Elrod  are  in  genuine  sympathy  with  the  un- 
derlying principles  of  the  Christian  religion, 
though  they  are  not  actively  affiliated  with  any 
religious  denomination. 

RALPH  H.  WHITE. 

Born  and  reared  in  the  midst  of  all  the 
blandishments  of  the  highest  civilization,  and 
trained  carefully  for  a  mercantile  career,  with 
the  inheritance  of  a  large  business,  old  and 
well  established,  in  view,  it  would  seem  that 
Ralph  H.  White,  of  near  Rifle,  Garfield  county, 
has,  like  Esau,  parted  with  his  birthright  and 
sacrificed  all  that  most  men  hold  dear  in  social 
and  business  circles  in  coming  to  the  wilds  of 
the  far  West  and  settling  down  on  a  ranch  to 
herd  and  traffic  cattle  and  become  a  tiller  of  the 
soil.  Yet  so  nicely  does  nature  balance  her 
gifts  that  to  the  eye  of  a  true  discernment  the 
fate  we  often  repel  turns  out  in  the  experience 
to  be  the  best  and  most  agreeable  for  us.  It 
is  so  in  this  case,  Mr.  White  finding  both 
profit  and  enjoyment  in  his  present  occupation, 
and  what  is  better  than  either,  good  health  and 
strength  of  body  as  well  as  elasticity  of  spirits 
and  cheerfulness  of  disposition.  He  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  Peregrine  White,  born  on  the 
"Mayflower"  in  Plymouth  harbor,  the  first 
child  born  of  English  parentage  in  New  Eng- 
land. Ralph  was  torn  in  Suffolk  county,  near 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  October  17,  1873, 
and  is  the  son  of  R.  H.  and  Ellen  M.  (Tucker) 


250 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


White,  also  natives  of  that  state.  His  father 
has  from  his  early  manhood  been  an  extensive 
wholesale  and  retail  merchant,  with  dry  goods 
as  his  special  commodity,  his  house  being  one 
of  the  largest  in  his  portion  of  the  country.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  his  career  and  has 
prominence  and  influence  among  his  people 
both  in  mercantile  and  political  circles.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  in  politics  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  public  affairs,  local  and  na- 
tional. The  children  born  to  the  family  num- 
ber four.  One  daughter  is  deceased,  Anna  C., 
and  the  other  three  children  are  living,  Emily, 
at  Boston,  Edith,  at  Newton,  and  Ralph,  in  this 
state.  The  mother  is  also  deceased,  having 
passed  away  in  1894.  The  one  son,  Ralph',  was 
educated  at  private  schools  and  was  well  pre- 
pared for  business  by  proper  instruction  and 
training.  After  leaving  school  he  passed  a  few 
years  in  his  father's  wholesale  house,  but  a 
threatened  failure  of  his  health  brought  him  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  to  overcome  the  disaster. 
He  remained  there  four  years,  then  realizing 
that  this  was  the  climate  for  him  to  retain  his 
health  in,  he  bought  the  ranch  which  is  now 
his  home,  and  on  which  he  has  since  conducted 
an  active  and  profitable  ranch  and  stock  in- 
dustry. It  comprises  two  hundred  acres  and 
ninety  acres  of  the  tract  are  under  cultivation, 
two  of  them  in  a  prolific  and  improving  orch- 
ard. An  independent  water  right  appertains  to 
the  place,  and  in  addition  there  is  an  abundant 
supply  for  his  cattle  from  springs.  There  is 
a  fine  modern  dwelling  on  the  land,  which  is 
equipped  with  hot  and  cold  water  and  all  the 
other  desirable  conveniences  of  a  first-class 
home.  The  crops  raised  are  chiefly  hay  and 
potatoes,  and  the  cattle  industry  is  extensive 
and  up-to-date  in  every  respect.  Mr.  White  is 
a  devoted  and  earnest  Republican  in  political 
activity,  and  a  zealous  and  serviceable  promoter 
of  every  good  enterprise  for  the  welfare  of  his 
community.  On  August  28,  1903,  he  married 


with  Miss  Edith  M.  Apted,  like  himself  a  na- 
tive of  Suffolk  county,  Massachusetts,  and  a 
daughter  of  William  H.  and  Ella  F.  (Wood) 
Apted,  also  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Her  par- 
ents have  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years,  the 
father  passing  away  on  September  8,  1885,  and 
the  mother  on  January  15,  1896.  She  and  her 
brother  Herbert,  who  lives  in  New  Jersey,  are 
the  only  survivors  of  the  family.  She  is  as 
well  pleased  with  Colorado  as  is  Mr.  White. 

WILLIAM  CHADWICK. 

The  life  story  of  this  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful stock-grower  and  ranchman  of  Garfield 
county,  if  told  in  detail,  would  differ  little  in 
incident  and  feature  from  that  of  thousands  of 
others  who  came  into  this  western  wilderness 
when  the  territory  was  young  and  unsettled, 
and  with  strong  and  sinewy  hand  grappled  with 
its  hard  conditions  and  bade  them  stand  ruled 
and  deliver  up  their  resources  for  the  benefit 
of  mankind  and  the  onward  march  of  civiliza- 
tion. Yet,  trite  and  well  worn  as  the  recital 
might  seem,  it  is  of  enduring  interest  as  a 
part  of  human  history  essentially  spectacular 
and  thrilling  in  a  high  degree,  which  has  passed 
away  forever,  or  still  lingers  only  in  its  types 
and  actors  who  are  yet  among  us,  although 
their  theater  of  action  has  greatly  changed  since 
they  entered  upon  it.  Mr.  Chadwick  was  born 
in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  on  May  20,  1857, 
and  is  the  son  of  Oliver  and  Katharine  (Carr) 
Chadwick,  who  were  born  in  Illinois  and  moved 
to  Iowa  when  that  state  was  as  frontier  as  was 
Colorado  when  he  came  hither.  They  broke 
the  virgin  sod  there  with  their  advancing  plow- 
share, as  he  did  here,  and  hewed  out  of  the 
wilderness  a  home  and  a  comfortable  estate. 
The  mother  died  on  September  7,  1902,  and  but 
six  of  her  children  survive  her.  William  at- 
tended the  district  schools  near  his  home,  and 
also  one  term  at  the  State  Agricultural  School 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


251 


connected  with  Manhattan  College.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents,  working  in  their  inter- 
est, until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
then  moved  to  Kansas  and  settled  near  Holton, 
Jackson  county,  where  he  worked  for  wages 
from  the  spring  of  1879  to  the  fall  of  1883. 
From  Kansas  he  came  to  Colorado,  selecting 
Aspen  as  the  scene  of  his  first  activity  in  this 
state.  He  next,  on  January  13,  1884,  located 
a  claim  on  the  Grand  river  near  Rifle,  the  im- 
provements on  which  he  sold  the  next  year, 
and  changed  his  residence  to  Mam  creek,  Gar- 
field  county.  Here  he  took  a  squatter's  right 
to  a  ranch.  In  the  spring  of  1888  he  pre- 
empted a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  is  a  part  of  his  present  home.  He  has 
since  purchased  forty  additional  acres  and  now 
has  a  body  of  two  hundred  acres  of  good  land, 
one-half  of  which  can  be  cultivated  and  on 
which  he  raises  good  crops  of  hay,  corn,  vege- 
tables and  fruit.  His  principal  resources  are 
hay  and  cattle,  and  these  he  produces  in  large 
volume.  The  ranch  has  good  water  rights  and 
can  be  well  irrigated,  and  the  soil  is  of  such 
character  that  its  response  to  husbandry  is 
generous.  Mr.  Chadwick  is  interested  in  works 
of  public  benefit  in  his  neighborhood,  notably 
the  High  Line  Ditch,  off  Divide  creek,  and  the 
Garfield  County  Telephone  Company,  being 
president  of  the  latter.  He  has  given  the  dis- 
trict excellent  service  as  water  commissioner 
during  the  past  five  years ;  and  while  associated 
with  Mr.  Deveraux  built  the  trail  from  Rifle 
to  the  top  of  Brook  cliff.  Thus  throughout  his 
residence  in  this  region  he  has  been  a  man  of 
progress  and  enterprise,  and  contributed  in 
large  measure  to  the  development  of  the  sec- 
tion. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  in  fra- 
ternal life  an  Odd  Fellow.  On  November  29, 
1899,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Millie  C.  (Mc- 
Intyre)  Nevitt,  a  native  of  Le  Claire,  Iowa,  the 
daughter  of  Sidney  and  Almira  Mclntyre,  the 
father  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  mother  of 


Ohio.  They  located  in  Iowa  not  long  after 
their  marriage  and  there  they  passed  the  -re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  The  father  was  in  the 
saw-mill  business,  sawing  lumber  for  market, 
and  found  his  enterprise  moderately  profitable. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  public  spirit, 
and  in  political  matters  supported  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Both  parents  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  The  father  died  on  No- 
vember 6,  1865,  and  the  mother  on  October  3, 
1894.  Of  their  three  children  Mrs.  Chadwick 
is  the  only  survivor.  Mrs.  Chadwick's  first 
husband  died  on  November  25,  1894.  He  was 
a  Union  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  rendered 
valiant  service  to  the  cause  he  espoused. 

JOSEPH  YULE. 

Joseph  Yule,  considered  generally  the  lead- 
ing and  most  substantial  ranchman  in  the 
county  of  Garfield,  and  living  on  a  fine  ranch 
of  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  the  creek 
of  the  same  name  not  far  from  Newcastle,  is 
essentially  a  self-made  man  and  a  good  product 
of  his  own  energy  and  capacity.  He  was  born 
in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  on  December  13, 
1846,  and  is  a  brother  of  George  Yule,  of  this 
county  (see  sketch  elsewhere).  He  received  a 
very  limited  education  at  the  public  schools  and 
aided  his  parents  in  their  farm  work  until  he 
was  twenty-two,  then  began  the  battle  of  life 
for  himself.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  de- 
voted three  years  of  his  young  life  to  the  de- 
fense of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting 
when  he  was  seventeen  in  Company  I,  Fortieth 
Iowa  Infantry.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
discharged  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  soon  after- 
ward came  with  his  brother  George  to  Colo- 
rado, and  worked  with  him  until  1880,  spend- 
ing his  summers  for  the  most  part  at  Gunnison 
and  his  winters  at  Denver.  He  passed  con- 
siderable time  in  mining,  but  without  success, 
and  camped  one  year  on  the  Roaring  Fork 


252 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


river.  In  1880  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  John  Murray  in  ranching  and  raising  cat- 
tle. The  partnership  continued  five  years  and 
was  then  harmoniously  dissolved.  Since  then 
Mr.  Yule  has  been  ranching  and  raising  cattle 
for  himself,  having  located  a  squatter's  claim 
on  what  was  then  an  Indian  reservation.  When 
the  land  was  surveyed  he  pre-empted  his  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  he  has 
since  added  to  it  by  purchase  until  he  now  owns 
five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which  he  has 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  under  advanced 
cultivation  with  increasing  productiveness  and 
profits,  bringing  forth  all  the  usual  products  of 
the  neighborhood,  with  fruit  in  addition,  and 
hay  and  cattle  as  his  main  reliance.  He  has 
shown  great  and  intelligent  interest  in  the  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  the  section  from 
the  time  of  his  settlement  here,  giving  close 
attention  to  local  affairs  and  bearing  cheerfully 
his  share  of  the  burdens  incident  to  public  im- 
provements and  every  undertaking  for  the  good 
of  the  community.  In  political  affiliation  he  is 
an  active  Republican,  but  he  works  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  district  without  regard  to  party  in- 
terests. He  served  nine  years  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  and  was  once  elected  road 
overseer,  but  declined  the  position.  He  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public and  is  full  of  energy  in  behalf  of  the 
post  to  which  he  belongs  in  the  organization. 
In  April,  1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Maggie  Allen,  a  native  of  Jasper  county, 
Iowa,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Johanna 
Allen,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  county. 
Her  father  was  a  carpenter  but  has  developed 
the  later  years  of  his  life  to  farming.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  faith  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  them, 
several  of  whom  are  living:  John,  William, 
Fred,  Lizzie  (Mrs.  Charles  Davie)  and  Jesse, 
all  living  in  Iowa;  and  Mrs.  Yule  of  this  state. 


In  all  the  relations  of  life  and  with  reference 
to  all  the  duties  of  citizenship  Mr.  Yule  has 
borne  himself  creditably,  and  the  universal  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held  is  but  a  just  meed  to 
his  personal  merit. 

SAMUEL  BOWLES. 

Coming  from  historic  old  Loudoun  county, 
Virginia,  which  has  given  to  the  service  of  the 
United  States  the  wisdom,  valor  and  progres- 
sive statesmanship  of  many  distinguished  men, 
and  to  the  social  life  of  the  nation  the  personal 
charms  and  intellectual  culture  of  many  noble 
ladies,  Samuel  Bowles,  of  Garfield  county,  this 
state,  who  is  comfortably  settled  on  a  fine  ranch 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Carbondale,  has  in  ad- 
dition to  his  own  force  of  character  and  native 
abilities  the  incentive  to  enterprise  and  breadth 
of  view  furnished  by  a  long  line  of  prominent 
and  productive  ancestors.  His  life  began  on 
May  19,  1844,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Amelia  Bowles,  natives  of  that  state  who  set- 
tled in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  when  it 
was  on  the  far  frontier  and  all  the  conditions 
of  life  were  yet  wild  and  uncomely.  There  they 
followed  farming  and  won  from  the  generous 
soil  a  good  estate.  The  father  was  a  Democrat 
in  political  belief  and  became  a  leading  man  in 
his  new  home.  He  died  in  1855  and  his  wife 
in  1859.  They  had  a  family  of  six  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living:  Rachel,  wife  of 
Howard  Story,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  Alcinda, 
wife  of  William  Payne,  of  Idaho;  and  Samuel. 
The  last  named  attended  the  public  schools 
when  he  had  opportunity,  which  was  not  often 
for  long  periods,  and  assisted  his  p'arents  on  the 
farm,  remaining  with  them  until  they  died. 
Afterward,  in  partnership  with  relatives,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Missouri  with  profit  until 
1880,  when  he  came  to  this  state  and  located  at 
Leadville.  Here  he  drove  freight  teams  and 
did  other  work  that  he  found  to  do  until  Christ- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


253 


mas  of  that  year,  then  made  a  visit  to  his  old 
Missouri  home.  On  his  return  to  Colorado 
he  settled  at  Aspen  and  engaged  in  teaming  for 
wages,  his  compensation  being  fifty  dollars  a 
month  and  his  board.  He  continued  this  occu- 
pation until  March,  1882,  then  came  to  his  pres- 
ent locality,  where  he  worked  two  years  for 
wages  on  a  ranch.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
bought  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  on  which  he  afterward  proved  up 
and  which  is  the  ranch  he  now  owns.  This  he 
has  greatly  improved  and  brought  to  product- 
iveness in  the  usual  crops  of  the  section,  hay, 
potatoes  and  cattle  being  his  chief  reliance.  It 
must  not  be  supposed  that  his  life  has  been  all 
sunshine  and  free  from  danger  and  disaster.  He 
was  in  all  the  troubles  at  Julesburg  and  along 
the  Platte  river  in  the  early  sixties;  and  while 
in  partnership  with  Jesse  Moore  in  keeping  up 
the  roads,  had  numerous  encounters  with  the 
Indians,  in  which  one  of  his  men  was  killed 
and  several  were  wounded.  He  was  married 
on  February  28,  1867,  to  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
Jones,  a  native  of  Buchanan  county,  Missouri, 
and  the  daughter  of  John  and  Annie  Jones, 
both  born  and  reared  in  Tennessee.  They  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  in  that  part  of  Mis- 
souri in  which  they  lived,  and  there,  redeem- 
ing a  good  farm  from  the  wilderness  and  de- 
fending it  from  savage  fury,  they  grew  to  pros- 
perity and  prominence.  The  father  supported 
the  Democratic  party  on  all  questions  of  public 
policy,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Methodist  church.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  them,  one  dying  in  infancy.  The 
six  living  are  William,  James,  Mary  K.  (Mrs. 
Robert  Dietz),  John  and  Nathaniel,  all  residing 
in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri ;  and  Mrs. 
Bowles,  who  is  the  second  in  numerical  order 
of  the  six.  The  father  died  on  September  29, 
1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowles  have  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  a  son  named  John  W.  is 
deceased.  The  seven  living  are :  Robert  F.,  of 


Canon  Creek,  Colorado;  Alcinda,  wife  of  Den- 
ver R.  Van  de  Venter,  of  near  Carbondale; 
James,  of  the  Elk  Creek  region ;  Mary,  wife  of 
Olaf  Johnson,  of  near  Glenwood  Springs; 
Samuel,  Grafton  and  Efrie  Jane.  Mr.  Bowles 
has  found  Colorado  much  to  his  taste  as  a 
place  of  residence,  a  fruitful  country  in  good 
opportunities,  and  settled  by  a  people  appreci- 
ative of  ability  and  force  of  character;  and  is 
well  pleased  to  be  numbered  among  the  pro- 
ductive energies  which  are  making  it  one  of 
the  greatest  states  of  the  great  West.  He  is 
highly  esteemed  as  a  business  man  and  good 
citizen. 

THOMAS  WATERS. 

Left  an  orphan  in  boyhood  by  the  death 
of  both  his  parents,  and  compelled  from  that 
time  to  make  his  own  living,  Thomas  Waters, 
a  prosperous  rancher  living  on  a  good  ranch 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Glenwood  Springs,  has 
come  from  poverty  and  obscurity  to  a  condition 
of  substantial  comfort  and  consequence  in  his 
community  through  arduous  effort,  continued 
frugality  and  a  willingness  to  do  as  well  as 
he  could  anything  he  found  to  do.  He  was 
born  in  county  Wicklow,  Ireland,  and  is  the 
son  of  Patrick  and  Anna  (McDonald)  Waters, 
also  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  where  their 
forefathers  lived  from  immemorial  times.  The 
parents  were  devout  Catholics,  and  had  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children.  Of  these  Henry  and  Phil- 
lips are  deceased  and  Thomas  and  John  are 
living,  both  being  residents  of  Garfield  county, 
near  Glenwood  Springs.  The  parents  died 
when  Thomas  was  a  boy,  as  has  been  stated, 
and  he  therefore  had  almost  no  opportunity  for 
education  in  the  schools.  As  a  mere  boy  he 
\vent  to  work  on  a  farm  at  meager  wages,  con- 
tinuing this  occupation  in  his  native  land  until 
1880,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
made  his  way  to  Leadville,  this  state.  Here  he 


254 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


worked  four  years  in  the  mines  for  a  wage  of 
three  dollars  a  day.  In  1886  he  located  his 
present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  since  then  he  has  been 
diligent  and  faithful  in  his  efforts  to  improve 
and  develop  his  property.  Sixty  acres  yield 
gratefully  to  intelligent  tillage  and  produce  fine 
crops  of  the  usual  farm  products  in  this  sec- 
tion. Hay,  grain,  potatoes  and  other  vege- 
tables are  raised,  also  cattle  and  horses.  Mr. 
Waters  has  thriven  in  his  industry  and  is  now 
a  well-to-do  and  prominent  ranchman,  and  as  a 
citizen  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  whole, 
community.  On  May  I,  1864,  ne  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  Kennedy,  like 
himself  a  native  of  Ireland  but  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  England.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Dennis  and  Ann  Kennedy,  who  were  born  in 
Ireland  and  soon  after  their  marriage  moved  to 
Cumberland  county,  England,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  mining  with  moderate  success  until 
his  death  in  1871.  The  mother  died  at  Lead- 
ville,  this  state,  on  February  5,  1899.  They 
were  Catholics  and  attentive  through  life  to 
their  church  duties.  Of  their  ten  children,  five 
died  in  infancy.  The  five  living  are  Mrs. 
Waters,  Mary,  Patrick,  John  and  Annie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Waters  have  had  eight  children,  and 
six  of  them  are  living,  Patrick  Henry,  Ann, 
.Mary  Katharine,  Andrew,  Thomas  and 
Bridget.  Dennis  and  Anna  are  deceased.  The 
parents  are  Catholics,  and  the  father  supports 
the  Democratic  party. 

JAMES  W.  CURTIS. 

A  Canadian  by  birth  and  education  and 
reared  in  lofty  devotion  to  his  native  land, 
James  W.  Curtis,  of  Garfield  county,  this  state, 
with  a  pleasant  home  and  profitable  ranch  five 
miles  northeast  of  Carbondale,  is  nevertheless 
fervently  loyal  to  the  land  of  his  adoption  and 
the  particular  state  in  which  he  lives.  His  life 


began  in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick  on 
April  22,   1842,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Charles 
and  Jane    (Caneer)    Curtis,  the   former  born 
in  Nova  Scotia  and  the  latter  in  New  Bruns- 
wick.   In  1870  they  moved  to  Maine  and  some 
time    afterward    to    Massachusetts.       In    the 
latter  state  they  remained  to  the  end  of  their 
days,  the  father  being  profitably  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes.     He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics,  a  Baptist  in  church  re- 
lation, and  a  Freemason  and  an  Orangeman  in 
fraternal  life.     He  died  in  1873.     His  widow, 
also  a  Baptist  in  religious  faith,  survived  him 
twenty-three    years,    passing    away    in    1896. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
Sarah,  Ellen  and  John  are  dead.     The  seven 
living  are  James  W.,  Charles,  of  Los  Angeles, 
California;  Sophie,  the  wife  of  Ellis  Hall,  of 
Oakland,    California;   Christopher  P.,   a   resi- 
dent of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  Catherine  and 
George,  living  in  New  York  city ;  and  Clarence. 
James  attended  the  public  schools  a  short  time, 
and  at  the  age  of  ten  began  to  earn  his  own 
living  by  working  on  farms  and  in  the  lumber 
woods  of  New  Brunswick.    Quitting  these  em- 
ployments, and  gratifying  a  desire  to  see  more 
of  the  world,  he  shipped  as  a  cabin  boy  at  four- 
teen dollars  a  month,  but  a  few  years  later  re- 
turned to  farm  work  at  six  dollars  a  month  and 
his  board.    When  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  joined  the  United  States  navy,  and  after 
serving  two  years  learned  cabinetmaking,   at 
which  he  worked  eleven  years.     In   1873  he 
moved  to  Minnesota  in  the  hope  of  finding  a 
suitable  location  for  a  permanent  residence  and 
good  business  opportunities,  but  in  1879  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Leadville.     Here  he 
followed  carpenter  work,  taking  contracts  for 
building    shaft     houses     and    timbering    the 
mines.    He  had  two  years  of  profitable  employ- 
ment in  these  lines,  but  wasted  most  of  his 
earnings    in    mining    speculations.      He    then 
opened  a  boarding  or  road  house  near  Aspen, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


255 


which  he  conducted  with  considerable,  profit  for 
seven  years.  In  1887  he  located  on  his  present 
ranch,  taking  up  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one 
hundred,  and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Of  the 
four  hundred  acres  he  now  owns,  two  hundred 
and  forty  are  under  cultivation  and  yield 
abundant  crops  of  alfalfa,  grain  and  potatoes. 
He  also  carries  on  an  extensive  cattle  industry 
and  is  prosperous  in  every  line  of  his  business. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Socialist  of  strong  convic- 
tions, and  in  fraternal  life  was  for  years  an 
active  Freemason  and  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  On  May  15,  1872,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  McCausland,  who 
was  born  at  Waterville,  Maine,  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Erskin)  McCaus- 
land, natives  of  the  same  state  as  herself.  Her 
father  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  died 
in  1860.  The  mother  now  lives  at  Aspen,  this 
state.  They  had  two  children,  the  son  William 
dying  some  years  ago.  The  father  was  a 
Universalist  in  church  faith,  and  an  ardent 
Know-Nothing  during  the  life  of  that  party, 
afterward  becoming  an  equally  ardent  Re- 
publican. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  have  had  five 
children.  One  daughter,  Bessie,  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  four  living  are  Hattie,  the  wife 
of  George  Wathen,  of  Aspen;  Alice,  the  wife 
of  Ralph  Huntington,  Rex  and  Judith,  the  last 
three  living  at  home. 

HORACE  GAVIN. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  ranch 
and  stock  man  of  Pitkin  county,  whose  farm  is 
a  model  of  thrift  and  foresight,  and  whose 
career  is  a  forcible  illustration  of  the  benefit  of 
industry  and  perseverance  in  the  struggle  'for 
supremacy  among  men,  is  a  native  of  the 
province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  where  he  was  born 
on  March  31,  1860,  and  the  son  of  Alfred  and 


.Percis  (Rice)  Gavin,  of  the  same  nativity  as 
himself.  In  1880  they  crossed  the  line  into. the 
United  States  and  came  west  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Blackhawk,  where  he  passed  seven 
years  working  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter.  He 
then  moved  to  Tennessee  Park,  and  from  there 
to  Leadville,  where  he  engaged  in  burning 
charcoal.  His  next  move  was  to  open  a  board- 
ing house  at  Redcliff,  which  he  conducted  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Glenwood  Springs.  There  he  was 
variously  employed  until  1885.  In  that  year 
he  changed  his  base  of  operations  to  the  vicinity 
of  Snow  Mass,  twelve  miles  west  of  Aspen. 
There  he  pre-empted  a  claim,  and  after  im- 
proving the  property  traded  it  for  live  stock, 
and  in  raising  horses  and  cattle  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days,  dying  on  December  13, 
1903.  Five  of  his  eight  children  survive  him, 
Climenia,  the  wife  of  Albert  Chester,  of 
Canada;  Warren,  of  Denver,  Colorado;  Hor- 
ace, the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Heber,  living  at 
Catskill,  New  Mexico;  and  Cordelia,  of  Devil's 
Lake,  North  Dakota.  Horace  attended  the 
public  schools  for  a  short  time,  at  the  age  of 
seven  driving  an  ox  team  to  the  plow  for  his 
father,  and  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fourteen.  He  then  began  to  make  his 
own  living  by  working  on  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  his  home  for  very  small  wages.  In 
1880  he  came  west  and  located  at  Leadville, 
this  state.  For  awhile  he  freighted  between 
that  town  and  Redcliff,  and  later  between  Lead- 
ville and  Aspen  and  Ashcroft.  At  the  end  of 
a  year  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Mar- 
cus L.  Shippee  to  conduct  a  ranching  and 
stock  business.  This  partnership  continued 
four  years  and  was  then  harmoniously  dis- 
solved. After  that  Mr.  Gavin  pre-empted  a 
claim  of  eighty  acres  near  the  village  of  Emma, 
and  after  improving  the  property  sold  it  and 
purchased  another  in  the  vicinity  of  Snow 


256 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Mass.  Two  years  later  he  sold  this  and  lease^ 
a  ranch  of  Mr.  Dalton  near  Emma.  Here  he 
suffered  a  severe  loss,  but  soon  afterward 
bought  a  ranch,  which  later  he  sold  at  a  good 
profit.  It  was  three  miles  west  of  Watson,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Roaring  Fork  river. 
Finally  he  bought  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns 
and.  operates.  It  comprises  two  hundred  and 
thirty-three  acres,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  pro- 
ducing abundant  supplies  of  hay  of  superior 
quality,  and  grain  and  other  farm  products. 
Here  he  also  raises  numbers  of  first-class  horses 
and  cattle,  and  hauls  timber  under  contract. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  political  allegiance  and 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  fraternally. 
On  April  26,  1879,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Theresa  Dawson,  a  native  of  Quebec, 
Canada,  the  daughter  of  George  and  Martha 
E.  (Wallace)  Dawson,  the  former  born  in 
England  and  the  latter  in  Massachusetts.  For 
awhile  they  lived  in  the  province  of  Quebec, 
and  afterward  moved  to  Massachusetts,  where 
they  followed  farming  to  the  end  of  their  days, 
the  father  being  dead  and  the  mother  dying  on 
September  22,  1894.  Seven  of  their  ten  chil- 
dren are  living:  Matilda,  the  wife  of  Benjamin 
Osgood,  of  Canada;  Frederick  and  William, 
living  at  Dudswell,  Canada;  Samuel,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Martha,  the  wife  of  Gardner 
Kingsley,  of  Wyoming;  Mary,  the  wife  of 'a 
Mr.  Adams,  of  Wyoming;  and  Mrs.  Gavin. 

JOHN  F.  SPENCER. 

The  cultivation  of  fruit  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  of  all  occupations  within  the  range  of 
agricultural  effort,  giving  enjoyment  to  those 
who  engage  in  it  and  also  to  the  many  who 
are  its  beneficiaries  as  consumers  of  its 
products.  And  if  it  be  true  tfrat  he  who  makes 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew  be- 


fore is  a  public  benefactor,  much  more  is  he 
one  who  produces  in  abundance  some  of  na- 
ture's delectable  and  wholesome  gifts,  which 
she  does  up  in  the  most  attractive  forms,  and 
places  them  within  the  reach  of  thousands  who 
might  otherwise  be  unable  to  enjoy  them.  To 
this  class  belongs  John  F.  Spencer,  whose  orch- 
ards, lying  about  two  miles  distant  from  Grand 
Junction,  are  among  the  proud  possessions  of 
Mesa  county  and  an  essential  addition  to  her 
commercial  and  industrial  wealth.  Mr.  Spen- 
cer had  a  long  and  useful  experience  as  a  prep- 
aration for  the  work  in  which  he  is  so  suc- 
cessfully engaged  and  which  he  conducts  with 
so  much  skill  and  intelligence.  He  was  reared 
on  an  excellent  Wisconsin  farm,  in  a  locality 
where  nature  is  so  generous  that  the  faith  of 
the  husbandman  is  always  rewarded  bounteous- 
ly if  his  efforts  deserve  it,  and  was  there  trained 
in  habits  of  close  observation  and  careful  in- 
dustry; and  after  leaving  his  home  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  nurseryman,  an  occupation  in 
which  he  has  been  occupied  more  or  less  ever 
since.  He  was  born  in  1848,  at  Vernon,  in 
the  state  named,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Marian  (Dee)  Spencer,  the  former  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  His 
father  was  an  early  settler  in  Ohio,  and  also 
of  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  died  in 
1875,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and 
seven  months.  He  was  a  man  of  prominence 
and  influence  in  his  section,  a  Republican  in 
politics,  filling  with  credit  a  number  of  local 
offices,  and  a  successful  and  up-to-date  farmer, 
winning  a  substantial  prosperity  from  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  His  wife  survived  him 
ten  years,  dying  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine.  Their  offspring  numbered  nine,  of  whom 
John  F.  was  the  last  born.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  his  legal  majority,  as- 
sisting in  the  work  of  the  farm  and  attending 
when  he  could  the  public  schools  near  at  hand. 
Then  he  went  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


257 


nursery  business  near  Elmwood,  Peoria  county, 
that  state,  remaining  there  about  two  years. 
From  Elmwood  he  came  to  Colorado  and  fol- 
lowed farming  a  year,  after  which  he  conducted 
a  mercantile  business  for  two  years  at  Gunni- 
son.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to 
Grand  Junction,  which  was  then  a  small  and 
crude  country  village  of  some  three  hundred 
inhabitants,  but  rapidly  outgrowing  its  swad- 
dling bands  as  a  village  and  striding  forward 
to  a  more  ambitious  and  metropolitan  exist- 
ence. Here  he  served  two  years  as  under 
sheriff  by  appointment  of  the  sheriff,  William 
Innis.  He  then  once  more  entered  the  nursery 
business,  locating  at  Grand  Junction  and  con- 
ducting the  second  industry  of  the  kind  estab- 
lished at  that  point.  One  of  his  chief  efforts 
was  in  the  line  of  propagating  the  seedless 
apple,  in  which  and  the  general  nursery  work 
he  was  occupied  a  number  of  years  at  his  first 
location.  He  bought  the  place  which  he  now 
owns  and  operates,  containing  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  unimproved  land,  and  determined 
to  devote  his  energies  to  the  production  of  su- 
perior grades  of  fruit,  planting  an  orchard  of 
thirty-five  acres  for  the  purpose,  chiefly  in 
peach,  pear  and  apple  trees,  with  a  preference 
for  peaches.  He  also  started  a  nursery  busi- 
ness on  the  new  site,  and  both  that  and  his  fruit 
culture  have  grown  to  large  proportions  and 
bring  him  in  profitable  returns.  In  addition  to 
being  a  good  business  man  he  is  an  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  citizen,  fully  alive  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  community,  and  ever  ready 
to  perform  his  part  of  the  labor  necessary  to 
advance  them.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
but  without  ambition  for  public  office,  yet 
giving  his  party  consistent  and  serviceable  sup- 
port. He  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Ida  M. 
Gould,  a  native  of  Illinois,  daughter  of  Alonzo 
and  Elsie  (Cooper)  Gould.  They  have  two 
children  living,  Mabel  and  Ethel,  and  one,  a 
daughter  named  Myrtle,  deceased. 
17 


WALTER  WINTER. 

The  life  story  of  Walter  Winter,  of  Mesa/ 
county,  who  is  conducting  a  valuable  and 
profitable  ranching  and  stock  business  on  the 
George  mesa,  in  Plateau  valley,  is  neither  long 
nor  eventful,  but  is  a  continuous  narrative  of 
devotion  to  duty  and  good  use  of  opportunities, 
elevated  citizenship  and  faithful  performance 
of  every  useful  task  which  it  was  properly  his 
lot  to  do.  He  was  born  on  August  22,  1875, 
in  the  state  of  Kansas,  and  is  the  son  of  J.  T. 
and  Mary  (Clark)  Winter,  now  living  in  the 
vicinity  of  Plateau  valley,  where  they  are  com- 
fortably fixed  on  an  excellent  farm  which  yields 
abundant  crops  suitable  to  the  region  and 
furnishes  them  sufficient  occupation  to  employ 
their  time  and  faculties  pleasantly  and  to  ad- 
vantage. The  parents  were  born,  reared,  edu- 
cated and  married  in  Indiana,  and  there  they 
were  profitably  engaged  in  farming  for  a  period 
of  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they 
moved  to  Kansas  and  later  to  their  present 
home  in  this  state.  Their  son  Walter  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  state,  remaining  at 
home  with  his  parents  and  assisting  on  the 
home  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years,  when  he  was  married  and  set  up  in 
life  for  himself.  His  marriage  occurred  in 
1900  and  was  with  Miss  Amy  Cyphers,  of  Mesa 
county.  They  have  two  children,  Ruth  and 
Berdine,  who  help  to  make  their  home  bright 
and  cheerful,  and  afford  entertainment  to  their 
numerous  friends  who  find  their  hospitable 
roof  an  agreeable  shelter  from  the  cares  and 
toils  of  life  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Winter  is 
one  of  the  younger  farmers  of  his  section  and 
is  fully  impressed  with  the  responsibility  rest- 
ing upon  him  as  a  representative  of  that  class. 
He  is  doing  what  he  can  to  meet  his  obliga- 
tions in  this  respect  by  conducting  his  own 
business  along  the  lines  of  wholesome  and 
profitable  development  and  aiding  to  guide  the 


258 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


general  affairs  of  the  community  to  their  best 
and  highest  good  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
people.  With  youth,  health  and  energy  on  his 
side,  and  impelled  by  lofty  ambition  to  continu- 
ous and  systematic  usefulness,  his  career 
promises  to  be  honorable  and  full  of  service  to 
the  people  among  whom  he  has  cast  his  lot. 

GEORGE  W.  MASTERS. 

A  prominent  and  successful  farmer  in  two 
of  the  great  states  of  the  West,  and  a  close 
observer  of  his  vocation  in  each,  George  W. 
Masters,  of  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  with  a 
fine  ranch  and  a  comfortable  home  near  the 
village  of  Snipes,  is  familiar  with  all  phases  of 
agricultural  life  and  requirements  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  and  has  been  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial contributors  to  the  development  and 
improvement  of  the  industry  .where  he  has 
lived  and  been  engaged  in  it,  as  he  has  all  of 
his  mature  life.  He  is  the  son  of  Isaac  B.  and 
Mary  S.  (Deits)  Masters,  and  although  born 
in  Illinois  where  they  now  reside,  he  passed  his 
boyhood,  youth  and  early  manhood  in  Kansas, 
and  entered  upon  the  business  of  productive 
work  for  himself  in  that  state.  His  parents 
were  born  and  reared  in  New  Jersey  where  they 
married  and  lived  and  farmed  until  1845.  They 
then  moved  to  Illinois  where  their  son  George 
was  born  on  April  26,  1855.  The  father  died 
in  Kansas  in  February,  1904,  where  he  was  a 
pioneer  of  1859,  and  was  well  known  and 
widely  esteemed  among  its  people,  being  com- 
fortably located  on  an  excellent  farm  and  tak- 
ing a  leading  and  serviceable  part  in  all  the 
public  and  social  life  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  The  mother  now  lives  with 
her  son  George  in  Messa  county.  George  W, 
Masters  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kansas,  and  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age  started  out  as  an  independent  farmer  for 
himself  in  that  state,  applying  to  his  work  the 


lessons  he  had  learned  in  a  valuable  previous 
experience  under  the  direction  of  a  careful 
farmer.  He  remained  there  two  years,  then 
came  to  this  state  and  settled  at  Leadville, 
where  he  remained  two  years  engaged  in  team- 
ing and  prospecting.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  returned  to  Kansas  and  continued  his  farm- 
ing operations  there  until  1892,  at  which  time 
he  came  again  to  Colorado  and  located  on  the 
land  which  is  now  his  home  and  the  seat  of 
his  flourishing  business  as  a  farmer.  In  1876 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Zula  M.  Wilson,  of 
Osage  county,  Kansas,  who  has  borne  him  two 
children,  their  daughter  Jennie  and  their  son 
Ralph.  Both  parents  are  highly  esteemed  in 
the  community  and  render  good  service  in 
every  line  of  usefulness  among  their  fellow 
men. 

JOHN  H.  JENSEN. 

John  H.  Jensen,  of  Mesa,  Colorado,  who, 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  Lee,  owns  and 
operates  the  only  grain-threshing  outfit  in  this 
part  of  the  state,  is  a  product  of  the  farther 
West,  having  been  born  in  Utah  in  1877,  and 
after  living  in  that  state  nearly  seven  years, 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  where  he  was 
educated  and  married  and  has  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  the  development  and  improvement  of 
the  country,  aiding  in  its  growth,  helping  to 
multiply  and  expand  its  agricultural  and  com- 
mercial wealth,  increase  its  population  and 
bring  its  resources  to  fruitfulness  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  active  markets  of  the  coun- 
try. He  is  the  son  of  H.  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(Norstrom)  Jensen,  the  father  a  native  of 
Denmark  and  the  mother  of  Sweden.  They 
came  to  this  country  in  early  life  and  settled 
in  Utah,  where  they  were  married.  Some  years 
afterward  they  moved  to  Grand  Junction,  this 
state,  and  they  are  still  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  that  growing  and  promising  city.  Their 
son  John  was  seven  years  old  when  they 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


259 


moved  to  Colorado,  and  his  life  has  been  wholly 
passed  in  the  state  since  that  time.  He  re- 
mained at  home  assisting  in  the  work  on  his 
father's  ranch  until  he  bought  the  one  he  now 
owns  himself;  and  when  he  was  yet  a  young 
man,  seeing  the  need  of  greater  facilities  for 
harvesting  and  threshing  the  abundant  crops 
of  grain  produced  in  this  section,  he  and  his 
brother  Lee  bought  a  complete  outfit  for  the 
purpose  which  they  have  been  successfully 
operating  throughout  this  and  adjoining  coun- 
ties for  a  number  of  years.  Their  enterprise 
has  greatly  extended  the  acreage  devoted  to 
cereals  and  thereby  largely  increased  their  pro- 
duction in  this  region.  They  have  also  been 
diligent  and  energetic  in  helping  to  provide  the 
means  of  irrigation  for  the  community,  to- 
gether being  one-fourth  owners  of  the  Jensen 
Lake  Reservoir,  constructed  for  that  purpose. 
In  1899  Mr.  Jensen  was  married  to  Miss  Alice 
Barnwell,  a  native  of  Colorado,  and  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  a  resident  of  Grand 
Junction. 

R.  E.  FLETCHER. 

R.  E.  Fletcher,  head  of  the  firm  of  Fletcher 
&  Peugh,  owners  and  operators  of  one  of  the 
leading  flour-mills  in  Mesa  county,  this  state, 
and  a  man  of  influence  and  prominence  in  the 
commercial,  industrial  and  public  life  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1844,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Hague)  Fletcher,  who  were  also 
born  and  -reared  in  the  Keystone  state.  The 
father  was  a  skillful  blacksmith  there,  and 
wrought  at  his  craft  until  late  in  life,  laying 
down  his  trust  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
The  mother  died  in  1880,  aged  about  sixty 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
and  did  the  best  they  could  to  prepare  their 
offspring  for  the  battle  of  life,  giving  them  all 
a  good  district-school  education  as  far  as  cir- 
cumstances permitted.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 


two,  their  son  who  is  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  writing,  having  learned  his  trade  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  Pennsylvania,  started  a  business  of 
his  own  as  a  blacksmith  in  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  and  prosecuted  his  work  successfully 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  then  moved 
to  Kansas,  and  after  eleven  years  of  successful 
and  profitable  blacksmithing  in  that  state,  came 
to  Colorado,  locating  in  1883  m  Grand  Junc- 
tion, where  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness over  a  year,  being  among  the  pioneers  of 
the  place.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  agricultural 
implement  business  and  in  1899  came  to  the 
Plateau  valley,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
In  partnership  with  Mr.  Peugh,  he  started  the 
enterprise  in  which  they  are  now  engaged,  in- 
augurating it  in  1899.  The  venture  has  been 
more  successful  than  they  expected,  and  they 
entered  on  it  with  good  hopes  of  profit;  but  it 
has  been  conducted  with  skill  and  vigor,  laying 
all  means  of  vitality  under  tribute  and  using 
every  force  at  the  command  of  the  proprietors 
to  meet  the  demands  of  its  resources.  Mr. 
Fletcher  has  been  active  and  forceful  in  public 
affairs,  and  served  the  county  with  ability  and 
fidelity  four  years  as  treasurer.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1867  to  Miss  Ellen  Peltman,  of  Salem, 
Illinois.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children. 
George,  Ollie,  Archie,  Alvin  and  Nonie.  Mr. 
Fletcher  is  widely  known  throughout  the 
county  and  is  everywhere  highly  respected,  as 
he  well  deserves  to  be,  being  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  his  section. 

WILLIAM  DITMAN. 

William  Ditman,  of  near  Mesa,  Mesa 
county,  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  county 
who  is  rendering  to  the  people  valuable  and  ap- 
preciated service  in  the  office  to  which  they 
chose  him,  and  whose  past  life  has  been  a  suc- 
cession of  trials  and  triumphs  in  which  he  has 
made  his  way  by  his  own  pluck  and  capacity,  is 


260 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


a  native  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
April  29,  1849.  HC  is  tne  son  °*  August  and 
Rose  (Forest)  Ditman,  the  former  a  native  of 
Germany  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1846  and 
lived  for  a  short  time  in  New  York.  From 
there  he  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  met 
and  married  his  wife,  and  where  he  made  a 
good  living  for  his  family  as  a  millwright  and 
railroad  bridge  builder.  He  died  in  1856,  at 
the  age  of  forty.  The  mother  lived  eight  years 
longer,  dying  in  1864,  and  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, of  whom  William  was  the  older,  he  then 
being  nearly  fifteen.  Not  long  before  the  death 
of  the  father  the  family  moved  to  Michigan, 
and  there  the  subject  of  this  review  grew  to 
manhood,  attending  the  country  schools  as  he 
could  and  working  to  support  himself  at 
various  occupations  until  he  was  old  enough  to 
join  Rankin's  Lancers,  a  military  organization 
which  was  soon  afterward  disbanded,  where- 
upon young  Ditman  enlisted  in  the  regular 
United  States  army  as  a  member  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Infantry,  for  a  term  of  three  years,  serv- 
ing till  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  and  after- 
ward in  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  On 
being  discharged  at  the  end  of  his  term,  in 
1867,  he  returned  to  Michigan,  and  there  he 
remained  two  years.  In  1869  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  that  state  he  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill for  about  ten  years.  From  there  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Elbert  county,  where 
he  resumed  operations  in  sawmilling  and  con- 
tinued his  work  in  this  line  for  eight  years.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  ranching  and  rais- 
ing stock,  and  for  this  purpose  settled  in  1883 
on  the  ranch  he  has  since  occupied  and  which 
he  has  raised  to  a  high  state  of  productiveness 
and  great  value.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Miesa  county  and  the  Plateau  valley.  He 
was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Julia  Rinnert  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  Gertie, 
Edward,  Cora,  Roy  and  Ray,  twins,  and  Earl. 


All  are  living  and  in  good  health.  Mr.  Dit- 
man is  at  this  time  (1904)  one  of  the  county 
commissioners  of  Mesa  county.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  taking  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner,  for  a  term  of 
three  years,  and  is  now  chairman  of  the  board. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Mesa  Lodge,  No.  55, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Grand 
Junction,  now  retaining  his  Masonic  member-' 
ship  in  Plateau  Lodge,  No.  101,  at  Mesa,  being 
a  charter  member  of  this  lodge  also.  Fie  also 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  at  Mesa  and  the 
Elks  at  Grand  Junction. 

JOHN  WOLF. 

John  Wolf,  of  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  a 
prosperous  and  successful  farmer  living  near 
the  village  of  Snipes,  who  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  state  for  thirty-one  years  and  of  the 
county  in  which  he  now  resides  for  ten  years 
of  the 'time,  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio, 
in  1827,  and  is  the  son  of  Absalom  and  Re- 
becca (Ireland)  Wolf,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Maryland,  where  her 
family  had  lived  from  colonial  times.  When 
their  son  John,  who  was  the  first  born  of  their 
six  children,  was  about  five  years  old,  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Indiana  and  engaged  in  farming, 
the  occupation  in  which  the  father  had  been 
engaged  in  his  former  home.  He  died  in  Indi- 
ana when  he  was  about  forty  years  of  age.  The 
mother  lived  until  about  1880,  when  she  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  John  grew 
to  manhood  and  was  educated  in  Indiana,  re- 
maining with  his  mother  until  he  was  twenty- 
one,  then  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer,  the  pursuit  to  which  he  had  been  bred, 
and  following  this  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  then  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  the  Ninth  Indiana  In- 

J 

fantry.  Company  G,  for  a  term  of  three  years. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


261 


He  saw  active  service  during  most  of  this  term 
and  at  its  end,  having  escaped  unhurt  amid 
the  deluge  of  death  in  which  he  was  often 
placed,  he  obeyed  the  last  call  for  volunteers 
and  again  enlisted,  this  time  in  Company  H, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Indiana  Infantry, 
his  term  of  service  being  for  the  war,  as  it  was 
manifest  it  could  not  last  a  great  while  longer. 
After  the  close  of  the  awful  conflict,  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  Nebraska,  and  during  the 
next  seven  years  was  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  of  that  state.  •  He  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  for  fifteen  years  was  engaged  in  the 
same  pursuit  in  Larimer  county,  this  state. 
From  Larimer  he  moved  to  Mesa  county  in 
1894  and  located  where  he  now  lives,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married  in  1854 
to  Miss  Maria  King,  and  they  have  had  eleven 
children,  Hannah,  Jackson,  Marian,  Lizzie, 
Myrtle,  Sadie,  Ida,  Henry  (deceased  at  the  age 
of  two  years),  Ernest  and  Emory. 

GEORGE  CORCORAN. 

Coming  to  Colorado  when  he  was  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  during  the  first 
four  years  of  his  residence,  in  the  state  occupied 
in  herding  cattle  on  the  range,  thus  learning  the 
stock  industry  by  beginning  at  the  bottom  of 
it,  George  Corcoran,  of  Mesa  county,  pleas- 
antly located  on  an  excellent  ranch  four  miles 
northeast  of  Grand  Junction,  is  well  qualified 
for  his  business  and  is  making  a  gratifying  suc- 
cess of  it  He  was  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1870,  and  is  the  son  of 
Michael  and  Katie  (Beregan)  Corcoran,  the 
former  a  native  of  Lockhaven,  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  mother  of  another  part  of  that  state. 
They  were  prosperous  farmers  in  their  native 
state,  and  there  the  mother  died  in  1874,  leav- 
ing two  children,  George  and  William.  In 
1883  the  father  brought  his  sons  to  Colorado 
and  settled  in  Grand  valley,  where  he  followed 


ranching  until  his  death,  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  George  began  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  com- 
pleted it  in  those  of  this  state.  He  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty,  taking 
charge  of  his  father's  ranch,  which  he  still 
lives  on  and  operates.  He  has  pursued  the 
policy  of  careful  and. systematic  industry  which 
his  father  began  here,  and  has  made  it  tell 
impressively  in  the  improvement  of  the  place 
and  its  increased  productiveness.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1903  to  Miss  Maggie  Purcell,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  but  living  at  the  time  at  Grand 
Junction,  where  the  marriage  occurred.  Mr. 
Corcoran  has  bravely  and  cheerfully  accepted 
all  the  conditions  of  frontier  life  as  he  has 
found  them.  During  the  first  four  years  of 
his  residence  here  he  rode  the  range  with  the 
most  daring,  boy  as  he  was,  and  found  the  life 
exhilarating  and  full  of  wild  enjoyment,  even 
though  it  was  dangerous  and  often  very  ex- 
hausting. He  was  repaid  for  all  it  cost  him  in 
hardship  and  hazard  by  the  vigor  of  body  and 
clearness  of  mind  it  gave  him  and  the  independ- 
ence and  self-reliance  it  engendered  and  de- 
veloped in  him. 

SAMUEL  L.  PURDY. 

Samuel  L.  Purdy,  manager  of  the  Mt.  Lin- 
coln water-power  house  near  Palisades,  Mesa 
county,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was 
born  there  in  1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Eli  and 
Marantha  (Haveland)  Purdy.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  New  York  and  a  stone  mason  by 
trade.  He  invented  the  first  screw  propeller  for 
boats,  and  applied  his  device  to  a  small  boat  on 
the  canal,  which  was  washed  away  at  the  time 
of  the  great  break.  And  he,  being  poor  and  not 
knowing  the  value  of  his  discovery,  made  no 
effort  to  recover  the  boat  or  equip  another,  and 
so  the  credit  for  the  invention  went  to  another, 
although  there  was  doubtless  no  connection  be- 


262 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


tween  the  two,  as  Mr.  Ericsson  never  heard  of 
this  case.  The  father  died  in  Pennsylvania 
and  the  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  died 
in  that  state  in  1879,  when  she  was  seventy- 
five  years  old.  Their  son  Samuel  passed  his 
boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  state,  and 
about  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  later  transferred 
to  the  Sixth  United  States  Cavalry,  regular 
army,  and  he  saw  three  years  of  the  memor- 
able contest,  being  in  active  service  all  of  that 
time  and  participating  in  several  of  the  noted 
engagements  between  the  opposing  armies. 
After  the  war  he  came  west  to  Iowa  and  in 
1878  removed  to  Kansas.  From  there  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Grand  Junction.  He 
is  a  carpenter  and  mason  by  trade,  and  for  a 
time  wrought  at  these  crafts  in  this  section ;  but 
he  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Mt.  Lincoln 
water-power  house,  which  controls  the  flow  of 
water  into  the  irrigation  canal  of  the  High 
Line  Mutual  Irrigation  Company,  that  has  done 
so  much  for  the  improvement  of  this  section  of 
Mesa  county.  In  1865  Mr.  Purdy  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eliza  Sheeder,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  have  had  nine  children,  Mary, 
Elmer,  Lottie,  Carrie,  Pearl,  Willie,  Effie  (de- 
ceased), May  and  Harry.  Mr.  Purdy  has  been 
.  active  and  industrious  through  life,  living  ac- 
ceptably among  his  fellow  men  and  winning  on 
his  merit  their  respect,  which  he  enjoys  in  a 
marked  degree. 

LEWIS  H.  EASTERLY. 

While  Lewis  H.  Easterly  is  prominently 
identified  with  and  actively  engaged  in  the 
ranch  and  stock  business  of  western  Colorado, 
and  is  winning  a  substantial  prosperity  in  it, 
that  line  of  activity  does  not  constitute  the 
whole  of  his  title  to  esteem  and  consideration 
as  one  of  the  essential  factors  in  the  develop- 


ment and  progress  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lives.  His  interest  in  the  cause  of  public  edu- 
cation here  and  elsewhere  has  been  of  .prime 
importance  to  the  people  around  him  and  -has 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  educational 
forces  of  his  community  on  a  broad  and  stable 
basis.  His  life  began  at  Murphysboro,  Illinois, 
in  November,  1852,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Philip 
and  Sarah  (Jones)  Easterly,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Greenville,  Tennessee,  and  the  latter  of 
Columbus,  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith 
and  machinist  by  trade  and  also  followed  farm- 
ing. He  died  in  1897,  aged  eighty-two.  His 
wife  preceded  him  to  the  better  world  nearly 
thirty  years,  dying  in  1868,  aged  thirty-seven. 
Their  son  Lewis  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  his  twenty-second  year,  aiding  on  the 
work  of  the  farm  and  in  his  father's  shop,  and 
eagerly  employing  the  limited  opportunities  for 
education  at  his  disposal.  On  starting  out  in 
life  for  himself  he  taught  school  for  six  years 
and  attended  the  Illinois  State  University  in 
the  intervals  between  the  terms  of  his  teaching 
to  secure  a  higher  degree  of  efficiency.  In  1878 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  during  the  next  three 
years  taught  school  in  Douglas  and  El  Paso 
counties.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  settled 
on  the  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  located 
about  seven  miles  north  of  Gunnison.  Here 
he  at  once  began  to  take  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  community  and  to  give  his 
attention  especially  to  the  enlargement  and  im- 
provement of  the  school  facilities  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, building  the  first  schoolhouse  on  Ohio 
creek,  along  which  his  ranch  is  located,  and 
becoming  secretary  of  the  local  school  board, 
a  position  he  has  held  for  twenty-five  years. 
Being  a  practical  teacher,  he  has  been  able  to 
see  the  needs  and  find  the  means  of  providing 
them  to  make  the  school  system  effective,  and  to 
his  enterprise  and  breadth  of  view  as  well  as 
his  technical  knowledge  in  this  respect  the 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


263 


community  is  greatly  indebted  for  much  that 
is  valuable  in  its  schools.  He  has  not,  how- 
ever, been  wanting  in  attention  to  other  in- 
terests wherein  the  welfare  of  the  people  is  in- 
volved. He  is  secretary  of  the  Gunnison  Stock- 
Growers'  Association,  which  has  been  largely 
augmented  in  usefulness  and  power  through 
his  intelligent  efforts,  and  has  been  connected 
with  other  enterprises  of  value  in  the  industrial 
and  commercial  circles  in  which  he  moves.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Populist  and  Socialist,  being  in 
favor  of  the  better  principles  espoused  by  the 
parties  so  named,  and  having  broad  views  on 
public  questions  generally,  and  is  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  all  matters  of  public  interest.  On 
September  15,  1881,  he  was  married  at  Salina, 
Kansas,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Husband,  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  Col.  Herman  Husband,  of 
the  First  Colonial  Regulators  of  North  Caro- 
lina. The  great-grandfather  of  the  subject, 
Conrad  Easterly,  was  with  Washington  at  Val- 
ley Forge  and  in  the  campaigns  before  and  after 
that  winter  of  terrible  suffering. 

J.  H.  PARTON. 

With  his  childhood  and  youth  darkened  by 
the  awful  shadow  of  our  Civil  war,  and  a  press- 
ing necessity  upon  him  from  an  early  age  to 
take  care  of  himself  and  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world,  J.  H.  Parton,  of  Palisades,  one  of 
the  substantial  and  progressive  citizens  of  Mesa 
county,  had  a  long  and  hard  struggle  to  reach 
the  position  of  comfort  and  consequence  that 
he  now  occupies.  He  was  born  at  Roseville, 
Arkansas,  in  1859,  anc^  ^s  the  son  °^  Wil- 
loughby  and  Miranda  (Ground)  Parton,  the 
former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of 
Arkansas.  The  father  came  to  America  when 
he  was  a  small  boy  and  grew  to  manhood  in 
the  middle  West.  He  was  shot  to  death  by 
bushwhackers  in  Arkansas  in  1861,  and  was 
buried  in  that  state.  The  mother  survived  until 


1886,  then  died,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  Their 
son,  J.  H.  Parton,  was  early  thrown  on  his 
own  resources,  beginning  life  for  himself  as  a 
cattle  herder  in  Wyoming  when  a  mere  boy. 
As  he  grew  older  he  sought  more  ambitious 
pursuits,  first  going  to  Leadville  and  freighting 
in  and  out  of  that  place  during  1879  and  1880. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Gunnison,  and  two 
months  later  to  Denver.  Soon  after  he  began 
work  with  a  bridge  gang  on  the  Denver  & 
South  Park  Railway  from  Gunnison  to  Grand 
Junction.  In  1885  ne  located  on  a  ranch  in 
Mesa  county  on  Kannah  creek,  where  he  car- 
ried on  stock  raising  until  1892,  when  he  sold 
his  ranch  interests  and  located  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion. In  1893  he  located  at  Palisades,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  employed  by  the 
Mt.  Lincoln  Land  and  Water  Company  until 
1899  and  then  engaged  in  carpenter  work  until 
1901,  when  he  engaged  in  business  at  Palisades. 
He  was  married,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Lottie  Purdy, 
of  Grand  Junction.  They  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  Effie,  Millie,  Irena  and  Louie. 
Mr.  Parton  is  a  good  business  man,  with  an 
abundance  of  energy  and  push,  and  he  has  lost 
no  ground  in  the  battle  of  life  that  he  has  once 
gained.  His  ventures  have  not  all  been  as  suc- 
cessful as  he  could  wish,  but  all  have  been 
measurably  so,  and  the  present  one  is  yielding 
very  satisfactory  returns. 

R.  C.  WISE. 

The  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  of 
Mesa  county,  Colorado,  to  whom  this  brief  re- 
view is  dedicated,  and  who  lives  on  a  good 
farm  which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  enriched  with  comfortable 
buildings,  located  twelve  miles  east  of  Grand 
Junction,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  at  Ashta- 
bula  in  1846,  and  the  son  of  Cornelius  and 
Betsy  (Chatfield)  Wise.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  a  carpenter  by  trade, 


264 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  lived  a  life  of  useful  industry,  portions  of 
which  were  passed  in  his  native  state,  Ohio, 
Illinois  and  Missouri.  He  died  in  the  last 
named  state  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 
The  mother,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  died  in 
1868,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  Their  son, 
R.  C.  Wise,  passed  his  boyhood  in  Ohio  and 
Illinois  to  the  age  of  thirteen.  In  1859  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  and  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twelfth  ]\lis- 
souri  Infantry,  in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  in 
that  regiment  he  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  then  went  to  California  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  employed  in  driving  stage  in  that 
state.  Returning  to  Nebraska,  he  conducted  a 
butchering  business  and  meat  market  for  seven 
years,  then  moved  to  Leadville  when  the  gold 
excitement  was  at  its  height  over  that  place. 
Some  little  time  later  he  left  there  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Grand  valley  on  the  ranch 
which  has  since  then  been  his  home.  During 
the  Spanish-American  war  he  enlisted  for  the 
Philippine  campaign  in  Company  L,  First  Colo- 
rado Volunteers,  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and 
at  the  end  of  his  term  returned  to  his  old  Mesa 
county  residence.  He  was  married  in  1884  to 
Miss  Lizzie  Wallace,  of  Nebraska.  She  died  in 
1888,  leaving  four  children,  Anna  M.,  Laura 
B.,  James  C.  and  Walter  F.,  her  age  being 
thirty-two  years  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Wise  is  connected  with,  the  Odd 
Fellows  (Lodge  No.  58,  at  Colorado  Springs), 
the  Red  Men  (Neago  Tribe,  No.  38,  at  Lake 
City,  Colorado),  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
(Lodge  No.  8,  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah). 

JOHN  T.  GAVIN. 

John  T.  Gavin,  living  near  Fruita,  nine 
miles  northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  is  one  of 
the  enterprising,  progressive  and  broad-minded 
citizens  who  have  aided  in  pushing  forward  the 


growth  and  development  of  Mesa  county  at  its 
rapid  pace,  and  in  building  up  its  works  of 
public  improvement.  He  is  a  native  of  Texas, 
born  in  1848,  arid  the  son  of  James  H.  and 
Sarah  (Colville)  Gavin.  The  lather  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United 
States  while  he  was  yet  a  young  man.  After 
his  marriage  he  settled  in  Texas,  and  in  1849 
joined  a  party  of  the  argonauts  of  that  year  in 
a  trip  to  California.  On  the  way  he  was 
•  drowned  in  Green  river,  being  at  the  time  about 
forty  years  of  age.  After  his  death  his 
widow  removed  with  her  family  to  Ar- 
kansas, and  there  she  died  in  1898,  aged 
eighty-five.  She  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
a  woman  of  heroic  spirit.  When  she  lost  her 
husband  she  assumed  the  task  of  rearing  her 
family  with  a  determination  to  lose  no  time 
in  repining,  but  by  every  honest  effort  to  make 
her  work  a  success.  She  lived  to  see  them  all 
well  established  in  life  and  blessing  her  in  daily 
benedictions  for  her  early  sacrifices  and  tri- 
umphs in  their  behalf.  John  T.  passed  his  boy- 
hood in  Arkansas,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  at  Ozark  Institute  at 
Fayetteville,  that  state.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  Cavalry  Company 
C,  of  the  Indian  department  of  the  Con- 
federate army,  and  he  served  in  that  command 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  surrendering  to  the 
Federal  •  forces  at  Marshall,  Texas.  He  then 
returned  to  Arkansas,  and  after  teaching 
school  there  two  years,  began  to  look  toward 
the  farther  West  for  his  future  opportunities. 
In  1873  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  settling  in 
Wet  Mountain  valley,  engaged  in  farming  and 
prospecting  for  ten  years.  He  then  moved  to 
where  he  now  lives  in  Grand  valley,  and  where 
he  has  a  fine  ranch  with  good  improvements. 
He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Sarah  Duckett, 
and  they  have  three  children,  .Orlando,  Harry 
Edward,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Grand 
valley,  and  Estella.  In  politics  Mr.  Gavin  is 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


265 


an  uncompromising  Democrat.  He  was  the 
chief  inspiration  in  the  construction  of  the  In- 
dependent Ranchmen's  Ditch  through  this 
section. 

EDWARD  HENRY. 

Almost  every  clime  and  tongue  on  the  face 
of  the  globe  has   contributed  to  the  growth 
and  development  of  this  country,  all  in  fact  ex- 
cept the  benighted  savages  of  several  parts  of 
the  world  which  are  still  under  the  dominion 
of  absolute  barbarism.    Edward  Henry,  a  pros- 
perous   and    enterprising    stock-grower    and 
farmer  of  Mesa    county,    living    seven    miles 
northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  is  a  contribution 
from  Persia,  where  he  was  born  in  1843.     He 
is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Eliza  Henry,  of 
that  country,  who  were  occupied  there  in  till- 
ing the  soil.     In  1851  they  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  at  Sheboygan,  Wis- 
consin, where  the  father  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  in    1891,  at    the    age    of 
seventy-four.    The  mother  died  three  years  be- 
fore him,  passing  away  in  1888,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two.     Their  offspring  numbered  eight, 
of  whom  Edward  was  the  third.    He  was  eight 
years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
this  country  and  became  a  resident  of  Wiscon- 
sin.    He  remained  in  that  state  until  he  was 
thirteen,  beginning  to  earn  his  own  living  when 
he  was  eleven  by  working  in  the  copper  mines 
and  continuing  this  occupation  for  two  years. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  I, 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois   Infantry,  and   in   that, 
command    he    served    five    years    and    three 
months.     After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
employed  as  a  sailor  on  the  great  lakes   for 
five  years.    In  1874  he  went  to  Alaska  in  search 
of  gold  and  was  successful  in  his  effort,  re- 
maining in  that  country  three  years  and  finding 
a  goodly  store  of  the  precious  metal.     From 


Alaska  he  went  to  California  and  for  three 
years  in  that  state  was  occupied  in  raising  sheep. 
He  then  came  to  this  .state  and  settled  on  a 
ranch  nine  miles  east  of  Grand  Junction.  On 
this  property  he  lived  and  prospered  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  moved  to  where  he  now  lives  and  has  since 
made  his  home.  In  1883  ne  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  E.  Bussall,  and  they 
have  four  children,  Dollie  M.,  Laura  E.,  Fred 
and  Eddie.  Mr.  Henry  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  is  earnestly  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  adopted  land. 

WILLIAM  O.  CARTMEL. 

Notwithstanding  the  enormous  output  of 
the  mines  of  Colorado  and  the  great  amount 
of  capital  and  number  of  persons  interested  in 
the  mining  operations  of  the  state,  the  stock 
business  continues  to  be  one  of  the  leading  in- 
dustries in  these  parts,  and  the  men  who  are 
engaged  in  it  are  important  contributors  to  the 
general  weal  in  a  number  and  variety  of  ways. 
One  of  these  is  W.  O.  Cartmel,  of  Mesa  county, 
whose  ranch  is  located  seven  miles  northwest 
of  Grand  Junction,  and  is  the  seat  of  a  thriving 
and  profitable  cattle  business  which  he  has  built 
up  from  a  small  beginning.  Mr.  Cartmel  was 
born  at  Wabash,  Indiana,  in  1852,  and  is  the 
son  of  R.  T.  and  Viola  (Gibbs)  Cartmel,  the 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of 
Ohio.  In  the  childhood  of  their  son  William 
O.  they  settled  in  Vernon  county,  Missouri,  and 
in  the  election  of  1860  the  father  was  the  only 
man  in  that  county  who  voted  for  Lincoln 
for  President.  He  was  a  merchant  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  mature  life,  and  died  in 
Missouri  in  1892,  aged  seventy-three  years. 
His  wife  died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight. 
William  O.  Cartmel  passed  his  boyhood  and 
early  manhood  in  Missouri,  receiving  a  good 
common-school  education  there,  and  remaining1 


266 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


at  home  until  after  the  death  of  his  mother. 
In  1879,  when  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old, 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Eaton,  where 
he  remained  about  two  years  on  a  cattle  and 
sheep  ranch.  In  1882  he  transferred  his  ener- 
gies to  Grand  valley  and  there  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
on  which  he  is  still  living  and  of  which  he  has 
made  a  fine,  productive  and  attractive  farm. 
In  1887  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Davis, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, Jean,  Albert,  Gertrude,  Zena,  John  and 
William  O.,  Jr.  Mr.  Cartmel  is  comfortabla 
and  prosperous,  and  in  public  affairs,  as  in  his 
own  business,  is  enterprising  and  progressive. 
He  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  the  development 
of  his  portion  of  the  county  and  had  an  in- 
fluential voice  in  reference  to  all  local  matters 
of  importance.  He  is  generally  respected  and 
has  many  warm  friends. 

JAMES  PAGE. 

Station  agent  for  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  at  Whitewater,  Mesa  county, 
since  June,  1886,  secretary  of  school  district 
No.  3  during  the  last  fifteen  years,  and  for 
about  twenty-one  year's  postmaster  here  and 
elsewhere,  James  Page  has  been  of  material 
service  to  the  people  and  the  public  utilities  of 
'the  county  and  this  portion  of  the  state.  He 
was  born  in  Williams  county,  Ohio,  in  1856, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Murray) 
Page.  The  father  is  a  native  of  London,  Eng- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1840, 
settling  in  Williams  county,  where  since  that 
time  he  has  been  profitably  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  where  he  still  resides.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  her  parents  in  childhood.  They  also 
settled  in  Williams  county,  and  there  she  was 
reared  and  educated  and  married.  There  also 
she  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years. 


They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  their  son  James  was  the  second.  He 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  paternal  homestead 
and  was  educated  at  the  neighboring  district 
schools,  remaining  at  home  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty.  He  then  started  the  business  of 
life  for  himself,  farming  for  a  year,  at  the  end 
of  which  he  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  again  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  studied  telegraphy  of 
evenings.  After  completing  his  course  and  ac- 
quiring facility  in  the  art,  he  went  to  work  for 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  and  re- 
mained in  its  employ  five  years  in  Iowa.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Colorado  and  for  four  years 
resided  at  Riverside,  Chaffee  county.  In  June, 
1886,  he  settled  at  Whitewater  as  station  agent 
for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  and  has 
served  the  great  corporation  in  that  capacity  at 
this  point  ever  since.  In  the  public  life  of  this 
community  he  has  been  active,  zealous  and 
serviceable,  applying  to  its  every  interest  all 
the  force  of  a  vigorous  mind  and  the  wisdom 
acquired  in  a  wide  experience.  He  has  been 
secretary  of  his  school  district  for  fifteen  years 
and  postmaster  of  the  village  almost  ever  since 
his  advent  into  it.  In  1882,  before  leaving 
Iowa,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Park,  of 
Fairfax,  that  state.  Their  children  are  John, 
Janet,  Arthur  and  Fred. 

R.  A.  BLAIR. 

R.  A.  Blair,  one  of  the  successful  merchants 
of  Mesa  county,  conducting  an  extensive  trade 
at  his  large  and  well-equipped  store  eleven 
miles  south  of  Grand  Junction,  near  the  village 
of  Whitewater,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  Beaver  county  in  1829.  His  parents, 
Joseph  and  Mary  (Henry)  Blair,  were  also  na- 
tives of  that  state  and  of  Scotch  ancestry.  The 
father  died  at  Centerville,  Michigan,  in  1885, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  and  the  mother  in 
1891  at  the  same  age.  At  nine  years  old  the 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


267 


subject  moved  to  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  and 
there  he  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his 
education.     When  he  was  about  twenty-three 
years  of  age  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  own- 
ing a  sawmill  in  Iowa.    This  he  continued  until 
the  second  year  of    the    Civil    war,    when    he 
joined  the  Union  army,  enlisting  on  August 
8,  1862,  in  the  Thirty-third  Iowa  Infantry  for 
a  term  of  three  years  or  during  the  war.     At 
the  close  of  the  contest  he  was  honorably  dis-. 
charged,  and  during  the  next  two  years  was 
engaged  in  railroading  on  the  Union  Pacific, 
doing  heavy  contract  work.     From  there  he 
went  to  Galveston,  Texas,  where  he  remained 
four  years  and  was  occupied  in  building  rail- 
roads.    From  that  period  until  1880  he  owned 
a  sawmill  in  Indian  Territory  and  in  1880  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Telluride,  San 
Miguel  county,  where  he  became  busily  occu- 
pied in  raising  stock.     In  1895,  he  sold  out  this 
business  and  bought  the  store  which  he  now 
conducts  and  which  is  carried  on  with  enter- 
prise and  vigor,  having  a  large  stock  of  gen- 
eral   merchandise    especially    adapted    to    the 
needs   of   the   community   and    supplying   the 
wants  of  an  extensive  trade.     He  was  married 
in   1856  to  Miss  Margaret  McLain,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Charles  B.  and  Lillian  B. 
In  politics  Mr.  Blair  is  a  zealous  and  loyal  Re- 
publican, but  although  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  campaigns  of  his  party,  he  is  not  an  office- 
seeker  or  desirous  of  political  preferment  of 
any  kind.     He  is  a  citizen  of  public-spirit  and 
breadth  of  view,  enterprising  and  progressive 
and  has  contributed  well  to  the  advancement 
and  development  of  the  county. 

DELOS  W.   SAMPSON. 

The  stock  industry  of  this  country  is  in- 
teresting as  a  subject  of  contemplation  from 
every  point  of  view.  Its  magnitude  and  com- 
mercial importance  strikes  the  imagination 


forcibly,  involving  as  they  do  the  comfort  of 
millions  on  two  continents,  in  those  whom  it 
feeds  and  those  who  it  employs  and  all  who  are 
dependent  on  them.     The  food  products  and 
the  climatic  conditions  required  for  its  support 
and  continuous  growth  as  the  demands  on  its 
resources  increase,  involve  another  wide  sweep 
of  vision  embracing  the  physical  features  of 
many  latitudes  and  innumerable  practical  de- 
tails of  a  business  character.     The  elements  of 
comedy  and  tragedy  which  make  up  its  daily 
record  and  the  lives  of  those  who  are  engaged 
in  it,  the  cattle  as  well  as  the  men,  are  other 
features  of  engrossing  interest  on  which  the 
whole  world  hangs  enthralled,  as  is  proven  by 
the  universal  and  unceasing  popularity  of  the 
various  wild  west  shows  that  are  on  the  road 
for  purposes  of  entertainment,  especially  that 
of  "Buffalo  Bill,"  whose  fame  is  commensurate 
with  the  boundaries  of  civilization  and  numbers 
among  its  admiring  patrons  all  classes  and  con- 
ditions of  men,  women  and  children.     Of  this 
great  industry  Delos  W.  Sampson,  of  Gunnison 
county,  this  state,  living  three  miles  north  of 
the  town  of  Gunnison,  is  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  beneficiary  and  representative.    He 
began   his   connection   with    it   in   one  of   its 
humblest  capacities,   and  has  passed  through 
all  its  gradations  to  the  rank  of  a  master.    Mr. 
Sampson  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1861,  and  is 
the  son  of  James  T.  and  Anna  (Mumphord) 
Sampson,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  now  liv- 
ing retired  from  active  pursuits  at  Canon  City, 
this  state.     The  father  was  for  years  actively 
occupied   in   the   stock   business   himself,   and 
it  was  near  the  place  of  his  present  home  that 
the  son  began  his  apprenticeship,  starting  in 
life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  a  cow 
puncher,  from  which  position  he  gradually  rose 
to  such  consequence  that  he  now  owns  and 
operates  a  ranch  and  stock  business  of  his  own, 
and  has  raised  it  to  a  high  state  of  development 
with   augmenting   profits.     The   limited   com- 


268 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


mon-school  education  which  he  received  was 
obtained  before  he  left  his  native  state  of 
Illinois,  for  since  coming  to  Colorado  he  has 
been  busily  employed  all  the  time  in  the  cattle 
interest,  with  neither  opportunity  nor  inclina- 
tion to  quit  it  for  more  advanced  schooling. 
He  remained  near  Canon  City  until  1890,  then 
moved  .to  the  vicinity  of  Gunnison,  where  he 
has  since  resided  and  been  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing on  his  own  account.  He  knowrs  his  business 
from  the  ground  up  through  practical  ex- 
perience in  every  phase  of  it,  and  is  therefore 
able  to  manage  it  with  success  and  vigor  in  a 
way  that  makes  every  investment  of  time, 
energy  and  money  tell.  Mr.  Sampson  was  mar- 
ried in  1884  to  Miss  Ella  Kimmel,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  three  children  have  blessed  their 
union,  their  sons  Guy  J.,  Claud  C.  and 
Charlie  W. 

J.  S.  HOLLINGSWORTH. 

J.  S.  Hollingsworth,  one  of  the  progressive 
and  enterprising  fruit  men  of  Mesa  county, 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand  Junction,  is  a, 
Southerner  by  birth  and  training,  and  has  all 
the  independence  of  thought  and  action  and  the 
self  reliance  characteristic  of  that  section. 
He  is  a  native  of  Raleigh,  North  Caro- 
lina, born  in  1832,  and  the  son  of  John  and 
'Araminta  (Hobbs)  Hollingsworth,  the  fifth  of 
their  twelve  children.  His  boyhood  and  youth 
were  spent  in  his  native  state  and  he  received 
his  education  in  its  district  schools.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
Sacramento,  California,  driving  ox  teams  for 
McCord  &  Company  from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
to  that  city.  Most  of  the  intervening  country 
was  wholly  unoccupied  by  white  men,  and  the 
Indians,  always  crafty  and  treacherous,  were 
at  the  time  hostile  too,  and  the  expedition  with 
which  he  was  connected  had  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  with  them,  a  number  of  the  men  in  the 


outfit  being  killed  and  wounded.  He  remained 
in  Lassen  county,  California,  until  1860  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  prospecting,  then  moved 
to  Silver  City,  Idaho,  where  he  passed  a  year, 
after  which  he-  was  occupied  for  four  years 
prospecting  in  the  British  possessions.  From 
there  he  came  again  to  the  United  States,  and 
purchasing  a  band  of  horses  at  The  Dalles  in 
Oregon,  drove  them  to  the  Green  river  coun- 
try in  Wyoming,  where  he  sold  them  at  a  good 
profit.  He  then  went  to  Fort  Laramie,  in 
that  state,  and  secured  a  contract  to  put  up  hay 
and  wood  for  the  United  States  government. 
At  the  conclusion  of  this  engagement  he  made 
his  way  to  the  Black  Hills  in  Dakota,  and  there 
spent  some  time  mining  and  prospecting  at 
Deadwood  and  Custer  City.  In  the  autumn  of 
1879  ne  took  up  his  residence  at  Salida,  this 
state,  where  he  remained  until  1882  when  he 
came  to  Grand  Junction.  Here  he  followed 
farming  on  the  plateau  for  three  years,  then 
moved  down  on  Grand  river  and  lived  in  the 
canyon  until  the  railroad  trains  killed  his  cat- 
tle. This  forced  him  to  move  again  and  he  pur- 
chased the  place  he  now  occupies,  comprising 
about  fifteen  acres  of  land  and  devoted  to  rais- 
ing apples.  He  has  been  successful  in  this  en- 
terprise, the  soil  and  other  conditions  being 
well  adapted  to  the  business,  and  has  secured 
a  good  rank  among  the  producers  of  choice 
fruit  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  also 
been  active  and  serviceable  in  aiding  the  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  the  section, 
serving  as  road  master  while  living  on  the 
plateau  and  in  other  capacities  then  and  since. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  gives  the 
principles  and  candidates  of  his  party  loyal 
support  at  all  times.  In  1875  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Conway,  a  native  of 
Canada,  who  aids  greatly  in  making  his  home, 
attractive  to  his  numerous  friends  and  dispens- 
ing the  generous  hospitality  for  which  it  is 
widely  known. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


269 


HENRY  G.  WURTZ. 

Henry  G.  Wurtz,  of  Mesa  county,  who  lives 
on  a  fertile  and  well  improved  farm  not  far 
from  the  city  of  Grand  Junction,  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  fine  fruit,  an  in- 
dustry that  is  a  leading  one  in  its  way  in  that 
section,  and  has  helped  to  make  it  well  and 
widely  known  in  all  parts  of  a  large  scope  of 
territory.  And  while  his  efforts  in  this  line 
are  of  comparatively  recent  origin,  they  have 
been  rewarded  with  a  very  gratifying  success 
and  prosperity.  He  brought  to  the  business 
an  intelligence  and  technical  knowledge  gained 
in  an  extensive  and  judicious  observation,  and 
has  followed  it  with  a  vigor  and  judgment 
bound  to  command  success  under  almost  any 
conditions  at  all  favorable  to  the  work.  Mr. 
Wurtz  was  born  in  1845,  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, the  son  of  Godfrey  and  Elizabeth  (Eas- 
ier) Wurtz,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  soon  after  their  marriage  and 
settled  at  Louisville,  where  they  had  a  family 
of  four  children,  their  son  Henry  being  the  first 
born.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  about 
six  years  old,  and  he  was  thus  early  left  to 
himself  for  training  and  proper  preparation  for 
the  battle  of  life,  in  which  he  was  also  obliged 
to  engage  at  an  early  age.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  city,  and  after  brief  and  ir- 
regular attendance  at  the  public  schools  owing 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  family,  was  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  carpenters  trade,  which 
he  mastered  and  then  followed  it  in  connection 
with  contracting  and  building  at  Louisville 
until  1880.  He  then  moved  to  Kansas  where 
he  remained  a  year  working  at  his  trade.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
went  into  the  employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad, 
remaining  in  that  service  three  months  until 
the  line  was  completed  to  Pueblo.  A  few  days 
later  he  joined  the  force  that  was  building  the 
road  to  Bridgeport,  and  after  that  was  finished 


came  to  Grand  Junction  and  went  to  work  for 
the  Mormons  to  aid  in  building  a  road  for 
them  to  State  Line.  This  contract  being  com- 
pleted, he  settled  down  at  Grand  Junction  and 
began  to  work  regularly  at  his  business  as  a 
contractor  and  builder,  finding  his  services 
much  in  demand  under  the  spirit  of  progress 
and  development  then  pushing  forward  the 
growth  of  the  town.  He  also  engaged  in  the 
ice  business  and  in  bottling  soda  water,  which 
he  followed  for  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
he  leased  his  plant  and  good  will  and  retired 
from  active  commercial  life  in  all  those  lines 
and  began  to  devote  himself  to  the  occupation 
in  which  he  is  now  pleasantly  engaged,  settling 
for  the  purpose  on  land  located  on  the  bank  of 
Grand  river,  and  there  winning  from  the  waste 
his  present  attractive  and  fruitful  home  called 
Grove  Park  Orchard,  on  which  he  has  de- 
veloped a  fruit  industry  of  good  proportions 
and  high  grade.  His  place  is  well  improved, 
and  all  that  it  shows  as  the  result  of  careful 
and  skillful  husbandry  is  the  work  of  his  own 
enterprise.  His  products  are  peaches,  apples, 
apricots,  pears  and  cherries,  but  he  also  pro- 
duces in  large  quantities  excellent  varieties  of 
cantaloups.  Mr.  Wurtz  was  married  in  1892 
to  Miss  Louisa  La  Gard,  a  native  of  Louisiana. 
He  has  been  active  in  advancing  the  interests 
of  fruit  culture  in  every  way,  combining  for 
mutual  benefit  the  efforts  of  those  engaged  in 
it  by  organizing  the  Fruit  Growers'  Association 
through  which  the  literature  of  the  industry 
has  been  brought  prominently  to  the  attention 
of  the  members,  and  their  own  experience  and 
observations  have  been  made  serviceable  in  a 
forceful  way. 

W.  A.  KENNEDY. 

Prominent  and  successful  as  a  fruit-grower 
on  a  small  farm  located  one  mile  and  a  half 
north  of  Grand  Junction,  which  is  as  far  re- 


270 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


nowned  for  the  quality  of  its  output  as  for  the 
quantity,  W.  A.  Kennedy  has  contributed  by 
his  industry  and  skill  much  to  the  comfort  and 
enjoyment  of  the  people  of  his  section  and  has 
added  a  new  commodity  to  the  marketable 
produce  of  its  soil.  He  was  born  at  Rockford 
in  Blount  county,  Tennessee,  in  the  year  1854, 
the  son  of  A.  A.  and  Sarah  E.  (Martin)  Ken- 
nedy, also  natives  of  that  state.  They  moved 
from  there  to  Dallas,  Texas,  where  the  father 
remained  until  his  death  in  1883,  aged  about 
sixty-five  years.  His  wife  died  in  Colorado 
in  1891  at  about  the  same  age.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  their  son  W.  A.  being 
the  third.  His  boyhood  to  the  age  of  twelve 
was  passed  in  his  native  state.  He  then  ac- 
companied his  parents  and  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Texas,  and  after  leaving  school  was  en- 
gaged in  keeping  a  hotel  in  connection  with 
his  father  at  Dallas  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1885  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Grand 
Junction  where  he  kept  a  restaurant  and  short- 
order  house  for  about  a  year.  He  then  pur- 
chased five  acres  of  unimproved  wild  land  and 
began  to  put  it  into  condition  for  the  production 
of  fruit.  He  has  since  brought  it  to  a  good 
state  of  productiveness  for  this  purpose  and 
added  another  purchase  of  four  acres,  which  is 
also  rewarding  his  industry  with  good  returns. 
Both  properties  are  well  improved  and  yield 
abundantly  and  he  is  an  acknowledged  au- 
thority in  the  business.  At  first,  while  his  trees 
were  growing,  and  before  they  began  bearing, 
his  .plan  was  to  plant  the  ground  between  them 
in  strawberries  which  brought  him  in  a  good 
income  until  the  larger  fruit  became  available. 
In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Pay- 
ton,  a  native  of  Missouri,  where  her  parents 
spent  their  lives.  They  have  two  children, 
Lynn  and  Ray.  In  addition  to  his  business, 
which  has  been  a  means  of  improving  the 
general  conditions  and  commercial  wealth  of 
the  community,  Mr.  Kennedy  has  actively  con- 


tributed his  time  and  energy  in  support  of  every 
commendable  undertaking  for  the  advancement 
and  improvement  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lives,  proving  himself  to  be  a  man  of  public 
spirit  and  enterprise  in  public  affairs  as  well  as 
in  his  private  interests ;  and  while  not  an  active 
partisan  or  office  seeker,  has  given  loyal  adher- 
ence to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  faithful  and  helpful  support  to  its  candi- 
dates. He  is  well  esteemed  also  hi  social  cir- 
cles, and  has  a  host  of  friends  who  appreciate 
his  worth  and  admire  the  uprightness  and  force 
of  character  exemplified  by  him. 

ROBERT  A.  ORR. 

Residing  in  a  fine  home  one  mile  north  of 
Grand  Junction,  where  he  is  actively  engaged 
in  raising  excellent  fruit  and  superior  grades 
of  stock,  and  connected  with  several  of  the  lead- 
ing commercial  and  mining  industries  of  the 
country,  Robert  A.  Orr  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent and  successful  business  men  of  Mesa 
county  and  a  representative  citizen  of  high 
standing  and  general  esteem  in  his  community. 
He  was  born  on  February  n,  1855,  in  the  cen- 
tral part  of  Kentucky,  the  son  of  Oscar  F.  and 
Elizabeth  (Evans)  Orr,  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  descendants  of  some  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  state.  The  father  was  reared  on  a  farm 
in  his  native  state  and  remained  there  until 
1873.  He  then  moved  to  Missouri  and  set- 
tled in  Cooper  county,  where  he  is  still  living  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight.  The  mother  is  also 
living  and  her  age  is  seventy-six.  They  are 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Robert 
was  the  third.  He  passed  his  boyhood  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Kentucky,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  the  vicinity. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  moved  with  his  par- 
ents to  Missouri  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  when  he  came  to  Denver,  this  state,  ar- 
riving on  the  morning  when  the  excavation 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


271 


work  for  the  Union  depot  was  begun.  After  a 
residence  of  three  years  in  Denver,  during 
which  he  was  employed  in  the  nursery  of  Hal- 
lock  &  Grimes  and  in  planting  trees  for  the  city 
around  the  court  house  and  other  public  build- 
ings, he  came  to  Grand  Valley  in  April,  1883, 
at  which  time  he  purchased  the  Grand  Junction 
interests  of  the  Denver  Nursery  Company,  and 
here  took  charge  of  the  same,  rearing  the  first 
fruit  trees  grown  in  this  section.  Three  years 
later  he  moved  to  his  present  site  on  what  was 
then  unimproved  land  through  which  the  old 
Salt  Lake  road  lay,  cutting  between  his  house 
and  where  his  packing  house  now  stands,  and 
which  was  then  a  dry,  barren  sand  hill.  Here 
he  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  fruit 
culture,  raising  apples,  pears  and  peaches  for 
an  extensive  and  exacting  market.  He  is  an 
experimenter  as  well  as  a  grower,  and  has  pro- 
duced a  choice  variety  of  apple  known  as  "Orr's 
Long  Keeper,"  which  is  in  great  demand.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Grand  Junc- 
tion Fruit  Growers'  Association  in  1892  and 
has  been  a  director  of  the  same  since  its  for- 
mation and  at  present  is  serving  as  vice-presi- 
dent. The  association  is  one  of  the  strongest 
and  most  prosperous  in  the  United  States  and 
did  nearly  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  business  in  1903,  earning 
profits  to  the  stockholders  of  more  than  thirty 
per  cent.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  stock  in- 
dustry with  the  ambition  to  produce  fine 
horses  and  other  stock,  and  is  president  of  the 
Mesa  Lumber  Company.  He  has  stock  in  valu- 
able oil  wells  and  coal  mines,  and  is  a  director 
of  the  new  Union  Bank  and  Trust  Company 
at  Grand  Junction.  To  all  the  business  in- 
terests which  he  has  in  charge  he  gives  care 
and  intelligent  attention,  and  he  makes  the  most 
of  his  opportunities  in  this  way,  being  a  man 
of  excellent  business  capacity  and  great  energy. 
In  1886  he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Ken- 
nedy, a  native  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and 


they  have  two  children,  Pern  and  Kenneth. 
Their  home  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  this 
part  of  the  county,  and  all  its  appurtenances  and 
features  are  in  good  taste  and  bespeak  the  cul- 
ture and  refinement  of  its  inmates.  Mr.  Orr 
is  one  of  the  highly  respected  and  representative 
men  of  the  county,  with  an  influence  always 
used  for  the  best  interests  of  his  portion  of 
the  state  and  its  people. 

JOSEPH  P.  SWENEY. 

Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Police  Magistrate 
Joseph  P.  Sweney,  of  Grand  Junction,  whose 
official  record  is  clear  and  strong,  and  who  has 
been  an  effective  force  for  good  in  the  preser- 
vation of  the  peace  and  order  of  the  community, 
and  has  aided  materially  in  sustaining  the  dig- 
nity and  power  of  legal  authority  among  the 
people,  is  a  native  of  Milton,  Northumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  in 
1846.  His  parents  were  Montgomery  W.  and 
Clarinda  (Penney)  Sweney,  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  merchant  and 
carried  on  a  successful  business  in  his  native 
state  for  years  and  afterward  in  Illinois  and  Ne- 
braska at  different  times.  The  family  moved 
to  Illinois  in  1853,  and  during  the  Civil  war. 
the  father  was  a  captain  on  a  Mississippi  river 
steamboat.  His  last  days  were  passed  in  Ne- 
braska, where  he  died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of 
seventy.  The  mother  passed  away  three  years 
earlier,  aged  sixty-five.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  of  whom  their  son  Joseph  was 
the  third  in  the  order  of  birth.  He  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth  in  Pensylvania  and  Illinois, 
and  after  leaving  school  filled  the  position  of 
bookkeeper  and  paymaster  in  the  coal  regions 
of  the  latter.  In  1886  he  came  to  Grand  Junc- 
tion and  opened  a  hardware  store,  which  he 
conducted  until  the  spring  of  1889,  having 
varying  success.  He  was  always  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  community  and  displayed  execu- 


272 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


tive  and  administrative  ability  of  such  an  order 
that  in  1887  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  town, 
and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  that  office 
he  won  commendation  from  all  classes  of  the 
citizens.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  United 
States  commissioner,  and  was  elected  a  justice 
of  the  peace  and  has  been  continuously  re- 
elected  ever  since.  He  has  also  been  police 
magistrate  for  the  last  eight  years.  His  ju- 
dicial knowledge  and  temperament,  his  love  of 
justice  and  his  clearness  of  vision  in  discern- 
ing the  true  inwardness  of  cases,  and  more- 
over, his  general  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  community,  make  him  an  exceptionally  fair 
and  capable  official,  and  all  good  citizens  feel 
that  the  welfare  of  the  city  is  safe  in  his  hands 
as  far  as  he  has  control  of  it,  while  the  turbu- 
lent and  lawless  elements  fear  and  respect  him. 
He  is  in  private  life  a  genial  and  companion- 
able gentleman,  adding  to  the  social  features 
of  the  town  an  element  of  value  through  the 
courtesy  of  his  manner,  the  variety  and  extent 
of  his  information  and  the  felicity  of  his  ex- 
pression on  all  topics  of  current  thought.  In 
all  the  constituents  of  good  citizenship  he  has 
a  high  rank  in  the  public  estimation,  and  as  a 
man  he  enjoys  the  respect  and  good  will  of 
all  who  come  in  contact  with  him. 

JOHN  B.  MANN. 

John  B.  Mann,  of  Grand  Junction,  the  ef- 
ficient and  accommodating  clerk  of  Mesa 
county,  came  into  being  in  the  midst  of  our 
Civil  war,  having  been  born  in  1863,  in  Fre- 
mont county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Archibald  and. 
Drucilla  Ann  (Williamson)  Mann,  natives  of 
Virginia.  The  father  while  yet  in  his  child- 
hood moved  with  his  parents  to  Indiana  where 
he  was  reared  and  educated,  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  also  the  college  at  Greencastle. 
He  remained  at  home,  occupied  in  the  work  on 
the  paternal  farm  until  1859,  when  he  located 


a  place  of  his  own  in  Iowa,  and  there  by  in- 
dustry and  thrift  he  prospered  and  reared  a 
family  of  children  numbering  nine,  seven  of 
whom  are  living.  He  was  endowed  by  nature 
with  force  of  character  and  self-reliance,  and 
with  a  commendable  independence  of  thought 
and  action;  and  these  qualities  have  made  him 
successful  in  life's  battle  and  given  him  promi- 
nence and  influence  among  the  people  of  his 
community  where  he  is  generally  respected  after 
a  long  life  of  usefulness.  He  is  still  a  resident 
of  Iowa  and  retired  from  active  pursuits,  hav- 
ing reached  the  age  of  seventy-six.  His  wife 
is  also  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  Her 
birth-place  was  the  historic  old  town  of  Lynch- 
burg,  Virginia,  where  her  family  have  been 
people  of  consequence  from  colonial  days.  Her 
parents  were  Henry  and  Drucilla  (Best)  Wil- 
liamson, and  they  emigrated  from  their  native 
state  to  Missouri  and  later  to  Iowa  where  they 
died  at  venerable  ages.  John  B.  Mann  is  the 
fifth  child  of  his  parents  and  passed  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  and  received  his  education  in 
Iowa,  being  graduated  from  the  Indianola 
Commercial  College  in  that  state  in  1886.  In 
the  spring  of  1887  he  came  to  Colorado,  and 
after  living  a  few  months  at  Salida,  removed  to 
Grand  Junction  and  accepted  employment  as 
a  clerk  and  salesman  in  the  grocery  store  of 
his  brother,  A.  G.  Mann.  Being  a  young  man 
of  energy  and  ambition,  he  found  a  fruitful 
field  for  his  capacities  in  politics,  and  became 
an  ardent  worker  in  the  Republican  ranks,  in 
which  his  services  have  been  so  effective  and 
so  highly  appreciated  that  in  1902  he  was  nomi- 
nated as  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office 
of  county  clerk,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  good, 
majority  at  the  ensuing  election.  Since  taking 
charge  of  the  office  he  has  been  performing  its 
important  duties  with  assiduity  and  skill,  giving 
its  patrons  general  satisfaction  by  his  prompt- 
ness, ability  and  courtesy,  and  looking  well  to 
the  interests  of  the  county.  He  was  not,  how- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


273 


ever,  without  experience  in  public  office,  hav- 
ing served  as  deputy  assessor  under  G.  W. 
Caldwell  in  1896  and  1897.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  is  active  in  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
in  lodge  and  chapter,  in  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  1898  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  D.  McCarry,  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  daughter  of  C.  P.  and  Mary 
(Wiggan)  McCarry,  of  Denver.  Mr.  Mann 
is  a  young  gentleman  of  unusual  promise  and 
ability,  and  with  his  enterprise  and  zeal  and 
the  popular  qualities  which  he  possesses  in 
large  measure,  he  would  seem  to  have  a  future 
of  prominence  and  influence  in  the  rising  sec- 
tion of  the  country  in  which  he  has  cast  his  lot. 
He  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
people  on  every  hand,  and  is  well  worthy  of 
their  highest  regard. 

JOHN  E.  WHIPP. 

John  E.  Whipp,  deputy  county  treasurer  of 
Gunnison  county,  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in 
1859.  He  was  reared  to  the  age  of  twenty-one 
in  his  native  state  and  Kansas  and  received 
a  common-school  education  there.  In  1880,  de- 
siring to  see  something  of  the  world,  and  also 
to  find  enlarged  opportunity  for  the  employ- 
ment of  his  energies,  he  came  to  Colorado  in 
company  with  a  brother  and  located  for  a  short 
time  at  Georgetown,  Clear  Creek  county. 
From  there  he  came  to  Gunnison  and  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  1 88 1,  moved  to  Crested  Butte, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  others,  at  the 
same  time  prospecting  for  himself.  He  fol- 
lowed these  exciting  but  not  always  remuner- 
ative occupations  until  January,  1894,  when  he 
qualified  and  entered  upon  his  official  duties  as 
county  assessor,  an  office  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  in  the  previous  fall  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Populist  party.  He  served  in  this  position 
two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  bought  a 
newspaper  called  the  People's  Champion,  which 
18 


he  conducted  until  the  spring  of  1898,  when  he 
went  to  Alaska,  remaining  till  •  November  of 
the  same  year  prospecting  through  the  Copper 
river  country.  He  then  returned  to  Gunnison 
and  soon  after  was  appointed  deputy  county 
treasurer,  a  position  which  he  is  still  holding 
and  in  which  he  is  exhibiting  a  capacity  and 
faithfulness  to  every  trust  that  is  gratifying  to 
his  friends,  satisfactory  to  the  people  of  the 
county  and  highly  creditable  to  himself.  He 
knows  the  county  well  and  is  loyal  to  its  every 
interest.  At  .the  same  time  his  official  career 
has  been  marked  by  considerate  regard  for  the 
rights  and  the  feelings  of  every  individual  citi- 
zen, omitting  nothing  of  the  most  exacting  re- 
quirements on  the  one  hand,  and  avoiding  every 
form  of  oppression  and  discourtesy  on  the 
other.  Mr.  Whipp  was  married  in  August, 
1891,  to  Miss  Fannie  Bray,  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Celes  (St.  Cair) 
Bray,  residents  of  Gunnison  who  came  here  to 
reside  in  the  spring  of  1881,  and  have  since 
been  among  the  most  respected  and  popular 
citizens  of  the  place. 

WILLIAM  WATSON. 

Inasmuch  as  the  human  family  is  not  yet 
thoroughly  harmonized  in  feeling,  exalted  in 
purpose  or  convergent  in  effort,  and  knaves 
and  dastards  and  midnight  brawlers  are  still 
among  us,  necessitating  multitudinous  police, 
tipstaves,  sheriffs  and  other  officers  of  the  law 
to  keep  men  from  plundering  or  throttling  one 
another,  or  otherwise  disturbing  the  peace  of 
the  community,  it  is  always  a  comfort  to  know 
that  the  men  selected  for  the  administration 
of  the  important  functions  of  restraining  the 
lawless  and  preserving  the  peace  are  men  of 
courage  and  resourcefulness,  of  high  character 
and  capability,  and  of  unrelenting  fidelity  to 
duty,  as  is  the  case  in  Gunnison  county,  this 
state.  And  among-  the  number  none  stands 


274 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


higher  or  more  deservedly  secure  in  the  public 
regard  than  the  present  sheriff,  William  Wat- 
son, on  whose  official  record  the  people  have 
set  the  seal  of  their  approval  by  a  second  elec- 
tion to  the  office  in  which  he  has  rendered 
them  such  signal  service.  Mr.  Watson  was 
born  in  1867  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  where 
his  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  (McFarlan) 
Watson,  settled  about  the  year  1840.  They  are 
natives  of  Scotland  and  emigrated  to  America, 
settling  in  Canada  in  early  life.  In  1837  they 
became  residents  of  Pennsylvania,  where  they 
remained  about  three  years,  then  moved  to 
Ohio,  and  during  the  next  ten  years  they  lived 
and  flourished  in  that  state.  Still  having  a 
taste  for  the  frontier,  and  seeing  brighter 
hopes  and  larger  opportunities  in  the  wake  of 
the  setting  sun,  they  moved  in  1850  to  Iowa, 
and  for  twenty-seven  years  contributed  by  their 
industry  and  inspiring  example  to  the  progress 
and  development  of  that  section  of  the  country. 
In  1877  they  took  another  flight  toward  the 
Pacific,  settling  at  Trinidad,  this  state,  from 
whence  they  moved  four  or  five  years  later  to 
Crested  Butte,  and  from  there  came  to  reside 
at  Gimnison  four  years  ago.  They  have 
reached  the  age  of  seventy,  and  are  now  pass- 
ing the  evening  of  life  in  peace  and  comfort, 
surrounded  by  respecting  and  admiring 
.friends,  and  in  full  enjoyment  of  the  esteem  of 
the  people  among  whom  they  live.  Their 
family  consisted  of  six  children,  the  Sheriff 
being  the  fourth  in  the  order  of  birth.  His 
childhood  was  passed  in  Ohio  and  Iowa,  and  he 
began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
latter.  In  1877,  at  the  age  of  ten,  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  and  the  rest  of  the  family 
to  Colorado,  where  he  finished  his  education 
and  grew  to  manhood.  When  he  reached  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  started  in  life  for  himself 
as  a  miner  in  the  Baldwin  coal  fields,  where  he 
was  employed  eight  or  nine  years.  Following 
that  experience  he  was  engaged  in  mining  at 


Crested  Butte  for  five  years  and  was  then 
elected  marshal  of  that  town.  In  1899,  while 
serving  as  marshal  of  Crested  Butte,  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  at  the  end  of  his  first  and  second 
terms  was  re-elected  as  the  candidate  of  the 
same  party.  The  county  is  very  large  and 
the  most  of  its  surface  is  broken  up  by  mighty 
mountain  ranges,  which  make  travel  over  it 
dangerous  and  trying  to  an  unusual  degree, 
and  the  duties  of  the  sheriff  are  correspond- 
ingly enlarged  in  volume  and  difficulty.  But 
Sheriff  Watson  has  met  the  requirements  in  a 
masterful  way  and  won  general  commendation 
by  his  fidelity,  promptness  and  efficiency.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  which 
he  conducts  on  the  same  high  plane  of  business 
capacity  and  successful  management  that  char- 
acterizes his  performance  of  official  duties.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  social  and  fra- 
ternal life  of  the  community,  being  himself  a 
good  entertainer  and  an  appreciative  listener  to 
the  efforts  of  others.  He  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Redmen  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  with 
membership  in  lodges  of  these  orders  at  Gun- 
nison.  On  December  4,  1887,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Emily  Gibson,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land who  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  while  she  was  yet  very  young.  Two 
children  have  blessed  their  union,  William  J. 
and  John  W.,  both  of  whom  are  living  at  home 
and  attending  school. 

C.  D.   SEELEY. 

C.  D.  Seeley,  of  Hotchkiss,  who  until  two 
years  ago  was  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers 
near  the  town  of  Gunnison,  is  a  native  of  Mc- 
Kean  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born 
in  1853,  the  son  of  William  and  Charlotte 
(Springer)  Seeley.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  securing  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


275 


education  at  the  public  schools  and  being  reared 
to  habits  of  useful  industry  on  his  father's 
farm.  In  1869  he  came  with  his  father  to 
Colorado,  and  in  1876  went  to  the  country  of 
San  Juan  where  he  remained  two  years  en- 
gaged in  prospecting.  He  then  moved  to  Den- 
ver, and  after  a  residence  of  a  year  in  that 
city,  located  near  Gunnison  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  own  account  until 
1894,  when  he  came  to  Delta  county,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married  in  1881 
to  Miss  Martha  Seaman,  a  native  of  Missouri. 
They  have  had  seven  children,  Laura,  Lucetta, 
Ada,  Leonard,  Virgie  and  Lula,  the  other  being 
now  deceased. 

HARTLEY  A.  METCALF. 

H.  A.  Metcalf  was  born  in  1849,  m  Cattar- 
augas  county,  New  York,  the  son  of  Zephi  and 
Harriet  (Gould)  Metcalf,  who  were  natives  of 
New  York  and  came  West  early  in  their  mar- 
ried life,  living  successfully  in  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  Missouri,  Illinois  and  Kansas, 
traveling  to  the  last  named  state  in  1867  by 
teams.  In  1860  the  father  joined  the  Pike's 
Peak  stampede,  but  after  a  short  time  returned 
to  his  home  in  Missouri.  Their  son  Hartley 
accompanied  them  in  their  wanderings,  and 
after  securing  a  limited  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  different  localities  in  which  they 
happened  to  live  from  time  to  time,  became  in 
his  early  manhood  something  of  a  wanderer 
himself  on  his  own  account,  leaving  home  in 
1872  for  Colorado  and  arriving  at  Denver  on 
October  n,  1873.  He  then  drew  a  hand-cart 
from  that  city  to  Del  Norte,  accompanied  by 
three  companions,  and  in  that  neighborhood 
prospected  for  a  time.  In  1874  he  helped  to 
construct  the  toll  road  from  Saguache  to  the 
forks  of  the  Las  Animas  river,  a  distance  of 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  The  road 
passed  through  Lake  City,  which  at  that  time 


had  not  been  laid  out.  Later  he  entered  the 
employ  of  E.  T.  Hotchkiss  in  looking  after 
his  interests  in  the  road  and  continued  in  that 
capacity  several  years.  He  also  helped  to  build 
the  first  house  on' the  present  site  of  Lake  City 
in  1874  and  with  his  partner  built  and  floated 
the  first  boats  on  Lake  San  Cristobol.  In  1882 
he  came  to  Delta  county  and  located  at  Hotch- 
kiss, where  he  bought  forty  acres  of  unim- 
proved land  to  which  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion since,  developing  it  into  a  fine  little  farm 
and  making  it  rich  and  productive. 

Mr.  Metcalf  was  married  September  20, 
1880,  to  Ella  May  Hotchkiss,  who  was  born 
near  Denver,  Colorado,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Enos  T.  and  Hannah  (Seele)  Hotchkiss,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  who  were  among  the 
pioneers  of  Colorado.  The  father  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  North  Fork  valley, 
while  it  was  an  Indian  reservation  and  a  part 
of  Gunnison  county.  He  took  up  the  land  on 
which  the  village  of  Hotchkiss  is  now  located, 
in  fact  he  laid  out  and  started  the  town.  He 
was  for  many  years  actively  identified  with  the 
upbuilding  of  the  place  and  died  at  his  home 
in  Hotchkiss  in  January,  1900.  His  widow 
survives  him  and  resides  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Metcalf  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  as  follows :  Minnie  L., 
Bennett  A.,  Roy  Z.  and  Monett  G.  Those  de- 
ceased are  Verne  H.  and  Lawrence,  the  former 
dying  at  the  age  of  eight  years  and  the  latter 
at  five  months.  Mr.  Metcalf  is  independent 
in  politics. 

JAMES   M.   BLAIR. 

James  M.  Blair,  of  Delta,  who  as  an  active 
town  and  county  official  in  several  places  has 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  community  in 
which  he  lived  in  helping  to  subdue  the  lawless 
element  and  bring  criminals  to  justice  is  justly 
entitled  to  be  named  in  any  record  of  the 
achievements  of  enterprising  and  progressive 


276 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


men  of  the  section  of  his  home,  is  now  living 
retired  from  active  pursuits  at  Delta  after  a 
long  and  varied  career  of  usefulness  in  which 
he  has  fearlessly  faced  danger  in  peace  and 
war  and  met  every  responsibility  in  life  with 
a  straightforward  and  manly  spirit,  whether  it 
involved  patience  in  endurance  or  courage  in 
action.  He  is  an  Ohioan  by  nativity,  born  in 
1837,  the  son  of  William  and  Phoebe  (Atkins) 
Blair,  natives  of  Kentucky  who  settled  in  Ohio 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  in 
which  the  father  was  a  soldier  and  loyally 
served  the  cause  of  his  country.  They  were 
married  in  Kentucky  and  when  they  settled  in 
Ohio  located  in  Logan  county  where  they  were 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  few  years,  then 
moved  to  Champaign  county,  where  they  re- 
mained until  the  autumn  of  1851,  when  they 
moved  to  Iowa  and  took  up  their  residence  in 
Wapello  county.  From  there  they  removed  in 
1868  to  Monroe  county  where  they  spent  the 
rest  of  their  lives,  the  father  dying  in  1874. 
aged  eighty-eight,  and  the  mother  in  1876, 
aged  eighty-four.  They  had  twelve  children, 
of  whom  James  was  the  eighth.  The  first  four- 
teen years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  his  native 
state.  He  then  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Iowa  and  there  completed  his  education  and 
grew  to  man's  estate.  At  the  age  of.twenty- 
,  one  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  taking  charge 
of  the  home  farm  and  caring  for  his  parents 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1862, 
on  August  1 5th,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D. 
Thirty-sixth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  from  then 
until  August  25,  1865,  he  was  in  active  service 
with  his  regiment  and  saw  much  of  the  hard- 
ship and  suffering  of  the  war.  Being  mustered 
out  at  Dubuque,  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
and  there  followed  farming  until  1869.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Colorado,  staging  the 
route  from  Cheyenne  to  where  Longmont  now 
is.  Here  he  stopped  and  remained  until  1878, 
working  at  his  trade  as  a  plasterer,  which  he 


had  previously  acquired,  and  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  settlement.  He  served 
as  town  constable  one  term  and  was  collector 
the  third  year.  In  his  official  position  he  was 
frequently  called  into  service  as  an  aid  in  up- 
holding the  peace  and  good  order  of  the  com- 
munity, being  one  of  the  force  that  captured 
the  outlaw  William  Dubois,  who  killed  Deputy 
Postmaster  Edward  Kinney  in  1871,  and  in 
many  other  hazardous  and  thrilling  encounters 
with  evil-doers,  notably  the  capture  of  the 
man  who  committed  a  daring  robbery  of  a 
jewelry  store  in  Longmont,  bringing  him  in 
within  four  days.  He  also  helped  to  lay  out 
the  first  road  between  Longmont  and  Evans,  a 
distance  of  forty  miles.  He  was  not,  however, 
without  official  experience  before  coming  to' 
this  state,  having  been  elected  county  clerk  of 
Monroe  county,  Io\va,  before  leaving  there. 
In  1879  he  moved  to  Idaho  Springs  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  and  followed  mining  until 
1890,  discovering  and  locating,  along  with 
other  valuable  properties,  the  Douglas  group 
of  mines.  In  1890  he  located  at  Salida  and 
during  the  next  three  years  was  occupied  with 
his  trade  and  also  in  farming.  He  took  up  his 
residence  at  Delta  in  1893,  and  until  1900 
found  plenty  of  profitable  employment  as  a 
plasterer,  his  craft  being  in  almost  continual 
requisition  in  the  progressive  community  in 
which  he  had  located  himself.  In  the  year  last 
named  he  determined  to  retire  from  active 
business  and  move  into  the  spacious  and  at- 
tractive seventeen-room  town  house  which  he 
owns  and  there  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
clays.  He  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Ainsworth,  a  native  of  Belvidere,  Illinois, 
and  they  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living,  Mabel  (Mrs.  Smith),  Harry,  Min- 
nie W.,  Guy,  Ernest  and  Hazel.  A  daughter 
named  Cora  died  at  Idaho  Springs,  and  an- 
other named  Josephine  at  Delta.  Mr.  Blair  has 
lived  a  serviceable  life  in  this  community,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


277 


has  been  actively  identified  with  many  of  the 
leading  enterprises  concerned  in  its  develop- 
ment and  improvement,  as  he  has  elsewhere 
where  he  has  lived,  and  is  highly  respected  by 
the  whole  people. 

JAMES  H.  SHIPPEE. 

James  H.  Shippee  displayed  his  courage 
and  patriotism  on  many  a  bloody  field  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  during  our  unhappy  Civil 
war  and  won  high  commendation  from  his 
superior  officers  in  that  destructive  strife  and 
a  decoration  from  his  native  state  for  the  valor 
and  other  soldierly  qualities  he  exhibited.  He 
was  born  in  1839  at  Halifax,  Vermont,  the  first 
born  of  the  nine  children  that  composed  the 
household  of  his  parents,  James  S.  and  Mary 
A.  (Roberts)  Shippee,  the  former  a  native  of 
Saratoga  county,  New  York,  who  moved  to 
Vermont  when  a  young  man  and  there  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death,  at  eighty-five  years 
of  age,  in  1879,  his  summons  coming  while  he 
was  temporarily  in  his  native  county.  The 
mother  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  November 
12,  1 80 1,  and  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  more 
than  one  hundred  and  three  years,  having  been 
for  more  than  twenty  years  of  the  time  a  resi- 
dent of  Rowe,  Massachusetts.  Their  son 
James  passed  his  minority  at  the  paternal  home- 
stead and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
in  the  vicinity.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  Second  Vermont  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  rendered  gallant  service 
for  a  term  of  nineteen  months,  receiving  a  dis- 
tressing wound  at  the  battle  of  Savage  Station 
and  being  discharged  on  November  29,  1862. 
He  then  returned  to  Vermont  and  was  married 
to  Miss  Eveline  Voyce,  after  which  he  settled 
down  to  farming,  which  he  followed  until  Sep- 
tember 14,  1863,  when  he  again  enlisted,  be- 
coming a  member  of  Company  M,  Eleventh 
Vermont  Infantry,  in  which  he  served  twenty- 


three  months,  participating  in  many  hard- 
fought  battles  and  being  wounded  three  times. 
He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being 
mustered  out  August  10,  1865,  at  Brattleboro, 
Vermont.  During  his  term  of  service  in  the 
latter  regiment  he  was  wounded  at  Cold  Har- 
bor and  at  the  last  charge  on  Petersburg.  In 
addition  to  these  engagements  he  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Bull  Run,  Savage  Station,  An- 
tietam,  Williamsburg,  Fredericksburg,  Win- 
chester, Gettysburg,  Spottsylvania,  Cedar 
Creek,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Vicksburg.  One  of 
his  cherished  mementos  is  a  memorial  given 
him  by  the  state  of  Vermont  on  account 'of  his 
excellent  military  record  in  the  war,  which  al- 
though an  unusual  testimonial  of  appreciation 
was  but  a  just  tribute  to  merit  and  unselfish 
service  in  the  midst  of  great  danger  and  dif- 
ficulties where  human  life  was  the  stake  and 
death  seemed  ever  eager  to  win  it.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  again  returned  to  his  native  state 
and  was  prosperously  occupied  in  farming 
there  until  1867,  when  he  moved  to  Iowa. 
Here  for  two  years  he  followed  the  same  pur- 
suit, and  at  the  end  of  that  time  sold  out  and 
became  a  resident  of  Nebraska,  remaining  until 
1876.  In  that  year  his  wife  died  and  he  re- 
turned to  Vermont  where  he  passed  the  next 
two  years.  In  1878  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Red  Cliff,  in  what  is  now  Eagle 
county.  In  that  town  he  was  one  of  the  first 
city  marshals  and  gave  the  people  excellent 
service  jn  helping  to  establish  the  municipal 
government  and  in  safely  conducting  it  after- 
ward. Subsequently  he  lived  at  different  times 
in  various  parts  of  the  West,  and  in  1897  came 
to  Delta  and  purchased  a  farm  one  mile  from 
the  town,  on  which  he  lived  for  a  time,  then 
sold  it  and  bought  two  houses  in  town  and  re- 
tired from  active  business  pursuits.  He  has, 
however,  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  the  good 
of  the  place,  and  has  accentuated  his  devotion 
to  its  welfare  by  acceptable  and  appreciated 


278 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN   OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


service  as  night  marshal,  resigning  this  position 
to  engage  in  business  in  January,  1904.  His 
family  consists  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living  except  one.  He  is  an  active  and 
prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  in  politics  is  independent. 

STEPHEN  A.   BOYCE. 

Stephen  A.  Boyce,  of  Delta,  one  of  the 
prominent  and  successful  business  men  of 
western  Colorado,  has  had  a  varied  and  in- 
teresting career  in  different  parts  of  the  South- 
west and  West,  and  although  the  lines  of  life 
have  at  times  been  rugged  and  stern  for  him, 
he  is  of  the  fiber  that  does  not  shirk  from  en- 
durance or  shirk  a  duty  because  it  may  be  un- 
pleasant. He  is  a  native  of  Texas,  born  in 
1865,  and  his  parents  were  Isaac  and  Caroline 
(Wilkinson)  Boyce,  the  former  a  native  of 
Mississippi  and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  The 
father  emigrated  to  Texas  in  1834  and  became 
one  of  the  early  promoters  of  the  stock  industry 
which  has  grown  to  such  great  proportions  in 
that  state.  He  aided  in  building  the  first  resi- 
dence in  the  now  flourishing  and  beautiful  capi- 
tal of  the  state,  and  was  one  of  the  substantial 
contributors  to  its  early  growth  and  progress. 
In  1865  ne  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
to  California,  where  he  remained  until  1871 
engaged  in  the  stock  business.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Texas  and  again  became  prosperous 
and  prominent  in  the  stock  industry  and  farm- 
ing there,  following  these  occupations  until  his 
death  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty.  The  mother 
also  became  a  resident  of  Texas  in  1834,  mov- 
ing there  with  her  parents  at  that  time  from 
her  native  state.  She  was  married  in  her  new 
home  and  died  there  February  5,  1904,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  Stephen  being  the  seventh  son. 
His  school  days  were  passed  in  his  native  place, 
and  they  were  limited  in  extent  and  the  proper 


facilities  for  an  education.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  began  life's  work  for  himself,  en- 
gaging in  the  general  occupation  of-  his  section 
at  the  time,  and  the  one  to  which  he  had  been 
bred,  the  stock  business.  His  first  work  of 
magnitude  was  a  journey  by  trail  from  Texas 
to  Dodge  City,  Kansas,  which  he  made  in  1882. 
From  there  he  traveled  over  a  trail  to  the  Big 
Horn  mountain  in  northern  Wyoming,  where 
he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1884,  then  went 
to  New  Mexico,  finding  profitable  employment 
in  that  territory  until  1889.  At  that  time  he 
returned  to  his  Texas  home,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1892  came  again  to  Wyoming  and  later  to 
Colorado.  In  1899  he  settled  at  Delta  where 
he  has  since  lived  and  been  actively  engaged 
in  raising  stock  and  dealing  on  a  large  scale  in 
real-estate  and  the  loan  business.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  business  and  is  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  prominent  men  of  this  section 
in  his  lines.  He  has  also  had  a  gratifying 
success  in  mining,  being  the  discoverer  and 
owner  of  the  Flossie  B.  copper  mine  and  other 
valuable  properties  in  the  mining  regions.  He 
was  married  in  1897  to  Miss  Flossie  E.  Gaddis, 
who  is  one  of  the  ornaments  to  the  social  life 
of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  as  he  is 
one  of  the  pillars  of  its  industrial  and  com- 
mercial interests. 

JOHN  H.  CROXTON. 

The  great  state  of  Ohio,  a  busy  hive  of  in- 
dustry and  enterprise,  having  been  won  from 
the  wilderness  and  redeemed  from  the  savage 
herself,  by  a  race  of  heroic  pioneers,  at  once 
began  the  work  of  colonizing  other  portions  of 
the  West  and  has  contributed  essentially  and 
forcibly  to  the  settlement  and  development  of 
almost  every  part  of  our  common  country  that 
has  been  opened  to  civilization  since  her  own 
career  of  prosperity  and  power  began.  One  of 
her  valued  and  serviceable  contributions  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


279 


Colorado  whose  life  has  been  a  benefaction  to 
the  state  and  an  ornament  to  its  citizenship,  is 
John  H.  Croxton,  of  Delta,  a  prominent  and 
successful  rancher  and  professional  man.  He 
was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Ohio,  in  1830,  the 
son  of  William  and  Jane  (McGee)  Croxton, 
who  were  like  himself  native  in  that  state  and 
passed  their  lives  there  engaged  in  farming. 
The  mother  died  there  in  1846  and  the  father 
in  1889,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  while  on  a 
visit  to  his  children  in  Kansas.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  their  son 
John  H.  was  the  second  born.  He  was  reared 
on  the  paternal  homestead  and  received  his  pre- 
paratory education  at  the  neighboring  public 
schools.  After  completing  their  course  of  in- 
struction he  entered  Allegheny  College,  at 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1852.  He  then  adopted 
the  law  as  his  profession  and  read  one  year  at 
Carrollton,  in  his  native  county,  and  one  year 
in  the  office  of  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham  at 
Cadiz,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1854  and  at  once  began  practicing  at  Carrollton. 
He  remained  there  but  a  short  time,  however, 
then  moved  to  Nebraska,  locating  at  Nebraska 
City  where  he  remained  until  the  Civil  war 
began,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  was  for 
a  time  busily  occupied  in  securing  exemptions 
from  the  draft  for  his  former  friends  and 
neighbors.  After  the  close  of  the  draft  he  set- 
tled again  in  Nebraska,  and  practiced  law  in 
that  state  until  1882.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Denver  where  during 
the  next  seventeen  years  he  was  engaged  in 
practicing  his  profession,  having  a  large  and 
representative  clientage  and  reaching  promi- 
nence at  the  bar.  His  health  then  began  to 
fail  and  he  crossed  to  the  western  slope  of  the 
mountains  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Delta 
in  the  hope  of  securing  desired  improvement. 
Here  he  followed  ranching  with  success  and 
pleasure  until  he  was  appointed  police  magis- 


trate in  1902,  and  at  the  succeeding  election  he 
was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace,  an  office  he 
filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to 
the  community.  In  politics  he  is  a  firm  and 
loyal  Republican  with  a  strong  devotion  to  the 
principles  of  his  party,  and  always  willing  to 
assist  materially  in  securing  their  supremacy. 
In  fraternal  life  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
order,  having  been  made  a  Mason  in  Ohio  when 
he  was  a  young  man.  While  neither  vacillating 
nor  lukewarm  in  his  political  faith,  he  has  at 
times  supported  the  People's  party  in  local  elec- 
tions. But  he  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  de- 
cided convictions,  deeply  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  community,  and  performing  with 
fidelity  all  the  duties  of  citizenship,  holding  a 
high  place  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  men  and 
dealing  uprightly  and  squarely  with  them  all. 

ELMER  H.  ROSS. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  western  slope  of  the 
Rockies,  and  passing  the  whole  of  his  life  so  far 
among  its  people  and  its  activities,  Elmer  H. 
Ross  is  properly  to  be  considered  a  represent- 
ative of  the  section  and. in  his  energy,  enterprise 
and  progress  may  be  found  an  indication  of  the 
character  of  this  people.  Mr.  Ross  was  born 
in  Humboldt  county,  California,  in  1864,  the 
son  of  Moses  and  Eleanor  (Watkins)  Ross,  an 
account  of  whose  lives  is  given  in  the  sketch 
of  his  brother,  Lewis  E.  Ross,  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  He  remained  in  the  Sacramento 
valley  of  his  native  state  until  1882,  when  he 
came  to  Montrose  county,  this  state,  and  started 
an  enterprise  in  ranching  and  raising  cattle,  tak- 
ing up  a  quarter  section  of  land  by  pre-emption 
for  the  purpose  on  Cole  creek.  It  was  wild  sage 
brush  land  when  he  located  on  it,  but  now  its 
products  are  those  of  systematic  husbandry  and 
its  harvests  are  abundant  and  reliable.  To  his 
first  tract  he  has  added  another  of  eighty  acres 
by  purchase,  and  this  also  he  has  brought  to  a 


280 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


high  state  of  development  and  cultivation.  He 
has  a  very  productive  orchard  among  the  fruits 
of  his  thrift  and  enterprise,  and  this  yields 
abundantly  for  the  use  of  his  family.  In  1895 
he  married  Miss  Edna  Gabon,  of  California,  a 
daughter  of  J.  S.  Gabon,  of  Oklahoma,  who 
settled  on  Spring  creek  in  1883.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ross  have  two  children,  Lucille  and  Leland. 
The  principal  industry  on  this  ranch  is  the  pro-, 
duction  of  alfalfa  and  the  feeding  of  stock,  and 
these  are  carried  on  to  as  great  an  extent  and 
on  as  liberal  a  scale  as  the  circumstances  will 
admit  of.  Mr.  Ross  is  a  progressive  and  far- 
seeing  man  in  his  business  and  is  making  a 
gratifying  success  of  it.  He  is  also  a  citizen  of 
public  spirit  and  breadth  of  view,  seeing 
clearly  what  is  good  for  the  community  and 
working  diligently  to  secure  it,  no  undertaking 
of  value  in  this  respect  going  without  his  cor- 
dial, earnest  and  intelligent  support.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  excellent  business  capacity,  high 
character  and  breadth  of  view  he  is  generally 
esteemed. 

LEWIS  E.  ROSS. 

From  his  boyhood  Lewis  E.  Ross,  a  promi- 
nent and  progressive  stock  man  and  farmer  of 
Montrose  county,  living  eight  miles  northwest 
of  the  county  seat,  has  dwelt  on  the  western 
frontier  and  been  familiar  with  its  various 
phases  of  life,  its  trials  and  toils,  its  difficulties 
and  privations,  its  wild  freedom  and  wealth  of 
opportunity.  He  was  born  in  1856  at  Cedar 
Springs,  Michigan,  and  is  the  son  of  Moses 
and  Eleanor  (Watkins)  Ross.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  New  York  and  in  his  young  man- 
hood settled  in  Ionia  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  shingle  weaver  until 
1864,  then  moved  his  family  to  California  by 
the  Atlantic  and  the  isthmus  route,  and  in  that 
state  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  in 
Humboldt  and  Solano  counties  until  his  death 
in  1875,  at  ^e  age  of  forty-six.  He  was  a  son 


of  Joshua  and  Hannah  (Rounds)  Ross,  the 
former  a  native  of  Vermont  who  settled  in 
New  York  and  there  married,  then  moved  to 
Ionia  county,  Michigan,  in  the  early  days  of 
its  history.  The  mother  of  Lewis  E.  Ross  was 
a  native  of  England  who  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  parents  when  she  was  three 
years  old.  She  died  on  January  14,  1905,  at 
her  son's  residence.  She  was  the  mother  of 
nine  children,  Lewis  being  the  second.  When 
he  was  eight  years  old  he  removed  from  his 
native  state  to  California  with  the  rest  of  the 
family,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  When  his 
father  died  he  was  nineteen  years  old  and  at 
once  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  aided  his 
mother  to  rear  the  younger  children.  About  the 
age  of  twenty-five  he  left  California  and  came 
to  Colorado,  and  at  Silverton  followed  mining 
four  months.  He  then  settled  in  the  Uncom- 
pahgre  valley,  then  a  part  of  Gunnison  county. 
Montrose  not  having  been  thought  of  as  yet. 
He  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  by  pre-emption  and  has  since  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  additional,  and 
has  improved  the  place  with  care  and  labor, 
bringing  it  from  savage  wildness  to  its  present 
highly  fertile  condition  and  furnished  with 
commodious  and  comfortable  buildings  of 
every  kind  needed  for  the  proper  management 
of  the  extensive  farming  and  stock  business  he 
conducts  there.  In  due  time  after  his  location 
in  this  region  Mr.  Ross  saw  the  need  of  a  new 
county  organization  and  began  the  agitation 
that  ended  in  the  formation  of  Montrose 
county,  circulating  among  the  people  a  petition 
praying  the  legislature  to  authorize  the  division. 
Since  then  he  has  been  an  active  worker  for 
the  interests  of  the  county,  and  as  he  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  his  public  acts  have  been  mostly  in  the 
support  of  its  candidates  and  an  active  partici- 
pation in  its  primary  elections  and  conventions, 
at  which  he  is  a  familiar  figure  and  an  earnest 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF  WESTERN   COLORADO. 


281 


worker.  Until  seven  years  ago  he  was  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother  J.  J.  Ross  in  farming 
and  the  stock  business,  but  since  then  he  has 
been  alone.  He  has  as  a  feature  of  interest  on 
his  farm  fine  colonies  of  bees  and  produces 
quantities  of  the  most  delicious  honey.  In  1892 
Mr.  Ross  was  married  to  Miss  May  Dohl,  a 
native  of  Norway,  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Dohl, 
an  esteemed  citizen  of  Montrose  where  he  set- 
tled in  1886.  Three  children  have  blessed  the 
Ross  household,  Leila,  Myrtle  and  Wilna.  Mr. 
Ross  takes  an  active  and  serviceable  part  in  all 
works  of  improvement  in  his  neighborhood, 
and  his  counsel  and  assistance  is  much  sought 
and  highly  valued.  He  is  now  a  member  of 
the  board  which  has  in  charge  the  Gunnison 
water  project. 

COL.  PHIL  PETERS. 

The  life  of  peaceful  repose  now  enjoyed  by 
Col.  Phil  Peters,  in  his  neat  cottage  home  at 
Montrose,  which  is  a  model  of  tidiness,  cosiness 
and  good  taste  in  arrangement,  furnishing  and 
adornment,  would  scarcely  suggest  to  the  casual 
observer  that  his  past  has  been  a  succession  of 
thrilling  and  intense  experiences  in  many  forms 
of  action  where  danger  was  ever  present  and 
the  utmost  resolution,  readiness  and  self- 
reliance  were  required ;  that  his  pulse  has  been 
quickened  by  the  war  drum's  throb  where  a  na- 
tion's life  was  the  gage  of  battle;  that  his  blood 
has  been  chilled  by  the  Indians'  whoop  of  de- 
fiance where  the  progress  of  civilization  was  at 
stake ;  that  his  nerve  has  been  tried  in  the  deadly 
brawl  of  the  miner's  camp  where  the  worst  pas- 
sions of  human  nature  are  aroused  to  fury ;  or 
that  he  has  felt  both  extremes  of  fortune  and 
has  not  been  seriously  disturbed  by  either.  Yet 
such  has  been  the  case,  and  his  is  but  one  of 
many  examples  of  the  wonderful  vicissitudes 
of  American  life,  especially  in  the  West,  and 
the  equally  wonderful  readiness  of  American 


manhood  to  meet  them.  Colonel  Peters  is  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  born  in  Campbell  county  on 
January  7,  1842,  and  is  the  son  of  Sebastian 
and  Eva  (Walker)  Peters.  His  father  was  of 
Russian  parentage  and  born  in  Germany, 
whither  the  family  moved  from  St.  Petersburg, 
subsequently  coming  to  the  United  States  and 
ending  their  days  in  Kentucky.  On  his  arrival 
in  this  country  he  located  for  awhile  in  New 
York,  and  afterward  lived  in  Pennsylvania. 
Virginia,  and  finally  Kentucky,  where  he  was  a 
merchant  and  farmer.  He  died  in  1869,  aged 
sixty-six,  being  at  the  time  on  a  visit  to  Frank- 
lin county,  Indiana,  near  Brookville,  where  he 
was  buried.  The  Colonel's  mother  was  a  Ger- 
man by  birth  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  childhood  with  her  parents,  who  settled  in 
Kentucky,  where  she  was  reared  and  married 
and  where  she  died  in  1866,  aged  fifty-six,  and 
was  buried  at  Newport,  Campbell  county,  near 
her  home.  The  family  consisted  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  Colonel  was  the  third  son. 
He  remained  in  his  native  state  until  he  was 
nineteen,  but  began  to  make  his  own  living  at 
the  age  of  twelve,  working  on  farms,  his 
father's  and  others,  and  in  rolling  mills.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  H,  Third  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry, of  the  Union  army,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
three-years  service  he  was  mustered  out  as 
first  sergeant.  His  regiment  was  known  as  the 
"Bloody  Third"  and  he  was  with  it  in  the  thick 
of  the  fight  wherever  it  was  engaged.  At  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro,  where  so  many  gallant 
men  on  both  sides  sealed  their  convictions  with 
their  blood,  he  received  a  serious  wound,  but 
it  did  not  keep  him  long  out  of  service.  His 
regiment  was  almost  continually  in  the  field  and 
he  participated  in  more  than  thirty  engage- 
ments himself.  His  title,  however,  his  modesty 
obliges  us  to  state,  was  not  derived  from  his 
military  service  in  the  war,  but  came  from  his 
rank  in  the  Stanford  Guards,  a  militia  or- 


282 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ganization  of  fine  discipline  and  splendid  pres- 
ence at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  After  the  war 
he  returned  to  his  native  county  and  engaged 
in  the  sewing  machine  business  with  head- 
quarters at  Louisville,  acting  first  as  traveling 
representative  of  the  company  which  employed 
him  and  rising  by  merit  to  the  position  of  gen- 
eral manager  for  the  states  of  Kentucky  and  In- 
diana. Later  he  was  in  business  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  for  some  time  in  the  piano  and  organ 
business,  where  he  employed  a  large  force  of 
men  selling  throughout  the  state.  From  there 
he  returned  to  Louisville  and  bought  the  St. 
Cloud  Hotel  and  for  five  years  conducted  it. 
He  then  sold  out  his  hotel  there  and  went  to 
San  Antonio,  Texas,  where  he  was  a  funeral 
director  until  1879,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and,  locating  at  Leadville,  followed  mining  and 
prospecting  for  seven  years.  He  helped  to 
found  the  mining  town  of  Irwin  and  filled 
nearly  all  its  local  offices  in  succession  in  its 
early  history.  Here  he  was  occupied  in  buying 
and  selling  mining  properties  in  that  region  and 
others,  and  in  the  business  experienced  all  the 
reverses  of  fortune  to  which  the  1rade  is  liable, 
sometimes  being  worth  thousands  of  dollars  and 
sometimes  not  so  much.  In  1882  he  abandoned 
this  hazardous  life  and  coming  to  Montrose, 
opened  the  Mears  Hotel,  the  first  hostelry  in  the 
town,  which  he  conducted  for  two  years,  then 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock  on  his 
homestead  one  mile  east  of  Montrose.  This 
place  which  he  took  up  as  a  wild  body  of  land, 
unimproved  and  uncultivated,  he  has  raised  to 
the  first  rank  in  productiveness  and  made  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  attractive  in  the 
county  by  the  good  taste  and  elegance  of  its 
improvements.  It  is  particularly  notable  for 
the  cleanliness  and  tidiness  of  everything  about 
it,  the  freshly  painted  condition  of  the  build- 
ings and  fences,  and  the  general  air  of  neatness 
and  quiet  elegance  that  pervades  it  in  every 
part.  The  products  to  which  he  gives  most  at- 


tention on  this  farm  is  a  fine  strain  of  Per- 
cheron  horses  and  some  superior  breeds  of  cat- 
tle, also  thoroughbred  hogs,  which  have  a  wide 
celebrity  and  a  high  rank  in  the  markets.  The 
Colonel  has  retired  from  active  business  him- 
self and  has  his  farm,  which  is  now  the  sample 
sugar-beet  farm  of  Montrose  county,  in  the 
hands  of  a  manager  and  overseer.  He  is  living 
in  a  cottage  at  Montrose  wherein  the  same  neat- 
ness and  artistic  atmosphere  is  manifest  that  is 
found  on  the  farm.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Knights  Templar, 
Odd  Fellows  and  Elks,  and  has  been  influential 
in  local  affairs,  holding  township  and  municipal 
offices  at  times,  and  always  forceful  and  service- 
able in  promoting  the  general  interests  of  the 
community.  He  has  ever  been  an  ardent  and 
practical  believer  in  the  cogency  of  organiza- 
tion, and  has  effected  many  combinations  of 
factors  for  business  and  pleasure  to  the  advan- 
tage of  all  concerned.  His  latest  work  in  this 
line  is  the  Fair  and  Driving  Park  Association 
of  Montrose,  which  he  has  but  recently  formed 
and  of  which  he  is  secretary.  In  1864  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Christina  Helbig, 
a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  of  German  an- 
cestry. They  have  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, Phil  C,  Jr.,  George  H.,  John  C,  Molly  E., 
Rose  M.  and  Alice  M. 

WILLIAM  A.  DOAK. 

William  A.  Doak,  of  Montrose  county, 
comfortably  located  on  his  valuable  and  at- 
tractive ranch  about  five  miles  south  of  the 
county  seat,  a  prominent  and  progressive 
stock  man  and  rancher,  may  not  improperly  be 
said  to  have  been  born  and  bred  to  the  stock  in- 
dustry. From  his  very  cradle  he  has  mingled 
with  its  promoters  and  employees,  witnessed 
its  exacting  scenes,  heard  its  picturesque  and 
striking  language  and  imbibed  its  spirit.  He 
was  born  at  Pleasanton,  Texas,  in  1855,  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


283 


son  of  John  M.  and  Mary  (Zumwallt)  Doak, 
and  the  second  of  their  seven  children.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Mississippi  and  moved 
to  Texas  at  the  age  of  nineteen  where  he  at 
once  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  with  which 
he  was  actively  and  prominently  connected  until 
his  death  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  He 
was  also  prominent  in  the  local  affairs  of  his 
county,  taking  an  earnest  interest  in  whatever 
tended  to  promote  its  welfare.  Fraternally  he 
was  for  a  long  time  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order  and  was  a  devoted  follower  of  its  teach- 
ings. With  the  ardor  born  of  firmly  established 
convictions,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Con- 
federacy in  the  Civil  war  and  throughout  the 
sanguinary  conflict  backed  his  convictions  with 
his  sword.  His  wife  was  reared  in  Texas  from 
childhood  and  they  were  married  there.  She 
is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  at 
Pleasanton,  having  reached  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  Their  son  William  was  reared  in 
his  native  state,  and  almost  from  the  time  when 
he  was  first  able  to  sit  a  saddle  was  more  or 
less  busy  in  the  care  of  his  father's  herds.  He 
received  a  district-school  education,  remaining 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen. 
He  then  started  a  cattle  business  of  his  own  in 
Texas,  and  'from  that  time  until  the  present 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  industry  in 
various  places.  The  first  ten  years  of  his  in- 
dependent operations  in  this  line  were  passed  in 
Texas.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  there  and  moved  to  Wyoming, 
and  during  the  next  four  or  five  years  con- 
ducted an  extensive  cattle  business  in  that  state, 
with  headquarters  at  Cheyenne.  In  1887  he 
transferred  his  headquarters  to  Montrose,  this 
state, -and  since  then  he  has  continued  and  en- 
larged his  business  in  the  same  field.  He 
bought  the  place  on  which  he  now  lives,  and 
all  the  improvements  on  it  are  the  fruits  of  his 
enterprise  and  progressiveness.  They  include 


a  fine  brick  dwelling  and  other  necessary  struc- 
tures, all  of  good  size  and  well  arranged  and 
provided.  He  also  has  a  thrifty  and  profitable 
orchard,  from  which  he  has  abundant  yields  of 
excellent  fruit,  and  for  the  support  of  his  cat- 
tle he  raises  large  crops  of  grain  and  hay.  His 
specialties  in  cattle  are  well-bred  Durhams  and 
Herefords,  and  of  these  he  has  herds  which  are 
among  the  best  in  this  part  of  the  state.  An 
active,  energetic  and  progressive  man,  it  is 
inevitable  that  he  should  feel  a  deep  and  earnest 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  community,  and 
with  the  public  spirit  and  breadth  of  view  for 
which  he  is  much  esteemed,  it  is  equally  as 
inevitable  that  he  should  show  this  interest  by 
practical  aid  of  every  commendable  enterprise 
in  which  that  welfare  is  involved  or  may  be 
promoted.  He  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat 
in  politics,  not  now  and  then,  but  every  day  in 
the  year,  and  with  ready  aid  to  the  cause  of 
his  party  at  all  times ;  yet  he  has  never  sought 
or  desired  political  office  of  any  kind.  He  is 
also  in  full  and  serviceable  sympathy  with 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged,  being  an  active 
member  of  the  stock  association  and  rendering 
faithful  service  to  its  movements  at  times  in 
various  official  stations  in  its  organization  and 
government.  On  his  ranch  he  has  one  great 
advantage  over  many  cattle  men  in  that  he 
owns  his  water  supply  for  irrigation  and  other 
purposes.  In  June,  1891,  he  married  with  Mrs. 
Mary  (Ray)  Robinson,  widow  of  W.  G.  Robin- 
son, who  came  in  childhood  to  Colorado  with 
her  parents,  Thomas  and  Eveline  Ray,  and  set- 
tled near  La  Sal  on  the  Utah  state  line.  Her 
parents  are  now  living  at  Paradox,  Montrose 
county,  where  she  was  first  married  more  than 
twenty  years  ago.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
had  two  children,  Walter  and  Ida  Robinson, 
and  by  the  second  she  has  one,  her  son  Roy 
Doak. 


284 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


GEORGE  R.  SPALDING. 

A  resident  of  Colorado  since  he  was  eleven 
years  of  age,  and  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  actively  engaged  in  its  industries,  aid- 
ing in  its  development  and  witnessing  its  prog- 
ress, George  R.  Spalding  is  rightly  accredited 
as  one  of  the  state's  representative  and  pro- 
gressive men,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  the  re- 
spect and  good  will  in  which  he  stands  among 
its  people.  He  is  comfortably  and  pleasantly 
located  on  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  about  five  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the 
village  of  Cimarron,  which  he  secured  by  pre- 
emption when  he  first  came  to  this  part  of  the 
state  and  on  which  he  conducts  an  enterprising 
stock  and  farming  industry,  and  which  by  ju- 
dicious tillage  and  well-arranged  improve- 
ments he  has  raised  to  a  high  value.  Mr. 
Spalding  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  Gas- 
conade county  in  1853,  and  is  the  son  of  Reu- 
ben J.  and  Leevisa  (Branson)  Spalding.'  His 
father  was  said  to  be  the  first  white  child  born 
within  the  present  limits  of  Minnesota,  and 
came  into  being  there  in  1827.  When  he  was 
a  year  old  the  family  moved  to  Missouri,  and 
there  he  grew  to  manhood  in  Gasconade 
county,  attending  the  primitive  schools  of  his 
time  and  locality  at  irregular  intervals  for  short 
periods,  and  taking  his  full  share  of  the  labor 
on  the  paternal  homestead,  and  of  the  responsi- 
bilities of  citizenship  when  he  reached  the 
proper  age.  He  was  'a  soldier  in  the  Mexican 
war,  and  after  its  close  joined  the  argonauts 
of  1849  m  a  trip  to  California,  crossing  the 
plains  with  a  pack  train,  but  returned  to  Mis- 
souri where  he  remained  until  the  Pike's  Peak 
excitement  in  1859  re-aroused  his  enthusiasm 
as  a  gold-seeker  and  brought  him  to  that  fa- 
mous region.  After  that  time  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  this  state  until  his  death,  in  1902,  at 
Pueblo,  where  he  lived  from  1868.  He  was  a 
successful  prospector,  panning  the  first  gold  in 


the  Blue  river  country  and  discovering  the 
Cashier  mine  at  Montezuma  at  which  his  claim 
was  jumped  after  he  located  it.  He  was  also 
largely  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  stock 
at  different  times.  His  father  was  Stephen 
Spalding,  an  American  soldier  for  thirty-six 
years,  taking  part  in  the  Indian  wars  of  his 
early  life,  the  Revolution  and  the  war  of  1812, 
and  rising  by  meritorious  service  from  the 
ranks  to  the  post  of  major.  His  wife  was  Har- 
riet Spalding,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
George  R.  Spalding's  mother  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  moved  with  her  parents  to  Mis- 
souri while  she  was  young.  There  she  was 
married  and  lived  for  years  until  she  came  to 
Colorado  sometime  after  the  arrival  of  her  hus- 
band. In  this  state  she  died  in  1881,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-three.  Her  offspring  numbered  four, 
the  subject  of  this  review  being  the  first  born. 
He  lived  in  his  native  state  until  he  was  eleven 
years  old,  then  came  with  his  father  to  Colo- 
rado. Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  beginning 
life  for  himself  in  1873  in  the  cattle  industry 
near  Pueblo.  He  followed  this  occupation  four 
years  and  during  the  next  six  was  a  prospector. 
In  1889  he  settled  on  the  ranch  he  now  occupies 
near  the  western  edge  of  Gunnison  county  and 
started  a  stock  business  which  he  is  still  con- 
ducting. For  seven  years  he  also  worked  for 
the  railroad  company  in  the  round  house  at 
Cimarron.  He  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss 
Anna  Shoemaker,  a  native  of  Missouri  and 
daughter  of  H.  C.  and  Martha  (Whitaker) 
Shoemaker,  who  came  to  Colorado  about  1880 
and  took  up  their  residence  near  Carbondale, 
Garfield  county.  Her  father  carries  the  mails 
in  this  section,  and  stands  well  in  the  regard 
of  its  citizens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spalding  have 
had  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Reu- 
ben Clarence,  Laura,  George  and  Marie,  and 
two  dead,  Earl  and  Pearly,  both  of  whom  are 
buried  at  Cimarron.  The  family  are  highly  re- 
spected in  their  community. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


285 


W.  S.  COBURN. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir,  who  was  the 
pioneer  nurseryman  and  fruit-grower  on  the 
Western  slope  in  this  state,  and  who  sowed  the 
first  field  of  alfalfa  in  that  section,  has  had  an 
interesting  and  eventful  career,  meeting  many 
calls  to  trying  duty  in  a  number  of  different 
sections  of  the  country,  and  having  many  ad- 
ventures of  imminent  danger  under  a  great 
variety  of  circumstances.  He  was  born  on 
June  4,  1838,  near  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  the 
son  of  Amon  and  Nancy  (Davis)  Coburn. 
The  father  was  a  blacksmith  and  died  in  1844, 
when  the  son  was  but  six  years  old,  although 
the  families  on  both  sides  of  the  house  have  or- 
dinarily been  long-lived,  the  paternal  grand- 
father dying  at  the  age  of  ninety-six,  and  the 
mother's  father  at  that  of  eighty-seven.  At 
the  age  of  ten  Mr.  Coburn  was  taken  to  raise 
by  a  family  named  Davis,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  he  reached  his  legal  majority.  He 
then,  in  1859,  came  west  to  Wisconsin  and  soon 
after  went  to  Chicago.  Six  months  later  he- 
moved  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  had  an 
uncle  who  is  still  living  aged  ninety.  In  the 
spring  of  1860  the  young  man  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Iowa,  where  he  passed  a  year  buying 
furs  for  a  Chicago  house.  He  then  returned  to 
Illinois  and  tried  to  get  into  the  Union  army  as 
a  volunteer,  but  was  rejected,  the  quota  for 
Illinois  being  full.  He  was,  however,  com- 
missioned a  sutler  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and 
was  with  the  Tenth  Ohio  Battery  and  the  Thir- 
tieth Illinois  Infantry  until  after  the  surrender 
of  Vicksburg,  attending  them  all  through  the 
siege  of  the  city.  After  its  fall  he  conducted  a 
commission  business  in  Vicksburg  for  eighteen 
months,  then  sold  out  and  returned  to  Spring- 
field, Illinois.  A  short  time  afterward  he 
moved  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  started  a  gro- 
cery and  shoe  business  which  he  conducted  a 
few  months,  when  he  sold  all  his  interests  there 


and  came  overland  to  Colorado,  arriving  at 
Denver  in  July,  1865.  Going  out  some  dis- 
tance east  of  the  city,  he  opened  a  road  house 
and  trading  post  for  travelers,  who  were  nu- 
merous in  that  section  at  the  time,  and  this  he 
carried  on  until  the  fall  of  1867.  From  there 
at  that  period  he  moved  to  Julesburg,  and  from 
there  a  little  while  later  to  where  Cheyenne  now 
stands,  arriving  at  the  latter  place  before  the 
townsite  was  surveyed  and  laid  out.  Here  he 
went  into  the  real-estate  business  with  profit 
and  remained  a  year  so  occupied.  At  the  end 
of  this  period  he  turned  his  attention  to  sup- 
plying the  men  who  were  building  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad,  continuing  in  this  business 
until  the  road  was  completed  on  May  10,  1869, 
when  he  sold  his  interests  there  and  went  to 
Kansas  to  start  a  cattle  industry  to  handle 
Texas  cattle,  which  he  did  for  four  years.  Re- 
turning to  Colorado  in  the  spring  of  1876,  he 
located  at  Pueblo  and,  with  headquarters  at 
that  place,  passed  a  year  in  freighting,  hauling 
supplies  to  the  mines  and  ore  back  to  the  city. 
In  the  summer  of  1877  he  passed  into  Gun- 
nison  county,  putting  up  hay  which  he  sold  at 
Lake  City,  in  the  fall  making  that  promising 
camp  his  home  and  turning  his  attention  to 
prospecting  and  mining.  In  1878  he  went  to 
Pitkin  among  the  first  arrivals  there,  and  the 
next  year  changed  his  residence  to  that  place, 
remaining  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1882,  as 
soon  as  the  reservation  was  opened  to  settle- 
ment, he  became  a  resident  of  the  North  Fork 
valley,  locating  on  the  place  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  which  has  since  been  his  home.  He 
made  rapid  improvement  of  the  place,  setting 
out  a  number  of  fruit  trees,  which  were  among 
the  first  in  this  neighborhood.  In  1884  ne 
started  a  nursery,  the  first  on  the  Western 
slope  of  Colorado,  and  soon  found  the  demand 
beyond  the  capacity  of  his  grounds  to  supply, 
and  so  in  1889  he  started  a  branch  nursery 
near  Montrose.  He  has  the  satisfaction  of 


286 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


knowing  that  all  the  older  orchards  in  Mont- 
rose  and  Delta  counties  were  supplied  in  part 
at  least  from  his  nurseries,  and  that  he  has  by 
this  means  contributed  handsomely  to  inaugu- 
rate and  build  up  the  great  fruit  industry 
of  the  section.  In  1896,  finding  the  cares  of  his 
multiform  business  greater  than  he  wished  to 
carry,  he  sold  his  nurseries,  and  since  then  he 
has  devoted  himself  wholly  to  fruit  culture  with 
abundant  profits,  selling  his  annual  crop  of  Al- 
berta peaches  from  an  acre  and  a  half  of  ground 
at  an  average  sum  of  one  thousand  and  sixty- 
two  dollars  an  acre  net,  his  four  hundred  to 
five  hundred  boxes  of  apples  at  five  hundred 
dollars  to  seven  hundred  dollars  per  acre,  and 
his  pears  at  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  dol- 
lars per  acre.  He  has  fifty  acres  of  fruit  in 
bearing  order  on  his  home  ranch,  ten  acres  in 
another  part  of  Delta  county  and  ten  in  Mont- 
rose  county.  He  has  also  taken  a  great  interest 
in  the  fruit  industry  in  official  capacities,  serv- 
ing as  horticultural  commissioner  on  the  board 
of  world's  fair  managers  in  1893,  and  collect- 
ing and  arranging  the  fruit  exhibit  at  the  fair, 
for  which  he  received  a  medal,  and  as  president 
of  the  state  horticultural  board  of  Colorado. 
He  was  appointed  to  do  the  same  for  the  state 
at  the  St.  Louis  fair  as  he  did  for  the  one  at 
Chicago,  but  was  obliged  to  decline  the  appoint- 
ment on  account  of  the  demands  of  his  private 
business.  Mr.  Coburn  was  married  on  March 
n,  1869,  to  Miss  Hattie  Acker,  a  native  of 
Naperville,  Illinois.  She  died  in  1882,  leaving 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  both  of  whom  are  living, 
the  daughter  being  a  resident  of  California 
and  the  son  of  Lake  City,  this  state.  On  Febru- 
ary 26,  1884,  the  father  married  a  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Childers,  a  wridow  with  four  chil- 
dren, and  a  native  of  Missouri  born  near  St. 
Louis.  Her  children  are  all  living  and  are  all 
married  and  settled  in  Colorado.  She  came 
with  her  four  children  alone  to  Colorado  in 
May,  1882,  and  first  located  at  Pitkin,  where 


she  lived  until  the  fall  of  1883,  when  she  moved 
to  the  North  Fork  valley,  where  she  met  Mr. 
Coburn  and  was  married  to  him.  He  arrived 
in  this  section  with  almost  nothing,  and  now; 
owns  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land, 
worth  about  fifty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  has 
money  besides.  His  wife  owns  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  within  a  mile  of  their  home 
that  is  worth  five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Coburn 
is  a  Mason,  and  politically  a  .Democrat. 

JOSEPH  J.  PUTNEY. 

The  restless  spirit  of  New  England,  which 
will  never  rest  while  there  is  opportunity  for 
work,  and  is  always  seeking  new  worlds  to  con- 
quer, has  not  only  filled  our  land  with  industrial 
enterprise  in  multiform  variety  but  has  over- 
spread it  with  emigration  and  hardy  pioneers, 
has  been  potential  in  settling  and  civilizing  the 
Mississippi  valley,  and  has  also  aided  in  colon- 
izing the  farther  West  and  redeeming  it  from 
barbarism  and  making  it  fruitful  with  the  bless- 
ings of  cultivation.  It  is  from  this  people  that 
Joseph  J.  Putney,  of  Collbran,  in  the  Plateau 
valley,  Mesa,  sprang,  and  he  is  a  good  type 
of  the  section  from  which  he  hails.  He  was 
born  in  Merrimac  county,  New  Hampshire,  in. 
1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Lydia 
(Page)  Putney,  of  that  state,  where  both  were 
born  and  reared,  where  they  were  married  and 
labored  through  life,  and  where,  when  their 
labors  were  ended,  they  were  laid  to  rest.  The 
mother  died  in  1853,  and  the  father  ten  years 
previous,  in  February,  1843.  Their  offspring 
numbered  nine,  of  whom  Joseph  was  the 
seventh.  At  an  early  period  of  his  life  he  was 
obliged  to  provide  for  himself,  and  during  a 
portion  of  his  youth  he  lived  with  a  cousin. 
In  March,  1855,  he  moved  to  northern  Illinois, 
where  for  three  years  he  was  occupied  in  farm- 
ing. He  then  went  into  southern  Wisconsin, 
and  there  followed  the  same  vocation  until  Sep- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


tember,  1861.  Then,  in  loyal  devotion  to  the 
Union,  he  enlisted  in  its  defense  in  Company 
K,  Eighth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served  until  November  8,  1863.  At  that  time 
he  was  detached  for  recruiting  duty  and  helped 
to  raise  the  Third  United  States  Colored  Cav- 
alry, and  in  that  regiment  was  a  second  lieu- 
tenant until  January  24,  1866.  After  his  dis- 
charge he  settled  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where 
he  worked  at  various  occupations  for  a  year, 
after  which  he  was  on  the  city  police  force  from 
1868  to  1873.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he 
moved  to  Hamilton,  Minnesota,  and  a  year  later 
to  Spring  Valley,  in  the  same  county.  Here  he 
was  employed  as  a  carpenter  until  1879,  then 
came  to  Colorado,  and  worked  at  his  trade  at 
Leadville  for  some  time.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Summit  county,  then  to  Gunnison  county, 
engaged  in  mining  until  1883,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  worked  at  day  labor  in  Delta 
county.  From  Delta  he  went  to  the  mining 
district  of  Aspen,  where  he  remained  until  he 
took  up  his  residence  at  Collbran  in  Mesa 
county.  Here  he  was  variously  employed 
from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  1887  until  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  in  1889,  and  since 
then  he  has  continuously  occupied  this  office. 
He  was' married  in  1870  to  Miss  Adelaide 
Gehrs,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  have  had  two 
children,  Charles  H.  and  Frederick,  both  of 
whom  died  when  about  five  months  old.  Mrs. 
Putney  died  when  she  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  and  since  then  he  has  lived  alone.  Mr. 
Putney  is.  respected  by  the  entire  community 
for  his  upright  life  and  sterling  worth,  and 
in  official  relations  he  is  giving  satisfaction 
to  the  people  without  regard  to  party  or  class. 

CHARLES  SCALES. 

Making  his  own  way  in  the  world  from  the 
age  of  ten  years,  and  by  industry  and  frugality 
steadily  forging  ahead  since  then,  Charles 


Scales,  one  of  the  leading  fruit-growers  of 
Delta  county,  living  on  a  fine  and  productive 
ranch  of  twenty-two  acres  and  a  half  one  mile 
west  of  Paonia,  has  built  his  fortunes  well  and 
wisely,  and  what  he  has  is  wholly  the  product 
of  his  own  enterprise  and  business  capacity.  He 
is  a  native  of  England,  born  on  June  27,  1851, 
and  the  son  of  William  and  Celia  (Cawsin) 
Scales.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  English 
army  thirty-four  years,  stationed  a  part  of  the 
time  in  Canada.  The  parents  then  returned  to 
their  native  land,  where  the  father  died  in 
1869  ancl  the  mother  in  1893.  They  had  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  two  of  them 
in  England.  One  son  was  born  in  Canada  in 
1843  and  died  very  young.  Another  was  born 
on  the  Atlantic  ocean  in  1845,  and  died  before 
the  end  of  the  voyage,  living  only  five  days.  In 
1861  Mr.  Scales  began  to  make  his  own  living, 
serving  as  a  butcher's  boy,  and  maintaining  his 
connection  with  the  trade  for  a  period  of  thirty 
years.  In  1879  he  started  for  San  Francisco, 
landing  at  New  York  city  on  July  4th,  and  at 
his  destination  on  the  Pacific  some  time  after- 
ward. In  April,  1880,  he  shipped  as  a  butcher 
on  an  Australian  steamer,  on  which  he  made 
ten  trips  between  California  and  that  country. 
Afterward  he  located  at  Excelsior  Springs  in 
Clay  county,  Missouri,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  ten  months,  then  moved  to  Kansas 
City,  in  the  same  state,  and  there  worked  at 
it  six  months  longer.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he 
came  overland  to  Pitkin,  Colorado,  and  on  his 
arrival  here  at  once  began  butchering  again, 
living  there  fourteen  years  and  carrying  on  a 
prosperous  business  in  his  line  twelve  years  of 
the  time.  In  the  spring  of  1897  he  moved  to 
the  North  Fork  valley,  taking  up  his  residence 
on  the  ranch  which  has  been  his  home  ever 
since,  and  which  he  bought  in  1894,  and  that 
year  settled  his  family  on  it.  They  began  mak- 
ing the  needed  improvements  while  he  con- 
tinued his  business  at  Pitkin.  Of  the  twenty 


288 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


acres  of  which  the  ranch  was  originally  com- 
posed he  has  set  out  sixteen  in  fruit,  and  he 
has  since  purchased  two  and  one-half  acres 
more,  and  now  has  five  acres  in  alfalfa.  The 
greater  part  of  his  orchard  is  in  apples,  but  he 
has  two  acres  in  peaches,  from  which  he  gets 
a  net  income  of  about  six  hundred  dollars  a 
year,  the  apple  trees  being  not  yet  in  full  bear- 
ing order,  but  all  are  steadily  enhancing  in 
value.  Mr.  Scales  was  married  on  April  14, 
1887,  to  Mrs.  Mary  L.  C.  Johnson,  a  native  of 
Mississippi  and  the  daughter  of  Zedekiah  and 
Sarah  (Frost)  Bassham,  the  former  born  in 
Tennessee  and  the  latter  in  Mississippi.  They 
moved  to  Arkansas  in  1856,  and  there  they 
passed  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  mother  dying 
in  1859  and  the  father  in  1862.  The  latter  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  army  in  the  first 
years  of  the  Civil  wrar,  and  was  taken  ill  at  the 
battle  of  Springfield,  dying  from  this  illness  in 
September,  1862.  They  had  eight  children, 
only  three  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Scales  have  one  son,  Charles  B.  L.,  now  fifteen 
years  old  (1904).  Mr.  Scales  belongs  to  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  fraternally,  and  in  church 
affiliation  is  a  Seventh-day  Adventist.  In  po- 
litical activity  he  is  independent. 

FRANK  CURTISS. 

"  Sprung  from  a  martial  strain,  and  ardently 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  county 
in  peace  and  war,  giving  special  atten- 
tion always  to  the  section  in  which  he 
lives,  Frank  Curtiss,  of  Delta  county,  one  of 
the  prosperous  and  progressive  fruit-growers  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Paonia,  where  he  has 
twelve  acres  of  valuable  orchards  located  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  northwest  of  the  town, 
has  been  a  useful  citizen  and  has  demonstrated 
in  many  ways  his  ability  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  his  situation  in  a  manly  and  masterful 
way.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  on  the  first 


day  of  April,  1834,  and  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Lucretia  (Brooks)  Curtiss,  who  were  born  at 
Durham,  Connecticut,  the  mother  on  December 
31,  1786,  and  the  father  on  July  17,  1787.  The 
father  was  a  fifer  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  Mr. 
Curtiss  still  owns  the  fife  he  used  in  that  contest. 
In  1843  the  family  moved  to  Illinois,  and  three 
years  afterward  to  Wisconsin.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  died  in  Wisconsin,  on 
November  26,  1846,  where  the  mother  also 
died,  passing  away  on  March  29,  1869. 
Their  son  Frank  remained  at  home  and 
aided  in  the  work  of  the  farm  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  receiv- 
ing a  common-school  education  at  the  dis- 
trict schools.  In  1848,  being  eager  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world,  he  went  to  the  town  of 
Berlin,  Wisconsin,  and  there  secured  employ- 
ment in  a  hotel.  A  little  later  the  proprietor  of 
the  hotel  opened  a  store  in  the  town  and  put 
Mr.  Curtiss  in  it  as  a  clerk.  He  remained  there 
so  employed  three  years,  then  in  1851  returned 
home  and  passed  a  year  at  school.  During  the 
next  three  years  he  was  on  the  road  with  a  con- 
cert company,  then  returning  to  Illinois,  he 
remained  in  that  state  until  1861,  when  he  en- 
listed as  a  Union  soldier  in  Captain  Graham's 
company  of  independent  cavalry.  In  the  en- 
suing winter  his  company  was  consolidated 
with  the  Eighth  Kansas  Infantry,  and  in  that 
regiment  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  three  years 
of  service,  being  discharged  at  the  end  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disabilities  incurred  in  the 
service  and  with  the  rank  of  captain,  to  which 
he  was  promoted  for  meritorious  conduct.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  battle 
of  Knoxville,  and  in  fact,  all  the  leading  en- 
gagements in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  re- 
ceived two  slight  wounds.  After  his  discharge 
from  the  army  he  went  back  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  trade  until  1873,  when  fail- 
ing health  brought  him  to  Colorado  and  located 
him  at  Manitou,  where  he  built  a  home  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


289 


lived  until  the  autumn  of  1875.    Then  the  boom 
having  started  at  Lake  City,  he  moved  to  that 
enterprising  camp  and  followed  mining  for  a 
year.     In  the  spring  of   1876  he  was  elected 
town  clerk  and  treasurer,  and  after  filling  the 
office  creditably  three  years,  moved  in  the  spring 
of  1879  to  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Pit- 
kin,  where  on  the  first  day  of  March  he  drove 
the  first  stake  for  the  future  city  in  three  feet 
of  snow,  camping  under  a  spruce  tree  until  he 
could  build  a  house.     In  the  spring  of  1888  he 
became  a  resident  of  the  North  Fork  valley  and 
located  a  ranch  on  a  part  of  which  he  now  lives, 
buying  forty  acres  on  Pitkin  mesa,  which  was 
so  called  because  the  first  settlers  there  were 
from  Pitkin.    During  his  residence  at  Pitkin  he 
served  as  postmaster  from  the  establishment  of 
the  postofrice  until  he  moved  away  from  the 
town.     In  his  new  location  he  paid  three  hun- 
dred dollars  for  his  forty  acres  of  land  and 
started  to  raise  cattle.     Some  little  time  after- 
ward sold  his  live  stock  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  raising  fruit,  then  a  new  industry  in 
that  section.     His  land  rose  rapidly  in  value  and 
having  more  than  he  cared  for,  he  sold  twenty- 
eight  acres  to  one  man  at  eight  dollars  per  acre, 
then  bought  eleven  acres,   for  which  he  paid 
ninety  dollars.    The  twelve  acres  of  his  original 
purchase  which  he  still  owns  he  holds  at  twelve 
thousand  dollars,  but  has  no  desire  to  sell  it.    It 
yields  him  an  average  annual  income  of  about 
three  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  and  is  steadily 
increasing  in  value.     Mr.  Curtiss  was  married 
on   November   14^   1861,  to  Miss  Martha  M. 
Goss,  of  Geneseo,  Illinois,  who  was  born  on 
July  24,  1840,  at  Chicago.     Her  mother  died 
while  the  daughter  was  an  infant,  and  after 
that  sad  event  the  father  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  Boston,  where  he  remained  until  1851, 
then  again  became  a  resident  of  Illinois,  where 
he  died  in   November,    1898.     Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Curtiss  have  two  sons,  Horace  L.  and  John  G. 
The  former,  who  is  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 


is  living  at  home  with  his  parents  and  caring 
for  them.  The  latter,  aged  thirty-four,  is 
married  and  has  a  ranch  of  his  own.  In  politics 
the  father  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

JAY  F.  SMITH. 

Jay  F.  Smith,  who  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
and  progressive  ranch  and  cattle  men  of  Delta 
county,  Colorado,  where  he  has  also  given 
some  attention  to  fruit  culture,  is  a  native  of 
Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  on 
December  29,  1845,  and  the  son  of  Isaac  T.  and 
Nancy  A.  (Dejanes)  Smith,  New  Yorkers  by 
nativity.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  dealt 
considerably  in  agricultural  machinery.  The 
family  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1836,  and  there 
the  mother  died  in  1859.  Three  years  after-- 
ward the  father  moved  to  Iowa  and  in  1874  to 
Colorado.  He  remained  in  this  state  until  1898, 
having  his  home  near  Fort  Collins  a  part  of 
the  time  and  a  part  at  Lake  City,  and  being  en- 
gaged most  of  the  period  in  mining  and  pros- 
pecting. In  1898  he  went  back  to  his  old  Wis- 
consin home,  where  he  died  in  1901.  There 
were  nine  children  in  the  family  and  five  of 
them  are  living,  two  in  this  state.  Jay  F.  Smith 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen,  receiving  in  the  neighborhood  schools 
a  common-school  education.  In  1864  he  began 
the  battle  of  life  for  himself  as  a  laborer,  work- 
ing in  his  native  state  until  the  fall  of  1865, 
and  in  Iowa  from  that  time  until  the  spring  of 
1866.  At  the  period  last  named  he  came  to 
Colorado,  making  the  journey  overland  with 
Captain  Tyler  to  Boulder.  He  arrived  at  his 
destination  with  nothing  in  money,  but  soon 
secured  a  position  as  a  hand  on  a  ranch,  and 
from  then  until  1881  he  worked  for  wages.  In 
that  year  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Delta 
county,  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 


290 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  land  for  a  home,  which  he  improved  and 
brought  into  vigorous  cultivation  in  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables  as  rapidly  as  possible.  He  also 
set  out  forty  apple  trees,  which  is  all  he  ever  did 
in  the  way  of  fruit  culture.  He  has  given  the 
most  of  his  attention  to  raising  stock  and  hay, 
and  has  prospered  at  the  enterprise.  When  he 
took  up  his  ranch  he  had  but  little  more  capital 
than  when  he  arrived  in  Colorado.  He  now 
owns  sixty  acres  of  good  land  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  well  improved  with  good 
buildings,  the  place  being  worth  over  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  In  1892  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Nettie  Morrow,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Missouri,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Delilah  (Funk)  Morrow,  the  former 
a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Frank- 
lin county,  Missouri.  The  father  was  a  farmer. 
He  went  to  California  in  one  of  the  argonautic 
expeditions  of  1849,  but  never  lived  in  Colo- 
rado. His  wife  died  on  May  13,  1887,  in 
Franklin  county,  Missouri,  and  he  at  the  same 
place  on  May  18,  1894.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  had  two  children.  One  died  in  infancy, 
and  the  other,  their  daughter  Fairy  D.,  is  liv- 
ing, aged  eleven.  Mr.  Smith  supports  the  Re- 
publican party  in  politics.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  served  one  hundred  days  in  the  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  Company  G,  Forty- 
fourth  Iowa  Infantry. 

DAVID  S.  STEPHENS. 

David  S.  Stephens,  who  has  been  in  this 
state  off  and  on  since  1876  and  permanently 
since  1887,  and  who  is  now  comfortably  es- 
tablished on  an  excellent  ranch  of  fifty  acres 
well  adapted  to  fruit,  is  a  native  of  Howard 
county,  Indiana,  born  on  March  14,  1864,  and 
the  son  of  David  R.  and  Nancy  J.  (Scott) 
Stephens,  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  six  weeks  old 
and  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of  twelve  by  his 


grandparents,  being  taken  to  their  home  in  Wis- 
consin in  his  infancy.  The  father  is  a  farmer 
still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  in  Indi- 
ana, where  he  has  passed  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  In  1866  Mr.  Stephens'  grandparents 
moved  to  McPherson  county,  Kansas,  and  he 
lived  there 'until  1876.  There  his  grandfather 
died  in  1873  and  his  grandmother  in  1878.  In 
1876,  Mr.  Stephens,  then  a  boy  of  twelve, 
started  out  in  life  for  himself,  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  Gunnison  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  mining  two  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  returned  to  Kansas,  remaining 
in  that  state  until  May,  1880,  when  he  came 
again  to  Colorado,  and  making  his  home  in 
Denver,  he  went  to  school  a  few  months.  In 
the  ensuing  spring  he  once  more  returned  to 
Kansas  and  engaged  in  farming,  remaining 
there  until  1887.  In  that  year  he  took  up  his 
residence  permanently  in  this  state,  purchasing 
a  ranch  on  the  North  fork,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  village  of  Paonia.  After  improving 
this  he  sold  it  for  three  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars,  the  tract  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  seven  of  which  he  had  set  out  in 
fruit.  Since  then  one-half  of  the  place  has  been 
sold  to  another  purchaser  for  ten  thousand 
dollars,  the  sale  having  been  made  in  1902. 
After  selling  his  first  ranch  he  bought  another 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  a  part 
of  which  he  now  lives.  Since  making  the  pur- 
chase he  has  sold  one  hundred  acres  of  the 
tract,  fifty  of  which  was  woodland  with  a  water 
right,  for  which  he  got  five  thousand  dollars, 
and  he  has  also  allowed  the  railroad  company 
to  have  ten  acres.  Then  he  has  bought  an  ad- 
dition of  ten  acres  so  that  he  now  owns  sixty. 
Forty  acres  of  this  have  been  well  improved 
and  highly  cultivated,  and  on  the  entire  tract 
he  carried  on  an  active'  cattle  business  until 
1903,  when  he  sold  his  stock  and  determined 
to  give  his  attention  to  fruit  culture,  for  which 
the  land  he  has  is  well  adapted.  He  already  has 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


291 


four  acres  in  fruit  in  good  bearing  condition, 
and  it  is  his  intention  to  plant  twelve  acres  more 
in  standard  trees,  mostly  peaches.  On  April 
1 8,  1871,  was  born  Miss  Nettie  Fawcett,  of 
Wilson  county,  Kansas,  the  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Nannie  A.  (Marshall)  Fawcett,  who 
came  to  Colorado  in  1873,  and  first  located  at 
Sagauche,  then  moved  to  Lake  City.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter.  Mrs.  Stephens  became 
a  resident  of  Delta  county  in  1882,  where  she 
married  the  subject.  Her  father  located  what 
is  known  as  the  Fawcett  ranch  three  miles  from 
Paonia,  which  is  a  large  fruit  ranch  and  was 
the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  vicinity.  His  wife 
died  in  1892,  but  he  is  still  living.  In  politics 
Mr.  Stephens  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
was  living  on  his  ranch  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, June  18,  1893.  It  is  located  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  Paonia. 

ZEDEKIAH  WATSON. 

Zedekiah  Watson,  whose  beautiful  and 
productive  fruit  farm  of  twenty-eight  acres, 
located  one  mile  from  Paonia  on  Pitkin  mesa, 
is  one  of  the  choice  tracts  of  this  prolific  region, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado  continuously 
since  1863,  and  during  the  period  of  his  life 
in  the  state  has  seen  the  most  of  it  and  engaged 
in  mining  and  other  work  in  many  parts  of  it. 
At  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  the  state  it  was  new 
and  almost  wholly  undeveloped,  and  he  jour- 
neyed from,  place  to  place,  trying  his  hand  in 
new  locations  successively,  aiding  in  develop- 
ing and  building  them  up  and  meeting  with 
alternate  successes  and  reverses  in  his  oper- 
ations, engaging  in  mining  for  a  long  time, 
then  turning  his  attention  to  farming  and  fruit 
culture.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  on  December 
26.  1838,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Polly 
A.  (Miller)  Watson,  also  natives  of  Ohio  and 
life-long  dwellers  in  that  state.  In  1861  the 


son,  being  then  twenty-three  years  old,  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company 
I,  Twenty-second  Ohio  Infantry,  and  in  that 
command  he  served  three  months.     The  term 
of  his  enlistment  having  then  expired,  he  was 
discharged  and  did  not  re-enlist.     In  1863  he 
determined  to  become  one  of  the  army  of  in- 
dustry that  was  endeavoring  to  settle,  civilize 
and  develop  the  great  western  states,  and  came 
to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Denver  in  July.     He 
at  once  began  mining    and    during    the    next 
twenty  years  he  was  connected  actively  and  in- 
dustriously with  this  business,  and  with  gratify- 
ing returns  on  the  whole.    In  1879  ne  joined  G. 
P.  Chiles,  Frank  Curtis  and  Wayne  Scott  in 
locating  the  town  of  Pitkin,  where  Mr.  Scott 
still  lives,  the  other  three  being  residents  of 
Delta  county,  where  Mr.  Watson  took  up  his 
residence  in   1883,  having  accumulated  about 
four  thousand  dollars  in  mining  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Pitkin.    He  and  Mr.  Curtis  located 
in  the  county  together,  Mr.  Watson  taking  up 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  of  which 
he  sold   Mr.    Curtis   twenty  acres.     He   then 
planted  about  thirty  acres  in  fruit  and  after- 
ward sold  thirty-two,  so    that    he    now    has 
twenty-eight  acres  of  fine  orchards  of  apples, 
peaches  and  prunes,  which  yield  him  a  neat  a,n- 
nual  revenue  of  some  three  hundred  dollars  an 
acre,  twenty-one  acres  being  in  good  bearing 
condition,   and   the   whole   tract   worth   about 
fifteen  thousand  dollars.     In  1898  he  improved 
the  place  with  a  first-rate  brick  dwelling,  and 
he  has  from  time  to  time  made  other  needed  im- 
provements, having  now  every  convenience  re- 
quired for  carrying  on  his  business  and  finding 
his  own  personal  enjoyment  in  the  work.     Mr. 
Watson  has  never  married,   but  he  has  two 
nieces  who  keep  house  for  him.     These  young 
ladies  he  brought  to  the  state  with  him   in 
1903,  when  he  went  back  to  his  old  Ohio  home 
to  visit  his  parents,  whom  he  had  not  seen  or 
heard  from  for  forty  years.    In  politics  he  sup- 


292 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ports  the  Democratic  party,  but  he  is  seldom 
an  active  partisan,  finding  enough  to  occupy 
his  time  and  energies  on  his  ranch.  Generally 
esteemed  for  his  sterling  manhood  and  useful 
citizenship,  and  taking  an  active  and  helpful 
part  in  the  growth  and  development  of  his 
county,  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  represent- 
ative men  of  his  section. 

CHARLES  F.  JOHNSON. 

The  present  efficient  and  obliging  county 
treasurer  of  Chaffee  county,  who  was  elected  on 
the  Republican  ticket  in  1899  and  re-elected  in 
1901,  and  whose  record  in  the  office  has  been 
a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  the  people. 
Charles  F.  Johnson,  is  a  native  of  Ripley 
county,  Indiana,  born  on  August  i,  1856.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county,  and  finished  his 
course  at  an  academy  in  Butlerville,  Jennings 
county.  His  father  was  a  tanner  and  farmer, 
and  while  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm  the 
son  also  learned  the  trade  of  tanning,  spending 
four  years  at  it  after  leaving  school.  In  1878 
he  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Canon  City  in 
March.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  found  em- 
ployment at  the  state  penitentiary  in  the  out- 
side work  of  the  institution,  gardening  and 
similar  pursuits,  remaining  there  so  occupied 
six  years.  In  January,  1884,  he  returned  to 
his  Indiana  home,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  in  his 
native  county.  Selling  all  his  interests  there 
in  the  spring  of  1889.  he  came  back  to  this 
state  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Salida,  where 
he  conducted  a  grocery  until  the  spring  of  1894, 
At  that  time  he  was  elected  city  clerk  and 
water  commissioner,  holding  the  office  four 
years.  From  1898  to  1900  he  was  again  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  trade  at  Salida.  In  the 
fall  of  1899  he  was  elected  county  treasurer, 
and  at  the  close  of  his  term  in  1901  was  re- 


elected,  being  in  each  case  the  candidate  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  he  has  supported  from 
the  dawn  of  his  manhood.  After  his  first  elec- 
tion to  this  important  office  he  sold  his  grocery 
and  moved  to  Buena  Vista,  the  county  seat, 
where  he  has  since  resided  and  been  in  the 
active  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  Under 
his  efficient  management  many  improvements 
have  been  made  in  the  management  of  the 
office  and  its  operations  have  been  made  more 
and  more  subservient  to  the  convenience  of  the 
people.  Mr.  Johnson  has  always  been  an  active 
party  worker,  and  his  interest  in  the  success  of 
the  cause  has  been  inspired  by  real  and  firm  con- 
viction of  its  righteousness,  without  primary 
reference  to  his  own  political  advancement. 
Fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Wood- 
man of  the  World.  On  September  30,  1880, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  G.  Me- 
Cabe,  a  native  of  the  same  county  as  himself, 
where  the  marriage  occurred,  and  living  on  the 
farm  adjoining  his  father's.  They  were  school- 
mates in  early  life.  Five  children  have  blessed 
their  union  and  brightened  their  domestic 
shrine,  their  sons  Lester,  Lovell  and  Delbert, 
and  their  daughters  Flora  and  Leola. 

CHARLES  ANKELE. 

This  worthy  citizen  and  capable  public 
official,  who  is  universally  esteemed  throughout 
the  county  in  which  he  lives,  is  the  seventh 
sheriff  elected  there  and  has  filled  the  office 
longer  than  any  other.  He  was  first  chosen  in 
1897  as  the  candidate  of  the  Silver  Republicans, 
who  fused  with  the  Democrats  against  the 
Populists,  and  was  the  only  candidate  on  their 
ticket  elected  except  one  county  commissioner. 
Having  at  that  time  a  decided  leaning  to  the 
Republican  party,  he  intended  at  the  close  of 
his  first  term  to  announce  himself  as  its  candi- 
date for  the  next,  but  being  forestalled  in  this 
by  another  member  of  the  party,  he  declined 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


293 


to  allow  the  use  of  his  name  in  the  convention 
of  that  party.  Then,  without  his  knowledge, 
the  Democrats  nominated  him  as  their  candi- 
date for  the  office,  and  he  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority.  At  the  close  of  his  second  term 
he  became  the  candidate  of  the  straight  Re- 
publicans and  was  again  honored  with  an  elec- 
tion and  is  now  serving  a  fourth  term.  Mr. 
Ankele  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  born  on  June  13,  1857.  There  he  re- 
ceived his  education,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
went  into  the  bridge  department  of  the  Lake 
Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad.  He  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  this  company  nearly 
four  years,  and  then  found  a  berth  under  the 
United  States  government  as  overseer  of  im- 
provement work,  rip-rapping,  etc.,  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  at  Plum  Point,  Tennessee.  After 
about  two  years  of  this  service,  in  1881  he 
moved  westward  to  Kansas,  making  the  trip  on 
a  furlough.  But  liking  the  West,  he  deter- 
mined to  remain  and  resign  his  position  under 
the  government,  and  went  to  driving  cattle 
from  Texas  to  Montana  over  the  trail,  which  he 
continued  to  do  three  years.  In  1885  he  bought 
a  bunch  of  cattle  which  he  brought  to  Chaffee 
and  settled  on  a  ranch  eight  miles  east  of  Sa- 
lida.  There  he  engaged  in  raising  stock  until 
1892,  when  he  was  appointed  marshal  of  Sa- 
lida.  This  office  he  held  five  years,  and  could 
probably  have  had  it  indefinitely  if  he  had  not 
been  transferred  by  the  votes  of  his  fellow 
citizens  of  the  county  to  the  sheriff's  office.  On 
qualifying  for  this  latter  office  the  first  time 
he  changed  his  residence  to  Buena  Vista,  the 
:ounty  seat,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  has  made  a  very  creditable  and  acceptable 
sheriff  and  his  name  as  such  is  spoken  with 
>ride  and  pleasure  by  all  classes  of  the  citizens. 
But  his  life  has  not  wholly  been  given  up  to 
>litics  here.  He  has  large  and  valuable  in- 
terests in  mining  properties  in  various  places 
and  other  possessions  of  worth.  In  the  fra- 


ternal life  of  the  county  he  takes  an  active  and 
earnest  interest  as  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Mason, 
a  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  Woodman  of  the  World 
and  an  Eagle,  belonging  to  lodges  of  these 
orders  at  Salida.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Elks,  holding  his  membership  in  that 
fraternity  in  the  lodge  at  Leadville.  On  De- 
cember 23,  1886,  at  Leadville,  this  state,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maggie 
O'Neill,  a  native  of  Michigan. 

GILBERT  A.  WALKER. 

Starting  out  in  life  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
with  nothing  but  his  native  capacity  and  de- 
termined spirit,  and  since  then  steadily  work- 
ing his  way  forward  by  persistent  energy  and 
close  attention  to  whatever  duty  lay  before  him, 
Gilbert  A.  Walker,  one  of  the  leading 'attorneys 
and  counselors  of  Chaffee  county,  this  state, 
has  neither  found  nor  inherited,  but  has  liter- 
ally hewed  out  his  opportunities,  and  has  made 
the  most  of  them.  He  was  born  on  April  i. 
1866,  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  while  he 
was  yet  a  child  his  parents  moved  to  Seward 
county,  in  eastern  Nebraska,  and  settled  on  a 
farm.  Here  the  son  grew  to  the- age  of  sixteen 
assisting  in  the  farm  work  and  having  almost 
no  chance  to  attend  school.  When  he  reached 
the  age  mentioned  he  took  his  destiny  in  his 
own  hands  and  by  working  for  a  period  ac- 
cumulated enough  money  to  give  him  the 
longed-for  opportunity  for  schooling,  and  after 
a  few  years  in  the  public  schools  in  the  winter 
months  was  able  to  go  through  the  State  Nor- 
mal at.  Emporia,  Kansas,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1892.  During  his  vacations  while  at- 
tending this  institution  he  kept  himself  pro- 
vided by  teaching  school,  and  after  finishing 
his  course  there  he  became  a  resident  of 
Chaffee  county,  this  state.  Here  he  taught 
school  at  Granite  until  1895,  during  one  year 
of  the  period  being  also  time  and  bookkeeper 


294 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


for  the  Twin  Lake  Placer  Mining  Company, 
and  in  two  of  the  summers  was  connected  with 
the  United  States  geodetic  survey  in  the  state. 
In  the  fall  of  1895  he  matriculated  in  the  law 
department  of  the  State  University  at  Boulder, 
and  he  was  graduated  therefrom  in  the  early 
part  of  1897.  He  then  returned  to  Buena 
Vista  and  began  practicing  his  profession.  To 
this  he  has  since  sedulously  devoted  himself, 
and  by  close  attention  to  business  and  ability 
in  the  discharge  of  it  he  has  risen  to  the  first 
rank  in  the  profession  in  his  part  of  the  state. 
In  the  fall  of  1901  he  was  elected  county 
superintendent  of  the  public  schools  as  the  can- 
didate of  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he 
has  always  been  an  active  supporter.  He  is  also 
interested  in  the  mining  industry  and  has  valu- 
able claims  in  very  promising  properties.  On 
September  13,  1892,  he  was  married  at  Buena 
Vista  to  Miss  Debby  Mosher,  a  native  of 
Illinois.  They  have  four  children,  Vida,  Verne, 
Helen  and  Daisy.  In  politics  Mr.  Walker  has 
always  been  a  firm  and  stanch  Republican  and 
is  now  editing  the  Colorado  Republican,  a 
weekly  paper  of  considerable  note. 

WILLIAM  W.  ROLLER. 

William  M.  Roller,  one  of  the  leading  real- 
estate  men  of  Salida,  and  who  has  been  one 
of  the  most  active  and  judicious  promoters  of 
the  city's  welfare,  sticking  to  it  and  believing 
in  its  future  through  all  changes  and  set- 
backs in  its  progress,  is  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  New  York,  born  on  November  i,  1841. 
He  passed  his  boyhood  and  began  his  education 
in  his  native  county,  living  there  until  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  In  September, 
1 86 1,  in  response  to  a  call  from  President  Lin- 
coln for  volunteers  to  defend  the  Union,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Sixty-fourth  New  York  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  until  his  discharge  at  the 
end  of  his  term  in  October,  1864,  going  in  as 


a  private  and  rising  by  meritorious  service  and 
gallantry  to  the  rank  of  captain.  He  also  re- 
ceived a  commision  as  lieutenant-colonel,  but 
quit  the  army  before  he  rendered  any  service 
under  it.  His  regiment  was  a  part  of  Han- 
cock's fighting  Second  Corps  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  wras  almost  continually  in 
active  service,  participating  in  many  of  the 
great  engagements  of  the  war.  After  leaving 
the  service  he  returned  to  his  New  York  home, 
and  there  he  taught  school  two  years,  then 
'passed  two  at  Dartmouth  College  as  a  student, 
intending  to  enter  the  medical  profession.  But 
in  1868  he  determined  to  come  west,  and  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  took  up  his  residence  at 
Ottawa,  Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
furniture  trade  ten  years.  Selling  out  in 
Kansas  in  1878,  he  came  to  this  state  and  lo- 
cated at  Colorado  Springs,  where  he  again 
carried  on  a  furniture  business,  continuing  it 
there  three  years.  In  1880  he  disposed  of  his 
business  at  Colorado  Springs  and  became  a 
resident  of  Salida,  which  was  then  a  new  town, 
just  laid  out  by  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road. It  contained  only  a  few  houses,  and  its 
future  was  necessarily  a  matter  of  uncertainty. 
But  Mr.  Roller  had  faith  in  it  and  at  once 
opened  a  furniture  establishment  and  soon 
found  his  business  assuming  large  proportions, 
and  the  town  growing  rapidly,  although  many 
persons  believed  that  Poncha  Springs,  six  miles 
west,  would  be  the  city  of  this  region.  In  the 
fall  of '1881  Mr.  Roller  sold  his  furniture  busi- 
ness and  turned  his  attention  to  dealing  in  real 
estate,  having  the  first  business  of  the  kind  in 
the  place  after  the  railroad  company.  That 
organization  laid  out  that  portion  of  the  town 
between  the  railroad  tracks  and  Haskell's.  ad- 
dition. The  latter  was  plotted  by  the  Salidj 
Land  Company,  which  was  organized  by  Mr. 
Roller  and  his  partner  in  business,  N.  R. 
Twitchell,  and  of  which  they  for  years  had  th( 
active  management.  The  addition  named 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


295 


comprises  the  principal  residence  and  much  of 
the  business  section  of  the  city,  and  has  proved 
of  great  advantage  in  the  spread  of  its  dimen- 
sions. The  first  name  of  the  place  was  South 
Arkansas,  and  was  given  to  it  by  former  Gov- 
ernor A.  C.  Hunt,  who  was  connected  with 
the  railroad  company  and  did  its  plotting  here. 
But  two  years  after  he  gave  it  this  name  the 
promising  bantling  was  re-baptized  and  re- 
called Salida.  The  company  organized  by  Mr. 
Roller  has  done  an  extensive  business  here  and 
contributed  largely  to  making  the  city  what  it 
is.  That  company  planted  the  trees  which  so 
plentifully  adorn  it,  erecting  many  of  the  most 
imposing  buildings  and  provided  for  every 
necessity  of  the  growing  municipality  as  oc- 
casion required.  It  also  advertised  the  place 
widely  throughout  the  surrounding  country 
and  offered  inducements  for  new  settlers  to 
make  it  their  home.  Mr.  Roller  has  been  from 
the  beginning  the  active  and  inspiration  of  this 
company  and  he  is  almost  wholly  entitled  to 
the  credit  for  the  great  volume  of  its  operations 
and  the  benefits  it  has  conferred  on  the  town. 
In  1884  he  with  others  organized  the  Edison 
Electric  Light  Company  of  Salida,  ,of  which 
he  has  been  ever  since  the  vice-president.  And 
in  1888  the  Salida  Opera  House  Association 
was  formed  with  him  as  one  of  the  principal 
stockholders  and  the  secretary.  The  opera 
house  is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  city. 
Mr.  Roller  is  its  manager.  In  every  way  he 
has  been  prominently  and  efficiently  connected 
with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city 
from  its  birth.  He  is  president  of  the  board  of 
trade,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Fair- 
view  Cemetery  Association.  He  is  also  ex- 
tensively interested  in  mining  in  this  section, 
.  and  owns  valuable  mining  properties  in  addi- 
tion to  the  large  amount  of  real  estate  he  pos- 
sesses in  the  city.  Although  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  he  is  not  an  active  partisan. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  thirty-second-degree  Free- 


mason, with  an  earnest  enthusiasm  for  the  good 
of  the  order,  serving  one  year  as  grand  high 
priest  of  the  state,  and  also  belongs  to  the  order 
of  Elks  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
On  September  24,  1884,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Nellie  H.  Arnold.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren. 

D.  H.  CRAIG. 

Nature,  who  seems  often  reckless  and  in- 
considerate in  the  distribution  of  faculties  to 
men,  sometimes  mixing  them  into  a  sort  of 
incongruous  and  inharmonious  union  in  the 
same  subject,  still,  in  the  main,  to  the  discern- 
ing eye,  pursues  a  general  system  in  her  bene- 
factions, and  along  with  endowments  for  cer- 
tain lines  of  activity  gives  the  spirit  and  de- 
termination to  engage  in  them  with  persistency. 
A  forcible  illustration  of  this  fact  is  furnished 
in  the  career  of  D.  H.  Craig,  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Salida,  who  although 
born  to  a  destiny  of  rural  life,  it  would  seem, 
was  well  fitted  by  natural  endowment  for  fiscal 
and  mercantile  affairs,  and  has  given  to  them 
the  whole  of  his  energy  and  all  his  time  since 
he  entered  upon  the  great  theatre  of  human 
action  as  a  young  man.  He  is  a  native  of 
Woodford  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  was 
born  on  November  6,  1850,  and  where  he  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education,  re- 
maining there  under  the  parental  roof  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  In  1868  he 
moved  to  Missouri,  and  during  the  next  thir- 
teen years  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
at  St.  Louis  and  Linneus,  that  state.  In  March, 
1 88 1,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Salida,  which 
was  then  a  municipal  infant  of  less  than  a  year 
old,  still  wrapped  in  its  swaddling  clothes  of 
tents  and  uncanny  wooden  buildings,  but  full 
of  lusty  life  and  promise.  Early  in  its  youth, 
first  in  1886,  and  again  in  1888,  it  passed 
through  baptisms  of  fire,  and  at  once  thereafter 
assumed  the  more  ambitious  habiliments  of  a 


296 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


city,  erecting  substantial  brick  and  stone  dwell- 
ings and  other  structures  in  place  of  its  canvas 
and  frame  ones,  and  entering  with  vigor  on 
the  progress  and  development  it  has  since 
shown.  In  this  advance  Mr.  Craig,  as  one  of 
its  interested  and  progressive  citizens  has  taken 
his  part  like  a  man  and  performed  his  duty  with 
unwavering  fidelity.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in 
the  town  he  and  his  brother,  L.  W.  Craig, 
opened  a  dry-goods  store  under  the  firm  name 
of  Craig  Brothers,  which  they  conducted  until 
1885,  then  sold  the  business  and  started  a 
private  banking  institution  which  they  called 
the  Continental  Divide  Bank,  they  being  its 
sole  proprietors.  The  next  year  Mr.  Craig 
bought  back  an  interest  in  the  former  dry- 
goods  establishment,  which  then  became  the 
firm  of  Craig,  Sandusky  &  Company,  but  he 
retained  his  interest  in  the  bank.  In  the  latter 
part  of  1889  he  and  his  brother  converted  their 
bank  into  the  First  National  Bank  of  Salida, 
which  was  opened  for  business  in  January, 
1890,  and  is  now  the  oldest  bank  in  the  city. 
L.  W.  Craig  was  president  and  F.  O.  Stead 
cashier,  D.  H.  Craig  continuing  to  give  his 
attention  to  the  mercantile  establishment.  In 
1891  he  sold  his  interest  in  this  and  united 
with  J.  A.  Israel  in  a  real-estate  business, 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  1894. 
He  then  left  the  real-estate  firm  and  went 
into  the  bank,  first  as  vice-president  and  some 
little  time  later  as  cashier,  a  position  which  he 
is  still  filling  with  profit  to  the  institution  and 
credit  to  himself.  Prior  to  this,  in  1890,  his 
brother  retired  from  the  presidency,  and  since 
then  the  bank  has  had  several  presidents, 
Robert  Preston,  of  Salt  Lake,  filling  the  office 
since  1897.  Under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Craig  as  cashier,  the  bank,  which  has  from  its 
start  done  an  extensive  business,  has  greatly 
enlarged  its  body  of  patrons  and  volume  of 
trade,  and  has  become  one  of  the  soundest  and 
most  valuable  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  cen- 


tral part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Craig  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  real-estate  interests  of  the  com- 
munity as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Jones  & 
Craig,  and  owns  considerable  property  in  the 
town  and  county,  houses,  lands  and  mining 
claims.  Politically  he  supports  the  Democratic 
party,  but  he  has  never  been  an  active  partisan, 
finding  plenty  to  occupy  his  time  and  faculties 
in  his  extensive  business  operations.  Frater- 
nally he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  which 
he  joined  when  he  was  but  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  holding  his 
membership  in  the  latter  in  the  lodge  at  Salida, 
of  which  he  is  the  only  charter  member  living 
in  the  city.  On  September  26,  1877,  at  Lex- 
ington, Missouri,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Laura  S.  Hollis,  a  native  of  that  state.  They 
hive  two  daughters,  Emily  Wiles  and  Marie 
Rose. 

JAMES  C.  TAYLOR. 

It  is  the  trial  through  arduous  experience, 
facing  danger  and  difficulty,  where  life  is  the 
stake  and  manhood  must  be  the  reliance,  or 
where  strong  influences  are  confronted  and 
overborne  by  force  of  character  and  unflinch- 
ing fidelity  to  duty,  that  often  secures  men  the 
enthusiastic  approval  of  their  fellows  by  dem- 
onstrating that  they  possess  the  qualities 
which  all  men  admire  and  long  for  and  which 
only  a  few  have.  Something  like  this  has  been 
the  fate  of  James  C.  Taylor,  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  sheriff  of  Montrose  county.  He 
was  elected  the  first  time  by  a  majority  of 
twenty-four  votes  after  an  exciting  contest 
wherein  every  nerve  was  strained  by  all  parties, 
and  scarcely  an  acre  of  ground  escaped  the 
searchlight  of  political  activity.  At  the  end  of 
his  term,  so  satisfactory  had  been  his  services 
in  the  first,  and  so  properly  had  he  borne  him- 
self in  his  important  position,  he  was  re-elected 
by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  candidate 
in  the  county.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  native  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


297 


Graves  county,  Kentucky,  born  in  1862,  and 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliza  (Wade)  Taylor, 
and  there  also  his  parents  were  born  and  reared, 
both  belonging  to  distinguished  ancestry  which 
had  met  the  call  to  duty  in  every  field  of 
American  life  in  its  day  and  locality.  The  fath- 
er, at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  enlisted 
in  the  Thirteenth  Kentucky  Infantry  and  must 
have  been  killed  in  one  of  the  early  engage- 
ments in  which  his  command  took  part,  as  he 
soon  disappeared  from  knowledge  and  was 
never  heard  of  again.  He  was  about  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  when  he  went  into  the  war, 
and  with  manly  character  and  martial  spirit  of 
his  forefathers  well  developed  in  him,  he  ap- 
peared to  have  a  bright  future  before  him.  So 
do  the  hazards  of  war  mock  human  hopes  full 
often  and  lay  men  of  promise  in  the  dust.  He 
was  a  son  of  James  Taylor,  a  native  of  Ala- 
bama, and  Polly  Dawson,  a  Kentuckian,  whose 
lives  from  maturity  were  passed  on  a  fine  Ken- 
tucky farm.  This  James  was  a  son  of  John 
Taylor,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle and  the  war  of  1812,  and  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Kentucky,  following  fast  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Daniel  Boone,  and  ending  his  days  in 
that  state.  The  mother  of  the  Sheriff,  some 
years  after  the  death  of  his  father,  married  a 
second  husband  and  thereby  became  the  mother 
of  eight  additional  children,  the  Sheriff  being 
the  only  child  of  the  first  marriage.  Her  par- 
ents were  James  and  Dolly  (Brown)  Wade, 
the  father  being  the  son  of  John  Wade,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  as  a  young  man  and  settled  in  Virginia, 
from  whence  he  moved  a  few  years  later  to 
Kentucky,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death.  The  Sheriff's  mother  died  in 
1894,  aged  fifty- four  years,  and  was  buried  just 
over  the  state  line  in  Tennessee.  James  C. 
Taylor's  childhood  and  youth  to  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  were  passed  in  his  native  state. 
At  that  age  he  began  life  for  himself,  going 


to  Texas  and  locating  near  Meridian,  the 
county  seat  of  Bosque  county,  where  he  herded 
cattle  from  1875  to  1881.  Then  after  a  visit 
of  a  few  months  to  his  old  Kentucky  home,  he 
came  to  Colorado  in  the  spring  of  1882,  and 
until  1885  was  employed  in  the  cattle  industry 
in  and  around  Pueblo.  From  Pueblo  he  re- 
moved to  Montrose  county,  and  here  he  was 
engaged  in  raising  cattle  on  his  own  account 
until  1892,  He  then  took  up  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Fort  Craw- 
ford, which  he  farmed  until  1900,  when  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  moved  to 
Montrose.  He  has  ever  since  been  busily  oc- 
cupied in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties 
and,  while  finding  them  pleasant  in  the  main, 
has  had  many  difficulties  and  dangers  to  en- 
counter and  many  long  and  trying  trips  in  all 
sorts  of  weather.  He  has  gone  through  all, 
however,  with  a  serene  and  lofty  spirit,  meeting 
every  responsibility  with  fortitude  and  intel- 
ligence, and  seeking  in  every  way  he  could  to 
fill  his  important  position  to  the  best  advantage 
of  the  whole  people.  In  his  second  candidacy 
he  was  on  the  Populist,  Democratic  and  Fusion 
tickets,  and  secured,  as  has  been  stated,  the 
largest  majority  ever  given  to  a  candidate  in 
the  county.  Soon  after  this  election  he  started 
a  livery  business  at  Montrose,  and  also  helped 
to  form  the  Kyle  &  Taylor  Grocery  Company, 
which  is  one  of  the  leading  mercantile  institu- 
tions of  the  place.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  with  membership  in 
the  lodges  of  these  orders  at  Montrose,  and 
also  in  the  Elks  lodge  at  Ouray.  He  is  also 
an  active  member  of  the  County  Fair  Associ- 
ation. In  1886  he  was  married  to  Miss  Flor- 
ence Duckett,  a  native  of  this  state  and  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Martha  (Taylor)  Duckett. 
In  his  family  are  five  children,  Minnie  E.,  Iva 
E.,  Arthur  M.,  Charles  J.  and  James  C.,  Jr. 


298 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


GEORGE  W.  ARMSTRONG. 

George  W.  Armstrong,  now  one  of  the 
leading  merchants  of  Salida  where  he  conducts 
a  large  drug  business,  has  had  a  varied  and 
interesting  career  since  coming  to  Colorado 
in  1864,  seeing  many  ups  and  downs  in  west- 
ern life,  tried  often  by  prosperity  arid  adversity 
and  proving  undisturbed  by  either,  always 
finding  a  place  for  a  new  start- when  business 
failed  and  always  making  headway  in  the  long 
run  whatever  the  obstacles  or  the  odds  against 
him.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York  city,  born 
on  December  27,  1843,  and  in  that  city  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  received  his  education.  After 
leaving  school  he  served  five  years  in  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Brown  Brothers  &  Company, 
then,  in  1864,  started  across  the  plains  to  Colo- 
rado during  an  Indian  war  which  was  then  in 
progress.  After  a  short  residence  at  Denver 
he  moved  to  Central  City,  where  he  passed 
nearly  a  year  in  mining,  then  returned  to  New 
York.  There  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  until  1877,  then  returned  to  Central 
City,  this  state,  and  once  more  engaged  in  min- 
ing. He  was  unsuccessful  and  walked  to  Den- 
ver to  seek  other  employment,  his  total  capital 
on  arriving  in  that  city  being  ten  cents.  He 
soon  found  employment  with  the  wholesale 
grocery  of  J.  S.  Brown  &  Company,  and  he  re- 
mained in  their  employ  three  years,  having 
risen  to  the  position  of  traveling  salesman  be- 
fore he  left.  In  1880,  in  partnership  with  De- 
Witt  C.  Demorest,  he  opened  a  grocery  in  West 
Denver,  and  within  the  same  year  was  elected 
to  the  city  council.  After  two  years  of  business 
prosperity  in  Denver  he  moved  to  Cimarron, 
Montrose  county,  in  1882,  and  there  opened 
a  general  store,  with  a  branch  at  Sapinero, 
fourteen  miles  distant  in  Gunnison  county.  At 
the  same  time  he  started  a  similar  enterprise 
at  Deheque  and  another  at  Parachute.  The 
Rio  Grande  Railroad  was  building  through 


this  territory  then  and  business  was  brisk  all 
along  the  line.  But-  later  Mr.  Armstrong 
found  his  interests  too  extensive  and  diffuse  for 
easy  management,  and  he  sold  all  his  stores  but 
the  one  at  Debeque,  which  he  continued  to 
rnanage  until  1900.  He  then  sold  it  also  and 
gratified  a  long-felt  desire  by  spending  several 
months  in  travel.  While  living  at  Debeque  he 
was  prominent  in  local  politics  as  a  Republican, 
and  during  most  of  the  time  he  was  either 
mayor  of  the  city  or  an  alderman.  He  was  also 
for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
August,  1901,  he  bought  the  drug  store  of  E. 
M.  Thompson  at  Salida,  and  after  enlarging 
and  remodeling  the  store  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  on  a  large  scale,  and  is  still  engaged  in 
it.  Fraternally  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  thirty-sec- 
ond-degree Mason,  with  the  rank  of  past  mas- 
ter in  his  lodge  at  Salida.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Elks  lodge  there.  On  March  4,  1867,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Annie  E. 
Mclntyre,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  where 
the  marriage  took  place.  They  have  one  son, 
Douglas  Armstrong,  who  is  a  locomotive  en- 
gineer on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  two  daughters. 

DR.  ABIJAH  JOHNSON. 

Among  the  most  useful  and  important  call- 
ings in  life  is  that  of  the  country  physician, 
and  in  proportion  to  its  usefulness  it  is  ex- 
acting and  trying  to  him  who  follows  it.  The 
Doctor  is  an  essential  visitor  to  every  house- 
hold at  times,  and  a  reassurance  and  sugges- 
tion of  safety  at  all  except  when  extremities 
are  at  hand.  If  he  be  cheerful  by  nature  and 
knows  his  patient  as  he  does  his  profession,  he 
carries  about  with  him  an  air  of  encourage- 
ment and  hope  which  is  in  many  cases  half  the 
battle  for  life.  Who  can  tell  to  how  many  he 
is  health  in  sickness,  solace  in  sorrow,  hope  in 
gloom  and  even  consolation  in  death !  And  it 
is  seldom  that  his  services  are  unappreciated, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


299 


however  meagerly  they  may  be  rewarded,  for 
in  all  parts  of  our  country  the  local  physician 
is  among  the  most  popular  and  generally  well 
esteemed  of  all  citizens.  To  this  class  belongs 
Dr.  Abijah  Johnson,  of  Montrose,  who  was 
highly  endowed  by  nature  for  his  profession, 
and  has  multiplied  his  capacity  by  judicious 
study,  observation  and  the  cultivation  of  an 
inspiring  and  reassuring  presence.  He  was 
born  in  1837,  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  the 
son  of  Charles  and  Nancy  (Beeson)  Johnson. 
His  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  re- 
moved to  Indiana  with  his  parents  when  he 
was  young.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
remained  many  years  engaged  in  farming,  re- 
moving toward  the  end  of  his  life  to  Iowa  and 
dying  there  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
He  was  a  Quaker  in  religious  affiliation.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Indiana  in  early  life.  There  she 
was  married  and  there  in  1849  s^e  died,  leav- 
ing eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  the 
Doctor  being  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  and  educated 
at  its  public  schools,  finishing  at  the  high 
school,  after  which  he  became  a  teacher  and  fol- 
lowed that  vocation  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
then  entered  the  medical  department  of  Ann 
Arbor  University,  and  after  a  course  of  in- 
struction at  that  institution,  matriculated  at 
the  Brooklyn  (New  York)  Medical  College  in 
1863,  being  graduated  in  due  time.  He  began 
practicing  at  Fairview,  Indiana,  remaining  two 
years,  then  located  at  Earlham,  Iowa,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  ten  years  was  actively  engaged  in 
a  lucrative  practice  at  that  place.  From  there 
he  came  to  Colorado,  settling  at  Castle  Rock 
in  1880,  and  five  years  later  removing  to  Mont- 
rose,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  conducted 
a  busy  and  expanding  practice,  rising  to 
eminence  in  his  profession  in  this  part  of  the 
state  and  becoming  a  forceful  factor  in  its 
public  life.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 


has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county  central 
committee  and  a  member  of  the  state  central 
committee  of  his  party,  rendering  good  service 
and  giving  material  aid  in  the  campaigns.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  through  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery,  and  for  twenty-five 
years  or  more  has  been  prominent  in  school 
affairs  \vherever  he  has  lived,  during  the  last 
fifteen  being  a  leading  member  of  the  local 
board  of  education  at  Montrose.  He  is  also  a 
valued  member  of  the  library  association.  On 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1863  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Street,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Celia 
(Wright)  Street,  of  that  state.  Three  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  Britomarte,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Olin  Spencer;  Carl,  who  is  a 
physician  and  now  vice-consul  of  the  United 
States  in  China;  and  Ross,  who  is  manager  of 
the  Trading  and  Transfer  Company  of  Cripple 
Creek.  Dr.  Johnson  was  the  efficient  president 
of  the  Western  Slope  Fair  Association  for 
several  years. 

HON.  CHARLES  M.  RYAN. 

Hon.  Charles  M.  Ryan,  of  Montrose,  whose 
valuable  services  to  his  country  and  the  state 
at  large  in  the  last  state  legislature  indicated 
a  knowledge  of  the  interests  and  requirements 
of  the  state  and  an  acquaintance  with  public 
affairs  in  general  and  with  men  that  could  have 
been  acquired  only  in  a  long,  varied  and  useful 
experience,  is  a  native  of  central  New  York, 
born  in  1857,  anc^  tne  son  °^  Jonn  and  Helen 
(Cahil)  Ryan,  who  were  born  in  Ireland  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  early  life,  the 
father  coming  as  a  young  man  and  the  mother 
as  a  girl  with  her  parents.  The  father  located 
on  a  farm  near  Syracuse  at  the  village  of 
Navarino,  and  from  there  he  was  married  near 
his  home  on  which  he  and  his  wife  lived  the 
rest  of  their  days,  he  dying  in  1864,  at  the  age 


300 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  forty-eight,  and  his  wife  in  1880,  at  that 
of  fifty-five.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  the  subject  of  this  review  being  the 
third  of  the  number.  He  remained  in  his 
native  county  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen,  and  received  a  limited  education  in 
the  district  schools  near  his  home.  When  he 
was  thirteen,  his  own  independent  and  self- 
reliant  spirit  and  the  circumstances  of  the 
family  induced  him  to  go  out  for  the  purpose  of 
earning  his  own  livelihood,  which  he  did  there 
for  five  years.  In  1875  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Colorado  Springs  and  in  that 
neighborhood  he  became  attached  to  the  stock 
industry  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a 
range  rider  and  cowboy.  While  neither  frail 
in  physical  health  nor  wanting  in  manly  spirit, 
his  free  out-door  life  was  a  source  of  great 
advantage  to  him  in  every  way.  It  gave  him 
increased  bodily  vigor,  heightened  and  es- 
tablished his  courage,  developed  a  broad  and 
ready  resourcefulness,  and  taught  him  the  best 
of  all  lessons  ever  given  in  the  school  of  ex- 
perience, to  rely  on  himself  in  emergencies,  giv- 
ing him  at  the  same  time  a  wider  knowledge  of 
and  a  firmer  confidence  in  his  own  capabilities. 
Thus  nature  is  always  balancing  her  gifts  to 
her  children.  Expatriating  this  gentleman 
from  the  blandishments  of  cultivated  life, 
which  might  have  been  his  portion  had  he  re- 
mained in  his  native  state,  and  laying  him 
tinder  tribute  for  almost  every  form  of  arduous 
effort  and  confronting  him  with  almost  every 
form  of  danger  and  privation  incident  to  a 
life  in  the  wilderness,  through  this  very  means 
she  poured  into  his  veins  a  strong  and  steady 
tide  of  high  vitality  and  intensified  his  spirit 
with  a  daring  and  a  comprehensiveness  of 
power  that  not  only  carried  him  safely  and 
successfully  through  the  engagements  then 
upon  him,  but  fitted  him  for  whatever  might 
come  in  future.  Essentially  and  by  nature  a 
man  of  high  integrity,  he  met  faithfully  every 


draft  then  made  upon  him  in  the  line  of  duty, 
and  since  then  he  has  continued  to  do  so,  and 
with  the  augmented  force  he  acquired  in  the 
discipline  of  trial  through  which  he  was  theri 
passing.  The  summer  of  1877  was  passed  in  a 
stamp  mill  on  Summit  mountain,  above  Del 
Norte,  and  after  that  he  was  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting until  late  in  the  summer  of  1880,  when 
he  went  back  to  the  saddle  and  occupied  him- 
self in  buying  and  selling  cattle.  Prior  to  this 
time,  by  thrift  and  business  acumen,  he  had  ac- 
quired valuable  property  in  Telluride,  making 
his  purchases  there  about  1882.  In  1885  ne 
sold  out  his  holdings  in  that  section  and,  mov- 
ing to  Montrose  county,  continued  to  deal  in 
stock  and  also  prospected  and  located  mining 
properties,  being  the  original  discoverer  and 
locator  of  the  Tomboy  mine.  His  principal  oc- 
cupation in  this  region,  however,  was  dealing 
in  cattle,  which  he  carried  on  extensively  until 
1892.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunnyside  mine  at  Eureka  gulch 
by  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Montrose, 
which  owned  the  property.  He  held  this  posi- 
tion during  the  summer  and  passed  the  ensuing 
winter  in  prospecting  through  the  Lasalle  and 
Blue  Mountain  districts,  returning  in  the  early 
summer  of  1893  to  again  take  charge  of  the 
Sunnyside  for  a  few  months.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  was  appointed  brand  inspector  for 
the  western  half  of  the  state  and  held  the  office 
until  relieved  by  a  change  of  administration  in 
the  state  government  in  the  spring  of  1894. 
The  summer  following  was  consumed  in  pros- 
pecting in  the  San  Miguel  region,  and  in 
February,  1895,  he  bought  a  bankrupt  stock 
of  furniture  in  a  store  now  kept  by  Messrs. 
Frasier  &  Garrett.  After  disposing  of  this  he 
became  live  stock  representative  for  the  house 
of  Planchard,  Shelly  &  Rogers,  of  Omaha, 
whom  he  represented  two  seasons  in  this  state. 
Quitting  this  employment  at  the  end  of  that 
period,  he  once  more  turned  his  attention  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


301 


dealing  in  stock,  in  which  he  has  since  been 
extensively  and  successfully  engaged,  his  head- 
quarters being  at  his  valuable  and  well-im- 
proved ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
ten  miles  northwest  of  Montrose.  He  has  been 
energetic  and  very  serviceable  in  connection 
with  all  projects  for  building  up  and  improv- 
ing the  county,  developing  its  resources  and 
strengthening  its  commercial  importance  thai 
have  commended  themselves  to  his  judgment. 
When  the  County  Fair  Association  was  or- 
ganized he  was  one  of  its  first  directors  and 
mainstays,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  president  of  the  Livestock  Association.  In 
politics  he  is  an  unwavering  Republican,  and 
as  the  candidate  of  his  party,  to  which  he  has 
given  the  devoted  loyalty  and  service  of  his 
mature  life,  he  was  elected  as  county  repre- 
sentative in  the  last  legislature.  He  is  a  Knight 
of  Pythias,  with  membership  in  Montrose 
lodge  of  the  order,  which  has  also  felt  the 
force  of  his  intelligence,  enterprise  and  capacity. 
On  Christmas  day,  1890,  Mr.  Ryan  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Clara  A.  Land,  a  native  of  New 
York  city,  daughter  of  John  Scott  and  Susan 
(Haden)  Land,  the  father,  a  Canadian,  being 
ah  extensive  traveler  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States  and  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
losing  his  life  on  the  battlefield.  His  widow 
makes  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan. 
They  have  one  child,  Archie  S.,  aged  seven 
years. 

A.   E.   BUDDECKE. 

Whatever  has  already  been  or  may  here- 
after be  accomplished  by  Colorado  and  other 
western  states,  whatever  high  examples  they 
may  give  to  mankind,  or  deeds  that  stir  the 
blood  may  shine  like  stars  in  their  future  his- 
tory, nothing  can  take  away  or  abate  the  credit 
due  to  the  pioneers  that  explored  them  and 
began  their  settlement,  daring  the  dangers, 
confronting  the  difficulties,  suffering  the  pri- 


vations of  frontier  life,  cut  off  from  society  and 
sympathy — almost  from  earthly  hope — and 
often  dying  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  wilderness 
before  any  of  the  fruits  of  their  labors  began 
to  bloom  or  ripen  around  them.  What  matter 
if  many  were  rude  men,  all  were  vigorous  and 
daring;  what  matter  if  they  were  impelled  to 
enterprise  by  native  restlessness  or  lured  by 
hope  of  gain,  they  blazed  the  way  for  the 
inarch  of  civilization  and  empire,  and  opened  a 
storehouse  of  incalculable  wealth  for  the  benefit 
of  their  kind  throughout  the  world.  To  this 
class,  the  pioneers  of  the  great  West  of  the 
United  States,  belongs  A.  E.  Buddecke,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  a  veritable  old  timer  in 
Colorado  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Mont- 
rose. He  was  born  in  1840,  ,  in  Franklin 
county,  Missouri,  the  son  of  William  Bud- 
decke, one  of  the  pioneers  and  conquerors 
of  the  waste.  They  were  natives  of  Germany 
and  brought  their  family  to  Missouri  among 
its  first  settlers  after  the  Revolution,  arriving 
in  America  about  the  year  1814.  In  what  is  now 
Franklin  county  of  the  state  of  Mr.  Buddecke's 
nativity,  they  passed  the  residue  of  their  lives, 
both  dying  in  1850,  the  mother  aged  forty- 
five  and  the  father  sixty.  Their  offspring  num- 
bered six,  of  whom  A.  E.  was  the  youngest. 
Passing  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the  wilds  of 
Missouri,  it  is  not  strange  that  he  imbibed  a 
love  of  adventure  and  conquest  of  untrodden 
regions  from  his  surroundings  and  his  daily 
life,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  joined  the  stam- 
pede to  Pike's  Peak,  making  the  journey  by 
team  across  the  plains  and  arriving  at  Denver 
in  the  summer  of  1860.  Instead  of  only  pros- 
pecting and  digging  for  gold  as  others  did,  he 
found  a  mine  in  using  his  team  in  the  service 
of  miners  and  was  engaged  in  freighting  out  of 
that  place  until  1872,  with  some  incidental  min- 
ing at  times.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Indian 
Territory  and  from  there  to  Texas,  and  in 
those  places  he  was  employed  in  the  stock  busi- 


302 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ness  until  1882.  He  then  returned  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  at  Montrose,  one  of  the  first 
white  men  to  settle  on  its  site.  He  engaged  in 
the  grocery  and  general  merchandising  trade, 
and  thus  drawing  people  from  the  surrounding 
country  to  this  point,  helped  to  found  the  town 
and  begin  its  life.  He  continued  in  business 
until  1893,  having  a  partner  named  Diehl,  the 
firm  name  being  Buddecke  &  Diehl.  In  1893 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  his  part- 
ner and  retired  from  active  pursuits.  He  lives 
alone  in  a  neat  cottage  home,  and  enjoys  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  whole  community  as 
a  sort  of  patriarch  and  father  of  the  town.  He 
built  the  first  brick  structure  within  its  limits 
and  was  the  builder  of  the  Montrose  Opera 
House,  of  which  he  is  still  the  manager.  In 
politics  he  is  an  unflinching  Democrat,  and  al- 
though averse  to  official  life,  served  as  one  of 
•the  first  board  of  commissioners  for  the  county. 
No  enterprise  for  the  good  of  the  town  and 
county  has  failed  to  get  his  active  aid  if  he  ap- 
proved it,  and  when  once  his  interest  has  been 
enlisted  his  energy  in  behalf  of  the  object  that 
engaged  it  has  never  flagged  until  the  desired 
end  was  accomplished. 

THOMAS  M.  MOORE. 

Thomas  M.  Moore,  one  of  the  successful 
and  progressive  farmers  of  Montrose  county, 
Colorado,  is  justly  entitled  to  the  prominence 
he  has  among  the  men  of  this  part  of  the 
state  who  are  engaged  in  the  industry  which 
he  has  reduced  to  a  science  and  followed 
through  life  with  system  and  intelligence 
worthy  of  admiration  and  sure  to  bring  good 
results.  He  learned  the  business  in  one  of  the 
great  grain  states  of  the  middle  West  that  lie  in 
the  arms  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi, 
and  practiced  it  there  for  more  than  a  third  of 
a  century.  In  that  section  of  the  country  the 
extent -of  the  acreage  devoted  to  cereals,  the 


volume  of  the  harvests,   the  commercial   im- 
portance of  the  product,   its   far-reaching  re- 
sults  and   the   mighty   machinery   devised   to 
gather  and  prepare  it  for  market  go  far  toward 
making   a   modern   world   wonder.      He   was 
born  in  McMinn  county,  Tennessee,  in  1832, 
and  is  the  son  of  Jabez  and  Alatha   (Baker) 
Moore,  natives  of  that  state  who  many  years 
ago  were  laid  to  rest  far  from  the  place  of  their 
birth   in   a  region  whither  they  had  come  to 
find  a  new  home  of  hope  and  promise  in  the 
morning  of  its  civilization  and  in  which  they 
.lived   to   enjoy   its    noonday   splendor   of   ac- 
complished results.     They  were  born  in  1800, 
and  in  1850  settled  in  Davis  county,  Iowa,  re- 
moving later  to  Taylor  county,   in  the  same 
state,  where  they  were  prosperous  and  success- 
ful farmers  and  where  they  passed  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives,  the  mother  dying  in  1871, 
in   her   seventy-first  year,    and   the    father   in 
1876,  in  his  seventy-sixth.     They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Missionary  Baptist  church.     The 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Love  and  Pris- 
cilla    (Tipton)    Baker,    who    were    born    and 
reared  in  Tennessee  and  removed  from  there  to 
Georgia  early  in  their  married  life,  remaining 
there  until  the  death  of  the  father,  after  which 
the  mother  came  to  Iowa  and  passed  the  rest 
of  her  days  with  her  daughter.     Mr.   Moore 
was  the  fifth  of  the  eleven  children  born  to  his 
parents,  and  lived  with  them  in  his  native  state 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  then  ac- 
companied them  to  Iowa,  where  he  soon  after 
engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account,  which 
he  continued  in  Davis  and  Taylor  counties  in 
that  state  until  1886.    He  then  rented  his  farm 
there  and  came  to  live  in  Colorado,  purchasing 
the  place  on  which  he  now  resides,  two  miles 
and  a  quarter  west  of  Montrose.     Here  he  has 
since  that  time  been  actively  occupied  in  general 
farming  and  raising  blooded  stock  and  superior 
qualities   of   fruit.      In  the  stock  industry  he 
has  given  attention  specially  to  the  production 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


3°3 


of  pure  bred  Norman  horses,  and  in  the  fruit 
industry  to  growing  high  grades  of  apples, 
peaches  and  plums.  He  has  thirty-five  acres  of 
his  farm*  in  fruit  trees  and  they  reward  his 
attention  with  abundant  crops  of  excellent 
fruit.  He  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Mary 
F.  Mattix,  a  native  of  Park  county,  Indiana, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Mattix,  who 
moved  from  Indiana,  the  state  of  their  na- 
tivity, when  Mrs.  Moore  was  a  young  girl. 
She  grew  to  womanhood  in  Iowa  and  was  mar- 
ried there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  had 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  Ida, 
Wiley,  William,  Chester,  Rosa,  Arthur,  Allie 
and  James.  Charles,  their  first  born,  died  in 
infancy  and  was  buried  in  Taylor  county, 
Iowa;  and  John  Oscar,  another  son,  died  since 
they  came  to  Colorado  and  was  buried  at  Mont- 
rose.  The  parents  are  passing  the  evening  of 
life  in  contentment  and  comfort  after  many 
struggles,  and  are  secure  in  the  general  esteem 
and  good  will  of  the  community  in  which 
their  energy  and  worth  have  been  so  signally 
displayed.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  for  many 
years  been  faithful  and  active  members  of  the 
Missionary  Baptist  church. 

STEPHEN  V.  TAPPAN. 

Born  in  LaPorte  county,  Indiana,  twelve 
miles  northeast  of  the  city  of  LaPorte  and  four 
miles  south  of  the  town  of  Three  Oaks,  Michi- 
gan, and  growing  to  manhood  there,  Stephen 
V.  Tappan,  of  Montrose  county,  this  state, 
was  reared  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most 
fertile  and  prolific  agricultural  regions  of  this 
country,  and  the  lessons  of  rural  life  and  its 
leading  industry  he  learned  there  have  been 
of  inestimable  benefit  to  him  in  all  his  subse- 
quent career.  His  life  began  in  1847,  an<^  ne 
is  the  son  of  Julius  and  Philuria  (Marshall) 
Tappan,  the  father  a  native  of  New  York  and 
married  there,  his  wife  also  being  native  in 


that  state.  In  1836,  soon  after  their  marriage, 
they  moved  to  Indiana  and  settled  in  LaPorte 
county  not  far  from  the  Michigan  line,  where 
to  the  end  of  their  lives  they  were  engaged  in 
farming,  except  during  the  Civil  war  when  the 
father  was  at  the  front  as  a  member  of  the 
Forty-eighth  Indiana  Infantry,  Company  D, 
and  the  mother  managed  the  farm  alone.  He 
entered  the  army  on  December  6,  1861,  and 
was  not  mustered  out  of  the  service  until  after 
General  Lee's  surrender.  Returning  then  to 
his  farm  work  he  followed  that  until  his  death 
in  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He  was 
prominent  in  local  affairs,  filling  various  town- 
ship offices,  and  after  the  war  to  the  end  of  his 
life  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  His  parents  were 
Stephen  and  Betsey  (Woodward)  Tappan,  na- 
tives of  Connecticut,  who  moved  to  New  York 
and  settled  near  Syracuse  in  early  days.  The 
father  was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  a  cap- 
tain in  the  service,  and  his  son  Julius,  who 
entered  the  service  as  a  private  in  the  Civil 
war,  rose  to  the  rank  of  sergeant.  The  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  ?. 
farmer  and  surveyor,  and  was  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  military  organization  of  his  town 
of  Baldwinsville,  where  he  died  in  1828.  His 
wife  also  died  there,  passing  away  in  1866. 
The  greater  part  of' her  life  after  the  death  of 
her  husband  was  passed  in  Berrien  county, 
Michigan.  She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. Stephen  Tappan's  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  Noah  and  Ruth  (Paddock)  Mar- 
shall. Her  father  was  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  an  early  settler  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Syracuse.  From  there  he  moved  to  Indiana 
and  later  to  Illinois.  His  last  days  were  spent 
in  .Indiana,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died 
and  were  buried.  Their  daughter,  the  mother 
of  Stephen,  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four,  having  been  the  mother  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  he  was  the  fifth.  He  remained  on 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  paternal  homestead  until  he  was  twenty- 
four,  and  having  the  trade  of  a  carpenter, 
worked  at  that  and  fanned  in  Indiana  until 
1877,  then  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at 
New  Carlisle,  St.  Joseph  county,  alone  for  a 
time  and  later  with  a  partner  under  the  firm 
name  of  Tappan  &  White.  He  followed  this 
until  1882  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Gun- 
nison  county,  Colorado,  where  he  prospected 
and  kept  a  store  for  two  years.  In  1884  ne 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  homesteading 
on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  sage  brush 
land  five  miles  from  the  town  of  Montrose.  A 
few  years  later  he  bought  the  place  he  now 
lives  on  of  eighty  acres  one  mile  nearer  the 
town  and  has  since  made  that  his  home.  Here 
he  has  five  hundred  fruit  trees,  apples,  peaches 
and  others,  and  a  large  acreage  of  small  fruits, 
from  which  he  has  an  abundant  yield.  He 
also  carries  on  a  thriving  stock  business.  In 
politics  he  is  an  active  Republican.  In  1889 
he  was  married  in  Montrose  county  to  Miss 
Mary  Smith,  daughter  of  M.  W.  Smith,  the 
subject  of  another  sketch  in  these  pages.  They 
have  one  son,  Charley.  In  addition  to  his 
farming  and  fruit  industries  Mr.  Tappan  is  in- 
terested largely  in  mining  properties  in  western 
Colorado.  He  had  two  brothers,  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson ^nd  Noah  M.,  in  the  Civil  war.  Thomas 
belonged  to  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry  and 
Noah  to  the  Twentieth  Indiana  Infantry.  The 
latter  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Malvern 
Hill. 

ALBERT  C.  ELLISON. 

After  years  of  arduous  labor  in  various 
lines  of  activity,  and  suffering  many  hardships 
and  disasters,  having  more  than  the  usual  run 
of  ups  and  downs  in  life,  yet  meeting  eve.ry 
condition  with  fortitude  and  rising  from  every 
reverse  with  renewed  vitality,  this  popular  and 
influential  ranchman  who  has  high  standing 
among  the  people  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  is  well 


established  as  manager  of  the  extensive  and 
productive  stock  ranch  of  B.  M.  Vaughan,  of 
New  York  city,  which  comprises  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  is  beautifully  located  on 
Elk  creek,  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Meeker, 
and  is  well  supplied  with  water  from  the  creek 
which  belongs  to  it.  It  is  one  of  the  choice 
places  in  that  part  of  the  state,  highly  improved 
with  excellent  ranch  buildings,  including  a 
lodge  of  fine  proportions  commanding  a  beau- 
tiful and  inspiring  outlook  over  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  is  equipped  with  every  appli- 
ance for  the  most  successful  management  of  its 
affairs.  It  is  one  of  the  few  places  yet  left  in 
the  section  which  has  a  fine  herd  of  elk  among 
its  stock,  in  addition  to  the  large  herds  of  well 

bred    Hereford    cattle    and    fancv    imported 
• 

horses,  which  are  the  admiration  of  the  whole 
region.  It  is  also  well  stocked  with  choice 
breeds  of  poultry  and  the  other  animal  life  to 
be  expected  on  a  breeding  farm,  and  all  its  ele- 
ments of  interest  are  not  only  of  the  best,  but 
are  looked  after  with  the  utmost  care  and  skill- 
ful attention.  Of  the  large  tract  of  land  which 
it  includes  three  hundred  acres  are  under  cul- 
tivation for  its  uses,  and  the  products  are  as 
various  and  their  quality  is  as  high  as  circum- 
stances will  permit.  Mr.  Ellison  was  born  on 
May  17,  1857,  in  Waupaca  county,  Wisconsin, 
and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Ellison, 
natives  of  Norway,  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  when  young  and  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  the  part  of  Wisconsin  where  they 
lived.  The  father  was  a  farmer,  butcher  and 
hotel-keeper,  and  was  successful  in  each  walk 
of  usefulness.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  a  man  of  influence  in  the  councils  of  his 
party.  Both  parents  died  in  1869.  They  had 
five  children.  One  son  named  Jack  is  deceased, 
and  Elias,  John,  Carrie  and  Albert  C.  are 
living.  Albert  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation and  assisted  his  parents  on  the  farm 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  Then, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


305 


in  1875,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Boulder,  then  a  small  village.  Having  no 
money  left,  he  went  to  work  in  the  mines  in 
Four-Mile  gulch.  Six  months  later  he  engaged 
in  freighting  in  the  employ  of  Ardale  &  New- 
man, with  whom  he  remained  until  1884.  The 
labor  in  this  employment  was  hard  and  full 
of  hardships,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do 
anything  better  for  himself  he  quit  the  service 
and  built  a  log  cabin  on  the  forks  of  White 
river,  the  first  one  erected  in  that  neighborhood, 
and  this  was  put  up  in  the  interest  of  the 
Stock  Irrigation  Company,  which  located  one 
of  the  first  ranches  there.  In  the  employ  of  this 
company  Mr.  Ellison  brought  from  Larkspur 
to  the  ranch  three  hundred  and  ninety-eight 
Texas  mares  and  ten  imported  Norman  stal- 
lions for  breeding  purposes.  One  of  the  Nor- 
mans was  killed  in  transit  by  a  silver  tip  bear 
after  a  hard  battle.  The  industry  started  by 
this  band  of  horses  did  not  prove  a  success, 
but  Mr.  Ellison  remained  in  the  employ  of  the 
company  until  1886,  when  he  pre-empted  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  for  himself.  This  he 
improved  and  in  1889  he  sold  it.  During  the 
next  three  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to 
raising  horses  on  an  extensive  basis  and  pros- 
pered in  the  enterprise.  He  then  became  a 
tourists'  guide  and  continued  in  the  business 
eight  years.  As  he  was  one  of  the  first  guides 
in  the  hills,  so  he  was  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful and  found  the  business  very  profitable.  At 
the  end  of  the  period  named  he  secured  the 
position  he  is  now  so  successfully  filling.  Al- 
ways interested  in  horses,  he  still  owns  one  of 
the  best,  the  celebrated  stallion  Haroldwood, 
with  a  record  of  2  131 .  When  he  located  in  this 
section  the  country  was  wild  and  almost  unin- 
habited except  by  Indians  and  wild  beasts,  and 
all  hands  were  frequently  required  to  put  down 
Indian  hostilities.  The  Utes  were  very  trouble- 
some, and  he  was  in  all  the  fights  with  them. 
On  one  occasion  he  was  deputized  as  sheriff  to 
20 


quell  an  uprising  and  spent  thirty-two  days  in 
the  field  against  the  savage  foe  of  civilization, 
many  being  killed  in  the  campaign.  The  whites 
suffered  some  losses  too,  among  them  the  noted 
Jack  Ward  and  Frank  Folsom  and  a  Mr.  Curly, 
all  of  whom  Mr.  Ellison  helped  to  bury.  There 
were  in  those  days  no  bridges,  few  roads  and 
scant  supplies  of  the  ordinary  conveniences  of 
life.  Supplies  had  to  be  freighted  from  Denver, 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  and  the  work 
was  one  of  great  difficulty  and  danger,  con- 
ducted with  pack  horses.  He  also  freighted 
from  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  to  Meeker  for 
Hughes  &  Company,  having  the  first  contract 
in  the  county,  which  was  written  by  Judge 
Hazen.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  politically  belongs 
to  the  Republican  party.  On  November  20, 
1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  May  Smith,  a 
native  of  Fort  Collins,  Colorado.  They  have 
four  children,  Francis,  Alice,  Annie  and  Ben- 
jamin. His  success  in  business  here,  and  the 
position  of  influence  and  general  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held  among  all  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple, make  Mr.  Ellison  well  pleased  with  Colo- 
rado and  devoted  to  her  best  interests. 

HARRY  D.  BOYLE. 

The  scion  of  an  old  family  whose  history  in 
various  places  on  the  Atlantic  slope  is  alto- 
gether creditable  from  early  colonial  times,  and 
whose  record  in  peace  and  war,  in  public  and  in 
private  life,  in  Ireland  where  it  was  domesti- 
cated from  time  immemorial,  was  among  the 
best  of  the  prominent  families  in  that  country, 
Harry  D.  Boyle,  of  Montrose,  residing  on  the 
old  Chief  Ouray  ranch,  is  true  to  the  traditions 
and  aspirations  of  his  forefathers,  and  like 
them  has  been  a  prospector  in  new  territory 
and  a  conqueror  of  the  wilderness.  The  early 
American  members  of  the  family  helped 
to  colonize  Maryland  and  to  plant  the 


306 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


banner  of  religious  liberty  on  the  soil 
of  that  state,  and  from  there  in  time  went 
forth  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  extend- 
ing the  blessings  of  the  freedom  and  civiliza- 
tion of  which  they  were  always  strong  and 
prominent  advocates.  Some  of  them  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Kentucky,  and  it  is 
to  this  branch  of  the  family  that  Mr.  Boyle 
belongs.  He  was  born  in  1862,  at  Chillicothe, 
Livingston  county,  Missouri,  whither  his  par- 
ents moved  from  the  Blue  Grass  state  while 
they  were  young,  the  father  coming  at  the 
dawn  of  his  manhood  and  the  mother  with  her 
parents  before  she  reached  years  of  maturity. 
They  became  acquainted  in  Missouri  and  were 
married  there,  and  there  the  father  passed  the 
rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  bridge  building  and 
other  mechanical  work,  dying  in  1883,  aged 
sixty-five  years.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat 
in  politics  and,  like  others  of  the  family  else- 
where, was  prominent  in  the  local  affairs  of  his 
section.  His  widow  is  now  a  resident  of  Okla- 
homa, and  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  Their  children  number  nine,  of  whom 
the  son  Harry  is  the  seventh.  The  first  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  Missouri,  and 
were  in  no  respects  worthy  of  special  notice 
different  from  those  of  other  boys  in  his  class 
and  locality.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  took  up 
the  burden  of  life  for  himself  by  making  his 
way  to  the  pan-handle  of  Texas  and  joining 
the  army  of  daring  men  and  boys  who  were 
there  conducting  the  stock  industry.  After  an 
experience  of  thirteen  years  in  this  dangerous 
but  exhilarating  life  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
settled  at  Silverton,  remaining  there  for  a  year, 
and  thereafter  going  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  Western  slope  by  easy  stages  and  making 
an  extended  trip  through  Arizona  and  the  in- 
termediate country  into  Washington  and  the 
Alberta  country  in  Canada.  He  also  spent  a 
year  in  the  livery  business  at  Telluride,  this 
state,  and  did  contracting  and  team  work  there. 


He  then  came  to  his  present  location  on  the  old 
ranch  made  historic  as  the  former  home  of 
the  Ute  Indian  Chief  Ouray,  on  which  the  old 
government  supply  house  is  still  standing.  The 
residence  of  the  chief  in  his  day  and  now  of 
Mr.  Boyle,  on  this  ranch  cost  about  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  all  the  lumber  used  in  its  construc- 
tion being  freighted  from  Pueblo.  It  was 
built  in  1876,  and  since  then  has  sheltered  many 
distinguished  men  and  cultivated  ladies,  among 
those  who  have  brightened  its  chambers  with 
their  cheer  or  darkened  its  portals  with  the 
shadow  of  an  ominous  presence  being  soldiers 
and  civilians  of  high  degree,  cattle  kings  and 
cowboys,  lordly  commanders  and  humble 
servitors,  and  moist,  merry  men  in  moods  of 
mirth.  Mr.  Boyle  here  conducts  a  general 
farming  and  stock  industry  of  large  propor- 
tions, keeping  the  standard  of  his  products  high 
and  the  breeds  of  his  stock  pure.  He  also  buys 
and  sells  cattle  extensively.  In  1891  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Cora  Rhodes,  a  native  of  Colo- 
rado, daughter  of  M.  and  S.  J.  Rhodes,  and  has 
four  children,  Maud,  Mellie,  Susie,  and  Rosa, 
who  died  May  20,  1904. 

STILLMAN  H.  SCHILDT. 

The  weary  tourist  through  the  Big  Cimar- 
ron  section  of  Montrose  county,  if  he  seek  an 
agreeable  shelter  from  the  weather  or  a  hospi- 
table and  comfortable  place  of  repose,  will  find 
about  five  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Cimar- 
ron  an  imposing  dwelling  at  the  edge  of  a 
magnificent  grove  of  stately  cottonwoods  and 
fronted  by  a  beautiful  lawn.  This  is  the  home 
of  Stillman  H.  Schildt,  a  prominent  man  in 
public  and  social  life,  a  leading  farmer  and 
citizen  of  this  section  and  the  first  settler  on 
this  portion  of  the  Big  Cimarron.  He  has  the 
most  attractive  place  in  this  part  of  the  county 
and  is  known  far  and  wide  for  his  hospitality, 
his  public-spirit,  and  his  enterprise  in  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


307 


private  business  and  in  public  improvements 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives.  Mr.  Schildt  was  born  in  1855  at  Platts- 
burg,  New  York,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Schriber)  Schildt,  the  former  a  native  of 
Prussia  and  the  latter  of  another  part  of  Ger- 
many. They  came  to  the  United  States  soon 
after  their  marriage  and  settled  in  northeastern 
New  York,  where  they  remained  until  1859, 
when  they  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  the 
mother  died  on  December  26,  1900,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-one,  and  where  the  father  is  still 
living  at  that  of  eighty-three.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Prussian  army,  and  not  long  after  he 
settled  in  Wisconsin  enlisted  in  the  Sixth  Wis- 
consin Infantry  for  defense  of  the  Union  in 
the  Civil  war.  His  people  in  Prussia  were  of- 
fended at  his  enlistment  and  petitioned  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  for  his  dismissal.  The  President 
responded  to  the  petition  by  promptly  appoint- 
ing him  captain  of  Company  F  in  his  regiment. 
His  son  Stillman  was  the  fourth  of  the  six 
children  born  to  the  household.  He  moved 
with  the  rest  of  the  family  to  Wisconsin  when 
he  was  four  years  old,  and  in  the  village  of 
Mazomanie,  that  state,  he  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty.  He  then  started  in  life  for  himself, 
emigrating  to  Kansas,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  then  came  to  Colorado,  and  freighted 
from  Alamosa  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  what  was  then  Gunnison 
county  and  was  in  the  employ  of  Otto  Meyers 
on  the  toll  road  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
took  up  the  ranch,  which  is  now  his  home,  ac- 
quiring the  land  by  pre-emption  of  the  first  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  a'nd  purchase  of  the 
rest  of  the  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  he 
owns.  His  land  has  had  careful  and  skillful  at- 
tention, and  his  stock  industry  has  been  made 
to  thrive  and  prosper  by  the  application  of  the 
best  methods  of  conducting  it  and  the  most 
commodious  and  comfortable  provision  for  the 
welfare  of  the  stock.  His  specialty  is  pure- 


bred Durham  cattle,  and  he  is  steadily  raising 
the  standard  of  his  herds  to  the  highest  point. 
His  dwelling  is  a  large  and  handsome  one, 
his  grounds  display  excellent  taste  in  their  ar- 
rangement and  care,  his  improvements  on  the 
farm  generally  are  of  ra  high  order  in  char- 
acter and  conveniences,  and  the  cultivation  of 
his  land  is  carried  on  in  the  most  approved 
manner.  Everything  on  and  about  the  place 
.bespeaks  the  man  of  energy  and  culture,  of 
breadth  and  spirit,  such  as  his  genial  manner, 
entertaining  conversation  and  considerate  hos- 
pitality show  him  to  be.  In  1879  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lucy  A.  Moore,  daughter  of  S. 
R.  Moore,  of  Kansas,  who  moved  from  Illinois 
to  that  state  and  passed  the  rest  of  his  life 
farming  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schildt  have 
five  children  living,  Pearl,  William,  Lorraine, 
Lucy  and  Henriette.  A  son  named  Robert  died 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and  was  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  Cimarron,  and  a  daughter 
named  Mary,  who  was  killed  by  accident  at  the 
age  of  four,  has  the  same  resting  place. 

ROBERT  ALBION  WARD. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  soil  of  Saguache 
county,  this  state,  and  educated  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  its  seat  of  government, 
Robert  A.  Ward  is  wholly  a  product  of  the 
county,  and  all  his  years  from  the  time  when 
he  was  first  able  to  work  have  been  devoted  to 
its  welfare.  It  is  to  him,  therefore,  not  only 
home  but  the  place  of  nativity,  and  as  he  has 
drawn  from  its  products  his  stature  and  his 
strength,  it  is  the  embodiment  of  his  loftiest 
and  most  potential  aspirations  in  civil  and  do- 
mestic life,  appealing  to  him  as  the  worthiest 
section  of  our  common  country  for  the  expendi- 
ture of  his  talents  and  vigor  in  the  promotion 
of  its  multiform  interests,  and  awakening  his 
pride  and  patriotism  by  every  phase  of  its 
growing  greatness  and  power.  His  life  began 


3o8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


here  on  February  10,  1878,  and  he  is  the  son 
of  Nathan  and  Julia  A.  Ward,  the  former 
born  in  England  and  the  latter  on  an  island  in 
the  St.  Lawrence  river.  The  mother  was 
reared  in  Iowa  where  her  parents  settled  in 
1852.  Nathan  Ward  was  a  farmer  in  Iowa 
until  1859,  then  gathered  his  household  goods 
and  effects  about  him  and  moved  to  this  state, 
coming  overland  in  a  train  of  teams  with  cat- 
tle and  other  necessaries,  and  encountering  all 
the  dangers,  suffering  all  the  hardships  and 
feeling  all  the  apprehensions  of  the  hardy  ad- 
venturers of  those  days,  who  took  their  lives  in 
their  hands  and  boldly  strode  into  the  wilder- 
ness to  better  their  fortunes  and  aid  in  found- 
ing new  states.  The  train  in  which  he  traveled 
met  many  bands  of  Indians,  but  suffered  no 
damage  from  them.  But  when  they  arrived 
at  their  destination,  which  was  California 
Gulch  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Lead- 
ville,  they  found  their  own  race  more  cruel 
than  the  wild  men  of  the  plains.  The  father 
remained  at  California  Gulch  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civil  war  in  1861,  then,  in 
obedience  to  one  of  the  first  calls  for  volunteers 
to  defend  the  Union,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  First  Colorado  Cavalry,  and  in  this  com- 
mand he  served  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  in  much  active  service,  and  almost  con- 
tinually exposed  to  danger  on  the  march  and 
the  battlefield,  but  he  escaped  without  disaster ; 
and  after  the  close  of  the  mighty  conflict,  he 
made  trips  to  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Mis- 
souri, prospecting  for  a  suitable  site  for  a  per- 
manent location.  He  was  also  in  the  party 
which  for  some  time  pursued  the  notorious 
James  boys,  another  engagement  fraught  with 
hazard  and  full  of  exciting  adventure.  After 
they  were  captured,  he  returned  to  Colorado 
to  live,  as  he  had  been  here  from  time  to  time 
after  the  war,  and  in  this  state  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  He  is  now  an  honored  resi- 
dent of  Canyon  City,  and  one  of  the  leading 


men  of  that  portion  of  the  state.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  farmed  in  the  vicinity  of  Den- 
ver, raising  large  quantities  of  potatoes  with 
which  to  supply  the  mining  camps  near  that 
city.  In  1868  he  located  in  Saguache  county, 
in  which  he  was  the  fifth  permanent  settler, 
On  homestead,  timber  culture  and  pre-emption 
claims  he  secured  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  good  land,  and  to  the  improvement  of  this 
he  devoted  many  years  of  his  later  life.  On 
his  land  he  carried  on  extensive  ranch  and 
stock  industries,  expanding  in  volume  and 
value  from  year  to  year,  until  he  retired  from 
the  place  and  left  its  management  to  his  son, 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  article.  The 
father  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  Free- 
mason in  fraternal  life.  He  always  took  an 
earnest  and  helpful  interest  in  county  affairs 
while  living  in  this  county,  and  served  the  peo- 
ple well  as  county  commissioner  for  two  terms. 
While  in  that  office  he  was  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  secure  good  roads  and  similar  public 
improvements,  and  the  pace  he  set  in  this  re- 
gard so  impressed  the  people  that  it  has  never 
been  slackened  since.  During  his  early  resi- 
dence here  Indian  scares  were  not  frequent, 
and  while  game  was  plentiful,  antelope  seemed 
to  be  more  abundant  than  other  forms  of  it. 
There  were  four  children  in  the  family.  Of 
these  Eva  died,  and  William  L.,  Robert  A.  and 
Bertha  N.  are  living.  Robert  has  always  lived 
on  the  farm.  After  completing  his  education 
at  the  Saguache  high  school  he  turned  his  at- 
tention wholly  to  the  interests  of  the  home 
place  and  to  them  he  has  steadily  devoted  it 
ever  since.  The  ranch  is  well  fenced,  improved 
with  good  buildings,  abundantly  supplied  with 
water,  and  wisely  and  vigorously  cultivated. 
Its  crops  of  hay  and  grain  are  large  and  ex- 
cellent in  quality,  and  its  widely  known  herds 
of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  well  bred  horses  are 
among  the  most  valuable  in  the  county.  The 
son,  like  his  father,  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


like  his  father  too,  he  has  been  successful  in  his 
undertakings  and  risen  to  a  high  place  in  the 
public  regard,  winning  his  way  by  demon- 
strated merit  and  worthy  attention  to  all  the 
duties  of  good  citizenship.  He  was  married 
on  February  8,  1902,  to  Miss  Minor  Belle 
Harness,  a  native  of  Illinois  reared  in  Wiscon- 
sin. They  have  had  two  children,  a  daughter 
Hazel  who  died,  and  one  named  Mildred  who  is 
living.  Young,  capable,  diligent  and  upright, 
Mr.  Ward  may  confidently  look  forward  to  a 
career  of  increasing  usefulness  and  honor. 

LOUIS  W.  SWEITZER. 

Although  born  and  reared  in  this  country, 
and  indoctrinated  from  his  childhood  in  its 
lessons  of  human  equality  and  individual  free- 
dom, and  witnessing  all  his  life  and  participat- 
ing from  his  youth  in  its  civil  institutions, 
Louis  W.  Sweitzer,  of  Delta  county,  has  many 
traits  of  his  German  parentage  and  has  put  into 
practice  in  his  laudable  endeavors  for  advance- 
ment among  his  fellow  men  the  sterling  char- 
acteristics of  his  race  which  make  its  people 
conquerors  in  any  field  of  enterprise  and 
worthy  of  all  regard  in  all  the  elements  of 
good  citizenship  wherever  they  happen  to  cast 
their  lot.  His  life  began  in  Ohio  on  July  22, 
1859.  His  parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Leonard)  Sweitzer,  were  natives  of  Germany, 
the  father  born  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Lahn 
and  the  mother  at  the  town  of  Arbor.  The 
father  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man 
and  settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  is  still  living.  He 
is  a  wagonmaker  by  trade  and  has  passed  his 
life  so  far  in  the  industrious  pursuit  of  his 
craft.  The  mother  died  in  the  autumn  of  1901. 
Their  son  Louis  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  and  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Then  in  1878  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  until  the  spring  of  1880 
he  made  his  home  at  Denver.  That  year  he 


moved  to  Leadville  and  engaged  in  mining.  In 
1 88 1  he  transferred  his  energies  to  Telluride 
but  continued  in  the  same  vocation  with  pros- 
pecting in  addition,  returning  to  Leadville  in 
the  spring  of  1882.  Here  he  remained  stead- 
fastly with  the  mining  industry  until  the  spring 
of  1887,  when  he  began  an  enterprise  in  mer- 
chandising at  Leadville  in  which  he  still  has  an 
interest.  He  moved  to  Delta  county  in  1894 
and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  on  Garnett  mesa,  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  Delta,  which  is  now  and  ever  since  has 
been  his  home.  On  this  tract  he  has  erected  a 
fine  dwelling  and  planted  fifty  acres  in  fruit. 
The  rest  of  his  land  is  given  up  to  alfalfa  and 
other  general  farm  products,  and  both  in  the 
agricultural  and  the  orchard  lines  of  his  busi- 
ness he  is  doing  well.  His  orchard  comprises 
mainly  apple  and  peach  trees,  and  both  yield 
abundantly.  In  1903  he  sold  upwards  of  five 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  products  from  his 
farm,  among  the  yield  being  three  thousand 
boxes  of  apples,  one  car  load  of  which  brought 
an  average  of  one  dollar  and  seventy  cents  a 
box.  The  prospects  for  the  current  year 
( 1905)  are  much  better  and  his  revenue  is  like- 
ly to  be  largely  increased  over  that  of  last  year. 
On  September  19,  1889,  Mr.  Sweitzer  was 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Morganstern,  who 
was  born  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  on  December  23, 
1859,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Kate 
(Wagner)  Morganstern,  natives  of  Germany 
who  settled  in  Ohio  in  youth.  They 
were  married  in  that  state  and  it  is 
still  their  home.  Mr.  Sweitzer  has  three 
sisters  and  two  brothers,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  and  he  is  the  only  member  of  the 
family  residing  in  Colorado.  In  the  Sweitzer 
household  six  children  have  been  born,  and  all 
are  living  and  at  home.  They  are  Leonard  E., 
Lewis  M.,  Minnie  E.,  Bernice  E.,  Paul  F.  and 
Minnie  M.  The  oldest  is  fourteen  and  the 
youngest  five  and  one  half  years  of  age.  Mr. 


310 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN   OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


Sweitzer  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  Wood- 
man of  the  World  in  fraternal  life  and  a  Pres- 
byterian in  church  membership.  His  wife  also 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  .church.  They 
stand  well  in  their  community  and  are  among 
the  prosperous  and  substantial  citizens  of  the 
county  in  which  they  live. 

GEORGE  H.  CONE. 

For  nearly  half  his  life  George  H.  Cone 
has  been  a  resident  of  Delta  county,  living  all 
the  while  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home 
on  Ash  mesa,  eight  miles  from  Delta,  and  dur- 
ing all  of  this  period  he  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  improving  his  property, 
and  also  helping  to  build  up  and  develop  the 
neighborhood  in  which  so  long  ago  and  in 
primitive  times  he  cast  his  lot.  The  benefits  of 
his  labor  are  seen  around  him  on  his  own  place 
and  in  the  general  state  of  advanced  cultivation 
and  improvement  of  the  whole  section  of-  the 
country  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  native  of 
Genesee  county,  Michigan,  where  he  was  born 
on  August  27,  1850.  His  parents,  Norman 
and  Sarah  (Adkins)  Cone,  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Connecticut.  They  moved  to 
Michigan  when  young  and  there  they  lived  on 
one  farm  for  over  fifty  years.  Their  family 
comprised  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  of 
whom  only  two  of  the  sons  are  living.  One  of 
these  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  saw 
plenty  of  hard  service  in  the  field  and  on  the 
march.  George  was  reared  on  the  Michigan 
homestead  and  in  the  district  schools  near  his 
home  he  received  a  limited  education.  When 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  in  1871,  he 
left  home  and  went  out  into  car  shops  to  learn 
the  trade  of  car  repairing.  After  working  at 
this  three  years  he  bought  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Osceola  county,  in  his  native  state,  on 
which  he  lived  until  1881.  In  the  fall  of  1882 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  the  next 


fall  settled  on  the  place  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies and  which  has  been  his  home  continuously 
since  that  time.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and 
forty-nine  acres,  which  he  took  up  as  a  pre-emp- 
tion claim,  and  he  has  greatly  improved  it  and 
by  judicious  husbandry  has  brought  the  land  to 
a  high  state  of  productiveness.  Five  acres  of 
the  tract  are  in  fruit,  his  being  the  first  orchard 
planted  on  the  mesa,  and  the  rest  is  in  alfalfa 
and  other  general  farm  products.  The  land  is 
very. abundant  and  he  is  quite  prosperous  in  his 
enterprise,  every  branch  of  it  yielding  good  re- 
turns for  the  time  and  labor  expended  on  it. 
He  also  stands  well  in  the  general  estimation 
of  his  fellow  citizens  as  a  progressive  and  pub- 
lic-spirited man,  a  good  neighbor,  a  faithful 
friend  and  a  sterling,  upright  citizen.  On  Feb- 
ruary 7, 1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Parthenia 
Kerr,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas  on  June  18, 
1850.  Her  parents  were  Wade  and  Nancy 
(Reed)  Kerr,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cone  have  one  daughter,  Ida,  now  sixteen 
years  old.  Mr.  Cone  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  in  political  belief  he  is  a  So- 
cialist. 

GEORGE  J.  NEWELL. 

Almost  from  his  childhood  connected  with 
the  culture  and  handling  of  fruit,  and  learning 
by  practical  experience  every  phase  of  the  busi- 
ness, the  substantial  success  won  in  this  part 
of  the  world  in  this  profitable  industry  by 
George  J.  Newell,  of  Delta  county,  was  the 
legitimate  result  of  wide  and  accurate  knowl- 
edge on  the  subject  and  the  diligent  and  skill- 
ful application  of  his  practical  knowledge  to 
its  various  needs.  He  was  born  in  West  Vir- 
ginia on  June  n,  1837,  and  was  the  son  of 
John  and  Lydia  (Edie)  Newell,  the  latter  born 
in  the  same  state  as  himself  and  the  former  in 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  Both  are 
now  deceased.  The  father  was  a  tanner  for  a 
number  of  years,  then  became  a  miller,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


311 


later  followed  farming  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
George  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received 
his  education  at  the  country  schools  near  his 
home.  He  remained  at  home  and  took  care 
of  his  father  until  the  latter  died  in  1883.  In 
1885  he  came  to  Colorado,  locating  first  in 
Weld  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
raising  fruit,  as  he  had  done  on  his  home  place 
in  his  native  state,  in  this  state  managing  his 
brother's  farm.  In  1887  he  took  employment 
with  a  large  firm  to  sell  flour  and  grain,  and  he 
continued  in  this  business  until  1895  with  head- 
quarters at  Leadville.  The  year  before  he 
bought  the  place  on  which  he  afterward  made 
his  home  in  Delta  county,  and  in  1895  he  set- 
tled on  it.  The  ranch  comprises  two  hundred 
acres,  of  which  sixty  are  in  fruit,  forty  acres  of 
a  planting  made  soon  after  his  arrival  here  and 
twenty  set  out  at  a  later  date.  The  orchards 
are  principally  in  apples  and  they  yield  abund- 
ant harvest  of  the  finest  fruit.  The  rest  of  his 
land  is  cultivated  for  grain  and  hay.  He  had 
been  very  successful  and  the  returns  for  his 
labor  are  correspondingly  large.  In  1903  he 
sold  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  worth 
of  produce  off  his  place.  Mr.  Newell  was 
married  on  November  16,  1896,  to  Mrs.  Laura 
(Adams)  Jackman,  a  native  of  Jefferson 
county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Josiah  Allen  and 
Elizabeth  (Welch)  Adams.  Her  father  was 
born  in  West  Virginia  and  her  mother  in  Ohio. 
They  moved  to  Iowa  when  young  and  there  the 
father  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying 
there  at  an  advanced  age.  The  mother  died  in 
California:  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newell  was  born 
one  son,  William  T.,  who  is  six  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Newell  supported  the  Republican  party  in 
political  affairs  and  he  was  a  Presbyterian  in 
church  membership,  as  is  now  Mrs.  Newell. 
While  living  in  West  Virginia  on  his  father's 
farm,  Mr.  Newell  handled  apples  as  a  com- 
mercial commodity  on  a  large  scale  during  the 
fall  and  winter.  He  also  raised  large  quanti- 


ties of  fruit  on  the  place  and  became  one  of  the 
leading  men  in  the  business  in  that  section  of 
the  country.  After  coming  to  Colorado,  he 
carried  on  the  same  lines  of  business  exten- 
sively in  connection  with  his  other  farming 
operations,  and  here  too  he  became  a  leader  in 
the  industry,  and  an  authority  on  all  questions 
connected  with  it.  Mr.  Newell  died  July  13, 
1903,  deeply  lamented  by  all. 

JOHN  PLATT. 

John  Platt,  one  of  the  progressive,  indus- 
trious and  prosperous  farmers  of  Delta  county, 
living  on  that  favored  elevation  known  as  Ash 
mesa,  six  miles  from  the  town  of  Delta,  and 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  region,  is  a 
native  of  Austria,  born  in  1852.  His  parents, 
Nicholas  and  Mary  (Garbles)  Platt,  were  also 
natives  of  that  country,  as  their  forefathers 
were  for  countless  generations  before  them. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  there  and  also  a  miller, 
conducting  a  large  and  busy  flour-mill.  He 
brought  his  family  to  this  country  and  settled 
in  Colorado  in  1872.  Their  first  location  was 
at  Del  Norte,  where  they  lived  until  1877,  when 
they  moved  to  Montrose  county.  There  the 
father  pre-empted  eighty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  he  and  his  wife  now  live.  Their  son 
John  left  home  in  1876,  when  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  going  to  Leadville,  en- 
gaged in  freighting  between  that  town  and 
Gunnison,  following  this  occupation  for  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to 
Delta  county,  where  he  pre-empted  the  ranch 
on  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  His 
arrival  here  was  in  1882,  just  as  the  Indians 
were  leaving  and  while  the  country  was  yet  in 
its  state  of  unbroken  wildness.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  on  the  mesa,  but  the  number 
was  increased  by  several  new  arrivals  in  the 
first  year  of  his  residence  here.  Of  his  land 
twenty  acres  are  in  hay  and  the  rest  is  given 


312 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


up  to  general  farming  and  grazing.  He  bore 
his  part  well  in  the  first  efforts  to  improve  the 
country  and  supply  it  with  roads,  bridges  and 
the  other  public  conveniences  of  living,  and 
in  all  its  subsequent  progress  and  development 
he  has  been  forward  and  active  in  good  works. 
In  October,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Maggie  Kessler,  who  was  born  in  Germany. 
They  had  two  daughters,  Carrie  and  May,  the 
latter  being  deceased.  Their  mother  died  in 
December,  1897,  and  in  1899  he  married  Miss 
Mary  Connor,  from  whom  he  was  afterward 
divorced.  His  third  marriage  occurred  on  De- 
cember 21,  1901,  and  was  with  Miss  Maud 
Wixson,  a  native  of  Custer  county,  Colorado, 
born  on  May  7,  1870,  at  Rosita.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  (Eason)  Wix- 
son, the  former  a  native  of  Michigan  and  the 
latter  of  Canada.  By  the  third  marriage  Mr. 
Platt  became  the  father  of  three  children,  W. 
Clarence,  John  and  Lawrence  W.,  one  of 
whom,  John,  has  died.  Mr.  Platt  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  is  ever  loyal  to  his  party. 
He  has  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow 
citizens  all  around  him,  and  deserves  the  high 
opinion  they  have  of  him. 

EMELIN£  BIVANS. 

While  in  recent  times  public  sentiment,  par- 
ticularly in  this  western  country,  has  opened 
almost  every  door  of  enterprise  to  women  and 
made  them  man's  equal  in  nearly  every  field  of 
labor  in  opportunity,  it  has  not  waited  for  this 
change  of  view  to  develop  the  character  and 
'capacity  of  some  of  the  sex.  In  every  age  of 
the  world  there  have  been  resolute  and  force- 
ful women  who  were  able  to  take  their  own 
part  and  occupy  if  necessary  a  man's  place  to 
advantage  in  the  battle  of  life  and  make  good 
their  title  to  it.  In  this  number  clearly  belongs 
Emeline  Bivans,  the  interesting  subject  of  this 
review.  She  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 


Ohio,  on  July  22,  1838,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Josiah  and  Pauline  D.  (Neff)  Bivans.  The 
family  moved  to  Marion  county,  Iowa,  in  1855, 
where  the  father  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  on  which  he  passed  the  residue 
of  his  life,  dying  there  in  1864  after  years  of 
pronounced  success  in  his  business.  The 
daughter  Emeline  lived  at  home  until  1856,  and 
was  educated  at  .the  public  schools.  On  August 
28th,  in  the  year  last  named,  she  was  married 
to  Pius  Flohr,  and  in  the  ensuing  fall  they  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Marion  county,  where  they 
remained  thirteen  years.  In  the  fall  of  1868 
they  moved  to  near  Independence,  Missouri, 
and  after  nine  years  of  successful  farming  and 
stock-raising  there  they  sold  out  and  changed 
their  residence  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Scoit 
Kansas.  Here  they  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness on  a  large  scale  and  found  it  very  profit- 
able. In  1 88 1  domestic  disagreements  induced 
the  husband  and  wife  to  separate  and -secure  a 
divorce.  They  divided  the  property  equally 
between  them,  and  Mrs.  Flohr  remained  in  the 
neighborhood  until  she  could  dispose  of  her 
stock  and  other  property,  which  she  did  in  a 
short  time  for  the  sum  of  seven  thousand  dol- 
lars. There  were  ten  children  born  of  the 
marriage,  George  A.,  Josiah,  Louisa,  Charles 
G.,  Michael,  Caroline,  Samuel,  Ida,  Harvey, 
and  Pius  Benno.  They  are  all  living  and  five 
of  them  are  residents  of  Colorado.  After  sell- 
ing her  property  in  Kansas  the  mother  came 
to  Colorado,  arriving  in  1883.  Some  time  af- 
terward she  was  married  to  Christopher  All- 
bush.  Then  she  and  her  new  husband  went 
back  to  Kansas,  but  a  little  later  they  returned 
to  this  state  and  located  at  Crawford,  Delta 
county,  where  she  bought  a  herd  of  cattle  and 
renewed  her  operations  in  the  stock  industry, 
continuing  in  the  business  six  years.  Onca 
more  the  domestic  cloud  lowered  upon  her 
house,  and  she  was  again  divorced,  at  which 
time  she  resumed  her  maiden  name.  After  this 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


3*3 


she  sold  her  cattle,  and  in  1891  moved  to  Mont- 
rose  county  where  she  bought  a  ranch  and  be- 
gan farming  on  her  own  account.  She  has 
continued  the  business  since  then,  and  has 
added  to  the  ranch  until  she  now  has  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  in  one  body.  On 
this  she  has  three  houses,  in  one  of  which  she 
lives,  renting  the  other  two  out  to  tenants.  She 
carries  on  a  general  fanning  enterprise  under 
her  own  personal  management  and  also  con- 
ducts a  small  stock  industry,  having  some  thirty 
good  cattle.  During  the  greater  part  of  her 
residence  here  she  has  managed  the  ranch  her- 
self, and  her  success  in  the  business  is  a  high 
tribute  to  her  ability,  shrewdness  and  good 
judgment,  as  well  as  to  her  vigor  and  industry. 
Her  children  are  all  grown  and  away  from 
home,  and  she  is  therefore  sole  mistress  of  the 
ranch  and  all  its  operations.  She  is  accounted 
one  of  the  progressive  ranchers  of  the  county. 
Her  sympathies  are  with  the  Democratic  party 
in  political  affairs,  and  she  takes  a  great  interest 
in  its  success,  as  she  does  in  all  worthy  and 
beneficent  movements. 

MRS.  JANE  O.  CRAIG. 

The  life  of  this  self-reliant  and  resourceful 
woman  has  been  full  of  trouble  and  domestic 
discord,  but  through  every  disaster  and  danger 
she  has  kept  her  courage  up  and  done  her  part 
in  the  struggle  for  advancement,  being  equip- 
ped by  nature  with  a  firm  and  unbending  de- 
termination that  no  danger  has  daunted  and 
no  difficulty  has  dismayed.  She  is  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  born  on  September  14,  1848,  and 
the  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Jane  (Sackett) 
Myers,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and 
the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1852  the  family 
moved  to  Illinois  where  they  lived  until  1859. 
at  which  time  they  changed  their  residence  to, 
Missouri.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war 
the  father  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  in  which 


he  served  to  the  close  of  the  contest.  He  was 
injured  in  the  service  and  for  a  portion  of  the 
time  was  laid  up  in  a  military  hospital.  After 
the  war  he  lived  at  his  Missouri  home  until 
1867,  then  moved  to  Linn  county,  Kansas. 
Here  he  farmed  and  raised  stock  until  1902, 
when  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  New  Jersey 
where  he  is  still  living.  The  mother  died  in 
1884  and  the  father  married  again.  His  sec- 
ond wife  died  in  February,  1902.  Mrs.  Craig 
had  four  brothers,  all  of  whom  are  living.  She 
remained  at  home  until  she  was  married  in 
1878  to  David  Beidler,  a  native  of  Ohio.  He 
also  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  but  only 
served  a  short  time  towards  its  close.  After 
the  war  he  located  in  Kansas  and  there  they 
were  married.  When  they  left  that  state  they 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Del  Norte, 
where  her  husband  engaged  in  mining.  In  the 
spring  of  1879  they  moved  to  Ouray  and  the 
next  fall  to  Rico,  where  they  lived  together  un- 
til the  autumn  of  1884.  Then  domestic  trouble 
brought  about  a  separation  and  subsequently 
a  divorce.  Five  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  David  A.,  Charles  W.,  William  L., 
John  H.  and  Gertrude  M.  Three  of  them  are 
living,  all  in  Colorado.  On  May  27,  1890,  the 
mother  was  married  again,  being  united  on  this 
occasion  with  Charles  Pohle,  a  native  of  New 
York  city.  They  had  one  child,  their  daughter 
Nellie  C.,  who  is  living  with  her  mother.  Mrs. 
Craig  did  not  live  long  with  her  second  hus- 
band, and  on  being  separated  from  him  re- 
turned to  Rico  and  there  kept  a  hotel  and 
restaurant  for  a  few  years.  With  the  proceeds 
of  her  business  she  bought  another  herd  of 
stock  which  she  ran  in  the  hills  in  summer  and 
wintered  in  Montrose  county.  In  1894  she 
married  Benjamin  H.  Craig,  with  whom  she 
lived  three  years,  being  divorced  from  him  also 
in  1897.  Since  then  she  has  conducted  her 
stock  industry  alone.  She  has  been  engaged  in 
this  industry  for  more  than  sixteen  years. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


starting  after  separating  from  her  first  hus- 
band. She  now  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  cat- 
tle of  good  breeds  and  carries  on  her  business 
with  vigor  and  close  attention  to  every  detail. 
In  the  spring  of  1900  she  bought  the  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which  she 
now  has  her  home.  It  is  all  good  farming  land, 
about  one  hundred  acres  being  in  grass  for 
hay.  When  she  purchased  it  there  was  but 
little  improvement  on  it  and  she  has  made  con- 
siderable since.  She  summers  her  stock  in  the 
hills  and  winters  them  under  proper  shelter  on 
the  ranch.  Mrs.  Craig  is  a  woman  of  great 
enterprise  and  public  spirit  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  her  community.  In 
politics  she  is  independent. 

ADDISON  H.  BAXTER. 

Well  fixed  on  a  good  ranch  of  an  even  one 
hundred  acres  on  Ash  mesa,  five  miles  from 
Delta,  on  which  he  has  lived  jn  peace,  content- 
ment and  prosperity  since  the  autumn  of  1896, 
when  he  moved  to  this  state  from  his  native 
Arkansas,  Addison  H.  Baxter  is  prepared  to 
defy  the  storms  of  life  and  laugh  at  the  threats 
of  adversity.  His  land  is  productive  and  he 
tills  it  with  care  and  judgment;  his  standing 
in  the  community  is  good;  his  life  is  exemplary 
and  his  reputation  well  established ;  and  he  has 
strength  of  body,  clearness  of  mind  and  cheer- 
fulness of  disposition.  Mr.  Baxter  was  born 
in  the  state  of  Arkansas  on  February  16,  1849, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Nancy  (Hawk) 
Baxter,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina  and 
both  now  deceased.  There  were  twelve  chil- 
dren in  the  family,  six  of  whom  are  living. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  followed  the 
business  during  his  lifetime.  Addison  was 
reared  on  the  paternal  homestead,  received  a 
common-school  education  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  his  legal  majority,  then, 
in  1870,  he  went  to  farming  on  his  own  ac- 


count in  his  native  state,  and  he  remained  there 
so  occupied  until  the  fall  of  1896,  when  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  on  his  present  home. 
Here  he  has  since  dwelt  continuously,  busily 
engaged  in  improving  and  farming  his  land 
and  building  up  a  profitable  stock  industry. 
His  location  is  good  and  all  the  conditions  for 
an  expanding  business  in  general  farming  are 
favorable.  On  September  19,  1870,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Ram- 
sey, like  himself  a  native  of  Arkansas,  and  born 
August  3,  1854.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Caroline  E.  (Morrison)  Ramsey,  indus- 
trious and  well-to-do  farmers  in  Arkansas, 
where  they  passed  the  whole  of  their  lives.  In 
the  mother's  family  there  were  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baxter 
have  had  eleven  children,  Addison,  Jr.,  Nancy 
E.,  Susan  A.,  Matilda  B.,  Silas  F.,  Clara  M., 
David  E.,  Thomas  I.,  Lola  M.,  Lelia  V.  and 
Pearl  M.  All  but  three  are  living,  the  oldest 
being  thirty-three  years  of  age  and  the  young- 
est four  (September,  1904).'  All  are  residents 
of  Colorado,  and  most  of  them  live  either  at 
or  near  their  father's  home.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  political  faith  and  a  Baptist  in  church  mem- 
bership. His  father  was  born  in  1801  and  died 
in  October,  1877.  The  mother  came  into  the 
world  in  1807,  and  departed  this  life  in  Septem- 
ber, 1879.  In  their  neighborhood  they  were 
highly  respected  in  life  and  sincerely  mourned 
in  death. 

DANIEL  M.  KELLEY. 

Daniel  M.  Kelley,  of  Montrose  county,  one 
of  the  leading  sheep  men  of  the  Western  slope, 
was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  1865.  His  parents  were  James  and 
Anna  (Morrison)  Kelley,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Scotland.  The 
father  was  a  painter  and  divided  the  years  of 
his  manhood  between  working  at  his  trade  and 
keeping  hotel.  He  died  in  Massachusetts  on 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


March  n,  1875.  Four  years  later  the  mother 
moved  her  family  to  Colorado  and  settled  in 
Boulder  county,  where  she  engaged  in  farming 
until  her  death,  on  May  28,  1882.  Their  son 
Daniel  remained  with  them  until  death  ended 
their  labors,  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation and  acquiring  a  good  practical  knowl- 
edge of  farming.  After  the  death  of  his 
mother  he  remained  a  year  in  Boulder  county, 
and  in  1883  moved  to  Montrose  county,  where 
he  took  up  a  ranch  as  a  homestead  claim  in 
1885.  This  was  wild,  unbroken  land  at  the 
time,  and  in  its  present  state  of  fertility  and 
fruitfulness  it  represents  his  industry  and  thrift 
during  the  succeeding  years.  He  has  greatly 
improved  the  place  and  transformed  it  into  one 
of  the  desirable  country  homes  of  the  section 
in  which  it  lies.  It  is  located  on  California 
mesa,  four  miles  west  of  Olathe,  and  is  es- 
pecially well  adapted  to  raising  sheep,  in  which 
Mr.  Kelley  is  largely  engaged.  For  a  few 
years  after  settling  here  he  gave  his  attention 
to  the  cattle  industry,  but  finding  the  region 
better  adapted  to  sheep  he  sold  his  cattle  and 
began  raising  sheep.  In  1903  he  ran  about 
eighteen  hundred  head  and  sold  as  their 
product  one  thousand  dollars  worth  of  wool 
and  four  thousand  dollars  worth  of  lambs.  Mr. 
Kelley  was  first  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Mary 
Kane,  the  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Mary 
(Welch)  Kane,  who  were  born  and  reared  in 
Ireland.  The  mother  died  on  February  20, 
1900,  and  the  father  is  now  living  in  the  state 
of  Washington  conducting  a  flourishing  mer- 
cantile business.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelley  had 
five  children,  Mamie,  James  F.,  William  H., 
Daniel  S.  and  Anna.  The  last  named  died  on 
March  19,  1903.  The  others  are  living  at 
home,  the  oldest  being  fifteen  years  old  and  the 
youngest  six.  The  mother  died  January  20, 
1898,  and  is  buried  at  Delta,  and  Mr.  Kelley 
was  married  October  13,  1902,  to  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet (Burnett)  Clark,  a  native  of  Mercer 


county,  Illinois,  and  the  daughter  of  Capt.  F. 
G.  and  Emaline  (Campbell)  Burnett,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of 
Muskingum  county,  Ohio.  The  father  of  Mrs. 
Kelley  came  with  his  parents  to  Mercer 
county,  Illinois,  when  young,  where  he  was 
reared  and  married.  He  enlisted  in  an  Illinois 
regiment  and  served  in  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  being  mustered  out  as  cap- 
tain of  his  company.  He  and  his  wife  are  now 
living  on  California  mesa  in  Montrose  county. 
Mrs.  Kelley  is  the  mother  of  two  daughters  by 
her  former  marriage,  Emaline  A.  and  Mabel 
C.  Mr.  Kelley  is  a  sixth-degree  Odd  Fellow 
and  a  Modern  Woodman  of  America.  In 
political  allegiance  he  is  a  zealous  Republican. 

WILLIAM  H.  LINES. 

To  the  peace  and  contentment  and  the  sub- 
stantial prosperity  which  he  now  enjoys  this 
enterprising  and  progressive  ranch  man  has 
come  through  long  and  dangerous  journeying 
by  sea  and  land  and  through  many  trials  and 
difficulties  after  reaching  his  desired  haven. 
He  is  a  native  of  England,  born  on  August  31, 
1839,  and  the  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Haddon) 
Lines,  the  former  born  in  that  country  in  1814 
and  the  latter  in  1816.  The  father  was  a  gar- 
dener in  his  native  land,  and  in  1864  started 
with  his  family  to  Utah.  They  reached  Flor- 
ence, Nebraska,  by  the  usual  routes,  and  from 
there  they  started  across  the  plains  to  their 
destination.  There  were  eight  children  in  the 
family  and  seven  of  them  left  England  with 
their  parents,  William  having  preceded  them 
three  years  to  this  country.  While  crossing 
the  plains  with  their  ox  teams,  first  one  of  the 
children  died,  then  the  mother,  and  after  her 
two  of  the  other  children.  Later  a  cousin  of 
the  children  also  died,  making  five  deaths  in  one 
family  on  this  fateful  trip,  which  consumed 
several  months.  The  members  of  the  family 


3i6 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


who  lived  to  complete  it  reached  a  place  called 
Goshen,  in  Utah  county  of  the  Mormon  state, 
in  October,  and  there  they  engaged  in  farming 
until  the  death  of  the  father  in  1866.  William 
Lines  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  land  and 
there  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion. In  1 86 1,  when  he  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  he  left  his  home  and  emigrated  to 
the  United  States.  On  April  igth  of  that  year, 
after  reaching  this  country,  he  started  for  Utah 
and  got  to  Florence,  Nebraska,  in  May.  Here 
he  was  obliged  to  wait  three  weeks  for  an  ox 
train  with  which  he  could  travel.  When  the 
train  came  in  it  composed  sixty-three  four-yoke 
teams  of  oxen.  They  left  Florence  in  June  and 
reached  the  end  of  their  journey  in  Salt  Lake 
City  on  September  I5th,  following.  The  only 
trouble  they  had  with  the  Indians  was  a  slight 
skirmish  on  Deer  Creek,  Wyoming,  and  the 
train  got  through  in  good  shape  with  but  little 
loss,  it  being  considered  the  star  train  for  the 
season.  Mr.  Lines  was  sick  a  part  of  the  time 
on  the  way  and  came  near  dying.  But  he  sur- 
vived and  reached  Utah  in  a  fair  state  of  health. 
He  went  to  work  on  a  farm  soon  after  his  ar- 
rival and  remained  in  that  region  until  1871. 
He  then  went  into  the  mining  district  at  what 
is  now  named  Tintic,  there  being  three 
families  that  settled  there.  During  the  next 
two  years  he  followed  mining  and  prospecting 
in  that  region,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period 
"went  to  work  in  the  mill  reducing  ores.  He 
worked  at  this  occupation  ten  years.  In  the 
autumn  of  1883  he  came  to  Colorado  and  most 
of  the  mill  crew  came  with  him.  He  pre- 
empted a  ranch  on  California  mesa  and  planted 
the  first  orchard  on  this  now  fruitful  elevation. 
He  was  also  the  first  man  to  utilize  the  water 
for  irrigation  that  came  through  what  is  now 
the  ditch  of  the  Montrose  &  Delta  Ditch  Com- 
pany, using  the  first  water  that  came  through 
the  flume  crossing  Dry  creek.  In  the  erection 
of  this  ditch  he  was  one  of  the  principal  con- 


tractors, and  did  a  large  part  of  the  work  in  its 
construction.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1885. 
In  1890,  after  selling  the  place  he  had  pre- 
empted, he  bought  the  one  on  which  he  now 
has  his  home  on  the  same  mesa,  four  miles  and 
a  half  west  of  Olathe,  in  Montrose  county.  It 
comprises  fifty  acres  and  has  been  much  im- 
proved by  him.  He  has  lived  on  it  continu- 
ously since  buying  it,  and  has  farmed  it  wisely 
and  industriously,  raising  only  what  stock  he 
needed  for  his  own  use  and  could  keep  com- 
fortably on  the  ranch.  He  has  one  acre  and 
a  half  in  fruit,  but  gives  his  attention  prin- 
cipally to  the  production  of  cereals  and  hay. 
His  first  crop  was  raised  with  water  from  Dry 
creek,  but  the  ditch  has  furnished  him  with 
better  facilities  than  he  had  from  that  stream. 
On  December  5,  1864,  ne  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Caroline  (Barter)  Blunt,  the  widow  of  Charles 
Blunt,  with  whom  she  came  to  Utah  in  1861 
and  who  died  in  1863,  leaving  one  child  who  is 
living  in  Utah.  Mrs.  Lines'  is  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Eliza  (Higgins)  Barber.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lines  have  had  nine  children,  Eliza 
J.,  John  H.,  Alice  A.,  Louisa,  Carrie,  Joseph 
E.,  William,  Thomas  and  Stephen.  Seven  of 
them  are  living,  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  in  Colorado.  All  the  members  of  the  family 
belong,  or  have  belonged,  to  the  Mormon 
church.  In  politics  the  head  of  the  house  sup- 
ports the  Republican  party.  His  youngest  child 
is  the  only  one  now  living  at  home. 

HEAMAN  S.  BAGLEY. 

Mr.  Bagley,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  enterprising  sheep  men  in  Delta  county, 
this  state,  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa, 
on  December  29,  1851.  His  parents,  Jesse  and 
Laura  (Evarts)  Bagley,  were  natives,  respect- 
ively, of  Rhode  Island  and  Maine.  They 
moved  to  Minnesota  and  settled  in  Olmstead 
county,  where  the  father  pre-empted  the  first 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


tract  of  land  ever  taken  up  in  this  way  in  that 
county.  Two  years  later  Heaman's  grand- 
father, who  was  one  hundred  and  twelve  years 
old,  came  to  the  same  county  and  pre-empted 
another  claim  on  which  he  lived  two  years, 
dying  there  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
fourteen.  The  father  farmed  in  that  county 
until  1886,  then  moved  to  Pleasant  Grove,  in 
the  same  state,  and  afterward  to  Minneapolis, 
where  he  lived  until  1894.  He  then  migrated 
to  Vancouver,  Washington,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1895.  The  mother  died  in 
Minnesota  in  1884.  Their  son  Heaman  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  six- 
teen and  attended  the  public  schools.  In  1867 
he  left  home  and  located  on  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  Winona,  remaining  there  until  1874, 
at  which  time  he  moved  to  La  Crosse,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  there  during  the  next  two  years  he 
worked  on  the  river  in  summer  and  in  the  lum- 
ber regions  in  winter.  In  1876  he  returned  to 
Minnesota  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Spring 
Valley,  where  he  worked  in  a  butcher  shop  for 
four  years.  In  1880,  before  there  was  a  rail- 
road in  this  part  of  Colorado,  he  came  to  the. 
state  and  settled  in  Gunnison  county.  Here  he 
put  in  more  than  two  years  mining,  and  jn  the 
spring  of  1883  moved  to  the  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  which  is  now  his  home, 
taking  up  the  land  as  a  pre-emption  claim.  He 
has  improved  the  place  and  made  it  very  pro- 
ductive. About  four  acres  are  in  fruit  and  the 
rest  in  alfalfa  and  grain.  For  a  time  he  car- 
ried on  the  cattle  business.  He  later  changed 
to  sheep  and  out  of  them  he  made  very  good 
profits.  In  1902  he  raised  an  average  of  sixty- 
six  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  selling  his 
product  for  two  thousand  six  hundred  dollars. 
On  January  19,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Duncan,  who  was  born  at  Decorah,  Iowa, 
on  November  19,  1856,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  L.  and  Julia  Duncan,  the  father  born 
in  Ohio  and  the  mother  in  Rhode  Island.  Thev 


were  farmers  and  lived  in  Minnesota  many 
years.  The  father  was  a  Union  soldier,  in  the 
Civil  war  and  served  to  the  end  of  the  mighty 
conflict.  Their  family  comprised  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  residents  of  Colorado.  The 
father  also  lives  in  this  state,  but  the  mother 
died  on  August  17,-  1890.  Mr.  Bagley  had 
three  brothers  and  four  sisters.  All  are  living 
but  one  and  five  dwell  in  this  state.  In  his 
own  household  one  child  has  been  born,  his 
daughter  Mabel  M.,  whose  life  began  in  Gun- 
nison county.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Bagley 
supports  the  Republican  party  with  loyalty  and 
zeal.  He  is  an  influential  and  well  esteemed 
citizen,  and  his  life  in  Delta  county  has  been 
of  great  service  in  the  progress  and  general 
development  of  its  best  interests. 

JOSEPH  W.  SNODDY. 

Joseph  W.  Snoddy,  who  has  lived  in  Mont- 
rose  county,  this  state,  since  1886,  and  on  a 
ranch  of  forty  acres  on  California  mesa,  eight 
and  one-half  miles  from  the  town  of  Delta, 
since  1899,  when  he  bought  it,  is  a  native  of 
Indiana  born  on  February  18,  1858.  His  par- 
ents were  Burton  and  Elizabeth  (Pettit) 
Snoddy,  the  former  born  in  Tennessee  and  the 
latter  in  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
moved  to  Iowa  in  1858,  and  to  Coffey  county, 
Kansas,  in  1864.  He  continued  his  fanning 
operations  in  all  these  places,  dying  in  Kansas 
in  1869.  The  mother  survived  him  two  years 
and  passed  away  in  1871,  when  her  son  Joseph 
was  thirteen  years  old.  Thereafter  he  made 
his  home  with  a  neighbor  until  .he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  acquired  habits  of  use- 
ful industry  and  frugality  on  the  farm.  In 
1886  he  left  Kansas  and  came  to  Montrose 
county,  this  state,,  where  he  has  since  had  his 
home.  He  bought  the  place  on  which  he  lives 
in  1899  and  at  once  settled  on  it  and  began  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


improve  it.  It  comprises  forty  acres  and  in 
addition  he  farms  some  rented  land,  and  is  also 
working  in  the  employ  of  a  large  sheep  com- 
pany. Although  engaged  in  the  cattle  industry 
on  his  own  account  he  has  only  a  small  herd 
of  cattle,  being  too  busy  with  other  interests  to 
give  due  attention  to  a  large  number.  On  his 
place  he  has  a  small  orchard,  but  it  is  not  ex- 
tensive enough  to  bring  him  in  much  revenue. 
On  August  6,  1889,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Stella  Chrisman,  who  was 
born  at  Burlington,  Kansas,  on  June  13,  1868. 
and  is  the  daughter  of  John  S.  and  Zelah 
(Furgson)  Chrisman,  the  father  a  native  of 
Indiana  and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  The  mother 
died  about  thirty  years  ago  and  the  father  in 
1894,  both  passing  away  at  Burlington,  Kansas. 
Mr.  Snoddy  had  four  sisters  and  two  broth- 
ers. All  are  dead  but  one  brother.  In  the 
Snoddy  family  three  children  have  been  born, 
Ethel  M.,  Zelah  E.  and  Stella  R.  They  are 
all  living  at  home.  While  not  an  active 
partisan,  or  in  any  sense  an  aspirant  for  public 
office,  Mr.  Snoddy  faithfully  supports  the  Re- 
publicans in  political  affairs.  In  local  matterr, 
he  considers  mainly  the  best  interests  of  the 
community  and  aids  materially  in  promoting 
them.  He  is  regarded  as  a  useful  and  valu- 
able citizen  and  has  the  regard  and  good  will 
of  the  people  all  around  him. 

JOSEPH  W.  PIERSON. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  longest  dwellers  on 
the  California  mesa,  in  Montrose  county,  and 
all  the  while  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizens  of  that  portion  of  the  state, 
Joseph  W.  Pierson  has  played  an  important 
part  in  bringing  the  region  from  its  conditon 
of  primitive  wildness  and  barrenness  to  its 
present  state  of  development  and  productive- 
ness. He  was  born  in  Ohio  on  January  23, 
1853,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Maria  L. 


(McMahon)  Pierson,  both  natives  of  Ohio. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  passed  his  life  on 
the  farm  his  father  had  taken  up  in  that  statQ 
in  the  early  pioneer  days,  dying  there  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four  years.  The  mother  is  still 
living  on  that  place,  and  is  also  now  well  ad- 
vanced in  age.  They  had  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. In  accordance  with  the  customs  of  the 
time  and  locality,  their  son  Joseph  attended  the 
public  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home 
and  assisted  from  his  boyhood  in  the  labors  of 
the  farm.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  then  in  1882, 
quitting  the  scenes  and  associations  of  his  early 
life  and  seeking  a  new  home  wherein  his  hopes 
might  expand  and  flourish,  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  established  himself  at  Longmont.  A 
year  later,  however,  he  concluded  that  the 
Western  slope  was  better  adapted  to  his  pur- 
poses and  moved  to  Montrose  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1884  he  pre-empted  the  ranch  on  which 
he  now  lives  and  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
abiding  place  and  the  seat  of  his  useful  and 
productive  labor.  On  this  he  settled  and  built 
his  dwelling  and  other  necessary  structures  be- 
fore the  ditch  which  irrigates  his  land  was 
completed,  but  was  unable  to  do  much  in  the 
way  of  farming  until  after  that  great  utility 
was  put  in  operation.  Since  thfen  he  has  gone 
on  increasing  his  acreage  of  cultivation  and 
improving  his  property  in  various  ways  until 
he  has  one  of  the  most  productive  and  desirable 
farms  in  his  neighborhood.  His  principal 
crop  is  hay,  but  he  raises  also  other  ordinary 
farm  products  in  quantities  and  has  about  eight 
acres  of  orchard  all  in  good  bearing  condition. 
As  a  side  issue  he  has  given  considerable  at- 
tention to  the  culture  of  bees  and  the  produc- 
tion of  honey.  His  apiary  comprises  one  hun- 
dred stands  of  well-bred  bees,  and  their  yield 
in  1902  netted  him  four  hundred  dollars  and 
in  1903  five  hundred  dollars.  While  deeply 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


3*9 


and  intelligently  interested  in  the  local  affairs 
of  his  section,  and  devoted  to  all  means  for  its 
improvement,  he  is  independent  in  politics,  and 
takes  no  active  part  in  partisan  contests.  On 
October  15,  1885,  ne  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Addie  Hatzell,  a  native  of  New  Jersey 
and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Ribbel) 
Hatzell,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  state. 
They  moved  to  Longmont,  Colorado,  in  1877, 
and  there  they  passed  the  rest  of  their  lives, 
both  being  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pier- 
son  have  five  children,  Sadie  L.,  May,  Grace  A., 
Albert  M.  and  John  S.  They  are  all  living  and 
at  home,  the  oldest  being  seventeen  and  the 
youngest  six  years  of  age.  The  ranch  is  eight 
miles  from  Delta. 

JOHN  E.  WHINNERY. 

A  pioneer  in  four  states,  John  E.  Whin- 
nery,  of  Delta  county,  living  five  and  one-half 
miles  up  the  Gunnison  from  the  city  of  Delta 
and  one-fourth  of  a  mile  west  of  Read  post- 
office,  has  passed  practically  the  whole  of  his 
life  on  the  frontier  so  far,  except  the  portion 
spent  at  his  present  residence  since  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state  has  been  settled  and  civilized 
through  his  labors  and  those  of  others.  He 
was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  'Ohio,  on 
June  6,  1829,  when  that  section  was  yet  in  a 
state  of  great  wildness  notwithstanding  his 
father  and  other  settlers  had  been  living  there 
nearly  thirty  years.  His  father,  John  Whin- 
nery,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1785, 
located  on  a  farm  in  Columbiana  county  in 
1801,  when  all  the  surrounding  country  was 
an  unbroken  wilderness  and  still  peopled  with 
Indians  and  infested  with  wild  beasts.  He  had 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  he 
improved  to  a  good  condition  and  lived  on  until 
his  death,  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven. 
Being  a  Quaker,  and  pursuing  the  peaceful 
policy  of  that  sect,  he  was  able  to  get  along 


with  the  Indians  without  trouble,  and  it  was 
two  years  or  more  after  he  settled  there  before 
they  were  removed  in  a  body.     In    1805  ne 
married  with  Miss  Mary  Mc'Bride,  a  native  of 
western  Virginia  and  also  an  early  settler  in 
the  wilds  of  Ohio.     They  had  eleven  children, 
of  whom  John  E.  was  the  last  born  and  is  the 
only  one  now  living.     The  last  of  the  others 
died  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.     The 
elder  Whinnery  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the 
late  Senator  Mark  Hanna  and  was  well  known 
to  all  the  older  leading  men  of  the  state.     He 
died  on  the  farm  on  which  he  first  located  in 
Ohio,  and  his  wife  died  there  also,  having  sur- 
vived him  ten  years  and  passing  away  in  1862. 
Their  son  John  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
place  and  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  in  the  neighborhood.     In  1852,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three,  he  left  home  and  moved 
to  Benton  county,  Iowa,  then  a  new  country 
with    pleasing    prospects    for    enterprise    and 
thrift.     Here  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  government  land,  which  he  improved 
and  lived  on  for  five  years.    At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  after  a  short 
visit  to  his  old  home,  traveled  through  various 
parts  of  the  country  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war.    He  then  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Fourteenth  Indi- 
ana Infantry,  and  was  soon  after  at  the  front. 
He  participated'  in  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain 
under    General    McClellan,    fought    Stonewall 
Jackson   at   Winchester,   and  was  in  a  number 
of  active  skirmishes.    Being  injured  in  a  stam- 
pede, he  was  laid  up  in  a  hospital  ten  weeks, 
and  after  getting  out  of  there  was  honorably 
discharged  on   account  of  disability.      He  at 
once  returned  to  Ohio,  and  during  the  next 
three  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
state.     In  the  fall  of  1865  he  moved  to  Lyon 
county,   Kansas,  and  later  to  Wilson  county, 
•where  he  farmed  and  raised  stock  until  1874. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled, 


320 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  the  San  Luis  valley.  Where  Lake  City  has 
since  been  built  he  did  some  prospecting  and 
located  several  mines.  The  town  was  then  a 
rude  hamlet  of  about  ten  log  cabins,  but  showed 
evidences  of  its  increasing  vitality  and  promise 
of  its  subsequent  growth.  He  started  a  dairy 
there  which  he  conducted  six  years,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  he  got  together  about  one  hun- 
dred cattle.  In  1879  he  took  up  a  ranch  in 
Gunnison  county,  and  in  1882  he  moved  on  it 
with  his  cattle,  living  there  until  1885,  when 
he  changed  his  residence  to  Delta  county  and 
the  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
which  he  now  has  his  home.  It  was  all  raw 
and  unimproved,  and  he  entered  with  vigor 
and  despatch  on  the  work  of  making  it  habit- 
able and  productive.  The  first  fall  he  planted 
two  acres  in  choice  fruit  trees,  and  he  has  since 
set  out  two  acres  and  a  half  more  in  orchard. 
The  rest  of  the  land  is  given  up  to  other  farm 
products  suitable  to  the  soil  and  climate,  his 
principal  crop  being  alfalfa.  In  the  public  af- 
fairs of  the  county  he  has  taken  an  active  part, 
serving  a  number  of  years  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  zealous  Re- 
publican, and  his  party  always  has  the  benefit 
of  his  work  and  influence.  He  was  first  mar- 
ried in  March,  1850,  to  Miss  Emily  Crew,  a 
native  of  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  daughter  of 
,  Dr.  James  Crew.  She  died  in  1855,  leaving  a 
son  and  daughter,  Josiah,  now  fifty-three  years 
old,  and  Louie  J.,  now  fifty-one.  One  of  them 
lives  in  Colorado  and  the  other  in  Wisconsin. 
Mr.  Whinnery's  second  marriage  occurred  in 
1862  and  was  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Fawcett,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1834.  Her  father,  Samuel 
Fawcett,  is  still  living  in  that  state,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-two,  having  been  born  in  1812.  He 
is  a  carpenter  and  still  works  at  his  trade. 
The  mother  died  very  young.  In  the  Whinnery 
household  three  children  were  born  of  the 
second  marriage,  Webster  S.,  Eva  J.  and  Ralph 
V.  They  also  are  all  living.  Mr.  Whinnery 


has  belonged  to  the  Masonic  order  for  a  long 
time,  and  has  always  been  somewhat  enthusi-' 
astic  in  the  work  of  the  fraternity. 

ALONZO  S.  WRIGHT. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
and  then  coming  to  live  in  Colorado,  where 
he  has  ever  since  resided,  Alonzo  S.  Wright, 
of  Montrose  county,  living  three  miles  and  a 
half  northwest  of  Olathe  on  a  good  ranch  of 
two  hundred  acres,  has  given  to  the  service  of 
this  state  the  labor  of  nearly  all  of  his  mature 
years,  and  has  won  from  it  not  only  a  com- 
petency in  worldly  wealth  of  increasing  magni- 
tude, but  as  well,  a  high  place  in  the  lasting  re- 
gard of  its  people.  He  was  born  on  April  19. 
1849,  m  Morgan  county,  Missouri,  where  his 
parents,  Thomas  and  Martha  (Baskerville) 
Wright,  the  former  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  settled  in  child- 
hood. The  father  was  a  carpenter  and  worked 
at  his  trade  until  well  advanced  in  age.  He 
then  retired  to  his  farm  in  Missouri,  where  he 
died  in  1878.  There  were  three  daughters  and, 
two  sons  in  the  family,  and  of  these  Alonzo  and 
his  three  sisters  are  living.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  paternal  homestead  in  his  native 
state,  and  secured  his  education  at  the  public 
schools.  In  1872  he  left  home  and  came  to 
live  in  Colorado,  arriving  at  Denver  on  April 
7th.  During  the  next  eighteen  years  he  was 
engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  with  good 
results,  and  he  still  owns  some  paying  mining 
interests  at  Lake  City,  among  them  a  portion 
of  the  Sweet  Home  mine.  He  came  to  the 
valley  in  which  he  now  lives  in  the  autumn  of 
1884,  and  for  five  years  thereafter  continued 
his  mining  operations.  In  1889  he  bought  his 
present  home,  securing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  by  the  first  purchase  and  eighty  in  ad- 
dition later,  in  the  meantime  having  sold  forty 
acres.  His  land  is  principally  adapted  to  hay 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


321 


and  of  this  he  raises  large  quantities  of  first 
rate  quality.  He  is  also  largely  engaged  in  the 
stock  industry  and  in  bee  culture.  After  buy- 
ing the  place  he  gave  up  active  mining  and  de-> 
voted  his  energies  to  farming  and  his  cattle 
business.  The  latter  he  is  steadily  increasing 
and  its  profits  grow  with  its  expansion.  The 
bees  are  also  profitable  and  bring  him  a  con- 
siderable revenue  without  much  effort  on  his 
part ;  and  he  has  a  three-acre  orchard  from 
which  he  gets  good  returns.  In  1903  he  sold 
more  than  two  thousand  dollars  worth  of  prod- 
uce from  his  farm,  the  honey  bringing  four 
hundred  dollars  and  the  fruit  an  equal  amount. 
While  increasing  the  number  he  is  also  rais- 
ing the  standard  of  his  cattle  and  thus  enlarg- 
ing their  value  in  the  markets.  On  February 
17,  1892,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Vezina,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  on  No- 
vember 3,  1868,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Nelson 
and  Emily  (Roapell)  Vezina,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
There  are  five  children  in  the  Wright  family,, 
John,  Alonzo,  Jr.,  Myron,  Mary  and  Thomas 
C.,  all  living  and  at  home.  Mr.  Wright  be- 
longs to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Washingtonians.  In  political  affiliation  he  is 
a  pronounced  Democrat.  In  the  full  maturity 
of  his  powers,  with  comfortable  surroundings, 
engaged  in  congenial  pursuits,  and  enjoying 
in  a  marked  degree  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow  men,  Mr.  Wright  has  an  enviable 
lot  at  present  and  may  confidently  expect  many 
years  of  usefulness  and  happiness  yet  to  come. 

DR.  WILLIAM  S.  WRIGHT. 

The  late  Dr.  William  S.  Wright,  of  Olathe, 
who  departed  this  life  on  February  10,  1902, 
in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness,  but  after  many 
years  of  successful  and  serviceable  practice  of 
his  profession,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Iowa,  on  September  20,  1840,  and  was  the  son 
21 


of  Alfred  and  Nancy  (Gabbert)  Wright,  na- 
tjves  of  Kentucky,  the  father  born  in  1807  and 
the  mother  in  1809.  They  moved  to  Iowa  in 
1830,  and  there  they  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  successfully  engaged  in  farming. 
Their  family  comprised  four  sons  and  six 
daughters,  six  of  the  number  being  now  alive. 
William  started  out  in  life  for  himself  in  1855 
at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  went  to  Missouri 
where  he  taught  school  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine.  Two  years  were  passed  in  that  state 
and  in  these  employments,  then  in  1857  ne 
returned  to  his  native  state,  where  he  remained 
until  1885,  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  from  the  time  when  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  In  1863  he  established  an 
office  in  Glasgo,  Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  and 
there  he  practiced  until  1882.  He  then  moved 
to  Lockridge,  in  the  same  state,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  he  practiced  there.  From  that 
city  he  moved  to  Kansas  in  1885,  locating  at 
Dodge  City  for  a  short  time  and  then  moving 
to  Jetmore.  The  next  year  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  took  up  his  residence  at  Montrose. 
At  the  same  time  he  pre-empted  a  claim  to  a 
tract  of  land  on  which  he  lived  until  June. 
1892.  At  that  time  he  changed  his  base  of 
operations  to  Olathe,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  until  his  death.  He  was  the  first 
physician  in  this  section  of  the  county,  and 
while  he  had  the  field  to  himself  for  years,  he 
also  found  his  duties  very  arduous  and  exact- 
ing, requiring  long  rides  in  all  sorts  of  weather 
and  at  all  hours  of  the  day  or  night.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  town,  there  being 
only  ten  houses  there  at  the  time  of  his  arrival, 
and  he  aided  largely  in  its  subsequent  growth 
and  development.  The  Doctor  was  first  mar- 
ried in  1857  to  Miss  Martha  Gregg,  a  native  of 
Iowa  and  the  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret 
Gregg.  The  fruit  of  their  union  was  seven 
children,  of  whom  but  three  are  living.  He 
was  divorced  from  this  wife  in  1883,  and  on 


322 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


October  15,  1885,  he  was  married  to  a  second 
wife,  Mrs.  Nellie  A.  (Pratt)  Scott,  a  widow 
with  three  children,  William  E.,  Sumner 
and  \Yinfield  Scott.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Jefferson  and  Jane  (Wightington)  Pratt,  the 
former  born  in  Massachusetts  and  the  latter 
in  Jefferson  county,  Tennessee.  The  father  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  for  the  Civil  war  as 
member  of  Company  C,  Eleventh  Illinois  In- 
fantry, and  served  through  the  contest.  After 
being  discharged  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  a 
hospital  and  there  he  died.  By  his  second  mar- 
riage Dr.  Wright  became  the  father  of  five 
children,  of  whom  Nellie,  Earl  and  Frances  W. 
are  living.  Ruth  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
months  and  the  fifth  died  in  infancy.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Masonic  order  fraternally,  was  an 
earnest  Republican  politically,  and  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  church  religiously. 
Mrs.  Wright  is  a  faithful  and  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

THOMAS  VICKERS. 

Nearly  half  a  century  of  useful  life  in  the 
United  States  has  made  the  interesting  subject 
of  this  brief  review  well  acquainted  with  and 
strongly  devoted  to  American  institutions,  and 
enabled  him  to  contribute  materially  to  the 
progress  and  development  of  the  country.  He 
was  born  in  England,  at  Brinsley,  on  January 
5,  1831,  where  his  parents,  William  and  Eliza- 
beth ( Wharton)  Vickers,  passed  the  whole  of 
their  lives.  'The  father  was  a  lime  burner 
and  actively  engaged  in  this  occupation  all  his 
days  from  early  manhood.  There  were  seven- 
teen children  in  the  family,  eleven  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity  and  three  .are  now  living. 
Of  these  Thomas  is  the  oldest  and  the  only 
one  who  ever  became  a  resident  of  Colorado. 
He  was  reared  and  received  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  land,  and  in  1857  came 
to  this  country,  locating  first  for  a  few  months 


in  Iowa.     He  then  moved  to  Illinois  and  soon 
afterward  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  dur- 
ing the  next  twenty  years  he  was  engaged  in 
mining  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city.    In  1878  he 
transferred  his  energies  to  the  Black  Hills  in 
South  Dakota,  where  he  remained  until  fall, 
then  came  to  Colorado,  locating  at  Florence. 
Work  was  scarce  there  at  the  time,  and  a  few 
months  later  he  moved  to  Trinidad  and  se- 
cured employment  with  the  Colorado  Fuel  & 
Iron  Company  in  the  coal  mines.     It  was  not 
long  before  he  became  foreman  of  the  mine  in 
which  he  was  working,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year 
thereafter  he  resigned  the  position  and  tried 
his  hand  for  a  brief  period  at  Ruby  camp  in 
Gunnison  county.     In  the  autumn  of  1879  he 
moved  his  family  to  Ouray  for  the  winter  and 
went  to  the  vicinity  of  Canon  City  where  he 
spent  the  winter  usefully  employed.      In  the 
spring  he  started  on  a  prospecting  tour,  which 
he  continued  until  the  fall  of  1881,  when  he 
moved  to  Delta  and  bought  the  place  on  which 
he  now  lives.     The  Indians  left  the  country  in 
September  and  he  arrived  in  November  after 
all  the  most  desirable  land  had  been  taken  up, 
so  he  purchased  the  rights  of  a  settler  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  for  the  sum 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.    On  this  land 
he  filed  and  afterwards  proved  up,  and  found 
himself   in   possession  of  a  property   steadily 
growing  in  value.     It  adjoins  the  townsite  of 
Delta  and  the  railroad  is  built  across  its  eastern 
side.     From  the  time  of  his  taking  possession 
he  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  improve- 
ment and  cultivation  of  the  place,  and  now  has 
what  he  still  owns  of  it  in  an  advanced  state 
of   productiveness    and    furnished    with    good 
buildings.     His  principal  crops  are  alfalfa  and 
potatoes,  getting  of  the  former  an  average  of 
six  and  of  the  latter  six  to  eight  tons  an  acre. 
Some  years  ago  he  sold  twenty-three  acres  of 
the  ranch  at  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre.    This 
the  purchaser  laid  off  into  town  lots  and  sold 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


323 


to  new  comers  in  the  town,  and  it  is  now  cov- 
ered with  the  homes  of  industrious  citizens. 
He  also  sold  seventy-eight  acres  to  a  cousin 
for  about  what  it  cost  him,  retaining  for  his 
own  use  about  fifty-four  acres,  all  he  felt  he 
could  handle  to  advantage  at  his  age.  '  Mr. 
Vickers  was  married  on  February  18,  1862, 
to  Mrs.  Ann  Nicholson,  a  widow  born  in  Man- 
chester, England,  and  the  daughter  of  John 
Bent,  of  that  city.  Her  mother  died  while  she 
was  young  and  she  herself  passed  away  on 
March  18,  1904.  They  had  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  adopted  a  daughter  in  Illinois 
whom  they  reared  to  womanhood,  and  who  is 
now  married  and  lives  on  the  home  ranch. 
Mrs.  Vickers  died  in  March,  1904,  and  is 
buried  at  Delta.  In  politics  Mr.  Vickers  is  a 
steadfast  Republican.  His  long  life  in  this 
community  has  been  without  reproach,  and  by 
all  the  people  he  is  highly  esteemed. 

ALFRED  S.  LEWIS. 

The  late  Alfred  S.  Lewis,  of  Delta  county, 
who  came  to  this  portion  of  the  state  in  1883 
and  died  on  his  ranch  three  miles  up  the  Gun- 
nison  from  the  town  of  Delta  in  1897,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  Cherokee 
county  on  August  6,  1849.  His  parents  were 
Alfred  and  Sarah  (Merlan)  Lewis,  natives 
also  of  North  Carolina.  The  father  died  when 
the  son  was  but  two  years  old,  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Civil  war  the  mother  moved  the 
family  to  Georgia,  where  she  died  in  July, 
1890.  It  was  in  this  state  that  the  son  grew 
to  manhood,  received  the  greater  part  of  his 
education  and  learned  his  trade  as  a  carpenter; 
and  there  also  he  started  in  life  for  himself  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  1880.  He  then  came 
to  Colorado,  locating  at  Leadville,  where  for 
a  short  time  he  was  employed  in  the  smelter 
sampling  ore.  In  August  of  that  year  he 
moved  to  Lake  Citv  and  mined  coal  for  coke. 


remaining  until  1883.  In  that  year  he  changed 
his  residence  to  Delta  county  and  his  occupation 
to  ranching  and  raising  stock.  For  the  first 
year  he  rented  a  ranch  in  order  that  he  might 
learn  how  he  liked  the  country  before  making 
a  purchase  and  establishing  a  permanent  home. 
In  1884  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  staged  off  by  another  man,  pay- 
ing five  hundred  dollars  for  the  rights  to  the 
property  and  one  hundred  dollars  worth  of 
ditch  stock.  The  land  was  so  dry  at  the  .time 
that  there  were  great  cracks  in  various  places  in 
it,  yet  by  close  and  continued  industry  and  tak- 
ing advantage  of  all  favoring  conditions,  he 
made  it  productive,  raising  good  crops  from 
the  start.  He  set  out  twenty  acres  in  fruit, 
but  there  are  now  only  seven  acres  of  the  orch- 
ard standing  and  its  yield  is  used  by  the  family. 
The  whole  region  was  undeveloped,  there  being 
but  one  bridge  over  the  Gunnison  at  the  time, 
and  that  a  cotton  wood  structure  subject  to  toll, 
But  accepting  the  conditions  around  him  with 
cheerfulness,  he  entered  upon  the  task  of  im- 
proving his  property  and  aiding  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country  with  energy,  and  soon 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  neighborhood 
advancing  with  gratifying  rapidity  to  a  state  of 
greater  fruitfulness  and  comfort.  To  the  end 
of  his  life  he  devoted  himself  to  the  work  be- 
fore him,  taking  an  earnest  and  helpful  interest 
in  local  affairs,  and  aiding  as  far  as  he  could 
in  building  up  the  section  in  which  he  had 
cast  his  lot',  being  one  of  its  useful  citizens,  and 
leaving  at  his  death  the  benefits  of  his  practical 
wisdom  and  continued  industry.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  January  10,  1867,  to  Miss  Grace  Lecl- 
ford,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Union 
county,  Georgia,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Silas 
and  Elmyra  (Bollen)  Ledford,  the  father  a 
native  of  North  and  the  mother  of  South 
Carolina.  The  mother  died  very  young  and 
the  father  in  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom 


3-4 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF  WESTERN    COLORADO. 


are  living  at  or  near  the  family  homestead. 
Since  the  death  of  the  father  the  mother  has 
carried  on  the  operations  of  the  ranch  with  the 
help  of  the  children  at  home,  and  with  the  ten 
thousand  dollars  insurance  he  had  on  his  life 
she  has  bought  additional  land  and  a  number 
of  cattle.  The  father  had  sold  one  hundred 
acres  of  his  original  purchase*  before  his  death 
and  the  widow  has  purchased  sixty  acres,  so 
that  she  now  has  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
Her  stock  industry  is  thriving,  and  with  the 
fine  yield  of  hay  she  gets  from  the  land  she 
usually  has  enough  feed  for  the  cattle,  raising 
an  average  of  about  four  hundred  tons  of  hay 
a  year.  -Mr.  Lewis  was  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  a  Baptist  in  church  membership. 

DANIEL  S.   ROATCAP. 

Born  and  reared  in  Page  county,  Virginia, 
the  parents  of  Daniel  S.  Roatcap,  of  Montrose 
county,  who  lives  on  a  good  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  five  miles  west  of 
Olathe,  which  he  has  redeemed  from  the  waste 
and  made  fragrant  and  fruitful  with  the  prod- 
ucts of  cultivation  and  comfortable  with  the 
appointments  of  a  good  home,  were  pioneers  in 
four  states  of  the  growing  West,  and  added  to 
the  productive  energies  which  have  aided  in 
the  development  of  each.  The  father,  John 
Roatcap,  and  the  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Rachel  Coffman,  were  reared  in  their  na- 
tive county,  and  began  their  married  life  there 
as  prosperous  farmers.  They  moved  to  Illinois 
in  1843  and  settled  on  the  virgin  prairie  of 
that  great  state,  and  there  they  founded  a  new 
home,  which,  however,  they  left  in  1855  for  a 
still  newer  one  on  the  frontier  of  Missouri.  In 
both  states  they  farmed  and  in  the  latter  the 
father  also  conducted  a  flour-mill  until  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  the  disaster  occurring  in  1868. 
The  next  year  they  moved  to  Kansas  where 
they  remained  until  1880,  when  they  came 


to  Colorado.  The  first  three  years  of  their  resi- 
dence in  this  state  were  passed  at  Lake  City, 
and  in  1883  they  changed  to  Delta  county. 
where  the^father  died  in  1888  and  the  mother 
in  1898.  Their  son  Daniel  was  fifteen  years 
old  when  the  family  settled  in  Missouri,  and  in 
that  state  he  finished  his  schooling  and  began 
life  for  himself  as  a  farmer.  He  remained 
there  until  1874,  then  moved  to  Kansas,  where 
he  continued  farming  until  1881.  In  that  year 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  -Lake  City  found  profitable 
employment  in  the  lumber  industry  until  1883, 
when  he  located  the  place  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home. 
All  the  land  in  the  region  was  then  unculti- 
vated, its  chief  product  being  wild  sage  brush, 
and  the  conveniences  of  civilized  life  were  few 
and  hard  to  get.  The  soil  was  arid  too,  and 
no  systematic  attempt  at  irrigation  was  prac- 
ticable. The  conditions  for  successful  farming 
were  therefore  very  unfavorable  and  home  com- 
forts were  of  the  most  primitive  and  meager 
character.  But  he  persevered  in  his  under- 
taking, and  combining  with  other  determined 
home-seekers  like  himself  who  had  come  to 
stay,  their  united  efforts  were  employed  in  con- 
structing a  ditch  in  1884,  and  then  the  yield 
of  the  land  began  to  grow  generous  and  profit- 
able: In  1885  he  set  out  a  small  orchard,  to 
which  he  has  added  from  time  to  time  until  he 
now  has  fifteen  acres  of  fruit  trees  in  good  bear- 
ing order,  which  have  never  failed  in  a  good 
annual  crop,  especially  the  peach  trees,  since 
they  began  bearing.  The  revenue  from  this 
branch  of  his  industry  alone  has  been  seven 
hundred  dollars  to  one  thousand  dollars  a  year 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  it  is  steadily  in- 
creasing in  amount.  He  also  has  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  alfalfa,  and  when  there 
is  sufficient  water  he  gets  from  this  three  crops 
a  year,  the  yield  being  three  hundred  to  four 
hundred  tons  a  year.  On  April  3,  1862,  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


325 


was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  A.  Smith,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  the  daughter  of  Noah  and 
Mary  (Gouchenour)  Smith,  who  were  born  in 
that  state  and  moved  to  Missouri  in  1856.  The 
father  died  there  in  1879,  and  four  years  later 
the  mother  came  to  Colorado,  where  she  died 
in  1888.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roatcap  have  had  ten 
children,  David  H.,  John  W.,  Joseph  S.,  Noah 
D.,  Mary  A.,  James  A.,  Oliver  M.,  Emma  E., 
Archie  H.  and  Charlie  A.  Of  these  the  two 
daughters  and  two  of  the  sons  are  dead.  Fra- 
ternally the  father  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  United  Workmen,  in  political  faith  he 
is  a  Democrat  and  in  church  membership  he 
and  his  wife  are  connected  with  the  Church 
of  Christ  in  Christian  Union. 

GEORGE  W.  SHINDLEDECKER. 

A  Pennsylvanian  by  nativity,  and  the  son 
of  parents  born  and  reared  in  that  state,  but 
who  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  his  childhood,  and 
having  grown  to  manhood  in  their  new  home, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  one  of  the 
progressive  ranchmen  of  Montrose  county,  saw 
service  in  useful  labor  and  acquired  knowledge 
from  experience  in  two  states  before  he  came 
to  Colorado  in  1869  at  the  dawn  of  his  young 
manhood.  His  life  began  on  October  n,  1848, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Drake)  Shindledecker,  who  took  up  their 
residence  in  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin  in  1854 
and  remained  there  until  the  death  of  the 
mother  in  1892.  Two  years  later  the  father 
came  to  Colorado  and  in  1895  died  in  this 
state.  After  leaving  school  their  son  George 
worked  on  the  home  farm  in  Wisconsin  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  then,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1869,  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Boulder  county,  where  he  went  to  work  on  a 
ranch  for  his  brother-in-law.  He  remained  in 
that  county  until  the  autumn  of  1874,  then 
went  to  Iowa,  and  during  the  next  four  years 


he  was  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account 
in  that  state.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Wisconsin, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1879  returned  to  this  state, 
selecting  the  vicinity  of  Boulder  as  his  resi- 
dence. Two  years  were  passed  in  profitable 
farming  there,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period 
he  moved  to  Denver,  and  soon  afterward  to 
Pueblo,  where  for  four  years  he  ran  an  engine. 
From  there  he  changed  his  base  of  operations 
to  the  St.  Charles,  and  after  farming  there  for 
a  year  moved  to  Delta  county,  locating  on 
Rogers  mesa,  where  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land. on 'which  he  lived  until 
1889,  improving  the  property  with  buildings 
suitable  for  his  use,  cultivating  the  land  and 
planting  an  acre  of  it  in  fruit.  He  sold  the 
place  in  1889  and  during  the  next  three  years 
he  rented  property  on  California  mesa,  then 
in  1892  he  bought  the  place  where  he  now  re- 
sides. This  was  unimproved  when  he  made 
the  purchase,  and  its  present  state  of  develop- 
ment and  fertility  is  the  result  of  his  continued 
and  systematic  labor.  He  has  eleven  acres  of 
orchard,  eight  of  which  are  of  his  own  planting, 
and  the  yield  from  this  branch  of  his  enter- 
prise is  extensive  and  remunerative,  he  having 
realized  an  average  of  six  hundred  dollars  a 
year  for  some  years  from  it.  His  principal 
crop  besides  the  fruit  is  hay,  and  of  this  he 
harvests  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  an- 
nually. The  ranch  comprises  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  of  which  sixty  acres  are  in  alfalfa. 
Until  1903  he  was  also  extensively  engaged  in 
raising  cattle  for  the  markets,  but  since  then 
he  has  raised  only  enough  for  his  own  use.  He 
was  married  on  January  7,  1875,  to  Miss 
Eveline  Rhyno,  a  native  of  Madison  county, 
Iowa,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Nunn)  Rhyno,  the  father  born  in  Virginia 
and  the  mother  in  Indiana.  The  father  died 
on  December  17,  1903,  and  the  mother  now 
lives  at  Boulder.  Mrs.  Shindledecker  died  on 
October  2,  1903,  leaving  two  sons,  William  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Bert,  who  are  both  at  home,  the  elder  being 
twenty-eight  years  old  and  the  younger  twenty- 
five.  The  father  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  is  a  zealous  Democrat  in  political 
faith. 

WILLIAM  H.  OVERBAY. 

Assuming  the  burden  and  responsibility  of 
making  his  own  way  in  the  world  at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  and  entering  soon  afterward  for 
the  purpose  the  untrodden  fields  of  the  father 
West,  and  here  pursuing  with  industry  and 
steadiness  of  effort  the  various  occupations 
open  to  him  with  the  alterations  of  fortune  in- 
cident to  the  situation,  William  H.  Overbay, 
of  Delta  county,  this  state,  has  met  life's  calls 
to  duty  with  a  manly  and  resolute  spirit  and 
won  from  the  opportunities  available  to  him  a 
good  estate  and  a  well  established  place  in  the 
regard  and  good  will  qf  his  fellow  men.  He 
is  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  on  January  6, 
1833,  and  the  son  of  Henry  and  Selvana  (Over- 
bay)  Overbay,  natives  of  that  state.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  small  farmer,  re- 
spected by  his  neighbors  and  useful  in  the  gen- 
eral duties  of  citizenship.  The  family  in 
course  of  time  moved  to  Tennessee  and  later 
to  Kentucky,  where  the  father  died  in  1883  and 
the  mother  in  1887.  When  the  Civil  war  began 
the  father  espoused  actively  the  cause  of  the 
North  and  entered  the  Union  army,  in  which 
he  rendered  good  service,  escaping  the  terrible 
ordeals  incident  to  the  memorable  contest  with- 
out serious  injury.  There  were  eight  children 
in  the  family  and  all  of  them  but  William  are 
living  in  Kentucky.  He  left  home  in  1850,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  to  work  for  himself,  go- 
ing to  Kentucky  for  the  purpose.  Six  years 
later  he  moved  to  Missouri  and  soon  afterward 
to  Kansas.  In  1859  he  came  to  Colorado, 
reaching  Denver  in  September.  He  at  once 
went  to  mining,  and  after  working  at  this  em- 
ployment until  February,  1860,  at  Blackhawk 


and  elsewhere,  he  left  Denver  in  company  with 
two  other  men,  traveling  through  the  Pike's 
Peak  country  by  teams  and  over  the  Blue 
Range  on  snow  shoes,  leaving  the  teams  in 
South  Park.  He  continued  prospecting 
through  a  wide  extent  of  country  until  the  win- 
ter of  1 86 1,  when  he  and  eighty-five  others 
were  snowed  in  for  five  months  in  what  is  now 
Gunnison  county,  meeting  no  one  and  hearing 
nothing,  from  the  outside  world.  They  had 
laid  in  provisions  for  a  protracted  stay,  but 
these  were  exhausted  before  the  end  came,  and 
they  were  near  starvation,  when  Mr.  Over- 
bay  and  another  man  journeyed  on  snow  shoes 
in  April  to  a  gulch  within  their  reach,  and 
there  they  found  a  jnore  abundant  supply  of 
food.  He  passed  the  time  at  various  places 
in  this  state  until  the  spring  of  1863,  then 
went  to  Montana,  where  he  mined  with  profit 
until  1864,  cleaning  up  good  returns  for  his 
labor.  In  the  year  last  named  he  made  a  trip 
to  British  Columbia,  and  on  his  return  to  Mon- 
tana again  engaged  in  profitable  mining,  mak- 
ing over  ten  thousand  dollars  in  eight  weeks. 
He  leased  mines  and  bought  some,  all  of  which 
he  worked  with  industry  until  1866,  then  sold 
his  interests  and  bought  other  property  in 
Highland  gulch  which  he  operated  until  1868. 
In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  South  Pass,  Wyoming.  In  the  fol- 
lowing fall  he  changed  his  residence  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  but  after  remaining  there  a  short 
time  started  on  a  tour  of  observation  which 
took  him  to  various  parts  of  Idaho,  Oregon, 
Nevada  and  Arizona,  during  which  he  was 
prospecting.  In  the  autumn  of  1871  he  re- 
turned to  Colorado  and  continued  mining  until 
1 88 1,  when  he  settled  on  a  portion  of  the  ranch 
which  is  his  present  home,  pre-empting  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  added 
afterward  eighty  acres  by  purchase.  At  that 
time  the  section  was  not  open  to  settlement,  it 
being  yet  a  part  of  the  Indian  reservation  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


327 


in  charge  of  the  United  States  troops.  They 
denied  his  right  to  occupy  the  land  and  hunted 
him  with  the  determination  of  driving  him  out. 
He  had  a  secure  hiding  place  to  which  he  re- 
turned from  time  to  time,  walking  backward 
through  the  snow  so  that  the  soldiers  were 
unable  to  track  him  to  it.  They  got  his  -horses, 
however,  but  he  afterward  had  these  returned 
to  him,  and  sometime  later,  after  a  hard  strug- 
gle, secured  peaceful  and  uncontested  posses- 
sion of  his  land.  He  has  greatly  improved  the 
place,  set  out  ten  acres  in  fruit  and  brought 
about  fifty  acres  into  productiveness  in  alfalfa, 
the  rest  being  grazing  land.  He  also  has  one 
hundred  stands  of  bees  which  do  well  and  yield 
a  good  revenue.  He  keeps  enough  cattle  to 
consume  the  feed  he  raises,  and  all  lines  of  his 
ranching  and  other  industries  are  managed 
with  vigor  and  success.  On  January  14,  1885, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  L. 
West,  a  native  of  Canada  and  daughter  of 
Henry  T.  and  Sarah  (Woodward)  West,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  England.  The  father 
died  in  1884  and  Mrs.  Overbay  came  with  her 
mother  soon  afterward  to  Colorado,  where  the 
mother  died  in  1886.  There  were  two  children, 
the  son  being  now  a  resident  of  Aspen.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Overbay  have  five  children,  Dora  M.. 
William  H.,  Lloyd  W.,  Leon  J.  and  Ila  E. 
The  father  belongs  to  the  Democratic  party. 

THOMAS   McCOY. 

Seeking  even  in  his  boyhood  a  freer  life  and 
wider  opportunities  for  advancement  than  were 
offered  in  Ireland,  the  country  of  his  birth,  and 
in  that  quest  emigrating  to  the  United  States 
when  he  was  but  seventeen  years  old,  Thomas 
McCoy,  of  Montrose  county,  this  state,  found 
his  first  home  and  the  beginning  of  his  career 
of  usefulness  in  this  country  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  fourteen  years.  He  was 
born  on  September  23,  1857,  and  is  the  son 


of  Thomas   and   Mary    (Jones)    McCoy,   the 
former  Scotch  by  nativity  and  the  latter  born  in 
Ireland.     The  father  died  in  Ireland  in  1881 
and   the  mother  in    1882.      In    1864  the  son 
came  to  this  country  and  located,  as  has  been 
stated,    in    Pennsylvania,   where   he   remained 
until  1878,  working  on  farms  and  saving  his 
wages  for  future  use.     In  the  year  last  named 
he  came  west  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  dur- 
ing a  short  time  worked  on  a  fruit  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  that  city,  then  passed  eight  years 
as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  the  city.     In  1883  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Denver,  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  brick  for  a  year, 
after  which  he  did  electrical  wiring  and  car- 
penter work  until   1894.     He  then  moved  to 
Delta  county  and  bought  a  partially  improved 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Cali- 
fornia mesa,   on  which  he  lived  and  worked 
until  he  sold  it  in  1899.     During  the  next  two 
years   he   lived   on   rented   land  and   in    1901 
bought  the  place  which  is  his  present  home. 
This  comprises  eighty  acres  and  is  six  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  Olathe.     He  has  thirty-five 
acres  in  alfalfa,  five  in  fruit  and  the  rest  de- 
voted to  grazing  and  general   farming.     On 
March   16,    1890,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Amelia  Young,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1864.     She  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah    (Strayer)    Young,  both  de- 
ceased.   Mrs.  McCoy  died  in  November,  1902, 
leaving  three  children,  Susie  A.,  George  H.  and 
Ruth.     The  father  is  an  Odd  Fellow  in  fra- 
ternal life,   a   Presbyterian  in  church  fellow- 
ship and  a  Republican  in  political  allegiance. 
He  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  ranchman, 
a  zealous  and  public-spirited  citizen,  a  capable 
business  man,  and  a  good  neighbor,  firm  friend 
and  serviceable  force  in  promoting  the  general 
welfare    and    progress   of   the   community    in 
which  he  lives.     He  is  held  in  cordial  regard 
by  those  who  know  him  and  highly  respected 
by  all  classes  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


GEORGE  P.  CHILES. 

No  diligent  and  earnest  search  into  the 
arcana  of  nature  has  ever  gone  long  unre- 
warded. She  is  prodigal  of  her  gifts  when 
properly  besought  although  she  may  at  times 
hold  them  at  a  high  price  of  effort  and  impor- 
tunity. .When  the  first  settlers  in  the  region  of 
Cory,  Delta  county,  this  state,  stuck  their 
stakes  in  the  virgin  soil,  the  question  of  what 
products  it  might  be  best  adapted  to  was  yet 
to  be  determined.  By  experiment  and  close 
observation,  comparison  of  notes  and  scrutiny 
of  results,  it  was  soon  learned  that  the  region 
was  well  adapted  to  fruit-growing,  and  the  re- 
wards of  those  who  have  here  turned  their  at- 
tention to  this  branch  of  husbandry  have  been 
fully  commensurate  with  the  outlay  of  labor 
and  skill  in  the  industry.  Among  the  pioneers 
of  the  section  and  of  fruit-culture  in  it  as  well, 
George  P.  Chiles  is  entitled  to  a  high  rank, 
both  for  the  vigor  and  efficiency  with  which 
he  has  aided  in  developing  the  business  and  the 
success  which  has  crowned  his  efforts.  When 
he  came  to  the  neighborhood  the  family  of 
James  W.  Snelson  was  the  only  one  living 
there.  The  land  was  in  its  state  of  primeval 
nature,  its  tendencies  were  unknown,  its  pos- 
sibilities unestimatecl  and  the  means  of  culti- 
vating it  to  the  best  advantage  unavailable.  He 
and  others  who  came  soon  after  him  found, 
however,  by  earnest  attention  to  the  problem 
before  them,  in  which  the  development  of  the 
section  was  involved,  that  the  soil  would  re- 
spond generously  in  the  culture  of  fruit  trees, 
and  they  devoted  their  energies  largely  to  the 
prosecution  of  this  work.  Of  his  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  this  leader  in  the 
enterprise  has  thirty  in  trees  of  choice  varieties, 
and  each  year  he  reaps  large  harvests  from 
their  prolific  vigor.  Mr.  Chiles  also  has  fifty 
acres  in  alfalfa  and  the  remainder  of  his  ranch 
is  given  up  to  general  farm  products.  The 


revenue  from  his  orchard  averages  nearly 
three  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  his  hay  crops 
net  him  about  twenty  dollars  an  acre.  Mr, 
Chiles  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  at  Paris 
on  August  i,  1844,  and  the  son  of  Henry  C. 
and  Maria  (Wilson)  Chiles,  the  father  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Kentucky.  The 
latter  died  when  her  son  George  was  but  ten 
weeks  old.  His  father  was  a  merchant  and 
farmer.  He  moved  to  Missouri  in  1858,  and 
located  at  Lexington,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  in  1898.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war  with  Mexico  he  raised  a 
regiment  of  volunteers  for  the  service,  but  be- 
ing unable  to  take  the  field  with  it  himself,  he 
turned  the  command  over  to  his  brother,  but  he 
was  known  ever  afterward  as  Colonel  Chiles. 
He  was  prominent  in  public  affairs,  serving  as 
a  member  of  the  legislature  and  filling  other 
offices  of  importance  and  responsibility.  His 
son  George  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation and  was  trained  to  habits  of  useful 
industry.  In  January,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  for  the  Civil  war  in  Com- 
pany A,  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  in  which  he 
served  to  the  end  of  the  war.  Although  not 
in  many  of  the  greatest  battles  of  the  war,  he 
received  five  \vounds  in  the  conflict,  and  was 
obliged  to  pass  three  months  at  one  time  in  the 
hospital.  He  left  the  service  as  a  second  lieu- 
tenant, and,  proceeding  to  Warsaw,  Missouri, 
started  a  grocery  business  which  he  carried  on 
until  1868.  He  then  sold  out  at  Warsaw  and 
moved  to  Joplin,  in  the  same  state,  where  he 
farmed  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Colorado  and,  settling  at  Lake  City,  engaged 
in  mining.  In  1876  and  the  following  year 
he  was  elected  marshal  of  Lake  City  and  col- 
lected the  city  taxes.  In  1880  he  was  again 
elected  to  this  office,  in  the  meantime  being 
busily  occupied  in  mining.  While  living  at  this 
place  he  and  three  other  men  founded  the  town 
of  Pitkin,  to  which  he  devoted  considerable  at- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


329 


tention  until  1885,  when  he  left  the  section  and 
located  the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home.  His 
mining  ventures  were  successful  and  profitable, 
and  he  still  owns  mining  property  of  value  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Lake  City.  His  ranch  is 
about  one  mile  from  the  postoffice  of  Cory. 
Since  settling  on  it  he  has  given  its  develop- 
ment his  whole  attention  and  he  has  one  of  the 
best  and  most  productive  orchards  in  the 
county,  while  his  other  ranching  interests  are 
correspondingly  flourishing.  On  February  9, 
1864,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jennie 
Taylor,  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Eliza  (Earp),  the  father  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  the  mother  of  North 
Carolina.  The  latter  died  in  1860  and  the  for- 
mer in  1869.  There  were  seven  children  in  the 
.family  and  three  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chiles  have  two  children,  Henry  W.  and  Clara 
B.  Both  are  married  and  residing  in  Colo- 
rado, one  at  Denver  and  the  other  at  Delta. 
The  father  is  a  member  of  the  Washington  So- 
ciety and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Christian  church. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Populist.  The  local  affairs 
of  the  county  have  enlisted  his  warmest  inter- 
est. He  served  six  years  as  county  commis- 
sioner and  has  rendered  valuable  service  to  the 
people  in  various  other  capacities.  In  1903  he 
attended  the  grand  encampment  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  in  California,  and  at  the 
same  time  made  a  trip  over  most  of  the  state. 
He  drove  the  first  team  of  horse?  ever  seen  in 
the  Plateau  valley  into  the  section  in  1883.  On 
the  trip  his  party  saw  seven  hundred  deer  and 
many  other  very  interesting  sights.  They  passed 
through  the  valley  looking  for  a  location  to  set- 
tle in,  and  on  reaching  Grand  Junction,  where 
they  hoped  to  remain,  they  were  not  pleased 
with  the  outlook,  and  returned  to  Lake  City. 
The  Junction  was  then  a  rude  and  uncomely 
hamlet  with  but  feeble  signs  of  life  and  to  their 
view  gave  almost  no  promise  of  its  subsequent 


growth  and  progress.  They  therefore  returned 
to  Lake  City,  where  Mr.  Chiles  remained  until 
1885.  Always  an  experimenter  in  any  line  of 
thought  or  action  which  interested  him,  he  has 
in  his  orchard  a  few  soft  shell  almond  and 
some  English  walnut  trees,  and  they  are  re- 
warding his  hopes  with  abundant  success  in 
growth  and  fruitfulness.  In  1898  he  raised 
the  largest  apple  ever  grown  in  Colorado.  It 
measured  nine  inches  in  diameter  and  twenty- 
seven  in  circumference,  and  took  the  first  prize 
at  the  Delta  county  fair.  With  a  deep  and  abid- 
ing interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  portion  of 
the  state  and  its  industries,  he  has  omitted  no 
effort  on  his  part  needed  for  their  promotion. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Delta  County  Fruit-Growers'  Association,  and 
is  at  this  writing  (1904)  one  of  its  largest 
stockholders.  Through  the  medium  of  this 
body  he  has  aided  in  pushing  the  development 
of  fruit  culture  in  the  county  to  proportions  of 
great  magnitude  and  value.  Among  the  lead- 
ing and  most  representative  citizens  of  the 
county  he  is  always  named  and  by  its  people  he 
is  universally  esteemed. 

HENRY  W.  TEACHOUT. 

From  the  peaceful  pursuit  of  agriculture  in 
Vermont  and  western  New  York  to  a  wild 
mining  camp  in  Nevada  involves  a  fair  flight 
in  distance  and  conditions  but  it  is  one  that 
many  men  have  taken  to  their  own  advantage 
and  for  the  benefit  of  the  country.  Among  the 
number  was  Josiah  Teachout,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  brief  review,  who  was  born 
in  Vermont  in  1804  and  died  at  Austin, 
Nevada,  in  1864.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Lydia  Huskins,  was  also  born  in 
Vermont,  her  life  beginning  there  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  1812.  She  survived  her  husband  thirty 
years,  dying  in  Colorado  on  December  16,  1894. 
The  father  was  a  tanner  and  early  in  his  mar- 


330 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ried  life  moved  to  Lyons  in  Wayne  county, 
New  York,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  and 
did  some  farming.  In  1858  the  family  moved 
to  Alexandria,  Missouri,  and  in  1863  to  Austin, 
Nevada,  where  the  father  ended  his  life.  Their 
son  Henry,  who  now  lives  at  Eckert,  Delta 
county,  this  state,  ten  miles  from  the  county 
seat,  where  he  has  a  fine  little  fruit  ranch  and 
is  prosperously  engaged  in  managing  it  to  the 
best  advantage,  started  in  life  for  himself  in 
1860,  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  having 
been  born  at  Lyons,  New  York,  on  April  25, 
1841.  He  was  living  in  Missouri  when  he 
began  business  working  at  his  trade  as  a  shoe- 
maker and  carrying  on  a  store  in  the  same 
line.  In  1863  he  sold  his  business  and  started 
overland  for  California,  but  concluded  to  stop 
at  Austin,  Nevada,  where  he  remained  until 
June,  1867,  tnen  returned  overland  to  Missouri 
in  company  with  his  three  brothers.  On  the 
way  west  they  had  a  train  of  sixty-seven 
wagons,  but  on  the  return  trip  only  three 
wagons  and  twelve  men.  On  the  way  to  Ne- 
vada the  party  met  Brigham  Young,  who 
talked  to  them  about  his  religious  belief  and 
also  the  nature  of  the  country  through  which 
they  were  passing.  On  their  return  they  had 
three  hundred  horses.  Some  of  these  were 
stolen  by  Indians,  who,  however,  gave  the  train 
no  farther  trouble.  When  they  arrived  at  Boul- 
der, this  state,  they  determined  to  remain  there 
awhile,  and  passed  the  winter  of  1867-68  there, 
going  the  next  spring  to  Monument  on  the 
divide,  where  they  engaged  in  ranching.  Here 
Mr.  Teachout  and  his  brothers  divided  their 
live  stock  and  he  took  up  a  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
devoted  his  energies  to  raising  grain  and  po- 
tatoes, and  also  engaged  in  a  dairy  business, 
making  that  place  his  home  until  1879,  when 
he  moved  to  Gunnison.  Here  he  pre-empted 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  con- 
ducted a  stock  and  hay  ranch  until  the  spring 


of  1885.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Delta 
county,  buying  a  place  on  which  he  lived  until 
1901,  then  sold  it  and  purchased  the  ranch  of 
eleven  acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  eight  and 
one-half  acres  of  which  are  in  thrifty  fruit 
trees  which  bring  him  in  a  comfortable  income. 
Mr.  Teachout  was  married  on  November  22, 
1860,  to  Miss  Mary  Edwards,  a  native  of  Il- 
linois, the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Reid)  Edwards,  the  former  born  at  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  and  the  latter  in  Ohio.  The 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  belonging 
to  Company  I  of  the  Twenty-first  Missouri 
Infantry.  He  became  ill  in  the  service  and 
passed  a  few  weeks  in  a  hospital.  At  the  end 
of  his  term  he  returned  to  his  family  in  Mis- 
souri and  died  at  Memphis,  that  state,  on  April 
19,  1872.  He  was  through  life  a  farmer.  The 
mother  died  on  February  28,  1860,  also  at 
Memphis,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teachout 
have  seven  children,  Minnie  B.,  Annetta  A., 
Frank,  Leafy,  Daisy,  Mamie  and  Lucy,  all  liv- 
ing in  Colorado  and  all  married  but  two.  Fra- 
ternally the  father  is  a  Freemason  and  politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican. 

JAMES  W.   SNELSON. 

In  the  life  of  James  W.  Snelson,  of  Delta 
county,  who  owns  and  operates  an  excellent 
little  farm  of  eighteen  acres  located  seven 
miles  from  Delta  at  the  village  of  Cory,  there 
have  been  many  reverses  and  difficulties,  but  he 
has  risen  superior  to  them  all  and  attained  to 
substantial  comfort  in  a  worldly  way  and  se- 
cured a  firm  hold  on  the  regard  and  good  will 
of  his.  fellow  men.  He  was  born  in  eastern 
Tennessee  on  June  13,  1834,  and  is  the  son 
of  Thomas  and  Cynthia  (Parker)  Snelson,  the 
father  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  mother 
of  Kentucky.  The  parents  were  farmers  and 
moved  to  Arkansas  when  their  son  James  was 
a  small  boy.  There  they  continued  their  farm- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


331 


ing  operations  on  land  which  they  bought,  until 
the  death  of  the  father,  the  mother  also  dying 
in  Arkansas  in  1863.  The  son  James  aided  his 
mother  in  managing  the  home  farm  after  the 
death  of  the  father,  remaining  with  her  until 
1859.  He  then  began  farming  for  himself  in 
Arkansas,  where  he  remained  so  occupied  until 
1884,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled 
where  he  now  lives,  buying  a  claim  which  an- 
other man  had  already  located.  This  com- 
prised one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  he  at 
once  went  to  work  to  improve  it  and  make  it 
habitable  and  productive.  Among  the  first 
things  he  did  was  to  plant  a  number  of  choice 
fruit  trees  to  start  an  orchard,  intending  to  add 
to  the  acreage  so  set  aside  as  time  passed. 
The  grasshoppers  destroyed  his  trees  then 
and  also  those  of  several  subsequent  plantings, 
but  in  spite  of  this  disaster  he  now  has  an 
orchard  of  six  acres  which  is  in  good  order 
and  yields  abundant  harvests,  the  average  an- 
nual revenue  for  several  years  being  three 
hundred  dollars.  At  first  he  devoted  the 
greater  part  of  the  ranch  to  alfalfa,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  was  extensively  engaged  in 
raising  hay  and  general  farm  products.  But 
from  time  to  time  he  has  sold  portions  of  his 
land  until  he  now  has  only  eighteen  acres, 
which  is  all  he  cares  to  farm  and  makes  him 
a  comfortable  home  and  profitable  occupation. 
The  postoffice  of  Cory  is  on  land  that  originally 
belonged  to  his  place  and  there  are  many  vil- 
lage homes  on  the  tract.  His  sales  have  been 
in  small  parcels  and  the  prices  received  have 
been  good,  averaging  fifty  dollars  an  acre.  In 
1890  he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  nearer  the  river,  which  he  sold  at 
good  profit  after  improving  it  with  a  com- 
fortable dwelling  and  other  suitable  buildings. 
Since  settling  in  this  neighborhood  Mr.  Snel- 
son  has  had  considerable  sickness  in  his  family, 
loss  of  stock  and  other  adversities,  but  he  has 
prospered  and  kept  abreast  with  the  times,  get- 


ting his  little  place  into  excellent  condition  and 
prudently  investing  the  fruits  of  his  labor  for 
future  use.  On  October  10,  1859,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  Black,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  the  daughter  of  Jesse  R.  and 
Elizabeth  (Burlson)  Black,  natives  and  farm- 
ers of  that  state  who  moved  to  Arkansas  in 
1849,  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
days,  the  father  dying  in  June  and  the  mother 
in  July,  1862.  Five  of  their  twelve  children 
are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snelson  have  had 
thirteen  children,  Thomas  R.,  George  W.,  John 
F.,  Mary  E.,  James  J.,  Cynthia  A.,  William 
W.,  Olive  O.,  Columbus  A.,  Hulda  A.,  Leoni- 
das  J.,  Walcie  E.  and  Eli  N.  Nine  of  them  are 
living.  Mr.  Snelson  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  followed  the  fortunes  of  his  section  to  the 
field  and  serving  three  years  in  'the  Confeder- 
ate army.  He  enlisted  in  1861  in  Company  A, 
of  Shaler's  Arkansas  regiment,  and  served  to 
near  the  close  of  1864.  During  this  time  he 
passed  one  month  in  the  hospital.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Freemason  and  politically  a  Socialist. 

SIMON  E.  HAVERSTICK. 

The  progress  of  civilization  and  settlement 
over  the  untrodden  wilds  of  this  country,  from 
its  earliest  history  to  the  present  time,  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  and  interesting  subjects  of 
thought,  an  oft-told  but  ever  new  story,  full  of 
incident  and  adventure,  and  strong  in  proofs  of 
the  mastery  of  mind  over  matter  and  every  con- 
dition or  circumstance.  The  procession  once 
started  has  never  halted,  the  most  substantial 
advance  of  one  decade  being  but  the  beginning 
of  or  stepping  stone  to  the  next,  the  goal  of  one 
set  of  hardy  adventurers  the  breathing  spot  or 
night's  shelter  for  the  next,  every  conquest  of 
one  day  opening  the  way  to  more  extensive 
and  beneficent  conquests  for  the  morrow.  Al- 
most within  the  memory  of  men  now  living  the 
earlier  advances  stopped  on  the  banks  of  the 


332 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Ohio,  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  then  the  Missis- 
sippi stayed  the  eager,  adventurous  progress. 
But  still  steadily  following  fast  on  the  heel  of 
the  flying  buffalo,  they  have  since  swept  over 
every  boundary  and  obstacle  until  the  conquesr 
and  occupation  of  the  whole  untrodden  West 
of  a  former  day  is  almost  accomplished.  The 
father  of  Simon  E.  Haverstick,  of  Delta 
county,  a  pioneer  of  this  state,  was  one  in  In- 
diana, where  he  arrived  from  his  native  Penn- 
sylvania about  the  year  1829.  His  name  was 
Isaac  Haverstick  and  he  was  born  at  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1821.  He  settled  near  South- 
port,  Marion  county,  and  there  he  married  with 
Miss  Sulla  Smock,  a  native  of  that  place,  born 
in  1822.  They  were  farmers  and  prospered  in 
their  vocation,  remaining  at  the  home  of  their 
early  married  life  until  death,  the  mother  pass- 
ing away  in  1897  an<^  the  father  -in  1901. 
Eleven  children  were  born  to  them  and  all  are 
living,  ten  in  Indiana  and  one  in  Colorado. 
Simon  was  born  on  the  paternal  homestead  at 
Southport,'  Indiana,  on  February  23,  1857. 
There  he  grew  to  the  age  of  nineteen,  receiving 
a  common-school  education,  gathering  strength 
of  body  and  independence  of  spirit  and  self- 
reliance  on  the  farm,  and  in  1876,  when  well 
equipped  for  the  duties  of  life,  he  assumed 
charge  of  a  neighboring  farm  for  himself, 
which  he  managed  four  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  went  to  Indianapolis  and  found 
employment  there  during  the  next  four  years  in 
the  stock  yards.  In  February,  1884,  he  moved 
to  Kansas,  and  six  months  later  started  over- 
land with  teams  to  Pueblo,  in  this  state,. where 
he  arrived  in  October  and  remained  until  the 
ensuing  May,  engaged  in  teaming  most  of  the 
time.  From  Pueblo  he  changed  his  residence 
to  Ouray,  where,  after  railroading  three 
months  and  teaming  three  months,  he  went  to 
farming,  in  which  he  was  occupied  in  that 
vicinity  until  the  autumn  of  1889.  He  next 
passed  a  year  at  Olathe,  at  the  end  of  which 


he  again  turned  to  farming,  following  this  in- 
dustry on  Ash  mesa  and  in  the  Gunnison  valley 
until  1902,  when  he  moved  to  the  sixty-acre 
ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  one  mile  and  a 
half  from  Cory  on  the  river.  On  this  ranch 
he  has  an  orchard  of  two  and  a  half  acres  in 
fine  bearing  order,  the  rest  of  the  land  being 
devoted  to  general  farm  products,  principally 
potatoes.  His  potatoes  are  among  the  largest 
and  best  produced  in  the  county,  large  num- 
bers of  them  weighing  over  four  pounds  apiece 
and  many  as  much  as  seven,  and  the  yield  is 
eight  to  ten  tons  an  acre.  The  orchard  is 
nearly  all  in  peaches,  and  the  crops  are  abund- 
ant in  quantity  and  excellent  in  quality.  He 
has  prospered  in  his  enterprise  here  and  is  held 
in  high  esteem  by  the  citizens  of  the  valley 
generally.  On  November  19,  1879,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  A.  Pate,  who 
was  born  in  Indiana  on  November  29,  1858, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary 
(Hubbell)  Pate,  early  settlers  in  that  state. 
The  father  was  a  shoemaker  and  farmer,  and 
gave  his  attention  to  both  pursuits  with  profit. 
He  also  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  is  still  living  in  Indiana,  having  never  left 
the  state  after  once  settling  there.  The  mother 
died  in  1872.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haverstick  have 
had  four  children,  Ethel,  Myrtle,  Floy  and  Es- 
tella.  The  first  born  is  dead,  the  others  are  liv- 
ing and  at  home.  The  head  of  the  house  is  a 
Socialist  in  political  faith  and  fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

WILLIAM  J.  BROWER. 

William  J.  Brower  is  actively  and  profitably 
engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  stock  on  a 
good  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  one  mile  and 
a  half  west  of  Cory,  Delta  county.  He  was 
born  in  Canada  on  September  2,  1868,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Matilda  (Lapham) 
Brower,  the  former  born  in  the  province  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


333 


New  Brunswick,  Canada,  on  March  8,  1824, 
and  the  latter  in  Canada  on  April  23,  1835. 
During  the  whole  of  his  mature  life  the  father 
has  been  a  farmer.  He  lived  in  Canada  until 
1874,  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Wet  valley  where  he  took  up  a  homestead 
which  he  improved  and  on  which  he  engaged 
in  general  ranching  and  raising  stock  until 
1882.  Selling  it  then,  he  moved  to  Delta 
county  and  pre-empted  land  on  a  part  of  which 
he  is  now  living,  having  sold  eighty  acres  ot 
the  tract  to  his  son  William.  He  has  a  good 
five-acre  orchard  and  the  rest  of  the  land  is  in 
alfalfa  and  general  farm  products.  The  mother 
is  also  living.  They  have  had  six  children,  one 
of  whom  is  dead.  The  other  five  have  homes 
in  Colorado.  William  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  twenty-two,  then  having  a 
fair  common-school  education  and  being  well 
prepared  for  a  career  of  usefulness  by  his  tram- 
ing  on  the  home  farm,  he  started  out  for  him- 
self freighting  and  packing  about  the  moun- 
tains near  Silverton.  He  pushed  his  business 
in  this  line  during  the  summers  and  wintered 
his  teams  on  his  father's  ranch  until  1900, 
when  owing  to  the  advanced  age  of  his  parents 
he  took  charge  of  the  ranch  and  has  since  con- 
ducted its  operation.  In  1898  he  bought  eighty 
acres  of  his  father's  place  and  since  then  he  has 
been  improving  and  cultivating  the  whole  tract 
)f  two  hundred  acres  as  well  as  looking  after 
lis  father's  land.  His  principal  crop  is  hay  and 
le  has  a  good  herd  of  cattle.  On  January  i; 
[903,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  Samuel. 
,'ho  was  born  in  Missouri  in  April,  1877,  and 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Virginia  (Bal- 
lengee)  Samuel,  life-long  residents  of  that 
state.  They  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom 
ire  living  and  three  are  residents  of  Colorado. 
[r.  and  Mrs.  Brower  have  one  daughter.  Rose 
Eugenia.  Mr.  Brower  is  earnestly  interested  in 
the  fraternal  life  of  the  community  as  a  mem- 
of  the  Masonic  order,  in  its  political  af- 


fairs  as  a  Republican,  and  in  its  general  ad- 
vancement and  improvement  as  a  public-  ' 
spirited  and  energetic  citizen.  By  the  people 
around  him  he  is  held  in  high  esteem,  and  his 
influence  among  them  is  always  felt  in  behalf 
of  every  commendable  undertaking. 

WILLIAM  J.  GROW. 

Orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father  when 
the  son  was  but  a  few  months  old,  and  now 
totally  blind,  his  eyesight  having  gradually 
failed  during  the  last  few  years,  both  the  be- 
ginning and  the  close  of  life  for  William  ]". 
Grow,  of  Delta  county,  have  been  shrouded  in 
gloom,  yet  notwithstanding  the  double  affliction 
he  has  preserved  a  cheerful  disposition  and  met 
his  responsibilities  with  manliness  and  courage. 
He  \vas  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  December  12, 
1849,  tne  son  of  William  and  Frederica 
(Grow)  Grow,  who  were  born  in  Germany  and 
emigrated  to  this  country  soon  after  their  mar- 
riage, settling  in  Pennsylvania.  The  mother 
married  a  second  husband  and  passed  the  rest 
of  her  days  in  Pennsylvania,  dying  there  on 
June  24,  1903.  When  he  was  eight  years  old 
William  went  to  Allegheny,  in  his  native  state, 
and  secured  employment  in  a  butcher's  shop 
where  he  worked  for  a  year.  After  that  he 
found  employment  in  private  families  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  thirteen,  since  which  time 
he  has  done  a  man's  work  in  whatever  engaged 
his  energies.  In  1864,  when  he  was  about 
fifteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and 
Ninety-third  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  he  re- 
mained in  that  company  until  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war.  Two  months  of  his  term  were 
passed  in  the  hospital  on  account  of  sickness, 
but  he  suffered  no  other  casuality  in  the  service, 
never  being  in  even  a  skirmish.  After  his  dis- 
charge he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  at  the 
close  of  a  year's  work  in  the  oil  fields  moved 


334 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  a  year  later  went  to 
Pittsburg,  where  he  was  variously  employed 
until  1869.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and 
took  up  his  residence  at  Nevadaville,  Gilpin 
county.  In  1874  he  went  to  San  Juan  county 
and  conducted  a  meat  market  until  1887,  most 
of  the  time  at  Silverton  and  one  year  at 
Durango.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  bought  his 
present  home  and  established  his  family  there, 
then  returned  to  his  meat  business  which  he 
carried  on  two  years  longer,  then  sold  it  and 
settled  on  the  ranch  to  which  he  has  since  de- 
voted all  his  time.  .  It  originally  comprised  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  but  he  has  sold  all  ex- 
cept twenty-two.  Of  this  four  acres  are  in 
fruit  and  the  rest  in  alfalfa  and  other  farm 
products.  In  1889  his  eyes  began  to  fail  and 
he  gradually  went  blind.  Since  then  his  sons 
have  carried  on  the  work  of  the  farm.  He  was 
married  on  October  20,  1878,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Donovan,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  on 
December  3,  1859,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Molampy)  Donovan, 
Irish  by  nativity  and  emigrants  to  America 
early  in  their  married  life.  The  mother  died 
on  a  ranch  near  Mr.  Grow's  in  January,  1897. 
which  the  father  has  since  sold.  They  came  to 
Colorado  in  1863  and  the  father  mined  in  the 
vicinity  of  Denver  until  1885,  when  he  ac- 
companied the  Grows  to  the  valley  in  which 
they  live.  He  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
daughter  and  her  husband.  They  have  seven 
children,  William  T.,  Margaret,  John  E.,  Rob- 
ert C.,  Frederick  T.,  Edward  J.  and  Thomas 
P.,  all  living  at  home.  Mr.  Grow  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  political 
faith,  but  while  giving  his  party  loyal  and 
earnest  support,  has  never  been  desirous  of 
public  office,  being  content  to  perform  his  part 
in  the  promotion  of  his  county's  interests  from 
the  honorable  post  of  private  citizenship. 


FRANKLIN   MANGES. 

From  the  time  of  his  birth  in  Somerset 
county,  Pennsylvania",  on  June  17,  1842,  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years,  the  life 
of  Franklin  Manges,  of  Delta  county,  two 
miles  from  Cory,  on  the  creek,  was  uneventful 
and  in  no  respects  worthy  of  mention  different 
from  the  lives  of  other  boys  and  youths  in  his 
locality.  He  is  the  son  of  David  and  Susan 
(Brant)  Manges,  also  born  and  reared  in 
Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they 
farmed  until  death  ended  their  labors.  The 
son  was  reared  on  the  farm,  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  prepared  himself  for  life's 
duties  by  the  ordinary  attention  to  whatever  he 
had  to  do.  Soon  after  completing  his  twentieth 
year  he  left  home  as  a  volunteer  in  defense  of 
the  Union,  then  threatened  by  armed  resist- 
ance, enlisting  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-third  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  in 
August,  1862,  for  a  term  of  nine  months.  He 
was  discharged  in  May,  1863,  and  in  February, 
1864,  he  again  enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  B,  Sixtieth  Ohio  Infantry,  in  which 
he  served  until  July  28,  1865.  In  the  army  he 
saw  active  and  dangerous  service,  participating 
in  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 
where  he  had  a  brother  killed,  Chancellorsville, 
the  Wilderness,  and  Petersburg,  and  also  in 
numerous  skirmishes.  He  was  never  wounded 
or  taken  prisoner,  but  was  obliged  to  spend  one 
week  in  the  hospital  on  account  of  sickness. 
During  all  the  rest  of  the  time  he  was  at  his 
place  and  answered  every  roll  call,  unless  absent 
on  duty.  After  his  discharge  he  went  to 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  and  two  years  later 
moved  to  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  where 
he  farmed  until  1875,  then  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Kansas,  and  there  followed  the  same 
pursuit  until  1898.  He  came  to  Colorado  that 
vear  and  located  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


335 


lives,  then  returning  to  Kansas  he  remained 
until  the  ensuing  spring,  when  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado to  remain.  His  ranch  comprises  thirty- 
seven  acres  of  land,  of  which  he  has  two  acres 
in  fruit  and  the  rest  in  alfalfa  and  other  ordi- 
nary products  grown  in  the  neighborhood.  He 
has  made  good  improvements  on  the  place  and 
is  still  improving  it,  enlarging  his  crops  by  ju- 
dicious husbandry  and  increasing  the  value  of 
his  land.  He  has  been  for  many  years  a  great 
hunter,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  the  exhilarating 
sport  incident  to  the  life  of  a  Nimrod  has  had 
numerous  exciting  adventures  and  narrow  es- 
capes from  death.  On  October  24,  1902,  when 
hunting  grouse  in  company  with  a  neighbor, 
he  came  upon  a  huge  bear  that  had  long  been 
the  terror  of  the  whole  region  because  of  its 
killing  stock  and  doing  other  extensive  damage. 
It  had  often  been  seen,  and  once  was  caught  in 
a  trap  from  which  it  escaped  with  the  loss  of 
three  toes  from  one  foot,  but  had  always  man- 
aged to  get  away  from  its  pursuers.  A  reward 
of  three  hundred  dollars  had  at  one  time  been 
offered  by  the  stockmen  for  its  capture,  dead  or 
alive,  and  he  was  eager  to  kill  it,  although  there 
was  no  reward  available  then.  It  required 
twelve  thirty-thirty  shots  to  finish  the  brute, 
but  Mr.  Manges  had  the  great  satisfaction  of 
completing  the  job.  He  had  the  hide  made  into 
a  robe  and  the  head  mounted.  This  was  ex- 
hibited at  the  St.  Louis  fair  in  1904,  and  at- 
tracted a  great  deal  of  attention.  The  bear 
measured  eight  feet  from  tip  to  tip  and  weighed 
over  one  thousand  pounds.  It  was  in  prime 
condition  and  yielded  eleven  gallons  of  fat. 
This  was  the  largest  bear  ever  seen  in  the  state. 
The  feat  of  killing  it  was  one  of  great  prowess 
and  brought  Mr.  Manges  many  commendations 
for  his  pluck  and  skill,  and  for  ridding  the 
country  of  a  very  troublesome  enemy.  On 
August  16,  1875,  Mr.  Manges  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Schouse.  They 
had  three  children,  two  of  them  twins,  and  all 


now  deceased.  Their  mother  died  in  1878, 
and  in  1881  the  father  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Mattie  Hatfield,  who  bore  him  two  chil- 
dren, a  son  Ernest  and  daughter  Mamie,  the 
former  of  whom  is  dead  and  the  latter  lives  in 
Montana.  He  separated  from  this  wife  in 
1884,  and  has  since  had  a  nephew  living  with 
him.  For  many  years  he  belonged  to  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows,  but  he  is  not  now  in 
active  membership.  His  church  affiliation  is 
with  the  Methodists  and  in  political  affairs  he 
supports  the  Republican  party. 

JOHN  HICXSON. 

John  Hicxson,  of  Delta  county,  comfort- 
ably settled  on  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  the  creek  one  mile  and  a  half 
west  of  Eckert,  one  of  the  respected  citizens 
of  the  Western  slope,  is  a  self-made  man  and 
has  won  his  estate  by  his  own  efforts  without 
other  help  than  what  he  has  had  from  his  wife 
and  children,  and  won  it  in  Delta  county. 
When  he  left  the  railroad  train  with  his  wife 
and  two  children  on  his  arrival  in  the  county 
in  1889  he  had  only  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
in  money  and  almost  no  other  possessions.  Mr. 
Hicxson  was  born  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  on 
February  18,  1857,  and  there  grew  to  manhood 
and  received  a  common-school  education.  His 
parents,  Robert  C.  and  Lorana  (Millige)  Hicx- 
son, were  natives  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  re- 
spectively, and  settled  in  Iowa  in  1838.  There 
the  father  farmed  until  1845,  when  he  became 
a  minister  and  since  that  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  that  profession.  His  ministerial 
duties  have  called  him  to  many  different  parts 
of  the  country,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  now 
living  at  Easter,  Oregon.  Their  son  John  left 
home  in  1877  and  began  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer  in  Missouri.  He  afterward  learned  the 
carpenter  trade,  and  after  working  at  it  for  a 
number  of  years  in  Oregon  and  Colorado  left 


336 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


that  state  in  1885  and  moved  to  Oregon  where 
he  farmed  four  years.  In  1889  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Delta  county.  Settling 
his  family  on  a  rented  ranch,  he  continued  to 
work  at  his  trade  until  1891.  He  then  bought 
the  ranch  which  he  now  .owns  and  occupies, 
and  from  that  time  he  has  devoted  himself 
wholly  to  its  improvement  and  cultivation.  The 
place  originally  comprised  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  but  he  has  sold  twenty.  He 
has  about  sixty-five  acres  under  cultivation  in 
grain,  hay  and  vegetables,  the  same  extent  as 
pasture  land  and  the  remainder  of  the  tract  in 
fruit.  He  also  has  set  out  seven  or  eight  acres 
of  fruit  on  another  place.  When  he  began  to 
improve  his  ranch  he  built  a  log  dwelling,  but 
he  has  replaced  this  recently  with  a  modern 
frame  residence  which  is  one  of  the  attractive 
homes  of  the  neighborhood.  The  house  was 
built  in  1902,  and  his  fruit  crop  that  year  more 
than  paid  for  its  construction.  Failing  health 
induced  him  to  rent  his  ranch  in  1903,  with 
the  frequent  result,  abuse  and  neglect  by  the 
tenant,  and  its  yield  that  year  was  not  very 
abundant.  He  then  took  charge  of  it  again 
and  since  has  had  good  crops  and  restored  the 
place  to  its  former  condition.  His  marriage 
occurred  on  November  27,  1877,  and  was  to 
Miss  Emma  Boggs,  who  \vas  born  in  Greene 
county,  Illinois,  on  December  28,  1863,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  James  A.  and  Hannah 
(Harrison)  Boggs,  the  former  born  in  West 
Virginia  and  the  latter  in  Illinois.  The 
mother  was  a  second  cousin  to  the  late  Presi- 
dent Harrison.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war  and  fought  from  the  beginning 
to  the  close  of  the  contest.  He  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Tenth  Illinois  Infantry,  on  the 
same  day  with  his  brother-in-law,  and  side  by 
side  they  went  through  the  struggle,  partici- 
pating in  many  of  the  leading  battles,  including 
those  in  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea  and  the 
campaigns  immediately  preceding  and  follow- 


ing it,  and  neither  was  ever  wounded,  but  Mr. 
Boggs  was  taken  ill  just  prior  to  his  discharge 
and  died  about  two  months  after  reaching  his 
home.  The  children  in  the  Hicxson  family  are 
James  E.,  Mary  E.,  George  F.  and  Annie  L. 
They  are  all  living  and  at  home  or  on  homes 
of  their  own  near  the  father's.  The  first  and 
second  are  married,  and  between  them  have 
six  children.  Mr.  Hicxson  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
a  Baptist  and  a  Republican. 

FRED  R.  BURRITT. 

The  parents  of  Fred  R.  Burritt,  of  Delta 
county,  one  of  the  respected  citizens  of  Colo- 
rado, who  has  lived  and  labored  in  the  state 
to  good  purpose  since  1883,  taking  part  actively 
and  serviceably  in  the  industrial  and  political 
life  of  the  state,  were  eastern  people,  as  were 
their  progenitors  for  many  generations.  His 
father,  Hiram  Burritt,  was  born  in  the  state 
of  New  York  in  1817,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Julia  A.  Ford,  in  Vermont  in 
1816.  They  became  residents  of  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  in  early  life,  the  father  locating  there 
when  he  was  but  eighteen  years  old,  and  there 
their  son  Fred  was  born  on  February  18,  1862. 
Soon  after  his  birth  his  parents  left  their  farm 
and  the  father  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness at  Wauconcla,  in  the  same  county.  This 
business  received  his  attention  until  1899  when 
he  retired  from  active  pursuits  and  moved  to 
Chicago,  where  the  mother  died  in  April,  1902, 
and  the  father  in  March,  1904.  The  father  was 
a  self-made  man,  attending  school  but  a  few 
months  in  one  year,  and  acquiring  the  rest  of 
what  learning  he  had  by  his  own  efforts  and 
from  the  teachings  of  experience.  The  son 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  his 
legal  majority,  then,  in  1883,  came  to  Colo- 
rado with  the  determination  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  Locating  in  Gunnison 
county,  he  went  to  work  in  a  meat  market  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


337 


continued  there  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  made  a  short  visit  to  his  old  home, 
and  on  his  return  to  this  state  located  in  Delta 
county.  Here  he  worked  a  year  for  his  brother, 
then,  in  1887,  bought  the  place  on  which  he 
now  lives  and  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
home.  In  1889  he  was  elected  county  assessor 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  which  he  completed 
in  a  manner  creditable  to  himself  and  with 
general  satisfaction  to  the  people.  He  has 
never  lost  their  regard  and  approval  as  a  public 
official,  and  is  now  serving  them  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  an  office  to  which  he  was  chosen 
in  1901.  His  ranch  in  its  present  condition 
of  development,  advanced  cultivation  and  com- 
fortable improvement,  represents  years  of  labor 
and  close  application  on  his  part,  for  it  was  all 
wild  and  virgin  to  the  plow  when  he  bought  it. 
One  hundred  of  its  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
are  under  cultivation,  eight  acres  being  in  a 
productive  orchard  and  eighty  in  alfalfa,  from 
which  he  gathers  annually  an  average  of  five 
tons  per  acre.  This  he  feeds  to  his  own  cattle 
on  the  ranch,  and  from  them  he  realizes  a  good 
return  for  his  attention  to  them.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  December  5,  1888,  to  Miss  Belle 
Brower,  a  sister  of  William  J.  Brower,  of  the 
same  county,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
on  another  page.  They  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living,  Hiram,  Frank, 
John,  Flora,  Harold  and  Alfred.  The  one  de- 
ceased passed  away  in  infancy.  Mr.  Burritt 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  in  political  affiliation  he  is  an 
earnest  and  zealous  Democrat. 

GEORGE  FOGG. 

George  Fogg,  of  Delta  county,  lived  con- 
tinuously on  his  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  two  miles  and  a  half  northwest 
of  Eckert  during  the  last  twenty-two  years, 
and  until  recently  was  never  out  of  the  county 
22 


beyond  some  little  distance  into  the  adjoining 
one  of  Montrose.    He  has  devoted  his  time  and 
energies  wholly  and  sedulously  to  the  develop- 
ment,   cultivation    and    improvement    of    his 
property  and  the  management  and  expansion  of 
his  business.     Mr.  Fogg  brought  to  his  under- 
taking here  the  characteristic  ingenuity,  thrift 
and  resourcefulness  as  well  as  the  steady  in- 
dustry of  the  New  Englanders,  he  having  been 
born  at  Bridgewater,  Connecticut,  on  July  4, 
1833.     His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Susanna 
Quiner  (Hilbert)  Fogg,  the  father  a  native  of 
Berwick,   Maine,  and  the  mother  of  Marble- 
head,  Massachusetts.    The  father  was  .a  manu- 
facturer of  shoes  at  Bridgewater,  Connecticut, 
and  conducted  a  factory  there  in  which  he  em- 
ployed an  average  of  sixty  persons.     After  his 
death,    March    5,    1838,    his    widow   sold   the 
business  and  moved  to   New  York  city,  and 
died  near  there  at  Port  Chester  in  1852.    They 
had    five    children,    all    of    whom    are    living, 
George  being,  however,  the  only  one  residing, 
in  Colorado.    When  he  was  sixteen,  three  years 
before  the  death  of  his  mother,  having  com- 
pleted his   education  according  to  his  oppor- 
tunities, he  left  home  and  apprenticed  himself 
to   a   carpenter  at   Waterbury,    in  his   native 
state,  to  learn  his  trade.     He  remained  in  that 
city  and  worked  at  his  craft  until  1868,  then 
moved  to  Johnson  county,  Missouri,  where  he 
bought  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land 
which  he  farmed  until  1880.     In  the  spring  of 
that  year  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  taking  up 
his  residence  at  Silver  Cliff,  found  plenty  to 
do  in  his  chosen  line  of  employment.     Being  a 
millwright  as  well  as  a  general  carpenter,  he 
was  soon  called  upon  to  build  a  two-hundred- 
thotisand-dollar  stamp  mill  at  Ruby,  Gunnison 
county.     On  completing  this  he  moved  to  what 
is  now  Delta  county,  the  territory  being  then 
a  part  of  Gunnison  county,  but  erected  into  a 
separate  county  in  the  following  year,    1883. 
Here  he   pre-empted   one  hundred  and   sixty 


338 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


acres  of  land  and  bought  as  much  more.  His 
thrifty  and  prolific  orchards  cover  thirty  acres, 
and  the  other  body  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  which  he  has  under  cultivation  is  given 
up  mainly  to  the  production  of  alfalfa.  From 
the  orchards  he  has  realized  a  net  income  of 
one  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  the  hay  from 
the  rest  has  brought  three  thousand  dollars  a 
year  for  a  number  of  years.  The  extent  and 
value  of  each  of  these  products  has  steadily  in- 
ceased,  the  first  general  fruit  crop  yielding 
about  six  hundred  dollars.  From  1884  to  1903 
he  was  also  in  the  dairy  business  at  a  profit  of 
about  one  hundred  dollars  a  month,  and  dur- 
ing that  period  he  had  in  addition  three  hun- 
dred stands  of  bees,  from  whose  product  he 
received  a  revenue  of  one  thousand  three  hun- 
dred dollars  in  one  year.  He  has  recently  sold 
his  bees  and  cattle  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  his  land  and  located  at  Delta,  where  he 
bought  a  comfortable  home.  Having  labored 
faithfully  for  many  years,  without  evasion  of 
duty  or  effort  at  recreation,  he  has  determined 
to  take  life  more  easily  in  future,  and  among 
the  first  pleasures  he  promised  himself  was  a 
visit  to  his  old  home  in  Connecticut  during  the 
year  1904.  Mr.  Fogg  was  married  on  De- 
cember 31,  1856,  to  Miss  Helen  J.  Allen,  native 
in  the  same  state  as  himself,  the  daughter  of 
Noble  and  Sallie  (Lambert)  Allen,  whose  lives 
were  passed  in  useful  labor  as  farmers  in  their 
native  state,  Connecticut.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living.  The  father 
died  in  1869  and  the  mother  in  1883.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fogg  have  five  children,  Montford  A., 
George  F.,  Noble  A.,  Howard  C,  deceased, 
and  Hilbert  L.  All  are  living  in  Colorado  but 
one.  Mr.  Fogg  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

JAMES   B.   McHUGH. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen  and 
since  then  making  his  own  way  with  steady 
progress  and  his  own  unaided  efforts  to  a 


worldly  competence  and  general  public  esteem, 
James  B.  McHugh,  of  Delta,  who  lives  and 
conducts  a  flourishing  general  farming  and 
cattle  industry  two  miles  and  a  half  northeast 
of  Eckert,  has  found  in  Colorado  a  suitable 
field  for  the  employment  of  his  native  abili- 
ties and  business  capacity,  and  has  been  quick 
to  see  and  alert  to  seize  the  opportunities  here 
presented  for  his  advancement.  He  is  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  on  September  3,  1857 
His  father,  John  McHugh,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1816  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  when  young.  He  located  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  there  married  with  Miss  Mary 
Carlin,  a  native  of  Ireland  born  in  1834,  and 
she  is  still  living  in  her  old  home,  where  her 
husband  died  in  1880.  He  was  a  miner  from 
boyhood,  and  after  spending  his  earlier  years 
in  the  mines  of  his  native  land  followed  the 
same  pursuit  in  those  of  his  adopted  country  to 
the  end  of  his  days.  The  son,  whose  life 
opened  on  the  unpromising  outlook  of  a  miner's 
offspring,  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  eighteen,  and  received  such  edu- 
cational training  as  was  available  to  a  boy  of 
his  station  at  the  district  schools.  In  the  spring 
of  1875  he  left  home  and  came  to  Colorado  by 
easy  stages,  reaching  Denver  in  the  ensuing 
fall.  From  there  he  proceeded  to  Georgetown 
and  went  to  work  in  the  mines.  He  was  oc- 
cupied in  mining  until  1886,  when  he  bought 
the  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  which 
has  been  his  home  since  1888,  in  which  year 
he  settled  on  the  property  and  took  personal 
charge  of  the  improvements  and  cultivation  al- 
ready in  progress  there.  He  has  mined  at 
intervals  since  then,  and  still  owns  valuable 
mining  claims,  but  he  does  not  now  work  them 
himself.  Having  turned  his  attention  to  ranch- 
ing and  the  acquisition  of  real  estate  as  his 
permanent  occupation  and  business,  he  also 
bought  a  five  hundred-acre  ranch  in  New 
Mexico,  which  he  still  owns.  On  the  home 
place  he  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


339 


alfalfa  and  timothy,  and  on  this  he  produces 
five  to  eight  tons  of  excellent  hay  per  annum, 
all  of  which  he  feeds  to  cattle  on  the  place, 
buying  the  stock  in  the  fall  and  fattening  them 
in  the  winter  for  the  market.  He  winters 
on  an  average  one  hundred  and  seventy 
head,  and  finds  the  undertaking  very  profit- 
able. He  also  has  a  prolific  orchard  of  two 
acres,  in  which  he  raises  an  abundance  of 
choice  fruit  of  several  kinds.  In  every  line  of 
enterprise  on  this  and  the  other  place  he  is  pros- 
perous and  successful  because  he  deserves  to  be, 
giving  all  details  of  his  work  his  close  personal 
attention,  and  applying  to  it  the  lessons  learned 
by  intelligent  study  and  close  observation  of  its 
needs.  On  March  7,  1886,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lola  Beckley,  who  was  born  in  Indiana, 
the  daughter  of  George  and  Martha  (Hurt) 
Beckley,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
the  latter  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McHugh 
have  had  ten  children,  Mary  E.,  Florence  P., 
Lola  A.,  John  B.,  Walter  A.,  James  J.,  Han- 
nah L.,  Regina  F.,  Lawrence  and  an  infant  who 
is  dead.  Mr.  McHugh  is  a  Democrat  politically 
and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Washington.  There  were  seventeen  children 
in  his  father's  family,  of  whom  he  was  the  fifth 
born.  Eleven  are  living  and  four  are  residents 
of  Colorado. 

GEORGE  BECKLEY. 

An  industrious  mechanic  and  a  progressive 
farmer  in  times  of  peace,  and  a  serviceable 
soldier  during  a  part  of  the  Civil  war,  George 
Beckley,  of  Delta  county,  living  two  miles 
from  Delta,  has  faithfully  performed  his  duty 
as  a  citizen  in  whatever  form  it  has  made  its 
call,  and  without  looking  for  the  showy  re- 
ward to  fidelity  that  comes'  in  men's  praises  or 
positions  of  prominence  or  distinction.  He  is 
a  native  of  Indiana,  born  on  September  6,  1840, 
his  parents  having  been  Edwin  and  Polly  (Tif- 


fany) Beckley,  the  former  born  in  Connecticut 
in  1806  and  the  latter  in  .New  York  in  1815, 
The  father  was  a  carpenter  in  Indiana,  Ohio 
and  Michigan,  and  died  in  the  last  named  state 
on  December  23,  1873,  having  survived  his 
wife  twenty-two  years,  she  having  died  on 
May  22,  1851.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  after 
receiving  a  meager  education  at  the  district 
schools,  their  son  George  was  apprenticed  to 
the  carpenter  trade,  and  after  completing  his 
apprenticeship  he  worked  at  his  craft  in  Ohio 
until  the  fall  of  1862.  He  then  left  that  state 
and  moved  to  Indiana,  where  on  July  18,  1863, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  Infantry.  In  this  company  he 
served  in  defense  of  the  Union  until  March  3, 
1864,  participating  in  a  number  of  engage- 
ments, among  them  those  at  Blue  Springs, 
Taswell  and  Walker's  Ford,  Tennessee.  He 
passed  one  night  in  the  hospital,  but  at  all  other 
times  was  in  the  line  of  duty  during  his  term. 
After  leaving  the  army  he  returned  to  Indiana, 
and  in  1868  moved  to  Michigan,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  autumn  of  1881,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  Colorado.  For  a  year  and  a  half  he 
worked  at  his  trade  at  Tincup,  Gunnison 
county,  then,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  he  moved 
to  the  town  of  Gunnison,  where  he  passed  three 
years  in  the  same  occupation.  In  1886  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Delta  county  and  his 
employment  to  ranching,  taking  up  a  home- 
stead at  the  mouth  of  Tongue  creek.  On  this 
place  he  lived  until  1895,  and  he  improved  and 
cultivated  it  to  the  best  advantage,  planting 
a  portion  of  the  land  in  good  fruit  trees  and 
devoting  a  large  part  of  the  rest  to  raising  al- 
falfa, also  raising  a  number  of  cattle.  In  the 
year  last  mentioned  he  sold  this  place  and 
bought  the  one  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  Here  his 
principal  crops  are  wheat  and  oats,  which  he 
raises  in  good  quantities,  harvesting  an  average 
of  eighty  bushels  of  oats  and  fifty  of  wheat  to 


340 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  acre.  He  also  produces  potatoes  of  fine 
quality  in  increasing  volume  and  good  crops 
of  alfalfa.  On  November  6,  1864,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  J.  Hart,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  on  May  27,  1845,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Margaret  (Bowles)  Hart,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter 
of  Ohio.  The  father  is  living,  but  the  mother 
has  been  dead  a  number  of  years.  In  the 
Beckley  household  twelve  children  have  been 
born,  Dora  R.  (deceased),  Lola  A.,  Cora  E., 
James  E.,  Mary  B.,  Walter  H.,  Morton  S., 
Charles  N.,  Maggie  E.,  George  F.  (deceased), 
Carrie  L.  and  Jennie  E.  The  head  of  the  house 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  in  political  allegiance  is  a  Republican. 

J.  M.  JONES. 

In  that  prolific  region  on  the  Western  slope 
of  this  state  known  as  the  fruit  belt  nature 
has  been  prodigal  in  her  bounty  to  the  soil  and 
the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  a  progressive  and 
far-seeing  people  have  done  the  rest  to  bring 
about  the  advanced  development  and  product- 
iveness of  the  section.  Among  this  people  J. 
M.  Jones,  who  lives  on  a  good  ranch  of  eighty 
acres  three  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Hotchkiss, 
Delta  county,  where  he  has  fifteen  acres  of  his 
land  in  fruit,  ten  in  alfalfa  and  the  rest  de- 
voted to  grain,  is  accorded  a  leading  place  in 
the  public  estimation  as  a  progressive  and 
wide-awake  farmer  and  useful  citizen,  showing 
an  active  and  serviceable  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  region,  and  making  use  of  every 
proper  means  to  aid  in  its  development.  Mr. 
Jones  was  born  on  March  14,  1844,  at  Ligo- 
nier,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  parents,  John  and  -  Jones, 

were  also  born.  The  mother  died  in  the  child- 
hood of  her  son  and  the  father  in  1869,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six.  They  were  farmers  and 
passed  the  whole  of  their  lives  in  their  native 


state.  In  1863,  when  he  was  nineteen,  the 
son  enlisted  in  the  United  States  signal  service 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  served  in  it  until  the  close 
of  the  Civil  war.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he 
moved  to  Anderson  county,  Kansas,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  six  years  was  engaged  in  general 
farming  there.  In  1872  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Fair  Play,  Park  county,  and 
there,  at  Leadville  and  in  Gunnison  county  de- 
voted his  time  to  mining  and  prospecting  until 
the  autumn  of  1881,  when,  having  accumulated 
some  money  for  the  purpose,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  ranching  near  the  town  of  Gunnison, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  then,  in  the  fall  of 
1884,  purchased  the  place  on  which  he  now 
makes  his  home,  the  ranch  at  the  time  of  his 
making  the  purchase  comprising  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  Of  this  he  has  since  sold  one- 
half,  leaving  him  eighty  acres  at  present.  The 
country  was  new  ,vhen  he  located  here  and  in 
need  of  vigorous  industry  to  make  it  productive. 
Mr.  Jpnes  united  with  four  other  farmers  in 
the  construction  of  a  ditch  from  Leroux  creek 
for  the  irrigation  of  their  ranches,  and  during 
the  first  three  years  of  his  residence  here  car- 
ried on  only  a  general  farming  enterprise, 
doing  nothing  in  fruit  until  the  spring  of  1887. 
His  farming  operations  were  profitable  from 
the  start,  and  since  his  orchard  of  fifteen  acres 
has  become  fruitful  he  gets  a  large  revenue 
from  it  also,  averaging  an  annual  income  from 
it  of  two  hundred  dollars  to  three  hundred  dol- 
lars an  acre.  The  ten  acres  o£  alfalfa  on  his 
land  yields  about  eight  tons  to  the  acre  an- 
nually, and 'the  hay  sells  at  five  dollars  a  ton. 
He  also  raises  good  crops  of  grain  at  a  hand- 
some profit.  Mr.  Jones  was  married  in  Kansas 
on  November  21,  1867,  to  Miss  Dora  Jacobs, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio.  Her  father  was  a  shoe- 
maker and  bookbinder.  The  family  moved  to 
Kansas  in  1865,  where  both  parents  died.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jones  have  had  four  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living,  Perry  F.,  Myrtle  B.  and 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Minnie  B.  The  other  child  died  in  infancy. 
The  son  is  married  and  the  daughters  are  liv- 
ing at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Jones  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  is  seldom  an  active  partisan. 

G.   A.   RIEHL. 

G.  A.  Riehl,  of  Delta  county,  who  is  con- 
ducting an  excellent  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  four  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Hotch- 
kiss,  ten  acres  of  which  are  in  fruit  and  forty 
in  alfalfa,  from  all  of  which  he  gets  abundant 
crops  of  superior  quality,  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, born  on  May  20,  1861,  and  the  son  of 
John  A.  and  Minnie  (Kremer)  Riehl,  who 
were  born  and  reared  in  Germany.  They  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania  in  early  life,  and  there 
the  mother  died  in  May,  1887.  Two  years 
after  her  death  the  father  came  to  Colorado, 
where  he  died  in  1894.  He  was  a  Union 
soldier  during  the  Civil  war  and  took  part  in 
many  of  its  principal  battles.  He  received  in- 
juries in  the  service  which  necessitated  his 
passing  some  time  in  a  hospital.  The  son  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  in  his  native 
state,  and  in  July,  1880,  came  west  to  Missouri. 
Here  he  was  engaged  about  a  year  and  a  half 
in  cigar  making,  then  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  remained  until  1887,  when  he 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  locating  first 
at  Sterling,  Logan  county,  and  there  carrying 
on  the  cattle  business  until  1893.  In  that  year 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  state  and  moved  to  Delta  county,  pur- 
chasing the  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  arriving  here  on 
March  26th,  and  soon  afterward  making  the 
purchase.  This  place,  which  was  wild  and  un- 
developed when  he  located  on  it,  he  has  greatly 
improved  and  skillfully  cultivated,  making  his 
work  on  it  profitable  in  annual  crops  and  in- 
creasing the  value  of  his  land  by  judicious  erec- 
tion of  good  buildings  and  other  structures.  He 


has  set  out  ten  acres  in  fruit  and  has  forty 
in  alfalfa,  and  the  yield  from  these  sources 
form  his  principal  crops,  although  he  raises 
large  quantities  of  potatoes  also  at  considerable 
profit.  Mr.  Riehl  was  married  on  the  ist  day 
of  June,  1883,  to  Miss  Catherine  Deibel,  a 
native  of  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania,  of  par- 
ents born  in  Germany  and  still  living  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  .the  father  works  at  his  trade 
as  a  carpenter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riehl  have  had 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Her- 
man, Edgar  and  Minnie,  and  still  at  home  with 
their  parents.  Fraternally  Mr.  Reil  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  politically  he  is  a  Socialist,  and  in  re- 
ligious faith  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church. 
Tried  in  several  lines  of  active  usefulness  and 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  he  has  never 
been  found  wanting  in  the  faithful  discharge  of 
duty,  and  wherever  he  has  lived  has  had  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  people  around 
him.  His  citizenship  here  and  elsewhere  has 
been  serviceable  and  of  a  character  to  com- 
mend him  to  the  approval  of  all  who  know  him. 

THEODORE  KOEHNE. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  belongs 
to  that  great  body  of  German  citizens  of  our 
country  which  has  done  so  much  in  many  ways 
for  its  development  and  improvement,  and  has 
left  the  mark  of  his  thrift  and  enterprise  in 
several  localities.  He  was  born  in  Saxony  on 
June  29,  1864,  the  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Julia 
(Stolz)  Koehne,  both  also  Saxons  by  nativity. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  became  a  resident 
of  Colorado  in  1886,  locating  in  the  vicinity 
of  Paonia,  Delta  county,  where  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  life,  dying  there  in  1899.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  in  the  household  who  are  liv- 
ing, and  all  in  Colorado  but  one  son.  Mr. 
Koehne  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1882,  and 
after  a  residence  of  a  few  months  in  Texas 
came  to  Colorado  and  made  his  home  at  Lake 


342 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


City  for  a  short  time,  then  moved  to  Paonia, 
buying  forty  acres  of  land.  He  then,  for  some 
time,  worked  out  on  other  ranches  to  earn 
money  wherewith  to  improve  his  own,  on 
which  in  1887  he  planted  an  acre  and  a  half  in 
fruit,  which  he  afterward  extended  to  eight 
acres.  In  1892  he  sold  this  place  and  bought 
another  which  he  improved  and  sold.  He  con- 
tinued to  buy  and  sell  properties  with  good 
results  until  1902,  when  he  purchased  the  ranch 
on  which  he  now  lives,  which  comprises  eighty 
acres  of  good  land,  twelve  of  which  are  in  fruit 
and  twelve  in  alfalfa,  the  rest  of  the  place  not 
being  yet  under  active  cultivation.  He  also 
conducts  a  dairying  business,  supplying  cream 
and  butter  to  the  town  trade,  having  a  fine  herd 
of  thirteen  Jersey  cows  for  the  purpose.  On 
July  25,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mertie  M.  Hollister,  who  was  born  in  Iowa 
on  July  25,  1867,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Amelia  (Staples)  Hollister,  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  both  of  wrhom  are  now  resi- 
dents of  Denver.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war,  and  rendered  good  service  to 
the  cause  of  the  Union.  Five  children  have 
been  born  in  the  Koehne  household,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  Ray,  Marie  and  Zeta.  Earl 
and  Irwin,  twin  brothers,  died  at  the  age  of 
eight  months.  Fraternally  Mr.  Koehne  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and 
politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  devotes  his 
time  mainly  to  his  business,  however,  finding 
in  it  congenial  and  profitable  employment.  His 
ranch  is  located  three  miles  from  Hotchkiss, 
Delta  county,  and  is  one  of  the  most  promising 
and  productive  in  its  neighborhood. 

A.  C.  ELLINGTON. 

This  younger  brother  of  L.  C.  Ellington,  a 
sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on  another  page, 
and  who  is  a  man  of  similar  characteristics, 
progressive,  broad-minded  and  full  of  enter- 


prise, was  born  in  Clay  county,  Missouri,  on 
February  20,  1855,  and  is  one  of  the  eleven 
children  born  in  the  household  of  his  parents, 
Alpheus  and  Talitha  (Oldham)  Ellington,  na- 
tives of  Kentucky  who  came  to  Colorado  in 
1865.  The  father  was  in  early  life  a  butcher, 
but  devoted  his  later  years  to  ranching  and 
the  cattle  industry.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  this  state  and  the  start  of  his  operations 
here,  flour  was  twenty  dollars  per  hundred- 
weight and  labor  five  dollars  a  day.  The  son, 
A.  C.  Ellington,  was  a  boy  of  ten  then  and  lived 
with  his  parents  until  their  deaths,  that  of  the 
father  occurring  in  1880  and  that  of  the 
mother  in  1900.  The  territory  was  wild  and 
unsettled  when  they  came,  and  they  found 
themselves  confronted  by  many  hardships  and 
dangers.  But  industry  and  perseverance 
brought  them  prosperity.  The  son  started  in 
business  for  himself  in  1871,  and  moved  to 
Delta  county  in  1885,  locating  on  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  which  com- 
prises forty  acres  and  is  located  four  miles  and 
a  half  northwest  of  Hotchkiss.  He  has  fifteen 
acres  in  fruit  in  full  bearing  vigor,  and  the 
rest  of  his  land  in  hay  and  pasturage.  His 
orchard  yields  abundantly  and  its  product  finds 
a  ready  sale  at  good  prices.  The  hay  he  raises 
is  nearly  sufficient  for  his  own  stock,  of  which 
he  has  a  fine  large  herd,  and-  every  phase  of 
his  business  is  prosperous.  On  September  4, 
1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Trues- 
dale,  who  was  born  in  Illinois.  Her  parents 
were  Eli  and  Elizabeth  (Cramer)  Truesdale. 
natives  of  Ohio  who  first  came  to  Colorado  in 
1872,  but  soon  afterward  returned  to  Missouri. 
In  1885  they  again  moved  into  this  state,  lo- 
cating near  Hotchkiss,  and  are  now  living  in 
the  vicinity  of  Montrose.  They  had  a  family 
of  nine  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellington  have 
three  children,  Glenn,  Sidney  and  Rex,  all  liv- 
ing and  at  home.  Mr.  Ellington  belongs  to  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  politics  is  a 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


343 


Democrat.  The  success  he  has  achieved  in 
Colorado  is  the  logical  result  of  his  diligence, 
energy  and  business  capacity.  He  is  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  sec- 
tion, and  enjoys  a  large  measure  of  public 
esteem  and  good  will. 

DR.  WILEY  F.  SHEEK. 

A  native  of  North  Carolina,  where  his  par- 
ents also  were  born  and  reared,  and  trained  in 
the  traditions  and  aspirations  of  his  native  sec- 
tion, and  afterward  a  professional  man  and  a 
prosperous  rancher,  living  in  several  different 
states,  the  late  Dr.  Wiley  F.  Sheek,  of  Hotch- 
kiss,  Delta  county,  showed  in  a  marked  de- 
gree the  versatility  of  the  American  mind  and 
character,  which  can  mold  a  shapely  destiny 
out  of  any  plastic  conditions  that  Fate  flings 
before  it.  Dr.  Sheek's  life  began  in  the  Old 
North  state,  in  Yadkin  county,  on  December 
2,  1842,  and  he  was  the  son  of  Ellis  and  Sarah 
(Long)  Sheek,  who  were  farmers  and  moved 
to  Missouri  in  the  'sixties  and  afterward 
changed,  their  residence  to  eastern  Kansas. 
Later  they  returned  to  Missouri,  and  there  the 
father  died  in  1875,  the  mother  passing  away 
in  the  fall  of  1880,  while  on  a  visit  to  Colo- 
rado. Their  son  Wiley,  after  obtaining  a  good 
common-school  education  and  pursuing  a 
course  in  the  study  of  medicine,  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  1869  at  Farlinville, 
Linn  county,  Kansas.  In  1870  he  moved  to 
Brooklin,  in  the  same  county,  where  he  re- 
mained eight  years,  then  in  1878  took  up  his 
residence  at  Sedan,  that  state,  making  that 
place  his  home  until  1889  but  being  most  of  the 
time  in  Colorado.  In  the  year  last  mentioned 
he  sold  his  interests  in  Kansas  and  became  a 
resident  of  Delta  county,  this  state,  locating  at 
Hotchkiss  in  1892,  it  being  then  a  small  place, 
crudely  built  and  with  all  its  development  be- 
fore it.  The  Doctor  built  one  of  the  first 


houses  in  the  town  and  practiced  medicine 
there  until  his  death,  on  January  n,  1897.  At 
his  death  he  was  possessed  of  a  good  ranch  in 
Delta  county  and  some  town  property,  having 
succeeded  in  life  and  made  his  way  with  steady 
progress.  He  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternally  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  was  a  Republican  politically.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  served  in  the  Union  army 
as  a  member  of  Company  K,  Sixth  Missouri 
Infantry,  and  although  he  served  throughout 
the  war  and  took  part  in  many  leading  engage- 
ments, he  escaped  without  a  wound  or  being 
either  taken  prisoner  or  spending  any  time  in 
a  hospital.  On  November  2,  1871,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  P.  Cheek,  a  native  of 
Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  F.  and  Laura  M.  (Lucas)  Cheek,  both 
born  at  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana.  There  the 
father  died  on  June  21,  1869,  the  mother 
passing  away  at  Joplin,  Missouri,  on  Christmas 
clay,  1902.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Sheek  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Brenhilda,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  L.  C. 
Shoemaker.  Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs. 
Sheek  has  managed  their  property  to  advan- 
tage, and  being  a  lady  of  good  business  ca- 
pacity, has  prospered.  She  has  recently  sold 
her  ranch  for  a  good  price.  Of  the  benevolent 
societies  she  has  joined  two,  the  Daughters  of 
Rebekah  and  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  and 
in  politics  she  is  a  Republican  with  an  active 
interest  in  the  success  of  her  party. 

JOSEPH  S.   ROATCAP. 

Among  the  early  arrivals  in  the  North 
Fork  valley,  Delta  county,  was  Joseph  S.  Roar- 
cap,  of  the  vicinity  of  Paonia,  who  located  there 
in  1883,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado 
since  1878,  during  the  whole  of  his  life  here 
actively  engaged  in  useful  pursuits  tending  to 
the  development  and  improvement  of  the  coun- 
try and  forming  a  volunteer  in  the  great  in- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


dustrial  army  who  are  making  the  possibilities 
of  this  mighty  empire  known  to  the  world  and 
its  resources  ministrants  to  the  comfort  of  mil- 
lions of  people.  Mr.  Roatcap  was  born  on 
January  25,  1849,  m  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Rachel  (Kaufman)  Roatcap,  natives 
of  Page  county,  Virginia,  the  former  born  in 
1812  and  the  latter  in  1817.  They  were  farm- 
ers and  moved  to  Illinois  in  1843,  remaining 
there  until  March,  1854,  then  making  another 
flight  in  the  wake  of  the  setting  sun,  arriving 
in  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  on  the  5th  day  of 
March  of  that  year  and  remaining  there  until 
1869,  when  they  moved  to  Wilson  county,  Kan- 
sas. Finding  the  conditions  of  frontier  life 
promising  and  not  disagreeable  overmuch,  in 
1878  they  came  still  farther  west  and  took  up 
their  residence  at  Lake  City,  this  state.  Five 
years  later  the  father  and  his  youngest  son  came 
into  the  North  Fork  valley  and  pre-empted  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which 
the  parents  lived  until  death,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  on  September  12,  1889,  and  the 
mother  on  September  26,  1898.  They  had  a 
family  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  living, 
four  of  them  in  Colorado.  Their  son  Joseph 
remained  with  them  until  1880,  then  started  in 
life  for  himself,  running  a  saw-mill  for  another 
man,  which  he  did  until  a  few  years  later,  when 
he  engaged  in  a  similar  enterprise  for  himself. 
In  1883  he  returned  to  Missouri,  and  after  a 
residence  of  six  years  in  that  state,  returned 
to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Delta  county  with, 
a  modern  saw-mill  which  he  brought  with  him 
and  operated  for  a  number  of  years,  sawing 
lumber  and  making  fruit  boxes  for  the  fruit- 
growers in  this  section.  He  then  sold  the 
outfit  and  turned  his  attention  to  ranching,  in 
1898  buying  the  land  on  which  he  now  lives, 
securing  forty  acres  in  the  first  purchase  and 
seventeen  later  from  a  neighbor  adjoining  him. 
On  this  seventeen  acres  he  at  once  built  a  large 
dwelling  and  began  the  cultivation  of  his  land. 


He  has  about  three  acres  and  a  half  of  his  land 
in  fruit  and  the  rest  in  alfalfa  and  grain.  Hay 
and  fruit  are  his  principal  crops  and  he  finds 
them  profitably  and  steadily  increasing  in  their 
returns.  His  land  also  has  greatly  increased  in 
value,  being  worth  fifteen  dollars  an  acre  when 
he  bought  it  and  now  worth  at  least  one  hun- 
dred dollars  an  acre.  On  November  24,  1880, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Gertrude 
Miller,  who  was  born  in  Cooper  county,  Mis- 
souri, on  October  29,  1862,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Moore)  Miller,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of 
Kentucky.  The  father  died  in  1874  and  the 
mother  is  now  living  in  Kansas.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Roatcap  have  had  five  children.  Joseph, 
who  died  when  only  three  days  old,  Constance 
M.,  Ina,  Ora  and  Selma..  The  oldest  is  six- 
teen and  the  youngest  five,  and  all  are  living  at 
home.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  father  is 
a  Republican  in  political  affairs. 

JOHN  R.  SMITH. 

The  late  John  R.  Smith,  of  Delta  county, 
who  passed  the  psalmist's  limit  of  human  life 
by  more  than  twelve  years,  was  obliged  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world  from  an  early  age, 
being  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother 
when  he  was  but  eight  years  old,  and  finding 
his  father's  home  broken  up  after  that  sad 
event.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York 
on  December  26,  1820,  the  son  of  Robert  and 
Margaret  (McCusic)  Smith,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Scotland. 
Mr.  Smith's  early  trials  and  struggles  de- 
veloped in  him  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  and 
gave  him  flexibility  of  functions  and  steady 
resourcefulness,  and  throughout  his  life  these 
qualities  enabled  him  to  push  his  way  forward 
with  success  in  the  contest  for  supremacy 
among  men.  He  received  but  little  schooling 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


345 


outside  of  the  school  of  experience,  but  early 
learned  to  be  ever  ready  for  any  duty  that  came 
to  him  and  depend  on  himself  in  the  perform- 
ance of  it.  In  1860  he  became  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  locating  at  what  was  then  California 
Gulch  but  is  now  Leadville,  where  he  followed 
mining  about  five  years,  then,  in  1865,  moved 
to  Jefferson  county  and  bought  a  ranch,  turn- 
ing his  attention  to  ranching  and  raising  cattle. 
From  this  time  until  his  death,  on  January  26, 
1903,  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  ranch  and 
cattle  industry,  and  in  these  lines  was  always 
successful,  as  he  had  been  in  mining.  In  1876 
he  moved  to  Hinsdale  county  from  Jefferson, 
and  there  followed  fanning  and  raising  stock 
and  also  kept  a  road  house  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  the  traveling  public  until  1882,  when 
he  moved  to  the  ranch  on  which  his  family  now 
live  one  mile  southwest  of  Hotchkiss,  Delta 
county,  buying  another  man's  rights  to  a  por- 
tion of  the  place  and  pre-empting  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  addition.  The  fruit  industry 
never  interested  him,  and  he  turned  his  land 
over  to  the  production  of  alfalfa  as  soon  as 
possible  in  order  to  get  feed  for  his  stock.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  had  it  nearly  all  in 
hay.  On  February  28,  1865,  ne  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Agnes  Mclntire,  a  native 
of  Canada,  where  her  parents,  Duncan  and 
Elizabeth  (Brush)  Mclntire,  also  were  born. 
Her  father  was  a  farmer  and  lumberman.  The 
family  moved  to  Colorado  in  1861,  locating  in 
Jefferson  county.  In  1883  they  took  up  their 
residence  in  Delta  county,  where  the  father 
died  in  1884  and  the  mother  in  1887.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  had  six  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  Hattie  H.,  Stephen  P.,  Nellie 
M.,  Enos  M.  and  Maud  E.  They  are  all  mar- 
ried and  three  are  living  in  Colorado.  Since 
her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Smith  has  carried 
on  the  business  he  left  and  by  judicious  man- 
agement and  close  attention  to  its  requirements 
has  made  it  pay  her  well.  She  has  eighty 


acres  of  land,  about  half  of  which  is  in  hay, 
and  from  this  she  gets  enough  to  support  in 
comfort  and  good  condition  her  large  herd  of 
cattle.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 

HERVEY  D.  SMITH. 

Hervey  D.  Smith,  of  near  Grand  Junction, 
is  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  fruit- 
growers of  Mesa  county,  and  came  to  the  work 
in  which  he  is  now  engaged  with  due  prepar- 
ation made  in  varied  and  instructive  experience 
in  many  places  and  under  a  great  variety  of 
circumstances,  all  of  which  tended  to  develop 
his  native  capacity  and  force  of  character.  He 
was  born  at  Adrian,  Michigan,  on  March  8, 
1845,  and  is  the  son  of  Newton  and  Elvira 
(Ives)  Smith,  natives  of  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York,  born  near  the  city  of  Jamestown, 
where  they  were  reared,  educated  and  married. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  moved  to 
Adrian,  Michigan,  which  was  at  the  time  a 
small  harnlet.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  and  found  his  skill  as  a  mechanic  im- 
mediately in  great  demand,  as  the  village  was 
ready  for  improvement  and  he  was  called  on 
to  build  many  of  its  first  houses  of  any  im- 
portance. He  died  young  in  1847,  leaving  his 
widow  and  two  children,  a  daughter  and 
Hervey  D.,  who  was  at  that  time  about  two 
years  old.  The  mother  returned  with  her  chil- 
dren to  her  native  state,  and  there  sometime 
afterward  she  was  married  to  John  Pitcher. 
In  1853  they  came  west  to  Bremer  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  were  early  pioneers.  She 
died  in  Black  Hawk  county,  Iowa,  in  1877, 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  Smith.  Of  her  second  mar- 
riage there  were  .three  children  who  grew  to 
maturity,  but  all  are  now  deceased.  Hervey 
D.  Smith,  the  younger  of  the  two  children  of 
the  first  marriage,  remained  with  his  mother 
in  New  York  until  he  was  six  years  old,  then 


346 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


spent  three  years  with  an  uncle,  a  Methodist 
minister,  at  Ashtabula,  Ohio.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  joined  his  mother  and  step-father 
in  Iowa,  and  he  remained  with  them  attending 
school  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war. 
In  August,  1 86 1,  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the 
Union  in  Company  B,  Thirty-eighth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, and  was  assigned  to  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf.  After  three  years'  service  he  was 
mustered  out  as  a  member  of  Company  I, 
Thirty-fourth  Iowa,  the  two  regiments  having 
been  consolidated  on  account  of  the  depletion 
of  their  ranks.  He  was  in  the  engagements  at 
Vicksburg,  Port  Hudson,  Fort  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakeslee,  but  escaped 
without  disaster  of  any  kind.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  settled  at  Janesville,  Bremer 
county,  Iowa,  and  there  he  learned  the  miller's 
trade.  On  completing  his  apprenticeship  he 
moved  to  Manchester  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade,  and  did  the  same  at  Osage,  LaPorte  City 
and  Waterloo  in  the  same  state.  At  the  last  he 
was  foreman  of  a  large  mill  for  nine  years. 
In  1 88 1  he  moved  to  Sioux  Rapids,  Iowa, 
and  engaged  in  milling  on  his  own  account. 
Here  he  bought  a  mill  and  operated  it  for  a 
period  of  about  twenty  years.  The  mill  was  of 
the  old  style,  with  three  run  of  stone  and  a 
capacity  of  fifty  barrels  a  day.  He  improved 
it  soon  after  he  bought  it,  putting  in  the  latest 
roller  process  and  increasing  its  capacity  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  barrels.  In  1893-4 
he  improved  it,  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  and  also  put  in  an  electric  light  plant 
for  the  city.  The  hard  times  in  1896  were 
particularly  damaging  to  him,  and  in  1898  the 
property  was  destroyed  by  fire,  leaving  him 
almost  penniless.  In  the  autumn  of  1899  he 
came  to  Colorado  and,  locating  in  Grand  valley, 
bought  forty  acres  of  wild  land  four  miles  east 
of  Grand  Junction,  on  which  he  built  a  house 
and  made  other  improvements,  and  planted 
fifteen  acres  of  fruit  trees.  He  then  sold  the 


property  at  a  good  profit  in  the  spring  of  1903. 
After  that  he  bought  the  ten  acres  on  which 
he  now  lives,  three  miles  east  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion. This  tract  is  all' in  fruit  trees  in  good 
bearing  order  which  yield  an  abundant  annual 
harvest  and  a  handsome  revenue.  Mr.  Smith 
was  married  on  May  16,  1869,  to  Miss  Lur- 
anda  Rinker,  who  was  born  in  Ogle  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Commodore 
Perry  and  Louisa  (Turck)  Rinker,  the  former 
a  native  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  the  latter 
of  Cayuga  county,  New  York.  Mr.  Rinker's 
father  died  when  he  was  three  years  old,  and 
he  was  taken  by  his  mother  and  step-father  to 
Indiana  in  boyhood,  and  in  1836  to  Ogle 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  family  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers.  The  parents  kept  a  half- 
way house  between  Dixon  and  Rockford  on 
the  east  side  of  Rock  river,  about  two  miles  and 
a  half  from  what  is  now  Oregon.  Here  Mr. 
Rinker  grew  to  manhood  and  received  the 
greater  part  of  his  school  education.  In  1848. 
when  he  was  twenty-two,  he  left  home  and 
moved  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  where  he  took 
up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  seven 
miles  from  Newton,  being  a  pioneer  in  the 
neighborhood.  What  is  now  Newton  was  then 
almost  nothing  but  a  log  tavern  in  the  wild 
country.  Here  he  followed  his  chosen  occu- 
pation of  farming,  varying  its  strenuous  labor 
with  the  pleasures  of  hunting.  On  one  oc- 
casion, while  hunting  on  Skunk  river,  he  pulled 
up  a  cottonwood  sprout  for  a  whip,  and  when 
he  got  home  stuck  it  in  the  ground  in  front  of 
his  house.  It  grew  and  flourished,  and  when 
he  visited  the  place  fifty  years  later  he  measured 
its  circumference,  requiring  a  string  over  four- 
teen feet  long  for  the  purpose.  Having  im- 
proved his  farm,  he  sold  it  in  1856  and  moved 
to  Janesville,  Black  Hawk  county,  where  he 
opened  the  first  butcher  shop  in.  the  town.  He 
afterward  kept  a  hotel  there  for  a  number  of 
years,  then  traded  the  hotel  property  for  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


347 


farm  near  the  town  which  he  farmed  for  a 
time.  He  then  retired  from  active  pursuits  and 
located  at  Sioux  Rapids.  Mrs.  Rinker  died  on 
March  22,  1895,  and  in  1897  Mr.  Rinker  came 
to  Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  made  his  home 
for  a  time  with  his  grandson,  Milton  Smith. 
He  now  lives  with  Milton's  father,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  four 
children,  one  of  whom  is  an  adopted  daughter. 
Their  own  offspring  are  Milton  P.,  of  Mesa 
county;  Edwin  E.,  a  physician  at  Sioux  Rapids, 
Iowa;  and  Aura  L.,  a  teacher  in  the  Fruit  vale 
school.  Emma,  the  adopted  daughter,  now 
twelve  years  old,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Smith's 
half  sister.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  While  living  at  Sioux 
Rapids  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  twelve  years.  He  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  In  fraternal  life  he 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  in  lodge,  chapter 
and  commandery,  and  he  is  active  in  the  work 
of  the  several  bodies. 

WILLIAM  J.  S.  HENDERSON. 

One  of  the  oldest  settlers  now  living  in 
Grand  valley,  he  having  come  to  this  part  of 
the  state  and  taken  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  just  after  the  Ute  reservation  was 
opened  for  settlement,  and  while  the  whole 
country  was  yet  an  unbroken  wilderness,  with- 
out roads,  ditches,  dwellings  or  other  con- 
veniences of  life,  William  J.  S.  Henderson,  of 
Mesa  county,  living  three  miles  east  of  Grand 
Junction,  has  been  of  great  service  in  clearing 
up  and  settling  this  section  and  developing  its 
resources,  awakening  its  activities  to  vigorous 
life  and  starting  it  on  the  march  to  full  and 
energetic  beneficence.  He  was  born  in  county 
Londonderry,  Ireland,  on  December  25,  1839, 
and  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Isabelle  (Stone) 
Henderson,  also  natives  of  Ireland  whose  lives 
were  wholly  passed  in  that  country,  where  they 


were  farmers.  An  uncle  of  Mr.  Henderson, 
James  Nolan,  was  a  soldier  in  the  British  army 
and  served  under  Wellington  in  the  Peninsular 
war  and  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Later  he 
received  a  pension  from  the  government  for  his 
services.  Four  children  were  born  to  the  Hen- 
dersons, two  of  whom  are  living,  William  and 
an  older  sister  who  is  now  a  resident  of  her 
native  county  in  Ireland.  William  was  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Ireland,  having  but  slender  oppor- 
tunities for  schooling,  being  obliged  to  work 
hard  and  continuously  as  a  boy,  and  being 
mainly  self-educated  since  coming  to  the 
United  States.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-three,  then  in  the  summer  of  1863 
he  came  to  this  country.  Landing  at  New 
York,  he  went  to  Albany  where  he  worked  at 
day  labor  and  for  a  time  drove  on  the  Erie 
canal.  In  March,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  for  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Twenty-fourth  New  York  Cav- 
alry, and  was  assigned  soon  afterward  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  joining  General  Burn- 
side's  command  at  Brandy  Station.  He  took 
part  in  the  skirmish  at  Jemima  Crossing  and 
the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania 
Courthouse.  While  on  the  skirmish  line  after 
crossing  the  James  river,  he  was  shot  in  the 
right  hand,  and  soon  after,  during  the  same 
clay,  had  his  right  ear  shot  off.  He  was  then 
sent  to  Lincoln  Hospital  at  Washington,  and  a 
month  later  was  transferred  to  Chestnut  Hill 
Hospital  in  Philadelphia.  Here  two  fingers  of 
the  wounded  hand  were  amputated,  and  as  soon 
as  he  was  able  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps  and  sent  to  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  did  hospital  duty.  Later 
his  company  was  stationed  at  the  Broome 
Street  barracks  in  New  York,  and  there  an 
order  came  that  all  whose  companies  had  been 
mustered  out  could  claim  a  discharge  if  they 
wished.  Mr.  Henderson  did  not  take  advan- 


348 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO- 


tage  of  this  privilege,  but  continued  in  the 
service,  and  later  was  mustered  out  at  David's 
Island  on  August  31,  1866,  he  having  been  on 
duty  there  for  a  number  of  months.  After  the 
war  he  returned  to  New  Jersey  and  engaged  in 
business  at  Paterson,  but  in  1867  enlisted  in 
Company  G,  Forty-third  Infantry  of  the  regu- 
lar army,  in  which  he  served  two  years  at  Fort 
Brady,  Michigan,  being  discharged  under  the 
Logan  act  in  June,  1869,  at  Buffalo,  New  York, 
with  the  rank  of  quartermaster-sergeant  of  his 
company.  He  then  came  west  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  from  there  moved 
to  Fort  Hayes,  where  he  served  two  years  as 
a  clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  department.  The 
quartermaster,  Major  A.  G.  Robinson,  was 
transferred  to  Fort  Sill,  Indian  Territory,  and 
Mr.  Henderson  went  with  him  and  served  two 
years  longer  as  his  clerk.  In  the  spring  of 
1876,  in  company  with  two  other  men,  he  left 
Witchita,  Kansas,  in  a  spring  wagon,  for  Colo- 
rado, and  on  arriving  at  Lake  City  engaged  in 
prospecting,  later  working  in  the  smelter.  He 
remained  in  that  locality  until  the  fall  of  1881, 
then  started  for  the  Ute  reservation,  which  had 
just  been  opened  for  settlement,  reaching 
Grand  Junction,  January  12,  1882.  What  is 
now  that  thriving  and  busy  little  city  then  con- 
sisted of  one  log  cabin  and  two  tents.  The 
tents  were  used  as  hotels,  one  being  called  the 
Pig's  Eye  and  the  other  the  Pig's  Ear.  Thomas 
Higgins,  now  deputy  game  warden  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Grand  valley,  was  the  proprietor  of 
one.  The  same  year  he  pre-empted  a  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  a  part 
of  which  he  now  resides  three  miles  east  of 
Grand  Junction.  In  the  fall  following  he 
proved  up  on  his  land,  being  one  of  the  first  to 
do  this  in  the  valley.  Here  he  determined  to 
remain  and  improve  his  land,  which  he  did  with 
vigor  and  enterprise;  and  he  has  since  sold  a 
portion  of  the  place  to  good  advantage.  He 
now  has  eighty  acres  in  fine  condition,  making 


one  of  the  most  desirable  homes  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. On  November  24,  1891,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Charlotte  M.  McBurney,  a  native 
of  county  Down,  Ireland,  and  daughter  of 
William  and  Ann  J.  (Anderson)  McBurney, 
also  native  in  that  county,  where  both  families 
lived  for  many  generations.  Mrs.  Henderson 
came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  in 
1860.  They  located  on  a  farm  twelve  miles 
from  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  they  passed 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  One  child  has  been  born 
in  the  Henderson  household,  a  daughter  named 
Hessie  D.,  now  eight  years  old.  In  politics 
Mr.  Henderson  is  a  regular  Republican  with 
an  ardent  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  his  party, 
and  in  fraternal  life  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
member  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  order. 

DAVID  L.  HOWARD. 

David  L.  Howard,  a  prosperous  fruit- 
grower and  ranchman  of  Mesa  county,  living 
five  miles  east  of  Grand  Junction,  is  a  native 
of  near  Louisville,  Kentucky,  born  on  Janu- 
ary 15,  1849,  and  the  son  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Lee)  Howard,  also  natives  of  that  state. 
The  father  was  a  gunsmith,  and  in  1860  moved 
his  family  to  Illinois,  locating  on  a  farm  near 
Mount  Vernon  where  he  lived  some  six  years. 
They  then  moved  to  Missouri  and  settled  near 
St.  Joseph,  where  the  father  died  in  1894.  The 
mother  died  in  Oregon  in  1903,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  David  was  about  eleven 
when  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  and  is  the 
fourth  of  the  eleven  children  born  in  the  house- 
hold, all  of  whom  are  living.  The  condition 
of  the  country  and  the  necessity  for  the  use  of 
every  available  hand  in  the  farm  work  gave  him 
but  little  opportunity  for  schooling,  and  he  is 
therefore  largely  a  self-educated  man.  In  1871, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Howard  county, 
where  he  farmed  two  years.  Then,  after  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


349 


short  sojourn  in  Texas,  he  came  to  Colorado 
in  the  spring  of  1874  and  located  at  George- 
town, where  he  followed  prospecting  and  min- 
ing fourteen  years,  often  making  money 
rapidly  and  frequently,  with  the  usual  luck  of 
a  miner,  losing  it  as  rapidly.  In  1888  he 
moved  to  Aspen,  then  a  booming  silver  camp, 
and  remained  there  three  years,  mining  indus- 
triously with  varying  success,  after  which  he 
prospected  and  leased  in  that  vicinity  and  the 
adjoining  county  until  the  slump  in  silver  came 
in  1893.  At  that  time  he  turned  his  attention 
to  farming  and,  moving  to  Grand  valley, 
bought  forty  acres  of  land  three  miles  north  of 
Grand  Junction,  four  acres  of  which  had  been 
set  out  in  fruit.  He  set  out  twelve  acres  more 
in  fruit  and  made  other  substantial  improve- 
ments in  the  property,  then  two  years  later  sold 
it  and  bought  forty  acres  of  raw  land  four  miles 
east  of  Grand  Junction,  on  which  he  lived  until 
1903,  planting  ten  acres  of  the  place  in  fruit 
and  improving  the  property  as  a  home.  In 
1903  he  sold  this  and  purchased  the  fruit 
ranch  adjoining  it  on  the  east,  on  which  he  now 
lives.  This  ranch  comprises  seventy  acres, 
twenty  of  which  are  in  thrifty  fruit  trees  of 
choice  varieties  in  good  bearing  condition,  and 
also  produces  large  yields  of  hay  and  other 
farm  growths.  Mr.  Howard  was  married  on 
November  16,  1878,  to  Miss  Julia  C.  Bourquin, 
who  was  born  at  Archibald,  Fulton  county, 
Ohio,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Cather- 
ine (Verbier)  Bourquin,  natives  of  France. 
The  father  was  twenty  years  old  when  he  came 
to  this -country  from  his  native  land,  and  his 
wife  was  six  months  old  when  she  came  hither 
with  her  parents.  They  were  married  in  Ful- 
ton county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  was  a  mer- 
chant for  a  number  of  years.  In  1875  they 
moved  to  Georgetown,  this  state,  and  there  he 
engaged  in  mining.  He  died  at  Pueblo  in 
January,  1883,  and  since  then  his  widow  has 
made  her  home  at  Georgetown.  Mr.  and  Mrs 


Howard  have  four  children,  all  sons,  L.  Ver- 
nier, a  student  at  the  Denver-Gross  Medical 
College;  Floyd  B.,  a  chef  by  profession;  Ray 
F.  and  Glenn  D.,  living  at  home.  In  politics 
Mr.  Howard  is  a  Socialist  and  in  fraternal 
life  a  United  Workman. 

FRED  C.  JAQUETTE. 

For  more  than  fifteen  years  a  prominent 
contractor  and  builder  in  this  state,  carrying 
on  an  extensive  business  in  this  line  at  Boulder 
and  Grand  Junction,  and  building  many  of  the 
better  houses  at  each  place,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  was  busily  occupied  in  improving  the 
excellent  ranch  on  which  he  lives  five  miles 
northeast  of  Grand  Junction,  Fred  C.  Jaquette 
has  many  monuments  to  his  skill  and  enter- 
prise, and  has  been  able  to  contribute  most  es- 
sentially and  valuably  to  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  state  and  the  comfort  and  en- 
joyment of  its  people.  He  is  a  native  of  Jack- 
son county,  Michigan,  born  on  September  19, 
1858,  and  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Abigail 
( King)  Jaquette,  the  former  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
They  were  both  reared  in  New  York  and  they 
were  married  there.  Soon  afterward  they 
moved  to  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  where  the 
father  followed  farming.  In  1859  he  started 
for  Pike's  Peak,  but  meeting  on  the  way  many 
who  had  been  disappointed  in  their  quest  for 
gold  in  that  region  and  were  returning  to  their 
homes  and  former  occupations,  he  determined 
to  go  on  to  California,  which  he  did,  crossing 
the  plains  from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  with  ox 
teams  and  being  five  months  on  the  road.  He 
spent  four  years  in  California  mining  and  pros- 
pecting, and  was  very  fortunate  for  a  time  in 
his  work.  He  then  went  into  a  big  deal  for 
fluming  a  large  stream  to  get  water  on  the 
mining  claims,  but  before  the  work  was  finished 
a  disastrous  flood  swept  away  all  the  fruits  of 


350 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  enterprise  and  he  lost  all  he  had.  He  then 
returned  to  Michigan  and  the  family  continued 
to  five  on  a  Calhoun  county  farm,  to  which 
they  had  moved.  On  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability he  did  not  go  into  the  Civil  war,  but 
five  of  his  brothers  did  and  served  through  the 
contest  and  returned  to  their  homes  unharmed. 
Six  children  were  born  in  the  family,  but  only 
two  grew  to  maturity,  Mr.  Jaquette  and  an 
older  brother  named  Darwin  B.,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Eaton  county,  Michigan.  Fred  was 
reared  on  the  farm  in  Calhoun  county,  in  his 
native  state,  on  which  the  family  settled  when 
he  was  but  eight  years  old.  He  began  his 
education  in  the  primary  schools  near  his  home, 
then  attended  the  high  school  at  Albion,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  was  graduated  in  1879,  after 
which  he  took  a  full  course  at  the  Albion  Busi- 
ness College,  being  graduated  in  1880.  After 
that  he  passed  a  year  in  the  State  University  of 
Illinois  at  Champaign,  and  on  his  return  to 
Albion  learned  his  trade  as  a  moulder.  He 
worked  at  this  trade  until  May,  1887,  when  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  soon  afterward  settled 
in  Boulder  county,  buying  a  small  tract  of  six 
acres  and  a  half  of  land  near  the  University 
at  Boulder.  It  was  raw  land  and  he  paid  one 
hundred  dollars  an  acre  for  it.  He  at  once 
set  to  work  to  improve  it  and  planted  it  all  in 
fruit  trees,  mostly  apples,  while  the  entire  tract 
between  the  trees  was  planted  to  strawberries, 
•raspberries  and  grapes.  These  grew  and 
thrived,  and  in  1892  he  sold  six  hundred  dol- 
lars worth  of  fruit  an  acre  off  of  this  tract. 
He  also  purchased  three  lots  in  the  town  of 
Boulder  on  which  he  built  houses,  then  sold 
them  at  a  gratifying  profit.  In  the  fall  of 
1892  he  came  to  Grand  Valley  and  bought 
forty  acres  of  raw  land,  the  place  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and  in  the  spring  of  1895  moved  his 
family  on  the  place  with  a  view  to  making  it  his 
permanent  home.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  he  made  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hun- 


dred and  twenty  acres  one  mile  north  of  his 
present  residence,  and  this  tract  will  be  valu- 
able when  the  new  high-line  ditch,  now  in 
course  of  construction,  is  completed.  He  has 
greatly  improved  his  home  place  and  has  thirty 
acre  in  fruit,  the  orchards  being  very  prolific 
and  the  quality  of  their  products  first  class. 
Sixteen  acres  of  his  trees  are  in  bearing  order, 
and  from  them  in  1903  he  sold  over  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  boxes  of  apples,  and  in  1904, 
two  thousand  boxes  of  apples  and  seven  thou- 
sand boxes  of  peaches.  In  January,  1882,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Clara  L.  Manning,  a  na- 
tive of  Auburn,  New  York,  and  three  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  Charles  M.,  Mary  C. 
and  Ruth  C.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Jaquette  is 
a  firm  and  loyal  Republican,  but  he  has  never 
aspired  to  public  office,  being  content  to  serve, 
his  party  and  his  country  from  the  honorable 
post  of  private  citizenship  and  in  useful  works 
of  lasting  benefit  to  his  community,  county  and 
state.  He  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  the  Western  slope. 

JAMES   WHITLEY. 

With  a  strong  inclination  to  the  business 
of  prospecting  and  mining,  in  which  he  has 
never  won  a  very  large  success,  yet  to  which  he 
has  adhered  for  years  and  returned  regularly 
after  quitting  the  industry,  James  Whitley  has 
not,  however,  placed  all  his  eggs  in  this  one  bas- 
ket, but  has  followed  other  lines  of  industry  in 
which  he  has  succeeded  and  prospered,  and  is 
therefore  a  man  of  substance  in  worldly  wealth 
as  well  as  a  progressive  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness man  in  any  lines  to  which  he  turns  his 
hand.  He  is  a  Canadian  by  nativity,  born  in 
the  city  of  Toronto  in  September,  1852,  and  the 
son  of  John  and  Ruth  (Hewitt)  Whitley,  na- 
tives of  Ireland  of  Scotch  ancestry.  They 
came  to  America  when  young  and  were  reared 
and  married  at  Toronto.  The  father  was  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


cooper  and  worked  at  his  trade  all  of  his  mature 
life  except  during  the  Civil  war  in  this  country, 
when  he  served  in  the  Union  army  in  a  New 
York  regiment.  In  1858  the  family  moved  to 
Lockport,  New  York,  and  soon  after  the  war 
the  father  died  and  was  buried  in  the  Soldiers' 
Cemetery  in  that  city.  The  mother  died  in 
Canada  in  1853.  Two  of  their  children,  James 
and  an  older  sister,  are  living,  the  sister  being  a 
resident  of  Toronto.  James  lived  with  his  ma- 
ternal grandmother  in  Canada  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old,  and  received  a  limited  com- 
mon-school education.  Then  he  began  work- 
ing on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  her  home 
at  a  compensation  of  one  dollar  and  seventy- 
five  cents  a  month  and  his  board  and  lodging. 
Some  little  time  afterward  he  joined  his  fa- 
ther at  Lockport,  and  when  he  was  seventeen 
moved  to  upper  Michigan,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed for  a  number  of  years  by  the  Marquette, 
Houghton  &  Ontonagan  Railroad,  working 
for  the  company  in  various  capacities  but  in 
train  service  most  of  the  time.  For  some  time 
he  had  charge  of  the  iron  ore  dock  at  Mar- 
quette, overseeing  one  hundred  men  in  loading 
vessels.  Early  in  1874  he  moved  to  lower 
Michigan  and  later  back  into  Canada.  In  the 
fall  of  1878  he  came  to  Colorado  among  'the 
pioneers  of  Leadville,  and  here  he  remained 
five  years.  During  the  first  year  he  worked 
in  the  smelter,  then  started  a  store  six  miles 
east  of  the  town  at  a  village  called  Bird's  Eye, 
where  he  was  also  postmaster.  He  carried  on 
this  store  three  years  successfully,  then  started 
a  store  and  boarding  house  at  La  Plata  smelter 
which  he  conducted  two  years.  During  the 
time  of  his  residence  at  and  around  Leadville 
he  sank  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  prospect- 
ing and  mining  operations.  But  as  his  store 
and  boarding  house  netted  him  about  three 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  a  year  he  was 
able  to  stand  the  loss.  In  the  spring  of  1884 
he  filed  on  a  land  claim  near  Salida,  but  the 


next  spring  he  abandoned  this  and  moved  to 
Mesa  county.  Here  he  located  on  a  ranch 
twenty  miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction  on 
Kannah  creek  and  engaged  in  the  stock  indus- 
try. Later  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  that  vicinity  and  for  years  lived  on  the 
land  and  carried  on  a  successful  and  profitable 
stock  business  there.  In  the  spring  of  1897 
he  traded  this  for  his  present  ranch  of  forty 
acres,  located  five  and  one-half  miles  northeast 
of  Grand  Junction,  ten  acres  of  which  were 
in  fruit  at  the  time.  He  has  since  improved 
the  property  and  doubled  his  acreage  in  fruit, 
becoming  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive men  in  his  business  in  the  section.  In 
1903  he  sold  from  his  orchards  2,000  boxes 
of  apples,  besides  one  thousand  boxes  of  pears,  . 
peaches  and  other  fruit.  In  politics  he  is  a 
steadfast  Republican,  and  in  the  public  affairs 
of  the  county  he  has  for  years  taken  an  active 
and  helpful  part,  serving  as  under  sheriff  two 
years  during  John  D.  Reeder's  term  as  sher- 
iff. Not  satisfied  with  his  previous  experience 
in  mining  ventures,  he  made  two  trips  to  the 
Klondike  for  further  efforts  in  this  line,  one 
in  1897  and  the  other  in  1899,  and  in  the  two 
lost  about  two  thousand  dollars;  and  he  still 
occasionally  tries  his  hand  at  prospecting.  In 
the  fall  of  1903  he  built  a  modern  cottage  resi- 
dence on  his  ranch,  which  is  otherwise  well  im- 
proved, and  he  now  has  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  complete  homes  in  his  part  of  the 
county.  On  December  2,  1873,  ne  was  married 
to,  Miss  Margaret  Arnett,  who  was  born  near 
Toronto,  Canada,  of  Scotch  parents;  They 
have  one  child,  Agnes  A.,  who  for  five  years 
has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Colorado  Tele- 
phone Company,  and  is  now  chief  operator  of 
the  company  at  Grand  Junction.  Mr.  Whitley 
is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Masonry  at 
Grand  Junction  and  also  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  being  active  in  each  of 
these  societies. 


352 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


F.  N.  JoHANTGEN. 

Energetic  and  successful  in  pushing  his  own 
business  and  building  up  his  personal  fortunes, 
and  scarcely  less  active  and  energetic  in  the 
service  of  the  people  of  his  community  in  pro- 
moting every  laudable  enterprise  for  its  wel- 
fare, which  is  ever  foremost  in  his  mind,  Frank 
N.  JoHantgen,  of  Meeker,  ranks  among  the 
leading  and  most  useful  citizens  of  Rio  Blanco 
county  and  is  widely  esteemed  on  every  side  as 
such.  He  is  a  native  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  where 
his  parents,  Nicholas  and  Mary  (Steffen)  Jo- 
Hantgen, who  were  born  and  reared  in  Prus- 
sia, settled  in  1846,  and  where  he  was  born  on 
January  24,  1855.  The  father  was  a  black- 
smith and  prospered  at  his  forge.  He  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living,  Joseph,  F.  N.,  William,  Rose  and 
Emma.  Frank  died  in  infancy  and  Anna  in 
1896.  The  father  died  in  1898.  The  son,  F. 
N.,  received  a  common-school  education  of 
limited  extent,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  began 
to  earn  money  enough  for  his  own  necessities. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  having  began  to  learn 
his  trade  as  a  blacksmith  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  department  of  his 
craft  devoted  to  service  in  the  manufacture  of 
carriages.  He  learned  his  trade  in  his  native 
city,  and  on  completing  his  apprenticeship  of 
four  years,  moved  to  Indianapolis.  Indiana, 
where  he  wrought  as  a  journeyman  until  1877. 
He  then  returned  to  Ohio  and,  in  partnership 
with  his  father,  carried  on  the  business  of 
dressing  tools  for  three  years.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Colorado  and,  taking  up  his  residence 
at  Leadville,  followed  blacksmithing  in  the  em- 
ploy of  John  Alfred  during  the  summer.  He 
gave  some  time  to  prospecting  at  Kokomo 
and  Faiq)lay,  but  meeting  with  no  suc- 
cess in  these  efforts,  he  returned  to  his  trade  in 
1880,  and  during  the  next  three  years  was  fore- 


man of  the  shops  of  the  Iron  Silver  mines.     In 
the  fall  of  1883  the  state  of  his  health  induced 
him  to  change  his  residence  to  the  San  Louis 
valley,  and  in  the  spring  of   1885,  when  the 
Crystal    Hill    Mining    Company's    office    was 
blown  up,  he  was  appointed  a  guard  over  the 
property,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  the  trou- 
ble was  over.     Returning  then  to  Leadville,  he 
remained  there  until  the  summer  of  1886,  when 
he  moved  to  Meeker  and  opened  the  business  of 
the  Pioneer  Wagon  and  Blacksmithing  Works 
at  that  town,  which  he  conducted  until  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  the  town  by  President 
Cleveland  in  1892.     Then,  in  partnership  with 
Henry  Hayes,  he  carried  on  a  drug  store.    He 
was  connected  with  this  mercantile  enterprise 
until  1899,  when  it  was  sold  to  Messrs   Strelka 
&  Edwards.     Prior  to  this  time,  however,  in 
1892,  he  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty    acres    nine    miles    west    of    Meeker    in 
Powell  Park,  and  on  retiring  from  the  drug 
business  he  settled  on  the  ranch  and  began  to 
devote  himself    attentively    to    improving    his 
property  and  building  up  his  stock  industry. 
He  has  added  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to 
his  original  purchase  and  now  has  two  hundred 
acres  of  first-class  land  under  cultivation.    But 
while  engrossed  largely  in  his  own  affairs,  he 
has  not  neglected  the  general  interests  of  the 
community  or  the 'welfare  of  the  state.    Always 
ready  for  any  duty  that  properly  confronts  him, 
he  helped  to  organize  the  National  Guard  of 
the  state,  and  in  it  he  served  as  chief  commis- 
sary under  command  of  General  Bell  during 
the  troubles  with  the  miners  at  Cripple  Creek 
from   September  4  to   October  8,    1903.   and 
later  as  body  guard  of  Governor  Peabocly  at 
Denver.     He  is  a  leading  stockholder  in  the 
Highland  Cemetery  Association,  and  has  been 
in    charge   of   the   Odd    Fellows'    building   at 
Meeker  for  many  years.    He  was  also  foremost 
in  securing  a  suitable  building  for  the  Episco- 
pal church  organization  at  Meeker  and  is  now 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


353 


one  of  the  main  supports  of  the  church.  In 
politics  he  is  an  earnest  working  Democrat, 
being  secretary  of  the  county  central  com- 
mittee. He  has  also  served  the  community  well 
for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  of  the  city  council.  In  addi- 
tion to  one  of  the  most  imposing  and  beautiful 
residences  in  Meeker  he  owns  other  real  estate 
in  the  town  of  considerable  value.  In  May, 
1904,  the  Harp-JoHantgen  Manufacturing  and 
Blacksmith  Company  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  stock  of  five  thousand  dollars,  which  in- 
cluded the  consolidation  of  the  JoHantgen 
Pioneer  shop  and  the  business  of  Harp  &  Riley 
Blacksmith  Company.  Mr.  JoHantgen  is 
manager  and  secretary  of  the  new  corporation. 
On  January  24,  1890,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Fannie  F.  Fairfield,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin.  A  self-made  man,  and  having 
struggled  to  consequence  by  his  own  efforts, 
he  knows  how  to  appreciate  the  exertions  and 
the  needs  of  others  in  like  condition,  and  has. 
been  of  great  service  to  many  a  good  man  in 
extremities ;  and  knowing  as  well  that  the  gen- 
eral progress  of  any  community  depends  almost 
wholly  on  individual  energy  properly  concen- 
trated and  directed,  he  has  been  an  inspiring 
and  organizing  force  in  this  behalf,  and  has 
left  his  impress  visibly  upon  the  commercial 
and  industrial  life  of  the  region  in  which  his 
lot  has  been  cast., 

JOHN  JENS. 

John  Jens,  of  Grand  Valley,  living  on  a  fine 
and  well-improved  fruit  ranch  of  thirteen  acres 
three  miles  east  of  Grand  Junction,  illustrates 
in  his  career  the  native  thrift  and  all-conquer- 
ing energy  of  the  German  people,  who  wher- 
ever they  stick  their  stake  make  the  wilderness 
blossom  as  the  rose  and  yield  a  ready  and 
abundant  tribute  to  the  wants  of  man.  He  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  on  February  3,  1866, 

23 


and  his  parents,  Juergen  and  Eva  (Oetzman) 
Jens,  were  also  natives  of  that  country,  where 
their  forefathers  lived  from  time  immemorial. 
The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Prussian  army 
from  1860  to  1864,  and  fought  in  the  war  be- 
tween that  country  and  Denmark.  He  brought 
his  family  to  the  United  States  in  1884  and 
settled  in  Sherman  county,  Nebraska,  where 
he  and  his  wife  are  still  living  and  farming. 
They  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  John  being  the  third  in  the  order  of 
birth.  He  was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in 
his  native  land  and  there  received  a  slender 
common-school  education.  When  he  was 
twelve  years  old  he  began  working  on  other 
farms  in  the  neighborhood,  and -when  seven- 
teen, in  1883,  ne  came  to  the  United  States  in 
company  with  his  younger  brother  Hans.  They 
located  in  Sherman  county,  Nebraska,  where  an 
older  sister  had  settled  the  year  before.  They 
worked  on  farms  in  this  county  for  a  few 
years,  and  in  1887  Hans  died  there.  John  saved 
his  money  and  in  1889  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  wild  land  and  un- 
improved except  by  a  rude  sod  house.  Here 
he  lived  and  labored,  bringing  his  land  to  pro- 
ductiveness and  otherwise  improving  the  prop- 
erty for  a  number  of  years.  Then,  on  account 
of  his  sufferings  from  asthma,  he  came  to  the 
more  favorable  climate  of  Colorado  and  rented 
a  small  ranch  north  of  Grand  Junction,  leav- 
ing his  Nebraska  farm  in  charge  of  a  tenant. 
In  1902  he  bought  the  fruit  ranch  of  thirteen 
acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  since  then 
he  has  devoted  his  energies  to  its  development 
and  improvement.  Five  acres  of  the  tract  are 
in  fruit  and  yield  abundant  crops.  He  has 
built  a  neat  and  comfortable  modern  cottage 
dwelling  and  other  needed  structures  and  made 
his  home  very  desirable  from  every  point  of 
view.  On  April  9,  1895,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lena  Schoening,  like  himself  a  native  of 
Germanv.  She  came  to  the  United  States  with 


354 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


her  parents  when  she  was  nine  years  old,  and 
they  soon  afterward  became  residents  of  Sher- 
man county,  Nebraska,  where  they  are  now 
living-.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jens  have  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  they  have  a  daughter  of  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Jens  whose  mother  died  when 
the  child  was  two  years  old,  and  whose  name  is 
Lucy.  In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Jens  is  a  pro- 
nounced Populist,  and  in  fraternal  circles  he 
belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
at  Grand  Junction.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church. 

ARLIE  B.  YEATON. 

Born  and  reared  in  Franklin  county,  Maine, 
farming  and  raising  stock  and  also  merchan- 
dising for  years  in  Nebraska,  and  now  raising 
fruit  extensively  and  profitably  in  Colorado, 
Arlie  B.  Yeaton,  of  Mesa  county,  living  three 
and  one-half  mile  east  of  Grand  Junction,  has 
had  a  wide  and  varied  experience  in  the  longi- 
tudes, climates  and  farming  conditions  in  this 
country,  but  his  natural  adaptability  and  readi- 
ness of  resourcefulness  has  made  him  equal  to 
them  all  and  successful  in  all.  His  life  began 
on  August  14,  1862,  in  Franklin  county,  Maine, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  Elias  and  Sarah  (Stod- 
dard)  Yeaton,  natives  of  the  same  county, 
where  the  father  was  a  farmer.  In  1883  the 
family  moved  to  Burt  county,  Nebraska,  but 
nine  years  afterward  the  parents  returned  to 
Maine  where  the  mother  died  within  a  short 
time  after  their  arrival  at  their  old  home,  and 
there  the  father  is  still  living.  Their  family 
comprised  six  sons  and  one  daughter  and  all 
the  sons  are  living.  Arlie  was  the  second 
born  of  the  family.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
state  and  there  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old,  then  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Nebraska,  where  a  year  later  he 
rented  land  and  carried  on  a  general  farming 


industry  in  Burt  county,  continuing  his  oper- 
ations in  this  line  eleven  years  except  one,  dur- 
ing which  he  was  in  the  stock  business  and  one 
which  he  passed  in  a  store  at  Omaha.  In  the 
spring  of  1894  he  came  to  this  state  and  lo- 
cated in  Mesa  county,  having  purchased  twenty 
acres  of  raw  land  the  year  previous  in  that 
county  with  a  view  to  converting  it  into  a  fruit 
farm.  In  the  spring  of  1895  ne  built  a  dwelling 
on  this  land  and  planted  the  whole  twenty 
acres  in  fruit  trees.  He  then  had  the  usual 
experience  of  waiting  for  the  trees  to  bear 
without  income  except  from  hard  work  in 
other  capacities.  For  seven  years  he  worked 
at  various  places  and  kinds  of  employment  in 
the  valley,  but  when  the  orchard  began  to  bear 
his  labor  and  his  long  patience  was  amply  re- 
warded. In  1902  he  had  one  thousand  nine 
hundred  boxes  of  apples,  besides  other  fruit 
from  his  trees  and  realized  over  one  thousand 
one  hundred  dollars  of  net  profit  from  the  yield. 
In  1903  his  crop  was  three  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  boxes  of  apples,  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty  boxes  of  which  graded 
fancy,  four  tons  of  prunes  and  three  hundred 
boxes  of  pears,  and  his  net  profits  fof  the  year 
were  two  thousand  three  hundred  dollars  from 
tlie  crop.  The  prospects  for  a  large  increase  in 
these  figures  for  coming  years  are  very  good. 
On  December  5,  1888,  Mr.  Yeaton  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hattie  R.  Wright,  a  native  of 
Lewis  county,  New  York,  and  daughter  of 
John  W.  and  Mariette  (Loomis)  Wright,  both 
natives  of  New  York,  the  former  of  Lewis 
county  and  the  latter  of  Jefferson  county. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  a  railroad  man, 
and  for  four  years  during  the  last  administra- 
tion of  President  Grant  he  was  doorkeeper  of 
the  United  States  house  of  representatives  at 
Washington.  In  1881  he  and  his  family  moved 
to  Burt  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  died  on 
his  farm  on  November  6,  1895.  Since  then 
Mrs.  Wright  has  been  making  her  home  with 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


355 


her  daughter,  Mrs.  Yeaton.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yeaton  have  two  children,  Gladys  W.  and 
Grace  C.,  twelve  and  ten  years  old,  respectively. 
Mr.  Yeaton  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
member  of  the  United  Workmen  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  in  fraternal  circles.  He  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Grand  Junction. 

CULLEN  F.  WALKER. 

The  scion  of  old  New  England  families 
who  have  lived  in  that  section  of  the  country 
from  colonial  times,  Cullen  F.  Walker,  of  Mesa 
county,  this  state,  is  far  from  the  scenes  and 
associations  of  his  childhood,  youth  and  early 
manhood  and  amid  surroundings  far  different 
from  those  which  environed  his  family  roof- 
tree.  Yet  with  the  adaptiveness  and  self-reli- 
ance of  the  New  England  character,  he  is  as 
well  equipped  for  the  conditions  of  his  present 
lot  and  as  ready  to  meet  its  requirements  as  if 
he  were  to  the  manner  born  and  had  lived  in 
Colorado  all  his  life.  He  was  born  at  Bethel, 
Oxford  county,  Maine,  on  February  15,  1841, 
where  his  parents,  James  and  Hannah  J. 
(Barker)  Walker,  were  reared  from  childhood, 
the  former  having  been  born  in  Vermont  and 
the  latter  in  New  Hampshire.  The  father  was 
a  merchant  and  mill  owner  at  Bethel  and  there 
he  carried  on  a  successful  and  profitable  busi- 
ness for  many  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  state  legislature  and  also  served  as  a  trial 
justice  for  a  long  time.  He  died  at  Bethel  in 
1866  and  his  wife  also  ended  her  days  there, 
passing  away  in  1875.  Of  their  eight  chil- 
dren six  are  living,  Cullen  being  next  to  the 
youngest.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
town  and  received  a  public-school  and  aca- 
demic education.  After  leaving  school  he 
worked  in  his  father's  mill  until  the  death  of 
the  parent,  and  then  operated  the  same  until 


1870,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Minne- 
sota. Locating  at  Albert  Lea,  he  engaged  in 
the  commission  business  seven  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Fort  Berthold 
Indian  reservation,  where  he  was  three  years 
in  the  employ  of  the  government.  In  1880  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Grant  county,  South 
Dakota,  where  he  homesteaded  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  and  re- 
mained ten  years.  Being  driven  out  by  the 
drought,  he  sold  his  claim  for  almost  nothing 
and  moved  to  Brookings  county,  the  same 
slate,  where  he  remained  three  years.  He  then 
passed  three  years  in  Lyon  county,  Iowa,  and 
in  January,  1901,  came  to  this  state  and  located 
in  Grand  valley,  buying  ten  acres  of  land  three 
miles  east  of  Grand  Junction  on  which  he  now 
lives.  On  August  23,  1863,  before  leaving  his 
native  state,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Twitchell,  a  native  of  Bethel,  Maine,  like  him- 
self. They  have  had  three  children.  Edith 
T.  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  James  F. 
lives  in  Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  Ray  F.  in 
South  Dakota.  In  politics  Mr.  Walker  is  in- 
dependent, and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church. 

JAMES  F.  WALKER,  eldest  son  of  Cullen 
F.  Walker,  came  to  Colorado  in  the  autumn  of 
1900  and  bought  a  fruit  farm  adjoining  his  fa- 
ther's which  he  operated  successfully  until  re- 
cently, when  he  sold  it.  He  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  management  of  county  af- 
fairs and  in  political  movements  as  a  Social- 
ist. In  the  fall  of  1902  he  was  the  Socialist 
candidate  .for  the  state  legislature,  and  has  oth- 
erwise been  prominent  in  public  local  interests. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Hedges,  and  they  had  three  children,  Fordyce 
H.,  Albert  C.  and  Hollis,  the  last  named  being 
deceased.  Mrs.  Walker  died  on  February  15, 
1903. 


356 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


CHARLES  M.  WHITSELL. 

Charles  M.  Whitsell,  of  Mesa  county,  com- 
fortably  located  on   a  fine   fruit   ranch   three 
miles  east  of  Grand  Junction,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this   state  and  of  the   Grand  Valley 
since    1898.      He    was    born    in    Appanoose 
county,  Iowa,  on  March  19,  1858,  and  is  a  son 
of  Philip  and  Mary  (Stewart)'  Whitsell,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Pennsylvania. 
In   1855  they  moved  to  Iowa  and  settled  at 
Centreville  in  Appanoose  county,  where  the  fa- 
ther worked  at  his  trade  as  a  tailor  until  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  G, 
Thirty-sixth  Iowa  Infantry.     He  served  three 
years  in  the  war,  one  in  active  field,  service, 
then  losing  his  health,  he  spent  nearly  a  year 
in  a  hospital  at  Keokuk,  and  after  his  recovery 
was  assigned  to  hospital  duty  at  Davenport,  in 
which  he  was  occupied  until  the  end  of  his  term 
of  enlistment.     He  died  at  Centreville  in  1865, 
and  his  widow  now  lives  in  Wayne  county,  the 
same  state.     Of  their  three  children  two  are 
living,  Charles  being  the  younger  of  these.     He 
was  reared  and  received  a  limited   common- 
school  education  in  his  native  county,  and  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  owing  to  the  death  of  his 
father  and  the  moderate  circumstances  of  the 
family   he  was  obliged  to  begin   making  his 
own  living,  which  he  did  by  working  on  the 
farm  of  an  uncle  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
went  to  work  in  the  coal  mines  in  the  part  of 
Iowa  where  he  lived.     In  this  line  of  useful- 
ness he  was  employed,  with  a  few  intermis- 
sions. (until  the  spring  of  1898.     He  then  came 
to  Colorado  and,   locating-  in   Grand  Valley, 
found  employment  on   the   fruit   farm  of  his 
cousin,  James  H.  Whitsell,  whom  he  aided  in 
planting  twenty   acres   in   fruit   for  an   equal 
partnership  in  the  business.     The  orchard  is 
now  eight  years  old,  and  the  crop  of  1903  was 
two  thousand  four  hundred  boxes  of  apples, 


five  hundred  boxes  of  pears  and  quantities  of 
other  fruit.  The  land  belongs  to  James  H. 
Whitsell  and  Charles  M.  attends  to  the  fruit 
business  for  his  share  in  its  products.  He  was 
married  on  September  4,  1887,  to  Miss  Blanche 
Harper,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Appa- 
noose county,.  Iowa.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, Lloyd,  Cora  and  Hallie.  In  politics  Mr. 
Whitsell  is  a  Democrat  and  in  fraternal. life  he 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen. 

JAMES  H.  WHITSELL  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania on  June  n,  1857.  His  father,  Lawrence 
Whitsell,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Appanoose 
county,  Iowa,  and  took  up  one  of  the  first 
tracts  of  land  homesteaded  there.  He  passed 
the  rest  of  his  days  in  the  county,  dying  on  his 
homestead  in  1898.  His  son  James  came  to 
this  state  a  number  of  years  ago,  and  at  once 
began  to  take  an  active  part  in  its  industrial 
and  commercial  life.  For  twelve  years  he 
was  employed  by  the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron 
Company,  and  for  a  long  period  of  this  time 
was  one  of  the  company's  superintendents.  He 
located  on  his  ranch  in  1903.  In  politics  he 
is  an  active  and  zealous  Democrat,  and  in  the 
performance  of  all  his  duties  as  a  citizen  he  is 
faithful  and  enterprising.  He  is  one  of  the 
esteemed  ranchmen  and  citizens  of  Mesa 
county,  and  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
other  lines  of  industry. 

JOHN  J.  LUMSDEN. 

The.  oldest,  most  extensive  and  most  promi- 
nent builder  and  contractor  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion now  and  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
having  erected  many  of  the  most  notable  struc- 
tures in  the  city  and  county,  John  J.  Lums- 
clen  may  be  said  to  have  an  enduring  monu- 
ment in  the  work  he  has  done,  and  to  have 
been  one  of  the  most  potential  factors  in  the 
improvement  of  the  section  of  Colorado  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  ,  OF  WESTERN .  COLORADO. 


357 


which  his  lot  has  been  cast.     He  is  a  native  of 
New  York  city,  born  on  December  25,   1858, 
and   the   son   of   William   and   Ann    (Lucas) 
Lumsden,    wrho    were   born    in    Scotland    and 
reared  and  educated  there.     The  father  was  a 
young  man  when  he  came  to  this  country  and 
located  in  New  York.     He  followed  the  sea 
for  a  number  of  years  before  coming  to  the 
United  States,  and  soon  after  coming  he  was 
married  in  his  new  home.    A  short  time  after- 
wards  he   and   his   family  moved   to  Canada 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.    He  died  in  that 
country  in  1903,  and  his  widow  now  lives  in 
New    Haven,    Connecticut.      Their    offspring 
numbered  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom  are  living.     John  was  the  third  child 
born   in   the   family,   and   was   reared   on   the 
Canadian     farm.       He    attended    the    public 
schools  and  when  he  reached  the  age  of  six- 
teen was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  a  brick 
and  stone  mason,  at  which  he  spent  three  years. 
He  then  worked  as  a  journeyman  one  year,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1879  came  to  Colorado.    After  a 
short   residence  at  Denver,   during  which  he 
worked  at  his  trade,   he  moved  to   Colorado 
Springs  and  became  foreman  for  the  principal 
contractor    there.       Afterward,     with    J.     H. 
Ackerman,  he  organized  the  firm  of  Ackerman 
&  Lumsden,  which  carried  on  contracting  and 
building  on  a  large  scale.     In  1883  they  moved 
to  Grand  Junction  and  made  that  place  the  seat 
of  their  extensive  operations.     This  partner- 
ship was  harmoniously  dissolved  in  1887,  and 
since  then   Mr.    Lumsden  has   conducted   the 
business  alone.     He  has  built  a  large  portion 
of  the  best  section  of  the  city.    When  he  moved 
there  there  were  no  business  houses  on  Main 
street,   only  a  few  tents   for  mercantile  pur- 
poses, the  business  of  the  town  being  nearly 
all  on  Colorado  avenue.    Among  the  large  and 
imposing  structures  he  has  erected  under  con- 
tract may  be  mentioned  the  beet  sugar  factory, 
which  cost  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thou- 


sand dollars,,  all  the  buildings  at  the  Indian 
school,  the  principal  school  buildings  in  the 
town,  one  built  in  1903  having  cost  twenty- 
three  thousand  dollars,  nearly  all  the  brick  busi- 
ness blocks,  and  many  bridges  in  the  county. 
In  1901  he  raised  the  bridge  at  Debeque  from 
its  old  piers,  moved  it  nine  feet  and  placed  it 
on  new  piers,  stopping  travel  over  it  while 
moving  it  only  twelve  hours,  and  making  the 
change,  when  everything  was  ready,  in  one 
hour  and  three-quarters.  This  was  all  the 
more  wonderful  as  an  engineering  feat  because 
of  the  facts  that  the  bridge  is  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  span,  with  trusses  forty  feet 
high,  and  weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons. 
Mn  Lumsden  has  also  successfully  prospected, 
as  every  man  in  this  country  does  at  one  time 
or  another,  and  has  done  considerable  dealing 
in  real  estate.  He  now  owns  a  number  of 
valuable  properties  in  Grand  Junction  and  the 
surrounding  county  and  has  mining  claims  of 
considerable  worth  at  Leadville  and  in  Hins- 
dale  county.  He  was  married  on  October  9, 
1883,  to  Miss  Cinderella  C.  Orth,  who  was 
born  in  Illinois  near  Chicago,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Missouri.  She  was  a  public- 
school  teacher  at  Trenton,  that  state,  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  Her  father  is  deceased 
and  her  mother  is  living  at  Trenton.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lunsden  have  three  children,  Delia  M., 
Alma  A.  and  William  F.  In  politics  the  head 
of  the  house  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  always 
active  in  the  service  of  his  party.  He  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Junction  city  council 
a  number  of  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1903 
he  was  nominated  for  mayor,  but  was  not 
elected,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  be.  He  was  in 
Denver  during  the  campaign  and  made  no 
effort  to  win,  but  even  at  that  he  was  beaten  by 
only  eleven  votes.  In  fraternal  circles  he  is  an 
active  and  earnest  working  Freemason,  having 
taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  the  Scottish  rite 
and  belonging  to  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a 


358 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


past  master  of  his  lodge  and  for  four  years  was 
eminent  commander  of  his  commandery  of 
Knights  Templar.  In  all  the  relations  of  life 
he  stands  well  wherever  he  has  lived,  and  in  all 
the  duties  of  good  citizenship  he  has  been  faith- 
ful, zealous  and  serviceable.  Among  the  build- 
ers and  makers  of  the  section  of  this  state, 
which  has  been  the  principal  scene  of  his 
activity,  none  enjoys  and  none  deserves  a 
higher  place  in  the  regard  of  the  people. 

JUDGE  MILTON  R.  WELCH. 

To  the  position  of  prominence  and  dis- 
tinction which  he  now  holds  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession of  this  state,  and  to  the  wealth  of  legal 
learning,  practical  astuteness  and  eloquence 
and  force  as  an  advocate,  which  make  him  an 
ornament  on  the  bench  and  gave  him  a  lead- 
ing place  at-  the  bar  before  his  elevation,  Judge 
Milton  R.  Welch,  the  county  judge  of  Delta 
county,  now  serving  his  third  term  as  such, 
came  by  a  long,  interrupted  and  trying  course 
of  effort  and  study.  But  as  he  was  obliged  to 
fight  for  every  foot  of  his  advance,  so  he 
made  sure  of  the  ground  as  he  proceeded,  and 
secured  solid  as  well  as  showy  attainments. 
He  was  born  at  Knoxville,  Iowa,  on  April  13, 
1865,  and  is  the  son  of  James  L.  and  -Annis 
(McMillen)  Welch,  the  former  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  They  moved  to 
Iowa  in  childhood  with  their  parents,  and  in 
that  state  they  were  reared,  educated  and  mar- 
ried. The  parents  were  pioneers  there,  and 
the  Judge's  father  won  a  good  farm  from  the 
wilderness  by  assiduous  effort.  He  now  re- 
sides in  Delta  county,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1888.  The  father  served  in  the  Civil  war 
from  1 86 1  to  1865.  Six  children  were  born 
in  the  family,  of  whom  four  are  living,  the 
Judge  being  the  third  in  the  order  of  birth. 
He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  near 
Knoxville,  Iowa,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 


lic schools  and  a  good  academy  at  that  town. 
After  completing  his  course  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Colorado  in  1882,  they  locating  at 
Alma.  Here  the  father  opened  a  mercantile  es- 
tablishment and  the  son  assisted  in  the  busi- 
ness. He  also  did  some  prospecting  in  Park 
and  Summit  counties.  At  odd  times  he  read 
law  with  a  view  to  entering  the  profession.  In 
the  fall  of  1886  he  moved  to  Delta  and  soon 
afterward  located  a  claim  to  a  tract  of  land 
four  miles  south  of  the  town.  He  taught  school 
three  years,  in  the  meantime  continuing  his  law 
studies  as  he  had  opportunity.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  ranch  and  also  took 
charge  of  one  owned  by  his  father,  continuing 
this  work  until  the  fall  of  1892,  when  he  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  the  State  Univer- 
sity at  Boulder,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1894,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
In  that  year  a  gold  medal  had  been  offered  to 
the  students  of  all  the  law  schools  in  the  state 
by  Judge  Moses  Hallett  for  the  one  passing 
the  best  final  examination,  and  this  distinction 
was  won  by  Judge  Welch,  an  honor  of  which 
he  is  still  justly  proud.  Having  been  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  at  Boulder,  he  returned  to  Delta 
and  began  his  practice,  which  he  continued 
successfully  and  with  growing  reputation  and 
patronage  until  he  was  elected  county  judge  in 
the  fall  of  1895.  He  was  re-elected  in  1898 
and  again  in  1901.  During  the  last  nine  years 
he  has  also  been  United  States  commissioner. 
In  political  faith  he  is  an  unwavering  Republi- 
can, and  in  the  service  of  his  party  he  was 
always  active  and  effective  until  he  went  on 
the  bench.  Prior  to  that  he  attended  all  the 
state  conventions  and  other  important  gather- 
ings of  his  party  friends  and  took  an  earnest 
and  intelligent  part  in  their  proceedings.  On 
June  5,  1898,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Maud  Newland,  a  native  of  Ionia,  Michigan, 
and  daughter  of  D.  M.  and  Mary  (Baittie) 
Newland,  the  former  now  living  at  Los  An- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


359 


geles,  California,  and  the  latter  deceased.  The 
Judge  and  Mrs.  Welch  have  three  children, 
lona,  James  Le  Roy  and  Catherine.  He  be- 
longs to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  A  man  of  high  character, 
breadth  of  view  and  decided  public-spirit,  the 
judicial  ermine  well  becomes  him  and  he  wears 
it  with  grace  and  dignity. 

IRVIN  M.  McMURRAY. 

A  prominent  real-estate  and  general  busi- 
ness man  in  Delta  county,  and  an  active  and 
judicious  promoter  of  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  industrial,  commercial 
and  educational,  Irvin  M.  McMurray,  of  Delta, 
is  an  ornament  to  the  town  and  a  forceful 
factor  in  all  elements  of  its  growth  and  ad- 
vancement. He  was  born  near  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, on  July  19,  1863,  the  son  of  Richard 
M.  and  Mary  (Johnson)  McMurray,  the  for- 
mer born  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in 
Indiana.  The  father  came  west  to  Nebraska 
when  young  and  was  married  there.  After 
farming  in  that  state  for  a  number  of  years 
he  moved  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  merchandising  for  a  time.  Then 
for  many  years  he  was  active  in  the  mining, 
mercantile  and  political  life  of  this  state,  con- 
ducting large  and  successful  enterprises  and 
representing  his  people  at  times  in  the  terri- 
torial and  state  legislature.  He  is  now  living 
retired  at  Delta  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  His 
wife  died  in  1886.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  daughters  and  one  son,  the  last  being 
the  oldest,  and  all  are  living.  Irvin  was  ten 
years  old  when  the  family  moved  to  Colorado 
and  the  rest  of  his  life  so  far  has  been  passed 
in  this  state,  except  during  short  absences  when 
he  was  at  school.  He  began  his  education  in 
the  public  primary  schools,  attended  the  high 
school  and  the  State  Normal  at  Oregon,  Mis- 
souri. In  the  autumn  of  1882  he  located  at 


Delta,  then  a  village  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
inhabitants,  and  engaged  in  the  retail  drug 
business,  the  business  being  conducted  the  first 
year  in  a  tent.  For  a  number  of  years  there- 
after he  conducted  the  enterprise.  In  1890 
he  sold  it  and  turned  his  attention  to  ranching 
and  the  real-estate  business,  in  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  actively  occupied,  and  very  suc- 
cessful. In  political  faith  he  is  a  firm  and  loyal 
Democrat,  and  in  the  service  of  his  party  he  is 
at  all  times  earnest,  energetic  and  effective. 
He  rendered  important  service  to  the  county 
and  its  people  as  a  county  commissioner  for 
three  years,  and  in  every  way  has  been  po- 
tential in  promoting  and  developing  under- 
takings for  the  material  and  moral  welfare  of 
his  section  of  the  state.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Delta  Flour  Mills  Company  and 
connected  in  a  leading  and  helpful  way  with 
other  enterprises  in  the  industrial  life  of  the 
community.  On  April  12,  1893,  he  was  mar-- 
ried  to  Miss  Lucy  Yarwood,  a  native  of 
Canada,  where  her  father  died  a  number  of 
years  ago.  She  came  to  Colorado  with  her 
mother,  who  died  in  this  state  in  1893.  Mr. 
McMurray  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  his  wife  is  an  active  working  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

JKSSE  F.   SANDERS. 

In  the  history  of  any  community  there  are 
some  names  pre-eminent  because  they  are  those 
of  men  who  are  leaders  of  the  active  product- 
ive forces  therein  and  both  by  their  own  en- 
ergies and  the  effect  of  their  examples  on  those 
of  others  give  trend  to  the  life  of  the  commu- 
nity, effect  to  its  potencies  and  strength  and 
direction  to  its  growth  and  development. 
Among  these  at  Delta  Jesse  F.  Sanders  occu- 
pies a  leading  and  commanding  place.  There 
is  scarcely  any  element  of  good  in  the  commu- 
nity, industrial,  commercial  or  moral,  that  has 


360 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


not  felt  the  force  of  his  creative  mind  and  the 
impulse  of  his  directing  hand.  He  was  born 
in  Broome  county,  New  York,  on  February  25, 
1854,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine 
(Sheare)  Sanders,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  New  York. 
The  father  moved  to  New  York  when  a  young 
man  and  there  was  married.  The  greater  part 
of  his  life  was  passed  in  that  state,  although  he 
lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  his  native  state 
after  he  was  married,  and  there  his  wife  died 
in  1883.  In  1892  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
made  his  home  with  his  son  Jesse  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1904.  The  family  numbered  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  five  of  them  being 
now  alive.  Jesse,  the  youngest  of  the  sons, 
was  reared  in  his  native  state  and  educated  in 
its  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  left  home  and  went  to  Pennsylvania  where 
he  learned  his  trade  as  a  blacksmith  and  ma- 
chinist. After  working  at  the  craft  for  a 
number  of  years  in  that  state  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado in  1880  and  located  at  Alma  in  Park 
county.  Here  he  again  worked  at  his  trade 
and  alternated  its  hard  and  rugged  labor  with 
prospecting  tours  through  the  surrounding 
country.  In  1887  he  went  to  the  San  Juan 
country,  and  there  he  was  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting and  mining  with  headquarters  at'Ouray 
until  1894,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  at 
Delta.  In  1892  he  discovered  the  Bachelor  mine, 
one  of  the  greatest  silver  producers  in  the 
state.  In  partnership  with  Charles  Armstrong 
and  George  Hurlbert,  he  developed  this  prop- 
erty and  found  it  a  big  bonanza,  realizing  for 
each  of  its  owners  an  average  of  sixty-eight 
thousand  dollars  a  month  in  its  palmy  days, 
when  silver  was  not  above  sixty  cents.  The 
ore  body  at  times  was  ten  to  twelve  feet  thick 
and  unusually  rich  in  metal.  When  he  settled 
at  Delta  in  1804  Mr.  Sanders  began  at  once  to 
take  an  active  part  and  a  prominent  place  in 
the  life  of  the  town.  He  embarked  in  the 


grocery  business,  which  he  carried  on  for  a 
few  years,  and  within  the  first  few  months  of 
his  residence  here  acquired  a  controlling  in- 
terest in  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of 
the  town,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  presi- 
dent. In  1896  he  built  a  canning  factory  at  a 
cost  of  twelve  thousand  dollars,  which  has  been 
of  great  benefit  to  the  town  and  the  surround- 
ing country.  This  he  sold  in  1899  to  its  pres- 
ent owners.  In  1896  he  also  built  the  Sanders 
opera  house  and  the  next  year  the  building  in 
which  the  bank  is  now  settled  and  conducting 
its  business.  He  erected  for  himself  the  fin- 
est dwelling  in  the  town  and  owns  a  dozen  or 
more  other  residence  properties,  besides  busi- 
ness blocks  and  other  houses.  Moreover  he  is 
connected  with  all  the  leading  bridge  and 
ditch  companies  of  the  county  and  president 
of  a  number  of  them;  and  other  projects  in 
behalf  of  local  interests  receive  his  hearty  co- 
operation. In  politics  he  is  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat  and  always  earnest  and  effective 
in  the  service  of  his  party.  For  the  benefit  of 
Delta  he  served  two  terms  as  its  mayor.  In 
fraternal  life  he  belongs  to  the  Elks,  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Masons.  On  February  23, 
1879,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  A. 
Ferguson,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth 
(Miller)  Ferguson,  the  former  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  father  came  to  Colorado  in  the  early  days 
but  soon  afterward  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  died  in  1883,  and  where  his  widow 
is  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanders  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Dora  M.,  Charles  H., 
Cora  B.,  Robert  R.  and  Mary  E.,.  the  latter 
dying  March  4,  1901,  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

WILLIAM  R.  GALE. 

William  R.  Gale,  a  prominent  lumber 
merchant  and  builder  of  Delta,  and  president  of 
the  Grand  Mesa  Lumber  Company,  which  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


361 


organized  in  1903,  is  a  native  of  Montreal, 
Canada,  born  on  June  26,  1858,  and  reared 
and  educated  in  that  country.  His  parents  were 
William  and  Jane  C.  (Perdeaux)  Gale,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ireland  of  Scotch  ancestry, 
and  the  latter  born  in  the  same  country  of 
French  and  Irish  parentage.  They  grew  to 
maturity  and  were  married  in  Ireland,  and  soon 
afterward  came  to  the  United  States.  Follow- 
ing a  short  residence  in  this  country  they  moved 
to  Canada,  where  the  father  has  carried  on  his 
business  as  a  jeweler  and  watchmaker  for 
many  years,  principally  at  the  town  of  Orms- 
town,  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  where  he  is 
now  living,  and  where  his  wife  died  in  1901. 
A  brother  of  Mrs.  Gale  came  to  this  country 
when  a  young  man  and  accumulated  a  large 
fortune  as  a  farmer.  At  his  death,  having 
never  married,  he  left  his  estate  to  endow  Per- 
due College,  which  was  named  in  his  honor. 
Nine  of  the  children  in  the  Gale  household 
grew  to  maturity,  and  of  these  six  are  now  liv- 
ing. William  was  the  fifth  born  of  the  family, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Canada,  chiefly 
at  Ormstown.  He  was  thrown  on  his  own  re- 
sources at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  from  that 
time  on  for  several  years  he  worked  in  sum- 
mer and  attended  school  in  winter.  In  1875 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  with  whom 
he  spent  three  years  and  a  half,  learning  his 
trade  and  receiving  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  dollars  and  his  board  for  his  work.  For 
the  last  six  months  he  got  no  pay  as  he  was 
during  that  time  occupied  as  a  draughtsman. 
On  passing  his  examination  for  a  diploma,  as 
required  in  that  country,  he  refused  to  accept 
the  sheepskin,  as  he  had  propounded  problems 
that  his  instructor  was  unable  to  solve.  He 
then  passed  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  larger 
towns  of  Canada  collecting  ideas  in  different 
features  of  his  work  and  in  1879  crossed  the 
line  into  the  United  States,  locating  at  Man- 


chester, New  Hampshire,  where  he  worked  for 
a  contractor  named  Ireland.  He  quit  his 
service  eight  times  during  the  first  year,  and 
each  time  he  was  invited  to  return  at  increased 
wages.  In  1881  he  became  foreman  for  this 
man  and  remained  in  his  employ  until  1885. 
In  1880  he  spent  a  short  time  in  Colorado  and 
acquired  a  liking  for  the  state.  From  1885  to 
1887  he  was  in  Canada,  and  in  March  of  the 
year  last  named  he  again  came  to  this  state, 
locating  at  Delta,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
In  partnership  with  his  younger  brother  John 
C.,  he  at  once,  on  his  arrival  here,  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building,  and  in  the  ensuing 
fall  established  a  lumber  yard  in  the  town.  The 
next  year  they  added  furniture  and  under- 
taking to  their  business,  and  carried  on  the 
several  lines  together  until  1898,  when  John 
bought  the  furniture  and  undertaking  depart- 
ments and  William  sold  the  lumber  yard  to  an- 
other party.  He  then  made  a  trip  covering  a 
year  and  a  half  through  Colorado,  Wyoming 
and  Utah  looking  up  a  better  location,  with  the 
result  that  he  returned  to  Delta  and  again  went 
into  the  lumber  business  there.  In  1902  A.  E. 
Penley  bought  a  one-half  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  the  next  year  they  organized  the 
Grand  Mesa  Lumber  Company,  with  a  paid-up 
capital  stock  of  twelve  thousand  dollars,  and 
W.  R.  Gale  as  president,  I.  C.  Hall  as  vice- 
president  and  A.  E.  Penley  as  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Under  this  arrangement  they  have 
greatly  expanded  the  business,  built  a  large 
planing-mill,  acquired  an  immense  stock  of 
material  and  built  up  an  extensive  industry  in 
contracting  and  building.  They  have  erected 
several  of  the  largest  and  best  buildings  at 
Delta,  among  them  a  thirteen  thousand-dollar 
school  house,  which  was  completed  in  1903. 
On  November  5,  1891,  Mr.  Gale  was  married 
to  Miss  Nettie  Cowell,  who  was  born  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan.  They  have  one  son,  Charles 


362 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


E.,  now  ten  years  old.  In  political  allegiance 
Mr.  Gale  is  an  independent  Republican.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  •  " 

JOHN  A.  CURTIS. 

John  A.  Curtis,  the  accomplished  and  ac- 
commodating county  surveyor  of  Delta  county, 
who  is  now  serving  his  twelfth  consecutive 
term  in  the  office,  having  been  continuously  re- 
elected  since  his  first  term,  which  began  in 
1889,  is  a  native  of  the  historic  town  of  Bow- 
doin,  Maine,  born  on  December  20,  1858,  and 
the  son  of  John  and  Pauline  (Hall)  Curtis, 
also  natives  of  that  town,  and  members  of  old 
colonial  families  who  bore  a  conspicuous  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  also  a  shipbuilder.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  built  monitors  for  the  United 
States  government,  working  at  the  navy  yards 
at  Kittery,  Maine,  and  East  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. He  now  lives  at  Bowdoin,  where  his  wife 
died  in  September,  1903.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  John  A.  being 
the  third  born.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  place,  attended  the  public  schools  there 
and  an  academy  at  Litchfield,  and  afterward 
entered  the  engineers  department  of  the  Maine 
University  at  Orono.  When  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty,  and  before  being  graduated  at  this 
institution,  he  joined  the  United  States  Engi- 
neers Corps  under  General  Warren.  After 
serving  three  years  in  that  corps  along  the 
coast  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island,  with 
headquarters  at  Newport,  he  came  west  to 
Wyoming  in  1881,  and  during  the  next  six 
years  was  employed  on  government  surveys  in 
the  wilderness.  The  life  was  one  of  hardship 
and  toil,  and  frequently  every  hour  was  fraught 
with  danger  from  hostile  Indians.  In  the  au- 
tumn of  1887  he  settled  at  Delta  and  engaged 
in  general  engineering  work.  In  the  fall  of 


1889  he  was  elected  county  surveyor  of  Delta 
county,  and  at  every  succeeding  election  he 
has  been  re-elected.  In  the  public  improvements 
made  in  the  county  during  his  incumbency  of 
this  office  he  has  borne  an  important  and  serv- 
iceable part,  making  survey  for  all  ditches, 
reservoirs  and  similar  enterprises  and  directing 
their  construction.  He  has  also  been  deeply 
and  actively  interested  in  other  local  affairs  of 
importance,  his  skill  and  judgment  being  gen- 
erally recognized  as  of  a  high  order.  In  1892 
he  helped  to  organize  the  Delta  Improvement 
Company,  which  owns  a  portion  of  the  town- 
site,  and  has  been  president  of  the  company 
almost  throughout  its  existence.  He  also  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  volunteer  fire  depart- 
ment of  the  town  and  was  its  first  captain. 
He  is  in  addition  a  stockholder  in  various  en- 
terprises for  promoting  the  welfare  and  devel- 
opment of  the  community,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  their  work.  In  political  affairs  he 
is  an  earnest  and  serviceable  Republican,  and 
besides  being  county  surveyor  has  served  on 
the  local  school  board  for  a  number  of  years. 
On  February  20,  1894,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Bradney,  a  native  of  Clayton,  Illi- 
nois, and  daughter  of  Sylvester  and  Nancy 
(Davis)  Bradney,  the  former  born  in  Ohio  and 
the  latter  in  Kentucky.  They  are  now  living 
at  Clayton,  Illinois,  where  the  father  is  a  pros- 
perous farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  have  two 
children,  George  \V.  and  Esther  M.  Mr.  Cur- 
tis is  an  enthusiastic  Knight  of  Pythias  and 
aided  in  organizing  Grand  Mesa  Lodge,  No. 
84,  of  the  order  at  Delta  in  1892. 

HENRY  HAMMOND. 

One  of  the  very  first  settlers  within  the 
limits  of  what  is  now  Delta  county,  having  lo- 
cated there  in  1881,  before  the  Indians  had  re- 
tired from  the  region  or  the  advancing  foot- 
step of  civilization  had  invaded  it,  when  there 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


were  no  houses  or  other  works  of  the  white 
man  at  hand  and  the  soil  was  yet  virgin  to 
the  plow,  and  having  since  then  been  active  in 
building  up  the  section,  developing  its  re- 
sources, constructing  its  conveniences,  such  as 
roads,  bridges,  ditches  and  public  buildings, 
and  taking  a  prominent  part  in  shaping  its  po- 
litical institutions,  Henry  Hammond  may 
properly  be  called  one  of  the  fathers  of  the 
county,  and  he  is  justly  entitled  to  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  on  every  side.  He 
was  born  at  Cambria,  Columbia  county.  Wis- 
consin, on  March  17,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Martha  (Floyd)  Hammond,  na- 
tives of  Staffordshire,  England,  where  they 
were  reared,  educated  and  married.  Soon  after 
their  marriage  they  came  to  the  United  States, 
settling  at  Cambria,  Wisconsin,  the  father  and 
two  other  men  being  at  the  head  of  an  Eng- 
lish colony  locating  there,  where  they  were  all 
pioneers.  They  intended  to  start  and  operate 
in  that  region  an  extensive  pottery,  Mr.  Ham- 
mond the  elder  being  a  practical  potter.  This 
was,  however,  abandoned  and  the  colonists  be- 
came farmers  and  developed  the  agricultural 
wealth  of  the  neighborhood  greatly  to  its  ad- 
vantage and  their  own.  The  time  of  their  ar- 
rival was  in  1844,  and  in  the  subsequent  his- 
tory of  the  section  Mr.  Hammond's  name  is 
conspicuous  in  local  affairs  and  the  faithful 
discharge  of  various  public  functions  as  an  offi- 
cial chosen  by  the  people  around  him.  He  and 
his  wife  died  where  they  had  erected  their  do- 
mestic shrine,  leaving  six  of  their  ten  children 
as  their,  survivors,  five  of  whom  are  still  living. 
Henry  was  reared  on  the  Wisconsin  home- 
stead, and  had  the  usual  experience  of  boys  in 
his  station  at  the  time,  attending  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  in  the  winter 
months  and  working  on  the  farm  the  rest  of 
the  time.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  old 
he  started  out  for  himself,  and  after  working 
a  year  in  his  native  county,  went  to  California 


in  the  fall  of  1875.  He  remained  in  that  state 
about  three  years  until  the  excitement  over  the 
discovery  of  gold  at  Leadville,  this  state, 
brought  him  thither  in  December,  1878,  among 
the  early  prospectors  and  miners  at  that  camp. 
Tn  partnership  with  his  older  brother  George, 
who  now  lives  at  Rocky  Ford,  this  state,  he 
engaged  in  the  meat  trade  and  prospered.  In 
September,  1881,  he  came  to  where  the  town 
of  Delta  now  stands  and  entered  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  five  miles  south  of  the 
site  of  the  present  town.  This  ranch,  now 
owned  by  Fred  Beaudry,  was  his  home  for  two 
years,  and  during  that  time  he,  in  company 
with  Frank  Burkhart  and  Ed  Cappron,  con- 
structed a  ditch  two  miles  long  from  the"Un- 
compahgre  river  for  the  irrigation  of  their 
land  and  his  own,  they  having  settled  near  him. 
This  was  the  first  ditch  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses constructed  in  the  present  county  of 
Delta,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part  of  Gunni- 
son  county.  In  1883  ne  s°ld  his  ranch  to  Fred 
Beauclry,  and  locating  at  the  then  infant  town 
of  Delta,  started  a  livery  barn,  the  first  in  this 
section  of  the  country,  and  also  ran  a  stage 
line  between  Delta  and  Hotchkiss  and  Paonia, 
carrying  the  mails,  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  was  successful  in  this  enterprise,  and  later 
he  started  a  harness  business  and  bought  and 
managed  a  number  of  ranches  at  different  per- 
iods. He  still  owns  the  stable  and  other  im- 
provements for  the  livery  undertaking,  but 
has  sold  the  business  itself.  He  has  built  him- 
self a  neat  and  comfortable  residence  in  the 
town,  and  there  he  lives  in  peace  and  comfort 
after  his  many  trials  and  struggles,  in  the  midst 
of  the  development  he  has  aided  so  materially 
to  promote,  and  enjoying  the  advantages  of  the 
advanced  civilization  he  has  helped  to  bring 
about.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  as 
such  has  served  as  alderman  of  the  town,  and 
in  fraternal  circles  he  holds  high  rank  in  the 
Masonic  order  and  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows, 


364 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


being  a  past  master  in  his  Masonic  lodge  and 
having  passed  the  chairs  in  the  other.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  chapter  and  the  commandery  in 
Masonry.  He  was  first  married  on  September 
10.  1884.  to  Miss  Maggie  Davis,  a  native  of 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  She  died  on  March  15, 
1895,  and  on  February  16,  1898,  he  married  a 
second  wife.  Miss  Mary  E.  Harrington,  a  na- 
tive of  Michigan.  They  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, Martha,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years 
and  seven  months,  William  G.,  who  is  now  six 
years  old,  and  Alline  Amy,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 20,  1904. 

WILLIAM  H.  CROTSER. 

To  the  mind  at  peace  with  itself  there  is, 
even  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  a  haven  where 
the  storms  of  life  break  not,  or  are  felt  but  in 
gentle  undulations  of  the  mirroring  waters. 
This  haven  is  a  .serene  and  hale  old  age.  He 
who  enjoys  it  has  run  his  race  of  toil,  or  trade, 
or  ambition.  His  day's  work  is  accomplished 
and  he  has  come  home  to  rest,  tranquil  and  un- 
harassed,  in  the  splendor  of  the  sunset,  the 
milder  glories  of  late  evening.  So  finds  Wil- 
liam H.  Crotser,  of  Delta,  who  at  the  close 
of  a  long,  active  and  useful  career  in  business, 
is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits, 
secure  from  what  in  a  worldly  way,  and  firmly 
established  in  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  his 
fellow  men  as  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  town, 
whose  services  are  memoralized  in  enduring 
praise  in  the  prosperity  and  progressiveness  of 
the  community  he  helped  materially  to  build  up, 
and  the  evidences  of  industrial,  commercial  and 
moral  strength  with  which  it  is  blessed.  Mr. 
Crotser  was  born  at  MifHinburg,  Union  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  October  2,  1825.  His  par- 
ents, John  and  Elizabeth  (Davidson)  Crotser, 
were  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  that 
great  hive  of  productive  industry  they  passed 
the  whole  of  their  lives,  the  father  dying  in 


1833  and  the  mother  a  short  time  before.  They 
had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  but  two  of 
whom  are  living,  William  and  his  younger 
brother  Jacob,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  his 
native  state.  William  was  left  an  orphan  at 
the  age  of  eight  years,  and  three  months  after 
the  death  of  his  father  he  was  bound  out  to 
service  on  a  farm  until  he  should  reach  the  age 
of  sixteen.  At  that  age  he  was  apprenticed  to 
a  carriage-maker  with  whom  he  remained  four 
years.  After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  Pittsburg  for  a  time  and 
then  in  Ohio.  At  length  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  two  years,  then 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  located  at  Lock- 
haven,  where  he  again  worked  at  his  trade  for 
a  year.  From  there  he  moved  to  Salona,  the 
same  state,  where  he  was  married.  In  the  fall 
of  1855  he  moved  to  Newton,  Jasper  county, 
Iowa,  and  after  being  employed  at  his  trade 
one  year  there,  changed  his  residence  to  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas,  where  he  built  the  first  house 
outside  of  the  fort,  erecting  it  for  another 
man.  He  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  there  he  met  Governor 
Crawford,  whom  he  had  known  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  who  came  to  the  fort  soon  after  he 
did.  When  the  Civil  war  began  Mr.  Crotser 
returned  to  Iowa,  and  before  the  memorable 
contest  was  ended  he  became  a  member  and 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  M,  Ninth  Iowa 
Cavalry,  in  the  Union  army,  but  he  was  as- 
signed to  recruiting  service  most  of  the  time 
during  his  term  of  enlistment.  After  the  war 
he  was  at  the  head  of  a  prosperous  hardware 
trade  at  Harrisonville,  Missouri,  for  eight 
years.  In  1872  he  sold  out  there  and  moved  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  carried  on  a  similar 
business  until  1875.  He  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  after  spending  a  short  time  at  Pueblo, 
went  to  Ouray  where  he  engaged  in  prospect- 
ing and  mining  without  success.  There  were 
only  about  twenty  cabins  in  the  town  at  that 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


365 


time,  1876,  and  he  was  among  the  pioneers  of 
the  place.  Six  years  of  time  and  labor  were 
fruitlessly  devoted  to  prospecting  and  mining, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1881-2  he  moved  to  Delta. 
The  outlook  did  not  seem  promising  to  him 
and  he  was  about  to  leave,  when  he  again  met 
Governor  Crawford  who  persuaded  him  to  re- 
main as  the  town  was  just  starting  and  in  his 
opinion  had  a  good  future.  In  the  spring  of 
1882  he  built  the  first  house  on  Palmer  street, 
which  was  one  of  the  first  in  town,  and  soon 
afterward  started  a  small  hardware  store,  the 
•first  in  the  town.  He  had  lost  all  he  possessed 
in  his  mining  ventures  and  was  obliged  to  make 
a  fresh  beginning  just  as  if  he  had  never  had 
anything.  He  continued  his  hardware  busi- 
ness until  1900  and  attained  to  a  substantial 
prosperity,  acquiring  considerable  real  estate 
of  value  in  the  town  and  also  very  desirable 
ranch  property  in  the  Gunnison  valley  adjoin- . 
ing  the  townsite.  In  1900  he  sold  his  hard- 
ware business  and  since  then  he  has  lived  re- 
tired from  active  pursuits  in  the  town,  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  his  labors.  He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  political  faith  and  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  lodge  at  Delta  and  the  chapter  at  Mont- 
rose.  On  September  5,  1847,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Tate,  a  native  of  Cedar  Springs, 
Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Barbara 
(Gast)  Tate,  who  were  also  born  in  that  state 
and  passed  their  lives  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crotser  have  one  child,  Minnie. 

JUDGE  ALFRED  R.  KING. 

Judge  Alfred  R.  King,  of  Delta,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  state  and  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  promoters  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  section  in  which  he  lives.  As  an 
able  lawyer,  a  zealous  and  conscientious  county 
attorney  and  a  learned,  discreet  and  impartial 
judge,  he  has  dignified  and  adorned  his  pro- 


fession, and  as  an  enterprising,  broad-minded 
and  public-spirited  man  in  the  development  of 
his  town  and  county  and  the  advancement  of 
their  best  interests,  he  has  honored  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  state  and  rendered  signal  service  to 
his  people.  He  comes  of  distinguished  an- 
cestry and  in  his  career  he  has  well  upheld  the 
traditions  and  examples  of  his  family.  One 
of  his.  ancestors,  William  King,  was  the  first 
governor  of  Maine,  and  a  marble  statue  of  him 
now  stands  in  the  Statuary  Hall  of  the  United 
States  Capitol  at  Washington,  one  of  the  two 
his  state  is  allowed  to  place  there  in  honor  of 
her  most  distinguished  men.  Farther  back  his 
ancestors  on  both  sides  of  the  house  were  Rev- 
olutionary soldiers  and  bore  themselves  gal- 
lantly in  the  great  struggle  for  American  inde- 
pendence. Judge  King  was  born  in  Henry 
county,  Illinois,  on  February  12,  1857,  and  is 
the  son  of  Ruins  D.  and  Rebecca  J.  (Whit- 
ney) King,  the  former  a  native  of  Maine  and 
the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  settled  in  Indiana  when  a  young  man.  He 
was  married  there  and  soon  afterward  located 
in  Henry  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in 
1885,  and  where  the  mother  still  lives.  They 
had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  the 
Judge  being  the  second  in  the  order  of  birth. 
His  older  brother,  Rev.  George  D.  King,  is  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  minister  in  Montana.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  was  president  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Montana  and  he  is  now  presiding 
elder  of  the  Bozeman  district  in  that  state. 
The  Judge  was  reared  on  the  Illinois  homestead 
and  began  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  attended  Hedding  College  at  Abingdon, 
Illinois,  two  years,  and  then  entered  Union 
College  Law  School  in  Chicago,  completing  the 
course  in  o'ne  year.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  the  supreme  court  by  examination  in 
1882,  and  came  immediately  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating- at  Gunnison.  A  year  later  he  moved  to 
Delta,  being  one  of  the  first  lawyers  in  the 


366 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


county  which  had  just  been  organized.  He 
was  soon  after  his  arrival  appointed  county 
attorney,  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  was  elected 
county  judge  at  the  first  election  held  for 
county  officers.  Three  years  later  he  was  re- 
elected,  serving  two  terms.  In  the  spring  of 
1885  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Delta  and  his 
duties  in  this  office  were  unusually  important. 
The  town  site  had  been  entered  as  government 
land  and  during  his  term  as  mayor  it  was  sur- 
veyed as  such,  so  that  all  the  titles  to  lots  in  it 
from  the  government  passed  through  his  hands 
as  the  chief  executive  of  the  corporation. 
Governor  Crawford  was  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing the  townsite  company  and  owned  its 
property  and  franchises  until  his  death.  Then 
Judge  King  took  charge  of  his  estate  as  one 
of  the  trustees,  and  some  time  later  he  and 
George  Stephan  bought  the  interests  of  the 
company,  and  they  have  since  owned  and  han- 
dled its  business.  Judge  King  has  been  actively 
connected  with  every  enterprise  involving  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  the  town.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  its  first  bank  and  is  now-  a 
stockholder  in  the  successor  of  that  institu- 
tion, the  present  First  National  Bank  of  Delta. 
He  takes  an  active  and  serviceable  part  in  poli- 
tics as  a  regular  or  Wolcott  Republican,  and 
in  tine  fall  of  1894  was  a  candidate  for  the  state 
senate  on  the  ticket  nominated  by  that  party, 
but  in  the  confusion  of  party  affairs  brought 
about  by  the  silver  issue  he  had  no  show  for 
election  and  of  course  was  defeated.  The  dis- 
trict comprised  the  counties  of  Gunnison,  Delta 
and  Mesa.  In  1900  he  was  nominated  for  the 
lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  for  the  dis- 
trict composed  of  Montrose  and  Delta  coun- 
ties, and  his  fidelity  to  Senator  Wolcott  again 
defeated  him.  But  he  is  now,  as  he  has  always 
been,  a  stanch  Republican.  On  December  23, 
1884,  he  was  married  at  Cambridge,  Illinois, 
where  she  was  born,  to  Miss  Annie  R.  Cald- 
well,  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Ann  (Hutch- 


inson)  Caldwell,  who  were  born  in  Philadel- 
phia. Her  father  is  dead  and  her  mother  lives 
with  her  and  Judge  King.  In  the  King  house- 
hold four  children  have  been  born,  Fred  R., 
Ula  M.,  Edward  and  Neil.  The  Judge  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  during  the 
past  twelve  years  and  the  excellence  uf  the 
schools  in  the  town  is  a  tribute  to  his  intelli- 
gence, fidelity  and  enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  the 
system.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Elk  and  a  Free- 
mason in  lodge,  'chapter  and  commandery. 
Professionally  he  is  attorney  for  the  Denver 
&  Rio  Grande  Railway  Company  and  the  Utah 
Fuel  Company. 

HON.  GEORGE  W.  HENRY. 

A  valiant  soldier  in  defense  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  war,  an  earnest  and  intelligent 
legislator  in  one  of  the  great  states  of  the 
Mississippi  valley,  a  leading  lawyer  in  several 
places  and  a  county  judge  in  two  of  the  coun- 
ties of  this  great  commonwealth,  Hon.  George 
W.  Henry,  of  Delta  county,  has  had  a  career 
full  of  valuable  suggestiveness  to  younger 
men  and  of  interest  to  men  of  all  ages.  He 
wras  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  on  February 
25,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Rachel 
(Morris)  Henry,  who  were  born  in  Kentucky 
and  married  in  Ohio,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1848.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  in 
1870  he  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  died  in 
1873,  at  the  town  of  Oakland.  They  had  a 
family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  their  son 
George  is  now  the  only  one  living.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  state,  and  there  he 
attended  the  public  schools,  a  good  academy 
and  the  Ohio  Conference  High  School  at 
Springfield.  He  taught  school  eleven  years  in 
Ohio  and  Illinois,  going  to  the  latter  state  in 
1852,  and  locating  in  that  part  of  Coles  county 
that  afterward  became  Douglas  county.  There 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


he  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  pass- 
ing in   1857.     Later  he  located  at  Louisville, 
Clay  county,  and  began  practicing  his  profes- 
sion.     On   July   8,    1861,   he   enlisted   in   the 
Union   army    as   a   member   of   Company   D, 
Eleventh  Missouri  Infantry,  and  was  soon  af- 
terward  commissioned  first   lieutenant   in   the 
quartermaster's   service.      In  this   capacity  he 
served  fourteen  months  and  was  then  appointed 
captain  of  Company  D  and  assigned  to  active 
field  service.     He  was   called  into  many  im- 
portant engagements,  among  them  the  one  at 
Perry vi lie,  Missouri,  the  capture  of  Island  No. 
TO  and   New   Madrid,   the  siege   of   Corinth, 
many  expeditions  and  skirmishes  in  Tennessee 
and  Mississippi,  the  battles  of  luka,  Corinth, 
Vicksburg,    Jackson,    Chickasaw    Bayou    and 
others.    After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  he  was  sent 
to  Tennessee  and  later  to  his  home  on  a  veteran 
furlough.     Not  long  after  this  he  and  many 
other   commissioned   officers   resigned   on   the 
reorganization  of  the  regiment  as  veterans,  in 
order  to  give  opportunity  for  the  promotion  of 
younger  men.    He  went  through  the  war  with- 
out disaster,  and  after  its  close  practiced  law 
a  number  of  years  in  Clay  county,  Illinois.     In 
1872  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  of  that 
state  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  during  his 
service  in  that  body  drafted  a  number  of  bills 
which  were  enacted  into  laws  and  are  still  on 
the  statute  books  as  they  were  originally  passed. 
In  1877  he  came  to  this  state  and  located  at 
Lake  City,  where  he  practiced  law  a  number 
of  years  and  served  as  county  judge  six.     In 
1887  ne  removed  to  Delta,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  in  active  practice  in  that  county  ex- 
cept during  six  years  when  he  was  serving  as 
county  judge  there.     He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  from  the  foundation  of  the  party  until 
the  People's  party  was  formed,  and  then  he 
joined  that  organization.     In  Illinois  he  per- 
sonally knew  and  greatly  admired   President 
Lincoln,  and  was  on  intimate  terms  of  friend- 


ship with  him.  On  April  2,  1857,  Mr.  Henry 
was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  A.  Magner,  a 
native  of  Indiana.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  sons, 
Lyman  I.  and  William  G.,  are  living,  and  the 
(laughters,  Clara  Frances  and  Mary  Myrta, 
have  died.  Mr.  Henry  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

ADEN  B.  CRABILL. 

Mr.   Crabill  is  the  well  qualified  and  suc- 
cessful   manager    of    the    Delta    Flour    Mills 
Company,  located  at  Delta,  this  state,  and  by 
his  energy,  skill  and  business  capacity  he  has 
brought  the  work  of  the  mills  to  a  high  grade 
of   excellence   and   the  business  of  the  com- 
pany to  a  large  and   profitable   development. 
The   company  was   organized  on  January    i, 
1903,  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,   and  J.    C.    Gale   as   president,    C.    B. 
Elliott  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  A.  B. 
Crabill  as  manager.     The  capacity  of  the  mills 
is  one  hundred  barrels  and  their  output  is  of 
the  finest  quality.   The  mills  are  equipped  with 
the  lastest  roller  system,  having  been  recently 
remodeled.     Business  at  these  mills  started  in 
a  small  way  with  the  old-style  burr  system  of 
grinding  a  number  of  years  ago,  and  since  then 
has  passed  through  various  ownerships.     For 
five  years  just  before  coming  under  its  present 
ownership  and  management  it  was  operated  by 
Mr.  Crabill  and  N.  G.  Clark.     Mr.  Crabill  is 
a  native  of  Shenandoah  county,  Virginia,  born 
on  September  26,  1855,  and  the  son  of  David 
G.  and  Mary  (Swartz)v  Crabill,  who  were  also 
born  in  Virginia,  where  they  still  live.     The 
father  is  a   retired   farmer  and  a  highly  re- 
spected man  in  his  home  county.     The  family 
comprised  nine  children,  of  whom  Aden  was 
the  first  born  and  eight  are  now  living.     Aden 
was  reared  on  the  Virginia  homestead  to  the 
age  of  twenty,  and  worked  on  it  with  industry 


368 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  fidelity.  Owing  to  the  Civil  war,  which 
seriously  disturbed  all  institutions  and  con- 
ditions in  that  part  of  the  country,  his  edu- 
cational advantages  were  small  and  he  is  prac- 
tically a  self-educated  man.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  entered  a  mill  in  his  native  county 
to  learn  the  trade,  and  afterwards  worked 
at  it  there  and  in  Ohio.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Colorado,  and  during  the  next  two  years  he 
was  employed  in  a  mill  at  Fort  Collins.  In 
1895  he  moved  to  Delta,  and  here  he  has  been 
continuously  connected  with  the  milling  in- 
dustry since  his  arrival.  In  politics  he  is  an 
ardent  and  devoted  Democrat,  and  in  fraternal 
life  an  enthusiastic  Freemason.  In  the  public 
local  affairs  of  his  county  he  takes  an  active 
part  but  is  not  an  aspirant  for  office,  preferring 
to  aid  in  giving  direction  and  inspiration  to  the 
forces  of  progress  in  the  community  rather 
than  to  administer  the  duties  of  public  station. 
On  December  2,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Clara  L.  Strock,  who  was  born  at 
Urbana,  Ohio.  They  have  one  child,  their 
daughter,  J^etitia,  now  nineteen  years  old. 

OLIVER  P.  MCCARTNEY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  O.  P.  McCartney  was  born  at  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  on  September  6,  1869,  and 
is  the  son  of  Joseph  C.  and  Mary  F.  (Perry) 
McCartney,  the  father  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  mother  of  Georgia.  She  moved  to 
Kentucky  when  she  was  a  young  lady  and  was 
married  there.  The  father  was  a  physician 
and  surgeon  and  practiced  at  Louisville  and 
later  at  North  Fork,  Indiana,  where  he  and 
his  wife  are  now  living.  Three  of  their  five 
children  are  living,  Dr.  Oliver  being  the  young- 
est. He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  city 
and  was  educated  in  its  public  schools.  In 
1887  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  but  on 
account  of  failing  eyesight  was  obliged  to 
abandon  it  for  a  time.  In  1892  he  came  to 


Colorado  and  located  at  Denver,  dividing  his 
time  between  that  city  and  points  in  Boulder 
county.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Gross 
Medical  College  at  Denver  in  1901,  and  for 
two  years  thereafter  practiced  in  Boulder 
county,  then  moved  to  Delta  where  he  has  since 
been  actively  engaged  in  practice  with  an  ex- 
panding patronage  and  a  growing  reputation 
both  in  his  profession  and  as  a  progressive, 
wise  and  useful  citizen.  In  politics  he  is  in- 
dependent. On  April  19,  1893,  ne  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Annie  Barnes  Mason,  a  native  of 
Port  Hope,  Canada.  They  have  one  child, 
Vera  Florence.  Dr.  McCartney  has  the  in- 
terest of  the  community  in  which  he  has  cast 
his  lot  earnestly  at  heart  and  omits  no  effort 
on  his  part  to  push  forward  its  development 
and  enduring  welfare. 

LAWRENCE  A.  HICK,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Lawrence  A.  Hick,  of  Delta,  is  a 
native  of  Rensselaer  county,  New  York,  where 
he  was  born  on  December  19,  1869.  His  par- 
ents, John  and  Elvina  (Angell)  Hick,  are  also 
natives  of  New  York,  and  are  now  living  at 
Fond  du  Lac.  Wisconsin.  The  father  is  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  but  at  present  he  is 
living  retired  from  active  work.  Two  chil- 
dren were  born  in  the  family,  the  Doctor  and 
his  younger  brother  Norman,  the  latter  a 
traveling  salesman  out  of  Chicago.  The  Doc- 
tor was  educated  at  the  public  schools,  a 
seminary  at  Oakdale,  Nebraska,  and  a  college 
at  Bellevue,  that  state.  In  1889  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  a  preceptor,  and  in 
1891  entered  Omaha  Medical  College,  wherej 
he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine  in  1895.  He  came  direct  to  Delta, 
this  state,  and  here  he  has  since  made  his 
home  and  actively  practiced  his  profession. 
Closely  attentive  to  every  demand  of  his  busi- 
ness and  omitting  no  effort  on  his  part  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


369 


master  it  in  every  way,  he  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  county  and  an  interested  member  of 
that  and  the  medical  societies  and  a  close 
student  of  the  literature  of  the  profession.  He 
is  also  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  railroad  local 
surgeon  and  county  health  officer.  In  politics 
he  is  a  pronounced  Republican,  and  in  fraternal 
life  a  Freemason,  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a 
Woodman  of  the  World.  On  March  17,  1895, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Luce,  a  native 
of  Omaha.  They  have  one  child,  Lawrence  L. 

CHARLES  R.   SIEBER. 

Highly  fortunate  in  his  life,  both  in  its  pro- 
ductive usefulness  and  in  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow  men  which  it  won  him,  and  which  was 
largely  enhanced  by  the  "deep  damnation  of 
his  taking  off,"  the  late  Charles  R.  Sieber,  of 
Mesa  county,  who  was  brutally  murdered  by 
a  former  employee  while  at  the  height  of  his 
usefulness  and  power  for  good  to  the  people 
among  whom  he  lived  and  labored,  was  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  serviceable 
citizens  of  the  Western  slope,  and  as  such  was 
a  shining  mark  for  the  shafts  of  malice,  envy 
and  ill-will.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  at  Breslau  on  January  28,  1846,  and  the 
son  of  Paul  and  Francisca  Sieber,  also  natives 
of  the  fatherland,  where  they  passed  their  lives 
and  where  their  forefathers  had  lived  for  many 
generations.  There  were  ten  children  in  his 
father's  family,  of  whom  he  was  the  last 
born.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  old  he 
came  to  America  in  company  with  a  friend, 
Charles  Kretchmer,  who  is  now  an  esteemed 
citizen  of  Pueblo,  this  state.  After  passing  a 
year  in  Canada  they  moved  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Illinois,  where  they  re- 
mained until  in  the  'sixties,  when  they  came 
with  the  German  colony  established  in  Wet 
Mountain  valley,  to  Colorado.  Mr.  Kretch- 
mer stopped  at  Pueblo  and  Mr.  Sieber  ac- 
24 


companied  the  colony  to  the  valley.  Here  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  cattle,  becom- 
ing a  man  of  consequence  and  influence  in  the 
section,  so  that  when  Colorado  was  admitted 
to  the  Union  as  a  state  in  1876  he  was  chosen 
to  represent  his  people  in  the  first  state  legis- 
lature. At  the  session  in  which  he  served,  a 
portion  of  what  had  been  Fremont  county  was 
cut  off  and  erected  into  a  new  county  called 
Custer,  the  name  it  now  bears.  Mr.  Sieber 
continued  his  operations  in  the  cattle  and  ranch- 
ing industry  there  until  1885,  when  he  moved 
to  Mesa  county  and,  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Hudson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hudson  & 
Sieber,  he  enlarged  his  stock  business  and  also 
opened  a  large  retail  market  at  Grand  Junction. 
This  was  in  the  early  'nineties.  In  1897  the 
Sieber  Cattle  Company  was  formed  with  Mr. 
Sieber  as  president  and  manager  and  John  and 
Mahlon  Thatcher  as  other  members  of  the 
company.  The  company  did  a  very  extensive 
business,  at  times  having  ten  thousand  cattle 
on  hand.  While  at  Stunner  Camp,  thirty-five 
miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction,  Mr.  Sieber 
was  shot  and  killed  in  cold-blooded  murder  by 
one  Harris,  a  former  employee  of  the  company, 
who  had  a  grudge  against  him.  This  shocking 
occurrence  aroused  the  greatest  indignation 
throughout  the  western  part  of  the  state,  where 
the  victim  of  it  was  widely  known  as  a  pioneer, 
upright  and  progressive  man,  and  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  section.  It  ended  a  life 
of  value  to  the  whole  state  with  no  advantage 
to  the  murderer  beyond  the  gratification  of  his 
passion  and  malice.  Mr.  Sieber  was  married 
on  December  25,  1869,  to  Miss  Henrietta 
Palmer,  a  native  of  Steuben  county,  New 
York,  where  her  parents,  Azor  and  Martha 
(Dickson)  Palmer,  were  also  born.  In  1864 
the  Palmer  family  crossed  the  plains  with 
wagons  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Russellville, 
thirty-five  miles  from  Denver,  on  Cherry 
creek,  where  Mr.  Palmer  kept  a  stage  station 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


several  years,  going  to  Wet  Mountain  valley 
and  engaging  in  the  stock  business  in  the 
spring  of  1869.  He  died  there  in  1886  and 
his  wife  in  1899.  They  had  four  children,  all 
living.  Twelve  were  born  in  the  Sieber  house- 
hold, eleven  of  whom  are  living,  Louise, 
Anna,  Francisco,  Henrietta,  Martha,  Frankie. 
Carl,  John,  Jessie,  Paul  and  Fred.  Laura  died 
some  years  ago. 

HON.  JOHN  C.  BELL. 

The  United  States  house  of  representatives, 
notwithstanding  the  ridicule  to  which  it  is 
often  subjected  by  the  unknown  or  the  thought- 
less, and  the  charges  of  dishonesty  and  cor- 
ruption which  are  sometimes  made  against 
some  of  its  members,  is  in  fact  one  of  the  most 
learned,  upright  and  patriotic  bodies  of  men 
in  the  world.  The  wisdom,  manliness  and  in- 
tegrity of  the  American  people  are  epitomized 
there,  and  it  is  at  the  imminent  danger  of  ex- 
.  posure  and  certain  loss  of  reputation  that  a 
member  is  ever  guilty  of  any  form  of  wrong 
doing.  That  Hon.  John  C.  Bell  held  a  position 
of  commanding  influence  in  that  exalted  forum 
during  his  service  as  a  member  of  the  body  is 
a  strong  proof  of  his  ability,  wisdom  and  in- 
dustry, and  a  high  tribute  to  his  character  and 
manliness.  Mr.  Bell  was  born  at  the  village 
of  Suwannee,  Tennessee,  on  December  n, 
1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Harrison  and  Rachel 
(Laxson)  Bell,  the  former  born  in  Tennessee 
and  the  latter  in  Mississippi.  The  father  was 
an  extensive  planter  and  owner  of  a  number 
of  grist  mills.  He  was  also  a  speculator  and 
prominent  business  man,  and  6ne  of  the  in- 
fluential citizens  of  his  portion  of  the  state, 
serving  at  times  as  sheriff  of  Grandy  county 
and  in  other  official  positions  giving  trend  and 
cogency  to  public  affairs.  Both  parents  died 
amid  the  scenes  of  their  useful  labors  and  the 
people  by  whom  they  were  universally  es- 


teemed. Their  son  John  C.  was  reared  in  his 
native  county  and  educated  at  the  private 
schools  of  Prof.  Rufus  Clark  and  those  of 
Profs.  Hampton  and  Miller  in  Franklin 
county,  Tennessee.  He  read  law  at  Winches- 
ter, that  state,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
there  in  1874.  In  June  of  that  year  he  moved 
to  Colorado  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Saguache.  He  was  soon  after- 
ward appointed  county  attorney  of  Saguache 
county  and  held  the  position  until  May,  1876, 
when  he  resigned  it  and  moved  to  Lake  City, 
then  the  most  thriving  town  in  the  great  San 
Juan  mining  region.  There  he  immediately 
took  a  prominent  place  in  his  profession  and 
in  politics  as  a  Democrat  of  unwavering  fidelity 
and  great  force  of  character  and  resourceful- 
ness. In  1878  he  was  elected  county  clerk  of 
Hinsdale  county,  but  he  did  not  perform  the 
duties  of  the  office  personally.  He  was  also 
twice  elected  mayor  of  Lake  City,  and  in  1885, 
during  his  second  term,  he  resigned  the  office 
to  form  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Frank  C. 
Gaudy  for  the  practice  of  law,  removing  to 
Montrose,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  for 
the  purpose.  In  November,  1888,  he  was 
elected  district  judge  of  the  seventh  judicial 
district  of  the  state  for  a  term  of  six  years, 
and  resigned  this  position  after  being  elected 
to  congress  in  the  fall  of  1892,  to  represent  the 
immense  second  district,  which  now  comprises 
forty-four  counties.  He  was  four  times  re- 
elected,  sitting  in  the  fifty-fourth,  fifty-fifth, 
fifty-sixth  and  fifty-seventh  congresses  after 
his  first  term,  receiving  at  his  last  election 
more  than  thirteen  thousand  majority  over 
three  opposition  candidates.  During  his  service 
in  the  house  he  was  connected  with  much  im- 
portant legislation  for  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, and  being  a  hard-working  and  hard-fight- 
ing member,  he  secured  almost  everything  he 
asked  for.  After  a  long  fight  he  got  an  ap- 
propriation for  a  federal  building  at  Colorado 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Springs,  secured  the  opening  of  the  Southern 
Ute  Indian  reservation  for  settlement,  a  term 
of  the  United  States  court  to  be  held  each 
year  at  Montrose,  and  the  survey  for  the  Gun- 
nison  tunnel  for  irrigation  purposes  long  be- 
fore the  national  reclamation  act  was  passed. 
He  introduced  the  original  Gunnison  tunnel 
bill,  and  from  this  the  present  reclamation  law 
vvas  largely  copied.  When  the  strength  of 
eastern  opposition  to  western  irrigation 
schemes,  especially  to  making  appropriations 
for  the  same,  is  recalled,  Mr.  Bell's  tireless 
energy  and  his  great  service  in  this  behalf  will 
be  duly  appreciated.  The  Gunnison  tunnel  is 
a  project  of  enormous  proportions  and  weighty 
with  benefits  to  an  immense  scope  of  country. 
The  tunnel  will  be  six  miles  long,  and  will  con- 
vey water  from  the  Gunnison  river  for  the  ir- 
rigation of  many  thousands  of  acres  of  other- 
wise valueless  land  in  the  Uncompahgre  valley. 
It  will  have  a  capacity  of  twelve  thousand 
cubic  feet  of  water  per  second,  and  its  flow  and 
distribution  will  be  so  regulated  as  to  secure 
the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number  of 
ranches  for  the  longest  period  of  time.  An- 
other of  the  little  known  but  highly  valuable 
achievements  of  Mr.  Bell  in  congress  is  the 
prohibition  of  the  use  of  the  Pension  build- 
ing or  any  other  public  building  in  Washington 
for  the  quadriennial  inauguration  ball,  which 
it  is  said  will  effect' a  saving  of  over  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  to  the  government  every 
four  years.  When  an  inauguration  ball  is  ap- 
proaching it  has  been  the  custom  to  lay  off  all 
the  clerks  in  the  building  in  which  it  is  to 
be  held  eight  or  ten  days  so  that  proper  prepar- 
ations for  the  event  can  be  made.  The  salaries 
of  the  clerks  so  laid  off  alone  amount  to  over 
seventy  thousand  dollars  for  the  time  they  are 
idle.  Still  another  of  the  important  measures 
which  he  introduced  and  passed  in  congress 
was  the  exemption  of  soldiers  in  the  Cuban 
and  Philippine  wars  from  forfeiture  of  their 


mining  claims  by  failure  to  work  the  assess- 
ments during  their  absence  in  the  army.  He 
gained  by  just  dessert  the  reputation  of  getting 
more  pension  bills  successfully  considered  than 
any  other  congressman  ever  sent  from  Colo- 
rado ;  and  in  his  campaigns  he  always  received 
the  solid  soldier  vote  of  his  district.  He  served 
on  many  important  committees  in  the  national 
house  and,  as  a  marked  recognition  of  his  in- 
dustry, wisdom  and  ability,  he  was  appointed 
by  Speaker  Reed  on  the  most  important  one 
in  the  body,  the  committee  on  appropriations. 
On  September  i,  1881,  Mr.  Bell  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Susie  Abernathy,  a  native 
of  Franklin  county,  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  Jones  B.  and  Sue  (Sumner)  Abernathy, 
also  natives  of  that  state,  where  they  died  a 
number  of  years  ago.  The  father  was  a  very 
prominent  physician  with  a  national  reputation 
in  his  profession.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  have  two 
daughters,  Susie  and  Ethel.  Mr.  Bell  is  an 
active  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  Mason, 
with  membership  in  the  bodies  at  Montrose. 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at 
Lake  City.  He  recently  received  a  medal  for 
having  been  a  member  of  the  latter  body  con- 
tinuously for  twenty-five  years.  Since  retiring 
from  congress  he  has  been  active  and  eminent 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

HERBERT  E.  PERKINS. 

One  of  the  most  progressive  and  successful 
stock  men  and  the  most  extensive  sheep 
breeder  in  Delta  county,  Herbert  E.  Perkins 
occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the  industrial 
life  of  the  section  in  which  he  lives  and  aids 
materially  in  increasing  the  wealth  and  com- 
mercial activity  of  its  people.  He  was  born  at 
Mechanic  Falls,  Maine,  on  July  17,  1855,  his 
parents,  William  M.  and  Ruth  (Jordan) 
Perkins,  also  being  natives  of  that  state.  They 
belonged  to  old  colonial  families  and  their  fore- 


372 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


fathers  bore  conspicuous  parts  in  all  the  pre- 
ceding history  of  New  England  in  peace  and 
war.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Perkins  passed  their 
lives  in  their  native  state  where  they  were 
extensive  and  prosperous  farmers.  The  father 
was  a  prominent  man  locally  and  served  as  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  Androscoggin  county 
for  a  number  of  years.  They  had  four  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
Herbert  being  the  last  born  in  the  family.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  attended  the  public 
schools,  was  graduated  at  the  high  school  and 
then  attended  two  terms  at  Hebron  Academy. 
In  the  spring  of  1873  he  went  to  Boston,  and 
after  serving  three  months  as  conductor  on  a 
street  car,  worked  in  the  Faneuil  Hall  market 
about  nine  months,  then  became  collector  on 
the  road  for  a  lightning  rod  company,  in  which 
capacity  he  spent  three  years,  and  for  a  time 
he  was  also  collector  for  a  bank  in  Boston. 
In  July,  1878,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Rosita  where  he  prospected  and  mined 
more  than  a  year,  this  being  during  the  boom 
days  of  the  Bassick  mine.  Early  in  1880  he 
went  to  Gunnison  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  until  the  fall  of  1883.  Dur- 
ing this  period  he  discovered  and  located  the 
Last  Ruby  mine,  adjoining  the  Ruby  Chief. 
Here  the  prospect  was  very  promising  and  Mr. 
Perkins  was  offered  twelve  thousand  dollars 
for  his  interest.  He  refused  the  offer  and  got 
nothing.  He  came  to  Delta  in  the  fall  of 
1883,  in  company  with  Thomas  Moore,  and 
together  they  engaged  in  the  cattle  business. 
This  partnership  lasted  over  a  year  and  since 
its  dissolution  Mr.  Perkins  has  been  in  the 
business  alone  and  has  been  very  successful. 
In  1890  he  sold  off  all  his  cattle  and  turned  his 
attention  exclusively  to  sheep-raising.  In  this 
branch  of  the  stock  industry  he  runs  on  an 
average  about  eight  thousand  head  of  the 
Hampshire  strain,  being  the  largest  sheep  man 
in  the  countv.  He  owns  ranches  in  Gunnison 


county  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  in 
addition  to  what  he  owns  in  Delta  county.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  while 
not  desirous  of  official  station  of  any  kind,  the 
county  convention  of  his  party  on  a  recent  oc- 
casion, in  a  spirit  of  jest,  nominated  him  for 
county  assessor  and  he  was  forced  to  accept 
the  office  and  perform  its  duties,  which  he  did 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the 
people.  On  December  25,  1895,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Hettie  (Geer)  Clark,  a  native  of 
Michigan  and  a  widow  with  two  children  by  a 
former  marriage,  Lucy  R.  and  Don  L.  Red- 
mond. Mr.  Perkins  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  being  a  charter  member  of  Delta 
Lodge,  No.  1 1 6,  in  the  fraternity. 

FRED  SCHERMERHORN,  M.  D. 

In  the  six  years  of  his  residence  at  Mont- 
rose  and  his  active  practice  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon  throughout  the  surrounding  country 
Dr.  Fred  Schermerhorn  has  greatly  endeared 
himself  to  the  people  of  this  section  and  risen 
to  a  place  of  commanding  reputation  and  in- 
fluence in  professional  circles,  while  by  his 
activity  in  public  local  affairs  and  all  under- 
takings involving  the  general  welfare  and 
wholesome  progress  of  the  community  he  has 
become  an  influential  and  leading  citizen.  He 
is  an  active  and  zealous  Democrat  in  political 
allegiance,  and  the  interests  of  his  party  at  all 
times  command  his  best  efforts  and  most  in- 
telligent attention.  In  fraternal  life  the  Doctor 
is  allied  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  Doctor  Schermerhorn 
was  born  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  on  No- 
vember 19,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  Cornelius 
P.  and  Maria  (Rice)  Schermerhorn,  the  former 
a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter  of  Michigan. 
The  mother  died  in  her  native  state  and  the 
father  in  Louisiana.  He  was  a  farmer,  and 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  Civil  war  served 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


373 


one  year  in  the  Union  army.  The  Doctor  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  state  on  the  paternal 
homestead  one  mile  from  Grand  Rapids.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  being 
graduated  at  the  Grand  Rapids  high  school  in 
1876.  In  1877  he  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan  at 
Ann  Arbor,  and  after  studiously  pursuing  a 
thorough  course  of  instruction,  was  graduated 
therefrom  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  1880.  He  practiced  for  a  number  of 
years  at  different  places  in  Michigan,  and  in 
1890  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Den- 
ver, where  he  practiced  a  year,  then  removed  to 
Pueblo,  and  there  he  spent  another  year  in 
practice.  In  1892  he  located  at  Creede  and 
was  one  of  the  first  physicians  there.  The 
next  year  he  returned  to  Michigan,  but  five 
years  later,  having  still  a  longing  for  the 
farther  West,  he  came  back  to  Colorado  and 
settled  at  Montrose.  Here  he  has  since  de- 
voted himself  wholly  to  his  profession  and  has 
built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  among 
the  best  citizens  of  the  county,  which  is  highly 
representative  in  character  and  growing  con- 
stantly in  magnitude.  The  Doctor  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Southern  Colorado  Medical  Society 
and  the  Rocky  Mountain  Alumni  of  the  Michi- 
gan University.  On  August  31,  1880,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jeannette  Thor- 
ington,  a  native  of  Winona,  Minnesota,  reared 
in  Michigan.  As  chairman  of  the  county  cen- 
tral committe  of  his  party  the  Doctor  has 
demonstrated  his  ability  as  an  organizer  for 
political. work  and  shown  that  he  has  vigilance 
and  vigor  in  action  as  well  as  wisdom  in  coun- 
sel. He  is  at  present  coroner  and  county  health 
officer  of  Montrose  county,  a  member  of  the 
United  States  board  of  pension  examiners  and 
local  surgeon  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railway.  He  was  candidate  for  regent  of  the 
State  University  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in 
the  fall  of  1904,  but  was  not  elected. 


ISAAC  CANFIELD. 

It  will  stand  forever  to  the  credit  of  Isaac 
Canfield,  of  the  Plateau  valley,  Mesa  county, 
that  he  opened  the  first  oil  well  in  the  state 
and  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  mankind  that 
there  were  stores  of  the  unctuous  fluid  that  had 
already  made  thousands  wealthy  and  millions 
comfortable  in  the  older  sections  of  our  coun- 
try, beneath  the  soil  of  Colorado,  to  whose 
people  he  thereby  gave  a  new  industry  of  in- 
calculable value  ready  for  their  enterprise  in 
development.  Mr.  Canfield  was  born  in 
Livingston  county,  New  York,  on  October  n, 
1839,  and  is  the  son  of  Ira  and  Elizabeth  (Con- 
solus)  Canfield,  natives  of  Saratoga  county, 
that  state,  who  moved  to  Livingston  county 
early  in  their  married  life  and  there  passed 
a  portion  of  their  days  as  prosperous  farmers. 
The  father  was  prominent  and  influential  in 
the  public  affairs  of  the  county,  and  at  one  time 
served  as  its  sheriff. 

In  1852  they  moved  to  Potter  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  father  engaged  in 
lumbering  until  1860,  when  the  oil  excitement 
took  him  to  Titusville  and  for  eleven  years 
thereafter  the  son  was  in  the  oil  business  with 
him  there,  the  enterprise  proving  very  suc- 
cessful. In  1871  the  family  came  to  Colorado 
as  members  of  the  colony  organized  under  the 
advice  and  auspices  of  Horace  Greeley  and 
located  at  the  town  named  in  honor  of  that  dis- 
tinguished man.  There  father  and  son  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  raising  cattle.  In  1875 
they  opened  the  Rob  Roy  coal  mine  at  what 
is  now  Canfield,  which  was  named  in  their 
honor,  and  this  they  operated  for  a  number 
of  years  until  the  strike  caused  them  to  sus- 
pend. Their  operations  were  extensive  and 
profitable,  the  output  of  the  mine  being  suf- 
ficient to  require  the  employment  of  over  one 
hundred  men.  The  coal  was  shipped  to  Den- 
ver, and  from  there  to  other  places  as  required. 


374 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


The  father  died  in  Florence,  this  state.  Hav- 
ing been  in  the  business  of  producing  oil  in  the 
East,  guided  by  his  experience  and  knowledge 
on  the  subject,  the  son  located  at  Canon  City. 
While  operating  a  coal  mine  at  Coal  Creek  he 
there  struck  the  first  oil  well  in  the  state,  and 
in  1902  he  also  drilled  the  first  oil  well  in  the 
Boulder  oil  field.  After  opening  this  field  his 
efforts  were  directed  to  the  oil  fields  of  Canada 
and  during  the  year  1903  he  drilled  over  forty 
wells  in  undeveloped  Canadian  territory  and 
was  successful  in  every  well.  At  the  present 
he  is  engaged  in  opening  up  a  new  oil  field  at 
Debeque,  this  state. 

In  the  fall  of  1903  he,  with  his  son  and 
daughters,  bought  the  Buckhorn  ranch,  about 
four  miles  from  Collbran,  south,  which  com- 
prises four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  all  under 
irrigation,  with  two  hundred  acres  in  alfalfa 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  grain  and 
other  suitable  products  for  that  region.  On 
this  ranch  they  have  extensive  stock  interests, 
principally  cattle,  and  by  their  energy,  business 
capacity  and  breadth  of  view  are  making  every 
element  of  success  in  their  undertaking  pay 
tribute  to  their  prosperity.  On  the  3Oth  of 
March,  1862,  Mr.  Canfield  was  married  to 
Miss  Imogene  Butterworth,  a  native  of  Potter 
county,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  had  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Maud,  wife 
of  C.  A.  Morrison,  May,  wife  of  W.  M.  Porter, 
and  Carl  B.  The  first  born  of  the  family,  lone, 
died  in  infancy.  All  of  the  living  children  are 
at  home  and  they  have  practical  charge  of  the 
ranch  and  its  interests.  Politically  Mr.  Can- 
field  is  a  Republican,  and  while  living  in  Boul- 
der county  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  first  state  legislature  in  1876.  He  has 
always  been  an  active  party  worker,  and  has 
frequently  served  as  chairman  of  his  party's 
central  committee  in  the  county  of  his  home 
at  the  time.  At  one  time  he  was  also  mayor 
of  Florence. 


HENRY  F.  LAKE. 

It  is  always  important  and  usually  in- 
teresting to  contemplate  the  lives  of  the  foun- 
ders of  a  new  section  of  our  country,  the 
pioneers  who  faced  their  tasks  undaunted  and 
found  contentment  in  fashioning  the  mighty 
levers  of  future  achievements;  and  if  some 
of  the  scenes  and  incidents  of  their  lives  seem 
homely  to  us,  we  shall  be  better  able  to  appre- 
ciate the  advantages  we  enjoy  compared  with 
those  our  hardy  founders  had  when  they  laid 
the  base  of  our  prosperity.  Their  days  of  sim- 
plicity in  life  and  iron  seriousness  of  purpose 
have  many  salutary  lessons  for  this  hurried 
and  self-satisfied  age.  Their  story  is  epitomized 
in  the  interesting  career  of  Henry  F.  Lake,  of 
Gunnison  county,  this  state,  who,  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  his  country,  has  borne  his  full 
share  of  labor  and  care  in  its  service  in  peace 
and  war.  Mr.  Lake  was  born  in  Livingston 
county,  Michigan,  on  November  i,  1843,  and 
is  the  son  of  Rial  and  Mary  F.  (Burt)  Lake, 
native  near  Bellows  Falls.  Vermont.  The 
father  kept  a  private  school  in  Philadelphia  a 
number  of  years,  then  in  1834  moved  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Michigan,  when  that  coun- 
try was  as  wild  and  unsettled  as  any  of  the 
farther  West  is  now.  With  an  ox  team  he 
hauled  the  first  stove  into  the  county  from 
Detroit,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  He  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that  wilderness, 
clearing  and  improving  a  good  farm  from  the 
virgin  forest  and  helping  to  organize  and 
shape  the  government  and  civilization  of  the 
section;  and  when  his  and  his  wife's  useful 
labors  were  ended  they  were  laid  to  rest  amid 
the  growing  industries  and  cultivation  which 
they  had  helped  to  found.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  them,  but  two  of  whom  are  living, 
their  son  Henry  and  one  of  his  sisters,  the 
latter  making  her  home  on  the  old  Michigan 
homestead.  A  younger  brother,  who  passed 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


375 


away  some  years  ago,  was  in  the  employ  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  for  many  years,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  its  chief  engineer. 
Henry,  who  was  next  to  the  youngest  of  the 
family,  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fifteen.  His  educational  advantages 
were  compassed  within  the  crude  and  irregular 
facilities  of  the  country. school  in  a  new  section, 
where  every  force  was  required  to  subdue  the 
land  to  fertility  and  supply  the  home  with  the 
necessaries  of  life.  He  worked  on  farms  near 
his  home  until  August  9,  1862,  when  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  H,  Twenty- 
second  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war.  He 
was  promoted  corporal  before  leaving  the  state 
and  sergeant  in  the  spring  of  1863.  At  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  on  September  19  and 
20,  1863,  he  had  command  of  his  company  as 
fifth  sergeant,  all  its  higher  officers  having  been 
killed  or  wounded.  In  this  terrible  battle  the 
whole  regiment  was  captured  and  Mr.  Lake 
was  held  a  prisoner  of  war  until  March  i, 
1865,  passing  the  time  in  prisons  at  Atlanta, 
Richmond,  Danville,  Andersonville,  Charles- 
ton and  Florence.  On  March  I,  1865,  he  was 
paroled  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  and 
on  April  28th  following  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant  to  rank  as  such  from  April 
.ist.  He  was  prevented  from  being  mustered 
as  a  lieutenant  by  being  a  prisoner  under 
parole,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Camp 
Chase  on  June  9,  1865.  On  February  28,  1888, 
nearly  twenty-five  years  afterward,  the  gov- 
ernment made  tardy  reparation  for  this  hard- 
ship by  special  order  No.  43,  from  the  head- 
quarters of  the  army,  adjutant  general's  office, 
which  reads :  "The  discharge  of  Sergeant 
Henry  F.'  Lake,  Company  H,  Twenty-second 
Michigan  Infantry  Volunteers,  June  9,  1865, 
is  amended  to  take  effect  April  27,  1865.  He 
is  mustered  into  service  as  second  lieutenant, 
same  company  and  regiment,  to  date  April  28, 


1865;  mustered  out  and  honorably  discharged 
June  9,  1865,  and  he  is  mustered  for  pay  in 
said  grade  during  the  period  embraced  between 
the  aforesaid  dates."  During  his  time  of  nearly 
a  year  and  a  half  in  southern  prisons  he  suf- 
fered terrible  hardships  and  privations, 
cruelties  and  disease,  exposure  and  want.  After 
the  war  he  returned  to  Michigan  and  for  the 
next  ten  years  farmed  a  portion  of  the  old 
homestead.  In  January,  1876,  he  moved  to  the 
vicinity  of  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  before  the  end 
of  that  year  came  to  Colorado  on  the  first  regu- 
lar passenger  train  that  reached  Pueblo  over 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  During  the  ensuing 
winter  he  was  night  clerk  at  the  terminal  rail- 
way station,  and  in  May,  1877,  he  joined  a 
train  of  freight  teams  leaving  for  the  San 
Miguel  country,  attracted  to  that  region  by 
the  mining  excitement.  The  government  had 
built  a  road  from  the  old  Ute  agency  to  the 
Uncompahgre  river,  but  it  was  so  crude  that 
this  party  found  it  necessary  in  places  to^take 
their  wagons  apart  in  order  to  get  to  the  top 
of  a  hill.  Some  little  time  afterward  the  Mears 
toll  road  was  built  and  many  of  these  dif- 
ficulties were  thereby  removed.  During  the 
summer  of  1877  he  made  three  trips  to  Pueblo 
with  a  freight  team,  the  distance  being  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  each  way.  With 
several  other  men  he  remained  in  the  San 
Miguel  country  through  the  winter  of  1877-8. 
In  the  fall  of  1877  the  old  town  of  San  Miguel, 
about  two  miles  below  what  is  now  Telluride, 
was  surveyed,  and  Mr.  Lake  and  others,  being 
dissatisfied  with  the  allotments  of  land  made 
to  them,  surveyed  and  plotted  the  present  town 
of  Telluride,  which  they  named  Columbia. 
During  the  summer  of  1878  he  prospected  with 
indifferent  results,  and  the  next  winter  worked 
in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Santa 
Fe  at  Topeka,  Kansas.  In  the  spring  of  1879 
he  came  with  burros  over  the  old  Saguache  road 
to  Gunnison,  which  then  had  only  two  build- 


376 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ings,  one  of  them  the  county  clerk's  office  with 
a  dirt  roof.  He  located  at  White  Pine,  about 
thirty-eight  miles  east  of  Gunnison,  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  prospecting,  locating 
nearly  all  of  the  May  Mazeppa  properties  on 
Lake  hill,  the  North  Star  being  one  of  the 
principal  mines  of  the  group.  This  he  worked 
successfully  for  ten  years,  then  sold  his  min- 
ing interests  and  took  up  his  residence  per- 
manently in  the  town  of  Gunnison,  where  since 
1894  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  insurance  business.  In  politics  he 
was  a  pronounced  Republican  until  1896.  He 
then  became  a  Democrat  and  has  since  been 
allied  with  that  party,  in  whose  services  he  has 
been  zealous  and  efficient,  as  he  always  was  in 
the  service  of  the  other.  In  1890  he  was  ap- 
pointed receiver  of  the  United  States  land 
office  at  Gunnison,  in  which  position  he  served 
four  years.  When  in  San  Miguel  county, 
which  was  then  a  part  of  Ouray,  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  the  first  one  in  that  sec- 
tion. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Red  Men  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  holding  his  membership  at  Gun- 
nison and  being  a  charter  member  of  the  lodges 
of  the  two  last  mentioned,  and  since  1890  clerk 
of  his  camp  of  Woodmen.  In  May,  1873,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Tock,  a  native  of 
New  York,  who  died  in  1875,  leaving  one 
son,  Henry  F.  Lake,  Jr.,  now  editor  and 
manager  of  the  Gunnison  News-Champion; 
and  in  March,  1892,  he  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Frances  A.  Norton,  who  was  born  in 
Livingston  county,  Michigan. 

JOSEPH  F.  HEINER. 

Joseph  F.  Heiner,  the  efficient  and  obliging 
county  surveyor  of  Gunnison  county,  whose 
administration  of  his  office  has  been  so  satis- 
factory to  the  people  that  he  has  been  repeat- 
edly elected  to  it,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 


on  November  24,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of 
Nicholas  and  Margaret  (Schultz)  Heiner,  na- 
tives of  Germany  who  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try when  young  and  were  married  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  Soon  afterward  they  moved  to 
Chicago,  and  there  the  father  was  a  prosperous 
shoe  merchant  until  his  death  in  1898.  He 
was  active  in  politics  and  became  well  known 
and  prominent  in  the  local  government  of  the 
city,  serving  a  number  of  terms  as  alderman. 
The  mother  died  in  1900.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living 
and  their  son  Joseph  was  the  tenth  born.  He 
was  reared  in  Chicago  and  there  received  a 
common  and  high-school  education.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  began  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  printer,  and  after  completing  his  ap- 
prenticeship worked  as  a  journeyman  several 
years  in  his  native  city  and  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri. In  1880  he  became  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado, locating  at  Gunnison,  where  he  found 
employment  in  the  office  of  the  News-Demo- 
crat, which  he  soon  afterward  took  entire 
charge  of  and  then  conducted  it  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  the  spring  of  1894  he  sold  the 
paper  and  was  soon  after  appointed  register  of 
the  United  States  land  office  at  Gunnison  by 
President  Cleveland,  holding  the  position  until 
1898.  In  the  meantime  he  studied  civil  en- 
gineering and  on  retiring  from  his  office  took 
up  surveying.  In  1899  he  was  appointed 
county  surveyor  to  fill  an  unexpired  term,  and 
since  its  expiration  he  has  been  twice  elected 
to  the  office,  of  which  he  is  still  the  incumbent. 
In  political  affairs  he  supports  the  Democratic 
party  with  ardor  and  efficiency,  giving  every 
campaign  his  earnest  and  helpful  attention,  and 
while  he  had  charge  of  the  newspaper  he 
made  it  an  effective  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  his  party.  He  was  married  on  November 
28,  1884,  to  Miss  Ella  B.  Smith,  a  native  of 
West  Virginia,  the  daughter  of  David  and 
Maggie  (Atkins)  Smith,  who  were  born  in  that 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


377 


state  and  became  early  pioneers  in  western 
Colorado,  taking  up  land  in  that  part  of  it  in 
1875,  locating  about  three  miles  west  of  Gun- 
nison  before  the  county  was  organized.  When 
this  event  occurred  in  1879  Mr.  Smith  was 
appointed  the  first  county  judge,  and  after  the 
expiration  of  his  term  was  twice  elected  to 
this  office  for  a  term  of  three  years  each  time. 
He  and  his  wife  are  now  living  at  Hotchkiss, 
Delta  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heiner  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Eugene 
died  at  the  age  of  nine,  and  Iris  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  Bonita  and  Reva  are  living. 
Well  equipped  by  nature  and  study  for  public 
life,  ardently  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his 
country,  and  free,  fervent  and  impressive  in 
speech  and  writing,  Mr.  Heiner  has  been  one 
of  the  most  useful  advocates  of  the  political 
principles  in  which  he  believes  and  one  of  the 
most  capable  and  popular  public  officials  the 
county  has  had  from  the  date  of  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time. 

CHARLES  LIBBEY. 

Charles  Libbey,  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
progressive  ranch  and'  stock  men  of  Mesa 
county,  whose  attractive  and  well-improved 
ranch  lies  six  miles  southeast  of  Collbran,  was 
born  at  Quebec,  Canada,  on  June  10,  1849,  and 
is  the  son  of  Raney  and  Kate  (Younger)  Lib- 
bey,  both  of  whom  were  born  on  an  island  in 
the  St.  Lawrence  near  Quebec,  the  father  being 
of  English-French  and  the  mother  of  straight 
French  ancestry.  After  their  marriage  they 
settled  at  St.  Sylvester  in  their  native  province, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  The  mother  died 
there  in  1861  and  the  father  at  Quebec  in  1894. 
He  was  a  prominent  stock  dealer  for  many 
years,  handling  large  numbers  of  horses  and 
cattle.  Orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother 
when  he  was  but  twelve  years  old,  and  with 
very  limited  schooling,  their  son  Charles  took 


up  the  burden  of  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  and  within  the  next  few  years  ex- 
tended his  education  in  the  rugged  but  thor- 
ough school  of  experience.  By  proving  him- 
self willing  to  work  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do,  and  worthy  and  well  qualified  for  any 
ordinary  occupation,  especially  in  industry  and 
application,  he  was  never  without  employment, 
and  although  for  some  years  he  could  not  make 
choice  entirely  to  his  taste,  he  made  steady 
progress  toward  independence.  When  he 
started  for  himself  he  crossed  the  line  into 
Maine  and  passed  about  one  year  at  Fox,  Ken- 
nebec  and  Augusta,  that  state,  then  came  west 
to  Alpena,  Michigan,  where  for  five  years  he 
wrorked  as  a  teamster,  hauling  supplies  to  lum- 
ber camps.  In  1869  he  moved  to  Chippewa 
Falls,  Wisconsin,  then  a  small  place  of  about 
seven  hundred  inhabitants  and  not  a  railroad 
within  one  hundred  miles.  There  he  lived 
nearly  six  years,  driving  stage  between  that 
town  and  Eau  Claire.  In  1875  he  went  to 
California,  and  after  spending  a  short  time  at 
San  Francisco,  went  to  Forest  City,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  state,  where  he  worked 
three  months  in  the  mines.  The  desire  for  ad- 
venture still  possessing  him,  he  then  made  a 
prospecting  tour  into  the  Stinking  River  coun- 
try in  British  Columbia,  going  by  water  and 
overland  with  dog  teams  four  hundred  miles, 
and  finding  the  necessaries  of  life  almost  above 
price,  meat  and  flour  being  one  dollar  a  pound 
and  often  hard  to  get  at  that.  Returning  to 
California,  he  lived  awhile  at  Oakland,  then 
drove  a  team  at  Red  Bluff.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  during  the  next  three  years 
was  foreman  for  the  S.  P.  Brown  &  Company 
livery  business  at  Leadville.  Fate  was  leading 
him  with  firm  but  kindly  hand  to  his  desired 
haven  and  suited  occupation,  and  in  1884  she 
brought  him  to  his  present  location  in  the 
Plateau  valley.  Here  for  six  years  he  worked 
for  the  late  Fred  S.  Rockwell  (see  sketch  else- 


378 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


where  in  this  work),  but  in  the  meantime  he 
took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  and  later  a  desert  claim  of  forty 
acres,  all  wild  and  unimproved.  He  built  him- 
self a  log  cabin  and  began  to  improve  his 
property,  conducting  ditches  as  he  was  able 
and  in  time  erecting  a  comfortable  dwelling 
and  other  needed  structures.  Here  he  has  been 
well  content  to  live  and  prosper,  carrying  on 
a  flourishing  general  ranching  and  cattle  in- 
dustry and  with  earnestness  and  breadth  of 
view  helping  to  build  up  and  develop  the  coun- 
try around  him.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican and  in  fraternal  circles  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  at  Collbran.  On  De- 
cember 21,  1898,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  Goyn,  a  native  of  Boulder 
county,  Colorado^,  the  daughter  of  William  E. 
and  Savanna  (Ferguson)  Goyn.  The  father 
died  in  1904  and  the  mother  now  lives  in  San 
Francisco,  California. 

JOHN  M.   McDOUGAL. 

That  jealous  mistress,  the  Law,  who  is 
displeased  with  any  division  of  loyalty  in  her 
devotees,  and  lays  them  under  the  most  ex- 
acting requirements,  but  who  rewards  true  de- 
votion at  her  shrine  with  bountiful  benefac- 
tions, has  an  able  and  creditable  follower  in 
Judge  John  M.  McDougal,  of  Gunnison,  one 
of  the  leading  lawyers  of  western  Colorado, 
where  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has 
been  practicing  his  profession,  and  where  he 
has  high  standing  at  the  bar  and  a  conspicuous 
place  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  the  people. 
He  is  a  native  of  Larue  county,  Kentucky,  born 
on  April  21,  1850,  and  the  son  of  John  and 
Mary  E.  (Willette)  McDougal,  the  former  a 
South  Carolinian  and  the  latter  a  Kentuckian 
by  birth.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Alex- 
ander McDougal,  was  born  and  reared  in  the 
highlands  of  Scotland,  and  on  his  arrival  in  the 


United  States  in  his  young  manhood,  settled  in 
South  Carolina,  afterward  removing  to  Larue 
county,  Kentucky.  He  was  a  Baptist  clergy- 
man of  the  old  school,  and  had  a  wide  circle 
of  pastoral  and  professional  duties  in  his  new 
home  amid  the  wilds  of  the  Blue  Grass  state, 
marrying  many  persons  who  afterward  won 
distinction,  baptizing  their  children,  and  at  the 
close  of  their  careers  piously  consigning  their 
remains  to  their  last  resting  places.  Among 
the  marriages  of  celebrated  persons  whose 
nuptial  knot  he  tied  was  that  of  Thomas  Lin- 
coln and  Nancy  Hanks,  the  parents  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  His  son,  the  father  of  John  M. 
McDougal,  was  a  hard-working  farmer,  whom 
the  Civil  war  stripped  of  all  his  accumulations, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  died  on  their  old 
Kentucky  home,  the  latter  passing  away  in 
1852  and  the  former  in  1875.  They  had  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  their  son 
John  being  the  last  born  of  the  family.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  passing  his  boyhood 
and  early  youth  there  during  the  Civil  war 
and  being  about  fifteen  years  of  age  at  its 
close.  The  desperate  struggle  left  the  section 
of  the  country  in  which  he  was  living  bereft  of 
much  of  its  valuable  property  and  prostrated 
in  all  its  energies,  and  he  not  only  was  thereby 
deprived  of  the  educational  advantages  he 
would  otherwise  have  had,  and  obliged  to  get 
along  as  best  he  could  with  a  meager  com- 
mon-school training,  but  also  compelled  to 
labor  long  and  diligently  to  aid  his  father  to 
save  some  remnant  of  a  once  promising  estate 
and  support  the  rest  of  the  family.  He  was, 
however,  industrious  and  frugal,  and  was 
moreover  filled  with  an  ambition  to  become 
something  more  than  an  obscure  farmer.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  Lynnland  In- 
stitute in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  and  passed 
two  years  within  its  classic  halls  to  good  ad- 
vantage. He  got  this  part  of  his'  education  on 
credit,  and  when  he  left  the  college  he  was  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


379 


debt  to  nearly  the  amount  of  two  hundred 
dollars  for  his  advantages  there.  He  then 
taught  school  a  number  of  years,  making  a 
good  record  as  an  instructor,  and  saving 
enough  out  of  his  earnings  to  pay  his  debt  and 
seek  another  vocation  more  in  the  line  of  his 
tastes.  In  1874  he  went  to  Frankfort,  in  his 
native  state,  and  became  special  librarian  to 
the  court  of  appeals.  During  the  two  years  he 
occupied  this  position  he  studied  law,  and  in 
the  latter  was  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  P.  H.  Leslie 
with  the  rank  of  colonel,  having  been  pre- 
viously private  messenger  to  the  Governor. 
On  May.i6,  1876,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  during  the  session  of  the  legislature  that 
year  was  sergeant  at  arms  of  the  house  of 
representatives.  In  September  he  moved  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  on  his  own  account,  and  was  soon 
afterward  admitted  to  the  district  and  circuit 
courts  of  the  United  States  there.  Continu- 
ing his  active  practice  in  the  Missouri 
metropolis  until  1880,  he  rose  to  good  standing 
at  the  bar  of  that  portion  of  the  country;  but 
in  the  year  last  named,  feeling  a  desire  for  the 
freer  life  and  larger  opportunities  of  the  un- 
developed West,  he  came  to  Colorado,  arriving 
at  Gunnison  on  April  28,  at  that  time  a  small 
hamlet  with  many  of  its  people  still  living  in 
tents.  He  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm 
of  Thomas,  McDougal  &  Thomas,  which 
opened  an  office  at  Irwin  and  one  at  Gothic  in 
addition  to  the  one  it  had  at  Gunnison.  Judge 
McDougal  was  established  at  Irwin,  then  the 
principal  mining  camp  of  the  county,  and  for 
three  years  had  charge  of  the  business  of  the 
firm  at  that  place.  Since  1883  he  has  main- 
tained his  office  and  residence  at  Gunnison.  In 
1884  he  was  appointed  deputy  district  attorney 
under  Charles  Rood,  and  he  afterward  served 
two  terms  as  deputy  superintendent  of  the 
county  schools  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Gunnison  city  council.  In  1888  he  was  elected 


county  judge  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  and  at 
its  close  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term  of  three 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1902  he  was  chosen  to 
represent  Gunnison  county  in  the  state  house 
of  representatives.  In  all  these  positions  he 
has  discharged  his  duties  with  an  ability  and 
a  fidelity  that  have  won  him  general  and  high 
commendation.  In  politics  he  is  an  unwaver- 
ing Democrat,  and  so  active  has  he  been  in  the 
service  of  his  party  and  so  wise  and  influential 
in  his  work  that  he  is  recognized  as  one  of 
its  leaders  on  the  Western  slope.  On  January 
29,  1898,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucile  S. 
Goade,  a  native  of  West  Virginia  and  the 
daughter  of  Albert  L.  and  Sophronia  (Wood) 
Goade,  who  also  were  born  in  West  Virginia. 
The  mother  has  died  and  the  father  is  now  liv- 
ing near  Carthage,  Missouri.  The  Judge  and 
Mrs.  McDougal  have  one  daughter,  Mary  Lu- 
cile. As  a  lawyer  Judge  McDougal  is  learned 
in  the  law  and  its  construction  by  the  courts. 
alert,  shrewd  and  resourceful  in  the  trial  of 
cases,  and  eloquent  and  convincing  in  present- 
ing them  to  and  arguing  them  before  court  and 
jury.  As  a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited,  pro- 
gressive and  far-seeing.  As  a  man  he  is  up- 
right, candid  and  trustworthy,  and  has  a  pleas- 
ing personality  and  manner  that  make  him 
universally  popular. 

FELIX  G.  WADE. 

Through  various  pursuits  in  many  differ- 
ent places,  after  suffering  many  hardships  and 
privations  and  encountering  unnumbered  dan- 
gers, after  counting  numerous  triumphs  and 
numerous  reverses  in  »his  existence,  Felix  G. 
Wade  at  length  found  a  secure  and  comfortable 
anchorage  from  the  storms  of  life  on  the  fine 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  good 
land  which  is  now  his  home,  five  miles  from 
Delta,  this  state,  on  Ash  mesa.  He  is  a  native 
of  West  Virginia,  born  on  February  24,  1836, 


38o 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Nancy  (Corbly) 
Wade,  the  former  born  in  Ohio  and  the  latter 
in  Virginia.  The  family  moved  to  Iowa  in 
1865,  and  there  the  father  passed  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  a's  a  prosperous  farmer.  He 
died  there  in  1869,  The  son  Felix  attended  the 
public  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home 
and  aided  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  seventeen.  Then,  in  1853, 
he  left  home  and  migrated  to  Iowa.  During 
the  next  four  years  he  worked  in  many  parts 
of  the  state,  and  in  1857  he  went  on  the  plains 
with  a  freighting  outfit  from  Nebraska  City 
west.  He  followed  freighting  two  years,  then 
moved  to  where  Denver  now  stands,  that  city 
at  the  time  having  lost  its  identity  in  the 
greater  clamor  over  Pike's  Peak,  by  which 
name  the  whole  surrounding  country  for  many 
miles  was  known.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  lo- 
cated there  with  a  good  ox  team,  and  during 
the  year  he  came  into  possesison  of  several 
lots  which  have  since  become  very  valuable. 
But  he  was  taken  ill  and  obliged  to  sell  every- 
thing he  had  for  a  paltry  two  hundred  dollars. 
He  then  went  back  to  Iowa  and  spent  the  win- 
ter. In  the  spring  of  1860  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  farmed  awhile,  then  turned  his 
attention  to  mining.  He  remained  in  the  state 
until  1863,  when  he  went  to  Nevada.  There 
he  prospected  and  mined  until  1866,  being  all 
the  while  among  the  Indians  and  in  continual 
.danger  of  death  by  violence  at  their  cruel 
hands.  In  1866  he  returned  to  California  and 
three  years  later  went  back  once  more  to 
Iowa.  He  remained  east  until  1876,  moving 
about  in  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Kansas  and  en- 
gaged in  various  occupations  and  meeting  with 
alternating  success  and  disaster.  In  the.  year 
last  named  he  returned  to  this  part  of  the 
country  and  settled  in  Ouray  county,  bringing 
with  him  from  Kansas  a  small  herd  of  cattle. 
Here  he  turned  his  attention  to  raising  cattle 
and  carried  on  the  business  in  that  county  until 


1893,  at  which  time  he  moved  to  Delta  county 
and  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  has 
improved  his  property  and  brought  the  land  to 
an  advanced  state  of  cultivation.  It  now 
yields  good  crops  of  hay  and  grain,  and  he  also 
conducts  a  flourishing  stock  industry.  He  still 
has  some  mining  interests  in  Ouray  county, 
but  is  devoting  most  of  his  time  to  his  ranch. 
On  June  n,  1874,  he  married  with  Miss 
Martha  Wood,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas  in 
1858,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Terrell  and  Jane 
(Fowler)  Wood,  the  former  a  native  of  Geor- 
gia and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  -Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wade  have  had  seven  children,  Jennie, 
Minnie,  John  H.,  Colorado,  Felix  A.,  Edith 
and  Mabel  C.  Only  three  are  living,  the  oldest 
being  twenty-eight  years  old  and  the  youngest 
thirteen.  They  are  all  at  home.  Mr.  Wade 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  political  faith. 

FRANK  ROSS. 

True  to  the  instincts  and  customs  of  his 
people,  who  were  for  centuries  among  the 
great  navigators  of  the  sea  and  explorers  of 
distant  lands,  this  esteemed  citizen  of  Delta 
county  looked  out  over  the  fretful  Atlantic 
in  his  boyhood  with  a  longing  to  see  and  know 
foreign  counties  in  his  boyhood,  and  became 
a  wanderer  "ere  manhood  darkened  on  his 
downy  cheek."  He  is  a  native  of  the  kingdom 
of  Portugal,  where  he  was  born  on  May  4, 
1849.  His  parents,  Joseph  and  Mary  (Perry) 
Ross,  were  also  Portuguese  by  birth,  and  they 
passed  their  lives  in  their  native  land.  The 
father  was  a  sawyer  and  worked  at  his  trade 
in  the  lumber  industry  all  his  life,  having  no 
better  instrument  of  labor  than  the  old-time 
cross-cut  saw,  which  in  his  time  was  in  general 
use  in  his  country  for  sawing  timber,  the 
modern  machinery  for  the  purpose  not  yet 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


being  in  vogue  there.  Frank  received  a  com- 
mon-school education  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
left  his  home  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  with  but  little  capital  for  the  strenuous 
life  before  him  in  his  new  home  except  his 
stout  heart,  his  clear  head  and  his  willing 
hands.  Locating  in  Illinois,  he  went  to  work 
on  a  farm  for  small  wages,  and  he  remained 
there  so  occupied  nineteen  years.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Leadville,  but 
only  remained  there  a  short  time,  removing 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  to  Delta  county. 
Here  he  took  up  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives,  but  did  not  locate  on  it  until  the  next 
spring.  Even  then,  for  a  number  of  years, 
he  was  obliged  to  work  out  from  home  for 
wages  until  he  got  the  place  habitable  and  pro- 
ductive, but  now  it  is  yielding  him  a  comfort- 
able revenue  and  making  him  a  pleasant  home. 
He  owns  eighty  acres  of  good  land,  about 
fifty-five  of  which  are  in  alfalfa  and  yield 
abundantly,  and  he  also  has  a  promising  and 
increasing  herd  of  cattle  and  some  fine  horses. 
He  devotes  his  time  and  energies  to  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  his  ranch  and  the 
expansion  of  his  stock  industry,  and  takes  a 
good  citizen's  interest  in  affairs  of  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  the  welfare  and  progress  of 
the  people  are  involved.  He  is  generally  recog- 
nized as  a  wise  and  useful  citizen,  and  is  held 
in  good  esteem  by  all  his  neighbors  and  the  peo- 
ple generally.  On  January  15,  1888,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emily  Vezina, 
who  was  born  in  Canada  on  July  14,  1869,  anc^ 
is  the  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Emily  (Roapell) 
Vezina,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, Joseph  N.,  Frank  A.,  Emma  L.  and 
Tillie  E.,  the  oldest,  Joseph  N.,  being  fifteen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  December 
17,  1904.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  are  Catholics 
in  church  membership  and  in  politics  he  sup- 


ports the  Republican  party.  His  ranch  is  lo- 
cated on  Ash  mesa,  five  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  city  of  Delta. 

NELSON  VEZINA. 

A  highly  respected  and  serviceable  citizen 
of  Delta  county,  living  on  Ash  mesa,  where  he 
was  a  pioneer  and  the  second  settler,  Nelson 
Vezina  has  seen  the  redemption  of  the  region 
from  a  barren  wilderness  and  its  progress  to 
its  present  condition  of  fertility  and  fruitful- 
ness,  and  has  borne  his  full  share  in  working 
out  the  change.  He  is  living  now  in  comfort 
and  prosperity  surrounded  by  the  fruits  of  his 
labor  and  the  advantages  of  the  civilization  he 
has  aided  so  materially  in  establishing  and  pro- 
moting. Mr.  Vezina  was  born  in  the  dominion 
of  Canada  on  June  26,  1841.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Margaret  (Butternea)  Vezina,  both 
like  himself  born  and  reared  in  Canada.  The 
father  was  a  farmer,  but  having  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  in  his  early  life,  he 
worked  at  that  in  connection  with  his  farming 
to  the  end  of  his  days.  The  son  Nelson,  after 
receiving  a  common-school  education  and 
learning  his  trade  under  the  instruction  of  his 
father,  left  home  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  and  crossed  the  line  to  Michigan,  where 
he  remained  four  years,  working  at  his  trade. 
In  1867  he  moved  to  Lee  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  lived  until  1875,  all  the  while  industriously 
pushing  his  plane.  He  then  returned  to  his 
native  country  and  during  the  next  .six  years 
was  variously  employed  there.  In  1881  he 
again  came  to  "the  States"  and  located  at  Lead- 
ville, this  state.  A  year  later  he  moved  to 
Delta  county  and  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
on  Ash  mesa,  building  the  second  house  on 
this  elevation,  the  only  other  resident  of  it  at 
the  time  beingThomasAsh,  for  whom  the  mesa 
was  named.  After  a  few  more  settlers  came 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


in  they  all  joined  in  building  a  ditch  for  ir- 
rigation, which  has  been  of  great  advantage 
to  the  whole  section.  Mr.  Vezina  lived  on  his 
homestead  until  1894,  then  sold  it  and  bought 
one  hundred  acres,  to  which  he  has  added 
another  one  hundred  by  a  subsequent  purchase. 
Here  he  raises  hay  and  grain  in  large  quan- 
tities and  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  cattle 
industry.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  farm- 
ing and  cattle  business  and  has  also  made  con- 
siderable money  working  at  his  trade  in  the 
mining  industry  where  he  got  good  wages.  He 
carries  on  both  lines  of  activity  with  enterprise 
and  vigor,  and  is  altogether  a  very  prosperous 
man.  On  September  16,  1861,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Emily  Roapell,  a  native  of  Canada. 
They  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  but  four 
are  living,  Emily,  Lialumena,  deceased,  Emma, 
Mary  and  Nelson.  The  others  died  in  infancy. 
The  mother  died  on  January  7,  1875,  and  on 
January  3,  1876,  Mr.  Vezina  married  a  second 
wife,  Miss  Mary  Brien,  who  also  was  born  in 
Canada.  They  have  had  twelve  children,  of 
whom  eight  are  living,  Tami,  deceased,  Mose, 
James,  Henry,  deceased,  Anna,  Ellen,  Edward, 
Julia,  deceased,  Mattie,  Julia,  deceased,  Cyril, 
and  Jewel.  The  living  children  are  all  in  Colo- 
rado but  one,  and  have  homes  either  with  or 
near  their  father.  The  youngest  is  a  boy,  now 
eight  years  old  (May,  1905).  The  father  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  faith  and  all  the  mem- 
-bers  of  the  family  are  Catholics. 

ANDREW  T.  BLACHLY. 

The  late  Andrew  T.  Blachly,  of  Delta, 
whose  tragic  death  on  'September  7,  1893,'  at 
the  age  of  forty-six,  by  a  daring  hold-up  and 
robbery  of  the  Farmers  £  Merchants'  Bank, 
of  which  he  was  at  the  time  cashier,  awakened 
universal  regret  and  horror  throughout  the 
Western  slope  of  this  state,  was  born  in  Dane 
county,  Wisconsin,  on  September  22,  1847, 


and  was  the  son  of  Eben  and  Jane  (Trew) 
Blachly,  of  that  state,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  The  father  was  a  doctor  and  after 
many  years  of  general  practice  in  Wisconsin, 
moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri., 
where  he  opened  and  conducted  a  school  for 
negro  children,  carrying  it  on  in  conjunction 
with  his  wife,  who  had,  like  himself,  received 
a  college  education  and  was  well  qualified  for 
the  work.  They  kept  the  school  going  mainly 
by  their  own  endeavors  and  at  their  own  ex- 
pense from  1866  until  1877,  when  the  father 
died  and  the  mother  sold  her  property  and 
joined  her  son  in  the  West.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  The 
first  and  second  born  of  the  sons  served  in  the 
Civil  war.  One  was  captured  and  confined  in 
Libby  prison  and  the  other  died  in  a  military 
hospital.  Andrew  received  a  good  education, 
attending  the  Lodi  (Wisconsin)  Academy  and 
pursuing  a  partial  course  at  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College,  in  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  left  home  in  1869  and  came  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  clerked  in  the  office  of  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  at  Denver  part  of  the 
time,  teaching  school  during  the  rest  until 
1872.  From  that  time  until  1878  he  was  oc- 
cupied in  mercantile  business  for  himself  at 
Monument,  Colorado,  and  also  published  a 
paper  called  the  Mentor  for  two  years.  In 
1880  he  moved  to  Salida  and  kept  a  drug  store 
until  1881,  when  he  changed  his  base  to  Gun- 
nison  and  there  carried  on  the  same  business 
until  his  health  broke  down  in  1885.  He 
then  moved  to  Delta  county  and  took  up  a 
homestead  on  which  he  lived  five  years.  He 
planted  a  few  acres  in  fruit,  but  sold  the  place 
before  the  trees  began  to  bear  much.  Locating 
at  Delta,  he  opened  a  real-estate  office  and 
pushed  his  business  vigorously  and  profitably 
for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  in 
company  with  D.  S.  Baldwin,  he  organized  the 
Farmers  and  Merchants'  Bank  of  Delta.  He 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


383 


served  as  cashier  of  this  institution  until  Sep- 
tember 7,  1893,  when  just  after  the  bank  had 
been  opened  for  business  three  robbers  walked 
into  the  room  and  ordered  him  to  throw  up  his 
hands  and  turn  over  to  them  the  cash.    Instead 
of  doing  this  he  called  for  help  and  the  leader 
of  the  outlaws  shot  him,  killing  him  instantly. 
The  robbers  then  went  behind  the  bars  and 
taking  all  the  money  in  sight,  made  their  way 
to  the  back  door  where  their  horses  were  tied. 
As  they  mounted  their  horses  and  passed  to 
the  rear  of  the  postoffice  they  encountered  W. 
R.   Simpson,  who  had  heard  of  the  robbery. 
He  stepped  into  an  alley  and  shot  two  of  them 
dead.     The  third  man,  who  was  their  guard 
while  they  made  the  raid,  succeeded  in  getting 
away  with  the  money  they  had  taken.     At  the 
time  of  Mr.  Blachly's  death  he  was  living  on  a 
ranch  he  had  purchased  a  short  time  before. 
On  this  property  his  family  resided  until  re- 
cently and  under  the  wise  and  vigorous  man- 
agement   of    his    widow    it    became    one    of 
considerable   value   and   productiveness.      Mr. 
Blachly  was  married  on  September  7.  1877.  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Bradley,  a  native  of  Bangkok, 
Siam,    the    daughter   of    Dan    B.    and    Sarah 
(Blachly)  Bradley,  the  former  born  in  Utica, 
New  York,  and  the  latter  in  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin. The  father  died  in  1876  and  the  mother 
in  1893.    To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blachly  eight  chil- 
dren were  born,  all  sons  and  all  now  living. 
They   are  Arthur  T.,    Fred   F.,    Clarence   D., 
Howard  D.,  Harold  W.,  Ralph  R.,  Louis  B, 
and  Edward  H.     By  their  help  Mrs.  Blachly 
has  been  able  to  carry  on  the  operations  of  the 
ranch  and  greatly  enlarge  its  productiveness. 
She  sold  the  one  on  which  they  were  living  at 
the  time  of  her  husband's  death  and  bought 
another  of  forty  acres.     On  this  she  has  four 
acres  in  fruit  and  also  runs  a  fine  herd  of  cattle 
in  the  hills.     She  and  her  sons  are  very  suc- 
cessful in  managing  the  business,  and  she  has 
won  a  high  reputation  as  a  business  woman 


of  excellent  judgment.  The  oldest  son  was 
fifteen  years  old  when  his  father  died  and 
the  youngest  one  year  old.  The  first  named  is 
now  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
State  University  at  Boulder,  and  will  be  gradu- 
ated there  in  a  short  time,  after  which  he  will 
practice  his  profession  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  home.  Mrs.  Blachly  has  prospered  in  all 
her  undertakings  and  made  money  steadily. 
She  is  regarded  as  a  very  good  manager  and  a 
lady  of  great  industry  and  enterprise.  Her 
husband  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  a  Mason 
in  fraternal  life  and  a  Presbyterian  in  church 
membership.  She  is  also  a  Presbyterian  and 
she  and  the  sons  are  in  sympathy  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party  in  political 
affairs.  [Their  ranch  is  located  one  mile  and  a 
half  east  of  Delta,  on  the  Garnett  mesa. 

JACOB  MILLER. 

A  native  of  Germany,  and  descended  from 
families  resident  in  that  country  from  im- 
memorial times,  Jacob  Miller,  a  ranchman  of 
Delta  county,  is  comfortably  seated  on  a  good 
property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the 
California  mesa,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Delta.  His  life  began  in  the  fatherland  on 
July  10,  1869,  and  he  is  the  son  of  j'ohn  and 
Christina  (Siess)  Miller.  The  father  was  a 
mason  by  trade  and  worked  at  his  craft 
throughout  his  mature  life.  In  1881  he 
brought  his  family  to  this  country  and  settled 
at  Massillon,  Ohio,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
passed  the  rest  of  their  days.  Their  son  Jacob 
began  life  for  himself  in  1883,  when  he  was  but 
fourteen,  by  working  in  a  glass  factory  at  Mas- 
sillon, where  he  spent  a  year.  He  then  worked 
in  a  cigar  factory  for  a  year  and  after  that  in 
a  flour-mill  for  two  years.  From  1887  to  1889 
he  was  employed  by  a  doctor,  and  from  the 
year  last  named  until  1894  was  engaged  in  rail- 
reading.  From  that  employment  he  moved  to 


384 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Chicago  and  was  a  teamster  in  that  city  for  a 
year.  In  1896  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Delta  county,  this  state,  and  during  the  first 
year  farmed  on  rented  land  here.  In  1897  he 
located  on  the  farm  which  has  ever  since  been 
his  home,  and  which  in  its  present  condition 
of  cultivation  and  productiveness  is  the  result 
of  his  industry  and  skill  as  a  farmer.  He  has 
forty  acres  in  alfalfa  and  the  rest  of  the  land 
under  cultivation  in  wheat,  oats  and  other  farm 
products.  His  time  since  settling  here  has  been 
intelligently  devoted  to  improving  his  property. 
On  October  19,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Bridget  E.  (O'Mara)  Miller,  a  widow,  the 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Bridget  (Collins) 
O'Mara,  born  in  Ireland, 'as  her  parents  also 
were.  She  came  to  this  country  with  them  in 
1882,  and  here  they  both  died  after  some  years 
of  usefulness  in  this  new  section.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  have  one  child,  their  daughter 
Helen  Christina.  Mr.  Miller  supports  the  Re- 
publican party  and  both  he  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  Catholic  church. 

JEREMIAH  MULVIHILL. 

This  active,  industrious  and  progressive 
fruit  man  and  good  citizen  of  Mesa  county, 
whose  untimely  death  on  June  4,  1900,  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty-seven  years,  caused  general 
regret  throughout  the  community  in  which  his 
usefulness  was  just  beginning  to  be  felt  with 
force  and  good  effect,  was  born  in  county 
Kerry,  Ireland,  on  April  12,  1853,  where  his 
parents,  Patrick  and  Catherine  (Murphy)  Mul- 
vihill,  were  also  native,  and  where  they  passed 
their  lives.  Their  son  Jeremiah  remained  in 
Ireland  until  he  was  twenty,  and  then,  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  in 
charge  of  a  stone  quarry  for  four  years.  In 
1877  he  came  west  to  Colorado,  stopping  at 
Denver.  There  he  took  a  job  in  a  flour-mill 


which  he  held  for  two  years,  then  became  a 
section  boss  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad.  In  the  employ  of  this  company  he 
first  went  to  Leadville  and  laid  the  first  tracks 
for  the  road  from  South  Park  to  that  town. 
He  remained  there  until  October,  1895,  when 
he  moved  to  Palisade  and  during  the  next  five 
years  he  conducted  the  Palisade  hotel.  In  1900 
he  bought  the  ranch  on  which  his  family  now 
live,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the 
town.  It  comprises  twenty  acres,  about  fifteen 
acres  of  which  are  in  fruit  trees  in  good  bear- 
ing order.  Mr.  Mulvihill  sowed  the  other  five 
acres  in  alfalfa,  and  was  about  to  build  a  dwell- 
ing on  the  place  when  he  died  on  June  4th  of 
that  year  and  left  his  plans  to  be  carried  out  by 
his  widow  and  children.  She  received  two  thou- 
sand dollars  insurance  on  his  life  and  with  this 
she  built  a  comfortable  dwelling  and  otherwise 
improved  the  place,  and  since  then  she  has 
lived  on  it  and  managed  its  operations  with 
the  help  of  her  sons.  .  She  was  Miss  Mary 
Dore,  and  was  born  in  county  Limerick,  Ire- 
land, on  July  24,  1853,  the  daughter  of  parents 
who  were  natives  of  the  same  count}.  Mrs. 
Mulvihill  is  a  good  business  woman  and  man- 
ages her  affairs  with  judgment  and  skill.  In 
1903  she  sold  some  twelve  hundred  dollars 
worth  of  fruit  with  other  products,  and  her 
profits  are  steadily  on  the  increase.  She  has 
five  children,  Patrick  F.,  John  J.,  Jeremiah, 
Edward  and  Catharine.  They  are  all  living  at 
home  and  all  aid  in  the  work  on  the  farm.  Her 
husband  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church, 
as  she  is  herself,  and  belonged  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  In  political  faith  he  was 
a  Democrat.  In  the  fall  of  1903  the  widow 
sold  ten  acres  of  her  land  for  four  thousand 
dollars,  and  what  she  kept  is  much  more  valu- 
able. She  is  held  in  high  esteem  throughout 
the  neighborhood  in  which  she  lives  and  de- 
serves the  position  she  occupies  in  the  regard 
and  good  will  of  the  people  around  her. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


385 


HARRY  M.  CANNON. 

Harry   M.    Cannon,   one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive and  successful  fruit-growers  of  west- 
ern  Colorado,   whose  fine   farm   of  forty-five 
acres,    with   about   thirty-six   in     choice    fruit 
trees,  is  a  model  of  thrift,  good  management 
and    skillful    culture,    was    born    at    Madison, 
Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  on  March  20,  1865, 
and    is   the   son   of   Thomas    L.    and    Martha 
(Nichols)    Cannon,    the    former    a    native    of 
Aurora,    Indiana,    and    the    latter    of    Milton, 
Kentucky.      The   father  is   still  living  in  his 
native  state,  and  has  been  foreman  of  a  plan- 
ing mill  there  throughout  his  mature  life.     His 
wife  died  in   1865,  when  her  son  Harry  was 
but  two  months  old.     They  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  but  Harry. 
and  one  of  his  brothers.    After  the  former  left 
school  he  worked  at  cigar  making  for  some 
time,  then  ran  a  dairy  and  farmed  for  eight 
years    in    Indiana.      In   September,    1901,    he 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Mesa  county. 
Here  for  a  year  he  rented  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1902  he  bought  the  place  on  which  he  lives. 
It  comprised  twenty  acres,  seventeen  of  which 
were  in  fruit  trees  in  good  bearing  order.     He 
at  once  set  out  more  trees  after  making  his 
purchase,  and  in  1903  bought  twenty-five  acres 
more  land.     He  now  has  thirty-six  acres  in 
productive  orchards,   the   trees  ranging   from 
six  to  fifteen  years  old,  and  expects  during  this 
year    (1904)    tof  plant    five    acres    additional, 
mostly  in  peaches.     In  1903  his  crop  of  fruit 
brought  over  seven  thousand  dollars,  it  being 
sold  to  eastern  men,  with  whom  he  always  deals 
direct ;  and  he  already  has  a  contract  for  the 
sale  of  his  crop  of  1905.    The  apples  last  year 
were  nearly  one  hundred  per  cent,  fancies,  a 
very  good  showing  for  this  section.     But  he  is 
a    practical    fruit-grower    and    equipped    with 
every  appliance  that  his  observation  and  read- 
ing have  indicated  as  necessary  for  the  best 


results  in  his  work.  Among  these  is  a  two- 
and-a-half-horsepower  gasoline  engine  for 
spraying.  On  May  28,  1888,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Katie  Pefferkorne,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  on  August  2,  1867,- the  daughter 
of  Chriss  and  Helen  (Bruner)  Pefferkorne. 
Three  children  have  blessed  and  brightened  his 
household,  Walter  T.,  Harry  F.  and  Ruth  E., 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Cannon 
always  finds  a  ready  market  for, his  fruit  as  it 
is  always  first  class  and  has  a  high  reputation 
where  it  is  known.  He  takes  an  earnest  in- 
terest in  the  development  of  the  county  and 
every  undertaking  for  the  lasting  good  of  its 
people.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

SAMUEL  W.  WEEKS. 

The  interesting  subject  of  this  brief  review 
is  a  native  of  New  York  state,  where  both  of 
his  parents  were  born  and  reared,  and  where 
their  forefathers  lived   for  many  generations. 
His  life  began  on  June  2,  1853,  and  he  is  the 
son  of  Harvey  and  Adeline   (Green)   Weeks, 
both  now   deceased.     They  were   farmers  all 
their  lives  and  prospered  at  the  business.   Their 
son  Samuel  was  reared  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead and  received  a  common-school  education. 
After  leaving  school  he  farmed  in  his  native 
locality  until  1893,  then  turned  his  attention  to 
the  produce  trade  at  Groton,   New  York,   in 
which  he  was  engaged  seven  years.    In  1900  he 
again  went  to  farming  in  New  York  and  con- 
tinued  at   the   business   until    1902,  when   he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  Delta  county. 
Here  he  purchased  the  place  on  which  he  now 
lives,     about    two    miles    and    three-quarters 
southwest  of  Delta.     It  comprises  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  forty  of  which  are  in  alfalfa 
and  five  in  fruit.     He  also  raises  wheat  and 
oats.     The  section  is  not  well  adapted  to  fruit 
and  his  yield  in  this  commodity  is  small.     But 
the  hay  land  produces  a  net  revenue  of  about 


386 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


fifteen  dollars  an  acre,  and  he  is  extensively 
engaged  in  bee  culture,  having  over  five  hun- 
dred stands  of  bees.  In  the  season  of  1903  he 
sold  nearly  twenty  thousand  pounds  of  first- 
class  honey,  netting  him  some  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  from  the  industry.  Mr.  Weeks  was 
married  on  October  26,  1875,  to  Miss  Louisa 
Karn,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  on 
February  6,  1855,  an<^  the  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Matilda  (Hockman)  Karn,  also  born  in 
that  state  and  both  now  deceased.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  in  the  Weeks  family,  C. 
Herbert,  Mortimer  P.  and  Adeline.  The  oldest 
lives  in  California  and  the  other  two  in  New 
York.  Mr.  Weeks  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  well  estemed  citizen. 

JOHN  NAEVE. 

The  industry,  thrift  and  persistent  energy 
which  characterize  the  German  people  have 
been  transplanted  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
from  his  nativity  in  the  fatherland  to  this  coun- 
try, where  they  have  been  employed  to  good 
purpose  by  him  in  winning  an  estate  of  fair  pro- 
portions and  secure  foundation  from  unpromis- 
ing conditions  and  the  virgin  wilderness  of  this 
western  world.  His  life  began  in  Germany  on 
December  n,  1861,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Lizzie  (Schroeder)  Naeve,  also  Ger- 
man by  nativity  and  residents  of  their  native 
land  throughout  their  lives.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  three  children,  of  whom  their  son  John 
is  the  only  one  living,  the  others  having  died 
in  Germany  as  their  parents  did.  He  remained 
at  home  until  1882,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  working  on  the  pa- 
,  ternal  homestead  in  the  interest  of  his  parents. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  hearkened  to  the 
voice  of  the  United  States  calling  for  volun- 
teers in  her  great  army  of  industrial  progress 
and  came  to  this  country,  settling  in  Boone 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  two  years  on 


farms  for  wages.     In  1884  he  moved  to  Sher- 
man county,  Nebraska,  and  there  he  took  up 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  which  he  improved  and  lived  on  until 
1898.      He   then    sold    it    for    seven   hundred 
dollars.     During  the  next  two  years  he  rented 
a  farm  in  that  county,  and  in  1900  came  to 
Colorado  and  bought  the  place  on  which  he 
now  lives,  or  a  part  of  it,  locating  six  miles 
east  of  Grand  Junction.    Five  acres  of  the  land 
were   in   fruit   trees  when  he  made   the  pur- 
chase and  he  has  since  planted  two  additional 
acres  in  fruit.     In  the  fall  of  1903  he  bought 
twenty  acres  more,  all  wild  land,  which  he  in- 
tends   to    improve    and    make    productive    as 
rapidly  as  he   can.      His   fruit   crop   in    1903 
netted  him  about  seven  hundred  dollars  and 
he  kept  the  hay  and  other  products  of  the  land 
nearly  all  for  his  own  use.     Seven  acres  of  the 
land  are  in  hay  and  yield  about  forty-two  tons. 
On  March  5,  1883,  Mr.  Naeve  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Kahlor,   like  himself  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  born  in  that  country  on  Sep- 
tember 24,   1866.     They  have  seven  children, 
Willie  C.,  Dora  C.,  Louisa  C.,  Anna  F.,  John 
H.,  Alvin  H.  and  May.     They  were  all  born 
in  Nebraska,  but  the  oldest  who  was  born  in 
Iowa.     Mr.    Naeve    belongs    to    the    Modern 
Woodmen    of    America    and    the    Republican 
party.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church. 

WILLIAM  BRIGGS. 

Although  now  a  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive fruit-grower  on  a  choice  little  farm  of 
twelve  acres,  ten  of  which  are  in  thrifty  and 
prolific  apple,  peach  and  pear  trees,  located 
about  one  mile  east  of  Clifton,  Mesa  county, 
this  state,  William  Briggs  was  born  and  reared 
amid  very  different  surroundings  and  bred  to, 
a  different  vocation,  though  his  early  training 
was  somewhat  in  a  similar  line,  he  having  been 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


387 


born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Chautauqua 
county,  New  York.  His  life  began  on  Novem- 
ber 15,  1863,  and  he  is  the  son  of  O.  F.  and 
Marietta  (Eells)  Briggs,  who  were  of  the 
same  nativity  as  himself.  His  parents  were 
prosperous  farmers  and  he  remained  with 
them  until  1885,  when  he  was  twenty-two 
years  old,  working  on  the  farm  and  attending 
the  public  schools  for  a  few  months  a  year  dur- 
ing a  few  years.  From  his  home  he  moved  to 
North  Platte,  Nebraska,  in  1885,  and  there  he 
was  engaged  in  railroad  work  until  1894,  when 
he  came  to  Denver  and  became  a  railroad  con- 
ductor out  of  that  city.  In  the  spring  of  1896 
he  moved  to  Mesa  county,  settling  on  a  twelve- 
acre  fruit  farm  which  he  bought,  and  ten  acres 
of  which  were  already  in  fruit  trees  two  years 
old.  Here  he  is  still  living  and  in  conducting 
the  place  he  has  greatly  prospered  with  the 
promise  of  still  more  extensive  returns  for  his 
industry.  In  the  season  of  1903  he  sold  one 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  worth  of  su- 
perior fruit  from  the  place,  and  each  year  the 
product  of  his  orchard  increases.  On  Febru- 
ary 13,  1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Bertha  Blaser,  a  native  of  Switzerland 
born  on  August  27,  1865.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Magdalena  (Beangerter) 
Blaser,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
she  was  sixteen  years  old.  Mr.  Briggs  had 
three  brothers  and  three  sisters,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  In  his  6wn  household  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Cora  M.,  William  G.  and 
Arthur  A.,  and  they  are  all  still  living  at  home. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  United  Work- 
men and  is  a  zealous  follower  of  the  political 
fortunes  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  pros- 
perous in  his  business,  enterprising  in  reference 
to  public  improvements  in  his  neighborhood, 
warmly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  county 
and  ardently  devoted  to  the  institutions  of  his 
adopted  state.  Among  her  people  he  is  well 
esteemed  as  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
man  and  an  excellent  citizen. 


D.  C.  HAWTHORNE. 

D.  C.  Hawthorne,  of  Mesa  county,  this 
state,  living  on  a  fine  and  fruitful  ranch  lo- 
cated about  half  a  mile  west  of  Palisades,  who 
has  contributed  materially  to  the  development 
and  improvement  of  the  fruit  industry  in  west- 
ern Colorado,  is  a  New  Englander  by  nativity, 
born  in  Windsor  county,  Vermont,  on  March 
22,  1826.  His  parents  were  Collins  and  Rosa- 
mond (Ransom)  Hawthorne,  also  born  and 
reared  in  New  England.  They  moved  from 
Vermont  to  Erie  county,  New  York,  in  the 
spring  of  1842,  and  there  they  passed  the  rest 
of  their  lives,  the  father  dying  in  1883  and  the 
mother  in  1895.  They  were  farmers  and  their 
son  D.  C.  lived  with  them  and  aided  in  their 
labors  until  1850,  teaching  school  in  the  winter 
months  from  1842,  when  he  was  but  sixteen 
years  old,  to  1848,  six  years  in  all.  In  1850  he 
went  to  work  in  the  interest  of  an  insurance 
company,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1852  he  went  to  Independence. 
Missouri,  and  from  there  journeyed  with  ox 
teams  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevadas 
at  the  Cascades  near  Mt.  Hood,  and  on  his 
arrival  at  Oregon  City  in  the  fall  of  1852  he 
joined  a  government  surveying  party,  but  soon 
after  began  surveying  for  himself  and  con- 
tinued until  the  spring  of  1858.  He  then  went 
to  San  Francisco,  and  from  there  made  a  visit 
to  his  old  home  in  Erie  county,  Ntw  York. 
Coming  west  again  soon  afterward,  he  stopped 
in  Leavenworth  county,  Kansas,  and  engaged 
in  the  nursery  business,  remaining  there  so 
occupied  until  1886,  at  which*  time  he  moved  to 
the  western  part  of  the  state,  where  he  lived 
until  1890.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  Mesa  county,  securing  employ- 
ment in  the  orchards  of  George  Crawford, 
for  whom  he  set  out  sixty  acres  in  peaches* 
apples,  pears,  plums  and  grapes.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Crawford  until  the  spring  of  1894. 
He  then  determined -to  start  in  the  fruit  busi- 


388 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ness  for  himself,  and  moving  to  Palisades,  he 
bought  the  twenty-acre  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  planted  ten  acres  of  it  in  fruit  trees 
of  various  kinds.  He  has  recently  planted  the 
other  ten  acres  in  fruit  and  will  in  a  few  years 
have  one  of  the  best  and  most  productive 
orchards  on  the  Western  slope.  From  the  ten 
acres  already  in  bearing  order  he  harvested  in 
1902  and  sold  twenty-three  hundred  dollars 
worth  of  fruit,  and  he  did  as  well  if  not  better 
in  1903.  On  October  4,  1859,  ne  was  .married 
to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Hapgood,  one  of  the  four 
children  born  in  the  household  of  her  parents, 
but  one  of  whom  are  now  living.  She  was  born 
in  Windsor  county,  Vermont,  and  died  in 
Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1880.  To  this  union 
were  born  two  children,  A.  Hapgood,  who  died 
in  Kansas  in  1881,  and  Rosamond  F.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Boston,  Massachusetts.  In  August, 
1882,  Mr.  Hawthorne  married  a  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Celia  C.  Short,  who  still  abides  with  him. 
In  political  faith  he  is  an  active  and  zealous  Re- 
publican, and  in  fraternal  life  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  an  active  member  of  the  order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to 
the  Methodist  church  and  take  a  serviceable 
part  in  its  works  of  benevolence  and  other 
activities,  earnestly  supporting  all  worthy  and 
beneficent  movements. 

JOHN  J.  PLANK. 

Having  met  every  requirement  of  duty 
throughout  a  long  and  not  uneventful  life,  and 
labored  industriously  to  provide  himself  and 
his  family  against  adversity,  conducting  his 
operations  amid  varying  circumstances  of  for- 
tune, John  J.  Plank,  a  prosperous  and  success- 
ful fruit-grower  of  Mesa  county,  living  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Palisades,  is  now 
enjoying  in  the  evening  of  life  the  benefits  of 
his  labors  in  a  snug  competence  and  the  last- 
ing esteem  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 
He  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  on  Sep- 


tember 28,  1830,  and  is  the  son  of  David  and 
—  (Kurtz)  Plank,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
who  died  in  Ohio,  whither  they  moved  in  their 
early  married  life.  They  had  a  family  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  but  four  are  living. 
John  received  a  common-school  education  and 
assisted  his  parents  on  the  paternal  homestead 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  was 
then  apprenticed  to  a-, gunsmith  to  learn  his 
trade  at  Wooster  in  his  native  county,  and 
worked  at  the  trade  until  1862.  He  then  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  for  the  Civil  war  as 
a  member  of  the  One  Flundred  and  Twentieth 
Ohio  Infantry  and  served  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  in  the  Vicksburg  and  Arkansas 
Post  campaigns,  and  with  General  Bauks  on 
his  Red  River  expedition.  On  this  expedition 
all  but  seventy  men  in  his  command  of  four 
hundred  were  killed,  the  seventy  saving  them- 
selves by  climbing  a  ten-foot  bank  by  the  aid 
of  brush  and  vines.  This  was  the  last  im- 
portant engagement  in  which  he  took  part. 
He  then  became  a  member  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fourteenth  Volunteer  Infantry  and 
served  till  the  fall  of  1865  and  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  the  Forty-eighth  Ohio  Veteran  Bat- 
talion. After  being  mustered  out  of  the  service 
at  Houston,  Texas,  he  returned  to  Wooster, 
where  he  lived  and  worked  at  his  trade  until 
the  spring  of  1876.  He  then  moved  to  Win- 
field,  Kansas,  and  continued  at  his  trade  there 
until  1893.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he 
came  to  this  state  and  located  at  Canon  City. 
Nearly  a  year  later,  in  August,  1894,  he  moved 
to  Grand  Junction  and  soon  afterward  bought 
ten  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Palisades. 
The  land  was  wholly  wild  and  unimproved, 
and  after  preparing  it  for  the  purpose  he  set 
out  six  and  a  half  acres  in  fruit  trees. 
Four  years  later  he  set  out  an  ad- 
ditional acre  and  a  half  in  fruit,  and 
he  now  has  eight  acres  of  trees  in  a  thrifty  and 
productive  condition,  yielding  large  returns  for 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


389 


his  labor  and  bringing  Him  in  a  comfortable 
revenue.  In  1903  he  sold  one  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  fruit  off  of  this  land, 
besides  other  farm  products  of  value.  In  No- 
vember, 1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Laura 
L.  Flohr,  who  was  born  at  Canton,  Ohio,  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Matilda  (Wagley) 
Flohr,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  who  settled  in 
Ohio  in  early  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plank  have 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  three,  Nellie  A., 
Clara  A.  and  Harry  G.,  are  living;  and  Lewin 
H.,  Charles  L.,  Josephine  and  an  infant  are 
dead.  Mr.  Plank  is  a  stanch  Republican  in 
politics  and  belongs  to  the  Brethren's  church 
in  religious  affiliation.  His  wife  died  on  April 
ID,  1900.  He  is  energetic  and  enterprising  in 
his  business  and  earnestly  attentive  to  all  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  Among  the  residents  of 
his  and  other  portions  of  Mesa  county  he  is 
highly  esteemed  for  his  sterling  worth  and 
manly  qualities. 

WILLIAM   A.   GILLASPEY. 

Invested  with  the  charge  and  management 
of  a  large  farm,  and  conducting  its  affairs  suc- 
cessfully for  six  years  owing  to  the  continued 
illness  of  his  father,  he  being  the  oldest  child 
in  the  family,  cheated  out  of  all  his  earnings 
by  a  shrewd  and  dishonest  partner  in  business 
a  year  later,  working  as  a  salesman  for  farm- 
ing machinery  in  a  hotly  contested  field,  then 
coming  to  this  state  and  working  in  the  mines 
and  at  carpentering  and  hauling  ore  through 
the  deep  snows  of  a  severe  winter,  starting  a 
dairy  later  from  his  earnings  and  having  the 
cows,  which  he  had  leased,  offered  at  sheriff's 
sale,  and  thereupon  being  obliged  to  borrow 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars  at  eighteen 
per  cent,  to  buy  them,  William  A.  Gillaspey, 
of  Gunnison  county,  one  of  the  most  widely 
and  favorably  known  live-stock  men  on  the 
Western  slope,  has  had  plenty  of  trouble  and 


care  in  his  struggle  for  advancement  among 
men,  but  he  has  triumphed  over  all  difficulties 
and  worked  himself  to  .a  comfortable  estate  and 
a  place  of  high  esteem  among  his  fellow  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  His  experience  has  been 
the  greater  and  the  best  part  of  his  education, 
and  while  that  has  been  bitter  it  has  been  thor- 
ough and  lasting,  as  well  as  eminently  prac- 
tical. His  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  Ohio  creek,  seven  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  Gunnison,  is  one  of  the  best  and  most 
productive  in  the  valley  and  yields  an  average 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  hay  a  year, 
besides  some  grain  and  other  products:  Mr. 
Gillaspey  was  born  near  Steubenville,  Jeffer- 
son county,  Ohio,  on  August  24,  1850,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Rachel  A.  (Maxwell) 
Gillaspey,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  in  1855  moved  his  family  to  Henry 
county,  Iowa,  where  they  were  pioneers.  There 
the  farming  operations  were  enlarged  and  be- 
came extensive  and  profitable,  and  there  the 
parents  died,  the  father  in  August,  1893,  and 
the  mother  in  March,  1894,  the  former  being 
seventy-four  and  the  latter  sixty-four  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  death.  They  had  five  sons 
and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  are  living  but 
the  daughter,  William  being  the  oldest.  He 
was  about  five  years  of  age  when  the  move  to 
Iowa  was  made,  and  obtained  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  state.  When  the 
son  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  the  father  was 
taken  ill  and  the  former  was  forced  to  take 
charge  of  the  farm  and  manage  its  operations. 
This  he  did  until  he  was  twenty-two,  farming 
the  place  on  shares  after  he  was  twenty-one. 
Then  having  saved  about  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars, he  bought  an  interest  in  a  grocery  store, 
but .  at  the  end  of  a  year  his  shrewd  partner 
had  it  all.  This  experience  was  a  hard  one  for 
him  at  the  time,  but  it  was  valuable  all  through 
his  subsequent  life.  For  nearly  two  years  after 


390 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


that  he  was  a  salesman  of  the  Lowden  hay 
machine,  installing  it  in  barns  for  the  farmers 
who  bought  it.  In  April,  1880,  having  again 
accumulated  a  little  money,  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado, reaching  Gunnison  on  April  23d.  He 
soon  afterward  went  to  Irwin  and  there 
worked  in  the  mines  and  at  his  trade  as  a 
carpenter  until  the  winter  of  1881-2,  during 
which  he  hauled  ore  from  the  mines  to  Crested 
Butte,  the  snow  being  so  deep  in  places  that 
he  drove  over  telegraph  poles  sixteen  feet  high. 
In  1884  he  leased  the  ranch  known  as  the 
Mowbery  ranch  at  Gunnison,  together  with 
some  cows,  and  started  a  dairy.  Two  years 
later  the  cows  were  sold  at  sheriff's  sale,  their 
owner  having  mortgaged  them  and  failed  to 
pay  off  the  mortgage,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
borrow  eighteen  hundred  dollars  at  eighteen 
per  cent,  interest  to  buy  them.  He  kept  his 
dairy  going  in  this  way  and  prospered  at  it  by 
extraordinarily  hard  work.  In  1889  he  sold  the 
dairy,  and  after  paying  his  indebtedness  had 
over  one  hundred  cattle.  He  then  began  to 
give  his  attention  wholly  to  the  cattle  industry, 
shipping  in  the  first  registered  Shorthorn  bull ' 
that  was  brought  to  Gunnison  county  and  also 
the  first  grain  binder.  In  addition,  with  char- 
acteristic enterprise,  he  was  the  first  man  in 
the  county  to  sow  oats.  In  1893  ne  leased  the 
ranch  on  which  he  lives  and  one  year  later  he 
bought  it.  He  has  cleared  of  sage  brush  and 
redeemed  by  irrigation  one  hundred  acres  of 
his  land  since  he  bought  it,  and  now  has  very 
profitable  returns  from  his  labor  in  cultivating 
it.  The  first  year  he  cut  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  hay,  but  the  annual  yield  is  now  three 
hundred  and  fifty  tons.  He  also  has  three 
hundred  graded  Shorthorn  cattle  and  has  some 
other  excellent  registered  stock.  .  In  1900  he 
bought  the  imported  Percheron  stallion  Pasha, 
one  of  the  finest  breeders  ever  brought  to  the 
county.  This  valuable  animal  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  break  a  leg  in  1904  and  had  to  be 


killed.  That  animal  was  recently  replaced 
by  one  equally  as  good,  Keota  Brilliant,  bred 
from  imported  stock  both  sire  and  dam.  Mr. 
Gillaspey  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Gunnison  County  Stock-growers  Association, 
and  is  now  (1905)  serving  his  fourth  term  as 
its  president.  When  he  came  to  this  county 
he  had  but  one  dollar  in  money.  His  success 
is  due  to  his  own  efforts  and  native  ability.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  in  fraternal  life 
a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  an  Elk,  belonging  to 
the  lodge  of  the  order  last  named  at  Ouray, 
On  July  26,  1898,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Ada  Sales,  a  native  of  Kansas,  whose 
father,  James  Sales,  is  now  a  prosperous 
farmer  in  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillaspey 
have  two  sons,  Willis  Alvin  and  John  J. 
Clarence.  For  seven  years  the  father  was 
president  of  the  now  defunct  Gunnison  County 
Fair  Association,  which  he  helped  to  organize 
and  in  which  he  was  a  leading  stockholder. 

JOHN  EDWARD  WYLIE. 

A  resident  of  Colorado  since  1880,  and 
during  the  last  ten  years  of  the  time  living  on 
the  ranch  which  is  now  his  home,  John  Edward 
Wylie  has  seen  much  of  the  great  develop- 
ment of  the  Western  slope  in  its  progress  and 
has  used  to  good  purpose  his  opportunities  to 
aid  the  movement.  He  was  born  on  August 
27,  1861,  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
parents,  George  W.  and  Charlotte  (Griffith) 
Wylie,  were  also  native.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  a  contractor  in  railroad  construc- 
tion work.  In  1871  the  family  moved  to 
Anderson  county,  Kansas,  where  they  were 
among  the  early  settlers,  and  where  the  father 
died  in  1875.  The  mother  is  now  living  in 
Ohio.  Of  their  three  children  two  are  living, 
John  Edward  being  the  older  of  them.  He 
was  about  ten  years  old  when  the  move  to 
Kansas  occurred,  and  in  the  common  schools  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


that  state  he  completed  the  education,  so  far  as 
he  had  opportunity  to  go,  which  he  had  begun 
in  those  of  his  native  place.  He  was  but  little 
over  fourteen  when  his  father  died,  but  even 
at  that  early  age  he  assumed  charge  of  the  farm 
and  conducted  its  operations,  continuing  to  do 
this  until  -1880,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Conejos.  Here  he  worked  on 
a  ranch  and  drove  freight  teams  until  August, 
1881,  when  he  moved  to  Gunnison,  just  before 
the  railroad  through  the  town  reached  it.  He 
was  employed  on  this  road  about  one  year,  and 
then  entered  into  partnership  with  S.  J.  Miller 
to  carry  on  a  livery  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Miller  &  Wylie.  This  they  conducted 
successfully  thirteen  years.  In  the  meantime 
they  bought  a  ranch,  the  one  on  which  Mr. 
Wylie  now  lives,  and  which  he  took  in  his 
part  of  the  property  of  the  firm  when  the  part- 
nership was  dissolved.  It  comprises  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  and  is  well  improved 
and  all  under  irrigation.  Here  he  has  a 
flourishing  cattle  industry  in  which  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  thoroughbred  Shorthorns,  hand- 
ling on  an  average  about  two  hundred  and  fifty. 
He  manages  his  business  with  close  attention 
to  every  detail  and  the  results  justify  his  care. 
His  cattle  have  a  high  grade  in  the  markets 
and  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  always 
in  good  condition  and  bred  with  due  regard  to 
the  largest  returns  for  the  outlay  involved.  In 
politics  Mr.  Wylie  is  a  pronounced  Republican, 
and  fraternally  a  Woodman  of  the  World  in 
the  camp  of  the  order  at  Gunnison,  of  .which 
he  is  a'  charter  member.  On  November  3, 
1887,  ne  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucinda  Cooper,  a  native  of  Clinton  county, 
Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  D,  and  Hannah 
E.  (Stiles)  Cooper;  \vho  were  born,  reared  and 
married  in  Ohio,  and  were  early  settlers  in  the 
county  of  her  birth.  The  father  died  in 
Washington  county,  Illinois,  in  1875,  and  the 


mother  in  Indiana  in  1901.  Mrs.  Wylie  came 
to  Colorado  in  1882,  and  since  then  has  lived 
in  Gunnison  county: 

EZRA  E.  JAYNES. 

For  years  actively  engaged  in  general 
business  and  mercantile  life,  giving  valuable 
service  to  the  cause  of  education  in  several 
sections  of  the  country  as  a  school  teacher,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  being  at  the  front  through 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  momentous  con- 
test and  receiving  a  number  of  wounds,  Ezra 
E.  Jaynes  has  performed  with  fidelity  and  zeal 
most  of  the  duties  of  citizenship  which  ordi- 
narily fall  to  the  lot  of  an  energetic  and 
patriotic  man,  and  has  well  earned  the  rest 
which  he  has  enjoyed  for  the  last  twelve  years 
of  his  life.  He  was  born  in  St.  Albans  town- 
ship, Franklin  county,  Vermont,  on  June  2^. 
1834,  and  is  the  son  of  Chester  and  Eliza  (Dee) 
Jaynes,  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself.  The 
Jaynes  family  are  of  English  origin  and  the 
Dees  of  French,  but  domesticated  for  a  long 
time  in  Wales.  Both  lines  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  early  colonial  times,  and  have  been  con- 
spicuous in  the  service  of  the  land  of  their 
adoption  in  all"  phases  of  its  history  in  peace 
and  war.  The  immediate  parents  of  Mr. 
Jaynes  passed  their  lives  and  ended  their  days 
on  the  Vermont  homestead.  The  father  was 
a  captain  of  the  war  of  1838,  and  the  maternal 
grandfather  was  General  Washington  Dee,  of 
the  continental  army  in  the  Revolution.  The 
family  comprised  nine  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  Ezra  E.  being  the  third  child  born 
and  now  the  only  living  son.  He  grew  to  the 
age  of  seventeen  in  his  native  state,  and  being 
graduated  at  the  academy  at  Georgia  there  at 
that  age  at  once  moved  to  Delaware  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  taught  school  two  years.  He 
was  then  clerk  for  Williams,  Andrews  &  Com- 


39^ 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


pany,  of  that  county,  part  of  the  time  working 
in  a  bank  and  part  in  the  paper  mills  belonging 
to  the  company.  Early  in  1854  he  moved  to  Chi- 
cago, and  after  clerking  six  months  in  the 
general  store  of  A.  L.  Kenzie  there,  took  up  his 
residence  in  St.  Croix  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  again  taught  school  two  terms  as 
assistant  in  the  high  school  at  Hudson.  He 
then  clerked  nearly  two  years  in  a  general 
store  at  Hudson,  after  which  he  opened  a  store 
of  his  own  at  New  Richmond,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  also  became  postmaster  and  remained 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  At  that 
time  he  sold  out  and  on  April  19,  1861,  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany F,  First  Wisconsin  Infantry.  Prior  to 
this  he  had  belonged  to  the  Home  Guards.  The 
company  took  a  vote  on  joining  the  Federal 
army  on  April  :8th,  and  the  next  day  went  to 
Madison  and  were  mustered  into  the  service  in 
a  body.  Mr.  Jaynes  served  to  the  close  of  the 
war,  at  the  end  of  three  months  re-enlisting  in 
Company  F,  Eighth  Vermont  Regiment. 
They  were  assigned  to  General  Butler's  brigade 
and  sent  to  Ship  island,  off  the  coast  of  Mis- 
sissippi. The  command  was.  embarked  at  New 
York  city  on  January  17,  1862,  with  three 
thousand  five  hundred  men  on  t>oard,  one  thou- 
sand of  them  cavalry.  They  were  on  the  water 
thirty-one  days,  which  Mr.  Jaynes  says  was  the 
longest  period  of  that  length  he  ever  ex- 
perienced. During  the  trip  six  deaths  occurred 
on  the  steamer,  the  bodies  being  thrown  over- 
board. The  passage  was  rough  and  stormy 
all  the  way  through.  Later  the  regiment  was 
transferred  to  New  Orleans  and  took  part  in 
the  bombardment  of  the  forts  there.  After 
that  Mr.  Jaynes  was  on  detached  duty  for 
some  time,  and  brigade  postmaster  with  an 
office  in  the  New  Orleans  custom  house.  He 
was  then  assigned  to  recruiting  service  and 
recruited  some  eight  hundred  men  for  the 
service.  After  that  he  returned  to  his  regi- 


ment and  did  service  in  the  field.  During  this 
period  he  was  on  the  Opelousas  Railroad  and 
aided  in  fighting  for  every  foot  of  the  advance 
from  Algiers  to  Alexandra.  He  marched  with 
his  command  to  Alexandra  although  he  had 
been  slightly  wounded  just  before  reaching  the 
salt  works,  having  a  portion  of  hie  right  knee 
cap  shot  away.  During  this  march  they  drove 
General  Dick  Taylor's  army  before  them. 
They  went  down  the  river  to  Baton  Rouge  and 
marched  up  the  country  to  Port  Hudson,  hav- 
ing considerable  fighting  on  the  way.  Port 
Hudson  was  invested  on  May  27,  1863,  and  the 
fighting  continued  about  a  month.  On  June 
I4th,  Mr.  Jaynes  was  shot  through  the  right 
shoulder,  the  ball  coming  out  at  the  side.  This 
occurred  early  on  Sunday  morning,  and  he  was 
left  on  the  field  as  dead  until  Sunday  night 
when  he  received  assistance,  having  in  the 
meantime  nearly  bled  to  death.  He  was  then 
taken  fourteen  miles  over  a  corduroy  road  and 
sent  on  a  boat  to  New  Orleans,  reaching  a  hos- 
pital there  on  June  24th,  ten  days  after  being 
wounded  without  having  his  wound  dressed. 
This  was  in  a  frightful  condition,  very  sore 
and  full  of  maggots, 'and  it  was  wholly  due  to 
his  remarkable  vitality  that  he  lived  and  had  a 
wonderful  recovery.  He  left  the  hospital  on 
November  24th  on  a  furlough  to  Vermont,  and 
without  money  or  sufficient  clothing.  At  the 
end  of  ninety  days  thereafter,  although  his 
wounds  were  not  entirely  healed,  he  took  a 
boat  at  New  York  and  rejoined  his  regiment 
at  New  Orleans.  About  four  weeks' later  in  a 
skirmish  of  the  Opelousas  Railroad  he  was  shot 
through  the  right  thigh,  receiving  a  flesh 
wounded.  Soon  afterward  he  was  detailed  as 
hospital  steward  and  a  little  while  later  was 
transferred  to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  In 
May,  1864,  he  went  with  his  regiment  to  New 
York  and  from  there  was  sent  to  Virginia, 
where  he  had  his  last  engagement  in  front  of 
Petersburg.  Here  he  was  again  shot  through 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


393 


the  right  thigh  about  two  inches  above  his 
former  wound  in  that  limb.  He  was  then  again 
transferred  to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps, 
from  which  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
at  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  on  March  24,  1865. 
After  making  a  short  visit  to  his  old  Vermont 
home  he  moved  to  Will  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  rented  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Four  years  later  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  un- 
broken prairie  in  that  county,  and  proceeded 
to  improve  it,  making  a  fine  farm  out  of  it  and 
enriching  it  with  good  buildings.  In  1891  he 
rented  this  to  a  tenant,  and  having  twelve 
thousand  dollars  in  cash,  came  to  Colorado  and 
purchased  ten  acres  of  land  on  Fruit  Ridge  in 
Mesa  county.  This  was  fenced  and  had  one 
acre  of  orchard  trees.  He  planted  more  and 
made  other  improvements  until  the  place  is 
now  one  of  the  finest  and  most  productive  in 
the  valley.  It  belongs  to  his  son,  who  bought 
it  some  years  ago  at  one  thousand  dollars  per 
acre.  He  also  sold  his  Illinois  farm  in  1896. 
Since  1902  Mr.  Jaynes  the  elder  has  lived  re- 
tired at  Grand  Junction,  making  judicious  in- 
vestments of  his  savings  in  real  estate  in  the 
valley,  where  he  owns  more  than  one  thousand 
acres  of  excellent  land.  He  was  married  on 
March  12,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Klingler.  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Elias  and 
Sarah  (Moyer)  Klingler,  also  natives  of  that 
state,  who  settled  in  Will  county,  Illinois,  in 
1867.  The  Klinglers  are  of  German  descent 
but  have  been  in  the  United  States  several 
generations.  Mr.  Jaynes'  father  died  in  Will 
county,  Illinois,  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two,  leaving  an  estate  worth  over  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  mother  is  still  living  there 
and  is  now  past  eighty.  Mr.  and  Mrs".  Jaynes 
have  five  children,  Lester  E.,  Oscar  W.,  Ches- 
ter E.,  Edith  E.  (wife  of  W.  H.  Borschell), 
and  Alfred  T.  Oscar  W.  is  principal  of  the 
schools  at  Monee,  Illinois.  The  other  children 


are  all  residents  of  Mesa  county,  this  state. 
Mr.  Jaynes  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
and  an  active  and  esteemed  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

JOIJN  H.  ROMER. 

Armed  with  the  spirit  of  industry  and 
thrift  which  characterizes  his  race,  and  having 
learned  the  science  of  agriculture  by  practical 
experience  in  his  native  land,  John  H.  Romer, 
of  Mesa  county,  living  near  Collbran,  on  a 
fine  ranch  which  he  has  redeemed  from  the 
\vaste  and  made  fruitful,  came  to  the  United 
States  at  the  age  of  nineteen  determined  to  get 
on  in  the  world  if  his  own  efforts  could  make 
him  do  so,  and  in  this  respect  his  hopes  have 
been  fully  realized.  He  was  born  in  Germany 
in  1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(Hanger)  Romer.  They  were  also  German  by' 
nativity,  and  lived  and  died  in  their  native 
land,  as  their  ancestors  had  done  for  many 
generations  before  them.  The  father  was  a 
well-to-do  farmer,  '  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-five,  dying  in  1873.  The  mother  sur- 
vived him  eighteen  years,  dying  in  1891,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven.  Their  son  John  was 
reared  on  the  paternal  homestead  and  educated 
at  the  state  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  nineteen  assisting  on  the  farm.  At 
that  age  he  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
the  United  States,  and  to  this  end  landed  in 
New  York  in  1866.  He  remained  there  a  short 
time  and  then,  after  passing  a  short  time  in 
Pennsylvania,  migrated  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  \vorked  on  a  dairy  farm  and  drove  a 
team.  From  there  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  and 
after  a  residence  of  a  year  in  that  city,  came 
west  to  Missouri.  There  he  worked  on  a  farm 
two  years,  then  bought  one  on  which  he  lived 
about  five  years.  From  there  he  came  to  Alma, 
this  state,  where  he  remained  ten  years.  In 
1886  he  moved  to  Roan  creek,  near  Debeque, 


394 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Mesa  county,  and  took  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  made  his 
home  for  sixteen  years.  He  then  sold  that 
place  and  bought  his  present  ranch  near  Coil- 
bran,  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Lorena  Colley,  of  Mis- 
souri. Three  children  have  blessed  their  union, 
Olivia,  Bertha  and  Emma.  Mr.  Romer  has 
prospered  in  life  by  his  own  industry  and  is 
well  fixed  in  the  matter  of  property.  He  also 
stands  well  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow  men. 

JOHN  A.  FITZPATRICK. 

John  A.  Fitzpatrick,  of  Collbran,  Mesa 
county,  is  a  pioneer  of  1878  in  Colorado  and 
of  1880  in  the  portion  of  the  state  wherein 
he  now  lives;  and  from  the  time  of  his  advent 
among  its  people  he  has  been  active  and  zeal- 
ous in  the  development  of  the  section  and  the 
promotion  of  the  general  welfare  of  its  in- 
habitants. He  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in 
1840  in  Glengarry  county,  province  of  On- 
tario, and  is  the  son  of  Hugh  and  Margaret 
(Ross)  Fitzpatrick,  also  natives  of  the  Do- 
minion, who  passed  their  lives  in  that  country 
engaged  in  farming.  The  mother  died  in  1843, 
leaving  five  children,  of  whom  John  was  the 
fourth,  and  the  father  in  1879,  he  being  at  the 
time  of  his  death  sixty-five  years  old.  Their 
son  John  remained  at  home  with  his  father 
until  twenty-one,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  schools  near  by  and  learning  the  business  of 
agriculture  under  the  direction  of  his  parent 
on  the  homestead.  When  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Wisconsin  where  he  was  employed  in  lum- 
bering two  years.  The  next  year  was  spent 
in  Minnesota  in  the  same  occupation,  and  the 
next  at  his  Canadian  home.  He  then  came 
over  into  New  York  and  farmed  for  a  year, 
then  made  a  trip  to  Massachusetts,  returning 
again  to  Canada.  Two  years  later  he  came  to 


Colorado  and  located  at  Denver.  In  1880  he 
removed  to  Buena  Vista,  where  he  kept  a  hotel 
for  two  years.  In  1882  he  settled  on  his  pres- 
ent ranch,  and  some  time  later  started  the  livery 
and  feed  business  he  is  now  conducting  at 
Collbran.  He  has  business  capacity  and  enter- 
prise, and  has  prospered  in  all  his  undertak- 
ings. At  the  same  time  he  has  built  himself  up 
in  public  estimation  as  a  wise  and  progressive 
citizen,  and  is  now  held  in  general  esteem 
throughout  his  section  of  the  county.  In  1872, 
at  Montreal,  Canada,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  Farlinger,  a  native  of  Glengarry  county, 
Ontario.  They  have  nine  children,  Jeannette 
G.,  John  A.  R.,  Chester  C,  Edgar  T.,  Nellie, 
Lloyd,  Milton,  Lillie  and  Ruby.  In  business 
circles,  in  social  life  and  in  the  public  affairs 
of  the  community  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  is  an  im- 
portant and  influential  man,  and  he  is  worthy 
of  his  place. 

ZACHARIAH  BERTHOLF. 

One  of  the  original  pioneers  of  Mesa 
county,  coming  to  seek  his  fortune  amid  its 
prolific  resources  and  abundant  opportunities 
in  the  early  days  of  its  history,  and  impelled 
to  the  move  by  the  hope  of  thereby  benefiting 
his  wife's  health,  Zachariah  Bertholf,  of  the 
Plateau  valley,  who  lived  one  mile  south  of 
Collbran  on  a  good  ranch  which  he  had  made 
comfortable  with  all  the  appointments  of  mod- 
ern husbandry  and  fertile  through  careful  in- 
dustry and  persistent  effort,  succeeded  in  both 
aspirations,  finding  his  wife  restored  to  vigor 
and  good  spirits  by  the  healing  air  of  the  sec- 
tion and  his  own  condition  in  life  well  provided 
for  in  a  worldly  way  and  secure  in  public 
esteem.  He  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in 
1837,  and  the  son  of  Andrew  H.  and  Electra 
(Macumber)  Bertholf,  whose  history  is  given 
at  some  length  in  the  sketch  of  his  brother, 
John  M.  Bertholf,  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


395 


work.  Mr.  Bertholf  remained  at  home  until 
he  attained  his  legal  majority,  receiving  a  dis- 
trict school  education  and  acquiring  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  farming  by  practical  experience 
in  his  father's  fields.  His  first  independent 
engagement  in  the  business  of  life  was  in  the 
line  to  which  he  had  been  trained  and  was  on 
farms  in  his  native  state.  In  1883  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Mesa  county  on  the 
ranch  which  was  ever  afterward  his  home. 
The  story  of  his  early  struggles  with  hardship 
and  danger,  and  of  his  systematic  and  well-ap- 
plied industry  in  making  his  farm  habitable  and 
productive,  is  an  oft-told  tale  in  American 
history.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  he  found  the 
conditions  of  life  primitive  and  full  of  priva- 
tion and  hazard,  and  he  met  and  overcame 
them  with  a  manly  and  self-reliant  spirit,  as 
his  ancestors  had  done  elsewhere  in  this  coun- 
try from  time  to  time  where  they  were  pioneers. 
He  was  married,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Melissa  Car- 
rothers,  of  Indiana,  where  the  marriage  oc- 
curred, and  their  union  was  blessed  with  nine 
children,  all  but  two  of  whom  are  living.  They 
are  Dora,  Ida,  Harvey,  Eva,  Elsie,  Arthur  and 
Forest.  The  first  born  child,  a  daughter  named 
Letitia.  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  and  an- 
other named  Myrtle  at  that  of  eleven.  Mr. 
Bertholf  gave  the  affairs  of  his  ranch  close  and 
careful  attention.  But  he  nevertheless  found 
time  to  indulge  his  passion  for  hunting  at  times, 
and  he  had  a  great  reputation  as  a  Nimrod  in 
the  state,  having  to  his  credit  many  deeds  of 
prowess  in  this  line  of  sport.  On  one  oc- 
casion with  five  shots  he  brought  down  three 
hear  and  two  deer,  which  is  strong  proof  of 
his  skill  and  accuracy  as  a  marksman,  as  well 
as  a  high  tribute  to  his  courage  and  success  as 
a  hunter.  His  journey  hither  with  his  family, 
from  their  Indiana  home,  was  made  with  teams 
and  portions  of  it  were  through  a  trackless 
wilderness ;  and  they  traveled,  not  in  an  armed 
and  well  protected  train,  but  alone  and  with 


no  guards  but  themselves;  thus  showing  the 
true  spirit  of  the  pioneers,  which  is  ever  un- 
daunted amid  dangers,  and  ever  at  home  amid 
Nature's  benignant  manifestations  and  multi- 
form scenes  of  life.  In  the  community  which 
he  helped  to  found  and  aided  in  developing  Mr. 
Bertholf  was  held  in  the  highest  regard  as  a 
wise  and  progressive  man  and  a  good  citizen. 
His  death  occurred  on  October  16,  1903. 

GEORGE  GIBSON. 

In  the  veins  of  George  Gibson,  of  Mesa 
county,  who  constructed  and  now  owns  and 
operates  a  saw-mill  near  Plateau  City,  the 
blood  of  the  southern  cavalier  of  this  country 
mingles  with  that  of  the  sturdy  Scotch  High- 
lander, his  father,  James  R.  Gibson,  being  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Mearns,  of 
Scotland.  The  father  left  his  native  heath 
when  he  was  young  and  became  a  pioneer  in 
'Illinois ;  and  his  mother  came  to  this  country 
with  her  parents  in  early  life  and  found  a  new 
home  in  the  same  great  state.  There  they  be- 
came acquainted  and  were  married,  and  there 
their  son  George,  who  was  the  fourth  of  their 
eight  children,  was  born  in  1864.  In  1882  the 
family  moved  to  Kansas,  where  both  parents 
died  in  1898.  George  was  eighteen  years  old 
when  he  became  a  resident  of  Kansas,  and 
although  before  that  event  for  about  two  years 
he  had  been  shifting  for  himself,  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  thither,  and  during  the  first 
two  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  that  state.  He  had  received  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  place,  and  was  well  pre- 
pared for  the  industry  with  which  he  has  been 
largely  connected  since  reaching  his  maturity 
by  practical  training  on  his  father's  farm  and 
others  in  Illinois.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he, 
settled  in  the  Plateau  valley,  in  this  state,  and 
in  that  section  he  has  since  continuously  re- 


396 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


sided,  prominently  connected  with  its  develop- 
ment and  deeply  interested  in  a  practical  and 
leading  way  in  its  enduring  welfare.  In  this 
part  of  the  state  he  first  located  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Vega,  and  there  for  some  years  car- 
ried on  a  flourishing  business  as  a  rancher  and 
stock-grower.  Later  he  moved  to  the  vicinity 
of  Plateau  City  and  built  a  saw-mill  which  he 
has  since  been  operating  greatly  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  community  and  -his  own  profit, 
through  it  furnishing  a  much-needed  com- 
modity for  multitudinous  uses  in  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  reaping  the  rewards  of  his 
enterprise  in  a  large  and  expanding  patron- 
age. While  neither  ostentatious  nor  self-as- 
serting., he  bears  an  important  part  in  the 
public  life  of  his  section,  and  is  highly  es- 
teemed as  a  citizen  of  lofty  tone,  breadth  of 
view  and  progressive  ideas. 

WILLIAM  S.  COOK. 

The  childhood  of  William  S.  Cook,  a  pros- 
perous ranchman  of  the  Plateau  valley.  Mesa 
county,  this  state,  living  about  two  miles  north 
of  the  village  of  Collbran,  was  darkened  by  the 
shadow  of  bereavement  in  the  death  of  his 
mother  when  he  was  but  nine  years  old;  and 
portions  of  his  later  life  were  oppressed  by 
poverty  'and  apparently  unremunerative  toil, 
with  their  incident  hardships  and  privations. 
But  nowr,  through  his  unconquerable  energy 
and  his  unvarying  frugality  and  thrift,  he  is 
well  fixed  in  a  worldly  way,  and  can  look  back 
with  composure  over  the  storms  and  trials 
through  which  he  has  passed.  He  was  born 
in  Benton  county,  Missouri,  March  25,  1852, 
and  is  the  son  of  George  E.  and  Mary  A. 
(Matthews)  Cook,  the  former  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island  and  the  latter  of  England.  The  father 
migrated  to  Iowa  in  his  youth,  and  later  to 
Missouri.  In  1857  he  moved  his  family  to 
Kansas,  where  his  wife  died  in  1861,  aged 


about  forty  years.  In  1878  he  came  to 
Douglas  county,  Colorado,  and  a  short  time 
afterward  went  to  California,  since  which  time 
he  has  never  been  heard  of  by  his  son.  William 
S.  Cook  remained  at  his  home  in  Kansas  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  securing  a 
meager  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
earning  his  own  living  for  some  years  at 
various  occupations.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
came  to  this  state  and  located  in  Douglas 
county,  having  at  the  time,  as  the  sum  of  his 
earthly  possessions,  the  clothing  he  wore  and 
ten  cents  in  money.  He  remained  in  Douglas 
county  ten  years  employed  in  riding  the  range 
and  herding  cattle.  On  October  2,-  1882,  he 
landed  in  Grand  valley,  Mesa  county,  and  two 
years  later  took  up  his  residence  in  Plateau 
valley  on  the  ranch  which  is  his  present  home. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
section  and  has  been  actively  engaged  in  de- 
veloping a  profitable  farming  and  stock  busi- 
ness and  in  his  way  promoting  the  general 
growth  and  progress  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  He  was  married  in  1879  to 
Miss  Ida  Jones,  a  native  of  Douglas  county, 
Colorado.  Eight  children  have  blessed  their 
union,  of  whom  six  are  living,  Madge,  Lena, 
Flora,  William  S.,  Jr.,  James  and  Albert  B. 
Those  deceased  are  Maud,  who  died  in  1881, 
and  John  who  died  in  1898. 

RICHARD  HUMPHREY. 

Born  to  a  destiny  of  toil,  hardship,  danger 
and  privation,  and  obliged  almost  from  child- 
hood to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  Rich- 
ard Humphrey,  of  Delta  county,  the  owner 
and  manager  of  a  fine  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  lying  on  Ash  mesa  eight  miles 
from  Delta,  has  bravely  confronted  every  dif- 
ficulty and  successfully  overcome  every  ob- 
stacle. He  was  born  July  25,  1834,  in  the  state 
of  Kentucky  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  An- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


397 


geline    (Tanner)    Humphrey,    both    natives    of 
Kentucky.     The  father  died  when  the  son  Was 
but  one  year  old,  leaving  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren,  all  of  whom  are  living.      Richard  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  owing  to  the  conditions 
of  the  family  and  the  need  of  every  available 
hand  in  getting  through  with  the  farm  work, 
he  had  but  few  and  short  opportunities  for  at- 
tending school.    Yet  such  was  the  natural  force 
and  aptitude  of  his  mind  that  he  acquired  a 
fair  degree  of  knowledge  of  the   elementary 
branches  of  school  learning  and  because  of  the 
very  difficulties  of  his  situation   gained   self- 
reliance  and  resourcefulness — qualities  of  great 
service  in  every  emergency  of  his  subsequent 
life.    He  remained  at  home  assisting  his  mother 
•in  managing  the  homestead  until  October  22, 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-sixth  Kentucky  In- 
fantry.   In  this  regiment  he  served  to  the  close 
of  the  Civil  war,  being  discharged  on  July  29, 
1865.     His  command  was  always  at  the  front 
and  he  was  never  absent,  passing  through  the 
terrible   conflict   without   receiving   a   wound* 
being  taken  prisoner  or  spending  a  day  in  the 
hospital.      He   participated   in   the   battles   of 
Shiloh,  Brentwood  Hills  and  Nashville,  went 
through  numerous  skirmishes  in  which  danger 
was  ever  present,  as  the  righting  was  fast  and 
furious,  and  took  part  in  many  other  engage- 
ments  of   note.      After   his   discharge    he    re- 
turned to  his  old  Kentucky  home,  and  remained 
there  until   1887,  when  he  came  to  Colorado. 
He  was  at  that  time  fifty-three  years  of  age, 
with  all  his  powers  of  body  and  mind  in  full 
vigor  and  his  wisdom  matured  by  an  extensive 
and   varied   experience.      He   has   applied  his 
knowledge  and  ripened  judgment  to  his  busi- 
ness and  the  general  improvement  of  his  sec- 
tions in  this  state,  and  the  result  is  that  he  has 
gained    a    competency   here    for   himself    and 
been  of  signal  service  to  others  and  his  com- 
munity   in    general    in    pushing    forward    the 


progress  and  development  of  every  material 
and  moral  interest  around  him.  On  his  arrival 
in  Delta  county,  in  the  spring  of  1888,  he 
bought  a  portion  of  the  place  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and  he'  has  since  bought  an  addition 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  so  that  he  has 
at  this  time  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
good  land,  on  which  he  raises  excellent  crops 
of  hay  and  grain.  In  1903  he  produced  on 
nineteen  acres  about  twelve  hundred  bushels  of 
oats,  and  on  his  sixty  acres  of  grass  large  and 
valuable  yields  of  first-class  hay.  It  is  his  pres- 
ent intention  to  devote  his  land  principally  to 
hay  hereafter,  as  this  seems  to  be  its  best  and 
most  profitable  crop.  Mr.  Humphrey  was  first 
married  on  May  10,  1860,  to  Miss  Mary  Asher, 
a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  died  on  May  16, 
1870,  leaving  three  children,  Matilda  A.,  Allen 
J.  and  Arrie  C.,  all  of  whom  are  living.  On 
March  20,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Granger,  who  bore  him  one  son,  Carl  H.,  who 
was  killed  in  February,  1897,  at  tne  a£e  °f 
twenty  years,  in  a  coal  mine  in  Kentucky.  The 
second  wife  died  on  May  16,  1877,  and  on 
May  30,  1883,  he  married  a  third,  Narcissa 
Ficklin,  who  was  born  in  Davis  county,  Ken- 
tucky, on  April  17,  1851.  They  had  one  child, 
which  died  when  it  was  only  four  days  old. 
Although  taking  an  active  part  in  local  affairs 
involving  the  welfare  of  his  section  of  the 
county  and  state,  Mr.  Humphrey  is  independ- 
ent of  party  control  in  politics.  In  church  re- 
lations he  is  a  Baptist.  He  is  a  good  citizen, 
a  progressive  business  man,  an  earnest  pro- 
moter of  every  public  interest,  and  is  well  es- 
teemed wrherever  he  is  known. 

LEMUEL  T.  STEWART. 

Lemuel  T.  Stewart,  of  Mesa  county,  living 
in  a  good  stone  house  which  he  built  on  Roan 
creek  and  which  was  one  of  the  first  erected 
on  that  stream,  he  being  among  the  earliest 


398 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


settlers  in  this  region,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Turner)  Stewart,  both  of  the  same  nativity 
as  himself.  His  father  was  a  shipbuilder  in  his 
younger  days,  and  later  became  a  farmer  ..> 
his  native  state.  He  died  there  in  1856,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three;  and  his  wife  died  the 
same  year,  aged  fifty-eight.  They  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  was  the  last 
born.  Thus  doubly  orphaned  at  the  early  age 
of  six,  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources 
while  he  was  yet  very  young.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  at  Bellefontaine,  in  his  native  state. 
working  on  a  farm  and  going  to  school.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  migrated  to  Illinois, 
and  some  little  time  later  to  Kansas.  Here 
he  taught  school  four  years,  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado, locating  at  Denver,  where  he  remained 
about  eight  months.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Blackhawk,  Colorado,  and  kept  a  hotel  for 
some  time,  after  which  he  was  employed  for 
two  years  in  mining  at  Caribou,  Boulder 
county,  and  during  the  next  four  in  the  same 
occupation  at  Leadville.  In  1880  he  made  a 
trip  through  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Utah 
prospecting,  and  in  1882  located  on  Roan  creek 
near  where  he  now  lives.  He  was,  as  has  been 
noted,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  section 
and  built  one  of  the  first  dwellings  on  the  creek 
for  the  residence  of  a  white  man.  The  house 
is  of  stone  and  stands  just  \vest  of  the  Con- 
tinental divide.  Mr.  Stewart  has  lived  here 
continuously  since  his  first  occupation  of  the 
land,  and  has  been  busily  occupied  in  farming 
and  raising  stock.  His  ranch  is  historic  ground, 
lying  along  the  trail  taken  by  the  Ute  Indians 
after  the  Meeker  massacre.  In  1890  Mr. 
Stewart  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Annie  Meyer,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child,  their  daughter  Lula.  -The 
father  has  been  very  active  in  public  affairs, 
particularly  in  school  matters,  having  served  as 
president  of  the  school  board  from  its  or- 


ganization until  the  fall  of  1902,  when  he  de- 
clined to  serve  longer.  He  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  this  section. 

ROBERT  EATON. 

Robert  Eaton,  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Debeque,  Mesa  county,  began  life  with 
the  shadow  of  a  double  bereavement,  losing 
both  his  parents  when  he  was  but  four  years 
old,  and  has  had  a  varied  and  interesting 
career,  worked  out  mainly  by  his  own  efforts 
and  capacity.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  in  1850,  and  is 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Susan  (Carey)  Eaton. 
His  father  was  a  Scotchman  and  his  mother 
a  Pennsylvanian  by  nativity,  and  both  died  in 
1854.  The  father  came  to  this  country  early 
in  the  'forties  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania. 
Later  he  moved  his  family  to  Zanesville,  Ohio, 
where  he  and  his  wife  ended  their  days  to- 
gether. Their  son  was  one  of  twins,  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  born  to  them,  their  offspring 
numbering  four  in  all.  After  the  death  of  his 
parents  he  was  taken  to  the  home  of  an  uncle 
in  Illinois,  and  there  he  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty  and  received  a  fair  district-school  edu- 
cation. In  1870  he  came  to  Colorado,  and 
after  spending  a  few  months  at  Denver,  moved 
in  1871  to  Weld  county,  where  he  remained 
three  years  employed  in  herding  cattle  and 
riding  the  range.  In  1874  he  went  to  Boulder 
county  and  turned  his  attention  to  mining,  and 
in  1878  followed  the  same  pursuit  at  Leadville, 
continuing  his  operations  in  this  line  at  that 
place  until  1882.  He  then  came  to  Mesa 
county  and  settled  on  Roan  creek,  being  one 
of  the  first  dwellers  on  that  fruitful  stream. 
Two  years  later  he  moved  to  Gunnison  county, 
and  was  engaged  in  mining  in  that  prolific  re- 
gion until  1885.  At  that  time  he  returned  to 
the  creek  and  went  into  the  cattle  business  for 
awhile,  then  moved  again  to  Leadville,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


399 


while  there  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  legislature.  At  the  end  of  his 
term  he  returned  to  his  ranch  in  Mesa  county, 
and  after  living  there  a  short  time,  sold  it  and 
opened  a  real  estate  business  at  Debeque.  This 
he  has  prosecuted  vigorously  and  built  up  into 
an  enterprise  of  considerable  moment,  being 
always  ready  to  meet  the  demands  of  an  ex- 
acting though  active  market,  and  directing  its 
course  along  lines  of  healthy  development.  He 
is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

RALPH  W.  OSTROM. 

Ralph  W.  Ostrom,  a  respected  citizen  of 
Debeque,  who  has  been  active  in  the  industrial 
and  commercial  life  of  the  community,  was 
born  on  shipboard  in  the  waters  of  China  in 
1859.  He  is  the  son  of  Alvin  and  Susan 
(Boylan)  Ostrom,  natives  of  New  York.  The 
mother  died  in  1865  and  was  buried  in*  her 
native  state.  The  father  was  a  missionary  in 
China  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and 
later  was  occupied  similarly  in  the  Hawaiian 
islands,  where  he  died  and  was  buried  in  1895 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  Ralph  was  the 
youngest  of  their  three  children.  He  was  reared 
to  the  age  of  eighteen  in  California,  and  there 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  mentioned  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  going  to  Arizona  on  a  prospecting 
tour  and  remaining  about  one  year.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Pueblo, 
was  employed  in  painting  houses  and  other 
building's  for  two  years.  He  then  spent  short 
periods  at  Gunnison«and  Grand  Junction,  after 
which  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  vicinity 
of  Debeque  on  Roan  creek.  A  short  time 
afterward  he  returned  to  Grand  Junction 
where  he  remained  and  followed  house  paint- 
ing until  1887.  At  that  time  he  returned  to 
Debeque,  and  selling  his  ranch  devoted  himself 
to  mercantile  business  for  eight  years,  at  the 


end  of  which  he  sold  his  store  to  H.  A.  Stroud, 
and  then  lived  a  retired  life  in  the  village  which 
he  helped  to  build  and  which  bears  the  marks 
of  his  enterprise  and  progressiveness.  In  the 
fall  of  1904  he  opened  a  meat  market  and 
grocery  in  the  postoffice  building  and  here  com- 
mands a  large  and  increasing  patronage.  In 
1888  he  was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  Neel,  a 
native  of  Kansas.  They  have  two  children, 
their  daughters  Helen  and  Hazel.  In  all  the 
relations  of  life  Mr.  Ostrom  has  been  accept- 
able to  the  people  of  this  community,  having 
been  enterprising  in  business  and  in  public 
affairs,  upright  and  genial  in  his  private  life, 
with  breadth  of  view,  an  enlightened  public 
spirit  in  considering  and  promoting  the  best 
interests  of  his  section,  and  a  lofty  and  inspir- 
ing patriotism  in  his  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  the  whole  country.  No  man  in  the  com- 
munity is  more  widely  esteemed. 

CORNELIUS  M.  GUINEY. 

Cornelius  M.  Guiney,  of  Debeque,  Mesa 
county,  foreman  of  the  water  service  there  for 
the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  is  a  native 
of  Canada,  born  in  1859,  and  the  son  of 
Nicholas  and  Catherine  (Roach)  Guiney,  both 
natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  came  to  this 
continent  in  1856  and  settled  in  Canada,  and 
six  years  later  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  died  in  1900.  The  son  was  reared  from 
childhood  to  the  age  of  twenty-one  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  received  a  district  school  edu- 
cation there.  At  that  age  he  came  west  to 
Kansas  and  for  two  years  was  employed  in  a 
powder-mill  in  that  state,  then  moved  on  to 
Colorado,  and  during  the  next  two  years  was 
engaged  in  mining  at  Leadville.  From  there 
he  changed  his  base  of  operations  to  the  San 
Juan  country,  where  he  mined  and  prospected 
for  fifteen  years  with  varying  success,  having 
the  usual  fate  of  men  engaged  in  this  exciting 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  alluring  but  uncertain  occupation.  From 
Colorado  he  went  to  New  Mexico,  and  during 
the  next  four  years  found  remunerative  though 
hard  work  in  teaming,  after  which  he  made  a 
trip  to  Seattle,  Washington,  and  from  there 
returned  to  Colorado  and  went  into  the  service 
of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  at 
Pueblo,  and  following  his  engagement  with 
the  company  at  that  point  he  became  its  fore- 
man of  the  water  service  at  Debeque,  .Mesa 
county.  Since  locating  here  he  has  acquired 
some  property  in  the  neighborhood,  one  piece 
of  especial  value  being  a  prolific  orchard  not 
far  from  the  village.  One  of  his  brothers  was 
in  active  service  during  the  Spanish-American 
war.  and  was  shot  in  the  knee  at  the  battle  of 
San  Juan  Hill.  He  is  now  in  the  Philippines 
in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
government.  Mr.  Guiney  was  married  in  rXn 
to  Miss  Mary  Drounsell,  a  native  of  England, 
the  marriage  occurring  at  Glenwood  Springs. 
Colorado,  where  she  was  living  at  the  time. 
They  have  four  children,  Nora,  Frank,  Ella 
and  Etta.  In  the  community  of  his  present 
residence  Mr.  Guiney  has  risen  to  consequence 
and  public  esteem,  and  is  regarded  as  a  worthy 
man  in  every  way. 

SAMUEL  MARTIN. 

Coming  to  Colorado  about  thirty-one  years 
.ago,  Samuel  Martin  has  passed  more  than  half 
his  life  in  this  state,  and  during  that  time  he 
has  been  of  material  service  in  its  development 
and  improvement  in  a  number  of  occupation;, 
in  different  places,  cultivating  the  soil,  helping 
to  keep  the  peace  as  a  civil  officer,  sawing  lum- 
ber for  buildings  and  other  structures,  and  in 
numerous  other  ways.  He  brought  to  his 
destiny  here  a  frame  enfeebled  by  exposure  and 
accident,  and  an  experience  of  life  in  several 
states  and  employments  in  peace  and  war,  and 
a  natural  aptitude  to  see  and  seize  opportunities 


and  make  the  most  of  them.     He  was  born  on 
September  8,   1836,   in  Sussexshire,  England, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Perry) 
Martin,  also  English  by  nativity.    The  mother 
died  in  her  native  land  and  the  father  in  Ohio 
in   1853.     On  his  arrival  in  this  country  the 
father  lived   for  awhile  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  then  moved  to  Ohio  where  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  days.     He  was  a  farmer  in  Eng- 
land and  a  builder  and  contractor  in  America. 
In  politics  he  supported  the  Republican  party. 
Four  of  the  six  children  born  in  the  family  are 
living,  James  and  Sophie  in  England,  William 
and  Samuel  in  Colorado.     Owing  to  the  early 
death   of  his   parents   the   subject   received   a 
meager  education.      He  came  to   America  in 
1850  and,  losing  his  health  while  working  in 
the  East,  sought  its  recovery  in  the  West,  re- 
moving to  Buchanan  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
learned  to  be  a  sawyer  of  lumber.     He  became 
interested  in  the  Indians  and,  desiring  to  learn 
their  language  and  modes  of  life,  went  among 
them  in  northwestern  Iowa  and  in  Minnesota. 
After  sharing  their  wild  life  several  months, 
he  returned  to  civilization  at  McGregor  on  the 
Mississippi,  and  followed  his  trade  as  a  sawyer 
in  the  pines.      Here  he  remained  until    1856, 
then  moved  to  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  and  in 
that  region   he   was   engaged   in  hunting  and 
trapping  until  June  26,  1860.     Game  was  abun- 
dant and  he  found  his  occupation  very  profit- 
able.   While  so  occupied  he  was  a  passenger  on 
the  river  steamer  "Ben  Lewis"  when  she  was 
blown  up  near  Cairo,  and  was  so  seriously  in- 
jured that  he  was  laid  up  two  years.     At  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he  offered  himself 
as  a  volunteer  in  the  Union  army,  but  on  ac- 
count of  his  physical  condition  was   not  ac- 
cepted.    He  was,  however,  accepted  as  a  scout 
and  in  this -service  was  once  captured  by  the 
Confederates.     After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
returned  to  New  Madrid  and  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff.     He  remained  there  until  1873 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


401 


variously  employed,  then  came  to  Colorado  and 
settled  at  Boulder,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
small  place  with  but  few  inhabitants.  Here 
he  farmed  until  1876,  when  he  was  appointed 
under  sheriff,  and  after  two  years'  service  in 
that  office  was  appointed  marshal  for  Boulder 
county  for  one  year.  From  1880  to  1884  ne 
farmed  on  leased  land,  and  in  the  year  last 
named  moved  to  the  White  river  valley  and 
bought  a  portion  of  his  present  home  on  Coal 
creek,  five  miles  northeast  of  Meeker.  He  has 
purchased  additional  land  until  he  has  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  and  the  tract  is  sup- 
plied with  sufficient  water  to  enable  him  to 
cultivate  two  hundred  acres.  He  raises  hay 
and  cattle  in  large  quantities  and  some  grain 
and  vegetables.  In  political  allegiance  he  be- 
longs to  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  sup- 
ports its  principles  with  ardor,  not  now  and 
then,  but  all  the  time  and  every  day.  He  served 
as  county  commissioner  in  1901,  1902  and 
1903,  and  his  work  in  the  office  was  highly 
esteemed,  as  he  is  himself. 

H.  A.  STROUD. 

H.  A.  Stroud,  for  about  fifteen  years  a 
merchant  at  Debeque,  Mesa  county,  and  now 
a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  McKay  & 
Stroud,  dealers  in  general  merchandise  of  every 
kind,  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1863,  and 
the  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Layton)  Stroud, 
who  were  also  natives  of  that  country.  In 
1865  they  brought  their  family  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Iowa,  afterward  moving 
to  California,  where  the  father  died  in  1891, 
aged  seventy-seven.  The  mother  died  two 
years  later,  aged  seventy.  Their  family  com- 
prised seven  children,  of  whom  the  son,  H. 
A.  Stroud,  was  the  last  born.  He  came  with 
his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  he  was 
two  years  old,  and  grew  to  the  age  of  nineteen 
on  the  Iowa  homestead,  assisting  in  its  labors 
26 


and  attending  the  winter  schools.  In  1882  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion. A  year  or  two  later  he  began  freight- 
ing between  Grand  Junction  and  Aspen,  this 
state,  continuing  the  enterprise  until  1888.  At 
that  time  he  established  a  feed  and  sales 
stable  and  a  hay,  grain  and  coal  emporium  at 
Debeque,  and  a  few  years  later  bought  the  in- 
terest in  the  stock  of  general  merchandise  be- 
longing to  Ralph  W.  Ostrom,  and  since  that 
time  the  firm  has  been  known  as  McKay  & 
Stroud.  Under  their  joint  management  the 
enterprise  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  the 
trade  vastly  increased  until  it  is  now  one  of 
the  most  extensive  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
laying  a  large  scope  of  country  under  tribute  to 
its  trade.  Mr.  Stroud  has  been  active  for 
years  in  the  public  life  of  the  community,  serv- 
ing two  or  three  times  as  mayor  of  the  village. 
He  belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  with 
membership  in  Roan  Creek  Lodge,  No.  125. 
In  1888  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Dix- 
son,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Herbert  L.  and  Nettie  M. 

JASPER  N.  RHOADS. 

Born  in  Missouri  and  reared  amid  the  wide 
sweep  and  stirring  activities  of  the  agricultural 
life  of  that  great  state,  and  later  following  his 
chosen  vocation  on  a  large  scale  in  Kansas, 
Jasper  N.  Rhoads,  of  Garfield  county,  Colo- 
rado, living  about  five  miles  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Debeque  on  Roan  creek,  eame  to  be  an 
important  factor  in  the  farming  industry  of 
his  section  after  thorough  preparation  in  the 
business  and  having  learned  it  in  every  detail 
by  actual  practical  experience.  His  life  began 
in  1865,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Harvey  and  Mem- 
ory (Evans)  Rhoads,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  Soon  after 
their  marriage  they  moved  to  Missouri,  and 
after  a  residence  of  many  years  in  that  state 


402 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


took  up  their  abode  in  the  territory  of  Okla- 
homa, where  they  are  now  living.  Jasper  was 
the  second  born  of  their  twelve  children,  and 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  nineteen  on  the  Mis- 
souri homestead,  and  received  his  education 
at  the  district  schools  near  by.  At  the  age 
mentioned  he  took  up  the  contest  of  life  for 
himself,  going  to  Kansas  and  there  engaging 
in  farming  for  six  years.  In  1890  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Grand  Junction,  but 
he  lived  there  only  a  short  time,  removing  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  the  state  to  his  present 
home,  which  by  industry  and  close  application 
he  has  made  valuable  in  productiveness  and 
improvements,  and  beautiful  with  artistic  ap- 
pliances well  adapted  to  its  natural  attractive- 
ness. His  land  is  pleasantly  located  along 
Roan  creek,  in  the  midst  of  a  region  fertile 
and  responsive,  and  here  he  carries  on  a  farm- 
ing industry  of  good  proportions  and  increas- 
ing profits.  He  was  married  in  1885  to  Miss 
Mary  Hays,  a  native  of  Missouri  but  living 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage  in  Kansas.  They 
have  six  children  living,  Meda,  Estella,  Vic- 
tor, Harvey,  Charles,  and  Lester.  Two  oth- 
ers. Fern  and  Clarence,  died  in  childhood. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhoads  are  among  the  leading 
people  of  their  community,  and  have  the  last- 
ing respect  and  esteem  of  their  large  circle  of 
friends  and  the  citizens  generally.  Mr. 
Rhoads  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  his  county  and  state  and  does  his  part 
faithfully  toward  its  promotion. 

FRANK  P.  CANNON. 

From  the  seething  agricultural  industries 
of  Ohio,  amid  which  he  had  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  farming  through  active 
practical  experience,  Frank  P.  Cannon,  of  Gar- 
field  county,  came  to  Colorado  when  he  was 
something  over  twenty  years  of  age,  and  since 
then  he  has  been  actively  connected  with  the 


progress  and  development  of  this  state  in 
various  lines  of  useful  effort,  taking  into  the 
range  of  his  operations  almost  every  occupa- 
tion peculiar  to  the  country,  but  devoting  him- 
self mainly  to  the  one  to  which  he  was  bred. 
He  was  born  in  Summit  county,  Ohio,  in  1854, 
and  is  the  son  of  Israel  and  Ruth  (Sheels) 
Cannon,  prominent  and  successful  farmers 
there  where  they  are  now  living.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  reared  as  a 
farmer  and  following  that  industry  during  al- 
most the  whole  of  his  life.  In  1833  he  moved 
to  Ohio  where  he  has  since  resided.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  was  a  recruiting  officer  for 
the  Union  army.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  belonged  to  a  family  of  ardent 
Union  men,  five  of  her  brothers  being  in  the 
Federal  army  and  doing  valiant  service  in  de- 
fense of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  her  son  Frank 
being  the  first  born.  He  was  reared  on  the 
Ohio  homestead,  and  in  1875,  soon  after  com- 
pleting his  twentieth  year,  determined  to  seek 
his  fortune  in  the  West,  and  for  this  purpose 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Littleton, 
about  fifteen  miles  from  Denver.  Here  he  re- 
mained some  six  years  engaged  in  farming 
and  raising  and  dealing  in  stock.  In  1880  he 
removed  to  Gunnison  county,  and  was  there 
engaged  in  mining  until  1884.  In  September 
of  that  year  he  settled  on  the  ranch  which  has 
since  been  his  home,  which  is  beautifully  lo- 
cated on  Roan  creek,  and  here  he  has  since 
vigorously  pushed  his  stock  and  farming  in- 
dustries to  broad  development  and  profitable 
returns.  He  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss 
Christia  Sugar,  of  Nauvoo,  Illinois.  They 
have  four  children,  Gladys,  Lester,  Allen  and 
Ruth.  Mr.  Cannon  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs.  He  secured  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  postoffice  at  Highmore  and 
the  county  road  leading  by  it,  which  is  one 
of  the  important  thoroughfares  in  the  county, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


403 


and  also  the  Highmore  public  school,  aiding 
materially  in  building  the  house  for  the  same, 
and  serving  the  local  board  as  secretary  for  a 
period  of  twelve  years.  He  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  having  the  first  election  precinct 
laid  off  in  this  section  of  the  county,  and  was 
one  of  the  influential  forces  and  most  active 
workers  in  securing  the  construction  of  the 
Roan  creek  reservoir  for  irrigating  purposes, 
which  has  been  one  of  the  main  sources  of 
progress  in  the  growth  and  development  of 
this  portion  of  the  county.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  takes  an 
influential  and  serviceable  part  in  all  the  pro- 
ceedings of  his  lodge.  Active  and  forceful  in 
every  element  of  improvement  and  advance- 
ment of  his  section  from  the  time  of  his  advent 
among  its  people,  Mr.  Cannon  is  one  of  the 
most  respected  and  representative  men  of  his 
community,  and  lias  well  exemplified  in  his 
career  the  best  attributes  of  its  broad-minded 
and  wide-awake  citizenship. 

G.  P.  O.  KIMBALL. 

G.  P.  O.  Kimball,  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  progressive  farmers  and  stock  men  of 
Garfield  county,  this  state,  whose  fine  ranch 
is  located  on  the  creek  which  was  named  in  his 
honor  lies  fifteen  miles  north  of  Debeque,  is  a 
native  of  New  England,  and  he  learned  the 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged  in  that  section 
of  the  country,  where  the  conditions  of  the 
industry  are  widely  different  from  those  of 
his  present  home,  but  the  underlying  princi- 
ples are  the  same.  He  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  at  the  town  of  Hanover,  in  1846. 
His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Blais- 
dell)  Kimball,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire  and  the  latter  of  Maine.  The  fa- 
ther moved  to  Maine  as  a  young  man  and 
there  was  married.  He  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  sawmilling  until  his  death,  in 


1869,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  The  mother 
survived  him  fourteen  years,  dying  in 
1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  their 
son  G.  P.  O.  was  the  last  born.  His  boyhood 
and  youth  were  passed  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
state,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  moved 
to  Pennsylvania  and  went  to  work  in  the  lum- 
ber industry.  For  four  years  he  was  thus 
employed  in  that  state,  and  in  1870  came  to 
Colorado,  settling  at  Central  City,  where  he 
remained  a  year.  From  there  he  moved  to 
Middle  Park  and  there  was  engaged  in  mining 
until  1884,  then  changed  his  base  of  operations 
to  the  vicinity  of  Collbran,  Mesa  county,  where 
he  resided  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  took  up  his  residence  on  the  ranch  he  now 
occupies  in  Garfield  county,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  He  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
stock  industry  in  this  section,  having  been  the 
first  man  to  bring  cattle  in  numbers  into  the 
region,  and  since  starting  it  here  he  has  stead- 
ily engaged  in  it  and  has  helped  to  augment 
it  to  its  present  large  proportions.  When  he 
came  into  the  region  it  was  necessary  to  trans- 
port everything  in  by  pack  animals.  He  was 
very  poor  then  but  is  now  well-to-do.  For 
three  years  he  gave  the  county  faithful  and 
valued  service  as  a  county  commissioner,  and 
has  been  otherwise  prominent  in  public  affairs. 
He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  In  1888  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  C.  Frasier. 

FRED  D.  WILLSON. 

Born  in  rather  humble  circumstances  in 
Massachusetts  and  removing  from  there  with 
his  parents  to  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin  when 
he  was  but  five  years  old,  and  in  that  state 
reared  to  a  life  of  toil  on  a  farm  in  the  newer 
and  more  undeveloped  section  of  what  was 
then  the  West,  Fred  D.  Willson,  of  Garfield 


404 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


county,  Colorado,  had  neither  the  favors  of 
fortune  to  give  him  a  start  in  life  nor  the  ad- 
vanced education  to  prepare  him  for  one.  He 
began  with  nothing  but  his  own  natural  en- 
dowment of  determination  and  persistent 
energy,  and  his  unrelenting  self-reliance,  and 
all  the  progress  he  has  made  is  the  result  of 
his  own  efforts  and  capacity.  His  life  began  in 
1859,  and  he  was  the  third  of  the  seven  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents.  About  the  year 
1863,  when  he  was  yet  a  child  of  but  four 
years  of  age,  the  family  moved  to  Wisconsin 
where  his  father,  Daniel  S.  Willson,  ended  his 
days,  dying  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 
His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eliza 
Woods,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
is  now  living  in  Wisconsin.  The  parents  were 
industrious  and  thrifty  farmers,  and  sought 
in  the  new  state  to  which  they  moved  better 
opportunities  of  rearing  and  providing  for  their 
offspring  than  their  native  place  seemed  to 
offer.  But  they  found  the  conditions  of  fron- 
tier life  less  fruitful  and  more  difficult  than 
they  anticipated,  and  they  could  at  best  give  the 
children  good  training  in  active  industry  and 
the  example  of  faithful  performance  of  duty ; 
and  in  this  way  they  inculcated  lessons  of  self- 
denial  and  self-reliance,  which  after  all  may 
have  been  the  best  estate  they  could  have  con- 
ferred. Their  son  Fred  passed  his  boyhood 
and  youth  in  his  new  home,  attending  school 
-in  the  neighborhood  as  he  had  opportunity  and 
acquiring  habits  of  useful  labor  and  a  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead. At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  started  in 
life  for  himself,  working  on  farms  near  his 
home.  He  continued  this  line  of  activity  there 
two  years,  then  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at 
Red  Cliff  in  Eagle  county.  He  passed  two 
years  there  engaged  in  prospecting  and  min- 
ing, and  at  the  end  of  that  time  moved  to 
where  he  now  lives  on  a  ranch  in  Garfield 
county,  located  on  Roan  creek,  about  sixteen 


miles  north  of  the  village  of  Debeque.  Here  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  rais- 
ing stock,  improving  his  land  and  increasing 
its  productiveness,  and  helping  to  develop  the 
resources  of  the  section  and  promote  its  prog- 
ress. He  has  been  active  and  serviceable  in  all 
public  affairs  and,  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
general  good,  has  aided  in  pushing  forward 
every  commendable  enterprise  for  the  welfare 
of  the  section  in  which  he  lives.  In  the  social 
and  fraternal  life  of  the  community  he  has  been 
a  helpful  factor,  being  a  prominent  member 
of  Roan  Creek  Lodge,  No.  125,  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  and  influential  in  all  commercial, 
industrial  and  educational  movements.  His 
ranch  shows  the  marks  of  his  enterprise  and 
skill,  and  his  impress  on  the  general  activities 
of  the  section  has  been  pronounced  and  bene- 
ficial. His  position  as  a  leading  and  repre- 
sentative man  is  unquestioned  and  his  hold 
on  public  confidence  and  esteem  is  equally  well 
established,  as  it  is  well  merited. 

DAVID  BAKER. 

David  Baker,  one  of  the  substantial  and 
successful  farmers  of  Garfield  county,  whose 
attractive  and  well  improved  ranch  lies  on 
Conn  creek,  twelve  miles  north  of  the  village 
of- Debeque,  has  lived  in  several  states  and 
mingled  with  the  agricultural  interests  there- 
of in  a  practical  way,  mastering  the  business 
and  indulging  a  natural  taste  for  rural  life 
and  pursuits.  He  was  born  in  Muscatine 
county,  Iowa,  in  1849,  and  is  the  son  of  David 
and  Mary  (Miller)  Baker,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ger- 
many. The  father  settled  in  Ohio  in  early 
life,  and  later  lived  in  Iowa,  Kansas  and  Mis- 
souri, ending  his  life  in  the  state  last  named  on 
January  30,  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years.  His  wife  died  in  Iowa  in  1857.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  David  be- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


405 


ing  the  second.  His  boyhood  was  passed  in 
Iowa,  Kansas  and  Missouri,  and  owing  to  the 
migratonr  life  of  the  family  his  opportunities 
for  regular  attendance  at  school  were  few  and 
interrupted.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  en- 
tered upon  the  task  of  making  his  own  liveli- 
hood, and  during  the  next  eight  years  was 
variously  employed  in  the-  neighborhood  of 
his  Missouri  home.  In  1873  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  remained  a  short  time  in  Douglas 
county,  then  returned  to  Missouri.  The  next 
year  he  again  became  a  resident  of  this  state, 
locating  in.  El  Paso  county,  where  for  eleven 
months  he  was  employed  in  logging.  From 
there  he  moved  to  the  San  Luis  valley.  Here 
he  was  engaged  eight  years  as  a  range  rider 
and  herdsman  for  W.  D.  &  J.  G.  Coberly,  a 
portion  of  the  time  being  spent  in  Huerfano 
county  and  a  portion  also  in  Grand  county. 
In  1883  he  moved  to  where  he  now  lives  in 
Garfield  county,  locating  on  an  excellent  ranch 
on  Conn  creek  which  he  has  since  greatly  im- 
proved and  increased  in  productiveness.  In 
1897  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  Arm- 
strong and  they  have  two  children,  John  D. 
and  Mary  E.  Mr.  Baker's  life  has  not  wholly 
passed  in  the  pursuits  of  peace.  In  1868  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  'Nineteenth  Kansas 
Cavalry,  for  a  campaign  of  six  months  against 
the  Indians,  and  rendered  valiant  service,  and 
in  every  way  has  always  been  ready  to  take 
his  part  of  any  public  burden. 

DR.  W.  W.  TICHENOR. 

Born  amid  quiet  rural  scenes  in  the  in- 
terior of  Wisconsin  in  1854,  Dr.  W.  W.  Tich- 
enor,  of  Rifle,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of 
Garfield  county,  this  state,  and  also  a  prom- 
inent fruit-grower,  saw  little  in  the  circum- 
stances of  his  early  life  to  suggest  the  stirring 
scenes  of  turbulence  and  danger  through 
which  he  was  destined  to  pass.  He  is  a  son  of 


Alphonso  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Utt)  Tichenor, 
natives  of  New  York,  and  was  the  second 
born  of  their  six  children.  His  father  was  a 
prominent  physician  in  his  native  state,  Wis- 
consin, and  also  in  Iowa.  He  now  resides  at 
Portland,  Oregon.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  Thirty- 
first  Wisconsin  Infantry  but  did  not  get  into- 
active  field  service,  being  assigned  to  the  hos- 
pital at  Madison  as  surgeon  in  charge  through- 
out the  term  of  his  enlistment.  He  had  a 
brother,  however,  who  laid  his  life  on  the  al- 
tar of  his  country,  dying  in  Libby  prison. 
The  mother  died  in  1864.  Dr.  Tichenor  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa, 
and  received  his  professional  instruction  at 
the  Eclectic  Medical  College  of  Cincinnati, 
where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1873.  He  went  at 
once  to  Dodge  City,  Kansas,  and  began  prac- 
ticing his  profession.  Seven  months  later  he 
moved  to  Bazine,  Ness  county,  in  that  state, 
and  there  took  up  a  homestead  which  he  de- 
veloped and  reduced  to  cultivation  in  connec- 
tion with  his  practice.  During  the  time  of  his 
residence  in  that  county  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff,  and  served  through  the  times 
that  were  so  full  of  trouble  with  horse  and 
cattle  thieves.  His  life  was  frequently  threat- 
ened, and  he  had  numerous  warnings  tacked 
on  his  door  that  unless  he  left  the  country  he 
would  be  killed.  He  had  no  idea,  however, 
of  running  away  from  duty  and  dared  his 
threateners  to  do  their  worst.  Persevering  in 
the  performance  of  his  official  duties,  he  aided 
materially  in  reducing  the  lawless  element  to 
subjection  and  restoring  peace  and  order  in 
the  county.  In  1887  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  settled  at  Rifle,  where  he  has  since  lived 
and  practiced  medicine,  except  during  four 
years  when  he  gave  up  professional  work  on 
account  of  the  state  of  his  health.  He  is  still 
in  active  general  practice  and  has  a  high  rank 


406 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  professional  circles,  and  is  well  esteemed 
by  his  large  body  of  patrons.  In  addition  to 
his  regular  business  he  has  a  fine  orchard  of 
choice  fruit  trees  about  one  mile  and  three- 
quarters  from  the  town,  which  yields  abund- 
antly and  is  a  source  of  profit  and  great  pleas- 
ure and  pride  to  him.  In  1876  he  married 
Miss  Clara  Brown,  and  the  union  resulted  in 
two  children,  Maud  and  Alphonso,  the  latter 
named  for  the  Doctor's  father.  In  1894  he 
married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Marion  Arnold, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Wilfred,  Marion 
and  Mabel.  The  Doctor  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  belonging 
to  Rifle  Lodge,  No.  303.  He  has  been  actively 
connected  with  all  undertakings  for  the  im- 
provement of  his  community  and  throughout 
its  extent  and  a  much  wider  area  is  highly  es- 
teemed as  a  leading  and  representative  citizen, 
a  civic  force  of  potency  and  usefulness,  a  man 
of  broad  professional  attainments  and  a  gen- 
tleman of  elevated  social  culture. 

ISEM  W.  GRAHAM. 

With  a  prosperous  and  steadily  expanding 
farming  and  stock  industry  to  engage  his  time 
and  energies,  and  so  well  established  in  the 
esteem  and  good  will  of  his  community  that 
the  plateau  on  which  he  lives  has  been  named 
Graham  mesa  in  his  honor,  the  subject  of  this 
•brief  review  has  found  in  this  western  world 
the  success  in  business  and  influence  among 
his  fellow  men  for  which  he  is  well  fitted  by 
nature  and  attainments,  and  is  justifying  the 
promise  of  his  early  life  made  manifest  by 
even  youthful  exhibitions  of  energy  and  ca- 
pacity. He  is  a  native  of  Springville,  Wiscon- 
sin, born  in  August,  1856,  and  the  son  of  Lewis 
and  Electra  C.  (Shown)  Graham,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Illinois  and  Indiana.  His  father 
was  a  miller  by  trade  and  followed  his  craft 
in  connection  with  farming  for  many  years  in 


Wisconsin.  The  family  then  moved  to  Min- 
nesota, where  he  died  in  1879,  aged  fifty-three 
years.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
as  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred 
and  Thirteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  serving  in 
that  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  war. 
The  mother  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven.  Her  father  was  a  veteran  of  the  war 
of  1812,  and  regaled  her  childhood  with  stir- 
ring tales  of  events  in  that  short  but  decisive 
contest.  The  family  comprised  five  children, 
of  whom  Isem  was  the  first  born.  He  lived 
in  Wisconsin  to  the  age  of  twelve,  then  moved 
with  the  rest  of  the  family  to  Minnesota.  In 
1 88 1  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  Park 
county.  For  five  years  he  was  employed  in  a 
store  there,  then  moved  to*  the  vicinity  of 
Rifle,  where  he  now  lives,  and  settled  on  a 
ranch  on  Graham  mesa,  which,  as  has  been 
noted,  was  named  in  his  honor.  Since  then 
he  has  made  his  home  on  this  ranch  and  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
high-grade  stock.  He  was  married  in  1889 
to  Miss  Jennie  Mullen,  and  they  have  had  six 
children.  Elmer,  Claud,  Albert,  Henry,  Eber 
and  Violet,  the  last  named  dying  in  1902,  at 
the  age  of  ten  months.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  order  of  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  is  successful  in  business  and 
prominent  in  public  life,  and  is  widely  es- 
teemed in  the  community  where  he  has  so  long 
lived  and  successfully  labored. 

MARTIN  H.  STREIT. 

Martin  H.  Streit,  of  Parachute,  Colorado, 
who  has  during  the  last  nine  years  faithfully 
and  capably  discharged  the  duties  of  postmaster 
of  this  progressive  and  enterprising  little  town, 
is  a  native  of  Erie  county,  New  York,  and 
was  born  in  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Michael 
and  Magdalena  (Ley)  Streit,  natives  of  Lor- 
raine, one  of  the  provinces  wrested  by  fortunes 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


407 


of  war  from  France  "by  Germany,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  about  the  year  1840  and 
settled  in  New  York,  where  they  remained 
until  1852,  then  moved  to  Indiana.  There 
the  father  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  died 
in  1872,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven.  The  mother 
is  still  living  in  that  state  and  is  past  ninety 
years  of  age.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  under 
Bonaparte  and  her  childish  fancies  were  kin- 
dled with  his  stirring  accounts  of  the  battles 
and  marches  in  which  he  took  part  under  that 
great  commander.  The  family  numbered 
eleven  children,  of  whom  Martin  was  the  third. 
He  began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  at  the 
age  of  eleven,  being  then  employed  in  a  furni- 
ture factory  at  North  Vernon,  Indiana.  In 
1859  he  left  that  town  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  and  where  he 
remained  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  then  returned  home  and  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  Twenty-second  Indiana  Infantry,  for 
a  term  of  three  years.  His  regiment  was  soon 
in  active  field  service,  and  he  saw  much  of  the 
horror  of  the  mighty  conflict  until  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge.  There 
he  received  three  wrounds,  being  shot  in  the 
leg  and  the  right  wrist  and  injured  in  one  of 
his  eyes.  He  was  soon  afterward  discharged 
on  account  of  the  disabilities  thus  incurred,  and 
sent  home.  After  drifting  around  a  few  years 
at  various  occupations,  he  located  at  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
boot  and  shoe  business  during  the  next  ten 
years.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  set- 
tled at  Gunnison.  Here  he  remained  four 
years  prospecting  and  mining,  then  went  to 
work  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  ^Grande  Express 
Company  as  a  messenger  on  trains.  He  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  this  company  three 
years  and  a  half,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
late  in  1887,  moved  to  Parachute  in  Garfield 
county,  Colorado,  and  started  an  enterprise  in 


ranching  and  raising  cattle  which  he  after- 
ward abandoned  and  turned  his  attention  to 
dealing  in  real  estate,  in  which  he  is  now 
successfully  occupied.  In  1894  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Parachute,  and  he  has 
held  the  office  continuously  since  that  time, 
giving  general  satisfaction  in  the  discharge  of 
his  official  duties.  He  was  the  first  Repub- 
lican, and  for  a  number  of  years  the  only  one, 
in  this  locality.  In  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  the  section  he  has  taken  an  active 
part,  having  been  one  of  the  originators  of 
what  is  now  called  the  Wilcox  Ditch  and  Grand 
Valley  Improving  Company,  and  a  forceful 
factor  in  other  works  of  public  utility.  In  1870 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sadie  B.  Powell,  a  na- 
tive of  Davis  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Streit  is  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  Parachute,  he 
having  helped  to  lay  out  the  town  site  and 
start  the  village  on  its  way  of  progress  and 
vitality.  This  prosperous  village  has  since 
changed  its  name  to  Grand  Valley.  He  is  at 
present  one  of  its  leading  and  representative 
citizens,  and  manifests  a  warm  and  serviceable 
interest  in  every  element  of  its  welfare. 

ENOS  F.  YEOMAN. 

After  years  of  storm  and  danger  since 
reaching  man's  estate,  and  enduring  hardship 
and  privation  in  almost  every  form,  Enos  F. 
Yeoman,  of  the  Parachute  creek  region,  Gar- 
field  county,  has  found  a  peaceful  home  amid 
the  abundant  opportunities  and  large  rewards, 
for  systematic  labor  offered  in  the  state  of 
Colorado.  He  was  born  in  1842  in  Fayette 
county,  Ohio,  the  place  of  nativity  also  of  his 
parents,  Levi  and  Mary  J.  (White)  Yeoman, 
well-to-do  farmers  of  that  state.  The  mother 
died  in  1855  and  the  father  in  1863.  Their 
offspring  numbered  seven,  Enos  being  the  sec- 
ond. He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  bore 
his  part  in  its  useful  labors  until  the  beginning 


408 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  Forty-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served  three  years,  six  months  and  fifteen  days. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  at 
Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  found  employment 
as  a  government  scout.  He  was  sent  to  Fort 
Bowie  in  the  Chiricahua  mountains  in  Arizona, 
where  he  remained  until  1876,  then  returned  to 
Wyoming  and  was  employed  as  a  scout  in 
the  Sioux  war  of  that  year  under  Generals 
Crook  and  Merritt  and  in  this  campaign  saw 
hard  service  and  had  many  narrow  escapes. 
He  was  with  Thornburg  at  the  Mill  Creek  mas- 
sacre and  in  many  other  of  the  noted  en- 
gagements of  the  time.  After  the  close  of  this 
war  he  went  to  Nebraska  and  in  1880  was 
married  to  Hiss  Ellen  Shimel,  of  Iowa.  He 
then  moved  to  where  he  now  resides  on  Para- 
chute creek  and  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  raising  stock.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  school  affairs,  being  sec- 
retary of  the  local  school  board,  and  in  other 
phases  of  the  public  life  of  his  community.  He 
is  a  social  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  Mel- 
vin,  Elmo,  Blanch,  Jessie,  Clifford,  Grace  and 
Lela.  Another  daughter  named  Maud  died  in 
1900,  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Mr.  Yeoman 
is  diligent  and  faithful  in  all  the  duties  of  citi- 
zenship and  no  man  in  his  community  is  more 
highly  or  more  generally  esteemed. 

DAVID   J.    HOFFMAN. 

The  fifth  of  thirteen  children  born  to  his 
parents,  and  obliged  by  the  circumstances  of 
the  family  to  begin  earning  his  own  living 
early  in  life,  David  J.  Hoffman,  of  Parachute, 
Garfield  county,  had  but  limited  educational 
advantages  except  in  the  rugged  but  thorough 
school  of  experience,  and  his  rise  to  comfort 
and  consequence  is  therefore  the  result  of  his 


own  endeavors  and  force  of  character.  He 
was  born  June  n,  1838,  at  Lapeer,  Michigan, 
where  his  parents  settled  some  years  before, 
and  is  the  son  of  Peter  C.  and  Sarah  (Taylor) 
Hoffman,  now  both  deceased.  The  father  was 
a  German  by  nativity  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1811,  locating  and  living  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  near  Boston.  Later  he  moved 
his  family  to  Michigan,  and  after  a  long  course 
of  industry  at  his  trade  as  a  cabinetmaker,  died 
at  Lapeer  in  1866,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  The 
mother  was  born  and  reared  in  New  York, 
and  died  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two.  Their  son  David  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  town,  and  after  reaching  his  major- 
ity went  to  work  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  remaining 
there  thus  engaged  until  1862.  He  then  en- 
listed in  defense  of  the  Union  in  Company  I, 
Twentieth  Michigan  Infantry,  and  served  his 
full  term  of  three  years  in  that  command.  He 
was  mustered  out  in  July,  1865,  and  soon  after 
went  to  Ohio  and  began  business  as  a  contrac- 
tor in  railroad  construction  work,  especially 
building  bridges.  He  continued  actively  occu- 
pied in  this  line  eight  years,  and  in  1879,  dur- 
ing the  Leadville,  Colorado,  gold  excitement, 
came  to  that  place.  Until  1884  ne  remained 
there  prospecting  and  mining,  and  following 
other  occupations,  then  settled  on  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns  and  resides  on  near  Para- 
chute, Garfield  county.  His  ranch  is  pleas- 
antly located  on  Parachute  creek  and  com- 
prises a  large  body  of  fertile  and  productive 
land;  and  on  it  he  has  conducted  a  profitable 
and  expanding  farming  and  stock  industry. 
He  also  runs  a  cafe  in  the  village  and  carries 
on  a  thriving  business  at  his  trade.  In  1861 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Hyde,  who  died 
in  1885,  leaving  three  children,  Gerland,  Ida 
and  Cora.  In  1891  Mr.  Hoffman  married  a 
second  wife,  Miss  Sarah  Brown,  whose  death 
occurred  July  8,  1904.  His  war  experience 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


409 


was  a  severe  and  trying  one,  and  he  keeps  alive 
its  memories  and  companionships  by  taking  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  and  meetings  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  holding  his 
membership  in  the  post  of  the  order  at  Rifle. 
He  is  an  industrious,  law-abiding  citizen,  with 
a  deep  and  intelligent  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  his  country  in  general  and  the  section  of  his 
residence  in  particular,  and  he  is  well  esteemed 
wherever  he  is  known  for  his  breadth  of  view, 
his  public  spirit  and  the  sterling  qualities  of 
manhood  generally  which  he  exhibits. 

EDWARD  G.  BARTHEL. 

Edward  G.  Barthel,  now  a  prosperous 
and  enterprising  farmer  and  stock  man  of  Gar- 
field  county,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
village  of  Parachute,  has  had  a  varied  and  in- 
teresting experience,  in  the  course  of  which  he 
has  dwelt  in  a  number  of  places  and  engaged 
in  several  different  pursuits.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  was  born  in  1866, 
at  the  town  of  Stratford.  His  parents  were 
Louis  and  Rachel  (Kastner)  Barthel,  both  na- 
tives of  Ontario,  where  the  father  acquired 
and  wrought  at  his  trade  as  a  machinist.  In 
1879  they  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  in 
Gunnison  county,  remaining  there  until  1887. 
At  that  time  they  changed  their  residence  to 
Garfield  county,  and  there  the  father  died  in 
1889,  aged  fifty-three  years.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  eleven  years,  dying  in  1900,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-eight.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  and  their  son  John,  the  second  born, 
was  obliged  to  begin  making  his  own  way  in 
the  world  at  an  early  age.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
he  became  an  office  boy  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  and 
three  years  later  came  to  Colorado,  and  lo- 
cating in  Gunnison  county,  passed  several  years 
in  mining.  In  1890  he  moved  to  the  Para- 
chute creek  country  and  followed  farming  in 
that  fertile  region.  Several  years  afterward  he 


went  to  Prescott,  Arizona,  and  there  clerked 
in  the  store  of  Aitkin  &  Robinson  four  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  into  mercan- 
tile business  for  himself  in  the  gents'  furnish- 
ing and  haberdashery  line,  and  during  the  next 
three  years  carried  on  a  flourishing  trade 
throughout  a  large  scope  of  country.  Tiring  of 
mercantile  life,  he  returned  to  Parachute  and 
again  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock, 
at  which  he  has  since  been  occupied  with  suc- 
cessful results.  In  1887  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Jennie  Wilson,  a  native  of 
Chicago,  Illinois.  They  have  one  child,  their 
daughter  Bessie.  In  the  various  places  of  his 
residence  Mr.  Barthel  has  won  warm  com- 
mendation for  his  advanced  ideas,  force  of 
character  and  strong  and  upright  citizenship. 
He  stands  high  in  his  present  community  and 
has  hosts  of  friends. 

JAMES  T.  McCARY. 

The  scion  of  an  old  Virginia  family  that 
staked  its  all  on  the  fortunes  of  the  Confed- 
eracy and  lost  all,  James  T.  McCary,  of  Gar- 
field  county,  this  state,  was  obliged  to  begin  life 
with  nothing  and  make  his  way  in  the  contest 
for  supremacy  among  men  by  his  own  efforts. 
He  was  born  near  the  historic  city  of  Rich- 
mond, in  the  Old  Dominion,  in  1858,  and  is 
the  son  of  Craven  P.  and  Mary  (Weigand) 
McCary,  also  natives  of  Virginia.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Civil  war  the  father  enlisted*  in 
the  Southern  army  and  during  the  four  years 
of  the  awful  conflict  he  was  in  active  service, 
following  his  convictions  through  one  deluge 
of  death  after  another  until  the  last  flag  of  his 
cause  was  furled  in  final  and  unconditional 
surrender.  He  moved  his  family  to  Colorado 
in  1872,  and  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter 
was  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
cattle.  He  retired  from  active  pursuits  some 
time  ago  on  account  of  the  infirmities  of  ad- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


vancing  age,  and  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
son.  His  wife  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  fifty. 
Several  of  her  brothers  were  also  valiant  sol- 
diers in  the  Confederacy.  Her  son  James  was 
the  first  born  of  her  thirteen  children,  and 
passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native  place  in  the 
very  midst  of  alarms,  for  their  home  was  at 
the  very  front  in  the  hostile  section  and  was 
wasted  by  both  armies  in  turn.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen,  in  1872,  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  state,  and  soon  afterward  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business  in  company  with  his  father.  In 
1882  he  sold  his  interests  in  the  business  and 
removed  to  Grand  Junction,  Mesa  county. 
Here  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account, 
and  seeing  the  promising  conditions  for  fruit 
culture  in  this  now  prolific  section  in  this  prod- 
uct, he  planted  the  first  orchard  in  the  region. 
In  1892  he  left  there  for  Cripple  Creek  in  hope 
of  making  a  rapid  and  substantial  improve- 
ment in  his  fortunes  by  mining.  During  the 
next  five  years  he  followed  this  engrossing  but 
delusive  occupation,  and  in  1897  turned  his 
attention  once  more  to  farming  and  the  stock 
industry,  locating  on  the  ranch  which  he  now 
occupies  and  owns  on  the  banks  of  Grand 
river  in  Garfield  county,  known  as  the 
"Evergreen  Fruit  Farm."  His  attention  has 
more  recently,  however,  been  absorbed  in  fruit 
culture,  his  place  being  well  adapted  to  this  in- 
dustry, and  his  fine  orchards  being  abundant 
in  their  yield.  Mr.  McCary  is  proprietor  of 
the  Evergreen  Fruit  Farm,  the  finest  in  the 
county,  consisting  mostly  of  apple  and  peach 
trees.  He  has  all  carefully  selected  varieties, 
showing  him  to  be  master  of  his  chosen  enter- 
prise. His  is  strictly  a  fruit  farm  and  he  is  a 
fruit  man,  clearly  understanding  the  propagat- 
ing and  care  of  trees  to  insure  the  highest 
quality  of  fruit,  and  today  Mr.  McCary  is 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  orchardists  in 
Garfield  county.  In  1885  ne  was  married  to 
Miss  Josie  Lomar,  who  died  in  1887,  at  the 


age  of  twenty,  leaving  one  child,  their  daugh- 
ter Josie.  Two  years  later  he  contracted  a 
second  marriage,  his  choice  on  this  occasion 
being  Miss  'Mary  Evans,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Vida,  Dolly  and  James.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cary is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive men  of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  stands 
well  in  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all  who 
know  him.  He  is  prosperous  in  his  business, 
driving  it  with  energy  and  intelligence,  and 
he  brings  to  the  service  of  his  community  the 
same  qualities,  which  he  applies  to  matters  of 
public  interest  with  breadth  of  view  and  a 
patriotic  devotion  to  the  progress  and  welfare 
of  his  county  and  state. 

JOSEPH  M.  DYER. 

The  scion  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  which, 
like  many  others,  sought  a  new  home  and 
larger  hopes  in  the  undeveloped  West,  Joseph 
M.  Dyer,  of  Garfield  county,  Colorado,  true 
to  the  traditions  and  practice  of  his  ancestors, 
became  a  pioneer  and  has  materially  aided  in 
building  up  his  portion  of  this  state  as  they 
did  portions  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
valleys.  His  grandfather,  John  Dyer,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia  and  an  early  settler  in  Ohio, 
where  Joseph's  father,  also  named  Joseph,  was 
born  and  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
a  number  of  years  after  reaching  his  maturity. 
He  married  Miss  Margaret  McClintock,  and 
soon  afterward  they  moved  to  Fulton  county, 
Illinois,  and  here  Joseph,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  was  born  August  12,  1836. 
Four  years  later  the  father  died,  aged  about 
forty  years,  and  the  duty  of  rearing  her  family 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  Joseph  was  the, 
fifth,  devolved  on  the  mother.  She  took  up 
her  task  with  a  faithful  and  resolute  spirit  and, 
although  she  was  unable  to  give  her  offspring 
all  the  educational  and  social  advantages  she 
wished,  she  did  prepare  them  for  the  business 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


411 


of  life  by  teaching  them  habits  of  industry  and 
frugality,  and  lived  to  see  them  well  established 
and  prosperous  in  their  several  localities.  She 
passed  away  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 
Joseph  passed  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early 
manhood  on  the  home  farm,  remaining  with 
his  mother  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
war,  when,  in  August,  1861,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the 
Union  in  Company  A,  Forty-seventh  Illinois 
Infantry.  His  regiment  was  soon  in  the  midst 
of  active  field  service,  and  he  participated  in 
a  number  of  leading  battles,  among  them  the 
contest  at  Farmington,  Mississippi,  the  siege 
of  Corinth  and  its  subsequent  defense,  the  bat- 
tles of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  and  Pittsburg 
Landing,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  many 
others.  He  was  discharged  from  the  service 
at  Springfield,  Illinois,  o'n  October  u,  1864. 
and  at  once  turned  his  attention  to  fanning 
in  that  state,  remaining  there  and  so  occu- 
pied until  1883.  In  the  meantime  he  served 
there  seven  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
one  year  as  township  assessor.  In  1883  he 
moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Tincup,  Gun- 
nison  county,  where  he  prospected  and  also 
worked  in  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  for  about  four  years.  He  then  moved 
to  the  Balzac  ranch,  on  which  he  has  since 
lived  and  conducted  a  flourishing  stock  and 
farming  industry  and  raised  fruit  on  a  scale 
of  considerable  magnitude.  He  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  public  affairs  also,  especially 
in  the  cause  of  public  education,  having  served 
some  years  as  school  director.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1855  to  Miss  Hannah  Hall.  They  have 
four  children,  Nettie,  Frances  M.,  Mary  J. 
and  Alexander. 

EDMUND  F.  CAMPBELL. 

Edmund  F.  Campbell,  a  prosperous  and 
enterprising  ranchman  and  fruit  grower,  liv- 
ing on  the  Battlement  ranch,  five  miles  east  of 


Parachute,  Garfield  county,  which  he  owns 
and  farms,  and  a  prominent  public  man  and 
valued  official  in  his  neighborhood,  is  a  native 
of  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada,  where  he 
was  born  June  i,.i847,  and  'ls  tne  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Christy  (Frazer)  Campbell,  the  fa- 
ther a  native  of  the  island,  where  he  was  a 
farmer  and  sea-faring  man,  and  where  he  died 
in  1870.  aged  eighty-five.  His  parents  were 
born  and  reared  in  Scotland,  of  which  country 
his  wife  was  also  a  native.  She  died  in  1890, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  Their  son  Edmund 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land,  and 
was  specially  prepared  for  business  at  the 
Eaton  &  Frasee  Commercial  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1877.  At  the  age  of 
thirty-two  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Central  City  where  he  was  engaged  in  min- 
ing for  about  six  months.  He  then  moved  to 
Redcliff  and  during  the  next  five  years  was 
occupied  in  mining  there.  Turning  his  atten- 
tion to  politics,  he  became  the  first  clerk  of 
Eagle  county,  and  was  also  justice  of  the  peace 
and  police  justice  for  two  years.  From  Eagle 
county  he  moved  to  Garfield  and  took  up  his 
residence  on  the  ranch  he  has  since  owned  and 
occupied,  and  here  he  has  conducted  a  thriv- 
ing business  in  general  ranching  and  fruit 
culture.  He  has  also  been  a  justice  of  the 
peace  eight  years  in  this  county,  for  two  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  state  fish  hatchery, 
in  1902  was  horticultural  inspector,  and  is  now 
treasurer  of  the  school  district.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  but  is  a  broad-minded  and  pro- 
gressive man,  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  his  community  and  held  in  the  highest  es- 
teem by  all  classes  of  its  people.  Although 
he  has  never  married,  Mr.  Campbell  manifests 
as  earnest  and  intelligent  desire  for  the  promo- 
tion of  every  element  of  greatness  and  progress 
as  any  man  of  family,  and  gives  himself  as 
vigorously  as  any  other  citizen  to  the  aid  of 
every  commendable  enterprise  involving  the 
best  interests  of  the  people. 


412 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


McKAY  RUSSEY. 

McKay  Russey,  of  Rifle,  Garfield  county, 
is  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  born  in 
1845,  and  the  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Davenport)  Russey.  His  father  was  a  North 
Carolinian  by  nativity,  and  was  prominent  in 
the  oil  business  in  the  early  days  of  its  his- 
tory. Later  in  life  he  kept  a  hotel  at  Hart- 
ford City,  Indiana,  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two,  when  his  son  McKay  was 
quite  young.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  died  in  1893,  aged 
seventy-six,  leaving  six  children,  of  whom 
McKay  was  the  fourth.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen,  attending 
school  in  the  neighborhood  when  he  could, 
and  looking  forward  eagerly  to  making  his 
own  way  in  the  world.  In  1863  ne  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army,  in  Company  I,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirtieth  Indiana  Infantry,  for  a 
term  of  three  years  or  during  the  war,  and 
was  discharged  in  December,  1865.  He  was 
in  a  number  of  important  battles,  especially 
the  one  at  Nashville  and  those  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  After  the  close  of  the  war  and  his 
discharge  he  went  to  Texas  and  engaged  in 
the  stock  industry  for  about  two  years.  He 
then  took  up  his  residence  at  Parsons,  Kan- 
sas, and  there  opened  a  livery  business  which 
he  carried  on  seven  years.  From  there  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Glenwood 
vSprings  where  he  again  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  until  1887,  when  he  moved  to  Rifle, 
and  at  first  turned  his  attention  to  raising  stock, 
afterward  starting  a  livery  business  here  also. 
He  is  now  solicitor  for  the  Colorado  Stage  & 
Transportation  Company,  with  headquarters 
at  Rifle.  Mr.  Russey's  varied  and  active  ca- 
reer has  given  him  good  business  experience 
and  capacity  which  make  him  a  valuable  ad- 
junct to  any  enterprise  requiring  energy, 
.knowledge  of  men  and  breadth  of  view,  and 


his  services  to  the  company  for  which  he  is 
now  working  are  highly  valued.  He  is  also 
much  respected  as  a  good  citizen  and  leading 
man,  and  one  who  has  the  essential  good  of 
the  community  very  much  at  heart. 

WILLIAM  H.  WILKINSON. 

Belonging  to  a  military  strain  active  in  the 
service  of  their  country  at  different  times  and 
places,  losing  an  uncle  at  the  battle  of  Tippe- 
canoe,  and  himself  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  William  H.  .  Wilkinson,  of  Garfield 
county,  now  prosperously  engaged  in  raising 
fruit  and  live  stock  on  a  fine  ranch  located 
some  eight  miles  east  of  Parachute,  has  shown, 
as  have  other  members  of  his  family,  the  same 
patriotic  spirit  when  the  integrity  of  the  land 
was  threatened  in  war  as  he  has  exhibited  by 
his  useful  and  productive  industry  in  times  of 
peace.  He  was  born  February  28,  1837,  in 
Illinois,  not  far  from  Peoria,  where  his  par- 
ents, Aaron  and  Sarah  (Harlan)  Wilkinson, 
settled  on  arriving  from  their  native  Virginia 
and  Ohio,  respectively,  in  1835.  They  were 
well-to-do  farmers  and  ended  their  days  there, 
the  father  dying  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two,  and  the  mother  in  1901,  aged  eighty- 
seven.  Her  father,  Moses  Harlan,  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  section  and  served  at 
times  in  the  Illinois  legislature.  William,  the 
second  of  the  eleven  children  in  the  family,  was 
reared  to  manhood  on  the  paternal  homestead 
and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  was 
attending  Lombard  College  at  Galesburg,  in 
his  native  state.  After  the  riot  in  Baltimore  on 
April  19,  1861,  he  promptly  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  Second  Light  Artillery  of  Illinois, 
under  Captain  Davidson,  for  a  term  of  three 
years.  He  saw  much  hard  and  dangerous 
service  and  participated  in  a  number  of  im- 
portant engagements,  among  them  the  battles 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  Pea  Ridge,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River 
Bridge,  Fort  Gaines  and  Fort  Morgan  on 
Mobile  Bay,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  At 
the  last  he  was  overcome  by  the  heat  and  suf- 
fered a  severe  sunstroke,  from  which,  how- 
ever, he  seems  to  have  suffered  no  serious  per- 
manent injury.  Being  mustered  out  of  service 
on  September  14,  1864,  he  turned  his  attention 
again  to  farming  in  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  set- 
tled at  Boulder.  After  a  residence  of  three 
years  there  he  moved  to  Summit  county  and 
followed  prospecting  and  gulch  mining  for 
some  time.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Edwin  Carter  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  col- 
lection of  birds  and  animals.  They  succeeded 
in  getting  a  valuable  collection  together,  which 
is  now  one  of  the  choice  contributions  to  the 
study  of  natural  history  at  Denver,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  state  of  his  health  Mr.  Wilkinson 
was  obliged  to  abandon  the  enterprise  and  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  work  and  bought  the 
ranch  on  the  Grand  river  on  which  he  now  lives. 
This  was  in  1882,  and  since  then  he  has  made 
his  home  here  and  been  actively  engaged  in 
raising  live  stock  and  fruit.  He  was  married 
in  1890  to  Mrs.  Catharine  (Willet)  Robeson, 
of  New  Jersey,  a  widow  with  two  children, 
Fannie  and  Charles.  Mr.  Wilkinson  belongs  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  holding  his 
membership  in  Marion  W.  Reed  Post,  No.  108, 
at  Rifle.  When  he  came  into  this  country  the 
means  of  transportation  were  crude  and 
primitive.  All  supplies  and  every  kind  of  com- 
modity had  to  be  brought  in  from  Grand  Junc- 
tion, a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  on  pack  animals, 
and  the  conveniences  of  life  in  the  neighbor- 
hood were  equally  crude  and  primitive,  so  that 
he  and  his  early  companions  had  their  share 
of  hardships  and  privations,  and  know  how  to 
appreciate  at  full  value  the  better  advantages 
and  enjoyments  now  prevalent  in  this  section 
under  its  rapid  progress  and  development. 


CHARLES  B.  SEWELL. 

Losing  his  father  by  death  when  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  Charles  B.  Sewell,  of  the 
Thompson's  creek  region,  with  a  fine  ranch  and 
home  in  Pitkin  county,  but  having  his  post- 
office  at  Carbondale,  Garfield  county,  began 
life  for  himself  at  an  early  age  and  has  had 
to  make  his  own  way  by  arduous  effort  and 
his  own  capacity  ever  since.  He  was  born  in 
1851  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the 
son  of  Robert  and  Caroline  (Baker)  Sewell,  of 
that  county,  where  the  father  passed  his  entire 
life  as  a  farmer,  dying  in  1867,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-three.  The  grandfather  on  the  paternal 
side,  Ebenezer  Sewell,  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont and  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812.  He 
died  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two.  Mrs. 
Sewell,  the  mother  of  Charles  B.,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Connecticut  and  now  lives  in 
Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  aged  eighty-three. 
Her  father,  Samuel  Baker,  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  Pilgrim  fathers  who 
came  over  in  the  "Mayflower."  He  died  in 
1850,  past  seventy  years  of  age,  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
and  a  veritable  pioneer.  Charles  B.  Sewell 
remained  at  home  and  was  sent  to  school  until 
the  death  of  his  father.  He  was  well  educated, 
completing  his  course  at  the  excellent  seminary 
then  conducted  at  Northeast,  in  his  native 
county,  in  1868.  His  father's  death,  which 
occurred  a  few  months  before,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  go  to  work  at  once,  and  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  oil  fields  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  a  promising  place  of  operation. 
He  continued  to  operate  in  this  region  with 
varying  success  until  1880,  when  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  locating  in  Custer  county,  fol- 
lowed blacksmithing  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Silverton,  San  Juan 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1886  engaged 
in  mining  and  blacksmithing.  He  then  moved 


414 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


into  Pitkin  county,  a  distance  of  some  two  hun- 
dred miles,  and  bought  the  ranch  he  now  owns 
and  occupies  in  Crystal  River  valley,  on 
Thompson's  creek,  and  since  then  he  has  de- 
voted his  time  and  energies  to  ranching  and 
raising  stock,  and  has  succeeded  well  in  the 
business.  He  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss 
Clara  M.  Thompson,  a  daughter  of  Myron  P. 
Thompson,  one  of  the  first  ranchers  in  this 
valley.  They  have  two  children,  Robert  O. 
and  Caroline  A. 

JOHN  L.  THOMAS. 

John  L.  Thomas  is  one  of  the  prosperous, 
enterprising  and  progressive  ranchmen  and 
stock-growers  of  Pitkin  county,  with  a  well 
improved  and  wisely  cultivated  ranch  on 
Crystal  river  and  Thomas  creek,  and  both  in 
his  business  relations  and  his  citizenship  he 
stands  well  in  his  community.  He  is  a  native 
of  Rushville,  Indiana,  born  in  1861,  and  is  the 
son  of  George  L.  and  Catherine  (Lewark) 
Thomas.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New 
York  and  his  mother  of  Indiana,  and  they 
came  to  live  in  Colorado  in  1877,  settling  at 
Lake  City.  Later  they  lived  at  Leadville  and 
Aspen,  and  finally  located  the  ranch  in  Pitkin 
county  which  they  sold  to  their  son  and  wThich 
he  now  occupies,  and  themselves  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits.  Their  son  John  grew 
to  manhood  in  Iowa  and  Kansas,  beginning 
life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Dur- 
ing his  first  year  in  Colorado  he  burned  char- 
coal at  Leadville.  He  then  went  to  Mexico 
arid  bought  a  train  of  burros  which  he  brought 
to  Leadville,  and  during  the  next  three  years 
used  them  in  a  freighting  enterprise.  On  No- 
vember i,  1 88 1,  he  located  on  the  ranch  which 
is  now  his  home  on  Crystal  river,  pre-empting 
a  claim.  Later  he  purchased  his  father's  ranch 
near  by  and  since  then  he  has  given  his  whole 
time  and  attention  to  improving  his  property 


and  building  up  his  business  in  the  stock  in- 
dustry. He  has,  however,  never  failed  of  a 
warm  practical  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
community,  and  during  the  last  seven  years 
has  served  it  well  and  faithfully  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace.  In  1887  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Cora  Facer,  and  they  have  six  children,  Bessie, 
Annie  C,  Charles  E.,  Frank  L.,  Nellie  and 
John  W.  Mr.  Thomas  is  an  interested  member 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  holding  his 
membership  in  the  camp  of  the  order  at  Car- 
bondale.  The  cattle  industry  in  Colorado  is  an 
extensive  and  valuable  one,  and  many  of  the 
best  men  in  the  state  make  it  their  chief  busi- 
ness. Among  them  Mr.  Thomas  is  entitled  to 
a  high  rank  both  for  the  vigor  and  success 
with  which  he  conducts  his  business  and  the 
excellence  of  its  output,  and  also  for  his  ex- 
cellence as  a  man  and  citizen  and  his  genuine 
good  fellowship. 

LUCIUS  LAKE. 

Starting  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  since  then  residing  where  he  now 
lives  on  Garfield  creek,  in  the  county  of  the 
same  name  in  Colorado,  Lucius  Lake,  whose 
well  improved  and  skillfully  cultivated  ranch 
is  near  Newcastle,  is  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  interests  of  the  section  in  which  he  has  cast 
his  lot  and  to  whose  development  and  advance- 
ment he  has  essentially  contributed.  He  was 
born  in  1868  in  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of  Ro- 
derick and  Anna  (O'Neil)  Lake,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Vermont. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  settled  on  the 
virgin  prairie  of  Illinois,  and  there  they  lived 
and  flourished  until  1879,  when  the  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Lucius  was  the  first  born.  In 
1886  the  father  moved  his  family  to  this  state 
and  settled  at  Aspen  in  what  is  now  Pitkin 
countv-  He  afterward  moved  to  Newcastle, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Garfield  county,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  who  saw  years  of 
awful  havoc  and  hardship  in  the  momentous 
contest,  and  received  a  serious  wound  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  which  the  great  Southern 
commander  considered  one  of  the  best  fought 
and  most  creditable  engagements  of  his  mem- 
orable career.  A  brother  of  Mr.  Lake's  fa- 
ther, who  was  also  a  Union  soldier,  died  in  a 
Southern  prison.  Mr.  Lake  accompanied  his 
father  in  his  change  of  residence,  remaining  at 
home  and  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  home- 
stead until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty.  He 
then  started  out  for  himself,  locating  where 
he  now  lives  on  Garfield  creek,  and  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  an  active  and  ex- 
panding stock  business.  He  has  given  his  at- 
tention earnest  to  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  his  ranch,  and  the  building  up  of  his 
business  and  the  interests  of  the  section  in 
which  he  lives,  and  has  to  his  credit  achieve- 
ments in  both  a  private  and  a  public  way  that 
are  highly  appreciated  and  commended  in  the 
community.  His  chief  aim  is  to  do  well  what 
he  has  to  do  from  day  to  day  without  seeking 
public  station  or  political  advancement  for 
himself;  and  in  this  he  has  succeeded  well,  and 
won  the  regard  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
men  at  the  same  time. 

ANDREW  DOW. 

Andrew  Dow,  of  the  Garfield  creek  section 
of  Colorado,  living  on  a  pleasantly  located  and 
highly  productive  ranch  not  far  from  the  vil- 
lage of  Newcastle,  Garfield  county,  is  a  native 
of  Scotland,  where  he  was  born  in  1846,  and 
where  his  parents  were  born  and  reared,  and 
his  ancestors  had  lived  and  labored  for  many 
generations.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Isabella  (McPherson)  Dow,  prosperous  farm- 
ers in  Scotland,  who  ended  their  lives  and  their 
labors  there,  the  father  dying  on  July  24, 


1889,  aged  seventy-four,  and  the  mother  on 
January  3,  1886,  aged  sixty-one.  The  off- 
spring numbered  six  children,  of  whom  An- 
drew was  the  third.  He  remained  under  the 
paternal  roof-tree  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen,  aiding  his  father  on  the  farm  and 
at  times  with  his  work  as  a  stonemason,  a 
craft  he  often  followed  in  connection  with  his 
farming  operations.  In  1868  the  son  came  to 
the  United  States  and  located  \\\  Jasper  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  a  rented  farm  for  nine 
years.  In  1879  he  moved  to  Colorado  and  set- 
tled at  Lead vi lie  when  that  place  was  at  the 
height  of  its  mining  excitement.  He  contin- 
ued to  live  there  engaged  in  mining  and  milling 
until  1886,  when  he  moved  to  Garfield  county 
and,  in  partnership  with  John  Murray,  took  up 
a  ranch  near  the  head  of  Garfield  creek.  Here 
he  maintained  his  home  and  conducted  a  flour- 
ishing enterprise  for  a  number  of  years,  then 
sold  his  interest  in  the  ranch  and  its  business 
and  bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives 
on  the  same  creek,  but  farther  down  the  stream. 
On  this  tract  he  has  built  up  a  very  prosperous 
and  active  industry  in  general  ranching  and 
raising  stock,  and  has  become  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  substantial  men  of  his  portion  of  the 
county.  He  is  widely  known  and  highly  re- 
spected, and  takes  a  leading  part  in  all  public 
movements  for  the  improvement  of  his  com- 
munity and  the  greater  convenience  and  com- 
fort of  its  people.  He  has  the  Scotchman's 
proverbial  thrift  and  shrewdness,  and  a  spirit 
of  public  enterprise  in  accordance  with  the 
most  admired  tendencies  of  American  progress 
and  development. 

WILLIAM  P.  KENNEDY. 

William  P.  Kennedy,  of  Glenwood  Springs, 
the  county  assessor  of  Garfield  county,  this 
state,  and  who  has  had  a  long  experience  in 
public  office,  which  he  has  always  filled  with 


416 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  people 
whom  he  served,  is  a  native  of  Jackson  county, 
Iowa,  born  in  1865.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  J. 
and  Bridget  E.  (Reed)  Kennedy,  the  former  a 
native  of  N'ew  York  and  the  latter  of  Ireland. 
The  mother  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six,  having  been  the  mother  of  ten  children, 
William  being  the  sixth  in  the  order  of  birth. 
The  next  year  after  the  death  of  his  wife  the 
father  moved  his  family  to  Colorado  and  for 
some  years  thereafter  engaged  in  ranching. 
Then  selling  out  his  interests,  he  .lived  retired 
from  active  pursuits  until  his  death,  which 
was  caused  by  his  accidentally  falling  from  a 
bridge  at  Glen  wood  Springs  in  November, 
1901,  when  he  was  about  sixty-eight  years 
old.  The  son,  William  P.  Kennedy,  was 
reared  to  the  age  of  twelve  on  the  paternal 
homestead  in  Iowa,  then  started  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  by  working  on  farms 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  which  he  did 
in  his  native  state  for  four  years  at  six  dollars 
a  month.  In  1885  he  came  to  Colorado  and, 
locating  at  Rifle,  was  employed  for  two  years 
in  riding  the  range  and  herding  cattle.  In 
1887  he  moved  to  Aspen,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  until  1893,  when  he  took  up 
his  residence  at  Debeque.  Mesa  county,  where 
for  two  years  he  published  a  newspaper  called 
the  Debeque  Era.-  one  year  of  the  time  serving 
as  mayor  of  the  town.  From  Debeque  he 
•moved  to  Rifle  and  bought  a  one-half  interest 
in  the  Rifle  Reveille,  which  he  edited  and  man- 
aged, serving  two  terms  also  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  made  his  home  at  Rifle  until  elected 
to  his  present  office  of  county  assessor  in  1901, 
when  he  moved  to  Glenwood  Springs,  where 
he  has  since  been  living  and  occupied  with  his 
official  duties.  He  was  married  in  1893  to 
Miss  Emma  Marchesi,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Ered  H.,  Alma  I.  and  William  Ed- 
win. Mr.  Kennedy  is  highly  respected  as  a 
citizen  and  has  won  high  approbation  as  a  pub- 
lic officer. 


JOSEPH  T.  McBIRNEY. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  son  of 
Irish  parents,  Joseph  T.  McBirney  exemplified 
in  his  career  the  versatility  and  adaptability  of 
his  nationality,  and  the  lessons  of  industry  and 
thrift  taught  in  the  great  state  of  his  birth. 
His  life  began  in  1866.  and  he  is  the  son  of 
Hugh  and  Elizabeth  (Telford)  McBirney, 
who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Ireland 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  remained  until  1891, 
when  they  followed  their  son  Joe  to  Colorado. 
Here  the  mother  died  in  1898,  aged  over  sev- 
enty years,  and  the  father  is  now  living  with 
his  son.  He  was  the  fifth  of  their  five  children 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his  le- 
gal majority.  He  then  went  to  work  in  a  ma- 
chine shop,  and  a  year  later  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shoes,  which  he  also  followed 
for  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  began 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  after  ac- 
quiring facility  at  it  followed  it  with  varying 
fortunes  and  in  different  places  fifteen  years. 
By  that  time  the  West  had  engaged  his  atten- 
tion and  he  came  to  Colorado,  settling  at  New- 
castle, Garfield  county.  During  the  next  ten 
years  he  wrought  at  his  trade,  then  bought  the 
excellent  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  on  Gar- 
field  creek.  To  the  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion of  this  tract  he  has  since  sedulously  de- 
voted himself,  and  with  such  good  results  that 
he  has  transformed  its  once  wild  and  unprom- 
ising conditions  into  a  valuable  and  attractive 
home,  worthy  of  the  approval  in  which  it  is 
generally  held  and  full  of  promise  for  future 
good  on  an  expanding  scale.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, to  be  supposed  that  these  results  have 
been  attained  without  ardent  and  well-applied 
industry  and  judicious  business  management. 
Mr.  McBirney  has  earned  his  success  by  his 
own  efforts,  and  is  entitled  to  all  the  satisfac- 
tion it  justly  affords  him.  He  has  also  gained 
his  firm  and  elevated  place  in  the  regard  of  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


neighbors  and  friends  on  merit,  deserving 
their  good  will  by  his  sterling  manhood  and 
obliging  disposition  and  holding  it  by  every 
commendable  attribute  of  good  citizenship. 

JOHN  WALKER. 

John  Walker,  an  active,  industrious,  pro- 
gressive and  successful  rancher  and  fruit- 
grower of  Delta  county,  living  four  miles  and 
a  half  up  the  Gunnison  from  the  town  of  Delta, 
is  a  native  of  that  great  hive  of  productive 
industry,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  life  began 
on  September  8,  1849.  His  parents,  Isaac 
and  Jane  B.  (Fields)  Walker,  also  were  born 
in  that  state,  and  there  they  passed  the  whole 
of  their  lives,  never  leaving  the  state.  The 
father  was  a  surveyor  and  found  profitable  use 
for  his  knowledge  in  this  line  most  of  the 
time.  He  also  owned  a  farm,  on  which  he 
worked  when  not  employed  in  surveying.  He 
died  in  his  native  state  in  the  summer  of  1889, 
and  his  widow  died  there  in  1892.  Their  son 
John  attended  the  district  schools  in  boyhood 
and  youth  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
assisting  him  also  at  times  in  surveying.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  thirty-seven, 
then  in  1886  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Delta  county,  where  he  now  lives.  Soon  after 
his  arrival  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  and  moved  on  it  in  January,  1887. 
He  at  once  began  to  improve  the  place  and 
bring  the  land  to  productiveness,  but  it  was 
five  years  before  he  had  water  for  irrigation, 
and  his  progress  was  necessarily  slow.  The 
first  dwelling  occupied  by  the  family  on  the 
ranch  was  nearer  the  river  than  the  present 
one,  and  when  a  general  system  of  irrigation 
was  put  in  operation  the  water  of  his  well  be- 
came strongly  alkali  and  he  thereupon  built  a 
new  residence  further  back  and  sunk  a  new 
well.  The  dwelling  he  now  occupies  is  one  of 
the  best  in  the  neighborhood  and  is  modern 
27 


in  every  respect.  It  was  erected  in  1899.  Four 
years  prior  to  this  time  Mr.  W'alker  set  out 
twelve  acres  of  his  land  in  fruit,  mostly  apples, 
and  during  the  last  five  years  he  has  been 
getting  good  returns  from  this  enterprise.  In 
1903  he  sold  one 'thousand  boxes  of  apples  at 
good  prices,  and  the  crop  promises  to  increase 
in  volume  and  value  as  time  passes  and  en- 
larges the  fruitfulness  of  the  trees.  The  rest 
of  his  place  is  devoted  to  grain  and  hay.  He 
has  eighty-five  acres  in  hay  and  this  acreage 
yields  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of 
first-class  product  a  year,  which  sells  at  four 
dollars  or  more  a  ton  in  stacks  on  the  place. 
Forty  acres  of  the  original  ranch  have  been 
sold,  but  Mr.  Walker  still  has  enough  to  oc- 
cupy all  his  time  and  energy  to  good  advantage, 
except  what  he  devotes  to  public  improvements, 
in  which  he  has  always  been  greatly  interested. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  promoters  of  the 
relief  ditch  in  the  valley,  which  was  begun  in 
1890.  To  build  it  a  stock  company  was  formed, 
of  which  Mr.  Walker  was  the  first  president. 
He  was  later  the  superintendent  and  has  been 
a  director  in  the  company  ever  since  it  was 
organized.  The  ditch  is  a  good  one,  never  with- 
out water,  and  has  been  of  great  service  to 
the  valley.  The  company  started  writh  nine 
men  and  Mr.  Walker  owned  one-fifth  of  the 
stock.  It  now  has.  forty-three  stockholders 
and  he  owns  one-tenth  of  the  stock. 
The  par  value  of  the  stock  is  fifteen 
dollars  a  share,  but  it  is  worth  twenty-five  on 
the  market  and  only  three  shares  are  for  sale 
at  that  price.  A  share  represents  sufficient 
water  for  two  and  one-half  acres  of  land.  In 
other  respects  Mr.  Walker  has  been  of  great 
and  continuous  service  to  the  community.  He 
was  road  overseer  two  years,  and  from  the 
time  of  his  arrival  in  the  county  he  has  been 
very  active  in  the  cause  of  public  education. 
He  helped  to  get  the  first  school  building 
erected  in  the  valley,  and  from  that  time  on  he 


4i8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


has  spared  no  effort  to  advance  the  school  in- 
terests of  the  county.  He  also  takes  an  earnest 
interest  and  an  active  part  in  fraternal  mat- 
ters, having  helped  to  organize  the  first  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  at  Delta,  and  he  has  been  one 
of  its  main  supports  ever  since.  On  Novem- 
ber 9,  1874,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  B.  Martin,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Louisa  (Amy) 
Martin,  who  were  both  New  Yorkers  by  birth. 
The  father  was  a  millwright.  Both  parents 
have  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Walker's  father  was  a  captain  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania militia,  and  when  the  Civil  war  began 
he  was  anxious  to  take  the  field  in  defense  of 
the  Union,  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  his 
advanced  age.  There  were  two  children 
in  the  family,  Mr.  Walker  and  his  sister.  Five 
children  have  been  born  in  the  Walker  house- 
hold, Archie,  Rose  A.,  Bessie  M.,  Fred  S.  and 
Heath  M.  The  oldest  is  twenty-eight  and 
the  youngest  eight  years  old.  The  head  of  the 
house  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  always 
has  been.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge,  No.  1 1 6,  at  Delta,  and  Western  Slope 
Encampment,  No.  39. 

GEORGE  W.  MILLER. 

George  W.  Miller,  of  Hotchkiss,  who  since 
November  19,  .1903,  has  been  the  dutiful  and 
attentive  postmaster  of  the  town,  and  was  for 
many  years  prior  to  that  time  one  of  the  active 
and  progressive  promoters  of  the  state's  in- 
terests in  a  number  of  commendable  ways,  was 
born  in  Delaware  county,  New  York,  on  May 
19,  1842.  He  is  a  brother  of  Charles  R. 
Miller,  of  near  Hotchkiss,  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  the 
son  of  Putnam  G.  and  Margaret  (Roff)  Miller, 
natives  of  the  same  county  as  himself.  In  1854 
they  moved  to  Iowa,  and  years  afterward  they 
died  there.  In  1861,  when  he  was  but  eighteen 


years  of  age,  Mr.  Miller  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  for  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  H,  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry,  his  regi- 
ment later  becoming  the  veteran  regiment  of 
the  army,  it  being  the  first  to  re-enlist  at  the 
end  of  its  first  term.  It  was  first  under  the 
command  of  Col.  A.  B.  Porter  and  later  under 
that  of  Col.  Edward  F.  Winslow.  The  com- 
mand formed  a  part  of  General  Grant's  army 
at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  in  1864  was  with 
Sherman.  Mr.  Miller  was  taken  prisoner  on 
October  n,  1862,  and  kept  in  captivity  about 
three  weeks.  He  was  then  under  parole  three 
months  before  he  was  exchanged.  In  a 
desperate  charge  his  horse  fell  with  him  and 
seriously  crippled  him,  but  this  did  not  keep 
him  from  again  seeking  active  service.  In 
August,  1865,  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge and  returned  to  his  home  in  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  until  1872.  He  then  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  in  Clear  Creek  county 
for  a  short  time,  being  engaged  in  mining.  In 
the  summer  of  1876,  he  was  in  the  Black 
Hills  of  South  Dakota,  while  that  region  was 
at  the  height  of  its  boom  and  mining  excite- 
ment, but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  returned 
again  to  Iowa,  remaining  until  the  fall  of 
1880,  when  he  came  back  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Pitkin,  where  he  passed  the  time  until 
1883  in  mining.  In  that  year  he  made  an- 
other visit  to  Iowa  and  Dakota,  and  again  in 
the  fall  becoming  a  resident  of  this  state,  lo- 
cating in  Delta  county,  where  he  started  an 
enterprise  in  ranching  and  raising  stock,  which 
he  conducted  until  1891,  then  opened  a  drug 
store  at  Hotchkiss  and  included  an  extensive 
line  of  harness  in  his  stock,  but  still  retained  his 
ranch  of  forty-five  acres  adjoining  the  town, 
of  which  he  has  twenty  acres  in  fruit.  In  the 
spring  of  1900  he  sold  his  store  and  devoted 
his  time  to  his  ranch  thereafter  until  Novem- 
ber 19,  1903,  when  he  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Hotchkiss,  an  office  he  is  still  filling 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


419 


capably  and  with  satisfaction  to  its  patrons. 
His  ranch  was  raw  land  when  he  bought  it  in 
1891,  and  the  improvements  he  has  made  on 
the  first  purchase  and  an  additional  forty  acres 
which  he  pre-empted  in  1893,  are  all  the  re- 
sults of  his  own  enterprise  and  well-applied  in- 
dustry, making  the  property  into  one  of  the 
best  fruit  ranches  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Miller  was  married  on  September  2,  1866. 
to  Miss  Mary  Mead,  a  native  of  Rockford, 
Illinois.  Some  years  after  her  birth  her  par- 
ents moved  to  Chickasaw  county,  Iowa,  where 
the  mother  died  and  the  father  is  still  living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  three  children,  Ger- 
trude, Harry  and  C.  Lloyd,  all  living  in  Colo- 
rado. The  head  of  the  house  belongs  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  though  seldom  an  active 
participant  in  public  affairs. 

ABRAM  E.  HYZER. 

The  power  of  acquiring  great  wealth  is  a 
blessing  to  any  man  if  he  have  at  the  same  time 
the  knowledge  and  the  disposition  to  use  it 
properly  and  employ  the  opportunities  which 
it  brings  for  enterprises  of  moment  in  which 
the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men  is  involved. 
Tried  by  this  standard,  Abram  E.  Hyzer,  of 
Gunnison  county,  and  one  of  its  leading  ranch 
and  stock  men,  is  entitled  to  a  high  regard. 
He  has  accumulated  by  his  own  endeavors  and 
business  acumen  an  ample  fortune,  and  he  has 
made  his  earnings  and  his  enterprise  subservi- 
ent in, a  thousand  ways  to  the  good  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  he  lives,  and  conferred  benefits 
on  his  fellow  citizens  there,  which  are  material 
and  of  magnitude,  even  though  they  may  not 
always  have  been  appreciated  at  their  full  value 
by  the  recipients.  Mr.  Hyzer  was  born  in 
Delaware  county,  New  York,  on  April  26, 
1852,  and  was  trained  to  thrift  and  usefulness 
on  his  father's  farm,  securing  his  scholastic 


training  in  its  earlier  stages  in  the  public 
schools  near  his  home,  and  afterwards  attend- 
ing a  good  college  at  Monmouth,  Illinois.  His 
parents,  David  and  Margaret  (Laidlaw)  Hy- 
zer, were  also  natives  of  the  Empire  state  and 
passed  their  lives  within  its  borders,  carrying 
on  extensive  and  profitable  farming  operations. 
Their  son  Abram  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  old,  then  worked  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  until  1876.  In  that  year 
he  moved  to  Hodgeman  county,  Kansas,  and 
there  during  the  next  four  years  he  kept  a  gen- 
eral store  at  the  town  of  Marino.  In  the  spring 
of  1880  he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado^  lo- 
cating in  Gunnison  county  in  April  on  a  por- 
tion of  his  present  ranch  three  miles  north  of 
the  county  seat  on  Ohio  creek.  He  has  added 
to  his  domain  by  homesteading  and  subsequent 
purchases  until  his  ranch  now  embraces  seven 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  and  has  been  con- 
verted into  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  highly 
improved  places  in  the  county.  The  land  has 
been  vigorously  improved  and  cultivated  as  it 
came  into  his  possession,  water  has  been  abund- 
antly supplied  until  the  land  is  practically  all 
well  irrigated,  good  buildings  have  been  added, 
and  profitable  employment  has  been  furnished 
on  it  to  numbers  of  persons  from  the  time 
when  its  enterprising  proprietor  first  occupied 
any  of  it.  The  principal  crop  raised  on  the 
ranch  is  hay,  of  which  it  yields  about  seven 
hundred  tons  per  annum,  but  good  crops  of 
grain  and  other  products  are  also  raised.  An 
average  of  six  hundred  cattle,  nearly  all  well- 
bred  Durhams,  are  generously  supported  here, 
Mr.  Hyzer  having  one  of  the  choice  herds  of 
the  region,  and  with  commendable  pride  in 
them  as  one  of  his  most  pleasing  productions, 
and  with  the  spirit  of  devotion  to  his  business 
which  seeks  its  best  results,  and  to  his  section 
of  the  state  which  aims  to  keep  the  standard 
of  its  yield  in  everything  up  to  the  highest 
mark,  he  always  keeps  his  stock  in  excellent 


420 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


condition.  While  a  loyal  Republican  in  polit- 
ical affairs,  he  is  not  an  active  partisan  worker, 
rather  seeking  in  his  public  activities  the  sub- 
stantial good  of  his  community  than  partisan 
advantages.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  order  in  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery  at  Gunnison,  and  also  with  the  order 
of  Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  there. 
On  December  19,  1881,  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Melissa  (Clark)  Wilkins,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin. Pursuing  the  modest  tenor  of  his  way, 
without  ostentation  in  his  life  or  bearing,  Mr. 
Hyzer  is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  progressive  and  useful  citizens  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  and  enjoys  in  a  high  degree 
the  esteem  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance. 

THEODORE  W.  SCOTT. 

Theodore  W.  Scott,  a  younger  brother  of 
Thomas  B.  Scott,  was  born  in  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  on  June  2,  1861,  and  is  the  son  of 
Frederick  and  Ann  (Wheeler)  Scott,  more  ex- 
tensive mention  of  whom  will  be  found  in  the 
sketch  of  their  son  Thomas  B.,  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  He  grew  to  the  age  of  fifteen  on 
the  Wisconsin  homestead  and  then,  in  1876, 
moved  with  the  family  to  Harrison  county, 
Iowa.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  remained  at  home  until  1890.  At  that 
time  he  came  to  Colorado  and  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  six  miles  south  of 
Steamboat  Springs,  Routt  county.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  and  on  these  two  tracts  started  an  in- 
dustry in  the  stock  business  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  and  profitably  for  four 
years.  He  then  sold  his  possessions  in  that 
section  and  moved  to  Grand  Valley,  locating 
on  the  farm  which  is  now  his  home,  six  miles 
northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  arriving  there 
in  the  autumn  of  1894.  He  bought  forty  acres 


of  wild  land  without  improvements,  to  which 
he  has  added  thirty  of  the  same  kind  by  a  sub- 
sequent purchase.  On  this  he  has  established 
himself  and  built  up  a  prosperous  and  ex- 
panding fruit  business,  improving  his  place 
with  a  good,  modern  residence  and  other  neces- 
sary buildings,  and  giving  his  attention  to  the 
cultivation  and  enlargement  of  his  orchards. 
He  has  twenty  acres  in  fruit,  which  yield  large 
crops  of  excellent  quality,  the  returns  for  his 
labor  in  1903  being  more  than  four  thousand 
five  hundred  boxes  of  apples  and  two  hundred 
boxes  of  pears.  By  his  industry  and  skill  he 
has  redeemed  his  land  from  the  wilderness  and 
made  it  productive  and  smiling  with  fruits  of 
peaceful  husbandry  and  made  a  desirable  home 
of  what  was  before  a  barren  waste.  On  July 
n,  1899,  he  married  with  Miss  Luella  Rogers, 
a  native  of  Harrison  county,  Iowa,  and  daugh- 
ter of  John  W.  and  Sarah  A.  (Riley)  Rogers, 
natives  of  Ohio,  where  they  grew  to  maturity, 
were  educated  and  married.  In  1886  they 
moved  to  Iowa  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Har- 
rison county,  making  the  trip  overland  from 
their  Ohio  home.  John  W.  Rogers  served  three 
years  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war. 
He  is  now  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Mesa 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  three  chil- 
dren, Rex  R.,  Glenn  G.  and  Fred  F.  In 
politics  Mr'.  Scott  is  independent,  and  is  always 
keenly  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 

WILLIAM  L.  CHAPMAN. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review,  who  is 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farm- 
ers and  representative  citizens  of  Mesa  county, 
and  whose  attractive  home,  located  five  miles 
northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  is  wholly  a  prod- 
uct of  Colorado.  He  was  born  and  reared  on 
her  soil,  he  was  educated  in  her  schools,  he  be- 
gan the  battle  of  life  in  her  productive  activi- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


421 


ties,  and  he  has  conducted  his  business  oper- 
ations wholly  amid  her  people.  He  is  there- 
fore fully  in  sympathy  with  her  aspirations, 
identified  with  her  interests  and  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  her  citizenship.  Mr.  Chapman's  life 
began  at  Canon  City,  Colorado,  on  September 
7,  1872,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and 
Mary  E.  (Cooley)  Chapman,  the  former  a 
native  of  Iowa  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  In 
1868  the  family  settled  in  this  state,  making 
their  home  at  Canon  City.  For  a  number  of 
years  the  father  was  engaged  in  freighting 
between  that  place  and  Fairplay  and  other 
points,  and  afterward  was  occupied  in  farm- 
ing. He  died  at  Canon  City  in  1881.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
James  L.  Duckett,  of  near  Grand  Junction,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  Mr.  Chapman  grew  to  the  age 
of  twelve  at  Canon  City,  and  in  1884  moved 
with  his  mother  and  the  rest  of  the  children 
to  Mesa  county.  He  received  a  public-school 
education,  and  in  1890,  when  he  was  but 
eighteen,  began  farming  on  rented  land.  This 
he  continued  in  various  parts  of  the  county 
until  1903,  when  he  bought  the  twenty  acres 
of  land  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  where  he 
carries  on  a  flourishing  industry  in  farming. 
On  August  1 6,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Zella  Howell,  a  native  of  Adair  county,  Iowa, 
the  daughter  of  Emerson  G.  and  Helen 
(Arnold)  Howell,  the  father  a  native  of  Iowa 
and  the  mother  of  Ohio,  both  of  whom  are 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  children,  W.  L.  Lovell  and  Hilton 
W.  In  politics  Mr.  Chapman  is  independent, 
and  in  fraternal  relations  belongs  to  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  ways  have 
been  for  the  most  part  ways  of  pleasantness 
and  all  his  paths  have  been  along  the  lines  of 
peaceful  industry;  yet  none  the  less  is  he  in- 
terested in  the  enduring  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity and  the  progress,  comfort  and  con- 


venience of  the  people  among  whom  his  lot  has 
been  cast.  And  as  he  has  been  a  substantial 
contributor  to  their  advantages,  so  he  has  won 
an  elevated  and  lasting  place  in  their  regard 
and  good  will. 

•  > 

GEORGE  T.  CHAPMAN. 

George  T.  Chapman  is  a  native  of  Jefferson 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  on  October 
12,  1864,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and 
Mary  E.  (Cooley)  Chapman,  the  former  of 
the  same  nativity  as  himself  and  the  latter  born 
in  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  his 
native  state,  but  believing  in  the  possibilities 
of  the  farther  west,  in  1868,  he  brought  his 
family  to  Colorado  and  settled  them  near 
Canon  City.  For  a  number  of  years  there- 
after he  was  occupied  in  freighting  out  of  that 
city  to  Fairplay  and  other  points,  working  hard 
at  his  business  but  making  good  profits  from 
his  labor.  He  died  at  Canon  City  in  1881,  and 
three  years  later  the  mother  moved  with  her 
children  to  Mesa  county,  where  in  time  she 
became  the  wife  of  James  L.  Duckett,  a  sketch 
of  whom  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  His  educational  advantages  were  few, 
however,  as  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  work  for 
himself  at  an  early  age  and  continue  to  make 
his  own  living  from  that  time  on.  When  he 
was  but  fifteen  he  owned  a  team  and  freighted 
between  Canon  City  and  Leadville,  the  inter- 
vening country  then  being  wild  and  unsettled 
and  his  business  being  almost  every  hour 
fraught  with  danger  and  excitement.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  sold  his  outfit  and  found 
employment  on  a  ranch  in  Wet  Mountain  val- 
ley ;  and  two  years  later  he  rented  land  in  that 
valley  which  he  farmed  on  his  own  account 
until  1884.  At  that  time  he  moved  to  Mesa 
county  with  his  mother  and  younger  brother, 
and  soon  afterward  he  rented  land  near  his 
present  home  and  engaged  in  farming,  contin- 


422 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


uing  his  operations  in  this  way  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1892  he  bought  twenty  acres  of 
the  land  on  which  he  now  lives,  subsequently 
adding  by  another  purchase  the  other  ten.  To 
the  improvement  of  his  farm  he  has  sedulously 
devoted  his  energies,  and  it  is  now  one  of  the 
choice  farms  of  the  neighborhood  and  is  en- 
riched with  a  comfortable  cottage  dwelling 
and  other  necessary  buildings.  Mr.  Chapman 
was  married  on  November  28,  1888,  to  Miss 
Martha  A.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Marion 
county,  Illinois,  on  April  12,  1869,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Anna  (Ferguson) 
Smith,  the  former  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  Illinois.  The  mother  died 
when  Mrs.  Chapman  was  about  seven  years 
old,  and  in  1880  the  father  came  to  Colorado 
and  became  a  farmer  in  Wet  Mountain  valley. 
Two  years  later  Mrs.  Chapman  joined  him 
there,  and  she  has  been  a  resident  of  this  state 
ever  since.  He  died  at  Pueblo  in  1898.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Chapman  have  two  children,  Elsie 
and  Roy  Manson.  Mr.  Chapman  is  a  Prohi- 
bitionist in  politics  and  he  and  his  wife  are 
charter  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Bethel,  which  they  helped  to  organ- 
ize and  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  trus- 
tees. He  is  still  serving  the  church  as  a  trus- 
tee and  is  one  of  its  most  zealous  and  useful 
members. 

REV.  HARVEY  D.  CRUMLY. 

The  offspring  of  Quaker  parents,  and  bred 
in  the  lessons  impressively  inculcated  by  the 
members  of  that  faith,  Rev.  Harvey  D.  Crumly, 
of  Mesa  county,  living  on  a  good  ranch  six 
miles  northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  has  ex- 
emplified in  his  life  the  principles  of  peaceful 
industry,  fair  dealing  and  considerate  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  mankind  which  distinguish 
the  sect.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Iowa,  near  the  village  of  Pleasant  Plain,  on 


February  2,  1868,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  H. 
and  Rachel  (Beals)  Crumly,  natives  of  eastern 
Tennessee,  where  they  were  reared  and  edu- 
cated. From  there  they  accompanied  their  par- 
ents, respectively,  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  and 
there,  soon  after  reaching  years  of  maturity, 
they  were  married.  In  a  short  time  after  their 
marriage  they  settled  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson 
county,  that  state,  where  the  father  died  in 
1896.  The  mother  is  still  living  there  on  the 
old  homestead.  The  father  was  held  in  high 
esteem  in  the  county  and  was  chosen  to  ad- 
minister some  of  its  official  duties  from  time  to 
time,  serving  as  county  surveyor  for  twelve 
years.  He  had  been  previously  married  and 
had  four  children  by'  the  first  union.  Of  the 
second  marriage  there  were  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living,  the  Rev.  Harvey  being 
the  fifth  born.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
county  and  attended  the  public  schools  there, 
afterward  taking  a  course  at  the  Pleasant  Plain 
Academy,  being  graduated  there  in  1890.  He 
then  entered  Penn  College  at  Oskaloosa,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1895.  For  three 
years  thereafter  he  was  principal  of  the  Havi- 
land  (Kansas)  Academy,  and  to  the  duties  of 
this  position  he  brought  the  wisdom  gained  in 
teaching  two  years  previously  during  the  va- 
cations in  Iowa.  In  October,  1898,  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Mesa  county  where  he 
taught  school  two  years.  He  then  bought  the 
farm  of  thirty-one  acres  on  which  he  now  lives, 
making  the  purchase  in  December,  1898.  Two 
years  before,  in  the  fall  of  1896,  he  had  been 
ordained  minister  in  the  Friends  church,  and  in 
1903  he  served  the  church  at  Glenwood,  Iowa, 
as  its  pastor.  With  the  exception  of  that  year, 
he  has  resided  on  his  ranch  ever  since  pur- 
chasing it.  But  his  interest  in  the  church  has 
never  waned,  and  he  has  devoted  his  energies 
to  its  welfare  in  the  section  of  his  present  home, 
helping  to  organize  a  mission  of  the  Friends  at 
Pomona  schoolhouse,  of  which  he  is  now  pas- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


423 


tor.  His  ranch  is  devoted  principally  to  fruit. 
He  has  eighteen  acres  of  apple  and  peach  trees, 
nearly  all  in  good  bearing  order,  and  a  con- 
siderable space  in  strawberries.  His  business 
is  prosperous  and  its  returns  are  commensurate 
with  his  efforts  and  intelligence  in  conducting 
it.  On  August  5,  1897,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Olive  Folger,  a  native  of  Il- 
linois, but  reared  and  educated  in  Kansas.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  and 
Josephine  (Cutler)  Folger,  natives  of  Illinois, 
the  father  being  a  minister  in  the  Friends 
church.  They  reside  near  Carthage,  Missouri. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crumly  have  one  son,  Lorenzo 
T.,  now  five  years  old.  In  politics  Mr.  Crumly 
is  independent,  a  Prohibitionist  in  principles. 
He  and  his  wife  have  passed  many  of  their  win- 
ders in  evangelistic  work,  devoting  their  sum- 
mers to  their  ranch,  on  which  they  have  re- 
cently completed  and  now  occupy  a  comfort- 
able and  convenient  residence. 

CHESTER  E.  JAYNES. 

Prominent  in  the  fruit  industry  of  Mesa 
county,  and  in  business  and  political  circles, 
Chester  E.  Jaynes,  whose  fine  fruit  farm  is  lo- 
cated one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, is  one  of  the  best  esteemed  citizens  of 
his  portion  of  the  county,  and  exemplifies  in 
his  daily  life  the  best  attributes  of  Colorado 
citizenship  and  business  enterprise.  He  was 
born  at  Joliet,  Illinois,  on  August  31,  1874, 
and  is  the  son  of  Ezra  E.  and  Mary  A.  (Kling- 
ler)  Jaynes,  natives,  respectively,  of  Vermont 
and  Pennsylvania,  and  now  living  at  Grand 
Junction.  Mr.  Jaynes  grew  to  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen in  his  native  state,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  the  business 
college  at  Joliet.  In  the  spring  of  1892  he  came 
to  Colorado  with  his  parents  and  located  with 
them  at  Grand  Junction  which  has  been  his 
home  ever  since  except  one  year  passed  at  Colo- 


rado Springs,  where  he  conducted  a  cigar  and 
confectionery  store.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he 
purchased  thirteen  acres  of  wild  and  unculti- 
vated land  near  Palisades,  on  which  he  set  out 
fruit  trees  and  made  improvements,  and  which 
he  sold  two  years  later  at  a  profit  of  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  dollars.  In  1901  he  bought 
the  ten  and  one-half  acres  on  which  he  now 
lives.  The  land  is  all  in  fruit,  apples,  peaches 
and  pears.  In  1902  he  sold  two  thousand  six 
hundred  boxes  of  peaches,  two  thousand  boxes 
of  apples  and  six  hundred  boxes  of  pears ;  and 
in  1903  one  thousand  eight  hundred  boxes  of 
apples,  three  hundred  of  peaches  and  six  hun- 
dred of  pears.  His  business,  although  vary- 
ing in  volume,  is  all  the  time  successful,  and 
the  returns  for  his  enterprise  and  labor  are 
large.  On  January  31,  1901,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Florence  L.  Osborn,  a  native  of  Laveta, 
Colorado,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Osborn,  of  Grand 
Junction.  They  have  one  child,  their  son  El- 
lis. In  politics  Mr.  Jaynes  is  an  active  and 
forceful  Republican,  always  zealous  in  the  serv- 
ice of  his  party  and  frequently  a  delegate  to  its 
conventions. 

OWEN  W.  HOSKINS. 

The  fast-fading  race  of  western  pioneers, 
whose  history  at  different  times  and  places  has 
varied  in  incident  and  feature  but  has  been  the 
same  in  privation,  danger,  heroic  endurance 
and  magnitude  of  achievement,  is  an  oft  told 
tale  which  never  loses  its  interest,  has  an  il- 
lustrious member  in  the  person  of  Owen  W. 
Hoskins,  of  Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  others 
in  his  parents  and  other  members  of  his  family. 
This  story  is  one  of  continual  aggression 
against  the  wilderness  and  its  savage  denizens, 
and  an  unebbing  tide  of  conquest  over  tremen- 
dous odds,  wh'ere  the  spread  and  perpetuity  of 
human  civilization  was  the  stake,  and  wherein 
men,  beasts  and  nature  herself  seemed  arrayed 


424 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  arms  against  the  aggressors.  Their  paths 
were  choked  with  difficulties,  but  their  bodies 
and  souls  were  hardened  to  meet  them;  they 
were  beset  with  dangers,  but  these  were  the 
very  spice  of  their  lives;  and  the  wilderness, 
rough,  harsh  and  inexorable  as  it  was,  had  for 
the  hardy  pioneers,  fired  with  the  spirit  of  con- 
quest or  the  hope  of  gain,  charms  more  potent 
in  their  seductive  influence  than  all  the  lures 
of  luxury  and  sloth.  And  the  work  of  these 
conquering  armies  'endures  among  us  in  busy 
cities,  mighty  marts  of  commerce,  enormous 
industrial  activities,  and  rich,  powerful  and 
beneficent  commonwealths  bright  with  all  the 
radiance  and  fragrant  with  all  the  flowers  of 
the  most  advanced  and  progressive  civilization 
to  which  they  opened  the  way.  Mr.  Hoskins 
was  born  at  Pleasant  Plain,  Jefferson  county, 
Iowa,  on  November  26,  1864.  He  is  the  son 
of  Ellis  and  Ruth  ( Jones)  Hoskins,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  latter  in 
Indiana.  They  became  residents  of  Jefferson 
county,  Iowa,  in  1839,  and  were  married  there 
in  1844.  They  were  pioneers  in  that  region 
and  had  the  usual  experiences  of  the  class  on 
the  frontier.  The  woods  were  full  of  wild 
beasts  and  wilder  men,  the  soil .  was  resolute 
in  its  tendency  to  natural  luxuriant  and  un- 
tamed growth  and  yielded  tardily  to  system- 
atic culture.  And  the  conveniences  of  life  were 
almost  wholly  lacking.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  took  up  extensive  tracts  of  land, 
at  one  time  owning  four  hundred  acres,  and 
brought  them  to  fertility  and  bountiful  pro- 
ductiveness, reaping  rich  harvests  of  profit 
from  his  labors  and  becoming  wealthy  after 
the  manner  of  his  day  and  locality.  The  most 
of  his  land  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  fam- 
ily, belonging  now  to  his  children.  He  died 
in  the  home  of  his  choice  on  January  16,  1879. 
His  widow  survived  him  twenty-five  years  to 
the  very  day,  passing  away  on  January  16,  . 
1904.  Both  were  members  of  the  society  of 


Friends.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  the  first  and  second  born 
are  dead.  Owen  was  next  to  the  youngest  of 
the  family.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  at  Pleasant  Plain  Academy,  re- 
maining at  home  until  he  was  twenty-four, 
when  he  married.  His  father  died  when  the 
son  was  fourteen  and  after  that  the  sons  car- 
ried on  the  farming  operations.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Hoskins  of  this  sketch  bought 
eighty  acres  of  the  home  farm  and  farmed  it 
four  years.  He  then  sold  it  and  moved  to  a 
farm  which  he  purchased  in  Wayne  county, 
Iowa,  but  soon  afterward  returned  to  Jefferson 
county,  and  for  three  years  was  successfully 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  at  Fail-field. 
In  September,  1903,  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  in  Mesa  county,  where  he  bought  for 
eight  thousand  dollars  the  fruit  farm  of  eigh- 
teen acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  one  mile  and 
a  half  north  of  Grand  Junction.  His  land  is  all 
in  fruit,  apples, .  peaches,  pears  and  plums,  with 
a  considerable  acreage  in  small  fruits,  and  his 
crop  of  1903  paid  him  twenty  per  cent,  on  his 
whole  investment  in  the  property.  On  Janu- 
ary 26,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Josie 
Jones,  a  native  of  Brighton,  Iowa.  They  have 
three  children,  Mary  E.,  Hugh  and  Esther.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  and  active  working  Re- 
publican, and  in  church  affiliation  is  a  Presby- 
terian holding  an  active  membership  in  the 
church  at  Grand  Junction. 

FRED  HOSKINS. 

This  enterprising  and  .progressive  fruit- 
grower and  ranchman  of  Mesa  county,  living 
two  miles  and  a  half  north  of  Grand  Junction, 
belongs  to  a  family  in  which  the  martial  spirit 
is  high  when  occasion  demands,  and  the  devo- 
tion to  pursuits  of  productive  industry  is 
equally  strong  when  "Grim-visaged  war  hath 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


425 


smoothed  his  wrinkled  front."  His  grand- 
father, his  father,  two  of  his  brothers  and  sev- 
eral of  his  uncles  were  gallant  soldiers  for  the 
Union  in  the  Civil  war,  one  of  the  brothers 
dying  of  exposure  on  account  of  Hood's  raid 
in  Tennessee,  where  he  was  buried.  The 
grandfather  enlisted  at  the  age  of  sixty- four  in 
a  Wisconsin  cavalry  regiment  and  served  four 
years,  being  the  oldest  volunteer  in  the'  service 
from  his  state,  if  not  in  the  whole  country. 
Mr.  Hoskins  was  born  in  Richland  county, 
Wisconsin,  on  September  n,  1857,  and  is  the 
son  of  Amasa  and  Jane  H.  (Murdock)  Hos- 
kins, natives  of  New  York,  where  they  were 
reared  and  married.  Soon  after  their  marriage 
they  moved  to  Ohio  and  a  little  later  to  Rich- 
land  county,  Wisconsin,  where  they  were  pio- 
neers. They  entered  a  body  of  heavily  tim- 
bered land  on  which  the  advance  of  civilization 
had  as  yet  made  no  mark,  and  which,  was  still 
the  abode  of  savages  and  wrild  beasts  that  stub- 
bornly resented  their  intrusion.  There  were 
few  settlers  in  the  neighborhood,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  make  their  way  in  this  wilderness 
almost  alone  and  unassisted.  The  father 
erected  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  county,  and  by 
its  aid  cleared  his  land  and  transformed  it  into 
a  fine  farm.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war  he  tried  to  enlist  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Iron  Brigade,  but  was  not  accepted.  La- 
ter he  organized  a  company  of  his  own,  of 
which  he  was  captain,  and  which  became  a 
part  of  the  Forty-eighth  Wisconsin  Infantry. 
In  this  command  he  served  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  After  that  he  returned  to  his  Wisconsin 
home,  and  there  he  died  several  years  later. 
The  mother  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  The  family  comprised  seven  sons  and 
one  daughter,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Fred  be- 
ing the  fifth  in  the  order  of  birth.  He  was 
reared  on  the  Wisconsin  farm  and  bore  his 
share  of  the  burdens  of  conducting  its  opera- 
tions, receiving,  however,  a  good  public-school 


education  and  taking  a  course  at  the  business 
college  in  Madison.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  the  tinner's  trade,  and  when  nineteen 
years  old  went  to  Sioux  Rapids,  Iowa,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  awhile,  then  con- 
ducted a  hardware  business  for  a  number  o'f 
years.  Selling  out  there,  he  went  to  Storm 
Lake,  in  the  same  state,  and  passed  four  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1894  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  in  Mesa  county,  purchasing  and  settling 
on  the  farm  of  twenty-five  acres  on  which  he 
now  lives  two  miles  and  a  half  north  of  Grand 
Junction.  About  fifteen  acres  of  the  farm  had 
been  planted  in  fruit  trees,  which  were  then 
young.  He  has  planted  three  acres  additional, 
and  now  has  one  of  the  best  and  most  prolific 
fruit  farms  in  the  county.  His  crop  in  1903 
was  two  thousand  three  hundred  boxes  of 
pears,  eight  hundred  of  apples,  one  wine-sap 
tree  yielding  twenty-two  boxes.  These  netted 
him  one  dollar  and  sixty-five  cents  a  box,  a 
very  unusual  return  from  one  tree.  On  May 
TO,  1879.  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L. 
Sanderson,  a  native  of  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin, 
a  daughter  of  Hubbard  and  Jane  (Warner) 
Sanderson,  natives  of  New  York  where  they 
grew  to  maturity  and  were  married.  In  1844 
they  moved  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  on  a  farm 
over  most  of  which  the  city  of  Oshkosh  has 
spread.  Mr.  Sanderson  paid  for  his  land  in 
part  in  deer  hides.  In  1866  the  family  moved 
to  Iowa  and  took  up  a  homestead  on  which  the 
parents  passed  the  rest  of  their  lives.  They 
were  pioneers  in  Buena  Vista  county,  and  the 
father  was  its  treasurer  two  terms  in  the  early 
days  of  his  residence  there.  Their  nearest  rail- 
road station  at  that  time  was  Sioux  City,  eighty 
miles  distant.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoskins  have  five 
children.  Bertha  M.,  wife  of  Truman  Ketchum, 
of  Seattle,  Washington;  Orda  J.,  wife  of  V. 
G.  Callanan,  of  Chicago;  Jay  L.,  a  resident  of 
Chicago ;  and  Gregg  and  Ross,  who  are  living 
at  home.  In  politics  Mr.  Hoskins  is  a  Repub- 


426 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


lican,  and  in  fraternal  alliances  is  a  Freemason 
and  a  Modern  Woodman  of  America,  with 
membership  in  these  orders  at  Grand  Junction. 

GEORGE  E.  COWELL,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Cowell  was  born  in  Bradford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  April  27,  1843.  He  was 
e.ducated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county, 
and  in  1862,  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old, 
he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-first  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry. In  that  command  he  served  eighteen 
months.  At  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  he 
received  five  wounds  and,  being  incapacitated 
for  further  service,  returned  home.  In  1865  he 
moved  to  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  began 
to  read  medicine  at  Minooka  in  that  county, 
afterward  entering  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College  in  Chicago,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1871.  He  then  located  at  Elwood,  Illinois, 
where  he  carried  on  a  successful  practice  until 
1896.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
purchased  the  fruit  farm  of  fifteen  acres  on 
which  his  family  now  lives.  It  is  one  mile  and 
a  half  north  of  Grand  Junction,  and  one  of  the 
best  and  most  productive  in  fruit  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  The  Doctor  became  active  in 
promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  valley,  being 
enthusiastic  over  its  resources  and  eager  for 
their  rapid  and  full  development.  Recently  his 
health  failed  and  he  is  now  (1904)  under  treat- 
ment in  a  hospital.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
served  on  the  board  of  pension  examiners  in 
this  county,  and  also  in  Illinois,  and  while  a 
resident  of  Illinois  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  the  town  in  which  he  lived,  and 
president  of  the  temperance  society  there.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  and  active  Republican, 
zealous  in  the  service  of  his  party  as  he  is  in 
everything  else  in  which  he  takes  an  interest. 
In  fraternal  relations  he  belongs  to  the  order 
of  Elks  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


He  was  married  on  November  8,  1868,  to  Miss 
Catherine  M.  Ferryman,  a  native  of  Guernsey 
county,  Ohio,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter, 
Nellie  G.,  who  is  living  at  home,  and  one  son, 
Forrest,  who  was  killed  in  a  railroad  wreck 
January  8,  1902,  near  Ogden,  Utah.  Her 
mother  died  in  1887,  and  in  1888  the  Doctor 
contracted  a  second  marriage,  being  united  on 
this  occasion  with  Mrs.  Josie  L.  (Linebarger) 
Brown,  a  native  of  Will  county,  Illinois,  and 
daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Linton)  Line- 
barger, the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina 
who  moved  to  Indiana  when  he  was  eight  years 
old,  and  the  latter  born  in  Illinois.  They  were 
married  in  Indiana,  then  moved  to  Will  county, 
Illinois.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  pros- 
pered in  his  enterprise.  Both  are  now  de- 
ceased, the  father  having  died  in  1885  and  the 
mother  in  1903.  •  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Cowell  have 
one  child,  their  daughter  Hazel,  now  fourteen 
years  old.  Mrs.  Cowell's  first  husband  was 
Ara  Brown,  who  she  married  in  1881.  He  was 
a  native  of  Will  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
were  married,  and  where  he  died  on  his  farm 
in  1882  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him. 

STEPHEN   R.   WELCH. 

Stephen  R.  Welch,  one  of  the  leading  fruit- 
growers and  representative  citizens  of  Mesa 
county,  this  state,  whose  postofBce  is  at  Grand 
Junction  and  whose  farm  is  three  miles  north- 
west of  that  city,  is  a  native  of  Bureau  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  born  on  April  4,  1857. 
His  parents,  Enoch  and  Eliza  (Richardson) 
Welch,  were  natives,  respectively,  of  Vermont 
and  Ohio.  The  father  came  west  when  a 
young  man  and  was  married  in  Ohio.  By  this 
marriage  he  had  two  children.  His  wife  died 
in  that  state  and  he  moved  to  Bureau  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  married  a  second  wife,  the 
mother  of  Stephen.  He  was  a  mason  by  trade 
and  wrought  at  his  craft  in  the  various  places 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


427 


of  his  residence.  In  1869  ne  moved  his  family 
to  Benton  county,  Iowa,  and  three  years  later 
to  Woodbury  county,  that  state.  He  died  at 
Sioux  City,  that  county,  leaving  a  third  wife 
to  survive  him,  his  second  having  died  at  their 
Illinois  home  in  1866.  The  second  marriage 
resulted  in  three  children,  all  living,  Stephen 
being  the  first  born.  He  was  reared  in  Illi- 
nois and  Iowa,  and  received  a  public-school  ed*- 
ucation.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on 
farms  in  Iowa  until  1874  when  he  returned 
to  Illinois  and  located  in  Lee  county,  where 
he  passed  four  years  working  on  farms.  He 
then  moved  back  to  Woodbury  county,  Iowa, 
but  not  long  afterward  again  returned  to  Illi- 
nois. Soon  after  his  marriage,  in  the  spring 
of  1882,  he  settled  in  Clay  county,  Iowa,  and 
there  he  remained  engaged  in  farming  until 
1896.  He  then  sold  his  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  at  twenty-nine  dollars  per  acre, 
having  purchased  it  at  twelve  dollars  per  acre. 
He  then  came  to  Colorado,  locating  in  Mesa 
county  and  bought  the  forty  acres  on  which 
he  now  lives,  about  half  of  which  had  been 
planted  in  fruit  trees  a  year  before.  He  has 
brought  his  land  and  orchards  to  a  good  state 
of  productiveness  and  reaps  large  returns  from 
his  labor,  having  in  1903  one  thousand  boxes  of 
apples  and  eight  hundred  of  pears,  also  sixty 
tons  of  hay  and  five  tons  of  potatoes,  which 
brought  him  an  income  of  over  two  thousand 
dollars.  These  figures  will  be  much  increased 
as  times  passes,  as  his  trees  are  just  coming  into 
full  bearing  order.  On  February  24,  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Arella  Geisinger,  a  native 
of  Dixon,  Illinois,  and  daughter  of  David  and 
Sarah  (Barrett)  Geisinger,  the  former  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in  Ohio.  They  are 
now  living  at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Welch  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Leo  W.,  Clara  V.  and  Russell  E.  In  political 
faith  Mr.  Welch  is  a  Republican,  and  in  frater- 
nal alliance  a  Modern  Woodman  of  America. 


LESTER  E.  JAYNES, 

One  of  the  young  and  enterprising  fruit- 
growers of  Mesa  county,  where  he  has  been  a 
resident  for  about  twelve  years,  Lester  E. 
Jaynes  is  an  active  and  helpful  factor  in  pro- 
moting the  growth  and  development  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  county,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
its  best  and  most  useful  citizens.  He  was  born 
in  Will  county,  Illinois,  on  December  i,  1871, 
and  is  the  son  of  Ezra  E.  and  Mary  (Klingler) 
Jaynes,  of  Grand  Junction,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  Jaynes 
grew  to  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  received  a 
district-school  education  in  his  native  county, 
and  in  1892  accompanied  his  parents  to  this 
state,  locating  in  Mesa  county,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he 
bought  ten  acres  of  land  one  mile  and  a  half 
northeast  of  Grand  Junction.  This  he  partially 
improved,  planting  some  seven  and  one-half 
acres  in  fruit  trees,  and  in  the  spring  of  1896 
sold  it  and  bought  the  farm  of  twenty-two 
acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  two  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  Grand  Junction.  The  land  was 
in  a  condition  of  untamed  nature  when  he 
bought  it,  and  to  the  work  of  improving  and 
developing  it  he  has  since  devoted  himself, 
transforming  it  into  a  pleasant  and  productive 
home,  and  making  it  an  element  of  value  in 
the  general  wealth  and  commercial  life  of  the 
county.  He  has  eight  acres  in  fruit  trees,  a 
portion  of  which  are  in  fine  bearing  order  and 
yield  abundantly,  and  the  number  of  these  is 
increasing  year  by  year,  so  that  his  profits  and 
the  volume  of  his  business  are  cumulative  and 
steadily  expanding.  He  was  married  on  Sep- 
tember 29,  1895,  to  Miss  Nanna  R.  Rose,  who 
was  born  at  Del  Norte,  Colorado,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  O.  and  Lucy  (Herndon) 
Rose,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the 
latter  of  Kentucky.  The  mother  died  in  1893 
and  the  father  is  still  living  at  Grand  Junction. 


428 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jaynes  have  had  two  children., 
Harley  Sterling,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four, 
and  another  son  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Jaynes  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  always 
faithful  to  his  allegiance  and  active  in  the 
service  of  his  party.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Young,  enter- 
prising and  knowing,  the  future  holds  out  a 
gratifying  promise  to  him  in  business.  In  the 
local  public  affairs  of  the  county  he  takes  a 
zealous  and  serviceable  interest.  He  is  uni- 
versally esteemed  and  deserves  the  place  he 
holds  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fel- 
low men,  being  the  possessor  of  many  esti- 
mable and  valuable  personal  qualities. 

GEORGE  N.  PATTERICK. 

One  of  the  great  sources  of  strength  in 
American  manhood  and  enterprise  is  the  con- 
glomerate nature  of  our  people.  The  country 
has  laid  all  lands  under  tribute,  and  our  inde- 
pendence and  wealth  of  opportunity  enable  us 
to  evoke  the  best  elements  of  character  from  all 
and  combine  them  into  a  force  for  productive 
energy  that  nothing  can  withstand.  It  is  to 
Yorkshire,  England,  a  section  of  cbuntry  re- 
nowned throughout  the  civilized  world  for  the 
extent  of  its  manufactures  and  the  thrift  and 
enterprise  of  its  people,  that  we  are  indebted 
for  George  N.  Patterick,  of  Mesa  county,  the 
most  successful  and  skillful  market  gardener 
in  that  portion  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in 
Yorkshire  on  September  22,  1850,  and  al- 
though he  came  to  the  United  States  when  he 
was  but  two  years  old,  and  therefore  was  al- 
most wholly  reared  and  wholly  educated  in  this 
country,  he  still  has  the  original  fiber  of  the 
Yorkshireman,  and  has  exhibited  his  best 
qualities  in  the  management  of  his  various  pur- 
suits in  different  parts  of  America.  His  par- 
ents, Thomas  and  Alice  (Varley)  Patterick, 


were  also  native  in  that  portion  of  England, 
and  belonged  to  families  resident  there  four  or 
five  generations,  having  originally  come  from 
Scotland  and  settled  there.  The  father  was  a 
shepherd  in  his  native  land,  but  bemg  impressed 
with  the  greater  chance  for  progress  in  the 
boundless  expanse  of  this  country,  came  hither 
in  1852  with  his  family  and  settled  in  Will 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
His  wife  died  there  in  1873  and  he  in  Chi- 
cago in  1891.  Three  of  their  children  grew 
to  maturity  and  two  are  now  living,  their  son 
George  and  a  sister  who  is  younger  than  he. 
He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  Illinois  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
near  his  home.  After  his  marriage,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Illinois, 
but  he  sold  it  soon  afterward  and  moved  to 
Buena  Vista  county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  which 
he  improved  into  an  excellent  farm.  In  1889 
he  moved  to  Storm  Lake,  the  county  seat,  and 
for  five  years  thereafter  he  conducted  at  that 
place  a  prosperous  business  as  a  paper  hanger 
and  painter.  In  1894  he  came  to  Mesa  county 
and  bought  his  present  farm  of  twenty-three 
acres,  on  which  he  engaged  in  market  garden-' 
ing.  In  this  he  has  been  unusually  successful, 
having  skill  and  industry  in  the  business  and 
studying  its  needs  with  care  and  applying  his 
knowledge  with  judgment.  He  has  the  finest 
market  gardens  in  the  county,  and  gets  from 
them  good  returns  for  his  labor.  His  land  is 
enriched  with  a  good  dwelling  and  other 
buildings,  and  every  appliance  required  for  his 
work  is  at  hand.  On  January  i,  1873,  he  was 
wedded  with  Miss  Adelia  Bohlander,  a  native 
of  Cook 'county,  Illinois,  the  daughter  of  John 
P.  and  Elizabeth  (Bassett)  Bohlander,  the  for- 
mer born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  New 
Jersey.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  and  with  them  located  in  Cook  county, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


429 


Illinois.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
married,  and  soon  after  settled  in  Will  county, 
the  same  state,  where  he  died  in  1876.  His 
wife  is  now  living  with  her  children,  and  is 
seventy-six  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patter- 
ick  have  four  children :  Alice  R.,  wife  of  Au- 
gust Eastling,  of  Towner  county,  North  Da- 
kota;  Charles  W.,  of  Grand  Junction;  and 
George  H.  and  Rhoda  L.,  still  living  at  -home. 
In  politics  both  Mr.  Patterick  and  his  wife  are 
stanch  and  earnest  Republicans.  He  is  a 
valuable  member  of  the  school  board  and  serves 
efficiently  as  its  treasurer. 

LAWRENCE  M.  MILLER. 

Lawrence  M.  Miller,  of  Mesa  county,  Colo- 
rado, who  is  comfortably  settled  on  a  thirty- 
five-acre  farm  one  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of 
Grand  Junction,  and  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
and  progressive  farmers  of  this  neighborhood, 
might  almost  be  called  the  special  apostle  of 
irrigation  in  his  section  of  the  county,  so  en- 
thusiastic and  enterprising  has  he -been  in  pro- 
moting every  phase  of  the  work  and  so  sub- 
stantial in  benefits  to  the  community  have  been 
his  services  and  the  results  of  his  inspiring 
example.  He  is  a  native  of  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  near  Williamsport  on  No- 
vember 30,  1840,  and  the  son  of  Ambrose  and 
Belinda  (Marshall)  Miller,  also  native  in  that 
county,  where  they  passed  their  lives,  actively 
engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Miller's  maternal 
grandfather.  James  Van  Camp  Marshall,  was 
selected  at  one  time  to  make  a  treaty  with  the 
Indians  on  the  Susquehanna,  and  one  of  the 
'  stipulations  of  his  agreement  with  them  was 
that  they  should  vacate  to  the  whites  a  strip  of 
land  along  the  river  as  wide  as  the  distance  a 
man  could  walk  from  sun  to  sun.  He,  being  a 
great  walker,  measured  the  distance  himself, 
and  as  the  sun  went  down  he  threw  himself  on 
the  ground  and  stretched  out  his  arms  to  their 


utmost  length,  then  stuck  a  stake  where  the 
ends  of  his  fingers  touched.  There  were  nine 
children  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Miller's  parents, 
of  whom  he  was  the  sixth,  and  only  three  are 
now  living,  one  brother  being  a  resident  of 
Pennsylvania  and  another  of  Wisconsin.  Mr. 
Miller  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state, 
working  on  the  farm  in  summer  and  attending 
the  district  schools  in  winter.  He  also  attended 
Dickinson  Seminary  at  Williamsport  and  a  se- 
lect school  at  Lewisburg  a  short  time.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  was  obliged  to  quit  school 
on  account  of  his  health,  and  going  into  the 
Cogan  valley  pines  of  his  native  state,  re- 
mained tw'9  years,  working  for  nine  dollars  a 
month  and  clothing  himself.  He  was  very 
frugal  and  saved  one  hundred  dollars,  with 
which  he  moved  to  Illinois  and,  locating  near 
Springfield,  hired  out  to  work  on  a  farm.  He 
remained  there  two  years,  but  as  there  was  a 
strong  attraction  for  him  in  Pennsylvania,  at 
the  end  of  the  time  specified  he  returned  to  that 
state  and  was  married.  After  a  residence  of 
several  years  there  and  two  in  Maryland,  he 
engaged  in  lumbering  in  Pennsylvania  three 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  moved  to  Chip- 
pewa  Falls,  Wisconsin,  where  for  a  year  he 
conducted  a  lumber  business  and  after  that  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  life,  carrying  on  a  large 
store  for  a  leading  lumber  company.  From 
Chippewa  Falls  he  moved  to  Hodgeman 
county,  Kansas,  not  far  from  Larned,  where 
he  started  an  industry  in  the  cattle  business. 
In  1885  settlers  came  there  and  he  moved  his 
cattle  to  Colorado,  locating  in  the  Grand  valley 
where  he  found  a  range  among  the  hills,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  In  1890  he  disposed  of 
his  cattle  and  bought  fifteen  acres  of  land  now 
owned  by  Dr.  Cowell,  and  turned  his  attention 
to  raising  fruit.  He  improved  his  place,  mak- 
ing a  fine  fruit  farm  of  it,  putting  twelve  acres 
in  orchard  trees.  In  1890  he  bought  the  ranch 


43° 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  thirty-five  acres  which  he  now  owns  and 
occupies.  It  was  all  raw  land  at  the  time  and 
he  at  once  set  to  work  to  develop  and  improve 
it  for  a  home,  building  a  fine  modern  brick 
dwelling  and  other  necessary  structures.  A 
portion  of  the  land  was  above  the  ditch  and 
he  put  in  a  private  pumping  plant  to  irrigate  it, 
and  in  1900,  in  partnership  with  his  son,  be- 
gan raising'  Angora  goats,  of  which  they  now 
have  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  on  the 
range.  They  have  prospered  abundantly  in  this 
enterprise,  and  Mr.  Miller  gives  his  son  a 
large  share  of  the  credit  for  their  success.  On 
April  10,  1862,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Miss 
Amelia  Andress,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  M.'  (Jackson) 
Andress,  the  father  a  farmer  who  is  now  de- 
ceased, the  mother  making  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Miller.  One  son  has  been  born 
to  the  Miller  family,  Eben  McKean,  who  is  in 
business  with  his  father.  Mr.  Miller  is  inde- 
pendent in  politics,  but  while  living  at  Grand 
Junction  served  two  years  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council  and  two  as  mayor.  He  was  also 
four  years  president  of  the  Grand  Valley 
Canal,  and  at  present  is  president  of  the  Grand 
Valley  District  Ditch.  This  enterprise  is  one 
of  stupendous  importance  to  the  region  in 
which  it  is  located,  being  capable  of  irrigating 
sixty  thousand  to  eighty  thousand  acres  of  arid 
land.  In  fraternal  circles  Mr.  Miller  is  an  en- 
thusiastic Freemason,  belonging  to  all  branches 
of  both  the  York  and  the  Scottish  rites. 

LAURENCE  HYNES. 

Laurence  Hynes,  of  the  Grand  valley,  one 
of  the  prosperous  and  enterprising  fruit-grow- 
ers of  Mesa  county,  whose  productive  little 
fruit  ranch  of  seven  acres  is  located  two  miles 
east  of  Grand  Junction,  has  had  a  career  full 
of  storm  and  incident  in  several  countries,  and 
although  now  quietly  pursuing  one  of  the  fruit- 


ful vocations  of  peaceful  industry,  has  lost  none 
of  his  interest  in  public  affairs  and  none  of  his 
disposition  to  stir  up  and  concentrate  public 
sentiment  in  behalf  of  the  best  interests  of  his 
community  when  the  circumstances  seem  to 
demand  such  an  effort.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
city  of  Cork  in  Ireland,  where  he  was  born  on 
January  23,  1849,  and  the  son  of  Laurence  and 
Maty  A.  (O'Neill)  Hynes,  also  natives  of  that 
historic  old  city.  They  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1879  and  settled  at  Denver,  this  state, 
where  they  died.  Their  offspring  numbered 
nine,  of  whom  five  are  living.  The  son  Laur- 
ence was  the  fifth  born  of  the  children,  and 
was  reared  and  well  educated  in  his  native 
place.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  there, 
and  after  having  been  imprisoned  two  years 
because  of  his  connection  with  an  uprising 
against  the  government  there,  he  accompanied 
his  parents  and  the  rest  of  the  family  to  this 
country  in  1879.  He  at  once  secured  employ- 
ment in  newspaper  work,  being  connected  for  a 
time  with  the  old  Denver  Tribune  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  News.  In  1880  he  became 
clerk  and  time  keeper  on  the  construction 
work  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railway, 
and  was  so  employed  until  the  fall  of  that  year. 
He  then  made  a  six-weeks  visit  to  Ireland,  and 
on  his  return  to  Denver  at  the  end  of  that  time 
opened  a  book  store  on  Fifteenth  street  in  part- 
nership with  a  younger  brother,  William  F. 
Hynes.  In  1881  he  and  an  older  brother  named 
James  went  to  old  Mexico  and  there  they  en- 
gaged in  contracting  on  the  Mexican  National 
Railway,  building  one  hundred  miles  of  that 
great  highway.  After  this  Mr.  Hynes  remained 
in  that  country  for  a  number  of  years  operating 
farms  in  different  places.  While  there  a  revolu- 
tion sprang  up  around  him  and  with  the  instinct 
of  his  race  and  impelled  by  a  high  sense  of  duty, 
he  took  part  in  it,  but  without  disaster  to  him- 
self. On  his  return  to  Colorado  in  the  latter 
part  of  1889  he  established  at  Red  Cliff  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


first  Populist  paper  published  in  Eagle  county, 
calling  it  the  Eagle  County  Comet.  In  1893 
he  moved  his  plant  to  Grand  Junction  and  es- 
tablished the  Weekly  Times  there.  In  the  en- 
suing October  he  purchased  the  Daily  and 
Weekly  Star  and  consolidated  them  with  the 
Times  under  the  name  of  the  Daily  Star-Times. 
Three  years  later  he  sold  this  and  started  the 
Weekly  Union,  which  he  sold  a  year  later.  He 
then  moved  to  Victor  and  for  a  short  time  con- 
ducted the  Weekly  News  at  that  point,  then 
moved  his  plant  to  Golden  and  for  a  year  ran 
the  Daily  Leader,  which  he  started  there. 
When  he  sold  this  he  moved  to  Cripple  Creek 
and  took  editorial  charge  and  management  of 
the  Sunday  Herald,  and  while  conducting  this 
established  the  Weekly  News,  which  he  carried 
on  nearly  a  year,  and  with  such  force  and  vigor 
that  he  was  assaulted  by  some  of  its  opponents. 
He  then  sold  this  paper  and  during  the  next 
eight  months  assisted  in  publishing  the  Golden 
Circle  at  Cameron.  In  1900  he  again  moved 
into  the  Grand  valley  and  settled  on  the  fruit 
ranch  which  has  since  been  his  home,  and  on 
which  he  conducts  a  thriving  and  expanding 
industry  in  fruit  culture.  On  August  18, 
1900,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Jessie  (Worces- 
ter) Garver,  widow  of  the  late  Andrew  Carver. 
In  politics  he  is  independent  and  always  ag- 
gressive and  influential. 

HERMAN  RICHNER. 

One  of  the  prosperous  and  progressive 
ranch  and  cattle  men  of  the  Western  slope  in 
Colorado,  and  having  come  to  this  region  with 
but  little  capital,  Herman  Richner,  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  has  won  by  his  own  efforts  the 
condition  of  worldly  comfort  in  which  he  finds 
himself,  and  has,  in  addition  to  what  he  pos- 
sesses, the  satisfaction  that  he  has  spent  his  life 
worthily  and  profitably  in  his  present  home  and 
prospered  through  his  own  endeavors.  He  is 


a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  on  August  15, 
1850,  and  he  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  land,  remaining  there  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  His  father  was 
a  shoemaker,  and  when  the  son  left  school  he 
learned  the  same  trade.  In  1871  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  Kansas  on 
January  i,  1872.  He  passed  the  first  five  years 
of  his  residence  in  this  country  in  Kansas  and 
Texas,  working  at  his  trade.  On  August  15, 
1877,  ne  arrived  at  Leadville,  this  state,  and 
during  the  next  seven  years  worked  at  his 
trade  and  in  the  smelters  there.  He  also  dealt 
in  real  estate  at  that  town  to  some  extent.  In 
1884  ne  disposed  of  part  of  his  interests  at 
Leadville  and,  desirous  of  settling  himself  in 
a  more  congenial  occupation,  he  moved  to  Rio 
Blanco  county  and  pre-empted  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Hunter's  gulch. 
On  this  he  lived  and  made  improvements  until 
1887,  then  sold  it  and  bought  a  portion  of  his 
present  home  ranch.  He  has  since  increased 
his  landed  estate  by  the  purchase  of  other 
ranches,  and  now  owns  four,  comprising  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  all.  They  are  all 
under  cultivation  and  yield  abundantly.  He 
also  raises  cattle  on  a  large  scale,  and  has  be- 
come one  of  the  leading  and  most  prosperous 
men  in  the  business  in  this  portion  of  the  state. 
He  is  active  and  useful  in  the  improvement  and 
development  of  the  section,  and  has  in  a 
marked  degree  the  confidence,  respect  and  good 
will  of  its  people.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, with  earnest  interest  in  the  success 
of  his  party,  but  without  desire  for  official  re- 
ward for  his  services.  His  parents  were  Ja- 
cob and  Phrana  Richner,  like  himself  natives 
of  Switzerland,  where  they  passed  the  whole 
of  their  lives,  the  father  dying  there  in  1884 
and  the  mother  in  1888.  Both  were  Lutherans 
and  well  respected  citizens.  The  father  was  an 
industrious  shoemaker  and  gave  faithful  at- 
tention to  his  work  and  his  duties  as  a  citizen. 


432 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Their  offspring  numbered  five,  of  whom  Mary 
and  Sophie  have  died  and  Herman,  Anna  M. 
and  Louisa  are  living. 

ADOLPHE  BELOT. 

Since  the  age  of  fourteen  a  resident  of  the 
Northwest,    and    during    the    last    twenty-six 
years  living  in  Colorado,  Adolphe  Belot,  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  with  a  good  ranch  in  the  fa- 
vored region  which  borders  Piceance  creek,  has 
had  good  opportunities  to  acquire  and  the  abil- 
ity to  use  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  various 
industries  of  the  state,  and  by  so  doing  to  aid 
in  advancing  its  welfare  along  with  his  own, 
and  become  fully  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  its 
people  and  its  institutions.     He  was  born  on 
May   i,   1849,  m  the  province  of  Alsace-Lor- 
raine, which  the  fortune  of  war  wrested  from 
France,  and  is  the  son  of  Xavias  and  Celestine 
(Belot)    Belot.  of  the  same  nativity  as  him- 
self, who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1853   and   settled   in  Jefferson    county,   Iowa, 
where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
as  farmers,  both  dying  a  number  of  years  ago. 
They  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Virginia 
and   Honorine   are   dead   and   Louis,    Amelia, 
wife  of  Leon  Piquette,   Eugenia,   wife  of  T. 
Turck,  Adolph  and  Victoria,  wife  of  Joshua 
Monti,  are  living.     Adolphe  received  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  in   1863,  when  he 
.was  but  fourteen  years  old,  came  west  to  Vir- 
ginia   City,   Montana,   where    he    mined    for 
wages  eight  months  and  then  moved  to  Au- 
burn, Oregon,  being  in  the  employ  of  the  Ore- 
gon-Baker Company  as  a  purchasing  agent  of 
mining  claims.     After  two  years  in  the  service 
of  that  company  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  raising  stock  until  1877. 
He  then   disposed  of  his  interests  there  and 
again  came  west,  locating  in  the  Black  Hills, 
where  he  was  successful  at  mining,  and  discov- 
ered a  number  of  valuable  mining  properties, 


among  them  the  Homestake.  In  1888  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Leadville,  this  state, 
and  after  prospecting  and  mining  there  for  a 
time,  started  the  first  transfer  line  in  that  place 
which  he  operated  until  1884.  In  that  year 
he  moved  to  his  present  locality  and  pre-emp- 
ted a  ranch  on  Piceance  creek,  on  which  he 
has  since  lived  and  to  which  he  has  added  until 
it  comprises  two  hundred  acres,  of  which  one- 
half  is  under  cultivation.  The  cattle  industry 
and  raising  horses  are  his  principal  resources 
for  revenue,,  but  he  also  conducts  a  general 
ranching  business  with  profit.  He  supports  the 
Democratic  party  in  political  matters.  On  No- 
vember 29,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Daisy  Mundlein,  who  was  born  at 
Granite,  Colorado,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Charlotte  Mundlein,  early  settlers  in  this 
state,  and  now  among  its  most  influential  and 
highly  respected  citizens. 

ARTHUR  COLLOM. 

Although  now  a  prominent  ranchman  of 
the  Western  slope  of  Colorado,  and  devoting 
his  energies  with  well  applied  industry  to  the 
expansion  and  proper  management  of  his  busi- 
ness, Arthur  Collom  began  life's  duties  as  a 
miller  and  miner  and  followed  those  pursuits 
from  his  boyhood  to  maturity.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  born 
on  May  17,  1862,  and  the  son  of  Charles  and 
Jeannette  Collom,  aged  sixty-seven  years  and 
sixty  years  respectively,  the  former  born  in 
England  and  the  latter  in  Canada.  The  parents 
came  to  Colorado  in  1871,  and  here  the  father 
has  become  prominent  in  the  industrial  life  of 
the  state  and  made  many  valuable  contributions 
in  useful  labor  and  mechanical  inventions  to 
its  growth  and  development.  The  greater  part 
of  his  life  so  far  has  been  passed  in  mining  and 
milling,  and  he  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  all 
the  details  of  these  industries  from  practical  ex- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


433 


perience  in  every  phase  of  their  work.  With 
the  attention  of  a  true  devotee  to  his  chosen 
calling,  he  has  been  ever  on  the  outlook  for 
whatever  might  lessen  its  labors  and  expand 
its  profits,  and  as  he  has  an  inventive  mind,  he 
has  found  abundant  opportunity  for  the  exer- 
cise of  his  study  and  ingenuity.  Among  the 
appliances  with  which  he  has  enriched  the  min- 
ing industry  is  the  concentrator  gig  of  which 
he  is  the  inventor.  He  gives  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party  in  political  matters,  and  with 
earnest  devotion  to  his  allegiance  he  works  for 
its  cause  on  all  occasions  with  zeal  and  wisdom. 
During  the  last  few  years  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  with  special  atten- 
tion to  handling  mining  properties.  His  wife 
died  in  1869,  and  he  now  lives  at  Idaho 
Springs.  Their  offspring  numbered  four,  of 
whom  only  two  are  living,  Arthur  and  his  sis- 
ter Bessie.  The  former,  owing  to  the  circum- 
stances of  his  early  life,  received  but  little 
schooling,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began 
working  in  the  mines  and  stamp  mills.  He 
wrought  at  these  vocations  in  his  native  land 
until  1871,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Blackhawk,  passed 
a  number  of  years  working  in  the  mines  there, 
then  moved  to  Idaho  Springs.  In  1880  he  and 
his  father  installed  a  twenty-stamp  mill  at  In- 
dependence, near  Aspen,  the  first  one  set  up 
in  that  part  of  the  state,  and  they  conducted  its 
operation  three  years.  Then  quitting  the  mill, 
he  helped  to  build  the  road  between  Twin 
Lakes  and  Aspen.  In  1884  ne  turned  his  at- 
tention to  another  of  the  great  industries  of 
the  state  and  became  a  ranch  and  cattle  man. 
In  this  occupation  he  has  since  been  continu- 
ously and  actively  engaged,  and  in  it  he  has 
built  up  a  large  and  profitable  business.  After 
locating  his  home  ranch  and  giving  some  time 
to  its  improvement  and  cultivation  with  grati- 
fying success,  he  bought  additional  land  to 
the  extent  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and 
28 


of  the  whole  tract  of  four  hundred  acres  one- 
half  is  in  an  advanced  state  of  tillage  and  pro- 
ductiveness. He  carries  on  an  extensive  cattle 
industry  and  farms  his  land  with  vigor  and 
good  judgment,  realizing  excellent  returns  for 
his  labor  in  both  lines  of  enterprise.  When  he 
located  in  the  neighborhood  there  were  but  few 
settlers  in  that  portion  of  the  state,  and  all  the 
conditions  of  frontier  life  confronted  him.  He 
has  aided  greatly  in  opening  the  region  to  set- 
tlement and  bringing  it  to  its  present  condition. 
On  October  5,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  S.  Herrick,  who  was  born  in  Michigan. 
They  have  three  interesting  children,  Verda, 
Ethel  and  Clifford. 

JOSEPH  E.  KELLOGG. 

The  parents  of  Joseph  E.  Kellogg,  a  pros- 
perous and  enterprising  ranch  man  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  Colorado,  Joseph  and  Fannie 
Kellogg,  are  natives  of  Cattaraugus  county, 
New  York,  where  he  also  was  born,  coming 
into  the  world  on  February  17,  1852.  When 
he  was  three  years  old  the  family  moved  to 
Wisconsin  and  four  years  later  to  Iowa,  where 
the  mother  died  in  1873.  In  1880  the  father 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado  and  now  lives  at 
Meeker.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  ma- 
ture life  he  has  been  a  merchant,  but  he  is  at 
this  time  interested  in  ranches  in  Routt  county 
and  the  marketing  of  their  products.  He  is 
now,  as  he  has  been  for  many  years,  an  earn- 
est supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  Five 
of  the  seven  children  born  in  the  family  are 
deceased.  After  receiving  a  common-school 
education  of  limited  scope,  the"  son  Joseph  be- 
came a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment 
owned  and  conducted  by  his  father,  whom  he 
accompanied  to  this  state  in  1880,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight.  Here  he  continued  to  serve 
other  parties  in  the  same  capacity  for  six  years 
at  Fort  Collins.  In  1886  he  moved  to  his  pres- 


434 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ent  home  in  Routt  county  which  he  took  up  as 
a  homestead  and  which  he  has  increased  by 
purchase  to  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  acres. 
He  cultivates  seventy-five  acres  of  the  land 
with  good  results  and  raises  cattle  in  large 
numbers,  having  interests  in  other  ranches 
which  aid  in  expanding  his  business  in  the  stock 
industry.  As  an  ardent  Republican  he  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  public  life  of  his  county.  He 
served  as  county  assessor  in  1890  and  1891, 
and  after  the  close  of  his  term  in  that  office 
passed  another  as  deputy  assessor.  His  ranch 
is  well  located  eighteen  miles  southwest  of 
Craig  and  is  in  a  very  advanced  state  of  devel- 
opment. On  October  15,  1872,  Mr.  Kellogg 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alma  M. 
Gartner,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Cook 
county  near  Elgin.  They  have  had  one  child, 
their  son  Fred,  who  died  in  infancy.  Peace- 
fully pursuing  his  chosen  lines  of  usefulness, 
with  diligence  in  his  work,  with  consideration 
for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others  while  pro- 
tecting his  own,  with  studious  devotion  to  the 
welfare  of  his  county  and  state,  and  a  deep  and 
serviceable'  interest  in  the  larger  concerns  of 
his  country,  and  giving  the  aid  of  his  active 
support  and  the  stimulus  of  his  example  in  be- 
half of  every  good  enterprise,  the  life  of  this 
good  citizen  and  energetic  business  man  adds 
materially  to  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the 
people  around  him  and  the  elevation  of  their 
moral  and  intellectual  standard,  and  has  se- 
cured for  him  in  return  their  lasting  esteem 
and  good  will. 

WILLIAM  H.  ROSE. 

More  than  sixty  years  have  passed  since 
the  birth  of  William  H.  Rose,  at  Buffalo,  New 
York,  on  January  i,  1844,  and  more  than  twen- 
ty-five of  them  have  been  passed  by  him  as  one 
of  the  producing  and  distributing  forces  in  the 
development  and  progress  of  Colorado.  He 


received  a  common-school  education,  supple- 
mented by  a  course  at  a  good  seminary  located 
at  Alden,  in  his  native  county,  and  at  Wyoming, 
New  York.  On  August  4,  1862,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union 
in  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth 
New  York  Infantry,  and  by  fidelity  and  gal- 
lantry rose  to  the  position  of  corporal  and  la- 
ter to  that  of  sergeant  in  his  company,  which 
was  in  active  service  to  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war.  Mr.  Rose  participated  in  many  memor- 
able campaigns  and  battles,  among  them  the 
Gettysburg  campaign,  after  Stewart's  cavalry  in 
October,  1862,  the  expedition  to  New  Orleans 
under  General  Banks  in  November,  1862,  the 
siege  of  Port  Hudson  in  May,  June  and  July, 
1863,  the  Red  River  expedition  in  1864,  the 
battle  of  Donaldsonville  July  13,  1863,  and  the 
various  movements  under  General  Sheridan  in 
the  Shenandoah  valley  in  Virginia.  In  1864 
he  was  wounded  in  one  of  Sheridan's  fights  on 
Opequan  creek,  and  in  consequence  of  this 
passed  some  time  in  hospitals  at  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia,  during  which  he  studied  civil  en- 
gineering. Since  becoming  a  resident  of  this 
state  he  has  taken  part  in  quelling  several  In- 
dian outbreaks.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war  he  returned  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  for 
two  years  practiced  his  profession  of  civil  en- 
gineer in  the  employ  of  the  Buffalo  &  Philadel- 
phia Railroad.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  moved 
to  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  and  in  the  line  of  his 
profession  laid  out  the  Wilbur  addition  to  the 
city.  There  he  was  also  employed  profession- 
ally by  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroad. 
In  1872  he  moved  to  Prescott,  in  that  state, 
and  there  he  served  as  county  surveyor  until 
1878,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Kansas 
City.  In  March,  1879,  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Lead vi lie,  where  he  opened  an 
office  as  a  civil  engineer  and  United  States 
deputy  mineral .  surveyor  and  became  inter- 
ested in  handling  mining  properties.  He  re- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


435 


mained  there  until  1882,  then  moved  to  Craig 
for  the  purpose  of  prospecting  for  gold,  which 
he  found,  but  not  in  paying  quantities.  So 
turning  his  attention  to  ranching  and  raising 
stock,  in  the  spring  of  1883  he  pre-empted  the 
ranch  on  which  he  now  lives.  To  his  first 
claim  he  has  added  until  he  now  owns  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  all  of  which  he  has  im- 
proved. His  ranch  was  the  first  taken  up  in  the 
Bear  river  bottom  where  Craig  now  stands  and 
he  built  the  first  log  cabin  in  the  Craig  valley. 
He  has  since  coming  here  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  general  ranching  and  raising  cattle 
and  horses,  and  has  served  three  terms  as 
county  surveyor.  He  is  also'  agent  for  the 
Craig  Townsite  Company,  United  States  dep- 
uty mineral  surveyor  and  United  States  com- 
missioner. In  aiding  all  undertakings  for  the 
improvement  of  the  section  in  which  he  lives 
he  has  borne  a  cheerful  and  helpful  part,  as- 
sisting especially  in  building  the  Highline  or 
South  Park  to  Leadville  owned  by  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad.  Always  interested  in  the 
mining  industry,  he  still  owns  mining  interests 
at  Leadville.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  in  political  affairs  supports  the 
Republican  party.  He  was  first  married  on 
September  12,  1869,  and  by  the  union  became 
the  father  of  four  children,  Howard,  Jessie, 
Minnie  and  Pearl,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 
He  was  divorced  from  this  wife  in  1878,  on  ac- 
count of  incompatibility  of  temperament,  and 
on  December  16,  1891,  married  a  second  one, 
Miss  Julia  La  Reaux,  a  native  of  New  York 
state.  Mr.  Rose's  parents  were  Walter  and 
Eunice  (Farnham)  Rose,  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts and  New  York  respectively.  The  father 
was  a  merchant  for  many  years  at  Buffalo, 
New  York,  and  afterwards  a  farmer.  He  was 
a  Whig  in  political  faith,  and  both  parents  were 
Presbyterians  in  church  membership.  Their 
offspring  numbered  seven,  five  of  whom  are 


dead.  Horace  was  killed  in  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run ;  Curtis  died  of  injuries  received 
at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  although  he  lingered 
until  1895 ;  Emily  A.  died  in  1885,  Delia  L, 
in  1893,  and  Martha  J.  in  1874.  Mr.  Rose 
and  his  sister  Helen  M.,  wife  of  Orlando  Coe, 
are  living.  The  father  died  in  1865  and  the 
mother  in  1893. 

MARTIN  WEISBECK. 

Martin  Weisbeck,  of  Routt  county,  whose 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  located 
near  Craig,  is  considered  one  of  the  best  of  its 
size  in  the  county,  is  one  of  the  sturdy  mechan- 
ics of  self-reliance,  perseverance  and  capacity 
who  have  helped  so  materially  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  this  state  and  build  up  its  industries. 
He  was  born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  on 
December  i,  1849,  and  being  the  son  of  par- 
ents in  moderate  circumstances,  he  did  not  have 
much  opportunity  for  attending  school,  but 
was  obliged  to  wrork  for  the  necessaries  of  life 
from  his  boyhood.  He  learned  three  trades 
practically,  those  of  stone  mason,  plasterer  and 
carpenter,  and  having  a  handy  mechanical  turn, 
found  it  more  easy  to  master  three  than  many 
do  to  master  one.  In  his  native  state  he 
wrought  at  these  trades  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  years,  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Central  City.  Here  he  worked  at  his  trades 
and  also  did  mining  and  teaming,  continuing 
at  his  numerous  occupations  there  until  1885. 
He  then  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Craig  and 
took  a  homestead  right  to  his  present  ranch. 
It  was  entirely  covered  with  wild  sage  brush 
when  he  took  possession  of  it,  and  its  present 
condition  is  the  result  of  his  own  indefatigable 
industry  and  skillful  management.  He  made 
the  improvements  and  brought  the  land  to  fer- 
tility and  comeliness,  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  raising  large  crops  of  hay,  grain  and 
vegetables.  There  is  an  abundant  supply  of 


436 


PROGRESSIVE'  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


water  for  sufficient  irrigation,  and  his  methods 
of  farming  are  of  the  best.  In  political  faith 
he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  not  an  active  par- 
tisan. He  finds  enough  to  occupy  his  mind 
and  time  in  his  private  affairs. 

CHARLES  A.  RANNEY. 

Charles  A.  Ranney,  of  Routt  county,  living 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Craig,  is  a  younger 
brother  of  Frank  B.  Ranney,  of  the  same  neigh- 
borhood, a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume,  in  which  the  fam- 
ily history  can  be  seen.  Mr.  Ranney  was  born 
on  May  I,  1867,  in  Belding,  Ionia  county, 
Michigan,  and  there  received  a  high-school  ed- 
ucation, the  conditions  in  his  case  not  opening 
to  him  the  way  to  anything  beyond  in  the  line 
of  schooling.  He  was,  however,  diligent  and 
studious  and  acquired  sufficient  knowledge 
and  had  sufficient  self-confidence  and  force  of 
character  to  begin  teaching  school  at  the  age 
of  seventeen.  He  followed  this  important  vo- 
cation six  years  in  his  native  state,  then  came 
to  Colorado  in  1890  and  taught  school  at  Craig 
four  years.  From  1899  to  1903  he  conducted 
a  drug  store  at  Craig,  and  in  the  year  last 
named  he  traded  the  store  for  the  ranch  he 
now  owns  and  manages  located  on  Fortification 
creek,  twenty-six  miles  north  of  Craig.  It  com- 
prises two  hundred  acres,  of  which  about  three- 
fourths  can  be  cultivated.  Hay  and  cattle  are 
the  most  important  products  on  the  place,  but 
grain,  vegetables  and  fruit  are  also  raised  in 
quantities.  Mr.  Ranney,  although  not  an  ac- 
tive partisan,  is  a  loyal  and  firm  Republican  in 
political  faith.  He  was  married  on  May  i, 
1902,  to  Miss  Josephine  Bassett,  who  was  born 
in  Arkansas  but  reared  in  Colorado.  Mr.  Ran- 
ney is  a  progressive  man  and  has  a  voice  of  in- 
fluence in  the  local  affairs  of  the  county,  aiding 
always  in  the  promotion  of  enterprises  of  value 
and  helping  to  give  the  proper  trend  to  public 
sentiment  in  reference  to  public  improvements. 


SAMUEL  A.  ADAIR. 

Samuel  A.  Adair,  who  was  one  of  the  earl- 
iest settlers  in  Routt  county,  and  who  is  now  liv- 
ing retired  from  active  pursuits  after  many 
years  of  productive  and  active  usefulness  in 
this  county,  is  a  native  of  McMinn  county,  Ten- 
nessee, born  on  March  16,  1859,  and  the  son 
of  William  C.  and  Maltie  (Reid)  Adair,  the 
former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of 
North  Carolina.  The  parents  were  farmers 
and  the  father,  who  is  still  living  in  his  native 
state,  is  an  active  Republican  in  politics.  The 
mother  died  in  1885.  Ten  of  their  twelve  chil- 
dren are  living,  William  W.,  Samuel  A.,  John, 
Clara  (Mrs.  John  Colthorp),  Gustavus,  Nora 
(Mrs.  T.  B.  Pain),  James,  Emma  (Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Erwin),  Vacla  (Mrs.  Jesse  Stringham) 
and  Cora  (Mrs.  George  P.  Anderson).  Samuel 
received  a  common-school  education  and  has 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world  since  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  previous  to  that  time  assist- 
ing his  parents  on  the  farm.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Hahn's  Peak  in 
Routt  county,  where  he  wrought  in  the  mines 
for  wages  until  the  fall  of  1881.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  raising  cattle  on  the 
open  range  on  Bear  river.  This  he  continued 
until  the  autumn  of  1882,  when  he  sold  his  cat- 
tle and  began  raising  horses,  keeping  at  that 
until  1888.  In  that  year  he  disposed  of  his 
horses  and  again  began  raising  cattle.  In  1882 
he  homesteaded  on  a  ranch  which  is  a  part  of 
his  late  home  place.  This  comprises  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  and  on  it  until  recently  he  carried 
on  an  extensive  ranching  and  cattle  industry. 
When  he  settled  on  his  land  it  was  all  wild 
and  wholly  without  improvements  of  any  kind. 
He  has  brought  the  greater  part  of  it  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  has  made  many  valu- 
able and  attractive  improvements  on  it  so  that 
it  is  now  one  of  the  most  productive  and  desir- 
able ranch  homes  in  his  portion  of  the  state. 
Recently  he  sold  the  ranch  and  his  live  stock 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


437 


to  Carry  Brothers,  and  since  then  he  has  not 
been  actively  engaged  in  any  business.  He  was 
a  very  progressive  man,  keenly  alive  to  the 
needs  of  the  section  in  which  he  lived  and  al- 
ways foremost  in  providing  for  them.  He 
aided  in  building  the  Brock  ditch  and  numer- 
ous other  works  of  local  improvement,  being 
ever  in  earnest  with  his  effective  influence  and 
example  in  developing  the  section.  Politically 
he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  but  he  has  never 
sought  or  desired  official  station.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  September  30,  1885,  to  Miss  Cordelia 
Walker,  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the 
daughter  of  William  R.  Walker,  who  became 
a  resident  of  Routt  county  in  1882  among  the 
first  settlers  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adair  have 
two  children,  Gordon  B.  and  Mattie  A.  Begin- 
ning in  this  state  with  nothing,  Mr.  Adair  has 
used  his  opportunities  to  good  advantage  and 
won  from  adverse  circumstances  a  very  good 
estate,  at  the  same  time  helping  to  push  for- 
ward the  progress  and  improvement  of  the  wild 
region  into  which  he  came  and  where  he  has 
labored  to  such  good  ends. 

JAMES  M.  WHETSTONE. 

James  M.  Whetstone,  living  on  a  fine  ranch 
of  eight  hundred  and  forty  acres  two  miles  east 
of  Hayden,  is  not  only  classed  as  a  pioneer 
but  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  men  of 
Routt  county,  taking  an  active  part  in  its 
political  affairs  as  an  ardent  Republican  and 
in  its  fraternal  life  as  an  enthusiastic  Master 
Mason.  He  was  born  in  Schuylkill  county, 
Pennsylvania,  on  October  30,  1855,  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  His  boyhood  and  youth  were  like 
those  of  other  country  boys  of  his  locality  and 
station.  He  attended  a  district  school  a  few 
months  in  the  winter  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm,  remaining  under  the  parental 
roof-tree  until  he  was  twenty-two.  At  the  age 


of  eleven  his  parents  moved  to  Mahonoy  City, 
Pennsylvania,  where  from  the  age  of  fourteen 
to  twenty-two  he  was  employed  as  clerk  and 
bookkeeper  in  stores.  He  then  started  out  in 
life  for  himself.  In  1877  he  left  his  native 
heath  and  became  a  resident  of  Colorado.  Lo- 
cating at  Breckenridge,  he  gave  his  attention 
to  mining  and  prospecting  until  1882,  serving, 
however,  in  1880  and  1881  as  town  clerk,  an 
office  to  which  he  was  elected  on  the  Citizens' 
ticket.  In  1882  he  moved  to  Routt  county  and 
took  up  his  residence  on  portions  of  his  present 
ranch,  which  he  secured  on  pre-emption  and 
homestead  claims.  He  has  increased  the  land 
by  subsequent  purchases  to  eight  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  has  what  many  persons  con- 
sider the  best  ranch  in  the  county.  He  can 
cultivate  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  raises 
good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables  with 
some  small  fruits.  His  cattle,  which  are  his 
main  reliance,  are  all  of  high  grades  and  regis- 
tered and  kept  in  prime  condition.  During  his 
residence  at  Breckenridge  Mr.  Whetstone 
served  as  business  manager  of  the  Summit 
County  Leader.  He  was  married  on  December 
30,  1890,  to  Miss  Virginia  E.  Hooker.  They 
have  one  child,  their  son  Sidney  H.  Mr.  Whet- 
stone's parents  were  Elias  and  Hannah  (Stei- 
gerwalt)  Whetstone,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  father  was  a  man  of  many  pursuits,  a 
citizen  of  influence  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  followed  his  sons  to  Colorado  in  1881  and 
died  in'  1898  at  Breckenridge,  having  survived 
the  mother  eighteen  years,  she  passing  away 
in  1880.  Five  of  their  six  children  are  living, 
James  M.,  Emma,  wife  of  G.  T.  Bailey,  John 
A.,  Hannah,  wife  of  E.  P.  Phelps,  and  Amos  E. 

MATHIAS  ELMER. 

Although  born  and  reared  in  Switzerland, 
where  he  was  educated  and  learned  his  trade 
as  a  butcher,  and  having  tried  his  hand  at 


438 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  craft  in  Paris,  France,  Mathias  Elmer,  of  . 
Routt  county,  pleasantly  located  and  estab- 
lished on  a  good  three-hundred-and-twenty- 
acre  ranch  of  his  own  in  Bear  river  valley, 
has  found  in  this  country  and  state  the  proper 
field  for  his  enterprise  and  the  most  congenial 
surroundings  and  beneficent  institutions  for  a 
poor  man  struggling  forward  in  the  "race  for 
supremacy  among  his  fellows.  His  life  began 
in  the  land  of  William  Tell  on  April  18,  1851, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  Oswald  and  Thoroth 
Elmer,  also  Swiss  by  nativity.  The  father,  who 
is  still  living  in  his  native  land,  farms  and 
raises  stock  with  success.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  as  was  his  wife,  who  died 
on  February  12,  1902.  They  had  a  family  of 
eight  children.  Of  these  Anna  and  Oswald 
died,  and  Henry,  Mathias,  Anna,  Maria  and 
Nicholas  and  Dorothy  (twins)  are  living. 
Mathias  had  such  educational  advantages  as 
are  furnished  by  the  state  common  schools.  At 
an  early  age  he  learned  his  trade  as  a  butcher, 
and  at  this  he  wrought  in  his  native  country 
until  1873,  then  went  to  Paris,  where  he  was 
variously  employed  during  his  short  residence 
in  that  gay  capital.  In  1874  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  at  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  remained  two  years,  in 
1876  becoming  a  resident  of  Colorado.  After 
living  a  short  time  at  Denver  he  moved  to 
Central  City  and  there  worked  at  his  trade 
"until  1883,  a  part  of  the  time  for  wages  and 
the  rest  in  a  meat  market  of  his  own.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  went  to  the  Black  Hills 
and  endeavored  to  open  a  meat  market,  but 
found  the  Indians  so  troublesome  that  he  was 
unable  to  proceed  with  the  enterprise  and  re- 
turned to  Central  City.  In  1883  he  determined 
to  turn  his  attention  to  ranching  and  with  this 
end  in  view  moved  into  the  Bear  river  valley 
and  took  up  a  homestead  and  a  pre-emption 
claim,  each  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  wild  land,  all  virgin  to  the"  plow  and 


without  the  suggestion  of  any  improvement. 
This  tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  he 
has  redeemed  from  the  waste  and  made  pro- 
ductive with  the  fruits  of  systematic  cultiva- 
tion, having  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  now 
in  good  annual  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vege- 
ables.  He  has  made  the  improvements  on  the 
land  himself,  so  that  the  place  as  it  is,  one 
of  the  best  and  most  desirable  in  the  valley, 
is  wholly  the  result  of  his  industry,  thrift  and 
skill.  It  is  plentifully  adorned  with  fine  trees 
of  his  planting  and  well  supplied  with  com- 
fortable buildings  and  other  structures  for  its 
proper  purposes.  Moreover,  such  has  been  Mr. 
Elmer's  interest  in  and  services  to  the  public 
welfare  of  the  region  that  he  is  generally  recog- 
nized as  one  of  its  influential  and  represent- 
ative citizens.  On  September  29,  1881,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Geisel, 
a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  born  on 
March  16,  1863.  They  have  four  children, 
Mrs.  David  Sellers,  Ida  M.,  Mattie  M.  and 
Emma  L.  Mrs.  Elmer  is  the  daughter  of  John 
J.  and  Maria  R.  (Stoll)  Geisel,  also  natives  oi 
Wurtemberg.  The  father  was  a  baker  and 
sometimes  a  farmer,  and  both  were  Lutherans. 
They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  four  are 
living,  Louisa,  Bertha,  Maria  and  Alvina.  The 
mother  died  on  September  16,  1863,  and  the 
father  on  January  23,  1889. 

WILLIAM  L.  YOAST. 

Born  and  reared  at  Humansville,  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  Polk  county,  Missouri, 
and  living  since  most  of  the  time  in  the  rural 
districts  of  Colorado,  William  L.  Yoast,  of 
Routt  county,  whose  well  improved  and  highly 
cultivated  ranch  is  located  fourteen  miles  south- 
east of  Hayden,  has  passed  nearly  the  whole  of 
his  life  on  the  frontier  and  is  therefore  well 
acquainted  with  every  phase  of  its  strenuous 
but  interesting  requirements.  His  life  began 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


439 


on  November  14,  1852,  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  paternal  farm,  assisting  in  its  ex- 
acting labors,  sharing  its  privations,  incident 
to  farm  life  in  the  far  west  at  all  times,  and 
receiving  such  intellectual  culture  as  was  avail- 
able at  the  primitive  country  schools  of  his  day 
and  locality.  In  1873,  when  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  he  began  the  business  of  life  for 
himself,  farming  and  raising  stock  in  his  na- 
tive county  until  1888.  With  the  industry  and 
frugality  which  were  parts  of  his  home  train- 
ing, he  succeeded  in  his  undertaking.  But  his 
success  only  served  to  fire  his  ambition  for 
larger  results  and  accordingly  he  sought  the 
wider  and  more  varied  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement offered  by  this  state,  and,  coming 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Denver,  he  bought  a 
ranch  on  which  he  lived  until  1890.  Then  re- 
turning east  some  distance,  he  located  in  Ness 
county,  Kansas,  and  tried  his  hand  at  raising 
sheep.  A  severe  winter  cleaned  him  up  finan- 
cially and  cured  him  of  the  desire  to  continue 
his  operations  in  that  state  and  the  line  which 
had  proved  so  disastrous.  He  then  came  once 
more  to  Colorado  and  again  located  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Denver  in  the  fall  of  1891,  passing  two 
years  on  a  leased  ranch.  In  1893  ne  moved 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Williams  Park  and 
homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  which  was  then  covered  with  wild  sage 
brush  and  had  never  felt  the  master  hand  of 
systematic  husbandry.  This  he  set  to  work 
to  improve  and  cultivate  with  an  industry  and 
skill  which  have  transformed  it  into  a  fine  and 
productive  farm,  yielding  large  annual  crops 
of  hay  and  grain,  and  supporting  generously 
his  large  and  choice  herds  of  cattle.  In  his 
section  he  is  prominent  and  progressive,  influ- 
ential and  intelligent  in  reference  to  public  af- 
fairs and  well  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 
Although  an  earnest  Democrat  in  political 
faith  and  devoted  to  the  success  of  his  party, 
he  does  not  seek  public  office,  but  prefers  to 


serve  his  community  from  the  honorable  post  of 
private  citizenship.  On  June  27,  1876,  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Swinck, 
a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  have  nine  chil- 
dren, John  H.,  James  M.,  Mary  A.,  William 
W.,  Bessie  M.,  Elmer  A.,  Frederick,  Alva  B. 
and  Clarissa  C.  Mr.  Yoast's  parents,  Hugh 
and  Mary  Yoast,  were  born,  respe'ctively,  int 
Tennessee  and  Virginia.  The  mother  died  in 
1886,  and  the  father  is  still  living  and  actively 
engaged  in  farming  in  Polk  county,  Missouri. 
Their  family  numbered  eleven,  of  whom  Allie, 
Susan,  Columbus  and  an  infant  are  dead,  and 
William  L.,  Frank,  James,  Annie,  Margaret, 
Julia  and  Mary  are  living. 

JOHN  DUNCKLEY. 

John  Dunckley,  whose  name  is  a  household 
word  in  Routt  county  and  throughout  a  consid- 
erable extent  of  the  surrounding  country  as  a 
very  progressive,  enterprising  and  successful 
stock  and  ranch  man,  is  a  native  of  Huron 
county,  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
where  he  was  born  on  April  8,  1857.  His  par- 
ents, George  and  Grace  Dunckley,  natives  of 
Ireland,  emigrated  to  Canada  at  the  age  of  ten 
years  and  were  later  married  there.  They 
moved  from  there  to  Kansas  in  1868  and  to 
Colorado  in  1891.  The  mother  died  in  this 
state  on  Tune  2,  1892,  and  the  father  is  now 
living  at  Boulder.  He  has  been  a  farmer  from 
his  youth,  and  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  local 
politics  as  a  Republican.  Fourteen  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. They  are  John,  Rowland  I.,  Richard  H., 
George  W.,  William  F.,  Susan  (Mrs.  George 
Campbell),  Robert  C,  Thomas  E.,  Edward, 
Anna  (Mrs.  Sershuri),  Walter  H.,  Ella  M. 
(Mrs.  Brooks),  Charles  and  Nelson.  The  par- 
ents belonged  to  and  reared  their  children  in 
the  Methodist  church.  John,  the  first  born  of 
their  offspring,  received  a  common-school  edu- 


440 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


cation  and  aided  them  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-three,  then 
moved  to  Kansas  and  after  farming  for  a  few 
months  in  Ottawa  county,  that  state,  removed 
in  1880  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence 
at  Canon  City.  Here  he  furnished  ties  for  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  under  contract 
for  two  years,  then  returned  to  Kansas,  where 
he  worked  on  farms  for  wages  until  1888.  In 
that  year  he  again  became  a  resident  of  this 
state,  locating  on  his  present  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  Routt  county,  which  he 
secured  by  pre-emption  and  which  is  eighteen 
miles  southeast  of  Hayden.  He  cultivates  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  land  with  good 
results  in  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  and  with 
breadth  of  view  for  his  own  welfare  and  a 
patriotic  and  public-spirited  interest  in  the  sub- 
stantial and  enduring  good  of  the  stock  interr 
ests  in  the  county,  he  maintains  fine  herds  of 
thoroughbred  Hereford  and  Shorthorn  cattle, 
through  which  he  has  aided  materially  and  ex- 
tensively in  raising  the  standard  of  stock  in  his 
neighborhood.  His  ranch  is  one  of  the  best  of 
its  size  in  Routt 'county,  and  all  its  operations 
are  carried  on  with  skill,  intelligence  and  ac- 
cording to  the  most  advanced  thought  in  the 
business.  The  land  was  wild  and  uncultivated 
when  he  took  it  up,  unprofitably  gay  with  wild 
sage  and  cherry  growths  and  without  the  sem- 
blance of  a  human  habitation  or  showing  the 
"mark  of  any  attempt  at  cultivation.  He  has 
enriched  it  with  good  buildings,  and,  seconding 
the  bounty  of  nature,  always  available  to  proper 
persuasions,  has  transformed  the  land  from  its 
state  of  rude  barbarism  to  one  of  smiling  plenty 
fruitful  in  all  the  concomitants  of  cultivated  life. 
If  the  denizens  of  the  older  communities  who 
build  them  greater  and  multiply  their  product- 
iveness are  entitled  to  credit,  much  more  is  one 
who,  like  Mr.  Dunckley,  steps  boldly  into  the 
wilderness  and  summons  it  to  the  service  of 
man  and  a  new  people  worthy  of  all  regard 


and  esteem ;  and  this  he  enjoys  in  a  marked  de- 
gree among  those  who  have  witnessed  and 
shared  his  labors  and  his  triumphs. 

HENRY  SCHAFFNIT,  SR. 

Born  in  Germany  and  living  during  the  last 
forty  years  in  Colorado,  and  between  the  two 
places  traveling  through  many  parts  of  the 
United  States  to  the  Pacific  and  from  the  Gulf 
to  California,  suffering  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  and  encountering  all  the  dangers  of 
frontier  life,  escaping  death  by  cholera  and  fe- 
ver, by  famine  and  flood,  reveling  at  times  in 
the  wild  existence  of  the  mining  camp  and  at 
times  longing  for  the  blandishments  of  civili- 
zation, and  in  his  wanderings  gathering  to- 
gether one  of  the  most  'extensive  and  curious 
collections  of  deformed  horns  and  antlers  of  elk, 
deer,  antelope,  gazella  and  roebucks  in  exist- 
ence, the  interesting  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
had  a  career  of  unusual  adventure  and  breadth 
of  experience,  and  has  made  it  all  subservient 
to  his  own  progress  and  advancement  and  the 
benefit  of  the  region  of  his  present  home.  He 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt  in  1833,  the  son 
of  Martin  and  Elizabeth  Schaffnit,  also  native 
in  that  country,  where  they  were  prosperous 
farmers  and  prominent  citizens,  the  father  serv- 
ing as  mayor  of  his  home  town  for  nine  years. 
They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  died  in  their  native  land,  the  father  in  1863 
and  the  mother  ten  years  later.  Henry  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1851,  after  ac- 
quiring a  common-school  education  and  learn- 
ing his  trade  as  a  blacksmith  in  Germany,  and 
on  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  the  port  to  which 
he  was  bound,  made  his  way  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  worked  two  years  as  a  clerk  and  a 
gardener.  On  the  way  from  New  Orleans  to 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  cholera  broke  out  on  the 
steamboat  and  nine  persons  died  on  the  way 
up  the  Mississippi,  and  the  boat  was  on  this 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


441 


account  quarantined  at  an  island  opposite  St. 
Louis  and  detained  there  some  time.  Mr. 
Schaffnit  passed  the  winter  of  1853-4  at  New 
Orleans,  then,  to  escape  a  virulent  yellow  fever 
epidemic,  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the  spring, 
and  started  for  California  under  the  influence 
of  the  gold  excitement  over  that  state,  journey- 
ing up  the  Missouri  and  through  northern  Kan- 
sas until  the  party,  composed  of  himself,  Mr. 
Bush  and  Mr.  Stephenson  &  Company,  driving 
two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  a 
number  of  ox  teams,  reached  the  Blue  river  in 
Kansas.  This  stream  rose  four  feet  in  the 
night  and  flooded  all  the  valley  and  all  the  cattle 
belonging  to  the  train  stampeded,  being  visible 
only  when  the  lightning  flashed.  This  circum- 
stance so  discouraged  Mr.  Schaffnit  he  deter- 
mined to  return  east ;  but  after  a  jaunt  of  fifty 
miles  on  the  backward  track,  during  which  he 
was  compelled  to  sleep  on  the  open  prairie  at 
night,  Mr.  Schaffnit  changed  his  mind  and 
turned  his  face  once  more  to  the  land  of  gold 
and  promise,  although  his  only  possession  was 
one  blanket  and  a  pistol.  He  soon  fell  in  with 
another  party  in  which  he  became  well  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Legan  and  Mr.  Brassfield, 
of  Liberty,  Clay  county,  Missouri,  and  together 
they  pushed  on  to  their  desired  haven.  The 
trip  was  full  of  incident  and  danger,  at  times 
the  wagons  having  to  be  stopped  on  account  of 
the  immense  herds  of  buffalo  passing  through, 
and  consumed  five  months  of  wearying  travel. 
But  at  length  they  reached  Sacramento,  where 
Mr.  Schaffnit  followed  gold  mining  with  suc- 
cess for  five  years  in  Shasta  and  Trinity  coun- 
ties, California.  In  the  fall  of  1859,  when  he 
gave  up  mining  for  a  time,  he  saw  the  body  of 
United  States  Senator  Brodrik  lying  in  state 
at  San  Francisco,  he  having  been  killed  in  a 
duel  with  Judge  Terry,  the  chief  justice  of  the 
state,  and  heard  Colonel  Baker,  of  the  First 
California  Volunteers,  preach  the  funeral  ser- 
mon. Leaving  California  then  and  proceeding 


to  his  former  home,  on  the  steamer  "North 
Star,"  under  command  of  Captain  McGaven, 
he  was  doomed  to  another  disaster.  The  wheel 
of  the  vessel  broke  off  in  the  Carribean  sea  af- 
ter leaving  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  1861, 
at  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Schaffnit  enlisted  in  the 
Turner  Zouaves,  Third  United  States  Reserve 
Corps,  under  Colonel  McNeil,  and  in  the  three 
years  service  in  the  Tenth  Illinois  Infantry  he 
rose  rapidly  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  He  was 
wounded  at  Flint  river,  in  Alabama,  after 
which  he  passed  three  months  in  the  hospital  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  In  1864  he  resigned 
from  the  army  by  reason  of  disability  and  came 
to  Colorado  to  live,  being  among  the  first  set- 
tlers here.  On  his  journey  overland  from  Atch- 
ison,  Kansas,  his  party  had  trouble  with  the 
Indians,  but  arrived  at  Central  City  without 
serious  mishap,  and  there  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing on  the  Bob  Tail  and  Gunel  claims.  In 
1865  he  again  became  a  soldier,  enlisting  in 
the  First  Colorado  Militia  under  Captain  Cous- 
ins for  a  campaign  against  the  Indians,  who 
were  in  hostility.  A  few  months  later  he  re- 
turned to  Central  City  and  continued  mining 
until  the  spring  of  1866,  when  he  made  a  visit 
to  his  old  home  in  Germany.  When  he  came 
back  to  Central  City  before  the  end  of  that 
year,  he  started' mining  again,  continuing  his 
operations  in  this  line  successfully  until  1877. 
He  then  became  proprietor  of  the  Washington 
Hotel  and  managed  it  for  a  year.  Selling  out 
in  1879,  he  moved  to  Leadville,  having  four 
years  earlier  made  a  trip  into  the  Hayden  val- 
ley in  Routt  county  and  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  there.  On  this 
first  trip,  in  1874,  he  passed  through  the  mining 
village  of  Hahn's  Peak,  and  down  to  Snake 
river,  Wyoming.  On  their  return  he  came  into 
an  Indian  camp  on  Elk  river.  The  savages  de- 
manded of  the  party  ponies  and  knives,  and, 
being  refused,  ordered  the  new-comers  to 
move  out  of  the  region.  Mr.  Schaffnit  after- 


442 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ward  made  many  trips  between  Hayden  and 
Leadville,  some  on  snow  shoes,  and  suffered 
all  the  extremes  of  the  winter  seasons.  But 
wild  game  was  plentiful  and  furnished  him 
with  meat  without  much  difficulty.  His  ranch  is 
near  Steamboat  Springs,  and  he  devoted  his 
energies  to  its  improvement  and  cultivation 
until  1888,  but  since  then  has  leased  it  to  other 
persons.  In  that  year  he  built  the  first  hotel 
at  the  Springs,  the  one  now  known  as  the 
Sheridan.  He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss 
Margaretta  Kleinschmidt,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  a 
son.  The  father  is  one  of  Routt  county's  most 
prominent  and  best  known  citizens,  held  in 
high  esteem  throughout  the  county  and 
worthy  of  it.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
Routt  County  Pioneer  Association,  and  ac- 
tively interested  in  all  good  works  for  the  bet- 
terment of  the  county.  They  now  reside  at 
Steamboat  Springs. 

DR.  JOHN  A.  CAMPBELL. 

In  the  veins  of  Dr.  John  A.  Campbell,  of 
Steamboat  Springs,  the  blood  of  the  resource- 
ful ingenious  and  ever  thrifty  New  Englander 
mingles  with  that  of  the  industrious,  produc- 
tive and  multifariously  useful  Pennsylvanian, 
his  father,  John  Campbell,  having  been  a  na- 
tive of  Maine  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Furry,  of  that  great  hive  of 
many-sided  and  highly  serviceable  labor 
founded  by  William  Penn.  They  were  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  raisers  of  good  stock,  and 
made  their  final  earthly  home  in  Fayette 
county,  Indiana,  where  the  Doctor  was  born 
near  Connersville  on  July  14,  1831.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  stanch  Republican  and  both  par- 
ents belonged  to  the  Christian  church.  Of 
their  ten  children  five  are  living,  the  Doctor, 
Daniel,  James,  Mary  and  Elizabeth.  One  son 
named  Amos  laid  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his 


country,  fighting  in  defense  of  the  Union  at 
the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post.  The  Doctor  was 
well  educated,  beginning  his  course  of  scholas- 
tic training  in  the  common  schools  and  finish- 
ing it  at  the  Northw'estern  Christian  Univer- 
sity, in  what  is  now  Butler  University,  at  In- 
dianapolis, Indiana,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  was  also  president  of 
Ladoga  Academy  in  1861-2,  receiving  his  uni- 
versity degree  of  Master  of  Arts  some  time 
afterward.  In  1854  he  was  ordained  to  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
thereafter  he  filled  the  sacred  desk,  most  of  the 
time  in  his  native  state.  He  was  graduated  in 
medicine  in  1875  and  practiced  his  profession 
at  Queensville,  Indiana,  for  several  years.  In 
1 88 1  he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Evans,  Weld  county,  for  a  short 
time,  then  moving  to  Denver,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1883  engaged  in  various  occupa- 
tions. In  the  year  last  named  he  determined 
to  turn  his  attention  to  mining,  and  to  this  end 
took  up  his  residence  at  Breckenridge,  where 
he  discovered  some  valuable  mines  and  re- 
mained until  1887  working  them  and  other 
mining  properties.  He  then  sold  his  interests 
at  Breckenridge  and  elsewhere  at  a  good  profit 
and  moved  to  Routt  county,  locating  at  Steam- 
boat Springs.  Here  he  pre-empted  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  is  near  the 
town  and  is  steadily  growing  in  value,  all  the 
land  being  tillable  and  yielding  good  crops, 
particularly  of  hay.  With  a  deep  and  abiding 
interest  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  county  of 
his  adoption,  and  especially  devoted  to  its 
moral  and  educational  advancement,  he  served 
from  1889  to  1893  as  county  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools,  being  elected  twice  to 
this  important  office.  From  the  organization 
of  the  Routt  County  Pioneer  Association  he 
has  been  its  faithful  and  highly  appreciated 
historian.  He  also  served  as  bill  clerk  in  the 
state  house  of  representatives,  being  appointed 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


443 


as  a  Republican,  he  having  always  been  a  de- 
voted member  of  that  party  and  giving  it 
earnest  and  loyal  support.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Master  Mason.  On  August  10,  1854,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Charlotte  Dyer, 
a  native,  like  himself,  of  Fayette  county,  Indi- 
ana, born  near  Connersville.  They  have  had 
three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  two  living  are  Dr.  Lucian  Dan  Campbell, 
of  Denver,  and  Miss  Lucy,  who  is  still  at  home. 
Mrs.  Campbell's  parents  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia who  passed  many  of  their  later  years  in 
Indiana,  where  they  died.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  their  daughter  Cassel- 
donia,  died  some  years  ago,  leaving  Mrs. 
Campbell  the  only  survivor  of  the  family. 
The  Doctor  is  a  very  popular,  prominent  and 
highly  esteemed  minister  and  citizen. 

JOSEPH  KITCHENS. 

Joseph  Kitchens,  a  younger  brother  of 
William  M.  and  James  H.  Kitchens,  esteemed 
citizens  and  progressive  ranch  and  cattle  men 
of  Routt  county,  sketches  of  whom  will  be 
found  on  other  pages  of  this  work,  was  born 
at  Cornwall,  England,  on  February  26,  1863, 
and  remained  in  that  country  until  he  was 
eleven  years  old,  making  his  own  living  in  the 
mines  from  an  early  age.  In  1874,  having 
received  a  very  limited  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  land,  by-  attending 
them  for  brief  periods  at  irregular  intervals,  he 
determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in  a  country 
of  greater  possibilities  and  freer  opportunities 
for  young  men  of  industry  and  perseverance, 
and,  although  then  but  a  boy  of  eleven,  he  set 
sail  for  the  United  States,  and  on  his  arrival 
in  this  country  located  at  Central  City,  this 
state,  where  for  six  years  he  worked  in '  the 
mines  for  wages  and  operated  leased  properties 
in  the  same  industry.  In  1880  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 


acres,  eight  miles  northwest  of  Steamboat 
Springs,  on  which  he  has  since  resided  and 
carried  on  a  flourishing  ranch  and  cattle  in- 
dustry, raising  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and 
hardy  vegetables,  but  finding  hay  and  cattle 
his  main  dependence.  The  improvements  on 
the  land  were  all  made  by  him,  and  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  land  has  been  brought  to  an 
advanced  stage  of  tillage.  To  its  improve- 
ment and  development  he  has  devoted  himself 
and  the  results  are  the  legitimate  consequences 
of  continued  industry,  skillful  cultivation  and 
good  business  capacity.  He  has  changed  a 
tract  of  wild  land  into  a  valuable  and  pro- 
ductive farm,  provided  with  a  comfortable 
dwelling  and  other  necessary  buildings,  and 
has  risen  to  a  high  rank  among  the  progressive 
and  enterprising  stock  and  ranch  men  of  the 
county.  He  is  an  active  Republican  in  politics 
and  in  fraternal  relations  is  connected  with 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  On  September  27, 
1887,  he  wedded  with  Miss  Jane  May,  a  native 
of  Cornwall,  England,  and  six  children  have 
blessed  their  union  and  brightened  their  do- 
mestic shrine,  Stanley  L.,  Gertrude  M.,  Charles 
E.,  Katie  A.,  Frederick  J.  and  Fremont  E. 
Mrs.  Kitchens  is  the  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Susan  May,  natives  of  England.  Her  father 
was  a  very  successful  blacksmith  for  many 
years,  working  at  his  craft  •  to  his  own  ad- 
vantage and  the  benefit  of  his  neighborhood. 
He  is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  life  of  useful  labor 
and  secure  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his 
countrymen.  He  and  his  wife  are  Wesleyan 
Methodists.  They  have  six  children,  Solo- 
mon, Charles,  Mrs.  James  Philip,  John,  Wil- 
liam and  Mrs.  Kitchens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hitch- 
ens  stand  well  in  their  community  which  they 
have  done  so  much  to  build  up  and  improve, 
and  well  deserve  the  general  high  estimate  in 
which  they  are  held.  They  are  exemplars  of 
that  high  sense  of  duty  which  slights  no  task 


444 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  shrinks  from  no  burden  that  properly  falls 
to  their  lot,  and  preserves  a  cheerful  and  en- 
couraging demeanor  through  every  circum- 
stance of  hardship  and  privation. 

JOHN  ADAM  WHETSTONE. 

The  first  settler  on  Trout  creek,  Twenty- 
mile  Park,  John  Adam  Whetstone,  of  near  the 
postoffice  of  Eddy,  Routt  county,  planted  his 
foot  firmly  in  the  wilderness  when  it  was 
wholly  given  up  to  the  untamed  growth  and 
the  savage  denizens  whose  domain  it  had  been 
for  uncounted  centuries,  and,  daring  fate  into 
the  lists,  determined  there  to  establish  a  home, 
found  a  line  and  start  the  dawn  of  American 
civilization  for  this  region.  His  faith  in  the 
promise  of  the  country  has  been  fully  realized 
and  his  noble  efforts  to  begin  its  conquest  and 
colonization  have  been  amply  rewarded  by  the 
estate  he  has  gained  for  himself  and  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  by  those  who  followed  him 
into  this  remoteness  and  whom  he  has  led  in 
improving  it  and  developing  its  resources.  He 
is  a  native  of  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania, 
born  near  Tamaqua  on  January  23,  1854.  His 
parents  were  persons  of  resolute  spirit  and  de- 
termined industry,  and  from  them  he  inherited 
these  traits.  Receiving  a  meager  education  by 
slight  attendance  at  the  district  schools,  he  was 
dependent  mainly  for  his  intellectual  develop- 
ment and  preparation  for  the  battle  of  life  on 
the  teachings  of  experience  and  his  own  re- 
sources. He  remained  at  home  and  assisted 
his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  then,  in  March,  1876,  he  went  to  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  and  from,  there,  in  June,  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  began  prospecting  and 
working  on  ranches  near  Denver.  The  next 
year  he  prospected  through  Middle  and  North 
parks,  meeting  with  .no  success  and  suffering 
many  hardships.  He  moved  on  foot  with  his 
blankets  packed  on  his  back  and  accompanied 


by  his  one  companion,  John  Predrum,  to 
Breckenridge.  He  had  twenty-five  cents  in 
money  and,  they  had  a  sack  of  flour  weighing 
fifty  pounds  between  them,  his  partner's  only 
wealth  being  his  share  in  this  flour.  As  cash 
was  necessary  to  the  prosecution  of  their  jour- 
ney, they  sold  the  flour  for  four  dollars  and  a 
half,  at  Hot  Sulphur  Springs.  At  Brecken- 
ridge Mr.  Whetstone  went  to  work  in  the  mines 
for  wages,  and  also  continued  prospecting  un- 
til 1879.  When  the  massacre  at  Meeker  oc- 
curred in  1879  he  was  among  the  Indians 
south  of  that  place,  but  had  no  difficulty  with 
them.  In  the  winter  of  that  year  he  mined 
for  wages  in  the  San  Luis  valley,  and  in  the 
ensuing  spring  returned  to  Breckenridge, 
where  he  remained  until  1886  ranching  and 
mining  with  varied  success.  In  June,  1886, 
he  located  part  of  his  present  ranch  through  a 
homestead  claim,  and  to  this  he  has  added  until 
he  now  owns  six  hundred  and  eighty  acres,' 
two-thirds  of  which  can  be  profitably  culti- 
vated. The  place  is  well  supplied  with  water 
and  he  has  provided  it  with  comfortable  build- 
ings and  other  necessary  improvements,  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  finest  and  most  valuable 
ranches  in  Routt  county.  It  is  fifteen  miles 
southwest  of  Steamboat  Springs,  and  yields 
abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  small  fruits. 
Cattle  form  his  main  reliance,  however,  and 
these  he  raises  in  large  numbers,  their  stand- 
ard of  excellence  being  high  and  the  strain 
thoroughbred  Shorthorns.  He  is  universally 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
progressive  cattle  men  in  the  county,  and  one 
of  its  most  prominent  and  representative  citi- 
zens. An  ardent  Republican  in  politics,  he 
gives  his  party  generous  and  effective  support, 
and  takes  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  all 
the  local  affairs  of  his  section  of  the  state. 
On  March  30,  1881,  he  united  in  wedlock  with 
Miss  Hattie  Cowley,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
They  have  had  five  children,  of  whom  Lucien 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


445 


C.  died  on  December  i,  1886,  and  Guy  H.,  R. 
Roy,  Elise  I.  and  Clyde  C.  are  living.  Mrs. 
Whetstone  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  Cowley,  the  former  a  native  of  England 
and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  They  passed 
the  greater  part  and  the  conclusion  of  their 
lives  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
the  father  was  much  esteemed  as  a  mine  boss 
and  good  citizen.  He  supported  the  principles 
and  candidates  of  the  Republican  party  in  polit- 
ical matters,  and  in  fraternal  relations  was  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order,  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  three  of  whom  have 
died  and  five  are  living,  Mrs.  Whetstone,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Faust,  William,  Lillie  and  Charles. 
The  mother  died  in  1888.  Mr.  Whetstone  is 
a  brother  of  James  M.  Whetstone,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

JOHN  ROLL. 

Coming  to  Colorado  twenty-four  years  ago, 
in  the  full  vigor  and  hopefulness  of  his  young 
manhood,  and  bringing  with  him  the  native 
thrift  and  persistent  industry  which  is  char- 
acteristic of  his  race  and  the  habits  of  useful 
labor  and  self-reliance  which  he  had  acquired 
at  his  paternal  fireside,  John  Koll,  of  Routt 
county,  who  carries  on  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able ranching  and  cattle  industry  on  his  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  twenty  miles 
southwest  of  Steamboat  Springs,  has  been  of 
very  material  assistance  in  developing  the  re- 
sources of  the  state  and  building  up  its  interests 
in  many  ways.  He  was  born  at  Tyrol,  Austria, 
on  December  6,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  Koll,  also  born  and  reared  in  the 
fatherland,  where  they  passed  their  lives  farm- 
ing, the  father  dying  in  1850  and  the  mother 
in  1859.  Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Their  son  John  was  educated  at  the 
state  schools  and  remained  at  home  assisting 


his  parents  on  the  farm  until  1869.     He  then 
engaged  in  mining  and  followed  this  pursuit 
eleven  years  in  his  native  land.     In  1880  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  located  at 
Golden,   this  state,  seeking  the  best  field  for 
the  exercise  of  the  craft  with  which  he  was 
familiar.     There  he  mined   for  wages   for   a 
time,  then  moved  to  Louisville,  Boulder  county, 
and  continued  mining  three  years.     At  the  end 
of  that   period   he   changed   his    residence   to 
Central  City,  where  he  kept  on  mining  under 
contract  until  he  came  to  Routt  county  and 
located    a    ranch    on    Fish    creek,    getting    it 
through  a  pre-emption  claim.     He  improved 
this  ranch  and  worked  it  four  years,  then  sold 
it    at    a    considerable   profit,    after    which    he 
homesteaded  on  his  present  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  Trout  creek.     He  can 
cultivate  with  profit  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  his  tract  and  gets  good  crops  of  hay 
and  grain.     His  cattle  industry  is  his  chief  re- 
liance, however,  and  this  he  pushes  to  the  high- 
est development  both  in  the  number  and  the 
grade,  of  his  product.     Politically  he  is  a  pro- 
nounced Republican,  but  he  seeks  no  recog- 
nition in  the  way  of  public  office  at  the  hands  of 
his  party  although  his  services  to  its  cause  are 
constant  and  diligent.      On  August  6,    1875, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Josephine 
Bitsker,    like   himself   a   native   of    Germany. 
They  have  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom 
are    living,    John,    Mary,    Josephine,    Joseph, 
Arthur  and  Clara.     A  son  named  Adolph  died 
some  years  ago.     Having  come  from  a  land 
teeming    with    industries    and    crowded    with 
population,  where  all  the  conveniences  and  en- 
joyments of  cultivated  life  were  abundant,  it 
would  have  not  been  surprising  if  Mr.  Koll 
had  found  the  wilderness  of  this  country  in- 
tolerable to  him,  and  he  had  gone  back  to  the 
scenes  and  conditions  to  which  he  was  long 
accustomed.     He  was  made  of  sterner  stuff, 
however,  and  having  made  his  choice  he  not 


446 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


only  abode  by  it,  but  entered  into  the  spirit 
of  his  new  surrounding's  and  duties  with  zest 
and  energy,  and  by  so  doing  aided  in  creating 
around  him  the  comforts  he  had  deserted  and 
at  the  same  time  found  his  reward  in  his  own 
growing  consequence,  wealth  and  influence. 
He  is  well  pleased  with  Colorado,  and  omits 
no  effort  to  push  forward  its  industrial,  com- 
mercial and  moral  greatness. 

JOSEPH   B.   MALE. 

Joseph  B.  Male,  a  very  successful  ranch 
and  cattle  man  and  a  highly  respected  citizen 
of  Routt  county,  dwelling  on  and  working  a 
ranch  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  good 
land  located  on  Trout  creek,  twenty  miles 
southwest  of  Steamboat  Springs,  and  owning 
in  addition  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
coal  land  adjoining  his  farm,  all  of  which  he 
has  acquired  by  his  own  industry  and  capacity, 
was  a  child  of  misfortune  born  to  a  destiny  of 
toil  and  privation,  and  orphaned  by  the  death 
of  his  mother  and  oppressed  by  the  loss  of  his 
home  when  he  was  but  twelve  years  old.  His 
life  began  in  Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
April  21,  1857,.  and  by  reason  of  his  condition 
and  the  death  of  his  mother  he  had  very  slen- 
der educational  advantages.  At  the  age  men- 
tioned he  began  to  shift  and  provide  for  him- 
self, and  until  1878  worked  at  various  occu- 
pations in  his  native  state.  In  that  year  he 
moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Dodge  City,  Kansas, 
where  he  passed  a  year  farming  school  land. 
He  then  changed  his  residence  to  Fort  Scott, 
in  the  same  state,  but  after  a  stay  of  about  two 
months  moved  to  Con  way,  Taylor  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  found  employment  as  a  farm 
hand  at  a  compensation  of  thirteen  dollars  a 
month  and  his  board.  He  also  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  near  Bedford,  Iowa,  and  near 
Marysville,  Missouri.  In  October,  1879,  he 
transferred  his  energies  and  his  hopes  to  Las 


Vegas,  New  Mexico,  where  he  devoted  four 
years  to  driving  oxen  and  making  railroad  ties 
for  wages  and  under  contract.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  helped  to  build  a  stamp 
mill  at  Summitville,  returning  to  New  Mexico 
for  the  winter.  From  the  spring  of  1884  to 
1888  he  lived  in  Wyoming  and  was  engaged  in 
building  ditches  and  freighting.  Then  in  1888 
he  located  his  present  ranch,  or  a  portion  of 
it,  adding  to  what  he  first  took  up  until  the 
ranch  now  comprises  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  two  hundred  acres  of  which  can  be  cul- 
tivated. And  as  has  been  noted,  he  also  owns 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valuable  coal 
land  adjoining  the  ranch.  Taking  possession 
of  his  land  when  it  was  wholly  wild,  he  has 
made  all  his  own  improvements  and  brought 
about  the  fertile  and  productive  condition  of 
the  land  as  it  is  at  this  time.  Here  he  conducts 
with  vigor  and  success  a  general  ranching  busi- 
ness and  a  cattle  industry  of  large  proportions, 
the  cattle  being  his  main  reliance,  although  he 
raises  good  crops  of  the  products  usual  in  the 
neighborhood.  Prominent  and  progressive  as 
a  ranch  and  cattle  man,  Mr.  Male  also  takes 
a  leading  and  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
county,  and  a  cordial  interest  in  its  fraternal 
life,  being  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  Mas- 
ter Mason  in  fraternal  circles.  He  was  elected 
county  commissioner'  of  Routt  county  in  No- 
vember, 1904,  to  fill  that  position  from  Janu- 
ary i,  1905,  to  January  i,  1909.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  March  12,  1903,  to  Mrs.  L.  D.  Mont- 
gomery, a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  and  Catharine  (King)  Schrecen- 
gost.  Mr.  Male's  parents  were  John  C.  and 
Annie  (Spry)  Male,  the  former  a  native  of 
England  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
ended  their  days  in  Pennsylvania,  the  mother 
dying  in  1869  and  the  father  in  1897.  While 
he  was  yet  a  mere  boy  the  father  aided  in  the 
construction  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  canal. 
In  later  life  he  was  a  farmer,  and  politically 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


447 


supported  the  Republican  party  from  its  foun- 
dation. Of  their  seven  children,  a  son  named 
George  died,  and  William,  Joseph  B.,  Mrs. 
John  W.  Van  Wert,  Miles  M.,  James  and 
Jonathan  T.  are  living. 

WILLIAM  A.  McKINLAY. 

If  the  environment  of  a  man's  birth  and 
youth  have  any  considerable  influence  on  his 
tastes,  his  habits  of  thought  and  his  destiny, 
much  of  value  in  the  mental  make-up  and 
general  disposition  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  he  was  born 
and  grew  to  early  manhood  on  the  banks  of 
the  picturesque  Hudson,  amid  the  wonders 
and  delights  of  that  noble  river  where  pro- 
gression in  spirit  and  cultivation  in  taste,  be- 
sides all  forms  of  a  business  mind  are  likely 
to  be  quickened  by  the  busy  traffic  of  the 
stream  and  the  high  state  of  development 
found  everywhere  along  its  banks. 

Mr.  McKinlay  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  New  York  and  the  University  of 
Wooster,  Ohio.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and 
Rachel  McKinlay,  the  former  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  of  the  same  lineage  as  the  late 
President.  The  father  was  manager  for  Gar- 
ner &  Company,  prominent  manufacturers  at 
Wappingers  Falls  and  other  points  in  the  Hud- 
son river  valley.  When  but  a  boy  he  became 
interested  with  his  brother  and  other  relatives 
who  were  the  principal  owners  of  the  Licking 
Iron  Company,  which  was  the  first  to  erect 
iron  furnaces  in  the  famous  Hocking  valley 
region  of  Ohio.  In  1875  he  came  to  Colorado 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  after  spending 
two  years  traveling  in  California  and  the  West, 
returned  to  Colorado  Springs,  and  was  in 
North  park  and  Routt  county  in  the  fall  of 

1879  just   before    the    Meeker   massacre.     In 

1880  he  became  interested  with  his  associates 
in  the  mining  machinery  business  at  Denver 


and  Pueblo,  and  in  the  latter  place  their  com- 
pany erected  a  large  machine  shop  and  foundry. 
In  1888  he  disposed  of  this  interest  there,  re- 
turned to  Routt  county  and  located  the  well 
known  McKinlay  ranch  on  Elkhead  creek, 
Since  January  i,  1896,  Mr.  McKinlay  has  de- 
voted his  time  wholly  to  political  life,  having 
been  in  the  treasurer's  office  almost  continu- 
ously since  that  time.  In  1904  he  was  again 
honored  by  the  Republican  party  with  the 
nomination,  and  was  elected  by  the  largest  ma- 
jority ever  given  a  county  treasurer  in  Routt 
county.  In  June,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Dora  J.  Keller,  whose  father  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  county,  having  located  on 
Elk  river  in  1883. 

JAMES  LAFAYETTE  NORVELL. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review,  who  has 
wrought  in  many  fields  of  labor  during  the 
twenty-two  years  of  his  residence  in  this  state, 
has  in  each  demonstrated  his  ability  to  meet 
every  kind  of  responsibility  and  perform  with 
success  and  credit  all  kinds  of  serviceable  du- 
ties. He  was  born  in  McMinn  county,  Tennes- 
see, on  November  20,  1861,  and  is  the  son  of 
Asbury  and  Nancy  (Cox)  Norvell,  who  were 
born  and  reared  in  Tennessee  and  lived  there 
until  the  death  of  the  father  in  1897,  since 
which  year  the  mother  has  made  her  home  in 
Colorado.  The  father  was  a  prominent  farmer 
in  his  native  county,  and  was  also  active  in 
local  politics  as  a  Republican.  He  filled  a 
number  of  county  offices  from  time  to  time, 
and  to  the  end  of  his  life  was  an  influential 
and  highly  respected  man.  The  son  James  L. 
received  a  common-school  education  and 
worked  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm  un- 
til he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  In  1882  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Colorado,  after  passing  a 
few  months  in  various  occupations,  at  and 
around  Dixon,  Wyoming.  On  his  arrival  in 


448 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


this  state,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  last  named, 
he  located  a  ranch  near  Craig  which  he  im- 
proved and  sold.  He  then  took  up  a  home- 
stead, and  while  developing  and  improving 
that,  and  conducting  on  it  a  flourishing  stock 
industry,  operated  a  stage  line  between  Steam- 
boat Springs  and  Lay,  continuing  the  latter 
until  1890.  Since  then  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  ranching  and  cattle  interests,  and  in 
addition  to  the  mercantile  business,  being  the 
founder  of  the  J.  L.  Norvell  Mercantile  Com- 
pany at  Hayden,  of  which  he  owns  three- 
fourths  of  the  stock.  He  now  lives  in  Steam- 
boat Springs.  During  his  early  years  in  the 
West  Mr.  Norvell  experienced  many  hard- 
ships and  privations.  The  conditions  of  life 
on  this  far  frontier  were  hard  to  bear  at  the 
best,  and  his  lack  of  capital  rendered  them  ad- 
ditionally grievous  in  his  case.  But  he  was  not 
made  of  the  fiber  that,  yields  to  difficulties. 
He  felt  within  him  the  forces  fitted  to  win  suc- 
cess, and  he  steadfastly  pushed  his  way  over 
every  obstacle  toward  his  present  substantial 
and  pronounced  prosperity.  Since  1902  he 
has  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his  time,  in  con- 
nection with  his  other  enterprises,  to  the 
Christian  ministry  under  the  government  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and  is  accounted  a 
man  of  great  usefulness  in  this  department  of 
public  work.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest  Re- 
publican, but  while  giving  his  party  the  bene- 
fit of  his  best  services  as  a  citizen,  he  has  not 
been  an  offensive  partisan  or  an  office  seeker 
in  any  sense.  Seeing  clearly  and  feeling  deeply 
the  needs  of  the  community  in  which  he  had 
cast  his  lot,  he  has  worked  zealously  for  its 
welfare  and  been  potential  in  promoting  its 
best  interests.  On  December  31,  1902,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  J.  Hamil- 
ton, a  native  of  Iowa.  They  have  two  daugh- 
ters, Ruth  L.  and  Edith  M.  In  this  and  other  , 
Western  states,  nature  is  provident  in  furnish- 
ing opportunities  for  successful  enterprise,  and 


Mr.  Norvell  is  one  of  the  sterling  citizens  of 
the  section  who. has  the  clearness  of  vision  to 
see  her  bounties  and  the  energy  to  seize  upon 
them  and  use  them  to  his  advantage,  at  the 
same  time  turning  them  to  the  lasting  benefit 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  Through- 
out his  life  here  he  has  been  earnest  and  ef- 
fective in  making  the  most  of  his  time  and 
labor,  and  in  doing  this  he  has  been  of  signal 
and  appreciated  service  to  every  element  of 
progress  and  improvement  in  his  section  of 
the  state.  Scarcely  any  higher  tribute  can  be 
paid  to  a  man's  worth  than  to  establish  the 
fact  that  he  has  made  all  his  chances  subserv- 
ient to  his  own  advancement  and  the  enduring 
welfare  of  those  around  him,  whether  his 
course  has  lain  along  the  points  and  pinnacles 
of  great  affairs  where  history  holds  her  splendid 
march,  or  amid  the  ordinary  pathways  of  life 
where  plain  and  simple  duty  lifts  her  daily 
voice.  And  this  may  be  truthfully  said  of  Mr. 
Norvell,  that  wherever  he  has  been  he  has 
manfully  met  the  requirements  of  his  station. 

JAMES  C.  GENTRY. 

Although  only  ten  years  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado, James  C.  Gentry,  of  Meeker,  has  risen  to 
consequence  among  her  people  and  won  a  sub- 
stantial business  success  amid  her  various  in- 
terests and  conditions  of  promise.  He  was  born 
in  Ashe  county,  North  Carolina,  on  March 
19,  1873,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Reeves)  Gentry,  also  born  and  reared  in 
North  Carolina,  who  are  successfully  engaged 
in  farming.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, all  living:  James  C.,  of  Meeker;  Callie, 
wife  of  R.  E.  Plummer,  of  North  Carolina; 
Thomas,  William,  Jessie  and  Letcher.  The 
father  is  an  ardent  Democrat  and  an  enterpris- 
ing business  man.  Always  a  man  of  great 
activity  and  energy,  and  daunted  by  no  danger, 
he  became  an  early  tourist  to  the  Pacific  coast, 


ff 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


449 


starting  many  years  ago  overland  to  California 
with  a  drove  of  cattle,  and  on  the  way  he  passed 
through  Steamboat  Springs  in  this  state  in 
1859.  The  son  James  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  at  Fairview 
College,  in  his  native  state.  He  also  studied 
law  in  the  professional  schools  at  Denver  and 
Boulder  after  coming  to  Colorado,  paying  the 
necessary  fees  and  his  living  expenses  out  of 
his  earnings.  From  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was 
a  school  teacher  for  a  number  of  years,  part  of 
the  time  in  North  Carolina  and  the  rest  at 
Fremont  and  Canon  City,  this  state,  having 
come  hither  in  1894.  He  was  associated  with 
the  J.  R.  Witcher  Lumber  Company  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  general  manager  until  the  business 
was  sold  in  1898.  He  then  took  a  review 
course  in  law  until  1900,  when  he  began  the 
practice  of  the  profession  at  Denver.  In  1901 
he  moved  to  Meeker  where  he  has  since  been 
in  active  practice  and  also  engaged  in  ranching 
and  raising  cattle  and  horses,  having  pur- 
chased on  his  arrival  in 'this  portion  of  the  state 
the  improvements  on  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  Miller  creek.  To  this  tract 
he  has  added  another  of  equal  size  which  ad- 
joins the  town  of  Meeker.  He  can  cultivate- 
two  hundred  acres  of  his  land  and  has  an  ex- 
cellent supply  of  water  for  irrigation.  He 
raises  large  crops  of  hay  and  grain  and  many 
cattle  and  horses.  He  is,  however,  wedded  to 
his  profession  and  makes  it  his  chief  employ- 
ment, being  regarded  as  one  of  the  rising  and 
successful  attorneys  of  the  western  slope.  In 
1903,  on  January  ist,  he  was  appointed  county 
attorney  and  is  making  a  good  record  in  the 
office.  In  political  faith  he  is  an  unyielding 
Democrat  and  is  one  of  the  influential  workers 
of  the  party.  In  the  fall  of  1904  he  was  nomi- 
nated as  a  candidate  for  district  attorney,  com- 
prising the  counties  of  Pitkin,  Garfield,  Rio 
Blanco  and  Routt  and  was  elected  by  a  hand- 
some plurality.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected 
29 


with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows. On  August  8,  1899,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Henrietta  Witcher,' a  na- 
tive of  Fremont  county,  Colorado,  and  the 
daughter  of  John  R.  and  Salina  (Foster)  Wit- 
cher, the  former  born  in  Georgia  and  the  latter 
in  Iowa.  The  mother  'died  in  1891,  and  the 
father  is  still  profitably  occupied  in  farming 
and  raising  cattle  on  an  extensive  scale,  Of  the 
six  children  born  in  the  family,  four  are  living, 
William  J.,  Mrs.  Gentry,  John  T.  and  Walter 
E.  In  the  Gentry  household  the  offspring 
number  three.  Of  these  John  W.  and  Eva  are 
living,  and  Mary  V.  has  died.  Mr.  Gentry  has 
found  Colorado  a  pleasant  place  to  live  and  a 
good  field  for  enterprise.  He  has  been  success- 
ful in  all  his  undertakings  and  won  high  stand- 
ing among  the  people  of  his  county  and  other 
portions  of  the  state. 

JOHN  M.  ELLIS. 

John  M.  Ellis,  one  of  the  early  settlers  on 
Elk  river,  in  Routt  county,  and  one  of  the 
most  active,  progressive  and  prominent  pro- 
moters of  that  highly  favored  section  of  the 
state,  became  a  resident  of  Colorado  when  he 
was  but  two  years  old,  coming  hither  from 
Pettis  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was  born 
on  August  26,  1869.  with  his  parents  in  1861 
among  the  early  pioneers  of  the  state.  They 
settled  in  Denver  where  the  father  wrought  at 
his  trade  as  a  blacksmith  and  became  an  active 
and  successful  Democratic  politician,  filling  a 
number  of  public  offices  with  credit,  at  the  time 
of  his  death  on  July  4,  1880,  being  treasurer 
of  the  city  of  Leadville,  to  which  he  had 
moved  some  years  previous.  He  was  also 
prominent  and  popular  in  the  Masonic  order. 
His  wife  survived  him  eighteen  years,  dying  in 
February,  1898.  Of  their  four  children  but 
two  are  living,  John  M.  and  Minnie,  now  the 
wife  of  Albert  Wagner,  of  Denver.  John  M., 


450 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  only  living  son,  received  a  common-school 
education  and  began  to  make  his  own  living  at 
the  a^e  of  fourteen.  When  he  reached  that  of 

o 

eighteen  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Curtis  E.  Ellis,  and  together  they  con- 
ducted a  prosperous  and  profitable  fish  and 
oyster  business,  wholesale  and  retail,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  next  associated  with  H. 
D.  Steele  &  Company,  Pioneer  Grocery  Store, 
and  afterward  devoted  several  years  to  the 
service  of  the  Denver  Packing  Company.  Fromj 
1893  to  1899  he  was  engaged  in  range  riding 
and  driving  cattle  from  southern  Colorado  to 
Routt  county,  a  service  in  which  he  suffered 
all  the  hardships  and  dangers  incident  to  that 
wild  life,  being  out  in  all  weathers,  and  going 
without  sufficient  food  at  times  for  days  to- 
gether. In  1899  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Elk  river, 
which  was  unbroken  land  covered  with  wild 
sage  brush.  This  he  improved  and  sold  at  a 
good  profit,  and  he  now  owns  the  Keller  ranch 
of  six  hundred  acres,  of  which  he  has  three 
hundred  acres  under  cultivation,  on  which  he 
raises  excellent  crops  of  grain  and  hay  and 
conducts  a  flourishing  industry  in  raising  cat- 
tle and  horses  of  first-rate  quality.  The  ranch 
is  eleven  miles  northwest  of  Steamboat  Springs, 
well  located,  abundantly  watered  and  full  of 
promise  for  great  development  and  value  be- 
yond even  its  present  condition  of  fruitfulness. 
Mr.  Ellis  takes  an  earnest  interest  in  local 
"affairs  as  an  intelligent  promoter  of  the 
county's  best  interests,  and  in  national  and 
state  politics  as  a  loyal  working  Democrat. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  On  January  26,  1899,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Ivy  May  Keller,  a  lady  of  fine 
spirit  and  intelligence  who  has  been  devoted  to 
his  interest  and  ably  seconded  all  his  aspirations 
and  his  every  effort  for  advancement,  aiding  to 
make  his  home  a  center  of  gracious  hospitality 
to  his  friends  and  holding  up  before  the  com- 


munity the  ideal  of  an  elevated  American 
womanhood.  Both  are  popular  in  social  life 
and  prominent  in  all  the  public  affairs  of  their 
neighborhood. 

THOMAS  BENTON  GIBBS. 

This  prominent  citizen  and  progressive  and 
enterprising  ranch  and  stock  man  of  Routt 
county,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yampa, 
is  a  self-made  man  and  glories  in  the  fact, 
His  fortunes  have  been  buildecl  by  his  own 
energies  and  capacity,  and  he  is  indebted  to  no 
favoring  circumstances  beyond  his  natural  en- 
dowment of  a  determined  spirit  and  an  aptness 
of  apprehension  which  enabled  him  to  see  op- 
portunities where  others  overlooked  them  and 
make  use  of  them  for  his  own  advantage.  He 
was  born  near  Greenfield,  Dade  county,  Mis- 
souri, on  January  5,  1843,  and  is  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Nancy  Gibbs,  natives  of  Tennessee, 
who  moved  to  Missouri  in  ihe  early  days  and 
afterward  to  Kansas  where  they  made  their 
final  home,  the  mother  dying  there  in  1856 
and  the  father  being  killed  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war.  The  father  was  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  an  ardent  Republican,  and 
both  were  devoted  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  They  had  ten  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Henry  M.,  Thomas  B.,  Rebecca, 
Mary  and  Rudie.  Owing  to  the  circumstances 
of  the  family  and  the  troubled  section  of  the 
country  in  which  they  lived  during  his  boy- 
hood and  youth,  Mr.  Gibbs  had  very  limited 
opportunities  for  securing  an  education  in  the 
schools,  his  only  chance  in  this  respect  being 
fragmentary  and  irregular  attendance  at  a 
primary  country  school  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  home.  His  personal  experiences  were  valu- 
able, however,  in  broadening  his  mind  and  giv- 
ing him  a  large  amount  of  that  worldly  wis- 
dom which  is  acquired  through  no  other 
avenue.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  age  of  eighteen,  then  rented  a  farm  in  his 
native  county  which  he  worked  until  the  spring 
of  1862.  On  March  I2th  of  that  year  he 
enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member 
of  the  Fourteenth  Missouri  Militia,  and  after 
a  service  of  one  year  in  that  command  his 
regiment  was  consolidated  with  the  Eighth 
Regiment,  in  which  he  became  a  member  of 
Company  L.  In  this  he  served  nine  months. 
After  his  discharge  he  returned  to  his  farm 
and  this  he  continued  to  operate  until  1875, 
when  he  sold  his  interests  in  Missouri  and  be- 
came a  resident  of  Colorado,  locating  near 
Florissant  in  what  is  now  Teller  county.  Here 
he  did  ranch  work  until  1877,  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  freighting  between  Colorado 
Springs  and  Leadville,  which  he  followed  two 
years.  In  this  enterprise  his  labor  was  hard 
and  his  course  full  of  danger.  He  was  fre- 
quently exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  elements, 
swollen  streams  often  obstructed  his  progress, 
Indians  were  sometimes  at  hand  and  hostile, 
and  the  lawless  elements  of  the  country  looked 
upon  all  men  engaged  in  his  pursuit  as  their 
lawful  prey.  But  the  profits  were  large  and 
the  work  was  alluring  because  of  its  very 
difficulties,  and  he  stuck  to  it  until  the  increase 
in  railroad  transportation  rendered  it  less 
profitable.  Then,  in  1879,  he  bought  a  one-half 
interest  in  a  ranch  at  Florissant,  to  which  he 
gave  his  whole  attention  during  the  next  three 
years.  The  venture  was  successful  and  in  the 
spring  of  1883  he  moved  to  Routt  county  and 
took  up  a  part  of  his  present  ranch  on  a  home- 
stead claim.  This  he  has  increased  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred 
are  tillable,  the  land  all  being  of  a  high  grade 
of  excellence.  He  has  improved  the  place  with 
first  rate  modern  buildings  and  other  structures, 
his  dwelling  being. one  of  the  best  and  most 
completely  equipped  in  the  neighborhood.  Hay, 
grain  and  hardy  vegetables  are  raised  with  suc- 
cess, and  goodly  herds  of  Shorthorn  and  Dur- 


ham cattle  are  comfortably  maintained  on  the 
ranch,  and  numbers  of  well-bred  horses  are  an- 
nually produced  for  market.  Mr.  Gibbs,  while 
one  of  the  most  progressive  ranchmen  of  his 
county,  is  also  earnest  and  constant  in  his  de- 
votion to  the  general  welfare  of  his  section. 
He  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  political  al- 
legiance, and  a  man  of  great  public-spirit  and 
enterprise  in  the  matter  of  public  improve- 
ments. He  was  married  on  November  20, 
1866,  to  Miss  Margaret  Bird,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee. They  had  one  child,  their  son  Henry 
M.,  who  died  at  an  early  age. 

CHARLES  WILLIS  NEIMAN. 

This  prominent  and  enterprising  ranch  and 
cattle  man  of  Routt  county,  whose  fine  ranch 
of  five  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  located 
three  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of  Yampa,  is 
a  standing  testimonial  to  his  foresight,  indus- 
try and  skill  as  a  farmer  and  his  taste  and 
good  judgment  in  the  erection  and  arrange- 
ment of  improvements,  is  a  native  of  Wilkes- 
barre,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  March  24,  1861, 
and  the  son  of  Edgar  M.  and  Harriet  (Laird) 
Neiman,  also  natives  of  that  state,  where  they 
lived  until  1870,  then  moved  to  Kansas,  and 
there  engaged  in  successful  farming  until  the 
end  of  their  lives,  the  mother  dying  there  in 
1887  and  the  father  on  December  31,  1903. 
With  the  father  farming  was  only  a  side  is- 
sue, as  he  was  a  prominent  physician  and  sur- 
geon in  active  practice,  both  in  Pennsylvania 
and  in  Kansas.  He  was  also  a  man  of  promi- 
nence and  influence  in  each  state,  and  was  held 
in  high  regard  by  his  fellow  citizens  wherever 
he  lived.  They  had  a  family  of  eight  children, 
three  of  whom,  Stella,  Frank  and  an  infant, 
died,  and  five,  Charles  W.,  Mrs.  E.  D.  Eaton, 
Edith  M.,  Mrs.  John  Eaton  and  Fay,  are  liv- 
ing. Charles  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  the  State  Agricultural  College 


452 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  Kansas.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  then 
started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
which  he  has  clone  ever  since.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Denver,  where 
for  a  few  months  he  clerked  in  a  grocery.  But 
not  being  satisfied  with  the  outlook  in  this 
state,  he  returned  to  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  and  from  that  time  until  late  in  the 
spring  of  1883  he  farmed  in  Kansas.  His 
success  was  poor  owing  to  repeated  droughts. 
In  the  spring  of  1883  he  moved  to  Rawlins, 
Wyoming,  and  became  a  range  rider  for  the 
L.  7  Cattle  Company,  in  whose  employ  he  re- 
mained a  year,  working  hard  and  suffering 
many  hardships.  In  1884  he  again  came  to 
Colorado  and,  locating  in  Routt  county,  he 
entered  the  employ^  of  the  Leaven  worth  Cat- 
tle Company,  and  later  that  of  the  Oro  Haley 
Cattle  Company,  continuing  to  ride  the  range 
until  1895  for  these  and  other  outfits,  with 
headquarters  part  of  the  time  at  Craig  and  part 
at  Steamboat  Springs.  In  the  fall  of  1895  he 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Routt  county  as  the  can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  re- 
elected  in  1897,  serving  until  1899.  ^n  the 
meantime,  in  1896,  he  took  up  a  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  is  a  part  of 
his  present  ranch.  To  this  he  has  added  by 
purchase  until  he  n,ow  owns  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  good  land  with  water  enough 
to  cultivate  five  hundred.  His  crops,  which 
are  large  and  of  good  quality,  comprise  the  or- 
dinary products  of  the  region,  but  cattle  form 
his  chief  reliance.  He  gives  his  business  his 
close  personal  attention  in  all  its  details  and 
makes  every  effort  to  secure  results  commen- 
surate with  his  outlay  of  time,  capital  and  la- 
bor, and  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful,  pro- 
gressive and  prosperous  men  in  the  industry  in 
his  portion  of  the  county.  In  politics  he  is  an 
uncompromising  Democrat  and  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  party  he  devotes  his  continuous  and 


most  effective  energies.  He  is  also  deeply 
and  actively  interested  in  all  forms  of  public 
improvement  and  always  at  the  front  with 
counsel  and  material  aid  in  every  commendable 
enterprise  for  the  good  of  his  county.  Frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  the  order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  in  the  proceedings  of  the  order 
he  takes  an  earnest  and.  serviceable  interest. 
On  December  31,  1900,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ruby  Carle,  a  native  of  Big  Rap- 
ids, Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  Judge  Carle, 
of  that  state,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  They  have  had  three 
children.  Edgar  W.  died  in  July,  1904,  and 
Leslie  M.  and  Willis  C.  are  living.  Mr.  Nei- 
man  has  passed  twenty-one  years,  nearly  half 
of  his  life  so  far,  continuously  in  this  state, 
during  all  of  which  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Routt  county.  He  has  here  been  employed  in 
arduous  and  important  work  for  others,  and 
has  pushed  his  own  interests  with  vigor  and 
success.  He  has  also  occupied  an  exalted  and 
responsible  official  position  for  a  number  of 
years  and  performed  its  trying  duties  with 
fidelity  and  skill.  In  addition  he  has  aided 
in  every  proper  way  in  the  progress  and  devel- 
opment of  the  county.  In  all  lines  of  useful  \ 
activity  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  he  has 
won  and  held  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
the  people,  and  is  now  justly  considered  one 
of  its  representative  and  influential  men  in  ref- 
erence to  all  the  elements  of  good  citizenship 
and  upright,  straightforward  and  helpful  man- 
hood. 

FRANZ  S.  CHAPMAN. 

Born  near  Hannibal,  Missouri,  on  Septem- 
ber n,  1861,  when  that  section'of  the  country 
was  thrilling  with  the  early  agony  of  the  Civil 
war,  and  had  for  years  before  been  in  the 
straits  incident  to  a  desperate  and  wasting  bor- 
der strife,  \vhich,  while  its  acts  of  violence  may 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


453 


not  have  been  witnessed  just  there,  had  its  de- 
pressing effect  on  all  industries  and  aspira- 
tions of  the  people  even  remotely  connected 
with  it,  reared  with  limited  educational  advan- 
tages, and  turning  his  hand  to  mechanical  la- 
bor at  the  age  of  fifteen,  it  would  not  have 
been  surprising  if  the  adverse  conditions  of 
his  youth  had  made  Franz  S.  Chapman,  of 
near  Pinnacle,  Routt  county,  only  an  ordinary 
man,  dampening  his  ardor  and  emasculating 
his  ambition  to  a  commonplace  expression; 
and  this  they  would  have  done  but  for  his  na- 
tive force  and  determination,  and  his  systemn 
atic  industry  and  fortitude,  which  prepared 
him  for  usefulness  under  almost  any  circum- 
stances and  gave  him  the  power  to  triumph 
over  the  difficulties  of  his  later  life,  which  were 
often  more  arduous  than  even  those  of  his 
young  manhood.  He  is  the  son  of  Hugh  and 
Cordelia  C.  (Scarlet)  Chapman,  the  father  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  the  mother  of  Virginia. 
They  lived  in  Ohio  until  1859,  then  in  Mis- 
souri until  1882.  In  that  year  they  moved  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Denver,  where  they 
remained  until  1887.  From  Denver  they 
changed  their  residence  to  Pueblo,  and  in  1893 
to  Leadville.  The  father  was  a  railway  coach 
builder  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  these  vari- 
ous localities.  He  and  his  wife  now  live  near 
Pinnacle,  Routt  county,  and  are  engaged  in 
ranching  and  raising  cattle.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat  and  fraternally  a  Knight  of  Pyth- 
ias. The  family  comprised  four  children,  one 
of  whom,  William  A.,  died  in  1858,  and  an- 
other is  also  dead.  Two  are  living,  David  M. 
and  Franz  S.  The  latter,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
left  home  and  began  learning  the  trade  of  his 
father,  building  coaches  for  railroad  travel, 
and  afterward  he  followed  it  until  1886.  He 
had  acquired  some  skill  as  a  craftsman  in  wood 
before  leaving  home  by  assisting  his  parents 
through  working  in  saw-mills  on  the  Missis- 
sippi. He  was  employed  at  his  trade  at  Den- 


ver until  1882,  at  Brainerd,  Minnesota,  until 
1883,  at  St.  Paul  six  months,  and  finally  at 
Hannibal,  Missouri,  until  1886.  In  the  spring 
of  that  year  he  made  a  second  trip  to  Colorado, 
and  during  the  next  two  years  was  occupied  in 
house  building  at  Denver,  working  under  con- 
tract. In  1888  he  became  a  resident  of  Rontt 
county,  locating  a  pre-emption  claim  at  Pin- 
nacle, the  first  settler  at  that  place.  His  land 
was  covered  with  wild  sage  and  buck  brush, 
and  a  man  less  resolute  would  have  been  de- 
pressed by  its  unpromising  appearance.  But 
he  had  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  the  region 
and  his  own  ability  to  call  them  forth  to  his 
advantage,  and  so  he  went  to  work  improving 
his  place  and  preparing  it  to  minister  to-  his 
wants  by  expanding  and  systematic  product- 
iveness. Some  time  after  his  arrival  he  bought 
an  addition  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  to  his  ranch,  and  he  has  put  this  into 
good  farming  condition  also,  having  now  three 
hundred  of  his  three  hundred  and  thirty-five 
acres  under  cultivation.  Cattle  and  hay  are  his 
principal  productions,  but  he  also  raises  first- 
rate  crops  of  grain.  His  only  possessions 
when  he  came  to  this  region  were  a  team  and 
wagon,  and  he  had  from  time  to  time  unex- 
pected difficulties  to  contend  with,  being  often 
snowed  in  for  long  periods  in  the  winter,  and 
frequently  suffering  from  the  want  of  moisture 
in  his  land  in  summer.  But  the  abundance  of 
wild  game  furnished  meat  for  his  table,  and 
his  spirits  never  flagged  in  the  hope  of  ulti- 
mate triumphs  over  all  obstacles.  The  results 
of  his  persistent  industry  amply  justify  his 
faith,  and  from  the  hard  conditions  of  his  be- 
ginning he  has  won  a  substantial  estate.  He 
is  also  well  established  in  the  regard  of  his 
people  here,  and  since  1900  he  has  served 
them  well  as  the  postmaster  at  Pinnacle.  He 
is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  and  can- 
didates of  the  Republican  party,  and  gives 
proof  of  his  loyalty  to  it  in  all  its  contests.  On 


454 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


June  24,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
P.  O'Connor,  a  native  of  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, reared  at  Hannibal,  Missouri.  They  have 
five  children,  Ora  M.,  Hugh  M.,  Walter  N., 
Arthur  S.  and  Margaret  L.  Mr.  Chapman  has 
shown  his  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the 
stock  industry  of  his  section  by  introducing  a 
line  of  thoroughbred  cattle  for  its  improve- 
ment, which  has  been  of  substantial  advantage 
to  the  interest.  . 

WILLIAM  WARREN  CARLE. 

Prominent  and  successful  in  many  lines  of 
industrial  and  productive  life  in  this  state,  Wil- 
liam Warren  Carle,  of  Yampa,  during  the 
forty-four  years  of  his  residence  on  its  soil, 
has  been  a  substantial  contributor  to  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  state,  and  both 
in  private  and  official  life  has  exhibited  all  the 
commendable  elements  of  an  upright,  pro- 
gressive and  useful  citizenship.  He  was  born 
at  Owego,  Tioga  county,  New  York,  on  Sep- 
tember 28,  1835,  and  is  the  son  of  Aaron  and 
Susan  E.  (Ogden)  Carle,  who  were  also  born 
and  reared  in  the  state  of  New  York.  The 
father  was  a  cabinetmaker  and  farmer,  and 
prospered  in  both  lines  of  his  industry.  Twelve 
children  were  born  in  the  household,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Phidelia  Stage,  Mrs. 
Charles  Andrews,  Phebe  Stage  and  William. 
The  father  died  in  1841  and  the  mother  in 
1889.  Both  were  devout  Baptists,  the  father 
being  for  long  years  a  deacon  in  the  church. 
In  political  faith  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat. 
The  son,  William  Warren  Carle,  received  a 
good  common-school  and  college  education,  at- 
tending the  college  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
he  having  become  a  resident  of  Kalamazoo  in 
1852,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age. 
After  leaving  the  university  he  taught  school 
in  Michigan,  Minnesota  and  Missouri  until 
1860,  when  he  became  a  resident  of.  this  state. 


While  in  Minnesota  he  laid  out  a  town  near 
St.  Paul,  which  has  long  since  been  ab- 
sorbed into  that  progressive  city.  His  town 
was  named  Nineger.  There  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits,  as  he  did  also  at  Kala- 
mazoo, in  partnership  with  his  brother  J.  H. 
Carle,  and  taught  school  at  the  same  time.  He 
was  successful  in  his  business  and  as  a  school 
teacher  he  was  highly  esteemed.  On  his  ar- 
rival in  Colorado,  in  1860,  he  located  at  Gregor, 
Gilpin  county,  whither  he  journeyed  from  Mis- 
souri by  way  of  Atchison  and  the  Smoky  Hill 
route,  his  company  bringing  a  wagon  train 
loaded  with  supplies  and  provisions.  These  they 
traded  for  mining  property  in  Gilpin  county. 
The  goods  were  in  an  excellent  state  of  preser- 
vation although  six  months  had  been  con- 
sumed in  their  transportation  across  the  plains 
and  over  the  mountains,  and  many  obstacles 
and  difficulties  had  to  be  passed  on  the  way. 
Mr.  Carle  followed  mining  until  late  in  1861, 
owning  and  occupying  the  first  and  only  two- 
story  dwelling  at  Gregor  during  his  stay  there. 
In  the  fall  of  1861,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  he  traded  mining  properties  for  ranch 
land  near  Boulder,  and  during  the  next  four 
years  he  devoted  his  attention  to  ranching  on 
this  land.  In  1865  he  made  a  trip  to  Virginia 
City,  Montana,  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
excitement  over  the  discovery  of  gold  at  that 
place,  and  for  a  time  he  mined  there  with 
good  results.  Returning  to  his  Colorado  ranch, 
he  remained  on  it  until  1868,  then  made  a  trip 
to  his  old  home  in  Michigan.  Concluding  to 
remain  in  that  state,  he  located  at  Big  Rapids 
and  opened  a  wholesale  and  retail  furniture 
establishment,  which  he  conducted  until  1878, 
then  sold  the  business.  Two  years  later  he 
came  again  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence near  Montezuma,  Summit  county, 
where  he  expended  considerable  money  and 
labor  in  trying  to  develop  mining  properties 
but  without  profit.  He  abandoned  mining 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


455 


after  a  time,  but  he  still  owns  his  Summit 
county  properties.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Routt 
county  and  through  a  homestead  claim  secured 
a  good  ranch  near  Yampa,  being  among  the 
first  settlers  in  that  vicinity.  He  has  enlarged 
his  ranch  by  subsequent  desert  claims  to  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  by  his  own 
efforts  he  made  two  hundred  acres  of  it  fit  for 
cultivation  and  generously  productive.  Here 
he  gave  his  attention  to  ranching  and  raising 
stock  until  1901,  when  he  turned  the  manage- 
ment of  the  ranch  over  to  his  son-in-law, 
Charles  Neiman,  and  purchasing  a  store  at 
Yampa,  became  a  merchant  and  the  postmaster 
there.  In  1903  he  resigned  the  office  and  since 
then  he  has  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate,  and 
has  also  conducted  a  first-class  bowling  alley 
in  the  town.  Since  1894  he  has  served  as  a, 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  also  filled  a  similar 
office  six  years  in  Summit  county.  He  is  a 
gentleman  of  wide  acquaintance  and  high 
standing  in  the  state,  and  in  every  place  of  his 
residence  has  given  his  influence  and  his  per- 
sonal prowess  and  energy  in  the  defense  and 
promotion  of  public  order  and  the  general  wel- 
fare. In  Colorado  he  belongs  to  the  Home 
Guard,  under  the  command  of  Col.  David 
Nichol,  and  while  living  in  Montana  he  took 
part  in  numerous  skirmishes  with  the  Indians. 
Mr.  Carle  was  married  in  October,  1870,  to 
Miss  Lucy  E.  Pierson,  who  was  born  in  Frank- 
lyn,  Delaware  county,  New  York,  February  i, 
1844,  and  who  taught  in  No.  i  Primary  school, 
Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  for  five  years.  They 
have  had  three  children,  one  of  whom,  a  son 
named  Ernest,  died  in  1882.  The  two  -living 
are  Mrs.  Charles  Neiman  and  Mrs.  Benjamin 
F.  Rice. 

OSCAR  HOLLAND. 

Oscar  Holland,  the  originator  of  potato- 
growing  in  the  vicinity  of  Carbondale,  and 
since  he  started  it  one  of  the  most  extensive 


and  successful  promoters  of  the  industry,  is  a 
self-made  man.  whose  fortunes  have  been 
builded  by  himself  without  outside  aid  or  fa- 
voring circumstances.  He  is  made  of  a  fiber 
that  would  have  found  a  vigorous  growth 
anywhere,  whatever  the  conditions,  for  he  has 
eyes  to  see  and  energy  to  take  hold  of  and  prop- 
erly use  his  opportunities,  and  even  in  adversi- 
ties can  find  a  means  of  grace  to  better  his  es- 
tate. He  was  born  near  Platte  City,  Missouri, 
on  July  1 6,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of  Nathaniel 
and  Elizabeth  E.  Holland,  the  former  a  native 
of  Missouri  and  the  latter  of  West  Virginia. 
The  father,  who  is  still  living  in  Platte  county 
of  his  native  state,  is  a  farmer  and  also  engaged 
in  general  stock-growing  on  a  large  scale.  He 
has  been  successful  in  his  business  and  is  com- 
fortably fixed  in  the  way  of  worldy  wealth. 
The  mother  died  in  1881.  Of  their  five  chil- 
dren three  are  living,  William,  Nora,  now  Mrs. 
John  Cozine,  and  Oscar.  The  school  advan- 
tages of  the  last  named  were  very  limited,  be- 
ing compassed  within  an  irregular  attendance 
at  the  common  schools  for  a  few  months  in 
the  winter  of  two  or  three  years.  He  assisted 
his  parents  on  the  home  farm  until  1883,  when 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  coming 
hither  without  money  or  other  capital  except 
his  natural  abilities  and  determined  spirit.  He 
located  in  the  Crystal  river  valley  on  his  ar- 
rival, and  for  a  time  worked  for  wages  there. 
He  was  industrious  and  frugal,  and  in  a  little 
while  had  accumulated  enough  money  to  ven- 
ture upon  a  ranch  of  his  own,  which  he  took  up 
by  pre-emption,  and  which  is  a  part  of  the  one 
he  now  possesses  and  works.  He  has  added 
by  purchase  to  his  original  tract  until  he  owns 
eight  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  Carbondale  in  Garfield  county,  four 
hundred  of  which  are  easy  to  cultivate  by  nat- 
ural and  artificial  irrigation  for  which  he  has 
sufficient  water.  Early  in  his  experience  here 
he  introduced  into  the  region  the  extensive 
cultivation  of  potatoes,  and  this  has  been  his 


456 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


crowning  success  in  farming  and  is  now  his 
most  profitable  source  of  revenue.  He  also 
raises  some  grain  and  hay  and  has  a  good- 
sized  herd  of  fine  cattle.  He  has  his  land  all 
well  fenced,  and  the  dwelling  and  other  build- 
ings he  has  erected  on  it  are  commodious  and 
comffortable  in  scope  and  convenient  and  taste- 
ful in  arrangement.  He  is  in  the  first  rank  of 
Garfield  county  ranchmen  and  owes  his  posi- 
tion io  his  own  energy,  enterprise  and  breadth 
of  view.  In  political  affairs  he  supports  the 
Democratic  party,  and  in  fraternal  life  he  is 
a  Freemason  of  the  Royal  Arch  degree.  He 
was  married  on  June  29,  1887,  to  Miss  Hattie 
Thompson,  a  native  of  Missouri.  Energetic, 
capable  and  successful  in  his  business,  earnestly 
and  intelligently  active  in  public  affairs,  thor- 
oughly devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  home 
neighborhood  and  county,  and  mingling  freely, 
according  to  his  opportunities,  in  the  social  life 
around  him,  M'r.  Holland  occupies  a  high 
place  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and 
is  easily  one  of  the  best  and  most  representa- 
tive mten  in  his  section. 

JOHN  WELSH. 

A  Canadian  by  birth  and  the  son  of  English 
parents  who  were  born  in  Devonshire  and  emi- 
grated to  the  Dominion  in  1850,  then  in  1863 
moved  to  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  and  now  a 
resident  of  one  of  the  fruitful  and  progressive 
regions  of  this  state,  John  Welsh,  of  near  Wol- 
cott,  Eagle  county,  has  had  opportunity  to  see 
much  of  the  world  and  make  a  choice  of  loca- 
tion from  many  inviting  sections.  That  he 
has  chosen  wisely  is  proven  by  his  present  pros- 
perity and  the  public  estimation  in  which  he  is 
held,  all  of  which  he  has  won  by  his  own  in- 
dustry and  worth,  without  the  aid  of  favor- 
ing circumstances.  He  was  born  on  March 
23,  1852,  at  New  London,  in  the  province  of 
Ontario,  and  when  eleven  years  old  accom- 


panied his  parents,  Joseph  and  Eliza  Welsh, 
to  Kalamazoo,  Michigan.  There  he  completed 
in  the  common  schools  the  education  he  had 
begun  in  those  of  his  native  land,  going  to 
work  at  the  trade  of  brick  laying  at  the  age  of 
thirteen.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
building  contractor  and  died  in  1878,  his  wife 
surviving  him  one  year  and  passing  away  in 
1879.  Three  of  their  children  are  living,  Wil- 
liam L.,  Richard  G.  and  John.  The  last  named 
remained  at  Kalamazoo  until  1872,  working 
at  his  trade.  Then  regard  for  health  and  hope 
of  other  advantages  brought  him  farther  west, 
and  during  the  next  three  years  he  worked  at 
his  trade  as  a  journeyman  at  Denver  in  this 
state.  In  1873,  in  company  with  John  Guyer, 
he  made  a  hunting  trip  overland  to  Egeria 
Park,  and  realized  well  in  the  venture  which 
consumed  eight  months,  and  was  fraught  with 
clangers  and  privations,  but  on  the  whole  was 
pleasant.  While  in  the  park  and  during  a  por- 
tion of  the  time  passed  in  getting  there  and  re- 
turning they  saw  no  human  beings  but  Indians, 
and  these  Were  not  always  friendly  or  trust- 
worthy. In  1875  Mn  Welsh  moved  to  Alma  in 
Park  county,  where  he  followed  quartz  mining 
for  a  year,  then  going  to  Saguache  county,  he 
located  a  squatter's  claim  which  he  sold  in 
December,  1877,  after  improving  it.  His  next 
move  was  through  San  Juan  county  to  Lead- 
ville,  and  at  the  latter  place  he  worked  at  his 
trade  until  1881,  in  the  winters  freighting  be- 
tween Leadville  and  South  Park.  He  also  lo- 
cated a  number  of  mining  claims  at  Redcliff 
which  in  1879  proved  to  be  of  no  value.  From 
1 88 1  to  1883  he  conducted  a  dairy  at  Red- 
cliff  with  good  returns,  and  in  the  year  last 
named  moved  to  the  ranch  which  is  now  his 
home,  securing  the  first  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  by  pre-emption  and  afterward  buying 
the  addition  of  four  hundred  acres.  This  land 
he  has  redeemed  from  its  growth  of  wild  sage 
and  transformed  into  an  excellent  ranch  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


457 


tillable  land,  on  which  he  has  a  comfortable 
home  and  raises  good  crops  of  the  products 
suited  to  the  region,  hay  and  cattle  being  the 
chief  reliance.  A  nearby  reservoir  furnishes 
him  a  good  supply  of  water  for  irrigation  and 
his  skill  and  industry  do  the  rest  to  make  his 
undertaking  profitable.  He  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  progressive  and  influential  men  in 
the  community,  actively  supporting  the  Re- 
publican party  and  serving  well  as  a  county 
commissioner  from  1889  to  1891.  He  has  also 
been  a  leading  member  of  the  school  board 
for  many  years.  In  fraternal  life  he  belongs 
to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  May  19, 
1875,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Shields,  a  native  of  Fulton  county,  Il- 
linois. They  have  had  three  children,  Wil- 
liam, who  died  on  December  9,  1881,  Ursula, 
who  died  on  September  6,  1880,  and  Sallie  R., 
who  is  living.  They  also  have  an  adopted 
child,  Francis  E. 

ALONZO  LAFAYETTE  BAKER. 

With  all  our  stirring  activity  in  this  coun- 
try, and  our  immense  flexibility  of  movement, 
ease  of  transportation  at  this  time  and  mighty 
achievements  in  all  departments  of  science,  me- 
chanics and  the  arts,  and  the  unaccounted 
shades  of  variety  in  occupation,  enjoyment 
and  condition  which  they  give,  we  look  upon 
life  as  commonplace  and  scarcely  realize  that 
we  are  writing  history  with  a  heroic  pen  and 
building  enduring  memorials  as  landmarks  of 
time,  so  little  impression  do  the  events  and  ac- 
complishments of  our  fugitive  days  make  upon 
us  until  they  can  be  viewed  in  a  proper  per- 
spective and  show  forth  their  relative  weight 
and  magnitude.  Yet  what  may  properly  be 
called  the  heroic  age  in  any  portion  of  our 
land,  that  period  which  now  seems  remote  be- 
cause of  the  rush  rather  than  the  lapse  of 
time,  wherein  the  wilderness  was  opened  to 


settlement  and  the  foundations  of  its  civiliza- 
tion were  laid,  is  always  pregnant  with  inter- 
est and  full  of  salutary  lessons,  notwithstand- 
ing the  short  audience  the  present  always  gives 
to  the  past.  The  story  of  the  pioneers,  though 
often  told,  is  never  exhausted ;  and  not  yet  has 
appeared  the  genius  who  can  properly  write 
its  poetry,  although  each  age  is*  bringing  us 
nearer  to  the  full  utterance  of  that  stately  epic. 
To  this  heroic  age  belonged,  in  greater  or  less 
degree,  most  of  those  whose  lives  and  deeds 
are  recorded  in  these  pages.  Among  them 
Alonzo  L.  Baker,  of  Saguache  county,  this 
state,  must  be  named  with  due  consideration 
and  respect,  for  he  has  been  a  pioneer  in  more 
than  one  state  and  has  confronted  and  con- 
quered the  wilds  amid  widely  differing  cir- 
cumstances. Mr.  Baker  was  born  in  Fulton 
county,  .Illinois,  on  February  12,  1846.  His 
parents,  Nathan  W.  and  Permelia  (Wilson) 
Baker,  came  into  life  practically  on  the  fron- 
tier, the  former  being  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
latter  of  Kentucky,  and  born  at  a  time  when 
both  states  were  new  and  undeveloped.  They 
have  lived  in  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Iowa,  since 
their  marriage,  and  now  reside  at  South  Ha- 
ven, Kansas.  The  father  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Ohio  State  University,  but  has  passed  the 
whole  of  his  life  since  leaving  school  in  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock,  except  the  time  passed 
by  him  as  a  Union  soldier,  and  member  of  the 
Eighty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  during  the 
Civil  war.  Because  of  a  disability  which  pre- 
cluded him  from1  active  -service  in  the  field,  his 
military  service  was  rendered  as  a  clerk  in  a 
hospital.  The  following  children  of  the  family 
are  living,  James,  Charles,  Alonzo  L.,  Wil- 
liam, George  L.,  Mary  and  Hattie.  The  par- 
ents and  many  of  the  children  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  Alonzo  attended  the 
common  schools  near  his  home  at  short  and 
irregular  intervals,  and  remained  at  home 
working  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the 


458 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


age  of  twenty-five.  In  1872  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  spent  two  years  in  ranch 
work,  and  then,  after  a  visit  of  a  few  months 
at  his  Iowa  home,  caught  the  infection  of  the 
Black  Hills  gold  fever  and  journeyed  to  that 
promising  region,  determined  to  reach  it  what- 
ever obstacles  might  interpose.  He  was 
obliged  to  go  on  foot  the  long  distance  between 
Fort  Pierre,  as  it  was  then,  and  the  Hills,  and 
arrived  at  Deadwood  after  many  privations 
and  dangers,  now  surrounded  by  threatening 
savages,  who,  however,  did  not  attack  the 
party,  and  now  encountering  wild  beasts,  rug- 
ged travel  or  the  fury  of  the  elements,  and 
sometimes  all  combined.  But  all  his  toil  and 
trials  were  for  naught,  for  after  prospecting 
and  mining  in  the  Hills  region  from  the  fall 
of  1876  to  that  of  1877,  ne  found  himself  with 
scarcely  enough  for  "grub  stake,"  and  so  re- 
sumed his  weary  march  in  search  of  more 
promising  rewards,  and  returned  once  more 
to  the  fertile  fields  of  Iowa,  making  the  home- 
ward journey  on  a  boat  belonging  to  Dr.  Bur- 
leigh  which  started  from  Yankton  but  which 
burned  to  the  water's  edge  and  sank  in  the 
night  at  Hot  Springs,  on  the  Missouri.  In 
August,  1878,  he  again  turned  his  face  west- 
ward and  came  to  Alamosa,  Colorado.  Here 
he  found  a  wild,  unsettled  country,  and  pushed 
on  to  Saguache,  passing  only  two  houses  be- 
tween the  two  villages.  On  his  arrival  at  the 
.latter  he  assumed  the  management  of  the 
Pumphrey  ranch,  of  which  he  remained  suc- 
cessfully in  charge  until  1880.  He  then  went 
to  prospecting  and  in  time  located  the 
Klondike  claims,  which  in  1899  ne  s°ld  to  the 
Woods  Investment  Company  at  Cripple  Creek. 
Yet  he  did  not  wholly  abandon  his  interest  in 
ranching  and  raising  stock,  but  has  had  a  share 
in  those  industries  ever  since  his  advent  in  the 
state.  For  a  period  of  eleven  successive  years 
he  served  as  a  deputy  sheriff  in  the  county,  and 
made  a  record  in  the  office  for  efficiency,  cour- 


age and  resourcefulness  that  any  man  might 
be  proud  of.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  always  taken  an  interest  in 
county  affairs  at  once  active  and  serviceable. 
On  December  16,  1870,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Stella  A.  Tucker,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They 
have  four  children,  Alma  E.,  Nellie,  Annie  and 
Alonzo.  But  all  his  years  have  not  been 
passed  in  peaceful  industry,  or  even  the  dan- 
gers of  the  frontier.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
served  in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, Company  K,  and  in  his  term  of  eight 
months  had  much  arduous  and  trying  mili- 
tary duty  to  perform.  He  was  mustered  out 
at  Springfield,  Illinois.  Saguache  county  has 
no  more  worthy  or  respected  citizen. 

JOHN  WILLIS  COOK. 

This  enterprising,  far-seeing  and  pro- 
gressive citizen  of  Saguache  county,  who,  as 
the  owner  and  editor  of  the  Saguache  Crescent, 
is  one  of  the  leaders  of  thought  in  southern 
Colorado,  and  one  of  its  representative  men,  is 
a  self-made  man  and,  having  learned  by  trying 
experience  the  needs  and  aspirations  of  the 
plain  people  of  this  country,  is  well  able  to  state 
and  advocate  them,  as  he  does  in  his  paper 
and  in  all  his  public  utterances.  He  was  born 
at  Cook's  Fort,  a  block  house  built  by  his  grand- 
father, George  W.  Cook,  as  a  protection 
against  the  pro-slaveryites,  in  Jefferson  county, 
Kansas,  on  December  20,  1866,  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam M.  and  Frances  (Pennick)  Cook,  the 
father  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  mother  of 
Missouri.  The  family  are  of  the  good  old 
Puritan  stock,  tracing  their  lineage  as  they  do 
in  an  unbroken  line  from  Francis  Cook,  one 
of  the  immortal  band  of  Pilgrims  who  landed 
on  Plymouth  Rock  that  bleak  December  day 
in  1620.  They  have  ever  followed  the  star  of 
empire  westward,  moving  to  Hartford,  Con- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


necticut,  in  1636,  thence  to  Marietta,  Ohio,  in 
1788,  to  northwestern  Indiana  in  1816.  to  Iowa 
in  1852,  to  Kansas  in  1854.  Four  patriots 
served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  two  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  one  was  wounded  at  the 
storming  of  Chapultepec  in  the  war  with 
Mexico.  William  M.  Cook  and  his  two 
brothers,  the  only  male  members  of  the  family 
old  enough  for  service,  fought  for  the  Union 
through  the  great  Civil  war.  True  pioneers, 
they  have  ever  been  found  in  the  vanguard  of 
American  civilization  and  be  it  said  to  their 
credit  they  have  ever  stood  for  the  cause  of 
freedom  and  right.  George  W.  Cook,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
obliged  to  build  a  stout  block  house  on  his 
Kansas  claim  on  account  of  the  pro-slaveryites 
who  were  determined  to  drive  out  the  free- 
soilers  and  make  Kansas  a  slave  state,  he  and 
his  sons  taking  an  active  part  in  the  Kansas 
war  which  raged  round  them  until  the  ad- 
herents of  slavery  were  driven  from  the  new 
territory.  The  parents  of  the  subject  settled 
in  Kansas  before  the  Civil  war,  and  lived  to- 
gether until  death  ended  the  labors  of  the  father 
on  September  25,  1903,  near  Hobart,  Okla- 
homa, where  he  had  drawn  a  claim  at  the 
Kiowa  and  Comanche  opening.  The  mother  is 
now  living  at  Topeka  that  state.  In  1859  the 
father  came  to  Colorado  and  prospected  and 
mined  here  until  1875  at  various  times  and 
places,  except  for  nearly  four  years  during  the 
Civil  war,  in  which  he  served  as  a  Union 
soldier  in  Company  B,  Eleventh  Kansas  Cav- 
alry, •  being  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Leavenworth  on  August  20,  1865.  His  occu- 
pation in  Kansas  was  farming  and  raising 
stock,  and  in  this  he  was  measurably  success- 
ful and  prosperous.  He  was  a-  stanch  Re- 
publican in  political  faith.  Seven  of  his  chil- 
dren survive  him  John  W.,  Ulysses. E.,  Mrs. 
O.  D.  Henley,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Slykhous,  Mrs.  May 
George,  Mrs.  H.  F.  Browning  and  Mrs.  Wal- 


ter O.  Hammond.  The  first  born  of  these, 
John  Willis  Cook,  received  a  good  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  an  early  age  be- 
gan to  earn  his  own  way  in  the  service  of  his 
parents.  Later  he  took  a  course  of  instruction 
at  the  Strickler  Business  College  at  Topeka. 
Leaving  home  in  1887,  he  taught  school, 
clerked  in  stores  and  spent  several  years  at 
newspaper  work  on  daily  and  weekly  papers  in 
eastern  Kansas,  and  in  Colorado.  In  1896  he 
returned  to  Denver  and  while  there  wrote  and 
published  for  his  uncle,  Gen.  D.  J.  Cook,  a 
noted  Colorado  pioneer,  a  volume  entitled 
"Hands  Up,"  it  being  the  story  of  his  forty 
years'  life  in  the  West.  The  General  filled  a 
number  of  important  offices  in  troublous  and 
trying  times.  He  was  United  States  detective 
city  marshal,  chief  of  police  and  chief  of  de- 
tectives, successively,  and  as  major-general 
of  the  C.  N.  G.,  effected  peace  between  warring 
factions  and  put  down  disturbing"  elements  at 
Leadville  in  the  great  strike  of  1880.  He  also 
served  as  sheriff  of  the  county  eight  years.  His 
life  was  stirring  and  strenuous  to  the  last  de- 
gree, and  the  story  of  it  which  his  nephew 
wrote  is  full  of  interest  as  a  true  and  graphic 
account  of  the  times  in  which  he  was  so  im- 
portant a  personage  and  acted  so  prominent  a 
part.  It  has  been  read  by  thousands  with  great 
interest,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  appreciated  narratives  of  early  Colorado 
life.  After  completing  the  publication  of  this 
work,  Mr.  Cook  moved  to  Crestone,  in  the 
mountain  region  of  Saguache  county,  in  1898, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  prospecting  and 
mining,  but  without  much  success.  In  1901  he 
was  elected  county  clerk  and  recorder  of  Sa- 
guache county,  and  in  March,  1903,  bought  the 
Saguache  Crescent,  a  leading  Republican  news- 
paper of  southern  Colorado,  of  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  the  owner  and  editor.  He  has 
added  to  the  capacity  and  equipment  of  the 
office  in  order  to  be  able  to  meet  all  require- 


460 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ments  for  job  work  of  the  best  kind,  and  has 
conducted  the  paper  with  intelligence,  enter- 
prise and  sagacity,  according  to  such  lofty 
ideals  of  duty  to  the  public  and  devotion  to  its 
interests  as  to  have  raised  it  greatly  in  the 
estimation  of  the  community  and  made  it  a 
power  in  leading  and  directing  public  opinion 
in  the  territory  of  its  circulation  besides  largely 
increasing  its  subscription  list  and  other  forms 
of  patronage.  On  September  29,  1896,  Mr. 
Cook  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  L. 
Martin,  a  native  of  Jefferson  county,  Kansas. 
They  have  one  child,  their  son  Francis  E.  Mr, 
Cook  belongs  to  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows, 
Elks,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  Sons  of  Veterans.  In 
addition  to  his  newspaper  work,  Mr.  Cook 
finds  time  to  engage  in  mining,  stock  raising 
and  politics,  in  all  of  which  he  has  been  meas- 
urably successful  in  recent  years.  He  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  Rooseveltian  doctrine  of  a 
square  deal  all  around  and  has  made  his  influ- 
ence felt  in  that  direction  in  a  section  of  the 
state  where  political  jobbery  has  long  been 
dominant. 

THOMAS   MIRL  ALEXANDER. 

Well  established  in  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Saguache  county, 
who  have  recently  crowned  his  twelve  years  of 
useful  labor  and  elevated  citizenship  among 
them  with  a  convincing  proof  of  their  regard 
by  electing  him  to  represent  them  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  state  legislature,  and  with  a  large 
body  of  property  which  yields  a  comfortable 
income  and  enables  him  to  take  an  active  in- 
terest in  several  of  the  leading  industries  of 
the  state  and  devote  the  forces  of  his  well 
trained  and  energetic  mind  to  the  welfare  of 
the  people,  fate  would  seem  to  have  in  store 
for  Thomas  M.  Alexander  a  career  of  unusual 
credit  and  benefit  to  the  state.  If  health  and 


strength  serve  him  for  the  purpose,  and  his 
desire  for  it  continues,  there  can  scarcely  be 
any  question  of  his  remaining  in  public  life 
and  occupying  even  more  honorable  positions 
in  the  future  than  he  has  in  the  past.  For  he 
has  worthily  met  the  requirements  of  his  ut- 
most duty  so  far,  and  as  it  is  one  of  his  strong 
characteristics  to  do  all  the  time  and  every- 
where, his  public  services  will  continue  to  be 
valuable  and  appreciated.  Mr.  Alexander  was 
born  at  Prospect,  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  October  u,  1853,  the  son  of  Robert  D.  and 
Martha  M.  (Ferguson)  Alexander,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  state  and  passed  their  lives 
within  its  borders.  The  father  farmed  and 
raised  live  stock  successfully  and  profitably, 
and  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  county, 
filling  several  official  positions  there  from  time 
to  time,  and  making  a  good  record  for  capacity 
and  fidelity  in  each.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  he  and  his  wife  belonged  to  the 
United  Presbyterian  church.  Eight  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  of  whom  Thomas  M. 
.is  the  only  one  living.  The  father  died  on  De- 
cember 8,  1878,  and  the  mother  on  November 
u,  1881.  The  son  received  a  good  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  at  the  Western 
Academy,  in  his  native  county.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  then  turned  his  attention  to  drilling  in 
the  oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania,  and  after  four 
months  of  varying  success  in  searching  for  the 
unctuous  fluid  which  was  one  of  the  money- 
making  profits  of  the  period,  he  came  west 
on  May  7,  1873,  and  located  in  Carroll  county, 
Missouri.  Here  he  taught  school  during  the 
winter  and  worked  on  a  farm  during  the  sum- 
mer until  the  spring  of  1881,  then  went  to 
Franklin  county,  Kansas,  and  bought  a  farm 
which  he  worked  two  years  and  then  sold  it. 
In  the  spring  of  1884  he  purchased  another 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Cof- 
fey  county,  that  state,  and  this  he  still  owns. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


461 


In  1889  he  came  to  Colorado  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health,  and  also  in  search  of  a  suitable 
location  for  a  permanent  residence  in  this  part 
of  the  country  in  case  he  should  find  it  neces- 
sary or  desirable  to  remain.  After  traveling- 
through  this  and  other  western  states  until 
1892,  he  selected  Saguache  county,  Colorado, 
as  the  most  advantageous  situation  for  his  wel- 
fare, and  bought  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  tillable  land  eight  miles  south- 
east of  the  county  seat,  to  the  operation  and  im- 
provement of  which  he  at  once  began  to  devote 
his  attention.  His  excellent  judgment  as  a 
farmer  and  his  good  taste  in  the  matter  of  im- 
provements are  shown  by  the  present  condition 
of  the  place,  which  is  one  of  the  most  product- 
ive and  attractive  country  homes  in  the  county. 
The  ranch  is  supplied  with  water  from  four 
artesian  wells,  is  all  well  fenced,  and  has  a  full 
complement  of  first  rate  buildings  covering 
every  requirement  for  the  extensive  ranching 
and  stock  business  which  is  carried  on  there. 
From  his  advent  in  the  county  Mr.  Alexander 
has  taken  a  very  active  and  intelligent  part  in 
i';s  public  affairs.  He  has  served  as  county  as- 
sessor since  the  first  of  1900,  having  been 
elected  to  the  .office  on  the  Republican  ticket 
in  the  fall  of  1899.  On  November  8,  1904, 
he  was  elected  a  county  representative  in  the 
state  legislature  as  the  candidate  of  the  same 
party,  having  demonstrated  his  capacity  and 
especial  fitness  for  public  service  in  his  prior 
office.  From  1896  to  1904  he  was  also  en- 
gaged in  saw-milling  on  an  extensive  scale, 
but  sold  this  branch  of  his  business  in  the  year 
last  named.  He  is  interested  in  the  Steele 
Canyon  Mining,  Milling  and  Investment  Com- 
pany, and  the  Saguache  Home  Mining  Com- 
pany, and  gives  to  the  affairs  of  each  a  goodly 
share  of  his  attention.  Being  an  earnest  and 
far-seeing  friend  of  the  cause  of  public  edu- 
cation, he  has  done  much  to  promote  the  good 
of  the  school  system  in  the  county,  both  by 


wise  counsel  and  active  efforts  in  its  behalf. 
His  home  is  in  the  town  of  Saguache,  but  no 
part  of  the  county  escapes  his  attention  or  is 
without  the  benefit  of  his  active  and  service- 
able interest.  Starting  with  but  little  capital, 
he  has  so  managed  his  affairs  and  worked  his 
opportunities  that  he  is  now  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  influential  men  of  the  county  and 
one  of  the  most  energetic  promoters  of  every 
element  of  its  progress  and  development. 
From  the  serious  business  of  life  he  takes  fre- 
quent recreation  in  hunting  and  fishing,  of 
which  he  is  passionately  fond  and  at  which  he 
is  skillful  and  successful.  He  is  practically  a 
self-made  man  and  entitled  on  personal  merit 
to  the  general  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  and 
the  universal  popularity  which  he  enjoys.  In 
fraternal  life  he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  or- 
der of  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  the 
latter  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  his  lodge. 
On  January  16,  1877,  he  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Kemble,  a  native 
of  Youngstown,  Ohio.  They  have  had  eight 
children.  Of  these  one  daughter  named  Jean- 
nette  is  dead,  and  the  following  are  living: 
Robert  E.,  Joseph  W.,  Thomas  G.,  Elsie  L., 
Sarah  L.,  James  A.  and  Myrtle  M.  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander is  a  lady  of  accomplishments  and  great 
energy.  She  takes  a  prominent  part  in  social 
life  in  and  around  the  city,  and  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  interests  of  the  Baptist  church, 
of  which  she  has  long  been  a  member. 

SAMUEL  JEWELL. 

Coming  to  Colorado  more  than  twenty-five 
years  ago  as  a  young  man,  Samuel  Jewell,  the 
treasurer  of  Saguache  county,  entered  at  once 
into  the  spirit  of  the  country  and  soon  made 
himself  known  to  its  people  as  a  man  of  un- 
usual energy  and  business  capacity,  and  taking 
his  place  cheerfully  in  the  ranks  of  its  workers, 
began  a  career  of  steady  advancement  in  pros- 


462 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


parity  and  public  esteem  which  has  continued 
until  now  and  gives  abundant  promise  of  still 
further  distinction  and  usefulness.  He  is  a 
native  of  Chenango  county,  New  York,  born 
on  Christmas  day,  1852,  and  the  son  of  Samuel 
and  Matilda  Jewell,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Massachusetts  and  moved  to  Illinois,  after  a 
residence  of  some  years  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  first  locating  in  Chicago  and  afterwards 
in  McHenry  county.  There  the  mother  died 
in  1858  and  after  that  event  the  father  moved 
to  Kansas,  where  he  passed  away  in  1865.  He 
was  a  shoemaker  and  prospered  in  his  vocation. 
In  political  allegiance  he  was  warmly  attached 
to  the  Republican  party.  Two  children  survive 
them,  Samuel  and  his  brother  James.  The  for- 
mer received  a  common  and  high-school  edu- 
cation at  Marengo,  Illinois,  and  after  leaving 
school  followed  various  occupations  in  that 
state  until  he  moved  to  Missouri  in  1866. 
There  he  passed  thirteen  years  in  Johnson 
county,  then  in  March,  1879,  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Canon  City.  From  that  place 
he  freighted  to  a  number  of  different  points 
and  kept  a  general  store  at  Alamosa.  From 
the  fall  of  1880  to  July,  1881,  he  made  Ala- 
mosa his  headquarters  and  continued  freight- 
ing until  the  spring  of  1881.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  raising  sheep  and  cattle,  with 
ranching  as  an  additional  venture,  on  his  own 
account.  His  present  ranch  comprises  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  of  which  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  are  grain  land  and  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  are  devoted  to  hay  and  pastur- 
ing. Six  artesian  wells  supply  the  place  with 
an  abundance  of  water  for  stock  purposes,  and 
it  is  otherwise  well  improved.  Mr.  Jewell  has 
been  prominent  and  active  from  his  arrival 
here.  He  is  a  firm  and  loyal  Republican,  and 
has  never  withheld  his  aid  in  the  campaigns 
of  his  party,  and  has  always  made  his  efforts  in 
its  behalf  tell  to  its  advantage.  In  the  fall  of 
1889  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  as  its 


candidate,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  in  the 
fall  of  1904  was  triumphantly  re-elected  by  an 
increased  majority.  From  1886  to  1890  he 
furnished  by  contract  all  the  mutton  used  at  the 
Aspen  mining  camps  and  ever  since  1880  the 
town  of  Saguache  has  been  his  trading  point, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  it  has  been  the  place 
of  his  residence.  He  is  a  shrewd,  observant 
and  progressive  business  man,  and  an  excep- 
tionally successful  politician.  In  the  fraternal 
life  of  the  county  he  has  been  valuable  and  in- 
spiring as  a  member  of  the  order  of  Elks.  On 
February  26,  1876,  he  was-  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Miss  Sarah  Cleveland,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. They  had  two  children,  Sallie,  who  died, 
and  Guy,  who  is  living.  The  mother  died  in 
February,  1881,  and  on  January  27,  1892,  the 
father  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Lucy 
Nichols,  who  was  born  in  Illinois.  The  fruit  of 
this  union  is  two  children,  Hester  and  Edith. 

THOMAS  J.  FRITZLER. 

Thomas  J.  Fritzler,  one  of  the  progressive 
and  public  spirited  ranchmen  and  influential 
citizens  of  Mesa  county,  living  on  a  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated  farm  near  the 
village  of  Snipes,  was  born  in  Iowa  March  i, 
1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Polly 
(Ellis)  Fritzler,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  came 
to  the  United  States  when  he  was  but  eleven 
years  of  age,  braving  the  heaving  ocean  for 
the  larger  opportunities  offered  to  thrift  and 
enterprise  in  this  country  and  found  a  home 
of  hope  and  promise  in  Ohio.  He  lived  in  that 
state  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five, 
engaged  in  farming,  and  was  married  there. 
In  1840  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Keokuk 
county,  Iowa,  being  among  the  pioneers,  and 
in  that  state  continued  his  farming  operations 
until  his  death,  in  1896,  when  he  was  seventy- 
nine  years  old.  His  widow  is  still  living  at 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


463 


their  Iowa  home,  over  eighty  years  of  age. 
Their  son  Thomas  grew  to  manhood  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  his  native  state,  re- 
maining there  until  he  was  twenty-two,  when 
he  migrated  to  Utah  and  for  a  year  wrorked  in 
a  mine  and  a  smelter.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
he  returned  to  Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  1878. 
He  then  took  up  his  residence  in  Nebraska, 
and  during  the  next  thirteen  years  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  the  enormous  prairies  of 
that  state.  In  1891  he  came  to  Colorado,  still 
devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and,  settling 
on  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  con- 
tinued his  operations  in  this  line  of  useful  in- 
dustry and  is  still  engaged  in  it.  During  the 
last  two  years  he  has  been  water  commissioner 
in  his  district,  although  not  desirous  of  public 
life,  and  has  rendered  faithful  and  efficient 
service  to  the  people  in  this  important  capacity. 
He  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  A.  M.  Brooks, 
a  native  of  Indiana,  and  living  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage  at  Elwood,  Nebraska.  They 
have  had  five  children,  Alfred  R.,  Harry  C, 
Annie  M.  (died  in  1884),  Irvin  B.  and  An- 
drew. Mr.  Fritzler,  comjbines  the  German 
thrift  of  his  father's  people  with  the  breadth 
of  view  and  enterprise  of  the  American  char- 
acter, and  has  been  a  very  useful  and  highly  es- 
teemed man  in  this  community. 

DACRE  DUNN. 

Dunn's  Ranch,  located  twenty-three  miles 
southwest  of  the  town  of  Saguache,  in  the 
county  of  the  same  name,  represents  in  its  pres- 
ent condition  the  enterprise  of  two  generations 
of  thrifty  and  industrious  men,  alive  to  every 
opportunity  which  fate  has  opened  before  them 
and  ever  ready  to  make  the  most  of  one.  Al- 
though taken  up  in  the  very  wilderness,  hun- 
dreds of  miles  from  any  center  of  civilization 
less  than  thjrty-five  years  ago,  it  now  has  many 
of  the  luxuries  of  modern  life  for  the  enjoy- 


ment of  its  owner  and  his  family,  and  is 
equipped  with  every  convenience  for  its  proper 
conduct  which  the  sleepless  eye  of  science  has 
discovered  and  the  skillful  hand  of  art  has 
fashioned  for  such  work.  That  it  is  well  wa- 
tered, highly  cultivated  and  improved  with 
modern  buildings  and  other  appliances,  need 
scarcely  be  said  when  it  is  remembered  that  it 
is  a  Colorado  ranch  in  the  possession  and  under 
the  management  of  an  energetic  and  progres- 
sive man ;  but  that  it  should  have  an  electric 
lighting  plant  of  its  own,  flooding  the  dwelling 
and  other  buildings  and  the  grounds  with  radi- 
ance at  night,  and  be  supplied  with  many  other 
comforts  usually  unknown  in  rural  sections, 
and  especially  on  ranch  properties,  is  not  only 
surprising  to  all  observers,  but  is  a  high  trib- 
ute to  the  enterprise,  breadth  of  view  and  mod- 
ern spirit  of  its  owner.  He  is  a  native  of  Sus-. 
sexshire,  England,  born  on  January  26,  1877, 
and  the  son  of  Dacre  and  Julia  Dunn,  the  for- 
mer born  and  reared  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
and  the  latter  in  Peoria,  Illinois.  They  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  in  Saguache  county  in 
1870,  and  soon  afterward  secured  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  the  present  ranch  by 
pre-emption  and  homestead  claims,  and  by  sub- 
sequent purchases  increased  their  acreage  to  its 
extent  of  twelve  hundred  acres,  all  of  which 
has  since  remained  to  it.  The  father  was  a 
prosperous  and  progressive  ranch  and  stock 
man,  raising  both  cattle  and  horses  of  good 
grades,  and  gave  a  large  portion  of  his  time 
and  a  liberal  share  of  his  earnings  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  county.  He  was  one  of  its 
most  prominent  and  influential  citizens,  and 
left  his  impress  broad  and  deep  on  its  industrial 
and  civil  life.  He  moved  into  the  section  of 
his  home  when  it  was  .almost  without  other  set- 
tlers, and  by  his  influence  and  example  induced 
a  number  of  other  families  to  locate  there,  and 
in  this  way,  as  well  as  by  the  exercise  of  his 
enterprise  in  other  directions,  soon  had  the  re- 


464 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


gion  a  substantial  contributor  to  the  wealth, 
consequence  and  power  of  the  county.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  property  here  he  had  interests  in 
some  English  coal  mines,  yet  what  they  yield- 
ed was  added  to  his  resources  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  new  home  in  the  western  wilds  of 
the  new  world.  He  took  an  active  and  helpful 
interest  in  American  politics  as  a  Republican, 
and  was  one  of  the  controlling  forces  in  the 
councils  and  activities  of  his  party.  He  died 
in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  on  January  19, 

1900,  and  his  wife  passed  away  on  June  19, 

1901.  Their  son  Dacre  received  a  good  busi- 
ness education  in  the  schools  and  had  in  addi- 
tion careful  training  under  the  supervision  of 
his  father  in  the  lines  of  business  in  which  he 
is  now  engaged.     He  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  state  since  1877,  and  during  the  whole  of 
the  period  has  been  earnestly  devoted  to   its 
welfare  and  progress.     Since  his  father's  death 
he  has  managed  the  ranch  and  all  its  work  of 
every  kind,  giving  every  phase  of  its  operations 
his  close  and  careful  attention  and  making  the 
utmost  of  every  element  of  progress  and  profit. 
The  whole  ranch  is  under  good  fencing,  has  a 
first-rate    modern    dwelling    and    other    good 
buildings,  an  abundant  supply  of  water  and  a 
private    electric    lighting    plant,  as    has    been 
noted,  from  which  the  residence  and  barns  are 
well  lighted.     Nine  hundred  and  fifty  acres  are 
given  up  to  hay  and  produces  an  excellent  qual- 
ity of  this  commodity.    The  herds  of  cattle  are 
well  bred  Herefords  and  there  are  large  num- 
bers of  them.     The  horses  also  are  of  good 
breeds  and  well  cared  for.    Mr.  Dunn  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political  faith  and,  like  all  other 
good  citizens,  takes  an  earnest  and  serviceable 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.    In  fraternal 
life  he  is  prominently  connected  with  the  order 
of  Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.     On 
October  28,  1903,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss   Edith   Francklin,   a  native  of  Colorado 
and  daughter  of  Harry  and  Alice  Francklin, 


who  live  near  Monte  Vista,  and  were  early  set- 
tlers in  Colorado.  Mr.  Dunn  has  succeeded  to 
his  father's  prominence  and  influence  in  public 
affairs,  not  as  an  inheritance  from  that  worthy 
gentleman,  but  on  hi  sown  merits,  and  is  ac- 
counted one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state. 

D.  M.  WEBB,  JR. 

D.  M.  Webb,  Jr.,  who  resides  with  his  fa- 
ther on  Mormon  mesa,  in  Plateau  valley,  and 
assists  in  conducting  the  extensive  ranching 
and  stock  business  which  they  carry  on  there, 
was  born  in  Millard  county,  Utah,  in  1872. 
His  parents  are  D.  M.  and  Eliza  (Dame) 
Webb,  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and 
the  latter  of  Utah,  wrhere  she  is  now  living, 
making  her  home  in  Millard  county.  During 
his  boyhood  their  son  lived  in  Idaho  with  his 
father,  who  was  then  a  resident  of  that  state. 
When  he  was  thirteen  years  old  they  moved  to 
Colorado  and  settled  near  where  they  now  live 
in  Plateau  valley.  In  1885  they  took  up  their 
residence  on  their  present  ranch,  and  here  has 
since  been  his  home.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  near  his  home,  beginning  in 
those  of  Idaho  ?nd  finishing  in  those  of  M'esa 
county,  this  state.  He  is  a  young  man  of  en- 
terprise and  progressiveness,  with  clearness  of 
vision  to  see  and  persistent  energy  and  in- 
fluence to  aid  in  procuring  what  the  country 
needs  for  its  proper  and  systematic  develop- 
ment, and  has  given  his  best  efforts  to  the 
wants  of  the  section  in  the  way  of  progress 
and  improvement,  having  been  one  of  the  orig- 
inators and  builders  of  the  Cottonwood  lake 
reservoir  for  irrigation,  in  which  he  still  has  an 
interest,  and  helped  in  the  promotion  of  many 
other  works  of  public  utility.  He  has  also  ta- 
ken an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  in  a  local 
way,  and  been  wise  in  counsel  and  diligent  in 
action  in  leading  opinion  and  effort  concerning 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


465 


them  to  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  expres- 
sion. Having  begun  his  life  here  with  ele- 
vated ideals  of  citizenship,  and  endeavored  to 
follow  them  in  practical  work,  no  young  man 
in  this  part  of  the  county  is  more  highly  es- 
teemed and  none  has  before  him  a  more  honor- 
able and  promising  career.  He  is  made  of  the 
fiber  of  American  manhood  from  which  the 
best  services  and  the  most  desirable  results 
may  be  expected,  and  he  is  using  his  faculties 
and  his  opportunities  to  realize  for  his  por- 
tion of  the  commonwealth  its  highest  good  in 
a  material,  educational  and  political  way. 

S.   E.   EWING. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  the  interesting 
subject  of  this  brief  review  has  been  a  resident 
of  Colorado  and  has  been  a  potent  factor  in 
the  progress  and  development  of  the  portion 
of  the  state  in  which  he  has  resided.  He  is 
now  one  of  the  prosperous  and  successful 
farmers  of  Mesa  county,  living  on  a  fine  ranch 
which  he  has  improved  and  cultivated  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Plateau  City, 
and  is  connected  in  a  leading  way  with  the  agri- 
cultural and  commercial  interests  of  the  sec- 
tion, and  contributes  to  its  public  life  the  force 
of  his  energy  and  the  inspiration  of  a  good 
example  of  upright  and  serviceable  citizenship. 
Mr.  Ewing  is  a  native  of  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  born  in  1837,  and  is  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Milton)  Ewing,  now 
both  deceased.  His  father  was  born  and 
reared  in  Ohio,  and  was  a  prosperous  farmer 
in  that  state,  remaining  there  until  1837,  when 
he  moved  to  Illinois  and  in  1857  to  Kansas, 
where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  life,  dying 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  territorial  legislature  and  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the 
constitution  of  that  state.  His  wife  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  who  moved  with  her  parents 
30 


to  Ohio  in  early  life  and  there  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  was  married.  She  died  in  1876. 
Their  offspring  numbered  eight,  of  whom  S. 
E.  was  the  fifth  born.  He  was  an  infant  when 
the  family  moved  to  Illinois,  and  he  lived  in 
that  state  until  he  became  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  being  educated  at  the  public  schools  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  home,  and  assisting  in  the 
work  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  time  men- 
tioned, when  he  migrated  to  Kansas  and  started 
a  farming  enterprise  of  his  own  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  a  period  of  twenty-two 
years.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  settled 
in  Boulder  county.  For  six  years  he  lived  there 
engaged  in .  the  same  line  of  activity,  then 
moved  to  where  he  now  lives,  taking  up  his 
present  ranch  on  the  Kansas  mesa  in  1888. 
Here  he  has  since  been  operating  as  a  farmer 
and  stock-grower,  and  has  prospered  in  the 
business  and  won  a  high  place  in  the  regard 
of  his  fellow  citizens  of  this  section.  He  was 
first  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Goode, 
a  native  of  Illinois.  They  became  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  Wil- 
liam E.,  Frederick  G.,  Oliver,  John,  Robert, 
Elizabeth,  Hattie,  Rose  A.  and  Sylvanus  V. 
The  other  one,  a  son  named  Thomas,  died 
when  he  was  ten  years. old.  The  second  mar- 
riage occurred  on  May  15,  1902,  and  was  to 
Miss  Lillie  Kerr,  a  native  of  Arkansas.  They 
have  one  child,  George  E.  Ewing.  Mr.  Ewing 
has  ever  been  zealous  and  persistent  in  push- 
ing forward  works  of  public  utility  for  the  im- 
provement of  his  neighborhood.  He  was 
active  in  promoting  the  construction  of  the  Big 
creek  reservoir  for  purposes  of  irrigation,  and 
is  now  a  stockholder  in  the  enterprise,  holding 
sixteen  shares.  Many  other  works  of  im- 
portance have  had  his  earnest  and  serviceable 
support,  and  all  of  commendable  value  may 
count  upon  his  countenance  and  substantial  aid, 
for  nothing  of  worth  to  the  community  fails 
to  meet  his  approval  and  enlist  his  interest. 


466 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


JOHN  C.  CHARLESWORTH. 

John  C.  Charlesworth,  of  Mesa  county,  re- 
siding on  the  Mormbn  mesa  in  Plateau  valley, 
is  a  native  and  a  product  of  the  West,  born, 
reared,  educated,  married  and  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  various  parts  of  the  country  in  this  sec- 
tion. He  first  saw  the  light  of  this  world  in 
Millard  county,  Utah,  in  1852.  He  is  the  son 
of.  Thomas  and  Alice  (Barrows)  Charles- 
worth,  both  natives  of  England,  the  father 
born  in  London  and  the  mother  in  Sheffield. 
At  the  age  of  eight  years  the  father  went  to 
sea  as  a  cabin  boy  and  the  hazardous  but  in- 
fatuating life  upon  which  he  had  entered  held 
his  interest  and  kept  him  employed  until  he 
was  nineteen ;  and  during  this  period  he  visited 
many  parts  of  the  globe,  and  had  the  opportu- 
nity to  observe  and  study  mankind  under  a 
great  variety  of  circumstances.  In  his  young 
manhood  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  wrought  as  a  brick- 
maker,  a  craft  at  which  he  had  previously  ac- 
quired some  facility.  In  1844  he  moved  to 
Utah  and  is  now  living  in  Millard  county,  that 
state,  actively  engaged  in  farming.  His  wife 
died  there  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
Their  offspring  numbered  twelve,  of  whom 
John  was  the  fourth.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  county,  remaining  at  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  eighteen,  then  starting  out  in 
life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  there,  and  this  oc- 
cupation he  followed  in  that  neighborhood  five 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  went  to 
Arizona,  and  for  six  months  conducted  suc- 
cessfully the  operations  of  a  flourishing  vine- 
yard ;  but  desiring  a  different  kind  of  occupa- 
tion as  a  farmer,  he  moved  to  Idaho,  where  he 
followed  farming  in  general  and  raising  stock 
for  three  years.  His  next  employment  was  as 
a  ranchman  and  stock-grower  in  Wyoming, 
which  kept  him  busy  for  two  years.  He  then 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  on  the  excellent 


ranch  which  he  now  occupies  on  Mormon  mesa, 
in  Mesa  county;  and  on  this  property,  which 
he  has  greatly  improved,  he  has  ever  since  con- 
ducted a  prosperous  and  profitable  business  as 
a  general  farmer  and  stock  man.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1873  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Ferguson  and 
they  have  thirteen  children,  Mary  E.,  Francis, 
John  M.,  Alice,  Ellen,  Gilbert  E.,  Delroy,  Wil- 
liam, Leslie  E.,  Lester  E.,  Opal  L.,  Violet  and 
Amy. 

RUFUS  A.  WOOD. 


After  spending  several  years  of  his  mature 
life  in  a  variety  of  occupations  at  different 
places  in  the  middle  and  farther  Wrest,  Rufus  A. 
Wood  joined  the  great  host  of  industrial 
workers  engaged  in  the  peaceful  and  indepen- 
dent avocation  of  tilling  the  soil,  thereby  re- 
turning to  the  pursuit  of  his  youth,  and  for 
which  he  had  been  trained  by  practical  experi- 
ence on  his  father's  farm.  He  was  born  in 
Missouri  in  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  James  A. 
and  Antoinette  (Dayton)  Wood,  the  father  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  the  mother  of  Illinois. 
Both  left  their  native  states  when  they  were 
young  and  became  residents  of  Missouri 
where  they  formed  an  acquaintance  and  later 
were  married.  They  were  farmers  by  occupa- 
tion, and  two  years  after  the  birth  of  her  son 
Rufus,  and  while  she  was  yet  a  young  woman, 
the  mother  died,  passing  away  in  1861.  Her 
husband  survived  her  thirty  years,  dying  in 
1891,  aged  sixty-one  years.  At  the  age  of  thir- 
teen Rufus  began  the  work  of  making  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  first  working  on  farms  in 
Missouri  where  he  remained  until  1879.  He 
then  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Denver. 
Here  he  was  employed  in  general  work  of  var- 
ious kinds  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
moved  to  Pueblo,  and  in  that  city  was  em- 
ployed four  years  in  a  freight  house.  From 
there  he  went  to  Trinidad  where  he  was  en- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


467 


gaged  in  lumbering  three  years,  then  located 
at  Montrose,  and  during  the  next  four  years 
conducted  a  feed  store  at  that  place.  Then  de- 
termining to  locate  permanently  and  engage  in 
a  business  of  continuing  employment  and  prom- 
ise, he  settled  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his 
home  on  the  Mormon  mesa,  in  Plateau  valley, 
Mesa  county.  Here  he  has  since  resided  and 
carried  on  a  vigorous  and  profitable  farming 
and  stock  industry.  He  was  married  first  in 
1875  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Utah.  She  died  in  1900,  aged  forty-four,  and 
on  January  27,  1903,  he  was  married  a  second 
time,  his  choice  on  this  occasion  being  Miss 
Emma  Whiteside,  a  native  of  England,  and  liv- 
ing at  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage.  Mr.  Wood  is  active  in  the  public 
affairs  of  his  county,  and  is  highly  respected 
by  its  people  on  every  hand. 

AUGUST  F.  STOLZE. 

August  F.  Stolze,  of  Mesa  county,  this 
state,  whose  excellent  ranch  on  the  Mormon 
mesa  in  Plateau  valley,  in  its  present  condition 
of  advanced  improvement  and  high  cultivation, 
is  the  product  of  his  industry  and  judiciously 
applied  skill  in  husbandry,  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, where  he  was  born  in  1873.  He  is  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Dorothy  (Wickman)  Stolze, 
also  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1881  and  settled  in  Illinois, 
where  they  lived  until  1889,  when  they  came  to 
where  their  son  August  now  lives.  Here 
the  father  died  on  May  24,  1900,  and 
here  the  mother  now  lives,  making  her 
home  with  her  son.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
at  their  Dundee  (Illinois)  home  until  he  was 
seventeen,  and  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  -of  the  neighborhood.  At  that  age  he 
went  to  Chicago  and  during  the  next  five  years 
worked  at  the  butchering  business,  learning 
both  the  mechanical  and  the  commercial  parts 


of  it  thoroughly.  He  then  returned  to  Dun- 
dee and,  after  remaining  there  a  few  years, 
came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Mesa  county  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his 
home,  and  since  then  he  has  devoted  himself 
to  farming  and  raising  stock.  His  farm  is  one 
of  the  attractive  and  valuable  rural  homes  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  he  has  given  to  its  de- 
velopment and  improvement  all  his  energy  and 
the  knowledge  acquired  in  a  varied  experience 
and  attentive  study  and  observation,  bringing 
it  from  a  state  of  wildness  to  its  condition  of 
fertility  and  fruitfulness.  He  was  married  in 
1889  to  Miss  Anna  Heiden,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. They  have  had  three  children,  of  whom 
their  son  Martin. and  their  daughter  Nettie  are 
living,  and  Alma  died  in  childhood.  While 
unostentatious  and  unassuming  in  his  daily 
life,  Mr.  Stolze  has  manifested  a  healthy  and 
intelligent  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  county, 
and  has  aided  in  its  development  by  every 
proper  means  at  his  command.  He  is  ardently 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  land  and 
overlooks  no  element  of  merit  in  his  county, 
state  and  country,  and  is  at  the  same  time  earn- 
est against  all  dangers  that  threaten  their  en- 
during prosperity. 

JOSEPH  NICHOLSON. 

Joseph  Nicholson,  of  Mesa  county,  Colo- 
rado, was  made  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his 
father  when  he  was  about  one  year  old,  and 
the  condition  of  the  family,  consisting  of  a 
widow  with  nine  children,  of  whom  he  was  the 
eighth,  rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  take 
care  of  himself  at  a  very  early  age.  And  his 
success  in  life  is  therefore  wholly  the  result  of 
his  own  energy,  capacity  and  adaptability  to 
circumstances.  He  was  born  in  1857  in  Adams 
county,  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Spencer)  Nicholson,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Indiana. 


468 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


The  father  became  a  resident  of  Indiana  in  early 
life,  and  after  his  marriage  there  moved  to 
Illinois.  In  1849  he  joined  the  emigration  to 
California  in  search  of  a  better  fortune,  but 
after  a  residence  of  three  years  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  returned  to  his  Illinois  home,  where  he 
died  in  1858.  His  widow  at  once  took  up  the 
burden  of  rearing  her  large  family  and  bore  it 
bravely  and  successfully  according  to  her  cir- 
cumstances, living  to  reap  the  .rewards  of  her 
devotion  in  seeing  her  offspring  all  settled  in 
life  and  doing  well.  She  died  in  1901,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  Their  son  Joseph 
remained  in  his  native  county  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty,  securing  a  little  schooling 
here  and  there  in  the  schools  near  where  he 
was  employed  on  farms,  for  he  was  obliged  to 
hire  out  to  make  his  living  while  he  was  yet  but 
a  boy.  When  he  was  nearly  of  age  he  moved 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  after  a  short  residence 
there,  came  to  the  San  Juan  county  in  Colo- 
rado. There  for  three  years  he  was  engaged 
in  freighting,  then  moved  to  the  Fremont 
valley,  in  southern  Utah.  In  that  fruitful  and 
progressive  region  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  I  vie  in  1883,  and  he  remained 
there  two  years  after  his  marriage  occupied  in 
farming.  He  then  moved  to  San  Pete  county, 
Utah,  and  for  five  years  thereafter  was  an 
active  dealer  in  horses  and  other  stock.  After 
that  he  settled  at  Grand  Junction,  where  he  con- 
'  ducted  a  thriving  livery  business  for  two  years. 
In  1889  he  settled  on  the  land  which  is  now  his 
home,  and  there  he  has  since  resided  and  was 
occupied  in  the  cattle  industry  on  an  expand- 
ing scale  until  1902,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
cattle  with  the  determination  of  devoting  him- 
self wholly  to  his  farming  operations.  His 
ranch  is  located  near  the  village  of  Mesa,  about 
thirty-five  miles  northeast  of  Grand  Junction, 
in  a  rich  agricultural  region  which  has  been  im- 
proved with  good  facilities  for  irrigation, 
which  he  has  helped  to  construct  and  keep  in 


good  working  order,  and  is  a  very  desirable 
and  attractive  piece  of  property.  He  has 
served  the  community  well  as  foreman  on  the 
Mt.  Lincoln  irrigating  ditch,  and  in  other  ca- 
pacities of  public  utility  from  time  to  time.  He 
and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  four  children. 
Leroy,  Essie,  Willis  and  Jessie.  Since  locating 
at  his  present  home  Mr.  Nicholson  has  also 
been  engaged  in  mining  to  some  extent,  spend- 
ing three  years  in  that  occupation. 

JOHN  KENDALL. 

John  Kendall,  of  Parker  basin,  Mesa 
county,  was  born  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Martha  (Dickinson)  Ken- 
dall, natives  of  Scotland  who  brought  to  this 
country  the  characteristic  shrewdness,  persist- 
ency and  industry  of  their  race,  and  on  the  soil 
of  the  new  state  in  which  they  settled  won  suc- 
cess in  their  chosen  line  of  action  and  general 
public  esteem  among  the  people  surrounding 
them.  The  remainder  of  their  lives  was  passed 
in  Michigan,  the  father  dying  in  1864  arid  the 
mother  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  forty-three. 
Almost  from  childhood  their  son  John  took 
care  of  himself,  working  out  to  earn  his  living 
and  going  from  one  occupation  to  another  as 
necessity  required  or  inclination  directed.  One 
of  his  early  engagements  was  as  a  foundry 
hand  in  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed eighteen  months.  He  then  worked  on  a 
farm  until  1888,  when  he  moved  to  Utah  and 
in  that  state  was  employed  variously  for  four 
years.  From  there  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  where  he  now  lives,  on  a  fine  ranch  in 
Parker  basin,  Plateau  valley.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1891  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Charlesworth, 
a  native  of  Utah  and  living  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  at  Kanosh,  that  state.  They  have 
four  children,  George,  Alice,  and  Floyd  and 
Lloyd,  twins.  Mr.  Kendall  is  wide-awake  and 
vigilant,  industrious  and  capable  in  his  busi- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


469 


ness,  upright  and  manly  in  his  dealings  with 
his  fellows,  public-spirited  and  far-seeing  in 
reference  to  public  affairs,  and  genial  and  com- 
panionable in  social  life.  He  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  section, 
and  has  a  voice  of  influence  and  wisdom  in  all 
matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  his  community. 
He  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  with  health, 
enterprise,  breadth  of  view  and  intelligence  to 
back  up  his  laudable  ambitions,  he  would  seem 
to  have  many  years  of  usefulness  and  an  honor- 
able career  before  him,  even  though  he  is  not 
desirous  of  public  life  or  official  station.  He 
has  the  qualities  which  make  men  serviceable 
in  a  public  way,  and  they  are  not.  long  al- 
lowed to  remain  idle  in  this  country,  especially 
in  the  great  West. 

JESSE  T.  GILLIAM. 

Through  varying  scenes  of  adversity  and 
prosperity,  through  alternations  of  hope  and 
fear,  through  effort  and  vicissitude,  Jesse  T. 
Gilliam,  of  Plateau  valley,  Mesa  county,  liv- 
ing near  Collbran,  has  come  to  his  present  es- 
tate of  worldly  comfort  and  success,  and  having 
been  tried  by  both  extremes  of  fortune  and 
never  overcome  by  either,  he  has  all  the  more 
enjoyment  in  his  prosperity  of  today  through 
recollecting  the  trials  by  which  he  secured  it. 
He  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Missouri,  in  1837, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Eliza  (Clark)  Gil- 
liam, the  father  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and 
the  mother  of  Tennessee.  The  father  accom- 
panied his  parents  from  his  native  state  to  Mis- 
souri when  he  was  but  three  years  old,  and 
there  passed  the  rest  of  his  days,  dying  in 
1867,  at  the  age  of  fifty- four.  The  mother 
lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  dying  in 
1894.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
Jesse  being  the  oldest.  His  boyhood  and  youth 
were  passed  in  his  native  county  and  at 
Savannah,  Andrew  county,  whither  the  family 


moved  in  his  childhood.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one,  and  afterward 
managed  his  father's  farm  until  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  war.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Mis- 
souri Home  Guards,  and  in  1862  in  Company 
G,  Fourth  Missouri  Cavalry.  In  this  command 
he  served  until  the  end  of  his  term  of  three 
years,  and  after  his  discharge  re-enlisted  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Thirteenth  Missouri 
Cavalry.  He  was  finally  discharged  on  May  13, 
1866,  and  returned  home  where  he  remained 
until  1872,  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
stock.  He  then  moved  to  Kansas  and  con- 
tinued his  operations  in  these,  lines  of  industry 
in  that  state  for  five  years.  From  1876  to 
1884  he  lived  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and 
the  next  three  years  was  again  in  Kansas.  In 
1887  he  came  to  where  he  now  resides  on 
Kansas  mesa,  Plateau  valley,  in  Mesa  county, 
having  nothing  when  he  settled  there  but  the 
clothes  he  wore,  his  blankets  and  fifty  cents 
in  money.  On  February  24,  1903,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Susan  E.  Campbell,  who  has  been 
of  material  assistance  in  building  up  his  for- 
tunes and  making  his  home  comfortable.  Both 
are  highly  respected.  « 

NELS  P.  JOHNSON. 

Among  the  contributors  to  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  United  States,  which  num- 
ber in  their  list  every  clime  and  tongue  of  the 
world  that  is  not  wholly  given  up  to  barbar- 
ism, and  some  even  of  them,  scarcely  any 
country  .has  given  more  generously  than  Swe- 
den, whose  thrifty  and  industrious  men  and 
women  have  settled  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
where  there  was  prospect  of  good  returns  for 
honest  effort,  and  have  aided  in  every  kind  of 
industrial  and  commercial  enterprise,  what- 
ever the  conditions,  only  asking  opportunity  to 
work  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors.  Of 
the  number  of  Swedish  people  who  have  settled 


470 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


in  Colorado  and  aided  in  her  development  and 
the  increase  of  her  wealth  and  the  spread  of 
the  highest  civilization  on  her  soil,  Nels  P. 
Johnson,  of  Mesa  county,  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock  man  residing  near  Mesa  postoffice, 
is  worthy  of  creditable  mention  in  any  compila- 
tion of  progressive  men  for  this  portion  of  the 
state,  both  on  account  of  his  productive  indus- 
try and  his  upright  and  manly  character.  He 
was  born  in  Sweden  in  1847,  an<^  's  the  son 
of  Peter  and  Hannah  (Hanson)  Johnson, 
both  natives  of  that  country,  from  whence  they 
brought  their  family  to  Utah  in  1862.  They 
engaged  in  farming  in  their  new  homie  and  con- 
tinued their  industry  in  this  line  until  death 
ended  their  labors,  the  father's  occurring  in 
1871,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  the  mother's 
five  years  later,  at  that  of  seventy-five.  Their 
son  Nels  was  about  sixteen  when  they  came 
to  America,  and  he  stopped  in  Nebraska  where 
he  remained  some  time  and  then  joined  the 
others  in  Utah.  He  went  soon  afterward  to 
Nevada,  passing  about  ten  years  in  the  two 
states  in  various  kinds  of  employment.  After 
this  he  spent  a  year  in  Minnesota  clerking  in 
a  hardware  store.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he 
returned  to  Utah,  and  four  years  later  came  to 
Colorado,  settling  on  the  ranch  which  is  now 
his  home,  and  has  been  since  1885.  He  was 
married  in  1867  to  Miss  Angel  Ida  Jensen,  a 
native  of  Denmark,  who  has  borne  him  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Nels  P.,  Jr., 
Mary,  Philenda,  Rosetta,  Arthur  S.  and  Flor- 
inda.  Frederick  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
being  drowned  in  Mesa  lake  June  17,  1900. 

PETER  LEFEVER. 

Peter  Lefever,  the  popular  and  well-known 
boniface  at  Plateau  City,  Mesa  county,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Bruges,  Belgium,  born  in  1857,  and  the 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Moore)  Lefever,  also 
natives  of  Bruges,  Belgium.  They  were  well- 


to-do  farmers  in  that  country,  frugal  and 
thrifty  people  of  modest  and  unostentatious 
lives,  but  worthy  of  all  regard  for  their  up- 
rightness and  fidelity  to  duty.  At  good  old 
ages  they  passed  away,  both  dying  in  1894, 
the  mother  aged  seventy-two  and  the  father 
eighty-seven.  Their  son  Peter  remained  at 
their  home  at  Bruges  until  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age,  assisting  on  the  farm  and  securing  a 
good  state-school  education.  In  1877  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and,  making  his  way  at 
once  to  Colorado,  located  in  Boulder  county, 
where  he  lived  fifteen  years  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing. He  then  went  to  Pike's  Peak  and  re- 
mained four  years,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Plateau  valley  and  a  short  time  after  his  arrival 
there  began  keeping  a  hotel  at  Plateau  City 
which  he  is  still  conducting.  He  has  made  the 
house  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular 
hostelries  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  and  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  a  genial  and  accommo- 
dating host  with  every  consideration  for  the 
welfare  of  his  guests,  and  zealously  providing 
everything  needful  for  their  comfort  and  pleas- 
ant entertainment.  Both  by  nature  and  attain- 
ments he  is  well  fitted  for  his  business,  and  he 
enters  into  its  inmost  spirit  writh  warmth  and 
zeal.  He  was  married  May  27,  1893,  to  Mrs. 
Martha  (Hubbard)  Barter,  a  native  of  Maine. 
By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Lefever  had  eight 
children,  Cora,  Minnie,  Nellie,  Mary,  Sarah, 
Edwin,  Lola  and  Hester,  four  of  whom  are 
living.  Their  son  Edwin  was  drowned  in 
1882,  in  Boulder  county,  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
Mrs.  Lefever  is  a  native  of  Maine  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Hannah  (Adams)  Hub- 
bard,  the  former  a  native  of  Maine  and  the  lat- 
ter of  New  Hampshire,  the  father  being  a  car- 
penter and  shipbuilder  by  occupation.  In  1856 
the  family  removed  to  Grinnell,  Iowa,  and  in 
1862  to  Boulder,  Colorado,  being  pioneers  of 
that  region.  Mr.  Hubbard  located  on  a  ranch 
and  became  a  breeder  of  fine  horses  and  sheep. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


He  died  in  Boulder  in  1876,  aged  sixty-five 
years,  while  his  wife  died  there  in  June,  1904, 
aged  ninety-one  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  three  are  living,  James,  Sarah 
and  Mrs.  Lefever.  Mr.  Lefever  has  been  an 
earnest  advocate  of  all  good  public  improve- 
ments, and  has  borne  cheerfully  his  share  of 
the  burden  they  entail.  In  the  public  life  of 
the  coiYttnunity  he  is  an  important  factor,  hav- 
ing enterprise  and  influence,  and  using  both  to 
secure  the  promotion  of  the  general  weal  and 
the  substantial  comfort  and  improvement  of 
the  people. 

MRS.  ELLEN  T.   (MERRILL)   PALMER. 

During  the  last  twenty  years  this  highly 
esteemed  and  most  worthy  lady,  whose  death 
occurred  on  the  24th  day  of  January,  1904,  was 
a  resident  of  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  and  an 
ornament  to  the  citizenship  of  the  whole  Plat- 
eau valley,  useful  in  every  way  among  its  peo- 
ple and  illustrating  in  her  daily  life  the  best 
traits  of  that  lofty  American  womanhood 
which  meets  every  requirement  of  its  situation 
and  conditions,  and  discharges  with  skill  and 
fidelity  every  duty  incident  to  its  lot.  She  was 
a  native  of  the  state  of  Maine,  born  at  Perk- 
ham,  Somerset  county,  and  the  daughter  of 
Marshfield  and  Lucy  C.  (Tubbs)  Merrill.  Both 
parents  were  natives  of  Maine  and  were  reared, 
educated  and  married  in  that  state.  Some  time 
after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  Winne- 
bago  county,  Illinois,  and  were  there  engaged 
in  farming  until  their  deaths;  the  mother  dy- 
ing in  1837,  aged  thirty-eight,  when  her  daugh- 
ter was  about  eight  years  of  age ;  the  father  in 
1849,  aged  sixty-seven.  Mrs.  Palmer  passed 
her  girlhood  in  her  native  state,  remaining 
there  until  she  was  seventeen,  when  she  joined 
her  parents  in  Illinois.  After  arriving  at  her 
new  home  she  taught  school  until  her  mar- 


riage, in  1846,  to  Asa  Palmer,  after  which  she 
and  her  husband  moved  to  Iowa  and  in  1858 
from  there  to  Kansas,  where  they  remained 
until  1883,  actively  occupied  in  farming  on  an 
extensive  scale.  In  1883  they  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  took  up  their  residence  on  a  ranch 
near  what  is  now  Plateau  City,  and  there  Mr. 
Palmer  died  in  1896  aged  seventy- four.  Mrs. 
Palmer  continued  to  live  on  the  ranch  and  su- 
perintend its  operations,  and  was  successful  in 
her  work,  cultivating  the  land  with  vigor  and 
skill  and  conducting  all  the  affairs  of  the  farm 
with  intelligence  and  in  a  progressive  way. 
Her  husband  was  an  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive man.  He  built  the  first  sawmill  in  Plateau 
valley  and  was  instrumental  in  the  erection  of 
other  works  of  public  usefulness.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  Mary  L.,  Clem- 
ent K.,  Merrill  E.,  Mercy  R.,  Albina,  Asa,  and 
Henry  L.  Clement  K.  died  in  1894  at  the  age 
of  forty-two.  The  others  are  living. 

ADAM  H.  JUDY. 

Adam  H.  Judy,  of  Gunnison  county,  who 
owns  and  manages  a  fine  ranch  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  on  Ohio  creek,  thirteen 
miles  north  of  the  county  seat,  is  a  native  of 
Pendleton  county,  West  Virginia,  born  on  Sep- 
tember 15,  1853,  and  the  son  of  Martin  and 
Christina  (Harper)  Judy,  who  were  also  born 
in  that  state.  Living  in  the  portion  of  old 
Virginia  that  remained  loyal  to  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  and  as  a  reward  for  its  loy- 
alty was  raised  to  the  dignity  and  consequence 
of  separate  statehood,  and  not  far  from  its  east- 
ern boundary,  he  witnessed  in  his  boyhood  all 
the  horrors  and  bitterness  of  civil  strife  at  close 
quarters,  wherein  families  were  divided  and 
homes  rent  asunder,  and  shared  as  well  the  dis- 
advantages in  the  way  of  lack  of  early  educa- 
tion and  commercial  and  industrial  opportuni- 
ties incident  to  such  a  condition.  His  parents 


472 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


were  reared  and  married  in  that  county  and 
there  the  father  passed  his  life,  dying  on  the 
old  homestead,  which  is  now  the  home  of  the 
mother,  in  January,  1885.  He  sympathized 
with  the  North  in  the  contest  between  the  sec- 
tions, but  notwithstanding  this  he  was  drafted 
into  the  Confederate  army  and  served  two  years 
under  its  banners.  Then  he  procured  a  sub- 
stitute, and  during  the  remainder  of  the  war 
was  a  scout  for  the  Federal  forces  although  not 
regularly  enlisted  in  the  army.  Thirteen  chil- 
dren were  born  in  the  household,  ten  of  whom 
are  living,  Adam  being  the  first  born.  He 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  and  attended 
when  he  could  the  district  schools  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, which  was  not  often  owing  to  the  dis- 
turbed condition  and  consequent  depression  of 
the  section.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
started  a  store  at  Circleville,  in  his  native  state, 
and  also  dealt  in  live  stock,  buying  and  selling 
horses  and  cattle  on  a  scale  that  was  extensive 
for  that  part  of  the  country.  After  seven 
years  of  successful  operations  in  these  lines  at 
that  place  he  sold  out  there  and  in  the  spring 
of  1883  canle  to  Colorado,  soon  afterward 
taking  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
on  Mill  creek,  about  six  miles  above  where  he 
now  lives,  and  which  is  still  known  as  the  Judy 
Park.  He  later  abandoned  his  claim  and  re- 
turned to  Virginia,  where  during  the  next  three 
years  he  kept  a  store  at  Union  Mills,  Fluvanna 
.county,  Virginia.  But  the  Western  fever  was 
still  strong  in  his  system  and  could  not  be  elim- 
inated. So  he  returned  to  Gunnison  county  in 
this  state  in  1887,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
thereafter  made  it  his  summer  home  and  passed 
the  winters  in  southern  Kansas,  southwestern 
Missouri  and  Indian  Territory.  He  has  been 
a  permanent  resident  of  the  Ohio  creek  coun- 
try since  1890.  Purchasing  his  present  ranch 
in  1897,  ne  nas  since  then  made  that  his  home, 
having  previously  owned  and  occupied  the 
ranch  now  belonging  to  and  the  home  of  John 


.C.  Harris.  His  principal  crop  on  his  ranch  is 
hay,  and  he  also  raises  stock,  chiefly  cattle,  in 
large  numbers.  On  November  22,  1874,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Ruhanna  Phares,  of  West 
Virginia.  She  died  in  that  state,  leaving  four 
children,  Charles  P.,  Sallie  T.,  John  M.  and 
Annie.  On  December  5,  1889,  Mr.  Judy  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  Miss  Nettie  Nelson,  also  a 
native  of  West  Virginia,  but  reared  in  Kansas. 
They  have  had  eight  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living,  Robert  B.,  Lillie  S.  and  Alvin  C. 
Those  who  have  died  are  Bessie  and  Jessie, 
twins,  and  three  who  passed  away  in  infancy, 
named  Earl  and  Pearl,  twins,  and  Martha,  a 
twin  to  Robert  B.  Politically  Mr..  Judy  is  a 
Democrat  and  fraternally  a  United  Workman, 
belonging  to  the  lodge  of  the  order  at  Gunni- 


son. 


DAVID  ANDERSON. 


A  native  of  Scotland,  where  he  was  born 
March  10,  1846,  and  growing  to  manhood  in 
that  country  and  thereafter  for  a  number  of 
years  working  at  his  trade  in  its  principal  cities, 
David  Anderson,  of  Plateau  valley,  Mesa 
county,  came  to  this  country  in  the  full  ma- 
turity of  his  powers  and  with  his  perceptions 
sharpened  by  practical  experience  with  men, 
so  that  his  naturally  strong  mind  had  additional 
preparation  for  the  emergencies  he  was  likely  to 
meet  with  in  a  new  country.  He  is  the  son  of 
Peter  and  Betsy  (Henry)  Anderson,  both  na- 
tives of  Scotland,  where  the  whole  of  their 
lives  were  passed  in  the  pleasing  and  independ- 
ent occupation  of  farming,  the  father  dying 
there  in  1854,  and  the  mother  in  1902,  after 
she  had  passed  her  eightieth  year.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  David  was 
the  sixth.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
land  and  received  a  common-school  education 
there.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and  for  several  years 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


473 


followed  it  near  his  home  and  in  all  the  lead- 
ing cities  of  the  country,  as  has  been  stated.  In 
1867  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  lo- 
cating at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  and  there  work- 
ing at  his  trade  two  years.  In  1869  he  moved 
to  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching  some 
time,  then,  under  direction  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  learned  the  trade  of  a  stone  mason,  at 
which  he  wrought  until  1878.  In  that  year  he 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  after  living 
for  a  short  time  at  Denver,  went  to  mining 
near  Aspen  and  also  did  some  freighting  in 
1880  and  1 88 1.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he 
moved  to  what  is  now  Mesa  county,  continuing 
work  at  his  trade  for  about  ten  years  in  various 
parts  of  the  state.  He  had  located  a  ranch  on 
Plateau  creek,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  be- 
low where  Plateau  City  now  stands,  and  there 
his  family  lived  during  the  time  he  was  work- 
ing, at  his  trade.  He  was  among  the  pioneers 
of  that  part  of  Mesa  county,  there  being  but 
one  other  family  in  Plateau  valley  at  the  time 
he  located  there.  In  1892  he  purchased  his 
present  ranch  on  Grove  creek.  Here  he  has 
since  resided  and  been  occupied  in  ranching  and 
raising  stock.  During  the  last  six  years  he 
has  also  been  employed  by  the  United  States 
government  in  guarding  the  forest  reserve. 
He  has  been  active  and  persistent  in  his  efforts 
to  secure  public  improvements  in  the  section  at 
all  times,  and  was  particularly  forceful  and  ef- 
fective in  pushing  through  the  construction  of 
the  Grove  creek  reservoir  for  irrigating  pur- 
poses. In  1868  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie 
Scrimgeour,  a  native  of  Scotland,  living  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Grace, 
David,  Mary  and  John. 

CHESTER  A.  GREEN. 

Postmaster  and  hotel  keeper  at  lola,  Gunni- 
son  county,  and  in  that  neighborhood  conduct- 


ing a  large  and  flourishing  ranch  and  stock  in- 
dustry, Chester  A.  Green  has  found  the  favors 
of  fortune  by  seeking  them  where  they  were  to 
be  found,  and  compelling  them  to  come  forth 
at  the  bidding  of  his  sterling  worth,  honest  in- 
dustry and  persistent  and  commanding  efforts 
wisely  applied.  He  was  born  in  Ashtabula 
county,  Ohio,  on  September  2,  1844,  and  is  the 
son  of  Allen  J.  and  Emma  P.  (Cleveland) 
Green,  natives  of  New  York  state  who  became 
residents  of  Ashtabula  county  in  early  life  and 
were  reared,  educated  and  married  there.  They 
were  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
county  before  their  marriage,  and  after  that 
event  the  father  became  a  farmer  and  also 
worked  at  cabinetmaking.  The  father  died  in 
Ohio  and  the  mother  is  now  living  at  Gun- 
nison,  this  state,  aged  eighty-one  years.  Or- 
phaned by  the  death  of  his  father  when  the 
son  was  but  little  over  a  year  old,  the  latter 
was  tenderly  reared  by  his  mother,  whose  con- 
stant attention  to  his  wants  and  wise  counsel 
were  the  forming  influences  of  his  character, 
and  are  among  his  most  pleasant  recollections. 
She  valued  education  for  her  children  highly, 
and  sent  him  to  a  good  academy  at  Kingston 
to  complete  his  after  a  thorough  course  in  the 
public  schools.  He  was  a  schoolmate  of  the 
late  United  States  senator,  Hon.  Benjamin 
Wade,  of  Ohio,  and  some  other  men  who  won 
distinction  in  professional  or  public  life.  After 
leaving  school  he  worked  for  a  time  at  the 
trade  of  a  machinist,  having  a  decidedly  me- 
chanical turn  in  both  metal  and  wood  work.  In 
1867  he  went  to  California,  and  in  that  state 
he  lived  twenty-one  years,  working  as  a  ma- 
chinist and  engineer  in  the  summer  months  and 
bookkeeper  in  winter.  While  so  employed  he 
made  for  himself  a  cabinet  tool  chest  witl: 
twenty  drawers,  which  he  still  owns,  and  which 
is  a  beautiful  piece  of  workmanship  as  well  as 
a  most  convenient  depository  for  tools.  It  con- 
tains thirty  different  kinds  of  hard  wood,  all 


474 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


polished  and  artistically  finished,  the  raw  ma- 
terial of  which  cost  him  one  hundred  dollars, 
the  cabinet  being  now  valued  at  five  hundred 
dollars.  As  a  specimen  of  the  skill  he  has  for 
and  the  work  he  can  do  in  the  higher,  lighter 
and  more  graceful  lines  of  his  handicraft  it  is 
worthy  of  special  admiration  and  mention, 
showing  that  had  he  chosen  to  devote  himself 
to  ornamental  construction  in  wood  and  metal 
work  he  might  have  attained  the  rank  of  an 
artist.  He  also  has  a  one-horse-power  engine 
of  the  old  style  which  he  made  almost  wholly 
by  hand  several  years  ago.  In  1888  he  became 
a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  locating  in  Gun- 
nison  county,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business, 
which  has  since  occupied  his  time  and  energies 
on  an  expanding  scale  and  with  cumulative 
profits.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  one  hundred  of  them  under  irrigation 
and  good  cultivation,  and  runs  a  herd  of  some 
two  hundred  fine  cattle.  His  ranch  is  on  the 
Gunnison  river  and  along  the  railroad  at  lola, 
where  he  also  keeps  a  hotel  and  is  postmaster. 
The  location  is  one  of  the  picturesque  places  of 
the  state,  a  long,  narrow  valley  surrounded 
with  grand  old  mountains  and  containing  as 
fine  trout  fishing  as  can  be  found  in  the  world. 
Many  sportsmen  spend  time  at  this  resort, 
and  business  men  and  others  also  make  it  the 
place  of  their  summer  outings.  Mr.  Green  has 
yielded  to  the  genius  of  the  place  in  providing 
a  good  hotel  for  its  visitors  and  ten  cottages  in 
addition  for  those  who  prefer  to  keep  house. 
With  these  he  has  a  profitable  business  while 
ministering  to  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of 
hundreds  of  his  fellow  men.  It  goes  almost 
without  the  saying  that  he  is  a  popular  and 
widely  known  boniface,  and  that  his  activity 
in  promoting  the  welfare  of  his  community  is 
highly  appreciated  by  its  people.  On  Thanks- 
giving day,  1878,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Minnie  A.  Lewis,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  San  Francisco,  where  her  parents, 


John  R.  and  Fannie  M.  (Fotheringham)  Lewis, 
natives  of  New  York,  were  pioneers.  Mrs, 
Green  died  in  1901,  leaving  four  children, 
Abbie  F.,  Emma  J.,  Minnie  A.  and  Chester  A. 
Their  father  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  active 
party  worker.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Odd  Fellows,  holding  his  membership  in  each 
in  California.  It  should  be  stated  to  his  credit, 
that  although  he  has  been  mainly  a  man  of 
peace,  and  in  the  work  of  the  world  belongs  to 
the  department  of  construction,  during  the 
Civil  war,  when  Cincinnati  was  threatened  by 
Morgan's  invasion  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  in 
obedience  to  the  call  of  the  Governor  for 
minute  men  to  defend  the  city,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Squirrel  Hunters'  Brigade  that  re- 
sponded to  the  call,  and  now,  when  the  mo- 
mentous conflict  is  fading  into  the  shade  of  his- 
tory, he  often  shows  his  honorable  discharge 
from  this  service  with  commendable  pride. 

CHARLES  JULIAN. 

Charles  Julian,  an  old  settler  and  the  lead- 
ing liveryman  of  Crested  Butte,  is  a  native  of 
near  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  Au- 
gust 19,  1847.  His  parents,  Richard  and  Su- 
sanna (Edwards)  Julian,  were  born  in  county 
Kent,  England,  and  lived  there  until  1847, 
when  they  emigrated  to  the  United  States  with 
their  four  children,  and  after  a  tedious  voyage 
of  two  months  across  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing 
vessel,  located  on  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
In  1862  the  father  enlisted  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixty-second  Pennsylvania  Infantry 
for  defense  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  in  that  command  he  served  two  years  and 
nine  months,  or  to  the  end  of  the  momentous 
conflict.  His  regiment  took  part  in  many  san- 
guinary engagements  and  he  was  shot  in  the 
right  hip  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  One  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


475 


his  sons,  Richard,  was  in  the  United  States 
navy  before  the  war,  also  served  through  it, 
and  soon  after  its  close  died  of  the  black  fever 
contracted  in  the  service  while  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence river.  Charles  was  the  fifth  born  of 
eight  children,  and  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  his  native  state,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood. 
In  1863,  when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  old, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Ninth  Pennsylvania  Cav- 
alry for  the  Union  army  and  was  discharged 
on  account  of  disabilities  incurred  in  the  serv- 
ice after  being  a  year  and  three  months  at  the 
front,  being  shot  through  the  right  wrist  and 
in  the  left  leg  just  above  the  ankle  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Fredericksburg.  He  was  also  taken 
prisoner  and  held  in  captivity  thirteen  days  and 
then  paroled.  After  his  discharge  he  returned 
home  and  worked  in  the  mines  in  the  vicinity 
and  also  in  machine  shops,  remaining  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1874,  when  the  panic  closed 
many  of  the  shops  and  mines,  and  the  oil  boom 
was  at  its  height,  he  moved  to  Butler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  nearly  four 
years.  In  1878  he  was  attracted  to  Colorado 
by  the  gold  excitement  and  located  at  Lead- 
ville.  There  he  worked  in  the  mines  about  one 
year  as  foreman  for  the  Colorado  &  California 
Tunnel  Company.  He  took  his  family  to 
Leadville  with  him,  making  the  trip  over  the 
mountains  by  stage  coach.  In  1879  they 
moved  to  Gunnison  county  among  the  pioneers 
of  this  section,  'and  locating  at  Irwin,  passed 
six  years  in  freighting  with  headquarters  at 
that  place.  He  then  bought  the  livery  barn  at 
Crested  Butte  which  he  has  since  been  so  suc- 
cessfully conducting.  His  barn  is  well 
equipped  with  everything  belonging  to  the  busi- 
ness, and  as  the  spirit  of  its  management  is  a 
sincere  and  ardent  desire  to  meet  the  wishes 
and  promote  the  comfort  of  its  patrons  in  every 
way,  it  enjoys  a  large  and  remunerative  pat- 
ronage. In  politics  Mr.  Julian  is  an  active 


and  zealous  Republican,  doing  good  work  for 
his  party  in  all  its  campaigns  and  enjoying  in 
a  large  measure  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
its  leaders.  He  has  served  the  community  as 
city  councilman  and  two  terms  as  mayor.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and 
the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  married  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1869  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Williams, 
who  was  born  in  England  and  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  with  her  parents  when  she 
was  ten  years  old.  Twelve  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union,  only  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, Susanna  and  Sadie.  Mary  J.,  two  Ediths, 
Freddie,  Thomas,  two  Eddies,  Joseph  and  Bes- 
sie died  at  different  times  and  ages.  Mrs.  Jul- 
ian died  in  January,  1904,  while  on  a  visit  to 
her  old  Pennsylvania  home.  Her  remains 
were  buried  at  Crested  Butte. 

HENRY  S.  TOMKINS. 

After  a  long  and  successful  mercantile  ca- 
reer in  various  parts  of  the  two  great  Anglo- 
Saxon  countries,  England  and  the  United 
States,  in  which  he  had  charge  of  extensive 
and  important  interests  and  met  his  responsi- 
bilities in  a  manly  and  masterful  way,  Henry 
S.  Tomkins,  of  Chaffee  county,  Colorado, 
turned  to  the  vocation  of  the  old  patriarchs  and 
has  found  in  it  congenial  and  profitable  em- 
ployment. He  is  a  native  of  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, born  on  March  24,  1841,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
tea  and  coffee  trade,  having,  however,  first  se- 
cured a  collegiate  education.  Intending  to  de- 
vote his  life  to  mercantile  pursuits,  he  remained 
in  the  department  of  trade  in  which  he  started 
seven  years,  then  became  a  comlmercial  trav- 
eler for  one  of  the  largest  wholesale  houses  in 
London.  After  being  on  the  road  in  the  inter- 
est of  that  house  for  a  period  of  twelve  years, 
he  engaged  in  a  commission  business  on  his 


476 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


own  account  which  he  continued  three  years. 
In  1876  he  visited  the  Centennial  Exposition  at 
Philadelphia,  and  while  on  this  side  of  the  wa- 
ter made  a  tour  of  this  country  and  Canada, 
visiting  all  the  principal  cities  from  the  Atlan- 
tic to  the  Pacific.  Being  greatly  impressed  by 
this  country  and  its  opportunities  for  business, 
especially  abundant  and  prolific  in  the  West, 
he  determined  to  erect  his  domestic  altar  here 
and  cast  his  lot  writh  the  people  of  the  United 
States.  Accordingly,  after  remaining  a  year 
in  England  after  his  return  to  settle  up  his  af- 
fairs there,  he  brought  his  family,  consisting  of 
his  wife  and  five  children,  to  Chicago,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  seven  years  he  was  employed  in 
that  great  hive  of  industrial  and  commercial  ac- 
tivity as  store  manager  of  the  branch  estab- 
lishment of  R.  Hoe  &  Company,  the  most  ex- 
tensive manufacturers  of  printing  presses  in 
the  United  States.  In  1885  he  moved  to  Den- 
ver, this  state,  and  engaged  in  the  metallifer- 
ous milling  business.  Later  he  conducted  a 
similar  enterprise  at  Decatur,  Summit  county, 
and  afterward  moved  to  Winfield  in  Chaffee 
county,  where  he  took  charge  of  a  large  mill. 
Owing  to  failing  health  and  the  necessity  for 
an  outdoor  life,  he  abandoned  milling  and 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  raising 
stock  in  1887,  and  since  then  he  has  been  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  these  pursuits.  Taking 
up  a  homestead  five  miles  from  Buena  Vista, 
he  began  his  enterprise  in  ranching  and  stock 
raising  in  a  small  way,  and  he  has  since  en- 
larged it  to  considerable  proportions,  adding  to 
his  domain  by  purchase  until  he  owns  several 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  expanding  his  oper- 
ations until  he  is  now  one  of  the  leading  farm- 
ers and  stock  men  in  his  part  of  the  state. 
Since  coming  to  this  country  he  has  always  ta- 
ken an  active  and  serviceable  part  in  its  poli- 
tics, espousing  the  cause  of  the  Democratic 
party  after  due  deliberation  and  firmly  adher- 
ing to  his  faith  through  all  conditions,  except 


for  several  years,  espousing  the  cause  of  the 
Populist  party  with  such  success  he  was  made 
national  committeeman  for  Colorado,  for  four 
years.  In  the  tenth  general  assembly  in  this 
state  he  was  chosen  a  representative  of  Chaf- 
fee and  Fremont  counties  on  the  ticket  of  the 
Populists.  He  was  afterward  chief  enrolling 
clerk  of  the  state  senate  in  the  eleventh  assem- 
bly. As  the  candidate  of  the  Democrats  he 
was  elected  to  the  fourteenth  assembly  in  the 
fall  of  1902,  as  a  representative  of  Fremont 
and  Chaffee  counties  and  carried  the  district 
'by  a  large  majority.  His  work  in  the  house 
of  representatives  has  been  generally  com- 
mended by  the  members  of  all  parties,  his  un- 
quailing  courage  in  standing  for  what  he  be- 
lieved to  be  right  winning  the  admiration  of  op- 
ponents as  well  as  friends.  In  the  industry 
to  which  he  has  latterly  given  his  whole  atten- 
tion he  is  prominent  and  influential,  being  an 
active  member  of  the  Colorado  Horse  and  Cat- 
tle Growers  Association,  and  at  one  time  on 
its  executive  committee.  He  organized  the 
Chaffee  County  Association  and  has  unvary- 
ingly been  its  delegate  to  the  state  association. 
His  ranch  is  a  fine  one,  well  developed,  highly 
improved  and  skillfully  cultivated.  Four  of  his 
grown  sons  ar-e  now  at  home  and  assist  him 
in  its  management.  In  the  social  life  of  the 
state  he  has  ever  been  prominent  and  influen- 
tial. He  is  a  cordial  friend  of  United  States 
Senator  Thomas  M.  Patterson,  who  was,  like 
himself,  raised  in  Liverpool,'  England.  On 
July  12,  1864,  Mr.  Tomkins  was  married  to 
Miss  Fannie  Tuson,  of  Liverpool,  where  the 
marriage  was  celebrated.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, Harold,  Charlotte  E.  (deceased),  Albert, 
Fannie  and  Caroline.  Their  mother  died  on 
November  2,  1872,  and  her  remains  were  bur- 
ied in  Liverpool.  In  July,  1877,  Mr.  Tomkins 
married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Ellen  Acton,  a  na- 
tive of  England,  this  marriage  also  occurring 
in  his  native  city.  They  have  four  children, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


477 


George  H.,  Ernest,  Myron  J.  and  Charles  L. 
Throughout  his  residence  in  Chaffee  county 
Mr.  Tomk'ins  has  served  on  the  district  school 
board,  and  has  given  a  decided  stimulus  to  the 
cause  of  education  there.  He  is  a  strong  wo- 
man's suffrage  man  and  his  opinion  upon  that 
subject  has  been  sought  by  several  prominent 
writers  in  this  country  and  Holland. 

FRANK  SIMMONS. 

For  a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years  Frank 
Simmons,  an  active,  energetic  and  progressive 
ranchman  of  Delta  county,  living  and  conduct- 
ing a  prosperous  business  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Cory  of  the  Grand  river,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Colorado,  having  come  into  the  state 
in  1876.  He  has  lived  in  various  places  in  the 
commonwealth  and  taken  part  in  a  number  of 
its  leading  industries.  He  has  therefore  an 
extensive  knowledge  of  its  people  and  their  oc- 
cupations, and  also  a  good  record  of  industry 
and  citizenship  to  his  credit.  The  place  of  his 
nativity  was  Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  and  he 
WPS  born  there  on  March  i,  1855.  His  father. 
V/illiam  R.  Simmons,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
moved  to  Iowa  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
and  there  he  met  with  and  married  Miss 
Salatha  Crenshaw,  who  was  born  in  Illinois. 
They  were  industrious  and  well-to-do  farmers 
in  Iowa,  where  the  father  died,  the  mother  now 
living.  In  1873,  when  he  was  eighteen  years 
old,  and  after  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, their  son  Frank  left  his  father's  home 
and  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  going  to 
Nevada  where  during  the  next  two  years  he, 
occupied  himself  in  prospecting,  teaming  and 
ranching.  In  1875  he  returned  to  Iowa,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1876  once  more  turned  his 
face  toward  the  setting  sun,  joining  the  stam- 
pede to  the  Black  Hills  where  he  mined  until 
fall.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Douglas  county.  Dur- 


ing the  first  three  years  he  worked  in  the  em- 
ploy of  a  large  cattle  man,  then  engaged  in 
freighting  between  Leadville  and  Colorado 
Springs.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  bought  a 
team,  and  locating  at  Leadville,  passed  three 
years  teaming  in  and  around  that  busy  and 
prolific  camp.  In  1883  he  moved  to  Grand 
Junction,  the  next  year  to  Delta  county,  where 
he  improved  and  sold  a  ranch,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1884  went  to  Sagauche  county  and  started 
an  enterprise  in  the  cattle  industry  which  he 
carried  on  until  1889,  when  he  returned  to 
Gunnison  county,  and  after  prospecting  there 
four  years,  located  at  Lake  City,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1901.  He  then  changed  his  resi- 
dence to  Delta  county  once  more,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1903  bought  his  present  home,  a 
ranch  of  sixty  acres,  which  he  is  steadily,  im- 
proving and  getting  in  order  for  raising  vege- 
tables on  a  large  scale.  He  has  a  portion  of  the 
land  in  alfalfa  and  much  of  the  rest  is  devoted 
to  growing  potatoes.  On  November  27,  1899, 
he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Lucinda  Flanary,  a 
native  of  Illinois  and  a  widow  with  one  child 
dead  and  five  living,  one  of  whom  has  a  home 
with  Mr.  Simmons.  In  national  politics  Mr. 
Simmons  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  in  local  affairs  his  first  con- 
cern is  the  general  welfare  and  advancement  of 
the  community,  in  which  he  takes  an  active 
and  helpful  interest.  He  is  prosperous  in  busi- 
ness, enterprising  in  the  development  of  the 
section  of  his  home,  faithful  in  all  the  duties 
of  citizenship  and  generally  well  respected  by 
his  fellow  men. 

CHARLES  T.  BAKER. 

The  religious  fervor,  the  stern  self-reliance 
and  the  determined  persistency  that  colonized 
New  England,  have  left  their  mark  ineradi- 
cably  on  all  phases  of  American  history. 
Wherever  the  voice  of  duty  has  led  the  spirit 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  New  England  has  responded,  and  its  work 
is  glorious  in  all  places  and  all  lines  of  life. 
Scarcely  had  it  established  a  foothold  on  the 
rocky  coast  of  the  Atlantic  when  it  began  to 
go  forth  into  the  farther  wilderness  for  new 
conquest    and    the    spread    of    its    beneficent 
activity.    From  it  came  the  ancestry  of  Charles 
T.  Baker,  county  assessor  of  Montrose  county, 
whose  forefathers   in   the  paternal  line   were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  western  New  York, 
locating  near  what  is  now  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
where  he  was    born    in     1848.     His    father, 
Thomas  Y.  Baker,  was  a  native  of  that  state, 
and  spent  his  early  life  in  New  York  city,  serv- 
ing when  a  young  man  as  amanuensis  to  Horace 
Greeley.     He  afterward  engaged  in  the  news- 
paper business  in  connection  with  a  publication 
famous  later  as  the  New  York  Ledger,  in  which 
he  was  associated  with  the  well  known  "blood 
and  thunder"  writer,  Ned  Buntline.    When  he 
sold  his  interest  in  this  venture  he  went  into  the 
book  publishing  business  on  Fulton  street  in 
Brooklyn,  which  he  continued  until  the  epen- 
ing  of  the  Civil  war.    Then  being  treasurer  and 
lieutenant  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment,   New 
York    State    Guard,    a    military    organization 
still  in  existence,  he  entered  the  Union  army 
with  his  command  and  served  three  months. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  home  and 
raised  a  company  in  the  Eighty-seventh  New 
York  Infantry,  and  as  its  lieutenant  returned 
to  the  army  and  was  assigned  to  active  service, 
which  he  conducted  in  a  manner  so  satisfactory 
that  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  he  was  made 
captain.     Being  taken  prisoner  soon  after  this, 
he  was  confined  in  Libby  prison  and  later  at 
Salisbury,   Missouri.     After  his  exchange  he 
went  back  to  his  New  York  home  and  from 
there  came  \vest  to  Wisconsin,  and  locating  at 
Madison,  engaged  in  the  livery  business  until 
1868,  when  he  was  burned  out,  after  which  he 
opened  a  hotel  at  St.  Peters,  Wisconsin,  which 
he  conducted  for  two  years.    Then  buying  out 


a  large  boarding  house  in  Milwaukee,  he  was  in 
charge  of  that  during  the  next  two  years,  dis- 
posing of  it  to  take  a  position  at  Oniaha,  Ne- 
braska,  as  superintendent  of  the  lumber   de- 
partment of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  at  a 
salary  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year.    A  few 
years  later  he  returned  to  New  York  city  and 
died  there  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.   He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  prominent 
Mason  in  fraternal  relations.     He  was  the  son 
of  John  and  Phoebe  (Wood)  Baker,  the  former 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  who  passed  the  most 
of  his  life  on  Long  Island  engaged  in  shoe- 
making,    and    dying    in    Westchester    county, 
New  York.     Charles  T.  Baker's  mother,  Sarah 
S.  (Worden)  Baker,  was  born  at  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,    in    1826    and    married    to    Mr. 
Baker  in  1847.     She  was  the  daughter  of  Phil- 
ander   and    Isabella    (Carter)    Worden,    her 
father  a  native  of  New  York  and  her  mother 
of  New  Hampshire.     The  mother  was  a  de- 
scendant   of    John    Worden,    who    came    to 
America  on  the  "Mayflower"  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  Massachusetts.    She  died  in  1854,  aged 
sixty,  in  New  York  city,  where  her  husband 
also  died,  his  end  coming  in  1858,  at  the  age 
of  sixty.    He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a 
son  of  James  Worden,  a  prosperous  New  York 
farmer.     Charles  T.  Baker  passed  his  boyhood 
in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  and  his  youth  in 
Madison,   Wisconsin.     In  the   latter  state  he 
completed  his  education  at  the  State  University, 
and  after  leaving  school,  in  company  with  an- 
other young  man,  purchased  six  bicycles  and 
went  through  portions  of  Wisconsin  and  Iowa 
teaching  young  men  to  ride  them,  hiring  halls 
in  various  places  for  the  purpose.     Returning 
to  Milwaukee,  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  the 
clerical  department  for  a  year,  then  moved  to 
Kansas  and  for  seven  years  was  engaged  in 
farming  near  Independence.     From  there  he 
migrated    to    Joplin,    Missouri,    and    followed 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


479 


teaming  and  hauling  ore  for  G.  B.  Carson  until 
1877.  Late  in  the  spring  of  that  year  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Crested  Butte,  ar- 
riving there  on  July  3d,  having  been  forty- 
five  days  on  the  journey  with  a  team  and 
covered  wagon.  In  the  fall  he  changed  his 
residence  to  Rosita,  where  he  bought  a  small 
ranch  on  which  he  lived  three  years,  then  sold 
out  and  moved  to  California.  He  remained  in 
that  state  eight  months,  visiting  various  sec- 
tions of  it,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  re- 
turned to  Colorado  and  took  up  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  North  Mesa  river 
on  a  pre-emption  claim.  He  was  occupied  in 
farming  this  until  1889,  when  he  was  elected 
county  assessor,  an  office  he  is  still  filling,  and 
whose  duties  he  is  performing  in  a  very  credit 
able  and  satisfactory  manner.  He  still  owns 
his  place,  but  since  assuming  his  office  has  had 
it  in  charge  of  an  agent  or  tenant.  His  prin- 
cipal crops  are  grain  and  hay,  and  as  he  owns 
water  rights  sufficient  to  provide  proper  irri- 
gation, he  can  make  his  operations  more  profit- 
able than  many  others.  He  is,  however,  in- 
terested in  the  full  and  adequate  development 
of  his  section,  and  serves  as  secretary  of  the 
Loutsensezer  Ditch  Company  of  North  Mesa. 
He  is  also  prominent  and  active  in  road  im- 
provement and  school  work,  and  gives  due 
attention  to-  every  line  of  useful  activity  in  the 
general  service  of  the  community.  He  was 
married  in  1876  at  Neodesha,  Kansas,  to  Miss 
Selina  Gartin,  a  native  of  Missouri,  who  died 
in  1895,  at  the  age  of  forty-two,  leaving  two 
children,  Theodosia  and  Minnie.  In  the  winter 
of  1902-3  he  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Laura 
Ludwig,  a  native  of  Minnesota  and  daughter 
of  Frederick  and  Wilhelmina  (Reko)  Ludwig, 
natives  of  Germany  but  long  resident  in  the 
United  States.  The  father  was  a  machinist  by 
trade  who  came  from  his  native  land  to  Min- 
nesota, and  after  a  residence  of  some  years  in 
that  state  moved  to  Colorado.  His  parents, 


Charles  and  Anna  Ludwig,  also  came  from 
Germany  to  Minnesota.  Charles  was  an 
engineer,  but  passed  the  last  twenty  years  of 
his  life  farming.  Wilhelmina  (Reko)  Ludwig 
was  a  daughter  of  Christopher  Reko,  who,  on 
his  arrival  in  the  United  States  from  Germany, 
settled  in  Renville  county,  Minnesota,  and  died 
soon  afterward.  Mr.  Baker  has  been  long  and 
favorably  known  throughout  the  county,  and 
has  enjoyed  in  a  marked  degree -the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  people.  His  public  services 
have  been  valuable  and  appreciated  and  his 
private  life  has  been  one  of  industry  and  up- 
rightness. 

H.  M.  STARK. 

With  his  childish  fancy  kindled  and  his 
boyish  enthusiasm  quickened  by  narratives  of 
thrilling  interest  from  the  great  wars  waged 
at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  nineteenth  century,  in  which  his 
father  was  an  active  participant  under  the 
Prussian  General  Blucher,  and  who  doubtless 
regaled  his  offspring  with  graphic  accounts  of 
his  campaigns,  and  with  the  voice  of  America 
ever  in  his  ear  persuasively  calling  him  to  a 
share  in  her  bounteous  rewards  for  effort,  en- 
ergy and  skill,  H.  M.  Stark,  of  Montrose 
county,  was  early  in  life  prepared  for  emigra- 
tion to  this  country  and  for  whatever  might 
befall  in  its  stirring  activities  and  the  require- 
ments of  its  necessarily  intense  and  strenuous 
life;  and  when  he  came  hither  at  the  very  dawn 
of  his  young  and  ardent  manhood,  he  was  not 
disappointed  in  either  the  abundance  of  the 
opportunities  for  useful  labor  in  the  country, 
or  the  diligence  and  alertness  needed  to  seize 
and  use  them  properly.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
little  village  of  Vilkerifelde,  Prussia,  born  in 
1846,  the  son  of  John  Frederick  and  Anna 
(Retzloff)  vStark,  who  were  born  and  reared 
there  and  who  at  the  end  of  life  were  laid  to 


480 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


rest  beneath  its  soil.  His  father  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Prussian  army  during  the  early  part  of 
his  mature  life  and  fought  in  many  campaigns 
under  General  Blucher  against  Bonaparte. 
After  quitting  military  service  he  retired  to  a 
little  farm  near  the  village,  and  on  this  his 
family  was  reared.  He  died  about  1878  be- 
tween eighty  and  ninety  years  old,  leaving  to 
his  offspring  but  little  more  than  the  priceless 
legacy  of  a  good  name  and  a  record  of  duty 
faithfully  performed  under  all  circumstances. 
The  mother  died  in  1851  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five  years.  Their  family  numbered  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  H.  M.  was  next  to  the  young- 
est. He  received  a  good  elementary  education 
in  the  state  schools  of  his  native  land,  remain- 
ing at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
then  came  to  the  United  States,  making  his 
first  stop  in  this  country  at  Tyrone,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  lingered  only  three  months, 
then  proceeded  to  Pittsburg.  A  few  weeks  in 
that  busy  city  satisfied  him  with  that  portion 
of  the  country.  His  vision  was  set  to  the 
gauge  of  the  swelling  prairies  and  the  farther 
mountains,  and  he  promptly  sought  its  gratifi- 
cation by  going  on  to  Indiana,  and  locating  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  state  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Plymouth  and  South  Bend,  where  he 
remained  several  years  engaged  in  farm  work 
and  other  occupations.  He  then  spent  a  sum- 
mer in  Illinois,  and  after  that  made  an  exten- 
sive slow  tour  of  inspection  through  the  south- 
ern states,  and  reached  Indian  Territory  in  the 
course  of  his  wanderings  and  remained  there 
about  eleven  months.  From  there  he  returned 
to  Illinois  and  wintered.  In  the  spring  follow- 
ing he  came  to  southern  Missouri,  and  here  se- 
cured an  engagement  to  drive  cattle  across  the 
plains  from  that  section  to  Colorado.  After 
stopping  some  time  at  Colorado  Springs  he 
went  further  west,  then  engaged  in  prospecting, 
freighting  and  road  building,  coming  after  a 
time  with  a  load  of  supplies  to  Ouray,  a  section 


of  country  with  which  he  was  not  wholly  un- 
familiar, having  previously  visited  Lake  City 
and  the  Gunnison  region.  He  built  one  of  the 
first  shanties  for  human  habitation  at  Ouray, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  that  village  followed 
mining  for  a  number  of  years,  locating  several 
valuable  silver  mines  there,  and  taking  out 
quantities  of  rich  ore.  In  1881  he  settled  on 
the  ranch  where  Mr.  Shores  now  lives,  taking 
up  two  claims  in  association  with  a  partner. 
A  little  later  he  bought  his  partner's  interest 
and  traded  the  land  to  Mr.  McConnell  and  pur- 
chased the  place  on  which  he  now  lives  after 
visiting  a  number  of  states  with  a  view  to  se- 
curing a  desirable  location.  On  this  he  has 
made  valuable  improvements,  built  an  attract- 
ive and  commodious  brick  dwelling  with  good 
outbuildings,  and  developed  an  extensive  and 
profitable  farming  and  stock  business,  his  prin- 
cipal crops  being  grain  and  hay,  and  his  stock 
operations  being  confined  to  cattle.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Stokoe,  a  native 
of  Quincy,  Illinois,  daughter  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Ascough)  Stokoe,  of  that  state,  who  em- 
igrated to  that  state  from  England.  Mr.  Stark 
has  been  prominent  and  active  in  the  public  life 
of  the  community  and  has  been  one  of  the  serv- 
iceable factors  in  developing  its  material  re- 
sources and  building  up  its  commercial  and 
industrial  interests.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem 
as  a  leading  and  progressive  citizen.  In  politics 
he  is  independent,  though  keenly  alive  to  the 
welfare  of  his  county  and  state.. 

W.  E.  GODDARD. 

W.  E.  Goddard,  head  of  the  firm  of  God- 
dard  &  Son,  prominent  ranchers  and  stock- 
growers  of  Montrose  county,  is  a  native  of 
Maryland,  born  in  1837.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Eliza  (Abel)  Goddard,  also  natives 
of  that  state,  where  the  mother  died  in  1837 
when  her  son  W.  E.,  the  last  born  of  eleven 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


481 


children,  was  eleven  days  old.  After  her  death 
a  few  months  the  father  moved  his  family  to 
Illinois,  and  settling  on  a  farm  in  Bond  county, 
lived  and  labore'd  there  until  the  fall  of  1859, 
when  he  went  to  live  with  one  of  his  daugh- 
ters in  St.  Louis.  He  remained  with  her  un- 
til his  death,  in  1861,  and  his  remains  were 
buried  in  that  city.  On  the  Illinois  homestead 
\V.  E.  Goddard  grew  to  manhood  and  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  vicinity  he  acquired  a 
limited  education.  He  learned  the  business  of 
farming  and  raising  stock  by  practical  experi- 
ence in  every  branch  of  it,  and  this  has  been 
his  occupation  almost  ever  since  he  started  in 
life.  His  first  independent  move  was  to  take 
charge  of  his  father's  farm  when  he  was  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age.  After  managing  this  for 
a  time  he  went  to  Montana  in  the  spring  of 
1865  and  engaged  in  prospecting  and  miining 
for  three  years.  Returning  then  to  Illinois, 
he  married  Miss  Sarah  Scott,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee who  emigrated  to  Illinois  with  her  par- 
ents when  she  was  young.  The  marriage  was 
solemnized  on  January  I,  1869,  and  the  young 
couple  lived  in  Illinois  until  the  death  of  the 
wife,  in  1876,  after  which  Mr.  Goddard  made 
his  home  with  a  brother  in  St.  Charles  county, 
Missouri,  until  1879.  He  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  after  passing  seven  years  at  Silverton 
and  vicinity,  he  moved  to  the  place  he  now  oc- 
cupies, purchasing  it  as  unimproved  land.  Here 
he  started  an  industry  in'  general  farming  and 
stock-growing  in  partnership  with  his  son,  E. 
A.  Goddard,  the  survivor  of  two  born  to  him  in 
his  marriage,  the  other  one,  William  M.,  hav- 
ing died  in  childhood.  This  enterprise  has 
grown  through  judicious  care  and  good  man- 
agement to  large  proportions,  a  high  rank  as 
to  products  and  profits  of  considerable  magni- 
tude. The  place  at  the  same  time  has  been  fur- 
nished with'  good  buildings  of  every  needed 
kind  for  the  business,  and  been  made  one  of 
the  most  comfortable  and  restful  countr  homes 


in  this  part  of  the  state.  The  firm  produces  a 
high  grade  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  omitting  no 
effort  to  keep  the  standard  high,  the  breed  pure 
and  the  condition  of  the  cattle  good.  They 
also  have  a  large  and  thrifty  orchard  of  apple 
and  peach  trees  from  which  they  have  abund- 
ant yields  of  excellent  fruit.  Secure  against  the 
winds  of  adversity,  sheltered  from  the  storms 
of  life,  at  peace  with  all  the  world  and  firmly 
fixed  in  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  their 
neighbors  and  their  fellow  citizens  generally, 
the  father  and  son  live  on  their  comfortable  es- 
tate and  find  occupation  for  all  their  time  and 
energies  in  their  expanding  business  except 
what  are  required  for  social  duties  and  the 
claims  of  the  community  on  them  in  a  public 
way.  To  these  they  give  a  ready  and  service- 
able response,  performing  with  alacrity,  cheer- 
fulness and  vigor  all  the  duties  of  good  citizen- 
ship and  showing  a  wholesome  and  helpful  in- 
terest in  the  general  welfare  of  their  neighbor- 
hood, county  and  state. 

E.  H.  MCDOWELL. 

What  was  once  the  far  frontier,  the  un- 
molested haunt  of  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men 
in  this  country,  as  soon  as  it  became  measur- 
ably settled  and  subdued  to  the  requirements 
and  began  yielding  the  beneficent  productions 
of  civilization,  became  a  fruitful  source  6f  the 
energies  needed  for  the  exploration,  settlement 
and  development  of  other  and  more  remote  sec- 
tions, and  sent  its  trained  forces  forward  to 
the  work.  And  so  it  happened  that  many  of 
the  vigorous  and  determined  pioneers  of  the 
farther  West  were  themselves  natives  of  por- 
tions of  the  country  in  which  they  or  their  par- 
ents camped  on  the  heel  of  the  flying  buffalo 
and  reared  their  domestic  altars  where  but  a 
night  before  the  panther  leaped  or  the  deer  dis- 
ported, and  where  the  red  man  long  lingered 
with  intensifying  grudge  against  their  invasion 


482 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  sullen  treachery  or  open  hostility  to  its 
continuance  and  farther  progress.  Of  this  num- 
ber is  E.  H.  McDowell,  of  Gunnison  county, 
whose  achievements  on  the  soil  of  Colorado  are 
but  repetitions  of  those  of  his  immediate 
progenitors  on  that  of  Minnesota,  where  he  was 
born  in  1868,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Spencer)  McDowell.  His  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  where  he  drove  for  many 
years  on  the  Erie  canal,  and  then  moved  to 
the  wilds  of  Wisconsin  when  a  young  man  and 
there  settled  on  a  farm  which  was  as  yet  virgin 
to  the  plow  and  had  never  felt  the  persuasive 
hand  of  systematic  husbandry.  He  then 
moved  on  to  Minnesota  and  soon  found  it 
necessary  to  help  defend  the  new  home  in 
which  he  had  located  from  the  venom  of  the 
predatory  Indian,  and  in  1861  he  enlisted  in 
the  force  recruited  for  Indian  warfare  and 
served  therein  for  three  years.  The  mother 
was  also  a  native  of  the  East  and,  like  other 
pioneer  women  of  her  day,  braved  the  dangers 
of  the  frontier  and  endured  its  hardships  with 
a  spirit  that  would  have  done  credit  to  the 
most  resolute  Roman  matron.  When  their  son 
who  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  two  years  old  they  moved  to  Kansas,  and 
there  he  was  trained  for  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship in  the  public  schools  and  amid  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  civil  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity around  him,  remaining  in  that  state 
until  he  was  nearly  twenty-one  years  old.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  spent  five  years  in  going  south 
and  buying  horses  and  taking  them  north  to 
sell.  In  1889,  having  taken  his  place  and  be- 
gun active  work  in  the  struggle  of  men  for 
supremacy,  he  left  home  and  came  to  Colorado, 
making  the  long  trip  in  a  wagon,  and  locating 
at  a  place  which  is  now  called  Hale,  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  state,  where  he  remained 
until  1899  busily  engaged  in  farming.  He  then 
came  farther  west  into  the  state  and  took  up 
his  residence  on  the  place  he  now  occupies, 


known  as  the  old  McCann  ranch  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  on  which  he  has  since 
then  resided  and  conducted  an  extensive  and 
prosperous  stock  and  general  farming  industry. 
Mr.  McDowell  has  conducted  his  business  with 
vigor  and  system,  and  has  made  it  an  important 
element  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  county 
besides  adding  to  his  own  prosperity  and  con- 
sequence. But  he  has  also  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  social  and  fraternal  welfare  of 
his  section,  and  given  due  and  serviceable  at- 
tention to  all  undertakings  for  its  advancement 
and  improvement.  He  is  a  zealous  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  with  mem- 
bership in  the  lodge  of  the  order  at  Gunnison, 
and  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  at  Gunnison.  In  1886  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Louise  Johnston,  a  daughter 
of  Martin  Johnston,  of  Iowa,  who  died  when 
she  was  but  two  years  old,  from  diseases  con- 
tracted in  serving  his  country  in  the  Civil 
war.  The  McDowells  have  six  children,  Cyril, 
Oey  and  Ocy  (twins),  Earl,  May  and  John, 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Colorado. 

WILLIAM  B.  MONSON. 

The  tide  of  emigration  in  this  country, 
which  has  flowed  steadily  westward  from  the 
Atlantic  coast,  encountering  every  danger,  en- 
during every  privation  and  conquering  every 
difficulty,  that  has  defied  the  rage  of  savage 
men  and  of  the  elements  and  has  commanded 
hitherto  unknown  conditions  to  its  service  and 
advantage,  until  it  has  overspread  the  whole 
land  and  transformed  it  into  a  vast  expanse 
of  productive  energy  and  made  it  fruitful  with 
the  beneficent  products  and  blessings  of  the 
most  advanced  civilization,  presents  to  the 
imagination  one  of  the  most  striking  themes 
of  interest  in  all  the  range  of  human  history. 
Romance  and  poetry  dwells  on  its  story  with 
delight,  and  legitimate  history  finds  in  its 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


483 


spectacular  yet  substantial  features  of  everlast- 
ing accomplishment  a  most  impressive  field  for 
thought  and  narrative.  In  gross  it  is  unparal- 
leled in  the  annals  of  time,  although  in  in- 
dividual aspects  it  may  be  but  an  oft  told  tale. 
In  himself  and  in  his  immediate  progenitors 
William  B.  Monson  belongs  to  this  great  the- 
atre of  action,  and  is  to  be  reckoned  among  the 
progressive  men  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lives  because  of  his  part  in  it  and  the  manner 
in  which  he  has  performed  that  part.  He  is 
a  native  of  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  born 
in  1843,  and  the  son  of  Hugh  T.  and  May 
Monson,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  state, 
where  the  mother  died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  leaving  two  children,  of  whom 
William  was  the  first  born.  When  he  was  six 
years  old  his  father  moved  with  the  two  chil- 
dren to  Missouri,  arriving  there  in  1850  and 
remaining  until  1863.  He  then  made  another 
move  westward,  coming  first  to  Denver  and  a 
short  time  afterward  locating  at  Fort  Lupton, 
this  state,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until 
1872.  At  that  time  he  went  back  to  his  former 
home  in  Missouri,  where  he  is  still  living,  hav- 
ing reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  and 
attained  the  position  of  a  patriarch  in  the  re- 
gard of  the  community  in  which  his  evening 
of  life  is  descending  peacefully  and  happily  to 
the  grave.  In  1858,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  the 
son  William  began  the  work  of  earning  his  own 
livelihood  by  taking  charge  of  an  ox  team  for 
a  journey  across  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
which  he  successfully  accomplished  and  soon 
after  returned  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas, 
where  he  remained  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Pike's  Peak  excitement  in  1859.  He  was  at 
that  time  young  and  full  of  energy,  well  de- 
veloped physically  and  filled  with  a  love  of  ad- 
venture and  endowed  with  a  spirit  of  daring 
and  self-reliance  that  welcomed  danger  and 
difficulty  in  almost  any  form.  He  purchased 
an  ox  team  and  started  with  others  to  the  new 


land  of  promise  whose  golden  music  had  just 
thrilled  the  world,  and  perhaps  with  high 
hopes  of  what  it  might  have  in  store  for  him. 
Arriving  at  Denver,  he  found  it  profitable  to  en- 
gage in  freighting  between  the  older  settle- 
ments along  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi,  and 
so  returned  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  with  his 
team  employed  in  that  business.  He  continued 
freighting  between  Denver  and  St.  Joseph  for 
several  years,  making  a  number  of  trips  and 
encountering  on  almost  every  one  hostile  In- 
dians eager  to  steal  the  stock  and  take  the 
scalps  of  any  white  men  they  might  find  on 
the  plains.  The  life  was  full  of  hazard,  but 
had  a  flavor  of  keener  enjoyment  on  that  ac- 
count. Still  after  a  few  years  of  it,  in  which 
he  saw  all  its  phases,  Mr.  Monson  determined 
to  abandon 'it  and  settle  permanently  in  the 
West.  He  took  up  his  residence  at  Fort  Lup- 
ton, where  he  was  employed  as  station  keeper 
for  a  period  of  twenty-five  months.  In  the 
winter  of  1863-4  he  moved  to  Denver  and  the 
next  spring  took  up  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
that  city  on  which  for  nearly  ten  years  he  was 
profitably  engaged  in  raising  sheep  and  cattle. 
In  1873  ne  s°ld  out  there  and  moved  to  Doug- 
las county,  locating  near  Castlerock,  where 
he  continued  ranching  and  raising  stock  until 
1877,  when  he  brought  his  horses  and  cattle  to 
his  late  site,  pre-empting  on  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  and  soon  after  purchasing 
more,  and  on  this  land  was  actively  occupied 
in  the  stock  industry  with  an  expanding  busi- 
ness and  increasing  profits.  Subsequently  he 
sold  his  ranch  and  stock  and  is  now  living  at 
Ohio  City,  Colorado.  Mr.  Monson  has  been 
married  three  times,  his  first  marriage  being 
to  Miss  Arvilla  Doyle  in  1872.  She  died  in 
1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  leaving  two 
children,  Luke  B.  and  Susan  M.  In  1883  he 
married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Mary  Sours, 
who  died  in  1892,  leaving  one  child,  her  son 
William  E.,  she  being  also  about  twenty-eight 


484 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


years  of  age  at  her  death.  His  third  marriage 
occurred  in  1893  and  was  to  Miss  Mary  F. 
Medley,  who  still  abides  with  him.  They  have 
two  sons,  .Eugene  and  Hugh  T. 

DAVID  A.   McCONNELL. 

The  father  of  David  A.  McConnell,  of  near 
Doyleville,  Gunnison  county,  was  Thomas  W. 
McConnell.  a  prosperous  manufacturer  of  fur- 
niture at  New  Salemv,  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Catherine  Gilchrist,  and  who  departed  this  life 
in  1835  while  she  was  still  a  young  woman,  he 
reared  the  five  children  she  left  with  care  and 
judicious  consideration  for  their  future  wel- 
fare, cultivating  in  them  habits  of  useful  in- 
dustry and  a  spirit  of  self-reliance  and  readi- 
ness for  any  emergency.  Some  two  years  aft- 
erward he  married  Miss  Catharine  With  row 
and  raised  a  second  family  of  six  children. 
After  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  he  moved  to 
Missouri  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Johnson 
county,  where  he  died  in  1875,  aged  seventy- 
four  years.  •  His  son  David  was  born  at  New 
Salem,  Pennsylvania,  in  1827.  and  lost  his 
mother  by  death  when  he  was  but  eight  years 
old.  He  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated 
under  the  careful  supervision  of  his  father,  and 
when  he  was  twenty-three,  in  1850,  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  he  remained  two  years.  In 
1852  he  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  Cal- 
ifornia, and  during  the  next  twenty  or  twenty- 
one  years  was  engaged  in  mining  and  merchan- 
dising at  various  mining  camps  in  the  moun- 
tains of  that  state.  He  was  successful  in  his 
business  at  times,  and  also  suffered  many  of 
the  disasters  incident  to  the  precarious  life  he 
was  living.  He  attained  to  prominence  in  poli- 
tics, aiding  in  many  ways  in  establishing  the 
forms  and  supporting  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment in  the  new  country,  and  serving  for  a 
time  as  county  commissioner  of  Yuba  county. 
Then  turning  his  face  once  more  toward  the 


rising  sun,  he  went  to  Marquette,  Michigan, 
where  for  a  year  or  two  he  was  engaged  in  the 
lumber  industry.  From  Michigan  he  went  to 
Missouri  and,  leaving  his  family  in  that  state. 
came  himself  to  Colorado  and  in  1875  to  Lake 
City,  and  there  mining  several  years  and  serv- 
ing as  county  assessor.  In  February,  1879,  he 
took  up  as  a  homestead  in  Gunnison  county  a 
.portion  of  the  land  on  which  he  now  lives,  fa- 
miliarly known  as  the  Evergreen  Ranch, 
which  is  pleasantly  located  on  Tomichi  creek, 
and  on  which  he  has  made  unusually  good  im- 
provements. Here  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  raising  hay  and  cattle,  developing  his  land 
and  increasing  its  value,  and  taking  a  leading 
part  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  district  and 
county,  in  which  he  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
intelligence  and  enterprise,  deeply  interested  in 
the  progress  of  the  section  and  worthy  of  the 
high  place  in  the  regard  of  the  people  which 
he  holds.  He  has  served  the  county  well  and 
wisely  as  county  commissioner.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  of 
late  has  been  independent.  Fraternally  he  has 
belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows for  a  long  time.  He  was  married  in  1859 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  McMath,  a  native  of  Michi- 
gan, daughter  of  Archie  and  Elizabeth  (Him- 
mell)  McMath.  Her  parents  came  overland  to 
California  in  the  early  days,  and  here  they 
passed  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  father  dying 
in  1879,  aged  seventy- four,  and  the  mother 
in  1899,  aged  eighty-seven.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McConnell  have  had  nine  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living,  Edward  K.,  Albert  H.,  William  N., 
Ardelia  K.,  Mary  E.  and  Nellie  E. 

C.  G.  MILLER. 

Having  passed  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  in  the  mining  regions  of  Colorado,  and 
been  engaged  in  various  occupations  in  differ- 
ent places  in  the  state,  C.  G.  Miller,  of  Gunni- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


485 


son  county,  located  about  six  miles  north  of 
the  town  of  the  same  name,  is  well  acquainted 
with  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people,  the 
conditions  and  requirements  of  progressive  ac- 
tivity and  the  pursuits  for  which  it  offers  fa- 
vorable opportunity.  Having  tried  several 
lines  of  work  he  has  settled  down  to  that  of 
ranching  as  best  adapted  to  his  tastes  and  ca- 
pacity and  as  most  in  accord  with  the  bulk  of 
his  experience,  thus  showing  wisdom  in  know- 
ing how  to  choose  and  in  adhering  to  his  choice. 
He  was  born  in  1855  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  and 
is  the  son  of  E.  A.  and  Phoebe  A.  (Bishop) 
Miller,  the  former  like  himself  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  the  latter  of  Michigan.  In  1857  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Iowa,  and  there  Mr.  Miller  grew 
to  manhood  and  was  educated,  and  there  his 
parents  are  still  living  and  engaged  in  farming. 
He  is  the  first  born  of  their  nine  children,  and 
the  conditions  were  such  that  his  opportunities 
for  attending  even  the  district  schools  in  his 
neighborhood  were  limited  and  irregular.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  engaging  in  farming  near  his  home 
until  he  was  twenty-two.  Then,  in  the  fall  of 
1877  he  came  to  Colorado  and  locaated  at 
Colorado  Springs,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1880.  At  that  time  he  migrated  to 
Leadville  and  found  employment  in  freighting 
for  about  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
went  to  Buena  Vista  and  followed  the  same 
occupation  in  that  vicinity  until  1884.  Re- 
turning to  Leadville  in  that  year,  he  engaged 
in  teaming,  hauling  wood  and  other  commodi- 
ties for  about  two  years  in  and  near  that  camp, 
then  went  to  Aspen  and  there  followed  freight- 
ing until  1887.  From  that  time  until  the 
spring  of  1890  he  was  in  the  saw-mill  business, 
operating  mills  in  Eagle  county,  where  he  once 
more  turned  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil  and  the  rearing  of  cattle,  the  occupa- 
tions of  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early  man- 
hood. He  employed  himself  in  ranching  in 


Eagle  county  until  the  spring  of  1902,  at 
which  time  he  found  a  more  congenial  field  for 
his  operations  in  this  pursuit  in  'Gunnison 
county  and  on  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies.  He  was  married  in  November, 
1 88 1,  to  Miss  Laura  E.  Steven-s,  of  Colorado 
Springs,  and  they  have  four  children,  Ethel 
G.,  Edwin  L.,  Edith  L.  and  Ena  B,  Their 
home  is  a  pleasant  one  and  the  business  of  the 
farm  is  well  conducted.  Mr.  Miller  would 
seem  to  be  safely  anchored  on  the  sunny  side 
of  fortune  and  secure  against  the  winds  of  ad- 
versity. He  stands  well  in  the  community,  be- 
ing recognized  as  a  progressive  and  enterpris- 
ing citizen,  a  good  farmer,  an  upright  man 
and  a  generous  friend  and  neighbor. 

G.  W.  BROWN. 

Through  a  variety  of  occupations  in  a 
number  of  different  places,  and  contact  with 
men  under  many  circumstances  and  conditions, 
G.  W.  Brown  acquired  the  knowledge  of  the 
world  and  the  clearness  of  vision  which  are  a 
part  of  his  most  valuable  stock  in  trade  in  the 
general  commerce  of  human  life.  His  native 
state  is  New  York,  and  there  he  was  born  in 
1835,  the  son  of  Pliny  G.  and  Elizabeth 
(Mitchell)  Brown,  the  former  a  scion  of  an 
old  New  England  family  born  in  Vermont,  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  New  York.  The  family 
moved  to  Iowa  in  1852,  from  New  York  where 
the  father  had  settled  and  married  some  years 
before,  and  in  the  new  home  they  continued 
the  occupation  of  farming  which  they  had  fol- 
lowed in  the  old.  Both  parents  died  in  Iowa, 
the  mother  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  about  sixty, 
and  the  father  in  1872,  at  that  of  sixty-nine. 
The  son  grew  nearly  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state,  and  in  its  public  schools  received  a  good 
elementary  education.  He  learned  active  and 
useful  industry  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  its 
invigorating  labor  gained  strength  of  body  and 


486 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


independence  and  self-reliance  of  mind  and 
spirit.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  took  up  life's 
activities -for  himself  emigrating  to  Minnesota 
and  there  farming  on  a  scale  of  some  magni- 
tude for  two  years.  The  next  two  years  were 
passed  in  teaming  in  Nebraska,  and  twelve 
years  was  consumed  in  working  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river.  Tiring  of  the  river  work,  he  went 
to  Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  devoted  the  next  two 
years  of  his  trade  as  a  stone  mason  which  he 
had  acquired  before  leaving  home.  From 
Waterloo  he  moved  to  Madison  county,  in  the 
same  state,  where  he  again  engaged  in  farming. 
In  1882  he  came  to  Colorado  and  followed 
mining  for  a  year  at  Tin  Cup,  then  returned  to 
Creston,  Iowa,  and  during  the  next  two  years 
had  charge  of  a  hotel  there  which  became  a 
popular  hostelry.  But  the  business  was  not  to 
his.  taste,  and  he  had  an  increasing  longing 
for  the  West.  So  he  came  again  to  Colorado 
and  settled  on  the  ranch  in  Gunnison  county 
six  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  on  which  he  has 
since  made  his  home  and  conducted  a  general 
ranching  and  gardening.  Here  he  has  been 
active  in  public  local  affairs,  and  devoted  much 
time  and  energy  to  the  advancement  of  the 
schools,  serving  as  director  and  in  other  ways 
pushing  forward  the  cause  of  education.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is  not  an  active 
politician.  He  was  married  in  1855  to  Miss 
Matilda  Workman,  of  Minnesota.  Their  fam- 
.  ily  consists  of  three  children,  George  W., 
Arvilla  H.  and  Charles  E. 

S.  GOLLAGHER. 

The '  resourcefulness  of  the  Irish  race  and 
its  willingness  to  enter  any  field  of  labor,  how- 
ever untried  or  great  the  undertaking,  is  well 
known  everywhere,  and  its  daring  is  as  often 
the  result  of  hope,  high  spirits,  self-reliance  and 
general  quickness  of  apprehension,  as  of  dis- 
cretion and  maturity  of  deliberation.  Youth 


does  not  deter  its  people  and  inexperience  does 
not  intimidate  them.     Mr.  Gollagher,  of  Tin 
Cup,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  that 
.portion  of  Gunnison  county,  is  a  striking  illus- 
tration of  this  truth.     Landing  in  New  York 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  business  as  a 
grocer  and  hotel  keeper,  and  conducted  his  en- 
terprise successfully  until  he  desired  to  follow 
other  pursuits  in  a  different  part  of  the  coun- 
try.   His  family  had  dwelt  in  Ireland  for  many 
generations,  and  there  he  was  born  in   1852, 
the  son   of  Thomas  and   Rosanna    (Phillips) 
Gollagher.  whose  noble  lives  were  passed  on 
the  Emerald  Isle,  as  those  of  their  forefathers 
had  been  from  time  immemorial.     The  father 
died  in  1890,  aged  seventy-five,  and  the  mother 
is    still   living   in    county    Derry.      Their   son 
Samuel   remained   at  home,   assisting  on   the 
farm    which    they    conducted    and    attending 
schools  as  he  had  opportunity  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty.     He  then   determined  to 
seek  in  the  new  world  the  chance  to  gratify  his 
ambitions  which  seemed  to  be  denied  in  the 
old,  and  came  to  the  United  States  for  the  pur- 
pose, as  thousands  of  his  countrymen  had  done 
before  and  thousands  have   done  since.      He 
reached  New  York  in  1872  after  an  uneventful 
voyage,  and  although  at  the  time  he  had  but 
little  money  or  knowledge  of  the  world,  he  was 
impelled  by  his  courageous  spirit  to  enter  the 
business  circles  of  the  American  metropolis  as 
a   grocer   and   hotel-keeper,    and   he    followed 
these  lines  successfully  for  seven  years.     By 
that  time  the  Leadville  gold  excitement  was 
at  its  height,  and  believing  there  was  as  good 
a  chance  for  him  in  that  promjising  field  as  for 
any  other  man  of  nerve  and  self-reliance,  he 
sold  out  his  New  York  business  and  sought 
the  new  camp  in  the  heart  of  the  Rockies.     He 
remained  at  Leadville  only  six   weeks,   how- 
ever, surveying  and  prospecting  without  sat- 
isfactory results,  then  came  on  to  Tin  Cup, 
where  he  followed  the  same  employments  until 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


487 


1889.  In  that  year  he  turned  once  more  to 
his  first  occupation  in  this  country,  opening  a 
grocer}7  and  general  merchandising  establish- 
ment which  he  is  still  conducting,  and  in  which 
his  success  has  fully  justified  his  change  of 
base.  His  emporium  is  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
cantile institutions  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lives,  and  lays  a  large  extent  of  country  under 
tribute  to  its  trade.  It  is  conducted  on  lofty 
lines  of  integrity  and  business  capacity, 
wherein  the  needs  of  the  community  are  care- 
fully studied  and  provided  for,  and  the  com- 
fort and  satisfaction  of  his  patrons  have  due 
consideration.  Mr.  Gollagher  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Anna  B.  Clickener  in  1893 
and  six  children  are  the  fruit  of  their  union, 
Catherine,  Rosa,  Susan,  Anna,  Gertrude  and 
Samuel  J.  In  the  public  thought  and  activities 
of  the  community  Mr.  Gollagher  wields  a 
healthful  and  inspiring  influence,  and  in  the 
regard  of  the  people  he  has  a  high  place. 

W.  SCOTT  DICKINSON. 

Having  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
earlier  life  as  a  lumberman  in  the  more  un- 
settled parts  of  Maine  and  Pennsylvania,  W. 
Scott  Dickinson,  of  Pitkin,  Gunnison  county, 
was  measurably  prepared  for  frontier  life  when 
he  came  to  the  Rocky  mountains  and  cast  his 
lot  with  this  section  of  our  country,  and  had 
some  knowledge  of  the  impulses  and  springs  of 
action  of  people  who  dwell  much  in  the  pres- 
ence of  nature  and  are  seeking  to  extort  from 
her  the  hidden  treasures  which  she  is  always 
willing  to  give  up  when  she  is  properly  in- 
terrogated. He  had  experience  in  some  of  their 
hardships  and  inconveniences,  and  knew  how  to 
sympathize  with  and  take  his  place  among  them 
in  a  way  to  be  of  service.  He  was  born  at 
Wakefield,  province  of  New  Brunswick,  in 
1845,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Louisa 


J.  (Estabrook)  Dickinson,  who  were  also  na- 
tive there.  The  father  was  a  lumberman  and 
died  in  1847,  a§"ed  thirty-three,  two  years  after 
the  birth  of  his  son.  The  mother  lived  until 
May  27,  -1893,  when  she  passed  away,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five.  William  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county,  and  when  he  was 
seventeen  abandoned  the  farm  work  in  which 
he  had  hitherto  been  engaged  and  went  into 
the  woods  of  Maine  to  follow  lumbering  as  a 
business.  He  remained  there  three  years,  then 
moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  followed  the  same 
vocation  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Pitkin,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided and  been  actively  engaged  in  business. 
Until  1884  he  was  employed  in  getting  out  ties 
for  the  railroad  companies  under  contract.  He 
then  started  a  second-hand  store,  and  found  the 
business  so  profitable  that  he  enlarged  his  enter- 
prise to  cover  dealings  in  new  goods,  and  now 
carries  on  an  extensive  and  profitable  trade 
in  both,  being  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  the  town.  He  has  also  been  prominent 
and  influential  in  the  civil  and  social  life  of  the 
community,  serving  as  mayor  of  the  town  five 
terms,  and  being  recognized  as  one  of  the 
molders  and  movers  of  public  sentiment  in  all 
lines  of  general  interest.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  with  a  potential  place  in  the  counsels 
of  his  party,  and  one  of  its  most  loyal  and 
active  supporters.  Mr.  Dickinson  was  first 
married  in  1871  to  Miss  Adeline  More,  who 
bore  him  three  children,  Vernon,  Louisa  J.  and 
George.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in 
1878,  and  was  with  Miss  Sarah  A.  Ingram. 
They  had  one  daughter,  Edith  V.,  who  died 
in  June,  1902. 

WILLIAM  V.  VAN  OSTERN. 

A  veteran  of  two  of  the  wars  fought  by  his 
country,  in  one  of  which  he  helped  to  conquer 
from  Mexico  a  portion  of  the  state  in  which 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


he  now  lives,  and  in  the  other  to  defend  it 
against  the  evils  of  threatened  disunion,  Wil- 
liam V.  Van  Ostern,  of  Crested  Butte,  Gun- 
nison  county,  is  sealing  his  devotion  to  the  sec- 
tion with  which  he  has  cast  his  lot  by  aiding 
in  developing  its  resources  and  making  its 
treasures  available  for  the  service  of  mankind 
and  thus  augmenting  the  sum  of  human  com- 
fort and  happiness.  So  in  war  and  peace  he 
has  been  its  devoted  friend,  and  is  justly  en- 
titled to  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held 
by  a,  considerable  body  of  its  people.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1824,  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Cynthia  (Vance)  Van  Ostern,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Ohio.  His  father  died  there  in  1868,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven,  and  his  mother  in  1882, 
at  that  of  eighty-two.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  William  was  the  first  born. 
His  childhood,  youth  and  early  youth  were 
passed  in  his  native  state,  and  in  her  liberal 
schools  he  received  a  fair  education.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  he  enlisted  among  the 
volunteers  for  the  war  against  Mexico  and  in 
that  stirring  contest  he  followed  the  flag  of  his 
country  until  it  waved  in  triumph  over  the  capi- 
tal of  the  conquered  foe.  After  the  close  of 
the  war  he  went  to  California,  remaining  six 
or  seven  years  engaged  in  mining  and  driving 
stage.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  Missouri  and  bought  a  farm  of  three 
-hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  that  state  on 
which  he  lived  until  1862.  He  then  returned 
to  Ohio  and  enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twentieth  Ohio  Infantry,  for  a  term 
of  three  years  or  during  the  war.  He  was  dis- 
charged in  1864,  as  first  lieutenant,  and  on  his 
return  to  Ohio  at  once  re-enlisted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-sixth 
Ohio,  Company  B,  for  a  term  during  the  war, 
and  served  to  its  close.  In  all  his  military  ex- 
perience he  was  in  active  field  service  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  most  important  engagements. 


When  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  1885 
he  took  up  his  residence  at  Tipton,  Missouri, 
and  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  limiting  his 
operations  to  handling  shoes  and  kindred  com- 
modities. A  few  years  later  he  sold  out  at 
Tipton  and  removed  to  Bunceton,  where  he 
opened  and  for  two  years  conducted  a  general 
merchandising  establishment.  Then  selling 
that,  he  went  into  the  employ  of  the  Osage 
Mining  Company  with  headquarters  at  Se- 
dalia,  Missouri.  After  giving  this  company 
faithful  and  valued  service  for  five  years  he  re- 
moved to  Irwin  in  Gunnison  county,  this  state, 
and  remained  there  until  1885,  and  during  five 
years  of  his  residence  at  that  place  was  its  post- 
master. In  1885  he  determined  to  make  his 
home  at  Crested  Butte,  in  the  same  county, 
and  there  he  has  since  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron  Company.  He 
was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Crall.  In 
politics  Mr.  Van  Ostern  has  been  an  unwaver- 
ing Republican  from  the  formation  of  the  party, 
and  has  on  all  occasions  taken  an  active  part 
in  its  campaigns,  giving  to  its  cause  both  wise 
counsel  and  active  support. 

LOUIS  MILLER. 

To  the  settlement,  civilization  and  develop- 
ment of  the  United  States  all  climes  and 
tongues  have  contributed  of  their  brain  and 
brawn.  Early  in  her  history  her  men  of 
breadth  and  progress  realized  that  generosity 
in  naturalization  was  a  potent  factor  in  the 
growth  of  nations,  especially  new  countries, 
and  her  invitation  to  the  world  to  accept  her 
opportunities  was  broad  and  liberal,  and  it  has 
been  accepted  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  ten- 
dered. The  empire  of  Francis  Joseph  has  made 
many  contributions  of  value  to  her  civilizing 
forces,  and  among  them  must  be  mentioned 
Louis  Miller,  of  Gunnison  county,  Colorado, 
living  near  Oversteg.  He  was  born  in  Austria 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


489 


in  1 86 1,  the  son  of  John  and  Annie  (Greta) 
Miller,  natives  of  that  country,  where  the 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  The 
.father  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1883  and 
is  now  living  in  Texas.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
their  son  came  to  the  United  States,  and  mak- 
ing his  way  to  Texas,  was  soon  employed  in 
the  ranching  and  stock  industries  of  that  great 
state,- remaining  there  so  occupied  for  fifteen 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled 
where  he  now  lives  on  a  ranch  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  near  East  river.  Since 
then  he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the 
cattle  business  of  that  part  of  the  state  and  a 
man  of  force  and  standing  in  its  local  public 
affairs.  He  was  married  in  1900  to  Miss 
Annie  Morelock,  a  native  of  Austria,  and  liv- 
ing at  the  time  of  her  marriage  at  Oversteg. 
They  have  no  children.  Wherever  he  has  lived 
Mr.  Miller  has  been  active  in  the  development 
and  improvement  of  his  section,  and  has  been 
among  the  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens who  have  given  character  and  credit  to  its 
institutions  and  its  citizenship.  . 

D.   F.   BLAIR. 

Hie  inspiring  story  of  the  conquest,  occu- 
pation, development  and  cultivation  of  the 
great  West  of  the  United  States  never  loses  its 
interest  oft  told  though  it  be.  It  is  the  ac- 
count of  an  unebbing  tide  of  progress  over  dif- 
ficulties almost  inconceivable  to  those  who  have 
not  experienced  them,  and  its  true  and  full  re- 
cital would  glow  with  heroism,  be  tinged  with 
sentiment  and  romance,  deeply  shadowed  with 
tragedy,  melting  in  its  pathos  and  glorious  in 
triumph  for  civilization  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind. This  majestic  march  has  never  halted 
or  considered  defeat.  As  soon  as  one  part  of 
the  country  was  occupied  and  settled  another 
was  entered,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  pio- 
neers repeating  farther  in  the  wake  of  the  set- 


ting sun  the  work  of  their  parents  where  their 
own  lives  began,  and  in  turn  giving  their  heroic 
spirit  and  high  example  to  their  offspring  for 
inspiration  to  renewed  battle  with  the  opposing 
forces  of  nature  and  further  conquests.  D.  F. 
Blair,  of  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  living  four- 
teen miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction,  in  his 
career  and  origin  is  an  epitome  of  this  story. 
He  was  born  in  1855,  in  Holt  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  his  parents  were  pioneers,  and  in 
turn  became  one  himself  in  this  state.  He  is 
the  son  of  James  and  Emeline  (Jasper)  Blair, 
the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  latter 
of  Kentucky.  In  1849  the  father  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  remained  about  two  years, 
then  returning  eastward  settled  in  Missouri, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death,  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years.  His  widow  is  still  living  in  that  state 
and  has  her  home  at  Mound  City.  They  \vere 
the  parents  of  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  second  in  the  • 
order  of  birth.  He  passed  his  childhood, 
youth  and  early  manhood  in  his  native  county, 
remaining  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years,  and  receiving  in  the  district 
schools  what  educational  training  there  was 
available  to  him  under  the  circumstances.  In 
1879  ne  came  to  this  state  and  settled  at  Gothic, 
Gunnison  county,  and  there  engaged  in  mining 
until  1882.  He  then  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Whitewater,  Mesa  county,  and  there  he  has 
since  continuously  resided  and  been  occupied 
in  farming  and  raising  stock  and  fruit  on  an 
expanding  scale  and  with  increasing  profits. 
Being  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, he  has  also  been  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful and  progressive,  doing  well  himself  and  in- 
spiring others  to  greater  efforts  by  his  influ- 
ence and  example.  In  1893  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Olive  West.  They  have 
three  sons,  Floyd,  Cecil  and  James.  In  all  the 
elements  of  good  citizenship  Mr.  Blair  has  been 


490 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


true  and  straightforward,  showing  great  and 
intelligent  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  section 
of  the  state,  and  meeting  all  his  obligations  in 
every  relation  of  public  and  private  life  with 
manliness  and  fidelity.  He  is  one  of  the  es- 
teemed men  of  his  community  and  representa- 
tive of  its  best  aspirations. 

M.  D.  HOLLAND. 

The  versatile  and  adaptable  people  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  who  can  make  themselves  at 
home  in  any  country,  and  mold  a  shapely  des- 
tiny out  of  any  plastic  condition  that  fate  may 
fling  before  them;  who  are  never  at  a  loss  for 
an  answer  and  never  without  a  resource  in 
trouble;  and  who  have  dignified  and  adorned 
every  line  of  active  life  at  home  and  abroad, 
have  done  much  for  the  civilization  and  devel- 
opment of  the  wild  places  of  America,  and  en- 
rich those  already  settled  and  civilized  with 
the  triumphs  of  intellect,  the  power  of  genius 
and  the  graces  of  social  culture.  It  is  to  this 
race  that  M.  D.  Hollan'd,  of  Mesa  county,  liv- 
ing near  the  village  of  Whitewater  and  about 
sixteen  miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction,  be- 
longs and  he  has  all  the  more  pleasing  charac- 
teristics of  his  people.  He  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  D.  V.  and  Julia 
(Harrington)  Holland,  who  were  also  Irish 
by  nativity  and  belonged  to  families  long  resi- 
dent in  the  green  little  isle.  The  mother  died 
in  1900,  and  the  father  passed  away  a  year  la- 
ter, at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  their  son  M.  D.  being 
the  last  born.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land,  remaining  with  his  parents  un- 
til he  was  twenty  years  old,  then  went  to  sea 
for  two"  years.  In  1874  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  at  Boston,  and  after  remaining 
six  months  in  Massachusetts,  moved  westward 
to  Michigan  where  he  worked  in  the  copper 
mines  a  year.  He  then  came  on  to  the  Black 


Hills  of  South  Dakota,  and  a  few  months  later 
to  Denver,  this  state.  He  followed  mining  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  capital  city  for  some  time, 
then  in  1889  settled  on  the  ranch  where  he  now 
lives  and  where  he  conducts  a  flourishing, 
farming  and  stock  industry.  He  was  married 
in  1882  to  Miss  Maggie  Murphy,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  Mary,  John, 
Maggie,  Nellie,  Don,  Irena,  Henry  and -Fran- 
cis. Mr.  Holland  is  prosperous  in  his  business, 
well  esteemed  in  his  community,  active  in  pub- 
lic-spirit and  aid  to  the  advancement  of  the 
county,  and  interested  in  every  good  work,  lo- 
cal and  general,  for  the  advantage  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

J.  F.  SULLIVAN,  SR. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Wayne  county,  Iowa,  July  17,  1847.  His  par- 
ents were  Harvy.  P.  and  Eliza  (King)  Sul- 
livan. They  were  born  in  Kentucky  and  died 
at  Centerville,  Iowa,  October  2,  1853.  At  the 
age  of  seven  years  he  was  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky by  his  mother's  parents  and  lived  on  a 
farm  there  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  He 
had  but  very  little  schooling  up  to  that  time  and 
had  resolved  to  secure  a  better  education.  He 
went  to  Williamsburg,  the  county  seat  of 
Whitley  county,  Kentucky,  and  clerked  in  a 
grocery  store  morning  and  evenings  and  Satur- 
days to  pay  his  way  in  school.  He  attended 
school  most  of  the  time  after  he  was  thirteen 
years  old  up  to  July  I,  1864,  when  he  left 
Kentucky  and  went  back  to  Iowa,  where  he 
continued  going  to  school  for  the  greater  part 
of  two  years,  until  he  had  a  fair  common- 
school  education.  Then  he  rented  a  farm  and 
on  the  27th  day  of  February,  1867,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Eliza  R.  Duncan,  and  to  her  is  due  an 
equal  share  of  praise,  for  her  industry  and 
frugality  has  been  one  of  the  main  levers  to 
his  success.  He  lived  in  Iowa  as  a  renter  for 
about  five  years,  then  bought  a  farm  in  Mercer 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


49 1 


county,  Missouri,  where  he  lived  until  March 
i,  1881.  Then  he  came  to  Colorado  for  his 
health,  having  been  bothered  with  lung  trouble 
for  two  years,  so  that  he  was  able  to  work 
on  the  farm  but  very  little.  As  soon  as  he 
landed  in  Colorado  he  went  to  roughing  it, 
prospecting  and  camping  out  up  to  the  latter 
part  of  December,  1881,  when  he  landed  on 
Kannah  creek,  then  a  sage  brush  wilderness, 
and  took  up  his  claim,  on  which  he  still  lives. 
At  this  time  he  had  regained  his  health,  so  he 
wrote  his  wife  to  sell  the  Missouri  farm  and 
come  to  Colorado,  for  he  had  found  all  that 
he  had  started  out  to  find — health  and  good 
climate.  She  sold  the  farm  and  came  to  this 
place  and  they  have  lived  here  since.  They 
have  reared  six  children,  Mary  L.  (Sullivan) 
Morrison,  William  A.,  John  W.,  J.  F.,  Jr., 
Eliza  R.  and  Susan  Ada. 

HENRY  BOLEM. 

Henry  Bolem,  a  prosperous  citizen,  pro- 
gressive farmer  and  stockman,  and  a  leading 
Democrat  of  the  Whitewater  section  of  Mesa 
county,  whose  industry  is  conducted  on  a  good 
ranch  located  some  twenty-five  miles  southeast 
of  Grand  Junction,  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  in  1837.  His  parents,  also  natives  of  the 
fatherland,  were  Mathias  and  Caroline 
(Slamp)  Bolem,  and  both  have  long  been  dead, 
the  mother  passing  away  in  1872.  Their  son 
Henry  remained  in  his  native  land  until  he 
nearly  reached  man's  estate,  and  in  the  state 
schools  he  received  a  good  education.  Soon 
after  leaving  school  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1856.  He  then  enlisted  in  the 
Fifth  Infantry  for  a  term  of  five  years  and  at 
its  conclusion  was  discharged  at  Fort  Creek, 
New  Mexico.  He  remained  there  twelve 
years,  and  in  1872  moved  to  where  he  now  re- 
sides, securing  good  land  of  which,  with  the 


energy,  persistent  industry  and  agricultural 
skill  characteristic  of  his  race,  he  has  made  an 
excellent  farm  and  an  attractive  and  comfort- 
able home.  He  was  married  in  1896  to  Miss 
L.  J.  Wain,  a  native  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa. 
No  children  have  blessed  their  union  but  their 
home  has  been  a  center  of  generous  hospitality, 
and  has  never  long  lacked  the  sunny  smiles  and 
cheerful  companionship  of  visitors  and  friends. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bolem  are  well  known  and 
highly  respected,  and  their  thrift  and  industry, 
their  genial  natures  and  obliging  dispositions 
and  withal  the  interest  they  manifest  in  the 
welfare  of  everybody  in  general  and  their  own 
community  in  particular,  have  won  them  a 
large  body  of  devoted  and  admiring  friends. 
Mr.  Bolem  has  imbibed  the  spirit  of  American 
institutions,  and  is  loyal  to  the  country  of  his 
adoption  in  every  respect,  taking  a  deep  interest 
in  the  county,  state  and  national  welfare  and 
contributing  his  portion  of  the  inspiration  nec- 
essary to  secure  it.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party  and  always 
gives  them  and  its  candidates  faithful  and 
serviceable  support. 

J.  A.  LAURENT. 

The  interesting  subject  of  this  brief  review, 
whose  productive  life  of  nearly  a  third  of  a 
century  in  this  state  has  been  of  considerable 
service  in  developing  and  building  up  the  sec- 
tion of  it  in  which  he  lives,  is  a  Canadian  by 
nativity,  born  in  the  province  of  Quebec  in 
1837.  He  is  the  son  of  M.  A.  and  Julianna 
(Giroux)  Laurent,  who  were  both  born  in 
Quebec  and  lived  there  until  a  few  years  ago, 
when  they  came  to  this  state  and  have  since 
made  their  home  with  their  son.  Mr.  Laurent 
remained  in  his  native  land  until  he  had  passed 
the  verge  of  manhood  by  several  years.  He 
received  a  good  district  school  education,  and 
when  he  was  about  twenty-five  years  old,  after 


492 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


following  various  employments  for  several 
years  he  entered  a  store  as  clerk  and  sales- 
man, and  during  the  next  three  years  he  re- 
mained there  in  that  capacity.  At  the  end 
of  the  period  mentioned  he  determined  to  come 
to  the  United  States  and  seek  a  home  amid  the 
wide  and  promising  opportunities  so  abundant 
in  its  western  section.  Accordingly  in  1892  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  settling  on  the  farm 
which  is  now  his  home,  located  twenty  miles 
southeast  of  Grand  Junction,  Mesa  county,  and 
engaged  in  raising  fruit  and  cattle  on  an  ex- 
panding scale.  His  business  has  prospered  and 
has  grown  with  the  flight  of  time,  and  it  is 
now  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  profitable  of 
its  kind  in  that  part  of  the  state.  It  comprises 
the  production  and  handling  of  all  sorts  of  the 
usual  domestic  fruits,  and  he  finds  a  ready  and 
eager  market  for  all  his  output.  His  orchards 
are  thrifty,  with  the  trees  and  varieties  well  se- 
lected, and  receive  the  most  skillful  attention. 
Mr.  Laurent  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss  Ro- 
sanna  Trahan,  a  native  of  Quebec.  They  have 
nine  children,  Victor  A.,  Oscar,  Hector,  An- 
toinette, Georgie,  Joe  D.,  Rosanna,  Albertine 
and  Laura,  all  living  at  home.  The  head  of 
the  house  is  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed 
as  a  citizen  and  holds  a  high  rank  as  a  business 
man  of  enterprise,  breadth  of  view  and  pro- 
gressiveness.  He  and  his  family  stand  well  in 
the  best  social  circles  and  are  important  factors 
-in  the  public  life  of  the  community. 

JAMES  W.   COX. 

James  W.  Cox,  who  after  a  long  and  event- 
ful career  wherein  the  element  of  danger  was 
almost  ever  present  and  the  condition  of  con- 
test was  the  regular  order,  is  now,  in  the 
evening  of  his  life,  making  his  home  with 
George  W.  Masters,  a  prosperous  ranchman 
with  a  fine  farm  near  Snipes,  Mesa  county, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  at  another  place  in 


this  work.  Mr.  Cox  is  a  native  of  Morgan 
county,  born  on  September  7,  1832,  and  the 
son  of  Armstadt  and  Isabel  (Caldwell)  Cox, 
the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter 
of  Virginia.  After  their  marriage  they  settled 
in  Illinois,  and  there  the  mother  died  in  1859, 
aged  fifty-five.  The  father  died  in  June,  1832, 
and  the  mother  remarried  in  May,  1836,  to 
Able  Harding,  a  good  and  honorable  man  who 
endeavored  to  have  his  step-sons  grow  up  hon- 
est, respectable  men.  James  W.  Cox  received 
a  limited  education  and  after  leaving  school 
engaged  in  farming  for  about  eight  years  in 
his  home  county.  In  1860  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  settled  at  Denver,  but  remained  there 
only  a  short  time,  then  went  on  to  California, 
where  he  at  first  was  employed  on  farms.  He 
helped  to  start  the  first  mail  route  between  San 
Francisco  and  the  Missouri  river,  and  saw  the 
first  and  the  last  of  the  pony  express  riding 
between  these  points.  In  June,  1861,  he  moved 
to  Nevada  and  engaged  in  supplying  horses  to 
the  overland  mail  route  during  the  troubles 
with  the  Indians  in  those  days,  continuing  at 
this  business  until  1864,  when  he  again  came 
to  Colorado  and  enlisted  in  the  Third  Colorado 
Cavalry  for  the  campaign  against  the  Indians, 
then  in  an  extensive  outbreak.  He  took  part 
in  the  Sand  Creek  battle  with  the  savages  on 
November  29,  1864,  which  practically  ended 
the  war,  and  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
on  December  23d  following.  In  1865  he  was 
employed  at  ranching,  then  returned  to  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  until  after  the  death  of  his 
wife  on  October  15,  1873.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  a  wanderer  in  various  parts  of  the 
West,  seeking  such  employment  and  such  oc- 
cupation as  his  fancy  or  inclination  directed, 
finding  at  last  a  safe  and  comfortable  harbor 
after  his  long  and  stormy  voyage,  at  the  ranch 
of  his  friend,  George  W.  Masters,  of  Mesa 
county,  with  whom  he  boards  and  makes  his 
home.  During  his  time  Mr.  Cox  has  had  many 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


493 


thrilling  adventures,  many  narrow  escapes,  and 
many  periods  of  hardship  and  privation. 
Three  times  he  was  obliged  to  ride  for  his  life 
away  from  the  Indians  and  once  away  from  the 
Mexicans  and  was  only  saved  each  time  by  the 
fleetness  and  endurance  of  his  horse  and  his 
own  skill  as  a  horseman.  On  February  8, 
1858,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jemima  Daw- 
son,  a  native  of  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  who 
died  on  October  15,  1873,  aged  thirty-two 
years,  six  months  and  six  days,  and  left  one 
child,  their  daughter  Mary.  Mr.  Cox  is  a 
typical  pioneer  and  there  is  no  phase  of  fron- 
tier life  that  he  has  not  been  through.  He  is 
well  versed  in  woodcraft,  knows  all  the  wiles 
of  the  Indians,  can  read  the  indications  of 
weather  changes,  and  has  a  wealth  of  worldly 
wisdom  gathered  in  his  western  life  and  inti- 
mate communion  with  nature.  He  also  has  an 
almost  inexhaustible  fund  of  interesting  remin- 
iscences and  narratives  of  persons  and  events  of 
distinction  which  is  a  never-failing  source  of 
entertainment  to  his  numerous  friends  and  as- 
sociates, especially  those  of  the  younger  gener- 
ation. 

WILLIAM  HENRY. 

The  last  born  of  his  parents'  fourteen  chil- 
dren, and  losing  his  father  by  death  when  he 
was  but  eleven  years  of  age,  William  Henry,  of 
Mesa  county,  a  prosperous  and  progressive 
ranchman  living  at  Collbran,  came  into  the 
world  with  a  destiny  of  toil  and  privation  be- 
fore him,  and  entered  on  his  portion  early  in 
life.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
his  life  began  in  1845,  an<i  i§  the  son  °f  Jonn 
and  Sarah  (Brobst)  Henry,  also  native  in  that 
state,  where  the  father  was  an  industrious 
farmer.  He  died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
one,  leaving  his  excellent  wife  to  do  the  best 
she  could  in  rearing  her  large  family  and  pre- 
paring them  for  the  duties  of  active  existence 
in  a  struggling  world.  She  met  her  duty 


bravely  and  performed  it  faithfully;  and  she 
lived  to  the  age  of  seventy -one,  dying  in  189  5. 
after  seeing  her  children  all  making  their  way 
with  credit  and  exemplifying  in  their  daily 
lives  the  lessons  learned  from  her  teachings 
and  her  good  example.  Her  son  William 
passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native  state,  receiv- 
ing a  limited  education  at  the  district  schools 
and  helping  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  as  soon 
as  he  was  able.  When  the  Civil  war  broke 
out  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  full  of 
zeal  for  the  union  and  among  the  early  volun- 
teers he  enlisted  in  the  Nineteenth  Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry  for  three  years  or  during  the 
war  if  it  should  not  last  that  long.  Although 
in  active  service  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  term  of  enlistment,  he  escaped  without  in- 
jury or  capture,  and  returned  to  his  home 
with  the  consciousness  of  having  faithfully  per- 
formed his  duty  and  laid  upon  the  altar  of  his 
country  three  years  of  the  best  efforts  of  his 
vigorous  and  aspiring  youth.  After  the  con- 
test he  was  engaged  in  various  occupations  for 
a  few  years,  and  acquired  some  facility  as  a 
carpenter.  In  1870  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Denver,  then  a  straggling  town  of 
some  two  thousand  inhabitants.  Making  this 
his  headquarters  he  was  employed  as  a  range 
rider  and  cowboy  in  the  neighborhood  for  four 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Custer  county,  this 
state,  and  was  there  engaged  in  ranching  until 
1885,  and  also  in  prospecting,  losing  all  his 
earnings  and  everything  he  had  in  the  last 
named  exciting  and  alluring  but  often  dis- 
appointing occupation.  From  Custer  county 
in  1885  he  changed  his  base  of  operations  to 
Colorado  Springs,  and  during  the  next  three 
years  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  at  that 
town.  In  1888  he  moved  to  Plateau  valley  and 
settled  on  the  ranch  which  has  since  then  been 
his  home  and  which  he  has  by -assiduous  in- 
dustry raised  to  a  high  rank  among  such 
properties  in  the  neighborhood,  making  it  valu- 


494 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


able  with  good  improvements  and  fruitful 
through  careful  and  skillful  tilling.  The  ranch 
lies  close  to  Collbran  and  Mr.  Henry's  resi- 
dence is  in  that  village.  He  was  married  first 
in  1867  to  Miss  Kate  Hess,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  died  in  1870,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  leaving  one  child,  their  son  Stan- 
ley W.  In  1872  he  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Almyra  Hopkins,  of  Denver,  and  they 
have  four  children,  William  M.,  Sarah  C, 
Dennis  Y.  and  Samuel  A.  Few  men  in  his 
community,  if  any,  are  more  esteemed  than 
Mr.  Henry,  and  none  is  more  worthy  of  esteem, 
whether  it  be  based  on  his  business  capacity  and 
high  character  as  a  man  or  his  enterprise  and 
public-spirit  as  a  citizen. 

BERT  ELLIS. 

Losing  his  mother  by  death  when  he  was 
but  three  years  old  and  his  father  when  he  was 
fourteen,  the  lessons  of  adversity  came  early  to 
Bert  Ellis,  one  of  the  substantial  and  progres- 
sive farmers  and  stock  men  of  Garfield  county, 
this  state,  whose  pleasantly  located  ranch  on 
Main  creek  is  one  of  the  attractive  rural  homes 
in  that  portion  of  the  state.  Mr.  Ellis  was 
born  in  1856  in  Moultrie  county,  Illinois,  and 
is  the  son  of  Walker  and  Hannah  (Carter) 
Ellis,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the 
latter  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  veteran  of 
.the  Civil  war.  He  moved  his  family  to  Texas 
in  1858  and  settled  on  a  ranch  there.  The  next 
year  his  wife  died,  and  he  passed  away  in 
1870.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, Bert  being  the  second  born.  He  re- 
mained in  Texas  making  his  home  with  his 
father  until  the  death  of  that  estimable  gentle- 
man, when  the  youth,  then  fourteen  years  of 
age,  returned  to  Illinois  to  live  with  an  uncle 
with  whom  he  found  a  home  until  he  was 
twenty.  He  then  went  to  work  for  himself 
on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  uncle's 


place,  and  after  working  there  for  a  year 
moved  to  Kansas.  Here  he  remained  three 
years  engaged  in  various  occupations,  then 
came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Denver, 
went  to  work  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad.  While  in  the  employ  of  this  com- 
pany he  learned  telegraphy,  but  he  never  had 
occasion  to  use  the  art  as  a  means  of  making  a 
living.  He  moved  from  Denver  to  Glenwood 
and  there  passed  three  years  profitably  em- 
ployed at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  at  which  he 
had  previously  acquired  facility.  At  the  end 
of  the  period  named  he  moved  to  a  ranch  near 
Rifle,  and  a  short  time  afterward  to  the  one  on 
which  he  now  lives,  settling  there  with  his  fam- 
ily in  1889.  He  has  devoted  his  time  and  ener- 
gies wholly  to  general  farming  and  raising 
stock,  and  has  made  a  gratifying  success  of 
his  business.  He  takes  a  very  active  interest  in 
school  matters,  serving  as  president  of  his  dis- 
trict. Mr.  Ellis  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Flora  Crann  in  1889.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Lucinda. 

OTIS   MOORE. 

Otis  Moore,  of  Gunnison  county,  whose 
ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  lying 
five  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  is  one  of  the 
best  and  most  highly  improved  in  the  county, 
is  a  native  of  Colorado  and  has  passed  almost 
the  whole  of  his  life  so  far  in  the  county  of 
his  present  home.  He  was  educated  in  its 
public  schools,  began  his  life  work  on  its  wide 
domain  in  the  business  in  which  he  is  now 
engaged,  and  has  devoted  all  his  energies  to 
the  development  of  its  interests.  He  was  born 
at  River  Bend,  ninety-eight  miles  east  of  Den- 
ver, on  July  19,  1876,  and  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam B.  and  Jennie  (Davis)  Moore,  the  former 
born  in  West  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  Mis- 
souri. The  father  was  a  pioneer  in  Colorado, 
conducting  a  post  for  trading  with  the  Indians 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


495 


at  River  Bend  at  an  early  day.     He  now  lives 
in  Gunnison  county,  where  the  family  settled 
when  the  son  was  about  four  years  old.     He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  ranch  to  the  age  of 
fifteen    and    attended    the    public    school    at 
Gunnison.      When    he    reached    the    age    of 
fifteen  he  began  to  earn  an  independent  living 
by  working  on  ranches  by  the  month,  which 
he  continued  to  do  for  eight  years.     In  1897 
he   bought   one   hundred   and   sixty   acres   of 
land  about  two  miles  north  of  where  he  now 
lives,  which  he  sold  in   1901   and  bought  his 
present  place  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
on  Ohio  creek.    This  is  a  very  productive  tract 
of  land  and  is  devoted  almost  wholly  to  hay, 
of  which  he  cuts  an  average  of  five  hundred 
tons   a  year,   but  he  also  raises   some   grain. 
Ever  since  his  childhood  he  has  been  connected 
more  or  less  with  raising  cattle  and  other  stock, 
and  since  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
has  been  actively  employed  in  that  industry. 
Very  early  in  his  independent  career  he  began 
to  get  cattle  together  for  himself,  and  know- 
ing the  business  thoroughly  in  all  its  bearings, 
he  has  made  a  success  in  his  efforts  to  gather 
large  herds  of  superior  breeds  about  him,  now 
owning  four  hundred  to  seven  hundred  head, 
the  size  of  his  ranch,  the  number  of  his  cattle 
and  the  magnitude  of  his  operations  making 
him  one  of  the  extensive  stock  men  of  this  part 
of  the  state.     He  is  earnestly  interested  in  the 
progress  and  improvement  of  his  county,  and 
although  not  ostentatious  in  his  public-spirit, 
he  is  always  active  and  helpful  in  the  exercise 
of  it.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  but  not 
often  an  active  party  worker.     On  February 
9,    1897,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Mc- 
Millan, a  native  of  Mitchell  county,  Kansas,  a 
daughter  of  Horace  and  Caroline  (Baxter)  Mc- 
Millan,   who    were    born    and    married    near 
Sigourney,  Iowa,  and  became  early  settlers  in 
Cloud  county,  Kansas.    The  father  is  living  on 
a   farm  near   Concordia,   that  state,   and  the 


mother  died  there  some  years  ago.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Moore  have  three  children,  Arthur  H., 
Gail  H.  and  Dora  V.  It  is  a  matter  of  historic 
interest  that  the  home  ranch  of  the  Moores 
was  originally  taken  up  by  Louis  Arns,  one 
of  the  very  early  pioneers  in  this  section.  There 
is  a  cabin  still  standing  on  it  which  was  built 
by  him  in  the  'seventies,  most  of  the  work 
being  done  by  Indians  who  were  then  numerous 
in  the  neighborhood.  In  addition  to  this  ranch 
on  Ohio  creek  Mr.  Moore  owns,  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  pasture  land. 

FRANK  E.  LIGHTLEY. 

Frank  E.  Lightley,  whose  beautiful  ranch  on 
Ohio  creek,  nine  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  is 
one  of  the  choice  ones  of  the  valley  in  which 
it  is  located,  and  has  been  his  home  during  the 
last  five  years,  was  born  near  Beaver  Dam, 
Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  on  June  7,  1857. 
His  parents,  John  and  Louie  Ann  (Maltby) 
Lightley,  are  more  specifically  mentioned  in  a 
sketch  of  his  brother  George  W.  Lightley,  else- 
where in  this  work.  When  Frank  was  three 
years  old  the  family  moved  to  Freeborn  county, 
Minnesota,  and  there  he  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  a 
common-school  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  At  the  age  men- 
tioned he  went  to  the  pine  woods  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  at 
lumbering  until  the  spring  of  1881.  At  that 
time  he  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Gunnison 
on  April  23d.  Here  he  worked  with  his  brother 
George  for  seven  years,  then  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing a  few  years  on  land  which  he  rented.  In 
1889  he  bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives  on  Ohio  creek,  nine  miles  north  of  Gunni- 
son, which  comprises  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  excellent  land,  nearly  all  under  irriga- 
tion and  equipped  with  good  buildings  and  all 
the  necessary  outfit  for  an  enterprising  and 


496 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


successful  ranching  and  stock  industry.  His 
principal  crop  is  hay,  of  which  he  raises  about 
four  hundred  tons  a  year.  In  1890  he  began 
raising  stock  and  has  gradually  increased  his 
operations  in  this  line  until  he  now  has  a  herd 
of  some  four  hundred  good  cattle  and  a  number 
of  superior  horses.  While  he  was  not  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  his  neighborhood,  he  has 
been  among  the  most  active  and  helpful  in 
building  up  the  section  and  developing  its  re- 
sources, omitting  no  effort  of  his  own  and  no 
stimulus  to  others  of  which  he  has  been  capable 
in  promoting  the  advancement  and  comfort  of 
its  people  and  an  increasing  volume  of  wealth 
from  the  bounty  with  which  Providence  has 
blessed  it.  In  political  affairs  he  supports  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  fraternal  circles  be- 
longs to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  July 
20,  1890,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Maggie  Lehman,  a  native  of  Kansas,  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Combs)  Leh- 
man, the  father  born  in  New  York  and  the 
mother  in  Iowa.  The  father  was  among  the 
early  settlers  in  Gunnison  county,  locating 
many  years  ago  the  ranch  on  which  his  son 
Lee  now  lives  on  Ohio  creek  about  eleven  miles 
north  of  the  county  seat.  The  mother  died  in 
Kansas  in  1876  and  the  father  in  Pueblo,  Colo- 
rado, in  1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lightley  have  one 
son,  Charley  H. 

SQUIRE  G.  LANE. 

During  the  las't  twenty  years  the  interesting 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  a  resident  oi 
Fruita,  Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  he  has  seen 
all  the  growth  and  development  of  this  section 
from  a  barren  waste  to  its  present  advanced 
state  of  fruitfulness  and  prosperity.  He  was 
born  on  January  I,  1831,  in  Putnam  county, 
New  York,  and  is  the  son  of  George  and 
Esther  (Drake)  Lane,  who  were  also  natives 
of  Putnam  countv.  His  father  was  a  farmer 


for  a  time,  but  passed  the  later  years  of  his  life 
in  the  milling  and  grain  business,  moving  to 
Niagara  county  in  his  native  state  when  his 
son  Squire  was  eighteen  months  old,  and  set- 
tling on  a  farm  there.  He  died  at  Rochester 
at  a  good  old  age,  as  did  the  mother.  There 
were  twelve  children  in  the  family,  of  whom 
two  daughters  and  four  sons  are  living.  Squire 
was  the  third  born,  and  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  homestead,  receiving  a  public-school 
education,  which  was  supplemented  with  one 
term  at  an  academy.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-one,  then  engaged  in  the 
lumber  and  shingle  business,  all  shingles  at 
that  time  being  made  by  hand.  The  seat  of  his 
operations  \vas  in  Orleans  county,  New  York, 
and  he  continued  them  two  or  three  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Coldwater, 
Michigan,  and  bought  a  farm  near,  the  town. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  this  and  returned  to 
Niagara  county,  New  York,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried and  settled  on  the  old  homestead.  After 
farming  this  three  years  he  sold  it  and  moved 
to  his  native  county  of  Putnam  where  he  again 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1874  he  sold  this  farm 
also  and  came  to  Colorado.  Making  Denver 
his  headquarters,  he  prospected  and  mined  for 
four  years  in  various  places  with  all  the  vary- 
ing successes  and  reverses  characteristic  of 
these  alluring  but  delusive  occupations.  He 
had  plenty  of  hard  work  and  experience,  but 
did  not  lay  up  much  gold  as  the  result  of  his 
efforts.  In  1883  he  moved  to  Mesa  county  and 
took  up  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Grand  valley,  about  one  mile  below  Fruita. 
This  was  prior  to  the  birth  of  that  thriving 
little  town,  and  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
this  section,  there  being  but  few  settlers  in  it 
then,  and  they  almost  all  bachelors,  only  one 
woman  living  between  his  ranch  and  Grand 
Junction.  The  region  was  almost  wholly  de- 
void of  vegetation  of  value,  producing  naturally 
nothing  for  human  food  or  commerce,  and 


SQUIRE  G.  LANE. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


497 


there  was  not  a  tree  between  his  ranch  and 
Grand  Junction  except  along  the  river  banks. 
No  irrigation  ditches  had  been  constructed,  and 
the  natural  aridness  of  the  region  forbade  any 
attempt  at  systematic  husbandry  on  .a  scale  of 
magnitude.  In  1885,  when  the  first  ditch  for 
irrigation  was  completed,  Fruita  was  founded. 
He  then  sold  his  ranch  and  built  the  second 
house  in  that  town,  and  there  he  has  ever  since 
made  his  home.  During  the  last  five  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Merriell,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Lane  &  Merriell,  and  has  prospered. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  as 
such  has  served  two  terms  as  county  commis- 
sioner, besides  filjing  several  minor  local  offices 
at  various  times.  He  was  married  in  Michigan 
in  1856  to  Miss  Ann  E.  Hayne,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey.  They  have  had  four  children, 
George  H.,  deceased;  Ernest  H.,  deceased; 
Winnie  A.,  deceased,  and  Eva  B.,  who  is  living 
and  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Cain,  a  prominent  Mesa 
county  ranchman  (see  sketch  elsewhere).  Mr. 
Lane  has  been  an  earnest  blue-lodge  Mason 
during  nearly  fifty  years.  Having  wrought  his 
full  day  of  labor,  he  is  now  enjoying  the  even- 
ing of  life  in  peace  and  comfort,  respected  by  all 
his  neighbors  and  friends  and  a  host  of  admir- 
ing acquaintances. 

REGIS  VIDAL. 
\ 

Regis  Vidal,  whose  death  on  May  31,  1901, 
deprived  Gunnison  county  of  one  of  its  leading 
ranchmen  and  most  esteemed  and  prominent 
citizens,  was  born  in  the  department  of  Ar- 
deche,  France,  in  1839.  The  death  of  his  par- 
ents when  he  was  young  deprived  him  of  early 
educational  advantages  and  threw  him  on  his 
own  resources  for  advancement  in  the  world 
and  into  the  hard  and  rugged  school  of  experi- 
ence for  his  training.  In  1859  he  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  and  for  several  years  there- 
after he  wrought  in  the  mines  near  Pittsburg, 
32 


Pennsylvania.     Returning  to  his  native  land 
.  about  the  year  1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Albine  Tarandon  and  soon  after  brought  his 
bride  to  this  country.     They  came  direct  to 
Colorado,  and  locating  at  Gunnison  for  a  short 
time,  took  up  land  about  three  miles  north  of 
the  city  on  Ohio  creek,  being  among  the  earli- 
est settlers  in  the  county.     Mr.  Vidal  worked 
for  a  number  of  years   in  mines   in   various 
parts  of  the  state  to  get  the  money  necessary  to 
improve  his  property,  which  by  purchases  sub- 
sequent to  his  first  location   he   increased   to 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres.     In  1879 
the  family  took  up  their  residence  permanently 
on  the  ranch  and  from  then  to  his  death  the 
father  devoted  his  entire  time  and  energy  to  its 
improvement,  making  it  in  fact  the  finest  ranch 
in  the  county.    After  his  death  his  widow  car- 
ried on  the  business  with  vigor  and  capacity 
which    shone   out   with    increasing   brightness 
owing  to  the  difficulties  with  which  she  was 
obliged  to  contend :  for  the  father  at  his  death 
left  the  property  heavily  mortgaged.     The  ex- 
cellent lady  was,,  however,  clearing  away  the 
debts  and  other  difficulties  steadily  and  mak- 
ing progress  toward  final  freedom,  when  death 
ended  her  labors  also,  calling  her  away  from  her 
sphere  of  earthly  usefulness  on  June  19,  1904. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  daughters  and 
one  son,  all  of  whom  are  living  and  at  home, 
Philipine,  Josephine,  Robert,  Matilda,  Dorothy, 
Berthilda,  Sophia,  Louina  and  Annette.     The 
daughters  and  the  son'have  inherited  the  spirit 
and  determination  of  their  parents,  and  they 
at  once  took  up  the  work  where  the  mother 
was  obliged  to  drop  it,  determined  to  save  their 
estate  from  loss .  and  redeem  it  from  its  in- 
cumbrances.    Their  conduct  in  the  matter,  that 
of  the  young  ladies,  is  rontantic  and  deeply  in- 
teresting, and  furnishes  one  of  the  highest  trib- 
utes to  the  essential  worth  and  usefulness,  as 
well  as  of  the  pluck  and  independence  of  Amer- 
ican   womanhood    our    annals    afford.      They 
made  Miss  Dorothy  Vidal  the  manager  of  the 


498 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


enterprise  and  all  together  went  to  work  with 
will  and  cheerfulness  to  promote  its  success. 
So  faithfully  have  they  all  labored,  and  so 
wisely  have  they  managed  their  affairs,  that 
with  the  circumstances  continuing  as  they  are, 
under  ordinary  conditions  they  will  have  ac- 
complished their  object  by  the  end  of  three 
years  from  this  time  (1904).  The  daughters 
know  all  about  ranch  work  of  every  kind,  and 
they  never  shirk  from  its  performance  with  all 
the  strength  and  ardor  of  their  natures.  In 
haying  time  they  put  on  overalls  and  run  the 
mower,  the  rake,  the  go-devil  and  the  stacker, 
and  save  their  crop  with  expedition  in  the  best 
condition,  and  with  no  other  help  than  that  of 
their  brother  Robert.  When  it  comes  time  to 
bale  the  hay  for  market  they  do  this  too  with 
skill  and  no  loss  of  time.  They  think  their 
work  as  good  as  play  and  none  of  them  has  ever 
been  ill  a  day  from  it.  They  are  young  ladies 
of  very  striking  and  prepossessing  appearance, 
fine  specimens  of  physical  womanhood  and 
with  all  the  modesty  and  graces  which  adorn 
the  drawing  room  as  well  as  the  strength  and 
resolution  necessary  to  meet  emergencies  and 
conquer  difficulties.  In  the  winter  months  the 
older  sisters  find  employment  in  Denver,  where 
they  have  hosts  of  friends,  and  the  younger 
ones  attend  school  at  Gunnison.  Their  father, 
having  an  impressive  realization  of  the  value  of 
education  from  his  own  early  lack  of  it,  was 
xleeply  interested  in  school  matters  in  his 
county  and  for  years  served  as  the  president  of 
the  board  in  his  district.  He  was  in  reference 
to  all  public  affairs  a  wisely  conservative  yet 
eminently  progressive  man,  and  gave  his 
hearty  assistance  to  all  commendable  projects 
for  the  improvement  of  his  community  and 
county. 

WILLIAM  REESER. 

The  life  of  toil  and  privation,  hardship  and 
danger,  sudden  wealth  and  often  as  sudden 
poverty  afterward,  and  the  heroic  struggle 


against  great  odds  for  a  foothold  on  the  soil 
and  its  reduction  to  submissive  and  generous 
productiveness,  which  has  been  the  lot  of  the 
western  pioneers,  has  been  the  experience  of 
William .  Reeser,  of  Mesa  county,  one  of  the 
substantial  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
Grand  Junction  section  of  the  state;  and  like 
many  another  of  his  kind  he  can  enjoy  his 
present  comfort  and  consequence  all  the  more 
because  of  the  toilsome  and  trying  course 
through  which  he  reached  it.  He  was  born  in 
Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
February  23,  1830,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Traher)  Reeser,  who  were  also  native 
there.  In  1883  the  family  moved  to  Ohio,  and 
from  there  to  Indiana  and  .later  to  Illinois, 
where  the  father  operated  a  large  farm  in  Clark 
county,  remaining  there  for  a  number  of  years 
and  prospering  in  all  his  undertakings.  He 
died  in  Iowa  and  his  wife  in  Illinois.  Their 
offspring  numbered  ten,  three  of  whom  are 
living.  Their  son  William  was  the  fifth  born 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-five. 
Owing  to  the  migratory  life  of  the  family  his 
school  advantages  were  irregular  and  limited, 
but  he  made  good  use  of  what  he  had  and  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education. 
When  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  excitement  swept 
over  the  country  in  1859  he  started  for  the  new 
eldorado,  and  shipping  his  cattle  from  St. 
Louis  by  boat  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  he  pro- 
ceeded overland  from  that  point  by  ox  teams 
by  way  of  the  Republican  river  valley  route, 
then  a  new  one  just  opened,  to  Denver,  which 
.  he  found  a  small  hamlet  of  a  few  log  cabins. 
There  were  over  one  hundred  persons  in  his 
train  and  the  country  through  which  they 
traveled  was  nearly  all  wild  and  uninhabited. 
He  sent  the  first  issue  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
News  back  east  to  his  father,  for  even  in  that 
day  there  was  journalistic  enterprise  in  this 
western  world.  Going  on  to  Pike's  Peak,  he 
was  disappointed  in  his  search  for  gold  there, 
and  proceeded  to  Central  City,  where  he  mined 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


499 


in  Russel  gulch  until  the  spring  of  1860.  He 
then  went  to  Georgia  gulch,  and  here  he  was 
successful  and  did  well.  Late  in  the  autumn  of 
1861  he,  with  several  other  persons,  made  a 
stampede  to  Baker's  Park,  which  was  near 
where  Lake  City  now  stands.  He  wintered 
there  and  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  Food  was 
scarce,  the  season  was  severe,  the  Navajo  In- 
dians were  hostile  and  troublesome,  and  the 
means  of  providing  against  all  these  difficulties 
were  but  slender  and  not  easily  available.  In 
the  spring  he  returned  to  Georgia  gulch  and 
worked  his  mines  during  the  summer.  The 
return  trip  was  full  of  hardship  and  danger. 
Often  the  party  had  no  food  for  days  but  the 
fish  they  could  catch  in  the  streams,  and 
these  they  were  obliged  to  eat  without  salt. 
When  they  were  near  the  present  town  of 
Salida  they  caught  a  badger,  and  this  Mr. 
Reeser  says  was  the  toughest  eating  he  ever 
had.  While  at  Baker's  Park  he  made  a  pros- 
pecting trip  to  the  head  of  the  Rio  Grande 
and  there  had  a  hard  tussle  with  a  grizzly  bear 
that  forced  him  to  climb  a  tree,  in  doing  which 
he  dropped  his  gun.  He  had  fired  at  and 
wounded  the  bear,  but  did  not  have  time  to 
reload  before  going  up  the  tree,  and  as  the  bear 
was  a  very  large  one  and  enraged  by  its  wound 
he  found  his  only  safety  in  flight.  After  keep- 
ing him  imprisoned  up  the  trees  for  a  con- 
siderable time  the  bear  disappeared  in  the  tim- 
ber, and  he  was  permitted  to  go  on  his  way. 
He  worked  his  mines  in  Georgia  gulch  until 
the  fall  of  1862,  then  with  four  other  men  he 
outfitted  for  Virginia  City,  Montana,  but  they 
were  cut  off  by  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  and 
went  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada.  Here  Mr. 
Reeser  remained  about  five  years,  during  which 
period  he  discovered  the  richest  mine  on  the 
Humboldt,  but  was  beaten  out  of  his  interest 
in  it.  While  living  at  that  point  he  was  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
and  found  it  a  profitable  occupation.  In  the 


fall  of  1867  he  went  to  California  to  visit 
his  brother,  and  soon  afterward  he  took  a 
steamer  at  San  Francisco  for  New  York,  mak- 
ing the  trip  by  the  Nicaragua  route.  From 
New  York  he  came  west  to  Indiana  and  later 
to  Iowa.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  bought  a 
good  team  and  went  to  Kansas,  settling  in 
Cherokee  county,  where  he  got  married  and 
took  up  land  on  which  he  went  to  farming. 
He  remained  there  until  1877,  and  being  sick 
most  of  the  time  was  very  unsuccessful.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  returned  to  Colorado, 
and  locating  at  or  near  Canon  City,  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1882,  then  removed  to  Mesa 
county,  taking  up  his  residence  on  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  he  entered 
and  which  lay  on  the  river  five  miles  below 
Grand  Junction.  Some  years  later  he  sold 
this  and  bought  the  forty  acres  on  which  he 
now  lives,  six  miles  northwest  of  the  Junc- 
tion. On  September  27,  1868,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Susan  Spickelwire,  a  native  of 
Indiana.  They  had  nine  children,  John  (de- 
ceased), Lizzie,  C.  Edward,  Rosa  (deceased), 
Hutchinson  (deceased),  William  B.,  Nellie  (de- 
ceased), Noble  (deceased)  and  Joseph  R.  In 
politics  Mr.  Reeser  is  an  independent 
Democrat. 

C.  EDWARD  REESER,  the  oldest  living  son  of 
William  Reeser,  was  born  in  Cedar  county, 
Missouri,  on  January  16,  1864,  and  came  to 
Mesa  county,  Colorado,  with  his  parents.  In 
the  fall  of  1901  he  bought  twenty-seven  acres 
of  land  on  which  he  now  lives,  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  and  where  he 
carries  on  a  successful  farming  industry,  being 
one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  young 
men  of  that  section  of  the  state.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  July  4,  1898,  to  Miss  Belle  Eaton,  a 
native  of  Michigan.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, Edward  B.,  B.  Fay  and  James  A.  In 
politics  Mr.  Reeser  is  independent.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  he  is  connected  with  the  Wood- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


men  of  the  World.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Bethel. 

MANSIR  STEWART. 

In  war  and  peace  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  been  faithful  to  duty  and  exemplified  the 
best  attributes  of  American  citizenship.  He 
was  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  New  York, 
on  June  4,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of  Elipha- 
let  and  Lucy  (Tilley)  Stewart,  also  natives 
of  New  York,  where  the  mother  died 
in  August,  1854.  The  father  moved  to 
Kansas  in  1864  and  some  time  later  to 
Indian  Territory,  where  he  died.  He 
was  a  law  student  in  early  life  and  lived  to  be 
ninety-seven  years  old.  There  were  seven 
children  in  the  family,  and  six  are  living. 
Mansir  'was  the  fourth  born.  He  grew  to  the 
age  of  fifteen  in  his  native  state  and  there  re- 
ceived a  district  school  education.  He  started 
in  life  for  himself  when  but  a  boy,  going  to 
New  Boston,  Illinois,  for  two  years  and  from 
there  at  the  end  of  that  period  to  Kansas  in 
1857.  His  arrival  in  that  turbulent  region  was 
in  time  for  him  to  witness  and  participate  in 
the  border  troubles  then  prevalent  in  Kansas, 
as  no  resident  of  the  section  was  allowed  to  re- 
main neutral.  After  spending  a  few  years 
teaming  on  the  plains  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  in  August,  1862,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E.  Thirteenth  Kansas  Infantry,  under 
comm'and  of  Col.  Thomas  M.  Bowen,  later 
United  States  senator  from  Colorado,  and  was 
assigned  with  his  regiment  to  the  Army  of  the 
West.  He  was  in  the  service  eight  months, 
nearly  half  of  the  time  in  the  hospital  at  Spring- 
field, Missouri.  The  field  service  in  which  he 
was  placed  took  him  into  a  number  of  skir- 
mishes and  battles.  At  Prairie  Grove  he  re- 
ceived a  gunshot  wound  in  his  left  limb  which, 
with  other  injuries,  sent  him  to  the  hospital, 
he  having  been  reported  mortally  wounded. 


After  being  discharged  from  the  service,  in 
March,  1863,  ne  returned  to  Kansas,  and  lo- 
cating in  Marshall  county  engaged  in  farming 
and  raising  stock,  and  also  in  merchandising 
and  the  real  estate  business  at  Irving,  where 
he  improved  several  farms,  remaining  there 
eight  years  and  carrying  on  a  successful  busi- 
ness. At  the  end  of  the  period  named  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Butler  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  mer- 
chandising until  1879.  He  then  moved  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  this  state,  where  he  built  several 
houses  for  himself,  living  there  until  1883, 
when  he  moved  to  Grand  Junction,  after  which 
he  made  his  home  there  for  a  number  of  years. 
There  he  bought  real  estate  and  improved  it, 
building  several  residence  properties  which  he 
afterward  sold.  In  1895  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Fruita,  buying  land  adjoining  the  town 
and  a  ranch  on  the  river.  On  February  23, 
1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Vaughn, 
a  native  of  Randolph  county,  Indiana.  They 
had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living, 
Mary,  Lucy,  Greg,  Clair,  Dick,  Earl  and  Ge- 
neva. Those  deceased  are  Jennie  I.  and  Ray, 
the  latter  dying  in  Alaska,  being  buried  at 
Forty  Mile.  Their  mother  died  on  April  9, 
1897.  Greg  and  Clair  went  to  Alaska  in  the 
spring  of  1895,  and  in  1896  Clair  returned 
home  and  Greg  went  to  the  interior  of, Alaska, 
where  he  built  the  first  cabin  put  up  on  Bonanza 
creek.  They  were  successful  in  their  search  for 
gold,  Clair  returning  to  Alaska  in  1897,  an<^ 
some  time  later  Dick,  Earl  and  Ray  followed 
them  to  that  far-away  country,  where  they  were 
also  fairly  successful,  Earl  being  one  of  the  pio- 
neers to  the  famous  "Camp  Fairbanks"  on  the 
Tanawa  river.  In  making  a  return  trip  once 
three  of  the  boys,  Fred,  Clair  and  Dick,  were 
on  a  ship  which  lost  her  rudder  and  drifted  for 
nineteen  days,  on  the  trip  from  Cape  Nome 
to  Seattle,  those  on  board  living  mostly  on 
hard  tack.  Mr.  Stewart  is  a  Silver  Republican 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


in  politics,  but  he  never  held  office  except  in  the 
army  or  aspired  to  public  office.  He  has  sub- 
scribed to  no  creed,  but  is  ever  ready  to  assist 
and  encourage  every  worthy  enterprise  and  is 
an  advocate  of  morality  and  justice. 

FRANK  A.  COLLINS. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  Frank  .A. 
Collins,  of  Mesa  county,  one  of  the  progressive 
and  substantial  fruit-growers  and  ranchmen  of 
western  Colorado,  living  two  miles  east  of 
Fruita,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  state  and  an 
important  contributor  to  its  development  and 
improvement.  He  was  born  in  Burke  county, 
North  Carolina,  on  December  i,  1859,  the  son 
of  Brice  M.  and  Margaret  E.  (Warwick)  Col- 
lins, also  natives  of  North  Carolina,  the  father 
of  Scotch-Irish  and  the  mother  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  ancestry.  They  are  farmers,  and 
in  1874  moved  to  Kansas,  locating  near  Junc- 
tion City,  where  they  still  live.  There  were 
twelve  children  in  the  family,  ten  of  whom  are 
living,  Frank  having  been  the  first  born.  He 
was  about  fifteen  when  the  family  moved  to 
Kansas,  and  in  the  schools  of  that  state  supple- 
mented in  a  small  way  the  limited  public  school 
education  he  had  received  in  those  of  North 
Carolina,  attending  a  few  terms  in  the  winter 
months.  Being  the  oldest  child,  he  was  obliged 
early  to  look  out  for  himself  by  working  on 
neighboring  farms ;  and  this  effort,  trying  at 
best  to  a  young  and  ambitious  nature,  was 
doubly  discouraging  at  that  time  and  place, 
for  the  grasshoppers  consumed  all  the  crops  of 
the  farms  and  rendered  it  unusually  difficult  to 
extract  a  living  from  the  soil  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1879  he  moved  to  the 
Indian  Territory,  and  for  a  year  was  employed 
on  a  ranch  in  the  western  part  of  the  Chickasaw 
nation  near  where  the  western  cattle  trail 
crossed  from  Texas.  At  the  end  of  his  year 
there  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  during  the 


spring  and  summer  of  1880  worked  in  a  saw 
mill  in  the  mountains  forty  miles  above  Gunni- 
son.  In  the  fall  he  went  to  Leadville,  and  a 
little  later  to  Denver.  During  the  next  nine 
months  he  worked  on  the  Rio  Grande  Railroad 
on  the  South  Platte  river,  then  returned  to 
Denver  and  was  variously  employed  in  that 
city  for  two  years.  In  February,  1884,  he 
moved  into  the  Grand  valley,  and  after  spend- 
ing some  time  in  a  number  of  different  occupa- 
tions, he  purchased  the  eighty  acres  of  land 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Wheeler,  making  the  pur- 
chase in  1887.  He  immediately  began  to  make 
improvements  and  planted  seven  acres  in  fruit 
trees,  intending  this  to  be  his  permanent  home. 
But  in  1892  he  sold  the  place,  having  previ- 
ously bought  the  one  of  eighty  acres  on  which 
he  now  lives.  This  he  has  made  over  into  a 
good  farm  which  yields  abundantly  in  general 
products  and  provides  a  liberal  revenue  from 
its  twenty  acres  of  choice  fruit  trees  and  its 
additional  acreage  devoted  to  small  fruits.  His 
crop  of  apples  in  1903  was  about  eighteen  hun- 
dred bushels,  and  the  yield  from  his  general 
farming  was  also  large.  His  farm  is  improved 
with  a  good  modern  dwelling  and  other  suit- 
able buildings,  and  has  every  needed  appliance 
for  the  proper  operation  of  its  industries.  On 
December  22,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Fannie  E.  Lamson,  a  daughter  of  Bruce  Lam- 
son,  who  has  lived  in  Mesa  county  since  1883. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Fisk,  Edgar,  Ruth,  Laura  and  Lucy. 
Those  deceased  are  Charles,  Howard  and  Ells- 
worth. Their  mother  died  on  January  25, 
1899,  and  on  June  25,  1901,  Mr.  Collins  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  Miss  Cora  B.  Holdridge,  a 
native  of  Swanton,  Vermont,  and  daughter  of 
Amasa  and  Delia  C.  (Stiles)  Holdridge,  both 
natives  of  that  state.  The  father  is  deceased 
and  the  mother  makes  her  home  with  Mr.  and 
M'rs.  Collins.  They  have  two  children,  Beryl 
H.  and  Vyrdon  S.  In  politics  Mr.  Collins  is 


502 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


a  Prohibition  Republican.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Fruita,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the 
trustees.  He  is  also  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school.  He  served  on  the  school  board  of 
district  No.  i,  Fruita,  eleven  years. 

ADAM  SHELLABARGER. 

Every  true  man  is,  according  to  the 
measure  of  his  capacities  and  the  loftiness  and 
constancy  of  his  spirit,  a  cause,  a  country,  an 
age.  All  human  events  in  his  unclouded  vision 
teach  him  faith — faith  in  himself  and  in  the 
omnipotence  of  will  and  of  natural  law.  He 
finds  his  guidance  in  obedience  to  the  instincts 
within  him,  and  by  lowly  listening  to  them 
hears  the  right  word.  Neither  vexations  nor 
calamities  abate  his  trust.  His  natural  mag- 
netism selects  in  the  economy  of  the  world's 
work  what  belongs  to  him,  and  this  without  de- 
pendence on  books  or  what  we  call  education, 
for  they  only  copy  the  language  which  the 
field  and  the  work-yard  make.  He  is  no  vain 
carpet  knight,  shunning  the  rugged  battle  of 
fate  where  strength  is  born,  but  walks  abreast 
with  his  days,  and  lives  every  hour  of  them  as 
it  passes.  Domesticated  in  nature,  he  has  her 
mighty  forces  for  his  ministrants,  and  standing 
on  tiptoe  in  any  circumstances  looks  over 
the  hilltops  of  difficulty  to  the  boundless  wealth 
of  the  future.  And,  as  with  him  to  think  is  to 
act,  seeing  this,  he  at  once  sets  out  to  possess 
and  command  it.  Men  of  this  character  have 
opened  the  wild  West  of  this  country  to  set- 
tlement and  civilization,  and  brought  its  won- 
derful resources  to  the  service  of  the  race.  Our 
history  shows  forth  no  more  heroic,  far-seeing 
or  colossal  class  than  our  pioneers,  whether 
measured  by  aspirations,  by  endurance,  or  by 
greatness  and  permanency  of  conquest.  To 
this  class  belongs  the  modest  and  unassuming 
subject  of  this  article.  He  came  to  this  state 


in  1869,  and  from  then  until  now  has  been 
actively  doing  all  that  came  his  way  for  the 
development  and  advancement  of  the  section, 
never  dreaming,  perhaps,  that  his  efforts  were 
heroic,  and  worthy  of  an  exalted  place  in  song 
and  story.  He  came  into  the  state  with  next 
to  nothing  in  the  way  of  capital,  and  all  that 
he  has  and  is  has  been  achieved  by  himself; 
and  the  influence  of  his  example  and  his  work, 
with  all  their  attendant  blessings,  must  be 
added  to  the  account  in  estimating  the  value  of 
his  citizenship  here.  Mr.  Shellabarger  was 
born  near  Springfield,  Ohio,  on  December  16, 
1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Martin  and  Elizabeth 
(Sheller)  Shellabarger,  natives  of  Maryland 
who  moved  to  Ohio  soon  after  their  marriage, 
and  enacted  on  the  soil  of  that  then  western 
frontier  the  role  he  has  since  repeated  with  so 
much  credit  in  this  section  of  the  country.  The 
father  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Ohio, 
and  after  a  long  course  of  strict  attention  to 
farming  and  raising  live  stock,  and  active  par- 
ticipation in  public  affairs  as  an  earnest 
Democrat,  died  there  in  October,  1894.  The 
mother  now  lives  at  Yellow  Springs,  that 
state.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 
Of  these  Anna  died  in  1868,  Mrs.  Frank  Fulton 
in  October,  1894,  and  George  E.  in  Septem- 
ber, 1897.  The  three  living  are  Mrs.  Charles 
Lehow,  a  Colorado  pioneer  who  resides  at  Yel- 
low Springs,  Ohio;  Adam  and  William,  the 
latter  living  on  the  Platte  river  near  Plum 
creek.  Adam  received  only  a  common-school 
education,  passing  his  minority 'on  the  home 
farm  and  assisting  in  its  labors ;  then,  in  1869. 
he  came  to  Colorado  by  way  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and 
from  there 'by  stage  to  Denver.  On  the  Platte 
canyon  near  this  city  he  found  employment 
as  a  ranch  hand  for  six  months,  then  came  to 
San  Luis  valley  November  20,  1869,  being  em- 
ployed by  Lilly  &  Coberly,  extensive  cattle- 
growers,  with  whom  he  remained  ten  months 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


503 


for  the  purpose  of  learning  all  about  the  stock 
industry.  During  this  period  he  made  trips 
to  Texas  and  New  Mexico  to  bring  cattle  to 
Colorado  and  in  the  fall  of  1870  was  given  one 
hundred  cattle  on  shares  by  Lehow  Brothers  of 
Platte  canyon,  and  with  this  start  he  began 
ranching  and  raising  stock  on  the  Rito  Alto, 
on  land  that  is  a  portion  of  his  present  ranch 
of  four  thousand  seven  hundred  acres,  one 
thousand  of  which  produce  first-class  hay.  He 
secured  his  first  tract  as  a  homestead  and  pre- 
emption, a  total  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  and  has  added  the  rest  by  purchase.  He 
has  two  hundred  acres  devoted  to  grain  and  the 
remainder,  besides  what  is  given  up  to  hay,  is 
excellent  pasture  land.  Water  is  furnished 
abundantly  for  all  necessary  purposes  by 
twelve  artesian  wells,  and  several  ditches.  The 
ranch  is  seven  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of 
Moffat  and  is  well  located  for  its  best  develop- 
ment. It  is  all  fenced  and  well  improved  with 
all  the  requirements  for  a  valuable  and  attrac- 
tive ranch  home.  Cattle  and  hay  are  the  chief 
products,  and  these  are  grown  extensively  and 
profitably.  Horses  were  also  raised  in  numbers 
for  an  active  and  discriminating  market  until 
1893,  when  this  branch  of  the  stock  business 
was  abandoned.  Mr.  Shellabarger  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  this  portion  of  the  country, 
and  for  several  years  after  his  location  here 
wild  game  was  his  principal  source  of  animal 
food  for  his  table.  From  his  young  manhood 
he  has  been  an  energetic  and  zealous  working 
Freemason.  He  aided  in  organizing  the  lodges 
of  the'order  at  Saguache  and  Crestone,  and  is  a 
charter  member  of  both.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  order  of  Elks,  with  a  membership  in  the 
lodge  of  that  order  at  Creede,  Colorado.  He 
learned  his  business  from  the  ground  up  and  is 
a  high  authority  on  all  questions  touching  the 
cattle  industry,  his  opinion  thereon  being  val- 
ued and  deferred  to  throughout  a  large  extent 
of  the  surrounding  country.  He  is,  moreover, 
one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 


the  country,  and  has  a  voice  of  power  and  a 
leading  part  in  all  matters  of  local  interest  and 
advantage.  In  political  activity  he  supports 
the  Democratic  party  with  an  ardor  and  effi- 
ciency, being  prominent  and  potential  in  its 
councils  without  seeking  any  of  its  honors  in 
the  way  of  nominations  to  public  office.  On 
April  3,  1873,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Abigail  Wales,  a  sister  of  Wales  Otis,  a  sketch 
of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
They  have  had  six  children.  Of  these  Emma 
died  on  November  5,  1896,  and  the  following 
are  living:  Charles  W.,  who  was  the  first 
white  boy  born  in  that  section  of  the  county; 
Ralph,  Elizabeth  C,  Ethel,  Eloise.  Elizabeth 
has  become  renowned  as  a  traveler,  she  having 
made  a  trip  around  the  world,  starting  on  De- 
cember i,  1903,  and  returning  in  June,  1904. 
Her  route  was  from  San  Francisco  to  Hono- 
lulu, then  across  the  Pacific  to  Manilla, 
through  the  Indian  ocean,  the  Red  sea,  Suez 
canal,  the  Mediterranean,  and  across  the  At- 
lantic and  this  continent  to  her  home.  She  was 
one  month  on  the  water  going  and  fifty-eight 
days  returning.  Coming  to  Colorado  before 
the  railroads  in  the  state  were  built  Mr.  Shella- 
barger encountered  all  the  difficulties  and  in- 
conveniencies  of  life  on  the  remote  frontier. 
When  he  located  on  his  ranch  Denver  was  the 
nearest  trading  point,  and  this  was  some  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  as  the  crow 
flies,  and  involved  in  a  trip  either  way  a  much 
greater  distance  through  trackless  wilds  and 
over  steep  and  rocky  regions.  His  choice  was 
often  one  of  two  evils  or  discomforts — either 
to  do  without  desired  supplies  or  make  this 
long,  trying  and  dangerous  journey  to  get 
them. 

GEORGE  BALL. 

In  the  forty  years  of  his  active  labor  as  man 
and  boy,  since  he  began  to  earn  his  own  living 
and  make  his  way  in  the  world  unassisted, 
George  Ball,  who  is  now  one  of  the  progres- 


504 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


sive  and  prosperous  ranch  and  cattle  men  of 
Saguache  county,   this  state,  and  is  comfort- 
ably     fixed     on     a     fine     ranch      of      three 
hundred      and     twenty     acres     seven      miles 
southeast  of  the  County  seat,  one-half  of  which 
he  entered  as  a  homestead  and  the  other  half 
acquired  by  purchase,  has  seen  much    of    the 
world,  and  mingled  with  peoples  of  widely  dif- 
fering characteristics  and  engaged  in  a  great 
variety  of  pursuits.     The  experience  has  been 
valuable  to  him  in  satisfying  his  love  of  adven- 
ture and  desire  to  see  the  world,  but  much  more 
in  giving  him  knowledge  of  himself  and  his 
strong  points  of  character,  and  teaching  him 
how  to  rely  on  them  for  his  advancement  in 
life  and  in  meeting  its  frequent    and    trying 
emergencies.     Mr.  Ball  is  a  native  of  "merrie 
England,"  born  in  Staffordshire  on  March  10, 
1849.    His  parents,  George  and  Prudence  Ball, 
were  also  English  by  birth,  and  passed  their 
lives  in  their  native  land.     The  father  was  a 
dipper  in  the  potteries,  and  made  good  wages 
at  his  work  but  he  did  not  have  much  to  give 
his  children  in  the  way  of  a  start  in  life.     Of 
the  seven  children  in  the  household  Moses  and 
Hugh  have  died,  and  Joseph,  who  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  second  division  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Coal  &  Iron  Company;  Joab,  Isaac, 
and  George,  the  last  named  being  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  of  those  who  are  living.     He  re- 
ceived a  very  limited   common-school  educa- 
tion, and  began  to  work  in  the  potteries  at  the 
age  of  nine  years,  being  employed  in  their  in- 
teresting work  five  years.     From  the  age  of 
fourteen  to  that  of  nearly  seventeen  he  did  hard 
labor  in  the  coal  mines.     Then,  impelled  by  a 
strong  desire  to  seek  more  fruitful  opportuni- 
ties in  the  new  world,  where  they  were  said 
to  abound,  and  where  thousands  of  his  country- 
men had  found  them,  on  August  5,  1867,  he 
sailed  from  Liverpool  for  the  United  States, 
and    ten    days    later    arrived    at    Pittsburg. 
Pennsylvania.    The  first  three  years  of  his  resi- 


dence in  this  country  were  passed  working  in 
coal  mines  in  Mercer  county  and  along  the 
Monongahela  river  in  that  state,  and  the  next 
two  in  the  same  occupation  in  many  different 
and  widely  separated  places,  among  them  Illi- 
nois, Vancouver  Island,  the  Puget  Sound  coun- 
try, near  San  Francisco,  California,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Coos  Bay,  Oregon.  In  the  spring 
of  1872  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  mining 
at  Georgetown  until  October  of  that  year,  he 
went  to  Wyoming  and  mined  coal  at  Carbon 
until  Christmas  day,  then  returning  to  this 
state,  worked  ten  days  in  the  mines 
at  Golden.  In  January,  1873,  Mr.  Ball  lo- 
cated half  of  his  present  fine  ranch  on 
a  homestead  claim,  and  traveled  to  it  from 
Denver  with  all  his  worldly  possessions  on  one 
wagon  drawn  by  one  yoke  of  oxen,  leaving  the 
capital  city  on  January  i6th  and  arriving  at 
his  homestead  on  the  2Qth  clay  of  the  same 
month,  the  temperature  during  this  time  being 
thirty  degrees  below  zero,  and  the  journey  full 
of  hardships  and  suffering.  But  his  subsequent 
triumphs  on  the  tract  of  his  choice  and  the  addi- 
tion he  has  made  to  it,  have  amply  rewarded 
his  heroic  efforts  to  secure  it  and  demonstrated 
his  wisdom  in  the  selection.  One  hundred  acres 
of  the  land  is  well  adapted  to  grain  and  seventy 
acres  to  hay,  the  remainder  being  good  pasture 
ground.  The  ranch  is  well  fenced  and  provided 
with  comfortable  and  commodious  buildings 
and  other  necessary  improvements.  He  raises 
large  quantities  of  oats  and  other  cereals,  and 
his  hay  is  first-class  in  quality  and  abundant 
an  quantity.  Mr.  Ball  has  given  his  business 
close  and  careful  attention,  and  it  has  rewarded 
his  zeal  with  returns  proportioned  to  the  outlay. 
He  has  been  something  of  a  hunter,  too,  and 
has  a  large  collection  of  mounted  specimens  of 
wild  game,  trophies  of  the  chase,  including 
birds,  animals  and  reptiles,  all  secured 
and  mounted  by  himself,  assisted  by  his 
brother  Joseph,  since  1886.  The  collec- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


505 


tion  is  valued  at  five  hundred  dollars  and 
is  wholly  of  Colorado  products.  Mr.  Ball  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  an  earnest  worker 
for  his  party.  Recognized  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial, progressive  and  far-seeing  men  of  the 
county,  he  is  prominent  in  all  local  affairs  and 
occupies  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  the 
people. 

FRANK  ROMINGER. 

Frank  Rominger,  of  Saguache  county, 
whose  fine  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  is  located  seven  miles  southeast  of  Villa- 
grove  and  has  been  in  his  possession  since 
1887,  is  altogether  a  western  man,  and  is  one 
of  the  excellent  types  of  the  people  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  is  among  the  most  prosperous  and 
progressive  ranch  and  stock  men  of  his  portion 
of  the  state,  ardently  loyal  to  its  and  the  gen- 
eral interests,  ever  willing  to  bear  his  part  in 
the  work  of  development  and  improvement, 
and  entertaining  a  high  opinion  of  and  a  com- 
mendable pride  in  the  wonderful  possibilities  of 
the  future  which  will  make  Colorado  one  of  the 
commanding  commonwealths  of  the  Union,  an 
impressive  proof  of  which  is  given  in  the  ad- 
vancement in  every  department  of  useful  indus- 
try already  achieved  by  this  young  giant  al- 
though it  is  as  yet  but  little  beyond  the  first 
quarter-century  of  its  existence  as  a  state.  Mr. 
Rominger  was  born  on  September  10,  1861,  at 
Dakota,  Nebraska,  and  was  reared  in  Colorado. 
A  common-school  education,  and  a  limited  one 
at  that,  was  all  that  he  had  opportunity  to  ob- 
tain, owing  to  his  situation  in  life,  which  made 
him  a  helping  hand  to  his  parents  as  soon  as  he 
was  able  to  work.  He  remained  at  home 
working  under  the  wise  direction  of  his 
father  until  he  reached  the  age  of  about 
twenty  years,  then  from  1881  to  1887  he 
managed  the  home  ranch  on  shares.  In  the  last 
named  year  he  pre-empted  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  his  present  ranch  and  bought  the 


other  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  had  no  other  ambition  in 
the  world  but  that  of  making  his  place  all  that 
nature  made  possible  and  skill  and  industry  can 
achieve  for  it.  He  has  improved  it  with  good 
buildings,  fences  and  other  necessary  struc- 
tures, provided  it  with  water  plentifully  sup- 
plied and  wisely  distributed,  and  brought  its 
extensive  and  responsive  acreage  to  abundant 
productiveness.  His  staples  are  hay,  grain  and 
vegetables,  and  sheep  and  cattle  prove  a  profit- 
able resource.  Every  phase  of  ranch  life  at 
present  suitable  to  the  region  has  its  share  of 
close  and  thoughtful  attention,  and  the  results 
are  commensurate  with  the  outlay  in  every 
particular.  While  not  an  active  worker  in 
political  matters,  Mr.  Rominger  supports  the 
principles  and  candidates  of  the  Republican 
organization  with  fidelity  and  ardor,  but  seeks 
no  political  honors  for  himself.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  February  21,  1888,  to  Miss  Caroline 
Rominger,  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have 
three  daughters,  Mary,  Annie  and  Elsie. 

FREDERICK  JEEP. 

Frederick  Jeep,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in 
Saguache  county,  and  conducting  a  flourishing 
ranch  and  cattle  industry  on  his  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  five  miles  southeast 
of  the  county  seat,  and  one  of  the  most  gen- 
erally respected  citizens  of  that  whole  section 
of  the  state,  is  a  native  of  the  province  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  born  on  October  9,  1842.  He 
is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Charlotte  (Sharper) 
Jeep,  who  were  also  born  and  reared  in  Han- 
over, and  passed  their  lives  in  that  province. 
The  father  was  throughout  his  mature  life  an 
officer  in  the  customs  service,  and  was  prosper- 
ous and  well  esteemed.  He  died  in  1872  and 
his  wife  in  1901.  Eight  of  their  children  sur- 
vive them,  George,  Alvina,  Matilda,  Frederick, 
Dora,  Emma,  Mrs.  Carl  Nels  and  Mrs.  Her- 


506 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


man  Schroeder.  Frederick  received  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen went  to  sea  as  a  cabin  boy.  He  followed 
the  sea  twelve  years,  and  in  the  course  of  his 
service  visited  all  quarters  of  the  globe  and 
rose  to  the  position  of  a  master  seaman.  In 
1867  ne  came  west  and,  after  a  short  stay  at 
Cheyenne,  at  that  time  a  hamlet  of  tents,  he 
started  farther  west  from  Julesburg  with  an  ox 
team.  After  two  days  journeying  in  this  way 
he  fell  in  with  a  United  States  government  ex- 
pedition, and  from  that  time  drove  one  of  the 
mule  teams  attached  to  it.  Several  bands  of 
Indians  threatened  the  train,  but  as  it  was  able 
to  defend  itself,  they  did  not  attack  it.  After 
leaving  this  government  train  Mr.  Jeep  en- 
gaged in  making  ties  for  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  continuing  in  that  employment  until 
early  in  1868,  when  he  came  to  Denver, 
this  state,  by  stage,  and  there  he  followed 
a  variety  of  occupations  during  the  suc- 
ceeding four  years,  but  was  principally  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  ranching.  In  1871  he 
accompanied  Samuel  J.  Slain  to  Saguache 
county,  traveling  overland  with  horse  and  mule 
teams  by  way  of  Turkey  creek,  Canyon,  Fair- 
play,  Trout  creek,  the  Arkansas  river  and 
Poucha  pass.  They  were  eight  days  making 
the  trip,  and  had  an  interesting  time  while  do- 
ing so.  After  his  arrival  in  the  county  Mr. 
Jeep  took  up  pre-emption  and  homestead 
claims  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each, 
which  together  form  his  present  ranch,  as  the, 
tracts  are  adjoining.  He  took  the  land  as  na- 
ture gave  it  and  the  improvements  it  now  con- 
tains have  all  been  made  up  by  him.  These 
comprise  a  good  modern  house,  first-rate 
barns,  fences,  sheds  and  other  structures,  and 
artificial  supplies  of  water  for  irrigation.  The 
principal  crops  are  oats,  wheat,  barley  and  po- 
tatoes, and  cattle  are  raised  in  large  numbers. 
On  August  5,  1880,  Mr.  Jeep  was  married  to 
Miss  Metta  Schwarmann,  a  native  of  Germany. 


They  have  had  four  children,  one  of  whom, 
Frederick  died,  and  three,  George,  Mrs.  Bert 
Alexander  and  Charlotte,  are  living.  With 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  ranch  in 
grain,  and  the  rest  given  lip  to  hay  and  pas- 
ture, Mr.  Jeep  is  always  sure  of  a  good  crop  of 
some  kind,  and  as  the  quality  of  his  products 
is  high,  the  regularity  and  extent  of  his  income 
is  not  uncertain.  His  natural  progressiveness 
and  his  patriotism  to  the  land  of  his  adoption 
have  made  hini  a  useful  member  of  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  county,  and  as  he  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  region  of  his  home,  so 
he  has  been  one  of  the  most  influential  and  ef- 
fective forces  in  developing  it  and  stamping  it 
with  the  spirit  of  modern  enterprise  and  civili- 
zation. 

JOHN  SCHILLING. 

So  rapid  has  been  the  advance  of  the  pio- 
neer in  this  country  at  times,  and  so  close  be- 
hind him  the  advance  guard  of  civilization, 
that  communities  have  grown  up  on  hitherto 
unoccupied  territory  almost  between  the  vernal 
and  autumnal  equinox,  and  where  the  last 
snows  of  one  winter  left  a  trackless  wilderness 
the  first  fall  of  the  next  found  a  hamlet  of 
thrift  and  promise  literally  hewed  out  of  the 
forest  or  spoken  by  a  word  of  command  into 
being  on  the  plain.  Although  it  is  but  twenty- 
two  years  or  less  since  John  Schilling  located  on 
the  ranch  where  he  now  lives,  seven  miles 
southeast  of  Villagrove,  Saguache  county,  and 
at  the  time  wild  game  was  plentiful  and  but  few 
white  men  were  in  the  region,  it  is  now  plenti- 
fully dotted  with  well-improved  and  productive 
ranches,  the  homes  of  industrious  and  content- 
ed people,  and  prolific  in  the  fruits  of  hus- 
bandry and  other  results  of  skillful  human 
workmanship.  Mr.  Schilling  is  a  native  of  Ost- 
wig  province,  Westphalia,  Germany,  where 
he  was  born  in  July,  1836,  and  where  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  received  a  common-school 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


507 


education.  He  remained  in  his  native  land  un- 
til 1865,  then  came  to  the  United  States  just 
as  the  long  and  bloody  war  between  the  sec- 
tions of  our  country  was  over  and  the  mighty 
armies  on  either  side  were  melting  into  masses 
of  people  once  more  and  turning  their  attention 
from  strife  and  carnage  to  the  white  harvests 
of  peace  and  productive  industry.  His  first  lo- 
cation was  at  Marquette,  Michigan,  but  not 
deeming  the  outlook  there  promising  for  him, 
he  went  to  Chicago  and  found  employment  in 
the  construction  of  the  lake  tunnel.  One  day's 
experience  in  this  labor  determined  him  to  seek 
a  more  congenial  occupation  elsewhere,  and  he 
journeyed  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  passed 
two  years  mining  coal  at  Dry  Hills,  five  miles 
west  of  that  city,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period 
moved  to  Wyoming,  where  he  remained  until 
late  in  November,  1869.  On  the  29th  day  of 
that  month  he  located  in  the  Cottoncreek  sec- 
tion of  Saguache  county,  this  state,  and  there 
he  resided  until  1882,  when  he  bought  a  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which 
he  has  since  sold  one-half.  The  rest  he  has 
well  improved  with  good  fences  and  buildings, 
plentifully  supplied  with  water,  and  all  the  land 
in  condition  for  cultivation.  Good  crops  of 
hay,  grain  and  vegetables  are  raised,  and  these 
are  now  the  principal  products,  but  until  recent- 
ly Mr.  Schilling  also  engaged  extensively  in  the 
cattle  business.  His  ventures  in  this  country 
have  been  in  the  main  successful,  and  he  is 
comfortably  fixed  and  well  established  on  a 
firm  footing  for  larger  operations  and  greater 
profits.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican and  he  gives  his  party  regular  and  hearty 
support.  On  January  9,  1883,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Louise  Ellinghoff,  who  is, 
like  himself,  a  native  of  Germany.  She  died 
on  August  4,  1891.  One  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  this  region,  Mr.  Schilling  is  also  one  of 
its  most  respected  and  representative  citizens. 
He  is  earnestly  and  practically  devoted  to  the 


general  welfare  and  improvement  of  his  coun- 
ty and  does  his  part  in  promoting  its  best  inter- 
ests. 

MATTHEW  LAUGHLIN. 

Of  Irish  ancestry  on  his  father's  side,  and 
inheriting  the  versatility,  resourcefulness  and 
adaptability  to  circumstances  that  distinguish 
his  race,  and  moreover,  possessing  the  health 
and  vigor  of  body  and  the  independence  and 
self-reliance  of  spirit  which  are  bred  on  a  farm, 
where  the  time  is  passed  in  useful  labor  and 
each  man  has  many  times  a  week  to  decide 
questions  of  immediate  and  pressing  im- 
portance for  himself,  Matthew  Laughlin  was  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  slender  population  of 
Saguache  county,  Colorado,  when  he  located 
there  in  October,  1870.  At  that  time  there  were 
but  twenty-five  families  in  the  county,  and 
while  its  vast  domain  still  offered  fruitful  op- 
portunities to  hardy  adventurers  who  were 
willing  to  forego  the  blandishments  of  civiliza- 
tion and  often  even  the  ordinary  conveniences 
of  life,  every  such  addition  was  warmly  wel- 
comed as  an  increase  in  the  subduing  and  pro- 
ductive force  at  work  in  redeeming  the  region 
from  the  waste,  and  at  once  found  room  for 
all  his  mental  and  physical  faculties,  with 
promise  of  good  returns  for  their  use.  Mr. 
Laughlin  took  his  place  in  the  working  force 
and  among  the  developers  of  the  county,  and 
his  worth  was  instantly  recognized.  He  sat 
on  the  first  jury  called  in  the  county,  and 
which  served  in  1871,  and  from  then  until  now 
he  has  been  a  man  of  influence  and  inspiration 
in  every  line  of  the  local  public  life.  He  was 
born  at  Lagro,  Wabash  county,  Indiana,  on 
January  8,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Jane  Laughlin,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  They  were  successful 
farmers  in  Indiana,  Iowa  and  Kansas,  and 
died  in  the  state  last  named,  the  mother  in  1875 
and  the  father  in  January,  1893,  at  the  ad- 


5o8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


vanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  ten  years.  Five 
of  their  children  are  living,  Thomas  S.,  Mat- 
thew, Mrs.  Henry  Monroe,  Mrs.  Percy  Clark, 
and  Mrs.  Amiel  Jonach.  Matthew  received  a 
common-school  education  and  served  his  turn 
on  the  farm  with  industry  and  zeal,  remaining 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen. 
In  1856  the  family  moved  to  Iowa  and  located 
in  Poweshiek  county.  They  remained  two 
years,  then,  in  1858,  changed  their  residence 
to  Pottawatomie  county,  Kansas,  for  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  they  settled  in  Brown 
county  of  that  state,  where  the  parents  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  In  1860  Matthew 
made  a  trip  to  Colorado  with  a  load  of  freight. 
He  was  but  fourteen  years  old  at  the  time,  and 
this  experience,  which  would  have  been  one 
of  magnitude  and  great  interest  to  a  grown 
man,  was  to  his  youthful  fancy  one  of  the 
great  events  of  history,  filling  his  imagination 
at  the  start  with  pictures  of  all  daring  adven- 
tures he  had  ever  read  of  and  his  daily  life,  in 
the  course  of  the  journey,  with  many  of  their 
impressive  counterparts.  Many  roving  bands 
of  Indians  and  vast  herds  of  buffaloes  were  en- 
countered, but  neither  man  nor  beast  did  the 
expedition  harm.  The  young  argonaut  re- 
turned to  his  Kansas  home  in  August  of  the 
same  year,  and  there  he  remained  until1  1866, 
when  he  determined  to  come  again  to  Colorado 
and  become  a  permanent  resident  of  the  terri- 
tory. The  route  followed  in  his  first  trip  to 
this  state  was  from  Hiawatha,  Kansas,  to  the 
Platte  river  and  along  the  course  of  that 
stream  to  Denver.  After  his  arrival  the  sec- 
ond time  he  located  at  Granite,  and  for  a  time 
worked  in  the  mines  there  for  wages.  He  was 
industrial  and  frugal,  earned  good  wages  and 
saved  them  and  in  course  of  a  few  years  had  ac- 
cumulated enough  to  begin  ranching  and  cat- 
tle-growing, which  he  did  in  October,  1870,  in 
Saguache  county,  taking  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  as  a  homestead,  and  at  once 


beginning  to  improve  it  and  make  it  product- 
ive. This  ranch  has  ever  been  his  home 
and  the  seat  of  his  industry.  Three-fourths  of 
the  land  are  under  cultivation,  good  crops  are 
raised,  large  herds  of  good  cattle  are  main- 
tained, and  first-rate  improvements  have  been 
made  on  it.  He  has  prospered  from  the  start, 
although  his  early  years  in  this  region  required 
heroic  endurance  and  persistent  effort;  for 
the  whole  country  was  new  and  wild,  there 
were  but  twenty-five  settlers  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  the  county,  and  their  homes  were 
wide  apart,  and  all  the  untamed  brood  of  bird 
and  beast  and  savage  man  were  still  prevalent. 
Each  rancher  was  largely  dependent  on  his 
own  resources  for  the  conveniences  and  often 
for  the  necessaries  of  domestic  life,  and  the 
implements  with  which  the  hard  and  unremit- 
ing  work  had  to  be  done  had,  in  most  cases, 
to  be  fashioned  by  the  toiler.  All  honor  to  the 
heroic  men  who  -thus  opened  the  way  for  better 
times,  improved  conditions  and  the  comforts  of 
modern  life  in  this  wilderness !  They  blazed 
the  path  for  the  march  of  civilization,  and  the 
present  state  of  progress  and  development  is 
the  best  monument  to  their  fidelity,  endurance 
and  determined  industry.  Among  these  Mr. 
Laughlin  is  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  time 
of  his  arrival  and  the  value  of  his  service.  He 
is  justly  esteemed  throughout  the  county  as  one 
of  its  founders  and  builders,  and  is  held  in  a 
public  regard  commensurate  with  his  worth. 
His  ranch  is  seven  miles  west  of  the  town  of 
Saguache.  On  January  n,  1887,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Amelia  Eilinghoff,  a  native  of 
Prussia,  and  a  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Rominger 
(see  sketch  of  him  on  another  page  for  family 
history).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laughlin  have  four 
children,  Annie  M.,  Herbert  K.,  Harry  C.  and 
Teddy  R.  In  politics  the  father  is  a  Republi- 
can, but  not  an  active  partisan.  It  is  worthy  of 
mention  that,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  Mr. 
Laughlin  joined  the  Kansas  state  militia  and  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


5°9 


1864  Company  E.,  to  which  he  belonged,  was 
ordered  to  Westport,  Missouri,  to  assist  in  re- 
pelling the  rebel  General  Price,  who  threatened 
to  invade  Kansas  City. 

CHARLES  EDWIN  LAWLEY. 

While  fate  seems  at  times  arbitrary  and  un- 
reasonable in  her  gifts  both  of  endowment  and 
opportunity,  bestowing  on  some  every  form  of 
bounty  and  opening  the  way  to  the  fullest  use 
of  her  award  in  profit  or  pleasure  or  both,  and 
giving  to  others  nothing  but  a'  necessity  to 
strive  and  struggle,  she  at  the  same  time  bal- 
ances her  favors  in  a  measure,  and  where  she 
places  the  sharp  spur,  she  usually  accompanies 
it  with  the  power  in  him  who  feels  it  to  re- 
spond, and  this  in  turn  produces  greater  po- 
tency for  further  effort.  If  the  heart  be  right 
and  the  spirit  Courageous,  poverty,  difficulty 
and  danger  do  not  restrain,  but  the  very  ob- 
structions stimulate  and  in  the  sane  and  health- 
ful atmosphere  of  utilitarian  labor,  commands 
circumstances  to  service  rather  than  cringes 
and  cowers  before  them.  This  fact  is  admir- 
ably illustrated  in  the  life  and  work  of  Charles 
Edwin  Lawley,  of  Saguache  county,  this 
state,  residing  on  his  ranch  of  eighty  acres  in 
the  vicinity  of  Villagrove,  who  left  home  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world  at  the  age  of 
nine  years,  and  has  ever  since  been  the  archi- 
tect of  his  own  fortune  and  made  steady  prog- 
ress in-  industry,  frugality  and  capacity 
in  building  it  to  its  present  comfortable  pro- 
portions and  form.  He  was  born  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  on  September  17,  1874,  the  son  of 
Edwin  and  Ada  Lawley,  natives  of  England 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  in  their  youth 
and  located  in  the  great  metroplis  of  the  Lakes. 
The  father  is  a  switchman  in  the  employ  of  one 
of  the  railroads  centering  there,  and  has  been 
so  employed  during  the  greater  part  of  his  ma- 
ture life.  He  is  an  honest  and  industrious 


workman,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of'  all  who 
know  him  well.  Politically  he  is  attached  to 
the  Republican  party.  The  mother  died  in 
1881.  They  had  three  sons,  George  F.,  Frank 
and  Charles.  The  last  named  saw  but  little  of 
the  inside  of  schools  and  was  dependent  for  the 
most  of  his  education  on  experience  and  the 
book  of  nature  which  has  ever  been  open  before 
him.  He  left  home  in  1883  and  came  to  Colo- 
rado, locating  in  Saguache  county.  Here  he 
worked  as  a  ranch  hand  for  wages  until  1900, 
and  although  the  compensation  for  his  service 
was  meager,  he  saved  his  earnings  until  he  was 
able  to  take  up  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns 
and  do  something  toward  equipping  it  and 
starting  its  improvement  and  the  cattle  indus- 
try which  he  now  conducts.  The  ranch  com- 
prises eighty  acres  and  is  located  ten  miles 
northwest  of  the  town  of  Saguache.  It  is  well 
adapted  to  hay  and  potatoes  and  these  are 
raised  in  quantities  and  good  quality.  Cattle 
are  also  raised  as  extensively  as  the  capacity 
of  the  ranch  will  admit,  and  this  branch  of  the 
industry  is  steadily  on  the  increase.  Mr.  Law- 
ley  is  a  Republican  in  politics  but  does  not 
neglect  his  own  affairs  for  party  contests.  His 
acquisitions  have  cost  him  too  much  effort  and 
self-sacrifice  and  embodied  too  much  personal 
hardship  and  privation  to  be  ignored  for  senti- 
ment of  any  kind.  At  the  same  time  he  gives 
careful  attention  and  helpful  service  where  the 
real  and  enduring  interest  of  his  section  is  in- 
volved, and  does  his  part  as  a  good  citizen  in 
every  useful  line  of  local  public  work. 

CHARLES  A.  SCANDRETT. 

Open  the  doors  of  opportunity  to  talent  and 
integrity,  and  they  will  do  themselves  justice, 
and  property  will  not  be  in  bad  hands.  Years 
ago  Colorado  flung  wide  her  portals  to  men  of 
enterprise  and  capacity,  and  she  has  reaped  the 
advantage  in  a  thrifty  and  progressive  popula- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


tion,  loyally  devoted  to  her  interests  and  earn- 
estly engaged  in  developing  her  resources  and 
magnifying  her  greatness  in  all  the  elements  of 
material,  intellectual  and  moral  power.  Among 
the  industrious,  brave  and  persevering  men 
who  came  hither  in  obedience  to  her  cordial  in- 
vitation, to  accept  her  bounties  of  opportunity 
and  make  the  most  of  them,  and  who  have  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  substantial  benefits  for 
themselves  and  at  the  same  time  aided  her  prog- 
ress in  every  element  of  advancement,  is 
Charles  A.  Scandrett,  of  Saguache  county, 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful  ranch 
and  cattle  men  of  the  region  in  which  he  lives, 
and  one  of  the  leading  and  representative  men 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  state.  He  was  born 
with  the  spirit  and  fiber  of  real  manhood,  and 
his  natural  endowments  were  trained  to 
full  development  and  usefulness  by  his  parents, 
William  T.  and  Malinda  Scandrett,  the  former 
a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of  Greene 
county,  Illinois.  They  were  married  in  1858, 
and  their  son  was  born  on  April  15,  1859,  at 
their  Green  county  (Illinois)  home.  In  1875, 
with  the  hope  of  regaining  his  health,  which 
was  feeble,  the  father  moved  his  family  to  this 
state,  coming  overland  to  Canon  City,  and 
after  their  arrival  here  took  up  his  residence  in 
the  San  Luis  valley.  He  secured  land  on  pre- 
emption and  homestead  claims,  which  he  sold 
after  improving  it.  He  is  a  man  of  unusual 
.capacity  and  fitness  for  administrative  duties, 
and  rendered  the  county  excellent  service  as. as- 
sessor in  the  years  1877  and  1878,  and  as  dep- 
uty assessor  in  1882  and  1883 ;  and  he  would 
have  been  of  much  greater  service  in  a  public 
way  had  not  death  ended  his  labors  on  Novem- 
ber 8,  1893,  the  extension  of  life  he  secured  by 
moving  to  this  state  being  gratifying  but  not 
as  long  as  his  friends  hoped.  He  was  a  zealous 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  an  Odd  Fel- 
low and  a  Freemason,  and  he  gave  a  steady  and 
loyal  support  to  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 


can party.  Of  the  eight  children  in  the  family 
Atlantis,  William  and  James  have  died,  while 
Jessie,  Milton,  Charles  A.,  George  W.  and 
Mrs.  Thomas  Ashley  are  living.  Those  living 
are  all  in  Colorado  and  all  doing  well.  Charles 
A.  received  a  common-school  education,  and 
soon  after  coming  to  this  state  took  up  ranch 
property  on  two  claims,  which  he  improved 
and  sold.  His  present  ranch  comprises  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  that  can  all  be 
cultivated,  all  substantially  fenced,  supplied 
plentifully  with  water,  and  enriched  with  good 
and  commodious  buildings  and  other  struc- 
tures required  for  carrying  on  a  vigorous  ranch 
and  cattle  industry  and  making  a  comfortable 
home.  He  raises  cattle  and  horses  in  numbers 
and  large  crops  of  grain  and  hay.  The  ranch 
is  four  miles  west  of  the  county  seat,  which 
affords  him  a  ready  market  for  his  products 
and  gives  him  opportunity  for  desired  social 
enjoyments.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  is  a 
firm  and  serviceable  Republican.  Industry  and 
frugality,  with  good  management  and  close  at- 
tention to  his  affairs  have  made  him  successful 
in  business,  and  his  earnest  and  effective  service 
to  local  interests  have  secured  him  a  high  place 
in  public  esteem. 

CARL  LOUIS  MAROLD. 

The  great  state  of  Illinois,  which  even 
within  the  memory  of  men  now  living  was  the 
far  frontier  of  this  country,  and  waiting  for 
colonization,  settlement  and  redemption  to  the 
purposes  of  civilization,  has  furnished  a  vast 
amount  of  brain  and  brawn,  "bone  and  sinew, 
for  the  development  and  cultivation  of  the 
farther  west,  and  among  its  contributions  in 
this  respect  Carl  Louis  Marold,  of  Saguache 
county, '  this  state,  may  be-mentioned  with  re- 
spect and  consideration.  For  he  is  one  of  the 
citizens  of  Colorado,  who  in  youth  took  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


burden  of  life  on  his  own  shoulders  and  has 
since  borne  it  bravely  and  with  credit.  He  was 
born  in  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  at  the  town 
of  Marengo,  on  December  3,  1873,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  B.  and  Matilda  (Hartmann)  Mar- 
old,  natives  of  Germany  who  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1868  and  settled  in  the  Prairie 
state.  The  father  was  a  tinner  and  worked  at 
his  trade  in  that  state  until  1880,  then  moved 
to  this  state  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Sag- 
uache  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  his 
death  on  November  5,  1899.  In  1887  he 
bought  a  ranch,  and  from  then  to  the  end  of 
his  life  carried  on  its  affairs  in  connection  with 
his  mechanical  work.  In  politics  he  was  inde- 
pendent, always  voting  for  the  man  and  not 
for  the  party.  His  family  comprised  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living.  They  are  Franz, 
Rudolph,  Hedwig,  Carl  L.,  Annie  and  Oscar. 
Carl  received  a  common-school  education,  go^ 
ing  to  work  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  began  to  make  his  own  living 
independent  of  help  from  anyone.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Colorado  in  1880.  In 
1900  he  bought  a  ranch  which  contains  ninety- 
three  acres  of  land  that  can  all  be  cultivated.  It 
is  located  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  Sag- 
uache,  convenient  to  a  good  market,  a  few 
miles  from  a  railroad  station,  and  is  all  fenced 
and  has  good  buildings  of  sufficient  capacity 
for  present  needs.  An  independent  water  right 
furnishes  it  with  due  irrigation  and  makes  it 
very  productive.  Crops  of  hay  and  grain  are 
raised  with  success  and  cattle  prove  a  profit- 
able resource.  All  its  operations  are  conducted 
with  vigor  and  good  judgment,  and  while  it  is 
steadily  rising  in  value,  all  that  it  is  is  the 
product  of  its  owner's  well  applied  industry  and 
judicious  management.  He  has  also  purchased 
what  is  known  as  the  home  ranch  formerly 
owned  by  his  mother,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  fine  alfalfa  land,  making  two 
hundred  and  fiftv-three  acres  of  land  under  one 


fence  and  irrigated  by  the  same  ditch,  a  first- 
class  water  right.  The  subject  owns  a  fine 
herd  of  cattle  which  comprise  the  chief  source 
of  his  revenue.  In  political  affairs  Mr.  Marold 
ardently  supports  the  principles  and  candidates 
of  the  Democrat  party,  and  in  local  matters  of 
benefit  to  the  community  he  takes  a  citizen's  ac- 
tive and  helpful  interest.  Accepting  the  con- 
ditions of  life  in  Colorado  as  he  found  them, 
and  omitting  no  effort  on  his  part  to  make  the 
most  of  them,  he  has  found  the  state  a  good 
place  to  live  and  thrive  in,  and  is  not  backward 
in  proclaiming  its  merits  to  homeseekers  on  all 
occasions.  Among  the  people  who  have  wit- 
nessed his  efforts  and  shared  the  benefits  of  his 
aid  and  example  he  is  well  esteemed,  and  he 
does  his  part  to  merit  their  good  opinion  in 
honest  industry  and  upright  living.  On  Janu- 
ary 25,  1905,  he  married  Miss  Hope  Jones,  a 
graduate  of  the  Saguache  county  high  school. 

PRICE  M.  JONES. 

With  the  burdens  of  life  resting  upon  him 
from  an  early  age  and  developing  in  him  the 
force  of  character  and  self-reliance  to  which 
responsibility  always  educates  the  capable  and 
responsive  character,  Price  M.  Jones,  one  of 
the  leading  merchants  of  Saguache  and  an  ex- 
tensive cultivator  of  fruit  and  hay,  came  to 
Colorado  in  1875,  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  well 
fitted  for  a  frontier  existence  and  struggle  for 
advancement,  and  since  that  time  has  borne 
his  part  well  and  wisely  in  all  the  civil,  social 
and  commercial  life  of  his  county.  He  was 
born  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  on  July  13, 
1842,  and  reared  in  Illinois,  where  his  parents 
located  in  his  childhood.  They  were  farmers, 
and  on  the  Illinois  farm  his  father,  John  P.. 
Jones,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  but  reared  in 
Adams  county,  Ohio,  died  in  1858,  when  the 
son  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  the  oldest 
of  seven  children.  The  mother,  a  native  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  .  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Adams  county,  Ohio,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Julia   A.   Adams,   was   a  woman  of  resolute 
nature,  and  she  at  once  took  hold  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  family  and,  with  the  aid  of  her  son 
Price,    carried   on   the   business   until   all   the 
six  children  reached  maturity  and  were  able  to 
provide  for  themselves.     In  the  arduous  effort 
required  to  keep  everything  moving  forward 
and  in  prosperous  condition,  Mr.  Jones's  health 
gave  way,  and  in  1875  he  brought  his  mother 
and  two  sisters  who  were  still  at  home  to  this 
state,  and    after    remaining    a    few    days    at 
Canon  City  moved  on  to  Saguache,  then  a  little 
hamlet.      Ranch  property    was    purchased    at 
once,  and  while  it  was  being  put  in  condition 
for  productiveness  and  a  home  he  engaged  in 
clerking.     His  father  was  an  ardent  and  ener- 
getic Republican  in  political  allegiance,  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  devout  and  serviceable  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church.     The  mother  died 
in  this  state  in   1884.     Her  brother,    M.    N. 
Adams,  was  a  pioneer  in  Presbyterian  church 
work  in  Minnesota,  having  been  superintend- 
ent of  state  missions  for  twenty  years  and  served 
as  a  chaplain  in  the  regular  army  with  the  rank 
of  major.     His  wife  was  also  a  teacher.     In 
February,    1862,   Mr.  Jones  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany   G,     Sixty-first    Illinois    Infantry,     and 
served  in  the  war  until  June  i,  1865.    Once  he 
was  discharged  on  account  of  disabilities  in- 
curred in  the  service,  but  he  soon  afterward  re- 
•  enlisted:  In  1876,  after  clerking  a  few  months, 
he  bought  a  small  stock  of  goods  and  opened 
a  store  at  Saguache.     This  mercantile  enter- 
prise he  has  -enlarged  until  it  covers  a  general 
line  of  commodities  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  town.     He  also 
purchased   town  property,   and  by  turning  it 
over  and  carrying  on  a  real  estate  business  of 
some  magnitude  aided  greatly  in  building  up 
the  town  and  promoting  its  best  interests.  From 
the  time  of  his  arrival  here  he  has  been  very 
active  in  Sunday  school  and  church  work  and 


the  fraternal  life  of  the  community,  being  in- 
strumental   in  founding    the    Baptist    church 
organization  in  this  part  of  the  state,  greatly 
enlarging  the  volume  and  zeal  of  the  Sunday 
school  forces  and  organizing  Centennial  Lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber.    One  of  his  most    valued    and    valuable 
possessions  is  a  ten-acre  fruit  garden  which  is 
considered  the  finest  in  the  San  Luis  valley, 
and  the  fruit  and  vegetables  from  which  took 
the  prize  awarded  by  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
Railroad  at  the  Alamosa  Fair  of   1889.    He 
also  has  one  thousand  and  fifty  acres  of  hay 
and  grain  land  in  the  county  which  yields  abun- 
dantly and  produces  hay  and  grain  of  the  first 
quality,  never  failing  in  its  yield  or  falling  be- 
low the  high  standard  its  output  has  attained. 
On  July  4,  1878,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with 
Miss  Elmira  J.  Matthews,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
who  grew  to  maturity  in  Illinois.     They  have 
two  children,  Edgar  N.  and  Edith.     That  Mr. 
Jones  is  conducting  several  lines  of  business, 
all  of  which  minister  to  the  growth,  aggrand- 
izement and  wealth  of  the  county,  and  in  each 
of  which  he  is  winning  success,  proves  that  he 
is   a  gentleman  of  unusual  business   capacity 
and  enterprise;  and  that  he  is  universally  es- 
teemed throughout  the  county  shows  that  his 
life  is  upright  and  serviceable,   and   that  the 
people  around  him  appreciate  energy,  progres- 
siveness  and  elevated  citizenship. 

HARVEY  WOOLERY. 

One  of  western  Colorado's  most  progres- 
sive, successful  and  highly  esteemed  ranchmen 
and  stock-growers,  and  a  leading  citizen  of 
Routt  county,  Harvey  Woolery  has  been  the 
architect  of  his  own  fortune  and  is  essentially 
a  self-made  man.  He  was  born  in  Cooper 
county,  Missouri,  on  October  31,  1847,  and  is 
the  son  of  Francis  E.  and  Frances  (Jones) 
Woolery,  the  former  a  native  of  Missouri  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  latter  of  Kentucky.  The  parents  were  suc- 
cessful farmers  who  ended  their  days  in  Cooper 
county,  Missouri,  where  the  father  died  on 
January  9,  1899,  and  the  mother  on  December 
20,  1901.  Both  were  Baptists  in  church  rela- 
tions for  many  years,  and  the  father  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  They  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Harvey, 
Joseph  M.,  William  and  Mrs.  Newman  Cordry, 
Owing  to  the  turbulent  conditions  of  the 
border  country  in  which  Harvey  passed  his 
childhood  and  youth  just  prior  to  and  during 
the  Civil  war,  the  schools  were  almost  closed 
for  years  and  the  opportunities  for  education 
were  next  to  nothing.  Mr.  Woolery  shared  this 
hardship  with  other  children  of  the  region,  and 
like  the  most  of  them  depended  on  the  rugged 
but  thorough  school  of  experience  for  his 
training  for  the  battle  of  life,  supplementing 
its  lessons  with  a  measure  of  academic  instruc- 
tion procured  by  his  own  efforts  after  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  then  engaged 
in  farming  and  raising  stock  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  his  native  county,  passing  six  years 
in  this  occupation  there.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  moved  to  Bates  county,  in  the  same 
state,  and  there  he  farmed  two  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  he  became  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado, and  until  the  summer  of  1881  was  em- 
ployed in  construction  work  on  the  Denver  & 
Rio  Grande  Railroad.  When  he  completed 
his  contract  with  the  railroad  company,  he 
moved  by  teams  to  Leadville,  much  of  the 
journey  being  through  a  newly  settled  and  un- 
developed country,  and  every  mile  of  the  way 
was  beset  with  difficulties  and  dangers.  After 
remaining  at  Leadville  three  months  he  trav- 
eled by  the  same  means  and  with  similar  ex- 
periences to  Steamboat  Springs  in  Routt  coun- 
ty, mostly  through  an  unsettled  country  with 
only  poor  roads  and  without  bridges  and  con- 
tending with  obstacles  to  his  progress  that 
33 


would  have  disheartened  and  driven  back  a  less 
resolute  spirit.  He  arrived  at  Steamboat 
Springs  on  September  30,  1881,  and  became 
one  of  the  very  few  early  settlers  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, taking  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  by  pre-emption.  To  this  he  has  since 
added  until  he  has  now  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  of  which  he  can  cultivate  four  hundred 
acres.  On  this  land  he  has  made  all  the  im- 
provements which  add  so  much  to  its  value  at 
this  time,  and  brought  about  the  changes  from 
its  unprofitable  gayety  in  wild  sage  brush  to  its 
present  state  of  fruitfulness  in  the  products  of 
cultivation  and  systematic  husbandry.  Hay 
and  Shorthorn  cattle  are  produced  on  an 
extensive  basis  and  form  the  chief  source  of 
revenue,  but  grain  and  vegetables  are  also  ex- 
tensively raised.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  Mr. 
Woolery  owns  real  estate  at  Boulder,  this  state, 
and  at  Steamboat  Springs.  He  was  married 
on  November  2,  1871,  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Mur- 
phy,  like  himself,  a  native  of  Cooper  county,v 
Missouri.  They  have  had  eight  children,  one 
of  whom,  Aubrey  P.,  is  dead  and  seven  are 
living,  Mrs.  Edward  Tullinger,  Wyan  E., 
Oscar  A.,  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Baer,  Eugene  .T., 
the  first  white  boy  born  in  Routt  county,  Edna 
M.  and  Emery.  Mrs.  Woolery  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  church,  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Baer  to 
the  Congregational  church.  The  ranch  is  three 
miles  west  of  Steamboat  Springs. 

JACOB  BARSCH. 

The  institutions  of  America  have  been 
devoted  to  the  production  of  a  vast  army  of 
industrial  conquest  and  elevated  citizenship  for 
the  administration  of  governmental  affairs, 
rather  than  advanced  scholarship  or  specula- 
tive disquisition,  although  the  latter  are  by 
no  means  wanting.  But  the  every  circum- 
stances of  the  case  have  made  it  necessary  for 
our  people  to  conquer  and  plant  the  wilderness 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


before  the  higher  walks  of  intellectual  activity 
could  receive  due  attention,  and  accordingly 
the  most  general  and  substantial  element  of  our 
educational  system  has  been  the  "people's  uni- 
versity," the  common  schools,  which  have  been 
forcibly  said  to  form  the  sheet  anchor  of  the 
ship  of  state  and  one  on  which  it  may  rely  with 
confidence  and  hope.  It  is  supplemented  by 
the  lessons  of  experience  in  useful  labor  in 
every  department  of  energy  and  zeal,  and  the 
the  result  of  the  training  is  a  race  of  men  and 
women  who  defy  all  danger  and  shrink  from 
no  difficulty  in  material  accomplishment  or 
civil  management,  and  whose  achievements  are 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  world.  In 
these  educational  institutions,  the  common 
schools  and  practical  experience  in  life,  the 
subject  of  this  brief  review  obtained  his  educa- 
tion, and  the  lessons  therein  learned  he  has  ap- 
plied with  such  wisdom  and  common  sense 
that  he  is  one  of  the  leading  and  most  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Saguache  county,  this  state, 
and  one  of  the  most  esteemed  forces  in  its  de- 
velopment. Mr.  Barsch  was  born  on  Decem- 
ber i,  1865,  near  Columbus,  Indiana,  and  is 
th,e  son  of  Adam  and  Margaret  A.  Barsch,  na- 
tives of  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany,  who  emi- 
grated to  this  country  April  n,  1854,  and  loca- 
ted in  Indiana,  where  they  remained  until  1868, 
then  moved  to  Linn  county  and  afterward  to 
Montgomery  county,  Kansas,  where  they  are 
now  living.  The  father  has  devoted  all  his 
years  to  farming,  and  since  becoming  a  citizen 
of  this  country  has  supported  the  Republican 
party  in  political  affairs.  He  and  his  wife  be- 
came the  parents  of  twelve  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy  and  the  others  are  liv- 
ing. They  are  Jacob,  Harvey  E.,  Hattie  E., 
Ida  B.,  Barbara,  Amelia,  Alice,  Catherine, 
Benjamin,  William  and  Mary.  Jacob,  the  first 
born  of  these,  began  to  make  his  own  living  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  coming  to  Colorado  in 
1883  and  locating  near  Alder,  where  he  fol- 
lowed mining  and  saw-milling  two  years  with 


small  returns.  In  1885  ne  went  to  work  as  a 
ranch  hand  in  the  vicinity  of  Villagrove,  and 
by  saving  his  earnings  was  soon  able  to  pur- 
chase a  ranch  in  the  neighborhood  and  start  a 
cattle  industry  on  a  small  scale.  This  ranch 
he  has,  in  company  with  his  partner,  C.  N.  Mil- 
ler, increased  by  subsequent  purchases  to  one 
thousand  and  forty  acres,  and  the  cattle  busi- 
ness has  been  expanded  to  large  proportions. 
Mr.  Miller  has  been  associated  with  him  in  the 
enterprise  since  1896,  the  firm  name  being 
Barsch  &  Miller,  and  both  being  energetic,  far- 
seeing  and  progressive  men,  they  fit  well  to- 
gether and  work  in  harmony  for  their  mutual 
interest.  Their  ranch  is  located  four  miles 
northeast  of  Villagrove,  and  is  improved  with 
the  best  sheds  and  corrals  in  the  county.  They 
have  conducted  their  business  with  vigor  and 
good  judgment,  and  the  success  they  have  won 
is  large  and  the  place  they  occupy  among  the 
ranch  and  cattle  men  of  the  county  is  in  the 
first  rank.  Mr.  Barsch  has  always  taken  an 
active  and  serviceable  part  in  politics  as  an  earn- 
est and  loyal  Democrat.  In  the  fall  of  1904  he 
was  his  party's  candidate  for  county  commis- 
sioner, but  owing  to  the  large  adverse  majority 
in  the  county  he  was  not  elected.  He  did,  how- 
ever, reduce  the  majority  against  his  party  to 
almost  nothing,  and  this  by  reason  of  his  per- 
sonal popularity.  He  is  prominent  and  zeal- 
ous in  the  fraternal  life  of  the  county  as  a 
Freemason  and  a  Modern  Woodman  of 
America.  Having  come  to  this  state  with  noth- 
ing but  his  own  native  capacity  and  determined 
spirit,  he  took  the  conditions  that  fate  flung  be- 
fore him,  and  out  of  them  he  has  molded  a 
shapely  destiny  and  acquired  an  estate  well 
worthy  of  high  consideration,  and  at  the  same 
time  has  been  of  material  service  to  the  county 
in  general  in  aiding  by  intelligent  ond  consist- 
ent work  in  the  development  of  its  resources 
and  elevating  the  tone  of  its  citizenship,  mean- 
while stimulating  others  by  his  influence  and 
example  to  the  same  spirit  and  similar  efforts. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ALONZO  BREWER. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge,  at 
least  among  the  people  of  Colorado,  that  when 
once  the  air  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region 
has  been  enjoyed  for  a  time,  and  the  system  has 
become  accustomed  to  it,  and  when  in  addition 
thereto  a  taste  has  "been  had  of  the  breadth  of 
life,  amplitude  of  purpose  and  cosmopolitan 
freedom  of  social  enjoyment  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  region,  the  mind  can  find  con- 
tentment no  where  else,  or  will  long  for  a  re- 
turn of  the  exhilarating  experience,  and  if  op- 
portunity allow,  will  seek  and  secure  it.  This 
has  been  said  thousands  of  times  with  earnest- 
ness and  all  sincerity,  that  to  live  awhile  in 
this  section  of  the  country  creates  an  appetite 
for  it  that  cannot  be  fully  satisfied  elsewhere. 
The  fact  has  been  proven  by  the  careers  of 
many  men,  among  them  Alonzo  Brewer,  of 
Saguache  county,  who  for  years  oscillated  be- 
tween Iowa  and  nearby  states  of  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  and  Colorado,  and  finally  settled  in 
this  state  permanently  to  his  satisfaction  and 
advantage,  and  to  the  benefit  of  the 
county  in  which  he  cast  his  lot,  of 
which  he  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
and  business  men,  conducting  now  the  principal 
undertaking  and  livery  establishment  in  the 
town  of  Saguache  and  within  an  extended 
radius  around  that  flourishing  seat"  of  the 
county  government.  Mr.  Brewer  was  born  on 
August  8,  1850,  in  Bradford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  the  son  of  Francis  and  Agnes 
(Jayne).  Brewer,  Pennsylvanians  also  by  na- 
tivity and  for  many  years  residents  of  the  stare. 
In  1856  they  moved  to  Iowa,  which  was  their 
final  earthly  home,  the  father  dying  there  on 
March  I4th,  and  the  mother  on  May  9,  1892. 
The  father  was  a  successful  farmer  in  .business 
and  a  Republican  in  political  faith.  Five  of 
the  children  in  the  family  are  living,  Harrietta, 
Emma,  Rose,  Sarah  and  Alonzo.  After  re- 


ceiving a  common-school  education  Alonzo  be- 
gan to  make  his  own  living  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  farming  and  driving  stage  in  Iowa. 
His  route  in  the  occupation  last  named  was  out 
of  Boone,  in  the  county  of  the  same  name,  and 
as  it  called  for  prompt  and  unfailing  service  in 
spite  of  conditions,  it  was  full  of  hardship  in 
the  winter  months  and  not  always  free  from 
them  at  other  seasons.  Still,  while  it 
tried  his  nerve  and  frequently  subjected  his 
shrinking  body  to  suffering,  it  hardened  his 
frame,  developed  his  strength  and  endurance 
and  augmented  his  courage;  so  that,  when  he 
came  to  Colorado  in  1870,  and  began  to  freight 
lumber  from  Turkey  Creek  to  Denver,  George- 
town  and  Central  City,  he  had  already  the 
heroic  qualities  of  mind  and  body  required  for 
that  arduous  employment.  In  the  fall  of  1871 
he  located  a  ranch  in  San  Luis  valley,  be- 
ing among  the  first  settlers  in  that  now  progres- 
sive and  highly  favored  region.  This  he  im- 
proved and  sold,  it  being  at  this  time  in  the 
possession  and  ownership  of  Oliver  P.  Allen. 
In  the  spring  of  1873  he  returned  to  Iowa,  and 
during  the  next  five  years  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  in  that  state.  Then,  after  farming 
more  than  a  year  in  Smith  county,  Kansas,  he 
came  again  to  Colorado  in  1880,  and  remained 
until  July,  1881.  At  that  time  he  went  to  Kan- 
sas and  in  the  ensuing  fall  to  Iowa,  where  he 
again  farmed  five  years.  In  1886  he  joined  the 
H.  D.  Brown  surveying  outfit  and  until  1888 
he  worked  with  that  in  North  Dakota.  He 
then  moved  into  Iowa  again,  and  locating  in 
Webster  county,  farmed  until  1891,  when  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Lehigh  in  that  state 
and  his  business  to  undertaking  and  the  furni- 
ture trade,  in  which  he  engaged  until  1896. 
Then  coming  once  more  to  Colorado,  he  located 
at  Saguache  and  started  the  livery  and  under- 
taking business  in  which  he  is  now  engaged. 
His  outfit  comprises  everything  required  for 
his  extensive  business  in  these  lines  and  is  al- 


5*6 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ways  kept  in  excellent  order  and  ready  for  im- 
mediate service.  With  the  local  affairs  of  in- 
terest and  of  advantage  to  the  county  he  is  al- 
ways connected  in  a  leading  way  and  with  sub- 
stantial aid,  and  in  its  politics  he  takes  an  active 
and  influential  part  as  a  Republican.  On  Octo- 
ber 9,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Pixler,  a  native  of  Postville,  Iowa.  They  have 
two  children,  Verne  and  Harold.  Mrs.  Brewer 
died  on  January  22,  1892. 

GEORGE  C.  CROSSAN. 

A  native  of  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  born  on  August  21,  1847,  and  reared 
to  the  age  of  seventeen  in  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education,  then  serv- 
ing six  months  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
dying  throes  of  the  Civil  war,  afterward  clerk- 
ing in  a  store,  farming  in  various  states,  man- 
ufacturing brick,  teaming  and  ranching  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Colorado,  George  C.  Crossan, 
of  Routt  county,  has  had  a  varied  experience  in 
a  number  of  lines  of  active  usefulness  and 
under  a  great  variety  of  circumstances,  and  he 
has  greatly  profited  by  it  in  building  up  force 
of  character  and  self-reliance,  which  have 
made  him  ready  for  any  emergency  and  ca- 
pable of  any  proper  exertion  within  the  limits 
of  his  capacity.  Mr.  Crossan  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Melila  (Cook)  Crossan,  who  were 
born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  and  moved  to 
Iowa  in  1851,  the  father  remaining  there  until 
1864,  when,  his  wife  having  died  in  1859,  he 
returned  to  Ohio  and  there  passed  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  dying  on  February  14,  1899. 
The  mother  died  on  December  2d,  the  day  on 
which  old  John  Brown  was  hanged  for  treason 
in  Virginia.  The  father  devoted  his  time  to 
farming  and  contract  work.  He  was  a  stanch 
Democrat  politically,  and  an  ardent  Freemason 
fraternally.  Both  parents  were  Presbyterians. 
They  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 


Robert  A.,  George  C.,  Nancy  J.,  wife  of  Frank 
Taylor,  James  A.  and  Mrs.  George  Stringer. 
George  remained  at  home  until  1864,  then  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  Seventh  Iowa  Infantry, 
in  defense  of  the  Union.  He  served  to  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  and  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  on  July  12, 
1865.  Returning  then  to' Iowa,  he  entered  a 
store  at  Union  Mills,  Mahaska  county,  as  a 
clerk,  being  occupied  a  year  and  a  half.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  and  he  followed  this  occupation  until 
1867,  working  for  wages  on  farms  in  Johnson 
and  Henry  counties,  Missouri,  then  from  1867 
to  1871  in  Madison  county,  Iowa.  In  1871  he 
returned  to  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  and  there 
farmed  two  years  on  his  own  account,  In  1873 
he  began  the  manufacture  of  brick  and  con- 
tinuing this  enterprise  until  1876  with  fair 
profits,  found  himself  in  a  condition  for  a  more 
ambitious  undertaking.  So,  disposing  of  his 
interests  in  Iowa,  he  moved  to  Abilene,  Kansas, 
where  he  spent  two  years  and  a  half  in  contract 
work  and  one  and  a  half  years  as  assistant  in 
the  office  of  a  coal  merchant.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Breckenridge,  re- 
maining two  years  during  which  he  did  team- 
ing under  contract.  On  April  14,  1883,  he 
located  a  homestead  in  Egeria  park,  being 
the  first  settler  on  the  creek  and  having  the 
first  choice  of  land  in  the  neighborhood!  His 
choice  was  wisely  made,  as  his  ranch  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  in  the  whole  country 
around  Yampa.  He  has  bought  additional 
land  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  of  which  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
can  be  cultivated.  The  ranch  is  ten  miles 
south  of  Yampa  and  has  independent  ditches 
which  furnish  water  for  its  cultivation,  and 
good  improvements  made  by  Mr.  Crossan. 
When  he  settled  here  the  whole  region  was  in 
a  state  of  primeval  wilderness  and  wild  game, 
which  was  plentiful,  afforded  him  abundant 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


5*7 


supplies  of  meat.  They  had  a  scare  from  the 
Indians,  which  proved  to-be  caused  by  a  wan- 
dering1 Indian  on  a  hunt.  Being  a  carpenter, 
Mr.  Crossan  built  cabins  for  new  settlers  and 
helped  to  build  up  the  country  by  inducing 
them  to  come  in.  Soon  after  his  arrival  and 
location  here  he  .went  to  Breckenridge  and 
formed  a  colony  consisting  of  S.  D.  Wilson, 
E.  H.  McFarland,  S.  C.  Reid,  L.  L.  Newcomer, 
Preston  King,  Silas  Sutton  and  a  Mr.  Siebold, 
who,  excepting1  the  two  last  named,  moved  to 
the  park  and  became  permanent  residents  there. 
Mr.  Crossan  raises  the  best  quality  of  grain, 
hay  and  vegetables  in  abundance,  and  carries 
on  an  extensive  cattle  industry.  His  early  ar- 
rival in  the  section  and  his  large  success  in 
building  it  up  and  advancing  his  own  interests 
at  the  same  time  have  made  him  prominent  and 
highly  respected  and  placed  him  at  the  head 
of  the  old  settlers.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
political  faith  and  a  third-degree  Mason  fra- 
ternally, with  membership  in  the  adjunct  order 
of  the  Eastern  Star,  his  wife  and  two  daughters 
belonging  also  to  the  latter.  On  February  29, 
1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rachel  Roberts, 
a  native  of  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Kirk)  Roberts,  who 
were  born  in  Ohio  but  made  Iowa  their  final 
earthly  home,  and  died  there  in  1855.  They 
were  farmers  and  had  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren who  are  living,  Martha  A.,  Mrs.  Crossan, 
Anna,  Beulah  and  Leverson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crossan  have  five  children  also,  James  C., 
Charles  L.,  Myrtie,  wife  of  James  McFarland. 
Lila  E.,  the  first  white  child  born  in  that  part 
of  the  county,  and  Robert  R.  J.  C.  is  a  past 
master  of  the  Masonic  lodge. 

THOMAS  C.  ELLIOTT. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen 
of  Eagle  county,  who  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  for  the  care  he  has  taken  of  his  mother 


since  his  father's  tragic  death,  and  the  capacity 
he  has  shown  in  managing  his  affairs  and  his 
excellent  and  elevating  citizenship,  was  born 
in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  on  December 
7,  1858.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  receiving  only  a  limited  scholastic 
training  for  the  battle  of  life,  but  his  subse- 
quent experience  has  made  him  a  broad-minded 
and  well  informed  man.  His  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  twenty  miles  north- 
west of  Wolcott  on  Rock  creek,  was  secured  by 
purchase  and  has  been  highly  improved  by 
him.  It  is  located  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
regions  on  the  Western  slope,  and  his  careful 
husbandry,  tasteful  improvements  and  vigor- 
ous management  of  all  its  interests  make  it  one 
of  the  choice  pieces  of  property  in  this  region. 
In  addition  to  working  his  own  ranch  well  and 
profitably,  he  superintends  his  mother's  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  lies  near  his. 
On  both  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vegetables  are 
raised  with  success,  but  cattle  prove  the  main 
resource.  The  water  rights  are  independent 
and  abundant  in  supply  for  the  cultivation  of 
a  large  part  of  each  property,  and  every  ele- 
ment of  progress  and  prosperity  on  the  places 
is  used  to  advantage.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Elliott  is  independent,  but  he  is  earnest  in  the 
service  of  his  people  along  every  line  of  public 
improvement  and  comfort.  On  June  25,  1893, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lottie  Mont- 
gomery, a  native  of  Butler  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  have  five  children,  Lala  P.,  Wil- 
liam M.,  Ada  M.,  Wesley  I.  and  Nannie  L. 
Mr.  Elliott  is  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Nannie 
(Irvine)  Elliott,  who  were  born  and  reared  in 
Kentucky  and  moved  to  Missouri  soon  after 
their  marriage,  making  their  home  at  St. 
Joseph.  There  the  father  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising until  1869,  when  he  sold  his  business 
and  moved  to  Deer  Lodge,  Montana,  being 
among  the  early  settlers  at  that  place.  There 
he  followed  merchandising  one  year  and  then 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


engaged  in  the  cattle  business  until  1876. 
when  he  moved  to  Colorado,  and  camped  in 
Middle  Park  from  the  fall  of  that  year  until 
June  of  the  next.  At  that  time  he  crossed  the 
range  and  located  at  Manitou  Park,  twenty 
miles  west  of  Colorado  Springs.  He  was  oc- 
cupied in  the  cattle  industry  a  year  at  Manitou 
Park,  at  the  end  of  which  he  returned  to  Mid- 
dle Park,  but  lived  only  six  weeks  longer,  being 
killed  by  the  Indians  while  in  the  peaceful  dis- 
charge of  his  domestic  duties  and  without 
being  guilty  of  the  slightest  wrong  to  the  in- 
furiated savages,  the  tragedy  occurring  on  Sep- 
tember 3,  1878.  His  death  created  a  profound 
indignation  throughout  a  wide  extent  of  the 
surrounding  country,  for  he  was  recognized  as 
a  man  of  the  highest  character,  prominent  in 
business  circles  and  full  of  potential  and  whole- 
some enterprise  for  the  good  of  the  state.  The 
cause  of  his  death  was  a  malignant  spite  of  the 
southern  Utes  against  the  white  people  in  gen- 
eral and  those  of  this  section  in  particular,  and 
a  determination  to  be  revenged  for  supposed 
injuries  at  their  hands.  While  a  party  of  these 
Indians  were  out  on  a  buffalo  hunt,  they  killed 
a  Mr.  McLain,  and  on  their  arrival  at  Denver 
were  promptly  arrested  by  order  of  Governor 
Routt.  They  were,  however,  released  without 
punishment  for  the  crime,  and  then  became  in- 
toxicated and  noisy.  Moving  on  to  Middle 
Park,  one  of  them  was  slain  by  Big  Foot 
Frank,  and  impelled  by  a  desire  for  revenge 
came  in  sight  of  Mr.  Elliott,  who  was  at  his 
wood  pile  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
getting  wood  for  the  kitchen  fire.  He  had  been 
putting  up  his  hay  and  making  arrangements 
to  move  back  to  Manitou  Park  in  order  to 
avoid  trouble  with  all  Indians,  but  as  soon  as 
these  marauders  saw  him  they  shot  him  to 
death  in  the  most  dastardly  and  cowardly  man- 
ner. He  was  a  loyal  Democrat  in  politics  and 
an  ardent  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children, 


their  daughter  Ellen  C,  who  died  on  July  12, 
1865,  and  their  son-  Thomas  C.  After  his 
death  his  widow  disposed  of  the  Middle  Park 
property  and  moved  to  Manitou  Park,  where 
she  remained  until  1879,  when  she  took  up  her 
residence  at  Fort  Collins.  Four  months  later 
she  concluded  to  locate  on,  Rock  creek,  and 
here  she  has  made  her  home  since  1880.  Her 
son  has  stood  by  her  manfully  and  given  close 
attention  to  all  her  interests.  His  parents' 
first  trip  to  the  Northwest  was  made  up  the 
Missouri  to  Fort  Benton  on  the  steamer  "Lily 
Martin,"  in  command  of  Captain  Patterson, 
which  started  from  Atchinson,  Kansas,  on 
April  14,  1865.  From  Fort  Benton  to  Helena, 
Montana,  they  traveled  by  a  mule  train.  The 
second  trip  \vas  up  the  Missouri  from  St. 
Joseph  to  Fort  Benton  on  the  steamer  "Only 
Chance."  They  made  two  round  trips  in  all 
for  the  benefit  of  Mrs.  Elliott's  health.  While 
at  that  early  day  ( the  country  was  wildly  pic- 
turesque and  travel  was  full  of  incident  and 
interest,  it  was  also  hazardous,  every  hour 
fraught  with  danger  and  every  shadow  likely 
to  conceal  a  foe.  They,  however,  escaped  dis- 
aster and  found  their  long  journeys  of  great 
benefit  and  bountiful  in  enjoyment. 

FRISBIE  DEWEY  HUTCHINSON. 

This  widely  and  favorably  known  and  lead- 
ing ranchman  and  cattle-grower  of  Routt 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
born  at  Canaan,  Columbia  county,  on  June  22, 
1844,  and  the  son  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Clarissa 
(Dewey)  Hutchinson,  also  native  in  that  state, 
the  mother  being  a  first  cousin  to  Admiral 
Dewey.  The  parents  were  farmers  in  New 
York,  Michigan,  Missouri  and  Colorado,  be- 
coming residents  of  this  state  in  1872.  The 
father  was  a  successful  business  man,  always 
finding  good  opportunities  for  his  advancement 
and  using  them  wisely.  During  the  Civil  war 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


he  furnished  beef  for  the  United  States  troops 
,  at  a  profit.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  a  Freemason  and  Odd  Fellow  fraternally, 
being  district  deputy  grand  master  in  the  for- 
mer order.  The  son  received  a  good  education, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  took  up  the  burden 
of  life  for  himself  as  a  private  soldier  in  the 
Seventeenth  Michigan  Infantry,  Company  C, 
finding  active  service  and  facing  death  on 
seventeen  of  the  renowned  battle  fields  of  the 
memorable  contest  of  1861-5.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  at  Spottsylvania  Courthouse  in  Vir- 
ginia and  held  in  captivity  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  Returning  to  Michigan  after  his  release, 
he  passed  the  winters  of  1865  and  1866  at 
school,  and  afterward  learned  the  trade  of  a 
stone  mason.  He  has  also  done  much  good 
work  as  an  auctioneer,  and  for  seven  years 
he  was  an  agent  for  the  German  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Rockford,  Illinois,  and  the  Home 
and  Phoenix  of  New  York.  In  1866  he  moved 
to  Hannibal,  Missouri,  and  until  1890  he  made 
his  headquarters  there.  In  addition  to  other 
work  he  carried  on  a  farming  enterprise  in 
Rails  county,  Missouri,  and  also  manufactured 
brooms  extensively.  In  1881  he  made  his  first 
trip  to  Colorado,  and  located  at  Montezuma 
with  the  hope  of  improving  his  failing  health, 
and  also  his  financial  condition.  Here  he 
passed  three  months  prospecting,  then  returned 
to  Rails  county,  Missouri.  In  1885  he  came 
again  to  this  state  and  in  1886  rented  a  ranch 
ten  miles  north  of  Denver,  where  he  lived  a 
year  and  a  half,  learning  how  to  farm  by  irri- 
gation, managing  the  ranch  and  his  Missouri 
interests  as  well.  He  was  so  much  encouraged 
by  the  improvement  of  his  health  and  the 
business  outlook  that  in  1890  he  sold  all  his 
interests  in  Missouri  and  determined  to  make 
Colorado  his  permanent  home.  He  then  pre- 
empted one-half  of  his  present  ranch,  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  acquiring  the  rest 
later  by  homestead.  Of  the  entire  tract  he 


has  two  hundred  acres  under  cultivation  in  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables,  but  hay  and  cattle  are  his . 
principal  sources  of  revenue.  The  ranch  is 
six  miles  southwest  of  Yampa,  on  the  Trappers' 
Lake  trail,  and  was  all  in  wild  sage  when  he 
took  hold  of  it,  all  the  improvements  being 
made  by  him.  Not  long  after  his  arrival  in 
this  section  an  Indian  scare  was  occasioned  by 
the  savages  stampeding  sheep  between  Beggs. 
Wyoming,  and  Fortification  creek,  which 
brought  out  five  hundred  armed  men  for  the 
defense  of  the  region  and  the  punishment  of 
the  marauders,  Mr.  Hutchinson  being  one  of 
the  number.  He  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in 
politics,  having  cast  his  first  vote  (a  white 
bean)  in  Andersonville  prison  for  George  B. 
McClellan.  In  the  fraternal  life  of  the  state  he 
takes  an  active  interest  as  a  Freemason,  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  an 
Odd  Fellow,  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs,  and 
a  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  man.  In  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  he  holds  the  rank  of 
past  grand.  On  October  10,  1867,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Doggett,  a  na- 
tive of  Marysville,  Kentucky.  In  every  relation 
of  life  Mr.  Hutchinson  has  met  his  duty  man- 
fully, and  he  has  won  thereby  the  guerdon  of 
true  fidelity  in  the  lasting  regard  and  good 
will  of  his  fellow  men. 

GEORGE  J.  D.  DAY. 

With  his  very  birth  and  all  his  childhood 
clouded  by  the  terrible  disaster  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  this  intensified  by  the  death  of  both  his 
parents  before  he  was  eight  years  old,  George 
J.  D.  Day,  now  one  of  the  prosperous  ranch 
and  cattle  men  of  Routt  county,  living  on  his 
own  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
located  eighteen  miles  northwest  of  Steamboat 
Springs,  began  the  journey  of  life  and  pursued 
it  for  many  years  under  very  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances. But  his  native  force  of  character 


520 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


triumphed  over  all  difficulties  and  enabled  him 
to  work  his  way  along  to  consequence  and  a 
place  in  public  esteem  well  worthy  of  all  his 
efforts.  He  was  born  in  Clay  county,  North 
Carolina,  near  the  village  of  Hayesville,  on  July 
22,  1864,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  Day,  na- 
tives of  North  Carolina,  where  for  many  years 
they  were  planters.  The  war  left  their  section 
of  the  country  in  so  impoverished  and  desolate 
a  condition,  that  without  much  chance  of 
progress  for  themselves  or  educational  or 
other  advantages  for  their  children,  they 
deemed  it  best  to  seek  a  new  home  of  greater 
promise  in  the  almost  untrodden  wilds  of  the 
far  West.  Accordingly  they  came  to  Colorado 
in  1870  and  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Pueblo. 
Here  they  began  ranching  and  raising  stock 
with  good  prospects,  but  their  day  of  hope  was 
short.  Within  the  year  of  their  arrival  in  this 
state  the  mother  died,  and  the  father  followed 
her  to  the  other  world  the  next  year.  They 
had  a  family  of  ten  children,  but  five  of  whom 
are  living,  Jacob,  John,  Thomas,  George  and 
Carolina.  After  the  death  of  his  parents 
George  returned  to  his  native  state  and  made 
his  home  with  relatives  there  until  he  was  able 
to  care  for  himself,  which  he  began  to  do  soon 
afterward  by  working  on  plantations  for  very 
small  and  precarious  wages.  He  remained  in 
the  old  North  state  until  1886,  after  a  time 
leasing  land  and  planting  it  on  his  own  ac- 
count. His  success  was  so  meager  and  incon- 
stant that  he  determined  to  return  to  Colorado, 
and  in  1886  he  did  so,  arriving  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Hayden,  Routt  county,  in  debt. 
He  was,  however,  willing  to  work  at  any  occu- 
pation for  which  he  was  fitted  and  soon  found 
employment  with  William  Walker  as  a  ranch 
hand.  In  a  little  while  he  took  a  homestead 
claim  to  one-half  of  his  present  ranch,  which 
was  then  unimproved  and  covered  with  wild 
sage,  and,  building  a  little  dwelling  such  as  his 
condition  and  surroundings  made  possible,  he 


settled  on  his  claim  and  began  to  improve  it. 
His  progress  was  such  that  soon  afterward  he 
was  able  to  double  his  acreage  and  bring  the 
new  portion  also  to  cultivation  and  profit.  He 
still  owns  all  the  land  and  has  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  it  in  good  producing  con- 
dition. In  the  meantime  he  has  greatly  im- 
proved the  buildings  and  added  to  their  num- 
ber until  he  has  a  comfortable  and  profitable 
home  where  when  he  located  there  the  same 
state  of  nature  prevailed  that  centuries  had 
witnessed.  He  has  good  ditches  that  supply 
enough  water  for  the  extent  he  cultivates,  and 
every  season  sees  an  increase  in  the  value  of 
his  ranch  and  its  products.  Hay  and  cattle  are 
his  main  reliance  and  are  raised  extensively. 
He  is  an  old-time  Democrat  in  political  faith 
and  practice,  and  gives  his  party  loyal  and 
continued  support.  On  July  18,  1895.  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary  Sellars,  of 
the  same  nativity  as  himself.  They  have  had 
three  children,  of  whom  two.  Belle  and  Delphia, 
died  in  infancy.  The  one  living  is  a  daughter 
named  Pearl.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Day  are  enter- 
prising and  are  well  esteemed  throughout  their 
community. 

ROBERT  HELVEY. 

Although  "the  slings  and  arrows  of  out- 
rageous fortune"  have  at  times  been  thick 
around  him,  Robert  Helvey,  of  Routt  county, 
residing  on  Deep  creek,  sixteen  miles  north- 
west of  Steamboat  Springs,  has  encountered 
them  with  resolute  courage  and  determination, 
and  if  he  has  not  taken  the  buffets  and  rewards 
with  equal  thanks,  he  has  at  least  met  them 
with  an  unyielding  spirit,  and  even  used  some 
of  the  buffets  to  his  advantage.  He  began  his 
youth  with  family  responsibilities  upon  him,  far 
beyond  the  weight  due  to  his  years,  but  he 
bore  them  with  a  manly  constancy  and  devotion 
to  duty,  and  thereby  strengthened  his  character 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN.  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


521 


for  all  the  subsequent  conflicts  of  life  so  that 
he  has  triumphed  over  them,  winning  for  him- 
self a  comfortable  estate  and  securing  at  the 
same  time  the  lasting  regard  of  his  fellow- 
men.  He  was  born  at  Percival,  Fremont 
county,  Iowa,  on  January  18,  1857,  the  son  of 
Melvin  T.  and  Mary  A.  (Blair)  Helvey.  They 
were  early  settlers  in  Iowa,  where  the  father 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  devoted  to  rear- 
ing his  family  of  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living,  Robert,  Mrs.  William  Dunfield  and 
Charles.  When  the  integrity  of  the  Union  was 
threatened  by  armed  resistance  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Civil  war  he  joined  the  mustering 
armies  in  its  defense,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
sanguinary  conflict  laid  his  life  on  the  altar  of 
his  country  in  one  of  its  desperate  battles.  Thus 
deprived  of  its  main  support,  the  family  was 
driven  to  the  necessity  of  providing  for  its 
maintenance  as  best  it  could,  and  so  when 
he  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  Robert  was 
obliged  to  give  up  his  slender  school  advan- 
tages and  begin  the  battle  of  life  for  himself. 
He  earned  his  own  living  from  this  time  on, 
and  even  out  of  his  meager  wages  contributed 
to  the  support  of  his  mother  and  the  rest  of 
the  family.  Three  years  later  the  responsi- 
bility of  supporting  the  household  fell  more 
heavily  and  almost  wholly  on  him,  but  he  re- 
mained at  home  and  performed  his  duty  as  well 
as  he  could.  In  1878,  when  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old,  they  moved  to  Nebraska  and  located 
en  a  farm  ten  miles  north  of  Nebraska  City, 
where  all  his  hopes  of  profit  were  blasted  by  the 
unwelcome  invasion  o'f  the  grasshoppers  which 
destroyed  all  his  crops.  In  1880  he  moved  to 
Lincoln,  that  state,  and  there  for  a  few  months 
followed  teaming  to  get  a  new  start.  In  the 
summer  of  that  year  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Georgetown,  being  among  the  first 
settlers  there,  and  again  found  profitable  em- 
ployment as  a  teamster,  remaining  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  sold  his  teams 


and  moved  to  Denver,  where  he  worked  in  the 
round  house  and  as  a  fireman  for  the  Union 
Pacific  and  Colorado  Midland  railroads  until 
1884.  He  then  changed  his  residence  to 
Cardiff  and  continued  railroad  work  there  for 
a  short  time,  at  the  end  of  which  he  moved  to 
Tacoma,  Washington,  where  he  followed  rail- 
roading and  teaming  until  1892.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  the  next  year,  mak- 
ing Steamboat  Springs  his  headquarters,  en- 
gaged in  freighting  and  teaming  which  he 
continued  two  years.  In  1895  he  homesteaded 
on  his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  of  which  he  cultivates  one  hundred  and 
ten  with  good  returns.  He  has  plenty  of  water, 
being  interested  in  two  ditches,  and  having 
made  his  own  improvements  and  directed  his 
own  ranching  operations,  has  his  place  de- 
veloped much  to  his  taste  and  through  his  own 
efforts.  Hay,  cattle  and  horses  are  his  prin- 
cipal productions,  and  on  these  he  finds  he  can 
securely  and  profitably  rely.  His  mother,  who 
has  accompanied  him  in  his  wanderings,  now 
resides  at  Steamboat  Springs.  On  December 
25,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lavina 
Holmes,  a  native  of  Cedar  county,  Iowa.  They 
had  five  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy and  two  are  living,  Harley  and  Mrs.  Jay 
Paxman.  Their  mother  died  on  March  16, 
1892,  and  on  March  17,  1894,  Mr.  Helvey 
married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Effie  A.  Canton- 
wine,  who  was  born  in  Boulder  county,  this 
state.  Five  children  have  blessed  their  union. 
Of  these  a  son  named  Floyd  has  died  and 
Stella  E.,  Robert  A.,  Vera  F.  and  Oscar  W. 
are  living. 

.WILLIAM  G.  McCORMICK. 

Although  born  and  reared  to  the  age  of 
fourteen  in  the  mining  regions  of  Lackawanna 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  son  of  a  father 
who  afterward  became  a  miner  in  Colorado, 


522 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


William  G.  McCormick,  of  Routt  county,  one 
of  the  prominent  and  progressive  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  the  Elk  creek  region  and  the 
fourth  settler  on  the  creek,  never  caught  the 
mining  fever,  but  during  nearly  the  whole  of 
his  life  from  his  youth  has  been  connected  with 
the  ranch  and  stock  industries  of  this  state. 
His  life  began  on  Christmas  day,  1859,  and 
he  is  the  son  of  David  B.  and  Emeline  Mc- 
Cormick, the  father  a  native  of  New  York  of 
Scotch  descent  and  the  mother  of  Pennsyl- 
vania of  New  England  ancestry,  her  fore- 
fathers being  among  the  Pilgrims  who  landed 
at  Plymouth  Rock  in  the  early  days  of  Mas- 
sachusetts history.  Mr.  McCormick's  father 
was  a  speculator  in  the  East  until  1873.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Denver,  and  near  that  city  he  followed  min- 
ing until  1889,  when  failing  health  obliged 
him  to  abandon  this  pursuit.  He  \vas  success- 
ful, in  business  and  retired  with  a  competence. 
In  public  life  he  takes  an  active  part  as  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  fraternal  circles  is  connected 
with  the  Masonic  order.  The  mother  died  in 
1869.  They  had  four  children,  Eugene,  Eliza- 
beth, Wyatt  and  William  G.,  all  of  whom  are 
living.  William,  the  first  born,  was  educated 
at  the  common  schools  and  assisted  his  parents 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty.  Then,  in 
1879,  he  located  in  Fremont  county  and  spent 
four  years  ranching  and  raising  cattle  on  Texas 
creek.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  took 
charge  of  the  Wendling  &  Schuyler  ranch, 
and  continued  in  charge  of  it  until  1888.  He 
then  returned  to  Denver  and  began  speculating 
in  /land,  but  owing  to  the  amount  of  almost 
worthless  paper  he  was  obliged  to  take  in  pay- 
ments, his  business  was  not  profitable  and  he 
abandoned  it  in  1890.  With  four  hundred 
dollars  in  money  and  a  team  and  wagon  which 
he  saved  from  the  wreck  he  moved  to  Routt 
county  that  fall  and,  squatting  on  a  claim,  de- 
voted his  attention  to  breaking  horses  for  James 


Kenney  until  the  ensuing  spring,  when  he  pre- 
empted his  present  ranch,  which  comprises 
two  hundred  acres  of  tillable  land.  Here  he 
has  made  good  improvements  and  brought  his 
tract  to  such  a  state  of  development  that  it 
yields  him  excellent  crops  of  hay,  grain  and 
vegetables,  hay  and  cattle,  however,  being  his 
principal  products.  He  supports  the  Repub- 
lican party .  in  national  politics.  In  October, 
1882,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna 
Rounds,  a  native  of  Luzerne  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  have  five  children,  Claude,  Nel- 
son, Jessie,  Edson  and  Walter.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick has  had  his  share  of  adversities  in 
life,  but  he  has  never  yielded  to  them,  always 
keeping  his  courage  up  and  exhibiting  a  spirit 
of  determination  that  no  business  calamity 
should  overcome  his  energy  or  determination 
to  succeed.  And  this  earnestness  of  perse- 
verance and  industry  has  won  him  his  present 
possessions  and  his  well  established  hold  on 
the  regard  of  his  fellow  men  wherever  he  is 
known. 

WILLIAM  H.  JONES. 

Born  with  a  resolute  and  self-reliant  spirit 
rather  than  to  favoring  circumstances  and  op- 
portunities, and  reared  through  the  hard  school 
of  stern  and  relentless  necessity  to  habits  of 
industry  and  thrift,  with  but  little  chance  to 
get  mental  training  and  book  learning  in  the 
schools  provided  for  the  purpose,  William  H. 
Jones  was  essentially  a  self-made  man,  and  by 
his  inherent  qualities  of  manhood,  progres- 
siveness  and  general  adaptability  he  rose  to 
prominence  in  his  locality  and  found  many 
ways  of  being  useful  to  his  community.  He 
was  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Tennessee, 
whose  life  began  on  May  28,  1841,  and  the 
son  of  John  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Martin)  Jones, 
also  natives  of  Tennessee,  who  found  their 
final  earthly  home  in  Iowa,  where  the  mother 
died  in  1846  and  the  father  in  1848.  They 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


523 


were  devout  and  serviceable  Methodists  and 
passed  their  lives  in  diligent  farming.  The 
father  was  a  Republican  in  political  alliance 
and  active  in  the  service  of  his  party.  Twelve 
children  were  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  William  H.,  Virginia,  Marguerite, 
Mary,  James  and  Samuel.  Owing  to  the  early 
death  of  his  parents  William  was  thrown  on 
his  own  resources  long  before  "manhood  dark- 
ened on  his  downy  cheek."  He  was  taken  in 
charge  by  relatives  at  Agency,  near  Otturriwa, 
Iowa,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  was  put  to 
work  on  their  farm.  When  he  determined  to 
start  out  in  life  for  himself,  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri, and  after  a  short  residence  in  that  state 
moved  to  Illinois,  locating  in  McLean  county 
in  1861.  There  he  passed  five  years  in  suc- 
cessful farming,  and  in  1866  turned  his  at- 
tention to  raising  and  dealing  in  stock  inde- 
pendently of  other  farming  operations.  This 
line  of  enterprise  he  pursued  some  time  in  Il- 
linois, then  changed  his  residence  to  near  Her- 
mitage, Hickory  county,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  tanning  until  1878,  and  from 
then  until  1880  in  various  other  occupations. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  came  to  Colorado, 
and  during  the  next  seven  years  followed  min- 
ing for  wages  and  on  leased  properties  at  Lin- 
coln City  and  Breckenridge.  In  1887  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Routt  county,  locating  a 
portion  of  the  present  ranch  on  Trout  creek  on 
a  pre-emption  claim,  and  afterward  adding  to 
its  extent  until  it  now  comprises  three  hundred 
and  three  acres,  of  which  two  hundred  can  be 
cultivated.  The  land  was  wholly  uncultivated 
and  unimproved  when  he  located  on  it,  given 
up  to  its  wild  growth  of  sage  brush  and  wil- 
lows, and  all  that  it  shows  in  the  way  of  im- 
provement and  tillage  is  the  result  of  his  own 
continuous  and  judicious  industry.  Hay 'and 
cattle  are  the  principal  products,  but  there  are 
also  raised  good  crops  of  grain  and  vegetables. 
He  was  the  second  settler  on  the  creek,  and 


while  he  was  obliged  to  endure  many  of  the 
privations  incident  to  the  life  on  the  distant 
frontier,  he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  food,  as 
wild  game  was  plentiful  and  he  became  an  un- 
erring shot.  Politically  he  supported  the 
Democratic  party.  On  November  n,  1869,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Samantha  McCoy, 
who  died  on  November  21,  1903,  leaving  three 
of  their  four  children  as  her  survivors,  Russell, 
Harry  and  Nora  E.,  the  other  one  having  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  Jones  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  his  success  in  life  was  the  result 
of  his  own  powers  and  efforts,  and  that  he  had 
won  it  without  the  aid  of  circumstances  or  other 
help  of  any  kind.  He  died  on  May  5,  1905, 
and  was  buried  May  6th  at  Steamboat  Springs, 
Colorado. 

GEORGE  E.  TRULL. 

"Not  honored  less  is  he  who  founds  than 
he  who  heirs  a  line,"  and  this  is  equally  true  as 
to  places  and  communities.  The  man  who 
strides  boldly  into  the  uninhabited  wilderness 
and  there  starts  a  family  and  builds  up  a  re- 
gion, peopling  it  with  thrifty  and  progressive 
inhabitants  and  bringing  resources  to  the  sup- 
port of  men  and  into  the  channels  of  commerce, 
is  as  essentially  a  benefactor  of  mankind,  as 
one  who  receives  from  a  long  line  of  dis- 
tinguished ancestors  estates  and  interests  of 
value  and  keeps  them  in  good  forms  of  utility 
and  progress  whereby  many  men  profit,  and  in 
the  discernment  of  many  judicious  observers 
the  former  is  entitled  to  a  much  higher  meed  of 
praise  and  credit.  For  he  makes  out  of  the 
raw  material  what  the  other  only  maintains 
and  still  further  develops.  George  E.  Trull 
belongs  to  the  class  of  new  creators  in  that  he 
came  to  the  section  of  Routt  county  in  which 
his  flourishing  ranch  and  cattle  industries  are 
located,  and  there  in  the  midst  of  a  profound 
and  unbroken  wilderness  establishes  a  home 
which  has  been  the  nucleus  of  a  growing  and 


524 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


prosperous  community,  already  well  advanced 
in  development,  and  yielding  to  the  public  weal 
a  goodly  store  of  wealth,  enterprise  and  pro- 
ductiveness. He  was  born  on  December  22, 
1865,  at  South  Paris,  Oxford  county,  Maine, 
and  is  the  son  of  Edwin  R.  and  Annie  N. 
Trull,  themselves  natives  of  Maine.  The  father 
died  when  the  subject  was  but  two  years  old, 
while  the  mother  lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Wiley,  at  Nashua,  New  Hampshire.  The 
father  was  a  prosperous  manufacturer  of  car- 
riages and  kindred  products.  He  was  an  active 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  Methodist  in 
church  affiliation,  as  is  now  his  widow.  Two 
of  their  children  are  living,  George  and  his 
sister  Gertrude,  wife  of  Archie  Wiley.  George 
received  a  common-school  education  and 
•worked  with  his  father  for  several  years  after 
leaving  school.  He  began  to  earn  his  own  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  when  he  was  a 
good  sized  youth  he  became  clerk  in  a  dry- 
goods  store  at  Portland  in  his  native  state,  and 
afterward  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Adams 
Express  Company  at  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
for  three  years.  In  1886  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  took  up  his  residence  in  Routt  county, 
locating  on  a  ranch  which  he  pre-empted,  then 
improved  and  sold  at  a  good  profit.  He  has 
since  taken  up  the  one  he  now  owns  at  Trull  on 
a  homestead  claim,  the  place  being  named  in 
his  honor,  as  he  was  the  earliest  settler  there. 
The  ranch  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  and  he  has  one  hundred  and  thirty  under 
cultivation.  Cattle  and  hay  are  his  principal 
products  and  his  business  is  flourishing,  and 
carried  on  with  increasing  magnitude  and 
profits.  When  he  took  up  the  land  it  was 
covered  with  wild  sage  and  had  no  buildings  of 
any  kind.  He  has  made  his  own  improvements, 
which  are  a  standing  evidence  of  his  enterprise 
and  taste,  and  by  his  industry  he  has  made  his 
farm  a  very  productive  and  valuable  tract  of 
land.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  political 


affairs,  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  On  November  24, 
1890,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss 
Martha  McLaughlin,  a  native  of  Scotland. 
They  have  had  five  children,  three  of  whom, 
Edwin,  John  and  George,  have  died,  and  two, 
Francis  R.  and  Edward  E.,  are  living.  Mrs. 
Trull  is  the  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary 
(Elliott)  McLaughlin,  who  were  born  in  Scot- 
land and  came  to  this  country  many  years  ago. 
They  are  Presbyterians  in  church  fellowship. 
Of  their  nine  children  seven  are  living,  Mrs. 
Trull,  Jane,  Mary,  John,  James,  William  and 
Peter.  Since  1897  Mr.  Trull  has  been  post- 
master of  the  office  which  bears  his  name.  He 
is  also  the  road  supervisor  of  his  district,  and 
his  services  in  both  capacities  have  won  him 
hearty  commendation  from  his  friends  and 
neighbors,  and  all  others  who  have  occasion  to 
patronize  the  office  or  travel  over  the  roads 
which  he  keeps  in  order,  his  performance  of  his 
official  duties  in  both  respects  being  in  accord- 
ance with  his  general  demeanor,  which  covers 
all  the  requirements  of  good  citizenship  with 
fidelity,  industry  and  intelligence. 

ISAAC  A.  WILHELM. 

Sprung  from  an  old  Pennsylvania  family, 
long  resident  in  the  historic  county  of  Berks, 
and  for  several  generations  carrying  on  ex- 
tensive farming  operations  there,  Isaac  A. 
Wilhelm,  of  Routt  county,  this  state,  with  one 
of  the  largest,  most  highly  improved  and  suc- 
cessfully cultivated  ranches  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Steamboat  Springs,  has  brought  to 
Colorado  an  excellent  inheritance  of  qualities 
as  a  man  and  citizen  and  of  well  developed 
faculties  for  labor  and  business,  which  he  has 
put  into  successful  and  productive  operation 
here,  thereby  fully  justifying  the  promise  of  his 
childhood  and  youth  and  vindicating  the  ster- 
ling character  of  his  ancestry.  He  was  born  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Berks    county,    Pennsylvania,    on    March    17, 
1866,  and  was  educated  at  the  district  schools. 
From  the  age  of  seventeen  he  has  paddled  his 
own  canoe  in  life,  and  has  made  steady  prog- 
ress in  the  work.    Being  practically  a  self-made 
man,  he  has  from  his  early  manhood  been  well 
aware  of  the  strength  and  fiber  of  his  make-up, 
and  has  also  known  the  value  of  self-reliance 
and  personal  efforts  in  others.     His  parents, 
Jacob  and  Mary  Wilhelm,  were  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,   and   in  that  state  they  passed 
their  lives.    The  father  was  an  extensive  farmer 
and  dealer  in  live  stock,  and  both  parents  were 
members    of   the    German    Reformed   church. 
The  mother   died  in   1875   and  the   father  is 
also  dead.     They  had  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,   Mrs.   Henry  Snyder,   Mrs. 
Theresa  Miller,  James,  George,  Amelia,  Jacob, 
Jared,  Isaac  A.,  Mrs.  Frank  Troutman,  Mrs. 
Frank  Stout  and  Mrs.  M.  Sheet.     When  their 
son  Isaac  left  home  to  work  for  himself,  he  still 
devoted   a  portion   of   his   earnings    for   four 
years,  or  until  he  reached  his  legal  majority, 
to  the   assistance   of   his   parents,  during  that 
period  working  on  farms  in  Iowa  and  Kansas. 
In  1883  he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Lake  City  where  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing,  working   for  wages   and  also  operating 
leased  properties  on  his  own  account.     In  1889 
he  moved  to  Cripple  Creek,  where  he  leased 
mining  properties  and  worked- them  with  great 
success  and  profit,  remaining  there  until  1902, 
when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Routt  county, 
purchasing  his  present  ranch  of  five  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  seven  miles  south  of  Steamboat 
Springs.    The  land  is  all  capable  of  easy  culti- 
vation and  is  well  supplied  with  water.     Since 
buying  the  property  he  has  made  extensive  and 
valuable    improvements,    and    pushed    the    de- 
velopment of  his  land's  fertility  and  product- 
iveness to  an  advanced  stage,  having  all  his 
energy  and  all  his  business  capacity  always  in 
play  and  making  every  day  count  to  his  ad- 


vantage. Hay  and  cattle  are  his  principal  prod- 
ucts, and  these  are  excellent  in  quality  and 
abundant  in  quantity.  As  he  was  one  of  the 
most  successful  miners  in  the  state  so  he  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive  and  broad-minded 
ranch  and  cattle  men  in  his  portion  of  it.  In 
political  faith  and  devotion  he  is  an  ardent 
Democrat  in  national  affairs,  but  in  local  mat- 
ters he  gives  the  first  consideration  to  the  sub- 
stantial and  enduring  welfare  of  his  community 
and  county.  No  citizen  of  his  section  stands 
higher  in  the  public  regard,  and  none  has 
earned  his  position  on  more  substantial  merit. 

ERVIN  DANIEL  EATON. 

Although  of  prime  New  England  ancestry, 
his  father,  Sylvester  Eaton,  having  been  born 
in  Maine,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Jennie  (Gibson)  Leighton,  in  Vermont, 
Ervin  D.  Eaton,  of  Routt  county,  is  wholly  a 
product  of  the  West.  He  was  born  at  Utica, 
Winona  county,  Minnesota,  on  July  10,  1863, 
and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Kansas  in  his 
boyhood.  He  secured  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  Davis  City,  Ne- 
braska, high  school.  His  parents  were  farm- 
ers, and  the  father  was  a  pronounced  Repub- 
lican in  political  faith.  He  died  in  Minnesota 
in  1865.  There  were  three  children  in  the  fam- 
ily, one  of  whom,  Marguerite,  died  in  1874. 
The  other  two,  both  sons,  John  A.  and  Ervin 
D.,  are  living.  The  latter  remained  at  home 
working  in  the  interest  of  his  parents  until 
1 88 1,  his  later  years  before  this  'date  being 
passed  as  bill  clerk  for  A.  B.  Sims  &  Com- 
pany, wholesale  merchants  at  Atchison,  Kansas. 
In  1 88 1  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Saguache,  where  he  worked  on  ranches  for 
wages  until  the  fall  of  that  year,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Kansas,  remaining  two  years.  In 
1883  he  again  became  a  resident  of  this  state, 
locating  on  a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Delta, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


where  he  continued  to  live  until  the  spring  of 
1885,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there 
and  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  at 
Newcastle,  Garfield  county,  in  partnership  with 
M.  C.  Van  de  Venter,  they  having  the. distinc- 
tion of  building  the  first  store  at  that  town. 
The  partnership  lasted  two  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  period  Mr.  Eaton  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Aspen,  where  he  followed  mining  until  the 
summer  of  1887,  when  he  again  returned  to 
Kansas.  He  remained  in  that  state  until-  1893, 
clerking  in  a  store  at  Corning.  He  then  once 
more  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead three  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of 
Yampa,  Routt  county.  This  he  improved  and 
then  leased  it  to  a  tenant,  himself  in  1898  be- 
coming manager  in  the  mercantile  establish- 
ment of  H.  J.  Hemage  at  Yampa.  He  also 
seryed  as  postmaster  at  Yampa  in  1899,  1900 
and  1901.  At  the  end  of  his  term  as  post- 
master he  started  a  mercantile  enterprise  of  his 
own  which  he  conducted  until  December,  1902, 
when  he  sold  the  business  to  accept  the  office 
of  clerk  and  recorder  for  the  county,  a  position 
which  he  is  still  filling,  and  to  which  he  was 
elected  as  a  Republican.  He  is  still  interested 
in  ranching,  however,  and  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  superior  land,  all  of  which 
is  arable  and  under  an  advanced  state  of  culti- 
vation. In  the  spirit  of  improvement  which 
has  done  so  much  for  the  locality  in  which  His 
property  is  he  has  been  active  and  zealous,  help- 
ing to  build  the  Roaring  Fork  ditch  and  other 
works  of  the  kind,  applying  to  local  affairs  for 
the  general  good  the  same  energy  and  intelli- 
gence which  he  has  used  so  effectively  in  ad- 
vancing his  own  interests.  He  started  in  life 
without  money  and  has  made  his  way  un- 
assisted through  his  own  efforts  and  capacity  to 
consequence  and  comfort,  holding  firmly  every 
foot  of  ground  he  has  gained  and  as  well  keep- 
ing his  place  among  the  highest  in  the  regard 
and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men.  Fraternally 


he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order,  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
On  June  6,  1888,  he  united  in  wedlock  with 
Miss  Ida  V.  Neiman,  a  native  of  Wilkesbarre, 
Pennsylvania.  They  have  had  four  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  Arthur  C., 
Edith  G.  and  Jessie  L.  are  living.  Capable  in 
business  and  popular  in  public  life,  Mr.  Eaton 
is  easily  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  county. 

NICHOLAS  ELMER. 

Nicholas  Elmer,  a  younger  brother  of 
Mathias,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page,  was  born  on  April  21,  1866,  in 
Switzerland,  the  son  of  Oswald  and  Dorothea 
Elmer,  of  that  country,  where  his  mother  died 
on  February  12,  1900,  and  his  father  is  still 
living.  Mr.  Elmer  was  educated  at  the  state, 
common  schools  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began 
to  earn  his  own  living  and  work  himself  for- 
ward in  a  business  way.  In  1882,  deeming  that 
the  opportunities  for  a  poor  man's  advance- 
ment were  better  amid  the  boundless  possibili- 
ties of  this  country  than  in  the  cramped  and 
crowded  conditions  of  his  own,  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Green 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
for  a  year  at  a  meager  compensation.  In  1883 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  taking  up 
his  home  at  Leadville.  Here  he  worked  a 
year  in  the  smelter,  then  in  1884  moved  to  the 
Bear  river  valley,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Hay- 
den  pre-empted  eighty  acres  of  land  and  took 
up  one  hundred  and  sixty  as  a  homestead. 
Nearly  all  of  his  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  can  be  cultivated,  and  while  hay  and  cat- 
tle form  his  chief  reliance,  he  also  raises  good 
crops  of  grain  and  vegetables.  I-lis  ranch  is 
six  miles  northeast  of  Hayden,  giving  him  easy 
access  to  a  good  market.  Politically  he  sup- 
ports the  Republican  party,  and,  like  other 
progressive  and  public-spirited  men  in  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


527 


neighborhood,  he  takes  an  active  part  in  the 
progress  and  development  of  the  region,  show- 
ing his  interest  in  its  welfare  by  the  improve- 
ments he  has  made  on  his  own  wild  tract  and 
the  degree  of  productiveness  to  which  he  has 
brought  it  by  his  industry  and  skill,  and  his 
faith  in  its  future  by  contributing  liberally  of 
his  time  and  means  to  all  public  interests. 

WILLIAM  PRITCHARD. 

Born  to  a  destiny  and  reared  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  toil  and  privation,  and  with  his 
faculties  sharpened  and  his  mind  invigorated 
by  his  condition,  when  he  came  to  a  land  of 
boundless  opportunities,  William  Pritchard,  of 
Routt  county,  who  is  now  one  of  its  most  pro- 
gressive and  successful  ranch  and  cattle  men, 
was  prepared  to  work  out  a  comely  estate  from 
almost  any  conditions  which  fate  might  fling 
before  him,  and  turn  every  circumstance  to 
account  in  his  favor,  however  untoward  and 
obdurate  it  might  seem  on  its  surface.  He 
came  into  this  world  in  southern  Wales  on 
May  10,  1845,  and  he  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty-four  in  his  native  land,  attending  the 
common  schools  at  irregular  and  short  intervals 
and  beginning  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  at 
the  early  age  of  eleven  years.  In  1869  he  bade 
farewell  to  the  unpromising  land  of  his  birth 
and  braved  the  heaving  ocean  for  a  chance  in 
the  land  of  promise  whose  voice  was  then  po- 
tential throughout  the  civilized  world  in  the 
call  for  volunteers  to  her  great  army  of  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  conquest  for  which 
active  campaigns  wrere  in  progress,  especially  in 
the  West.  On  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  \o- 
cated  at  New  Cambria,  Missouri,  where  he  fol- 
lowed railroad  work  until  failing  health  obliged 
him  to  seek  another  occupation.  Moving  then 
to  Iowa,  he  devoted  his  time  to  farming  for 
wages  until  1872,  and  with  an  ambitious  de- 
sire to  supplement  his  slender  education,  at- 


tended school  at  intervals.  In  the  spring  of 
1872  he  became  a  resident  of  Georgetown, 
Colorado,  and  during  the  next  two  years  he 
worked  in  the  mines  in  that  vicinity  for  wages. 
In  1874  he  came  to  Routt  county  and  located  a 
ranch  on  Snake  river.  This  he  improved  to 
some  extent,  then  sold  it  in  1875.  He  then 
went  to  Hahn's  Peak,  and  until  1883  he  was 
engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  in  that 
promising  region,  and  although  he  sometimes 
lost  heavily  in  his  ventures,  on  the  whole  he 
was  unusually  successful.  But  he  was  obliged 
to  pay  a  price  that  many  would  not  have  con- 
sidered for  his  advantage,  turning  his  back  on 
all  the  allurements  and  even  the  common  com- 
forts of  civilization,  and  herding  with  the  In- 
dians, camping  with  them,  sleeping  with  them 
and  often  sharing  the  crude  and  unsavory  food 
on  which  they  lived.  They  were  friendly,  how- 
ever, and  aided  him  in  his  aspirations,  and  in 
this  he  found  some  compensation  for  the  pri- 
vations he  was  compelled  to  suffer.  In  1883 
he  quit  mining  and  located  his  present  ranch 
in  Morgan  bottoms,  taking  it  as  a  homestead. 
It  comprises  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres, 
all  of  which  is  tillable,  and  on  it  he  brings  forth 
every  year  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vege- 
tables. Here  also  he  carries  on  a  cattle  in- 
dustry of  constantly  increasing  dimensions  and 
accumulating  profits.  He  has  made  his  ranch 
one  of  the  most  desirable  in  his  section,  and  his 
success  ranks  him  among  the  most  progressive 
and  prominent  men  in  his  lines  of  activity  on 
the  Western  slope  of  the  state.  He  belongs 
to  the  Republican  party  and  is  an  earnest  and 
zealous  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
His  ranch  is  five  miles  southeast  of  Hayden  and 
is  well  supplied  with  water.  All  its  improve- 
ments were  made  by  him.  His  parents  were 
William  and  Mary  (Davis)  Pritchard,  natives 
of  Wales,  where  both  died,  the  father  in  1846 
and  the  mother  in  1848.  Of  their  five  children 
William  is  the  only  one  living. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ALBERT  SQUIRE. 

There  is  scarcely  a  parallel  in  human 
history  to  the  benefactions  the  United  States 
of  America  have  furnished  to  mankind.  When 
laid  open  to  the  gaze  of  over-crowded  and  over- 
wrought Europe,  as  it  was  at  that  time,  it  was 
a  range  of  boundless  opportunity  for  enter- 
prise, waiting  only  for  the  hand  of  systematic 
industry  to  develop  its  resources  and  set  its 
stores  of  hidden  wealth  flowing  through  all 
the  channels  of  trade,  and  inviting  the  world 
to  come  and  put  the  currents  in  motion.  The 
world  has  accepted  and  is  still  accepting  the 
invitation,  and  here  upon  our  soil  we  have  a 
real  democracy  of  labor  in  its  shirt  sleeves  at 
work  where  work  will  pay.  Among  the  men 
of  foreign  birth  who  have  come  hither  with 
high  hopes  of  substantial  gain,  and  with  eyes 
to  see  and  force  to  grasp  the  opportunities  so 
generously  proffered,  Albert  Squire,  of  Routt 
county,  this  state,  is  one  who  is  worthy  of 
honorable  mention  and  a  high  regard.  He 
came  with  almost  nothing  but  his  native  force 
and  ability,  and  like  many  another  of  his  kind, 
he  has  commanded  the  wilderness  to  "stand 
ruled"  and  deliver  up  its  hoarded  provender  to 
his  needs,  and  it  has  obeyed  the  masterful  sum- 
mons under  his  persistent  and  well  applied 
energy.  Mr.  Squire,  the  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Squire,  of  Milton  Abbot,  Devonshire, 
England,  was  born  in  that  county  on  April  7, 
1853.  His  father  was  a  prosperous  miner  and 
farmer,  and  both  parents  were  devout  mem- 
bers of  the  Bible  Christian  church.  The  father 
died  in  his  native  land  in  December,  1870,  and 
the  mother  is  also  dead.  Of  their  seven  chil- 
dren William,  John  and  Richard  died,  and  the 
other  four  are  living.  Albert  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen 
years,  getting  what  education  he  could  in  ir- 
regular attendance  upon  the  ministrations  of 
the  common  schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm 
work  of  the  parental  home.  On  June  5,  1872, 


he  set  sail  for  this  country,  and  on  his  arrival 
here  located  for  a  short  time  in  New  Jersey. 
From  there  he  moved  to  the  copper  regions  of 
northern  Michigan,  in  both  states  giving  his 
attention  to  mining.  In  October,  1875,  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  from  then 
until  1884  he  mined  in  Boulder,  Gilpin,  Jef- 
ferson, Clear  Creek  and  Lake  counties,  most 
of  the  time  with  headquarters  at  Central  City 
and  the  rest  at  Leadville.  In  1884  he  changed 
his  residence  to  his  present  location,  seven 
miles  northeast  of  Hayden,  Routt  county,  and 
his  occupation  to  ranching  and  raising  cattle. 
He  homesteaded  on  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  which  was  at  the  time  unprofit- 
ably  gay  with  its  wild  growth  of  sage  and 
willows.  This  he  improved  and  reduced  to 
productiveness,  then  bought  another  tract  of 
equal  magnitude  to  which  he  applied  the  same 
process.  The  whole  body  now  yields  him 
generous  returns  for  his  labor  in  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables,  and  handsomely  supports  his 
large  herds  of  good  cattle.  Politically  Mr. 
Squire  adheres  to  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  married  on  March  I,  1880,  to  Miss  Mina 
L.  Ingrum,  a  native  of  Richland  county,  Wis- 
consin. They  have  had  twelve  children,  of 
whom  Mary  B.,  Mina  E.  and  Calvin  have  died, 
and  Sadie  M.,  Margery  E.,  Lena  May,  Frank- 
lin, Reuben,  Pearl,  Daisy,  Joe  and  Andrew  are 
living.  The  mother  died  on  March  27,  1904. 

WILLIAM  ERWIN. 

That  circumstances  have  much  to  do  with 
the  life  of  a  man  has  been  abundantly  dem- 
onstrated in  every  period  of  the  world's 
history  from  its  dawn.  But  that  they  have 
not  unlimited  sway  has  also  often  been  proven 
and  finds  a  new  illustration  in  the  career  of 
William  Erwin,  of  Routt  county,  whose  home 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hayden,  and  who 
came  to  Colorado  twenty-four  years  ago  empty- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


handed  and  is  now  a  citizen  of  consequence, 
with  a  comfortable  esteem  which  he  has  won 
from  hard  conditions  by  his  own  persevering  in- 
dustry and  business  capacity.     Circumstances 
were  not  in  his  favor  but  he  commanded  them 
to  his  service  and  has  made  even  his  adversities 
minister  to  his  progress.     Mr.  Erwin  is  a  na- 
tive  of  Union   county,   Ohio,   born   near   the 
town  of  Milford  on  his  father's  farm,  on  July 
24,  1854.     He  received  only  a  common-school 
education,  being  obliged  from  an  early  age  to 
take  his  place  and  keep  it  in  the  ranks  of  those 
who  were  doing  the  work  of  the  farm.     He  is 
the  son  of  Robert  and  Eva  Erwin,  natives  of 
Ohio.     The  mother  died  in  her  native  state  in 
1861,  and  since  then  the  father  has  lived  in 
that  state,  Illinois,   Missouri,  Kansas  and  the 
territory  of  Oklahoma,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  has  followed  farming  during  the  greater 
part   of   his    life.      During  the   Civil   war   he 
served  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member 
of  an  Ohio  infantry  regiment.     He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political  belief,  and  a  man  of  in- 
fluence where  he  lives.     The  family  comprised 
two   daughters   and  one  son,   Amanda   (Mrs. 
Sipes),  Lola  (Mrs.  William  Hutchinson)  and 
William.     From   1863  to  1869  William  lived 
at  Albany,  Illinois,  with  his  father,  and  after 
that  for  some  years  in  Monroe  county,  Iowa,, 
from  where  he  moved  with  the  family  to  Mis? 
souri.     In  1876  he  became  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado, and  after  a  short  stay  at  Denver,  moved 
to  Rollins ville,  in  what  is  now  Gilpin  county. 
He  did  not  remain  there  long,  however,  but 
soon  after  went  to  Boulder  county  and  then  to 
Gunnison  county.     In  these  various  places  he 
was  occupied  in  making  ties  for  the  railroads, 
ranch  work  and  prospecting.    Two  years  of  his 
time  he  passed  in   New  Mexico,   prospecting 
and  mining,  with  alternate  success  and  failure. 
In   1882  he  located  on  his  present  ranch  on 
Bear  river.     This  comprises  one  hundred  and 
ten  acres  and  yields  good  crops  of  hay,  grain 
34 


and  vegetables,  but  horses,  cattle  and  hay  are 
his  chief  products.  He  made  the  improvements 
on  his  land  and  redeemed  it  wholly  from  the 
waste.  He  was  also  an  important  factor  in 
the  improvement  and  development  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, helping  to  build  all  its  ditches,  roads 
and  bridges,  and  its  schoolhouses  and  other 
public  buildings.  In  all  he  has  borne  his  share 
of  the  labor  and  care  with  manliness  and  cheer- 
fulness and  given  the  force  of  an  excellent  ex- 
ample to  others.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican 
and  fraternally  an  Odd  Fellow.  On  November 
n,  1887,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  J. 
D.  Adair,  a  daughter  of  W.  C.  Adair,  of  Mc- 
Minn  county,  Tennessee.  They  have  had  six 
children,  of  whom  Floyd  and  Grace  have  died 
and  Mattie  V.,  Alva  E.,  Howard  and  Matel 
are  living,  well  liked  by  all  who  know  them. 

EZEKIEL  SHELTON. 

Ezekiel  Shelton  is  a  successful  and  pros- 
perous ranch  and  cattle  man,  who  from  an 
early  age  has  managed  his  own  fortunes  and 
by  industry,  sobriety  and  frugality  has  built 
them  from  nothing  to  their  present  proportions 
which  make  him  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
section  in  Routt  county,  and  well  known  as  a 
man  of  prominence  and  influence  in  other  por- 
tions of  the  state.  He  was  born  on  January 
28,  1833,  at  New  Lisbon,  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  Shelton, 
the  former  a  native  of  Maryland  and  the  latter 
of  Ohio,  where  both  died  after  many  years 
of  useful  and  productive  life.  The  father  set- 
tled in  Ohio  in  1807,  among  the  first  in  the  sec- 
tion where  he  cast  his  lot,  and  to  the  end  of 
his  life  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  promi- 
nent man  there,  taking  an  active  part  in  politics 
on  the  Democratic  side,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  being  active  workers  in  the  Methodist 
church.  He  died  on  December  2,  1885,  aged 
seventy-eight  years,  and  his  wife  on  February 


530 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN  'COLORADO. 


14,  1897,  aged  eighty-two.  Of  their  eleven 
children  four  are  living,  David  B.,  Homer  B.. 
Vernon  T.  and  Ezekiel.  The  last  named  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education  and 
then  completed  his  course  at  the  Salem,  Ohio, 
high  school.  He  remained  at  home  engaged 
on  the  paternal  farm  until  1854,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself  and  continued  his 
operations  in  his  native  locality  four  years  with 
success.  When  the  oil  excitement  broke  out 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1858,  he  invested  his  sav- 
ings in  the  new  industry  and  lost  them.  In 
1866  he  took  up  surveying  and  engineering 
work  as  a  regular  occupation,  and  for  many 
years  thereafter  pursued  it  with  ardor  and 
profit,  winning  distinction  by  his  skill  and  en- 
terprise. He  served  as  city  engineer  at  Al- 
liance, Ohio,  from  1871  to  1878,  and  was  the 
chief  engineer  and  surveyor  in  the  construction 
of  the  Alliance  &  Lake  Erie  Railroad,  and  in 
his  capacity  as  engineer  had  charge  of  the  first 
street  paving  at  Alliance.  In  1879  he  became 
a  resident  of  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Breck- 
enridge,  engaged  in  surveying  mining  claims. 
In  1882  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Hayden  in 
Routt  county,  being  one  of  its  first  settlers,  and 
homesteaded  on  his  present  ranch,  which  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  yields 
abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables, 
and  supports  large  herds  of  good  cattle  which 
form  the  principal  source  of  revenue.  He  has 
made  many  improvements  on  his  ranch  which 
add  greatly  to  its  beauty  and  value,  and  is 
steadily  pushing  its  development  forward  with 
gratifying  results  of  enduring  worth.  Taking 
always  an  earnest  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  county,  he  served  seven  years  as  county 
surveyor,  three  years  as  .county  commissioner 
and  one  term  as  county  school  superintendent. 
He  is  now  the  United  States  commissioner  and 
a  stanch  Republican  in  political  affiliation.  He 
is  also  a  notary  public  and  president  of  the 
Routt  County  Pioneer  Association.  He  has 


probably  done  more  surveying  than  any  other 
man  on  the  Western  slope  of  this  state,  having 
surveyed  over  one  thousand  irrigation  ditches. 
In  his  youth  he  took  the  uncompromising  stand 
of  a  total  abstainer  from  alcoholic  liquors  and 
tobacco,  and  still  adheres  to  it  firmly.  He  is 
among  the  most  generous  of  Colorado  citizens, 
from  the  earliest  days  of  his  residence  here 
having  his  house  ever  open  to  the  claims  of 
hospitality,  and  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  reliable  men  in  his  county.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  On  Sep- 
tember i,  1859,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
S.  Entriken,  a  native  of  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  they  have  had  four  children.  Of 
these  Samuel  died  and  Mrs.  C.  P.  Bowman, 
Byron  T.  and  William  are  living.  The  parents 
are  earnest  and  zealous  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Meeting  with  fidelity  and 
ability  the  requirements  of  every  public  duty 
and  every  line  of  private  life,  omitting  no  effort 
on  his  part  to  make  his  existence  and  his  citi- 
zenship as  serviceable  to  his  fellows  as  circum- 
stances would  allow,  and  stimulating  others 
to  usefulness  by  his  example,  Mr.  Shelton  de- 
serves the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  and 
the  general  public  confidence  which  he  enjoys. 

GEORGE  D.  WOOLLEY. 

George  D.  Woolley,  head  of  the  firm  of 
Woolley  Brothers,  extensive  and  prominent 
stock  men  doing  business  on  Bear  river  near 
Craig,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Colorado, 
on  July  26,  1872,  and  is  the  son  of  George  and 
Hannah  Woolley,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York  state  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  During 
the  early  manhood  of  the  father  he  followed 
mining,  but  his  later  years  were  devoted  to 
ranching  and  raising  cattle.  He  came  to  Colo- 
rado in  1861  and  located  at  Nevadaville.  He 
mined  in  this  neighborhood  until  1871,  having 
varied  success  and  failure,  then  moved  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Golden  where  he  mined  for  a  time,  then  turned 
his  attention  to  ranching  as  has  been  noted. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and 
politically  a  Democrat.  He  died  on  June  7, 
1888,  leaving  his  wife  and  six  children  as  his 
survivors,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  The 
children  are  Charles  L.,  Effie,  wife  of  John 
Mack,  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Joseph  McKay,  Ida 
C,  wife  of  James  Finlay,  Lillian  G.,  wife  of 
Harry  Terrill,  and  George  D.  The  last  named 
was  educated  at  the  common  and  high  schools 
in  his  native  county  and  remained  at  home 
with  his  parents  assisting  in  their  labors  until 
he  reached  his  seventeenth  year.  In  1893,  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Charles,  he  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land, 
one  of  the  ranches  now  owned  and  worked  by 
the  firm,  which  was  then  well  covered  with 
sage  brush.  This  they  began  at  once  with 
energy  and  judgment  to  improve  and  reduce 
to  productiveness.  In  1896  they  bought  an- 
other ranch  of  two  hundred  acres,  and  this 
also  they  have  redeemed  to  fertility  and  come- 
liness and  furnished  it  with  good  buildings  and 
other  improvements  necessary  to  a  first-class 
ranching  and  cattle  business.  Their  crops  on 
both  places  are  large  and  the  quality  is  su- 
perior, and  their  cattle  industry  is  one  of  the 
leading  ones  in  this  part  of  the  county.  The 
brothers  take  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  the 
public  and  fraternal  life  of  the  community, 
George  being  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  both  being 
Democrats  in  political  alliance.  They  are  pro- 
gressive, enterprising  and  popular,  zealous  for 
the  advancement  and  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity, and  the  county  in  which  they  live,  and 
always  willing  to  bear  their  share  of  the  burden 
incident  to  the  best  interests  of  the  public. 
George  D.  was  married  on  September  25,  1901, 
to  Miss  Catherine  E.  Finley,  a  native  of  Deca- 
tur  county,  Kansas,  a  daughter  of  Rolland  W. 
and  Laura  E.  (White)  Finley,  a  sketch  of 


whom  will  be  seen  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woolley  have  one  child, 
their  son  Raymond  D.  The  style  of  the  firm 
under  which  the  ranching  business  is  conducted 
is  Woolley  Brothers.  It  is  well  known  through- 
out a  wide  extent  of  country  as  a  synonym  for 
uprightness  and  integrity  as  well  as  enterprise 
and  progressiveness  in  business,  while  the  in- 
dividual members  of  the  firm  are  highly  es- 
teemed as  men  and  citizens. 

ALEXANDER  HERON. 

Of  sturdy  Scotch  ancestry  on  his  mother's 
side  and  of  as  sturdy  English  on  his  father's, 
Alexander  Heron,  of  near  Pagoda,  Routt 
county,  combines  in  himself  the  best  traits 
of  both  races  and  has  brought  to  the  further- 
ance of  his  interests  in  this  country  the  vigor, 
enterprise  and  breadth  of  view  which  he  in- 
herited from  both  parents.  He  was  born  in 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  on  March  30,  1868,  and  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Katharine  (McDonald) 
Heron,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the 
latter  of  Scotland.  The  father  was  a  baker 
and  worked  at  his  trade  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  was  successful  in  the  venture.  He  was 
a  Catholic  and  the  mother  belonged  to  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland.  The  latter  died  on  Octo- 
ber 13,  1871,  and  the  former  on  October  4, 
1884.  Eight  of  their  ten  children  are  living, 
Alexander,  George,  James,  Edith,  Anna, 
Emily,  Mary  and  Isabella.  Alexander,  the 
fifth  born  of  those  living,  had  few  and  scant 
educational  privileges.  In  1885,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  leaving  the  scenes  and  associations 
of  home,  he  braved  the  heaving  ocean  with 
high  hopes  for  the  land  of  promise  on  this  side 
of  the  water,  where  there  was  abundance  of 
opportunity  for  thrift  and  enterprise  and  ample 
rewards  for  worth  and  industry.  Arriving  in 
Colorado,  he  located  on  Blue  river,  where  he 


532 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


found  profitable  employment  as  a  ranch  hand. 
After  passing  a  year  in  this  work  he  went  to 
Dodge  City,  Kansas,  in  search  of  more  genial 
occupation,  but  not  finding  the  country  there 
to  his  taste,  he  returned  to  Colorado  and  found 
his  way  to  the  prolific  region  which  borders 
Williams  fork  in'  Routt  county.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  he  had  resumed  ranch  work  at 
Rocky  Ford  and  Colorado  Springs,  where  he 
remained  until  1888.  On  Williams  fork  he 
pre-empted  a  ranch  which  he  still  owns  and  on 
which  he  has  expended  his  labor  to  good  ad- 
vantage. Until  1898  he  was  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  George  in  this  enterprise,  but 
since  then  he  has  owned  and  managed  the  ranch 
alone,  the  partnership  having  been  dissolved 
harmoniously.  The  ranch  now  comprises  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  are  good  arable  land  now  under  ad- 
vanced cultivation  and  yielding  abundant 
harvests  of  the  crops  peculiar  to  the  region. 
Cattle-raising  is  the  chief  industry  and  this  is 
carried  on  extensively  and  profitably.  But 
grain  is  raised  in  large  quantities,  especially 
wheat  for  which  the  land  on  this  ranch  is  said 
to  be  the  best  on  the  fork.  With  characteristic 
enterprise  and  commendable  faith  in  his  knowl- 
edge on  the  subject,  Mr.  Heron  introduced  the 
Angora  goat  into  this  section,  and  the  results 
of  the  undertaking  have  justified  his  prescience 
and  highest  hopes.  He  owns  a  fine  flock  of  the 
goats  and  finds  them  a  source  of  considerable 
revenue.  In  political  relations  Mr.  Heron  is 
a  Republican.  He  was  married  on  December 
14,  1899,  to  Miss  Jessie  Cameron,  a  native  of 
Ingham  county,  Michigan,  where  her  parents, 
John  and  Agnes  (Wasson)  Cameron,  natives  of 
Ireland,  settled  when  they  arrived  in  this  coun- 
try, and  where  they  made  their  final  home. 
They  were  prosperous  farmers,  and  the  father 
supported  the  Democratic  party  in  American 
politics.  He  died  in  Michigan  in  1874  and  his 
widow  in  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heron  have  a 


host  of  friends  in  their  community  and  are  al- 
ways named  among  the  best  citizens  of  the 
neighborhood. 

ALBERT  T.  JOHNSON. 

Albert  T.  Johnson,  of  near  Pagoda,  Routt 
county,  is  a  younger  brother  of  Louis  J.  John- 
son, of  the  same  neighborhood,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
work  in  which  the  family  history  is  told  at 
some  length.  Mr.  Johnson  was  born  at  Cen- 
tral City,  this  state,  on  October  29,  1870,  and 
received  a  slender  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  vicinity.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  began  to  support  himself  by  hauling  ore 
for  the  Alger-Kansas  Mining  Company  at 
Central  City,  in  which  his  father  had  an  inter- 
est. After  something  more  than  a  year  of  this 
arduous  toil,  which  was  particularly  hard  for  a 
boy  of  his  years,  he  moved  to  Williams  fork 
and  homesteaded  on  his  present  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  being  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  region.  Taking  hold  of 
the  wild  land  with  vigor  and  accepting  the  pri- 
vations of  the  far  frontier  with  courage  and 
cheerfulness,  he  soon  had  a  comfortable  abode 
and  began  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a  few  pliant 
acres  which  he  was  cultivating.  At  this  time 
(1904)  he  has  a  large  body  of  his  ranch  in 
abundant  productiveness  and  a  wide  range  of 
grazing  land  for  his  cattle.  He  has  been  and  is 
very  enterprising  and  progressive,  and  has 
commanded  the  land  to  yield  its  tribute  to  him 
with  the  voice  of  a  master,  and  although  the 
response  was  grudging  and  small  at  first  his 
energy  and  mastery  have  prevailed  and  it  is 
generous  and  of  elevated  quality  at  present.  In 
the  fraternal  life  of  the  community  Mr.  John- 
son mingles  as  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  in  its  political  activities  as  an 
earnest  working  Democrat.  He  was  married 
on  May  3,  1904,  to  Miss  Margaret  Moller,  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


533 


native  of  Denver,  and  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage a  public  school  teacher  at  Pyramid,  where 
she  had  been  teaching  four  years. 

HIRAM  H.  BARNARD. 

From  the  time  when  he  was  but  fifteen 
years  old  Hiram  H.  Barnard,  now  a  resident  of 
Craig,  Routt  county,  has  been  actively,  closely 
and  continuously  connected  with  the  cattle  in- 
dustry, and  in  his  long  and  varied  experience 
in  this  connection  he  has  visited  every  part  of 
the  West,  northern,  central  and  southern,  and 
has  encountered  many  dangers,  suffered  many 
hardships  and  endured  many  privations.  He 
has  met  all  classes  of  people,  white,  black  and 
red,  has  had  numerous  thrilling  adventures  and 
some  very  narrow  escapes,  and  has  been 
through  every  phase  of  life  incident  to  his  en- 
ticing but  hazardous  occupation.  Mr.  Barn- 
ard was  born  in  Lavaca  county,  Texas,  at  the 
town  of  Hallettsville,  on  November  i,  1857. 
His  educational  advantages  were  few  and  of 
short  duration.  He  lived  in  a  country  where 
work  was  essential  from  every  capable  hand 
to  provide  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  began  making  his  own  living  by 
riding  the  range  in  the  cattle  industry  in  his 
native  state.  He  remained  there  so  occupied 
until  1878,  when  he  journeyed  over  the  trail 
to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  During  that  year  and 
a  part  of  the  next  he  was  associated  with  the 
Swann  Land  and  Cattle  Company.  On  March 
4,  1879,  he  began  an  engagement  with  G.  A. 
Searight  and  in  his  interests  he  went  from 
Cheyenne  to  Kelton,  Utah,  over  the  stage 
route  to  Umatilla  Landing.  There  he  received 
sixteen  thousand  cattle  for  Wyoming,  which 
he  brought  safely  to  their  destination.  He  re- 
mained with  this  outfit  until  May  i,  1882,  when 
he  became  associated  with  the  Powder  River 
Cattle  Company  on  Powder  river.  In  the 
spring  of  1883  he  entered  the  employ  of 


Tomson  &  E.  C.  Johnson,  of  Sweetwater,  at  a 
point  called  Devil's  Gate,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1888,  leaving  that  firm,  he  became  connected 
with,  the  Ora  Haley  Cattle  Company.  During 
1889  and  1890  he  furnished  timber  for  the 
mines  owned  by  the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron 
Company  at  Newcastle  under  contract,  and  in 
1891,  again  turning  to  the  cattle  industry,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  White  River  Cattle 
Company,  with  which  he  remained  until  1894. 
He  then  once  more  became  associated  with  Ora 
Haley  and  passed  that  year  and  the  next  buy- 
ing cattle  in  Utah,  Idaho  and  Oregon  for  east- 
ern markets.  Since  then  he  has  continued  in 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Haley,  with  headquarters 
at  Craig.  He  is  manager  for  the  company  and 
is  considered  on  all  sides  one  of  the  best  qual- 
ified and  most  capable  cattle  men  in  the  West. 
Politically  Mr.  Barnard  is  a  Democrat  and 
fraternally  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  was  married 
on  April  13,  1904,  to  Miss  Anna  Bassett,  a  na- 
tive of  Colorado,  the  first  white  girl  born  in 
Routt  county.  Mr.  Barnard  is  the  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Amanda  (Cathevins)  Barnard,  na- 
tives of  Tennessee  who  made  Oregon  their  final 
home.  The  father  followed  ranching  and  rais- 
ing cattle  with  success.  He  died  in  1893  and 
the  mother  in  1895.  Four  children  survive 
them,  William  M.,  Benjamin  P.,  May,  wife  of 
Jesse  Smotherman,  and  Hiram  H. 

LOUIS  A.  JOHNSON. 

Inheriting  from  his  father  a  love  of  adven- 
ture and  a  desire  for  the  frontier,  Louis  A. 
Johnson,  of  Routt  county,  living  near  Pagoda, 
started  out  early  in  life  to  paddle  his  own 
canoe,  and  to  this  end  sought  the  fruitful  fields 
of  Colorado,  arriving  in  the  state  when  he  was 
but  fourteen  years  old,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  state  and  busily  occupied 
in  some  one  or  another  of  its  various  industries. 
He  was  born  on  April  19,  1860,  at  Nebraska 


534 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


City,  Nebraska,  and  is  the  son  of  Anton  L.  and 
Annie  Johnson,  who  were  born  and  reared  in 
Germany  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1846.  They  settled  in  Nebraska  where  they 
kept  a  hotel  three  years.  In  1850,  charmed  with 
the  golden  music  then  thrilling  the  world  from 
far  away  California,  the  father  set  out  with  ox 
teams  for  that  promising  eldorado,  and  after 
arriving  there  engaged  in  mining  for  a  few 
years.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  search  for 
gold  and  returned  East  where  he  had  property 
and  had  left  his  family.  He  remained  in  Ne- 
braska until  1860  when  he  had  a  second  attack 
of  western  fever  and  again  crossed  the  plains 
from  Julesburg  along  the  Platte  to  Central 
City  this  state.  He  soon  acquired  an  interest 
in  the  Alger-Kansas  mine  there  and  again  for- 
tune rewarded  his  enterprise  with  good  returns. 
The  mine  was  of  both  quartz  and  placer  prod- 
uct and  yielded  rich  stores  of  the  precious 
metals  to  its  early  workers.  Subsequently  his 
family  followed  him  to  the  state  and  he  made 
his  final  home  at  Denver  where  he  achieved  a 
gratifying  success  in  lending  money  and  in  the 
real  estate  business  and  attained  prominence  in 
the  business  and  political  circles  of  the  city.  He 
died  in  Denver  on  March  2,  1903,  and  since 
then  the  mother  has  made  her  home  with  her 
sons.  Of  their  six  children  five  are  living, 
John  H.  and  Louis  J.,  who  were  born  in  Ne- 
braska, and  Lena  N.,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Ergy  and  Al- 
bert T.,  natives  of  Colorado.  Louis  J.  received 
a  meager  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
at  the  age  of  ten  became  self-supporting  by 
working  for  his  mother  on  the  Nebraska  farm. 
Iri  1874,  when  he  was  but  fourteen,  he  followed 
his  father  to  Central  City,  this  state,  and  there 
he  found  employment  hauling  ore  for  the  Al- 
ger-Kansas Mining  Company,  which  he  did 
until  1884.  Determined  then  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  ranching,  he  moved  to  Routt  county 
and  stopped  on  Williams  fork,  at  that  time  a 
wholly  uncultivated  region,  with  stores  of  agri- 


cultural wealth  in  its  soil  waiting  for  the  per- 
suasive hand  of  the  husbandman  to  bring  them 
forth.  Mr.  Johnson  was  one  of  the  first  seven 
arrivals  in  the  region,  but  he  did  not  just  then 
remain.  After  passing  some  time  in  hunting 
and  trapping  large  game,  in  which  he  was  very 
successful,  he  returned  to  Central  City  in  the 
spring  of  1885,  and  during  a  year  thereafter 
he  mined  for  wages.  In  the  summer  of  1886  he 
returned  to  Williams  fork  and  took  up  his  pres- 
ent ranch  as  a  homestead.  This  comprises  one 
hundred  and  -sixty  acres  of  first-class  land  but 
was  then  virgin  in  its  state  of  nature  and  while 
offering  rewards  for  industry  and  enterprise 
laid  a  heavy  price  of  these  qualities  on  its  offer- 
ing. Mr.  Johnson  at  once  began  with  energy 
to  improve  his  property  and  make  it  product- 
ive, and  he  now  has  one  of  the  choice  tracts 
and  most  comfortable  homes  in  this  section. 
Fifty  acres  of  this  land  smile  on  his  toil  with 
abundant  harvests  and  the  rest  affords  fine  pas- 
turage for  his  cattle.  He  is  independent  in 
political  action  but  omits  no  effort  required  of 
him  in  the  development  of  the  section  in  which 
he  has  cast  his  lot.  In  the  local  affairs  of  the 
community  he  has  influence  as  a  wise  counsel- 
or and  an  energetic  worker  and  has  been  poten- 
tial for  good  in  promoting  the  general  welfare 
of  its  people  by  his  own  work  and  the  inspira- 
tion he  has  given  to  others  by  his  example. 
Routt  county  has  no  better  citizen  and  none 
who  is  held  in  higher  regard  by  her  people. 

CHARLES  F.  EGRY. 

One  of  the  leading,  most  enterprising  and 
most  successful  ranch  and  cattle  men  of  Wil- 
liams fork  country,  where  he  owns  a  large 
ranch  in  advanced  state  of  cultivation  and  with 
good  improvements  on  it  which  he  has  made 
himself,  converting  a  barren  wilderness  into 
one  of  the  best  ranches  and  most  attractive 
homes  in  the  section  Charles  F.  Egry,  of  Pyra- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


535 


mid,  Routt  county,  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  useful  and  unremitting  labors  and  is 
comfortable  in  an  estate  which  he  has  won  from 
obdurate  conditions  and  through  many  trials 
by  his  own  persevering  industry  and  energy. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  great  state  of  Ohio,  born 
at  Hamilton,  Butler  county,  on  November  25, 
1867.  In  early  youth  after  short  and  irregular 
attendance  at  the  district  schools,  he  began  to 
bear  the  burden  of  life  for  himself.  -He  learned 
the  trade  of  plumbing  and  gas  fitting  and 
wrought  at  it  ten  years  in  his  native  state.  In 
1888  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  on  his 
present  ranch  and  here  he  has  since  conducted 
a  general  ranching  and  cattle  industry  of  large 
proportions  and  commensurate  profits.  In 
1896  the  postoffice  of  Pyramid  was  established 
at  his  home  and  he  has  ever  since  been  the  post- 
master. He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.  On 
October  12,  1893,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Rose  E.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Colorado, 
daughter  of  Anton  L.  and  Annie  (Abbel)  John- 
son and  sister  of  Louis  J.  and  Albert  T.  John- 
son, sketches  of  whom  appear  elsewhere  in  this 
work,  which  see  for  biographical  notes  of  the 
parents.  Mrs.  Egry  prior  to  her  marriage  was 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  at  Craig.  In  the 
Egry  household  six  children  have  been  born 
and  are  living,  Anna  C,  Fred  L.,  Helena  M., 
Mary  E.,  William  L.  and  Albert  C.  Mr.  Egry's 
father  was  Frederick  Egry,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  and  learned  the  printer's  trade. 
The  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Caroline 
Quoff,  -was  born  in  Ohio,  and,  with  her  hus- 
band, settled  at  Hamilton,  Ohio,  where  they 
ended  their  days,  the  mother  dying  in  1873  anc^ 
the  father  on  February  18,  1903.  He  was  the 
editor  and  owner  of  the  Hamilton  Telegraph 
for  many  years  and  later  carried  on  a  profitable 
insurance  business.  In  politics  he  was  an 
ardent  Democrat  and  taking  an  active  part  in 
municipal  affairs  at  Hamilton,  was  elected 


councilman  and  mayor  of  the  city  several  times. 
Fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Masons, 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  United  Workmen.  Of  the 
four  children  born  in  the  family  three  are  liv- 
ing William  L.,  Alois  E.  and  Charles  F.  Suc- 
cessful in  business,  prominent  in  social  life,  in- 
fluential in  local  affairs  and  generally  highly 
respected,  Mr.  Egry  is  easily  one  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  the  county  and  fully  deserves 
the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men 
which  he  so  largely  enjoys. 

REINHARD  D.  MILLER. 

It  is  a  high  tribute  to  the  citizen  soldiery 
of  our  country  that  after  the  toils,  privations 
and  dangers  of  busy  campaigns,  when  "grim 
visaged  war  has  smoothed  his  wrinkled  front," 
the  armies  melt  at  once  into  the  ordinary  cur- 
rents of  life  and  seek  amid  the  white  harvests 
of  peaceful  industry  forgetfulness  of  the  red 
fields  of  battles  whereon  great  questions  of 
human  destiny  have  been  settled.  This  inspir- 
ing fact  is  forcibly  illustrated  in  the  case  of 
the  interesting  subject  of  this  memoir.  A  val- 
iant soldier  of  two  countries  and  three  wars, 
making  therein  a  record  for  unsurpassed  dar- 
ing and  skill  as  a  cavalry  trooper,  and  bearing 
honorable  discharges  from  the  service  in  which 
he  distinguished  himself  and  rose  to  official 
position,  he  is  now  pursuing  with  industry  and 
enthusiasm  the  peaceful  vocation  of  a  farmer 
and  stock-grower  in  one  of  the  remote  but  high- 
ly favored  sections  of  this  state  and  is  as  vigor- 
ous and  energetic  in  the  management  of  his 
present  business  as  he  was  daring  and  gallant 
in  military  life.  Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Prus- 
sia on  March  21,  1849,  the  son  of  John  and 
Henrietta  Miller,  also  natives  in  the  fatherland, 
where  they  lived,  labored  and  died,  and  were 
finally  laid  to  rest  in  their  natal  soil  like  their 
ancestors  for  many  generations  before  them. 
The  father  was  a  forester  and  game  keeper  for 


536 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


many  years;  and  both  parents  were  devoted 
Lutherans  in  religious  faith.  They  had  three 
children  who  survive  them,  Wilhelmina,  Rein- 
hard  and  Adeline.  The  son  grew  to  manhood 
and  was  educated  in  his  native  land.  After 
leaving  school,  like  his  father  he  became  a  for- 
ester for  a  time  and  then  served  his  time  in  the 
German  army.  He  was  in  the  service  at  the 
time  of  the  Franco-German  war  and  followed 
the  standards  of  his  country  from  their  first 
victory  at  Weissenberg  to  the  time  when  they 
waved  in  final  triumph  over  the  palace  of  Ver- 
sailles. In  the  autumn  following  the  close  of 
this  war  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  New  Jersey  where  he  did  street  con- 
struction work  for  a  year.  He  then  moved  to 
Virginia  and  again  engaged  in  farming.  Later 
he  became  a  resident  and  a  prosperous  garden- 
er in  Maryland.  Turning  his  eyes  toward  the 
setting  sun,  he  found  himself  next  in  Illinois, 
where  he  passed  a  year  and  a  half  farming  near 
Beardstown.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  en- 
listed, in  the  Third  United  States  Cavalry  at 
St.  Louis  and  served  five  years  in  Troop  L, 
being  stationed  during  the  term  at  several  dif- 
ferent posts  and  seeing  many  of  the  dangers 
of  Indian  warfare,  among  his  experiences  of 
horror  being  the  Meeker  massacre  in  1879.  He 
rose  to  the  rank  of  sergeant  and  as  such  was 
discharged  at  the  end  of  his  term.  The  years 
1 88 1  and  1882  were  passed  by  him  in  hunting 
and  trapping  on  .White  river  in  this  state,  and 
in  1883  he  again  joined  the  army,  enlisting  in 
Troop  B  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  At  the 
end  of  another  term  of  five  years'  faithful  serv- 
ice'he  was  honorably  discharged  at  San  An- 
tonio, Texas,  in  1888.  In  the  two  terms  he 
served  in  the  regular  army  he  made  a  dazzling 
record  as  a  cavalry  rider  and  won  high  com- 
mendations from  his  commanders.  In  1888  he 
returned  to  Colorado  and  located  his  present 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  a 
homestead  claim.  On  fiftv  acres  of  this  he 


raises  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables, 
and  the  rest  is  used  as  grazing  land  for  his  cat- 
tle, which  form  his  chief  resource  on  the  ranch. 
All  the  improvements  on  the  land  were  made 
by  him  and  its  successful  cultivation  is  due  to 
his  industry  and  skill.  The  ranch  is  located  on 
Williams  fork.  On  September  29,  1901,  Mr. 
Miller  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Ade- 
heid  Bar,  like  himself  a  native  of  Prussia,  who 
came  to  this  country  when  young.  His  mili- 
tary record  and  his  sterling  worth  have  brought 
Mr.  Miller  the  cordial  regard  and  high  esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens  in  Routt  county  and  else- 
where where  he  is  known.  In  political  affairs 
he  ardently  supports  the  principles  and  candi- 
dates of  the  Republican  party. 

HUGH  TORRENCE. 

Coming  to  Colorado  when  a  young  man  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  with  the  hopes 
and  aspirations  of  his  life  overclouded  by 
disease,  then  finding  here  the  relief  he  sought 
and  gaining  strength  and  restored  energy  in 
the  health-giving  climate,  Hugh  Torrence  be- 
came one  of  the  producing  and  creating  mem- 
bers of  the  state's  citizenship,  and  has  since 
risen  to  consequence  and  influence  in  its  busi- 
ness circles  and  prominence  in  the  public  affairs 
of  the  section  in  which  he  cast  his  lot.  In  Fay- 
ette  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  October  22, 
1843,  his  life  began,  and  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead in  that  great  hive  of  industry  he  grew  to 
manhood,  attending  in  a  small  and  irregular 
way  the  district  schools  and  working  \vhen  he 
could  on  the  farm.  His  parents  were  Hugh 
and  Anna  Torrence,  themselves  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  throughout  a  large  portion 
of  their  lives  useful  and  respected  citizens  of 
that  state.  The  father  was  a  merchant  and 
farmer  and  prospered  in  his  various  undertak- 
ings. He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  gave 
earnest  and  helpful  attention  to  the  public 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


537 


local  affairs  of  his  county.  Death  ended  his 
labors  in  1867,  and  those  of  his  widow  in  1884. 
Of  the  five  children  born  -to  them  Mrs.  John 
Witteman  died  1882  and  William  in  1897. 
The  other  three  are  living.  The  family  moved 
to  Illinoi*  late  in  life  and  some  time  afterward 
to  Missouri.  The  son  Hugh  A.  Torrence  left 
home  in  1873  and  came  to  Colorado  as  has  been 
stated,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  He  took  up 
his  residence  in  the  vicinity  of  Denver,  where 
he  remained  a  year.  In  1874,  being  much  im- 
proved, he  moved  into  the  Bear  river  country,' 
and  later  changed  his  residence  to  Grand 
county.  Here  he  passed  two  years  more,  still  in 
search  of  health,  and  engaged  principally  in 
hunting  and  fishing.  In  1876  he  found  himself 
so  far  improved  that  he  determined  to  establish 
a  home  in  the  state  which  had  given  his  vigor 
of  body  and  vivacity  of  mind,  and  to  that  end 
built  the  first  cabin  put  up  in  Routt  county,  a 
little  log  shack  which  provided  shelter  and  such 
of  the  comforts  of  life  as  were  available  in  that 
then  far  away  section,  and  went  to  raising  cat- 
tle. He  was  in  the  wilderness  and  alone  save 
for  the  presence  of  Indians  and  wild  beasts, 
whose  proximity  was  often  more  menacing 
than  companionable  or  helpful.  Great  priva- 
tions and  hardships  were  plentiful  in  his  lot, 
and  danger  was  ever  present.  But  the  wild 
life  had  its  compensations  in  many  ways,  and 
he  bravely  endured  the  rest.  In  1882  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  Hullet  in 
the  cattle  and  ranching  industry,  which  lasted 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Hullet,  on  April  30, 
1903.  ,  The  chief  products  of  their  enterprise 
were  hay  and  cattle,  as  they  are  of  Mr.  Tor- 
rence's  efforts  now,  and  in  his  business  he  has 
been  very  successful.  His  ranch  comprises  two 
thousand  acres,  three  hundred  of  which  are 
under  energetic  and  skillful  cultivation.  The 
needful  water  for  irrigation  is  supplied  from 
ditches  belonging  to  the  property,  and  as  the 
ranch  is  only  twenty-four  miles  from  Meeker, 


a  good  market  for  its  products  is  within  easy 
reach.  Mr.  Torrence  has  devoted  himself  al- 
most wholly  to  his  work  and  has  become  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  and  prominent  stock  men 
on  the  Western  slope.  He  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  no  exigency  of  his  private 
affairs  ever  causes  him  to  slacken  in  devotion 
to  the  interests  of  his  party.  In  business  circles 
and  in  the  public  life  of  his  county  he  is  in- 
fluential and  he  is  highly  esteemed  and  re- 
spected wherever  he  is  known. 

WILLIAM  R.  DEAKINS. 

To  be  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceive a  limited  education  at  the  district  schools, 
is  the  common  lot  of  millions  of  men  in  this 
country  wherein  the  agricultural  interests  so 
largely  prevail ;  and  to  follow  the  industry  to 
which  they  are  bred  and  stick  to  it  through  life 
is  also  the  lot  of  millions.  And  in  this  class  of 
people  is  to  be  found  our  best,  most  progressive 
and  most  self-reliant  citizenship  in  all  sections 
of  the  country.  This  has  been  the  lot  of  Wil- 
liam R.  Deakins,  of  near  Pagoda,  Routt  coun- 
ty, one  of  the  enterprising  and  representative 
cattle  and  ranch  men  of  his  section  who,  al- 
though far  from  the  place  of  his  nativity  and 
amid  far  different  surroundings  from  those  of 
his  youth  and  early  manhood,  is  still  engaged  in 
the  paternal  occupation  of  farming  with  such 
modifications  of  conditions  and  circumstances 
as  the  difference  of  location  makes  necessary. 
He  was  born  in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  on 
April  17,  1865,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  C. 
Deakins,  the  former  a  native  of  "eastern  Ten- 
nessee and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  The  father 
was  a  successful  farmer,  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  a  man  of  influence  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  home.  Of  the  seven  children  of  whom 
they  were  the  parents  two  died  in  infancy  and 
William  R.,  Henry  T.,  Sarah  J.,  Charles  M. 
and  John  W.  are  now  living.  The  father  died 


538 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


on  October  17,  1882,  and  the  mother  now 
makes  her  home  in  eastern  Kansas.  Their  son 
William  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his  pa- 
rents until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
then  in  June,  1887,  he  became  a  resident  of  this 
state  and  pre-empted  a  portion  of  the  ranch  on 
which  he  has  since  resided  and  which  he  has 
increased  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
has  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  under 
cultivation  and  producing  good  annual  crops  ot 
hay  and  grain.  He  also  raises  large  numbers 
of  cattle  and  finds  the  industry  agreeable  and 
profitable  as  an  occupation.  Mr.  Deakins  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  on  Williams  fork  and  he 
is  accounted  one  of  the  most  progressive  cit- 
izens of  the  region.  He  took  up  his  land  in  its 
state  of  natural  wildness  without  improve- 
ments of  any  kind.  The  soil  was  still  virgin  to 
the  plow  and  its  wild  growth  was  profitless  to 
the  husbandman.  From  this  condition  he  has 
by  his  industry  and  energy  redeemed  his  place 
and  made  it  a  comfortable  and  attractive  home, 
bountiful  with  the  fruits  of  cultivated  life  and 
smiling  with  the  evidences  of  thrift  and  taste. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Deakins  is  a  master  Mason  and 
politically  an  enthusiastic  Democrat.  In  the 
public  affairs  of  his  community  and  county  he 
takes  a  serviceable  part,  cheerfully  bearing  his 
share  of  the  burdens  and  modestly  giving  his 
share  of  the  counsel  needed  for  their  proper 
management  and  the  proper  development  of 
'the  best  interests  of  the  people.  On  all  sides  he 
is  considered  a  wise,  upright  and  useful  citizen, 
worthy  of  the  cordial  regard  in  which  he  is  gen- 
erally held  throughout  the  community. 

JOHN  H.  FRAHM. 

The  life  of  this  prosperous  and  enterprising 
ranchman  has  been  for  the  most  part  unevent- 
ful, but  has  given  a  good  illustration  of  fi'delity 
to  duty  and  the  capacity  for  self  advancement 
without  the  aid  of  outside  help.  He  \vas  born 


on  August  ii,  1868,  at  Stafstedt,  Germany, 
where  his  ancestors  lived  many  generations  be- 
fore him,  his  parents,  Henry  and  Wipca 
Frahm,  having  also  been  born  there,  and  hav- 
ing passed  their  industrious  and  creditable  lives 
there.  The  father  was  a  well-to-dft  farmer, 
and  both  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  they  reared  to  maturity  and  all 
of  whom  are  still  living.  They  are  George, 
Katharine,  John,  Dedlef,  Henry,  Lena,  Eliza- 
beth and  Anna.  The  father  died  in  1874  and 
the  mother  in  1886.  The  advantages  of  school- 
ing available  to  their  son  John  were  neither 
numerous  nor  continued,  so  that  he  is  practical- 
ly a  self-made  man.  After  leaving  the  common 
schools,  which  he  attended  for  short  periods  at 
intervals,  he  entered  the  German  army  for  a 
term  of  three  years,  going  in  as  a  private  and 
being  mustered  out  as  a  corporal.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  and  the  close  of  his  term  of  mili- 
tary service  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  came  to  Colorado.  On  arriving  here  he  se- 
cured employment  as  a  ranch  hand  in  the  serv- 
ice of  George  Sievers,  an  extensive  cattle  man, 
and  he  remained  in  his  employ  three  years.  By 
saving  his  money  he  had  enough  at  the  end  of 
that  period  to  open  a  meat  market  at  Glenwood 
Springs,  which  he  did  in  the  summer  of  1893, 
and  in  connection  with  that  carried  on  a  cattle 
trade.  These  enterprises  he  kept  going  until 
September,  1898,  with  profitable  returns,  then 
sold  them  and  moved  to  the  ranch  which  has 
since  been  his  home  and  the  seat  of  his  useful 
industry,  and  which  he  acquired  by  purchase. 
It  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
one-half  being  added  since  his  first  occupation 
of  it,  and  is  located  twenty-three  miles  south- 
west of  Meeker.  He  can  cultivate  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  tract  and  does  it  in  the  thorough 
and  vigorous  way  characteristic  of  the  German 
people,  producing  good  crops  of  hay,  grain, 
vegetables  and  small  fruit.  He  also  raises  cat- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


539 


tie  in  numbers  commensurate  with  the  capacity 
of  the  place,  and  finds  agreeable  and  profitable 
occupation  in  both  lines  of  his  industry.  The 
land  is  sufficiently  supplied  with  water  for  the 
acreage  under  cultivation,  and  Mr.  Frahm  sup- 
plements the  generosity  of  nature  by  faithful 
attention  to  his  part  of  the  engagement.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  political 
affiliation  belongs  to  the  Democratic  party. 
Since  1903  his  brother  Dedlef  has  been  as- 
sociated with  him  in  carrying  on  the  ranch  and 
its  various  interests.  Mr.  Frahm  is  recognized 
as  a  good  and  useful  citizen,  and  a  valuable  ad- 
dition to  the  productive  energies  of  the  state, 
and  especially  of  the  county  and  community  in 
which  he  lives. 

DAVID  D.  FERGUSON. 

David  D.  Ferguson,  of  Thornburg,  Rio 
Blanco  county,  came  to  Colorado  at  the  age  of 
thirty,  with  his  faculties  fully  developed  and 
his  mind  seasoned  by  experience  in  another 
part  of  the  continent  amid  the  exacting  but  in- 
vigorating duties  of  farm  life.  He  was  born 
in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  on  July  2, 
1848,  and  is  the  son  of  Duncan  and  Mary 
(Monroe)  Ferguson,  and  the  last  born  of  their 
seven  living  children.  His  parents  were  Cana- 
dians by  nativity  and  of  Scotch  ancestry.  The 
father  farmed  in  his  native  land  to  the  end  of 
his  life,  which  came  in  February,  1891,  the 
mother  surviving  him  nearly  thirteen  years  and 
dying  in  December,  1903.  In  1878  Mr.  Fer- 
guson came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Mani- 
tou  after  the  death  of  his  wife  at  old  Thorn- 
burg  battle  ground.  In  1887,  he  moved  to  Rio 
Blanco  county  and  pre-empted  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  twenty-three  miles 
northeast  of  Meeker,  on  which  he  has  since 
lived.  He  has  increased  his  land  to  a  body  of 
seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  provided  it 


with  good  buildings  and  brought  two  hundred 
acres  of  it  to  an  advanced  state  of  cultivation. 
He  has  also  built  up  an  extensive  and  flourish- 
ing cattle  business,  and  established  himself  in 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  as  a 
man  of  good  business  capacity,  enterprise  and 
public-spirit,  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  coun- 
ty and  state  and  earnest  in  his  support  of  all 
that  is  best  in  American  institutions.  Fraternal- 
ly he  is  connected  with  the  order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  politically  he  is  a  cordial  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
the  service  of  the  community  or  the  general 
public  interests  of  the  people  he  has  never  fal- 
tered, whether  the  duty  involved  has  been 
pleasant  or  otherwise.  At  the  uprising  of  the 
Ute  Indians,  August  9,  1887,  he  took  his  place 
as  a  guard  in  the  garrison  at  Fort  Hall  for  the 
protection  of  the  community  in  which  he  was 
especially  interested,  and  in  many  other  ways 
and  lines  of  service  he  has  shown  his  fidelity  to 
duty  and  the  lofty  patriotism  by  which  he  is  im- 
pelled. He  numbers  his  friends  by  the  host, 
and  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  all  the 
relations  of  life  in  which  he  has  been  found. 
December  1 6,  1904,  he  married  for  his  second 
wife  Mrs.  L.  V.  Berry  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. 

REUBEN  O.  REYNOLDS. 

Reuben  O.  Reynolds  is  a  native  of  White- 
side  county,  Illinois,  born  on  May  24,  1857, 
the  son  of  Richard  and  Lucy  (Bullock)  Rey- 
nolds, who  were  born  in  the  state  of  New  York 
and  moved  to  Illinois  early  in  their  married  life. 
Afterward  they  lived  in  a  number  of  states, 
Minnesota,  New  York,  Kansas  and  Colorado. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a 
Republican  in  politics.  There  were  five  chil- 
dren in  the  family,  only  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, Reuben  and  Alice,  wife  of  William  H. 
Berry,  of  this  state.  Reuben  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  and  worked  on  the  home  farm 


540 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


after  the  manner  of  farmers'  sons  in  all  parts 
of  the  country,  and  in  1878,  when  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  began  farming 
for  himself  in  Ness  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
carried  on  the  industry  until  1892.  In  1880  and 
1 88 1  he  was  also  engaged  in  teaming  with 
headquarters  at  Pueblo,  this  state.  Disposing 
of  his  interests  in  Kansas  in  1892,  he  came  to 
Colorado  to  reside  permanently,  and  rented  a 
ranch  in  Powell  Park,  which  he  occupied  until 
1895,  when  he  bought  the  one  he  now  owns 
and  works.  This  comprises  eighty  acres  and 
there  is  sufficient  water  to  make  the  cultivation 
of  the  whole  tract  practicable.  Since  1896  Mr. 
Reynolds  has  also  been  engaged  in  freighting 
in  addition  to  ranching,  and  has  become  widely 
known  as  the  leading  freighter  in  and  out  of 
Meeker.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  politically  sup- 
ports the  Republican  party.  On  November  24, 
1879,  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Hard- 
man,  a  native  of  Iowa.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Hetta  E.  and  Anna  L.  Hetta  E.  has  been 
reared  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  Rio 
Blanco  county  and  to  her  credit  it  may  be  said 
that  she  is  the  first  teacher  in  the  county  who 
was  educated  in  the  county,  winning  an 
enviable  reputation  for  himself. 

THOMAS  GAGNON. 

Although  a  Canadian  by  birth,  and  reared 
and  educated  to  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  Do- 
minion, Thomas  Gagnon,  of  Pitkin  county,  liv- 
ing near  Watson,  is  a  thorough  citizen  of  the 
United  States  now  and  in  full  sympathy  with 
the  institutions  and  the  people  of  this  country, 
He  was  born  in  the  province  of  Quebec  on  Oc- 
tober 24,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Emma  Gagnon,  also  Canadians  in  nativity.  The 
parents  were  prosperous  farmers  in  that  coun- 
try and  devoted  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  The  mother  died  in  1894  and  the 


father  is  still  living.  In  political  matters  he 
supports  the  Liberal  party.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living, 
Thomas,  August,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Lewis  and 
Amanda,  the  wife  of  Theodore  Leo.  The  op- 
portunities for  attending  school  afforded  to 
Thomas  were  few  and  irregular.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen,  being  obliged  to  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world,  and  not  unwilling  to  do  it,  he 
went  to  Upper  Canada,  and  there  he  worked 
three  years  in  the  lumber  camps  at  a  compensa- 
tion of  twenty  dollars  a  month  and  his  board. 
In  1872  he  crossed  the  line  into  the  United 
States  and  located  at  Saginaw,  Michigan. 
After  a  residence  of  several  years  in  that  city, 
in  1880  he  came  to  Colorado  and  engaged  in 
saw-mill  work  at  Denver  in  the  interest  of 
John  Morrison,  receiving  a  wage  of  thirty-five 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  year  of  his  residence  here  he  formed 
a  company  and  went  to  Gunnison  to  conduct  a 
saw-mill  business  of  his  own.  The  venture  was 
not  very  successful,  and  he  next  turned  his  at- 
tention to  prospecting  and  mining,  which  he 
followed  until  1893,  then  located  at  Aspen, 
where  he  was  occupied  in  planing  and  shingle 
mill  work  for  six  months.  The  ensuing  twelve 
years  were  passed  in  mining,  part  of  the  time 
for  wages  and  part  on  his  own  account.  He 
then  bought  a  ranch  near  the  one  he  now  owns 
and  conducts,  and  after  working  on  it  five  years 
sold  his  interest  to  Philip  Robichand,  his 
partner  in  the  enterprise.  In  1896  he  pur- 
chased his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  about  half  of  which  is  under  pro- 
ductive cultivation,  and  yields  abundant  crops 
of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  He  also  raises 
cattle  and  horses  of  good  grades  for  the  mar- 
kets, and  in  all  lines  of  his  enterprise  on  this 
land  he  is  successful  and  progressive.  His  hay 
is  of  exceptionally  fine  quality,  and  has  a  wide 
reputation  for  its  excellence.  Although  inde- 
pendent in  politics  he  is  active  and  earnest  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


all  undertakings  for  the  welfare  of  his  district 
and  county,  and  his  breadth  of  view  and  gen- 
eral intelligence  are  such  in  reference  to  public 
matters  that  for  a  number  of  years  he  was 
chosen  to  serve  as  road  commissioner  for  Pit- 
kin  county,  and  the  excellent  roads  he  built 
while  occupying  this  position  gave  abundant 
evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  the  choice  of  a  com- 
missioner. On  November  17,  1891,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Bertha  Maurin,  a  native  of 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  (Fontille)  Maurin,  natives  of  France, 
where  the  father  served  as  a  soldier  seven 
years,  then  engaged  in  coal  mining.  In  1865 
they  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  at 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  same  industry  until  1868.  They 
then  moved  to  Ohio  and  remained  twenty 
years,  he  all  the  while  mining  coal.  In  1888 
they  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  their  ranch 
on  Capitol  creek  in  Pitkin  county,  where  the 
father  died  on  March  7,  1900,  and  the  mother 
January  30,  1905,  aged  sixty-two  years,  seven 
months  and  seven  days.  Mrs.  Maurin  contin- 
rcd  to  reside  on  the  home  ranch  after  the  death 
of  her  husband  until  a  few  weeks  prior  to 
her  death,  which  occurred  at  the  home  ot 
Mr.  Raymond,  near  Aspen,  where  she  had  been 
some  weeks  taking  treatment.  Mrs.  Maurin 
was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  highly  es- 
teemed neighbor  and  friend.  The  father  was 
an  independent  in  politics,  and  both  parents  be- 
longed to  the  Catholic  church.  They  had  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living, 'six  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  at  home 
except  Mrs.  Tom  Gagnon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gag- 
non  have  five  children,  viz :  Frederick,  May, 
Bertha,  Thomas  and  Albert.  During  the  last 
three  years  Mrs.  Gagnon  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  and  has  rendered  valuable  and 
efficient  service  to  the  cause  of  education  in 
that  position,  having  been  re-elected  on  May 
i.  1905,  for  another  term  of  three  years. 


CLINTON  T.  BANE. 

Clinton  T.  Bane,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Bane  Brothers  (C.  F.  and  B.  F.  Bane),  pro- 
gressive ranchmen  and  stock-growers  of  Gar- 
field,  located  on  a  fine  ranch  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  which  can  be  easily  cultivated,  has  had  a  wide 
experience  in  a  number  of  states  and  a  variety 
of  employments.  His  educational  advantages 
were  of  the  most  meager  kind  and  extent,  but 
he  has  supplemented  them  by  close  observation 
and  the  worldly  wisdom  acquired  only  in  the 
school  of  experience.  He  was  born  on  Decem- 
ber 23,  1844,  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  at- 
tended the  public  schools  only  two  years.  He 
began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  working  on  a  farm  for  twelve 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  In  1861  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  locating  near  Denver,  passed 
the  next  two  years  in  the  employ  of  George 
Rist.  He  next  went  to  Nebraska,  near  Omaha, 
and  there  he  worked  as  a  day  laborer  for  a 
short  time,  after  which  he  moved  to  Alameda 
county,  California,  where  he  was  employed  on 
a  ranch  for  wages  two  years.  From  there  he 
went  to  Arizona,  and  for  one  year  was  en- 
gaged in  prospecting  and  other  occupations. 
He  returned  to  California,  and  soon  afterward 
migrated  to  Butte,  Montana,  going  later  to 
Helena,  that  state,  and  passing  two  years  in 
driving  teams.  In  1884  he  came  back  to  Colo- 
rado, and  at  Leadville  worked  in  the  mines  for 
a  year,  then  moved  to  Aspen,  where  he  spent 
three  months  freighting,  after  which  he  worked 
for  I.  W.  Chatfield  one  season.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  and  his  brother,  B.  F.  Bane, 
located  adjoining  pre-emption  claims  of  land 
in  Pitkin  county,  ten  miles  southeast  of  Car- 
bondale,  on  which  they  are  still  'living.  They 
own  good  water  rights  for  their  land  and  raise 
large  crops  of  superior  timothy  hay  and  grain, 
and  also  cattle  in  large  numbers.  The  brothers 


5-P 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


are  well  known  as  good  business  men  and  en- 
terprising and  forceful  factors  in  the  local  af- 
fairs of  the  community.  They  are  Democrats 
in  politics  and  give  their  party  loyal  support. 
Their  success  here  has  been  pronounced  and 
they  stand  well  in  the  community.  Although 
unmarried  they  take  a  great  and  serviceable  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  county  and  its 
people,  and  lend  their  ready  aid  to  all  under- 
takings for  their  advancement  and  improve- 
ment. 

JOSEPH  C.  HARROD. 

From  his  youth  connected  with  the  pursuit 
of  fanning  almost'  wholly,  and  yet  learning 
wisdom  and  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  men 
from  a  busy  experience  in  mercantile  life, 
Joseph  C.  Harrod,  of  Pitkin  county,  this  state, 
living  near  Snow  Mass  on  a  good  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres,  two-thirds  of 
which  are.  capable  of  cultivation  without  arti- 
ficial means,  came  to  the  industry  in  which  he  is 
engaged  with  excellent  preparation  for  its  re- 
quirements, and  having  put  his  knowledge  to 
practical  use,  he  has  been  successful  and  pros- 
perous in  his  undertaking.  He  is  a  native  of 
Marion  county,  Indiana,  born  near  Indianapolis 
on  Christmas  .day,  1852.  His  parents  were 
George  W.  and  Harriet  (Pierson)  Harrod,  na- 
tives of  Ohio,  who  settled  at  Indianapolis  in 
1840,  and  later  moved  to  Champaign  county, 
"Illinois.  The  father  was  a  carpenter,  and  be- 
ing industrious  and  frugal,  as  well  as  a  good 
mechanic,  he  did  well  at  his  trade  and  accumu- 
lated a  fair  degree  of  worldly  substance.  He 
was  a  man  of  progressive  ideas  and  warmly  in- 
terested in  public  affairs,  supporting  the  princi- 
ples and  candidates  of  the  Democratic  party 
with  loyalty  and  zeal.  Four  children  were  born 
in  the  family  -and  three  are  still  living :  George 
and  Enoch,  who  live  at  Indianapolis,  and 
Joseph  C.,  a  resident  of  this  state  and  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  writing.  Another  son. 


Richard,  is  deceased.  The  parents  are  also 
gone,  the  father  dying  in  1857  and  the  mother 
in  1860.  Joseph  enjoyed  only  such  educational 
advantages  as  were  furnished  by  the  country 
schools  of  his  youth,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
began  working  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  home,  remaining  there  so  occupied  seven 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Illinois,  and  con- 
tinued his  farming  operations  in  Hancock 
county  until  1880.  In  the  spring  of  that  year 
he  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Denver  oir 
March  3ist,  and  after  remaining  six  weeks  in 
that  city,  moved  to  Gunnison  and  some  time 
afterward  to  Leadville.  From  there  he  changed 
to  Rock  Creek,  where  he  prospected  and  mined 
until  1883.  He  then  located  at  Grand  Junction, 
which  he  soon  afterward  sold  at  a  profit.  Dur- 
ing the  next  thirteen  years  he  was  employed  by 
the  Continental  Oil  Company,  known  at  that 
time  as  Baker  &  Company,  remaining  with 
the  company  until  its  business  was  purchased 
by  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  When  he  quit 
that  employment  he  bought  the  ranch  on  which 
he  now  lives  and  which  he  has  since  been  oc- 
cupied in  improving  and  developing.  It  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres,  and 
one  hundred  acres  of  it  are  under  good  cultiva- 
tion, yielding  good  crops  of  grain  and  hay  and 
giving  liberal  support  to  a  flourishing  stock 
business  which  he  conducts  on  it.  On  Decem- 
ber 22,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  B. 
Coffman,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  daughter  of 
John  and  Lydia  (Crist)  Coffman,  the  former 
born  in  Indiana  and  the  latter  in  Ohio.  Early 
in  their  married  life  they  settled  in  Illinois, 
after  moving  to  Kansas,  and  afterward  to  Ok- 
lahoma Territory,  where  they  now  live  and  are 
successfully  engaged  in  farming.  The  father 
is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  both  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  They  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrod  have  four,  Grace, 
John,  Charlton  and  Robert  S. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


543 


HENRY  A.  STAATS. 

Born  on  the  rich  alluvial  plains  of  Illinois, 
and  reared  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  amid 
their  prolific  fruitfulness  and  ease  of  culture, 
Henry  A.  Staats,  of  Pitkin  county,  living  near 
Snow  Mass  on  a  fine  and  well-improved  ranch 
of  four  hundred  acres,  was  nevertheless  so  well 
instructed  in  the  art  of  farming  and  reared  with 
such  valuable  lessons  of  self-dependence  and 
closeness  of  observation,  that  when  he  came  to 
apply  his  knowledge  in'this  state  where  the  con- 
ditions of  an  agricultural  life  are  so  vastly  dif- 
ferent, he  soon  found  himself  master  of  the  sit- 
uation and  has  won  a  substantial  competence 
by  his  thrift  and  energy  here  as  he  would  have 
done  almost  anywhere,  being  one  of  the  men  to 
whom  circumstances  are  made  to  minister  and 
yield  tribute.  His  life  began  on  July  9,  1848,  at 
Egypt,  in  the  great  Prairie  state,  where  his  pa- 
rents, Hiram  and  Jessie  Staats,  the  former  a 
New  Yorker  by  nativity  and  the  latter  born  in 
Scotland,  settled  in  1830.     The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  a  manufacturer  of    leather,    and 
wrought  at  his  craft  until  1861,  then  turned  his 
attention  to  the  hotel  business,   conducting  a 
popular  and  much  frequented  hostelry  on  the 
old  national    road    at    Ewington,    Effingham 
county,  and  also  served  continuously  for  fif- 
teen years  as  justice  of  the  peace.     His  office 
was  a  favorite  place  for  the  young  folks  to  get 
married,  they  coming  from  all  parts  of  the  sur- 
rounding counties.     In  1874  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  a  homestead    twenty    miles 
west  of  Denver,  where  he  ranched,  raised  hay. 
grain  and  cattle,  and  conducted  a  general  farm- 
ing business  with  success  and  profit.    He  was  a 
firm  and  active  Democrat  in  politics  and  his 
wife  belonged  to  the  Methodist  church.     She 
died  in  1885  and  the  father  in    1895.      They 
were  the  parents  of    eight    children,    three    of 
whom,  Andrew,  Christina  and  Mary,  are  de- 
ceased, the  last  named  being  at  the  time  of  her 
death  Mrs.   Samuel  Moffit,  a  resident  of  the 


South.  The  surviving  children  are  Nelson,  Mar- 
tha, Jennie,  Sarah  and  Henry  A.     Henry  re- 
ceived but  little  schooling  except  what  he  got 
from  that  exacting  but    thorough    taskmaster, 
experience.     At  the  age  of  ten  he  was  obliged 
to  go  to  work  on  the  farm  to  help  his  parents, 
and  after  that  there  was  seldom  an  opportunity 
to  attend  school.     He  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  thirty-six,  but  in  the  meantime,  when 
he  was  but  fourteen,  enlisted  in  the  Union  for 
the  Civil  war  in  1861,  and  served  one  year  as 
messenger  boy  for  the  quartermaster  of    his 
command.    After  leaving  the  army  he  engaged 
in  railroad  contract  work  in  his  native  state, 
with  his  brother,  helping   to    build    the    Eads 
bridge  over  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Louis  and  the 
tunnel    there,    along  with   other  jobs   of   im- 
portance.    In  1874  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Denver.  A  year  later  he  went  to  New 
Mexico  and  San  Juan,  and  for  four  years  he 
was  occupied  in  prospecting  and  mining  with 
moderate   success,   locating  and   disposing  of 
^ome  of  the  richest  claims  in  that  territory.  In 
the  summer  of  1879  he  returned  to  Colorado 
and  took  up  his  residence  at  Leadville.     After 
mining  there  a  month  he    crossed    the    range 
through  Independence  pass  in  company  with 
Wilson    and  Thomas    Durant,  t  breaking    the 
trail,  and  made  the    trip    without    adventure 
worthy  of  note  except  some  difficulty  in  fight- 
ing fires,  as  the  whole  section  was  burning,  and 
reached  Aspen  on  July  *8th.     There  were  but 
•few  settlers  in  this  portion  of  the  country  then, 
and  all  the  conditions  of  life  for  those  hardy 
adventurers  who  had  cast  their  lot  here  were 
wild  and  rugged.     Mr.  Staats  continued  pros- 
pecting until  1886.     He  built  one  of  the  first 
cabins  at  Aspen  and  also  a  blacksmith  shop,  and 
in  partnership  with  the  Staats  brothers  ran  a 
pack  train  between  the  new  camp  and  Lead- 
ville and  Twin  Lakes.     This  was  not  a  profit- 
able enterprise  and  stopped  at  the  end  of  a 
year.     Indian  threats  of  hostility  made  all  but 
thirteen  of  the  settlers  leave  the  region,  some 


544 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  those  remaining  being  Mr.  Staats,  Michael 
Lorenzo,  Warren  Elliott,  Warmer  Root, 
Henry  Tourtellotte,  Keno  Jim  and  Joseph 
Dietz.  In  1881  Mr.  Staats  located  a  portion  of 
his  present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  has  since 
made  additions  until  the  ranch  now  comprises 
four  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  culti- 
vation. The  principal  crops  are  hay,  grain  and 
garden  vegetables;  and  horses  and  cattle  are 
raised  in  good  numbers  and  with  fair  profits. 
The  head  of  the  house  is  an  earnest  and  loyal 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  man  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  advancement  of  his  community.  He 
was  married  on  March  27,  1886,  to  Miss  Ella 
Harmon,  a  native  of  Androscoggin  county, 
Maine,  and  daughter  of  George  and  Jedidah 
(Foss)  Harmon,  who  were  also  born  in  that 
state.  They  were  married  in  1835  and  settled 
on  a  farm  at  North  Livermore,  Maine.  Here 
were  born  to  them  fourteen  children.  In  the 
spring  of  1861  they  moved  to  Beloit,  Wiscon- 
sin, where  the  eldest  son  was  practicing  law. 
Their  second  son  Edward  graduated  from  Be- 
loit College  in  1862,  having  left  Waterville 
College  to  come  west  with  the  family.  In  1863 
they  moved  to  Minnesota,  where  they  engaged 
in  farming  until  the  father  died,  September  6, 
1876.  Ella  L.  graduated  from  Mankato 
Normal  School  in  1874  and  was  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching  for  ten  years.  She  then 
came  to  Colorado  in  1884.  The  aged  mother 
came  to  Colorado  in  1887  to  live  with  her  chil- 
dren. She  died  May  5,  1900,  at  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Staats.  Only  four  of  her  children  sur- 
vived her,  Herbert  R.,  Mason,  Columbia  and 
Ella  L.  (Mrs.  Staats). 

WILLIAM  W.  WURTS, 

Pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  amid 
the  strenuous  and  oftentimes  oppressive  con- 
ditions of  frontier  life,  gaining  headway  against 


the  currents  of  hardship,  danger  and  disaster, 
here  by  slow  progress  and  there  by  more  rapid 
strides,  always  meeting  his  responsibilities  in 
industry  and  courage  with  manliness  and  force, 
and  frequently  helping  some  less  fortunate 
brother  to  a  new  start,  William  W.  Wurts,  of 
near  Rifle,  Garfield  county,  one  of  the  Western 
slope's  most  substantial,  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful ranch  and  cattle  men,  has,  during  his 
long  residence  of  more  than  thirty-five  years  in 
the  farther  West  and  intimate  intercourse  with 
its  people,  borne  himself  with  commendable  up- 
rightness and  loyalty  to  every  duty,  and  has  all 
the  while  been  a  potent  force  in  pushing  for- 
ward the  progress  and  development  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  he  happened  to  be  living.  He  is 
a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Lake  county  on 
Christmas  day,  1847,  and  the  son  of  Archibald 
and  Mary  (McGuire)  Wurts,  the  former  born 
in  Ohio  and  the  latter  in  Ireland.  They  re- 
mained in  Ohio  until  1858,  then  moved  to 
Michigan,  locating  near  Lansing.  The  father 
was  a  manufacturer  of  wagons  and  carriage^, 
and  did  farming  in  connection  with  his  indus- 
trial business.  He  was  a  man  of  great  public 
spirit  and  enterprise  and  was  successful  in  his 
undertakings.  Deeply  interested  in  the  cause 
of  education,  he  was  one  of  the  early  pro- 
moters and  aids  of  Hillsdale  College  in  Michi- 
gan, and  contributed  essentially  to  the  establish- 
ment of  other  institutions  of  value  to  the  state. 
In  his  early  manhood  he  was  a  Whig  in  political 
affiliation,  but  when  the  Republican  party  suc- 
ceeded to  the  assets  of  his  former  party  he 
promptly  and  fully  espoused  its  cause,  and  he 
remained  true  to  the  organization  to  the  day  of 
his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  died,  he  in  1854  and 
she  on  February  24,  1883,  leaving  two  of  their 
four  children  to  survive  them,  William  and  his 
brother  Archibald,  now  living  near  Pueblo, 
Colorado.  After  receiving  a  limited  education 
at  the  public  schools.  William  joined  the 


WILLIAM  W.  WURTS. 


MRS.  MARY  M.  WURTS. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


545 


Union  army  towards  the  close  of  the  Civil  war, 
while  he  was  as  yet  but  a  youth,  as  a  member 
of  Company  G,  Second  Ohio  Cavalry.  He 
served  to  the  close  of  the  contest  and  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  at  Camp  Denison.  Re- 
turning to  his  home,  he  took  a  contract  for 
boring  oil  wells.  He  continued  this  line  of 
activity  until  the  spring  of  1867,  when  he 
moved  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  but  after  a 
short  residence  there  he  moved  on  to  Omaha, 
crossing  the  plains  with  a  large  train.  From 
Fort  Larimer  they  had  United  States  troops 
to  escort  them  into  Montana,  and  so  avoided  all 
trouble  with  the  Indians,  but  were  six  months 
on  the  trip.  After  the  supplies  were  unloaded 
Mr.  Wurts  returned  to  North  Platte  and  a  lit- 
tle later  went  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where 
he  wintered.  In  the  spring  he  started  for  New 
Mexico,  intending  to  do  mining,  but  on  arriv- 
ing at  Pueblo  he  learned  that  admission  to  the 
mines  would  be  refused,  and  so  he  changed  his 
termination  to  Denver.  From  there  he  went 
to  Canon  City  and  Mt.  Granite,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  the  employ  of  the  Cash 
Creek  Mining  Company,  for  a  period  of  three 
years.  He  next  took  a  position  as  contractor 
with  the  Boston  &  Colorado  Smelting  Com- 
pany and  remained  in  association  with  that 
corporation  three  years  in  that  vicinity.  Then 
he  did  contracting  for  the  company  at  Alma 
until  the  spring  of  1876,  at  which  time  he 
moved  to  the  San  Juan  country  with  head- 
quarters at  Del  Norte.  Here  he  freighted 
about  the  country  during  the  summer,  and  in 
the  fall,  went  to  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Da- 
kota, where  he  sold  his  teams  and  turned  his 
attention  to  mining,  remaining  two  years  and 
acquiring  the  ownership  of  a  number  of  claims. 
He  then  moved  to  Leadville  and  again 
freighted  until  1879,  when  he  opened  a  meat 
market  at  Alma.  This  was  a  profitable  enter- 
prise, but  in  1882  he  sold  it  to  purchase  a 
squatter's  right  to  a  ranch.  He  began  raising 
35 


cattle  and  ranching,  and  during  the  next  four 
years  gave  his  attention  wholly  to  these  pur- 
suits. In  1886  he  sold  his  ranch  and  took  his 
cattle  to  Eagle  county  where  he  held  them  two 
winters  until  he  could  find  a  suitable  location 
for  a  permanent  residence.  In  1888  he  pur- 
chased another  ranch,  this  one  located  on  West 
Rifle  creek,  near  Rifle,  and  this  place  he  held 
until  he  sold  it  to  his  son  Jesse  in  1895.  His 
final  purchase  was  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and 
occupies,  two  miles  north  of  Rifle.  It  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  till- 
able and  well  supplied  with  water.  He  also 
owns  another  ranch  of  the  same  size  and  in 
the  same  neighborhood.  Hay  and  cattle  are 
his  principal  products.  The  former  is  produced 
in  large  quantities  and  of  the  latter  he  runs 
about  eight  hundred  head.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Wurts  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  politically 
he  supports  the  Republican  party.  On  May  24, 
1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Mullen, 
who  was  born  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  at 
the  town  of  Watseka,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Daniel  B.  and  Mary  (Mayett)  Mullen,  both 
natives  of  the  province  of  Quebec.  They  lo- 
cated in  Illinois  in  early  life  and  moved  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  in  1873.  One  year  later 
they  moved  to  Alma  and  in  1885  to  Rifle  creek 
near  Rifle.  The  father  is  a  carpenter  and  brick 
and  stone  mason,  and  as  a  contractor  and 
builder  he  has  erected  many  of  the  large  build- 
ings in  Denver  and  elsewhere  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  He  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in 
political  activity  and  he  and  his  wife  are  Metho- 
dists in  church  relations.  Nine  of  their  ten 
children  are  living:  Mary  (Mrs.  Wurts)  ;  Del- 
phine  (Mrs.  Joe  Lovell),  of  Paris,  California; 
Delia  (Mrs.  McDonald  Oshier),  of  Como, 
Colorado;  David,  of  Telluride;  Charles  and 
George,  of  Rifle;  Jennie  (Mrs.  I.  W.  Graham), 
of  Rifle;  Frances  (Mrs.  Louis  Plummer),  of 
Rifle,  and  Katharine  (Mrs.  Joseph  Slaughter). 


546 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  Ridgeway,  this  state.  In  the  Wurts  family 
twelve  children  have  been  born,  ten  of  whom 
are  living:  Jesse  W.,  Alta  (Mrs.  John  Man- 
ning), of  Lawton,  Oklahoma;  Hattie,  Warren, 
Aaron,  William,  Emma,  Rachel,  Milton  and 
Virgil.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church. 

THOMAS  B.  SCOTT. 

Thomas  B.  Scott,  one  of  the.  enterprising 
and  prosperous  fruit-growers  of  Mesa  county, 
with  his  orchards  located  six  miles  northwest 
of  Grand  Junction,  where  he  lives  and  thrives 
through  his  industry,  thrift  and  intelligent  at- 
tention to  every  detail  of  his  business,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  born  on  Janu- 
ary 1 6,  1858,  and  the  son  of  Frederick  and 
Ann  (Wheeler)  Scott,  the  former  a  native  of 
England  and  the  latter  of  Wales.  They  came 
to  the  United  States  with  their  parents  in  early 
life  and  grew  to  maturity  in  Wisconsin,  where 
they  met  and  were  married.  In  1876  they 
moved' to  Harrison  county,  Iowa,  and  there  the 
father  died  in  1886.  The  mother  survived  him 
five  years,  dying  at  the  home  of  her  son  in  Colo- 
rado in  1891.  Their  son  Thomas  grew  to  the 
age  of  eighteen  on  the  Wisconsin  farm  and 
then  accompanied  the  family  to  their  new  home 
in  Iowa.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools,  and  bred  to  habits  of  industry  on  the 
farm.  He  remained  at  home  until  the  fall  of 
1894.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
on  the  farm  which  is  now  his  home.  This  com- 
prises forty  acres  and  when  he  bought  it  it 
was  partially  improved.  He  has  given  his  at- 
tention principally  to  raising  fruit  of  superior 
quality  for  market,  and  has  been  very  success- 
ful at  the  business.  He  has  thirteen  acres  in 
apples  and  four  acres  in  pears,  all  set  out  by 
himself,  and  most  of  the  trees  at  this  time 
(1904)  in  bearing  order.  His  crop  of  apples  ir. 
1903  was  five  thousand  boxes,  and  the  promise 


for  large  increases  in  future  is  very  bright,  as 
his  trees  are  thrifty  and  are  kept  in  good  con- 
dition and  properly  cared  for.  In  1900  he 
built  a  new  modern  dwelling  which  is  one  of 
the  most  complete  in  the  section.  On  Decem- 
ber 23,  1886,  he  was  married  in  Wisconsin  to 
Miss  Belle  Cottingham,  a  native  of  Grant 
county,  that  state.  They  have  two  children, 
Flossie  A.  and  Thomas  Merle.  In  political  af- 
filiation Mr.  Scott  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Bethel.  It  is  much  to 
say  in  a  man's  favor  that  he  has  increased  the 
sources  of  wealth  in  his  section  and  multiplied 
the  opportunities  for  useful  employment ;  but 
this  is  essentially  true  of  Mr.  Scott.  His 
orchards  are  wholly  the  product  of  his  own  in- 
dustry and  intelligence,  and  their  products  add 
materially  to  the  volume  of  trade  in  his  county, 
at  the  same  time  giving  employment  to  several 
persons.  He  is  moreover  one  of  the  public- 
spirited  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Mesa 
county,  deeply  interested  in  all  that  contributes 
to  its  welfare  and  development,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  by  its  people  as  one  of  their  repre- 
sentative and  progressive  men. 

MILO  B.  SHARP. 

Beginning  life  as  a  farmer,  Milo  B.  Sharp, 
of  Grand  valley,  pleasantly  settled  on  a  small 
farm  of  forty  acres  six  miles  northwest  of 
Grand  Junction,  has  steadfastly  put  away  all 
the  enticements  of  the  mining  industry,  and  by 
close  application  to  his  chosen  pursuit,  and 
thrift  and  systematic  industry  in  conducting 
his  operations,  has  prospered  and  won  a  sub- 
stantial estate,  and  a  place  of  esteem  and  con- 
fidence among  his  fellow  men  of  the  section 
in  which  he  lives.  He  was  born  in  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  on  August  25,  1861,  the  son  of 
George  W.  and  Phoebe  J.  (Montgomery) 
Sharp,  the  former  born  near  Frankfort,  Ken- 


THE  W.  W.  WURTS  RANCH. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


547 


tucky,   and   the   latter  in   Pennsylvania.    The 
father  left  his  home  when  a  boy,  his   father 
having  died,  and  was  reared  by  an  uncle  in 
Illinois.     The  mother  came  to  the  same  part 
of  that  state  with  her  parents  in  1837,  when 
she  was  two  years  old,  the  family  being  among 
the  pioneers  in  the  locality.     There  both  grew 
to  maturity  and  were  married,  and  soon  after- 
ward moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Exira,  Iowa, 
where  they  also  were  pioneers.     In  that  neigh- 
borhood they  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.     They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
two  of   whom   are   living,    Mr.    Sharp   and   a 
younger  brother  who  resides   in  the  state  of 
Washington.     Mr.  Sharp  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive county  and  received  a  district  school  edu- 
cation, which  was  very  limited,  as  his  father 
died  when  he  was  twelve  years  old  and  he. 
being  the  oldest  son,  was  obliged  to  take  charge 
of  the  farm.     After  the  death  of  his  mother  in 
1883  the  farm  was  sold  and  the  estate  closed, 
and   during  the   next  two   years   he   lived   on 
rented  land.    In  1886  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
settled  at  Greeley.     A  year  later  he  went  to 
Cheyenne  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  entered 
a    fractional    quarter-section    of    one    hundred 
and  seven  acres  of  land  and  started  a  stock 
business  which  he  conducted  there  successfully 
for  seven  years,  in  the  meantime  buying  one 
hundred   and   sixty   acres  additional.      In   the 
spring  of  1894  he  sold  out  to  good  advantage, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1895  again  came  to  Colo- 
rado, locating  in  the  Grand  valley.     Here  he 
bought  forty  acres  six  miles  northwest  of  Grand 
Junction,  on  a  part  of  which  he  now  lives,  hav- 
ing sold,  fifteen  acres  some  years  ago.      The 
land  was  improved  at  the  time  of  his  purchase 
with  a  small  frame  house  and  had  an  orchard 
of  eight  acres.     He  at  once  turned  his  attention 
to  the  cultivation  of  fruit,  enlarging  his  orch- 
ard by  regular  plantings  until  he  has  twelve 
acres   in   apples   and  pears   and  an   extensive 
tract  in   small   fruits.   "  In  the  year   1903   his 


crop  was  seven  car  loads  of  apples  and  one  of 
pears,  and  during  that  and  the  preceding  year 
his  net  returns  netted  him  an  average  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  three  thousand 
dollars.  He  has  recently  built  a  new  dwelling 
at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars, 
which  is  modern  in  every  way  and  equipped 
with  all  the  comforts  of  a  well  appointed  home, 
being  supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water,  pro- 
vided with  a  comfortable  bath  room,  and  other- 
wise up-to-date  in  all  its  appliances.  On  Febru- 
ary 23,  1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Minerva  Barber,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
who  moved  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  with 
her  parents,  John  K.  and  Sarah  E.  (Harter) 
Barber,  when  she  was  five  years  old.  They 
were  also  Pennsylvanians  and  now  live  in 
Shelby  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sharp 
have  had  five  children,  Grace  E.,  Pearl  (de- 
ceased), Harold  K.,  Fern  L.,  and  Walter  V. 
Mr.  Sharp  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  politics  and  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
among  the  fraternities.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

ADRIAN  SCHMITT. 

Adrian  Schmitt,  now  one  of  the  prosperous 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  Mesa  county,  liv- 
ing three  miles  and  a  half  northwest  of  Grand 
Junction,  and  the  pioneer  in  the  cattle  industry 
of  this  section,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
on  March  7,  1847,  ancl  is  tne  son  of  John  an'd 
Barbara  (Fuch)  Schmitt,  also  Bavarians  by 
nativity,  and  passing  their  lives  in  their  native 
land.  The  father,  in  company  with  one  of  his 
older  sons,  carried  on  extensive  farming  oper- 
ations, and  when  a  nobleman  in  his  neighbor- 
hood failed,  he  bought  an  estate  in  land  and 
some  cattle.  His  son  Adrian  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  home  neighborhood  and  there  received 
a  common-school  education.  He  showed  great 
facility  in  mathematical  operations,  through 


548 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


life  being  able  to  solve  difficult  problems  in  his 
head  more  rapidly  than  others  can  with  pencil 
and  paper.  He  worked  on  the  farm  with  his 
lather  until  he  was  twenty-one,  then  learned 
the  trade  of  a  baker,  which  he  followed  in 
various  places,  principally  in  Hamburg.  When 
the  Franco-Prussian  war  broke'  out,  in  order  to 
escape  military  service,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  having  with  him  three  thousand  dollars, 
which  he  deposited  in  a  Brooklyn  (New  York) 
bank.  He  then  came  west  to  Indianapolis, 
where  he  wrought  at  his  trade  about  a  year. 
Being  smitten  with  the  mining  fever  at  the  end, 
of  that  time,  he  came  to  Colorado  in  1872  and 
located  at  Georgetown.  There  and  in  Middle 
Park  and  at  Leadville  he  mined  and  prospected, 
and  for  a  short  time  worked  in  the  ore  mills, 
and  in  these  operations  lost  all  his  money. 
From  that  section  he  went  to  Aspen,  among  the 
first  to  enter  that  region,  making  the  trip  on 
snow  shoes  over  snow  twenty  feet  deep  and 
carrying  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds 
of  food  and  other  freight  on  his  back.  He 
passed  one  year  at  Aspen  and  cleared  over 
two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  In  the  fall 
of  1881  he  moved  into  the  Grand  valley,  being 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  now  populous 
and  prolific  region.  Here  he  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which 
is  now  his  home.  In  the  following  spring  he 
brought  seven  cows  and  calves  into  the  valley. 
'which  were  the  first  cattle  introduced  into  the 
section,  and  since  then  he  has  been  continu- 
ously engaged  in  the  stock  industry.  Under 
his  judicious  management  his  land  became  pro- 
ductive and  greatly  increased  in  value.  He 
has  sold  all  of  it  but  forty  acres  on  which  he 
now  lives  retired  and  in  comfort,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  labor  and  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  men.  He  recently  sold 
one  piece  of  his  land,  comprising  forty  acres, 
for  four  thousand  dollars.  On  March  10,  1875, 
he  was  married,  at  Georgetown,  in  this  state, 


to  Miss  Anna  Tunish,  a  native  of  Bavaria  who 
came  to  the  United  States  alone  when  she  was 
a  young  woman.  They  have,  six  children, 
Mary,  Maggie,  George,  Lawrence,  Theresa 
and  Emma.  In  politics  Mr.  Schmitt  is  inde- 
pendent, and  in  religious  affiliation  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

JAMES  L.  DUCKETT. 

For  the  whole  period  of  a  generation  of 
human  life  James  L.  Duckett,  living  four  miles 
and  a  half  northwest  of  Grand  Junction,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Colorado,  and  during  the 
whole  of  that  time  has  been  engaged  in  aiding 
to  develop  the  resources  and  push  forward  the 
progress  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Bun- 
combe county,  North  Carolina,  on  August  31, 
1827,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Hipps)  Duckett,  both  natives  of  South  Caro- 
lina but  reared  and  married  in  North  Carolina, 
where  they  passed  their  useful  lives  and  were 
finally  laid  to  rest  beneath  the  soil  that  was 
hallowed  by  their  labors.  The  father  was  a 
carpenter  and  farmer,  and  the  scion  of  a  Revo- 
lutionary family,  his  paternal  grandfather, 
Jacob  Duckett,  having  been  in  active  service  in 
the  struggle  for  independence  from  its  begin- 
ning to  its  close.  The  Ducketts  are  of  Welsh 
and  the  Hippses  of  German  ancestry.  James 
Duckett  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  county 
and  received  there  a  limited  education  at  the 
subscription  schools  of  the  time.  His  mother 
died  when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  soon  after- 
ward when  he  married  he  took  charge  of  the 
paternal  homestead,  which  he  conducted  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1871  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and,  locating  in  Fremont  county,  took  up 
land  and  engaged  in  farming,  remaining  twelve 
years.  In  September,  1883,  he  moved  to 
Grand  valley  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  adjoining  his  present  home 
on  the  west.  This  he  afterward  sold  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


549 


bought  another  quarter  section,  a  part  of  which 
is  the  farm  of  sixty-eight  acres  which  he  now 
owns  and  occupies.  Here  he  has  been  continu- 
ously occupied  in  ranching,  but  making  a 
specialty  of  raising  hay  since  that  time.  He  has 
recently  retired  from  active  pursuits  himself 
and  has  his  land  farmed  by  a  tenant.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  North  Carolina  in 
1845  and  was  to  Miss  Sarah  McCracken,  a 
native  of  that  state.  Thirteen  children  were 
born  to  them,  of  whom  nine  are  living,  two  of 
them  in  Mesa  county,  Elbert  M.  and  Sarah  J., 
the  wife  of  John  T.  Gavin.  Their  mother 
died  on  September  25,  1888,  and  on  August 
21,  1889,  Mr.  Duckett  married  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
(Cooley)  Chapman,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and 
a  widow  with  two  sons,  George  T.  and  William 
L.  Chapman,  both  residents  of  Grand  valley. 
In  politics  Mr.  Duckett  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and 
in  fraternal  circles  has  been  a  Freemason  •  for 
over  forty  years.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

JAMES  HULME  SMITH. 

Founder  and  head  of  the  firm  of  Smith 
Brothers,  who  carry  on  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive cattle  industries  in  the  western  part  of 
the  state,  and  who  are  also  connected  in  a  lead- 
ing way  with  other  enterprises  of  magnitude 
and  great  service  to  their  section,  James 
Hulme  Smith,  of  Grand  Junction,  has  been  one 
of  the  forceful  factors  in  the  development  and 
progress  of  Colorado,  scarcely  any  form  of  its 
multitudinous  commercial  and  industrial 
activities  having  lacked  stimulus  from  his  wide 
and  versatile  mind  and  direction  from  his 
skillful  hand.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  on  June  30,  1858,  and  is  the  son 
of  George  A.  and  Eliza  (Hulme)  Smith,  the 
former  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  latter  of  Mount  Holly,  New  Jersey, 
and  both  belonging  to  old  English  Quaker 


families  whose  American  progenitors  came  to 
this  country  with  William  Penn.  The  father 
was  engaged  in  mercantile  life  in  Philadelphia, 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  James,  Kent,  Santee 
&  Company,  with  which  he  was  connected  from 
its  organization  to  its  dissolution,  a  period  of 
over  forty  years.  He  died  in  Philadelphia  in 
1884,  and  the  mother  in  1886.  In  the  public 
affairs  of  the  city  he  was  active  arid  prominent, 
serving  as  president  of  the  select  council  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  was  energetic  and  po- 
tential in  promoting  the  centennial,  the  con- 
struction of  Pyramid  park,  the  organization  of 
the  great  fire  department,  and  many  other 
works  of  great  importance  and  value  in  that 
section  of  the  country.  He  was  captain  of  the 
Home  Guards  during  the  Civil  war,  being  in- 
capacitated for  active  field  service  by  the  fact 
that  he  had  but  one  arm ;  but  he  was  called  into 
engagement  at  the  head  of  his  company  at  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg.  The  son,  James  Hulme 
Smith,  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  was 
educated  at  private  schools.  In  1875  he  en- 
tered the  University  of  Pennsylvania,-  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  four  years 
later.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Lake  City  where  he  bought  an  interest  in* 
the  Palmetto  mine,  which  he  helped  to  develop. 
This  was  one  of  the  best  mines  in  Hinsdale 
county,  but  as  it  is  a  silver  property  no  work 
has  been  done  on  it  for  several  years  owing 
to  the  low  price  of  silver.  While  living  at 
Lake  City,  Mr.  Smith  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany A,  Second  Battalion  of  the  Pitkin  Guards, 
in  which  he  served  three  years,  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  as  sergeant.  In  1882 
he  was  married  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
lived  in  Denver.  He  then  settled  in  Mesa 
county  and,  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
George  Peyton  Smith,  began  an  industry  in 
breeding  and  handling  cattle  which  by  energy 
and  capacity  they  soon  expanded  into  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  successful  of  its  kind.  For 


550 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


a  number  of  years  they  were  leading  breeders 
of  range  Herefords,  now  they  buy  and  fatten 
steers  for  market.  For  a  period  they  had  regu- 
larly two  thousand  head  or  more  on  the  range, 
but  owing  to  the  shortening  of  the  range  in  re- 
cent years  they  do  not  run  so  many.  One  of 
their  ranches,  which  contains  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  is  high  up  in  the  mountains,  and 
the  home  place  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  is  two  miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction. 
Both  are  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the 
latter  being  beautifully  located  on  the  high 
Orchard  mesa,  overlooking  Grand  valley.  This 
ranch  was  purchased  in  1889,  and  since  then 
James  H.  Smith  has  devoted  the  greater  part 
of  his  attention  to  it,  while  his  brother  has 
looked  after  the  ranch  and  stock  in  the  moun- 
tains. They  soon  found  it  necessary  to  install 
a  pumping  plant  to  get  water  high  enough  to 
irrigate  their  land,  and  this  they  did  on  a 
large  scale  at  a  cost  of  over  fifteen  thousand 
dollars.  The  plant  is  a  mile  and  a  half  up 
the  river  above  the  residence,  and  comprises 
two  water  wheels  working  under  ten  feet  head, 
generating  one  hundred  horse-power,  with  a 
large  rotary  pump  and  a  sixteen-inch  pipe.  The 
amount  of  water  raised  is  four  thousand  gal- 
lons a  minute,  which  is  raised  to  a  height  of 
eighty-two  feet.  The  machinery  is  kept  run- 
ning night  and  day,  and  has  capacity  for  ir- 
rigating the  entire  ranch  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  At  present  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  are  irrigated  for  alfalfa  and  one  hundred 
acres  for  fruit,  with  some  additions  for  grain. 
Here  they  feed  five  hundred  to  six  hundred 
cattle  every  winter,  using  large  quantities  of 
hay  which  they  produce  themselves.  They  also 
have  a  fine  modern  residence  on  this  ranch 
which  is  equipped  with  every  convenience  and 
is  artistically  furnished.  Mr.  Smith  was  one 
of  the  originators  and  early  directors  of  the 
Grand  Junction  Fruit-Growers'  Association, 
which  has  done  much  for  the  development  of 


the  valley,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been 
its  president.  He  has  also  served  as  county 
commissioner  several  terms,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board.  At  different  times  he  has 
been  its  efficient  and  vigilant  chairman.  In  this 
position  he  took  special  interest  in  the  erec- 
tion of  good  bridges  in  the  county  which  now 
stand  as  a  monument  to  his  enterprise  and  pub- 
lic-spirit. One  of  these  of  unusual  magnitude 
and  utility  is  the  steel  bridge  over  the  Gunnison 
at  Whitewater.  In  addition  he  originated  plans 
for  remodeling  the  bridge  at  Debeque,  and  se- 
cured the  erection  of  numerous  smaller  struc- 
tures of  a  similar  character  in  various  parts 
of  the  county.  He  and  his  brother  helped  to 
establish  the  Mesa  County  State  Bank,  and 
both  have  been  actively  connected  with  its 
management  since  its  organization.  In  politics 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican,  and  while  not  de- 
sirous of  public  office  is  always  zealous  and 
energetic  in  the  service  of  his  party.  On  Janu- 
ary 25,  1882,  he  was  married-  at  Denver  to 
Miss  Mary  V.  Fortune,  a  native  of  Louisiana, 
Missouri,  who  came  to  Colorado  in  her  girl- 
hood, and  in  this  state  was  reared  and  educated. 
Her  father  was  a  captain  in  the  Confederate 
army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  was  killed  in 
battle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  had  five 
children,  George  Albert;  James  Fortune,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years ;  Erwin  Edgar, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  months;  Alice 
Paxon  and  Roger  Stewart.  The  head  of  the 
house  belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks  with  mem- 
bership in  the  lodge  at  Grand  Junction. 

GEORGE  PEYTON  SMITH,  a  brother  of 
James  Hulme,  and  the  other  member  of  the 
firm  of  Smith  Brothers,  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  on  May  17,  1856,  and 
was  educated  at  Swathmore  College.  For 
some  years  he  was  associated  with  his  father, 
and  later  with  Lewis  Brothers  in  the  dry-goods 
business.  His  health  failed,  and  in  1884  he 
joined  his  brother  James  in  the  stock  industry 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


55  f 


in  this  state,  and  since  then  he  has  made  his 
home  here.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Mesa 
County  State  Bank,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  founders.  He  is  well  and  widely  known 
throughout  the  West  as  a  leading  stock  man 
and  has  for  years  been  actively  connected  with 
the  management  of  the  American  Cattle-Grow- 
ers' Association,  being  president  of  the  local 
branch.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is 
not  an  active  partisan ;  and  in  fraternal  rela- 
tions belongs  to  the  Elks'  lodge  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion. 

JOHN  H.  YESSEN. 

German  thrift  and  industry,  which  can  turn 
an  arid  waste  into  a  garden  and  build  up  great 
enterprises  anywhere  for  the  common  good  of 
man,  have  many  monuments  in  our  country  to 
mark  the  scene  of  their  labors  which  have 
poured  out  blessings  and  benefactions  on  the 
surrounding  country.  One  of  this  character 
is  the  fruit  farm  and  ranch  of  John  H.  Yessen, 
which  is  located  about  one  mile  and  a  half  east 
of  Fruita,  in  Mesa  county,  this  state.  Mr. 
Yessen  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  where  he  was 
born  on  March  15,  1842,  and  is  the  son  of 
Jesse  and  Maggie  (Graussen)  Yessen,  also  na- 
tives of  Prussia,  where  their  lives  were  passed. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of 
whom  their  son  John  was  the  first  born.  After 
the  death  of  his  mother  his  father  contracted 
a  second  marriage  by  which  there  was  a  large 
number  of  children.  John  was  reared  on  the 
paternal  homestead  and  received  his  education 
at  the  'state  schools  of  his  native  land.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  then  in  May,  1869,  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  after  working  on  a  farm 
for  a  year  in  Wright  county,  Iowa,  moved  to 
Colorado.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  freight- 
ing between  Denver  and  some  of  the  mining 
camps  for  a  few  years.  In  1875  ne  married  and 
turned  his  attention  to  ranching  and  raising 


stock  on  Bear  creek  near  Morrison.  Twelve 
years  \vere  passed  there  in  congenial  and  profit- 
able occupation  of  this  sort,  then  the  family 
moved  to  Golden.  In  1891  they  came  to  Grand 
valley,  where  he  bought  a  ranch  of  forty 
acres',  on  a  part  of  ^vhich  he  now  lives.  He 
has  since  sold  twenty  acres  of  this  land  and 
bought  a  house  and  six  acres  at  Cleveland,  ad- 
joining the  town  of  Fruita.  He  has  prospered 
in  his  enterprise  and  is  in  very  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. His  orchard  of  six  acres  is  one 
of  the  special  features  of  his  farm,  and  it  yields 
him  a  substantial  income,  its  products  having 
a  high  rank  in  the  markets  and  being  brought 
forth  with  every  care  to  secure  the  best  results. 
On  December  4,  1875,  he  was  married  at  Den- 
ver to  Miss  Ida  Johnson,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated,  and  from 
whence  she  emigrated  to  this  country  when  she 
was  a  young  lady.  They  have  two  children, 
Henrietta,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Schieswohl,  of 
Grand  Junction,  and  C.  Henry,  who  is  living  at 
home.  Mr.  Yessen  is  independent  in  politics, 
and  in  church  affiliation  is  a  Lutheran.  He  is 
one  of  the  substantial  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  his  county,  with  breadth  of  view 
and  public  spirit,  taking  an  active  interest  in 
local  public  affairs,  and  aiding  in  the  develop- 
ment and  promotion  of  every  judicious  under-, 
taking  for  the  benefit  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives. 

NELSON  L.  LINELL. 

Many  men  of  great  intellectual  promise  and 
fine  abilities  turn  naturally  and  eagerly  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  as  a  choice  occupation, 
and  devoting  to  it  the  forces  of  their  minds 
and  the  researches  of  their  studies,  making  a 
gratifying  success  of  their  industry  and  find 
peace  and  contentment  as  well  as  prosperity  in 
their  labors.  It  was  so  with  Nelson  L.  Linnell, 
of  Mesa  county,  who  has  developed  a  fine  fruit 


552 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


farm  two  miles  east  of  Fruita.  He  is  a  native 
of  Sweden,  born  at  Gronby  on  December  7, 
1851.  His  parents,  Lars  Martinson  and  Karin 
(Nelson)  Linell,  were  also  natives  of  that  coun- 
try, and  the  father  is  still  living  there  retired 
from  active  pursuits,  having  accumulated  a 
competence  as  a  prosperous  farmer.  The 
mother  died  in  1896.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living,  a 
daughter  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Sweden,  and 
Nelson  L.  An  older  brother,  Martin  Linell, 
died  suddenly  on  May  3,  1897,  of  heart  failure, 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  had  been  for 
a  number  of  years  an  aid  in  the  department  of 
insects  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 
He  became  interested  in  the  study  of  nature 
in  early  life,  and  even  in  boyhood  began  col- 
lecting and  classifying  the  fauna  and  flora  of 
his  native  land.  In  1870  he  matriculated  at  the 
University  of  Lund,  and  soon  distinguished 
himself  in  mathematics,  biology  and  languages. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1879,  and 
secured  employment  in  a  chemical  laboratory 
in  Brooklyn,  New  York.  In  1884  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Entomological  So- 
ciety, and  a  little  while  afterward  held  the 
office  of  curator  of  the  body.  He  was  ap- 
pointed an  aid  in  the  department  of  insects  of 
the  National  Museum  in  1888  and  held  the 
position  until  his  death.  In  the  nine  years  of 
his  tenure  he  worked  over  and  practically  re- 
arranged the  entire  collection  of  specimens  in 
the  department  with  which  he  was  connected. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Washington  Entomo- 
logical Society  and  also  of  the  New  York  So- 
ciety, and  was, a  valued  contributor  to  their 
publications.  He  was  a  great  reader  and 
student  outside  of  his  specialties,  and  was  re- 
markable for  his  proficiency  in  languages.  Nel- 
son Linell,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  reared  and  liberally  educated  in  his  native 
land.  At  the  age  of  nine  he  entered  the  prepar- 
atory school  at  the  seat  of  the  University  of 


Lund,  his  father's  intention  being  to  prepare  him 
for  advanced  work  as  a  teacher.  The  occupation 
was  not  to  his  taste,  however,  and  in  1872,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  located  in  Orange  county, 
Florida.  After  a  year's  residence  there  he 
returned  to  Sweden  and  three  years  later  again 
came  to  this  country,  once  more  settling  in 
Florida,  where  he  remained  three  years,  then 
left  that  state  for  the  benefit  of  his  health, 
going  to  New  York  city  and  there  working 
three  years  as  a  florist.  In  1882  he  married 
and  brought  his  bride  to  Colorado.  They 
took  up  their  residence  at  Montclair,  five  miles 
east  of  Denver.  Here  he  wras  engaged  in 
market  gardening  until  1890.  He  then  sold 
his  property  at  a  good  price  and,  moving  to 
Grand  valley,  bought  eighty-five  acres  of  land 
on  which  he  now  lives,  two  miles  east  of  Fruita. 
The  land  was  almost  in  a  state  of  nature,  and 
by  assiduous  industry  and  excellent  judgment 
he  has  brought  it  to  an  advanced  condition  of 
fertility  and  productiveness,  and  enriched  it 
with  good  buildings.  There  was  a  small  nucleus 
of  an  orchard,  and  this  he  has  expanded  and 
improved  until  he  has  thirty  acres  in  the  choic- 
est fruit  and  his  orchard  has  a  reputation 
throughout  the  surrounding  country  so  wide 
and  so  well  established  for  the  superior  quality 
of  its  product  that  the  place  is  known  on  every 
hand  as  the  Linden  Fruit  Farm.  His  special- 
ties are  strawberries  and  apples,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful  with  both.  In  public  af- 
fairs he  takes  an  active  part,  being  a  zealous 
Republican  in  politics;  and  in  lodge  member- 
ship belongs  to  Fruita  Camp  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  charter  members.  On  April  5, 
1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Dahlqvist, 
a  native  of  Sweden,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1879.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Lars 
and  Christina  (Olsen)  Dahlqvist,  Swedes  by 
nativity  whose  lives  were  passed  in  their  native 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


553 


land.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linell  have  two  children, 
Ebba,  who  was  born  at  Montclair,  this  state, 
in  1889,  and  Lena,  who  was  born 'at  Fruita  in 
1893.  ' 

WILLIAM  SCHWARTZ. 

One  of  the  progressive  and  successful 
farmers  of  Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  com- 
fortably settled  on  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  acres  one  mile  west  of  Fruita, 
William  Schwartz  has  built  himself  and  his, 
estate  up  from  a  small  beginning  and  after 
years  of  discouraging  labor  in  other  occupa- 
tions.- He  is  a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, born  on  December  20,  1857,  and  the  son 
of  Christian  H.  and  Margaret  (Henning) 
Schwartz,  who  were  also  native  in  that  part  of 
the  fatherland  and  belonged  to  families  long 
resident  there.  In  1860  they  moved  to  Amer- 
ica and  located  in  Kingston  county,  Canada, 
but  five  years  later  crossed  the  line  into  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Wayne  county, 
Michigan,  thirteen  miles  west  of  Detroit,  where 
they  passed  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  mother's 
ending  in  1871  and  the  father's  in  1887.  They 
were  farmers  and  their  family  consisted  of 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Their 
son  William  was  one  of  the  older  ones,  being 
the  second  child.  He  grew  to  the  age  of  six- 
teen on  the  homestead  with  almost  no  prepar- 
ation for  the  life  work  that  was  before  him  ex- 
cept hard  work  and  privation ;  for  school 
facilities  were  very  limited  in  that  part  of 
Michigan  in  his  boyhood  and  farm  work  was 
plentiful  and  exacting.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen,  then  for 
three  years  worked  out  in  the  neighborhood. 
In  1876  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at 
Alma  where  he  was  engaged  in  prospecting 
and  mining  until  Leadville  began  to.  attract  at- 
tention. He  was  one  of  the  first  to  reach  that 
promising  camp,  but  found  the  same  indifferent 
success  in  his  mining  operations  he  had  ex- 


perienced at  Alma.  He  continued  the  same 
lines  of  employment  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  his  condition  not  improving,  in  1893  ne 
moved  to  the  Grand  valley  and  bought  a  tract 
of  fifteen  acres  of  land  one  mile  from  Fruita  on 
time,  having  only  eighty  dollars  in  capital. 
This  land  is  a  part  of  his  present  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres,  and  he  has 
brought  the  whole  body  to  a  high  state  of  pro- 
ductiveness and  improved  it  with  good  build- 
ings. By  hard  work  and  close  attention  to  his 
business  he  has  prospered  and  become  one  of 
the  substantial  and  well-to-do  farmers  of  the 
county.  For  a  number  of  years  he  carried  on 
general  ranching,  but  lately  he  has  made  a 
specialty  of  raising  potatoes,  his  yield  in  1903 
being  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons.  On 
June  20,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Weckel,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  with  her  parents  in  her  girl- 
hood. They  have  two  children,  Bertha  E.  and 
Carl  W.  In  political  faith  and  allegiance  Mr. 
Schwartz  is  an  independent  Democrat,  and  in 
fraternal  relations  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Order  of  Washington. 

BENJAMIN  F.  KIEFER. 

Benjamin  F.  Kiefer,  of  Mesa  county,  who 
resides  at  Fruita  and  has  been  in  partnership  in 
business  with  his  brother  Frank,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  on  May 
10,  1858,  and  is  the  son  of  Dominic  and  Caro- 
line (Witt)  Kiefer,  whose  history  is  set  out 
more  at  length  in  the  sketch  of  their  son  Frank, 
Benjamin  was  reared  in  his  native  county,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  and  paro- 
chial schools  near  his  home.  He  remained  on 
the  homestead  until  he  was  twenty-two,  then 
went  to  Howard  county,  the  same  state,  and 
there,  in  company  with  an  older  brother,  leased 


554 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


a  farm  about  one  mile  north  of  Kokomo.  They 
had  an  opportunity  to  buy  the  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  for  the  sum  of  three 
thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  but  neglected  to 
do  so,  and  scon  after  the  discovery  of  natural 
gas  in  the  neighborhood  made  the  land  much 
more  valuable  and  secured  its  rapid  absorption 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town.  In 
the  spring  of  1883  Benjamin  came  to  Grand 
valley,  in  this  state,  with  his  mother  to  join 
his  brother  Frank  in  business.  They  have  car- 
ried on  extensively,  among  their  operations 
being  the  plotting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  into  an  addition  to  Fruita  known  as 
Cleveland,  and  also  the  construction  of  the 
Kiefer  extension  to  the  Grand  Valley  canal, 
they  building  seventeen  miles  of  ditch  to  ir- 
rigate ten  thousand  acres  of  land  below  Fruita. 
The  Fruita  Canal  and  Land  Company,  with  a, 
capital  stock  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
in  ten-dollar  shares,  was  organized  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  this  work  and  to  acquire  land 
and  water  rights.  The  officers  of  the  company 
are  F.  D.  Kiefer,  president ;  B.  F.  Kiefer,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  and  B.  F.  Hughes,  vice- 
president,  they  being  also  the  directors.  The 
construction  of  this  ditch  brought  under  culti- 
vation a  large  body  of  excellent  land,  especially 
well  adapted  to  raising  sugar  beets,  and  this 
has  made  possible  the  success  of  the  best  beet 
sugar  factory  at  Grand  Junction,  which  was 
'  otherwise  a  failure.  In  1892  Mr.  Kiefer  and 
his  brother  established  at  Fruita  the  Mesa 
County  Mail,  a  weekly  newspaper,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  advertising  the  resources  and  industries 
of  Grand  valley,  more  particularly  the  portion 
around  Fruita.  Of  this  paper  H.  C.  Wagner 
is  the  editor.  The  Kiefer  Brothers  are  ener- 
getic and  wide-awake  business  men,  with  a 
large  allowance  of  business  enterprise  and 
public-spirit.  They  have  been  very  useful  and 
influential  in  developing  the  valley  and  filling 
it  with  productive  activities.  In  politics  they 


are  active  Democrats,  but  not  aspirants  for 
public  office,  although  the  subject  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Fruita  by  President 
Cleveland  and  served  four  years.  On  October 
6,  1897,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Mas- 
ser,  a  native  of  Republic  county,  Kansas,  and 
daughter  of  Dr.  Masser,  of  Fruita.  They  have 
two  children,  Gladys  Gertrude  and  Lucile.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kiefer  are  both  church  members. 
The  Kiefer  Brothers  were  the  primary  agitators 
•of  the  high-line  ditch  enterprise  and  most  ef- 
fective in  bringing  it  to  the  attention  of  the 
legislature.  In  consequence  of  their  activity 
the  district  irrigation  law  was  passed  and  sur- 
veys have  been  made.  The  ditch  will  be  sixty 
miles  long,  and  forty  feet  on  the  bottom  and 
will  carry  six  feet  deep  of  water  taken  from 
the  Grand  river  about  one  mile  above  Plateau 
creek.  It  will  have  capacity  for  irrigating 
sixty  thousand  acres.  Mr.  Kiefer  has  been  the 
moving  spirit  in  many  of  the  industrial  enter- 
prises of  his  town  and  valley,  and  never  lost 
confidence  in  the  future  greatness  of  the  west- 
ern part  of  Colorado,  and  especially  the  valley 
of  the  Grand  river,  where  he  resides,  and  since 
the  fruits  of  his  efforts  and  enterprises,  coupled 
with  the  wonderful  resources  of  the  valley, 
have  been  realized,  he  has  succeeded  in  re- 
alizing a  handsome  competency  and  comfort- 
able home  for  his  family  and  himself. 

MATTHEW  LANE. 

A  pioneer  of  Grand  valley,  who  left  his  na- 
tive heath  in  youth  and  came  alone  to  the 
United  States  with  almost  no  capital  but  his 
energy,  his  determined  persistency,  and  his 
never  failing  faith  in  himself,  Matthew  Lane, 
living  three  miles  north  of  Fruita,  Mesa 
county,  has  had  a  chequered  and  interesting 
career,  full  of  toil  and  varying  fortune.  He  is 
a  native  of  county  Cork,  Ireland,  born  in  1856, 
and  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Neill)  Lane, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


555 


also  native  in  that  county,  where  the  father 
died  in  1873  an^  tne  mother  in  January,  I9b4, 
at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  The 
father  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  he  and  his 
brother  owning  together  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  good  land.  On  this  farm  the  son 
Matthew  was  reared  to  the  age  of  eighteen, 
then  in  1874  he  left  Ireland  and  came  to 
America,  landing  in  New  York  with  ten  dol- 
lars and  the  clothes  he  wore.  He  went  to 
Philadelphia  and  during  the  next  eight  months 
was  employed  there  as  a  longshoreman.  In  the 
spring  of  1875  he  came  west  to  Missouri  and, 
locating  in  Nodaway  county,  passed  five  years 
there  operating  a  farm  for  his  sister.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  he  came  to  Colorado  and  went 
to  mining  at  Leadville,  which  he  continued 
there  for  a  year  and  a  half,  part  of  the  time 
engaged  in  prospecting.  His  success  was  only 
moderate,  and  in  the  summer  of  1881  he  moved 
to  the  San  Juan  country,  \vhere  for  some 
months  he  worked  in  the  Silverton  mine.  In 
t.he  fall  of  1882  he  secured  employment  on  the 
railroad  then  building  into  Grand  Junction, 
and  since  that  time  has  made  his  home  in 
Grand  valley.  In  the  summer  of  1863  ne  took 
up  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  now  lives,  and  since  then  has  been 
engaged  in  ranching,  and  the  stock  industry. 
In  politics  he  is  an  independent  Democrat,  and 
in  fraternal  relations  belongs  to  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  a, beneficiary  society. 

CHARLES  BEVIER. 

After  years  of  toil  and  effort,  and  having 
seen  many  ups  and  downs  in  business  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  the  subject  of 
this  brief  review  is  at  last  comfortably  settled 
on  a  tract  of  excellent  land  which  he  redeemed 
from  the  waste  and  has  made  fruitful  with  all 
the  products  of  advanced  husbandry  and  culti- 
vated life.  His  farm  is  located  three  miles 


northwest  of  Fruita,  Mesa  county,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  of  its  size  in  that  prolific  region. 
And  moreover,  what  it  is  in  the  way  of  pro- 
ductiveness and  profitable  returns  for  labor,  it 
is  the  work'  of  his  own  systematic  and  well  ap- 
plied industry,  and  stands  to  his  credit  as  a  new 
creation  in  a  section  of  the  state  which  only 
needed  the  faith  and  perseverance  of  the  hus- 
bandman to  make  it  rich  and  prosperous.  Mr. 
Bevier  is  a  native  of  Livingston  county,  New 
York,  born  on  September  29,  1841,  and  the 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Anna  F.  (Ferguson) 
Bevier,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Empire 
state,  and  moved  from  there  to  Michigan  when 
the  son  was  but  twelve  years  old.  They  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Calhoun  county  and  there 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days.  Their 
family  consisted  of  nine  children,  of  whom. 
Charles  was  the  sixth,  and  eight  of  whom  are 
living.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education.  On 
August  20,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the 
Union  for  the  Civil  war,  and  as  a  member  of 
Company  C,  Twentieth  Michigan  Infantry, 
under  General  Wilcox.  He  participated  in  a 
number  of  important  engagements,  among 
them  those  at  Fredericksburg,  the  Wilderness 
and  Spottsylvania.  At  the  last  his  left  thigh 
was  seriously  wounded  by  part  of  a  burst  shell, 
and  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  where  he  remained  nearly  a  year,  and 
was  then  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
having  been  in  the  service  about  three  years, 
nearly  a  third  of  the  time  in  the  hospital.  He 
returned  to  his  Michigan  home,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1865  moved  to  Nebraska,  and  taking  up 
his  residence  in  Otoe  county,  was  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  year,  the  grasshop- 
pers destroying  all  his  crops.  The  next  six 
months  were  spent  in  Page  county,  Iowa,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Missouri 
and  located  at  Cooper,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  In  October,  1871,  he  changed  his 


556 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


base  of  operations  to  Kansas,  settling  in  the 
spring  of  1872  in  Sumner  county,  and  there 
taking  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  buying  one  hundred  and  sixty  more.  For 
eleven  years  he  farmed  there  industriously  and 
prosperously,  then  came  to  Pueblo,  Colorado, 
in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  conducted  a  board- 
ing house  successfully  at  that  point  about  a 
year,  and  afterward  one  at  La  Junta  about  the 
same  length  of  time.  From  there  he  went  to 
Ashcroft  and  followed  mining,  later  engaging 
in  the  same  precarious  occupation  at  Aspen.  In 
his  mining  operations  he  lost  all  he  had,  in- 
cluding his  farm  in  Kansas,  the  decreasing 
price  of  silver  being  the  cause  of  his  disasters. 
In  April,  1893,  he  moved  to  Grand  valley  and 
bought  the  forty  acres  of  land  on  which  he 
now  lives,  three  miles  northwest  of  Fruita.  It 
was  wild  land  without  improvements  of  any 
kind,  and  in  fact  there  were  but  few  improve- 
ments within  a  number  of  miles  of  it.  But 
he  had  faith  in  its  fertility  and  also  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  persevered  in  his  laudable 
endeavors  to  make  a  home  of  his  purchase.  In 
this  he  has  succeeded  admirably,  bringing  his 
land  to  an  advanced  state  of  cultivation  and 
erecting  a  commodious  modern  dwelling  and 
other  needed  buildings  on  it.  Twenty  acres  of 
the  tract  are  in  fruit,  and  the  yield  from  these 
is  abundant  and  profitable.  On  March  I,  1866. 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Virginia  Sandridge,  a 
native  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  the  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Isabella  (Monday)  Sandridge, 
natives  of  Virginia,  now  both  deceased.  The 
father  was  a  prosperous  merchant.  In  politics 
Mr.  Bevier  is  independent,  with  patriotic  de- 
votion to  the  welfare  of  his  country,  and  with 
elevated  ideals  of  public  life  and  public  service. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bevier  have  an  adopted  son, 
Grant,  now  nineteen  years  old. 


JOSEPH  ROTH. 

Joseph  Roth,  during  several  terms  alder- 
man and  now  mayor  of  Fruita,  and  who  con- 
ducts in  that  thriving  and  progressive  town  a 
general  mercantile,  hardware  and  grocery 
business,  has  served  the  sections  of  the  country 
in  which  he  has  lived  with  fidelity  and  zeal 
in  peace  and  war,  carrying  on  good  business 
enterprises  in  times  of  peace  and  devoting  him- 
self to  critical  and  hazardous  service  in  the 
Federal  army  during  the  closing  year  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  was  born  on  Christmas  day, 
1845,  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  A.  and  Apollonia  (Schell)  Roth,  natives 
of  Bavaria,  Germany.  The  father  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1836  and  locating  at 
Quincy,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at  cabinet- 
making.  He  was  among  the  first  of  the  argo- 
nauts to  cross  the  plains  to  California  in  1849. 
and  after  a  residence  of  three  years  in  that  state 
returned  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Adams  county. 
Later  he  made  another  trip  to  California  and 
remained  two  years.  On  his  return  he  settled 
at  Camppoint,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  general  merchandising  nearly  twenty-five 
years.  He  died  at  that  town  on  October  i, 
1875.  His  wife  came  to  this  country  when  a 
girl  and  met  and  married  Mr.  Roth  at  Quincy. 
When  she  was  sixteen  she  made  a  trip  to 
Europe  as  companion  to  a  tourist,  being  en- 
gaged as  such  because  of  her  facility  in  speak- 
ing French,  German  and  English.  She  died  at 
Camppoint  in  1890.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  Joseph 
being  the  second  born  and  the  oldest  of  those 
who  survive.  He  was  about  eleven  years  old 
when  the  family  moved  to  Camppoint,  and  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  place  finished  the  ele- 
mentary education  he  had  begun  in  those  of  his 
former  home,  afterward  supplementing  the  in- 
struction thus  received  with  a  course  of  one 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


557 


term  at  Knox  College,  at  Galesburg,  in  his 
native  state.  He  learned  the  tinner's  trade, 
but  remained  at  home  until  he  was  nineteen, 
then  in  1865  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a 
member  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry.  In  this  com- 
pany he  served  to  the  close  of  the  war,  part 
of  the  time  being  on  detached  service,  and 
while  the  railroads  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
Confederates  he  carried  the  mails  and  orders. 
This  part  of  his  service  was  full  of  peril  and 
he  had  a  number  of  narrow  escapes  from  cap- 
ture and  death.  He  also  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Franklin  and  did  much  skirmishing 
in  Tennessee  and  Alabama.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  returned  home  and  during  the  next 
six  months  worked  in  a  tin  shop.  He  then 
sold  his  interests  to  his  father  and  came  west 
to  Montana  in  March,  1867,  making  the  trip  up 
the  Missouri  to  Fort  Benton  and  from  there 
across  the  country  to  Bozeman.  There  he 
opened  an  establishment  in  the  stove  and  tin- 
ware trade  which  he  conducted  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  at  Bozeman  when  the  treaty 
with  the  Crow  Indians  was  made,  and  was  the 
first  postmaster  of  Bozeman,  being  appointed 
by  President  Grant.  He  subsequently  sold  out 
at  Bozeman  and  went  prospecting  and  mining 
in  the  Snake  river  country  below  Blackfoot, 
Idaho.  Here  in  seven  months  he  lost  all  he 
had  accumulated  in  his  former  operations,  after 
which  he  went  to  work  as  a  brakeman  on  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad.  On  his  fourth  trip  in 
this  service  he  had  a  wreck  and  as  a  reward 
for  his,  care  and  wisdom  in  the  disaster  was 
promoted  conductor.  Six  months  later  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  business  in 
Hancock  county,  and  later  at  Liberty,  Adams 
county,  remaining  at  the  latter  place  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  sold  his 
business  at  that  point  and  from  then  until 
1886  was  in  a  similar  enterprise  at  Barry,  in 
the  same  state,  carrying  on  extensively  under 


the  firm  name  of  Roth  &  Whike.  He  then 
sold  out  to  his  partner  and  moved  to  Norton, 
Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  continuing  his  operations  in  this  line 
eight  years.  From  Norton  he  came  in  1894 
to  Fruita  and  established  the  business  in  which 
he  is  now  occupied,  and  which  has  grown  to 
good  proportions  from  a  small  beginning.  He 
has  been  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Miss 
Margaret  A.  Thompson,  a  native  of  Camp- 
point,  Illinois.  He  was  united  with  her  on 
September  5,  1871,  and  the  fruit  of  their  union 
was  one  daughter,  now  the  wife  of  John  Van 
Hock,  of  Glenwood,  Colorado.  Her  mother 
died  in  1874,  and  Mr.  Roth,  on  September  16, 
1875,  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs.  Iris  C. 
(Waggaman)  Green,  a  native  of  Punxsutaw- 
ney,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Wag- 
gaman, a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  a 
widow  with  two  children  of  her  own,  Flora  and 
Etta,  and  a  step-son,  Ellis  L.  Green.  By  his 
second  marriage  Mr.  Roth  is  the  father  of 
three  children,  Delia  A.,  Pearl  and  Joseph  F. 
In  politics  Mr.  Roth  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
now  mayor  of  the  town  and  has  served  several 
terms  as  alderman.  In  fraternal  circles  he 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  with  member- 
ship in  the  lodge  at  P'ruita. 

ROBERT  L.  ADAMS. 

Robert  L.  Adams,  president  of  the  Fruita 
Mercantile  Company,  which  is  fully  described 
in  a  sketch  of  its  general  manager,  W.  C. 
Osborn,  on  another  page  of  this  work,  has 
had  a  varied  and  interesting  career,  trying  his 
hand  at  a  number  of  occupations  and  winning 
a  substantial  success  at  each.  He  is  a  native 
of  Montgomery  county,  Missouri,  born  on  Sep- 
tember 14,  1865,  and  the  son  of  William  and 
Nancy  (Oden)  Adams,  the  former  born  in 
Missouri  and  the  latter  in  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Adams  accompanied  her  parents  to  Missouri  in 


558 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


her  girlhood,  and  in  that  state  she  was  reared, 
educated  and  married.  The  father  of  Robert 
was  engaged  in  buying  mules  and  shipping 
them  South  before  the  Civil  war.  When  that 
memorable  contest  began  he  joined  the  fortunes 
of  his  section  of  the  country  and  became  a 
Confederate  soldier.  He  served  the  cause  with 
fidelity  and  courage  until  the  close  of  the  strug- 
gle, and  since  then  he  has  been  farming  in 
his  native  state.  His  wife  died  in  1882.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living.  Robert  L.,  the  third  child, 
was  reared  in  his  native  county  on  the  home 
farm,  and  owing  to  the  circumstances  sur- 
rounding him  had  but  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages. He  remained  at  home  until  after 
the  death  of  his  mother,  then,  in  1882,  came 
to  Colorado  and  followed  mining  in  the  San 
Juan  country  one  season.  From  there  he  went 
to  Montana,  where  he  worked  on  the  range, 
then  was  in  the  San  Juan  country  another 
year.  During  the  four  years  following  this 
he  was  employed  in  the  cattle  industry  in  Mesa 
county,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  started 
in  this  business  for  himself.  He  has  continued 
and  enlarged  his  operations  in  this  line  with 
increasing  success  until  he  has  become  one  of 
the  extensive  stock  breeders  and  dealers  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  state,  having  his  head- 
quarters at  Fruita  during  the  last  seven  years. 
In  1901,  when  the  Fruita  Mercantile  Company 
was  organized  and  incorporated  he  became  its 
president  and  one  of  its  leading  stockholders, 
and  in  this  capacity  he  has  been  connected  with 
the  company  ever  since.  On  December  i,  1897. 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Myrtle  Turner,  a  native 
of  Huerfano  county,  Colorado,  and  two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  Mildred  and 
Velma.  In  politics  he  is  a  firm  and  active 
Democrat,  giving  his  party  councils  the  benefit 
of  his  breadth  of  view  and  excellent  judg- 
ment, and  its  campaigns  his  influence  and  earn- 
est support,  although  without  ambition  for 


public  office  himself.  In  business  and  in  private 
life  he  is  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  as 
one  of  the  leading  and  most  representative 
citizens  of  his  county. 

WILLIAM   CARL  OSBORN. 

The  power  to  organize  great  mercantile  or 
industrial  enterprises  is  inherent  in  some  men, 
and  they  move  to  the  accomplishment  of  the. 
purpose  for  which  nature  intended  them  with 
a  confidence  and  success  which  would  be  sur- 
prising if  not  done  with  so  much  apparent  ease 
and  smoothness.  One  such  example  is  fur- 
nished by  the  career  of  WTilliam  Carl  Osborn, 
the  general  manager  of  the  Fruita  Mercantile 
Company,  and  one  of  its  organizers  and  lead- 
ing officials  and  stockholders,  who,  although  as 
yet  a  young  man,  has  won  distinction  in  mer- 
cantile circles  by  his  unusual  business  capacity 
and  genius  for  large  undertakings.  He  was 
born  in  Towns  county,  Georgia,  on  November 
IT,  1874,  and  is  the  son  of  Jesse  W.  and  Z. 
Helena  (Mauldin)  Osborn,  also  natives  of 
Georgia,  where  the  father  was  prosperously  en- 
gaged in  the  milling  business.  In  1878  the 
family  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Huer- 
fano county  where  they  engaged  in  farming 
until  1886,  when  they  changed  their  residence 
to  Mesa  county,  in  the  valley  of  the  Grand,  and 
followed  the  stock  business.  In  1892  the 
father  started  a  mercantile  business  with  his 
son  William  as  a  partner.  This  they  con- 
ducted until  1896,  and  then,  selling  out,  the 
father  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  at  Pueblo. 
Two  years  later  he  moved  to  Grand  Junction, 
where  he  is  still  in  business.  The  son  was 
reared  in  Colorado  from  the  age  of  four,  and 
received  a  good  education  in  the  primary  and 
high  schools  of  this  state,  being  graduated  from 
the  Grand  Junction  high  school  in  1894.  After 
quitting  the  grocery  business  at  Pueblo  in 
1898,  he  was  on  the  road  two  years  as  the  rep- 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


559 


resentative  of  a  Denver  house  in  the  sale  of 
pickles,  vinegar  and  kindred  commodities.  On 
May  27,  1901,  he  helped  to  organize  the  Fruita 
Mercantile  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  R.  L.  Adams  as 
president,  John  McAndrews  as  vice-president 
and  W.  C.  Osborn,  secretary-treasurer  and 
manager.  The  company  conducts  a  general 
merchandising  business  which  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  in  the  lower  valley  and  has  a 
reputation  second  to  none  in  this  part  of  the 
state  for  the  magnitude  of  its  operations,  the 
extent  and  variety  of  its  stock  and  the  elevated 
tone  on  which  its  business  is  conducted.  Two 
branch  stores  have  recently  been  established. 
Much  of  the  credit  for  the  success  of  the  en- 
terprise and  its  high  standing  in  public  favor  is 
due  to  Mr.  Osborn,  who  has  given  it  his  un- 
divided attention  and  has  displayed  in  its  man- 
agement executive  and  business  ability  of  a 
very  high  order.  On  June  14,  1899,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Gertrude  Masser, 
a  native  of  Kansas  and  daughter  01  Dr. 
Charles  B.  Masser,  of  Fruita,  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osborne  have  two  sons,  Otto 
Oswald  and  an  infant.  In  politics  Mr.  Osborn 
is  an  independent  Democrat,  and  at  present  is 
a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  of  Fruita. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Order 
of  Washington  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World. 

FRANK  D.  KIEFER. 

.One  of  the  early  settlers  of  Mesa  county  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Fruita,  and  one  of  its  most 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizens,  Frank 
D.  Kiefer  has  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
classes  of  its  people  and  is  universally  recog- 
nized as  a  leading  man  in  this  section  and  a 
representative  of  the  best  citizenship  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  on  August  20,  1863,  in 
Franklin 'county,  Indiana,  and  is  the  son  of 


Dominic  and  Caroline  (Wheat)  Kiefer,  natives 
of  Germany.     The  father  was  reared  in  his 
native  land  and  came  to  the  United  States  at 
the    age   of    twenty-one.      The    mother    came 
hither  with  her  parents  when  she  was  three. 
Her  father  was  a  contractor  for  the  construc- 
tion of  canals  and  became  an  early  resident  of 
Indiana.     Mr.  Kiefer's  father  was  a  tailor  by 
trade,  and    throughout    his    life    was    an    in- 
dustrious craftsman.     He  died  in  Indiana  in 
1869,  when  his  son  Frank  was  six  years  old. 
The  mother  now  lives  at  Fruita.     There  were 
nine  children  in  the  family,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  and  Frank  was  the  last  born.     He  grew 
to  the  age  of  nineteen  in  his  native  state,  and 
being  obliged  by  the  exigencies  of  his  situation 
to  go  to  work  at  an  early  age  to  earn  his  own 
living,   he   had  but   limited   opportunities    for 
education.    He  worked  on  farms  in  Indiana  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  in  February,  1882,  came 
to  Colorado,  and  after  passing  one  season  at 
Gunnison,  moved  to  Mesa  county  in  company 
with  an   older  brother.     He  lived,  at   Grand 
Junction  until  the  spring  of  1884,  but  during 
the  previous  year  he  and  his  brother  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  which 
a  portion  of  the  town  of  Cleveland  now  stands, 
and  which  was  plotted  by  them  into  town  lots 
in  1889.    In  1894  they  began  to  construct  what 
is  known  as  the  Kiefer  extension  of  the  Grand 
Valley  ditch,  building  seventeen  miles  of  new 
ditch,   which   was  completed   in    1898.      This 
enterprise  brought  about  ten  thousand  acres  of 
good  land  under  water,  northwest  of  Fruita, 
and  greatly  increased  the  productive  wealth  of 
the  region.     Previous  to  this  Mr.  Kiefer  had 
come  into  possession  of  a  considerable  body 
of  land  and  now  owns  about  eight  hundred 
acres.     He  devotes  his  time  to  general  ranch- 
ing  with    all   the   phases   of   agricultural   life 
which  that  term  implies.     He  has  done  much, 
not  only  through  the  ditch  but  in  many  other 
ways  to  develop  the  resources  of  his  section 


560 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  the  county  and  state  and  promote  their  best 
interests.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  active 
in  the  service  of  his  party  but  not  desirous  of 
public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  in  fraternal  relations,  and 
finds  interest  and  entertainment  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  his  camp  in  the  order.  On  No- 
vember 20,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mabel  Clare  Steele,  a  native  of  Davenport, 
Iowa,  and  daughter  of  Joseph  L.  and  Rebecca 
J.  (White)  Steele,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  They  now  live  at 
Pasadena,  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kiefer 
have  three  children,  Edith  E.,  Ida  F.  and 
Clarence  V. 

WILLIAM  E.  RHINEHART. 

Through  toil  and  tribulation,  through  effort 
and  vicissitude,  through  faith  in  planting  and 
hope  deferred  and  finally  disappointed  in  reap- 
ing, but  in  all  changes  of  fortune  with  persist- 
ent courage  and  stern  endurance,  William  E. 
Rhinehart,  one  of  the  energetic  and  successful 
fruit-growers  of  Mesa  county,  living  on  a  fine 
fruit  farm  of  thirty  acres  located  two  miles  east 
of  Fruita,  has  come  to  substantial  prosperity 
and  a  position  wherein  his  faith  in  the  bounty 
of  nature  is  fully  justified  and  his  labors  to  win 
her  continued  favor  are  duly  rewarded.  He  was 
born  at  New  Lexington,  Perry  county,  Ohio, 
on  August  18,  1866,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Eva  E.  (Sellers)  Rhinehart,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  moved  his  family 
to  Illinois  about  1868,  and  after  living  there 
and  farming  many  years,  again  moved  west, 
settling  in  1885  in  Republic  county,  Kansas, 
where  he  died  on  September  u,  1889,  and 
where  the  mother  is  still  living.  Their  son  Wil- 
liam E.  was  less  than  two  years  old  when  they 
moved  to  Illinois.  He  was  reared  to  the  age  of 
nineteen  in  McDonough  county,  that  state,  and 


there  receiving  a  district-school  education.  In 
the  spring  of  1885  he  accompanied  the  family 
to  Kansas,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1887  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Mesa  county,  where  he 
farmed  for  a  year.  He  then  married  and  moved 
to  Thayer  county,  Nebraska,  and  there  again 
engaged  in  farming  and  continued  his  opera- 
tions five  years  at  the  end  of  which  he  changed 
his  base  to  California,  where  he  remained  about 
an  equal  period  and  followed  the  same  pursuit. 
Because  of  the  drought  in  both  Nebraska  and 
California  he  was  unable  to  make  any  headway 
and  had  to  abandon  his  efforts  at  husbandry. 
He  turned  his  attention  to  operating  a  hay 
press  for  two  seasons  in  California,  and  by  this 
means  managed  to  accumulate  enough  money 
to  bring  him  back  to  Mesa  county,  this  state, 
in  the  spring  of  1898.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
he  rented  a  farm  of  twenty  acres,  which  had  a 
small  orchard  of  three  hundred  to  four  hundred 
trees  on  it,  but  no  other  improvements  worthy 
of  mention.  Before  the  summer  ended  he 
bought  this  land  on  contract  and  he  has  since 
purchased  ten  acres  additional.  He  has  paid 
for  the  land  out  of  its  fruit  products,  and  has 
improved  it  with  a  comfortable  dwelling  and 
good  outbuildings.  His  orchards  now  num- 
ber some  two  thousand  trees,  nearly  all  apple, 
and  about  half  in  good  bearing  order.  His  crop 
of  1902  was  seven  carloads  of  superior  fruit, 
and  that  of  1903  was  eight  carloads,  and  he 
had  in  addition  two  carloads  of  potatoes  and 
an  abundance  of  small  fruits,  his  gross  returns 
for  the  year  being  over  four  thousand  dollars. 
Mr.  Rhinehart's  achievements  in  the  short  space 
of  six  years  are  really  worthy  of  special  men- 
tion. He  is  now  practically  out  of  debt,  has 
some  of  the  best  improvements  in  the  valley  on 
his  place,  his  orchards  are  of  cumulative  and 
rapidly  expanding  value,  and  his  profits  from 
year  to  year  are  continually  on  the  rise.  The 
story  forcibly  illustrates  the  possibilities  for 
properly  applied  energy  in  this  favored  section 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  suggests  the  much  wider  range  they  are 
likely  to  show  within  the  near  future.  To  his 
wife  he  gives  credit  for  a  large  share  of  his  suc- 
cess, for  her  energy  has  been  potential,  her  sa- 
gacity has  been  marked  and  her  enthusiasm  in 
the  business  has  never  waned.  He  has  also 
bought  and  shipped  apples  to  the  markets  for  a 
number  of  years  in  addition  to  those  he  has  pro- 
duced on  his  own  land.  I;i  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  is  not  an  active  partisan,  al- 
though warmly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
party.  On  August  23,  1888,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  S.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Republic 
county,  Kansas,  where  she  grew  to  maturity 
and  was  educated.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
H.  and  Julia  A.  (Jones)  Johnson,  and  a  sister 
of  Lester  C.  Johnson,  of  Fruita,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhinehart  have  two 
children,  their  son  Willis  E.  and  their  daughter 
N.  Marjorie.  " 

LESTER  C.  JOHNSON. 

Having  come  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Mesa  county  in  1887,  and  since  then  having 
devoted  all  his  energies  and  time  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  first  year  to  the  fruit  interests  of 
the  section,  Lester  C.  Johnson,  living  two  miles 
and  a  half  northeast  of  Fruita,  has  been  a  sub- 
stantial contributor  to  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  his  neighborhood  and  the  expan- 
sion of  its  wealth  of  production  and  opportun- 
ity. He  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Illinois,  on 
May  29,  1864,  the  son  of  Daniel  H.  and  Julia 
A.  (Jones)  Johnson,  both  also  natives  of  that 
state.  In  the  spring  of  1870  the  family  moved 
to  Republic  county,  Kansas,  locating  on  a 
farm.  The  parents  now  live  in  Grand  valley, 
where  they  have  been  since  the  fall  of  1887. 
There  are  four  children  in  the  family  all  living, 
and  Lester  is  the  oldest.  He  was  six  years  old 
when  the  family  moved  to  Kansas,  and  in  that 
36 


state  he  was  reared  on  the  family  homestead, 
assisting  in  its  labors  and  sharing  its  trials, 
and  attending  the  district  schools  in  the  winter 
months  until  the  spring  of  1887,  when  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Mesa  county.  Here 
he  worked  by  the  month  for  a  year,  then  lo- 
cated on  the  ranch  which  he  now  occupies, 
which  at  that  time  was  wholly  uncultivated  and 
in  a  state  of  natural  wildness.  In  the  spring  of 
1889  he  began  to  set  out  fruit  trees,  and  this 
he  has  continued  steadily  year  by  year  ever 
since,  until  he  has  now  thirty-five  of  his  forty 
acres  in  thrifty  and  promising  young  trees, 
many  of  which  are  in  fine  bearing  order.  His 
selections  are  mainly  winter  apples,  and  his 
crop  of  1903  was  large  and  profitable,  yielding 
a  net  income  of  more  than  four  thousand  dol- 
lars, ten  carloads  of  the  fruit  being  shipped  to 
Denver.  His  first  planting  produced  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  worth  of  apples  on  one 
acre  in  1903,  and  the  other  bearing  trees  in 
proportion.  While  developing  his  orchards  he 
raised  strawberries,  potatoes  and  similar  small 
products,  from  the  very  start  making  his  land 
yield  good  returns  for  his  labor.  On  February 
5,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Hand- 
ley,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren, Edith,  Grace,  Merwin  and  Harold.  In 
politics  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Democrat,  and  while 
he  is  active  and  forceful  in  the  service  of  his 
party  at  times,  and  never  neglects  its  interests, 
he  is  not  an  office  seeker.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
holding  a  membership  in  the  camp  of  the  order 
at  Fruita.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  the  same 
place. 

ALBERT  D.   MAHANY. 

Having  served  his  country  faithfully  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  borne  since  the  memorable  con- 
test the  marks  of  its  burdens,  and  having  de- 
voted to  the  pursuits  of  peace  the  same  spirit  of 


562 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


courage  and  determination  he  showed  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy  and    the    presence    of 
death  in  war,  Albert  D.  Mahany,  one  of  the 
prominent  and  successful  ranchmen  and  stock- 
growers  of  Mesa  county,   living  half  a  mile 
north  of  Fruita,  has  won  a  substantial  estate 
out  of  hard  conditions  and  is  comfortably  fixed 
in  a  worldly  way  as  well  as  firmly  established 
in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 
He  was  born  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  near  the 
site  of  the  present  postoffice  of  the  city,  on  De- 
cember 5,   1844,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Mahany,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  many  years  ago  and  located 
at  Buffalo,  where  they  both  died.     The  father 
served  in  a  New  York  regiment  three  years 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  took  part  in  many 
noted  engagements.     He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam  on  September  16,  1862,  and 
was  then  transferred    to    the    reserve    corps. 
There  were  three  sons  and  two  daughters  in  the 
family,  and  he  also  had  a  daughter  by  a  former 
marriage.     The  oldest    son,    Henry    Mahany, 
went  south  in  his  young  manhood,  and  was  em- 
ployed on  Mississippi  river  steamboats  a  num- 
ber of  years.    He  was  on  board  the  "Natchez" 
under  Captain  Leathers  during  the  time  of  the 
midnight  race.    As  captain  of  the  New  Orleans 
Cadets  he  rendered  valiant  service  to  the  Con- 
federacy in  the  war  between  the  states,  and  was 
killed  at  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg.    Al- 
bert D.  Mahany  lived  in  Buffalo  until  he  was 
ten  years  old,  then  went  to  Alton,  Illinois,  and 
during  two  or  three  years  made  his  home  with 
his  half  sister,  his  -mother  having  died  when  he 
was  two  years  old.     From  Alton  he    went    to 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  lived  two  years,  then 
moved  to  Twinsburg,  Ohio.     He  attended  the 
public  schools  when  he  had  opportunity,  and  in 
August,   1861,  at  the  age  of  sixteen    and    in 
obedience  to  the  call  of  the  President  for  vol- 
unteers to  defend  the  Union,  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K,  Nineteenth  Ohio  Veteran  Volunteer 
Infantry,  under  General  O.  M.  Mitchell.     His 


command    was    ordered    to    Louisville,    then 
under  General  Crittenden,  but  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  war  it  was  in  the  Fourth  Army  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Cumberland.     He  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war,  nearly  four  years,  re-enlisting 
in  the  same  company  and  regiment  at  the  end 
of  his  term,  and  was  discharged  on  June  25, 
1865.    He  saw  a  great  deal  of  active  field  serv- 
ice, participating  in  the  engagements  at  Perry- 
ville,    Shiloh,    Corinth,    Stone   River,    Chicka- 
mauga,  Chattanooga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Pick- 
et's   Mills,    Kenesaw    Mountain,     Pine    Top, 
Peach  Tree   Creek,    Atlanta,    Jonesboro    and 
Lovejoy  Station,  besides  skirmishes  too  numer- 
ous to  mention.     At  Lovejoy  Station  he  was 
shot  in  the  right  arm  and  the  wound  required 
that  two  inches  of  the  bone  should  be  taken  out. 
This  so  incapacitated  him  that  he  was  in  a  hos- 
pital at  the  time  of  his    discharge,    and    was 
unable  to  do  labor  of  any  kind  for  some  time 
after  his  return  home.     He  therefore  went  to 
school  two  years,  and  in  1867  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  locating  at  Georgetown,  worked  a 
year  in  the  Ten  Mile  district.    He  then  opened 
a  bakery  and  grocery    store    at    Georgetown 
called  the  Ohio  Bakery,  the  building  he  put  up 
for  the  purpose  being  occupied  as  a  courthouse. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  part- 
ner and  went  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  where 
he  lived  eight  years  conducting  a  grocery.     At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Colorado, 
and  after  passing  a  year  and  a  half  at  Denver, 
engaged  in  the  cattle  industry  near  Estabrook 
five  years.     In  1883  he  moved  to  Grand  valley 
and  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  on  which  he  now  lives  and  carries  on  an 
extensive  farming  and  stock  industry  half  a 
mile  north  of  Fruita,  having  about  four  hun- 
dred cattle  on  the  range.    He  is  also  interested 
in  mining  in  Sinbad  valley  where  he  has  prom- 
ising copper  claims.     In  politics  Mr.  Mahany 
is  an  unwavering  Republican,  and  is    always 
earnest  and  effective  in  the  service  of  his  party. 
He  was  married  on  November  9,  1869,  to  Miss 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN'  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


563 


Marena  E.  Post,  a  native  of  Hudson,  Ohio,  and 
daughter  of  Bradford  and  Eliza  (Williams) 
Post,  also  natives  of  that  state,  their  people 
being  its  pioneers  and  coming  from  Connecti- 
cut. Mrs.  Mahany's  mother  has  been  dead  a 
number  of  years  and  her  father  died  in  1904  at 
St.  Elmo,  Tennessee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahany 
have  nine  children :  Effie  A.,  wife  of  J.  S. 
O'Neill;  Charles  H. ;  Anna  S.,  wife  of  E.  E. 
Adams;  Albert  B. ;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  J.  W. 
Robinson;  Jennie  A.,  wife  of  Frank  M. 
.Downer;  and  Lena  S.,  Ira  Z.  and  Ellen  L.,  liv- 
ing at  home.  The  head  of  the  house  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  and  his  family 
belong  to  the  Congregational  church. 

URSA  S.  ABBOTT,  M.  D. 

Although  yet  a  young  man  of  thirty,  Dr. 
Ursa  S.  Abbott,  of  Grand  Junction,  has  had  as 
much  variety  of  incident  and  opportunity  as 
often  falls  to  a  man  within  the  limits  of  an 
ordinary  human  life.  He  was  born  at  Clear- 
port,  Ohio,  on  June  3,  1873,  and  is  the  son  of 
Lafayette  and  Mary  E.  (Lysinger)  Abbott.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  his  mother  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Ohio  when 
young  and  there  reached  maturity,  became 
acquainted  and  were  married.  The  father  was 
a  successful- merchant  for  many  years  at  Clear- 
port,  and  died  there  in  1895,  and  the  mother 
also  ended  her  days  there,  passing  away  in 
1897.  Their  offspring  numbered  ten,  seven  of 
whom  are  living.  The  Doctor  was  the  seventh 
in  the  order  of  birth,  and  was  reared  in  his 
native  county,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  under  the  instruction  of 
private  tutors  at  home.  He  attended  Heidel- 
berg University  at  Tiffin,  Ohio,  two  years,  then 
entered  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor,  but  was  obliged  to  leave  in  his  senior 
year  on  account  of  his  health.  In  1898  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Ohio  Medi- 


cal University  at  Columbus,  where  he  passed 
one  year.  The  next  was  passed  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Chicago;  but 
he  was  unable  to  remain  at  either  because  of 
the  state  of  his  health,  and  being  obliged  to 
seek  a  milder  climate,  came  to  Denver,  where 
he  spent  a  year  at  the  Gross  Medical  College. 
He  then  went  to  California,  and  in  1902  was 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  at  San  Francisco.  He  located  and 
began  practicing  at  Point  Richmond  on  the  San 
Francisco  bay,  and  was  successful  from  the 
start.  In  December  of  that  year  he  received  an 
appointment  as  physician  on  a  German  steam- 
ship and  sailed  for  Hamburg,  Germany,  on  the 
3ist  day  of  the  month.  His  trip  covered  sev- 
enteen thousand  miles  and  involved  stops  in 
Central  and  South  America,  at  the  Cape  Verde 
and  Canary  Islands,  and  in  France,  Germany 
and  England.  He  returned  to  New  York  on 
May  24,  1903,  and  there  took  a  course  of 
instruction  at  the  Post-Graduate  School  and 
Hospital.  While  doing  this  he  received  and 
resigned  a  position  as  physician  on  the  New 
York  board  of  health.  In  October,  1903,  he 
came  to  this  state  and  located  at  Grand  Junction 
permanently,  entering  at  once  on  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  there.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mesa  County  and  the  Colorado 
State  Medical  societies  and  the  American  Med- 
ical Association.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  and  in  fraternal  relations  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 
He  is  also  local  medical  examiner  for  the 
Woodmen  of  the  Wforld,  Fraternal  Union  of 
America,  National  Life  Insurance  Company 
and  the  United  States  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany. On  September  7,  1904,  Dr.  Abbott  mar- 
ried Miss  Rose  Carolyn  Keller,  of  Lancaster, 
Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  who  was  born  there 
June  18,  1876,  the  daughter  of  John  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Hartman)  Keller,  both  natives  of 
Germany. 


564 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


FREDERICK  S.  BRUNER. 

Frederick  S.  Bruner,  since  1900  the  post- 
master at  Fruita,  Mesa  county,  was  born  near 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  on  March  26,  1847, 
and  is  the  son  of  George  and  Maria  C.  (Smiley) 
Bruner,  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  though 
of  German  ancestry.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
throughout  his  life,  and  was  killed  by  accident 
by  a  railroad  train  while  crossing  the  tracks 
when  he  was  seventy-nine  years  old.  He  was 
well  known  and  highly  respected  in  his  section 
of  the  country,  and  held  a  number  of  local 
offices  from  time  to  time  in  his  county.  The 
children  in  the  family  numbered  six,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  the  youngest  at  the  age  of 
fifty  and  the  oldest  at  that  of  seventy,  Fred- 
erick being  the  third  born.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  paternal  homestead,  receiving  his 
education  at  the  district  schools  and  New 
Bloomfield  Academy,  which  he  attended  two 
terms.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the 
molders'  trade  and  worked  at  it  a  few  years 
in  Ohio.  He  moved  to  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  in 
1871,  and  there  engaged  in  farming.  Four 
years  later  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  but 
moved  to  Iowa  again  in  1881,  and  engaged  in 
the  coal  business  at  Greenfield,  remaining  there 
so  occupied  until  1891,  when  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  on  a  fruit  ranch  which  he 
bought  half  a  mile  north  of  Fruita.  He  made 
"valuable  improvements  and  developed  thirteen 
acres  to  great  productiveness  in  fruit  of  fine 
varieties  and  superior  quality.  Four  years 
later  he  sold  this  and  purchased  of  C.  C.  Post 
a  grocery  stock  and  consolidated  the  two  stores. 
After  three  years  of  successful  operation  on 
the  consolidation,  in  which  he  did  a  business  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars  a  year,  he  sold  out  to 
the  Fruita  Mercantile  Company.  Soon  after- 
ward he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Fruita, 
receiving  his  commission  in  1900,  and  he  has 
since  filled  this  office  with  credit  to  himself  and 


satisfaction  to  its  patrons  and  the  community 
in  general.  His  wife  held  the  position  for 
three  years  previous  to  his  appointment.  He 
has  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  the  business 
and  public  life  of  the  town  and  county,  and 
been  of  substantial  service  in  promoting  all  the 
best  interests  of  both.  Among  other  enter- 
prises to  which  he  has  given  helpful  attention 
is  the  Fruita  Realty  Company,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  which  he  now  serves 
as  vice-president,  he  being  one  of  the  leading 
stockholders.  This  company  owns  the  town- 
site  and  has  been  energetic  and  enterprising  in 
building  up  the  town.  He  also  owns  other  real 
estate  in  the  town  and  is  the  town  treasurer.  He 
was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Myra  Bushey,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Missouri  when  she  was  young.  She 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  all  living, 
Anna,  wife  of  George  Amsbary;  Walter;  and 
Bessie  and  George,  twins.  Mrs.  Bruner  died 
in  1900.  In  politics  Mr,  Bruner  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  in  church  membership  a  Methodist 
Episcopalian.  He  is  a  member  of  the  church 
board  of  trustees. 

ALVIN  N.  BUCKLIN. 

Alvin  N.  Bucklin,  a  brother  of  Hon.  James 
W.  Bucklin,  of  Grand  Junction,  a  more 
extended  notice  of  whom  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  work,  is  one  of  the  leading  hard- 
ware merchants  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and 
has  shown  in  his  business  operations  the  same 
force  of  character  and  persistency  of  effort  that 
have  distinguished  his  brother  in  other  lines  of 
activity.  He  was  born  in  Kane  county,  Illinois, 
on  December  22,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Arethusa  (Winch)  Bucklin.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  county  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  the  Northwestern  University  at 
Evanston.  After  leaving  school  he  was  em- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


565 


ployed  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  traveling 
salesman,  and  during  this  time,  in  1882,  paid  a 
visit  to  Grand  Junction,  then  in  its  pioneer  days. 
In  1890  he  located  there  permanently,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  active  and  enterprising  in 
business,  having  one  of  the  best  stocked  and 
most  extensive  hardware  stores  in  the  city  and 
within  a  wide  range  of  surrounding  country. 
This  is  conducted  along  the  lines  of  the  most 
straightforward  and  upright  business  methods, 
and  with  an  enterprise  entirely  in  keeping  with 
the  progressive  spirit  of  the  community  in 
which  it  is  located.  On  January  15,  1890,  Mr. 
Bucklin  was  married  in  California  to  Miss  Lil- 
lia  B.  Britton,  a  native  of  that  state,  her  parents 
having  been  among  the  pioneers  of  Santa  Cruz 
county  and  held  in  high  esteem  as  leading  and 
representative  citizens.  They  are  still  living 
there,  but  the  father  has  retired  from  active 
pursuits.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bucklin  have  one  son, 
George  F.  Mr.  Bucklin  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Elks  and  at  present  (1904)  is  exalted 
ruler  of  his  lodge  at  Grand  Junction.  In  politics 
he  is  an  active,  working  Democrat. 

THADD  PARKER,  M.  D. 

In  1901  Dr.  Parker  came  to  reside  and 
practice  at  Grand  Junction,  bringing  to  his  pro- 
fessional duties  here  a  wealth  of  capacity  and 
learning  acquired  in  years  of  study  and  prac- 
tical experience  in  several  of  the  best  schools 
and  hospitals  in  various  parts  of  this  country 
and  others,  in  whi^ch  his  natural  adaptability  to 
the  profession  had  the  most  careful  and  com- 
prehensive training.  His  success  in  this  field 
of  professional  labor  has  fully  justified  the 
hopes  raised  by  his  previous  preparation  and 
provided  a  cumulative  reward  for  his  study  and 
practical  efforts  to  master  his  line  of  work.  He 
was  born  at  Petersburg,  Michigan,  on  Septem- 
ber 28,  1868,  and  is  the  second  of  the  three 
sons,  all  physicians,  of  his  parents,  Burton  and 
Fannie  E.  (Raymond)  Parker,  also  natives  of 


Michigan.  The  father  is  an  attorney  and  at 
present  one  of  the  supervising  agents  of  the 
United  States  treasury  department  at  Wash- 
ington. Dr.  Parker  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  being  graduated  at 
the  high  school  there  in  1887.  He  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  Doc- 
tors H.  C.  Wyman  and  Dayton  Parker,  of 
Detroit,  and  in  1888  entered  the  Michigan  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  that  city,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1891  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  then  went 
to  Europe  and  took  a  three-months  course  in 
the  hospitals  of  Edinburgh,  and  on  his  return 
pursued  special  courses  at  the  Post-Graduate 
School  in  New  York  and  the  Harvard  Clinic 
in  Boston,  serving  also  four  years  -  as  house 
surgeon  at  the  Emergency  Hospital  in  Detroit. 
In  1901  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Grand  Junction,  where  he  has  ever  since  been 
actively  engaged  in  a  general  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery,  in  which  he  has  been  very 
successful,  rising  to  a  high  rank  in  the  profes- 
sion and  winning  a  large,  lucrative  and  repre- 
sentative business.  He  belongs  to  the  county 
and  state  medical  societies  and  the  American 
Medical  Association,  in  the  proceedings  of  all 
of  which  he  takes  an  active  and  interested  part. 
On  January  21,  1900,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Nellie  R.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Gunnison,  this  state,  and  daughter  of  Burrell 
and  Amelia  Smith.  Her  father  is  now 
deceased.  He  was  formerly  a  wealthy  mining 
man.  Her  mother  is  living  at  Greeley,  Colo- 
rado. In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  recently  appointed  to  the  position  of 
county  physician  of  Mesa  county. 

T.  C.  HICKMAN. 

Among  the  commercial  enterprises  which 
contribute  most  essentially  and  substantially  to 
the  business  interests  and  vitality  of  Grand 
Junction,  the  Qrand  Junction  Lumber  Com- 


566 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


pany  is  entitled  to  a  high  regard  for  the  extent 
of  its  operations  and  the  straigtforward  and 
skillful  manner  in  which  it  is  managed.  It  was 
established  in  March,  1903,  and  incorporated 
(with  a  capital  stock  of  eighteen  thousand  dol- 
lars, as  the  successor  to  the  lumber  firm  of 
Mayo  &  Endner,  which  had  conducted  the  busi- 
ness, with  some  changes  of  partnership,  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  officers  of  the  company 
at  this  time  (1904)  are  M.  W.  Blakeslee,  presi- 
dent; H.  C.  Bucklin,  vice-president;  and  T. 
C.  Hickman,  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager. 
Mr.  Hickman,  who  is  the  general  director  of  its 
affairs,  is  a  native  of  Sangamon  county,  Illi- 
nois, born  on  August  21,  1857,  and  the  son  of 
George  T.  and  Elizabeth  (Lyon)  Hickman, 
who  were  born  at  Shelbyville,  Kentucky,  and 
became  pioneers  of  Sangamon  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  were  married,  and  where  they 
passed  their  days  after  their  marriage,  the 
father  dying  there  in  1888  and  the  mother  in 
1892.  They  were  prosperous  farmers  and  stood 
high  in  their  section  of  the  state.  The  father 
was  an  associate  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  boy- 
hood and  young  manhood,  and  although  born 
and  reared  in  Kentucky,  was  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican. The  son,  T.  C.  Hickman,  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  farm  in  his  native  county,  and 
there  received  a  public-school  education,  after- 
ward entering  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University 
at  Bloomington,  but  owing  to  failing  eyesight 
he  did  not  complete  his  course.  He  taught 
school  five  years  in  Illinois,  and  in  1881  moved 
to  Lyons,  Nebraska,  where  he  again  engaged 
in  teaching  for  five  years.  In  1886  he  moved 
to  Craig,  Nebraska,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  was  in  the  drug  business  there.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  he  sold  out  and  started  an 
enterprise  in  the  lumber  and  grain  trade  which 
he  conducted  five  years.  In  1896  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Grand  Junction,  where 
he  was  employed  in  the  lumber  yard  of  P.  A. 
Rice  until  1903,  when  he  became  a  member  and 


manager  of  the  Grand  Junction  Lumber  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  is  still  connected,  as  has 
been  noted.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  and 
unyielding  Republican,  but  not  an  active  part- 
isan or  party  worker  although  in  1898  he  was 
the  nominee  for  county  treasurer,  but  was 
defeated  at  the  election.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order  and  is  at  present  the  master  of 
his  lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Elks,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  On  December  29,  1880, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  B.  Ramey.  They 
have  two  children,  Cardwell  L.  and  Mabel  C. 

KNUD  HANSON,  M.  D. 

From  the  ragged  coast  of  Norway  to  the 
mountains  of  Colorado  is  a  wide  sweep  in 
longitude  and  conditions,  and  might  well  sug- 
gest unfitness  in  a  person  born  and  reared  on 
the  one  for  agreeable  and  useful  life  in  the 
other.  That  the  suggestion  is  without  force  is 
proven  by  the  career  of  Dr.  Knud  Hanson,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  physicians  of  Grand 
Junction,  which  is  an  impressive  illustration  of 
the  fact  that  to  a  man  of  real  force  and  capacity 
circumstances  and  conditions  are  only  incidents 
to  be  commanded  to  service  and  are  not 
allowed  to  dominate  life  or  lessen  active  use- 
fulness. The  Doctor  was  born  in  the  old  city 
of  Bergen,  Norway,  on  July  n,  1874,  and  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Bertha  (Olson)  Hanson, 
natives  of  that  country,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1898  and  the  father  is  still  living,  now 
retired  from  active  pursuits  after  a  long,  hon- 
orable and  successful  career  as  a  wholesale 
grocer.  Their  offspring  numbered  fourteen,  of 
whom  six  are  living,  the  Doctor  being  the  thir- 
teenth born.  He  grew  to  the  age  of  sixteen  in 
his  native  land  and  there  received  a  common- 
school  education,  being  graduated  from  the 
high  school  in  1890.  He  then  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  at  Sank  Center,  Min- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


567 


nesota,  where  he  clerked  in  a  drug  store  three 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  entered  Rush 
Medical  College  at  Chicago,  and  after  passing 
three  years  there  in  diligent  study  of  medicine 
and  surgery,  was  obliged  to  leave  on  account  of 
his  health.  He  came  at  once  to  Colorado,  and 
in  1898  was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Denver  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
For  a  year  he  was  house  physician  at  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  in  Denver,  and  in  the  fall  of  1899 
moved  to  Grand  Junction,  where  he  has  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in  medicine 
and  surgery,  giving  attention  especially  to  the 
latter  branch  of  his  profession  and  achieving 
unusual  success  and  acquiring  celebrity  for  skill 
in  it.  He  is  a  member  of  the  county  and  state 
medical  societies,  and  gives  to  their  proceedings 
close  attention  as  a  learner,  and  the  results  of 
his  study,  experience  and  observation  as  a  con- 
tributor. He  is  official  physician  to  the  Indian 
school  located  at  Grand  Junction  and  in  this 
position  has  rendered  very  efficient  and  satis- 
factory service.  He  has  also  been  coroner  two 
years.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  an  interested 
member  of  the  order  of  Elks,  in  which  he  is  a 
wise  and  helpful  counselor  in  the  business  of 
his  lodge  and  an  inspiration  in  its  social  life. 

LEROY  C.  HEDGES,  M.  D. 

The  medical  fraternity  of  this  country 
comprises  one  of  the  most  useful  and  contin- 
uously active  classes  of  its  people.  Not  only  do 
its  practitioners  go  about  among  their  fellows 
alleviating  pain  and  averting  disaster  in  a 
physical  sense,  but  they  are  disseminators  of 
the  best  public  opinion,  guides  and  directors  of 
public  thought  and  action,  conservative  forces 
in  every  community  for  the  preservation  of  its 
most  vital  interests  and  the  prevention  of  many 
forms  of  wrong  through  hasty  and  ill-consid- 
ered activity.  To  this  class  belongs  Dr.  Leroy 
C.  Hedges,  one  of  the  prominent  and  highly 


esteemed  professional  men  of  Mesa  county,  liv- 
ing at  Grand  Junction,  and,  with  that  place  as 
a  center,  rendering  beneficent 'service  to  his 
kind  throughout  a  wide  extent  of  country  and 
exerting  a  wholesome  and  productive  influence 
on  the  common  thought  and  impulse  of  the 
people,  although  not  himself  active  in  a  politi- 
cal way  or  desirous  of  public  station  of  any 
kind.  He  was  born  in  Fremont  county,  Iowa, 
on  August  6,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
H.  and  Maria  C.  (Clarke)  Hedges,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Canada, 
both  of  English  ancestry,  the  Hedges  family 
coming  to  this  country  in  1632.  The  Doctor's 
father,  a  noted  civil  engineer,  made  the  first 
topographical  and  trigonometrical  survey  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  where  he  is  still  living  and 
holding  an  important  position,  the  duties  of 
which  he  discharges  with  great  diligence  and 
ability  although  he  is  now  nearly  seventy-one 
years  old.  His  wife  also  still  brightens  the 
home  with  her  presence  at  an  advanced  age. 
Their  offspring  numbered  six,  three  of  whom 
are  living.  The  Doctor  moved  with  the  family 
to  Chicago  when  he  was  six  years  of  age,  and 
there  grew  to  the  age  of  nineteen,  receiving  a 
public  and  high  school  education.  When  four- 
teen years  old  he  went  into  the  office  of  an 
uncle,  and  from  then  until  he  was  nineteen 
studied  much  along  the  lines  of  the  medical 
profession.  At  the  age  last  named  he  came 
west  with  his  father,  and  during  the  next  ten 
years  was  engaged  in  ranching  and  mercantile 
business  in  Dakota,  also  teaching  school  and 
publishing  a  newspaper  for  a  time.  Returning 
to  Chicago,  he  resumed  the  study  of  medicine, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Medical 
College  in  1891.  He  practiced  in  Chicago  sev- 
en years,  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  three  and 
at  Onalaska,  in  the  same  state,  two.  He  then 
came  to  this  state  and  located  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion, where  he  has  since  resided.  He  stands 
high  in  professional  circles  and  in  the  general 


568 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


estimation  of  the  people,  being  an  active  and 
forceful  man  in  local  public  affairs  without 
regard  to  politics,  and  meeting  the  obligations 
of  citizenship  in  a  commendable  and  fruitful 
way.  He  is  physician  to  the  smelter  at  Grand 
Junction  and  has  the  confidence  of  all  who  are 
connected  with  it.  In  the  organizations  of  the 
profession  formed  for  the  concentration  and 
enlargement  of  its  best  thought  and  influences 
he  takes  an  earnest  and  intelligent  interest, 
being  an  active  and  contributing  member  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy  and  the 
Wisconsin  and  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical 
societies ;  and  during  two  years  he  lectured  on 
anatomy  in  the  National  Medical  College  of 
Chicago.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Royal  League.  In  politics 
he  is  a  socialist  in  theory,  but  generally  votes 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  was  married  in 
Dakota  in  1885  to  Miss  Fannie  S.  Howe,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin,  and  they  had  two  chil- 
dren, Ernest  H.  and  Clarke.  She  died  in  1889, 
and  two  years  later  he  married  a  second  wife. 
Miss  Ida  E.  Ellis,  a  native  of  Canada.  They 
have  three  children,  Leroy  E.,  William  S.  and 
Albert  R. 

GEORGE  SMITH. 

An  Englishman  by  birth,  and  passing  his 
life  from  the  age  of  ten  to  that  of  twenty-one  in 
the  coal  mines  of  that  country,  George  Smith, 
of  Grand  Junction,  brought  to  the  land  of  his 
adoption  the  knowledge  and  skill  acquired  in 
that  experience,  and  has  put  it  to  good  service 
in  developing  the  coal  mining  interests  of  the 
section  in  which  he  has  cast  his  lot,  being 
among  the  pioneers  of  that  industry  here  and 
one  of  its  most  intelligent  and  successful  pro- 
moters. He  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
on  January  25,  1858,  the  son  of  James  and 
Ellen  (Coffin)  Smith,  natives  of  Derbyshire  in 
his  native  land,  although  they  now  live  in  Lan- 
cashire, where  the  father  is  engaged  in  mining 


coal.  Mr.  Smith's  opportunities  for  schooling 
were  limited,  as  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  work 
in  the  mines  at  the  age  of  ten  and  pass  the  rest 
of  his  minority  at  hard  work.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  in 
January,  1880,  came  to  the  United  States, 
reaching  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  two  dollars.  He  at  once  went  to  work  in 
the  coal  mines  on  the  Monongahela  river,  and 
in  December  of  the  same  year  returned  to  Eng- 
land and  was  married.  In  April,-  1881,  he 
brought  his  wife  to  this  country,  which  he  had 
determined  to  make  his  home,  and  came  direct 
to  Colorado.  He  found  employment  in  the 
mines  at  Louisville  and  Erie  until  February, 
1883,  then  took  up  his  residence  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion, at  that  time  a  village  of  about  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  which  he  has  seen  grow  to  a  city 
of  ten  times  that  number.  For  a  while  he  was 
employed  by  the  railroad  company,  and  in  the 
winter  of  1883-4  opened  the  Brook  Cliff,  the 
first  coal  mine  opened  in  Mesa  county.  In 
1888  he  sold  this  to  the  Little  Brook  Cliff  Rail- 
road Company,  which  constructed  a  railroad  to 
it  and  began  a  more  extensive  development  of 
its  resources.  While  he  owned  the  mine  he  sup- 
plied the  Grand  Junction  coal  markets,  hauling 
his  product  in  wagons  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles,  which  he  found  a  profitable  business 
although  very  laborious.  When  the  broad 
gauge  railroad  was  built  to  Grand  Junction  he 
opened  the  Mt.  Lincoln  coal  mines  at  Pali- 
sades, and  after  operating  them  successfully  for 
a  number  of  years,  sold  them  to  a  Denver  firm 
in  1893.  He  then  started  an  enterprise  in  the 
coal  and  real  estate  business  in  which  he  has 
been  very  successful.  In  1892  he  began  the 
construction  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
High-Line  Irrigation  Ditch,  in  partnership 
with  Alexander  Strouthers  and  C.  W.  Bald- 
win, for  the  purpose  of  watering  the  high  lands. 
They  built  twenty-four  miles  of  the  ditch,  and 
in  the  enterprise  Mr.  Smith  lost  all  he  had 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


569 


accumulated.  At  present  the  construction  is 
being  enlarged  and  carried  forward  under  the 
state  irrigation  laws.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he 
opened  the  Cameo  coal  mine  for  a  corporation 
he  had  formed  known  as  the  Grand  Junction 
Mining  and  Fuel  Company,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  owners  and  the  manager.  The  fall  before 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  on 
the  Populist  ticket.  In  the  ensuing  session  he 
was  a  candidate  for  speaker  of  the  house,  but 
W.  G.  Smith  was  elected  and  he  was  made 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  corporations  and 
railroads.  He  was  the  author  of  a  law 
authorizing  the  merging  of  all  branch  railroad 
lines  under  one  corporate  name,  and  under  its 
provisions  the  re-organization  of  the  Colorado 
Southern  was  made  possible,  and  the  people 
secured  the  benefits  which  have  flowed  there- 
from. He  has  also  served  one  term  as  under 
sheriff  of  Mesa  county,  and  two  terms  as  sec- 
retary of  the  board  of  inspectors  of  the  state 
coal  mines.  In  connection  with  the  commercial 
interests  of  the  city  he  is  a  member  of  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  one  of  its  directors;  and  in 
politics  is  chairman  of  the  Republican  city  com- 
mittee. He  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Jen- 
nie Sutton,  who  died  in  1888,  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. On  June  28,  1899,  he  married  a  second 
wife,  Miss  Edith  A.  Bylis.  They  have  two 
daughters,  Vivian  and  Edith.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions he  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr. 
Smith  is  an  enterprising,  progressive  and 
broad-minded  citizen,  deeply  interested  in  the 
welfare-  of  his  city,  county  and  state,  and 
always  willing  to  bear  his  full  share  of  the 
burdens  of  promoting  them. 

SAMUEL  N.  WHEELER. 

The  legal  profession,  although  laying  its 
votaries  under  tribute  for  continuous  and  ard- 
uous labor  to  win  success,  and  often  requiring 


sleepless  nights  after  toilsome  days  in  its 
exactions,  yet  wins  many  of  the  best  minds  of 
the  country  to  its  fields  of  contest  and  loses 
none  of  its  attractions  to  the  ambitious  because 
of  the  hard  conditions  of  the  service.  Among 
the  men  who  honor  it  and  are  distinguished  in 
it,  western  Colorado  has  no  more  welcome  or 
inspiring  example  than  Samuel  N.  Wheeler,  of 
Grand  Junction,  one  of  the  leading  attorneys 
of  Mesa  county,  and  one  of  its  best  and  most 
representative  citizens,  who  is  prominent  and 
successful  in  business  as  well  as  in  professional 
life.  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  native  of  Clarke  county, 
Virginia,  born  in  1857,  and  the  son  of  Jackson 
and  Jane  (Triplett)  Wheeler,  who  were  also 
natives  of  the  Old  Dominion  and  lived  the$re 
until  after  the  Civil  war,  when  they  moved  to 
Missouri,  where  the  father  bought  a  farm  and 
on  it  they  reared  their  family  of  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living.  The  father  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  war 
in  the  command  of  "Stonewall"  Jackson.  His 
son  Samuel  accompanied  the  family  to  Mis- 
souri from  his  native  state  in  1863,  and  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  paternal  homestead.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  at  the 
Warrensburg  Normal  School,  paying  for  his 
education  by  teaching  school.  He  studied  law 
under  the  direction  of  a  well  known  Warrens- 
burg  attorney  and  counselor,  and  in  1882  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Missouri  courts, 
after  which  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  at  the 
University  of  Virginia.  Going  to  New  Orleans 
in  1884,  he. there  taught  a  select  school  for  eigh- 
teen months.  In  1886  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Odessa,  Missouri,  but  in  the 
following  year  moved  to  southwestern  Kansas, 
and  from  there  in  1890  came  to  this  state  and 
located  at  Grand  Junction.  During  the  next 
five  years  he  was  associated  in  practice  with 
Judge  W.  S.  -Sullivan,  and  since  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  partnership  with  him  has  been 
alone.  In  his  practice  he  has  been  eminently 


57° 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


successful,  rising  to  the  first  rank  in  this  sec- 
tion and  making  a  reputation  throughout  a 
much  larger  scope  of  country  as  a  learned 
counselor,  a  skillful  attorney  and  a  forcible  and 
eloquent  advocate.  Both  in  the  elementary 
principles  of  the  law  and  in  its  interpretations 
by  the  courts  he  is  well  versed,  and  his  intellec- 
tual forces  are  always  marshalled  and  ready 
for  duty  on  call.  But  although  the  law  is  a 
jealous  mistress  and  seldom  admits  a  divided 
devotion  from  her  worshippers,  he  finds  time  to 
give  attention  to  an  extensive  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  the  cultivation  of  several  fine  fruit 
farms  near  Fruita  in  Mesa  county.  He  is  also 
attorney  for  the  Grand  Valley  National  Bank 
of  Grand  Junction  and  the  Colorado  Midland 
Railroad  at  that  city.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent 
Democrat,  and,  although  averse  to  public 
office,  served  two  years  as  city  attorney.  In  the 
fall  of  1898  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomina- 
tion for  district  judge  in  his  district,  but  for 
personal  reasons  he  withdrew  from  the  race 
before  the  nominating  convention  met.  Th^ 
best  interests  of  the  community  receive  his  sup- 
port at  all  times,  and  in  all  commendable 
phases  of  its  social,  public  and  commercial  life 
he  is  prominent,  helpful  and  stimulating.  He 
belongs  to  Mesa  Lodge,  No.  58,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  filled  all  its 
official  chairs.  In  1888  he  married  with  Miss 
Frances  Hereford,  of  Missouri.  They  have 
three  children,  Rowena,  Samuel  N.,  Jr.,  and 
Virginia. 

ISAAC  N.  BUNTING, 

For  nearly  fourteen  years  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  time 
connected  with  the  press  of  the  Western  slope 
in  a  prominent  and  influential  way,  Isaac  N. 
Bunting,  manager  and  editor  of  the  Daily  Sen- 
tinel of  Grand  Junction,  has  been  effective  in 
promoting  the  best  interests  of  the  section  and 
making  known  to  the  world  its  resources  and 


wealth  of  opportunity  to  homeseekers  and  men 
of  activity  and  enterprise.  He  was  born  in 
1862,  at  Pottstown,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the 
son  of  S.  M.  Bunting,,  then  living  there,  who 
established  the  S.  M.  Bunting  Hat  and  Fur 
Company,  one  of  the  oldest  firms  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. This  was  started  in  1850,  and  the  elder 
Bunting  was  its  proprietor  until  his  death,  in 
1885.  In  this  period  of  thirty-five  years  he 
built  up  an  extensive  trade  for  his  firm,  became 
widely  known  in  the  business  world,  and  also 
rose  to  prominence  in  social  circles.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Hannah  Slonaker,  a  Pennsylvanian 
of  German  descent  on  the  maternal  side,  who 
is  still  living  at  Pottstown.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  five  children :  John  A.,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  his  father's  business ;  Howard  S.,  who 
is  a  representative  of  and  stockholder  in  the 
Hamilton-Brown  Shoe  Company  of  St.  Louis, 
and  in  1887  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  legis- 
lature ;  William  W.,  who  is  secretary  and  treas- 
urer and  manager  of  the  Keystone  Agricultur- 
al Works ;  Anna  M.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Maxwell ; 
Isaac  N.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  at  the  Pennington,  New  Jersey, 
Seminary,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1882.  Afterward  he  was  employed  four  years 
as  a  traveling  salesman,  part  of  the  time  for 
the  Dunham  Manufacturing  Company,  of  St. 
Louis  and  New  York,  and  part  for  Dodge 
&  Seward,  confectioners,  of  St.  Louis.  In 
1886  he  went  to  Kansas  and,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business 
and  merchandising,  remaining  there  until  1890, 
when  he  came  to  Colorado  to  take  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Grand  Junction  Daily  Star,  an 
Associated  Press  newspaper,  which  he  man- 
aged until  1893.  Then,  in  partnership  with 
Howard  T.  Lee,  he  established  the  Daily  Sen- 
tinel, Mr.  Bunting  assuming  full  charge  of  the 
local  and  business  departments,  and  later  of  the 
editorial  department  also.  Of  this  he  has  made 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


a  gratifying  success,  his  subscription  list  and 
the  popularity  of  the  paper  showing  a  steady 
and  continuing  increase,  and  growing  con- 
stantly in  influence  and  power.  His  part 
in  political  affairs,  local  and  general,  has 
been  a  prominent  and  forceful  one,  and 
his  paper  has  proven  a  valuable  organ 
of  his  principles.  Positive  in  his  opinions  and 
fearless  in  declaring  them,  he  has  established 
a  wide  reputation  as  a  man  who  always  has  the 
courage  of  his  convictions.  He  is  past  chancel- 
lor of  Grand  Junction  Lodge,  No.  55,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  a  member  of  the  grand  lodges 
of  Pennsylvania,  Kansas  and  Colorado  in  the 
order.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  order  of 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Elks.  In  1886 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maude 
Stanley  Wilson,  of  Pennsylvania.  They  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  Helen  S.,  Mark 
R.  and  H.  Margaret. 

GUSTAVE  VAN  HOOREBEKE. 

Successful  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
the  law,  and  also  in  commercial  and  banking 
business,  and  devoting  all  the  energies  of  his 
strong  and  well-trained  mind  to  the  interests  of 
the  section  of  this  state  in  which  he  has  cast  his 
lot,  Gustave  Van  Hoorebeke,  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, has  been  of  great  and  highly  valued  serv- 
ice in  the  progress  and  development  of  western 
Colorado,  and  is  recognized  on  all  sides  as  one 
of  its  most  representative  and  influential  citi- 
zens. It  was  in  the  historic  city  of  Ghent,  in 
Belgium^  with  its  time-honored  cathedral,  its 
renowned  university  and  its  valiant  defense  in 
many  wars,  that  his  life  began,  and  February  2, 
1838,  was  the  date  of  his  advent.  His  parents 
were  Emanuel  and  Coletta  (Van  Loo)  Van 
Hoorebeke,  the  former  a  native  of  Belgium  and 
the  latter  of  France.  The  father  was  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  his  native  land,  and  on  com- 
ing to  the  United  States  in  1850,  became  a 


farmer  in  St.  Louis  county,  Missouri.  Three 
years  later  he  moved  to  Cole  county,  that  state, 
and  in  1855  took  up  his  residence  in  Kansas, 
being  among  the  pioneers  of  Pottawatomie 
county,  in  which  he  settled.  In  1856,  one  year 
after  locating  there,  the  mother  died,  and  after 
surviving  her  more  than  forty  years,  the  father 
died  at  Parsons,  past  eighty-seven  years  of  age. 
Their  only  child,  Gustave,  accompanied  them 
to  this  country,  being  twelve  years  old  at  the 
time,  and  received  such  a  district  school  educa- 
tion as  the  migatory  life  of  the  family  allowed. 
He  was  three  years  at  the  St.  Louis  University, 
but  was  not  graduated.  When  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-four  he  left  home  and  began  to 
study  law,  pursuing  his  professional  studies 
until  1863,  when  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
Carlyle,  Illinois.  He  remained  there  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  until  1874,  then 
moved  to  Denver,  this  state,  and  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Bela  M.  Hughes.  Soon  afterward 
he  returned  to  Illinois  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health,  and  in  his  former  home  continued  his 
practice  until  1903.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  in  1868  was  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  the  office  of  secretary  of  state  of  Illinois, 
but  as  the  state  went  fifty  thousand  Republican 
there  was  no  chance  of  his  election.  In  1885 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland 
United  States  district  attorney  for  the  southern 
district  of  Illinois  and  he  served  until  July  i, 
1889.  He  was  also  attorney  in  Illinois  for  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad 
for  a  period  of  twenty  years  or  longer. 
In  April,  1903,  he  came  to  Grand  Junc- 
tion and  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Honorable  J.  S.  Carnahan,  a  sketch  of 
whom  will  be  found  on  another  page 
of  this  volume,  and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  in  the  West.  In  May 
of  last  year  mentioned  Mr.  Van  Hoorebeke 
became  one  of  "the  organizers  and  principal 
stockholders  of  the  Union  Trust  and  Banking 


572 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Company,  the  first  trust  company  formed  on 
the  Western  slope,  and  was  elected  its  presi- 
dent, a  position  he  still  holds,  owning  a  major- 
ity of  the  stock  in  the  company.  In  July,  1858, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  E.  Phillips,  a 
native  of  Madison,  Indiana,  and  they  have 
three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Charles, 
of  Grand  Junction,  and  William,  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  On  May  3,  1877,  he  married  a  sec- 
ond wife,  Miss  Cora  B.  Cook,  who  was  born  in 
New  York.  They  also  have  had  four  children, 
of  whom  three  are  living,  Eugene,  at  Grand 
Junction ;  L.  Harold,  at  Grand  Junction,  assist- 
ant cashier  of  the  Union  Trust  and  Banking 
Company;  and  Vivian,  at  home.  Mr.  Van 
Hoorebeke  belongs  to  the  United  Workmen 
and  the  Odd  Fellows. 

ARTHUR  GEORGE  TAYLOR,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Arthur  George  Taylor,  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, one  of  the  popular  and  serviceable  profes- 
sional men  of  Mesa  county,  who  has  been  in 
active  practice  there  since  1899,  nas  had  the 
usual  experience  of  a  country  physician  and 
surgeon — a  life  of  toil  and  sacrifice  for  the 
good  of  others,  with  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  his  labors,  although  often  seemingly 
unappreciated,  have*  yet  been  of  substantial  ben- 
efit to  his  community  and  contributed  in  a  large 
measure  to  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  its 
people.  He  is  a  native  of  Booneville,  Missouri, 
born  on  August  6,  1870,  and  is  the  son  of  W. 
C.  P.  and  Mary  (McClain)  Taylor,  the  former 
a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Missouri. 
The  father  was  a  carriage  maker  by  trade  and 
located  at  Booneville  when  a  young  man.  In 
1849  ne  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to 
California,  where  he  remained  five  years,  three 
years  engaged  in  mining  and  two  years  in 
freighting  and  the  stock  industry.  He  died  in 
1901  at'  Booneville,  Missouri,  where  the 
mother  is  still  living.  Their  offspring  numbered 
eight,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy  and  one 


son  at  the  age  of  thirty.  The  Doctor  was  the 
last  born  of  the  family.  He  was  reared  at 
Booneville  and  there  received  a  public-school 
education.  Afterward  he  attended  the  Univer- 
sity of  Missouri  at  Columbia,  pursuing  a  scien- 
tific course  preparatory  to  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, and  was  graduated  in  1896.  His  profes- 
sional course  was  taken  at  the  Missouri  Medi- 
cal College  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1899.  He  then  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  passed  a  year  in  a  post-graduate  course  and 
hospital  work  at  Jefferson  Medical  College.  In 
1899  he  went  to  Grand  Junction  and  began  the 
successful  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which 
he  is  still  actively  engaged.  His  practice  is 
general,  covers  a  wide  extent  of  the  surround- 
ing country  and  is  highly  representative  in 
character,  numbering  among  its  patrons  many 
of  the  best  families  in  his  section  of  the  state. 
In  the  organizations  for  combining  the  best 
thought  and  forces  of  the  profession  he  is 
active  and  helpful,  being  a  zealous  member  of 
the  Mesa  County  Medical  Society,  the  Colo- 
rado State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.  In  the  proceedings  of  the 
county  society  he  has  taken  special  interest  and 
is  now  serving  efficiently  as  its  secretary.  In 
fraternal  lines  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  political 
faith  and  allegiance  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  not 
an  active  partisan.  On  November  16,  1897,  ne 
was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  E.  Tice,  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  and  daughter  of  Richard  E.  and 
Emily  (Steelman)  Tice,  the  former  born  in 
that  state  and  the  latter  in  New  York.  The 
Tice  family  are  of  Revolutionary  stock  and 
bore  themselves  valiantly  in  the  great  struggle 
for  American  independence.  Mrs.  Taylor's 
parents  reside  at  Williamstown,  New  Jersey, 
and  are  prosperous  farmers.  The  Doctor's 
family  consists  of  one  son,  Richard  E.,  now 
(1904)  three  years  old,  in  addition  to  his  wife 
and  himself. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


573 


DAVID  T.  STONE. 

The  Union  Banking  and  Trust  Company  of 
Grand  Junction,  which  is  the  first  trust  com- 
pany formed  on  the  Western  slope,  enjoys  in  a 
marked  degree  the  confidence  of  the  people  of 
the  section,  and  by  its    steady    progress    and 
enlargement  in  the  volume  of  business  justifies 
this  confidence  in  full  measure.     It  owes  much 
of  its  success  and  popularity  to  the  excellent 
management  it  has  had  under  its  efficient  and 
accomplished  cashier,  David  T.  Stone,  who  is 
one  of  the  principal  stockholders  of  the  institu- 
tion and  deeply  interested  in  its  welfare.  This 
company   was   organized  in   May,    1903,   and 
incorporated  on  the  22d  day  of  the  month  with 
a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.     Its 
officers  are  G.  Van  Hoorebeke,  president ;  Wil- 
liam E.  Dudley,  vice-president,  and  David  T. 
Stone,  cashier.     It  began  business  on  Septem- 
ber 14,  1903,  and  a  statement  of  its  affairs  to 
the  close  of  business  on  December  28th,  fol- 
lowing,  showed   deposits  amounting  to   $56,- 
441.04,  loans  and  discounts  aggregating  $57,- 
637.68,  and  cash  on  hand  in  the  sum  of  $42,- 
314.03.  This  for  a  business  covering  only  three 
months  is  an  unusually  creditable  record  even 
in  a  country  rich  in  prosperity  and  enterprise. 
Mr.  Stone  was  born  in  Platte  county,  Missouri, 
on  October  28,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
F.  and  Mary  A.  (Flannagan)  Stone,  the  former 
a  native  of  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  and  the 
latter  born    in    England.      She    came    to    the 
United   States   and   settled  in   Kentucky  with 
her  parents  in  childhood.     Mr.  Stone's  father 
was    a    farmer    and    stock-grower,    and    well 
known  in  western  Missouri  as  a    breeder    of 
superior  Shorthorn  cattle,  having  removed  to 
that  state  in  1848.     He  is  now  deceased,  but 
the  mother  is  still  living  in  Missouri.  The  oldest 
son  of  the   family,   formerly  a  state  senator 
from  St.  Louis,  is  at  present  practicing  law  in 
Kansas  City.     This  branch  of  the  Stone  fam- 


ily came  from  Virginia,  where  it  was  domesti- 
cated for  many  generations,  its  American  pro- 
genitors having  settled  there  in  Colonial  times, 
and  are  supposed  to  be  descendants  of  Thomas 
Stone,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.      In   the    immediate    family   of 
Mr.  Stone  there  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
he  was  the  fourth  born.    He  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  home  farm  in    his    native    state,    and 
received  a  good  district-school  education,  after- 
ward entering  the  Christian  Brothers  College 
at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  1881.     He  then 
taught  school  near  his  home  one  year,  and  in 
1882  came  to  Colorado,    and    at    Del    Norte 
passed  the  next  four  years  in  teaching  at  the 
Boulevard  school,  being  first    assistant    three 
years  of  the  time  and  principal  of  the  school 
one.    In  1886  he  moved  to  Grand  Junction,  and 
for  three  years  served  as  principal  of  the  school 
there,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent,  serving  one  term  of  two 
years.    He  then  entered  the  Mesa  County  State 
Bank  and  soon  became  assistant  cashier,  hold- 
ing the  position  thirteen  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  resigned  and  helped  to  organize 
the  institution  of  which  he  is  now  cashier.  This 
has  flourished  and  grown,  as  has  been  noted, 
his  personal  character,  business  capacity,  long 
residence  and  educational  services  in  the  com- 
munity being  potential  factors  in  making  it  so 
successful.     He  aided  in  organizing  the  first 
teachers'  institute  of  the  twelfth  normal  dis- 
trict at  Montrose  in  1888,  and  was  one  of  its 
instructors,  and  was  also  an  instructor  in  the 
institute  at  Ouray  in   1899.     In    addition    he 
organized  the  Mesa  County  Teachers'  Institute 
during  the  first  year  of  his  tenure  as  county 
superintendent.    For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
director  in  the  Grand  Junction  Building,  Loan 
and  Savings  Association,  of  which  he  was  also 
an  original  stockholder.     In  1894  he  was  ap- 
pointed  clerk   of   the   district   court  and   held 


574 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  office  a  year  and  a  half.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  loyal  to  his  party 
and  promoting  its  interests  by  his  zeal  and 
fidelity  in  every  proper  way,  serving  on  the 
senatorial  and  state  committees  in  its  organiza- 
tion, and  by  his  personal  influence  and  efforts 
aiding  in  securing  the  success  of  its  principles 
and  candidates.  On  November  17,  1892,  he 
was  married  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  to  Miss 
Caroline  L.  Baker,  a  native  of  Lindsay,  in  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  the  daughter  of 
C.  L.  Baker,  a  prosperous  merchant  of  that 
city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  have  two  children, 
their  daughter  Genevieve,  now  ten  years  old, 
and  their  son  David  F.,  aged  three. 

MAX  BUCHMANN. 

During  almost  the  whole  of  his  life  since 
leaving  school  Max  Buchmann,  cashier  of  the 
Grand  Valley  National  Bank  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, has  been  connected  with  the  banking  and 
stock  brokerage  business  in  some  form,  and 
his  adaptability  to  its  requirements  and  the 
masterful  manner  in  which  he  meets  them 
proves  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  of  occupation 
and  justifies  the  confidence  of  those  for  whom 
he  employs  his  abilities.  He  was  born  at 
Adelsdorf,  Bavaria,  Germany,  on  July  24, 
1876,  the  son  of  Ben  and  Caroline  (Kramer) 
Buchmann,  descendants  of  long  lines  of  an-: 
-cestors  born  and  reared  in  that  portion  of  the 
fatherland,  both  families  having  lived  there 
hundreds  of  years.  The  mother  is  deceased 
and  the  father  is  rstill  living  in  his  native  place. 
Max  is  their  only  son  and  third  child.  He  was 
reared  to  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  and  was  educated  there  in  the  primary 
and  high  schools.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  merchant  in  the  woolen 
and  banking  business,  with  whom  he  remained 
four  years.  He  then  came  to  the  United  States, 


landing  in  New  York  city,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  clerical  work  two  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  determined  to  seek  a  home 
and  estate  in  the  West  and  came  to  this  state 
for  the  purpose,  arriving  at  Colorado  Springs 
in  January,  1896.  For  six  months  he  followed 
mining  in  Boulder  county.  He  then  returned 
to  Colorado  Springs  and  became  connected 
with  the  banking  and  brokerage  business,  in 
which  he  continued  at  that  point  until  January, 
1902,  when  he  moved  to  Grand  Junction  to 
take  the  position  of  cashier  of  the  Grand  Valley 
National  Bank,  then  being  established,  and  this 
position  he  has  held  continuously  since  that 
time.  On  February  12,  1902,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Carrie  Kahn,  a  native  of  Quincy, 
Illinois,  reared  and  educated  in  Chicago.  They 
have  one  child,  their  son  Max,  Jr.,  born  in 
May,  1903.  Mr.  Buchmann  takes  an  earnest 
and  helpful  interest  in  local  affairs  at  all  times. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Grand  Junction,  and  has  been  of 
great  service  in  many  other  lines  of  fruitful 
activity,  withholding  his  aid  from  no  worthy 
enterprise  in  which  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity is  involved.  He  is  the  local  repre- 
sentative at  the  Junction  of  Verner  Z.  Reed,  of 
Colorado  Springs,  one  of  the  controlling  fac- 
tors of  the  Grand  Valley  National  Bank,  the 
Reed  Building  Company,  the  Grand  Junction 
Town  and  Development  Company,  and  the 
Western  Real  Estate  and  Securities  Company, 
all  of  which  have  large  investments  in  Mesa 
county.  Mr.  Reed's  interests  at  this  point  are 
known  to  be  in  safe  and  capable  hands,  as  is 
shown  by  the  skill  and  success  with  which  they 
are  managed.  In  the  social  life  of  the  com- 
munity Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchmann  have  a  high 
standing.  In  business  circles  he  is  recognized 
as  a  wise  counselor  and  a  stimulating  force. 
And  in  domestic  life  he  furnishes  an  example 
of  lofty  ideals  zealously  followed. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


575 


.    SAMUEL  G.  McMULLIN. 

The  capable  and  industrious  district  at- 
torney of  the  seventh  judicial  district  of  this 
state,  who  is  the  subject  of  these  paragraphs, 
is  a  man  of  force  and  influence  in  and  out  of  his 
profession  and  his  office.  He  was  born  in  the 
good  old  city  of  Philadelphia  on  July  2,  1866, 
and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  H.  and  Isabelle 
(Matthews)  McMullin.  the  former  a  native  of 
Philadelphia  also,  the  home  of  his  family  since 
1729,  the  latter  born  and  reared  in  Cincinnati. 
Ohio.  The  father  was  during  his  manhood  a 
Presbyterian  minister  and  college  professor, 
occupying  chairs  in  Center  College  at  Danville. 
Kentucky,  and  Miami  University  at  Oxford, 
Ohio.  He  died  in  1891  near  Cincinnati,  and  his 
widow  is  now  living  in  that  city.  The  paternal 
line  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  the  ma- 
ternal of  English  Quaker  origin.  Both  families 
have  from  their  arrival  in  the  United  States 
been  intensely  patriotic.  Robert  McMullin,  the 
district  attorney's  great-grandfather,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution  and  fought  valiantly 
for  the  cause  of  American  freedom,  holding 
the  rank  of  colonel.  In  Mr.  McMullin's  im- 
mediate family  there  were  six  children,  of 
whom  he  was  the  fifth.  Four  are  now  living. 
He  was  an  infant  when  the  family  moved  to 
Cincinnati,  and  passed  his  childhood  and  youth 
in  that  city,  attending  the  public  schools  there 
and  finishing  his  scholastic  course  at  the  Cir- 
cleville  high  school.  He  then  began  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Matthews  &  Shoemaker 
in  Cincinnati,  and  for  some  time  attended  the 
law  school  there.  His  health  failed  tempor- 
arily, however,  and  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
school  without  his  degree.  In  November, 
1889,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Grand  Junction,  and  in  June,  1891,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  that  city,  where  he  has 
ever  since  been  in  active  practice.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  always  active  in  the 


service  of  his  party.  In  the  fall  of  1897  he 
was  elected  district  attorney  for  the  seventh 
judicial  district,  comprising  the  counties  of 
Mesa,  Delta,  Montrose,  Gunnison,  Hinsdale, 
Ouray  and  San  Miguel,  an  enormous  territory 
and  comprising  many  conflicting  elements.  At 
the  end  of  his  term  of  three  years  he  was  re- 
elected,  and  by  reason  of  an  amendment  to  the 
state  constitution  he  will  serve  four  years  this 
time.  It  will  be  easy  to  infer  that  his  duties 
are  arduous  and  exacting;  yet  they  do  not  oc- 
cupy all  of  his  time  or  energy.  He  is  president 
of  the  Home  Loan  and  Investment  Company, 
and  for  the  last  thirteen  years  was  a  director 
in  the  Mesa  County  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation. He  is  also  secretary  and  attorney 
of  the  Grand  Junction  Electric  and  Gas  Com- 
pany. On  December  30,  1890,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Rella  Hall,  a  native  of  Shelbyville, 
Illinois,  and  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Sarah 
(Lowe)  Hall.  Two  sons  have  blessed  t'-e 
union,  Bentley  and  Howard.  Mr.  McMullin 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  through  lodge 
chapter  and  commandery,  and  also  to  the 
order  of  Elks.  He  is  highly  esteemed  through- 
out his  district  and  is  worthy  of  the  distinction. 

JUDGE  WILLIAM  A.   MARSH. 

The  interesting  subject  of  this  review,  who 
is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Grand 
Junction,  has  had  a  varied  and  inspiring  career. 
Tried  by  both  extremes  of  fortune,  he  has 
never  been  unduly  influenced  by  either,  but 
at  every  turn  of  the  wheel  has  kept  his  faith 
with  his  manhood,  his  determined  spirit,  his 
self-reliance  and  his  inflexible  integrity.  He 
was  born  on  February  9,  1856,  in  Sonoma 
county,  California,  the  son  of  Washington  J. 
and  Maria  P.  (Smith)  Marsh.  They  were  na- 
tives of  New  York.  In  1849  the  father  went 
to  California  by  the  perilous  and  tedious  route 
around  Cape  Horn,  and  the  mother  followed 


576 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


him  thither  in  1852,  she  going  by  way  of  the 
isthmus  and  Lake  Nicaragua.  For  a  number 
of  years  the  father  followed  mining  and  farm- 
ing successfully  in  his  new  home,  then  lost  all 
his  accumulations  in  a  Los  Angeles  real-estate 
boom.  He  died  on  March  13,  1898,  in  River- 
side county,  California,  at  a  small  town  where 
he  conducted  a  modest  store  and  was  post- 
master for  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death.  His 
widow  is  still  living  there.  During  the  Civil 
war  the  father  was  a  member  of  a  militia 
company  which  kept  guns  in  secret  ready  for 
emergencies.  The  Judge  lived  in  various 
counties  of  his  native  state  and  Nevada  during 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  as  he  had  opportunity.  Later  he 
was  a  student  at  the  Collegiate  Institute  at 
Napa,  California,  and  was  graduated  there  in 
1879.  He  then  taught  school  one  year  in 
California  and  one  year  in  Nevada.  In  1881 
he  entered  the  law.  department  of  the  Michigan 
State  University,  and  was  graduated  therefrom 
in  1883.  He  came  at  once  to  Grand  Junction, 
this  state,  then  a  straggling  village  of  five  hun- 
dred population.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was 
appointed  assistant  cashier  of  the  Mesa  County 
State  Bank,  and  during  the  next  seven  years  he 
held  this  position.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  was 
elected  county  judge,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term 
of  three  years  he  started  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness which  he  is  still  conducting  and  which  he 
•has  built  up  into  one  of  the  leading  enterprises 
of  this  kind  in  the  western  part  of  the  state. 
He  has  succeeded  handsomely  in  his  operations, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his 
section  in  a  material  way,  and  in  business  cir- 
cles has  a  wide  and  helpful  influence.  In 
politics  he  is  a  prohibition  Republican,  but  is 
seldom  an  active  partisan.  In  church  work  he 
is  more  energetic  and  the  results  of  his  labors 
in  this  field  stand  out  prominently  to  his  ever- 
lasting credit.  He  helped  to  organize  the  Sun- 
day school  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 


and  was  elected  its  superintendent,  a  position 
he  has  held  continuously  from  the  organization 
of  the  school  until  now.  Later  he  aided  greatly 
in  effecting  a  church  organization,  of  which  he 
and  his  wife  are  zealous  members,  and  which 
through  their  efforts  with  those  of  others  has 
grown  strong  and  effective  for  great  good  in 
the  community.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Masonic  order  in  lodge  and  chapter 
and  has  held  high  offices  in  both  organizations. 
In  July,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rosa  H. 
Harris,  whom  he  met  while  attending  school 
at  Napa,  California.  She  was  born  in  Nevada, 
the  daughter  of  W.  G.  Harris,  a  mining  man 
during  the  whole  of  his  mature  life.  The 
Judge  and  his  wife  have  four  children,  William 
E.,  Alice  A.,  Mabel  and  Walter  Wr.,  all  at  home. 
In  January,  1897,  he  was  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing the  Home  Loan  and  Investment  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  stock  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  he  has  been  its  secretary  and 
manager  ever  since  its  organization.  He  also 
helped  to  organize  the  first  building  and  loan 
association  at  Grand  Junction,  and  in  this  as- 
sociation he  has  been  chairman  of  the  property 
committee  from  its  foundation.  In  all  the  re- 
lations of  life  he  has  walked  uprightly  among 
his  fellow  men,  and  in  the  means  of  developing 
improving  and  elevating  the  material  and  moral 
welfare  of  his  section  of  the  country  he  has 
been  potential  in  enterprise,  wise  in  counsel, 
conservative  in  action,  and  beneficial  ,in  every 
way. 

EDWIN  PRICE. 

Editor,  politician,  postmaster  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  Edwin  Price,  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion, is  one  of  the  most  useful  as  well  as  one  of 
the  best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed  men 
in  western  Colorado.  He  was  born  at  Carlyle, 
Illinois,  on  October  27,  1857,  and  comes  of 
distinguished  lineage.  His  parents,  Edwin  and 
Matilda  J.  (Walker)  Price,  were  natives,  re- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


577 


spectively,  of  North  Carolina  and  Louisiana. 
The  mother  came  to  Illinois  an  infant  in  the, 
arms  of  her  mother  on  horseback  all  the  way 
from  her  native  state,  and  thus  became  a 
veritable  pioneer  in  the  great  Prairie  state,  her 
parents  being  among  its  earliest  settlers.  The 
paternal  grandmother  of  the  subject  was  a 
daughter  'of  a  Scottish  nobleman  named 
Nairon,  belonging  to  one  of  the  old  families 
which  are  renowned  in  Scotch  history.  An 
uncle  of  the  subject's  mother,  Simeon  Walker, 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  of 
Illinois  and  had  five  sons  who  were  ministers. 
Mr.  Price's  father  was  a  merchant,  and  in  the 
early  days  of  St.  Louis  was  the  assistant  post- 
master of  that  city.  From  there  he  moved  to 
Carlyle,  Illinois,  and  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing at  that  town  until  his  death  in  1865.  His 
widow  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six, 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  H. 
R.  Bull,  of  Grand  Junction.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  only 
three  of  whom  are  living,  and  of  these  Mr. 
Price  is  the  oldest.  He  grew  to  manhood  and 
received  his  education  in  his  native  town. 
When  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  he  be- 
came an  apprentice  in  the  office  of  the  Car- 
rollton,  Illinois,  Gazette,  and  there  learned  his 
trade  as  a  practical  printer.  Later  he  worked 
for  a  time  on  the  Union  Banner,  of  Carlyle,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1876  came  to  Colorado,  locating 
at  Denver,  where  he  was  employed  a  while  on 
the  old  Denver  Democrat.  '  He  then  established 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Merchants'  Publish- 
ing Company,  one  of  the  largest  establishments 
of  its  kind  in  the  city.  In  the  fall  of  1882  he 
sold  his  interests  in  this  company  and  moved  to 
Grand  Junction,  bringing  overland  from  Delta 
the  plant  and  appurtenances  with  which  he 
started  the  News  of  that  city,  the  first  issue 
coming  out  on  October  27,  1882,  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  his  birth.  It  was  a  six- 
column  four-page  paper,  and  the  first  one  pub- 
37 


lished  at  the  Junction.  He  has  been  the  pub- 
lisher and  editor  of 'the  paper  ever  since,  and 
was  in  active  charge  of  it  until  he  became  post- 
master of  the  city  in  1897.  The  News  is  not 
only  the  oldest  paper  at  Grand  Junction,  but 
one  of  the  most  influential  and  prominent  in 
the  western  part  of  the  state.  It  has  had 
much  to  do  with  shaping  and  directing  the 
course  of  public  affairs  in  this  section,  and  its 
voice  has  always  been  potential  for  the  good  of 
the  territory  in  which  it  circulates.  In  April, 
1883,  Darwin  P.  Kingsley  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Price  in  conducting  the  paper.  In 
1886  he  was  elected  state  auditor,  and  at  the 
end  of  his  term  of  two  years  he  went  to  Boston 
as  manager  of  agencies  in  the  New  England 
states  for  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany. He  has  since  been  elected  third  vice- 
president  of  the  company.  In  the  fall  of  1883 
Mr.  Price  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Grand 
Junction  by  President  Arthur,  and  after  serv- 
ing fourteen  months  resigned  following  the 
election  of  Cleveland.  In  1897  ne  was  again 
appointed  to  this  office,  receiving  his  commis- 
sion from  President  McKinley,  and  on  January 
10,  1902,  was  re-appointed  by  President 
Roosevelt.  Always  a  stanch  Republican,  Mr. 
Price  has  been  active  and  zealous  in  the  service 
of  his  party  on  all  occasions.  His  paper  was 
the  only  one  in  his  portion  of  the  state  that 
stood  by  the  Republican  platform  in  the  cam- 
paign of  1896,  when  the  silver  issue  swept  so 
many  from  their  moorings.  He  has  served  the 
city  as  alderman  and  in  other  capacities  for 
the  good  of  the  community,  and  has  attended 
every  state  convention  of  his  party  for  twenty 
years  except  that  of  1903,  and  been  of  great 
service  in  the  deliberations  of  the  bodies.  On 
October  13,  1881,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lola 
F.  Kennard,  born  in  Maryland  but  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  the  John  Alden  and  Priscilla  of 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  who  figure  so  promi- 
nently in  Longfellow's  poem  of  "The  Court- 


578 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ship  of  Miles  Standish."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price 
have  five  children  :  Lola  Eudora,  the  first  white 
child  born  at  Grand  Junction,  and  now  the  wife 
of  Richard  Meserve,  of  that  city;  and  Edwin 
K.,  Kingsley  A.,  Priscilla  A.  and  Philip  N. 
It  should  be  mentioned  that  in  1896  Mr.  Price 
was  the  Republican  candidate  for  secretary  of 
state,  but  the  conditions  of  the  campaign,  owing 
to  the  silver  issue,  precluded  the  possibility  of 
his  election.  Two  years  previous  he  made  a 
single-handed  fight  against  the  party  managers 
and  their  slate  to  be  nominated  as  state  auditor, 
and  only  lacked  ten  votes  of  securing  the 
nomination. 

HENRY  A.  AVERY. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  of  Lake  City,  Colorado,  and  dis- 
tinguished among  its  citizens  as  a  pioneer,  lead- 
ing business  man,  standing  high  in  professional 
circles,  and  having  rendered  the  community 
excellent  service  in  several  official  stations, 
Henry  A.  Avery  is  universally  recognized  in 
his  county  as  a  man  of  great  use- 
fulness and  one  whose  career  in  this 
state  has  been  of  signal  benefit  to  it  and 
whose  character  and  capacities  are  good  types 
of  those  for  which  its  people  are  respected.  He 
was  born  near  Monroeville,  Huron  county, 
Ohio,  on  December  8,  1847,  tne  son  °f  Luther 
and  Susanna  (Ford)  Avery,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of  Lincoln- 
shire, England.  After  settling  in  Ohio  they 
remained  there  until  death,  the  mother  passing 
away  in  August,  1870,  and  the  father  in  Febru- 
ary, 1895.  He  was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  in  his  county,  and  an  influential 
man  in  politics  as  an  active  working  Repub- 
lican. Along  with  his  farming  and  stock  in- 
terests he  engaged  in  speculation  to  some  ex- 
tent, and  was  successful  in  that  as  he  was  in 
everything  else.  Six  of  their  children  survive 


them,  Mrs.  Mary  Rushton,  George  L.,  James 
O.,  Edward  W.,  Mrs.  Addie  Bemis  and  Henry 
A.  The  last  named  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  Dennison  University,  located  at 
Granville  in  his  native  state.  He  remained 
at  home  until  after  the  death  of  his  mother, 
then,  in  1871,  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Denver,  where  he  passed  a  year 
engaged  in  different  pursuits.  In  the  spring 
of  1872  he  moved  to  Pueblo,  and  for  a  few 
months  worked  on  ranches  near  that  city.  He 
was  then  appointed  assistant  postmaster  at 
Pueblo,  and  this  office  he  held  until  April,  1877. 
At  that  time  he  changed  his  residence  to  Lake 
City,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  at  that  point 
entered  into  a  partnership  with  John  S.  Hough 
in  merchandising,  handling  stationery  and  no- 
tions. The  partnership  lasted  until  the  spring 
of  1886,  and  the  business  was  successful.  '  Re- 
tiring from  the  firm  then,  Mr.  Avery  became 
a  merchant  wholly  on  his  own  account,  dealing 
in  real  estate  and  mining  interests  in  connec- 
tion with  his  other  business,  and  serving  as 
clerk  of  the  district  court  from  1886  to  1900. 
In  1896,  however,  he  formed  another  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Hough,  which  lasted  until  1901, 
when  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  firm  to  his 
partner.  Since  1893  he  has  practiced  law,  and 
since  1886  has  been  in  the  insurance  and  real- 
estate  business,  representing  at  times  fifteen 
different  fire  insurance  companies,  and  hand- 
ling mining  properties  as  well  as  ranch  land 
and  town  houses  and  lots.  During  a  portion 
of  the  year  1889  he  served  as  county  clerk. 
With  the  municipal  government  of  Lake  City 
he  has  been  connected  in  a  leading  way  from 
the  time  of  his  arrival  within  its  limits.  He 
served  as  mayor  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
has  long  been  on  the  school  board  and  con- 
nected with  other  branches  of  the  local  govern- 
ment. He  has  been  a  firm  and  zealous  Demo- 
crat since  1892,  and  has  always  from  that  date 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  campaigns  of  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


579 


party.  In  a  service  covering  several  years  in 
the  Colorado  National  Pitkin  Guards  he  rose 
from  the  ranks  to  the  position  of  captain,  mak- 
ing the  advance  on  merit  and  well-deserved 
popularity.  While  all  the  time  engaged  in 
several  different  lines  of  business,  he  has  shown 
the  capacity  to  keep'  their  interests  all  well  in 
hand  and  prosecute  them  with  vigor  and  suc- 
cess, and  his  activity  has  put  and  kept  in  mo- 
tion many  forces  for  the  good  of  the  town 
and  county,  and  the  benefit  of  numbers  of  their 
citizens.  On  April  3,  1884,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  E.  Watson,  a  native  of 
Will  county,  Illinois,  born  in  the  city  of  Wil- 
mington. They  have  had  nine  children.  Of 
these  three  are  dead  and  Charles  L.,  William 
W.,  Harriett  A.,  Charlotte  A.,  Helen  F.  and 
Marion  F.  are  living.  Mr.  Avery  is  of  the 
fiber  of  which  the  best  citizenship  is  made, 
filled  with  energy  for  his  own  pursuits,  and 
running  over  and  inundating  others  with  his 
surplus.  He  is  ardently  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  adopted  state,  and  sees  clearly  and 
performs  well  his  duty  in  leading  its  public 
opinion  and  its  industrial,  commercial,  political 
and  educational  force  to  the  finest  and  best  re- 
sults. The  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  through- 
out the  county  is  based  on  his  real  worth  and 
manhood,  and  it  grows  steadily  with  the  flight 
of  time,  as  he  rises  to  higher  duties  and  more 
comprehensive  usefulness. 

CHARLES  F.  CASWELL. 

Now  wedded  to  his  profession  of  the  law 
and  very  successful  in  the  practice  of  it,  but 
at  one  time  disposed  to  ride  his  led  horse 
as  a  miner,  Charles  F.  Caswell,  one  of  the 
leading  attorneys  of  western  Colorado,  illus- 
trates in  his  experience  the  common  lot  of  man- 
kind, but  has  shown  superiority  to  vast  num- 
bers of  his  fellow  men  by  realizing  practically 
that  the  favors  of  fortune  are  generally  to  be 


won  only  by  systematic  application  to  a  chosen 
pursuit  and  steadfast  resistance  to  all  the 
dreams  of  life.  He  was  born  at  Strafford, 
New  Hampshire,  on  May  10,  1851,  and  is  the 
son  of  Cornelius  E.  and  Betsey  T.  C.  (Chase) 
Caswell,  also  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  The 
father  was* a  farmer  and  during  the  greater, 
part  of  his  mature  life  was  the  superintendent 
of  the  county  farm  and  insane  asylum  of  Straf- 
ford county.  He  also  farmed  extensively  on 
his  own  account  and  was  largely  engaged  in 
raising  stock,  especially  horses  of  the  best 
strains  and  quality.  In  his  later  life  he  moved 
to  Dover,  where  he  died  soon  afterward  in 
1 88 1.  His  widow  survived  him  a  number  of 
years,  dying  at  the  same  place  in  1898.  Charles, 
the  fourth  of  their  five  children,  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  Franklin  Academy  at  Dover.  He  also  at- 
tended the  excellent  seminary  at  Northwood,  in 
his  native  state,  and  in  1870  entered  Dartmouth 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1874.  He  then  went  to  Lynn,  Massachusetts, 
and  read  law  with  N.  M.  Hawkes,  Esq.,  a 
prominent  attorney  of  that  city.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Salem,  the  county  seat, 
in  1877.  He  practiced  at  Lynn  from  Septem- 
ber of  that  year  to  the  spring  of  1880,  and  was 
as  successful  then  as  at  any  period  of  his  life. 
The  discovery  of  gold  at  Leadville  awakened 
the  miner's  fever  in  him  and  brought  him  west 
toward  that  promising  field,  for  which  he 
started  after  several  months  of  deliberation, 
but  he  never  got  there.  Instead  he  joined  the 
stampede  to  Middle  Park,  where  he  secured 
many  promising  locations  and  prospects,  but 
found  it  necessary  to  practice  law  to  make  a 
living,  although  he  had  previously  made  up  his 
mind  to  quit  the  law  and  become  a  mining 
king.  He  remained  in  the  Middle  Park  re- 
gion until  November,  1885,  then  abandoned  all 
attempts  at  further  mining  operations,  and, 
coming  to  Grand  Junction,  formed  a  partner- 


58o 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


ship  for  the  practice  of  law  with  C.  W.  Burris, 
now  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  part- 
nership lasted  two  years  and  a  half,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  was  dissolved  by  the  retire- 
ment and  removal  of  Mr.  Burris.  Since  then 
Mr.  Caswell  has  practiced  alone.  He  has  been 
at  the  head  of  the  profession  in  hi's  section  of 
the  state  for  years,  and  has  an  extensive 
practice  in  all  state  courts  and  the  federal 
courts.  His  ability  has  been  demonstrated  in 
many  renowned  causes  and  in  almost  every 
forum  in  this  party  of  the  country.  During 
the  last  fifteen  years  he  has  been  counsel  for 
the  Grand  Valley  Irrigating  Company  and 
several  other  large  corporations.  Always  a 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  always  giv- 
ing to  the  affairs  of  his  party  the  most  active, 
zealous  and  effective  support,  he  has  yet  stead- 
fastly declined  on  all  occasions  to  allow  the  use 
of  his  name  as  a  candidate  for  a  public  office  of 
any  kind.  For  twenty-one  years  he  served  as 
chairman  of  his  delegation  in  the  state  conven- 
tions and  for  a  long  time  as  a  member  of  the 
state  central  committee,  but  his  most  ardent 
devotion  has  been  to  his  profession,  and  that 
has  rewarded  his  loyalty  in  a  measure  com- 
mensurate with  his  fidelity  and  constancy. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge 
and  Royal  Arch  chapter  at  Grand  Junction. 
On  May  7,  1891,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie 
Tenney  Gray,  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  where 
the  marriage  occurred.  Mrs.  Caswell  is  the 
daughter  of  Judge  B.  and  Mary  (Tenney) 
Gray,  of  that  city.  She  is  an  accomplished 
lady,  having  been  highly  educated  at  Wellesley 
College,  and  enters  with  appreciative  and  help- 
ful spirit  into  the  plans  and  ambitions  of  her 
husband.  In  addition  to  his  professional  in- 
terests Mr.  Caswell  has  had  a  large  interest 
in  the  production  of  fruit  in  the  valley,  having 
been  one  of  the  original  fruit-growers  of  the 
section,  starting  his  orchard  in  1886.  In  this 
enterprise  he  has  a  partner,  Hon.  A.  B.  Hoyt, 


who  gives  the  industry  his  personal  attention 
and  is  an  accomplished  man  in  the  business. 
And  having  a  love  of  the  beautiful  in  appear- 
ance and  action,  Mr.  Caswell  is  also  a  lover 
of  good  horses,  and  is  pleasantly  occupied  in 
breeding  them,  owning  a  fine  ranch  for  the 
purpose.  He  has  an  active  and  productive 
mind  which  exerts  itself  in  all  lines  of  public 
progress  and  all  elements  of  cultivation,  good 
taste  and  elevating  enjoyment.  An  all-round 
man,  his  influence  in- the  community  has  been 
felt  as  a  stimulus  in  every  department  of  fruit- 
ful thought  and  activity,  and  he  is  correspond- 
ingly esteemed  as  one  of  the  county's  best 
counselors  and  most  representative  citizens. 

WALES  BROTHERS. 

This  firm  of  leading  ranch  and  stock  men, 
which  is  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed 
all  over  Saguache  and  the  surrounding  counties 
of  Colorado,  and  occupies  a  place  of  command- 
ing prominence  and  influence  in  the  lines  of 
business  in  which  it  is  engaged,  is  composed 
of  Otis  A.  and  Edwin  Wales,  sons  of  Harrison 
G.  and  Elizabeth  (Snell)  Wales,  the  father 
born  at  Newton,  Massachusetts,  on  March  3, 
1812,  and  the  mother  in  Ohio  on  January  10, 
1822.  In  1847  they  moved  from  Illinois  to 
Newton,  Massachusetts,  where  they  remained 
until  1853,  then  returned  to  the  former  state. 
Here  they  lived  until  1867,  when  the  mother 
died,  and  three  years  later  the  father  joined  his 
sons  in  Colorado,  and  became  interested  with 
them  in  the  ranch  and  stock  industry  in  which 
they  were  engaged,  forming  a  partnership  with 
them  which  lasted  until  his  death,  on  Christ- 
mas day,  1889.  Prior  to  this,  however,  in 
August,  1862,  although  then  fifty  years  of  age, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private 
soldier,  in  Company  G,  Eighty-ninth  Illinois 
Infantry,  serving  in  that  command  to 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  an 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


earnest  and  active  Republican  in  political 
affairs,  and  serviceable  in  local  interests. 
Five  of  the  children  in  the  family  are  living, 
Henry  H.,  Otis  A.,  Edwin  M.,  Mrs.  A.  Shella- 
barger  and  Mrs.  William  Shellabarger.  The 
senior  member  of  the  present  firm,  and  the 
older  of  the  two  .sons  who  compose  it,  Otis  A. 
Wales,  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Illinois,  on 
May  9,  1840.  He  was  educated  at  the  district 
schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  his  enlist- 
ment in  defense  of  the  Union  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  \var,  entering  Company  D, 
Seventeenth  Illinois  Infantry,  as  a  private,  and 
coming  out  at  the  end  of  his  term  as  a  corporal. 
He  was  discharged  on  May  24,  1864,  after 
seeing  considerable  hard  and  dangerous  service 
and  participating  in  numerous  important  en- 
gagements. After  his  discharge  he  located  at 
Altona,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  until 

1866,  then,  in  company  with  Gordon  Edgerton, 
he  started  overland  to  Colorado,  the  route  of 
the    party    being    by    way    of    Hannibal,    St. 
Joseph  and  Atchison.    At  the  last  named  place 
they  procured  mule  teams  and  with  that  outfit 
pursued  their  \veary  way  to  Denver,  sixty  days 
being  required  to  make  the  trip.    From  Denver 
Mr.  Wales  went  on  foot  to  Park  county,  and 
without   money   to   buy  provisions   along  the 
way,  the  fifty  dollars  with  which  he  left  home 
having  been  exhausted.     He  reached  the  old 
Buckskin  Joe  mine,  and  there  he  secured  work 
in  helping  to  build  the  plant   for  the  Phila- 
delphia Gold  Mining  Company,  the  construc- 
tion taking  three  weeks.     After  that  he  was 
occupied  in  hauling  supplies  until  January  i, 

1867,  tnen   .until    April    chopped    wood    for 
Thomas    Laughlin,    who   had   a    contract    for 
supplying  the  wood  needed  in  the  mines.   From 
April  to  August  he  worked  in  the  mines  owned 
by  Berg  &  Parks,  and  the  ensuing  winter  he 
passed  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he  did 
carpenter   work   for   good   wages.      In   April, 

1868,  he  returned  to  the  Buckskin  Joe  mine. 


and  found  employment  there  until  August. 
Soon  afterward  the  mine  froze  up,  and  an  out- 
break of  the  nearby  Indians  drove  all  the  peo- 
ple to  Breckenridge  for  safety.  Mr.  Wales 
went  to  Breckenridge,  but  soon  afterward  pro- 
cured an  ox  team  and  a  pony,  and  with  this 
outfit  moved  into  Saguache  county,  looking  for 
a  location  as  a  permanent  residence  and  busi- 
ness. He  was  pleased  with  the  region  in  which 
he  now  lives  and  took  a  squatter's  right  to  a 
tract  of  land  there,  which  he  after  the  govern- 
ment survey,  pre-empted  and  homesteaded> 
and  which  is  a  part  of  the  ranch  he  and  his. 
brother  now  occupy.  Since  then  he  and  his 
brother,  Edwin  Wales,  have  been  among  the 
enterprising  and  progressive  ranchmen  and 
stock-growers  of  the  county,  and  their  success 
in  these  lines  has  been  continuous  and  steadily 
increasing  in  magnitude.  Their  business  was 
small  at  the  start,  but  they  had  the  real  fiber 
of  energetic  men  and  good  business  capacity, 
and  using  all  the  means  available  for  their 
benefit,  and  the  shrewdness  and  breadth  of  view 
which  they  so  largely  possess  by  natural  en- 
dowment and  experience,  they  have  expanded 
their  operations,  enlarged  their  ranch  and  im- 
proved their  methods,  until  they  are  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  business  in  both  the  extent 
of  their  dealings  and  the  quality  of  their 
products.  They  have  been  especially  energetic 
and  far-seeing  in  their  efforts  to  improve  the 
standards  of  stock  in  their  own  and  the  sur- 
rounding counties,  raising  full-blooded  Short- 
horn bulls  for  sale  to  cattle  breeders,  and  keep- 
ing their  own  herds  unmixed  in  this  breed  and 
all  their  cattle  in  prime  condition  at  all  times. 
They  raise  cattle  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
produce  more  thoroughbred  Shorthorns  than 
any  one  else  in  the  county.  Their  ranch  com- 
prises twelve  hundred  acres,  of  which  one 
hundred  acres  are  devoted  to  grain,  four  hun- 
dred to  hay  and  the  remainder  to  grazing. 
The  ranch  is  all  enclosed  with  good  fences, 


582 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


several  beautiful  streams  flow  through  it,  from 
each  of  which  they  have  water  by  the  first 
right,  the  dwelling  is  a  fine  modern  house  of 
large  proportions  and  attractive  architecture, 
and  the  barns  and  other  structures  are  as  good" 
as  can  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  state.  The 
place  is  nine  miles  northeast  of  the  town  of 
Moffat,  and  it  is  known  far  and  wide  as  one 
of  the  most  hospitable  and  comfortable  country 
homes  in  Colorado.  Mr.  Wales  has  always 
taken  a  good  citizen's  active  and  serviceable  in- 
terest in  politics  and  local  affairs.  He  is  a  pro- 
nounced Republican,  of  unwavering  loyalty  to 
his  party,  but  in  local  matters  his  first  and 
chief  concern  is  the  general  welfare  of  the 
.community,  and  for  the  promotion  of  this  he 
is  always  ready  to  give  time,  effort  and  material 
assistance.  When  their  father  was  associated 
in  the  business  with  them  the  firm  controlled 
two  thousand  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  all 
of  which  belonged  to  it. 

EDWIN  WALES,,  the  brother  of  Otis  and  the 
other  member  of  the  firm,  is  also  a  native  of 
Knox  county,  Illinois,  and  was  born  on  Janu- 
ary n,  1844.  His  education,  like  that  of  his 
brother,  was  secured  in  the  common  schools. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  in  the  company 
and  regiment  as  did  his  brother  Otis,  from 
November,  1861,  until  the  command  was  mus- 
tered out.  Then,  re-enlisting,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Company  F,  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
not  enough  of  the  Seventeenth  Regiment  re- 
enlisting  to  hold  its  organization.  Mr.  Wales 
served  altogether  four  and  a  half  years,  having 
been  wounded  at  Shiloh,  and  when  mustered 
out,  May  4,  1866,  he  held  commission  as  sec- 
ond lieutenant.  He  followed  his  brother  to 
Colorado  in  1867,  and  since  then  they  have 
been  continuously  associated  in  business  except 
during  the  time  passed  by  Otis  at  Cheyenne, 
when  Edwin  remained  at  the  Buckskin  Joe 
mine,  having  acquired  some  property  there, 
which  he  sold  in  the  fall  of  1868,  when  the 


move  to  Saguache  county  was  agreed  on.  He 
has  been  a  full  partner  in  -the  business  from 
April,  1869,  and  is  the  manager  of  its  various 
features.  Like  his  father  and  his  brother,  he 
is  a  public-spirited  and  devotedly  patriotic  man, 
and  has  borne  his  part  in  the  development  and 
good  government  of  the  county.  He  served  as 
county  commissioner  two  terms,  and  in  many 
other  ways  he  has  made  his  influence  felt  for 
good  in  county  matters.  In  politics  he  follows 
the  fortunes  of  the  Republican  party  with 
earnestness  and  zeal,  and  in  its  councils  he  is 
influential  and  very  serviceable.  On  June  2, 
1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Aber- 
nethy,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died  at  Salida, 
Colorado,  May  10,  1901.  On  April  29,  1903, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Sloan,  a  native  of 
McLean  county,  Illinois. 

WILLIAM  DANIEL  DAVIDSON. 

Taking  upon  his  shoulders  the  burden  of 
life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  Wil- 
liam Daniel  Davidson,  one  of  the  progressive, 
successful  and  extensive  ranch  and  cattle  men 
of  Saguache  county,  has  for  nearly  two- 
thirds  of  his  active  and  useful  existence  since 
then  made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  with 
steady  progress  in  spite  of  many  reverses  and 
a  serious  accident  in  the  mines  which  disquali- 
fied him  for  work  in  them.  He  was  born  at 
the  village  of  Glasgow,  Barren  county,  Ken- 
tucky, on  October  25,  1859,  the  second  of  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  himself, 
Jefferson  D.,  Annie  W.  and  John  A.  Davidson, 
offspring  of  Alexander  and  Anna  E.  (Durham) 
Davidson,  members  of  old  families  long  resi- 
dent in  Kentucky,  where  they  were  born  and 
reared  and  where  they  passed  the  whole  of 
their  lives.  The  parents  were  well-to-do  farm- 
ers, living  in  peace  and  plenty,  although  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  the  times  were  full  of  trouble 
around  them.  The  father  died  on  Christmas 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


58.3 


day,  1865,  and  the  mother  in  August,  1870. 
Their  son  William  attended  the  common 
schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  and 
worked  on  the  parental  homestead  until  ht 
reached  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  then  started 
out  in  life  for  himself,  moving  to  St.  Clair 
county,  Missouri,  and  remaining  there  three 
years  occupied  in  a  number  of  different  em- 
ployments. In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  in  Saguache  county.  Thereafter  for  a 
number  of  years  he  did  ranch  and  railroad 
work,  during  a  portion  of  the  time  in  New 
Mexico.  In  the  spring  of  1881  he  returned  to 
Saguache  county  and  for  ninety  days  was  em- 
ployed as  a  ranch  hand.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  secured  employment  in  the  Orient 
mines,  iron  and  silver,  as  a  driller,  being  soon 
afterward  made  powder  foreman,  a  position  he 
held  three  years,  until  a  premature  explosion 
disqualified  him  from  mine  work  and  he  aban- 
doned it.  From  1885  to  1890  he  was  employed 
on  the  ranches  of  A.  Shellabarger,  D.  C.  Travis 
and  Stephen  Kinney.  In  1890  he  became  fore- 
man of  the  Baca-Grant  ranch,  owned  by 
George  Adams,  and  served  in  that  capacity, 
having  charge  of  the  extensive  cattle  industry 
carried  on  there,  until  1895.  In  that  year  he 
acquired  by  deeds  his  present  ranch  of  eight 
hundred  acres,  and  since  then  has  been  ranch- 
ing and  raising  cattle  extensively  on  his  own 
account,  having  in  addition  to  his  own  land 
four  thousand  acres  leased.  He  raises  cattle 
and  horses  in  large  numbers  and  first-rate  crops 
of  hay  and  grain.  All  his  land  can  be  culti- 
-vated,  being  well  supplied  with  water  for  ir- 
rigation, and  it  is  managed  with  the  most  sys- 
tematic and  skillful  husbandry.  The  place  has 
a  commodious  and  comfortable  dwelling  for  the 
family,  excellent  barns,  corrals,  fences  and 
other  needed  improvements,  all  made  by  the 
present  owner,  the  buildings  being  among  the 
best  in  the  county.  Mr.  Davidson  is  a  progres- 


sive and  public-spirited  man,  and  is  everywhere 
highly  respected  as  an  excellent  citizen.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally  a 
Modern  Woodman  of  America.  In  the  public 
life  of  the  county  he  takes  a  part  of  continual 
and  productive  interest,  giving  his  help  in  coun- 
sel and  material  aid  to  every  commendable 
undertaking  for  the  benefit  of  the  section  and 
its  people  and  waiting  for  no  man  to  lead  in  a 
worthy  enterprise.  His  own  property,  in  its 
advanced  state  of  development  and  improve- 
ment, stands  forth  in  proof  of  his  private  enter- 
prise, and  his  reputation  for  breadth  of  view, 
progressiveness  and  unwavering  loyalty  to  the 
region  in  which  he  lives,  shows  the  value  of  his 
influence  and  example  in  the  county  and  the  ap- 
preciation which  attends  his  service  to  the 
general  weal  and  substantial  good  of  the 
whole  region.  On  May  29,  1895,  he  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Mrs.  Lena  Warrant,  a  native 
of  Smithland,  Woodbury  county,  Iowa,  a 
widow  with  five  children,  Mrs.  Charles  Fullen- 
wider,  Mrs.  A.  V.  Brown,  and  Samuel, 
Charles  and  L.  J.  Warrant.  Of  his  marriage 
with  her  one  child  has  been  born,  William  A. 
The  life  of  this  prominent  citizen,  Mr.  David- 
son, is  full  of  pertinent  suggestiveness.  He  has 
not  waited  to  perform  such  actions  as  have  long 
had  the  praise  of  men,  but  has  realized  at  all 
times  that  anything  a  man  can  do  may  be  well 
done  and  is  worthy  of  his  efforts,  and  with 
this  faith  he  has  found  his  fit  place  and  con- 
genial duties.  He  placed  himself  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream  of  power  and  wisdom  around 
him,  and  by  simply  yielding  to  its  influence 
has  been  impelled  to  right  conduct,  fruitful 
labor  and  service  to  his  kind.  He  has  cheer- 
fully and  with  vigor  obeyed  the  clarion  call  to 
duty,  and  has  found  reward  in  the  perform- 
ance, and  increased  compensation  for  the  sacri- 
fices it  required  in  the  spirit  and  energy  the 
obstructions  in  his  path  have  awakened.  It  is 


584 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  lesson  of  the  best  American  citizenship,  told 
over  many  times  with  differing  shades  and 
features,  but  always  .based  upon  fidelity  to  the 
claim  of  the  hour  and  the  conditions  of  the 
place. 

FRANCIS  MARION  HILLS. 

Some  men  are  born  to  own  property,  and 
can  animate  all  their  possessions.  And  in  the 
eye  of  a  cold  and  calculating  reason,  perhaps 
only  they  should  own  who  can  administer,  they 
whose  work  carves  out  work  for  more  and 
opens  a  path  for  all.  For  he  is  the  rich  man 
in  whom  the  people  are  rich,  and  he  is  poor  in 
whom  they  are  poor.  The  fullness  of  health 
in  the  former  answers  its  own  ends,  and  runs 
over  and  has  much  to  spare  wherewith  to  in- 
undate other  men's  necessities.  Men  of  this 
class  build  factories  and  railroads,  they  de- 
velop mines  and  bring  the  wealth  of  new 
regions  into  the  channels  of  trade,  they  found 
systems  of  commerce  and  sail  all  seas  to  foster 
them,  they  see  the  hidden  treasures  of  the 
wilderness  and  command  them  to  come  forth. 
they  put  in  motion  the  forces  to  compel 
obedience  to  the  command,  and  needing  a  ful- 
crum for  their  lever,  they  start  a  town,  and 
soon  the  wilds  around  them  become  as  the 
garden  of  God,  rejoicing  on  every  side,  laugh- 
ing, clapping  its  hands,  and  bringing  forth  in 
abundance  everything  nourishing,  and  useful 
and  valuable,  which  it  has  held  in  reserve.  To 
this  class  belongs  Francis  Marion  Hills,  of 
Villagrove,  Saguache  county,  the  founder  of 
the  town  and  its  first  resident.  After  a  long  and 
trying  career,  full  of  adventure  and  incident, 
he  located  in  this  region  and  at  once  began  to 
plan  for  its  peopling  and  development  with 
results  already  cheeringly  great  and  full  of 
promise  for  future  good  of  much  greater 
magnitude.  Mr.  Hills  was  born  in  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  near  the  town  of  Marengo,  on 
November  10,  1838,  and  is  the  son  of  Calvin 


and  Annisteen  (Mead)  Hills,  natives  of  the 
state  of  New  York,  who  passed  the  greater  part 
of  their  married  life  in  Illinois,  dying  there 
after  many  years  of  serviceable  labor,  the 
mother  in  1876,  and  the  father  in  1888.  The 
father  was  a  skillful  carpenter  and  prospered 
at  his  trade.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic 
order  and  was  a  Republican,  in  politics,  while 
in  church  affiliation  he  and  his  wife  were  of  the 
Christian  denomination.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  seven 
are  living,  Francis  M.,  Martin  S.,  Everill  J., 
Mrs.  Frank  L.  Dodge,  Lucian  J.,  Mrs.  Roy  G. 
White  and  John  F.  The  first  born  of  these, 
Francis  M.,  received  a  good  business  education, 
remaining  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  his 
legal  majority,  then,  in  1859,  impelled  by  the 
excitement  over  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Pike's  Peak,  he  joined  a  party 
of  fifteen  at  Chicago  who  were  coming  to  the 
new  region  of  promise,  and  with  them  jour- 
neyed by  rail  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  Here  ox 
teams  were  procured  and  the  journey  was  con- 
tinued overland  to  Fort  Kearney.  At  that  out- 
post they  became  convinced  that  their  under- 
taking was  useless,  and  the  party  broke  up, 
some  of  the  number  returning  east  and  Mr. 
Hills  and  others  proceeding  to  California.  This 
company  left  Fort  Kearney  on  April  25th  and 
reached  their  destination  in  California  on  Sep- 
tember i /th  next  ensuing.  After  his  arrival 
there  Mr.  Hills  was  employed  in  ranch  and 
livery  stable  work  until  1860,  when  he  went 
to  Puget  Sound  and  for  more  than  a  year 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods  skirting  that  won- 
derful sheet  of  water.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he 
returned  to  California  and  engaged  in  placer 
mining  and  farming,  and  three  years  later  made 
a  visit  to  his  old  Illinois  home,  going  on  water 
by  way  of  Nicaragua  and  returning  by  way  of 
the  isthmus  of  Panama.  He  continued  farm- 
ing and  mining  in  California  until  1873,  then 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Fairplay,  Park 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


585 


county,  where  he  served  two  years  as  fore- 
man of  the  placer  diggings  owned  by  Messrs. 
Clark  &  Smith.  In  1875  he  went  to  California 
Gulch,  but  in  the  fall  returned  to  his  ranch 
near  Salida,  a  property  which  he  and  his 
brother,  E.  J.  Hills,  had  bought  in  1873,  an^ 
gave  his  attention  to  farming.  Two  years  he 
passed  in  ranching  on  that  property,  and  in 
1877  returned  to  California  Gulch,  near  what 
is  now  Leadville,  to  take  charge  of  the  Stephen 
Wood  &  Lighter  placer  mines,  holding  the  posi- 
tion until  the  fall  of  1878.  At  that  time  he 
began  prospecting  for  himself,  and  this  he 
continued  to  September,  1879,  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  ranch  near  Salida.  In  November, 
1879,  he  bought  his  present  property  at  Villa- 
grove,  and  the  next  year  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Salida  ranch  and  moved  to  his  new  home,  the 
only  settler  at  the  time  in  the  neighborhood. 
His  place  was  used  as  a  stage  station  and  the 
changes  of  teams  were  made  there.  A  board- 
ing house  was  also  conducted  on  it  until  1881. 
when  Mr.  Hills  surveyed  and  laid  out  the  town- 
site  of  Villagrove,  which  he  still  owns  in  ad- 
dition to  his  ranch  here  of  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  Since  locating  here  he  has  also 
conducted  a  ranch  and  sheep  feeding  place  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Collins,  and  in  the  years 
1894  and  1895  he  served  as  manager  of  the 
Hydraulic  mines  at  Salmon  City,  Idaho,  be- 
longing to  Messrs.  Hageman  &  Grant.  One- 
half  of  his  Saguache  county  ranch  is  under 
cultivation  and  yields  abundant  crops  of  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables.  While  he  has  been  some- 
what occupied  with  other  enterprises,  his  chief 
interest  has  been  in  this  ranch  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  to  the  development  and 
improvement  of  these  he  has  given  his  best 
energies  and  greatest  attention.  He  has  been 
a  leading  man  in  this  country,  connected  with 
its  progress  in  every  helpful  way,  and  inspiring 
its  people  with  his  own  spirit  and  determination 
to  make  the  most  of  it.  In  1889.  1890  and 


1891  he  served  as  county  commissioner  of 
Saguache  county,  and  many  of  the  most  useful 
and  appreciated  public  improvements  in  the 
county  were  made  during  his  tenure  of  this 
office  and  under  his  influence.  Too  much  can 
scarcely  be  said  of  his  public-spirit  and  breadth 
of  view,  or  of  the  general  esteem  in  which  he 
is  held  as  the  founder  and  one  of  the  chief 
promoters  of  the  prosperity  of  the  section.  On 
December  21,  1864,  he  united  in  marriage*  with 
Miss  Mary  Allen,  a  native  of  Aurora,  Erie 
county,  New  York.  They  have  had  five  chil- 
dren. Of  these  Everill  E.  and  William  J.  died, 
and  Mrs.  Washington  I.  Covert,  Calvin  A.  and 
Mrs.  John  H.  Parsons  are  living.  All  the  fam- 
ily are  consistent  and  conscientious  Seventh- 
day  Adventists  in  religious  faith. 

JOHN  WASHINGTON  PROFFITT. 

The  manly  part  for  each  of  us,  in  the  great 
industry  and  economy  of  human  life,  is  to  do 
with  might  and  main  wrhat  he  can  do  and  what 
fate  lays  before  him  to  be  clone.  We  may 
have  our  several  desires  and  aspirations  not 
altogether  in  consonance  with  our  surround- 
ings, but  this  does  not  excuse  us  from  fidelity 
in  working  toward  the  best  results  in  whatever 
is  at  hand  and  plainly  within  the  sphere  of  our 
duty.  And  those  of  us  who  accept  destiny  in 
this  spirit  are  never  without  profitable  occu- 
pation and  the  means  to  desirable  ends.  The 
world  is  our  tool-chest,  and  we  are  successful 
just  so  far  as  we  take  up  things  into  ourselves 
and  absorb  the  genius  of  our  environment. 
Tried  by  this  severe  but  logical  standard,  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  is  a  very  wise  and 
useful  man,  in  touch  with  his  destiny  and  cheer- 
ful acceptance  of  it.  He  sought  in  his  young 
manhood  a  new  field  for  enterprise  and  en- 
deavor, and  although  it  brought  him  hardships 
and  privations,  arduous  toil  without  immediate 
recompense,  and  long  delay  for  the  full  fruition 


586 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


of  his  hopes,  he  patiently  toiled  on,  seeing  with 
lofty  faith  the  end  of  his  efforts  in  substantial 
prosperity  and  enduring  welfare  even  amid  the 
clouds  and  difficulties  of  his  early  struggles. 
Mr.  Proffitt  is  a  native  of  Richmond,  Ray ' 
county,  Missouri,  born  on  January  17,  1834. 
His  parents,  John  and  Katherine  (Linville) 
Proffitt,  who  were  born  in  Tennessee,  settled  in 
Missouri  in  1818,  and  remained  there  until 
1865.  They  then,  in  company  with  his  wife's 
parents  and  their  family,  came  over  the  plains 
to  Colorado,  passing  three  months  on  the  jour- 
ney, and  traveling  with  mule  and  ox  teams, 
and  locating  land  near  Fort  Garland,  in  thq 
San  Luis  valley.  The  long  jaunt  to  this  region 
was  not  without  adventure.  The  train  in  which 
the  Proffitts  traveled  numbered  seven  hundred 
men  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  wagons. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  its  size,  hostile  Indians 
attacked  it,  determined  to  massacre  the  com- 
pany and  take  their  scalps.  There  would 
doubtless  have  been  considerable  disaster  but 
for  fortifications  which  were  near  at  hand,  and 
behind  which  the  threatened  pioneers  took 
refuge  and  escaped  the  tragical  fate  intended 
for  them.  The  elder  Proffitt's  ranch  comprised 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  on  it  he  car- 
ried on  a  flourishing  ranch  and  cattle  business 
until  his  death.  He  rose  to  prominence  in  the 
section,  and  had  much  to  do  with  establishing 
its  early  government  and  conducting  its  affairs. 
-  In  politics  he  was  a  pronounced  Democrat,  and 
in  church  affiliation  he  and  his  wife  were 
Baptists.  His  wife  died  in  1837  and  he  in 
1878.  Four  of  their  children  survive  them. 
John  W.  received  a  meager  common-school 
education,  the  wants  of  the  body  in  his  day  and 
circumstances  necessarily  taking  precedence 
over  those  of  the  mind  in  the  way  of  school 
training.  In  1867  he  located  a  ranch  which  is 
now  a  part  of  the  property  owned  by  the'  Curtis 
brothers.  This  he  improved  and  lived  on  until 
1888,  when  he  sold  it.  He  then  pre-empted 


his  present  tract  of  forty  acres;  which  he  has 
made  the  best  ranch  of  its  size  in  the  county. 
Thirty-two  acres  of  it  are  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  it  yields  excellent  crops  of 
hay  and  grain.  The  special  products  for  which 
it  is  widely  known,  however,  are  pears  and  ap- 
ples of  superior  quality,  which  are  raised  in 
large  quantities.  Mr.  Proffitt  handles  some  cat- 
tle also  and  finds  profit  in  so  doing.  He  is  a 
very  progressive  man  and  has  the  courage  of 
his  faith.  He  has  always  been  among  the  first 
and  most  active  in  support  of  public  interests, 
helping  to  build  the  first  school  house  in  the 
county  and  endeavoring  to  multiply  the  in- 
dustries and  products  of  its  people  by  intro- 
ducing the  culture  of  bees  and  the  production 
of  honey  among  them.  He  is,  moreover,  a 
proverbially  hospitable  man,  a  very  entertain- 
ing companion,  and  a  citizen  who  exemplifies 
the  finest  spirit  of  the  section  in  his  daily  walk 
in  life.  In  political  affairs  he  is  devotedly  at- 
tached to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  gives  it  his  continual  and  hearty 
support.  On  March  12,  1861,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  Rebecca  Ashley,  a  native  of 
Crittenden  county,  Kentucky,  and  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Mary  B.  (Swansey)  Ashley,  the 
former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of 
Kentucky,  who  moved  to  Missouri  in  1860  and 
to  Colorado  in  1865,  in  the  same  train  with  Mr. 
Proffitt  and  his  parents.  The  two  families  set- 
tled on  adjoining  ranches  near  Fort  Garland, 
where  the  parents  of  Mr.  Proffitt  died.  Mrs. 
Proffitt's  father  died  in  1900  and  her  mother 
in  1890,  near  Saguache.  They  were  Baptists 
in  religious  faith,  and  the  father  was  an  honored 
pioneer  and  successful  rancher  and  stock- 
grower.  Of  the  children  in  the  Ashley  family 
seven  are  living:  Mrs.  Proffitt,  William  T.  (see 
sketch  of  him  on  another  page),  Mrs.  Oscar 
Wilkins,  Mrs.  William  Spencer,  Mrs.  George 
Taylor,  Samuel  and  Lee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proffitt 
have  had  six  children.  Of  these  four  have  died, 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN -COLORADO. 


587 


John  and  Thomas,  who  were  both  born  and 
died  in  Missouri,  Clara  I.  and  Katharine.  The 
two  living  children  are  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Allen 
and  Samuel  Oscar,  who  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Saguache  county.  The  attractive 
and  hospitable  home  of  the  family  is  one  mile 
east  of  the  town  of  Saguache. 

FRANK  R.  SMITH,  M.  D. 

The  great  West  of  the  United  States,  which 
has  gathered  brain  and  brawn  from  every 
other  section  of  our  common  country  and 
many  foreign  climes,  numbers  among  its 
valued  contributions  at  Grand  Junction,  this 
state,  Dr.  Frank  R.  Smith,  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Middle  West,  he  having  been  born  in 
Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  on  May  29,  1851. 
His  parents,  Samuel  and  Margaret  E.  (Ream) 
Smith,  were  native  in  Maine  and  Ohio,  respect- 
ively, and  came  to  Iowa  in  early  life.  There 
they  became  acquainted  and  were  married,  both 
being  Van  Buren  county  pioneers,  and  there 
they  passed  their  lives,  dying  at  Fairfield,  Jef- 
ferson county.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
sons  and  five  daughters,  eight  of  whom  are 
living.  The  Doctor  was  the  second  born  and 
was  reared  in  Van  Buren  and  Jefferson  coun- 
ties of  his  native  state,  receiving  there  a  public- 
school  and  academic  education.  When  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  Fairfield  under  the  instruction  of  Dr. 
R.  J.  Moore,  coming  to  this  great  work  with  a 
mind  broadened  and  sharpened  by  a  judicious 
preparation  secured  by  several  years  teaching 
in  the  public  schools.  In  1876  he  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  at  once  located  at  Pleas- 
ant Plain,  that  state,  where  he  practiced  twelve 
years,  then  removed  to  Fairfield.  In  the  fall 
of  1891  he  came  to  Colorado  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health,  and  after  passing  one  year  at 
Colorado  Springs,  removed  to  Grand  Junction 


in  1892.  Here  he  regained  his  health  and  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  a  general  prac- 
tice of  increasing  magnitude  and  importance, 
which  has  given  him  a  wide  acquaintance  and 
popularity  in  the  county  and  brought  him  the 
patronage  and  esteem  of  many  of  its  leading 
families.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mesa  County 
Medical  Society  and  takes  an  active  and 
serviceable  interest  in  its  proceedings.  In 
politics  he  is  independent  and  not  an  active 
partisan,  although  warmly  devoted  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  state  and  county.  On  July  9,  1884, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  L.  Laird,  a  na- 
tive of  Henry  county,  Iowa,  and  daughter  of 
Joseph  A.  Laird,  a  prominent  farmer  of  that 
county.  They  have  one  son,  Silmon  L.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  The  Doctor  served  three  terms  as 
coroner  and  during  the  greater  part  of  twenty 
years  was  a  member  of  the  pension  board. 

JOHN  ROMINGER. 

John  Rominger,  who  is  one  of  Saguache 
county's  most  substantial  and  progressive  citi- 
zens, and  an  extensive  rancher  and  stock- 
grower,  and  whose  fine  ranch  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  eight  miles  northwest  of  the 
county  seat,  is  one  of  the  attractive,  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated  tracts  of  land 
most  worthy  of  commendatory  notice  in  that 
part  of  the  county,  was  born  at  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  on  April  20,  1860,  and  is  the  son  of 
Martin  and  Frances  Rominger,  natives  of  Ger- 
many and  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  county 
of  his  present  home.  The  father  arrived  in 
America  on  April  18,  1853,  and  the  mother  on 
August  21,  1856.  He  located  in  Missouri  and 
she  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  After  their 
marriage,  on  January  18,  1858,  at  New  Or- 
leans, they  took  up  their  residence  at  St.  Jo- 
seph, Missouri,  and  opened  the  first  hotel  in 
the  city,  which  they  kept  for  some  time,  then 


588 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


moved  to  Dakota,  Nebraska.  But  soon  after- 
ward, believing  that  Colorado  offered  better 
opportunities  for  the  profitable  employment  of 
his  energies,  the  father  left  his  family  at  Da- 
kota in  1865  and  crossed  the  plains  to  Denver. 
Here  he  started  an  enterprise  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  trade,  and  six  weeks  later  returned  to  Ne- 
braska for  his  family,  which  he  brought  to 
Denver.  His  first  trip  to  the  capital  city  took 
three  weeks  and  was  without  incident  worthy 
of  special  mention.  The  party  met  bands  of 
roving  Indians,  but  suffered  no  depredations 
from  them.  He  carried  on  his  business  at  Den- 
ver until  1870,  having  a  large  trade  and  doing 
well,  then  sold  it  for  thirty  thousand  dollars 
and  moved  to  Granite,  where  he  engaged  in 
mining,  but  without  success.  In  the  same  year 
he  made  a  trip  to  what  is  now  Del  Norte,  but 
was  then  an  unnamed  village,  and  located  a 
claim  which  he  afterward  sold.  He  then  moved 
to  Bismarck,  then  a  postoffice,  and  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  there.  In  1871  he  secured 
land  in  that  neighborhood  on  homestead  and 
pre-emption  claims,  and  this  he  improved  and 
increased  in  size  until  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
on  April  25,  1882,  it  comprised  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  had  good  buildings,  an 
abundant  water  supply,  and  supported  a  flour- 
ishing ranch  and  stock  industry.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  the  county  and  by  his 
energy  and  thrift  became  one  of  its  most -sub- 
stantial citizens,  while  his  interest  in  local  af- 
fairs and  his  force  of  character  made  him  one 
of  its  leading  men.  He  was  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and 
had 'a  controlling  influence  in  every  element  of 
its  public  life.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican 
and  in  religious  belief  a  Protestant,  while  his 
wife  was  a  devout  Catholic.  She  died  on  June 
TO,  1891,  and  the  remains  of  both  were  buried 
in  the  family  burying  ground  on  the  ranch.  Of 
their  eight  children  Emma  died  and  the  fol- 
lowing are  living:  Mrs.  Emil  Tobler,  John, 


Frank,  Mrs.  Frederick  Betray,  Mrs.  Bernhardt 
Krachlauer,  Mrs.  Edward  Stansel,  Mrs.  Frank 
Hedwiger  and  Martin.  John  grew  to  manhood 
in  Colorado  and  obtained  such  education  as  he 
had  opportunity  for  in  the  comm'on  schools. 
He  was  obliged  to  take  his  place  as  a  hand  on 
the  ranch  at  an  early  age,  and  his  schooling  was 
therefore  limited.  In  1881  he  bought  a  ranch 
three  miles  north  of  the  home  place,  and  on 
this  he  remained  until  1894,  when  he  moved  to 
the  one  he  now  occupies.  This  he  bought  in 
1892,  and  four  years  later  he  sold  the  one  he 
first  owned,  having  greatly  improved  it  and 
brought  it  to  an  advanced  state  of  cultivation. 
At  the  time  he  bought  it  his  present 'ranch  com- 
prised two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  it  being 
the  one  located  some  years  before  by  D.  Ford. 
Mr.  Rominger  has  bought  additional  land  until 
he  now  has  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  all  of 
which  can  be  cultivated.  It  yields  good  crops 
of  grain,  hay,  vegetables  and  small  fruits,  but 
raising  cattle  is  the  chief  industry,  and  this  is 
carried  on  extensively  and  profitably.  The 
ranch  is  enriched  with  a  commodious  modern 
dwelling  and  other  good  buildings,  all  built  by 
Mr.  Rominger,  is  all  enclosed  with  substantial 
fences,  and  is  plentifully  supplied  with  water. 
The  owner  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  sec- 
tion, successful  in  his  business  and  diligent  in 
all  the  duties  of  good  citizenship.  His  political 
affiliation  is  with  the  Republican  party,  and  his 
work  in  its  behalf  is  effective  and  appreciated, 
all  the  more  so  because  he  seeks  no  official  sta- 
tion for  himself.  On  May  14,  1890,  he  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Theresa  Eiling- 
hoff.  a  native  of  Prussia  and  daughter  of  Cas- 
per and  Louisa  Eilinghoff,  who  also  were  born 
in  that  country.  Her  father  was  a  successful 
sheep  grower  in  Germany,  and  died  there  in 
1875.  Three  of  his  children  survive  him,  Cas- 
per, Mrs.  Rominger  and  Mrs.  Matthew  Laugh- 
lin.  His  other  daughter,  Sophie,  died  prior  to 
his  own  demise.  In  1883  the  mother  brought 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


589 


her  children  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Saguache  county,  this  state.  Here  she  soon 
afterward  married  with  John  Schilling,  of  the 
Cottonwood  section  (see  sketch  of  him  on  an- 
other page).  She  died  at  his  home  on  August 
4,  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rominger  have  five 
children,  Walter,  Belinda,  Hildegarde,  John 
and  Frieda.  Mr.  Rominger  became  a  resident 
of  the  county  almost  at  the  dawn  of  its  history, 
and  at  a  time  when  antelope  were  plentiful  and 
other  wild  game  abounded  on  its  as  yet  un- 
broken soil,  and  his  labors  have  been  of  great 
service  in  bringing  about  the  changes  time  has 
wrought. 

CESAR  ZANOLA. 

Comfortably  and  prosperously  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  beautiful  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  two  miles  north  of  Eckert, 
which  he  took  up  on  a  pre-emption  claim  in 
1883,  and  which  he  has  since  greatly  improved 
and  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
Cesar  Zanola,  of  Delta  county,  has  not  been 
disappointed  in  the  hopes  of  advancement  that 
brought  him  to  this  country  in  1875,  and  that 
have  inspired  his  efforts  in  several  lines  of  in- 
dustrial activity  since  then.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Gonzo)  Zanola,  the 
former  a  native  of  Italy  and  the  latter  of 
France,  and  they  were  married  after  coming 
to  the  United  States.  His  father  died  in  Italy 
in  1862,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  and  his  mother 
in  the  same  country,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three. 
Mr.  Zanola  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  U.  S.  A., 
in  1848,,  and  in  babyhood  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Italy,  and  at  nine  years  of  age  went 
to  France,  where  he  passed  his  boyhood,  living 
there  until  1875,  and  securing  his  education 
at  the  state  schools  of  that  country.  In  the 
year  last  named  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Nevada,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  charcoal  burner  for  five  years. 
From  there  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating 


at  Leadville,  worked  in  the  mines  at  that  point 
for  a  year,  then  moved  to  Lake  City  where  for 
two  years  he  again  engaged  in  charcoal  burn- 
ing. At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Eckert, 
in  Delta  county,  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which 
he  is  still  living  and  prosperously  engaged  in 
farming.  He  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss 
Rosa  Giolzi,  a  native  of  Italy,  who  died  on 
April  29,  1903,  leaving  three  children,  Mollie, 
Josephine  and  Irene,  who  are  living  at  home 
with  their  father.  Fraternally  Mr.  Zanola  is 
connected  with  the  Order  of  Washington.  In 
reference  to  the  development  and  progress  of 
the  section  in  which  he  lives,  he  is  active  and 
zealous,  welcoming  every  undertaking  that 
promises  well  for  his  community  and  support- 
ing it  with  ardor  and  substantial  aid.  Having 
a  lofty  devotion  to  the  political  institutions  of 
the  land  of  his  adoption,  he  is  faithful  and  pa- 
triotic in  advocating  and  sustaining  them,  and 
being  a  gentleman  of  cultivation  and  geniality 
of  manner,  he  is  an  ornament  to  the  social  life 
around  him,  as  well  as  an  inspiration  to  its  busi- 
ness interests  and  the  real  elements  of  progress 
and  material  greatness  which  are  working  out 
its  material  resources  to  the  best  advantage, 
standing  high  in  the  general  esteem  of  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  he  lives,  and  deserving 
through  his  uprightness  of  life  and  his  energy 
in  business  all  the  respect  which  is  accorded  to 
him,  exhibiting  in  his  daily  walk  and  conver- 
sation with  his  fellows  the  sterling  qualities  of 
manhood  and  good  citizenship  which  make  his 
native  country  great  and  have  contributed  so 
essentially  to  the  welfare  of  America. 

DANIEL  W.  CHISHOLM. 

Daniel  W.  Chisholm,  of  Pitkin  county, 
who  is  comfortably  settled  on  a  well  developed 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  lo- 
cated near  Snow  Mass,  where  he  carries  on  a 


590 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


flourishing  general  ranching  and  farming  busi- 
ness, has  had  variety  of  incident  and  fortune 
in  his  career,  but  his  native  force  of  character 
and  general  capacity  have  carried  him  success- 
fully through  all  changes  and  established  him 
firmly  at  last  in  the  regard  of  the  people 
around  him,  by  whom  he  is  considered  one  of 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
county.  He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia  on  July 
21,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Jennie 
(McDonald)  Chisholm,  who  were  also  born 
and  reared  in  that  country,  and  after  a  long 
and  successful  record  as  prosperous  farmers 
were  laid  to  rest  in  their  natal  soil.  They  were 
members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  carefully 
reared  to  maturity  four  of  their  nine  children, 
Michael,  Laughlin,  Daniel  W.  and  Margaret. 
The  other  five,  Anna,  Hugh,  Anslem,  Alexan- 
der and  Colin,  have  died.  The  mother  died  in 
January,  1897,  and  the  father  several  years 
previous.  Daniel  W..  the  third  of  the  living 
children,  received  a  very  limited  public-school 
education,  being  obliged  at  the  age  of  twelve 
to  take  his  place  and  make  a  hand  in  the  work 
on  the  paternal  homestead  and  in  other  labors 
earn  his  own  living.  In  1882  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  during  the  next  seven  years  was  vari- 
ously employed  in  Saguache,  Chaffee  and  Lake 
counties,  being  occupied  most  of  the  time  in 
prospecting  in  and  around  Leadville.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1889,  he  came  to  Aspen,  and  for  six 
•years  was  employed  in  the  Mollie  Gibson,  the 
Smuggler  and  other  mines  near  the  town.  In 
1895  he  moved  to  Cripple  creek,  where  he  fol- 
lowed mining  two  years,  and  on  January  20, 
1898,  left  for  the  Klondike  region,  where  he 
remained  three  years  mining  with  fair  success. 
On  his  return  to  Aspen  he  bought  his  present 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres, 
one  hundred  acres  of  which  are  under  cultiva- 
tion, the  principal  crops  being  hay  and  oats, 
though  some  other  grain  is  raised.  In  politics 
Mr.  Chisholm  is  a  loyal  and  stanch  Democrat, 


and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  triumph  of 
his  party  and  helps  to  bring  it  about.  On  July 
22,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Stew- 
art, a  Nova  Scotian  by  birth  and  daughter  of 
John  S.  and  Catherine  (McClain)  Stewart,  a 
sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chisholm  are  Catholics  in 
church  affiliation.  They  have  two  children, 
John  S.  and  Anna  E. 

WHITAKER  JAYNE. 

Since  1889  Whitaker  Jayne,  of  near  Raven, 
Garfield  county,  has  been  an  industrious  and 
progressive  resident  of  Colorado,  and  during 
the  whole  of  the  time  has  been  devoted  to  the 
interest  of  the  state  and  active  in  the  promotion 
of  its  welfare.  He  is  a  native  of  Wayne  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  on  June  25,  1842,  and  the 
son  of  John  W.  and  Deborah  (Early)  Jayne, 
the  father  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  and 
the  mother  in  Pennsylvania.  They  began  their 
domestic  life  in  Pennsylvania  in  1841.  In  1854 
they  moved  to  Iowa,  and  when  the  Civil  war 
began  both  father  and  son  joined  Company 
B,  Eighth  Iowa  Infantry,  in  defense  of  the 
Union.  The  son  served  until  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  disabilities  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty. 
At  the  battle  of  Shiloh  the  father  was  taken 
prisoner,  but  was  soon  afterward  discharged 
through  the  Confederate  lines  because  of  his 
physical  disability  and  weakness.  The  late 
years  of  his  life  have  been  devoted  to  the  fire 
insurance  business  at  Lone  Tree,  Iowa.  Whit- 
aker was  the  only  child  born  in  the  family,  and 
he  and  the  father  survive  the  mother,  who  died 
on  August  25,  1842.  She  belonged  to  the  Bap- 
tist church,  as  the  father  does  now.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  the  Republican  party.  The  son  attended 
the  public  schools  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  and  also 
an  academy.  He  remained  with  his  father, 
working  in  his  interest,  until  he  reached  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


age  of  twenty-one,  then  began  farming  for 
himself  in  Iowa.  From  1854  to  1877  he  lived 
in  that  state,  then  moved  to  Franklin  county, 
Nebraska,  but  meeting  with  no  sufficient  suc- 
cess in  his  efforts  there,  transferred  his  ener- 
gies to  Sherman  county,  Kansas.  In  1889  he 
came  to  Denver.,  and  locating  about  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Denver,  began  ranching  and 
raising  stock,  which  he  continued  in  that  neigh- 
borhood eleven  years.  In  1900  he  came  to  his 
present  location  and  settled  on  the  ranch  that 
he  now  owns  and  operates.  It  comprises  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen of  which  can  be  cultivated,  and  raises 
good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  He 
also  raises  numbers  of  cattle  which  form  a 
profitable  industry.  Mr.  Jayne  was  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  and  has  been  one  of  the 
main  promoters  o£  the  eighteen-mile  high  line 
ditch,  and  is  the  present  road  overseer  of  his 
district.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  in  politics  gives  his  allegiance 
without  stint  to  the  policies  and  candidates  of 
the  Republican  party.  On  February  25,  1864, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Budlong, 
a  native  of  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  the 
daughter  of  Milton  S.  and  Guli  A.  (Alvord) 
Budlong,  natives  of  New  York  state.  Leaving 
their  native  state,  they  lived  for  a  time  in  Mich- 
igan, then  in  Iowa.  In  June,  1854,  they  moved 
to  Nebraska,  and  in  1872  returned  to  Iowa. 
The  father  was  a  lawyer  in  active  practice,  and 
during  the  later  years  of  their  lives  both  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The 
mother  -died  on  February  8,  1884,  and  the  fa- 
ther on  December  18,  1903.  Their  four  chil- 
dren all  survive  them :  Susan  A.,  wife  of  Fer- 
dinand Furst,  of  Adair,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Jayne; 
Augustus,  living  at  Salem,  Oregon;  and  Cas- 
sius  E.,  at  Salem,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Jayne  have  had  eight  children.  A  son  named 
Ferdinand  has  died,  and  the  seven  living 
are:  Julius  E.,  at  Camclen,  New  Jersey;  John 


W.,  at  home;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Ernest  Doug- 
las, at  Sunnyside,  Washington;  Deborah  E., 
wife  of  J.  Ernest,  at  Raven,  Colorado;  Milton 
R.,  at  home;  Gulie,  wife  of  Edward  Martin,  at 
Toppenish,  Washington;  and  Morton  S.,  at 
home. 

HON.  DEXTER  T.  SAPP. 

Dexter  T.  Sapp,  one  of  the  leading  lawyers 
of  the  Western  slope,  whose  home  is  at  Gunni- 
son,  was  born  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  on 
July  4,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Rev.  Rezin  and 
Margaret  P.  (Ferry)  Sapp,  the  former  a  native 
of  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Mon- 
roe, Michigan.  The  father  was  a  Methodist 
minister  in  active  itinerary  work,  and,  owing 
to  his  migratory  life,  his  family  had  for  no  con- 
siderable time  a  settled  home.  The  education  of 
his  children,  five  of  the  six  of  whom  are  living, 
all  sons,  was  necessarily  irregular  and  subject 
to  interruptions.  He  and  his  wife  died  some 
years  ago.  But  before  their  demise  their  son 
Dexter  was  able  to  complete,  as  far  as  his  cir- 
cumstances allowed,  the  course  of  instruction 
furnished  by  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state.  In  1862  he  entered  the  college  at  Al- 
bion, Michigan,  but  two  years  later,  fired  by 
devotion  to  the  Union,  he  left  the  classic  halls 
of  that  institution  and  enlisted  in  the  Federal 
army  as  a  volunteer  in  Company  L,  First  Mich- 
igan Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  to  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  afterward  crossed  the  plains 
with  it  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  aid  in  quelling  the 
Indian  outbreak  in  that  neighborhood.  There 
he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  the  fall 
of  1865.  During  that  war  he  took  part  in  a 
number  of  important  battles,  the  most  sanguin- 
ary being  that  of  the  Wilderness,  but,  although 
his  service  was  constant  and  active,  he  escaped 
without  serious  wounds  or  other  disaster  be- 
yond losing  the  hearing  in  one  ear.  After  his 
discharge  from  the  army  he  returned  to  his 
Michigan  home  and  pursued  a  course  of  com- 


592 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


mercial  instruction  at  Mahew  College.  He 
then  began  reading  law  at  Kalamazoo  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  Henry  F.  Severns,  at  present 
United  States  judge  for  the  western  district 
of  Michigan.  He  continued  his  studies  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Sherwood,  now  a 
justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Michigan,  and 
finished  them  in  that  of  Hon.  Josiah  L.  Hawes, 
later  a  district  judge  of  the  circuit  court  in  that 
state.  He  was  carefully  trained  under  the  dis- 
cipline of  these  eminent  men,  and  when  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  in  April,  1870,  was  well  quali- 
fied for  the  arduous  and  important  duties  be- 
fore 'him  by  accurate  and  extensive  knowledge 
of  both  the  letter  and  the  spirit  of  the  law  and 
the  ethics  of  his  profession,  which  he  has  al- 
ways carefully  observed.  He  practiced  at 
Greenville,  Michigan,  until  1881,  then  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  in  Gunnison  county.  In 
1894  he  moved  to  Seattle,  Washington,  where 
he  remained  two  years  and  four  months,  at 
the  end  of  that  period  taking  up  his  residence 
again  at  Gunnison,  which  has  ever  since  been 
his  home.  From  the  time  of  his  admission  to 
the  bar  he  has  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to 
his  practice,  avoiding  all  the  seductive  allure- 
ments of  politics,  and  since  coming  to  this 
state  has  made  a  specialty  of  mining  cases,  in 
which  he  is  now  a  widely  acknowledged  au- 
thority. '  In  politics  he  was  a  Silver  Republi- 
can in  the  'nineties,  but  is  now  an  ardent  Dem- 
ocrat, and  until  recently  never  sought  or  ac- 
cepted a  nomination  for  public  office.  In  the 
fall  of  1904  he  yielded  to  the  demand  of  the 
Democratic  constituency  of  the  eleventh  dis- 
trict, and  became  its  candidate  for  state  sena- 
tor from  that  district,  which  comprises  Gunni- 
son and  Pitkin  counties.  At  the  election 
which  followed  his  triumph  was  pronounced 
although  his  opponent  was  a  popular  citizen,  a 
man  of  large  business  connections  and  an  active 
and  vigorous  campaigner.  Fraternally  the  Sen- 
ator is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  belong- 


ing to  the  lodge  and  Royal  Arch  chapter  at 
Gunnison,  and  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge 
of  Knights  of  Pythias  at  the  same  place,  as  he 
was  of  a  lodge  of  that  order  in  Michigan, 
which  he  joined  in  1871.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has 
served  as  commander  of  his  post  and  judge 
advocate  for  the  department  of  Colorado,  hold- 
ing the  latter  office  in  1884.  He  was  married 
in  1873  and  nas  one  daughter,  Reva,  who  is 
engaged  in  newspaper  work  on  the  Rocky 
Mountain  News  at  Denver. 

GEORGE  YULE. 

Highly  esteemed  by  all  his  friends  and 
neighbors  and  the  citizens  of  Garfield  county 
generally  as  one  of  the  best  and  most  useful 
citizens,  with  breadth  of  view  and  public-spirit 
in  reference  to  all  public  enterprises,  and  dili- 
gent and  aggressive  in  the  management  of  his 
private  affairs,  George  Yule,  of  near  New- 
castle, has-been  a  potent  factor  in  building  up 
the  section  in  which  he  lives  and  a  faithful 
servant  of  its  interests  in  local  offices  of  trust 
and  importance.  During  his  long  residence  of 
nearly  forty  years  in  the  state  he  has  been  tried 
by  many  adversities,  has  faced  many  dangers, 
has  won  many  triumphs  for  himself  and  others, 
and  has  ever  performed  with  capacity  and 
cheerfulness  the  duty  which  seemed  nearest  at 
hand  regardless  of  personal  consequence.  He 
was  born  on  June  20,  1835,  in  Banff  shire,  Scot- 
land, and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Jeannette 
(Thompson)  Yule,  descendants  of  long  lines 
of  ancestry  connected  with  the  history  of  that 
country.  They  left  their  native  land  when  he 
was  five  years  old  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  where 
they  remained  until  1840,  when  they  moved  to 
Keokuk  county,  Iowa.  The  father  was  a  stone 
and  brick  mason  but  devoted  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  in  this  country  to  farming  and  pros- 


GEORGE  YULE. 


MRS.  GEORGE  YULE. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


593 


pered  in  the  industry.  Both  were  originally 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  but  after 
locating  in  Iowa  they  affiliated  with  the  Con- 
gregationalists,  there  being  no  organization  of 
their  church  in  their  neighborhood.  Ten  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  only  five  of  whom  are 
living:  George,  Margaret  (Mrs.  Baughey), 
Ellen  (Mrs.  Andrew  Ramsey),  Samuel  and 
Joseph,  the  first  and  last  named  being  residents 
of  this  state  and  the  others  of  Iowa.  The 
father  died  in  1886  and  the  mother  in  1899. 
Their  son  George  had  the  usual  experience  of 
counry  boys  in  the  West,  attending  the  public 
schools  when  he  could  and  assisting  his  parents 
on  the  farm,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Mound  City,  Kan- 
sas, where  for  two  years  he  worked  on  a  ranch, 
his  compensation  being  fifteen  dollars  a  month 
and  his  board.  He  was  in  that  state  when 
much  of  its  surface  was  burned  over  and  the 
crops  were  destroyed,  and  being  dissatisfied 
with  the  outlook,  he  returned  to  Iowa.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  for  the  Civil 
war  as  a  member  of  the  Fortieth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, going  in  as  a  private  and  being  dis- 
charged as  a  second  lieutenant  at  Davenport 
in  August,  1865.  Wishing  to  try  his  fortune 
in  Colorado,  he  left  Keokuk,  Iowa,  on  October 
10,  1865,  and  journeyed  overland  to  Omaha, 
where  he  joined  a  train  for  Denver,  and  ar- 
rived in  that  city,  or  hamlet  as  it  was  then,  on 
December  2d.  The  train  had  some  difficulty 
with  hostile  Indians  on  the  way,  the  savages 
making  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  steal  its  cat- 
tle. On  arriving  in  this  state  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother  William,  who  had 
purchased  a  ranch  near  Denver.  Soon  after- 
ward the  grasshoppers  ate  up  all  their  crops  and 
they  turned  their  attention  to  mining.  George 
mined  at  Rubi  Camp  and  discovered  the  Bul- 
lion King,  w7hich  proved  a  fruitful  property. 
In  1870  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  ranch,  and 
four  years  later  moved  to  Gunnison  county, 
38 


where  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  and  mining 
until  1 88 1.  He  then  migrated  to  what  is  now. 
Garfield  county  and  purchased  a  ranch  on  Gar- 
field  creek  which  he  named  in  honor  of  the 
martyred  President.  This  is  the  ranch  he  now 
owns  and  works.  It  comprises  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of-  land,  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  of  which  he  cultivates,  raising  the 
usual  crops  of  the  region  and  large  quantities 
of  fruit.  He  is  widely  known  as  the  grower  of 
the  largest  pears  in  the  state.  Of  his  other 
products  hay  and  cattle  are  the  leading  reliance, 
and  they  are  produced  in  abundance  and  are 
excellent  in  quality.  In  1903  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank  of 
Glenwood  Springs,  being  one  of  the  principal 
stockholders  and  serving  as  its  vice-president 
and  also  a  member  of  its  directorate.  Mr.  Yule 
is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
served  as  commander  of  the  General  Shields 
Post  at  New  Castle.  In  political  allegiance  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  as  such  has  rendered 
valued  service  to  the  people  in  various  local 
offices.  He  was  the  first  sheriii  of  Gunnison 
county,  and  in  his  present  district  has  been 
for  many  years  president  of  the  school  board. 
On  January  15,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  A.  McBurney,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  Cumberland  county,  the  daughter  of 
Hugh  and  Elizabeth  McBurney,  who  were  born 
and  reared  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  to 
America  soon  after  their  marriage,  locating  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  after  a  residence  of  some 
years  there  moving  to  New  Jersey,  where  they 
farmed  and  raised  fruit  extensively.  In  1893 
they  moved  to  New  Castle,  Colorado,  where 
the  mother  ended  her  days  on  November  n, 
1899.  The  father  is  living  on  Garfield  Creek. 
In  this  state  he  was  a  merchant  and  both  were 
Presbyterians  from  early  life.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  a  Freemason  in  fraternal' 
life.  They  had  five  children,  four  of  whom 


594 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


are  living:  Mary  J.,  wife  of  William  Gant, 
of  New  Castle;  John  T.,  living  in  New  Jersey; 
Mrs.  Yule  and  her  brother  Joseph  T.,  dwelling 
on  Garfield  creek.  A  son  named  Arthur  is  de- 
ceased. 

GEORGE  STEPHAN. 

George  Stephan,  of  Delta,  a  leading  attor- 
ney-at-law,  banker,  real  estate  man  and  pro- 
moter, who  has  borne  a  large  share  of  the  bur- 
dens incident  to  developing  and  building  up  a 
new  country,  and  has  done  his  work  so  wisely 
and  with  such  comm'anding  enterprise  and  skill 
that  the  results  are  most  gratifying  in  magni- 
tude and  quality,  is  a  native  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  born  on  March  30,  1862,  and  the  son  of 
John  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Watson)  Stephan,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Pennsylvania. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  Cleve- 
land, where  the  father  practiced  his  profession 
of  dentistry  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years. 
On  retiring  from  active  practice  he  moved  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  died  in  1899.  ^s 
widow  now  lives  in  New  York.  They  had 
seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  living, 
George  being  the  oldest  of  these.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland,  being 
graduated  at  the  high  school  there  in  1878.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Den- 
ver, where  he  lived  until  1888.  He  then  passed 
two  years  at  Salt  Lake  engaged  in  the  real-es- 
tate business.  In  1890  he  moved  to  Delta,  ar- 
riving in  the  spring,  and  at  once  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Delta  Mercantile  Company,  which 
he  organized,  but  he  sold  his  interest  in  the 
company  soon  afterward.  In  1895  he  bought 
a  one-half  interest  in  the  banking  house  for- 
merly established  by  Blachly  &  Baldwin,  and, 
in  partnership  with  F.  E.  Dodge,  reorganized 
the  institution  into  the  Farmers  and  Merchants 
Bank,  the  name  it  now  bears.  In  1898  he  sold 
his  interest  in  the  bank  and,  in  partnership 
with  Judge  A.  R.  King,  bought  the  Delta  Town 


and  Improvement  Company  of  the  Crawford 
estate.  This  company  soon  afterward  organ- 
ized the  Union  Abstract  Company,  and  Mr. 
Stephan  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  busi- 
ness of  these  two  corporations  as  president  in 
connection  with  his  extensive  legal  practice  and 
his  official  duties  as  county  attorney,  an  office 
in  which  he  is  now  serving  his  third  term.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1889,  and  since  then 
he  has  built  up  a  large  and  representative  prac- 
tice and  taken  a  high  rank  in  the  profession. 
He  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics  and  is 
prominent  and  influential  in  the  councils  of  his 
party,  serving  as  secretary  of  its  county  cen- 
tral committee  and  having  a  voice  of  potency 
in  its  conventions.  He  has  also  served  accept- 
ably as  a  member  of  the  Delta  city  council.  In 
fraternal  circles  he  is  a  thirty-second-degree 
Mason  and  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in  the 
same  order.  On  June  28,  1892,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Helen  Carr,  a  native 
of  Philadelphia  and  daughter  of  A.  W.  Carr, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Delta  county.  Their 
beautiful  home,  over  which  Mrs.  Stephan  pre- 
sides with  grace  and  dignity,  is  a  center  of  re- 
fined and  generous  hospitality  and  intellectual 
life,  and  both  she  and  her  husband  are  recog- 
nized as  among  the  leading  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. 

FARMERS  &  MERCHANTS  BANK. 

The  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Delta 
was  organized  in  1890  as  a  private  institution 
by  A.  T.  Blachly  and  D.  S.  Baldwin,  and  con- 
tinued under  their  ownership  and  manage- 
ment until  March,  1894.  In  September,  1893. 
Mr.  Blachly,  who  was  the  cashier,  was  shot  and 
killed  by  the"  outlaws  McCarty,  who  secured 
a  small  amount  of  money  in  their  robbery,  and 
were  soon  afterward  overtaken  and  killed.  The 
present  cashier  witnessed  the  holdup  and  kill- 
ing of  Mr.  Blachly,  he  having  become  con- 


BONNIE  BRAE  RANCH,  OWNED  BY  GEORGE  YULE. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


595 


nected  with  the  bank  as  assistant  cashier  in 
1892.  In  March,  1894,  the  ownership  of  the 
hank  passed  to  F.  E.  Dodge  and  George 
Stephan,  who  continued  in  charge  of  it  until 
July,  1895,  when  J.  F.  Sanders  .bought  Mr. 
Stephan's  interest  and  the  firm  became  Sanders 
&  Dodge.  In  1901  Mr.  Dodge  retired,  sell- 
ing his  interest  to  Mr.  Wolbert,  and  the  new 
firm  was  organized  with  Mr.  Sanders  as  presi- 
dent, Mr.  Wolbert  as  cashier  and  H.  W.  Chiles 
as  assistant  cashier,  who  are  its  present  officers. 
The  institution  formerly  occupied  the  building 
now  used  as  the  postoffice,  but  in  1896  the  two- 
story  brick  banking  house  which  it  now  occu- 
pies was  erected  by  Mr.  Sanders  at  a  cost  of 
about  twenty  thousand  dollars.  It  has  two 
store  rooms  in  addition  to  the  quarters  used 
by  the  bank,  and  is  finished  with  the  best  ma- 
terial throughout,  tiled  floors,  solid  mahogany 
woodwork,  plate  glass  windows  and  mahogany, 
glass  and  iron  fixtures  of  the  most  approved 
style,  being  considered  the  finest  and  most 
complete  bank  building  on  the  Western  slope. 
The  bank  is  still  conducted  as  a  private  insti- 
tution. Its  individual  responsibility  is  five  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  and  its  credit  stands  as 
high  as  any  throughout  the  range  of  its  terri- 
tory. 

Harry  Howard  Wolbert,  the  cashier  of  this 
flourishing  fiscal  enterprise,  and  its  main  in- 
spiration in  its  useful  and  productive  activity, 
was  born  at  Rochester,  New  York,  on  Decem- 
ber 9,  1865,  while  his  mother  was  on  a  visit 
to  that  city,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  Patrick 
and  Louise  (Bennett)  Wolbert,  the  latter  hav- 
ing been  born,  reared,  educated  and  married 
near  Dover,  Maine.  In  1862  they  moved  to 
Tennessee,  locating  at  Clarksville.  At  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  all  their  buildings  hav- 
ing been  burned,  the  family  moved  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  where  the  father  died.  The  mother 
died  at  San  Francisco  in  1892.  They  had  two 
children,  Harrv.  and  an  older  sister,  who  is 


married  and  lives  in  Alaska.  The  son  was 
reared  in  Cleveland  and  educated  at  the  public 
schools.  When  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  came  with  his  mother  and  sister  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  this  state,  and  there  he  fin- 
ished his  scholastic  training  at  the  high  school. 
He  lived  at  that  place  until  1892,  having  gone 
to  work  when  he  was  fifteen  in  the  office  of  the 
Gazette  Printing  Company,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed eleven  years  in  various  capacities.  He 
was  then  on  the  road  as  a  salesman  until  June, 
1892,  when  he  became  assistant  cashier  of  the 
bank  at  Delta.  In  1894,  when  the  bank 
changed  hands,  he  took  charge  of  D.  S.  Bald- 
win's loan  and  real-estate  business  and  re- 
mained in  charge  of  it  until  1896.  At  that  time 
he  returned  to  Colorado  Springs  and  during 
the  next  two  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  at  that  place.  In  1898 
he  went  south,  being  interested  in  prospecting 
and  in  building  forty  miles  of  railroad  in  Ar- 
kansas, opposite  and  west  from  Greenville  to 
Hamburg.  In  the  spring  of  1901  this  road 
was  sold  to  the  Missouri  Pacific  system,  and 
he  again  moved  to  Delta,  resuming  his  position 
as  assistant  cashier  of  the  bank.  Within  the 
same  year  he  bought  Mr.  Dodge's  interest  in 
the  bank  and  became  cashier.  He  is  a  firm 
and  loyal  Republican  in  politics,  but  is  not  an 
aspirant  for  public  office  of  any  kind,  although 
he  gives  his  party  a  cordial  and  helpful  sup- 
port at  all  times.  On  March  5,  1889,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Edith  G.  Parker,  a  native  of 
Valley  Falls,  Kansas,  and  daughter  of  Nathan 
E.  and  Burradilla  (Dunham)  Parker,  who 
were  born  and  reared  near  Dover,  Maine,  and 
are  now  living  at  Colorado  Springs.  Mr.  and 
this  Mrs.  Wolbert  had  two  children,  Norma 
B.  and  Ida  M.,  who  survive  their  mother,  she 
having  died  in  March,  1901.  On  June  n, 
1903,  Mr.  Wolbert  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Evangeline  Wilson  Huntley,  an  Indiana 
lady  by  nativity,  born  at  Indianapolis  on  Sep- 


596 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


tember  28,  1882,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  P.  Huntley,  now  residents  of  Delta.  Mr. 
Wolbert  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Dramatic  Order  Knights  of  Khoras- 
san,  and  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church.  In 
business  circles  and  in  social  life  he  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  leading  citizen  and  a  potent  force 
for  good  in  the  community. 

SMITH  L.   WHIPP. 

Xo  man's  destiny,  and  scarcely  any  man's 
vocation,  can  be  predicted  with  certainty  in  the 
mobile  conditions  of  life  which  obtain  in  the 
United  States.  The  land  is  full  of  opportuni- 
ties and  its  institutions  are  in  themselves  an 
education  and  a  preparation  for  almost  any 
call  to  duty,  and  the  conditions  are  continually 
changing,  so  that  the  man  we  find  at  twenty- 
five  following  one  pursuit  may  be  at  forty  en- 
gaged in  a  very  different  one.  Moreover,  as 
each  one  is  in  the  measure  of  his  capacities  and 
his  willingness  a  sovereign  and  part  of  the 
government,  the  invitation  is  always  open  to 
a  public  career  and  participation  in  political 
movements,  which  our  young  men  have  from 
the  dawn  of  their  manhood,  and  often  even  be- 
fore, taken  advantage  of.  It  is  therefore  never 
a  matter  of  surprise  when  some  worker  in  a 
mechanical  or  other  non-political  field  is  chosen 
by  his  fellow  citizens  to  the  administration  of 
important  public  functions.  The  wonder,  if 
there  be  any  about  the  case,  is  that  men  not 
specially  trained  to  public  office  are  so  ready 
and  so  capable  in  filling  it  and  perform  so  cred- 
itably its  duties.  An  instance  worthy  of  more 
than  a  passing  notice  is  presented  in  the  life  of 
the  present  county  treasurer  of  Gunnison 
county,  this  state,  Smith  L.  Whipp,  of  Gunni- 
son, who  is  now  serving  his  third  term  in  this 
important  position.  Mr.  Whipp  was  born  in 
the  state  of  Iowa  in  1861,  and  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  D.  and  Mary  (Smith)  Whipp.  His 


father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  migrated  from 
that  state  to  Iowa  early  in  the  'forties,  settling 
in  Jasper  county,  where  he  was  married  and 
where  he  farmed  until  1871,  then  moved  his 
family  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Mitchell  county. 
In  1859  he  made  a  trip  to  Pike's  Peak  under 
pressure  of  the  excitement  then  high  over  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  that  region.  But  after  a 
few  months  of  unprofitable  prospecting  and 
mining  there  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Iowa, 
and  he  continued  to  live  and  farm  there  until 
1891,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  to  remain  and 
took  up  his  residence  at  Crested  Butte,  Gunni- 
son county.  Here  he  died  in  1902,  aged  seven- 
ty-three years.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexi- 
can war,  and  a  useful  citizen  wherever  he  lived, 
giving  to  his  fellow  men  an  example  of  up- 
rightness in  private  life  and  of  energy  in  be- 
half of  the  public  welfare  that  was  at  once  an 
incitement  and  a  fruitful  source  of  good.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  went  \vith 
her  parents  to  live  in  Iowa  while  she  was  yet  a 
school  girl.  She  died  at  Crested  Butte  in  Jan- 
uary, 1891,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four.  They  had 
twelve  children,  their  son  Smith  being  the  third 
in  numerical  order.  His  childhood  and  youth 
were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  Kansas. 
After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
blacksmith,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship in  1880  he  came  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Georgetown.  The  next  year  he 
moved  to  Crested  Butte  and  there  worked  at  his 
trade  and  followed  prospecting  and  mining  un- 
til he  was  seriously  injured  in  an  accident  in  a 
mine  at  Fairview,  between  that  place  and  Ir- 
win,  in  Gunnison  county,  his  brother,  Owen  P. 
Whipp,  being  killed  in  the  same  accident. 
After  that  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Gunnison, 
'  and  in  1897  was  elected  county  treasurer  as  the 
candidate  of  the  Fusionists.  At  the  end  of  his 
first  term  he  was  re-elected  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Republicans  and  Populists,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  second  term  was  again  elected,  this  time 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


597 


as  a  straight  Republican.  In  the  fall  of  1904 
he  was  again  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
He  has  been  an  active  and  industrious  man, 
and  has  accumulated  a  competency  of  worldly 
wealth,  having  a  fine  ranch  adjoining  the  town- 
site  of  Gunnison  on  the  north,  and  also  inter- 
ests in  silver  and  gold  mines,  including  the 
Malibia  claim  on  Ore  creek  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county.  Throughout  his  mature 
life  he  has  been  active  in  public  affairs,  and  is 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  and 
public  men  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was 
married  hi  1891  to  Miss  Mary  McCourt,  a  na- 
tive of  England,  daughter  of  James  McCourt, 
of  that  country.  Her  father  was  an  old-time 
miner  who  came  to  Crested  Butte  in  1880  and 
was  killed  in  a  mine  explosion  in  1884.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Whipp  have  two  children,  Ethel  and 
Walter. 

CAPT.  GEORGE  W.  THATCHER. 

Through  a  long  series  of  successes  and 
reverses,  the  former  more  continued  and  pro- 
nounced than  the  latter,  Capt.  George  W. 
Thatcher,  a  prominent  and  influential  mining 
man  of  Aspen,  Pitkin  county,  has  risen  to  com- 
fort and  prosperity  in  worldly  wealth  and  a 
high  and  firmly  established  position  in  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  His  fellow  men.  He  was 
born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  on  July  n, 
1844,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Martha  A. 
Thatcher,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  The  father  moved 
to  Kentucky  when  he  was  a  young  man  and. 
served  in  the  United  States  army,  being 
engaged  in  the  Seminole  Indian  war  in  Florida 
and  holding  the  rank  of  captain.  He  also 
looked  after  the  disputed  land  claims  in  the 
courts.  In  1850  he  moved  to  Missouri,  locating 
in  Jackson  county,  where  he  followed  farming 
with  good  success.  He  was  an  active  Whig 
in  politics  and  he  and  his  \vife  were  members  of 


the  Baptist  church.  They  had  eight  children, 
four  of  whom  have  died.  Those  living  are  the 
Captain,  Mrs.  Hugh  Butler  and  Joseph  A.,  of 
Denver,  the  latter  president  of  the  Denver 
National  Bank,  and  Newton  J.,  of  Arizona. 
The  mother  died  in  1848  and  the  father  in 
1852.  Captain  Thatcher,  who  is  generally 
recognized  as  one  of  the  best  and  most  progres- 
sive citizens  of  the  Western  slope,  attended 
only  the  common  schools  and  had  but  limited 
opportunities  for  a  regular  course  at  them.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  the  battle  of  life 
for  himself  as  clerk  and  salesman  in  a  store 
where  he  remained  two  years.  At  sixteen  he 
went  to  Mexico  and  engaged  in  mining,  and  in 
1858  accompanied  the  troops  under  Generals 
Harney  and  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  as  wagon 
master  and  guide  across  the  plains,  having 
entire  charge  of  the  Harvey  outfit.  He 
remained  with  the  army  until  1860,  then 
moved  to  Nevada  where  he  resumed  his  mining 
operations  and  also  did  freighting  between 
points  in  that  state  and  California.  In  these 
lines  he  was  occupied  two  years  with  varying 
success.  In  1862  he  went  to  Idaho  and  during 
the  next  ten  years  was  employed  in  placer  min- 
ing and  ditching  in  the  Boise  basin.  At  this 
time  the  Indians  were  troublesome  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  state,  resisting  with  force  and  arms 
the  encroachments  of  the  white  and  the  advance 
of  civilization,  attacking  the  freight  outfits  and 
disturbing  the  miners  at  their  work.  In  the 
work  of  defense  the  Captain  was  a  volunteer 
and  in  command  of  the  volunteer  forces,  and 
they  in  connection  with  the  regular  troops 
cleaned  the  savages  out  and  restored  peace 
throughout  the  region  bordering  Indian,  Black, 
Owyhee  and  Mahlem.  creeks.  In  1872  Captain 
Thatcher  moved  to  Utah,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  then  went  to  Nevada  and  again 
engaged  in  mining,  being'  connected  with  the 
Comstock  mines  until  1880.  At  that  time  he 
came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Aspen,  began 


598 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


mining  silver,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He 
is  active  and  prominent  in  the  Masonic  order, 
and  is  an  earnest  and  zealous  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  party  as  a  member  and  chairman 
of  its  committees,  and  serving  as  a  candidate 
for  presidential  elector  in  1896  on  the  Bryan 
ticket.  In  1904  he  was  appointed  commis- 
sioner to  represent  Colorado  at  the  St.  Louis 
World's  Fair. 

HENRY  E.  WOODWARD. 

Prominent,  influential  and  highly  esteemed 
in  mining  circles  in  Colorado,  and  ardently  in- 
terested in  agriculture  and  the  means  of  irri- 
gating the  soil  to  make  it  productive,  Henry 
E.  Woodward,  of  Aspen,  is  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  Western  slope,  and  has  for  years 
been  active  and  serviceable  in  promoting  its 
progress  and  the  development  of  its  resources. 
He  was  born  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  at  the 
city  of  Madison,  on  March  15,  1857,  and  is 
the  son  of  George  E.  and  Marion  (Ash worth) 
Woodward,  both  natives  of  England,  the  fa- 
ther of  Birmingham  and  the  mother  of  Man- 
chester. The  father  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Wisconsin  when  a  boy.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  the  State  Uni- 
versity, being  one  of  the  first  graduates  from 
the  law  department  of  this  institution.  In  his 
early  manhood  he  was  connected  with  the 
newspaper  business  in  connection  with  Judge 
Welsch,  who  was  also  a  lawyer.  Later  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  at  Madison  and  achieved  a 
gratifying  success  in  the  work.  Although  an 
ardent  Democrat  in  politics,  he  voted  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  for  President  on  the  slavery  is- 
sue. He  .was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church  and  of  the  Society  of  St.  George. 
Three  children  were  born  in  the  family,  Henry 
E.,  Mrs.  Florence  Hasting  Disbrow,  of  Califor- 
nia, and  Mrs.  Nettie  L.  Ingham,  of  Aspen. 


Henry  E.,  the  first  born,  received  his  prepara- 
tory education  in  the  public  schools  and  after 
completing  the  high-school  course  entered  a 
private  school  for  a  special  course  of  training 
in  engineering.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of 
mining.  In  the  spring  of  1876  he  made  a  trip 
into  the  Black  Hills,  returning  to  Cheyenne 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  where  he  became 
employed  as  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper,  continuing 
as  such  until  1878.  Then,  having  saved  a  lit- 
tle money,  he  began  mining  on  his  own  ac- 
count, entering  the  mines  at  Leadville  as  a 
common  miner,  pushing  trucks  and  doing 
other  work  of  the  kind.  He  has  since  served 
in  every  capacity  in  the  business  and  at  present 
(1904)  is  manager  of  some  of  the  leading 
properties  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  residence. 
He  has  also  done  important  engineering  work 
at  different  times  and  places.  In  1886  he  came 
to  live  at  Aspen,  and  here  his  first  work  was 
in  connection  with  the  litigation  in  which  some 
of  the  mines  were  engaged.  He  then  became 
foreman  of  the  Spar  Consolidated  Mining 
Company  under  H.  B.  Gillispie,  then  its  mana- 
ger and  one  of  its  principal  owners.  He  next 
took  charge  of  the  Percy  Mining  Company's 
property  as  superintendent,  and  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  properties  of  that  company  ever 
since,  even  after  the  change  of  name  to  the 
Percy-La  Salle  Mining  &  Power  Company,  fol- 
lowing the  consolidation  of  the  Percy  with  the 
Castle  Creek  Tunnel  &  Power  Company,  a  cor- 
poration that  now  controls  over  two  hundred 
acres  of  good  mining  land.  In  politics  Mr. 
Woodward  ardently  supported  Democratic 
principles  and  candidates  until  the  year  1893, 
when  he  joined  the  free  silver  party.  In  re- 
ligious belief  he  is  a  firm  Seventh-day  Adven- 
tist.  On  May  2,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Patton,  a  native  of  Greensbtirg,  Deca- 
tur  county,  Indiana,  and  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Scott  and  Josephine  Patton.  Her  father  was  a 
captain  in  an  Indiana  regiment  in  the  Civil  war, 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


599 


and  after  the  close  of  the  memorable  contest 
conducted  the  National  Hotel  at  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana.  He  was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  Method- 
ists in  church  affiliation.  In  his  earlier  man- 
hood he  was  a  farmer  and  school  teacher. 
Both  parents  died  a  number  of  years  ago,  leav- 
ing two  surviving  children,  William  H.  Patton 
and  Mrs.  Woodward.  Mr.  Woodward  is 
largely  interested  in  farming  and  irrigation  in 
Delta  county,  and  by  his  intelligence  and 
breadth  of  view  he  has  been  of  great  and  lasting 
service  to  those  interests  in  that  section.  He 
is  highly  esteemed  as  a  wise  and  practical  man, 
a  good  citizen  and  a  progressive  force  in  all  the 
elements  of  county  and  state  improvement  and. 
advancement. 

MELVIN  S.   STEINBERG. 

Melvin  S.  Steinberg,  of  Pitkin  county,  this 
state,  pleasantly  located  in  a  fine  ranch  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Watson,  is  universally 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  ranch- 
men and  best  citizens  of  the  county.  He  is 
alert,  energetic  and  knowing  in  his  business, 
enterprising  and  broad-minded  in  public  affairs, 
and  earnest  and  serviceable  in  all  undertakings 
for  the  advancement  of  the  community  and  the 
comfort  and  welfare  of  its  people.  His  life 
began  at  Norfolk,  St.  Lawrence  county,  New 
York,  on  October  18,  1847,  and  he  is  .the  son  of 
Daniel  and  Sarah  Steinberg,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  and  the  latter  of 
New  York  state.  Soon  after  their  marriage 
they  located  in  New  York,  and  to  the  end  of 
their  lives  were  prosperously  engaged  in 
farming.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  stood  high  in  the 
public  esteem  of  their  community.  Five 
children  were  born  to  them,  and  of  these 
their  son  Melvin  is  now  the  only  one  living. 
The  parents  also  have  passed  away,  the  mother 


dying  in  1868  and  the  father  in  1890.  The  son 
received  only  a  common-school  education  of 
limited  extent,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  went 
to  work  regularly  as  a  full  hand  on  his  father's 
farm,  remaining  at  home  until  1868,  when  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one.  During  the 
next  two  years  he  worked  on  a  neighboring 
farm  for  wages,  then  moved  to  the  adjoining 
county  of  Franklin,  where  he  farmed  for  him- 
self two  years.  He  then  sold  out  at  a  profit 
and,  moving  to  Canada,  located  in  the  province 
of  Ontario,  engaging  in  general  farming  and 
fruit  culture  on  a  farm  which  he  bought.  He 
remained  there  so  occupied  until  the  spring  of 
1 88 1,  at  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  property 
at  a  profit  and  came  to  Colorado,  settling  at 
Denver.  Here  finding  a  demand  for  skilled 
mechanics,  and  having  a  thorough  practical 
knowledge  of  carpentering,  he  worked  at  his 
trade  and  did  well.  In  1886  he  moved  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Aspen,  and  in  the  summer  of 
that  year  located  the  excellent  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which  he  now  lives. 
This  was  virtually  unbroken  land  almost  in  its 
state  of  natural  wildness  when  he  took  hold  of 
it,  and  now  it  is  one  of  the  best  improved  and 
most  productive  in  the  region.  On  it  he  raises 
cattle  and  hay  extensively,  and  also  a  goodly 
volume  of  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits, 
currants  and  strawberries  in  particular,  which 
he  produces  in  large  quantities  and  of  excellent 
quality.  In  political  party  allegiance  he  is  inde- 
pendent, but  he  always  lends  a  potent  aid  to 
any  enterprise  for  the  good  of  the  community. 
He  was  married  on  March  22,  1871,  to  Miss 
Tresig  Mattin,  a  Canadian,  born  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Ontario,  and  the  daughter  of  Michael 
Mattin,  also  a  Canadian  by  birth,  who  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming  and  fruit-growing,  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  Of  their  eleven  children  only  three  are 
living,  George,  who  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Canada;  Leslie,  who  lives  in  Califor- 
nia ;  and  Alice,  wife  of  Hennan  Reynolds,  of 


6oo 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Denver.  Mrs.  Steinberg  died  on  September 
26,  1902,  leaving  two  children,  Lillian,  and 
George,  who  lives  in  Park  county,  this  state. 
Through  all  the  chances  and  changes  of  life, 
Mr.  Steinberg  has  preserved  a  lofty  demeanor 
of  manliness  and  courage,  meeting  every  diffi- 
culty with  a  determined  spirit  of  self-reliance 
and  performing  every  duty  with  fidelity  and 
ability.  He  is  one  of  the  most  respected  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  enter- 
prising citizens  of  Pitkin  county. 

WILLIAM   H.   HARRIS. 

Coming  as  a  pioneer  into  the  neighborhood 
of  Basalt,  Eagle  county,  when  wild  beasts  and 
savage  men  still  claimed  dominion  over  the 
wilderness,  as  it  was  then,  and  devoting  his 
energies,  with  those  of  the  few  other  civilized 
men  who  were  living  there,  to  the  development 
of  the  country,  William  H.  Harris  has  wit- 
nessed all  the  progress  of  the  region  toward 
productiveness  and  an  advanced  stage  of  de- 
velopment and  has  the  great  satisfaction  of 
having  been  a  potent  factor  in  bringing  about 
the  gratifying  results  achieved.  It  was  on  July 
1 6,  1858,  in  Clinton  county,  New  York,  that 
his  life  began,  and  his  parents  were  William 
and  Catherine  (Janes)  Harris,  natives  of  Mon- 
mouthshire, England,  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  in  the  'fifties,  and  after  passing  some 
time  in  the  state  of  New  York,  where  the  fa- 
ther worked  at  burning  charcoal,  moved  to 
Wisconsin  in  1861.  Here  they  prospered  until 
the  great  flood  of  1859  swept  away  all  their 
possessions.  While  living  in  England  both 
parents  were  members  of  the  Anglican  church, 
but  after  coming  to  this  country  they  became 
Methodists.  The  father  took  an  active  part 
in  American  politics  and  was  an  ardent  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  party.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  nine  children,  two  of  whom  met  with 
tragic  deaths.  Cyrus  was  killed  in  a  railroad 


wreck  in  Minnesota,  and  Louise,  then  Mrs 
John  Killem,  was  drowned  while  fording  a 
stream  in  Wyoming.  The  seven  who  survive 
are:  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Elkie,  of  Sey- 
mour, Wisconsin ;  Eliza,  wife  of  George  Snow, 
of  the  same  place;  Fannie,  wife  of  John  Nuen- 
bury,  of  the  vicinity  of  Carbondale;  Annie, 
wife  of  John  Carey,  of  Appleton,  Wisconsin; 
David  and  Charles  H.,  living  near  Carbondale; 
and  William  H.,  the  subject  of  this  brief  re- 
view. The  last  named  was  reared  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead,  assisting  in  its  labors  from 
boyhood,  and  was  educated  to  a  limited  extent 
at  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  began  to  earn  his  own  living,  devoting  his 
timle  to  whatever  he  could  find  to  do.  He 
worked  two  years  in  a  stave  factory  and  one 
year  as  a  farm  hand,  then  lived  a  year  and  a 
half  in  Iowa,  after  which  he  came  to  Colorado 
in  July,  1 88 1,  and  located  a  ranch,  taking  up 
a  squatter's  claim  which  he  afterwards  pre- 
empted. This  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  was  the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch 
of  eight  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  rest  hav- 
ing been  acquired  by  subsequent  purchases. 
Here  he  has  since  resided,  devoting  his  ener- 
gies to  improving  his  land  and  bringing  it  to 
an  advanced  state  of  cultivation  and  productive- 
ness. He  raises  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and 
fruits,  and  also  large  numbers  of  cattle  and 
horses,  hay  and  cattle  being  the  principal 
products.  The  ranch  is  well  supplied  with  wa- 
ter from  private  ditches  belonging  to  it,  and 
its  cultivation  is  therefore  merely  a  matter,  of 
energy  and  skill,  both  of  which  Mr.  Harris  sup- 
plies in  abundant  measure.  In  political  matters 
he  has  not  been  a  blind  follower  of  any  party 
dictation,  but  he  now  firmly  supports  the  Re- 
publican principles'.  For  a  period  of  twelve 
years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  when  he  resigned  the  position  his 
wife  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  He  also 
served  as  road  commissioner  nine  years.  Dur- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


60 1 


ing  the  past  eighteen  years  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Masons,  Elks,  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Daughters  of  Rebekah  and 
the  Rathbone  Sisters.  When  Mr.  Harris  came 
to  this  location  the  land  on  which  he  settled  was 
a  part  of  the  Ute  Indian  reservation,  and  deer, 
elk  and  all  other  sorts  of  wild  game  were  plenti- 
ful. His  mother  was  the  second  white  woman 
in  the  valley,  and  the  whole  region  was  a  verb 
able  wilderness.  In  early  days  he  received  one 
hundred  and  sixty  dollars  a  ton  for  hay  sold 
at  Aspen.  In  July,  1881,  in  company  with 
Jack  Morgan,  commonly  known  as  "Black 
Jack,"  he  crossed  the  Independence  pass  with 
their  blankets  packed  on  their  backs,  and  built 
a  cabin  for  their  shelter.  They  were  not  mo- 
lested by  the  Indians,  but  were  prepared  for 
their  reception  in  case  of  an  attack,  holes  be- 
ing left  on  all  sides  of  the  cabin  through  which 
to  shoot.  The  ditches  belonging  to  the  place 
were  begun  in  1881  and  completed  in  1884. 
There  was  no  coal  available  at  that  time,  and 
the  picks  with  which  the  digging  was  done 
were  sharpened  at  wood  fires.  Mr.  Harris  was 
one  of  the  seventeen  men  who  built  the  roacl 
around  the  mountains  near  Emma.  There 
were  only  three  cabins  in  the  valley  at  the  time, 
and  protection  against  marauding  Indians  was 
insufficient,  many  cattle  being  stolen  down  to 
1898.  Mr.  Harris  is  considered  one  of  the 
best  and  most  progressive  citizens  of  this  sec- 
tion and  his  ranch  on  the  Roaring  Fork,  be- 
tween Emma  and  Carbondale,  is  one  of  the 
very  best  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  On  Janu- 
ary 31,  .1894,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Carey,  a  native  of  Michigan,  the  marriage  li- 
cense being  the  first  issued  in  Garfield  county. 
Mrs.  Harris  is  the  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Mary  (Gleason)  Carey,  natives  of  Ireland,  who 
after  their  emigration  to  America  settled  in  the 
copper  regions  of  Michigan,  where  the  father 
acquired  valuable  interests.  Some  time  after- 
ward they  moved  to  Leadville,  this  state, 


where  he  secured  other  rich  claims,  as  he  did 
also  at  Cripple  Creek,  he  being  the  owner  of 
the  Oplin  mines,  which  are  located  on  the  Lit- 
tle Ella  Hill,  the  mineral  consisting  principally 
of  gold  quartz.  Both  parents  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church,  and  in  political  relations 
the  father  is  independent.  Three  children 
were  born  to  them,  Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  Harris, 
Timothy,  living  at  Altman,  Colorado,  and 
Margaret,  wife  of  Mert  McKenzie,  of  Cripple 
Creek.  The  parents  live  in  Denver.  In  the 
Harris  family  the  following  children  have  been 
born :  One  died  in  infancy,  Irene  in  February, 
1894,  and  Bryan  in  February,  1895;  the  three 
living  are  William  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  Basalt 
high  school,  and  now  a  student  at  the  State 
Agricultural  School  at  Fort  Collins,  and  Ralph 
C.  and  Raymond  F.,  living  at  home. 

WILLIAM  FORKER. 

William  Forker,  of  Garfield  county,  living 
on  a  well  improved  and  highly  cultivated  ranch 
eight  miles  northeast  of  Glenwood,  in  Spring 
valley,  is  a  native  of  that  great  hive  of  produc- 
tive industry  of  almost  every  kind,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  born  in  Venango  county,  that 
state,  on  April  23,  1843,  and  there  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  reared  to  habits 
of  industry  and  thrift  on  the  farm.  His  parents 
were  Levi  J.  and  Isabella  (Bell)  Forker,  natives 
of  the  same  state,  the  father  of  Venango  county 
and  the  mother  of  Westmoreland.  In  that 
state  they  were  reared,  educated  and  married, 
and  there  they  passed  the  whole  of  their  lives, 
the  father  dying  on  March  19,  1888,  and  the 
mother  in  1891.  At  the  end  of  their  long  and 
useful  lives  their  remains  were  laid  to  rest 
beneath  the  soil  which  was  hallowed  by  their 
labors  and  amid  the  people  who  held  them  in 
the  highest  esteem.  The  father  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  stock-grower  in  occupation, 
first  a  Whig  and  after  the  death  of 


6O2 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


that  party  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church 
in  religious  affiliation.  The  mother  also 
belonged  to  this  church.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living. 
John  B.,  Jane  (Mrs.  Wesley  M.  Brown)  and 
Samuel  are  residents  of  their  native  county  of 
Venango,  Pennsylvania;  William,  of  whom 
this  account  is  wrritten,  is  living  in  Garfiekl 
county,  this  state;  Perry  dwells  at  Gilsonburg. 
Ohio;  Charles  W.  in  the  state  of  Washington; 
and  Myra  (Mrs.  Addison  Ogden)  in  the  same 
state.  William  assisted  his  parents  on  the  homt 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  In  the 
meantime  he  also  worked  on  oil  wells  when  his 
services  were  not  required  at  home.  After 
reaching  his  legal  majority  he  continued  work- 
ing on  oil  wells  until  1869  when  he  embarked 
in  the  production  of  the  oil  on  his  own  account. 
After  sinking  several  wells  at  Parker's  Land- 
ing, on  the  Allegheny  river,  and  at  Mt.  Hope, 
Pennsylvania,  he  went  into  the  machine  busi- 
ness, manufacturing  oil  well  drilling  topis  and 
did  repair  work  of  all  machinery  pertaining  to 
the  production  of  oil,  following  the  business 
until  1880,  at  which  time  the  mining  boom  in 
Colorado  lured  him  from  his  native  state.  He, 
in  company  with  his  brother  Charles  W., 
landed  at  Silver  Cliff  in  Mountain  valley  and 
prospected  all  the  way  from  there  up  the  river 
to  Buena  Vista ;  thence  to  Camp  Harvard  near 
Cottonwood  Hot  Springs ;  thence  over  the  Cot- 
tonwood  mountain  to  Tincup ;  thence  up  the 
Taylor  river  and  over  Taylor  range  to  Ash- 
croft  and  Aspen  and  while,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  C.  W.  Forker,  he  was  prospecting  and 
hauling  west  of  Aspen,  discovered  the  fertile 
valley  where  he  now  resides,  christening  it 
"Spring  Valley"  from  the  numerous  springs 
arising  in  it.  This  being  an  ideal  place  for  a 
hunter,  game  being  very  plentiful  of  all  kinds 
common  to  these  mountains,  they  built  what 
might  be  called  a  hunter's  lodge,  making  their 


headquarters  here  until  the  Indians  were 
removed  and  the  land  opened  formally  to  real 
settlers  by  the  United  States  government.  At 
the  time  of  locating  here,  in  July,  1881,  the 
nearest  postoffice  and  place  of  procuring  sup- 
plies was  at  Aspen,  forty-two  miles  up  the 
Roaring  Fork,  and  as  there  were  no  wagon 
roads  west  of  Aspen  transportation  of  game 
meats  to  market  and  provisions  back  to  camp 
was  all  done  by  pack  animals.  Glenwood 
Springs  at  the  time  boasted  of  but  one  building, 
and  that  a  log  cabin  occupied  by  a  hunter  claim- 
ing the  place  as  a  townsite,  but  as  soon  as  roads 
were  built  so  that  the  afflicted  could  get  there, 
the  town  sprung  up  like  a  mushroom.  Soon 
after  locating  in  Spring  valley,  Forker  discov- 
ered coal  on  Fourmile  creek  and  opened  and 
equipped  a  mine  with  all  necessary  machinery 
and  as  soon  thereafter  as  there  was  a  demand 
for  fuel  in  Glenwood  in  1885,  opened  the  first 
coal  yard.  In  1887  they  sold  their  entire  inter- 
ests in  the  coal  business  to  the  Colorado  Fuel 
and  Iron  Company  and  Mr.  Forker  went  back 
to  his  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  to  improve  and  bring  it  into  cultiva- 
tion, which  was  no  small  task,  it  being  covered 
with  sagebrush  'and  water,  about  seventy-five 
acres  being  a  marsh  or  slough  which  has  since 
been  thoroughly  drained  and  brought  into  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  yields  good  crops 
of  the  farm  products  common  to  the  region. 
He  also  raises  cattle  and  conducts  a  dairy  busi- 
ness with  good  profits.  In  political  matters 
Mr.  Forker  is  independent  of  party  control. 
While  in  the  pil  business  he  invented  and  pat- 
ented a  number  of  devices  for  the  benefit  of 
the  industry  and  since  locating  here  has 
invented  a  camp  stove  which  is  of  the  take- 
down pattern  and  is  very  conveniently  carried 
on  a  pack  animal  over  rough  trails  in  the 
mountains,  and  is  in  great  demand  where  it  has. 
been  introduced,  being  the  tourists'  favorite. 
President  Roosevelt  and  party  having  used  one 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


603 


of  them  while  here  on  his  last  bear  hunt  near 
Glenwood  Springs.  His  last  patent,  bearing 
date  of  August  25,  1903,  consists  of  a  dehorn- 
ing device.  With  it,  horns  are  quickly  removed 
from  calves  in  such  a  manner  as  to  effectually 
stop  farther  growth  of  horn.  In  connection 
with  his  other  business,  Mr.  Forker  is  man- 
ufacturing the  last  two  named  articles  to  meet 
the  rapidly  increasing  demand  for  them.  In 
1865  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  M. 
Atwell,  a  native  of  the  same  county  as  himself, 
who  died  in  1867,  leaving  no  children,  the  two 
they  had  having  died  in  infancy.  In  1870  he 
married  Miss  Melissa  Sopher,  of  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania.  By  this  marriage  he  had 
one  son,  George  H.  Forker,  who  after  growing 
to  vigorous  manhood,  served  his  country  as  a 
private  soldier  all  through  the  Cuban  war, 
being  honorably  discharged  soon  after  peace 
was  declared.  He  now  lives  at  Spokane  Falls, 
Washington.  The  subject's  third  marriage 
occurred  on  August  17,  1897,  and  was  with 
Mrs.  Tillie  Gibson,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Eliza  Welsh,  also  Pennsylvanians  and  success- 
ful farmers  in  their  native  state.  The  father 
was  a  Republican  and  both  were  Presbyterians. 
Of  their  six  children,  only  three  are  now  living, 
Henry  and  Lucy  (Mrs.  S.  N.  Bell),  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Tillie,  in  this  state.  Mr.  Forker  is 
well  pleased  with  Colorado  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence and  of  great  opportunities  and  has  an 
ardent  devotion  to  her  welfare  and  the  ad- 
vancement of  her  interests. 

.GEORGE  W.  MELTON. 

George  W.  Melton,  of  Angora,  Rio  Blanco 
county,  this  state,  has  tried  his  hand  at  various 
pursuits  and  has  won  a  fair  success  at  all.  He 
was  born  in  Joe  Daviess  county,  Illinois,  on 
September  i,  1840,  the  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Holoway)  Melton,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Kentucky  and  became  residents  of 


Illinois  soon  after  their  marriage  and  while  the 
state  was  yet  in  an  undelevoped  condition.  In 
1856  they  moved  to  Wisconsin  where  they 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock.  The 
father  died  in  1863  and  the  mother  in  1871. 
They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  but  six 
of  whom  are  living:  William,  of  Mason  City, 
Iowa;  Louis,  of  Wheatland,  California;  George 
W. ;  Louisa,  wife  of  Martin  Finlay,  of  Mason 
City,  Iowa;  Benjamin  F.,  of  Gunnison,  Colo- 
rado, and  Mary,  wife  of  John  Elkhorn,  of 
Hamilton,  Missouri.  During  the  boyhood  and 
youth  of  Mr.  Melton  the  educational  facilities 
of  the  section  of  country  in  which  he  dwelt  were 
primitive  and  scant.  Teachers  were  employed 
to  go  from  house  to  house  to  instruct  the  chil- 
dren and  as  the  population  was  widely  scat- 
tered the  visits  were  necessarily  few.  But  the 
conditions  were  such  that  the  demands  for  the 
aid  of  every  hand  were  imperative ;  and  so  with 
but  little  teaching  in  books,  but  ample  training 
in  useful  labor,  he  reached  his  twenty-first  year 
on  the  paternal  homestead.  He  then  left  home 
and  rented  a  farm  for  himself  in  Wisconsin, 
which  he  farmed  two  years.  The  next  three  he 
passed  as  a  pilot  on  the  Mississippi,  and  then 
returned  to  shipping  wood  down  the  river  on 
boats,  and  at  the  same  time  conducted  a  hotel  at 
Fairyville,  Wisconsin,  continuing  these  pur- 
suits three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
bought  the  old  homestead  in  Wisconsin,  which 
he  sold  two  years  later  and  himself  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  he  remained  and  farmed  until 
1877.  He  then  moved  to  Kansas  and  farmed 
in  that  state  until  1881,  then  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Gothic,  Gunnison  county.  Here 
he  followed  mining  and  also  freighted  between 
Gunnison  and  Crested  Butte  and  other  points, 
making  his  home  at  Gothic  for  six  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Crystal,  this 
state,  and  has  since  continued  mining  and 
freighting.  In  1893  a  stock  company  was 
formed  for  mining  purposes  known  as  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Crystal  Mountain  Mining  and  Draining  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  served  as  manager  until  the 
company  leased  its  holdings  under  contract 
four  years  ago.  The  outfit  is  equipped  with 
first-class  machinery  for  mining  purposes  and 
does  a  flourishing  business.  Before  forming 
it  Mr.  Melton  made  several  trips  to  California. 
In  1894  he  moved  to  his  present  location  pur- 
chasing a  seventy-acre  ranch  near  the  town  of 
Angora,  on  which  he  raises  cattle  and  he  also 
continues  mining.  He  supports  the  Republican 
party  in  political  matters,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order  in  fraternal  life.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  also  an  active  Odd  Fellow. 
On  April  4,  1860,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Copper,  a  native  of  Van  Wert  county, 
Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Matilda 
(Boyd)  Copper,  who  were  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  located  in  Ohio  soon  after  their  mar- 
riage. In  1855  tney  moved  to  Wisconsin 
where  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  car- 
penter and  also  farmed..  He  was  a  Republican 
in  political  affiliation,  and  the  father  of  two 
children,  Mrs.  Melton  being  the  only  one  living. 
He  died  in  1876  and  the  mother  in  1879.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Melton  have  had  seven  children. 
Three  died  in  infancy  and  the  living  are  Mary 
(Mrs.  Frank  Fortsch,  of  Plateau  Valley)  ;  Alice 
(Mrs.  James  Jones,  of  Carbondale) ;  Charles 
R.  and  Gladys  (Mrs.  Lyman  Thompson),  on 
White  river.  The  father  served  in  the  Twen- 
ty-Seventh Iowa,  Company  B,  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  before  its  close  was  wagon 
master  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps. 

EDWIN  H.  STROUSE. 

Edwin  H.  Strouse,  a  successful  and  pros- 
perous ranchman  and  mechanic  of  Garfield 
county,  with  a  pleasant  and  productive  home 
one  mile  and  a  half  due  west  of  Newcastle,  was 
born  near  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  on  January  28, 
1859,  and  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  state 


when  he  was  about  one  year  old.  He  had  but 
little  education  in  the  schools,  being  obliged 
from  an  early  age  to  work  on  the  farm  in  the 
interest  of  his  parents,  who  had  a  large  family 
to  support  and  slender  means  to  do  it  on.  When 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  to 
learn  the  blacksmith  trade  at  Evergreen,  Jef- 
ferson county.  Two  years  later  he  began 
ranching  at  Morrison  and  continued  until  1885, 
then  moved  to  Divide  creek,  Garfield  county, 
where  he  remained  until  1887,  at  which  time  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Newcastle  and  opened 
the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  place.  The  next 
year  he  traded  this  shop  for  the  ranch  he  now 
occupies,  which  comprises  seventy  acres,  all 
under  cultivation,  twenty  acres  being  in  fruit, 
thirty  in  hay  and  the  rest  in  grain  and  vege- 
tables. He  also  raises  some  cattle,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  his  ranching  interests  devotes  a  portion 
of  his  time  to  blacksmithing  at  Newcastle,  as 
he  has  since  1902.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  May  13,  1883, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Nugent,  who 
was  born  in  Chicago  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Patrick  J.  and  Arminta  (Shadley)  Nugent,  the 
father  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  mother  of 
Illinois.  They  located  at  Chicago  early  in  their 
married  life,  and  there  the  father  won  prosper- 
ity as  a  merchant.  The  great  fire  of  1871  swept 
away  everything  he  had,  and  the  family  then 
moved  to  Denver,  this  state,  where  the  father 
kept  a  hotel.  They  next  moved  to  Jefferson 
county,  and  there  he  opened  a  meat  market  at 
Morrison  and  served  as  postmaster  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Finally  they  took  up  their  resi- 
dence at  Newcastle,  where  for  many  years  he 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  all  the  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church.  Nine  of  the  eleven  children 
born  in  the  family  survive  the  parents,  who 
died  some  years  ago,  the  mother  on  December 
8,  1888,  and  the  father  on  November  15,  1894. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


605 


John  lives  at  Denver;  William,  whose  where- 
abouts are  uncertain;  Lizzie  (Mrs.  Hardin 
Howell),  at  Humboldt,  California;  James,  at 
Sacramento,  California;  Mrs.  Strouse,  in  this 
state;  Augustus,  at  Cripple  creek,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Goldfield;  Grace  (Mrs.  Guy  Cramer), 
it  Denver;  Belle  (Mrs.  Bert  Shuffield),  at  Den- 
ver; and  Hattie  (Mrs.  William  Pennie),  at 
Glenwood  Springs,  Colorado.  Mr.  Strouse's 
parents  were  John  A.  and  Lovina  Strouse,  the 
father  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother 
of  New  York  state.  After  living  the  earlier 
years  of  their  married  life  in  Indiana  they 
moved  to  Iowa,  and  soon  afterward  came  to 
Colorado.  Of  their  ten  children  only  four  sur- 
vive them,  Edwin  H.,  Andrew  J.,  living  at 
Telluride,  William  N.,  of  Racine,  Wisconsin, 
and  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Howard  Poston,  of  Mor- 
rison, Colorado.  The  father  was  an  ardent 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strouse  have  seven  chil- 
dren, Pearl,  Edward,  Roy,  Nellie,  May,  Wil- 
liam and  Ruth. 

CHARLES  SMITH. 

So  long  as  the  West  or  any  other  portion  of 
the  yet  unsettled  country  in  our  domain  re- 
mains bountifully  supplied  with  game  and  the 
latter  has  its  fastnesses  for  shelter  so  long  will 
hunters  seek  it  and  guides  be  necessary  and 
esteemed  for  their  services,  especially  by  those 
who  have  the  benefit  of  them.  Among  the  men 
of  this  class  who  are  now  living  in  this  portion 
of  the  country  none  is  entitled  to  a  higher 
esteem  for  skill  and  daring,  for  a  knowledge  of 
game  and  its  haunts,  for  readiness  in  emergen- 
cies and  acquaintance  with  the  means  to  meet 
them,  and  for  a  geniality  of  disposition  in  con- 
ducting parties  than  Charles  Smith,  of  Buford, 
this  state.  His  reputation  is  well  established 
as  a  successful  hunter  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
country  is  so  extensive  as  to  make  him  unusu- 


ally well  qualified  as  a  guide.  His  place,  of 
nativity  was  Norway  and  he  was  born  there  on 
March  2,  1851.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States.  He  soon  after- 
ward became  a  sailor  and  made  two  voyages 
from  New  York  around  Cape  Horn,  sailing 
also  across  the  Atlantic  and  through  the  Medi- 
terranean, devoting  ten  years  of  his  young  life 
to  the  sea  with  his  established  place  of  depart- 
ure at  New  York,  and  rising  from  the  post  of 
cabin  boy  to  that  of  steward.  In  1872  he  came 
west  and,  settling  in  Wyoming,  was  engaged 
in  getting  out  ties  for  the  railroads  during  the 
next  six  years,  part  of  the  time  working  for 
others  for  wages  and  part  under  contract  for 
himself,  supplying  the  Union  Pacific  until 
1878.  Then,  after  spending  a  short  time  pros- 
pecting and  mining  in  North  Park  with  moder- 
ately good  results,  he  came  to  the  White  river 
valley  and  located  on  the  ranch  now  owned  by 
J.  H.  Frahm,  pre-empting  it  for  himself  and 
devoting  himself  to  its  improvement  with  well- 
applied  industry.  Later  he  sold  this  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  a  good  profit 
and  turned  his  attention  to  hunting  and  trap- 
ping. In  this  hazardous  but  exhilarating  occu- 
pation he  has  since  been  almost  continuously 
engaged  and  in  connection  with  it  has  been. 
a  well-known  and  much-sought  guide  for  tour- 
ists and  hunting  parties.  He  has  the  reputation 
of  having  killed  more  bear  than  any  other  man 
in  Colorado  and  is  widely  esteemed  as  a  suc- 
cessful hunter  of  all  kinds  of  game.  He  is  also 
credited  with  being  the  first  guide  of  promi- 
nence in  the  White  river  country.  At  present 
he  is  living  on  a  leased  ranch  owned  by  Dr. 
Carver  of  Denver,  which  is  used  as  a  grazing 
ground,  although  much  of  it  is  under  cultiva- 
tion dnd  produces  plentiful  supplies  of  hay  and 
grain,  the  water  being  sufficient  for  tilling  sev- 
enty-five acres.  In  his  adventurous  career  he 
has  had  many  thrilling  experiences  and  nar- 
row escapes,  but  has  enjoyed  his  life  of  hazard 


6o6 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


with  the  instinct  of  a  true  sportsman.  He  is 
earnestly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  country  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
local  affairs  as  a  Republican.  In  the  commun- 
ity at  large  he  enjoys  the  regard  and  good  will 
of  his  fellow  men. 

ANDERSON  BROTHERS. 

Olaf  and  August  Anderson,  who  compose 
the  firm  of  Anderson  Brothers,  extensive  and 
prosperous  ranch  and  cattle  mer:  living  on  a 
fine  and  well-developed  ranch  of  four  hundred 
and  forty  acres'  in  Rio  Blanco  county,  and 
there  togther  conducting  a  large  general  ranch- 
ing and  cattle  business  whereby  they  help  to 
swell  the  tides  of  commercial  life  in  their 
neighborhood,  are  natives  of  Sweden  and  sons 
of  Andrew  and  Anna  (Olson)  Anderson,  who 
were  also  born  in  that  country  and  who  were 
descendants  of  families  long  resident  there. 
The  father  was  a  good  and  prosperous  farmer, 
who  labored  diligently  and  lived  creditably  to 
the  end  of  his  days,  which  came  on  July  6, 
1878.  His  widow  and  ten  of  their  eleven  chil- 
dren survive  him.  The  children  living  are 
Assarina,  Johanna.  Nels,  Botilda,  John,  Olaf, 
Charles,  Peter,  August  and  Maria.  Both 
parents  were  raised  in  obedience  to  the  tenets 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  The  sons  who  are  the 
subjects  of  this  sketch  were  educated  at  the 
state  schools  and  acquired  habits  of  useful 
industry  on  the  paternal  homestead.  Olaf,  who 
was  born  on  April  19,  1858,  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1881  and  located  at  Glen- 
white,  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
mined  coal  under  contract  until  1883.  He  then 
returned  to  Sweden,  and  after  passing  a  year 
.there  came  back  to  Pennsylvania,  and  six 
months  afterward  migrated  to  Colorado  and 
took  up  his  residence  at  Aspen.  Here  he  was 
employed  until  1886  sorting  ore  for  Hooper  & 
Company.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  moved 


to  his  present  location  and  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  good  land  on  which  he 
started  a  ranching  and  stock  business  which  is 
a  part  of  the  enterprise  now  conducted  by  him- 
self and  his  brother.  The  latter,  August  An- 
derson, came  to  this  country  in  1881,  arriving 
on  June  ipth,  and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  Some- 
time afterward  he  moved  to  Staten  Island.  For 
awhile  he  was  employed  on  farms  for  wages, 
then  learned  the  cooper  trade.  In  1882  he  went 
to  Pennsylvania  and  thereafter  engaged  in  min- 
ing coal  until  1888,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  locating  at  Aspen,  engaged  in  mining 
until  1895,  part  of  the  time  for  wages  and  the 
rest  under  contract.  In  the  year  last  mentioned 
he  joined  his  brother  Olaf  at  their  present 
home  and  pre-empting  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  formed  a  partnership  with  him 
for  uniting  their  efforts  and  interests  in  a  busi- 
ness of  greater  magnitude.  They  have  since 
bought  an  additional  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  and  now  have  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  under  cultivation  in  hay  and  grain, 
and  also  run  a  number  of  cattle  and  horses  for 
the  market.  The  water  supply  is  good  and  the 
tillage  of  the  land  vigorous  and  skillful,  the 
returns  for  the  time  and  labor  invested  being 
large  and  steadily  increasing.  The  brothers 
are  reckoned  among  the  leading  men  in  their 
portion  of  the  county,  and  they  well  deserve 
the  esteem  in  which  they  are  held.  Both  sup- 
port the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  in 
politics  from  conviction  and  without  reference 
to  official  reward.  When  any  undertaking  for 
the  advancement  of  their  community  is  under 
consideration  they  are  among  the  first  to  help, 
longest  to  stay  and  most  substantial  to  assist. 

CHARLES  E.  BAKER. 

Born  with  a  love  of  adventure,  whether  by 
inheritance  from  his  ancestors  or  from  the 
harmonious  union  of  his  own  individual  char- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


607 


acteristics.  Charles  E.  Baker,  a  prominent  and 
successful  ranchman  of  Routt  county,  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Baker  House  at  Craig,  one  of  the 
best,  known  and  most  appreciated  hosteleries  of 
the  Western  slope  of  this  state,  has  throug-h 
life  followed  his  bent,  and  in    doing    so    has 
found  abundant   gratification  for  his  taste  in 
rambling  in  many  parts  of  our  country  and 
meeting  various  phases  of  frontier  life,  with  its 
attendant  dangers  and  privations,  and  at  the 
same  time    has    used    the    opportunities    thus 
afforded  him  to  his  own  advantage  and  greatly 
to  the  benefit  of  the  sections  where  he  has 
lived.     He  was  born  on  September  10,  1862,  at 
Lancaster,   Erie  county,    New    York,    twelve 
miles  east  of  the  city  of  Buffalo,  on    a    farm 
which  became  the  home  of  his  parents,  Horace 
S.  and  Susan  E.  Baker,  when  but  five  acres  of 
it  were  cleared  for  cultivation,  and  on  which  the 
father  died  in  1894,  and  the  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing. His  father  grew  to  maturity  and  on  reach- 
ing his  legal  majority  he  could  have  bought 
land  which  is  now  well  within  the  city  limits  of 
Buffalo  and  covered  with  buildings  of  great 
value  at  two  dollars  and  a  half  an  acre,  but  he 
did  not  invest,  because  it  was  all  swampy  and 
the  chance  of  its    growing    into    value    was 
remote,  and  at  that  time  seemed  highly  improb- 
able in  his  lifetime.   Mr.  Baker  received  a  good 
academic    education    at    the    Clarence    Acad- 
emy near  his  home,   and   followed  it   with   a 
special  course  of  thorough  training  in  penman- 
ship in  Michigan,  having  mastered  in  his  aca- 
demic career  the  ordinary    English    branches, 
science  and  bookkeeping,  as  far  as  they  were 
then  taught  in  the  school  he    attended.      His 
mind  is  eminently  practical  and  combines  good 
business  faculties  with  the  power  of  scholastic 
attainments,  and  the  imagination  that  has  im- 
pelled him  to  seek    adventures    and    a    wide 
knowledge  of  the  country,  and  the  qualities  of 
self-reliance  and  resourcefulness  which  make 
him  equal  to  any  emergency  and  ready  to  get 


the  most  out  of  any  opportunity  that  presents 
itself  in  the  way  of  business  or  enjoyment.  At 
an  early  age  he  developed  a  great  fondness  for 
hunting  and  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of 
age  he  bought  a  shot  gun  for  two  dollars  and 
a  half,  without  the  knowledge  of  his  parents 
and  much  to  the  alarm  of  his  mother,  who  said 
when  she  found  out  about  his  purchase,  that  it 
would  be  the  cause  of  his  death.  He  was  in 
that  period  of  his  life  a  very  venturesome 
youth,  and  after  visiting  Forepaugh's  circus  on 
one  occasion  he  tried  some  of  the  trick  riding 
he  witnessed  in  the  show,  succeeding  in  stand- 
ing on  a  horse's  back  and  riding  it  for  a  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  yards, 
to  a  point  where  the  animal  jumped  from  the 
grassy  roadside  to  the  middle  of  the  road  and 
threw  the  rider  on  his  head.  From  boyhood 
he  had  a  burning  desire  to  come  west  to  follow 
his  favorite  occupation  of  hunting  and  trap- 
ping, believing  he  could  make  a  fortune 
at  the  business.  His  parents  opposed  his 
desire  vigorously,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  determined  to  run  away  from 
home  to  gratify  it;  and  by  way  of  prepar- 
ation he  rolled  up  a  bundle  of  clothes  and  sup- 
plies for  his  journey.  But  when  night  ap- 
proached, and  he  realized  the  difficulty  of  find- 
ing a  safe  and  suitable  place  at  which  to  pass 
the  night,  and  impelled  also  by  filial  regard  for 
his  parents  and  their  wishes,  he  quietly  unrolled 
his  bundle  and  determined  to  remain  at  home  a 
while  longer.  Lest  fear  should  be  accounted  his 
chief  cause  for  giving  up  his  design,  it  should 
be  recorded  that  he  was  a  very  conscientious 
youth,  with  a  sense  of  obedience  to  the  com- 
mands of  his  parents  as  his  ruling  impulse.  One 
evening  at  this  period  of  his  life  at  home,  he 
told  his  mother  an  untruth  which  so  worried 
him  that  he  was  unable  to  sleep  the  greater 
part  of  the  night,  and  hung  like  a  pall  on  his 
spirits  all  next  morning.  At  dinner  he  burst 
out  crying  and  confessed  his  error,  and  then 


6o8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


his  sky  cleared  and  became  bright  with  sun- 
shine once  more.  After  leaving  school  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a  large  store;  but  not  liking 
the  business,  at  the  end  of  six  months  he  took 
charge  of  a  school  of  eighty-six  pupils,  which  he 
taught  to  the  end  of  the  term  for  that  year.  He 
then  put  in  two  summers  gardening  for  the 
Buffalo  markets,  but  finding  one  of  the  seasons 
too  dry  and  the  other  too  wet  for  profitable 
gardening,  he  determined  to  seek  a  more  cer- 
tain and  remunerative  employment,  and  went 
to  Tuscola  county,  Michigan,  and  in  less  than 
a  month  was  again  clerking  in  a  store,  and  soon 
afterward  was  teaching  school  in  his  new  loca- 
tion. He  had  as  a  pupil  in  his  school  a  young 
lady  named  Miss  Cora  A.  Miller,  with  whom 
he  fell  in  love,  and  at  the  end  of  the  second 
term  they  were  engaged  to  be  married.  Being 
troubled  with  catarrh  and  learning  of  the  bene- 
ficial effects  of  the  climate  of  Colorado  to  suf- 
ferers from  that  and  kindred  complaints,  he 
came  to  this  state,  promising  to  return  for  his 
bride  in  five  years.  His  first  winter  in  Colo- 
rado, that  of  1884-5,  he  passed  as  principal  of 
the  public  school  at  Castle  Rock,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  school  year  located  in  Routt 
county,  where  he  took  up  a  body  of  ranch  land. 
A  number  of  subsequent  winters  were  spent  in 
teaching  school  and  the  summers  in  improving 
and  developing  his  ranch.  In  the  spring  of 
1889  he  returned  to  Michigan,  and  on  March 
-i  4th  of  that  year  he  was  married  at  Kintner, 
that  state,  to  Miss  Miller,  who  came  with  him 
to  Colorado  soon  afterward  and  has  ever  since 
been  a  resident  of  the  land  of  incalculable  min- 
eral wealth,  boundless  plains,  varied  industries, 
unprofitable  sage  brush  and  almost  perennial 
sunshine.  There  was  only  one  white  woman 
besides  Mrs.  Baker  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles 
of  her  home  when  she  came  hither  and  the 
nearest  doctor  was  twenty  miles  distant.  But 
she  was  inured  to  frontier  life  and  met  its  haz- 
ards and  hardships  with  a  resolute  and  cheerful 


spirit.  Her  grandfather  cut  a  trail  fourteen 
miles  through  the  forest  to  his  Michigan  land 
when  he  located  on  it,  and  there  she  was  reared 
amid  the  scenes  and  experiences  of  the  wilder- 
ness, acquiring  therefrom  the  courage  and  self- 
dependence  characteristic  of  and  requisite  on 
'  the  frontier.  Since  the  marriage  she  has  in  all 
respects  done  her  part  faithfully  and  diligently 
to  advance  the  common  interests  of  herself  and 
her  husband,  proving  herself  a  helpmeet  in 
word  and  deed  in  his  every  trial  and  difficulty. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Maud  S.,  who  was 
born  at  Hahn's  Peak  on  April  25,  1890,  twen- 
ty-five miles  from  a  doctor  and  snowshoeing 
being  necessary  for  fifteen  miles  of  that  dis- 
tance. In  the  fall  of  1889  Mr.  Baker  was 
elected  county  clerk  and  recorder,  and  at  the 
end  of  his  term  in  1891  declined  a  second  nom- 
ination because  the  last  preceding  legislature 
had  passed  a  salary  and  fee  law  of  which  he  did 
not  approve.  He  has  always  adhered  to  the 
Republican  party,  but  it  has  been  his  invariable 
custom  to  vote  for  the  men  he  considered  best 
for  the  offices  for  which  they  were  nominated 
without  regard  to  party  claims.  While  not  a 
believer  in  fraternal  societies,  regarding  them 
as  more  detrimental  than  beneficial  to  men  in 
the  main,  he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  because  of  the  beneficial  features  of  the 
organization.  He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Church  of  the  Disciples,  but  has  broadened  his 
views  to  the  belief  that  men  should  be  judged 
by  their  daily  walk  and  conversation  rather 
than  by  their  church  affiliations  and  profes- 
sions. After  leaving  the  office  of  county  clerk 
and  recorder,  Mr.  Baker  settled  on  his  ranch 
on  Fortification  creek,  and  found  he  had  an 
expensive  property  to  develop,  as  a  long  ditch 
and  large  reservoir  were  required  to  irrigate 
the  land  to  productiveness.  These  he  built  at 
considerable  expense  of  labor  and  money,  but 
his  enterprise  has  been  rewarded  by  securing 
to  him  one  of  the  best  range  properties  in  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


609 


county.  In  addition  to  this  ranch  and  the  ex- 
tensive horse  business  which  it  supports,  Mr. 
Baker  operates  two  mail  lines,  and  conducts 
the  Baker  House  at  Craig.  This  hotel  has  an 
excellent  reputation  and  is  especially  favored 
by  those  modern  knights  errant,  the  commer- 
cial tourists,  who  find  in  it  a  comfortable  home 
for  such  time  as  they  can  spend  there,  with  a 
table  unsurpassed  in  range  and  excellence  of 
provision,  good  rooms  well  furnished  and  a 
genial  and  obliging  landlord  and  landlady,  who 
are  always  solicitous  for  the  substantial  com- 
fort and  best  interests  of  their  guests..  Their 
own  experience  in  privation  and  danger,  in  toil 
and  perseverance,  have  given  them  an  impres- 
sive knowledge  of  the  wants  of  the  traveling 
public,  and  they  lay  all  their  resources  under 
tribute  to  provide  for  those  wants  in  ample 
measure  and  the  best  style  attainable  under  the 
circumstances.  In  working  out  the  past  prog- 
ress of  Routt  county  they  have  done  well  their 
utmost  in  several  lines  of  active  usefulness,  and 
in  the  new  day  of  increased  railroad  facilities 
and  other  advantages  now  opening  for  this 
region  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  they  will  reap 
the  reward  of  their  fidelity. 

JAMES  J.  DAVIDSON. 

It  is  of  old  Pennsylvania  stock  that  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  comes,  his  parents,  George 
W.  and  Nancy  Davidson,  being  natives  of  that 
state  and  belonging  to  families  long  resident 
on  its  prolific  soil.  The  elder  Davidsons  farmed 
in  their  native  state  and  in  Ohio,  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  the  latter  being  their  final  home.  The 
father  served  on  the  Union  side  in  the  Civil 
war,  going  in  as  a  private  and  being  mustered 
out  as  a  captain.  He  made  a  good  record  and, 
although  in  many  important  engagements,  he 
escaped  unhurt.  He  was  also  successful  in 
farming.  He  ardently  supported  the  Republi- 
can party  in  politics,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 

39 


were  Methodists.  They  had»a  family  of  nine 
children,  Maria,  John,  George,  Joseph,  Hiram, 
James  J.,  William,  Nancy  and  Katharine. 
Joseph  and  George  are  dead.  James  J.  was  born 
in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  on  June  30,  1831. 
He  attended  the  common  schools  and  early  in 
life  took  his  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  world's 
workers  so  as  not  to  be  a  charge  on  his  parents 
or  others.  He  remiained  on  the  home 
farm  in  Illinois  until  1847,  then  started 
on  a  trip  to  California  with  an  ox 
team,  but  on  reaching  Utah  he  aban- 
doned the  journey  temporarily  and  accepted 
employment  in  caring  for  stock.  In  1849  ne 
completed  his  trip  to  the  Golden  State  and  after 
arriving  below  Auburn  on  the  American  river, 
he  located  some  placer  mines  which  proved  to 
be  rich  and  very  profitable.  The  failure  of  his 
health  obliged  him  to  seek  a  milder  climate  and 
he  went  in  1850  to  southern  California,  locating 
in  San  Bernardino  county  and  afterward  mov- 
ing to  Los  Angeles  county.  There  he  gave 
attention  to  ranching  and  raising  stock  and  also 
engaged  somewhat  in  teaming.  He  remained 
until  1875,  then  disposed  of  all  his  California 
interests  and  moved  to  Wyoming,  locating  on 
Snake  river,  taking  a  squatter's  right  to  a  good 
tract  of  land  which  he  improved  and  lived  on 
until  1880,  then  sold  at  a  good  profit.  During 
that  year  he  changed  his  residence  to  Colorado, 
making  his  home  with  his  son  George,  who 
owns  one  of  the  best  ranches  of  its  size  in  Routt 
county,  productive  in  grain,  hay  and  vegetables 
and  is  furnished  with  good  buildings  and  other 
improvements,  containing  a  wide  grazing  range 
for  the  cattle  which  are  produced  in  numbers, 
and  well  watered  for  purposes  of  irrigation. 
When  the  son  located  here  the  nearest  settler 
was  Mr.  Perkins,  on  Snake  river,  sixteen  miles 
distant.  Mr.  Davidson  is  a  Republican  in  politi- 
cal conviction  and  action  and  a  serviceable 
worker  for  the  success  of  his  party.  He  was 
married  on  September  4,  1851,  to  Miss  Lydia 


6io 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Shepherd,  a  native  of  Clay  county,  Missouri, 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Charity  Shepherd, 
who  were  born  in  Vermont,  and  who,  after  liv- 
ing in  a  number  of  places,  finally  located  in 
California,  where  they  ended  their  lives.  The 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  wrar  of  1812,  a 
wheelwright  by  trade  and  in  later  years  of  his 
life  a  fanner.  He  died  in  October,  1877,  hav- 
ing survived  his  wife  just  six  months.  Their 
only  living  child  is  Mrs.  Davidson.  She  and 
her  husband  have  had  fourteen  children,  but 
six  of  whom  are  living:  Viola,  wife  of  Lycur- 
gus  Colbert ;  George  W. ;  Winifred,  wife  of 
William  Ham ;  Ethel,  wife  of  Price  Sims ;  An- 
drew and  Carl.  The  ranch  in  which  Mr.  Dav- 
idson is  interested  is  managed  by  his  son 
George  W.,  who  married  on  February  17, 
1883,  to  Miss  Emma  Lamb,  a  native  of  Iowa. 
The  son,  like  the  father,  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  CHARLES  TEMPLE. 

Although  the  son  of  parents  born  in  Scot- 
land and  reared  in  Ireland,  the  prominent  and 
progressive  ranch  and  cattle  man  who  is  the 
subject  of  this  article  is  a  native  of  Colorado 
and  has  passed  the  whole  of  his  manhood  so 
far  within  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Clear 
Creek  county  on  January  7,  1867,  and  is  the  son 
of  James  E.  and  Rebecca  Temple,  who  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  soon  after  their 
marriage  and  located  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
There  the  father  served  as  captain  on  a  steam- 
boat on  the  Mississippi  until  1860,  then  came  to 
this  state  and  took  up  his  residence  near  Black 
Hawk,  Gilpin  county,  where  he  followed  min- 
ing two  years  without  success.  In  1862  he 
moved  to  Clear  Creek  county,  and  after  farm- 
ing there  a  short  time  returned  to  Black  Hawk 
and  resumed  his  mining  operations,  which  he 
continued  at  that  place  until  1869.  In  that  year 
he  moved  his  family  to  New  Mexico,  and 
there  he  was  more  fortunate,  locating  several 


valuable  mines,  among  them  the  Touse  at  Cim- 
maron.  In  1871  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  conducted  a  dairy  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  the  industry  at  Cim- 
maron.  Two  years  later  he  moved  eastward 
in  the  territory  but  kept  on  in  the  same  lines  of 
activity  three  years  longer.  In  1876  he  began 
to  devote  his  attention  to  raising  cattle  exclu- 
sively and  carried  on  the  business  extensively. 
He  was  a  successful  man  in  his  various  enter- 
prises, and  in  political  faith  was  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  died  in  March,  1886,  and 
his  wife. passed  away  in  1899.  Six  of  their  chil- 
dren are  living,  Edward  J.,  Joseph  R.,  William 
O.,  John  Charles,  Harry  R.  and  Frank  L.  John 
Charles  is  practically  a  self-made  man.  He 
attended  the  common  schools,  but  in  an  irregu- 
lar way  owing  to  the  migratory  life  of  the  fam- 
ily. When  he  was  approaching  manhood  he 
had  an  opportunity  to  attend  two  terms  at  the 
Denver  University,  and  being  quick  and  stu- 
dious, he  made  good  use  of  his  time  there. 
From  boyhood  he  assisted  his  parents,  remain- 
ing with  them  in  New  Mexico  until  1885.  He 
then  returned  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Maybell,  Routt  county,  on  Bear  river. 
Here  he  was  employed  in  looking  after  cattle 
and  remained  until  1890.  There  were  but  few 
settlers  on  the  river  then  and  the  life  of  Mr. 
Temple  was  almost  devoid  of  congenial  associa- 
tions. But  he  had  a  fund  of  entertainment 
within  himself,  and  the  ministrations  of  nature 
were  always  pleasing  and  fruitful  of  inspira- 
tion to  him.  She  opened  to  him  a  theater  of 
boundless  life,  and  held  forth  a  cup  brimming 
with  redundant  pleasure,  of  which  he  could 
fearlessly  drink,  gaining  new  vigor  with  every 
draught  and  finding  no  dregs  of  bitterness  at 
the  bottom.  In  1890  he  purchased  the  ranch 
he  now  owns  and  occupies,  which  was  one  of 
the  first  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Hayden,  and 
now  one  of  the  best.  It  comprises  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  of  which  he  can  culti- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


611 


vate  four  hundred  in  hay,  grain  and  vege- 
tables, but  hay  and  cattle  are  his  chief  produc- 
tions and  most  profitable  resource.  He  has 
made  many  fine  improvements  on  his  ranch 
and  carried  its  cultivation  forward  to  a  high 
state.  His  cattle  are  grade  Shorthorns  and  they 
have  an  exalted  rank  in  the  stock  industry  of 
the  state.  Politically  Mr.  Temple  is  a  Republi- 
can and  fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
Woodman  of  the  World.  He  was  married  on 
December  24,  1895,  to  Miss  Daisy  Dowden,  a 
native  of  Colorado,  born  in  Jefferson  county. 
They  have  four  children,  James  R.,  Laura  M., 
Frank  L.  and  Dora.  Mrs.  Temple  is  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  M.  and  Anna  L.  Dowden, 
natives  of  Indiana  who  came  to  Colorado  to 
live  in  1866  and  are  now  prosperously  engaged 
in  farming  near  Grand  Junction.  The  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat.  Eight  children  were  born  in  the 
household,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Anna  R. 
(Mrs.  Walker),  Nellie  E.,  Carrie  C,  Ella  G., 
Mrs.  Temple  and  Willie.  While  living  in  New 
Mexico  Mr.  Temple  saw  Indians  who  were 
wards  of  the  government  and  supposed  to  be 
entirely  peaceful  and  who  drew  their  supplies 
at  Cimmaron,  massacre  white  persons  and  steal 
cattle.  His  people  were  living  remote  from  the 
main  roads  and  on  that  account  escaped  injury. 
The  fighting  Indians  were  Utes  and  Apaches, 

JOSEPH  J.  JONES. 

Joseph  J.  Jones,  sheriff  of  Routt  county 
since  1901,  when  he  was  first  elected  as  a 
Republican,  having  been  a  devoted  supporter 
of  that  party  during  all  his  manhood,  and  one 
of  the  prominent  and  progressive  ranch  and 
stock  men  of  the  county,  is  a  native  of  Mahas- 
ka  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  on  Janu- 
ary 31,  1869.  He  is  the  son  of  Price  and  Dor- 
cas (Long)  Jones,  who  had  two  children,  Alva 
and  Joseph.  The  father  was  a  Freemason  fra- 


ternally and  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  war,  being 
a  member  of  the  Sixth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  died 
in  March,  1882,  ten  years  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  which  occurred  in  1872.  Their  son  Joseph 
received  a  limited  education  at  the  public 
schools,  and  in  1882  left  home  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  being  thirteen  years  old  at 
the  time.  In  1880  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Kansas  and  the  next  year  to  Pitkin,  this 
state,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  railroad 
company.  From  1882  to  1886  he  worked  on 
farms  in  Iowa,  then  passed  a  year  going 
through  various  parts  of  Iowa,  Kansas  and 
Nebraska.  In  1887  he  became  again  a  resident 
of  Colorado,  but  after  a  short  residence  in  Den- 
ver, went  to  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  where  he 
passed  a  year  engaged  in  various  kinds  of 
work.  From  1888  to  1892  he  had  charge  of 
the  Mclntosh  horse  ranch  in  Routt  county.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  moved  to  Routt  county 
and  located  near  Hay  den.  Here  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Carley  &  Jones 
until  1896,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
cattle  industry,  serving  as  foreman  for  J.  L. 
Norvell.  In  1898  he  bought  the  Ed.  Smith 
ranch,  which  comprises  five  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres,  of  which  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
are  under  cultivation  in  hay  and  grain.  Cattle, 
horses  and  hay  are  his  chief  products  and  these 
he  raises  in  good  qualities  and  extensively.  In 
1901  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  is 
still  filling  the  office.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  On  June  n,  1895,  ne 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ada  Hormald,  a 
native  of  Iowa.  They  have  one  son,  Gilbert  J. 
In  his  business  Mr.  Jones  is  upright,  reliable 
and  progressive;  in  the  discharge  of  his  offi- 
cial duties  he  is  honest,  fearless  and  attentive, 
and  in  all  the  relations  of  private  and  social 
life  he  is  correct,  straightforward  and  manly. 
He  is  one  of  the  universally  popular  and  es- 


6l2 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


teemed  citizens  of  the  county,  whose  names  are 
as  household  words  in  every  section  and  indica- 
tive of  the  best  attributes  of  American  citizen- 
ship. 

WILLIAM  M.  KITCHENS. 

Born  at  Cornwall,  England,  on  January 
20,  1861,  William  M.  Kitchens  was  bred  to 
the  occupation  of  mining,  in  which  his  fore- 
fathers had  been  engaged  for  generations.  And 
it  was  but  natural  that  when  he  left  the  un- 
promising land  of  his  birth  and  sought  the 
greater  freedom  of  choice  and  wealth  of  op- 
portunity in  this  country,  he  should  betake 
himself  to  the  same  occupation  and  seek  ad- 
vancement in  the  region  of  its  greatest  activity. 
And  although  he  probably  knew  it  not  when  he 
set  sail  for  the  new  horizon  of  his  hopes,  it 
was  equally  natural  that  when  he  found  here 
mining  to  be  but  one  of  the  many  industries 
open  to  thrift  and  enterprise,  and  a  boundless 
domain  of  unoccupied  land  waiting  for  the  call 
of  the  husbandman  to  bring  it  forth  to  pro- 
ductiveness and  beauty,  he  should  find  a  rest- 
ing place  and  a  permanent  home  on  a  ranch, 
which  offered  good  returns  for  his  labor  with- 
out the  uncertainty  and  danger  of  prospecting 
or  working  in  the  mines.  This  has  been  the 
lot  of  thousands  of  his  countrymen  and  others 
in  this  land  of  varied  fruitfulness,  who  have 
turned  from  seeking  what  is  far  under  ground 
to  the  more  welcome  and  agreeable  task  of  find- 
ing what  its  surface  will  yield  to  systematic 
and  well  applied  industry.  Mr.  Kitchens  had 
but  limited  opportunities  for  attending  school 
and  received  only  a  common-school  education. 
He  remained  at  home  and  worked  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  nineteen,  then  in  1880  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  for  a  few  months  at  Johns- 
town, Pennsylvania,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment in  the  steel  works.  In  the  autumn  of  that 
year  he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  settling 


at  Central  City,  where  he  engaged  in  mining 
for  wages  and  on  leased  properties  until  1886, 
fortune  smiling  on  his  efforts  and  enriching 
him  with  good  returns.  In  the  year  last  named 
he  determined  to  turn  his  attention  to  ranch- 
ing, and  to  this  end  he  pre-empted  a  portion 
of  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and  settled  on  his 
claim.  He  has  increased  his  tract  to  two  hun- 
dred acres,  all  of  which  is  tillable  and  yields 
good  crops  of  the  products  usual  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. His  principal  resources  are,  how- 
ever, cattle  and  hay,  and  these  he  produces  in 
great  abundance  and  the  best  quality,  his  cattle 
being  Shorthorns  and  Herefords,  and  his 
horses  of  the  most  admired  strains.  He  owns 
two  celebrated  stallions,  Grover  Cleveland  and 
Teddy  Roosevelt,  and  raises  the  best  horses 
in  the  country.  His  ranch  has  been  so  well 
improved  by  his  own  enterprise  and  skill  that  it 
is  considered  one  of  the  best  of  its  size  in  the 
county.  It  is  well  located  eight  miles  north- 
west of  Steamboat  Springs,  abundantly  watered 
and  judiciously  cultivated.  It  also  contains  the 
first  oil  well  bored  in  the  county,  arid  in  this 
shows  promise  of  great  value  by  further  de- 
velopment. In  addition  to  the  ranch  Mr. 
Kitchens  owrns  a  body  of  very  promising  coal 
land  on  the  Twenty-Mile  road.  He  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  political  allegiance,  an  Odd  Fel- 
low in  fraternal  life,  and  a  progressive  and 
prominent  citizen  in  the  general  estimation  of 
the  community.  On  April  16,  1885,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Edith  Young,  a 
native  of  Darlington,  Yorkshire,  England. 
They  had  four  children,  William  H.,  Ethel, 
Percival  D.  and  George  E.  Their  mother  died 
on  January  31,  1898,  and  in  July,  1899,  tne 
father  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Ellen 
Blight,  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Retta  S.  Mr.  Kitchens  is 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Harrietta  Kitchens, 
English  by  nativity,  who  passed  the  whole  of 
their  lives  in  their  native  land,  where  the  father 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO, 


613 


was  a  hard-working  and  prosperous  miner,  and 
both  were  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  The  mother  died  on  September  6, 
1885,  and  the  father  in  1896.  They  had  a 
family  of  nine  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  other  eight  are  yet  living, 
William  M.,  James  H.,  Richard,  John,  Joseph, 
Frederick,  Mary  A.  and  Amelia.  Mr.  Hitchens 
is  loyal  to  the  land  of  his  adoption  and  takes  an 
active  and  intelligent  interest  in  all  its  affairs. 
He  seeks  no  post  of  honor  or  profit  in  the  coun- 
cils of  his  political  party,  being  content  to  aid 
in  its  success  from  purely  patriotic  motives  and 
to  give  the  benefit  of  his  influence  and  energy 
to  local  matters  of  value  without  regard  to 
party  considerations.  He  has  been  of  substan- 
tial service  in  developing  and  improving  the 
section  in  which  he  lives,  and  has  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  its  people  to  a  marked  degree. 

JAMES  PI.   HITCHENS. 

The  three  Hitchens  brothers,  James  H., 
William  M.  and  Joseph,  who  in  youth  or  early 
manhood  left  their  native  land  and  became 
members  of  the  hardy  band  of  pioneers  who 
were  destined  to  redeem  from  the  wilderness 
and  transform-  into  productive  and  smiling 
settlements  a  vast  area  of  this  great  state,  are, 
as  they  deserve  to  be,  recognized  as  among  the 
best  citizens  of  Routt  county,  and  have  given 
character  and  force  to  the  spirit  of  progress  in 
the  region  which  has  the  benefit  of  their  resi- 
dence. For  although  they  live  many  miles 
apart,  and  in  many  of  the  older  communities 
of  our  country  would  scarcely  be  thought  of  as 
residents  of  the  same  vicinity,  are  in  this  re- 
gion of  sparse  settlement  and  magnificent  dis- 
tances near  neighbors  and  impelled  by  the 
same  aspirations,  connected  with  the  same  in- 
terests and  share  a  common  destiny  with  widely 
scattered  families.  Of  these  worthy  men  the 
subject  of  this  review  is  the  oldest  and  he  was 


the  first  to  start  a  career  in  Colorado.  He  was 
born  at  Port  Quinn,  England,  on  January  4, 
1853,  the  son  °f  Henry  and  Harrietta  Hitch- 
ens,  of  whom  more  extended  mention  is  made 
in  the  sketch  of  William  M.  Hitchens,  to  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  received  a 
very  limited  common-school  education  in  his 
native  land,  where  he  remained  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty,  from  his  boyhood  working 
there  in  the  mines  in  the  interest  of  his  parents. 
In  1873  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  devoted  some  time 
to  work  in  the  coal  and  iron  mines.  From 
there  he  went  to  Centralia,  in  the  same  state, 
and  passed  six  months  in  the  same  occupation, 
then  returned  to  Johnstown,  where  he  contin- 
ued mining  twelve  months  longer.  He  then 
came  to  Colorado  in  1875  and  for  a  month 
followed  quartz  mining  at  Georgetown.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  moved  to  Central 
City,  and  after  eight  months  of  work  in  the 
mines  there  for  wages  and  on  leased  claims  on 
his  own  account,  he  returned  to  England  on  a 
visit,  which  he  protracted  into  a  stay  of  two 
years.  In  1878  he  returned  to  this  country 
and  once  more  located  at  Johnstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1879,  when  he  again  came  to  Colorado  and 
engaged  in  quartz  mining,  at  which  he  was  em- 
ployed until  1883.  During  the  next  four  years 
he  was  busily  occupied  in  hauling  ore  under 
contract.  In  1887  he  sold  all  his  teams  and  the 
rest  of  his  outfit  except  enough  to  move  him  to 
the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Pool,  Routt  county,  and  begin  the 
work  of  clearing  and  cultivating  his  land.  He 
journeyed  to  this  section  by  way  of  Birthned 
pass  and  Middle,  overland  with  his  teams,  and 
took  up  the  land  on  a  homestead  claim.  From 
that  time  until  the  present  he  has  lived  on  his 
ranch,  steadily  improving  it,  enlarging  his 
arable  acreage  and  building  up  his  cattle  indus- 
try. The  land  has  proven  kind  and  responsive 


614 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  now  yields  him  good  annual  crops 
of  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vegetables,  and 
he  has  provided  it  with  good  buildings  am- 
ple for  his  uses.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival 
'there  were  but  few  settlers  in  this  part  of  the 
county  and  wild  game  was  so  abundant  that 
he  could  kill  almost  everything  he  wanted 
with  rocks  and  stones.  Through  his  efforts 
and  those  of  others  impelled  by  the  same  de- 
sires, the  conditions  have  been  changed  from 
those  of  a  frontier  wilderness  to  a  state  of  ad- 
vanced and  advancing  civilization  and  prog- 
ress. A  vast  extent  of  productive  country  and 
its  abundant  yield  of  cereals,  hay  and  cattle 
have  been  added  to  the  available  wealth  of  the 
country  and  a  new  county  has  risen  to  adorn, 
dignify  and  enrich  the  state.  To  this  transfor- 
mation Mr.  Kitchens  has  contributed  his  full 
share  of  the  necessary  labor  and  support,  and 
in  the  direction  of  public  sentiment  and  the 
government  of  local  interests  he  has  had  a  po- 
tential and  wholesome  influence.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political  allegiance,  and  since  1900 
he  has  rendered  his  community  good  service 
as  postmaster.  On  January  20,  1876,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Blight,  a 
native  of  county  Cornwall,  England,  and  nine 
children  have  blessed  their  union.  Of  these  an 
infant,  James  H.,  Harrietta  and  Annie  have 
died,  and  Eliza  (Mrs.  Church  Van  Cleve), 
Henry,  Mary  E.,  Chester  A.  and  Albert  R.  are 
•living. 

JOHN  N.  WESTON. 

A  native  of  Prussia,  born  on  March  17, 
1844,  John  N.  Weston,  of  near  Steamboat 
Springs,  Routt  county,  is  passing  the  evening 
of  his  life  far  from  the  scenes  and  associations 
of  his  childhood,  but  has  found  in  his  new  home 
opportunity  for  advancement  beyond  what  was 
offered  in  his  native  land  and  plenty  of  room 
for  the  application  of  his  native  industry, 
thrift  and  progressive  spirit.  He  is  the  son 
of  Edward  and  Mary  E.  (Schwingel)  Weston, 


also  Prussians  by  nativity,  who  emigrated  to 
this  country  in  1850,  and  after  residing  a  year 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  moved  farther  up 
the  Allegheny,  locating  in  Armstrong  county, 
where  they  remained  until  death  ended  their  la- 
bors. The  father  was  a  blacksmith  in  his  na- 
tive land  and  followed  farming  in  the  United 
States.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  in  church  affiliation  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  Lutherans.  Their  offspring 
numbered  fifteen,  of  whom  but  three  are  living, 
Mrs.  John  Moore,  Philip  and  John  N.  The 
parents  died  many  years  ago.  John  N.,  the 
youngest  of  their  living  children,  assumed  the 
duties  of  manhood  and  began  to  make  his  own 
living  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  received 
but  slender  schooling  except  from  the  exact- 
ing but  thorough  taskmaster  experience,  but 
felt  the  force  and  appreciated  that  teacher's  les- 
sons early  in  his  youth.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  an  upholsterer,  but  did  not  confine  his  at- 
tention to  it  for  any  long  continued  portion  of 
time.  Soon  after  leaving  home  he  moved  to 
Ohio,  and  remained  in  that  state,  located  at 
Steubenville  and  Carlton  until  1879.  In  that 
year  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Breckenridge,  where  he  remained  nine 
years,  working  in  the  mines  for  wages  and  on 
his  own  claims.  He  was  among  the  first  set- 
tlers at  that  once  busy  camp  and  his  success  in 
his  mining  operations  was  very  good.  In  1888 
he  moved  to  Routt  county  and  located  a  ranch, 
which  after  improving  it  he  sold  in  1903,  then 
took  up  his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  Elk  river  through  desert  claims. 
This  he  has  also  improved  and  reduced  to  ac- 
tive productiveness.  Being  among  the  first 
settlers  on  the  Elk,  he  had  choice  of  land  and 
location,  and  was  able  to  make  his  real  estate 
ventures  profitable  through  his  foresight  and 
business  capacity  backed  up  with  ample  energy 
and  close  attention  to  his  business.  He  is  prom- 
inent in  his  community  and  is  looked  upon  as 
one  of  the  most  progressive  men  there.  But 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


615 


his  life  has  not  been  wholly  passed  in  the  pur- 
suits of  peaceful  industry  and  business.  When 
the  impending  cloud  of  a  civil  war  burst  upon 
our  unhappy  land  he  promptly  volunteered  in 
defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member  of  the  Sev- 
enty-fourth Pennsylvania  Infantry,  Company 
F,  and  in  the  momentous  contest  served  until 
1864,  being  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Fort  Ethan  Allen.  During  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment he  was  much  in  the  field  and  faced  death 
in  many  forms,  suffering  also  the  hardships 
and  privations  of  military  life  in  camp,  on  the 
march  and  where  Red  Battle  stamped  his  im- 
perious foot.  On  April  24,  1865,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Patrick,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. She  died  on  January  26,  1884,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Minnie,  now  the  wife  of  George 
Carey.  On  July  20,  1885,  Mr.  Weston  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage,  being  united  with 
Miss  Almaretta  Hill,  a  native  of  Monroe 
county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Jane  (Milligan)  Hill,  who  were  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  died  in  Ohio,  whither  they  moved 
soon  after  their  marriage.  The  father  was  a 
prosperous  and  skillful  shoemaker,  and  both 
parents  \vere  devout  Methodists.  They  had 
five  children,  of  whom  two  are  living,  Mrs. 
Weston  and  Mrs.  Nelson  Benson.  The  mother 
died  on  June  26,  1848,  and  the  father  on  March 
27,  1887.  Mr.  Weston  did  not  find,  even  in 
Colorado  and  in  times  of  peace,  all  the  condi- 
tions of  life  agreeable  or  even  affording  the 
common  comforts.  For  months  after  settling 
on  his  present  home  he  lived  in  a  little  log 
shack  hastily  erected  without  a  floor  except  the 
earth,  the  mother  from  which  we  spring  and 
the  last  resting  place  to  which  we  are  con- 
signed. 

PHILIP  R.  McKINNIS. 

After  trying  his  hand  at  various  pursuits  in 
different  states  and  experiencing  alternate  suc- 
cesses and  reverses,  which  is  the  frequent  lot 


of  wandering  workmen,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view came  to  Colorado  in  1887  and  became  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Sidney, 
Routt  county.  He  had  one  dollar  and  seventy- 
five  cents  in  money  on  his  arrival,  and  with 
nothing  more  than  that  sum  and  his  hopeful 
and  self-reliant  nature,  determined  to  throw 
himself  on  the  bounty  of  the  soil  and  work  out 
an  estate  in  a  wild  but  promising  region  which 
then  contained  but  one  settler.  He  took  up  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wholly 
uncultivated  latfd  under  a  homestead  claim, 
which  was  as  yet  virgin  to  the  plow,  was  still 
covered  with  its  uncomely  growth  of  sage  and 
had  not  long  ceased  to  echo  the  tread  and  bear 
the  footprints  of  its  former  savage  inhabitants. 
The  denizens  of  the  wilderness  still  abounded 
and  they  were  not  only  unable  and  unwilling  to 
aid  in  the  establishment  of  civilization  and  the 
production  of  the  fruits  of  cultivation,  but  stub- 
bornly and  ferociously  resisted  every  attempt 
toward  such  a  change.  Mr.  McKinnis  was, 
however,  not  daunted  by  these  conditions,  but 
resolutely  set  to  work  to  reclaim  his  land  and 
make  it  habitable  and  productive.  What  it  is 
today  he  has  made  it,  and  if  it  should  in  justice 
be  said  that  his  ranch  is  one  of  the  good  and 
promising  ones  of  this  section,  it  must  be  al- 
lowed, with  equal  justice,  that  he  alone  is  en- 
titled to  the  credit  for  the  transformation,  ex- 
cept so  far  as  his  family  have  assisted  him, 
which  they  have  done  with  the  same  spirit  of 
energy  and  determination  he  has  himself  ex- 
hibited. He  was  born  at  Knoxville,  Marion 
county,  Iowa,  on  August  13,  1851,  and  is.  the 
son  of  Craner  and  Catherine  McKinnis,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  moved  to  Iowa  some  years 
after  their  marriage,  and  there  they  ended  their 
days,  the  father  dying  on  October  i,  1898,  and 
the  mother  on  October  12,  1900.  They  were 
industrious  farmers  and  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and 


6i6 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


are  -now  living.  They  are  John  L.,  Theodore 
T.,  Martha,  Philip  R.,  David  W.,  Richard  R.; 
Bird  D.,  Ernest  C.  and  Ida.  The  father  was 
an  active  Democrat  and  took  a  good  citizen's 
part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  community. 
Their  son  Philip  received  a  good  education,  at- 
tending the  common  and  high  schools,  an  ex- 
cellent academy  at  Knoxville  and  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Business  College  at  Burlington, 
Iowa.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  then  began  farming  for 
himself  in  his  native  county,  following  this 
independent  but  exacting  pursuit  under  such 
circumstances  four  years.  He  then  sold  his 
interests  in  Iowa  and  moved  to  Oregon,  where 
he  engaged  in  saw-mill  work  near  Summerville 
until  1881,  finding  his  business  profitable,  as 
his  farming  has  been.  But  the  air  around  him 
was  full  of  invitation  to  the  mining  industry 
with  golden  promises  of  speedy  and  easily  ac- 
quired fortune,  and  selling  his  outfit  and  other 
property  in  Oregon,  he  went  to  prospecting, 
following  the  will-o'-the-wisp,  as  that  business 
so  often  proves  to  be,  through  Idaho,  Oregon 
and  Montana,  not  only  winning  nothing  in  the 
pursuit  but  losing  the  results  of  his  former  en- 
terprises. In  1886  he  made  a  visit  to  his  old 
Iowa  home,  and  the  next  year  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  on  his  present  ranch  in  Routt 
county,  as  has  been  recounted.  Eighty  acres 
of  his  ranch  are  under  good  cultivation  in  hay, 
grain  and  vegetables,  and  he  has  built  up  an  ex- 
tensive and  expanding  industry  in  raising  good 
cattle  and  horses  for  the  market.  He  is  about 
seven  miles 'south  of  Steamboat  Springs,  and 
therefore  finds  easy  shipment  and  ready  sale 
for  his  productions,  and  as  the  country  around 
him  is  rapidly  settling  up  and  improving,  his 
property  is  increasing  in  value  by  natural  in- 
crement as  well  as  by  the  application  of  his  own 
industry  and  business  acumen.  Politically  he 
supports  the  Democratic  party,  as  his  father  did 
before  him,  but  not  for  that  reason,  being  a 


man  of  strong  convictions  by  his  own  reading 
and  observation.  Fraternally  he  is  associated 
with  the  order  of  Freemasons,  finding  pleasure 
and  profit  in  its  mysteries  and  moral  teach- 
ings and  in  the  good  fellowship  which  it  so 
richly  engenders. 

JOHN  L.  HARRIS. 

It  is  interesting  in  the  career  of  any  man 
to  have  settled  in  a  new  country  when  in  its 
wild  condition,  abounding  in  the  untamed  prod- 
ucts to  which  it  has  been  given  up  for  centur- 
ies, when  the  primeval  forest  still  shelters  the 
soil  from  the  sunshine,  when  wild  beasts  and 
yet  more  savage  men  are  its  only  forms  of  ani- 
mal life,  and  its  spreading  prairies  are  verdant 
with  only  the  unprofitable  vegetation  or  un- 
tamed grasses  and  gay  with  only  the  wild  flow- 
ers indigenous  to  the  uncultivated  soil,  and  live 
to  see  it  blooming  and  fruitful  with  all  the 
products  of  cultivated  life  and  abounding  in 
all  the  blessed  concomitants  of  civilization,  even 
if  he  have  no  extensive  part  in  bringing  about 
the  change.  Such  a  man  is  a  connecting  link 
between  the  active,  stirring  and  often  soul  har- 
rowing present,  and  the  easy,  listless,  fruitless, 
and  seemingly  inanimate  past.  But  when  it 
can  be  added  that  he  has  contributed  substan- 
tially and  essentially  to  effecting  the  change, 
both  in  directing  the  forces  that  have  wrought 
it  and  in  swelling  their  volume,  the  subject  be- 
comes one  of  striking  and  thrilling  eventful- 
ness.  Such  a  subject  is  he  who  now  engages 
attention  in  the  person  of  John  L.  Harris,  of 
Routt  county,  whose  attractive  and  highly  im- 
proved ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  tillable  land  is  a  pleasure  to  the  eye,  and 
whose  large  and  well  managed  cattle  business 
gives  agreeable  food  for  thought  to  the  mind. 
Mr.  Harris  is  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  Ten- 
nessee, born  on  April  7,  1862,  and  the  son  of 
George  W.  and  Mary  E.  Harris,  also  natives 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


617 


of  Tennessee,  where  the  mother  died  on  Febru- 
ary 8,  1896,  a'nd  the  father  is  still  living.  The 
latter  has  been  all  his  life  a  successful  farmer, 
a  man  of  public-spirit,  and  a  citizen  ardently 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  country,  and  es- 
pecially to  that  of  his  own  county  and  state, 
finding  that  welfare  best  provided  for,  accord- 
ing to  his  convictions,  in  the  principles  and 
miethods  of  government  of  the  Republican 
party,  which  he  has  loyally  supported  from  his 
early  manhood.  Ten  children  born  to  this 
couple  are  living,  Sallie  C.,  wife  of  William 
W.  Adair,  whose  story  is  told  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  John  L.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
writing;  James;  William;  George;  Martha, 
wife  of  John  Carpenter;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Jo- 
seph Carpenter;  Tennie,  wife  of  Louis  Myers; 
Mrs.  William  Dehart  and  Mrs.  James  Stillion. 
John  L.  had  in  youth  the  usual  experience  of 
country  boys  of  his  class  and  locality,  attending 
the  country  schools  when  he  could  and  at  other 
times  assisting  in  work  on  the  farm.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
old,  then  started  in  life  for  himself,  working  on 
farms,  teaching  school  and  clerking  in  stores  in 
his  native  state  until  1886.  He  then  went  to 
Texas  and  remained  .  there  one  year  and  in 
1887  he  came  to  Golorado  and  located  a  ranch 
at  Cross  miountain,  at  the  same  time  engaging 
with  the  Lily  Park  Cattle  Company  as  a  range 
rider  and  ranch  hand,  remaining  with  this  com- 
pany five  years.  In  1891  he  quit  its  service, 
sold  his  ranch  at  a  good  profit,  and  left  for 
Wyoming,  where  he  passed  nearly  a  year  work- 
ing in  the  cattle  industry  and  at  other  occupa- 
tions. In  1892  he  returned  to  this  state,  select- 
ing Steamboat  Springs  as  his  home,  and  there 
he  went  into  mercantile  business  with  William 
W.  Adair,  the  connection  lasting  until  1897, 
when  he  severed  it  and  bought  the  ranch  which 
he  now  owns  and  occupies.  This  comprises 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  on  it  he 
made  all  the  improvements  it  contains  and 


brought  to  cultivation  the  whole  body  of  its 
land.  Here  also  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
profitable  cattle  business,  giving  close  and  con- 
stant attention  to  its  needs  and  studying  all  its 
features  and  details  with  the  eye  of  an  obser- 
vant master.  To  such  an  extent  has  he  made 
this  study  effective  that  he  is  regarded  an  au- 
thority on  all  questions  touching  the  industry 
from  its  start  to  its  end.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  as  such  takes  an  earnest  and  serv- 
iceable part  in  the  councils  and  campaigns  of 
his  party,  at  the  same  time  devoting  an  enlight- 
ened intelligence  and  fruitful  energy  to  the  best 
interests  of  his  community  and  county  without 
regard  to  party  considerations. 

SAMUEL  CARMON  REID. 

Boldly  daring  the  dangers  and  privations 
of  a  remote  frontier  life,  having-been  one  of  the 
first  four  settlers  in  the  Yampa  valley,  Routt 
county,  this  state,  where  he  is  still  living, 
Samuel  C.  Reid  has  seen  this  section  in  its 
state  of  primeval  wilderness  and  has  aided 
greatly,  in  bringing  it  from  that  to  its  present 
condition  of  progress,  prosperity  and  product- 
iveness. He  was  born  at  Florence,  Lauderdal 
county,  Alabama,  on  July  8,  1845,  and  i§  the 
son  of  John  and  Lethia  (Stafford)  Reid,  na- 
tives of  near  Nashville,  Tennessee.  They 
moved  early  in  their  married  life  to  Alabama 
and  there  they  ended  their  days,  the  mother 
dying  in  1863  and  the  father  in  1868.  The 
father  was  superintendent  of  the  old  Florence 
Bridge  Company.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  enjoyed  considerable  local  promi- 
nence and  influence.  Both  parents  were 
Methodists.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living,  Mrs.  James  G.  Kerby,  Mrs. 
James  Horn  and  their  son  Samuel.  The  last 
named  started  out  in  life  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years  and  since  then  has  made 
his  own  living.  He  secured  a  limited  education 


6i8 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


in  the  common  and  preparatory  schools  of  his 
section  of  the   country   and   remained   in  his 
native  state  until  he  became  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  most  of  the  time  being  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits  as  a  clerk  for  others  and  in  busi- 
ness for  himself.     In  1880,  impelled  by  failing 
health,   he  came  to   Colorado   and   located   at 
Breckenridge,  where  for  three  years  he  served 
as  a  salesman  for  Henry  Wilcox.     In  1883  he 
took  up  a   homestead   eleven   miles   south   of 
Yampa,  Routt  county,  and  to  this  he  has  since 
added  an  equal  tract  of  land,  making  his  whole 
ranch  now  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  The 
land  was  all  in  wild  sage  brush  when  he  settled 
on  it  and  wholly  without  improvements  of  any 
kind.     He  took  it  as  it  had  lain  uncultivated 
for  ages,  and  has  changed  it  into  a  good  farm 
and  a  comfortable  home,  rich  in  fertility,  yield- 
ing large  quantities  of  excellent  hay  and  sup- 
porting a  numerous  brood  of  'high-grade  cattle, 
and  furnished  with  all  the  concomitants  of  a 
comfortable  home.     Two  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  the  combined  tract  are  under  vigorous 
cultivation,    and   this   acreage   is   steadily   ex- 
panding as  the  facilities  for  irrigation  are  en- 
larged.     Wild   game   was   plentiful   when   he 
came  here  and  the  arduous  toil  of  the  ranch 
was  regularly  relieved  by  the  sport  of  the  hunts- 
man, the  rewards  of  which  were  abundant.  Mr. 
Reid  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in  politics  and  has 
served  as  treasurer  of  the  county,  having  been 
-  elected  to  the  office  in  1898  and  held  it  two 
years.     Fraternally  he  is  an  enthusiastic  Free- 
mason, being  a  past  master  of  Ejaria  Lodge, 
No.  1 06,  of  the  order  at  Yampa.    He  was  mar- 
ried on  October  3,  1871,  to  Miss  Ida  Young,  a 
native  of  Lancaster,  Ohio.     During  the  Civil 
war  Mr.    Reid   saw  active   service  under  the 
banners  of  the  Confederacy  as  a  member  of 
Company  H,  Fourth  Alabama  Cavalry.    He  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  progressive  citi- 
zens of  Routt  county,  and  justifies  in  all  his 
demeanor  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held 
by  all  classes  of  its  people. 


ARNOLD  POWELL. 

Prominent    and   useful    in   his    citizenship, 
popular  and  highly  esteemed  in  all  parts  of  the 
county,  and  for  several  years  a  valued  official 
as  a  county  commissioner,  Arnold  Powell,  of 
the  Yampa  valley,  Routt  county,  has  found  in 
this  state  a  fruitful  field  for  his  enterprise  and 
suitable  opportunities  for  engaging  his  facul- 
ties with  success  and  profit.     He  was  born  in 
London,   England,  on  October  20,    1864,  and 
is  the  son  of  George  H.  and  Mary  R.  Powell, 
the  father  a  native  of  England  and  the  mother 
of  Scotland.    The  father  was  a  successful  mer- 
chant in  his  native  land  and  there  both  parents 
died,  the  mother  in  1885  and  the  father  in  1890. 
After  receiving  a  good  education  their  son  Ar- 
nold started  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
at  the  age  of  Seventeen,  and  in  this  effort  se- 
cured employment  at  office  work  in  his  native 
city  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Colorado  near  Florissant, 
Teller  county,  where  for  three  years  he  was 
unprofitably  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising 
stock.     In  1890  he  moved  to  the  Yampa  valley 
in  Routt  county,  where  he  now  has  two  distinct 
ranches  comprising  together  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  and  carries  on  'extensive  ranching 
and    cattle-growing   operations.      One-half   of 
his  land  is  tillable  and  he  produces  large  quan- 
tities of  excellent  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vege- 
tables.    Hay  and  stock  are  his  main  reliances 
and  in  the  latter  he  gives  special  attention  to 
raising   Shorthorn   cattle   and  fine   grades   of 
horses.     Taking  an  active  and  helpful  interest 
in  the  progress  of  the  county,   he  served  as 
county  commissioner  from   1899  to   1901   in- 
clusive, and  performed  his  official  duties  greatly 
to  his  own  credit  and  the  benefit  of  the  people. 
He  was  married  on  July   10,    1889,   to   Miss 
Edith  M.   Sumner,  a  native  of  Buckingham- 
shire,   England.      They    have    one    daughter, 
Edith  Netta.    It  is  the  great  benefaction  of  this 
country  that  it  has  afforded  ample  opportunity 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


619 


for  occupation  and  fortune  to  hosts  of  the  citi- 
zens of  other  lands  overcrowded  with  a  redun- 
dant population  and  gladly  welcomed  them 
hither  to  enjoy  that  benefaction.  And  it  is  the 
glory  of  our  immigrant  population  that  it  has 
embraced  the  opportunities  here  afforded  them, 
and  entering  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the  times 
and  country,  have  coalesced  with  the  rest  of 
the  people  and  united  in  the  stern  and  intense 
endeavor  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation  and 
bring  forth  for  the  use  and  blessing  of  man- 
kind the  boundless  wealth  of  the  domain,  at 
the  same  time  helping  to  weld  around  their  new 
home  a  chain  of  civilizing  and  elevating  agen- 
cies, so  that  while  the  material  wealth  of  the 
country  has  been  developed  its  moral  and  social 
welfare  has  not  been  neglected.  In  this  work 
Mr.  Powell  has  cheerfully  borne  his  share  and 
to  its  progress  and  full  fruition  has,  in  his  day, 
contributed  all  the  force  of  his  active  and  in- 
ventive mind  and  the  yigor  of  his  tireless  en- 
ergy. The  result  is  his  high  standing  as  a  wise 
and  useful  citizen  and  a  leading  and  represent- 
ative man  in  his  section  of  the  county  in  which 
he  has  cast  his  lot. 

SAMUEL  FIX. 

This  early  settler  and  prominent  and  very 
progressive  citizen  of  Routt  county,  who  lives 
on  and  operates  a  fine  ranch  of  his  own  located 
two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Yampa, 
comprising  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
he  secured  on  homestead,  pre-emption  and  tim- 
ber culture  claims,  in  a  region  where  he  was  the 
first  settler,  is  a  native  of  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  born  on  April  22,  1848. 
His  parents,  Michael. and  Mary  (Kissinger) 
Fix,  were  also  Pennsylvanians  by  nativity,  and 
moved  from  their  native  state  to  Indiana,  and 
in  1857  from  the  latter  state  to  Kansas,  where 
they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They 
were  prosperous  farmers  wherever  they  lived, 


and  laid  down  their  earthly  trust  at  advanced 
ages  a  number  of  years  ago.  Their  offspring 
numbered  eleven,  three  of  whom  died  and  eight 
are  living,  Samuel,  Mrs.  Larch,  Mrs.  Simon, 
Mrs.  Schade,  Mrs.  Thierer,  Mrs.  Falk,  John 
R.  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Bower.  Samuel  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Kansas  and 
remained  at  home  assisting  his  parents  until 
1869.  He  then  passed  some  time  as  a  clerk  in 
a  store  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter, 
which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1870  he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  making 
the  journey  to  this  state  overland  from  Wichita, 
Kansas,  starting  there  as  a  cowboy  and  working 
his  way  westward  as  such  until  he  reached 
Georgetown,  Gilpin  county.  He  made  this 
town  his  headquarters  and  prospected  for 
mines  in  the  vicinity  until  1879,  when  he  moved 
to  Montezuma  and  a  few  months  later  to  Lead- 
ville.  At  Leadville  and  Kokomo  he  wrorked  at 
his  trade  until  1883,  in  which  year  he  moved  to 
his  present  residence,  becoming  the  first  settler 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Yampa.  At  the  time  of 
his  arrival  in  this  section  he  found  himself  the 
lone  occupant  of  a  vast  waste,  unprofitably  gay 
with  wild  sage  and  given  up  to  the  untamed 
habitants  which  roamed  at  will  over  its  broad 
expanse,  contesting  his  right  to  invade  their 
hitherto  unquestioned  domain,  yet  yielding 
their  tribute  to  his  needs  at  the  behest  of  his 
unerring  rifle,  as  occasion  required.  He  at  once 
began  the  great  work  of  creating  a  comfort- 
able home  and  a  productive  farm  in  this  waste, 
and  has  so  far  succeeded  that  he  now  has  four 
hundred  acres  of  his  land  under  good  culti- 
vation and  has  improved  the  ranch  with  com- 
modious buildings  and  other  structures,  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  choice  properties  of  the  district. 
Hay  and  cattle  are  his  chief  products,  and  these 
he  raises  in  abundance,  but  he  also  produces 
Targe  crops  of  grain  and  hardy  vegetables.  In 
1893,  for  his  own  profit  and  to  supply  the  needs 
of  a  rapidly  growing  community,  Mr.  Fix 


620 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


opened  the  first  general  store  at  Yampa,  and 
this  he  carried  on  until  1902.  He  has  also 
invested  largely  in  town  property  at  Yampa 
and  is  one  of  the  chief  real  estate  owners  in 
the  neighborhood.  In  political  allegiance  he 
is  a  pronounced  Democrat,  and  in  fraternal 
relations  an  active  and  earnest  Odd  Fellow. 
While  he  has  never  married,  he  maintains  a 
comfortable  home  on  his  ranch  and  there  dis- 
penses a  generous  hospitality  which  ministers 
to  the  pleasure  of  his  friends  and  the  wants  of 
the  chance  comer.  Many  a  way-worn  traveler 
has  found  the  shelter  of  his  roof  and  the 
sustenance  of  his  table  in  this  region  almost  de- 
void of  public  entertainment,  and  gone  on  his 
way  invoking  blessings  on  his  head.  In  the 
public  affairs  of  the  county  he  has  a  potent 
voice,  and  his  influence  is  seasoned  with  wis- 
dom and  alive  with  energy.  Among  the  pro- 
gressive and  representative  men  of  the  section 
he  has  deservedly  a  high  rank. 

CHARLES  HENRY  McCOY. 

While  fate  laid  upon  the  pioneers  of  this 
and  other  states  a  heavy  burden  of  care,  toil 
and  danger,  and  freighted  the  argosy  of  their 
hopes  with  hardships  and  privations,  she  did 
not  leave  them  wholly  without  some  recom- 
pense besides  the  chance  to  win  a  good  estate 
from  her  wildernesses,  in  that  she  gave  them 
opportunity  to  build  an  enduring  memorial  of 
their  early  trials  and  later  triumphs  in  some 
town  or  county  named  in  their  honor,  which 
marked  the  outpost  of  civilization  at  which 
they  camped  and  thus  inscribed  their 
names  on  fame's  imperishable  records, 
to  signalize  their  courage  and  persever- 
ance in  settling  a  new  section  after 
the  march  of  progress  and  enlightenment,  of 
development  and  industrial  life,  of  civilization 
and  culture  had  gone  far  beyond  them.  This 
was  the  fate  of  the  subject  of  this  brief  memoir, 


who  came  to  the  portion  of  what  is  now  Eagle 
county,  in  which  he  now  lives,  when  it  was 
still  the  abode  of  the  Indian  and  the  beast  of 
prey,  and  started  its  redemption  from  the  waste 
to  the -uses  and  profit  of  mankind.  Mr.  Mc- 
Coy was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  at  the 
village  of  Clayton,  on  April  15,  1842,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Martha  J.  (Watson)  Mc- 
Coy, natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  born  in 
Garrard  and  the  latter  in  Boyle  county.  They 
moved  from  their  native  state  to  Illinois  soon 
after  their  marriage  and  there  they  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives,  successfully  engaged 
in  farming.  The  father  was  an  earnest  and 
active  Republican  in  political  affiliation  and  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  his 
wife  also  belonged.  He  died  in  1884  and  she 
in  1892.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children. 
Three  of  them,  Emma,  Alta  and  John  D.,  are 
dead,  the  latter  dying  two  years  ago  in  Lords- 
burg,  California;  Blatchford  A.  and  Charles 
Henry  are  living.  The  last  named  received  a 
common-school  education  of  limited  extent  in 
his  native  state,  remaining  with  his  parents  un- 
til the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  en- 
listed in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member  of 
the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  served  in  this 
regiment  until  September  4,  1864,  when  he 
was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  He 
then  located  in  Knox  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1879.  In  that 
year  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Lead- 
ville,  where  he  remained  ten  years,  prospecting 
and  mining  with-  varying  success  there  and  at 
KokomO,  conducting  also  at  times  a  teaming 
and  hotel  business.  He  expended  a  consider- 
able amount  of  his  gains  in  developing  mining 
properties,  and  from  some  of  his  ventures 
reaped  rich  rewards,  while  from  others  he  got 
nothing.  In  1889  he  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Eagle 
county,  and  when  a  postoffice  was  established 
on  it  it  was  named  McCoy  in  his  honor.  He 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


621 


has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  land 
in  good  tillable  condition  and  raises  large  crops 
of  hay,  grain  and  fruits.  The  improvements 
he  has  made  on  the  place  are  substantial  and  in 
good  style,  making  his  ranch  one  of  the  most 
attractive  homes  in  the  county.  He  carries  on 
an  extensive  cattle  business,  favoring  thorough- 
bred Herefords,  of  which  he  has  a  large  num- 
ber. From  the  foundation  of  the  office  he  has 
been  the  postmaster  at  McCoy,  and  he  now 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  post- 
master in  the  county  by  length  of  continuous 
service.  He  also  served  on  the  school  board 
and  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public 
many  years.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  stanch 
'  Republican,  and,  in  fraternal  life  belongs  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  now  also  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  at  McCoy,  in  addition  .to  his 
ranching  and  stock  industry,  and  is  credited 
with  conducting  the  best  hotel  in  western  Colo- 
rado. On  September  4,  1865,  he  was  married 
to  Miss.  Rebecca  Burke,  a  native  of  Adams 
county,  Illinois.  They  have  had  six  children, 
of  whom  Edgar,  Bertram  and  Francis  C.  have 
died  and  John  F.,  Charles  B.  and  Frederick  C. 
are  living,  highly  respected  by  all. 

CHARLES  B.  ROBERTS. 

Charles  B.  Roberts,  who  is  one  of  the  most 
extensive  ranch  and  cattle  men  in  Routt 
county,  having  a  ranch  of  eleven  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  of  which  nine  hundred  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  eighteen  miles  south  of 
Yampa,  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  on 
January  i,  1864,  on  land  that  is  now  far 
within  the  limits  of  Chicago,  which  was  then 
a  city  of  less  than  thirty  years  old  but  had 
already  a  population  of  nearly  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand.  He  is  the  son  of 
.William  and  Harriett  Roberts,  natives  of  Eng- 
land who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  soon 


after  their  marriage  and  located  near  Chicago, 
where  the  father  started  and  for  years  con- 
ducted a  sash,  blind  and  door  factory,  the  first 
of  the  kind  in  that  part  of  the  country.     He 
died  there  in  May,    1896,  and  the  mother  is 
still  living  there.     The  father  was  an  ardent 
Republican  in  political  allegiance  and  always 
gave  earnest  and  effective  service  to  his  party. 
Two  of  the  children  in  the  family  are  living, 
Alice    M.,    wife    of    William    Cuthbert,    and 
Charles  B.    The  latter  had  good  educational  ad- 
vantages   while    at    home    and    supplemented 
them  by  attending  school  after  he  started  in 
life    for   himself.     He   became   a    resident   of 
Routt  county  in   1883,  and  purchasing  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land   in  Burns 
basin,  began  ranching  and  raising  cattle,  and 
he  has  so  prospered  in  his  undertaking  that  he 
has  increased  his  ranch  to  its  present  size  by 
subsequent  purchases  from  his  earnings  on  the 
first  tract,  and  out  of  the  same  revenues  has 
made  all  the  extensive  and  valuable  improve- 
ments of  the  place.    The  ranch  was  one  of  the 
first  two  located  in  that  section  of  the  county, 
the  one  owned  by  Dr.  Butler  and  James  Sanden 
being  the  other.    The  water  right  appertaining 
to  it  is  the  first  one  from  the  source  of  supply 
and  is  independent.  It  furnishes  a  good  body  of 
water  and  has  helped  to  make  the  place   so 
fruitful  and  valuable,  with  nine  hundred  acres 
under  cultivation  and   the  rest  good  pasture 
land.     When  Mr.  Roberts  made  his  first  pur- 
chase there  were  but  five  settlers  in  all  this 
region    and    the    nearest    trading    post    was 
Georgetown,    more    than    seventy-five    miles 
distant.    All  the  products  suited  to  the  soil  and 
climate  are  raised  abundantly,  but  the  main  re- 
liance is  on  hay  and  cattle.    The  owner  has  so 
expan.ded  his  business  and  so  successfully  con- 
ducted it  that  he  has  stimulated  others  to  in- 
creased activity  and  aided  greatly  in  opening 
the  region  to  additional  settlers.    Since  August, 
1903,  he  has  been  carrying  on  a  meat  market 


622 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


at  Yampa,  Handling  range  cattle  principally. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican  in  national  affairs, 
and  in  fraternal  circles  is  an  ardent  third-de- 
gree Mason.     He  has  at  various  times  made 
diligent  efforts  to  locate  paying  mining  claims, 
but  in  this  has  not  been  very  successful.     He 
owns,    however,    considerable    real    estate    of 
value  in  addition  to  his  ranch,  one  piece  being 
one  of  the  most  imposing  and  complete  resi- 
dences at  Yampa.    Venturing  his  all  as  a  young 
man  on  the  wild  llanos  of  a  remote  and  un- 
settled section  of  the  country,  and  waiting  with 
lofty  and  enduring  patience  for  the  good  re- 
sults that  he  felt  must   follow  persistent  and 
well-applied  labor,  this  prominent  and  progres- 
sive citizen  is  now  reaping  the  rewards  of  his 
confidence  and  industry  in  a  large  and  steadily 
increasing  income,  and  has  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  also  that  he  has  helped  to  give  to 
the  wealth  and  comfort  of  the  world  a  new 
domain  of  vast  extent  and  enormous  worth. 

THOMAS  CAROLAN. 

It  is  much  to  say  in  a  man's  praise  that  he 
is  a  self-made  man ;  and  when  it  can  be  added 
that  he  is  also  generally  respected,  prominent 
and  progressive,  and  meets  all  the  requirements 
of  an  elevated  citizenship  with  fidelity  and  use- 
fulness, not  much  more  could  be  attributed  to 
him  that  is  worthy  of  human  regard.  All  this 
"can  be  truthfully  said  of  Thomas  Carolan, 'one 
of  the  prosperous  and  enterprising  ranch  and 
cattle  men  of  Eagle  county,  who  was  born  near 
Ouincy  in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  on  Febru- 
ary 23,  1860,  and  is  the  son  of  Andrew  and 
Bridget  (Riley)  Carolan,  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  in  early  life 
and  located  in  Illinois  in  1832.  The  father  is 
a  successful  farmer,  a  Catholic  in  religion  and 
a  pronounced  Democrat  in  politics.  His  wife 
also  belongs  to  the  Catholic  church.  They  still 
live  in  Illinois  and  four  of  their  eight  children 
are  living,  Mary,  Catherine,  John  and  Thomas. 


The  last  named  was  reared  to  the  age  of  twenty 
on  his  father's  farm  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.    In  1880,  assuming  the  burden  of 
life  for  himself,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Florence  in  Fremont  county.     There 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company  two  years,  then  late  in  1881  he  moved 
to  St.   Elmo,  Chaffee  county,  and  turned  his 
energies   to   prospecting   in   quartz,    following 
this     industry    eighteen    months.       He    next 
moved  to  the  Bear  river  country,  with  head- 
quarters near   Craig,   going  there  in   the   fall 
of    1884,   and  started  there  a  cattle  business 
which  he  carried  on  until  1896.     In  that  year 
he  sold  his  cattle  and  the  ranch  which  he  had 
improved  and  returned  to  Illinois,  intending  to 
locate  again  in  that  state.     But  because  of  the 
recollection  of  the  opportunities  for  advance- 
ment open  to  thrift  and  enterprise  in  Colorado, 
he  determined  to  return  to  this  state  and  make 
it  his  permanent  home.     In  1900  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch  in  Brush  creek  valley,  Eagle 
county,    comprising    one    hundred    and    sixty 
acres,  of  which  one  hundred  can  be  cultivated. 
The  ranch  is  well  watered  and  yields  abundant 
supplies  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  but  hay 
and  cattle  are  his  chief  products.     Being  only 
eight  miles  east  of  Eagle,  he  has  a  ready  mar- 
ket of  easy  access,  and  is  able  to  conduct  his 
business  with  every  facility  for  quick  sales  and 
the  best  prices.    Politically  he  supports  with  ar- 
dor  the   Democratic   party.      On   August    n, 
1896,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary 
E.    Rogers,  who,  like    himself,  was    born    in 
Adams  county,  Illinois.    They  have  a  pleasant 
home  in  which  both  are  greatly  interested,  and 
stand  well  in  the  regard  and  good  will  of  all 
who  know  them. 

JOSEPH  LEROY  CUNNINGHAM. 

Of  Irish  and  Canadian  parentage,  and  in- 
heriting the  commendable  traits  of  the  two 
peoples,  Joseph  LeRoy  Cunningham,  of  near 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


623 


Avon,  Eagle  county,  where  he  conducts  a  pros- 
perous and  profitable  ranch  and  cattle  industry, 
has  made  good  use  of  his  faculties  and  oppor- 
tunities, and  in  so  doing  has  contributed  es- 
sentially and  substantially  in  helping  to  open 
to  settlement  and  cultivation  a  new  region  in 
the  wilds  of  this  state,  and  causing  it  to  bloom 
and  fructify  with  all  the  products  of  civiliza- 
tion. He  is  the  son  of  Conn  and  Ellen  Cun- 
ningham, the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and 
the  latter  of  Canada,  who  moved  to  Illinois 
many  years  ago  and  there  ended  their  days  in 
the  peaceful  and  independent  life  of  a  good 
farm,  the  mother  dying  in  1888  and  the 
father  in  1895.  Their  son  Joseph,  the  last  born 
of  their  six  living  children,,  came  into  the 
world  on  August  26,  1853,  at  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  attended  the  common  schools 
and  the  Christian  College  at  Abingdon,  Illinois, 
remaining  with  his  parents  until  1880,  assist- 
ing on  their  farm  and  farming  other  land  in 
addition.  In  the  year  last  named  he  left  the 
parental  roof  and  came  west  to  Carson,  Iowa, 
where  he  passed  two  years  in  profitable  farm- 
ing, then,  in  1882,  came  to  Colorado,  and  lo- 
cating at  Leadville,  conducted  a  grocery  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Thomas  H.  five 
years.  They  prospered  in  the  enterprise,  and  in 
1887  Joseph  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained nearly  a  year,  coming  back  to  Colorado 
in  the  spring  of  1888,  and  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Gilman  and  there  starting  another 
grocery  store.  This  happened  to  be  a  credit 
community,  however,  and  lack  of  payments 
by  his  patrons  obliged  him  to  give  up  the 
business.  From  1892  to  1897  he  worked  at 
quartz  mining  for  wages,  and  in  the  latter 
year  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres,  all  tillable  land  and  well 
supplied  with  water.  Since  buying  the  land  he 
has  made  many  improvements  on  it  and  largely 
increased  its  arable  acreage,  and  he  now  has 
a  good  farm  which  is  cultivated  with  ordinary 


ease  and  yields  good  crops  of  the  products 
usual  in  the  neighborhood,  hay  and  cattle 
being  his  main  reliance.  Politically  he  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party,  but  he  is  too  pro- 
gressive and  broad-minded  to  be  bound  in  party 
chains  where  matters  of  local  improvement  are 
concerned.  On  January  i,  1879,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  F.  Tippett,  a  native 
of  Fulton  county,  Illinois.  They  have  seven 
children,  Alberta  I,  Mary  E.,  Genevieve, 
Charles  F.,  George  C,  Josephine  and  Roy.  Mr. 
Cunningham  has  four  sisters,  Elizabeth,  Mary, 
Margaret  and  Isabella,  and  one  brother,  Rob- 
ert. 

JOHN  LAWRENCE. 

John  .Lawrence,  the  largest  sheep-raiser  in 
Saguache  county,  and  who  is  one  of  the  men 
who  had  that  county  cut  off  from'  Costilla,  and 
was  prominent  in  the  establishment  of  its  gov- 
ernment and  its  early  history — who,  in  fact, 
may  not  inappropriately  be  called  the  father  of 
the  county — was  born  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
on  November  15,  1835,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Young)  Lawrence,  natives  of  Ire- 
land who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
located  at  St.  Louis  in  the  early  days,  remain- 
ing there  the  rest  of  their  lives  and  dying  dur- 
ing the  childhood  of  their  son.  The  father 
was  a  school  teacher  and  his  services  in  that 
capacity  were  advanced  in  method  and  highly 
appreciated.  The  son  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  at  the  age  of  eight  with  but  little  ed- 
ucation which  he  obtained  by  short  and  irregu- 
lar attendance  at  the  public  schools,  and  going 
to  Iowa,  worked  on  farms  in  that  state  and 
Minnesota  until  1859.  He  then  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  at  Denver  for  a  short  time, 
having  made  the  trying  and  dangerous  jour- 
ney over  the  plains  driving  six  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  consuming  sixty  days  between  Leaven- 
worth,  Kansas,  and  Denver.  The  party  met 
manv  Indians  on  the  wav,  but  found  them  all 


624 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


peaceful  and  more  disposed  to  help  than  to  hurt 
the  travelers.  At  Denver  Mr.  Lawrence  took 
his  pack  on  his  back  and  started  on  foot  to  the 
site  of  the  present  Central  City  on  a  prospecting 
tour.  There  were  but  few  people  living  at  the 
place  when  he  got  there,  and  soon  afterward 
he  enlisted  under  Captain  Golden  to  go  in 
search  of  and  punish  the  Indians  who  had  killed 
Carpenter  and  Elliott.  Failing  to  find  the  In- 
dians in  nine  days,  the  company  determined  to 
give  up  the  chase.  On  the  return  they  became 
somewhat  scattered  and  Mr.  Lawrence,  being 
almost  alone,  went  three  days  without  food, 
although  during  most  of 'the  tramp  going  and 
returning  wild  game  wa^xplentiful.  After  this 
expedition  he  went  into  Rus-sel  gulch  and 
worked  in  the  mines  as  a  laborer,  accepting  the 
engagement  for  a  short  time  to  get  a  start  for 
something  better.  This  accomplished,  he 
moved  to  the  ranch  of  Mr.  Rowley  to  attend  the 
stock  for  the  proprietor,  and  soon  afterward 
bought  the  ranch  and  stock  and  took  Dudley 
Fletcher  in  as  a  partner  in  the  venture.  They 
carried  on  the  business  until  the  fall  of  1859, 
then  fearing  heavy  snows  for  the  winter,  they 
sold  the  cattle  and  Mr.  Lawrence  returned  to 
Denver,  where  the  receipts  from  the  sale  were 
divided,  and  passed  the  winter  freighting  be- 
tween that  place  and  Central  City.  The  winter 
was  severe  and  the  hardships  of  this  business 
were  many  and  difficult  to  bear.  He  was 
'obliged  to  camp  out  every  night  and  he  often 
suffered  severely  from  the  cold.  In  the  mean- 
time he  took  up  a  ranch  between  the  two  cities, 
which  he  sold  for  horses,  wagons  and  some 
cash  after  improving  it  to  some  extent.  With 
the  outfit  thus  purchased  he  went  to  Omaha  and 
got  a  load  of  freight  which  he  brought  to  Den- 
ver and  "sold  at  a  good  profit.  The  excitement 
over  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Baker's  Diggings 
(where  Silverton,  Colorado,  now  is)  impelled 
him  to  go  there,  but  he  first  formed  a  company 
which  he  took  to  the  place  as  passengers,  ar- 


riving on  Christmas,  day,  1860,  at  Fort  Gar- 
land in  the  San  Luis  valley.  Here  he  sold  one 
team  of  horses  to  get  more  money  and  moved 
on  to  Conejos,  reaching  that  place  in  January, 
1 86 1.  Snow  had  fallen  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  and  others  were  obliged  to  winter  there, 
and  get  on  to  the  diggings  in  the  spring.  They 
reached  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Silver- 
ton,  where  the  diggings  were  located  on  April 
4th,  and  the  men  went  to  prospecting  while 
Mr.  Lawrence  stood  guard  at  the  camp.  They 
were  unsuccessful  in  their  undertaking,  and  it 
was  then  agreed  that  all  who  wished  might 
leave  the  place,  and  Mr.  Lawrence  returned  to 
Denver  in  June.  With  a  new  stock  of  provis- 
ions he,  Maxwell  Ballsinger,  John  Wright' and 
a  Mr.  Oman  went  to  a  new  camp  a  few  days 
old  in  Georgia  gulch  called  Buffalo  Flats. 
There  he  started  a  store  and  bought  some 
mines  which  proved  of  no  value,  and  on  Janu- 
ary T,  1 86  T,  was  again  in  Denver,  making  the 
return  trip  on  pack  horses.  His  next  jaunt 
was  to  Conejos  in  company  with  Nathan  Rus- 
sel  and  E.  R.  Harris,  and  he  remlainecl  there 
until  1867.  He  and  Mr.  Russell  were  partners, 
and  soon  after  his  arrival  at  Conejos  he  was 
appointed  county  and  government  assistant  as- 
sessor, serving  two  years  as  county  assessor 
and  five  years  as  government  assistant  asses- 
sor. On  March  7,  1867,  he  moved  to  Sag- 
uache,  where  there  were  at  that  time  only 
three  or  four  men,  but  it  was  the  seat  of  a  new 
county  of  the  same  name  which  he  had  been 
largely  instrumental  in  having  cut  off  from 
Costilla  county  and  organized,  it  having  been 
agreed  that  if  he  should  succeed  in  his  effort  a 
large  number  of  men  would  move  into  the  new 
division  and  help  to  settle  it.  These  men  ar- 
rived on  June  i8th  and  at  once  organized  a 
meeting  and  appointed  the  necessary  county 
officers,  he  being  appointed  assessor  and  in- 
structed to  make  the  assessments  according  to 
his  own  judgment,  which  all  agreed  to  abide 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


625 


by.  He  filled  the  office  for  five  successive 
terms,  although  a  Democrat  and  all  the  com!- 
missioners  were  Republicans.  About  six 
months  before  moving  up  there  he  had  gone 
up  and  located  a  ranch  three  miles  west  of  the 
proposed  county  seat,  which  is  now  the  finest 
ranch  in  the  county.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he 
was  elected  to  the  territorial  legislature  by  twice 
the  majority  received  by  the  next  highest  man 
on  the  ticket.  Since  then  he  has  served  the 
county  which  he  founded  one  term  as  assessor, 
two  as  county  judge,  one  as  county  commis- 
sioner and  three  as  interpreter  of  the  territorial 
legislature,  an  office  he  also  filled  while  living 
at  Conejos.  In  1898  he  was  elected  again  to 
the  legislature.  In  1896  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  John  H.  Williams  to  carry  on  a 
hardware  store  and  it  is  now  the  largest  one 
in  the  county,  with  an  extensive  general  stock 
carefully  selected  and  kept  up-to-date  so  as  to 
meet  all  the  requirements  of  its  large  and  grow- 
ing trade.  He  also  served  as  postmaster  of 
Saguache  three  years  under  President  Cleve- 
land. On  his  ranch,  which  he  conducted  twenty- 
two  years,  from  1867  to  1889,  he  gave  his  at- 
tention principally  to  raising  sheep  and  became 
the  most  extensive  sheep-raiser  in  the  county. 
He  has  made  considerable  money  on  the 
ranch,  but  he  put  it  all  back  on  the  place  in  irni- 
provemtents.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Olive 
Branch  Lodge,  No.  32,  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  at  Saguache,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1876,  and  also  a  member  of  Salida 
Lodge,  No.  808,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks.  Politically  he  is  a  zealous  and 
loyal  Democrat  and  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  campaigns,  voting  at  every  election 
since  he  came  into  the  state.  By  common  con- 
sent he  is  the  oldest  continuous  white  settler  in 
the  San  Luis  valley,  and  one  of  the  most  influ- 
ential citizens.  He  was  married  in  1895  to 
Miss  Julia  Ana,  a  native 'of  New  Mexico,  who 
died  on  November  3,  1901.  When  the  county 
40 


was  formed  the  Indians  were  numerous  within 
its  bounds,  but  they  seldom  gave  the  settlers 
any  trouble.  In  1880  a  treaty  was  made  with 
them  and  Mr.  Lawrence  served  as  interpreter 
in  making  it. 

BENAJAH   PARHAM   STUBBS. 

The  embattled  hosts  of  civilized  warfare 
have  abundant  horrors  of  great  magnitude  to 
contend  with,  undoubtedly.  The  deluge  of 
death  which  sweeps  over  their  sanguinary 
fields  is  bound  to  endanger  all  and  engulf 
many;  but  there  is  ever  present  with  them  the 
stimulus  of  numbers,  discipline,  a  compre- 
hensive base  of  supplies  near  at  hand,  and  the 
want  of  direct  personal  responsibility.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  the  contests  of  a  few  bold  and 
hardy  pioneers  with  infuriated  savages  on  the 
American  frontier,  and  even  in  the  more  ex- 
tensive wars  with  the  Indians,  wherein  well 
disciplined  and  properly  accoutred  troops  take 
the  field,  the  men  in  danger  are  remote  from 
civilization  and  have  no  means  of  sustaining 
their  conflict  but  such  as  they  have  gathered 
by  their  own  sporadic  and  unsystematic  efforts 
under  great  privations  and  difficulties.  In  most 
of  these  every  man  is  obliged  to  act  largely 
for  himself,  taking  his  individual  life  in  his 
hands  against  great  odds  and  a  wily  foe  that 
has  the  superiority  in  woodcraft,  knowledge  of 
the  country,  and  almost  everything  else  except 
his  munitions  of  war,  and  often  in  these  also. 
Moreover,  the  fiendish  cruelty  of  the  enemy, 
in  and  after  battle,  which  is  restrained  by  no 
considerations  of  humanity,  adds  to  the  strife^ 
an  element  of  horror  that  is  wholly  wanting 
to  regular  war.  Happily  in  our  day,  such  con- 
tests with  savage  fury  are  almost  unknown, 
and  this  species  of  peril  has  passed  into  a 
memory.  But  some  contests  with  the  Indians 
which  have  occurred  on  the  soil  of  Colorado, 
worthy  of  all  praise  for  the  heroism  they  ex- 


626 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


hibited  and  the  important  results  to  the  section 
they  wrought  out,  and  some  local  fights  of  a 
few  men  with  hordes  of  hostile  savages,  while 
planting  the  seeds  of  our  civilization,  as  types 
of  what  many  had  to  undergo  in  winning  an 
enduring  triumph  over  nature  here,  should  be 
preserved  in  story  lest  they  perish  from  the 
memory  of  man.  Of  such  are  the  one-hundred- 
days  war  with  the  Indians  of  the  Sand  creek 
region,  and  the  other  experiences  with  blood- 
thirsty aborigines  herein  narrated,  in  which  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  took  an  active  part.  Mr. 
Stubbs  was  born  on  December  7,  1840,  at  Wesr 
Elkton,  Preble  county,  Ohio,  and  is  the  son 
of  Robert  and  Delilah  Stubhs,  natives  of  that 
state  who  moved  to  Iowa  in  1856,  and  remained 
there  until  1861,  when  they  came  overland  with 
ox  teams  to  Denver,  this  state,  making  the 
journey  by  the  Platte  river  route,  be- 
ing fifty-six  days  on  the  way.  They  lo- 
cated at  South  Park,  and  for  eighteen 
months  kept  a  hotel  there,  then  moved 
to  the  vicinity  of  Colorado  City,  where  they 
took  up  and  improved  land,  remaining  from 
1863  to  J876.  In  the  year  last  named  they 
changed  their  residence  to  the  Gunnison  valley, 
and  after  passing  a  year  there  ranching  and 
raising  stock,  moved  to  what  is  now  Saguache 
county,  where  they  passed  the  rest  of  their 
lives,  the  father  dying  on  July  21,  1893,  an^ 
the  mother  on  June  10,  1900.  At  their  last 
home  they  carried  on  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able dairy  business.  The  father  was  prominent 
in  the  public  life  of  the  various  counties  in 
which  he  lived,  serving  a  number  of  years  as 
county  commissioner  in  El  Paso  county,  elected 
as  a  Republican.  Four  of  their  children  sur- 
vive them,  Lindley  M.,  Joseph  A.,  Mrs.  Flora 
E.  Tevis  and  Benajah  P.  Being  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  state  and  first  residents 
of  the  Gunnison  valley,  they  were  familiar  with 
all  the  phases  of  frontier  life  in  its  earliest 
stage,  and  had  many  thrilling  experiences. 


While  they  were  living  in  the  South  Park  the 
family  was  molested  on  one  occasion  by  hostile 
Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes,  as  related  by  B.  P. 
Stubbs,  who  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  occur- 
rence. Peter  Shook,  a  former  neighbor  of  the 
family  in  Iowa,  who  had  come  west  and  en- 
camped near  their  cabin,  was  preparing  his 
breakfast,  and  cut  off  a  slice  of  ham  for  the 
purpose,  put  the  rest  back  in  his  wagon.  Soon 
afterward  a  stalwart  Indian  climbed  into  the 
wagon  and  took  the  ham.  Mr.  Shook  re- 
covered it  from  him,  and  by  way  of  rebuke 
for  his  audacity,  struck  the  Indian  in  the  face 
with  his  fist.  The  latter  left  at  once  with 
mutterings  of  revenge,  and  the  inmates  of  the 
house,  anticipating  trouble,  hastily  secured 
what  they  could  of  their  belongings  and  fas- 
tened up  their  cabin,  hiding  Mr.  Shook  under 
one  of  their  beds  upstairs.  Within  a  few 
minutes  a  hundred  or  more  Indians  surrounded 
the  house  and  demanded  that  the  man  who  had 
struck  their  brother  be  delivered  up  to  them. 
On  being  refused,  they  broke  all  the  .  lower 
windows,  and  shot  arrows  through  the  upper 
ones,  some  of  which  stuck  in  the  ceiling.  They 
then  poured  into  the  house  and  repeated  their 
demand ;  and  on  again  being  refused,  went  into 
every  part  of  it,  the  inmates  on  account  of 
their  small  numbers  being  able  to  make  but  a 
feeble  resistance.  Finding  the  man  they  were 
in  search  of,  they  dragged  him  out  of  doors, 
beating  him  over  the  head,  breaking  several  of 
his  ribs  with  a  wagon  felloe,  and  otherwise 
treating  him  with  great  cruelty.  During  the 
melee  an  Indian  thrust  a  revolver  into  Mr. 
Stubb's  face,  threatening  death,  but  did  not 
shoot,  as  there  seemed  to  be  no  hostility  toward 
the  family.  At  a  later  date  there  was  another 
raid  on  the  family  in  which  some  of  the  live 
stock  was  killed,  all  the  dairy  supplies  on  hand 
were  consumed  or  destroyed,  and  a  number 
of  articles  useful  to  the  family  and  which  they 
could  not  replace,  but  which  were  of  no  use 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


627 


to  the  thieves,  were  carried  off.  In  the  fall  of 
1862  Mr.  Stubbs  and  his  father  filed  on  home- 
steads, and  in  the  following  spring  sowed  grain 
on  their  land.  About  harvest  time  a  messenger 
was  sent  out  from  Colorado  City  to  warn  the 
settlers  of  an  Indian  uprising  and  request  them 
to  come  to  the  city  for  protection.  The  women 
and  children,  and  such  necessary  articles  as 
could  be  quickly  collected  and  conveniently 
taken  with  them,  were  placed  in  a  wagon  and 
taken  to  the  fort,  where  they  were  left  while 
the  men  harvested  their  crops  as  best  they 
could.  Wheat  and  oats  were  selling  at  twelve 
and  one-half  to  fifteen  cents  a  pound  at  the 
time,  and  they  could  not  afford  to  let  the  crops 
go  to  waste,  notwithstanding  the  danger  in 
saving  them.  In  1864  Mr.  Stubbs  sold  one 
hundred  bushels  of  wheat  at  his  door  for  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  the  price  being  seven 
and  a  half  cents  a  pound.  During  this  year  an 
Indian  raid  resulted  in  the  death  of  a  young 
man  named  Everhart  and  two  boys  named 
Robinson  who  were  herding  sheep,  and  a  Mr. 
McEntyre  was  scalped  and  left  as  dead  on  the 
field;  but  he  still  lived,  and  enjoyed  telling 
how  he  took  off  one  of  his  boots  and  fought 
with  his  assailants.  In  1866  all  the  residents 
were  once  more  obliged  to  build  a  fort  for 
protection,  and  the  men  were  forced  to  go 
back  and  forth  in  the  midst  of  constant  dan- 
ger to  look  after  the  effects  at  their  homes.  In 
one  of  these  trips  a  cousin  of  Mr.  Stubbs  was 
killed  by  the  Indians.  Mr.  Stubbs  received  a 
common-school  education,  limited  to  a  very 
meager  extent  by  the  exigencies  of  the  time, 
and  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-eight,  accompanying  them 
in  all  their  wanderings.  In  1877  ne  went 
overland  with  horses  and  a  wagon  to  Nebraska, 
and  until  the  fall  of  1878  was  engaged  in 
farming  at  Vesta,  near  Tecumseh,  that  state. 
He  then  returned  to  Saguache  county,  this 
state,  and  there  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  political 


affairs  as  a  pronounced  Republican,  and  on 
several  occasions  has  been  chosen  to  offices  of 
importance  and  responsibility  by  his  fellow 
citizens.  In  1866  he  was  elected  clerk  of  El 
Paso  county  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  in 
1881  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  Saguache 
county.  In  the  latter  position  he  served  ten 
years  and  a  half,  holding  an  appointment  under 
four  different  clerks.  From  the  latter  part  of 
1891  to  the  close  of  1894  he  freighted  between 
Villagrove  and  Saguache.  On  January  25, 
1895,  he  was  appointed  bookkeeper  in  the 
Saguache  County  Bank,  a  position  which  he  is 
still  filling  acceptably.  He  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  of  the  county,  universally  esteemed 
for  his  generosity  and  public-spirit,  an  ardent 
Republican  and  an  influential  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  On  February  9, 
1869,  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Paster, 
a  native  of  Ohio.  They  had  two  children,  of 
whom  Minnie  Pearl  died  in  infancy  and  Dallas 
B.  is  living.  They  also  have  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Ethel. 

THE  SAND  CREEK  INDIAN  FIGHT. — This 
memorable  struggle  for  the  permanent  im- 
munity of  southern  Colorado  from  strife  with 
hostile  Indians  began  on  September  9th  and 
ended  on  December  29,  1864,  thus  lasting  one 
hundred  and  twelve  days.  Mr.  Stubbs  was  an 
active  participant  in.  it  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end,  as  a  member  of  Company  G,  Third 
Colorado  Cavalry.  His  company  was  formed 
at  Denver  and  went  into  camp  four  miles  be- 
low Pueblo,  and  a  few  days  later  marched 
down  the  Arkansas  river  to  Fort  Lyon,  being 
three  days  on  the  march  and  suffering  many 
hardships  therein.  The  soldiers  were  obliged 
to  sleep  on  the  snow,  and  as  the  emergency 
was  great,  all  men  whom  they  met  on  the  road 
were  impressed  into  the  service  despite  its 
hardships.  At  nine  o'clock  one  night  the  force 
was  ordered  out  to  march  north  and  surprise 
the  enemy.  After  spending  the  whole  night  on 
the  march,  and  being  led  by  their  scouts  and 


628 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


half-breed  Indian  guides  through  a  pond,   in 
which  the  horses  floundered  and  the  men  suf- 
fered intensely  from  the  cold,  the  Cheyenne  In- 
dian village  was  discovered  at  a  distance  of 
three  miles  from  the  camp  at  sunrise  on  the 
morning  of  November  29th.    The  men  then  be- 
came wild  with  excitement  and  could  not  be 
restrained,  but  rushed  upon  the  Indians,  who 
were  still  sleeping  and  unprepared  for  the  at- 
tack.     The   noise   awakened   them    and   num- 
bers succeeded  in  escaping,  but  five  hundred 
of  the  nine  hundred  in  the  band  were  killed, 
with  the  loss  of  only  one  man  of  Company 
G,  whose  fate  was  due  to  his  own  carelessness. 
The  battle  lasted  until  five  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing and  during  its  progress  two  cannon  were 
used  by  the  whites  to  great  advantage.     Com- 
pany G  found  a  high  enjoyment  in  burning  the 
tepees    of   the    Indians    after   the    latter    were 
routed.     On  the  morning  of  November  3Oth 
they  marched  to  the  junction  of  Sand  creek 
with  the  Arkansas  and  went  into  camp;  but 
they  were  soon  ordered  out  again  and  after  a 
march  at  double  quick  for  a  distance  of  ten 
miles,  day  dawning,  they  divided  and  jnarched 
along  the  Arkansas,  one-half  of  the  command 
on  each  side  of  the  river,  until  darkness  over- 
took  them,    at   the      Santa   Fe   crossing   into 
Kansas.     At   four  o'clock   next   morning  the 
force  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  crossed 
over  and  united  with  those  on  the  north  side. 
Nearby  they  found  Indians  in  force  and  drove 
them  far  into  the  plains.    On  December  3d  the 
company  was  ordered  home.     The  experiences 
of. Company  G  are  but  a  sample  of  the  ardor 
and  exactions  of  the  campaign,  as  other  com- 
panies had   similar   experiences   and   achieved 
commensurate  results.  This  war  freed  southern 
Colorado  from  the  danger  of  savage  attacks 
and  established  lasting  security  for  the  settlers. 
Mr.   Stubbs  escaped  without  injury,  although 
his  sufferings  from  cold  and  exposure  were  ex- 
treme at  times. 

DALLAS  B.  STUBBS,  the  son  of  Benajah  P. 


and  Sarah  A.  (Paster)  Stubbs,  was  born  on 
February  3,  1873,  at  Colorado  City,  this  state, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Sag- 
uache,  being  graduated  from  the  high  school 
there  with  the  first  graduating  class  of  1890. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  that  town  during 
the  last  twenty-seven  years,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate,  abstract  and  fire  in- 
surance business,  which  he  entered  in  1896. 
Under  the  able  tutorship  of  E.  P.  Jones,  one 
of  the  most  efficient  abstractors  in  the  state, 
he  helped  to  compile  the  abstract  books  of  Sag- 
uache  county,  a  work  of  considerable  labor  and 
great  value  to  the  people  of  the  county.  He 
was  deputy  clerk  of  the  county  from  1898  to 
1904,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  the  Republican 
candidate  for  the  county  clerkship,  but  was  de- 
feated by  a  majority  of  sixteen  votes.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  the  latter  order 
was  clerk  of  Saguache  Camp,  No.  28,  for  two 
years.  On  February  3,  1897,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Blanche  G.  Loucks,  a  native 
of  Bedford,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children, 
their  son  Paul,  born  on  June  20,  1899,  and 
their  daughter  Blanche  Pearl,  born  on  May  9, 
1902.  Mr.  Stubbs  is  one  of  the  active  and 
progressive  young  business  men  of  his  county, 
with  an  earnest  intent  in  its  improvement  and 
the  advancement  and  welfare  of  its  people. 
He  takes  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  and 
is  always  ready  to  promote,  by  his  influence 
and  his  material  assistance,  every  commendable 
enterprise  in  which  the  substantial  good  of  the 
section  is  involved.  He  is  widely  known  and 
well  esteemed  in  all  parts  of  the  county. 

ARTHUR  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

There  is  always  room  for  a  man  of  force, 
and  he  makes  room  for  many.  One  of  feeble 
perceptions  and  spirit,  stepping  into  the  wil- 
derness after  it  has  yielded  somewhat  to  the 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


629 


dominion  of  man,  can  see  the  farms  that  are 
fenced  and  tilled,  the  houses  that  are  built  and 
the  other  advances  that  have  been  made.  The 
strong  man,  in  its  first  estate,  sees  the  possible, 
houses,  farms,  and  civil  and  educational  insti- 
tutions, his  eye  sweeps  the  country  with  an 
awakened  ken,  and  its  possibilities,  with  the 
means  necessary  to  develop  them  lie  all  in  view 
before  him.  The  advent  of  such  a  man  in  a 
new  region  is  the  beginning  of  its  life  of  use- 
fulness and  power,  and  its  latent  wealth  begins 
to  open  at  the  sesame  of  his  imperial  command. 
Such  a  man  is  Arthur  Thomas  Scott,  of  Sag- 
uache  county,  and  such  was  the  result  of  his 
advent  in  the  region  of  his  present  residence, 
thirteen  miles  northeast  of  Del  Norte,  in  1882. 
He  found  the  country  with  almost  no  settlers, 
yet  full  of  promise  of  good  to  many,  and  his 
example  and  influence  here  have  been  potential 
in  building  up  the  section,  increasing  its  popu- 
lation and  starting  it  on  a  career  of  large  and 
beneficial  development.  Mr.  Scott  was  born  at 
Montgomery  City,  Missouri,  on  May  13,  1855. 
His  parents,  Thomas  and  Julia  (Pervis)  Scott, 
who  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia, 
respectively,  married  in  M'issouri  and  mlade  that 
state  their  final  earthly  home.  The  father  was 
a  life-long  farmer  and  stock-grower,  successful 
in  his  undertakings  and  promlinent  in  his 
county.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a 
man  of  public  spirit  and  breadth  in  the  matter 
of  local  improvement.  His  wife  died  in  Mis- 
souri in  1899  and  he  in  1890.  Nine  of  their 
children  survive  them,  Elizabeth,  Arthur  T., 
Strother,  Mrs.  Lucy  McQuay,  Mrs.  Amanda 
Hudnall,  Mrs.  Jennie  Stevens,  Walter,  Rich- 
ard and  Mrs.  Mattie  E.  Barker.  Their  son 
Arthur  received  his  scholastic  training  in  the 
common  schools,  and  acquired  his  primary 
knowledge  of  farming  on  the  parental  home- 
stead, remaining  under  its  roof  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  then  began  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock  on  his  own  account,  and 


also  dealt  in  live  stock,  buying  and  selling  ex- 
tensively. In  the  spring  of  1882  he  came  to 
Colorado,  and  locating  near  Fort  Collins, 
hauled  lumber  to  build  the  Highland  ditch  un- 
til March,  when  he  moved  to  Saguache  county 
and  homesteaded  on  a  ranch  twenty-five  miles 
southeast  of  the  county  seat.  He  remained  on 
this  until  1889,  then  leased  the  Dunn  ranch, 
which  he  occupied  until  1895.  In  that  year 
he  moved  to  his  present  home  ranch,  which  he 
had  bought  in  1889  an^  in  the  meantime  had 
been  getting  into  condition  for  a  home.  It  com- 
prises three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  is  im- 
proved with  good  buildings,  fences  and  other 
necessary  structures,  well  watered  and  highly 
productive,  yielding  excellent  crops  of  hay, 
grain,  potatoes  and  peas,  and  generously  sup- 
ports the  large  herds  of  cattle  which  are  raised 
on  it  as  one  of  its  principal  products.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  he  owns  another  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  tillable  land  and 
under  advanced  cultivation.  Mr.  Scott  is  prac- 
tically a  self-made  man  and  although  he  had  a 
little  capital  when  he  came  to  Colorado,  he  has 
built  up  .his  estate  substantially  from  nothing, 
as  what  he  had  only  gave  him  a  foothold  until 
he  could  get  under  way.  He  has  been  one  of 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  forces  in  devel- 
oping the  region  and  is  looked  upon  with  a  re- 
spect and  public  esteem  commensurate  with  his 
services  and  his  character  and  elevated  citizen- 
ship. He  is  a  valued  member  of  the  M<asonic 
order  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in 
their  benevolences  and  mystic  rites  he  takes  an 
earnest  and  fruitful  interest.  In  the  public  life 
of  the  county  he  is  also  active  and  helpful,  wise 
in  counsel,  energetic  in  action  and  stimulating 
by  his  zeal  and  the  force  of  his  example.  On 
July  20,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Virginia  Sailor,  a  native  of  Missouri,  who  died 
on  December  21,  1895,  leaving  six  of  their  ten 
children  to  survive  her,  three  having  died  in 
infancy  and  a  son  named  Thomas  J.  at  a  more 


630 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


advanced  life.  The  children  living  are  Mrs. 
Julia  Fyock,  Clarence,  Chester,  Claude,  Bern- 
ard and  Francis.  On  March  22,  1903,  Mr. 
Scott  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Rachel  Hal- 
lum,  also  a  Missourian,  and  born  in  Vernon 
county.  They  have  one  child,  their  son 
Marvin  S. 

FRANK  BROWN. 

The  real  and  lasting  victories  of  all  time  are 
those  of  peace  and  not  of  war.  The  man  who 
helps  to  plant  and  people  a  hitherto  unproduc- 
tive wilderness  is  none  the  less  a  soldier  of  hu- 
manity although  his  contest  is  with  and  his 
victory  is  over  the  opposing  forces  of  nature, 
and  when  his  banner  is  unfurled  in  triumph, 
he  can  have  the  pleasing  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  his  battle  has  helped  to  whiten  no 
plain  with  the  bones  and  redden  no  river  with 
the  blood  of  his  fellow  men.  The  chivalry  of 
industry  invades  no  human  right  and  tramples 
on  no  human  feeling.  And  although  its  con- 
flicts are  arduous  and  often  long  continued,  in- 
volving dangers,  hardships  and  efforts  equal  in 
magnitude  to  those  of  any  military  campaign, 
they  are  all  for  and  not  over  mankind,  and 
every  advance  made  is  a  substantial  and  en- 
during gain  to  every  good  cause.  In  this  chiv- 
alry Frank  Brown,  of  Saguache  county,  living 
seven  miles  southeast  of  the  county  seat,  has 
been  a  valiant  knight,  and  bravely  has  he  worn 
the  emblems  of  his  knighthood.  He  was  born 
in  Bavaria,  Germany,  on  November  n,  1836, 
and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Walberger 
Brown,  of  that  country,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  early  married  life  and  located 
at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  where  they  passed 
the  rest  of  their  days.  The  father  was  a  car- 
penter and  prospered  at  his  work.  The  family 
comprised  five  children  who  are  living,  John, 
Frank,  Michael,  Sebastian  and  Matthew.  The 
parents  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church, 
and  the  head  of  the  house  warmly  espoused  the 


Democratic  cause  in  American  politics.  Their 
son  Joseph  was  killed  in  a  saber  contest  on  one 
of  the  bloody  fields  of  the  Civil  war.  Frank 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land,  and  was  twelve  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  to  this  country  in  1848.  He  also 
attended  school  three  years  at  Fond  du  Lac, 
Wisconsin.  After  leaving  school  he  spent 
eight  years  at  hard  labor  in  the  lumber  woods 
around  Lake  Superior  and  seven  in  other  occu- 
pations in  Wisconsin.  In  1866  he  came  to 
Denver,  this  state,  crossing  the  plains  with  ten 
wagon  teams  hauling  corn,  the  route  being  by 
way  of  Fort  Kearney  and  up  the  Platte  Cut  Off 
near  Junction.  His  brother  John  was  in  the 
party,  and  after  their  five  weeks  of  trying  travel 
on  this  journey,  in  which  Frank  served  as  night 
herder,  they  formed  a  partnership  in  freighting 
between  Denver  and  Central  City ,  having 
seven  yoke  ox  teams  and  hauling  hay  princi- 
pally. The  life  was  full  of  hazard  and  priva- 
tion, but  the  profits  were  large;  and  while  it 
strained  all  their  faculties,  it  gave  them  com- 
pensation, not  only  in  the  monetary  returns, 
but  in  the  increased  spirit  and  energy  it  awak- 
ened. In  1870  they  gave  up  freighting  and 
moved  to  their  present  location  in  the  San  Luis 
valley,  continuing  their  partnership  until  1874, 
then  harmoniously  dissolved  it.  Mr.  Brown's 
ranch  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  has  been  well  improved  by  his  own  energy 
and  hard  work.  It  is  well  fenced  and  is  plenti- 
fully watered  by  two  fine  artesian  wells.  The 
buildings  are  ample  for  his  accommodation  and 
in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  enterprise  that 
dominates  all  his  movements.  Hay,  grain  and 
cattle  are  abundantly  raised,  the  two  last  prov- 
ing the  chief  resources.  There  were  no  settlers 
in  the  neighborhood  when  he  pitched  his  tent 
here,  and  the  present  development  of  the  re- 
gion is  the  result  of  his  bold  and  stimulating 
example  and  his  helpful  influence,  which  has 
never  been  withheld  from  any  undertaking  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


631 


advantage  to  the  section.  In  fact,  the  interest 
he  has  taken  in  the  progress  and  building  up 
of  the  county  has  placed  him  among  its  most 
prominent  and  esteemed  citizens.  He  is  a  loyal 
Democrat  in  political  allegiance,  and  as  such 
served  as  county  commissioner  from  1881  to 
the  close  of  1883  and  from  1895  to  1900,  in- 
clusive. While  there  are  yet  vast  possibilities 
in  the  region  of  his  home  to  be  developed  and 
made  serviceable,  Mr.  Brown  is  doing  his  part 
in  his  day  and  generation  in  its  behalf,  and 
making  a  record  of  usefulness  and  benefit  to  his 
community  the  influence  of  which  will  not  cease 
to  be  effective  and  will  be  ever  remembered  to 
his  credit. 

GEORGE  FRANKLIN  HOFFMAN. 

Although  a  native  of  Kentucky,  where  he 
remained  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
and  was  warmly  attached  to  his  native  state, 
George  F.  Hoffman,  of  Saguache  county,  has 
been  a  resident  of  Colorado  nearly  one-half  of 
his  life,  and  is  now  as  ardently  devoted  to  the 
state  of  his  adoption  as  he  ever  was  to  that  of 
his  nativity.  Coming  into  the  world  with  a 
somewhat  feeble  constitution  and  uncertain 
health,  his  physical  condition  drove  him  abroad 
from  the  home  of  his  parents  when  a  young 
man,  and  through  what  seemed  a  hardship  then, 
and  what  involved  additional  hardships  after- 
ward, found  opportunities  for  substantial  ad- 
vancement in  a  worldly  way  as  well  as  greater 
vigor  of  body  and  enlarged  enjoyment  of  life. 
Mr.  Hoffman  was  born  on  January  3,  1857,  at 
Covington,  Kenton  county,  Kentucky,  and 
is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Jane  Hoff- 
man, the  former  a  native  of  the  same 
place  as  himself  and  the  latter  of  Dayton, 
Ohio.  The  son  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, which  has  been  abundantly  supple- 
mented by  the  lessons  of  a  wide,  and  varied 
experience  and  good  general  reading  since  he 


left  school,  so  that  he  is  now  a  well  informed 
and  reflective  man,  with  a  rich  and  ready  fund 
of  general  practical  information.  His  parents 
were  prosperous  farmers,  and  their  estate  of- 
fered him  a  good  chance  for  substantial  gains 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home.  But  soon 
after  reaching  his  majority,  he  was  obliged  to 
seek  safety  for  his  health  in  a  different  climate, 
and  on  the  ist  day  of  March,  1878,  he  went  to 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  the  4th  day  of 
July  next  ensuing.  He  then  returned  home, 
but  two  years  later  found  himself  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  again  going  elsewhere  on  account  of 
his  health,  and  on  the  ist  day  of  March,  1880, 
arrived  at  Parsons,  Labette  county,  Kansas. 
Two  years  later  he  left  this  place  for  Rhea 
Springs,  Rhea  county,  Tennessee.  On  April 
3,  1888,  he  arrived  at  Del  Norte,  Colorado,  and 
since  then  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  state. 
He  came  hither  in  search  of  renewed  health 
and  has  remained  to  engage  in  and  carry  on  a 
profitable  business,  making  his  way  to  both 
ends  steadily  and  with  gratifying  results 
worthy  of  almost  any  sacrifice  of  sentiment  and 
home  feeling.  He  has  an  excellent  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  twenty-two  miles 
southeast  of  the- town  of  Saguache.  He  has 
improved  his  ranch  with  good  buildings, 
fences  and  other  needs,  and  by  assiduous  ef- 
forts, in  which  he  has  flourished  physically, 
and  at  the  same  time  made  himself  one  of  the 
most  useful  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  Essentially  a  self-made 
man,  his  success  is  the  result  of  his  own  fore- 
sight, industry  and  business  capacity,  and  the 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  is  the  natural  con- 
sequence of  his  honorable  manhood,  correct 
business  methods,  generous  disposition  and 
public-spirit  and  breadth  of  view  in  reference 
to  methods  of  promoting  the  enduring  welfare 
of  the  county  and  its  people.  In  public  affairs 
he  is  not  bound  by  party  ties,  but  looks  ever 
to  the  best  results  for  the  public  interests  in- 


632 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


volved,  but  he  never  slights  the  duties  of  citi- 
zenship, and  always  performs  them  with  intelli- 
gence and  a  stern  sense  of  his  liability  to  his 
fellow  men.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  WILLIS. 

The  clarion  call  of  duty  to  a  man  of  high 
aim  and  the  insurance  of  a  just  employment  is 
like  the  bugle  sound  of  a  charge  in  battle,  awak- 
ening his  highest  powers  and  nerving  him  for 
any  contest.  It  puts  everything  else  out  of  his 
mind  except  the  work  immediately  before  him, 
and  stimulates  him  to  bend  every  energy  to  the 
accomplishment  of  that.  Such  a  call  was  heard 
and  obeyed  by  John  William  Willis,  of  Sag- 
uache  county,  this  state,  when,  in  1888,  the 
voice  of  southern  Colorado  proclaimed  the  mer- 
its of  the  section  to  him  and  invoked  him  to 
come  forward  and  take  a  share  in  the  benefits 
here  awaiting  for  men  of  enterprise  and  endur- 
ance, who  were  willing  to  work  and  wait.  He 
came  hither  armed  with  his  physical  health  and 
determined  spirit,  and  taking  his  place  in  the 
ranks  of  the  developing  army,  fought  against 
nature's  opposing  forces  and  all  the  hardships, 
dangers  and  privations  of  frontier  life  until  the 
region  began  to  grow  docile  and  obedient  and 
yield  its  rewards  to  honest  and  continued  ef- 
fort. And  although  he  afterward  abandoned 
.his  enterprise  temporarily,  he  never  lost  inter- 
est in  the  section  and  soon  returned  to  engage 
once  more  in  the  good  work  of  building  up  a 
healthy  portion  of  a  mighty  commonwealth 
which  was  rich  in  material  advantages  and 
wrorthy  of  man's  best  energies  in  their  use  and 
improvement.  Mr.  Willis  is  a  native  of  Ma- 
coupin  county,  Illinois,  born  near  the  town  of 
Palmyra  on  July  31,  1839.  His  parents,  Elijah 
and  Lucilla  (Solomon)  Willis,  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina  though  reared  in  Kentucky. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  located  in  Mor- 


gan county,  Illinois,  near  Jacksonville.  There 
they  were  farmers  until  1829,  when  they 
moved  to  Macoupin  county,  in  which  they  lived 
until  1850,  taking  up  wild  land  and  improving 
it  to  value.  In  the  year  last  named  the  family 
moved  to  Texas,  where  the  father  bought  a 
farm,  but  after  a  residence  of  three  months  on 
it,  he  sold  it  and  changed  his  residence  to  Bar- 
ton county,  Missouri,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  on  which  he  and  his  wife  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  The  father  was  an 
earnest  working  Democrat  in  political  faith, 
and  served  his  county  as  constable  and  justice, 
of  the  peace  many  years  in  his  early  clays.  John 
W.  and  his  brother  Josiah  are  the  only  living 
members  of  the  family.  The  former  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen.  He 
then  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  after 
working  at  it  some  years  farmed  in  Macoupin 
county,  Illinois,  for  a  period.  In  the  years 
1873  and  1874  he  served  as  treasurer  of  that 
county  and  also  was  at  one  time  assessor  and 
tax  collector  of  his  township.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Barton  county,  Missouri,  and  there  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  five  years,  holding  the 
office  of  township  assessor  a  portion  of  the 
time.  In  1888  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  lo- 
cating in  Saguache  county,  homesteaded  on  a 
tract  of  land  in  the  "Forty-one  Country,"  on 
which  he  remained  two  years,  then  returned  to 
Illinois  and  during  the  next  t\vo  years  con- 
ducted a  hotel  at  Chesterfield  in  his  native 
county.  In  1892  he  came  again  to  this  state 
and  took  up  his  residence  at  Center,  Saguache 
county,  buying  a  ranch  there  and  settling  down 
to  its  permanent  improvement  and  occupancy. 
He  was  made  county  assessor  soon  after  his 
arrival,  and  his  previous  work  in  this  line  en- 
abled him  to  give  the  people  excellent  and  sat- 
isfactory service  in  the  office.  His  ranch  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  fenced 
and  well  supplied  with  water.  Good  crops  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


633 


hay  and  grain  are  raised,  and  the  ranch  is  pro- 
vided with  buildings  suitable  to  its  needs,  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  comfortable  and  productive 
rural  homes  in  this  prolific  region.  The  dwell- 
ing is  a  modern  house  of  ample  dimensions,  and 
all  the  appointments  of  the  place  are  in  keeping 
with  it.  The  town  of  Center,  five  and  one-half 
miles  from  the  ranch,  affords  a  good  market 
easily  attainable  for  its  productions,  and  the 
surroundings  are  all  favorable  to  a  high  state 
of  advancement  and  a  steadily  increasing  value 
in  the  property.  Mr.  Willis  is  a  third-degree 
Freemason  and  in  politics  an  ardent  and  active 
Democrat.  On  November  25,  1868,  he  was 
married,  but  his  wife  died  on  March  6,  1901, 
leaving  four  children.  One  of  these,  a  daugh- 
ter Mary,  died  on  March  6,  1903,  and  the  oth- 
ers are  living.  They  are  Arthur,  Merida  and 
Robert.  When  Mr.  Willis  settled  in  this  neigh- 
borhood there  were  but  five  settlers  in  the 
"Forty-one  Country,"  but  the  work  of  improv- 
ing it,  although  for  a  time  left  to  a  few  hands, 
and  trying  them  to  their  utmost  capacity,  has 
gone  steadily  forward,  and  the  results  of  their 
labors  are  a  sufficient  proof  of  their  enterprise, 
breadth  of  view  and  skill.  No  citizen  of  the 
region  is  more  worthy  of  public  esteem,  and 
none  enjoys  it  more  generally  or  more  consid- 
erably. 

JOHN  FARRINGTON. 

A  close  and  keen  observation  of  men  dem- 
onstrates that  success  in  human  life  is  largely 
a  natter  of  constitution,  depending  on  a  healthy 
state  of, mind  and  body  with  a  resolute,  domi- 
nating spirit  in  addition,  all  which  are  ele- 
ments of  power,  work  and  courage.  The  com- 
bination is  not  deterred  by  difficulties  or 
daunted  by  dangers.  It  moves  forward  in  its 
chosen  lines  of  progress  without  regard  to  cir- 
cumstances, and  compels  the  success  it  desires, 
making  even  its  obstructions  servants  to  its 
needs.  This  fact  is  aptly  illustrated  in  the 


career  of  John  Farrington,  of  Saguache,  this 
state,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado 
since  1873,  and  during  the  whole  of  this  period 
has  been  a  valued  and  material  contributor  to 
the  advancement  of  the  state,  promoting  es- 
pecially in  the  region  of  his  home  at  any  time 
works  of  public  improvement  and  leading  for- 
ward to  the  development  of  the  country  and 
the  elevation  of  taste  among  its  people.  He 
was  born  on  March  24,  1842,  near  London, 
England,  which  was  also  the  place  of  nativity 
for  his  parents,  James  and  Jane  Farrington, 
w.ho  passed  their  lives  in  their  native  land  pros- 
perously engaged  in  farming,  the  father  dying 
a  number  of  years  ago  and  the  mother  on  Sep- 
tember 7,  1903.  Their  son  John  is  their  only 
living  child.  He  received  a  common  school 
education  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  assumed  the 
burden  of  life  for  himself,  learning  the  trade 
of  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  doing  at  any 
time  whatever  offered  good  returns  and  was 
worthy  of  his  powers.  In  1866  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Chicago, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  three  years.  He 
then  moved  to  Milwaukee,  but  after  two  years 
of  mechanical  employment  there,  returned  to 
Chicago,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1873.  At  that  time  he  joined  the  tide  of  emi- 
gration westward,  coming  to  Colorado  and 
taking  up  his  residence  at  Pueblo  and  remain- 
ing there  working  at  his  trade  until  1876.  He 
built  the  first  brick  house  on  the  mesa  at  the 
head  of  the  viaduct  there,  and  within  the  same 
year  changed  his  residence  to  Saguache  county. 
Crestone  was  the  location  he  selected  for  his 
home  in  this  county,  and  he  was  the  first  settler 
at  that  point.  While  there  he  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting and  mining,  and  also  in  building.  He 
became  prominent  and  influential  in  a  short 
time,  and  was  a  leading  spirit  in  setting  off  that 
part  of  the  county  as  a  separate  district,  pre- 
siding over  the  meeting  at  which  the  new 
division  was  organized.  He  also  served  on  the 


634 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


school  board  and  gave  an  impetus  to  the  cause 
of  public  education  which  it  has  never  lost.  His 
prospecting  and  mining  ventures  were  unsuc- 
cessful, but  his  building  operations  were  profit- 
able. In  1878  he  helped  to  put  up  the  first 
furnace  for  Crook  Brothers.  Since  1881  he 
has  made  the  town  of  Saguache  his  home,  and 
been  prominent  in  all  its  public  affairs.  He 
built  all  the  principal  buildings  in  the  town,  in- 
cluding the  county  courthouse,  and  many  in 
other  parts  of  the  county,  being  considered  the 
most  reliable  builder  within  its  limits.  From 
1885  to  1890  he  served  on  the  town  board,  and 
during  this  service  started  tree  planting  to 
adorn  the  municipality  and  also  secured  pro- 
vision for  and  laid  out  the  park.  Afterward 
he  was  twice  elected  mayor  on  the  citizens' 
ticket.  From  1881  to  1902  he  was  occupied  in 
ranching  and  raising  cattle  in  addition  to  his 
other  employments,  having  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  nine  miles  northwest  of 
Saguache,  one-half  of  the  land  being  under 
cultivation.  In  1902  he  rented  the  place  to  a 
tenant,  and  since  then  he  has  not  been  actively 
connected  with  its  work.  Mr.  Farrington  is 
one  of  the  county's  self-made,  substantial  and 
most  public-spirited  men,  a  stanch  Republican 
in  politics,  a  third-degree  Freemason  in  fra- 
ternal life,  also  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and 
as  a  citizen  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  every- 
where. On  October  6,  1867,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Ellen  Lawley,  a  native  of  Birmingham, 
England.  They  have  three  children,  Mrs. 
Oscar  B.  Mack,  Matilda  and  George  L.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  ranch  and  his  town  dwelling  Mr. 
Farrington  owns  other  real  estate  in  the  town 
and  county.  No  element  of  the  county's  great- 
ness and  progress  has  escaped  his  notice  or  been 
without  the  aid  of  his  wise  and  active  mind. 
Taking  firm  hold  of  the  forces  of  the  people, 
and  seeing  clearly  the  needs  of  the  section,  he 
has  devoted  his  best  efforts  to  make  the  most 
of  the  situation  for  himself  and  others,  and 


has  been  of  the  most  substantial  service  in 
bringing  about  the  present  state  of  advance- 
ment for  which  it  is  noted. 

JOHN  WELTY. 

*  John  Welty,  of  Saguache  county,  one  of  its 
most  extensive  and  enterprising  ranch  and  cat- 
tle men  and  most  prominent  and  influential  citi- 
zens, who  came  to  this  state  in  the  spring  of 
1879  with  almost  no  capital. and  has  won  his 
way  to  consequence  here  by  hard  knocks  and 
persistent  effort,  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  born 
near  Smithburg,  Washington  county,  on  Octo- 
ber 9,  1853.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Anna 
(Sanger)  Welty,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
Franklin  county,  who  moved  into  Maryland 
early  in  their  married  life  and  made  that  state 
their  permanent  home.  They  were  successful 
farmers,  and  in  politics  the  father  earnestly 
supported  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
from  its  foundation.  He  died  in  1892,  his  w4fe 
in  1899.  Six  of  their  children  survive  them, 
Mrs.  Calvin  Spielman,  John,  Jacob,  Abraham, 
Mrs.  John  Frantz  and  Samuel.  One  daughter 
named  Ida  died  a  number  of  years  ago.  Their 
son  John's  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  those  provided  by  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state.  He  remained  at  home,  work- 
ing on  the  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen,  then  joined  a  party  of  emigrants  to 
Kansas  in  1872.  He  passed  one  mbnth  at  Wil- 
son Station  in  that  state,  and  not  being  pleased 
with  the  outlook,  moved  to  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  worked  at  the  butchering  busi- 
ness two  years.  In  the  winter  of  1874  he  went 
back  east  and  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  butchered  until  the  close  of  1875.  In  the 
spring  following  he  returned  to  St.  Joseph,  and 
there  he  worked  at  his  trade  and  on  farms  for 
wages  until  August,  then  bought  an  eighty- 
acre  farm  in  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  which 
he  farmed  until  the  spring  of  1879.  At  that 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


635 


time  he  sold  all  his  personal  interests  in  Mis- 
souri and  came  to  Colorado.  Locating  in  the 
Platte  canyon,  he  gave  his  attention  to  saw- 
mill work  and  cutting  logs,  remaining  there 
until  August,  1879,  tnen  moving  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Greeley  and  Evans,  where  he  was  occu- 
pied in  ranch  work  until  fall.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Missouri,  but  in  the  spring  of  1880 
came  again  to  this  state,  traveling  overland  by 
way  of  the  Platte  route  and  Denver  to  Lead- 
ville,  and  being  fifty  days  on  the  journey.  He 
reached  Leadville  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and 
at  once  engaged  in  hauling  wood  and  lumber, 
which  he  kept  at  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when 
he  put  in  four  months  freighting  between 
Buena  Vista  and  Aspen,  and  also  did  some  haul- 
ing from  Granite  and  Park  counties.  These 
occupations  he  continued  until  the  spring  of 
1888,  when  he  moved  to  Saguache  county,  and 
by  pre-emption,  homestead  and  timber  culture 
claims  secured  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  re- 
mained on  this  land  seven  months,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  period  bought  the  improvements  on 
his  present  ranch,  to  which  he  has  added  until 
it  comprises  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  all  fit  for  cultivation,  well  fenced 
and  supplied  abundantly  with  water  from  ten 
artesian  wells  bored  on  the  place.  The  dwell- 
ing is  a  fine  modern  stone  house,  the  barn  is 
first-class,  and  the  other  buildings  and  struc- 
tures are  in  keeping  with  these,  miaking  the 
ranch  one  of  the  most  highly  improved  in  the 
county,  while  his  skill  and  industry  in  cultivat- 
ing it  have  made  it  one  of  the  most  productive. 
In  addition  to  this  he  owns  another  ranch 
which  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  is  located  in  the  "Forty-one  Country," 
and  which  yields  eighty  tons  of  hay  annually. 
It  is  supplied  with  water  from  three  artesian 
wells.  On  the  home  ranch  wheat,  oats  and  bar- 
ley are  raised  with  success,  and  large  numbers 
of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs  are  maintained.  This 
ranch  is  five  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 


Center,  in  a  well-favored  region  and  close  to 
a  good  market.  Mr.  Welty  has  been  active  and 
serviceable  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  county 
from  his  location  here.  He  was  one  of  the 
county  commissioners  in  1899,  1900  and  1901, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  is  a  self-made,  prosperous 
and  prominent  citizen,  and  is  well  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county.  On  June  7, 
1891,  he  was  mtarried  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Walte- 
math,  a  native  of  Warren  county,  Missouri, 
who  died  on  February  i,  1901.  They  had  five 
children.  Of  these  two  died  in  infancy  and 
Samuel,  John  and  Ada  are  living.  Mr. 
Welty 's  present  prosperity  and  conse- 
quence gave  no  indication  of  the  trials  and 
toil  through  which  his  triumphs  have  been  won, 
except  to  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  condi- 
tions of  pioneer  life ;  neither  does  his  mild  and 
benignant  disposition  show  forth  in  any  im- 
pressive way  the  stern  endurance  and  unyield- 
ing determination  with  which  he  encountered 
every  difficulty  and  disaster  of  his  long  and 
eventful  career.  But  the  facts  are  all  in  his 
.memory,  and  by  the  contrast  they  heighten  the 
enjoyment  of  his  present  estate,  and  make  him 
all  the  more  appreciative  of  the  opportunities 
for  advancement  he  found  in  the  state  of  his 
adoption,  to  whose  welfare  and  lasting  prosper- 
ity he  is  ardently  devoted. 

GEORGE  FREEMAN  BENJAMIN. 

Men  who  have  a  surcharge  of  arterial  blood 
and  the  high  spirit  it  engenders  can  never  be 
content  with  the  tame  insipidities  of  ordinary 
life.  They  cannot  languish  in  the  lap  of  luxury, 
or  dawdle  with  the  toys  and  playthings  of  an 
overgrown  civilization.  They  pine  for  ad- 
venture, and  must  go  to  some  unsettled  coun- 
try where  they  can  find  it  in  times  of  peace,  and 
to  the  front  of  unrolling  columns  in  the  midst 
of  war.  They  would  rather  die  by  the  hatchet 


636 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  an  Indian  than  sit  all  day  and  every  day 
at  a  counting-room  desk.  They  are  made  for 
war,  for  the  sea,  for  hunting,  mining,  clear- 
ing, for  hair-breadth  adventures,  huge  risks 
and  the  joy  of  eventful  living.  Their  surplus 
energy  and  exaltation  of  spirit  is  all  good, 
only  it  must  go  to  the  right  place  for  its  exer- 
cise, and  find  room  for  achievement  in  a  con- 
genial atmosphere  and  environment,  and  there 
it  will  convert  all  impediments  into  instru- 
ments, all  enemies  into  power.  Such  a  man 
was  the  interesting  subject  of  this  sketch  in  his 
early  life,  and  such  to  a  considerable  degree  he 
is  yet ;  and  he  found  the  outlet  for  his  surplus 
force  in  the  required  conditions  because  he 
sought  it  with  intelligence  and  good  judgment. 
Mr.  Benjamin  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  on  November  20,  1858, 
and  is  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Nancy  (Westcott) 
Benjamin,  who  also  were  born  in  that  country, 
and  there  for  many  years  the  father  engaged 
in  farming  and  did  some  mining.  In  1852  he 
went  to  California,  making  the  trip  overland  by 
way  of  Minneapolis  and  across  the  plains,  con- 
suming six  months  on  the  way,  and  meeting, 
with  a  great  variety  of  adventures  character- 
istic of  the  trackless  waste  of  that  day.  He 
passed  four  years  in  California  placer  mining 
with  good  results,  and  in  1856  returned  to  his 
Canada  home,  where  he  remained  a  few 
months,  and  then  made  a  second  trip  to  the 
-new  gold  fields  of  the  Pacific  slope,  sailing 
thither  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  This  argo- 
nautic  expedition  was  successful  also,  and  in 
1 86 1  he  returned  to  Canada  well  fixed  finan- 
cially and  content  to  pass  the  remainder  of  hi?, 
days  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture 
amid  the  scenes  of  his  childhood  and  youth. 
His  wife  died  on  July  4,  1874,  and  he  in  April, 
1899.  Four  of  their  children  are  living,  Mrs. 
John  Hay  wood,  Mrs.  John  Jerdon,  Pierce 
Benjamin  and  George  Benjamin.  The  parents 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Their 


son  George  received  a  good  common-school 
education.  He  remained  at  home  employed  by 
and  in  the  interest  of  his  parents  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-three,  then,  on  Janu- 
ary 2,  1882,  he  moved  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he  was  variously  occupied  for  four  months.  On 
May  7th  of  that  year  he  arrived  in  Colorado, 
determined  to  seek  his  advancement  where 
there  was  some  spice  in  life  and  some  breadth 
and  fertility  of  opportunity.  He  located  at 
Kokomo,  and  until  1885  livecj  there  and  at 
Leadville,  all  the  while  engaged  in  logging, 
mining  and  teaming,  working  hard  but  receiv- 
ing good  returns  for  his  labor.  In  1885  he 
moved  to  Saguache  county  and  located  a  ranch 
five  miles  east  of  the  county  seat,  which  he  im- 
proved and  in  1899  sold  to  P.  M.  Jones.  In 
1891  he  bought  another,  and  this  he  sold  to 
Michael  Jordan  in  1897.  He  then  purchased 
the  one  he  now  owns  and  occupies  near  the 
town  of  Center.  This  comprises  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  is  well  watered  and  all  fit  for 
cultivation.  Grain  is  produced  with  success, 
and  general  ranching  and  a  flourishing  stock 
industry  are  carried  on  with  vigor  and  profit. 
Horses,  mules,  cattle  and  hogs  are  raised  ex 
tensively.  In  addition  to  his  home  ranch  Mr. 
Benjamin  has  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  good  land  leased,  on  which  he  raises  large 
crops  of  wheat,  oats  and  peas.  All  the  elements 
of  his  enterprise  are  successful  and  he  is  one  of 
the  prosperous,  progressive  and  prominent  men 
of  the  county,  self-made  and  self-reliant,  but 
always  with  proper  consideration  for  the  public 
interest  and  the  general  welfare  of  the  section 
and  its  people.  In  political  faith  he  belongs  to 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  its  campaigns  he 
is  on  all  occasions  of  material  service  to  the 
cause.  In  fraternal  life  he  is  connected  writh 
the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  On  March  14,  1895.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  (Delo- 
zier)  Bell,  the  widow  of  Albert  Bell,  and  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


637 


native  of  Cooper  county,  Missouri.  Her  first 
husband  was  a  school  teacher  and  farmer.  He 
died  on  August  22,  1881,  leaving  three  children, 
Claude  W.,  Georgia  M.,  and  Anna  C,  now 
Mrs.  Peter  St.  Clair.  When  Mr.  Benjamin  ar- 
rived in  Colorado  he  had  but  fifteen  dollars  in 
'  money,  and  almost  no  other  possessions  besides 
the  clothes  he  wore,  so  that  the  estate  he  has 
and  the  prosperity  he  now  enjoys  are  the  fruits 
of  his  own  labor,  enterprise  and  capacity.  But 
his  success  has  not  awakened  vanity  over  his 
achievements,  but  rather  thankfulness  for  the 
opportunities  he  has  had  and  the  endowment 
to  see  them  clearly  and  use  them  wisely,  for  his 
own  advantage  and  that  of  the  region  of  his 
home. 

CHARLES  H.  COVEY. 

Charles  H.  Covey,  a  prominent  contractor 
and  builder  of  Grand  Junction,  who  has  been 
largely  engaged  in  that  business  at  various 
places  and  has  erected  a  number  of  imposing 
and  costly  buildings,  was  born  at  Ottawa,  Le- 
sueur  county,  Minnesota,  on  July  5,  1857,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Anna  E.  (Wilson) 
Covey,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the 
latter  of  Ohio.  They  were  among  the  pioneers 
of  Lesueur  county,  Minnesota,  where  they  mar- 
ried in  1855.  The  father  built  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  conducted  a  hotel  at  Ottawa  in 
the  early  days,  and  later  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising at  Cleveland.  In  1862  he  removed  his 
family  to  Hutchinson  and  they  were  there 
when  the  Indian  massacre  occurred,  the  home 
being  burned  soon  after  the  family  fled.  Their 
neighbors  all  around  them  were  killed,  but  they 
escaped  without  injury  but  with  scarcely  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  worldly  possessions  except 
the  clothing  they  had  on.  In  1863  the  father 
enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Eleventh  Minnesota  Infantry,  in 
which  he  served  to  the  close  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  is  now  living  at  Camp  Supply,  Oklahoma, 


and  conducting  a  hotel.  The  mother  died  in 
northwestern  Iowa  in  1872.  There  were  nine 
children  in  the  family,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Charles  was  the  first  born  and  passed  his 
early  life  in  Minnesota,  being  thirteen  years  old 
when  the  family  moved  to  Iowa,  and  nineteen 
when  the  change  to  Kansas  was  made.  He 
lived  at  Beloit,  Kansas,  five  years,  and  in  his 
various  places  of  residence  received  a  common- 
school  education.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  be- 
gan to  learn  his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  at  which 
he  worked  until  1876,  when  he  engaged  in  con- 
tract work,  carrying  it  on  five  years  in  Hamil- 
ton county,  Kansas,  and  in  the  Arkansas  valley 
in  eastern  Colorado.  During  this  time  he  had 
contracts  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  six- 
ty-five thousand  dollars,  among  them  one  for 
the  erection  of  an  opera  house  at  Coplidge, 
Kansas,  at  a  cost  of  forty-eight  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  1891  he  was  employed  by  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  to  build  a  round  house  at  Denver, 
and  from  the  time  of  its  completion  until  1895 
he  lived  at  Harper,  Kansas,  then  came  to  Grand 
Junction,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  and  profitable  business  in 
his  chosen  line,  contracting  and  building,  put- 
ting up  residences  and  business  blocks  princi- 
pally, his  operations  aggregating  about  thirty- 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year.  In  1878  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucy  Fowler,  a  native  of  Vin- 
ton,  Iowa,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  his 
daughter  Bessie,  now  the  wife  of  F.  H.  Lescher, 
of  Los  Angeles,  California.  Mrs.  Covey  died 
in  1881  at  Vinton,  Iowa,  and  in  1883  he  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  Miss  Lizzie  Bollway,  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois,  the  marriage  taking  place  at  Van 
Horn,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  Charles 
L.,  now  twenty  years  old  and  a  carpenter  at 
Los  Angeles,  California,  and  Ruth,  aged  nine. 
In  politics  their  father  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
party.  He  has  served  two  terms  as  alderman 
at  Grand  Junction,  and  in  a  similar  capacity  at 


638 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


other  places  where  he  has  resided.  He  was 
also  county  surveyor  of  Hamilton  county, 
Kansas,  two  years,  and  was  mayor  of  Coolidge, 
in  that  state,  when  he  lived  there.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  belongs  to  all  branches  of  Odd  Fel- 
lowship, the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
United  Workmen,  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle  and  the  Order  of  Washington.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church. 

WILLIAM  D.  SPENCER. 

After  a  residence  in  several  states  and  vary- 
ing fortunes  in  a  number  of  different  pursuits, 
William  D.  Spencer,  of  Mesa  county,  one  oij 
the  progressive  and  successful  ranchmen  and 
fruit-growers  of  the  Western  slope,  finds  him- 
self comfortably  settled  on  a  fine  ranch  of  nine- 
ty-three acres  four  miles  northeast  of  Fruita, 
and  pleasantly  occupied  in  a  general  ranching 
business  and  the  cultivation  of  fruit,  bees  and 
other  products  incident  to  an  agricultural  life. 
He  was  born  on  December  7,  1833,  in  Richland 
county,  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Miriam  (Dee)  Spencer,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  reared  in  Indiana,  and  the  latter 
a  native  of  Vermont  from  where  she  moved  to 
Ohio  with  her  parents  when  she  was  twelve 
years  old.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Richland  county,  Illinois.  In 
the  spring  of  1835  he  moved  to  Grant  county, 
'Wisconsin,  and  there  also  he  was  a  pioneer. 
Twelve  years  later  he  moved  to  Vernon  county 
in  the  same  state,  then  known  as  "Bad  Acts," 
a  name  given  to  it  by  the  Indians.  There  the 
father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  His 
life  had  been  a  useful  one  wherever  he  lived, 
and  in  all  places  where  he  was  known  he  was 
highly  respected.  In  his  young  manhood  he  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  throughout  his 
life  he  took  an  active  and  earnest  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  locality  of  his  home.  The 
mother  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  William  at 


Saguache  in  this  state  in  1884,  aged  seventy- 
nine.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  daughters 
and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
William  was  the  third  in  the  order  of  birth  and 
is  the  oldest  of  the  four  now  living.  He  was 
but  little  more  than  a  year  old  when  his  parents 
moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  reached  manhood  in 
that  state.  The  country  in  which  the  family 
lived  was  new  and  undeveloped,  and  while 
the  demands  for  the  labor  of  every  able  hand 
were  exacting  and  unceasing,  the  opportunities 
for  schooling  were  correspondingly  limited  and 
the  school  methods  and  appliances  were  primi- 
tive. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-two,  then  went  to  Minnesota  and  took 
up  a  tract  of  land  which  he  afterward  sold.  In 
June,  1857,  he  started  with  ox  teams  overland 
for  Kansas,  reaching  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  in 
July,  just  after  the  town  was  started  by  colon- 
ists. He  concluded  to  remain  there  and  in  the 
fall  took  up  an  abandoned  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  townsite. 
Of  this  he  fenced  forty  acres  and  broke  and 
cultivated  twenty.  The  Pike's  Peak  gold  ex- 
citement in  the  spring1  of  1860  induced  him  to 
abandon  his  claim  at  Beatrice  and  come  to 
Colorado.  The  Nebraska  town  has  since  grown 
over  the  greater  part  of  his  land,  and  so  he. 
lost  an  opportunity  for  fortune  there.  On  his 
arrival  in  the  vicinity  of  Pike's  Peak  he  spent 
two  years  mining  and  prospecting  without  suc- 
cess. During  the  next  six  years  he  was  em- 
ployed on  a  ranch  near  Denver.  In  1868  he 
moved  to  Saguache  county,  and  there  he  again 
took  up  land  which  he  improved  with  a  good 
dwelling  and  other  buildings,  living  there  until 
1890.  He  then  sold  out  in  that  section  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Mesa  county  on  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he 
bought.  Of  this,  he  has  since  sold  forty-seven 
acres,  and  has  greatly  improved  and  developed 
the  rest.  He  does  a  general  ranching  business 
with  good  results,  and  makes  specialties  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


639 


fruit  and  bees.  Seven  acres  of  his  land  are  in 
choice  fruit  trees  which  are  yielding  good  re- 
turns for  his  labor.  And  the  portions  of  the 
ranch  under  cultivation  are  responding  liber- 
ally to  his  faith  and  persuasive  husbandry.  It 
was  all  new  and  undeveloped  land  when  he 
•  bought  it,  and  whatever  it  now  shows  in  the 
way  of  development  and  cultivation  is  the  re- 
sult of  his  well-applied  industry  and  skill.  On 
May  3,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Ashley,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  had 
one  child,  their  daughter  Grace.  Mrs.  Spencer 
died  on  December  29,  1901.  In  politics  Mr. 
Spencer  is  a  pronounced  Prohibitionist.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  which  he 
was  ordained  deacon  more  than  twenty  years 
ago. 

In  concluding  this  brief  mention,  it  may 
be  stated  that  from  boyhood  Mr.  Spencer  has 
enjoyed  a  reputation  as  a  hunter,  being  an  un- 
usually good  rifle  shot.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  he  killed  his  first  deer  at  the 
first  shot.  The  following  year  his  father 
presented  him  with  a  gun  and  from 
that  time  on  while  he  remained  at  home 
he  saw  to  it  that  the  table  was  well  supplied 
with  meat.  Since  that  time  he  has  invariably 
carried  off  the  honors  in  every  hunting  party 
with  which  he  has  been  connected.  During  the 
winter  of  his  seventeenth  year  he  accompanied 
a  party  of  men  on  a  hunting  trip  to  the  west 
branch  of  the  Kickapoo  river,  in  Vernon 
county,  Wisconsin.  The  only  boy  in  the  party, 
he  was  also  the  hero  of  the  crowd.  During  its 
first  seven  days  they  killed  fourteen  black  bear, 
six  of  which  were  trapped  by  one  man  in  a  cave 
in  the  high  bluffs  along  the  stream.  Of  the 
remaining  animals  the  subject  killed  three, 
being  so  close  that  their  fur  was  powder-burnt. 
He  also  killed  more  deer  and  other  game  than 
any  other  man  in  the  party.  Several  times  well- 
known  hunters  have  come  to  the  San  Luis 
valley  with  the  avowed  intent  of  "doing  him 


up"  on  the  hunt,  but  he  has  always  maintained 
his  well-won  reputation  as  a  crack-shot  and 
successful  hunter. 

NELS  C.  MOUNSON. 

Born,  reared  and  educated  in  Sweden,  and 
well  trained  in  agriculture  by  a  long  and  exten- 
sive practical  experience  there,  Nels-  C.  Moun- 
son,  of  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  living  on  a 
fine  little  fruit  ranch  of  seventeen  acres  lying 
four  miles  northeast  of  the  village  of  Fruita, 
has  transferred  to  the  land  of  his  adoption  his 
spirit  of  progress  and  enterprise,  and  with  the 
dogged  and  persistent  industry,  and  the  intelli- 
gence and  breadth  of  view  characteristic  of  his 
people,  has  built  up  in  this  western  wilderness 
a  comfortable  home  and  a  profitable  business. 
He  was  born  on  September  9,  1848,  in  Sweden, 
where  his  ancestors  lived  for  many  generations, 
and  where  his  parents,-  Christopher  and  Eva 
(Ingeburg)  Mounson,  were  native  and  lived 
and  labored  until  death,  that  of  the  mother  oc- 
curring when  her  son  was  yet  an  infant  and  the 
father's  in  1875.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
the  son  was  reared  on  the  paternal  homestead, 
where  he  remained  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one.  He  was  well  educated  in  the  state 
schools,  and  after  he  attained  his  legal  major- 
ity, being  desirous  of  devoting  his  life  to  agri- 
culture, he  attended  a  school  devoted  to  that 
branch  of  industry,  remaining  there  two  years. 
After  leaving  that  institution  he  became  super- 
intendent of  a  farm  of  over  two  thousand  acres, 
holding  the  position  seven  years.  In  1881  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  making  his  way 
direct  to  Colorado,  turned  his  attention  to  pros- 
pecting for  a  year  in  the  vicinity  of  Silver  Cliff. 
The  next  year  was  passed  working  in  a  smelter 
at  Pueblo,  and  he  then  went  to  Montana  and 
Idaho,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  about 
a  year.  After  that  he  spent  several  years  min- 
ing at  Leadville,  and  while  there  served  two 


640 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


years  as  county  jailor.  In  March,  1896,  he 
moved  to  Mesa  county,  and  in  partnership  with 
Gavin  Leslie  bought  a  fruit  ranch.  The  next 
year  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Mounson  bought  the  ranch  of  seventeen  acres 
on  which  he  now  lives,  paying  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  dollars  for  it.  Much,  of  it  had 
previously  been  set  out  to  fruit  and  he  has  since 
extended  this  area  and  made  good  improve- 
ments in  the  way  of  buildings  and  other  neces- 
sary equipment.  Here  he  has  a  comfortable 
home  with  sixteen  acres  of  orchard  which  pro- 
duces bountifully,  his  net  returns  in  1903  being 
in  excess  of  two  thousand  dollars.  On  Novem- 
ber i,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Pearson,  a  native  of  Sweden  and  daughter  of 
Peter  Pearson,  a  farmer  and  carpenter  there. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mounson  have  had  one  child, 
their  son  Nels  Otto  Mounson,  who  was 
drowned  in  Sweden  at  the  age  of  four  years. 
In  politics  Mr.  Mounson  is  a  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Order  of 
Washington.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  For  some  years  Mr. 
Mounson  has  been  a  cripple,  the  result  of  a 
cave-in  on  him  while  working  in  the  mines  at 
Leadville  which  crushed  and  mangled  his  left 
side  badly,  laying  him  up  for  a  year  and  leav- 
ing him  with  one  leg  about  two  inches  shorter 
than  the  other.  Yet  he  has  been  energetic  and 
progressive  in  conducting  his  business,  and  has 
"taken  a  genuine  and  serviceable  interest  in  the 
local  affairs  of  his  community  in  every  line  of 
useful  activity  and  enterprise. 

DENNIS  HUGHES. 

A  skillful  mechanic  and  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  working  diligently  at  his  trade 
of  blacksmithing  under  a  great  variety  of  cir- 
cumstances and  in  many  different  places.  Den- 
nis Hughes,  of  Aspen,  the  leading  blacksmith 
of  the  town  and  an  active  dealer  in  farming 


implements,  has  seen  life  through  his  toil  in 
many  phases  and  from  even  the  hardest  con- 
ditions has  wrung  by  his  energy  and  well-ap- 
plied industry  a  substantial  success  financially, 
acquiring  at  the  same  time  a  store  of  that 
worldly  wisdom  which  comes  only  from  ex- 
perience. He  was  born  at  Port  Henry,  Essex 
county,  New  York,  on  February  22,  1853,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Nathan)  Hughes, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter 
of  Vermont.  On  his  arrival  in  this  country 
the  father  located  at  Sherrington  in  the 
province  of  Quebec.  There  he  learned  his 
trade  as  a  blacksmith  and  also  acquired  a  good 
practical  knowledge  of  farming.  When  he  was 
about  twenty-one  he  moved  to  Albany,  New 
York,  and  there  wrought  at  his  trade  about 
eight  years.  He  then  went  to  Westport  in  the 
same  state,  and  during  the  next  two  years 
worked  in  the  blast  furnace  there,  at  the  end 
of  that  time  removing  to  Port  Henry,  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  same  line  of  work  for 
eight  years  longer,  starting  in  business  for  him- 
self in  1 86 1.  The  next  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  as  a  blacksmith  in  the  Twenty- 
fifth  New  York  Regiment,  under  command  of 
Gen.  Phil  Sheridan,  in  which  he  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned  to  his 
former  home  at  Port  Henry  and  resumed  work 
at  his  trade,  continuing  until  his  death  in  1901. 
His  wife  died  in  1857.  He  was  an  active 
Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Catholic  in  religion ; 
and  belonged  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public in  fraternal  relations.  There  were  eight 
children  in  the  family,  three  of  whom,  James, 
Michael  and  May,  have  died.  Those  still  liv- 
ing are  John,  William,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and 
Dennis.  The  last  named,  who  is  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  writing,  had  but  little  educa- 
tional advantages,  being  obliged  to  look  out  for 
himself  at  an  early  age.  When  he  was  ten  he 
hired  out  to  work  on  a  farm  at  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  a  month  during  the  summer  and  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


641 


the  winter  worked  for  his  board  so  that  he 
could  attend  school.  The  next  year  he  received 
ten  dollars  a  month  for  farm  work  in  the  sum- 
mer and  in 'the  winter  spent  his  time  in  his 
father's  blacksmith  shop  learning  his  trade. 
This  sort  of  occupation  was  continued  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen.  After  complet- 
ing his  apprenticeship  in  1870,  when  he  was 
seventeen,  he  started  in  business  for  himself, 
locating  at  Maria  Center,  New  York,  where  he 
remained  until  1876,  when  he  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, and  after  living  a  year  at  Kansas  City, 
took  up  his  residence  at  Gosneville,  Clay 
county.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  his 
native  state  and  there  he  carried  on  a  shop  one 
year.  In  1879  ne  came  to  Leadville,  Colorado, 
and  until  April  I,  1880,  worked  there  for  wages 
in  the  Andy  Johnson  mine.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Kokomo  and  did  blacksmithing  for 
the  stage  company,  then  after  spending  two 
weeks  at  Denver,  went  to  Conjoes,  New 
Mexico,  and  worked  six  months  for  wages.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  bought  a  twenty-two- 
inch  bellows  and  opened  a  shop  of  his  own  at 
Boydsville.  His  •  next  location  was  at  Bear 
creek,  where  he  took  in  a  partner,  Robert  Shaw, 
and  three  months  afterward  moved  to  Charma 
river,  where  he  carried  on  independently.  From 
there  he  changed  to  Almargo  and  then  to 
Aberlease.  The  soldiers  and  Indians  drove  out' 
everybody  in  the  village,  and  he  opened  a  shop 
at  Durango,  this  state,  remaining  until  the  end 
of  1 88 1.  During  the  next  three  years  he  was 
employed  at  his  craft  in  various  places  in  his 
native  state  and  Colorado,  and  settled  at  Aspen 
in  1885,  early  in  the  year.  He  bought  Joe 
Cole's  shop  and  conducted  it  a  year  and  a  half, 
then  sold  out  and  bought  ranches  on  Capitol 
creek,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to  raising 
cattle,  in  1887  and  1888  owning  more  stock 
than  any  other  person  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
1889  he  returned  to  Aspen  and  purchased  the 
shop  where  he  is  still  engaged.  In  1895  he  dis- 
41 


posed  of  his  ranch  and  added  to  his  enterprise 
a  business  in  farming  implements  of  all  kinds. 
He  has  been  steadily  successful  in  all  his  wan- 
derings, and  is  now  well  established  in  business 
to  his  taste  and  in  accordance  with  his  best 
capabilities.  In  political  faith  and  alliance  he 
is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  in  fraternal  circles 
is  connected  with  the. order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In 
November,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Katharine  Coyne,  a  native  of  Clinton  county. 
New  York,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Eliza 
(Conners)  Coyne,  the  former  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and  the  latter  of  Canada.  They  settled  in 
New  York  in  early  life,  and  there  they  ended 
their  days,  both  devout  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  The  father  was  an  accomplished  rail- 
road man  and  an  accepted  authority  on  all  sub- 
jects connected  with  the  business.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  zealous  in  the  service 
of  his  party.  They  had  eight  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living.  The  father  died  in  1884  and 
the  mother  in  1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes 
have  had  four  children.  One  son  named  Harry 
died  in  New  York  state  in  1880,  aged  four, 
and  another  named  Frank  R.,  at  Lake  City,  this 
state,  on  September  8,  1902,  after  a  short 
illness.  He  was  out  looking  up  a  suitable  loca- 
tion for  establishing  a  profitable  blacksmith 
shop,  which  he  found  at  Lake  City,  but  died 
after  living  there  only  five  weeks.  He  had  been 
active  in  business  and  public  life  in  Pitkin 
county,  carrying  on  'for  a  number  of  years  a 
profitable  grocery  store  and  later  a  blacksmith 
shop.  The  two  children  living  are  Edward  F. 
and  Mae. 

CHARLES  LATHAM  SWEET. 

This  interesting  subject  of  biographical 
mention,  whose  life  from  youth  has  been  de- 
voted to  mercantile  pursuits  ,and  who  has 
risen  by  steady  and  merited  progress  to  a  posi- 
tion of  leadership  in  his  chosen  line  of  activity. 


642 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


being  now  considered  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent and  successful  merchants  of  western  Colo- 
rado, acquired  his  masterful  knowledge  of  his 
business  in  an  extensive  and  varied  career  in  a 
number  of  different  places  and  amid  popula- 
tions of  widely  differing  characteristics.  He 
was  born  on  March  2,  1856,  at  Brooklyn, 
Windham  county,  Connecticut,  and  is  the  son 
of  Robert  L.  and  Electa  S.  (Gardner)  Sweet, 
both  belonging  to  old  New  England  families, 
the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Rhode  Island.  The  parents  passed  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  in  Connecticut,  the 
mother  dying  there  in  1892  and  the  father  in 
1900.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  from  the 
foundation  of  the  party  to  his  death,  and  in 
business  was  a  contractor  and  builder.  The 
family  comprised  ten  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  George,  a  resident  of  Plainfield,  Con- 
necticut, John  H.,  of  Lake  City,  Colorado,  Mrs. 
Joseph  Michaels,  also  of  Lake  City,  and 
Charles  L.  In  the  frequent  visits  of  death  to 
the  household  six  were  taken  away :  James  H., 
who  died  in  1901 ;  William  A.,  who  laid  his 
life  on  the  altar  of  his  country  in  one  of  the 
terrible  battles  of  the  Civil  war;  and  Adelaide, 
Anna,  Thomas  and  Daniel,  who  died  at  home. 
Charles  L.  received  his  elementary  education  in 
the  public  schools  at  Plainfield  in  his  native 
state,  and  afterward  attended  the  academy  here, 
securing  some  higher  scholastic  and  a  general 
business  training.  He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  reached  his  sixteenth  year,  then 
boldly  took  up  the  burden  of  life  for  himself, 
going  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where  he  re- 
mained twelve  years  employed  in  different  mer- 
cantile houses.  In  the  latter  part  of  1885  and 
the  early  part  of  1886  he  was  a  salesman  in 
the  commercial  house  of  Tibbets  &  Garland, 
and  had  an  interest  in  the  business.  He  next 
came  west  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  served 
as  a  salesman  in  a  store  there  until  the  spring 
of  1887,  wsen  he  moved  to  Denver  in  this  state, 


and  after  a  period  of  valued  service  in  the  com- 
mission house  of  P.  L.  Buckfinger,  became  a 
salesman  for  the  wholesale  grocery' establish- 
ment of  Williams  &  Wood,  of  Denver,  whom 
he  represented  as  a  traveling  salesman  in  west- 
ern Colorado  until  1892.  In  that  year  he  lo- 
cated at  Lake  City,  where  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Whinnery  under  the  style  of 
Whinnery  &  Sweet,  and  carried  on  a  general 
merchandising  business  in  this  connection  until 
1895.  The  partnership  was  then  dissolved  har- 
moniously, and  he  united  with  Charles  Walker 
in  another,  and  they  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 
ness at  another  location.  Four  years  later  this 
partnership  was  dissolved,  and  since  that  time 
Mr.  Sweet  has  been  conducting  an  establish- 
ment of  his  own.  In  this  he  carries  a  full  line 
of  general  merchandise,  comprising  groceries, 
hardware,  queensware,  mining  supplies  and 
fresh  meats.  His  stock  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete and  and  his  store  one  of  the  most  conven- 
ient and  best  managed  in  Lake  City  and  a  large 
extent  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  has  an 
excellent  reputation  for  the  strict  integrity,  en- 
terprise and  accommodating  spirit  with  which 
it  is  conducted.  Mr.  Sweet  is  also  interested  in 
mining  properties  and  has  a  number  of  promis- 
ing claims.  In  his  civic  and  political  activity 
he  is  especially  interested  in  the  cause  of  public 
education.  In  politics  he  is  an  unwavering  Re- 
publican. While  his  business  has  always  had 
his  care  and  most  earnest  attention  has  always 
been  given  to  his  own  and  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  county  and  its  people,  he  has  not 
neglected  a  proper  cultivation  of  his  musical 
talent,  and  has  become  an  accomplished  per- 
former on  the  violin,  an  instrument  which  is 
the  hope  of  the  amateur  because  he  doesn't 
know  its  possibilities,  and  the  despair  of  the 
master  because  he  does.  On  all  matters  con- 
cerning this  instrument  and  the  music  that  can 
be  invoked  from  it  he  is  an  acknowledged  au- 
thority, and  wjth  the  devotion  of  a  genuine 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


643 


enthusiast,  he  has  got  together  a  valuable  col- 
lection of  violins,  all  of  which  are  of  the  first 
order  of  excellence,  and  some  are  renowned  in 
their  history  and  of  great  value,  one,  which  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old,  being  easily 
worth  five  hundred  dollars.  On  December  21, 
1888,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Belle 
McGookin,  a  native  of  Scotland.  They  had 
four  children,  of  whom  Electa  and  Emma  died 
and  Elsie  S.  and  Emory  W.  are  living.  Their 
mother  died  on  May  21,  1903,  and  on  July  2, 
1904,  the  father  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs. 
'Jessie  (Kirker)  Sleeper,  a  native  of  Ohio 
reared  at  Lake  City,  Colorado.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Thomias  H.  and  M:ary  (Simpson) 
Kirker,  who  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Lake  City  among  its  early  settlers.  There  the 
mother  is  now  living,  the  father  having  died 
in  1899.  He  was  an  ardent  Republican  polit- 
ically and  a  miner  and  prospector  in  business. 
His  church  affiliation  was  with  the  Presbyter- 
ians, with  whom  the  mother  still  affiliates. 
Four  of  their  children  are  living,  Thomas,  Cole- 
man,  Mrs.  Sweet  and  Mrs.  George  S.  Mott. 
The  second  Mrs.  Sweet  had,  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage, a  wide  and  high  reputation  as  a  successful 
school  teacher.  She  taught  many  years  at  Lake 
City,  and  was  highly  esteemed  for  her  success 
with  children,  especially  in  preparing  them  for 
public  exhibitions  of  histrionic  skill,  and  her 
good  influence  in  molding  their  characters  and 
manners. 

JUDGE     CHARLES     CLEMENT     HOL- 
BROOK. 

This  highly  esteemed,  universally  trusted 
and  in  every  way  worthy  citizen  of  Conejos 
county,  Colorado,  who  is  now  serving  his  third 
term  in  an  exalted  official  station  to  which  he 
was  once  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  and  has  been 
twice  re-elected,  and  which  he  has  highly 
dignified  and  adorned,  was  born  in  Russell 


county,  Virginia,  on  July  13,  1848.  His  par- 
ents, S.  V.  and  Mary  M.  (Johnson)  Holbrook, 
were  also  natives  of  the  old  Dominion  and 
moved  from  there  to  Kentucky  in  1862.  The 
father  was  a  successful  farmer.  When  the 
dread  cloud  of  civil  war  descended  on  our  un- 
happy country  and  divided  the  sections  with 
bitterness  that  could  only  be  wiped  out  with 
fraternal  blood,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Union,  stumped  a  portion  of  Virginia  against 
secession,  and,  as  was  inevitable,  lost  heavily  in 
property  and  the  fruits  of  his  enterprise.  He 
died  in  1879  and  his  widow  in  1902.  Two  of 
their  children,  Capt.  F.  M.  Holbrook  and  the 
Judge,  survive  them.  The  latter  received  a 
common-school  education  and  afterward  at- 
tended an  academy  at  Greenup,  Kentucky. 
Later,  while  teaching  school,  he  pursuied  his 
academic  studies  and  prepared  himself  for  the 
bar,  to  which  he  was  admitted  on  March  10, 
1876,  at  Greenup,  Kentucky,  and  there  he  prac- 
ticed until  April,  1877.  He  then  left  the  scenes 
and  associations  of  his  youth  for  what  was  at 
that  time  a  far  western  land,  coming  to  Colo- 
rado and  arriving  at  Castle  Rock  in  Douglas 
county,  on  April  I5th.  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession at  that  place  until  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber, 1882,  when  he  removed  to  Alamosa,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  In  1881  he  was  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  of  the  fourth  judicial  district  of 
the  state,  and  he  also  served  as  county  attorney 
first  of  Elbert  and  then  Costilla  county,  an  ag- 
gregate of  seven  years.  In  1891  he  was  elected 
judge  of  the  twelfth  judicial  district  to  fill  an 
unexpired  term  of  three  years,  and  at  its  end 
in  1894  he  was  elected  for  a  full  term  of  six 
years,  and  in  1900  was  re-elected  to  another 
of  equal  length.  In  political  faith  he  is  an 
unwavering  Republican,  and  was  president  of 
the  first  Roosevelt  Republican  club  in  Colorado, 
which  he  organized.  He  is  a  third-degree 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  fraternally,  and 
affiliates  with  the  Seventh-Day  Adventists  in 


644 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


religious  belief.  This  sect  he  joined  on  July  4, 
1896,  and  in  August  next  ensuing  he  was  or- 
dained an  elder,  a  position  he  still  holds  in  the 
organization.  On  August  15,  1882,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lillian  Booth,  the  oldest 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Millie  A.  Booth.  They 
have  had  four  children,  of  whom  one,  a  son 
named  Booth,  was  accidentally  drowned  on 
June  24,  1898;  the  other  three  are  living  and 
are  Millie  M.  a  graduate  of  the  Alamosa  high 
school,  and  who,  at  her  graduation,  was 
awarded  first  prize  for  oratory  in  the  oratorical 
contest  of  the  San  Luis  valley  high  schools,  Lil- 
lian and  Glen  A.,  residents  of  Alamosa.  In 
the  performance  of  his  official  duties  the  Judge 
has  met  every  requirement  of  his  exalted  sta- 
tion and  satisfied  every  expectation  raised  by 
his  well  known  high  character,  strict  integrity 
and  extensive  legal  learning.  In  his  citizen- 
ship he  has  been  faith fuj  and  serviceable  to 
every  interest  of  the  people  and  the  section  of 
his  residence ;  and  in  his  social  life  he  has  con- 
tributed to  give  character  and  elevation  to  the 
whole  outward  expression  of  the  public  and 
domestic  institutions  of  his  people.  He  is  an 
ornament  to  the  state  and  a  fine  example  of  up- 
right and  progressive  American  citizenship. 

CHARLES.  A.  WILSON. 

Charles  A.  Wilson,  of  Gunnison  county,  a 
'prosperous  and  progressive  ranchman,  has  had 
successes  and  adversities  in  life,  but  through 
them  all  he  has  preserved  his  equipoise  and  de- 
termination of  spirit,  and  by  his  admirable 
qualities  of  head  and  heart  he  has  finally  be- 
come well  and  permanently  established  in 
worldly  comfort  and  public  esteem.  He  was 
born  in  Summit  county,  Ohio,  on  February  25, 
1844,  and  is  the  son  of  Sullivan  S.  and  Saman- 
tha  (Clark)  Wilson,  the  father  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  Both  ac- 
companied their  parents  to  Ohio  when  young, 


and  in  that  state  they  were  reared  and  married. 
The  father  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  man 
of  prominence  in  his  county,  serving  as  its 
treasurer  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in 
Michigan  in  1892,  aged  eighty-one  years.  The 
mother  died  in  Ohio  in  1876.  Mr.  Wilson's 
paternal  grandfather,  Jonathan  Wilson,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  grandson  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  being  reared 
on  a  farm  and  educated  at  the  district  schools 
and  at  a  good  academy  located  at  Tallmadge. 
He  remained  at  home  until  1862  when  he  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
teenth Ohio  Infantry,  in  defense  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  war,  but  after  less  than  a  year 
of  service  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  se- 
vere illness  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty.  In 
1871  he  moved  to  Kansas  and,  locating  in 
Woodson  county,  took  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  more.  There  for  more  than  twenty  years 
he  was  actively  engaged  in  the,  live-stock  busi- 
ness, acquiring  a  competency  which  he  after- 
ward lost  through  drought  and  low  prices. 
Then  borrowing  money  for  the  purpose,  he 
came  to  Colorado  in  1892,  and  soon  after  his 
arrival  bought  on  time  the  ranch  which  is  now 
his  home  and  is  located  six  miles  northeast  of 
Gunnison  on  the  Gunnison  river.  It  comprises 
one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land,  practic- 
ally all  under  irrigation,  and  yields  excellent 
crops  of  hay  and  grain.  When  he  bought  the 
place  much  of  it  was  covered  with  timber,  but 
he  has  it  nearly  all  cleared  now.  In  addition  to 
his  ranching  operations  Mr.  Wilson  conducts  a 
flourishing  live-stock  industry  here,  and 
through  hard  work,  strict  economy  and  close 
and  careful  attention  to  every  detail  of  his  work 
he  has  prospered,  and  is  now  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  county.  Politically  he 
is  independent  and  fraternally  has  belonged  to 
the  Masonic  order  since  1876.  On  November 
TI,  1868,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Wool- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


645 


dridge,  a  native  of  England  who  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  parents  when  she  was 
five  years  old.  She  died  in  Kansas  on  May  n, 
1886,  leaving  nine  children,  all  still  living, 
Laura  A.,  Delberta,  S.  Albert,  Orlena,  Saman- 
tha,  Amy,  Joel  W.,  Kate  and  Fred.  On  June 
22,  1890,  their  father  married  a  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Klinkinbeard)  Alvy,  a  native 
of  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  their  daugh- 
ters Mabel  and  Cecil. 

CLINTON  I.  LAWRENCE. 

Clinton  I.  Lawrence,  the  leading  real  estate, 
lumber  and  insurance  man  of  Crested  Butte, 
Gunnison  county,  has  reached  his  eminence  in 
business  circles  and  his  high  place  in  the  public 
esteem  of  his  comimunity  through  a  long  course 
of  faithful  service  in  various  capacities,  chiefly 
in  railroad  work  as  agent  and  manager  of  the 
office  of  the  company  at  different  places.  He  is 
a  native  of  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  born 
on  February  8,  1853,  and  the  son  of  Harlow 
and  Elizabeth  (Raynolds)  Lawrence,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York  also,  where  they  passed  the 
whole  of  their  lives.  The  father  was  for  many 
years  the  agent  of  what  is  now  the  Delaware 
&  Hudson  River  Railroad.  The  family  com- 
prised four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  living,  Clinton 
being  next  to  the  youngest.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  when 
sixteen  years  old  began  working  in  the  rail- 
road office  under  his  father.  There  he  learned 
telegraphy  and  for  a  long  time  thereafter  was 
employed  in  railroad  work.  In  1881  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Colorado  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad 
Company  as  agent  at  Crane's  Park,  then  the 
terminus  of  the  road.  Some  little  time  later  he 
became  the  road's  agent  at  Tennessee  Pass,  and 
in  June,  1882,  was  transferred  to  Kezar,  again 
the  terminus  of  the  road,  going  from  Salida 
west.  In  September  following  he  changed  to 


Saperino,  and  in  January,  1884,  to  Crested 
Butte.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  employees  of 
the  company  and  none  was  more  fully  trusted, 
so  that  wherever  there  were  important  duties 
to  perform  and  critical  conditions  to  meet,  he 
was  one  of  those  sent  as  best  qualified  for  satis- 
factory service.  In  December,  1891,  he  be- 
came agent  at  Grand  Junction  and  later  at 
Ouray,  afterward  returning  to  Crested  Butte. 
In  1902  he  left  the  railroad  service  and  suc- 
ceeded to  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
of  his  father-in-law,  the  late  Volney  Axtell, 
who  had  just  died  there.  In  this  enterprise 
he  has  since  been  continuously  engaged  and 
been  very  successful.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  is  not  an  active  partisan,  al- 
though he  has  served  in  the  city  council.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Master  Mason  with  member- 
ship in  the  lodge  at  Ouray.  His  first  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  1873,  was  with  Miss  Effie 
Porter,  a  native  of  Minnesota.  They  had  one 
child,  their  son  Harlow,  now  assistant  cashier 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Gunnison.  This 
wife  died  in  1885,  and  in  1891  he  contracted  a 
second,  uniting  with  Miss  Mary  H.  Axtell,  a 
native  of  Chicago,  the  daughter  of  Volney  F. 
and  Mary  (Dayton)  Axtell,  who  were  born  in 
New  York.  Mr.  Axtell  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Gunnison  county,  locating  at  Crested 
Butte  in  1879,  and  there  engaging  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Holt  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Holt  &  Axtell.  Later  he 
turned  his  attention  to  real  estate,  lumbering 
and  insurance,  beginning  his  work  in  these  lines 
about  1884  and  continuing  it  until  his  death  in 
1902.  He  wras  one  of  the  leading  business  men 
of  Crested  Butte  for  years  and  by  his  probity, 
acumen  and  breadth  of  view  gave  the  town  a 
high  reputation  in  business  circles.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican  but  not  an  active  party 
worker,  yet  he  served  the  town  well  in  several 
minor  offices,  being  one  of  its  first  mayors  and 
at  times  a  member  of  the  city  council.  Mrs. 
Axtell  still  has  her  home  at  Crested  Butte. 


646 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ALBERT  H.  McCONNELL. 

Amid  the  many  gainful  occupations  of  Col- 
orado, which  include  almost  the  whole  range  of 
productive  human  activities,  none  is  m'ore  en- 
titled to  the  considerate  and  careful  attention 
of  its  people  and  its  governing  powers  than  the 
ranch  and  stock  industries  which  form  so  large 
a  part  of  its  material  wealth  and  employ  com- 
fortably and  contentedly  so  many  of  its  citi- 
zens. The  men  who  conduct  these  industries 
and  keep  them  vigorous  and  prosperous  are  for 
the  greater  part  men  of  brain  and  brawn,  inde- 
pendent in  thought  and  action,  forceful  and  en- 
ergetic as  promoters  of  the  public  weal  and  with 
an  interest  in  the  soil  that  makes  them  devot- 
edly patriotic  to  the  state.  One  of  this  class 
who  is  worthy  of  honorable  mention  in  any 
compilation  of  the  doings  of  the  progressive 
men  of  the  state  is  Albert  H.  McConnell,  of 
Gunnison  county,  whose  ranch  of  one  thou- 
sand acres  and  herd  of  six  hundred  cattle,  one 
mile  and  a  half  east  of  Doyleville,  are  valuable 
additions  to  the  agricultural  and  stock  inter- 
ests of  the  county,  while  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  managed  is  an  example  of  thrift  and 
business  capacity  well  worthy  of  emulation. 
Mr.  McConnell  was  born  at  Marysville,  Califor- 
nia, on  December  25,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of 
David  and  Mary  E.  (McMath)  McConnell, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Michigan  (see  sketch  of  them  on  another 
page).  When  the  son  was  ten  years  old  the 
family  moved  to  Marquette,  Michigan,  and 
three  years  later  to  Missouri.  In  the  fall  of 
1877  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Hinsdale  county,  where  his  father  had 
preceded  him.  In  1879  the  family  moved  from 
Missouri  to  Gunnison  county  and  located  in  the 
Tomichi  valley  near  Doyleville.  Here  they 
were  pioneers,  finding  more  Indians  in  the  val- 
ley then  than  there  are  white  people  now.  In 
1884  Mr.  McConnell  took  up  land  near  Parlin, 


which  he  improved  and  lived  on  until  1892, 
then  sold  it,  and  bought  his  present  ranch 
which  comprises  one  thousand  acres  and  is  all 
under  irrigation  and  in  an  advanced  stage  of 
development.  It  yields  six  hundred  tons  of 
good  hay  a  year  and  comfortably  supports  his 
large  herd  of  six  hundred  cattle,  besides  grain 
and  other  crops,  there  being  considerable  of 
this  land  set  apart  for  pasture.  He  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  had  an  average  of  eight  hundred 
cattle,  but  has  found  it  judicious  to  diminish 
the  number  recently,  for  a  time  at  least.  He 
carries  on  a  brisk  and  flourishing  business  of 
his  own,  and  gives  to  the  local  affairs  of  public 
interest  around  him  the  same  careful  and  ener- 
getic attention  he  bestows  on  his  business,  be- 
ing one  of  the  progressive,  public-spirited  and 
enterprising  men  of  the  county,  with  an  abid- 
ing care  for  its  welfare  and  a  breadth  of  view 
highly  commendable  in  applying  his  efforts. 
In  political  faith  he  is  a  stanch  and  serviceable 
Republican.  On  October  25,  1901,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marie  (Johnson) 
Bracewell,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  is 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Virginia  (Elliott) 
Johnson,  also  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
where  the  father  died  in  1884.  After  that 
event  the  mother  moved  to  Wayne  county, 
Iowa,  where  she  still  lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Connell have  one  child,  their  son  Harry  Alex- 
ander. 

GEORGE  WISTER. 

The  interesting  subject  of  this  brief  review, 
who  is  now  just  in  the  prime  of  life  with  all 
his  faculties  in  full  vigor  and  active  exercise, 
and  whose  judgment  is  matured  and  his  knowl- 
edge of  business  is  full,  accurate  and  service- 
able, and  who  may  therefore  hope  to  grow  in 
prosperity  and  usefulness,  is  a  native  of  Jef- 
ferson county,  Kansas,  born  on  October  28, 
1863.  His  parents,  George  W.  and  Pauline  E. 
(Wyant)  Wister,  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEti    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


647 


vania,  born  in  Franklin  county,  and  moved  to 
Kansas  when  they  were  young.  The  mother 
died  on  Christmas  day,  1902.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  of  whom  only  two  are  liv- 
ing, the  son  George  being  next  to  the  oldest  in 
order  of  birth.  When  he  was  three  years  old 
the  family  moved  from  Jefferson  to  Jackson 
county  in  his  native  state,  and  there  he  re- 
mained until  1884,  receiving  a  common-school 
education  and  acquiring  habits  of  providence, 
industry  and  usefulness  in  his  father's  flour 
mill.  In  the  year  last  named,  when  he  was 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Col- 
orado and  took  up  his  residence  at  Colorado 
City,  where  he  remained  until  1891.  At  that 
time  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Palisades  and 
pre-empted  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
and  one-half  acres  of  land.  In  the  spring  of 
1894  he  set  out  four  acres  of  fruit  trees,  and 
he  did  the  same  every  year  afterward  until  his 
.planting  covered  twenty  acres,  one-half  of 
which  is  now  in  good  bearing  order  and  yields 
large  returns  for  his  enterprise  and  skill.  In 
the  season  of  1903  his  net  revenue  from  the 
orchards  was  over  two  thousand  dollars,  and 
there  is  every  prospect  that  this  will  increase 
from  year  to  year  as  time  passes  and  more  trees 
come  into  bearing.  He  was  married  on  De- 
cember 7,  1887,  in  Jackson  county,  Kansas,  to 
Miss  Mary  Clonch,  who  was  born  at  Sever- 
ance, Doniphan  county,  Kansas,  on  April  27, 
1862,  and  is  the  daughter  of  C.  C.  and  Martha 
(Buster)  Clonch,  natives  of  Pulaski  county, 
Kentucky,  who  moved  to  Kansas,  as  a  young 
married'  couple  and  lived  there  until  their 
deaths.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wister  are  the  parents 
of  four  children,  Earl,  Vernon,  Cecil  and  Dean, 
all  living  and  all  born  on  the  ranch  which  is 
now  their  home.  In  political  relations  Mr.  Wis- 
ter trains  with  the  independents,  and  in  fra- 
ternal life  he  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  Wrorld.  He  is  an  enter- 
prising and  progressive  man  and  is  highly  re- 


garded on  all  sides  on  account  of  his  good  busi- 
ness capacity,  his  sterling  worth  and  his  use- 
fulness as  a  citizen. 

HARRY. W.  BULL. 

Actively  engaged  in  raising-  fruit,  general 
ranching  and  feeding  cattle  on  contract,  Harry 
W.  Bull,  of  the  Western  slope  in  this  state,  liv- 
ing four  miles  northwest  of  Eckert,  Delta 
county,  finds  his  time  and  energies  fully  occu- 
pied in  useful  labors  and  profitably  rewarded 
for  the  outlay.  He  is  an  enterprising  man, 
wide-awake  to  his  opportunities  and  diligent  in 
making  good  use  of  them  at  all  times.  Like 
many  another  of  the  progressive  men  who  have 
helped  to  make  Colorado  great  and  wealthy,  he 
is  a  native  of  the  far  East  in  this  country,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  in 
Orange  county,  on  January  10,  1865.  His  par- 
ents, Sidney  and  Ruth  (Cooley)  Bull,  were 
born  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  respect- 
ively, and  in  1869  moved  to  Missouri,  where 
they  are  now  living.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
there  until  recently,  when  he  retired  from  active 
pursuits  and  took  up  his  residence  in  the  town 
of  Cameron.  Six  of  their  seven  children  are 
living,  five  of  them  in  Colorado.  Their  son, 
who  is  the  theme  of  this  article,  left  home  in 
the  spring  of  1886,  soon  after  reaching  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  and  coming  direct  to  this 
state,  located  in  Delta  county  on  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  one  he 
now  owns  and  occupies,  which  he  took  up  as 
a  pre-emption  claim  and  afterward  sold.  His 
present  ranch  was  purchased  in  January.  1898, 
and  required  his  immediate  and  vigorous  at- 
tention to  make  it  habitable  and  productive. 
He  built  a  comfortable  dwelling  on  it  and  began 
at  once  to  devote  his  energies  to  its  cultivation 
and  development.  Fifteen  acres  of  the  tract  are 
in  fruit,  and  the  orchards  are  kept  up  by  re- 
peated plantings,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 


648 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


acres  are  devoted  to  growing  alfalfa,  which  is 
his  principal  crop  as  the  orchard  is  not  yet  in 
full  bearing  order.  In  1903  his  harvest  was 
eight  hundred  tons  of  good  hay,  on  which  he 
realized  an  average  of  five  dollars  a  ton  by  feed- 
ing it  to  cattle  under  contract.  He  also  sold 
three  hundred  boxes  of  peaches  and  one  hun- 
dred boxes  of  apples.  In  the  stock  industry  he 
confines  himself  to  raising  a  number  of  horses 
each  year.  On  June  8,  1898,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Bertha  Atwood,  a  native  of  Buchanan 
county,  Missouri,  whose  father,  Charles  At- 
wood, was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1847,  anc^ 
her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Marshall,  in  Canada  in  1853.  The  father  was 
a  molder  in  his  earlier  manhood  and  later 
turned  his  attention  to  merchandising.  Both 
parents  are  living  in  Missouri,  whither  they 
moved  in  1868.  All  of  their  five  children  are 
living,  but  only  one,  Mrs.  Bull,  is  a  resident  of 
Colorado.  She  and  her  husband  have  son, 
Ernest  A.,  who  wras  born  in  1899.  The  father 
is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a  Woodman  of  the 
World.  He  supports  the  Republican  party  in 
political  matters,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  Presbyterian  church. 

GERHARD  JUTTEN. 

Of  the  foreign  population  which  has  helped 
to  make  the  United  States  great  and  prosper- 
ous, probably  no  class  has  done  more  for  the 
advantage  of  the  country  than  the  Germans, 
and  few  if  any  have  suffered  greater  hardships. 
They  have  gone,  in  many  cases  to  the  very 
limits  of  the  territory  within  reach  of  help  in 
time  of  danger,  and  often  even  far  beyond  it, 
and  had,  in  addition  to  all  the  wild  conditions 
of  an  unsettled  and  unpeopled  land,  the  diffi- 
culties of  a  foreign  tongue  to  contend  with, 
many  of  whose  sounds  are  difficult  for  them 
to  make,  so  different  from  their  own  resonant 
and  vigorous  language.  This  has  been  the 


experience  of  Gerhard  Jutten,  of  Montrose 
county,  this  state,  and  his  family.  When  they 
came  to  this  country  he  was  forty-three  years 
old  and  had  no  knowledge  of  English  at  all,  and 
his  wife,  although  somewhat  younger  in  years, 
was  as  ignorant  of  English  as  himself.  The 
industrial  triumphs  they  have  won  in  the  face 
of  great  difficulties,  and  their  mastery  of  the 
language  to  such  an  extent  that  Mrs.  Jutten 
has  for  years  been  a  valued  official  in  the  school 
system  of  their  new  home,  are  all  the  more  to 
their  credit,  and  stamp  them  as  persons  of  unu- 
sual force  of  character,  mental  power  and  per- 
sistent determination.  Mr.  Jutten  was  born  ii\ 
Germany  in  1839,  the  son  of  Peter  Jutten,  also 
a  native  of  that  country.  His  father  was  a 
farmer  there  in  times  of  peace,  and  a  soldier 
in  times  of  war.  He  was  in  active  service  in 
the  French  army  at  various  times,  his  last 
engagement  in  this  organization  being  at  the 
time  of  the  revolution  of  1848  when  Louis 
Philippe  was  driven  from  the  throne  and  Lam- 
artine  became  the  ruling  spirit  in  France.  Mr. 
Jutten's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cath- 
erine Nelison,  died  in  1842,  aged  about  twenty- 
eight  years,  leaving  three  children,  of  whom 
he  was  the  first  born.  He  grew  to  manhood 
and  was  educated  in  his  native  land.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  farming  there 
and  continued  his  operations  in  this  line  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  forty-three.  He  then 
came  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and 
five  children,  to  the  United  States  through  the 
persuasion  of  his  brother-in-law,  John  Rade- 
macher,  and  after  reaching  Gunnison,  this 
state,  journeyed  by  wagon  on  to  his  present 
locality,  reaching  it  in  the  spring  of  1882.  He 
settled  at  first  across  the  river  from  the  place 
on  which  he  now  lives,  taking  up  a  pre-emption 
claim.  Here  he  began  to  get  accustomed  to  his 
surroundings  and  the  customs  of  the  country, 
and  to  facilitate  his  efforts  in  this  direction  sent 
his  daughter  to  live  in  the  family  of  a  neighbor 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


649 


in  order  that  she  might  learn  the  English  lan- 
guage and  teach  it  to  the  rest  of  the  household. 
They  at  once  started  to  improve  and  cultivate 
their  land,  but  found  themselves  in  the  midst 
of  great  difficulties.  They  had  but  little  money 
left,  pro  visions -were  very  costly,  and  the  land 
was  slow  in  response  to  their  demands  for  the 
products  of  modern  husbandry.  With  pain  and 
toil  they  struggled  on,  however,  and  every  foot 
of  progress  they  made  was  firmly  held,  so  that 
in  a  little  time  they  were  more  comfortable, 
and  by  thrift  and  persistent  industry  not  only 
made  their  home  agreeable  and  attractive,  but 
accumulated  other  property  and  extended  their 
cattle  business  until  now  they  own  about  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  good  condition,  the 
most  of  which  is  devoted  to  raising  alfalfa  and 
grain,  and  carry  on  one  of  the  leading  cattle . 
industries  of  the  county.  Their  progress  in  other 
respects  has  been  commensurate  with  that  they 
have  made  in  their  business  operations.  They 
have  risen  to  influence  in  the  social  and  public 
life  of  the  community,  and  are  recognized  as  im- 
portant factors  in  all  lines  of  its  proper  develop- 
ment and  improvement.  Mr.  Jutten  raises  in 
the  orchards  of  his  own  planting  the  best  fruit 
of  all  kinds  for  the  use  of  his  family,  and  the 
finest  quality  and  most  approved  breeds  of  cat- 
tle. He  also  owns  and  operates  a  steam  thresh- 
ing outfit  which  he  makes  of  great  service  to 
the  farmers  around  him  and  throughout  a  wide 
scope  of  country.  He  was  married  in  1869,  in 
Germany,  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Rademacher,  a 
daughter  of  Gerhard  and  Anna  Gertrude 
(Schwilles)  Rademacher,  whose  families  had 
lived  in  the  fatherland  from  time  immemorial. 
Her  father  was  a  wheelwright  and  passed  all 
of  his  life  in  that  country  industriously  working 
at  his  craft,  dying  in  1853,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  or  seventy.  Mrs.  Jutten  was  well  educated 
in  her  native  land  and  it  is  strong  proof  of  her 
strength  and  flexibility  of  mind  that  coming  to 
this  country,  as  she  did  with  five  children  and 


having  not  only  the  cares  of  a  large  family  but 
also  domestic  duties  of  an  unusually  difficult 
and  burdensome  character  on  her  hands,  she 
has  still  mastered  the  English  language  and 
given  a  good  portion  of  her  time  to  public 
duties  in  the  community,  serving  for  a  number 
of  years  as  president  of  the  local  school  board 
and,  since  retiring  from  that  office,  as  its  treas- 
urer. In  these  positions  she  has  been  able  to 
give  an  inspiration  and  a  quickening  impulse  to 
the  school  forces  of  the  district  that  have  been 
a  great  value  to  the  schools,  raising  their  stand-- 
ards  and  enlarging  their  usefulness  in  many 
important  respects.  The  children  born  in  Ger- 
many are  Ida,  Mary  (deceased),  Henry,  Ger- 
hard, Anna,  and  John,  Adolph  and  Josephine, 
deceased,  the  last  three  being  buried  there. 
Those  born  in  America  are  John,  Joseph, 
Theresia  and  James,  all  living.  Among  the 
people  living  in  their  part  of  the  county  no  fam- 
ily is  more  generally  or  more  highly  esteemed 
and  none  is  more  worthy  of  public  regard  than 
the  Juttens  and  no  couple  has  done  more  for 
the  elevation  and  substantial  benefit  of  the  com- 
munity than  the  parents  of  this  household. 

ROBERT  B.  RIVES. 

Belonging  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
distinguished  families  of  Virginia,  and  reared 
in  the  best  circles  of  its  cultivated  society,  Rob- 
ert B.  Rives,  of  Cimarron,  Montrose  county, 
with  the  manly  self-reliance  and  force  of  char- 
acter for  which  his  people  have  been  noted  in 
all  their  American  history,  accepted  with  alac- 
rity and  cheerfulness  the  destiny  of  toil  and  pri- 
vation which  was  his  portion  in  this  western 
world  for  a  number  of  years,  and  turned  his 
very  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  danger  into 
the  means  of  helping  him  to  a  firmer  fiber  of 
physical  manhood  and  incidentally  to  a  better 
estate  of  worldly  comfort.  He  was  born  in 
Eranklin  countv  of  the  Old  Domiinion  in  1828, 


650 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Frances  (Prunty) 
Rives,  natives  of  that  state  and  descended  from 
some  of  its  earliest  and  best  colonial  settlers. 
His  father  \vas  a  large  planter  and  tanner  and 
prominent  physician  there,  a  Whig  in  politics 
until  the  death  of  that  party  and  afterwards 
a  Democrat.  He  was  prominent  and  active  in 
the  social  life  and  government  of  his  county, 
and  for  twenty  years  served  its  people  as  sher- 
iff. He  was  born  in  1782,  not  long  before  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  in 
1868.  not  long  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife  in  the 
family  burying  ground  in  his  native  county. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Prtinty,  and 
died  in  1856,  aged  about  seventy  years.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Frederick  Rives,  was  a 
soldier  under  Washington  in  the  Revolution, 
and  an  intimate  friend  of  that  great  com- 
mander. His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Stegall.  Their  lives  were  passed  on  their  plan- 
tation in  their  native  state.  Mr.  Rives  of  this 
writing  was  the  last  born  of  the  ten  children 
who  composed  the  household  of  his  parents, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  on  the  paternal 
homestead.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  be- 
came a  planter  on  his  own  account  and  contin- 
ued in  the  business  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war  when  he  promptly  enlisted  in  de- 
fense of  his  convictions  in  the  Tenth  Virginia 
Cavalry.  Having  his  leg  broken  in  the  service, 
he  was  discharged,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  well 
again  he  re-enlisted  in  the  Thirty-seventh  Vir- 
ginia Battalion  under  Gen.  L.  Lomax  and 
served  in  that  command  to  the  end  of  the  mo- 
mentous conflict.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  his  plantation  and .  remained  there  until 
1880,  then  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  a  short 
residence  at  Colorado  City  moved  to  Kokomo. 
A  year  later  he  located  at  Maysville,  eleven 
miles  west  of  Salida,  and  during  the  next  two 
years  prospected  and  mined  in  that  region.  He 
then  came  to  Cimarron,  M'ontrose  county,  and 


for  two  or  three  years  was  engaged  in  railroad 
work.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  took  up  a 
pre-emption  claim  on  which  he  still  resides  and 
on  which  the  first  house  in  this  part  of  the 
county  was  built.  Back  of  his  dwelling  is 
where  the  United  States  troops  were  drawn 
up  to  fight  the  Ute  Indians  on  the  opposite  side 
of  Cimarron  creek.  Among  the  earliest  per- 
manent settlers  here,  he  has  also  been  one  of 
the  most  useful  and  influential.  He  served 
seven  and  a  half  years  on  the  local  school  board, 
and  was  prominent  in  all  movements  for  the 
improvement  of  this  section.  When  there 
seemed  to  be  sufficient  population  for  the  pur- 
pose he  started  the  agitation  that  resulted  in 
the  organization  of  Montrose  county,  and  in 
the  early  history  of  the  new  organization  was 
one  of  the  leading  men.  In  1854  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  Mackenheimer,  a  native 
of  Virginia  where  the  marriage  took  place. 
She  died  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six, 
leaving  three  children,  Jacob,  Francis  P.  and 
Josephine,  all  residents  of  Virginia,  the  first 
named  being  a  prominent  tobacco  merchant  in 
that  state.  In  1884  he  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Mary  Frances  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam C.  Smith,  a  merchant  and  planter  of  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  Rives's  place  is  a  model  of  thrift 
and  skillful  cultivation,  and  its  products  are  of 
high  quality  and  abundant  in  quantity.  He  is 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  neighborhood 
and  one  of  its  most  representative  citizens. 

HENRY  ALERTON. 

Born  and  reared  in  the  midst  of  the  high- 
est civilization,  with  all  the  blandishments 
and  enjoyments  of  cultivated  life  around 
him,  as  manhood  opened  before  him  with 
radiant  promise,  Henry  Alerton  neverthe- 
less did  not  hesitate  to  turn  away  from  it 
all  and  seek  a  destiny  of  toil  and  hard- 
ship in  the  western  wilds  of  this  .  conn- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


651 


try,  and  with  manly  and  intrepid  spirit  met  all 
its  burdens,  braving  extremes  of  heat  and  cold, 
of  drought  and  flood,  of  loneliness  and  hunger, 
in  order  that  he  might  in  his  own  way  work 
out  a  career  without  the  aid  of  adventitious  cir- 
cumstances or  fortune's  favors,  and  gratify  a 
love  of  adventure  that  was  inherent  in  his  na- 
ture. He  was  born  at  Lockport  in  western  New 
York  in  1848,  the  son  of  John  and  Hannah 
(Newboldt)  Alerton.  His  father,  a  native  of 
England,  settled  in  that  portion  of  the  state 
when  a  young  nlan  and  there  followed  the  busi- 
ness of  a  merchant  tailor  until  his  death,  in 
1857,  at  the  age  of  forty-five.  His  wife  died 
when  her  son  Henry  was  but  two  years  old, 
leaving  nine  children,  of  whom  he  was  next  to 
the  last.  He  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  George 
Reading,  a  boot  and  shoe  manufacturer  of  On- 
tario, Canada,  and  when  he  was  eighteen  went 
to  work  in  a  grocery  store  and  bakery  to  re- 
main two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
returned  to  Lockport  and  learned  photography 
under  F.  B.  Clench,  of  that  city.  He  then 
started  westward  without  any  settled  destina- 
tion, but  eager  to  see  the  country  and  find  if  he 
could  a  desirable  location  wherein  to  establish 
himself  and  accumulate  a  competency.  In  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years  he  reached  Trini- 
dad, this  state,  just  in  timie  to  take  part  in  what 
is  known  locally  as  the  Trinidad  war,  a  short 
and  sharp  conflict  between  Americans  and 
Mexicans.  His  first  occupation  in  this  part  of 
the  country  was  driving  cattle  for  Loring  & 
Goodnight,  cattle  kings  of  that  day,  in  whose 
service  he  made  a  trip  to  Texas.  After  that 
he  hauled  saw  logs  to  the  mill  to  be  sawed  into 
lumber  for  use  in  the  construction  of  the  new 
Fort  Lyon,  and  after  the  logs  were  all  in  he 
went  into  the  mill  and  helped  to  saw  them, 
continuing  at  this  work  until  the  contract  was 
fulfilled,  which  occupied  about  six  months. 
From  there  he  went  to  Denver  and  took  em- 
ployment as  clerk  for  the  Tucker  Lumber  Com- 
pany, and  remained  in  their  service  six  months, 


then  going  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he 
worked  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  until  it 
was  completed,  when  he  went  to  California, 
and  from  there  made  his  way  to  the  Comstock 
mine  in  Nevada.  During  the  next  five  years 
he  worked  in  Sutro  Tunnel,  then  made  a  trip 
from  Virginia  City,  that  state,  to  Colorado, 
traveling  a  distance  of  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred miles  through  California,  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona  to  Alamosa,  this  state,  crossing  the 
desert  in  July  when  the  thermoniieter  regis- 
tered one  hundred  and  twenty  degrees  and  go- 
ing over  the.  mountains  when  it  was  forty  de- 
grees below  zero,  making  the  whole  trip  with  a 
team  and  wagon.  Locating  at  Lake  City,  he 
remained  five  years  conducting  summer  re- 
sorts on  the  lake,  then  transferring  his  base  of 
operations  to  the  Uncompahgre  valley,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business,  taking  up  a  part 
of  his  present  ranch  at  the  mouth  of  Happy 
Canyon  in  1886.  The  land  was  covered  with 
sage  brush  and  all  his  acquaintances  who  knew 
the  conditions  prophesied  that  he  would  fail  to 
make  the  place  productive  or  continue  to  live 
on  it.  His  work  was  difficult  here  and  full  of 
discouragements.  But  he  persevered  until  now 
he  has  one  of  the  best  ranches  in  this  part  of 
the  state,  having  succeeded  in  his  venture  be- 
yond all  expectations.  He  has  added  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  to  his  original  tract  and 
has  that  also  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
For  some  years  he  was  extensively  engaged  in 
the  dairy  business,  raising  Shorthorn  and 
Jersey  cattle  and  making  large  quantities  of 
butter,  but  of  late  he  has  given  his  attention 
mainly  to  fruit  culture,  having  a  very  prolific 
orchard  and  raising  the  finest  varieties  and 
best  quality  of  fruit,  his  "Flaming  Tokey" 
grape  being  unsurpassed,  single  clusters  weigh- 
ing as  high  sometimes  as  fifteen  pounds.  He 
also  has  a  fine  residence  and  beautiful  flower 
gardens.  He  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss 
Eliza  Furst,  a  native  of  Troy,  New  York,  who 
ably  seconds  all  his  efforts. 


652 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


STEPHEN  WATERS. 

Stephen  Waters,  of  Gunnison  county,  liv- 
ing about  four  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
interesting  little  town  of  Doyle,  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  enterprising  stock-growers 
and  general  farmers  of  the  county,  and  is  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  stock  industry  in  the 
standard  and  quality  of  his  output  as  well  as 
in  the  extent  and  importance  of  his  operations, 
breeding  generally  pure  Shorthorn  and  Dur- 
ham cattle,  and  giving  them  every  care  that  a 
wide  and  studious  experience  suggests  to  keep 
their  standard  high  and  their  condition  good. 
Mr.  Waters  is  a  native  of  the  good  old  state  of 
Pennsylvania  whose  record  is  glorious  in  peace 
and  war,  on  whose  soil  have  grown  up  mighty 
industries  which  contribute  enormously  to  the 
wealth  of  the  country  and  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience of  its  people,  and  from  whose  teeming 
millions  go  forth  to  defend  their  land  in  times 
of  attack,  vast  armies  of  patriotic  men,  inspired 
by  the  same  zeal  for  the  common  welfare  when 
danger  threatens  as  they  exhibit  in  productive 
labor  when  only  the  thriving  industries  of 
peace  require  attention.  The  place  of  his  birth 
was  Lebanon  county,  and  his  life  began  there 
in  1876,  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Jennie  (Mc- 
Master)  Waters,  both  natives  of  the  state  in 
which  he  was  born  and  passing  their  lives  on 
its  fruitful  soil.  The  father  died  in  1879,  and 
when  the  subject  was  three  years  old,  while  the 
mother  is  still  living  at  the  home  of  her  son  at 
Crookston.  They  had  five  children,  Stephen 
being  the  first  born.  He  remained  at  home 
with  irregular  and  brief  attendance  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirteen, 
then  took  up  the  burden  of  life  for  himself  by 
entering  a  machine  shop  to  learn  a  useful  trade, 
and  alternating  his  labors  there  with  work  on 
neighboring  farms.  After  spending  a  number 
of  years  in  this  way  he  concluded  to  try  his  for- 
tune in  the  West  and  came  to  Kansas,  where  he 


remained  four  or  five  years  engaged  in  farming 
at  different  places.  In  1899  ne  settled  in  Colo- 
rado and  after  a  residence  of  about  a  year  and 
a  half  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  his  present  home,  which  now  comprises  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  at  once  started  a 
cattle  industry  on  a  foundation  which  promised 
large  proportions  that  have  been  attained  even 
in  short  time  devoted  to  building  it  up.  He  has 
prospered  abundantly  in  his  undertaking,  in- 
creasing his  acreage  as  has  been  stated,  and 
improving  his  land  with  excellent  buildings, 
modern  in  completeness  and  equipment,  and 
constructed  on  a  scale  of  magnitude  commen- 
surate with  the  increasing  demands  upon  them. 
In  January,  1893,  Mr.  Waters  was  married  to 
Miss  Bettie  Anderson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  S.  (Kinsley)  Anderson, 
of  her  native  state.  Her  father  was  a  carpenter 
and  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waters  have  had 
seven  children,  Ruie,  Eva,  Ola  and  Harry,  liv- 
ing, and  Hattie,  Mamie  and  Evelyn  deceased. 

LOUIS  LUCERO. 

Louis  Lucero,  of  Howeville,  about  twenty- 
one  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  is,  as  his  name 
would  indicate,  of  Spanish  ancestry  and  was 
born  in  New  Mexico  in  1860.  His  father  was 
Refufio  Lucero,  and  he  remained  on  the  pater- 
nal homestead  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty.  He  was  educated  at  the  schools  near 
his  home  and  in  the  varied  experience  in  life 
which  he  has  had  since  leaving  home.  For  nine 
years  he  lived  at  various  places  and  was  em- 
ployed in  different  occupations  as  circum- 
stances or  his  inclination  directed.  In  1889  he 
settled  in  Gunnison  county,  this  state,  on  a 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near 
East  river,  which  he  still  owns  and  conducts, 
and  on  which  he  has  built  up  a  thriving  and 
profitable  stock  business  of  magnitude  and 
high  character,  managing  the  enterprise  with 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


653 


skill  and  systematic  industry,  and  giving  to 
every  detail  of  its  requirements  his  own  per- 
sonal and  careful  attention.  He  has  improved 
his  land  with  good  buildings  ample  in  scope  and 
complete  in  equipment,  and  adorned  with  many 
evidences  of  good  taste  and  a  progressive 
spirit.  Being  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his 
neighborhood  he  has  necessarily  a  voice  of 
influence  in  the  affairs  of  the  district  and  hav- 
ing large  interests  at  stake  is  wise  as  well  as 
•active  in  promoting  every  element  of  industrial 
and  commercial  progress  and  all  institutions 
of  educational  or  moral  usefulness.  Mr.  Lucero 
was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Mary  Wilson,  a 
native  of  New  Mexico.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, Emma,  Claud,  Florence,  Louis,  Mary 
and  Garfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lucero  are  among 
the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  their  por- 
tion of  the  county,  and  have  hosts  of  friends. 

SAMUEL  H.  FARMER. 

Samuel  H.  Farmer,  owner  and  manager  of 
the  properties  formerly  belonging  to  the  Delta 
Orchard  Company,  located  two  miles  and  a 
half  south  of  Delta,  where  he  has  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  acres  of  good  land  and  exten- 
sive and  thrifty  orchards,  all  in  a  state  of  abun- 
dant productiveness,  is  a  native  of  Maryville, 
Tennessee,  where  he  was  born  in  1863,  and  is 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Angeline  (Henry)  Far- 
mer, who  were  like  himself  natives  of  that 
state.  The  father  was  a  farmer  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  and  during  his 
residence  in  the  county  was  elected  sheriff. 
When  the  war  began  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  and  was  stationed  at  Unity  in  western 
Tennessee,  where  he  remained  during  the  term 
of  his  enlistment.  When  returning  home  after 
his  discharge  he  was  drowned  in  the  Missis- 
sippi river  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
years.  Soon  after  his  widow  moved  with  her 
family  to  Kansas,  where  she  died  in  1879,  at 


the  age  of  thirty-five,  and  was  buried  in  Chero- 
kee county,  that  state.  Their  son  Samuel  passed 
his  school  days  at  Melrose,  Kansas,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  started  in  life  for  himself, 
going  to  the  Indian  Territory  and  there  work- 
ing at  day  labor.  In  1881  he  received  an  inher- 
itance, a  part  of  which  he  invested  in  a  livery 
business  at  Siloam  Springs,  Arkansas,  which 
he  conducted  until  August,  1883,  then  sold  out 
a  month  later  and  entered  college  at  Glasgow, 
Missouri,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and 
being  taken  ill  then  was  obliged  to  return  to  his 
Arkansas  home  at  Siloam  Springs.  After 
remaining  there  a  year  he  came  to  Pueblo,  Col- 
orado, in  June,  1887,  for  his  health  and  re- 
mained there  until  the  following  September, 
when  he  hired  to  the  Knight-Basic  Cattle  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  remained  until  November 
ist.  After  that  he  worked  for  A.  L.  Bonney 
for  a  year  herding  cattle.  The  next  two  years 
were  passed  by  him  in  improving  property  on 
the  California  mesa  in  Delta  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1890  he  began  ranching  for  himself  and 
in  the  next  three  seasons  raised  over  eighteen 
thousand  bushels  of  grain  on  the  California 
mesa.  In  the  fall  of  1893  he  moved  to  south- 
west Missouri  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  return- 
ing to  Delta,  this  state,  in  the  spring  of  1895. 
During  the  next  six  years  he  was  employed  in 
contract  work  in  ditching  and  planting 
orchards,  and  followed  that  until  February, 
1891,  at  which  time  he  bought  out  the  Delta 
Orchard  Company,  securing  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  acres  of  land  which  was 
well  improved  and  had  fine  and  productive 
orchards  already  on  it,  but  which  he  has  since 
made  much  more  attractive  and  valuable  with 
the  improvements  he  has  added,  and  far  more 
fruitful  by  the  attention  he  has  given  the 
orchards  and  the  additions  he  has  made  to 
them.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
fruit-growers  of  this  section  of  the  state,  and 


654 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


raises  also  large  quantities  of  grain  and  general 
farm  produce.  On  January  i,  1893,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Susie  M.  Dun- 
lap,  at  their  present  home,  and  six  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  J.  Floyd,  Elison  Les- 
ter, Chester  H.,  Helen  A.,  Joseph  S.  and  Har- 
old P. 

CHRISTIAN  BOSSE. 

Christian  Bosse,  one  of  the  prominent  and 
successful  ranchmen  of  Montrose  county,  with 
a  beautifully  located  ranch  on  the  California 
mesa,  six  miles  south  of  Delta,  is  a  native  of 
Elsas,  one  of  the  provinces  of  Germany  which 
was  wrenched  from  France  by  the  unhappy  for- 
tunes of  war,  and  was  born  there  in  1835,  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Madalena)  Bosse. 
His  father  was  a  German  by  nativity,  but  was  a 
Frenchman  in  feeling,  and  served  for  years  on 
the  staff  of  the  great  Napoleon,  and  often 
regaled  the  ears  of  his  offspring  with  thrilling 
incidents  of  the  wars  conducted  by  that  mighty 
commander.  The  mother  was  a  thorough 
Frenchwoman,  true  to  the  interests  of  her 
country,  and  rilled  with  admiration  of  its  great- 
ness. She  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  Their  son  Christian  remained  at  home 
in  his  native  land  until  he  was  ten  years  old, 
and  in  1846  came  to  the  United  States  to  live 
with  an  uncle  in  New  York,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained two  years,  then  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  That  city 
was  his  home  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
war  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a 
member  of  Company  B,  Forty-fifth  Pennsyl- 
vania Infantry,  for  a  term  of  nine  months.  At 
the  end  of  this  term  he  re-enlisted,  becoming 
a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  in  which 
he  served  to  the  end  of  the  war,  being  dis- 
charged at  Washington,  D.  C,  on  July  6,  1865. 
His  regiment  was  in  active  field  service  during 
most  of  the  contest  and  he  saw  much  of  the 


hardships  and  suffering  of  war,  and  faced 
death  on  many  a  sanguinary  field,  but  escaped 
without  serious  disaster.  After  the  war  he 
lived  in  Ohio  for  nearly  three  years  engaged  in 
farming,  and  from  there  went  to  Iowa  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  about  a  year  and  a 
half,  leaving  in  1869  for  Colorado.  Here  he 
was  engaged  at  carpenter  work  and  farming 
for  about  twelve  years  in  various  localities.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Montrose  county  and  settled 
on  the  California  mesa,  where  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed ranching  with  industry  and  vigor  and 
with  gratifying  results,  and  given  intelligent 
and  valued  aid  in  developing  and  building  up 
the  section.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but 
he  is  not  a  hide-bound  partisan,  usually  voting 
in  local  affairs  for  the  man  he  considers  best 
fitted  for  the  office.  He  was  married  in  1870 
to  Miss  Margaret  Jess,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, William  L.  and  Mary.  He  and  his  wife 
are  highly  esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  cordial 
friends  and  their  home  is  much  sought  as  a 
place  of  pleasant  entertainment. 

WILLIAM  WEBBER. 

William  Webber,  of  Mount  Carbon,  Gun- 
nison  county,  living  on  a  ranch  which  he  pur- 
chased some  years  ago  one  mile  east  of  the  vil- 
lage, is  a  native  of  England  and  was  connected 
with  the  coal  mining  interests  of  the  section  in 
which  he  lives  for  a  period  of  twenty-one  years. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Harriett  Webber, 
also  natives  of  England,  as  their '  forefathers 
were  for  generations.  They  lived,  labored  and 
died  in  their  native  land,  and  their  remains  rest 
beneath  its  soil.  William,  the  son,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  England,  and  there  acquired  a 
practical  knowledge  of  mining.  When  he 
reached  years  of  maturity  he  emigrated  to 
America,  and  coming  to  Colorado,  settled  at 
Baldwin,  Gunnison  county,  where  he  lived 
twenty-one  years  connected  with  the  coal  min- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


655 


ing  industry  there,  during  much  of  the  time 
runnirrg  an  engine  for  hoisting  coal.  At  the 
end  of  the  period  named  he  bought  the  ranch 
on  which  he  now  has  his  home  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Mount  Carbon,  and  since  then  has  been 
profitably  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising 
cattle,  although  he  still  has  an  interest  in  the 
mines.  His  advent  into  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try was  at  an  interesting  time,  when  the  rail- 
road was  just  completed,  and  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity to  cross  Alpine  Ridge  on  the  first 
passenger  train  that  made  its  way  over  that 
elevation.  In  politics  Mr.  Webber  is  a  firm 
Republican,  but  while  he  takes  an  earnest  inter- 
est in  the  success  of  his  party  he  does  not  him- 
self seek  its  honors  or  positions  of  profit,  being 
content  with  the  management  of  his  business 
which  affords  scope  for  all  his  time  and  energy, 
except  what  may  be  required  and  is  freely 
given  to  aid  in  the  general  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  community.  He  is  held  in 
good  esteem  by  his  friends  and  neighbors,  and 
throughout  the  community  generally. 

HARVEY  W.  STANLEY. 

Many  a  man  of  vigor  and  enterprise,  who  is 
willing  to  face  fate  in  almost  any  field  without 
craven  fear  of  consequences,  after  being  tossed 
by  circumstances  or  led  by  inclination  into 
numerous  localities  and  various  occupations  for 
years,  even  if  commanding  them  to  his  advan- 
tage, turns  at  last  with  some  degree  of  eager- 
ness to  the  vocation  of  the  old  patriarchs  and 
finds  in, it  the  peace  of  mind  and  health  of  body 
others  have  failed  to  give,  and  also  sources  of 
fortune's  pleasing  smiles.  In  this  number  must 
be  placed  Harvey  W.  Stanley,  of  Gunnison 
county,  Colorado,  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
contented  ranchmen  and  stockgrowers  of  the 
Western  slope,  dwelling  on  his  own  estate 
about  nine  miles  north  of  Gunnison.  He  has 
tried  his  hand  at  several  lines  of  work  in  differ- 


ent places,  and  while  a  number  yielded  good 
returns,  he  has  found  in  what  now  engages 
him  employment  best  suited  to  his  taste  and 
opportunities  for  permanent  success  and  pros- 
perity. He  was  born  at  Whitehall,  Michigan, 
in  1867,  the  son  of  John  and  Avira  L.  (Young) 
Stanley,  now  esteemed  residents  of  Gunnison 
county.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  after  a  short  residence  in  Michigan,  went 
in  1874  to  western  Kansas,  where  he  bought 
a  small  tract  of  land  on  which  'he  founded  the 
town  of  Hill  City.  He  was  somewhat  in 
advance  of  the  tide  of  emigration  and  the  coun- 
try was  wild  and  unproductive.  The  conven- 
iences and  even  many  of  the  ordinary  comforts 
of  life  were  unattainable,  and  the  necessaries 
were  often  scant  in  volume  and  unpalatable  in 
condition.  He  and  his  little  band  of  associates 
suffered  many  hardships,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1880  Mr.  Stanley  left  his  venture  to  its  fate 
and  moved  to  Denver,  this  state.  Here  he 
engaged  in  raising  sheep  two  years,  then 
migrated  to  Canada  where  he  remained  seven- 
teen years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
returned  to  Colorado  and  settled  permanently 
in  Gunnison  county,  where  he  died  June  15, 
1904.  His  wife,  who  is  a  native  of  Canada,  is 
still  living  and  pleasantly  situated  after  her 
many  wanderings.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  Harvey 
being  the  sixth  in  the  order  of  birth.  His  boy- 
hood was  passed  in  Michigan,  Kansas  and 
Colorado,  and  owing  to  the  circumstances  of 
the  family  and  their  migratory  life,  his  oppor- 
tunities for  attending  school  were  very  few 
and  broken.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  appren- 
ticed himself  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist. 
At  the  end  of  his  three  years'  apprenticeship 
he  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  Colorado 
Springs  and  turned  his  attention  to  raising 
stock  and  ranching,  which  he  followed  two 
years.  After  spending  six  months  thereafter 
in  Gunnison  county  he  took  up  his  residence  at 


656 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Telluride  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  employ 
of  an  electric  company.  Returning  to  Gunni- 
son  county,  he  engaged  in  lumbering  four, 
years,  then  bought  the  ranch  he  now  owns  and 
on  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  It  com- 
prises two  hundred  acres,  affording  an  excel- 
lent basis  for  his  stock  industry  and  the  farm- 
ing incidental  thereto,  being  well  fitted  for  the 
purpose  in  location,  improvements,  state  of 
cultivation  and  equipment.  Mr.  Stanley  was 
married  in  1893  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Stevens,  and 
three  children  have  come  to  brighten  their 
household  and  sanctify  their  domestic  altar, 
William  A.,  Grace  E.  and  Thomas  E. 

GEORGE  SMITH. 

George  Smith,  of  Mesa  county,  one  of  the 
foremost  and  most  successful  bee-culturists  in 
this  portion  of  the  state,  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  in  1861,  and  the  son  of  Michael 
and  Sarah  Smith.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  near 
Pittsburg  and  the  latter  in  Bedford  county. 
The  father  was  a  baker  in  Pittsburg  and  died 
there  about  forty  years  ago.  The  mother  soon 
afterward  moved  to  her  native  county  and  is 
now  living  there,  aged  about  sixty-five.  Their 
son  George  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
about  eight  years  old,  and  then  the  circum- 
stances of  the  family  obliged  him  to  go  out  and 
"do  what  he  could  to  earn  his  own  livelihood. 
He  secured  employment  on  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  devoted  himself  to  farm  labor 
and  other  odd  jobs  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  in  the  meantime  finding  opportun- 
ity to  attend  the  district  schools  near  at  hand 
in  an  irregular  and  fragmentary  way  at  inter- 
vals, thus  scooping,  as  it  were,  here  and  there 
a  handful  of  the  invigorating  waters  of  knowl- 
edge as  they  bubbled  and  sparkled  across  his 
hard  and  toilsome  way.  In  1887  he  began  his 
course  westward,  coming  to  Nebraska  where 


he  was  occupied  on  a  ranch  about  eighteen 
months.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and,  loca- 
ting in  the  South  Park,  became  a  valued  helper 
on  a  cattle  ranch,  remaining  at  that  post  about 
two  years.  He  soon  afterward  moved  to  the 
ranch  which  is  his  present  home,  and  on  which 
he  conducts  a  flourishing  industry  in  bee-cul- 
ture and  the  production  of  honey  of  the  finest 
grade.  He  has  made  a  study  of  the  business 
and  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the  man- 
agement and  development  of  it.  His  apiary  is 
equipped  with  every  modern  device  approved 
in  the  industry,  and  his  colonies  are  of  the 
highest  grade  and  most  healthy  strains.  His 
enterprise  is  one  of  the  interesting  and  profit- 
able productivities  of  the  community,  and  adds 
life  to  trade  and  wealth  to  the  county.  He  is 
well  esteemed  as  a  leading  business  man  and  a 
wholesome  factor  in  public  life.  In  1885  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  Metz. 

J.  M.  HARRIS, 

The  cattle  industry  of  Gunnison  county, 
Colorado,  is  great  in  magnitude  and  mighty  in 
commercial  importance,  and  every  day  on  the 
ranges  and  in  the  valleys  where  it  is  conducted 
are  enacted  the  comedies  and  tragedies  whose 
vivid  portrayal  in  the  mimic  arena  thrill  the 
older  communities  with  interest  and  delight, 
but  here  they  are  only  ordinary  experiences  and 
scarcely  awaken  more  than  a  passing  thought. 
Still,  through  them  and  the  volume  and  im- 
portance of  the  business,  the  industry  has  laid 
all  sections  of  our  common  country  -under  trib- 
ute to  its  expanding  requirements,  and  as  the 
demand  for  its  products  increased  the  produc- 
ers have  kept  coming  and  the  business  has  con- 
tinued to  grow.  Among  the  number  of  men  of 
brain  and  brawn  who  have  been  attracted  to  its 
promising  fields  is  J.  M.  Harris,  of  Howeville, 
who  has  a  well  improved  and  productive  ranch 
of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  East  river  country. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


657 


and  who  is  one  of  the  energetic  and  progres- 
sive contributors  to  this  vast  volume  of  trade. 
He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1848,  the  son 
of  Eli  and  Harris  (Eveline)  Harris,  who  were 
natives  and  worthy  citizens  of  that  state.  The 
father  died  there  in  1891,  having  survived  his 
wife  twenty-six  years,  she  having  passed  away 
in  1865.  Their  son,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
narrative,  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated 
in  his  native  state,  and  after  reaching  years  of 
maturity  rented  a  farm -there  and  conducted  it 
for  two  years.  In  1872  he  moved  to  Missouri 
and  there  worked  in  the  mines  for  seven  years. 
He  then  came  to  Leadville,  this  state,  which 
was  at  the  time  the  Mecca  of  gold  seekers  from 
all  over  the  world,  and  for  two  years  was 
engaged  in  freighting  to  and  from  that  camp. 
In  1883  he  moved  to  Gunnison  county  and  set- 
tled permanently  on  the  ranch  he  now  occupies 
near  East  river.  Here  he  has  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  the  production  of  a  high  grade  of  cattle 
for  the  markets,  at  the  same  time  giving  proper 
care  to  keeping  up  the  breeds  and  maintaining 
the  standard  of  condition  and  general  excel- 
lence at  which  he  aimed  in  the  inception  of  his 
enterprise.  Mr.  Harris  is  unmarried,  but  is 
none  the  less  interested  in  the  general  growth 
and  progress  of  his  section  of  the  county,  and 
omits  no  effort  on  his  part  to  advance  its  ele- 
ments of  substantial  good  and  promote  its  wel- 
fare in  every  way.  He  is  accorded  a  high 
place  in  the  respect  and  good  will  of  his  fellow 
men  as  a  force  of  potency  and  influence  in  the 
public  life  of  the  community,  and  a  citizen 
whose  daily  life  accords  with  elevated  ideals  of 
public  duty  and  private  worth. 

DR.  B.  B.  SLICK. 

Active  in  several  lines  of  life,  Dr.  B.   B. 

Slick,  one  of  the  leading  professional  men  of 

Ouray  county,  one  of  its  prominent  physicians 

and  surgeons,  and  a  noted  hunter  throughout 

42 


a  wide  scope  of  the  western  country,  illustrates 
admirably  the  versatility  and  general  adaptive- 
ness  of  American  manhood  and  its  indifference 
to  circumstances  as  a  controlling  force  in  any 
essential  way.  He  was  born  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  September  6,.  1867,  and  is  the  son  of  Dr. 
Josiah  and  Caroline  (Ferris)  Slick,  the  former 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Fair- 
fax Court  House,  Virginia.  When  he  was  yet- 
very  young  his  parents  moved  to  Iowa,  and 
from  there  soon  afterward  to  Albion,  Nebras- 
ka, then  to  Gibbon,  Nebraska,  where  the  Doc- 
tor received  his  scholastic  training  in  the  public 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  was  for  a 
number  of  years  a  range  rider.  In  that  danger- 
ous and  invigorating  life  he  gained  strength 
and  suppleness  of  body  and  independence  of 
spirit,  with  reliance  on  himself  for  almost  any 
emergency  and  a  resourcefulness  that  made 
him  ready  for  it.  In  1887  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  at  the  Gross  Medical  College  in 
Denver,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1891.  He  then  settled  at  Minturn, 
Eagle  county,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  there  until  1892,  when  he  came 
to  Ridgway,  where  he  has  since  been  similarly 
occupied.  Here  he  has  become  well  established 
in  the  profession  and  also  in  the  public  life  of 
the  community.  He  has  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  business  in  his  chosen  line  wrhich  num- 
bers among  its  patrons  many  of  the  leading  and 
most  representative  citizens  of  the  county.  In 
his  professional  work  he  makes  a  good  use  of 
the  natural  good  judgment  with  which  nature 
has  endowed  him  in  applying  the  results  of  his 
careful  and  systematic  study,  and  has  withal 
a  wide  and  accurate  knowledge  of  human 
nature  which  is  of  very  material  service  in  his 
practice.  But  -devoted  as  he  is  to  his  profes- 
sion, and  exacting  as  he  finds  it,  he  is  still  able 
to  indulge  and  cultivate  his  taste  for  outdoor 
manly  sports,  and  continues  in  the  maturity  of 
his  manhood  the  habit  of  hunting  which  was 


658 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


one  of  the  acquisitions  of  his  early  life;  and 
as  a  Nimrod  he  has  a  wide  and  well-earned 
reputation  both  for  his  general  knowledge  of 
the  sport  and  his  success  in  the  enjoyment  of  it, 
He  is  also  interested  in  mining  to  good  pur- 
pose. In  1891,  at  Minturn,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lela  M.  Palmer,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  N.  E. 
Palmer,  of  Iowa.  They  have  five  children,  Nel- 
son Earle,  Bee,  Bessie,  Bruce  and  Dorothy. 

H.  VON  HAGEN. 

H.  Von  Hagen,  the  largest  land  owner  in 
Ouray  county,  and  occupying  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  completely  equipped  rural  homes 
in  Colorado  with  an  extensive  and  profitable 
stock  industry  to  furnish  him  a  reliable  and 
considerable  income,  seems  proof  against  the 
winds  of  adversity  and  may  laugh  a  siege  of 
fortune's  buffets  to  scorn.  What  is  more  to  his 
credit  and  comfort,  his  possessions  are  the 
legitimate  results  of  his  own  industry,  thrift 
and  business  capacity  and  those  of  his  parents. 
Mr.  Von  Hagen  was  born  in  Germany  in  1862, 
the  son  of  Otto  and  Adelaide  Von  Hagen,  also 
natives  there,  and  emigrating  from  that  coun- 
try to  this  state  in  1869.  On  their  arrival  here 
they  settled  near  Colorado  City  and  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  on  a  large  scale.  In  1876 
they  changed  their  residence  where  their  son 
now  lives,  and  continued  their  industry,  build- 
ing up  an  unusually  extensive  business  and 
making  their  ranch  one  of'  the  choice  estates 
in  this  part  of  the  commonwealth.  It  is  known 
as  the  Pleasant  Valley  stock  farm  and  com- 
prises two  thousand,  five  hundred  acres  of  ex- 
cellent land,  on  which  Mr.  Von  Hagen  now 
runs  about  one  thousand,  five  hundred  thor- 
oughbred and  high  grade  cattle  and  a  large 
band  of  well-bred  horses.  The  ranch  is  located 
six  miles  west  of  Ridgway,  and  by  means  of 
the  railroad  there  is  a  ready  means  of  ship- 
ment for  the  output  of  the  place  and  easy  reach 


to  the  best  markets.  Mr.  Von  Hagen  is  a 
careful  herdsman,  feeding  his  stock  all  winter 
and  thereby  suffers  no  losses  through  exposure 
to  the  weather  and  scarcity  of  provender.  On 
this  place  his  parents  expended  the  energies  of 
their  later  life,  and  here  when  their  labors  were 
ended  they  lay  down  to  their  long  rest,  the 
father  dying  in  1893  and  the  mother  in  1897. 
Their  offspring  numbered  eight,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  but  the  subject  of  these  paragraphs 
is  the  only  one  residing  in  this  neighborhood. 
In  the  public  life  of  the  community  he  has 
always  taken  an  active  and  serviceable  interest, 
contributing  everything  for  the  erection  of  his 
home  schoolhouse,  and  leaving  his  impress  in 
generosity  and  enterprise  on  almost  all  under- 
takings for  the  advancement  and  general  im- 
provement of  the  section  in  which  he  lives.  He 
is  known  far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
county,  and  stands  well  in  the  esteem  of  all  his 
fellow  citizens,  not  only  for  his  qualities  as  a 
broad-minded  and  capable  aid  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  region  in  which  he  has  cast  his  lot, 
but  also  as  a  man  of  high  character,  generous 
impulses,  agreeable  social  qualities  and  a 
wealth  of  world  wisdom  which  is  everywhere 
and  always  useful  and  freely  available  to  all 
who  seek  his  counsel.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  each  of 
these  orders  has  felt  the  force  of  his  influence 
and  the  benefit  of  his  energy.  In  1895  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucy  Woodhouse,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  who  came  to  this  section  with  her 
parents  in  early  life.  Their  family  consists  of 
four  daughters,  Alma,  Elizabeth,  Hilda  and 
Dora. 

GEORGE  F.  OVERMAN. 

Pleasantly  established  on  an  excellent  ranch 
of  eighty-five  acres  three  miles  west  of  Ridg- 
way, and  a  pioneer  of  the  county  who  came 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


659 


here  in  1877,  George  F.  Overman  is  a  good 
representative  of  the  Ouray  county  farmer, 
who  by  thrift  and  industry  has  acquired  a  com- 
petence and  is  securely  fixed  in  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men.  He  is  a  native 
of  Indiana,  born  on  August  16,  1855,  the  son 
of  John  and  Maria  Overman,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Indiana. 
In  early  life  the  father  emigrated  with  his 
parents  to  the  place  of  the  mother's  nativity 
and  there  grew  to  manhood,  was  educated  and 
when  he  reached  maturity  was  married.  When 
their  son  George  was  thirteen  years  old  they 
moved  to  Missouri,  and  after  a  residence  of 
two  years  in  that  state,  came  farther  west  to 
Kansas.  There  George  reached  years  of  matur- 
ity and  completed  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
state  the  education  he  had  begun  in  those  of 
Indiana  and  continued  in  those  of  Missouri.  In 
1877,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  drove  a  band 
of  cattle  from  Kansas  to  this  state  and  find- 
ing the  country  promising,  he  homesteaded  a 
tract  two  miles  above  the  land  on  which  he 
now  lives.  In  1887  he  sold  that  and  bought 
his  present  place  and  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  stock  business.  He  now  has  a  beautiful 
ranch  of  eighty-five  acres  on  which  he  has 
built  a  comfortable  and  commodious  residence 
and  other  necessary  buildings,  and  which  by 
systematic  and  skillful  labor  he  has  made  one 
of  the  attractive  and  valuable  farms  of  his  sec- 
tion. His  stock  industry  comprises  horses  and 
cattle,  and  he  omits  no  effort  on  his  part  to 
keep  his  standards  high  and  the  condition  of 
his  stock  first-class.  In  1879  his  parents  also 
came  to  this  county,  and  here  the  father  died  in 
1897,  since  which  time  the  mother  has  lived 
at  Ridgway.  Mr.  Overman  was  married  in 
1888  at  Portland,  Colorado,  being  united  with 
Miss  Lizzie  Hays,  a  native  of  Texas,  and  they 
have  ont  child,  their  sori  Clyde.  In  the  affairs 
of  the  county,  and  particularly  those  of  his  im- 
mediate community  the  head  of  the  house  takes 


an  active  and  helpful  interest.  In  November, 
1904,  he  was  elected  a  county  commissioner, 
for  a  term  of  four  years,  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  He  has  been  especially  zealous  in  the 
cause  of  public  education,  serving  for  a  number 
of  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
all  the  relations  of  life  he  has  lived  acceptably 
and  he  stands  well  in  the  community. 

JAMES  R.  MCDONALD. 

James  R.  McDonald,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  successful  farmers  and  stock-growers  of 
Ouray  county,  is  a  typical  pioneer,  well  versed 
in  woodcraft,  fearless  of  danger  from  man  or 
beast  or  the  elements,  laughing  hardships  and 
privations  to  scorn,  and  ever  ready  for  any 
duty  that  fate  may  mete  out  to  him.  He  has 
lived  in  Colorado  since  1868,  and  has  partaken 
of  all  the  phases  of  life  incident  to  her  early 
settlement  and  subsequent  growth  and  develop- 
ment. He  was  born  in  Glengarry  county,  On- 
tario, Canada,  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, in  1845,  and  is  the  son  of  Ronald  and 
Margaret  McDonald,  of  the  same  nativity  as 
himself.  He  comes  of  a  martial  strain,  his 
great-grandfather,  John  McDonald,  having 
fought  in  the  French  and  Indian  war  under 
Washington,  and  borne  himself  valiantly 'in  the 
struggle.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Canada, 
and  there  he  and  his  wife  ended  their  days. 
•There  also  the  father  and  mother  lived  and 
died,  and  there  the  son  grew  to  manhood  and 
was  prepared  for  the  duties  of  life.  After 
reaching  his  maturity  he  emigrated  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  few  years  later  moved  to  Michi- 
gan. In  both  states  he  followed  lumbering, 
spending  six  years  in  the  pine  forests  of  the  lat- 
ter as  bookkeeper.  He  then  made  a  trip 
through  the  territories  looking  for  business 
opportunities,1  but  returned  to  Michigan,  where 
he  remained  until  1872.  In  that  year  he  came 
west  again  and  located  in  what  is  now  Park 


66o 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


county,  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  in  mining 
for  a 'year.  In  1873  he  moved  to  the  San  Jaun 
country,  and  there  he  continued  his  mining 
operations  until  1875.  Then  he  came  to  Ouray 
county  and,  in  company  with  George  Scott,  he 
built  the  first  house  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Ouray.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  the  first 
marshal  of  the  district  and  in  1878  located  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  began  the 
enterprise  in  farming  and  raising  stock  in 
which  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged.  He  has 
one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  of  fine  val- 
ley land  on  which  he  raises  excellent  crops  and 
breeds  superior  grades  of  stock,  having  as 
pleasant  a  home  and  all  the  necessary  appur- 
tenances for  the  vigorous  and  successful  man- 
agement of  his  business.  Like  others  of  the  old 
settlers,  Mr.  McDonald  experienced  all  the  hor- 
rors of  Indian  warfare  and  all  the  cruelty  of 
Indian  treachery.  He~  was  in  this  country  and 
took  an  active  part  in  suppressing  the  outbreak 
of  1875  and  elsewhere  and  in  an  individual 
capacity  he  confronted  the  arrows  of  savage 
hatred  of  the  white  race  and  helped  to  over- 
come its  resistance  to  the  onward  march  of 
civilization.  He  had  many  thrilling  adventures 
and  numerous  narrow  escapes.  In  his  mining 
operations  also  he  experienced  all  the  varied 
emotions  incident  to  the  calling,  now  successful 
in  this  work,  discovering  some  very  valuable 
properties,  and  now  losing  all  he  had  in  unex- 
pected and  unavoidable  turns  in  fortune's 
wheel.  He  was  married  at  Colorado  Springs 
in  1878,  to  Miss  Mary  Hasmer,  a  native  of 
.Missouri.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, Ronald,  John  A.,  Alexander,  James, 
Neal,  Mamie  and  Kate. 

HON.  JOHN  M.  WARDLAW. 

Popular  as  a  citizen,  esteemed  in  social  cir- 
cles, having  a  high  rank  in  his  profession,  and 
looked  upon  as  a  progressive  and  broad-minded 


man,  Hon.  John  M.  Wardlaw,  county  judge  of 
San  Miguel  county,  has  honestly  won  by  his  • 
own  merits  and  capacity  the  high  position  in 
which  he  stands  among  the  people  of  his 
county  and  his  professional  brethren.  He  is  a 
native  of  South  Carolina,  born  on  November 
2,  1870,  and  a  pioneer  of  1889  in  Colorado. 
His  parents  were  Andrew  C.  and  Mary  F. 
(Smith)  Wardlaw,  like  himself  native  in  South 
Carolina,  and  there  he  lived  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen,  being  educated  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Anderson,  at  Anderson;  South  Caro- 
lina. He  then  sought  a  new  home  and  the 
expansion  of  his  fortunes  in  Wisconsin,  and  as 
a  preliminary  to  his  future  efforts,  entered  a 
business  college  in  that  state  where  he  followed 
a  complete  commercial  course  and  in  due  time 
was  graduated.  After  leaving  this  institution 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  and  was 
employed  by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company  as  an  operator  in  that  city.  '  After 
two  years  passed  in  the  service  of  the  company 
there  he  was  sent  to  Missouri  in  the  same 
capacity ;  and  from  there  he  came  to  Pueblo, 
this  state,  where  he  continued  in  the  same  line. 
In  1891  he  was  transferred  to  Telluride  as 
manager  of  the  company's  office  in  that  city.  In 
the  meantime,  during  his  wanderings  he  had 
been  industriously  occupied  in  the  study  of  law. 
and  in  1896  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  the -fall 
of  that  year  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republi- 
cans as  their  candidate  for  county  judge,  but 
was  defeated  in  the  election.  He  resigned  his 
position  with  the  telegraph  company  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion; and  in  1898  he  was  again  nominated  for 
county  judge  and  was  elected.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  in  1901  he  was  re-elected,  hav- 
ing discharged  his  official  duties  in  a  manner 
eminently  satisfactory  to  all  classes  of  people. 
In  the  interim  between  his  admission  to  the  bar 
and  his  first  election  to  the  judgeship  he  was 
also  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  and  is  now 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


661 


the  owner  and  editor  of  the  San  Miguel  Exam- 
iner, one  of  the  progressive  and  wide-awake 
journals  of  southwestern  Colorado.  In  frater- 
nal relations  the  Judge  is  connected  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  its  progress  and 
beneficent  work  he  takes  an  active  interest.  He 
was  married  at  Telluride  in  1893  to  Miss  Min- 
nie Behm,  a  native  of  Chicago.  In  all  the  ele- 
ments of  the  progress  and  improvement  of  the 
section  in  which  he  has  cast  his  lot  the  Judge 
is  deeply  and  intellectually  interested;  and  he 
approaches  all  public  questions  with  a  broad 
and  catholic  spirit  that  is  in  harmony  with  the 
genius  of  American  institutions.  Young  in  years 
and  in  professional  and  official  life,  vigorous  in 
mind  and  body,  and  with  all  his  aspirations  in 
touch  with  the  loftiest  ideals  and  the  best  attri- 
butes of  American  citizenship  and  the  spirit  of 
the  age,  he  would  seem  to  have  a  long  and  use- 
ful career  before  him. 

ALBERT  HOLMES. 

Albert  Holmes,  of  Telluride,  who  during 
the  last  twenty-one  years  has  faithfully  served 
the  people  of  San  Miguel  county  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  the  town  of  Telluride  seventeen 
years  as  police  judge,  is, a  native  of  New  York 
city,  where  he  was  born  on  November  10,  1829. 
He  is  the  son  of  Albert  and  Johanna  Holmes, 
the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  New  York.  Their  son  Albert  grew  to 
manhood  in  the  city  of  his  nativity,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  After  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and 
in  1855,  when  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
went  to  Michigan  where  for  a  number  of  years 
he  was  employed  at  his  trade  and  engaged  in 
the  furniture  business.  He  also  served  three 
years  at  his  trade  in  that  state  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  1882  he  came  to  what  is  now 
San  Miguel  county,  this  state,  and  went  to 
work  at  his  trade.  But  in  the  fall  of  that  year 


he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  he  has  held  the  office  continuously 
since  that  time  by  successive  re-elections.  Dur- 
ing this  long  period  of  twenty-three  years  he 
has  also  served  seventeen  years  as  police  judge 
of  the  city  of  Telluride,  and  in  both  capacities 
he  has  given  such  general  satisfaction  that 
there  has  been  no  demand  for  a  change  in  the 
personnel  of  the  official.  He  was  married  irr 
Michigan,  in  1862,  to  Miss  Clementine  Dolly, 
also  a  native  of  New  York  city,  whose  parents 
moved  to  Michigan  in  its  territorial  days.  She 
died  at  Telluride  on  July  7,  1891,  leaving  ,110 
children.  The  Judge  has  a  pleasant  home  in 
the  city  which  is  a  center  of  generous  and  con- 
siderate hospitality,  where  his  hosts  of  friends 
are  always  sure  of  a  cordial  welcome.  Besides 
being  an  important  factor  in  preserving  the 
peace  of  the  community  and  establishing  the 
forms  and  administering  the  spirit  of  the  law, 
he  has  been  active  in  every  good  work  for 
building  up  and  improving  the  county  and 
increasing  the  comfort  and  conveniences  of  its 
people.  He  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen, 
held  in  cordial  regard  as  a  friend,  and  has  the 
confidence  and  good  will  of  the  whole  commun- 
ity. 

CHARLES  S.  WATSON. 

Charles  S.  Watson,  county  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools  in  San  Miguel  county, 
this  state,  and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
active  in  the  development  and  progress  of  the* 
state,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  on  the  soil  of 
the  dominion  on  April  21,  1845,  and  the  son 
of  Stephen  and  Hannah  M.  (Kinyon)  Watson, 
the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter 
of  New  York.  The  father  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  when  he  was  but  a  year 
old,  and  after  reaching  years  of  maturity  and 
getting  married  moved  to  Canada,  and  while 
he  and  his  wife  were  living  in  that  country, 
their  son  was  born.  When  he  was  three  years 


662 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


old  they  returned  to  New  York  and  two  years 
later  moved  to  Michigan.  There  the  son 
Charles  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  edu- 
cation, attending  high  and  normal  schools  in 
that  state,  and  afteward  took  a  thorough  col- 
lege course  at  his  home.  In  1866  he  went  on 
the  Mississippi  river  and  learned  the  business 
of  a  pilot,  at  which  he  was  employed  two  years, 
then  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming 
in  the  summer  seasons  and  in  teaching  school 
in  the  winters  until  1881,  when  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  settled  at  Telluride.  The  town 
had  just  been  started  and  for  a  time  he  turned 
his  attention  to  mining,  later  building  a  hotel 
which  he  conducted  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1883  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  district 
court  and  for  fifteen  years  in  succession  he  was 
continued  in  this  office.  In  1887  he  was  also 
elected  county  clerk  and  to  this  office  he  was 
once  re-elected,  serving  two  terms  in  all.  At- 
tracted by  the  gold  excitement  of  1898  in 
Alaska,  he  made  a  trip  to  that  country  in  that 
year,  going  twro  thousand  miles  into  the  inter- 
ior. The  next  year  he  returned  to  this  state, 
and  in  1900  went  to  Prince  of  Wales 
Island.  Coming  back  to  Washington,  he 
made  another  trip  to  Alaska,  going  to 
Cape  Nome,  and  from  there  returned 
once  more  to  Prince  of  Wales  Island 
where  he  bought  a  small  sailing  vessel  in  which 
he  came  again  to  the  Pacific  and  then  made  a 
prospecting  trip  over  Washington,  Oregon, 
'  Nevada,  Arizona  and  Mexico.  He  located  a 
number  of  valuable  properties  in  Arizona  which 
he  still  owns.  In  1902  he  once  more  took  up 
his  residence  at  Telluride  and  was  appointed 
county  school  superintendent,  a  position  which 
he  is  still  filling  and  in  which  he  has  won  gold- 
en opinions  for  his  capacity  and  the  vigor  of 
his  administration.  Mr.  Watson's  life  has  been 
a  busy  one,  and  he  has  employed  his  opportuni- 
ties to  good  purpose.  He  owns  considerable 
town  property  at  Telluride  and  elsewhere,  has 


mining  claims  of  value,  as  has  been  stated,  and 
has  other  possessions  of  extensive  worth.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
charter  member  of  the  lodge  at  Telluride,  and 
in  its  welfare  he  takes  an  active  and  intelligent 
interest.  In  1875,  while  living  in  Michigan, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Almira 
McClellan,  a  native  of  that  state.  They  have 
two  children,  their  son  Charles  Lee,  the  law 
partner  of  Congressman  Hogg  of  this  state, 
and  a  resident  of  Telluride ;  and  their  daughter 
Belle,  the  wife  of  Harry  Turner,  of  Durango, 
and  former  superintendent  of  the  schools  in 
San  Miguel  county. 

VINCENT  U.  RODGERS. 

Vincent  U.  Rodgers  occupies  two  impor- 
tant positions  in  the  public  life  of  San  Miguel 
county,  being  clerk  of  the  district  court  and  city 
treasurer  of  Telluride,  and  has  risen  to  the  con- 
sequence and  high  standing  that  he  enjoys 
through  the  exhibition  of  business  capacity, 
good  character  and  a  diligent  and  intelligent 
attention  to  duty.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  born  on  May  6,  1869,  and 
the  son  of  D.  S.  and  Eleanor  (McLaughlin) 
Rodgers,  also  natives  of  that  state.  In  his 
home  state  he  grew  to  manhood  and  received 
his  education.  After  completing  the  public 
school  course  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  he 
attended  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business 
College  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  In  1887  the 
family  moved  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Du- 
rango, where  the  father  engaged  in  mining  and 
the  son  in  newspaper  work,  he  having  previ- 
ously learned  the  trade  of  a  printer.  He  moved 
to  Telluride  in  1894  and  became  bookkeeper 
and  stenographer  for  the  Tomboy  Mining 
Company,  remaining  in  its  employ  two  years. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  Painter  in 
the  insurance  business  at  which  he  continued 
until  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  district 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


663 


court  in  1898.  He  then  established  an  insur- 
ance and  real  estate  business  of  his  own,  and 
this  he  has  built  up  to  good  proportions  and 
made  very  profitable.  In  1903  he  was  elected 
city  treasurer  of  Telluride,  and  re-elected  in 
1905,  and  since  then  he  has  performed  his  dual 
official  functions  with  the  same  diligence  and 
conscientious  attention  that  he  gives  to  his 
private  business.  He  also  owns  valuable  ranch 
property  and  stock  and  has  a  one-half  interest 
in  the  lease  on  the  San  Bernardo  mine.  He  is 
prominent  in  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to 
lodge,  chapter,  commandery  and  consistory,  and 
serves  as  secretary  of  each  of  the  local  bodies. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks  and  is 
secretary  of  his  lodge  at  Telluride.  His  suc- 
cess in  life  is  the  legitimate  result  of  his  enter- 
prise and  public-spirit  and  he  has  honestly 
earned  the  general  esteem  in  which  he  is. held 
throughout  the  county.  Young,  active  and 
capable,  .  with  vigorous  physical  health  and 
worthy  ambitions,  he  may  confidently  look 
forward  to  a  career  of  usefulness  and  honor. 

MILTON  EVANS. 

A  pioneer  of  1876  in  Colorado,  and  one  of 
the  first  miners  in  what  is  now  San  Miguel 
county,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  an  active 
and  prominent  man  deeply  interested  in  all 
public  affairs,  and  giving  his  time  and  atten- 
tion freely  to  their  proper  management,  Milton 
Evans,  of  Placerville,  has  witnessed  the  growth 
of  the  region  from  a  wilderness  practically 
unbroken  save  for  the  numerous  mining  camps 
which  were  opened  in  it  from  time  to  time,  to 
its  present  prosperous  and  progressive  condi- 
tion blessed  with  all  the  elements  and  fruitful 
with  the  products  of  civilized  and  cultivated 
life.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  on  May  13,  1834, 
and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  O.  Evans. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-one  and  received  his  education  in 


the  schools  of  his  native  county.  Then  in  1856 
he  turned  eagerly  from  the  associations  and 
scenes  of  his  childhood,  youth  and  early  man- 
hood to  the  inviting  fields  for  enterprise  in  the 
farther  West  and  moved  to  Iowa  where  he 
remained  ten  years  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1866  he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  own  ox 
teams  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  from  there  made 
a  trip  northward  through  Idaho  and  Montana, 
stopping  for  a  time  at  Fort  Benton.  He  there 
took  passage  on  a  steamboat  down  the  Mis- 
souri river  to  his  former  home  in  Iowa,  and 
during  the  next  eight  or  nine  years  was  occu- 
pied in  the  grain  and  stock  business.  In  1876 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  what  is 
now  San  Miguel  county,  which  later  he  helped 
to  organize.  Here  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
present  town  of  Telluride  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing, being  the  first  man  to  follow  the  industry 
in  that  section.  He  was  also  an  early  prospec- 
tor and  miner  where  Ophir  now  stands,  and 
was  actively  concerned  in  opening  up  the  whole 
region  to  the  hopes  and  the  employments  of 
men.  In  1877  he  bought  an  interest  in  the 
Nevada  Mining  Company,  soon  after  selling  a 
part  of  his  stock  for  seven  thousand,  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  He  has  since  been  offered  forty 
thousand  dollars  for  the  rest  of  his  stock  in  this 
company,  but  has  refused  to  sell  and  still  owns 
it  and  has  charge  of  the  property.  He  also  has 
interests  in  other  mines  in  this  locality,  and  has 
shipped  ore  from  ten  of  them.  In  1890  he  set- 
tled at  Placerville,  and  here  he  has  charge  of 
the  Copper  Basin  Mining  Company  and  the 
Placerville  Gold  and  Copper  Mining  Company. 
At  the  same  time,  while  looking  out  for  his  own 
interests  and  building  up  his  own  fortunes,  he 
has  been  active  and  zealous  in  promoting  the 
welfare  of  the  section  and  aiding  in  its  progress 
and  development.  He  was  influential  in  organ- 
izing the  county  and  served  as  one  of  its  first 
county  commissioners,  holding  the  office  eight 
years.  For  many  years  he  has  belonged  to  the 


664 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  been  active  and 
influential  in  its  work  and  history.  He  was 
married  in  1856  before  leaving  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Eliza  Brown,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  died  in 
1878  in  Iowa,  leaving  four  children,  James  W., 
Herbert  C.,  Milton  A.  and  Sarah.  The  sons 
live  in  San  Miguel  county,  Colorado,  and  the 
daughter  is  a  resident  of  Minneapolis.  He  was 
married  a  second  time  in  1884,  being  united  on 
this  occasion  to  Miss  Nellie  Steele,  a  native  of 
New  York,  the  wedding  occurring  at  Durango, 
this  state.  She  died  in  1887,  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. 

HENRY  COPP. 

Henry  Copp,  merchant  and  postmaster  of 
Norwood,  San  Miguel  county,  a  pioneer  of 
1872  in  this  state,  is  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  1832,  and  the  son  of  Josiah  and  Eliza  Copp, 
who  were  also  natives  of  that  country.  When 
their  son  Henry  was  twelve  years  old  the  fam- 
ily emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  located 
at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  was  educated.  In  1852  he  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  California  and, 
locating  at  Nevada  City,  followed  there  his 
trade  as  a  baker,  which  he  had  learned  before 
leaving  home.  After  a  few  years  in  this  voca- 
tion he  engaged  in  mining  at  that  point  until 
1861,  being  at  one  time  a  partner  of  that  fam- 
ous miner,  John  Mackey.  In  1861  he  made  a 
.prospecting  tour  through  Idaho  and  Montana 
in  which  he  was  very  successful  in  discovering 
and  locating  valuable  properties-.  In  1872  he 
came  to  the  San  Juan  county,  this  state,  and 
followed  mining  in  the  Silverton  and  Ouray 
districts,  and  also  conducted  a  bakery  at  Ouray 
for  five  years.  During  a  portion  of  this  time  he 
was  associated  in  his  mining  operations  with 
Judge  Stevens  and  they  sold  one  mine  for  forty 
thousand  dollars.  In  1887  he  located  where 
Norwood  now  stands  and  built  the  first  house 
on  the  mesa,  paying  fifty-nine  dollars  per  thou- 


sand feet  for  the  lumber  used  for  the  purpose, 
all  of  which  had  to  be  transported  to  the  site  on 
pack  horses.  He  took  up  a  homestead  here  and 
in  1888  got  a  postoffice  established  and  was 
appointed  postmaster,  a  position  that  he  has 
held  continuously  since  that  time.  He  has  also 
been  engaged  in  merchandising  here  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  has  served  twelve  as  a  notary 
public.  He  is  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  having  organized  the 
lodge  to  which  he  belongs  and  served 
as  its  first  master.  He  was  first  married 
to  Miss  Annie  Liddy,  a  native  of  New 
Orleans,  in  California,  where  she  died,  leaving 
one  son,  Herbert  J.  Copp,  who  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  that  state.  In  1896,  in  San  Miguel 
county,  he  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Lucy 
J.  Cooper,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Copp  owns  a 
fine  ranch  adjoining  the  town  of  Norwood  and 
also  considerable  city  property.  He  is  one  of 
the  leading  and  representative  men  in  this  part 
of  the  county. 

ALFRED  DUNHAM. 

Alfred  Dunham,  who  owns  and  lives  on  an 
excellent  and  highly  valuable  ranch  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  adjoining  the  town  of 
Norwood,  San  Miguel  county,  is  a  native  of 
the  farther  West  in  this  country,  and  in 
spirit,  enterprise,  breadth  of  view  and  inde- 
pendence, as  well  as  in  business  capacity,  is 
wholly  one  of  its  admired  products.  He  was 
born  in  California  on  January  22,  1860,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Rae)  Dunham, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  respectively. 
In  1849  ^e  father  joined  the  argonauts  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  crossing  the  plains  to  California, 
where  he  engaged  in  raising  stock  until  1873. 
Then  the  family  moved  to  Colorado,  locating 
in  Huerfano  county.  Here  they  continued 
their  operations  in  the  stock  industry  for  two 
years,  then  moved  the  business  to  the  Durango 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


665 


region,  and  conducted  it  there  until  1880.  At 
that  time  he  moved  to  the  Dolores  county,  and 
from  there  soon  afterward  came  to  the  Disap- 
pointment. Here  he  remained  until  1899,  when 
the  son  came  to  Norwood  and  bought  the  land 
on  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  home  place  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  he  owns  range  land  on  which  he 
runs  about  one  thousand  cattle  which  are  bred 
with  care  and  kept  up  to  a  high  standard  of 
excellence.  Mr.  Dunham  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  business  and  has  become  one  of 
the  wealthy  and  influential  men  of  the  county, 
having  a  potent  voice  in  the  promotion  of  every 
commercial,  industrial  and  educational  enter- 
prise, and  occupying  a  leading  place  in  every 
line  of  public  life.  Of  the  fraternal  societies 
numerous  and  admired  among  men  he  has 
joined  but  one,  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  at  Dolores  in  1881  and 
was  with  Miss  Annie  Johnson,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, who  died  in  1894  leaving  five  children, 
Mabel,  Arthur,  Ollie,  Ethel  and  Alfred,  the  last 
named  being  since  deceased.  In  1898  Mr. 
Dunham  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Lizzie 
Rusk,  also  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  have 
two  children,  their  daughter  Florence  and  son 
Roderic.  Mr.  Dunham's  mother  died  in  1880, 
and  his  father  is  also  deceased. 

CHARLES  TRUAX. 

Charles  Truax,  who  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  and  extensive  merchants  of 
Norwood.  San  Miguel  county,  has  lived  in  this 
state  since  he  was  three  years  of  age,  and  has 
been  active  in  the  development  of  its  resources 
and  the  advancement  of  its  progress  from  his 
youth.  He  is  a  native  of  New  Mexico,  born 
on  January  16,  1860,  and  the  son  of  James  and 
Paulina  Truax,  the  former  born  and  reared  in 
Canada  and  the  latter  in  New  Hampshire.  In 
1863  the  family  moved  to  Colorado  and  lo- 


cated at  Denver,  having  their  home  where  the 
heart  of  the  city  now  is.  There  the  parents 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives  and  ended 
their  days.  There  also  their  son  Charles  grew 
to  manhood  and  received  his  education.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  business  in  the 
capital  city  for  a  few  years,  and  in  1888  moved 
to  San  Miguel  county  where  he  took  up  land 
and  began  farming  and  raising  stock.  He  fol- 
lowed this  business  for  some  years,  then  sold 
his  farm  and  opened  a  merchandising  estab- 
lishment. He  had  a  fine,  large  stone  store 
building,  and  his  enterprise  embraced  trade  in 
all  lines  of  a  general  mercantile  business,  car- 
rying a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  all  kinds 
of  commodities  suited  to  the  community.  He 
also  carried  on  extensive  operations  in  the  meat 
industry,  conducting  a  lively  and  up-to-date 
meat  market  with  every  appliance  for  its  most 
judicious  management,  and  a  stock  of  goods 
well  adapted  to  every  need  of  his  patrons. 
Nothing  in  the  way  of  enterprise,  breadth  of 
view  and  good  business  capacity  was  wanting 
to  the  completeness  of  his  various  departments 
or  the  wise  and  vigorous  management  of  the 
business.  In  the  public  and  social  life  of  the 
community  Mr.  Truax  is  also  wisely  and  earn- 
estly interested,  and  his  time  and  energy  is 
freely  given  to  the  promotion  of  every  element 
of  progress  in  the  town  and  county.  He  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
representative  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the 
state,  and  by  his  industry  and  public  spirit  jus- 
tifies the  estimate,  With  membership  in  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Daugh- 
ters of  Rebekah  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  he  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles  and 
of  great  service  in  their  various  activities.  He 
was  married  at  Denver  on  February  i,  1881, 
to  Miss  Annie  Johnson,  a  native  of  Sweden, 
and  they  have  had  one  child,  their  son  Harold, 
now  deceased.  Mr.  Truax's  brother  George 
is  the  inventor  of  the  Truax  automatic  ore  car. 


666 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


He  also  has  a  brother  named  Warren  and  a  sis- 
ter named  Rose,  who  are  the  only  surviving 
members  of  the  family. 

JAMES  Q.  WAGGONER. 

James  Q.  Waggoner,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  progressive  farmers  and  stock  men  of  the 
Paradox  valley  in  Montrose  county,  and  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  public  life  and  system  of 
improvements  in  this  section,  is  a  native  of 
Norwalk,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  on  April  2, 
1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Cyrus  and  Lorilla 
(Osier)  Waggoner,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  New  York,  and  came  to  Ohio  when  young. 
When  their  son  James  was  eight  years  old  the 
family  moved  to  Michigan  and  five  years  later 
the  father  was  accidentally  killed  by  a  horse. 
Mr.  Waggoner  then  went  back  to  Norwalk  and 
there  served  a  three-years  apprenticeship  to  a 
wagon  and  carriage  maker.  After  learning  his 
trade  he  worked  at  it  for  a  number  of  years  in 
various  places,  among  them  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
New  Orleans  and  Detroit.  In  1870  he  settled 
in  Kansas  and  located  land  in  the  Osage  Nation 
reservation.  From  there  he  moved  soon  after- 
ward to  Independence,  that  state,  and  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  that  city  engaged  in  farming  and 
fruit-growing.  He  camte  to  Colorado  in  1880, 
and  took  up  his  residence  at  Leadville,  but 
moved  a  little  later  to  Cebola,  and  from  there 
not  long  afterward  to  where  he  now  lives  in 
Paradox  valley,  settling  here  in  1883.  He  lo- 
cated land  here  and  has  since  bought  additions 
to  it,  and  at  once  began  the  stock  and  farming 
industry  which  he  is  now  conducting.  He 
served  four  years  as  mail  contractor  and  is  now 
water  commissioner  of  all  the  water  of  the  Do- 
lores river  and  its  tributaries,  having  been  ap- 
pointed to  this  important  position  by  Governor 
Peabody  in  June,  1903.  He  has  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  the  best  valley  land  in  his 
farm,  and  has  it  thoroughly  irrigated,  having 


procured  the  water  and  provided  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  supply  by  tunneling  into  the 
mountain.  He  runs  a  small  herd  of  cattle  of 
grade  and  high  standard.  He  also  has  a  thrifty 
and  fruitful  orchard  of  choice  varieties  of  fruit 
on  his  place  which  yields  abundantly  every  year 
and  is  a  source  of  considerable  profit.  Mr. 
Waggoner  has  been  particularly  active  and  re- 
sourceful in  procuring  the  advantages  of  thor- 
ough irrigation  for  this  section  of  the  county, 
and  his  efforts  in  this  behalf  have  been'  highly 
appreciated,  so  much  so  in  fact -that  in  June, 
1903,  as  has  been  noted,  he  was  appointed  wa- 
ter commissioner  for  a  large  extent  of  coun- 
try which  is  watered  by  the  Dolores  and  its  af- 
fluents, and  his  appointment  met  with  general 
approval.  He  was  a  member  of  the  jury  be- 
fore whom  the  famous  Packer  case  was  tried. 
On  March  23,  1877,  at  Independence,  Kan- 
sas, he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Carrie  M.  East- 
man, a  native  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  They 
have  one  child,  a  son  named  Louis  H.  Mrs. 
Waggoner  had  a  daughter  by  her  former  mar- 
riage who  died  a  few  years  ago  leaving  two 
daughters,  Myrtle  and  Fernie  Good,  who  live 
with  their  grandmother. 

THOMAS  RAY. 

Thomas  Ray,  of  Montrose  county,  com- 
fortably settled  on  one  of  the  best  ranches  in 
the  Paradox  valley,  and  not  far  from  the  vil- 
lage of  Paradox,  has  won  from  the  reluctant 
hand  of  an  adverse  fate  a  competence  for  life 
and  a  leading  place  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow 
citizens  of  the  county  he  has  done  much  to  im- 
prove and  develop.  He  is  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee,-born  in  1840,  and  lost  his  parents  so 
early  in  life  that  he  never  knew  them.  He 
was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  state, 
under  the  care  of  strangers  and  with  the  hard 
condition  of  being  obliged  to  earn  his  own  live- 
lihood almost  from  childhood.  Opportunities 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


667 


for  engaging  in  large  affairs,  for  the  advan- 
tages of  scholastic  training,  and  for  the  bland 
amenities  of  social  life,  were  all  denied  him, 
and  every  step  of  progress  he  made_  in  the 
toilsome  ascent  to  prosperity  and  consequence 
was  a  conquest  of  his  own  over  and  not  with 
the  aid  of  fortune.  In  1865  he  sought  the 
freer  air  and  larger  opportunities  of  the  un- 
settled West,  moving  to  Missouri,  where  he 
remained  six  months,  then  came  to  Colorado 
and  settled  at  Denver.  In  1869  he  went  to 
Idaho  and  pitched  his  tent  where  Weiser  now 
stands  and  from  there  in  1870  moved,  by  team 
to  California.  There  he  remained  seven  years 
engaged  in  farming  with  moderate  success.  In 
1877  he  turned  his  face  again  toward  the  ris- 
ing sun,  coming  to  Utah  and  locating  near  the 
Colorado  line  in  the  vicinity  of  the  La  Sal 
mountains.  Here  he  again  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  also  in  raising,  stock,  remaining  until 
1885.  He  then  sold  his  property  at  that  place 
and  moved  to  where  he  now  lives.  He  has  de- 
veloped a  tract  of  wild  land  into  a  beautiful 
home  and  made  of  it  a  very  productive  and 
valuable  farm,  improved  with  good  buildings 
of  every  kind  needed  for  its  purposes,  and  en- 
riched with  one  of  the  best  orchards  in  the 
state.  The  farm  comprises  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  excellent  land  and  generously 
supports  his  fine  herd  of  over  five  hundred 
cattle,  all  of  which  are  well  bred  and  wisely 
cared  for.  He  was  married  in  Tennessee  in 
1859  to  Miss  Lean  Maxwell,  a  native  of  that 
state,  born  in  1844.  They  have  ten  children, 
Cornelius,  Mary,  Fannie,  William,  Emma, 
Emla  C.,  Marion,  Philander,  Hugh  and 

Lavernie. 

• 

ANDERSON  BROTHERS. 

Lewis  and  Fred  Anderson,  who  compose 
the  firm  of  Anderson  Brothers,  prominent 
stock  men  and  farmers  doing  business  on  their 


large  and  highly  improved  ranch  lying  about 
sixteen  miles  south  of  Norwood  in  San  Miguel 
county,  which  comprises  several  hundred  acres 
of  excellent  land,  and  also  an  alfalfa  farm  one 
mile  south  of  Norwood,  are  natives  of  Colo- 
rado, born  where  Leadville  now  stands,  Lewis 
in  1860  and  Fred  in  1866.  They  are  the  sons 
of  Harrison  and  Margaret  (Tull)  Anderson, 
who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Iowa, 
and  came  to  this  state  in  1860  only  a  short  time 
before  the  older  of  the  boys  came  into  the 
world.  The  father  died  in  Colorado,  and  the 
mother  is  still  a  resident  of  the  state.  The 
sons  grew  to  manhood  in  this  state  and  have 
passed  the  whole  of  their  lives  here  except 
that  Lewis  lived  five  years  in  Minnesota.  After 
leaving  school  they  engaged  in  the  cattle  in- 
dustry and  carried  it  on  extensively  in  Gun- 
nison  county  until  1880,  when  they  located 
where  they  are  now  living,  and  taking  up  land 
for  the  purpose,  have  continued  their  oper- 
ations on  their  present  ranch  with  increasing 
magnitude  and  profit  until  they  have  built  up 
one  of  the  most  extensive  and  important  enter- 
prises in  their  line  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
Their  herds  are  large,  well  bred  and  valuable, 
their  farming  is  conducted  on  a  scale  of  con- 
siderable size  and  is  up-to-date  in  every  respect, 
and  the  business  capacity  with  which  they 
manage  their  work  is  highly  commended  and 
of  a  character  to  command  success  and  general 
respect.  In  fact,  whether  considered  in  its 
scope,  the  manner  in  which  it  is  carried  on,  or 
the  standard  of  its  output,  their  business  has  a 
high  rank  among  the  industries  of  Colorado 
with  ramifications  in  many  other  parts  of  the 
country,  and  affects  the  welfare  and  comfort 
of  hundreds  of  people  in  various  ways.  Lewis 
Anderson  has  never  married;  but  Fred  was 
married  in  1886  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Guire,  of 
Monument,  El  Paso  county,  where  the,  cere- 
mony was  performed,  she  being,  like  himself,  a 
native  of  the  state.  They  have  two  sons,  Alva 


o68 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


and  Rodney.  The  Anderson  brothers  are  well 
esteemed  and  highly  appreciated  throughout 
the  county  as  good  business  men  and  excellent 
and  valuable  citizens. 

SANFORD  H.  MATTHEWS. 

A  Colorado  pioneer  of  1878,  and  settling 
in  the  portion  of  the  state  in  which  he  now 
resides  when  it  was  entirely  new  to  civilization 
and  settlement,  Sanford  H.  Matthews,  of  Dun- 
ton,  Dolores  county,  has  been  a  forceful  and 
effective  power  in  organizing  this  section  of 
the  county  and  pushing  forward  its  progress, 
being  from  the  first  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
aspirations  of  the  Western  people,  and  only 
needing  a  place  in  which  to  make  his  influence 
felt  and  his  breadth  of  view  impressive  and 
serviceable.  He  was  born  in  Canada  on  No- 
vember i,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Alexander 
J.  and  Mary  (Bothwell)  Matthews,  the  former 
a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  In  1861  they  moved  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Wisconsin.  Soon  after- 
ward the  father  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-first  Wisconsin 
Infantry,  and  in  that  regiment  he  served 
through  the  Civil  war.  The  parents  now  reside 
at  Marshalltown,  Iowa.  Their  son  Sanford 
remained  with  them  until  he  was  nineteen,  re- 
ceiving a  district  school  education  and  being 
tr-ained  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  on  his 
father's  farm.  In  1878  he  came  to  Colorado, 
and  a  few  months  later  went  back  to  Iowa. 
In  1881  he  again  became  a  resident  of  this 
state,  living  for  a  short  time  at  Denver,  and 
going  from  there  to  Leadville,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  prospecting.  From  Leadville  he 
moved  to  Aspen  and  for  two  years  was  busy 
mining  in  that  region.  He  then  was  some  time 
at  Gunnison  in  the  livery  and  feed  business, 
and  from  there  began  a  prospecting  tour  over 
southwestern  Colorado,  with  headquarters  at 


Ames.  Two  years  were  also  passed  in  general 
merchandising  at  this  place  and  a  short  time 
in  various  occupations  at  Rico.  From  1887  to 
1892  he  was  merchandising  at  Placerville.  For 
some  months  thereafter  he  lived  at  Norwood 
w-here  he  carried  on  an  active  business,  prin- 
cipally in  the  line  of  developing  the  country. 
He  built  the  first  house  at  Sawpit,  and  in  many 
other  ways  contributed  substantially  toward 
opening  up  the  region  to  settlement  and  pro- 
ductiveness, among  them  organizing  the 
Morell  mining  district.  He  then  moved  to 
Telluride.  and  during  the  next  five  years  was  in 
business  there.  After  that,  in  partnership  with 
R.  W.  Rogers,  he  bought  the  townsite  of  Dun- 
ton,  including  the  hot  springs,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  done  an  active  and  profitable  busi- 
ness in  the  building  up  and  development  of  the 
town.  He  is  also  interested  in  a  number  of 
rich  mining  properties,  and  has  profitable  re- 
turns from  them.  In  1885  he  was  married  at 
Ames  to  Miss  Jennie  Evans,  a  native  of  that 
place,  which  was  founded  by  her  father,  Wal- 
ter Evans,  who  became  a  resident  of  Colorado 
in  1859.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matthews  have  three 
children,  Nathan,  Paul  and  Susan. 

S.  D.  WINBURN. 

Passing  the  evening  of  life  in  retirement 
from  active  business,  and  in  peace  after  many 
conflicts,  in  comfort  after  many  hardships  and 
privations  with  an  estate  that  assures  him  a 
competence  and  which  he  wrested  from  ob- 
durate conditions  and  by  continued  and  well- 
applied  industry  and  frugality,  S.  D.  Winburn, 
of  Cortez,  Montezuma  county,  can  look  back 
over  his  long  and  active  career  with  the  satis- 
faction of  having  never  faltered  at  the  call  of 
duty  or  shirked  a  responsibility  that  was 
properly  his.  In  addition  to  the  struggles  in- 
cident to  making  his  way  unassisted  in  the 
world  through  the  channels  of  peaceful 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


669 


industry,  he  has  had  his  share  of  trial  and 
clanger  in  the  fields  of  more  strenuous  en- 
deavor, where  in  the  midst  of  unrolling  col- 
umns in  the  din  of  battle  he  dared  death  in 
defense  of  convictions  or  in  protection  of 
whole  communities  from  the  cruelty  of  savage 
fury.  For  he  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  on 
the  Southern  side  and  followed  the  flag  of  his 
section  from  Sumter  to  Appomattox,  fighting 
much  of  the  time  under  the  direct  commands  of 
the  great  military  leader  of  "the  lost  cause;" 
and  afterward  he  was  an  active  participant  in 
the  wars  with  the  Indians  in  this  state  after 
the  strife  between  the  sections  was  ended.  Mr. 
Winburn  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born 
in  1833,  and  the  son  of  Cornelius  and  Tabitha 
(Hendricks)  Winburn,  also  natives  of  that 
state.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  na- 
tive place,  and  there  learned  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter.  When  the  Civil  war  began  he  fol- 
lowed his  convictions  into  the  service  of  the 
Confederacy,  and  remained  in  the  Southern 
army  until  the  war  was  over.  In  1866  he 
moved  to  Missouri,  and  soon  afterward  crossed 
the  plains  with  a  mule  train  from  St.  Joseph  to 
Denver.  In  1867  he  located  at  Pueblo  and 
wrought  at  his  trade  for  a  few  years,  then 
bought  a  ranch  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
1873.  At  that  time  he  returned  to  Pueblo  and 
during  the  next  two  years  was  again  employed 
at  his  trade.  In  1875  he  went  back  to  his 
ranch,  and  after  several  years  of  earnest  ap- 
plication in  improving  and  farming  it,  spent; 
a  year  at  Rosita.  In  1884  he  sold  his  ranch  and 
after  remaining  a  short  time  at  Mancos  moved 
into  the  Montezuma  valley  and  took  up  the 
ranch  which  he  now  owns  four  miles  from 
Cortez.  His  land  is  very  productive  and  yields 
abundant  crops  of  grain  and  hay;  and  on  it 
he  supports  a  large  band  of  well  bred  horses, 
always  keeping  the  standard  high  "and  his  stock 
in  excellent  condition.  In  addition  to  his  farm- 
ing land  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 


which  he  took  under  a  timber  claim.  Recently 
he  retired  from  active  business  and  turned  his 
land  and  stock  over  to  the  management  of  his 
sons,  and  he  is  now  living  at  the  town  of 
Cortez,  respected  by  all  his  fellow  citizens,  and 
with  the  force  of  his  example  and  the  influence 
of  his  personal  presence  and  the  wisdom  ac- 
quired in  his  long  and  active  life  still  effective 
in  the  community.  He  was  married  in  Fre- 
mont county,  this  state,  in  1876  to  Miss  Mollie 
Baldridge,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  have 
five  children,  all  sons,  Edward,  Richard,  Wal- 
ter, Lee  and  George. 

JOHN  KELLEY. 

Although  born  almost  under  the  shadow 
of  the  great  institution  founded  by  Jefferson 
for  the  liberal  education  of  young  men,  the 
University  of  Virginia,  John  Kelley,  of  Cortez, 
did  not  have  the  benefit  of  its  bounty  or  other 
means  of  an  extended  education.  He  had 
before  him  a  destiny  of  toil  and  privation,  and 
his  education  was  practical  rather  than  tech- 
nical, and  was  gained  in  the  exacting  school 
of  experience  more  than  at  any  institutions  of 
learning.  He  came  into  the  world  at  Char- 
lottesville,  Virginia,  on  November  25,  1833,  the 
son  of  Williamson  and  Eliza  Kelley,  natives  of 
the  old  Dominion,  who  moved  to  Missouri 
while  he  was  yet  a  child.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  paternal  homestead  in  the  new 
state,  and  there  amid  all  the  ungenerous  con- 
ditions of  frontier  life  learned  useful  lessons 
of  industry  and  frugality  which  have  been  of 
great  service  to  him  in  his  subsequent  career. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  set  out  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world,  crossing  the  plains  to 
California  where  he  engaged  in  mining  and 
raising  stock.  From  there  he  went  to  Mexico 
to  follow  the  same  lines  of  industry  and  some 
years  later,  in  1871,  came  to  this  state,  locat- 
ing at  Denver.  Soon  afterward  he  made  a 


670 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


trip  East,  and  in  1872  returned  to  Denver. 
Since  then  he  has  been  continuously  a  resident 
of  Colorado.  For  a  short  time  he  lived  at 
Pueblo,  then  went  to  Del  Norte  and  to  Lost 
Trail,  prospecting  and  mining  along  the  way. 
He  remained  in  those  regions  until  1884,  when 
he  moved  into  the  Montezuma  valley  and  lo- 
cated the  land  on  which  he  now  lives.  He  also 
has  an  extensive  tract  of  state  land  under 
lease,  and  carries  on  a  large  and  profitable 
stock  business.  He  has  prospered  in  most  of 
his  undertakings,  and  has  converted  his  sav- 
ings into  real  estate,  owning  a  business  block 
and  other  property  of  value  at  Cortez  in  ad- 
dition to  his  ranch.  Although  a  bachelor,  and 
having  the  future  interests  of  no  family  to  look 
out  for,  he  is  deeply  interested  in  the  endur- 
ing welfare  of  his  county  and  state,  and  aids 
in  its  promotion  by  every  proper  means.  He  is 
a  member  of  Sitting  Bull  Tribe  of  Red  Men  at 
Durango,  and  belongs  to  the  Pioneer  Associ- 
ation at  San  Juan.  He  served  the  country  two 
years  as  deputy  sheriff  and  two  years  as  con- 
stable. 

HON.  CHARLES  J.  SCHARNHORST. 

In  every  walk  of  American  life  the  Ger- 
man race  has  been  conspicuous  and  serviceable. 
Its  representatives  have  helped  to  lead  our  ar- 
mies in  battle,  they  have  thrilled  attentive  thou- 
sands with  their  eloquence  on  the  hustings, 
they  have  adorned  our  highest  forums  with 
their  statesmen,  illuminated  our  technical 
schools  with  their  learning,  quickened  and  en- 
larged our  business  currents  with  their  ingenu- 
ity and  enterprise,  put  in  motion  mighty  ener- 
gies of  industrial  progress,  adorned  our  trib- 
unals with  their  exalted  character,  judicial  ac- 
quirements and  breadth  of  view,  and  dignified 
our  citizenship  with  all  the  elements  of  its  best 
development.  To  this  race  Hon.  Charles  J. 
Scharnhorst,  of  Cortez,  the  county  judge  of 
Montezuma  county,  belongs,  and  in  his  career 


among  our  people  he  has  exemplified  many  of 
its  most  admirable  traits.  He  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  on  January  5,  1842,  and. 
is  the  son  of  Carl  L.  and  Louise  (Prihzhorn) 
Scharnhorst.  His  family  has  been  distin- 
guished in  the  fatherland,  one  of  his  great- 
grand-uncles,  the  great  General  David  Scharn- 
horst, having  earned  by  his  service  to  his  coun- 
try in  war  and  peace  such  public  regard  that 
his  statue  adorns  one  of  the  public  squares  of 
Berlin.  Judge  Scharnhorst  himself  was  a  gal- 
lant soldier  in  the  army  of  his  native  land  and 
was  awarded  a  bronze  medal  for  conspicuous 
bravery  on  the  field  of  battle,  which  he  still 
wears.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  country 
and  there,  after  receiving  a  good  education  in 
the  state  schools,  learned  his  trade  as  a  shoe- 
maker. On  October  12,  1866,  when  he  was 
nearly  twenty-five  years  old,  and  approaching 
the  full  maturity  of  his  powers,  he  landed  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  having  determined  to 
make  his  home  and  seek  his  fortune  in  this 
country.  A  short  time  after  his  arrival  on  the 
shores  of  the  United  States  he  proceeded  to 
Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  in  March,  1867,  to 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  remained  there  one 
year,  then  moved  to  Kansas  City,  where,  in 
March,  1869,  he  was  made  captain  of  a  squad 
of  men  who  marched  afoot  across  the  plains 
to  Denver,  this  state,  to  aid  in  the  settlement 
and  development  of  the  farther  west.  After 
spending  a  few  months  at  Denver  he  located 
at  Georgetown,  where  he  wrought  at  his  trade 
two  years.  He  then  returned  to  Denver  and 
there  engaged  in  mercantile  business  for  a  year. 
From  the  end  of  that  year  until  1881  he  was 
in  business  first  at  Del  Norte  and  later  at  Lead- 
ville,  his  family  meantime  living  at  Denver. 
In  1882  he  came  to  Montezuma  county  and  lo- 
cated land,  then  went  to  Durango  and  during 
the  next  three  years  worked  at  his  trade  at  that 
place.  In  1885  he  located  at  Dolores  and  for  a 
year  thereafter  was  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising. He  then  settled  in  the  Montezuma 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


•671 


valley  and  took  up  a  homestead  and  a  pre-emp- 
tion claim  which  constitute  the  farm  which  he 
now  owns  and  which  comprises  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  good  land.  On  this  he 
planted  an  orchard  which  has  grown  thrifty 
and  fruitful,  and  built  up  an  extensive  and 
profitable  stock  industry,  having  now  a  large 
herd  of  well  bred  cattle.  Taking  an  active  and 
intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs,  he  served 
four  and  one-half  years  as  postmaster  at  Cor- 
tez,  and  in  1898  was  elected  county  judge,  hav- 
inf  previously  prepared  himself  for  the  position 
by  private  study  of  the  law  as  a  profession. 
He  was  re-elected  in  1901,  and  again  in  1904, 
and  is  now  serving  his  third  term.  In  the  dis- 
charge of  his  official  duties  he  has  given  general 
satisfaction  and  won  high  commendation  for 
fairness,  legal  learning  and  earnest  devotion 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  county  and  its  people. 
In  1872  the  Judge  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Wilhelmina  Schultz,  like  himself  a  native 
of  Germany,  the  marriage  taking  place  at  Den- 
ver, and  of  this  union  four  children  were  born 
namely :  Augusta,  who  is  now  postmistress 
at  Dolores;  Carl,  Louise  and  Minnie.  The 
Judge,  having  been  a  widower  for  some  years, 
was,  in  the  spring  of  1905,  again  united  in 
marriage,  at  Durango,  Colorado,  with  Miss 
Marie  Sturm,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  a  native  of 
Baden,  Germiany.  Having  been  active  and 
serviceable  in  the  early  history  of  this  section, 
the  Judge  has  an  earnest  interest  in  all  that 
pertains  thereto,  and  is  a  zealous  and  valued 
member  of  the  San  Juan  Pioneer  Association. 
He  is  one  of  the  substantial,  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizens  of  the  county  whom  all  classes 
respect,  and  whom  the  people  delight  to  honor. 

JOHN  W.  WINGATE. 

John  W.  Wingate,  of  Durango,  a  retired 
merchant  whose  career  has  been  active  and 
fruitful  in  this  state,  is  a  pioneer  of  1870  in 


Colorado  and  of  1873  in  the  San  Juan  coun- 
try. He  was  born  on  July  16,  1845,  at  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  and  is  the  son  of  Moses  and 
Martha  Dunham  (Walker)  Wingate,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  born 
on  the  old  Wingate  homestead,  on  which  the 
family  settled  in  1658.  In  1849  the  parents  of 
John  Wingate  moved  to  Rome,  New  York, 
where  he  lived  until  the  Civil  war  called  him  to 
other  scenes  of  usefulness.  On  August  n, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Seventeenth  New  York  Infantry,  and 
served  until  June  8,  1865,  his  only  mishap  be- 
yond the  general  privations  and  hardships  of 
the  service  being  a  slight  wound  received  at 
the  explosion  of  the  mine  before  Petersburg 
July  30,  1864.  After  his  discharge  from  the 
army  he  returned  home,  and  in  1867  moved  to 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and  later  changed  his 
residence  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  helping  to 
build  Fort  Russell.  In  1868  he  moved  to  Kan- 
sas, and  two  years  later  came  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Denver.  In  1871,  however,  he  went 
to  New  Mexico  in  the  employ  of  a  large  Eng- 
lish company,  but  a  year  later  he  returned  to 
this  state  and  went  to  the  head  of  Cherry  creek 
in  company  with  O.  P.  Posey  and  Milton  H. 
Mark,  of  Denver.  Here  they  rented  a  ranch 
and  raised  potatoes  until  1873  when  he  and 
Mr.  Posey  came  to  Colorado  Springs  and  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building.  Then,  in 
company  with  former  Governor  Alva  Adams, 
they  started  a  hardware  business  at  Del  Norte. 
Some  time  afterward,  leaving  Mr.  Posey  in 
charge  of  this  enterprise,  Mr.  Wingate  went 
to  Baker's  Park,  and  in  partnership  with  others 
built  a  sawmill  in  1873.  They  were  obliged  to 
construct  their  road  into  the  park,  crossing  the 
Rio  Grande  fifty-three  times.  Returning  to 
Del  Norte  he  remained  a  short  time,  then  went 
to  the  Summit  camp  and  assisted  in  opening 
the  Golden  Queen  mine,  of  which  he  was  one 


672 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  the  owners.  It  is  now  a  part  of  the  Con- 
suls Gold  Mining  Company's  property,  and  he 
is  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  company. 
Some  time  was  passed  in  prospecting,  after 
which  Mr.  Wingate  took  charge  of  the  Hotch- 
kiss  mine  near  Lake  City,  and  in  the  ensuing 
fall  he  took  control  of  the  Summit  mine  and 
mill  at  Summit  gold  camp,  but  soon  after  re- 
turned to  Lake  City,  where  he  took  charge  of 
the  VanGieson  Lixiviation  Works  and  re- 
mained until  1878.  At  that  time  they  opened  a 
hardware  store  at  Silverton  and  he  assumed  the 
management  of  it.  They  also  had  a  store  at 
Alamosa  which  Mr.  Adams  managed.  The 
firm  dissolved  during  1878.  Posey  and  Win- 
gate  took  the  Silverton  store  and  continued  un- 
til 1882,  when  they  took  in  another  partner, 
Col.  H.  G.  Heffron.  In  1884,  with  Alva  Ad- 
ams and  William  Bayly,  they  organized  and  in- 
corporated the  San  Juan  Hardware  Company, 
with  stores  at  Silverton,  Durango,  Ouray  and 
Telluride.  In  1893  Mr-  Wingate  sold  out  his 
interests  in  all  and  retired  from  active  business 
pursuits.  On  January  8,  1885,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Juliette  A.  Conger,  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  they  had  two  children,  John  C.,  who 
died  in  infancy,  and  Oliver  E.,  who  is  living. 
Their  mother  died  on  October  4,  1890,  and  on 
June  7,  1893,  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  Mr.  Win- 
gate  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs.  Susan  Greene, 
a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have  one  child,  a 
'daughter  Martha,  who  wras  born  on  April  18, 
1896.  In  1895  the  family  took  up  their  resi- 
dence at  Durango.  Mr.  Wingate  has  served 
three  years  as  mayor  of  Silverton  and  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  alderman.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  at  Chicago  which  nominated  Har- 
rison for  President.  Mr.  Wingate  is  still  in- 
terested in  mines  and  real  estate.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  be- 
longing to  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and 
is  also  active  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 


public, holding  the  rank  of  post  commander. 
In  the  San  Juan  Pioneers  Association  his  mem- 
bership is  very  active  and  serviceable,  he  being 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  body,  and  having 
served  as  its  second  president.  In  all  public  lo- 
cal matters  he  is  diligent  and  aggressive,  look- 
ing always  to  the  general  weal  of  the  commun- 
ity rather  than  to  the  advancement  of  any  per- 
sonal or  factional  interest. 

THEODORE  W.  .WATTLE. 

One  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  Mancos  and 
now  the  oldest  resident  of  Montezuma  county 
by  continuous  occupancy  of  her  soil,  Theodore 
W.  Wattle  is  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Colorado  and  has  been  a  prominent 
figure  in  all  phases  of  its  history.  He  was  born 
in  Mercer  county,  Ohio,  on  May  25,  1840,  and 
is  the  son  of  Augustus  and  Susan  E.  Wattle, 
the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Massachusetts.  In  1855  tne  family  set- 
tled in  Kansas,  and  they  lived  in  that  state 
through  all  the  troublous  times  of  the  border 
wars  and  the  agitation  begun  by  old  John 
Brown,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr. 
Wattle's  parents.  On  July  24,  1861,  Mr.  Wat- 
tle enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  D,  Fifth  Kansas  Cavalry,  in 
which  he  served  until  September,  1865,  hav- 
ing many  trying  experiences  and  seeing  all  the 
horrors  of  war  at  close  view.  He  participated 
in  a  number  of  the  leading  battles  of  the  con- 
test but  escaped  unharmed.  After  his  dis- 
charge he  returned  to  his  Kansas  homte  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  there  until  1876,  when  he 
moved  to  this  state  and  settled  for  a  short  time 
in  La  Plata  county.  During  the  same  year  he 
took  up  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  be- 
ing one  of  the  first  settlers  on  the  Mancos,  as 
has  been  noted.  For  a  number  of  years  there- 
after he  was  occupied  in  prospecting,  and  in 
1885  he  turned  his  attention  wholly  to  farming 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


6/3 


and  the  development  of  his  stock  business.  He 
has  transformed  his  wild  land  into  a  beautiful 
and  productive  farm,  and  from  a  small  begin- 
ning has  built  up  'a  stock  industry  of  good  pro- 
portions, handling  only  pure  bred  Shorthorn 
cattle,  of  which  he  has  a  large  herd.  He  also 
conducts  on  his  place  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able apiary,  its  product  having  a  high  rank  in 
the  markets  and  being  sought  after  with  eager- 
ness. When  Montezuma  county  was  organized 
he  was  appointed  county  assessor,  and  he  was 
afterward  once  elected  to  the  office.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belong- 
ing to  Taltec  Lodge,  No.  73,  at  Mancos.  In 
1885  he  was  married  at  Durango  to  Miss  Mel- 
vina  Hamlmond,  a  native  of  New  Brunswick. 
They  have  two  children,  their  son  Howard  H. 
and  their  daughter  Ruth. 

W.  C.  CHAPMAN. 

W.  C.  Chapman,  a  leading  merchant, 
prominent  citizen  and  influential  civic  force  at 
Durango,  La  Plata  county,  is  a  pioneer  of  1868 
in  this  state,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been 
actively  identified  with  its  progress  and  de- 
velopment. He  was  born  at  Albany,  New 
York,  on  September  9,  1838,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  W.  and  Hephzibah  (Gibbons)  Chapman, 
also  native  at  Albany.  He  grew  to  manhood  at 
Syracuse,  New  York,  and  after  reaching  years 
of  maturity,  engaged  in  business  there  until 
1868,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at 
Georgetown.  Here  he  was  occupied  in  mining 
until  1881.  In  February  of  that  year  he  lo- 
cated at  Durango  and  opened  a  hardware  store 
which  he  has  conducted  ever  since,  and  which 
he  has  made  one  of  the  leading  emporiums  in 
its  line  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  also 
vice-president  of  the  Colorado  State  Bank  and 
is  interested  in  various  other  business  enter- 
prises. In  public  life  he  has  been  zealous  and 
serviceable,  giving  the  town  an  excellent  ad- 
43 


ministration  of  its  affairs  when  he  was  mayor 
and  as  president  of  the  school  board  during 
the  last  ten  years  holding  the  educational  forces 
of  the  community  up  to  a  high  standard  of 
ability  and  usefulness.  He  is  also  an  active 
church  worker,  and  in  the  two  fraternal  orders 
to  which  he  belongs,  the  Freemasons  and  the 
Elks,  his  membership  is  highly  valued 
and  of  great  service.  In  July,  1889, 
he  was  married  at  Durango  to  Mrs.  Ella 
Hovey,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Mary  M.  Mr.  Chapman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  San  Juan  Pioneer  Association  and 
takes  a  great  and  serviceable  interest  in  its 
proceedings.  He  is  one  of  Durango's  leading 
and  most  representative  citizens,  and  has  a  wide 
and  potent  influence  for  good  throughout  a 
large  extent  of  the  surrounding  country.  As 
one  of  the  makers  and  builders  of  the  town, 
and  one  of  its  leaders  of  thought  and  action 
he-  is  widely  known  and  generally  esteemed; 
and  as  a  business  man  of  capacity,  enterprise 
and  breadth  of  view  he  has  given  its  com- 
mercial forces  a  high  rank  in  the  business 
world.  Among  the  progressive  men  of  west- 
ern Colorado  he  is  entitled  to  a  place  in  the 
front  rank. 

ADAM  LEWY. 

The  genial  and  gracious  proprietor  of  the 
Clifton  House  at  Cortez,  Montezuma  county, 
who  is  a  Colorado  pioneer  of  1849,  was  born 
on  December  31,  1848,  in  the  state  of  Missouri, 
and  is  the  son  of  Henderson  and  Mary  Lewy, 
the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the 
latter  of  Ohio.  In  1849  *ne  family,  with  a 
number  of  others,  started  across  the  plains  and 
when  they  reached  Elk  river  nearly  the  whole 
party  was  massacred  by  hostile  Indians,  all  of 
Mr.  Lewy's  immediate  family  except  himself 
and  one  sister  being  slain.  He  was  taken  prison- 
er, but  his  sister  hid  and  made  her  escape.  He 
was  then  an  infant,  and  soon  after  he  was  res- 


674 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


cued  and  brought  to  Huerf ano  county,  this  state, 
where  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of  ten  by  an 
aunt  with  whom  he  lived  except  during  a  sec- 
ond short  captivity  among  the  Indians  when 
he  was  two  years  old.  At  the  age  of  ten  he 
returned  to  Missouri  where  he  remained  three 
years,  then  came  west  again  in  the  employ  of 
the  Kelchum  &  Pugsley  Cattle  Company,  with 
which  he  remained  a  number  of  years.  He 
then  moved  to  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and  en- 
gaged in  herding  stock.  From  1872  to  1874 
he  was  inspector  of  .  live  stock  at  Medicine 
Lodge,  and  in  the  year  last  named  he  joined 
the  command  of  Captain  Hull  in  his  chase  after 
and  James  and  Younger  brothers.  He  was 
present  when  Captain  Hull  was  killed. 
At  the  close  of  this  engagement  he  re- 
turned to  Huerfano  county,  Colorado,  and  in 
1876  moved  to  Silverton,  and  until  1879  ran 
a  pack  train  of  his  own  between  that  place 
and  Del  Norte.  After  a  short  residence  at 
Animas  and  at  Durango,  he  settled  in  the 
Montezuma  valley  in  1881,  entering  the  em- 
ploy of  the  L.  C.  Cattle  Company,  for  which 
he  was  foreman  five  years.  In  1889  he  was 
elected  'sheriff  of  the  county  and  at  the  end  of 
his  term  was  re-elected.  He  is  widely  known 
for  his  resolution,  persistency  and  courage,  and 
is  a  terror  to  evil  doers.  He  has  also  served  a 
number  of  years  as  deputy  United  States  mar- 
shal. Twenty-five  miles  below  Cortez  Mr. 
•  Lewy  has  a  fine  ranch  and  a  large  band  of 
excellent  and  well  bred  horses.  In  June,  1903, 
he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  as  proprietor 
of  the  Clifton  House  at  Cortez,  and  since  then 
he  has  devoted  himself  strictly  to  this  enter- 
prise, making  the  house  a  popular  resort  and 
winning  for  himself  a  host  of  friends  among 
the  traveling  public.  At  Durango,  on  Novem- 
ber 1 8,  1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Johnson,  a  native  of  Leadville,  this 
state,  and  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  A. 
Johnson,  who  were  very  early  settlers  in  Colo- 


rado. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewy  have  six  children, 
Vivian,  Ernest,  .Charles,  Helen,  Marcella  and 
Grace.  The  head  of  the  house  has  seen  the 
horrors  of  Indian  warfare,  having  served  from 
time  to  time  in  various  subduing  parties,  and 
has  had  many  a  hair-breadth  escape  from  vio- 
lent death  at  the  hands  of  the  savages. 

JACOB  Z.   SPIERS. 

Jacob  Z.  Spiers,  of  Montrose  county,  living 
two  miles  from  Olathe  on  a  fine  fruit  and  hay 
ranch  which  he  redeemed  from  the  wilderness 
and  has  made  fruitful  with  the  products  of 
cultivated  life,  and  in  a  good  modern  dwelling 
which  he  has  recently  erected,  was  born  in 
Harrison  county,  Missouri,  on  July  16,  1868. 
His  father,  Samuel  Spiers,  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  in  1822,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  C.  Bell,  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1842.  They  moved  with  their 
parents  in  childhood  to  Missouri,  and  there 
they  were  reared  and  married.  There  also  they 
passed  the  rest  of  their  lives  prosperously  en- 
gaged in  farming.  The  father  died  on  March 
21,  1884,  and  the  mother  on  April  i,  1903. 
Their  son  Jacob  grew  to  the  age  of  twenty  on 
the  Missouri  farm  and  was  educated  in  the 
neighborhood  district  schools.  In  May,  1888, 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  Montrose 
county  in  company  with  C.  C.  Christie,  who  is 
now  his  brother-in-law.  For  a  time  after  his 
arrival  in  this  state  he  worked  out  for  wages, 
then  in  partnership  with  the  Christie  boys  he 
bought  the  C.  E.  Church  ranch  on  which  he 
lived  one  year.  In  1892  he  purchased  the 
ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  comprising  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  which  he  has 
since  sold  forty  acres.  After  making  this 
sale  he  built  a  new  house  on  another  part  of 
the  ranch,  and  in  that  the  family  have  since 
had  their  home.  A  portion  of  his  eighty  acres 
is  in  hay  and  the  rest  in  general  farm  products 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


675 


except  one  acre  and  a  half  which  he  has  re- 
cently planted  in  fruit,  the  orchard  on  the  place 
when  he  bought  it  having-  gone  with  the  forty 
acres  he  sold.  He  also  has  a  herd  of  good  cattle 
on  the  range  in  the  hills  in  summer  but  shel- 
tered in  winter.  On  October  15,  1891,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie  Christie, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  born  on  May  13,  1870, 
the  daughter  of  Henry  B.  and  Martha  E. 
(Burton)  Christie,  and  a  sister  of  Charles  C. 
Christie,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spiers  have  four  children,  Ethel,  Earl,  J. 
Everett  and  Mary  F.  They  have  lived  in  this 
neighborhood  ever  since  their  marriage,  and 
from  the  time  when  they  purchased  their  pres- 
ent home  they  have  devoted  their  time  and 
efforts  to  its  improvement  and  development, 
working  to  good  advantage  and  steadily  gain- 
ing ground  in  the  accumulation  of  worldly 
wealth  and  the  good  will  and  respect  of  those 
around  them.  Mr.  Spiers  is  a  faithful  Demo- 
crat in  political  affiliation,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  loyal  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

SAMUEL  A.  GAINES. 

During  the  last  twenty-one  years  Samuel 
A.  Gaines  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado, 
and  for  more  than  half  of  this  period  has  lived 
at  Olathe  warmly  interested  in  the  progress 
and  development  of  the  town  arid  county  and 
doing  his  share  of  the  work  to  promote  them. 
He  came  to  the  state  in  1883  and  located  in 
Delta  county,  pre-empting  a  claim  on  California 
mesa.  But  as  there  was  no  irrigation  of  the 
section  at  that  time  and  the  land  was  wholly 
wild  and  unimproved,  he  was  obliged  to  carry 
on  his  farming  operations  elsewhere  until  by 
the  united  efforts  of  the  settlers  a  ditch  was 
constructed  and  the  general  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  the  section  began  more  vigor- 
ously, since  which  time  it  has  been  diligently 


pushed  forward  and  is  now  one  of  the  most 
productive  and  progressive  regions  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Gaines  was  born  in 
Crittenden  county,  Kentucky,  on  January  28, 
1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  B.  and  M. 
C.  (Bozier)  Gaines,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  They 
moved  to  Missouri  in  1860  and  the  father  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Wright  county.  The  family 
lived  on  this  land  until  1864,  when  they  moved 
to  Arkansas  where  the  father  bought  another 
tract  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1874. 
The  mother  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
son  Samuel  at  Olathe.  He  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty  on  the  paternal  homestead,  aiding  in  its 
labors  and  attending  the  district  schools  in  the 
neighborhood  in  the  winter  months.  In  1879 
he  took  charge  of  his  mother's  farm  and  man- 
aged it  two  years.  He  then  bought  a  place 
for  himself  in  Arkansas  and  farmed  it  two 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  Delta  county,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence on  a  ranch  in  the  bottom  land  along  the 
river  two  miles  from  Delta.  At  the  same  time 
he  pre-empted  his  claim  on  the  California  mesa, 
but,  as  has  been  stated,  there  was  no  irrigation 
in  the  region  and  he  continued  to  farm  else- 
where until  that  was  provided  for.  He  built  a 
dwelling  and  other  buildings  on  his  land  in 
1884,  but  did  not  go  there  to  live  until  after 
the  completion  of  the  ditch  which  supplies  it 
with  water  in  1886.  In  1888  he  sold  this 
ranch  and  bought  another  in  the  bottom  along 
the  river  on  which  he  lived  until  1892.  In 
October  of  that  year  he  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Olathe  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town 
and  county,  and  is  now  road  overseer,  a  posi- 
tion to  which  he  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1902. 
Since  moving  to  this  county  he  has  been  en- 
gaged principally  in  prospecting  and  mining 
with  varying  success.  But  he  is  a  substantial 
citizen  and  well-to-do.  On  January  30,  1879, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


he  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  E.  McCoy,  who 
was  born  in  Arkansas  on  December  14,  1859. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  James  A.  and  Emeline 
(Sothard)  McCoy,  natives  of  Tennessee  and 
now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaines  have  four 
children,  Zetta  E.,  Paris  A.,  Ethel  C.  and 
Leila  A.,  all  living  at  home.  Mr.  Gaines's 
father  served  three  years  in  the  Civil  war  on 
the  Confederate  side,  in  the  command  of  Capt. 
John  Puryer,  of  Missouri,  and  Mr.  Gaines  him- 
self has  served  as  constable  in  both  Delta  and 
Montrose  counties.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows,  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church 
and  supports  the  Democratic  party  in  politics. 
He  also  holds  a  commission  from  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Detective  Association,  and  he  has 
rendered  efficient  service  under  this  commis- 
sion. 

JOHN  B.  RATEKIN. 

The  clearness  of  vision  to  see  and  the 
alertness  to  seize  the  opportunities  that  come 
to  men  in  life  are  among  the  most  useful  and 
valued  faculties  that  nature  gives  or  practice 
acquires;  and  the  men  who  have  them  are  in- 
dependent of  circumstances,  triumphant  over 
obstacles,  undaunted  by  adversities  and  always 
ready  for  emergencies.  The  subject  of  this 
review  is  a  man  of  this  kind,  and  has  won  the 
guerdori  of  his  endowment  in  a  comfortable 
estate  and  a  well  secured  place  in  the  regard 
-and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men.  Without  the  aid 
of  fortune's  favors  or  outside  help  he  has  made 
a  steady  and  substantial  progress  from  the 
time  when,  as  a  young  man,  he  began  the  strug- 
gle for  supremacy  among  men  with  no  capital 
but  his  resolute  will,  stout  heart  and  ready 
hand.  He  was  born  in  Richardson  county, 
Nebraska,  on  August  3,  1867,  and  is  the  son 
of  William  and  Mary  (Vaughn)  Ratekin,  who 
were  born  in  Ohio  and  are  now  living  in  Ne- 
braska, where  for  many  years  they  have  been 
engaged  in  farming'.  They  have  had  thirteen 


children,  ten  of  whom  are  living,  one  daughter 
and  their  son  John  being  residents  of  Colorado. 
The  latter  was  reared  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead and  educated  at  the  district  schools  near 
by.  He  remained  at  home  until  the  year  1889, 
then  came  to  Colorado,  and  after  a  short  stay 
at  Denver  passed  three  years  at  Gunnison, 
working  there  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do. 
He  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  stone  quar- 
ries, and  during  this  period  he  helped  to  get 
out  the  stone  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
state  capital  building  at  Denver.  After  leaving 
Gunnison  he  located  in  Delta  county  and  in 
1892  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  near  Cedar  Edge,  which  he  sold  in 
1900,  following  the  sale  by  the  purchase  of 
the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives.  This  com- 
prises two  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  is  a 
fine  body  of  land.  Seventy  acres  are  in  alfalfa 
and  ten  in  fruit,  and  from  both  of  these  tracts 
the  yield  is  abundant  and  profitable.  The  hay 
is  consumed  on  the  place  by  his  own  cattle,  of 
which  he  always  keeps  enough  for  the  pur- 
pose, but  the  fruit  is  raised  for  market.  His 
net  income  from  the  latter  averages  about 
seven  hundred  dollars  a  year.  He  also  has  one 
hundred  stands  of  bees,  and  these  prove  to  be 
very  profitable  too,  bringing  in  an  annual 
revenue  of  more  than  five  hundred  dollars.  He 
came  to  this  section  with  three  hundred  dol- 
lars in  money,  and  he  has  now  about  twelve 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  property  free  from 
incumbrance.  On  February  18,  1892,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Myrta  E.  Edgar, 
who  was  born  in  Kansas  on  October  5,  1871, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Martha 
(Lyons)  Edgar,  natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ratekin  have  four  children,  Juanita  F., 
William  E.,  Roy  E.  and  Alva  J.  The  father  is 
a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  order  of 
Washington.  In  political  affairs  he  supports 
the  Democratic  party.  He  is  an  energetic  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


677 


progressive  man  who  has  made  almost  every 
day  of  his  life  tell  for  his  own  advancement 
and  has  not  been  sparing  in  his  devotion  and 
service  to  the  general  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
Esteeming  his  fellow  men,  and  always  inter- 
ested in  their  welfare,  he  is  well  esteemed  by 
them  in  return. 

FRANK  SCOTT. 

While  the  lessons  of  adversity  are  not  al- 
ways salutary,  sometimes  calling  into  vigorous 
action  the  splenetic  humors  of  human  nature 
which  lie  near  the  surface  and  are  easily 
wrought  upon,  in  most  cases  there  is  no  more 
salutary  discipline  for  the  young  and  scarcely 
any  better  stimulus  to  the  development  of  man- 
ly character  and  self-reliance  than  to  be  thrown 
on  their  own  resources  with  the  world  before 
them  and  their  only  capital  within.  This  well 
known  fact  is  aptly  illustrated  in  the  career 
of  many  thousands  of  American  citizens,  among 
them  Frank  Scott,  of  Routt  county,  a  promi- 
nent and  successful  rancher  and  cattle  man 
who  lives  near  Pagoda,  and  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  his  business  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
He  came  to  Colorado  soon  after  attaining  his 
legal  majority,  and  since  his  arrival  has  been 
connected  in  a  serviceable  way  with  several  of 
the  leading  industries  of  the  state,  aiding  in 
their  development  while  advancing  his  own  for- 
tunes through  their  aid.  Mr.  Scott  was  born 
in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  on  July 
12,  1837,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Scott,  who  were  also  natives  of  New  York 
state,  where  they  passed  their  lives  and  were 
finally  laid  to  rest  in  the  soil  which  was  hal- 
lowed by  their  labors.  The  father  was  a  land 
agent,  a  veterinary  surgeon  and  at  last  a  far- 
mer. He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a 
man  of  influence  in  his  neighborhood.  Their 
son  Frank  assumed  the  burden  of  making  his 


own  way  in  the  world  while  he  was  yet  a 
mere  boy.  He  attended  the  district  schools 
when  he  had  opportunity  during  his  boyhood 
and  received  a  limited  education.  In  1853, 
when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  old,  he  left  his 
native  state  and  made  his  way  to  Dodge  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  passed  two  years  in  dif- 
ferent occupations,  then  located  in  Lawrence 
county,  Kansas,  and  there  he  worked  first  as 
helper  on  a  saw-mill  and  later  as  engineer  for 
the  same.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  became  a 
resident  of  Colorado,  wintering  at  Denver,  and 
in  the  ensuing  spring  going  to  the  mountains  to 
begin  a  career  in  prospecting  and  mining.  This 
was  continued  through  the  summer  in  this  state 
and  Mexico,  and  about  all  he  got  out  of  it  was 
experience  in  hard  labor  and  privations,  being 
obliged  on  one  occasion  to  go  without  othter 
food  than  meat  for  a  period  of  fifteen  days,  and 
the  meat  was  nearly  all  wild  game.  In  the 
autumn  of  1859  he  returned  to  Kansas,  in 
1860  went  to  St.  Louis  and  afterward  to  Pitts- 
burg.  From  there  he  went  to  Washington,  D. 
C,  and  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  found 
employment  with  the  government  as  a  black- 
smith, he  having  learned  the  trade  in  his  wan- 
derings. After  fifteen  months'  service  in  this 
capacity  he  opened  a  sutler's  store  at  Alex- 
andria, Virginia,  and  made  good  profits  out  of 
sales  to  the  soldiers.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  conducted  a  store  and  restaurant  for 
awhile,  then  engaged  in  farming,  and  later  sold 
out  all  his  property  and  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop,  which  he  carried  on  two  years.  In  1884 
he  again  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Den- 
ver, where  during  the  next  two  years  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  a  shop  of  his  own.  In 
1886  he  changed  his  base  of  operations  to  the 
vicinity  of  Evergreen  and  there  conducted  a 
hotel  and  blacksmith  shop  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  being  very  successful  in  both  lines  of 
enterprise.  Selling  out  there  he  moved  to 
Pine  and  continued  blacksmithing  there  one 


6;8 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


summer  at  the  end  of  which  he  gave  up  the 
shop  and  went  to  work  for  the  Morris  Mills 
near  Pine.  In  1890  he  returned  to  Evergreen 
and  found  occupation  until  midsummer  when 
he  bought  the  improvements  on  a  part  of  the 
ranch  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  He 
had  added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he 
has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which 
one  hundred  and  forty  are  under  cultivation. 
The  ranch  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  on  the 
Williams  Fork,  and  on  it  he  has  large  herds  of 
cattle  and  raises  abundant  supplies  of  hay  and 
grain  for  their  proper  maintenance.  As  a 
public-spirited  citizen  Mr.  Scott  performs  his 
share  of  service  to  his  community  by  helping 
along  the  development  of  every  worthy  object 
for  the  advantage  of  its  people.  In  political 
faith  he  is  an  unwavering  Democrat,  in  social 
life  he  is  genial  and  companionable,  and  in  the 
duties  of  citizenship  he  is  faithful  and  elevating 
in  his  aspirations  and  his  example. 

JESSE  W.  OSBORN. 

Jesse  W.  Osborn,  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  Grand  Junction,  handling  ex- 
tensively live  stock,  grain,  feed,  meats,  gro- 
ceries and  kindred  commodities,  and  conduct- 
ing his  business  with  a  wisdom  and  breadth  of 
view  acquired  in  an  extensive  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  different  places,  is  a  native  of  Geor- 
gia, born  in  Towns  county  on  November  26, 
1852.  He  was  a  boy  of  nine  when  the  Civil 
war  began  and  his  people  were  active  and 
earnest  participants  in  the  sanguinary  con- 
flict between  the  sections,  so  that  he  not  only 
witnessed  many  of  its  horrors,  but  bears  in  his 
estate  if  not  in  his  person  the  marks  of  its  bur- 
dens. His  parents  were  James  M.  and  Polly 
(Carter)  Osborn,  who  were  natives  of  Georgia 
and  who  passed' the  whole  of  their  lives  as  resi- 
dents of  that  state.  The  mother  died  -when 
her  son  Jesse  was  seven  years  of  age,  and  two 


years  afterward  the  father  joined  the  Con- 
federate army  as  a  lieutenant  of  cavalry,  and 
Jesse  made  his  home  with  his  grandfather  Os- 
born, by  whom  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of 
twenty-one.  The  mother's  people  were  exten- 
sive plantersv  and  slave  owners,  and  both 
families  had  been  prominent  in  their  section 
for  many  generations.  There  were  five  children 
born  in  the  immediate  family,  of  whom  three 
are  living.  Jesse  was  the  next  to  the  oldest. 
He  received  a  liberal  education  under  the  care 
of  his  grandfather,  and  soon  after  attaining  his 
legal  majority  he  married  and  engaged  in  grist 
and  saw-milling.  His  father  was  a  prominent 
contractor  and  builder,  and  worked  many  years 
in  Atlanta,  and  also  in  other  parts  of  Georgia 
and  in  the  adjoining  states.  But  this  line  of 
industry  was  not  to  the  son's  taste  and  he  chose 
another  for  himself.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and,  settling  in  Huerfano  county,  engaged 
in  the  cattle  industry  for  a  period  of  nine  years. 
He  then  moved  to  Mesa  county  and  located  at 
Fruita,  where  he  continued  his  cattle  business 
two  years  longer.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
opened  a  general  store  at  Fruita  which  he  con- 
ducted nine  years.  Selling  this  then,  and  also 
disposing  of  his  cattle,  ranches  and  other 
property,  he  moved  to  Pueblo,  where  during 
the  next  two  years  he  carried  on  a  large  gro- 
cery store,  employing  ten  persons  in  its  various 
lines  of  work.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  sold 
out  there  and  returned  to  Mesa  county,  taking 
up  his  residence  at  Grand  Junction,  where  he 
has  ever  since  resided.  He  at  once  opened  an 
emporium  for  the  sale  of  flour,  feed,  grain  and 
live  stock,  and  recently  he  has  added  an  ex- 
tensive line  of  meats  and  groceries  to  his  stock, 
making  his  store  one  of  the  most  general  and 
extensive  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In  political 
faith  he  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat,  and 
in  the  campaigns  of  his  party  he  always  renders 
earnest  and  effective  service.  On  November 
24,  1873,  he  was  married  in  Georgia  to  Miss 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


679 


Zoe  H.  Mauldin,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
that  state  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mac  and  Mary 
(England)  Mauldin,  also  Georgians  by  birth 
where  they  owned  a  large  plantation  and  num- 
bers of  slaves.  The  parents  are  now  deceased, 
and  they  left  to  their  children  a  legacy  of  good 
names  and  the  record  of  useful  lives.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Osborn  have  five  children,  William  C., 
Florence,  wife  of  Chester  E.  Jaynes,  Ora,  a 
partner  in  his  father's  business,  Urah  and  Pearl/ 

FRANK  E.  WHEELER. 

To  write  the  personal  record  of  men  who 
have  raised  themselves  from  humble  circum- 
stances to  a  position  of  influence  and  compara- 
tive affluence  in  a  community  is  no  ordinary 
pleasure.  Self-made  men,  men  who  have 
achieved  success  by  reason  of  their  personal 
qualities  and  left  the  impress  of  their  individ- 
uality upon  the  business  and  growth  of  their 
place  of  residence  and  affect  for  good  such  in- 
stitutions as  are  embraced  within  the  sphere  of 
their  usefulness,  unwittingly,  perhaps,  build 
monuments  more  enduring  than  marble  obe- 
lisk or  granite  shaft.  Of  such  we  have  the  un- 
questioned right  to  say  belongs  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  above. 

Frank  Elon  Wheeler  is  a  native  son  of  Col- 
orado, having  been  born  in  Jefferson  county  on 
February  i,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  John  S. 
and  Amelia  D.  Wheeler,  the  former  of  whom 
came  to  Colorado  in  1859  and  during  the  sub- 
sequent years  occupied  a  conspicuous  and  in- 
fluential place  in  public  affairs.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  state  constitutional  convention, 
and  in  1878  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
secretary  of  state,  being  defeated  by  N.  H. 
Meldrum.  He  was  the  first  probate  judge  of 
Weld  county,  having  been  elected  to  this  of- 
fice in  1866.  He  was  a  farmer  by  vocation 
and  commanded  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him.  The  subject  is  able  to  trace  his  ances- 


tral lines  back  to  sturdy  "Mayflower"  stock 
and  in  his  own  life  have  been  exhibited  many  of 
those  sterling  traits  which  characterized  the 
men  who,  for  consciences'  sake,  left  home  and 
native  land  and  sought  that  liberty  which  ev- 
ery true  man  desires.  Mr.  Wheeler  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Weld  county,  this  state,  being  forced  by  cir- 
cumstances to  cease  his  school  attendance  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years.  His  education  did  not 
stop  then,  however,  as  he  has  through  all  the 
subsequent  years  been  a  wide  and  liberal  reader 
and  a  close  and  thoughtful  observer  of  men  and 
events,  so  that  today  he  is  considered  a  well-in- 
formed man.  In  1879  he  engaged  in  mining, 
believing  that  that  field  of  effort  offered  great 
opportunities  for  acquiring  wealth.  His  suc- 
cess was  but  moderate,  however,  and  in  1885 
he  accepted  the  position  of  assayer  at  the 
United  States  mine  in  Denver,  holding  this 
position  until  removed  by  an  incoming  Repub- 
lican superintendent.  He  immediately  secured 
a  position  as  manager  of  the  Idaho  Springs 
Sampling  Works,  but  on  March  i,  1892,  he 
resigned  this  place  and  went  to  Creede,  where 
he  engaged  in  mining  and  assaying,  with  very 
indifferent  success.  When  Mineral  county  was 
organized  Governor  Waite  appointed  Mr. 
Wheeler  a  commissioner  of  the  county,  and  he 
was  twice  afterwards  elected  to  the  position. 
In  1894  and  again  in  1904  he  was  the  candi- 
date on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  auditor  of 
state,  but  was  defeated  together  with  the  bal- 
ance of  the  ticket. 

A  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Wheeler 
holds  decided  opinions  regarding  public  poli- 
cies and  economic  questions  affecting  the  wel- 
fare of  the  American  people.  He  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  republican  form  of  government 
and  stands  stanchly  by  the  national  constitu- 
tion, believing  that  under  it  the  American  peo- 
ple will  always  be  capable  of  self-governmtent 
and  the  military  always  subservient  to  the  civil 


68o 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


authority.  He  believes  that  the  great  wrongs 
now  imposed  on  the  industrial  classes  can  only 
be  righted  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  that  the  national  govern- 
ment should  control  all  trusts,  combines  and 
corporations  in  the  interests  of  the  majority  of 
the  people. 

On  the  1 7th  of  January,  1888,  Mr.  Wheeler 
was,  by  Myron  Reed,  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Wallie  Sutter,  who  was  born  in  Heidel- 
burg,  Germany,  where  the  father,  a  musical 
instructor,  was  royal  chapel  master  to  the  king. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Woodmen,  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Dramatic  Or- 
der Knights  of  Khorassan,  the  Western  Federa- 
tion of  Miners,  and  other  -bodies.  In  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  he  filled  every  office  in  the 
local  lodge,  was  three  times  elected  grand  rep- 
resentative, and  for  three  years  was  a  member 
of  the  grand  tribune,  being  chairman  of  the 
judiciary  committee  during  1904-5.  In  1902 
he  represented  the  local  lodge  of  Elks  in  the 
grand  lodge  which  met  at  Baltimore.  He  is 
not  affiliated  with  any  religious  denomination, 
but  governs  his  actions  by  that  greatest  of  all 
commands,  the  Golden  Rule.  In  every  avenue 
of  life's  activities  in  which  he  has  been  placed 
he  has  honestly  and  faithfully  performed  his 
.part  and  is  today  the  recipient  of  the  highest 
meed  of  respect  and  confidence,  not  alone  in 
his  own  community,  but  throughout  a  large 
portion  of  the  state. 

JAMES  M.  DOWNING. 

James  M.  Downing,  of  Aspen,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  successful  lawyers  in  his 
section  of  the  state,  and  one  of  its  most  pro- 
gressive, enterprising  and  liberal-hearted  men, 
was  born  in  Illinois  on  March  6,  1856,  the  son 


of  David  R.  and  Mary  Downing,  prosperous 
farmers  of  that  state,  who  were  early  settlers  in 
Virginia  and  pioneers  in  Kentucky,  where  they 
lived  until  1840,  when  they  moved  to  Illinois. 
There  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
cultivating  the  fruitful  soil  and  holding  an  ele- 
vated place  in  the  regard  of  all  who  knew  them. 
The  father  died  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  ninety, 
after  having  been  for  some  years  retired  from 
active  pursuits.  Four  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  of  whom  three  survive :  John  F., 
president  of  the  New  England  National  Bank 
of  Kansas  City,  Kate  (Mrs.  C.  W.  Creus), 
who  lives  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  James  M. 
The  last  named  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  state,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  an  excellent  college  at  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1879.  He  came  at  once  to  Colorado, 
locating  at  Leadville,  where  he  followed  min- 
ing and  studied  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1881,  then  moved  to  Aspen,  his  present 
home,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since,  except 
during  two  years  which  he  passed  in  Denver. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  practice,  and 
his  success  is  due  to  his  studious  habits,  close 
attention  to  business,  and  fine  natural  abilities. 
He  has-  the  largest  law  library  on  the  Western 
slope,  it  is  said,  and  his  success  at  the  bar  and 
in  counsel  shows  that  he  has  made  a  diligent 
and  judicious  use  of  it.  He  has  been  in  active 
practice  at  Aspen  since  1881,  and  has  for  years 
been  at  the  head  of  the  bar  there.  He  has  also 
been  actively  associated  with  the  mining  indus- 
try as  a  member  of  the  Cowenhaven  Mining 
Company  of  Aspen  and  one  of  its  leading  men 
and  chief  inspiration  and  controlling  force.  He 
is  well  posted  in  both  the  technique  and  prac- 
tical side  of  the  law  and  mining,  and  under- 
takes nothing  that  he  does  not  do  well  and  with 
success.  In  political  faith  he  was  a  Republican 
until  1896,  and  frequently  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  state  conventions  of  that  party.  In 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


68 1 


the  year  last  named  he  joined  forces  with  the 
Silver  Republicans  and  at  once  became  one  of 
the  most  influential  forces  in  the  organization. 
He  was  once  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  dis- 
trict attorney,  and  in  1892  was  nominated  as 
lieutenant  governor.  In  1885  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Ritter,  a  daughter 
of  Col.  Richard  Ritter,  of  Sedalia,  Missouri. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Alice. 

HENRY  J.   W.   HERNAGE. 

As  the  head  of  the  Hernage  Mercantile 
Company  of  Yampa,  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  conducted  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  west- 
ern Colorado,  Henry  J.  W.  Hernage  is  very 
widely  known  in  business  circles,  and  as  a  pro- 
gressive and  public-spirited  citizen  he  is  one  of 
the  potential  factors  in  the  development  and 
prosperity  of  Routt  county.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  state  since  1871,  more  than  half 
of  his  life,  and  during  his  residence  here  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  walfare  and 
growth  of  the  state  and  tried  his  hand  at  several 
of  its  leading  industries,  rising  by  merit  to  a 
position  of  consequence  and  esteem  among  its 
people,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  has  done 
well  his  part  as  a  far-seeing  and  enterprising 
business  man  and  a  high-minded  and  upright 
citizen.  He  was  born  at  Nottingham,  England, 
on  May  22,  1851,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  J. 
and  Maria  Hernage.  The  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  Eng- 
land, and  house  surgeon  of  the  Western  Dis- 
pensary, at  Westminster,  London.  The  son 
was  educated  at  the  Latin  Grammar  School, 
London,  and  at  Shoreham,  on  the  southern 
coast  of  his  native  land  near  Brighton.  He 
did  not  complete  his  course,  however,  and  left 
England  without  receiving  his  degrees,  though 
for  a  time  he  served  as  dispenser  at  the  Western 
Dispensary,  where  his  father  is  now  the  house 
surgeon.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 


1867,  when  he  was  but  sixteen,  and  located  first 
at  Omaha,  but  left  there  almost  immediately 
and  went  to  Dunlap,  Iowa.  In  1871  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Boul- 
der county,  where  he  remained  three  years,  then 
started  for  the  Black  Hills,  but  stopped  at 
Harm's  Peak  in  what  is  now  Routt  but  was 
then  Grand  county.  Here  he  mined  for  a  time 
and  carried  the  United  States  mails,  but  some 
months  later  moved  to  Eagle  river,  Summit 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1876,  when 
he  went  to  mining  at  Red  Cliff.  He  took  up 
the  first  ranch  on  Eagle  river,  his  location  being 
on  Brush  creek.  In  1885  he  returned  to  Routt 
county  and  at  once  engaged  in  merchandising, 
a  pursuit  he  has  followed  steadily  and  success- 
fully ever  since.  While  living  on  Eagle  river  he 
served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Lake  and  Eagle 
counties.  He  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity  in 
1894  and  by  his  activity  and  zeal  soon  attained 
prominence  in  the  order,  serving  as  secretary 
of  Lodge  No.  106  for  a  time  and  as  its  wor- 
shipful master  in  1903.  His  interest  in  the 
fraternity  has  not  been  limited  to  the  blue  lodge, 
but  has  carried  him  through  the  higher 
branches,  and  he  received  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree in  1904.  He  is  well  known  in  Masonic 
circles  as  an  active  worker  for  the  good  of  the 
order,  and  has  a  standing  of  commanding  in- 
fluence in  it  all  over  the  state.  But  he  has  al- 
lowed nothing  to  interfere  with  his  business, 
and  this  he  has  augmented  to  very  large  pro- 
'  portions  and  carried  to  a  high  state  of  excel- 
lence in  management,  enterprise  and  success  in 
meeting  the  wants  of  the  people.  His  em- 
porium carries  complete  lines  of  general  mer- 
chandise, staple  groceries,  ranch  supplies,  and 
hats,  caps  and  clothing.  He  is  ever  affable  and 
accommodating,  and  always  conducts  his  trans- 
actions on  a  high  plane  of  integrity  and  honor. 
One  of  the  specialties  of  his  trade  is  a  brand 
of  flour  which  he  has  made  with  great  care 
and  to  which  he  has  given  his  name.  A  por- 


682 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


tion  of  his  earlier  life  in  this  country  was  de- 
voted to  hunting  and  prospecting.  On  De- 
cember 15,  1885,  he  was  married  at  Notting- 
ham, England,  to  Miss  Annie  Frances  Smith, 
of  that  city.  They  have  had  nine  children.  Of 
these  Gertrude,  May  and  Elizabeth  have  died, 
and  Henry  J.,  William  J.,  Alpea  A.,  Arthur 
Edward,  Frances  Edith  and  Henrietta  I.  are 
living. 

JAMES  L.  HURT. 

Left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  father 
when  the  son  was  but  thirteen,  and  by  that  of 
his  mother  half  a  year  earlier,  James  L.  Hurt; 
of  Center,  Saguache  county,  ill  prepared  as 
he  was  for  the  battle  of  life,  took  up  his  burden 
courageously  and  has  bravely  borne  it  even 
since,  making  his  own  way  in  this  struggling 
world,  but  using  all  his  opportunities  to  good 
purpose  and  making  his  every  effort  tell  to  his 
advantage.  He  was  born  on  May  26,  1854, 
near  the  town  of  Roanoke,  Howard  county, 
Missouri,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  A.  and 
Miranda  (Lee)  Hurt,  who  also  were  born  and 
reared  in  Missouri,  and  remained  there  until 
death,  that  of  the  mother  occurring  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867,  and  that  of  the  father  in  February, 
1868.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  dealer  in 
live  stock,  shipping  numbers  of  cattle,  horses 
and  other  stock  to  Eastern  markets,  and  was 
successful  in  his  business  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war  called  him  to  the  service  of  hi§ 
section,  when  he  joined  the  Confederate  army 
under  Capt.  William  McCowan.  His  military 
service  broke  up  his  business  and  as  the  whole 
South  suffered  severely  in  the  war,  he  died  too 
soon  after  its  close  to  pass  the  critical  period  of 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  retrieve  his  for- 
tunes. Four  of  the  children  survive  their  par- 
ents, William,  John  R.,  James  L.  and  Mrs.  W. 
K.  Manis.  The  father  was  an  earnest  and  de- 
voted Democrat  in  political  faith  and  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  James 


L.  was  educated  in  the  country  district  schools 
and  the  high  school  at  Roanoke,  Missouri,  and 
after  the  death  of  his  parents  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  farming  and  raising  stock  in  his 
native  state,  where  he  remained  until  1881, 
when  he  came  to  Colorado,  proceeding  almost 
immediately  to  the  San  Luis  valley  and  locat-. 
ing  in  Saguache  county.  He  purchased  the 
interest  of  W.  T.  Downing  in  a  mercantile  es- 
tablishment, Mr.  Downing  being  a  partner  in 
the  business  with  Samuel  Jewell.  Messrs.  Hurt 
and  Jewell  carried  on  the  enterprise  with  fair 
success  until  1885,  when  they  sold  it  and  turned 
their  attention  to  raising  sheep  and  cattle.  This 
they  did  together  until  1891,  and  in  that  year 
Mr.  Hurt  bought  Mr.  Jewell's  interest  in  the 
business  and  has  since  conducted  it  extensively 
alone.  He  has  been  a  large  and  active  shipper 
to  various  markets  and  has  made  a  pronounced 
success  of  his  industry.  By  1885  he  had  ac- 
quired four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land, 
and  in  1898  he  bought  two  additional  ranches, 
those  of  Bedell  and  Wilson,  comprising  two 
thousand  six  hundred  acres,  and  by  subsequent 
purchases  he  has  increased  his  holdings  to  four 
thousand  acres,  all  good  land  and  well  ad- 
vanced in  cultivation.  He  introduced  mules 
into  the  neighborhood  and  has  since  raised 
them  and  horses  in  large  numbers,  running  also 
large  herds  of  cattle,  and  making  every  effort 
to  secure  the  best  grades  and  output  in  each. 
His  favorite  breeds  of  cattle  are  the  Galloway 
and  the  Polled  Angus,  and  of  horses  the  Per- 
cheron.  In  1897,  realizing  the  need  of  a  town 
in  his  vicinity,  he  located  the  townsite  of  Cen- 
ter, he  then  owning  the  quarter  section  of  the 
land  on  which  it  is  plotted,  and  he  now  has  the 
finest  residence  in  the  town.  When  he  moved 
into  this  valley  there  was  not  a  house  or  even 
a  fence  stake  where  Center  has  since  grown 
to  a  promising  size  and  importance,  and  the 
only  house  between  Crestone  and  Alamosa  was 
one  owned  by  George  Taylor  and  used  as  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


683 


half-way  road  house.  Mr.  Hurt  has  greatly  im- 
proved his  original  farm,  the  others  being  im- 
proved when  he  bought  them,  and  has  made 
it  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  attractive  of 
its  size  in  the  county.  He  has  been  steadily 
prosperous  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  is  es- 
teemed as  one  of  the  best  business  men  in  his 
section.  He  is  a  third-degree  Mason,  with 
membership  in  Vulcan  lodge,  No.  432,  at 
Hooper.  He  also  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics  he  was 
for  years  a  Populist,  and  as  such  was  twice 
elected  to  the  legislature,  but  he  is  now  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizen,  well  known  throughout  a  wide 
extent  of  country  and  held  in  the  highest  re- 
gard everywhere.  Having  endured  many  trials 
and  hardships  in  his  early  life,  he  knows  how 
to  sympathize  and  judicially  aid  others  in  like 
circumstances,  and  is  ever  genial  and  generous. 
On  February  26,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ida  B.  Reed,  a  native  of  Johnson  county,  Mis- 
souri, reared  in  Colorado.  Her  parents  are 
Thomas  D.  and  Mary  E.  Reed,  natives  of 
Delaware  who  moved  to  Missouri  and  after- 
ward to  Colorado,  remaining  in  this  state  until 
1900,  then  changing  their  residence  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  they  are  now  living.  The  father 
farmed  and  raised  stock  in  Missouri,  and  in 
Colorado  mined  and  prospected.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hurt  have  three  children,  Thomas  C,  Minnie 
P.  and  Lulu  B. 

ORION  WrAINWRIGHT  DAGGETT. 

At  twenty-one  years  of  age,  O.  W.  Dag- 
gett  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Gypsum 
valley.  He  was  born  at  Monitor,  Tippecanoe 
county,  Indiana,  on  January  4,  1861.  He  comes 
of  a  race  of  pioneers  and  in  his  own  career  has 
been  faithful  to  the  customs  and  traditions  of 
his  family.  His  great-grandfather's  seventh 
ancestor,  John  Daggett,  was  a  pioneer  of  Mas- 


sachusetts, coming  to  that  state  in  1630  with 
Governor  Winthrop.  Later  on  his  ancestors 
were  pioneers  in  the  states  of  Connecticut, 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Naplithali  Dag- 
gett, great-grandsire  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  Doctor  of  Divinity  of  Yale  College 
from  1755  to  1766,  and  president  of  that  insti- 
tution from  1766  to  1777.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  martyrs  of  the  American  Revolution,  being 
wounded  while  leading  the  students  against 
the  British.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  died 
from  the  effects  of  their  mistreatment. 

Orion  Wainwright  Daggett  is  the  son  of 
Alfred  and  Emma  (Britan)  Daggett,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and 
the  latter  of  Birmingham,  England.  They  set- 
tled in  Lafayette,  Indiana,  where  the  father 
was'  for  years  an  extensive  manufacturer  of 
woolens;  linseed  oil  and  flour,  and  a  general 
merchant.  The  son  attended  the  common 
schools  and  a  high  school  at  Lafayette,  Indi- 
ana, and  while  a  youth  spent  the  summer  vaca- 
tions working  in  the  woolen  factory,  and  later 
began  clerking  in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Sheldon, 
Illinois.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  -he  became  a 
purchaser  for  his  father's  grain  business,  thus 
early  in  life  learning  the  art  of  dealing  with 
others  to  advantage.  In  1882  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  after  inspecting  Denver  and  Leadville 
as  sites  for  business,  turned  his  back  upon  the 
work  to  which  he  had  been  trained  and  became 
a  ranchman.  On  May  25,  1882,  he  located  in 
the  Gypsum  valley,  becoming  one  of  its  first 
settlers,  there  being  at  the  time  only  four 
ranches  taken  up  between  Redcliff  and  Glen- 
wood  Springs  and  no  wagon  road  into  the  val- 
ley. The  four  settlers  whose  ranches  he  passed 
on  his  weary  pilgrimage  on  foot  were  Joseph 
Brett,  H.  J.  Hernage,  Webb  Frost"  and  John 
Bowman.  There  was  not  a  ditch  or  an  enclos- 
ure in  this  part  of  Colorado  then,  and  every- 
thing necessary  to  make  the  region  habitable 
was  yet  to  be  done.  But  Mr.  Daggett  went  to 


684 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


work  resolutely,  after  filing  the  first  homestead 
claim  for  this  section,  and  began  to  bring  about 
the  settlement  and  improvement  of  the  country. 
He  built  the  second  ditch  in  the  county  and  in 
course  of  time  erected  a  dwelling  for  himself, 
until  then  living  in  a  tent.  There  were  of 
course  no  buildings  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
Indian  teepees  were  plentiful  across  the  creek; 
still  their  occupants  were  not  unfriendly  and 
gave  him  no  trouble.  For  a  long  time  he  saw 
only  nine  white  men  in  the  valley.  His  first 
occupation  here  was  hauling  game  to  Aspen 
and  Leadville  for  sale,  and  as  the  product  was 
abundant  the  business  was  profitable,  he  haul- 
ing out  on  one  occasion  two  wagon  loads  of  elk 
which  he  secured  on  the  Flat  Tops.  Beaver 
were  also  plentiful  in  the  creek  on  his  place, 
and  so  wild  game  not  only  furnished  meat  for 
his  table  but  the  means  of  securing  other  sup- 
plies. He  continued  to  hunt  and  sell  game  in 
this  way  two  or  three  years.  His  ranch  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  is  four 
miles  south  of  Gypsum.  It  was  covered  with 
sage  brush  when  he  took  possession  of  it,  but 
he  has  improved  it  in  every  way  since  then, 
and  now  has  not  only  a  comfortable  home  on 
it,  but  a  source  of  considerable  revenue  from 
its  products.  In  1891  and  1892  he  was  associ- 
ated with  other  gentlemen  in  merchandising  as 
a  member  of  the  Daggett,  Shiff  &  Company  es- 
tablishment at  Gypsum,  and  from  1893  to  1902 
was  in  the  mining  and  milling  and  general  mer- 
chandise business  of  the  firm  of  Daggett  & 
Evans  at  Fulford,  Colorado.  With  this  taste, 
which  is  almost  inevitable  to  every  energetic 
man  in  this  part  of  the  world,  he  expended 
a  considerable  lot  of  money  at  different  periods 
in  developing  mining  property  in  the  Fulford 
district.  In  1902  he  sold  out  the  business  he 
was  then  conducting  and  returned  to  his  ranch 
at  Gypsum  to  which  he  has  since  given  almost 
his  whole  attention.  From  1883  to  1887  he 
freighted  between  Redcliff  and  Glenwood 


Springs,  hauling  part  of  the  Ute  Chief,  the  first 
printing  press,  into  the  latter  place.  From  the 
dawn  of  his  manhood  Mr.  Daggett  has  earn- 
estly supported  the  Republican  party  and  in  all 
its  campaigns  he  has  lent  a  willing  and  effective 
hand  to  the  cause.  His  ranch  is  widely  known 
and  favorably  mentioned  on  all  occasions  as  the 
Red  Rock  Ranch.  On  January  4,  1891,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  F.  Haines, 
who  prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  prominent 
school  teacher  in  Indiana  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
She  died  on  February  24,  1900.  Two  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  this  marriage,  both  of 
whom  died.  On  November  4,  1903,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Harriet  D.  Patterson,  a  native 
of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  his  present  wife. 
On  December  13,  1904,  was  born  to  them  a 
little  girl,  Elizabeth  Patterson  Daggett. 

GEORGE  DWIGHT  BARDWELL. 

George  Dwight  Bardwell,  a  leading  attor- 
ney of  the  southwestern  section  of  the  state, 
was  born  on  July  29,  1866,  in  Franklin  county, 
Massachusetts,  and  is  the  son  of  George  W. 
and  Anna  Bardwell.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  politician,  being  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts house  of  representatives  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  Mr.  Bardwell  has  been  engaged 
in  mining  and  practicing  law  for  eighteen  years 
in  Colorado,  at  Aspen,  Leadville,  Gunnison, 
Lake  City,  and  throughout  the  San  Juan  coun- 
try. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1893, 
and  has  ever  since  had  law  offices  in  Gunnison 
and  Hinsdale  counties.  He  has  been  a  director 
and  the  secretary  of  the  Dupre  Mining  Com- 
pany which  owns  the  Isolde  mine  from  its  or- 
ganization in  1898.  He  was  city  attorney  of 
Lake  City  and  county  attorney  of  Hinsdale 
county  from  1894  to  1905.  In  politics  he  was 
for  years  a  Democrat  but  is  now  a  Republican, 
and  has  been  during  the  last  six  years.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


685 


World,  the  United  Workmen  and  the  order  of 
Elks.  On  July  6,  1896,  at  Eureka,  Colorado,. 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Cunningham, 
and  has  three  children,  Anna  B.,  Mary  Esther 
and  T.  G.  This  brief  outline  of  the  life  of  a 
prominent  public  man  and  lawyer  gives  no  ac- 
count of  the  success  with  which  he  has  con- 
ducted every  line  of  activity  with  which  he 
has  been  connected,  the  fortitude  with  which  he 
has  met  and  overcome  every  difficulty  that  has 
confronted  him,  or  the  general  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  all  classes  of  the  people  every- 
where he  has  been,  and  but  hints  his  high 
standing  at  the  bar  and  in  the  business  world, 
all  of  which  would  be  told  at  greater  length  did 
not  his  modesty  forbid. 

LOUIS  C.  DAPPEN. 

Honorable  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fel- 
low men  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  popu- 
lar among  the  people  of  his  county,  progressive 
and  public-spirited  in  his  activities,  and  gen- 
erous in  his  disposition,  Louis  C.  Dappen,  of 
Saguache  county,  with  a  fine  ranch  of  valuable 
land  comprising  six  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
located  five  miles  northwest  of  Center,  and 
two  others  aggregating  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  additional,  \one  located  near  Hooper  and 
the  other  near  Center,  Louis  C.  Dappen  is 
easily  one  of  the  leading  and  most  substantial 
citizens  of  Saguache  county.  And  his  posses- 
sions are  all  the  more  creditable  to  him  in  that 
they  are  the  results  of  his  own  unassisted  thrift 
and  enterprise,  and  have  been  won  through  dif- 
ficulties and  over  many  obstacles.  Mr.  Dap- 
pen was  born  on  June  15,  1867,  in  Atchison 
county,  Missouri,  and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Mary  Dappen,  the  former  a  native  of 
Switzerland  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  Dur- 
ing the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  this  coun- 
try the  father  followed  stage  driving,  but  the 
latter  part  of  it  was  devoted  to  farming.  Ne- 


braska was  his  final  earthly  home,  and  there 
he  died  in  1892,  having  by  twenty-three  years 
survived  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1869. 
Three  of  their  children  are  living,  Benjamin, 
Henry  W.  and  Louis  C.  The  last  named  re- 
ceived only  a  common-school  education,  and 
that  of  a  limited  extent,  as  he  was  early  obliged 
to  make  his  own  living  by  working  on  the  farm. 
He  remained  in  his  native  state  until  1888, 
when  he  came  overland  to  Colorado  with  all 
that  he  possessed,  two  teams,  two  sets  of  har- 
ness, one  wagon  and  eighteen  dollars  in  money.. 
The  time  required  for  the  trip  was  twenty- 
eight  days,  and  on  his  arrival  in  the  San  Luis 
valley  he  at  once  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  a  pre-emption  claim.  After 
improving  this  he  sold  it  in  1890  at  a  loss,  but 
in  the  meantime,  with  a  view  to  other  pur- 
chases in  the  neighborhood,  he  helped  to  build 
the  Farmers'  Union  ditch,  in  which  he  still 
has  an  interest.  After  selling  his  first  ranch 
he  located  another,  and  being  unsuccessful  in 
improving  this  in  four  years'  effort,  he  gave  it 
up,  and  in  1896  bought  one  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1898  to  J. 
M.  Warden,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page.  He  then,  for  a  year,  rented  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  in 
1899  bought  his  present  home  ranch  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  is  superior  land 
and  very  valuable.  The  place  is  well  supplied 
with  water,  all  substantially  fenced,  and  im- 
proved with  a  good  dwelling  and  other  neces- 
sary buildings.  In  addition  to  this,  as  has  been 
noted,  he  owns  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  near  Hooper  and  one  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  near  Center,  making  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  all,  all 
the  tracts  lying  within  convenient  distances. of 
one  another.  He  raises  excellent  crops  of  peas, 
hay,  wheat  and  oats,  and  carries  on  an  exten- 
sive stock  industry,  especially  in  hogs  and  cat- 
tle. His  start  in  life  was  next  to  nothing,  and 


686 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


all  he  has  he  has  made  himself,  and  his  hold- 
ings rank  him  among  the  large  landholders  of 
the  county,  while  his  prosperity  demonstrates 
that  he  possesses  first-rate  business  qualifica- 
tions. Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World.  His  first  marriage  occurred  on 
November  22,  1888,  and  was  with  Miss  Mat- 
tie  Warren,  a  native  oi;  Iowa.  They  had  two 
children  who  died  in  infancy.  He  married  a 
second  wife  on  June  3,  1896,  Miss  Ella  Hayes, 
who  was  born  in  Kansas.  They  have  three 
children,  Cora  E.,  Perry  L.  and  Ina  L.  His 
first  wife  died  on  March  4,  1892,  and  the  sec- 
ond on  December  17,  1900.  Mr.  Dappen  is, 
in  the  matter  of  public  improvements,  in- 
terested in  the  Farmers'  Union  Ditch  Company 
and  the  Rio  Grande  Land  &  Water  Company. 

JAMES  P.  VEERKAMP. 

This  prominent  professional  man  of  the 
San  Luis  valley,  who  owns  and  occupies  one  of 
the  finest  residences  in  Monte  Vista,  and  en- 
joys a  high  rank  at  the  bar  and  one  of  the 
most  lucrative  and  representative  practices  in 
that  part  of  Colorado,  is  almost  wholly  a  self- 
made  man,  having  earned  by  his  own  exertions 
the  money  to  pay  his  way  through  the  higher 
schools  and  the  law  department  of  Missouri 
University  at  Columbia,  was  born  near  Troy, 
Lincoln  county,  Missouri,  on  May  7,  1862,  and 
is  the  son  of  Bartholomew  and  Sarah  (Brown) 
Veerkamp,  the  former  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Lincoln  county, 
Missouri.  The  father  was  successful  in  farm- 
ing and  raising  live  stock,  and  an  esteemed  citi- 
zen of  his  locality.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
political  allegiance  until  1861,  then  became  a 
Republican  over  the  issues  involved  in  the  Civil 
war.  He  died  on  November  17,  1903,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years.  The  mother  is 
still  living  at  the  old  Missouri  home.  The  son 


attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was  about 
twenty  years  old,  then  taught  school  in  Texas 
and  Missouri  to  earn  money  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  a  more  advanced  and  a  professional 
education.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  at- 
tended high  schools  at  Dexter,  Iowa,  and  in 
1886  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Colum- 
bia (Missouri)  University,  having  previously 
prepared  himself  for  his  professional  course  in 
that  institution  by  diligent  study  and  attentive 
reading  of  the  text  books  on  law  while  teach- 
ing school.  He  was  examined  and  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Mexico,  Missouri.  In  1892  he 
opened  a  law  office  at  Stockton,  Missouri,  and 
continued  his  practice  there  until  1899,  then 
moved  to  his  present  location,  Monte  Vista, 
this  state.  He  has  a  general  practice,  appear- 
ing before  all  the  courts  and  conducting  all 
kinds  of  cases,  and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  leading  attorneys  of  the  San  Luis  valley. 
In  addition  to  his  legal  reputation,  he  has  that 
of  being  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citi- 
zen, and  a  generous  and  considerate  man,  and 
the  distinction  he  enjoys  in  all  respects  is  well 
deserved  and  based  on  demonstrated  merit. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  while  living  in 
Missouri  served  as  docket  clerk  in  the  state 
senate  in  1892  and  1893.  On  February  16, 
1896,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Emma  Hedges, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  Pulaski  county. 

VICTORIA  HOTEL  COMPANY. 

The  excellent  hostelry  conducted  by  this 
company,  which  is  one  of  the  best  and  most 
popular  houses  of  entertainment  in  southwest- 
ern Colorado,  is  under  the  management  of  a 
partnership  composed  of  C.  A.  Biggs,  Mrs.  E. 
A.  Shields  and  Leonard  M.  Wingert,  and  Mrs. 
Shields  has  the  direct  charge  of  its  domestic 
affairs.  She  is  a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


687 


and  has  been  engaged  in  keeping  hotel  since 
1897,  carrying  on  the  business  from  that  year 
until  1900  at  Cliama,  New  Mexico,  and  since 
1900  at  Alamosa,  Conejos  county,  this  state. 
The  Victoria  is  a  two-story  stone  structure, 
with  thirty-two  sleeping  rooms,  and  keeps  one 
of  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  tables  in  the 
business  in  this  part  of  the  world.  The  rates 
are  three  dollars  a  day,  and,  with  enterprise 
characteristic  of  the  section  and  of  people  who 
understand  their  business,  the  management  ar- 
ranges to  meet  guests  at  all  trains  and  furnish 
them  free  transportation  to  the  house.  Gener- 
ally speaking,  the  accommodations  are  excellent 
and  fully  justify  the  reputation  and  popularity 
of  the  house.  Mrs.  Shields,  the  manager,  is  a 
very  superior  caterer,  and  a  lady  of  the  most 
genial  and  accommodating  disposition.  She 
welcomes  all  comers  with  cordiality,  and  pro- 
vides for  their  entertainment  with  the  utmost 
care,  making  them  feel  at  home  in  her  house 
and  exhibiting  to  all  the  judicious  solicitude  of 
a  mother. 

LEONARD  M.  WINGERT,  the  other  active 
factor  in  conducting  the  business  of  the  hotel, 
is  an  old-timer  in  Colorado,  having  come  to  the 
state  in  1877,  and  thoroughly  understands  the 
wants  and  customs  of  the  people  here.  He  was 
born  on  January  13,  1869,  near  Chambers- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  receiving  a  good  business  educa- 
tion. After  his  arrival  in  Colorado  he  devoted 
many  years  to  running  stationary  engines  for 
the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company  at  Florence 
and  the  Florence  Metallic  Extraction  Company. 
Since  1900  he  has  been  actively  associated  with 
Mrs.  Shields  in  the  practical  management  of 
the  Victoria  Hotel.  He  is  congenial  and  oblig- 
ing, and  has  a  widely  extended  and  favorable 
reputation  for  his  business  sense  and  genuine 
and  elevated  good-fellowship.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Alamosa  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Canon  City,  and 


in  politics  is  a  firm  and  loyal  Republican.  On 
October  25,  1899,  ne  was  married  to  Miss  Mat- 
tie  Bowlby,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Frances  Ellen,  who  was  born  on  Sep- 
tember 20,  1903.  Mr.  Wingert  is  a  son  of 
Adam  B.  and  Rebecca  Wingert,  natives  of 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  were  al- 
ways farmers  and  successful  at  the  business. 
In  1877  they  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Pueblo,  having  lived  a  short  time  in  Kansas. 
The  mother  died  on  July  31,  1889,  and  the  fa- 
ther on  March  14,  1905,  at  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton. 

WILLIAM  CLINTON  SLOAN. 

One  of  Mineral  county's  best  and  most 
prominent  citizens,  and  most  enterprising  mer- 
chants, a  member  of  the  Creede  Lumber  Com- 
pany, and  a  man  of  influence  in  the  fraternal 
and  public  life  of  his  community,  William  Clin- 
ton Sloan,  of  Amethyst,  has  builded  his  own 
fortunes  and  ranks  high  among  the  self-made 
men  of  the  state.  He  was  born  at  Laceyville, 
Pennsylvania,  on  November  13,  1863,  and  is 
a  son  of  David  and  Phoebe  Sloan,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  state  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  They  were  successful  farmers 
in  the  latter  state,  where  the  mother  died  in 
February,  1871,  and  the  father  in  August,  1881. 
Five  of  their  children  survive  them,  Edna, 
Margaret,  Carrie,  Lucy  and  William  C.  The 
father  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  be- 
longed to  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The  educa- 
tional advantages  of  Mr.  Sloan  were  limited, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1871  he 
began  to  work  for  himself,  and  by  saving  his 
earnings  and  applying  them  to  securing  a  more 
advanced  education,  he  made  of  himself  a  well 
informed  man.  In  1882  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Pueblo  for  a  short  time.  The 
next  year  he  went  to  Platte  canyon  in  the  em- 
ploy of  John  Morris,  and  there  he  remained 
until  the  fall  of  1888,  when  he  went  to  Nov- 


688 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


elty,  Missouri,  and  attended  school,  passing 
through  a  business  and  a  classical  course.  In 
December,  1889,  he  returned  to  Colorado  and 
had  his  headquarters  at  Leadville  until  1892, 
when  the  boom  at  Creede  led  him  to  that  town, 
which  has  since  been  his  home.  While  at 
Leadville  he  sawed  lumber,  and  on  his  arrival 
at  Creede  he  started  a  lumber  enterprise,  after- 
ward becoming  a  partner  of  Albert  W.  Der- 
rick, of  Amethyst,  in  the  Creede  Lumber  Com- 
pany. This  company  carries  an  extensive 
stock  and  is  prepared  to  meet  every  demand  in 
the  line  of  its  trade.  Since  July  19,  1903,  Mr. 
Sloan  has  also  been  serving  as  postmaster  at 
Amethyst,  having  been  appointed  on  the  resig- 
nation of  M.  G.  Woodruff,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  county  commissioners  of  Mineral  county 
from  1897  to  1903,  and  a  member  of  the 
twelfth  general  assembly  of  the  state.  He  is  a 
Freemason  in  all  the  degrees  of  the  York  rite 
and  thirty-two  in  the  Scottish  rite,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  also  an  Elk  and  a 
Woodman  of  the  World.  Politically  he  is  an 
earnest  and  active  Republican.  On  December 
26,  1889,  he  w,as  married  to  Miss  Nellie  E. 
Hunter,  a  native  of  Carroll  county,  Illinois. 

ALFRED  G.  BORAH. 

This  prominent  old  settler  and  progressive 
citizen  of  Eagle  county,  who  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  the  people  of  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  who  has  been  of  great  service  to  it 
in  pushing  forward  its  improvement  and  de- 
veloping its  resources,  was  born  at  Morgan- 
town,  Butler  county,  Kentucky,  on  February 
3,  1845,  an(3  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan  A. 
(Taylor)  Borah,  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  who 
passed  their  lives  in  that  state,  the  father  dying 
there  in  1847  and  the  mother  in  1862.  The 
father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  an  ardent 
Democrat.  He  established  Borah's  ferry,  on 
Green  river,  in  his  native  state,  and  conducted 


it  many  years.  Six  children  were  born  in  the 
household  and  but  two  of  them  are  living, 
Alfred  G.  and  Jacob  E.,  both  being  residents 
of  Colorado.  Alfred  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  then,  after  win- 
tering in  1864-5  m  Adams  and  Tazewell 
counties,  Illinois,  he  came  to  Colorado  in  the 
spring  of  1865  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Boulder  county.  While  living  there  he  helped 
to  build  the  toll  road  from  the  mountains  into 
Boulder  valley  and  also  worked  in  saw-mills 
for  wages.  In  1868  he  moved  to  Coffey 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  kept  a  hotel  and 
livery  barn  for  awhile,  then  dealt  in  real  estate 
and  insurance.  He  returned  to  Boulder  county 
in  this  state  in  1875,  without  capital  but  with 
a  determination  to  make  some,  and  during  the 
next  three  years  worked  at  day  labor  and  min- 
ing to  get  a  start.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Lead- 
ville, where  he  prospected  and  mined  with  vary- 
ing success  until  1882,  then  with  other  early 
settlers  moved  to  his  present  location  in  Brush 
creek  valley.  In  company  with  his  brother 
Jacob  (see  sketch  of  him  elsewhere  in  this 
work),  he  passed  three  years  hunting  and  trap- 
ping and  guiding  tourists  through  the  country, 
finding  the  business  very  profitable.  In  1885 
he  pre-empted  a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  a 
tract  of  unbroken  wild  sage  and  willows,  which 
he  at  once  began  to  improve  and  reduce  to 
cultivation  with  such  success  and  profit  that 
he  was  soon  able  to  buy  an  additional  tract  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  so  that  he  now 
owns  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  all,  one- 
half  of  which  is  in  a  fine  state  of  productive- 
ness. He  has  made  extensive  improvements  on 
his  land  and  brought  it  to  notice  as  one  of  the 
best  in  Eagle  county.  A  beautiful  stream  runs 
through  the  middle  of  it,  enhancing  its  attract- 
iveness and  furnishing  abundant  water  for  its 
irrigation.  Hay  and  cattle  are  his  chief  prod- 
ucts, but  he  also  raises  quantities  of  excellent 


ALFRED  G.  BORAH. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


689 


grain  and  vegetables.  He  has  taken  great  in- 
terest in  improving  the  live  stock  in  the  county, 
to  this  end  becoming  one  of  the  principal  stock- 
holders in  the  Eagle  County  French  Coach  and 
Percheron  Breeders  Association  and  serving  as 
its  president.  In  school  work  also  he  has 
always  been  actively  and  serviceably  interested, 
having  served  as  secretary  of  his  school  district, 
Brush  Creek  No.  10,  since  1889.  In  politics 
he  is  an  earnest  and  loyal  Democrat.  On  June 
6,  1871,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Craw- 
ford, a  native  of  New  York  state.  She  died  on 
February  n,  1881,  and  on  April  16,  1889,  he 
married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Mary  S.  Grant,  a 
native  of  Illinois.  They  have  one  child,  Mettie 
Alda.  Mr.  Borah  has  kept  a  diary  of  his  life 
since  1882  in  which  are  recorded  many  events 
of  thrilling  interest,  hardships  and  privations 
from  the  wildness  of  the  country,  hairbreadth 
escapes  from  the  rage  of  wild  beasts  and  savage 
men,  the  fury  of  the  elements  and  winter's  cold. 
It  also  records  his  struggles  for  advancement  in 
a  worldly  way,  describing  many  trials  and  tri- 
umphs, many  reverses  and  successes,  and  makes 
altogether  a  very  interesting  and  graphic  story 
of  the  conquest  of  a  resolute  and  resourceful 
man  over  difficulties  of  great  moment. 

JOHN  Y.  CARPENTER. 

This  most  wide-awake  and  progressive  citi- 
zen of  Monte  Vista,  Colorado,  whose  restless 
energy  and  unconquerable  spirit  have  led  him 
into  many  sections  of  the  country  and  a  great 
variety  of  pursuits,  and  who  has  shown  that  he 
could  be  as  courageous  and  gallant  in  war  as 
he  was  industrious  and  many-handed  in  peace, 
was  born  at  Lafayette,  Tippecanoe  county, 
Indiana,  on  June  8,  1838,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Ellen  (Youel)  Carpenter,  natives  of  Ohio, 
who  some  years  after  their  marriage  moved  to 
Indiana  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  mother  dying  there  in  1843  and 
the  father  in  1873.  Five  of  their  children  are 
44 


living,  Mrs.  Lafayette  Booth,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  Mrs.  David  Ward,  of  Crowley,  Louisi- 
ana, Mrs.  John  Kerr,  John  Y.,  and  Benjamin 
C.,  who  lives  at  Perryville,  Indiana.  John  Y. 
received  a  limited  common-school  education, 
and  in  1860,  when  he  was  twenty-two,  his 
father  started  him  in  the  drug  business  at 
Rainsville,  Warren  county,  his  native  state. 
When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in 
the  Eleventh  Indiana  Infantry  under  Colonel 
(afterward  General)  Lew  Wallace,  and  thotfgh 
he  served  until  November  15,  1863,  and  was  in 
several  fiercely-fought  battles,  among  them  the 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson  and  the  engagement 
at  Shiloh,  he  received  only  a  few  slight  flesh 
wounds.  After  sixteen  months'  service  in  the 
infantry  he  was  promoted  to  the  Second  Ar- 
kansas Cavalry,  Troop  C,  and  was  mustered 
out  as  captain  of  that  command.  He  returned 
to  Indiana  on  leaving  the  army,  and  farmed 
until  September,  1865,  when  he  moved  to  Ben- 
ton  county,  Missouri,  where  he  resumed  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock,  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation eight  years.  He  then  kept  the  National 
Hotel  in  Sedalia,  Missouri,  three  years  and  a 
half,  and  in  1877  moved  to  Joplin,  the  same 
state,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  lead  until 
July,  1879,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  a 
party  of  seventy  persons  conveyed  by  thirteen 
wagons  drawn  by  horses,  to  San  Juan  in  south- 
eastern Utah.  The  party  separated  at  various 
places  until  Mr.  Carpenter  was  left  alone.  He 
crossed  the  mountains  in  this  state,  going  over 
Walsenburg  La  Vesta  pass,  by  Fort  Garland 
and  Conejos,  and  across  Cumbers,  the  principal 
pass  of  the  Rockies.  The  silver  excitement 
took  him  into  the  Indian  country  where  the 
savages  were  still  hostile,  and  he  had  many 
thrilling  adventures  with  them!  He  pros- 
pected in  Utah  seven  months  without  success. 
He  then  came  into  Colorado,  and  during  the 
next  two  years  kept  a  hotel  and  prospected  at 
Parrot  City  in  La  Plata  county.  In  1883  he 
changed  his  residence  to  what  is  now  Monte- 


690 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


zuma,  where  he  located  land  and  began  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock,,  which  he  continued  until 
1889,  when  he  sold  all  his  interests,  and  lo- 
cating at  Durango,  again  turned  his  attention 
to  mining,  being  interested  in  the  Tempest 
Mining  &  Milling  Company  at  the  head  of  the 
Florette  river.  In  1891  he  moved  to  Summit- 
ville  and  continued  his  mining  operations  with 
the  aid  of  his  sons.  The  Pass-Me-By  Tunnel, 
Mining  &  Milling  Company  was  formed  by 
them  and  its  properties  developed,  and  from 
its  organization  Mr.  Carpenter  has  served  as 
its  secretary.  From  1902  to  1904  he  conducted 
the  Blanco  Hotel  at  Monte  Vista.  The  Pass- 
Me-By  has  one  thousand  two  hundred  feet  of 
tunnel  on  surface  work  and  four  thousand  feet 
on  the  water  level,  cross-cutting  eleven  claims, 
and  is  equipped  with  as  fine  machinery  as  can 
be  had.  Its  ores  are  mainly  gold,  with  very 
little  silver  or  copper.  Mr.  Carpenter  and  his 
sons  are  engaged  in  the  business  of  breeding 
the  Angora  goat  in  Colorado,  and  have  bred 
the  stock  with  great  success  and  profit.  They 
have  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  well  im- 
proved and  sufficiently  irrigated  for  the  culti- 
vation of  seven  hundred  acres.  On  this  they 
conduct  a  general  ranching  industry  and  raise 
cattle  and  horses  extensively.  Mr.  Carpenter 
was  married  on  March  2,  1864,  in  Warren 
county,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Marian  Mitchell,  a 
native  of  that  county.  Four  of  their  seven  chil- 
-dren  are  living,  Ulysses  G.,  promoter  and  presi- 
dent and  general  manager  of  the  mining  com- 
pany already  mentioned  and  the  Asiatic  Mining 
&  Milling  Company,  west  of  it;  Orion  P.,  a 
ranchman;  Clarence  J.,  a  practical  miner;  and 
Tula.  Both  father  and  sons  are  earnest  Re- 
publicans in  politics  and  belong  to  the  order 
of  Elks ;  and'  the  sons  also  belong  to  the  Mac- 
cabees. Their  ranch  is  three  miles  and  a  half 
east  of  Monte  Vista,  and  has  the  second  best 
water  right  on  the  Rio  Grande.  It  is  improved 
with  good  buildings  and  in  a  forward  state  of 
cultivation.. 


GEORGE  CHAFFEE  WILDER. 

This  enterprising  citizen  of  Amethyst, 
Mineral  county,  is  a  native  of  Colorado,  born 
at  Denver  on  July  15,  1864,  and  was  named  for 
his  father's  close  friend  and  business  associ- 
ate, the  late  United  States  Senator  Jerome  B. 
Chaffee,  in  whose  honor  Chaffee  county  was 
also  named.  He  is  the  son  of  William  F.  and 
Esther  (Mann)  Wilder,  the  former  born  in 
New  York  state  and  the  latter  in  Wisconsin. 
They  were  married  at  Buckskin  Joe,  now  Alma, 
Colorado.  Previous  to  coming .  to  this  state 
the  father  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  gro- 
cery trade  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  had  some 
business  interests  in  Omaha,  Nebraska.  In 
1859  he,  Mr.  Chaffee  and  David  H.  Moffat 
crossed  the  plains  in  a  private  conveyance  con- 
sisting of  a  vehicle  drawn  by  four  mules,  and 
after  their  arrival  at  Denver,  put  in  a  line  of 
freighting  teams  and  opened  a  commission 
house.  They  equipped  one  of  the  finest  trains 
in  the  west,  using  in  its  service  three  hundred 
mules.  This  was  demolished  in  part  by  the 
Indians,  and  after  its  restoration  was  confis- 
cated by  the  United  States  government  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  The  elder  Mr. 
Wilder  then  enlisted  as  captain  of  the  First 
Colorado  Volunteers,  and  served  for  the  time 
of  his  commission,  fighting  in  1863  in  the  bat- 
tle in  which  the  Texans  were  defeated,  after 
which  he  was  promoted  major.  He  also 
fought  valiantly  in  the  Sand  Creek  battle  with 
the  Indians.  In  1863  the  government  paid  for 
the  teams  previously  taken,  and  with  the 
money  Mr.  Wilder  and  Mr.  Chaffee  went  to 
mining  at  Central  City.  They  located  good 
claims,  increased  their  output,  bought  a  large 
claim  in  addition,  then  went  broke.  They  con- 
tinued mining,  however,  going  to  Leadville  in 
1879,  securing  paying  properties,  retaining 
them  until  the  company  was  formed  to  oper- 
ate the  Maxwell  grant.  Soon  afterward  the 
main  man  in  the  enterprise  died,  but  they  con- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


691 


tinued  operations  two  years,  then  abandoned 
their  undertaking  and  sought  other  fields  which 
they  worked  until  1886,  when  they  moved  to 
Denver,  where  they  made  their  headquarters 
and  continued  to  work  their  Leadville  interests 
until  1892.  Then  Wilder  returned  to  his  Gil- 
pin  county  claims.  The  flood  of  1892  in  the 
property  made  it  necessary  that  the  mines  be 
retimbered,  which  Mr.  Wilder  did,  at  a  cost 
with  other  improvements,  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  after  all  was  completed,  the  entire 
work  caved  in  and  all  was  lost.  Mr.  Wilder 
was  a  radical  and  influential  Republican  in 
politics,  and  a  Freemason  in  fraternal  life.  He 
died  on  February  10,  1893.  Five  of  his  chil- 
dren survive  him,  George  C. ;  Frecl  W.,  a  mine 
superintendent  at  Cripple  Creek;  Mrs.  Edwin 
L.  Coats,  of  Boulder;  Clifton  H.,  of  La  Jara. 
a  member  of  the  last  Colorado  legislature,  and 
Rose,  who  lives  at  Littleton. 

George  C.  Wilder  attended  the  common 
and  high  schools  and  the  State  University  at 
Boulder,  receiving  a  good  commercial  educa- 
tion, spending  two  years  at  the  university.  He 
did  good  business  in  Denver  as  a  sign  writer 
and  in  the  paint  and  wall  paper  business,  and 
opened  the  first  meat  market  at  Littleton,  in 
partnership  with  Charles  Cummings.  At  the 
end  of  two  years  and  a  half  he  sold  out  and  in 
1888  and  1889  served  as  foreman  of  Mann  & 
Archer's  stock  ranch  on  Platte  river  and  Deer 
creek.  In  the  winter  of  1891  he  was  associated 
with  the  Union  Live  Stock  Company  and  in 
1892  moved  to  Creede  and  took  a  hand  in  the 
mining  -industry,  leasing  mines  and  sub-leas- 
ing them,  continuing  this  line  until  1896,  and 
in  1894  and  1895  served  as  foreman  at  the 
Bachelor  mines  when  the  tunnel  was  made  on 
through  to  the  Commodore  mines.  He  and  his 
men  are  credited  with  having  struck  the  first 
pick  on  the  Commodore,  and  he  also  received 
the  first  checks  issued  by  the  Commodore  com- 
pany. In  1896  he  purchased  what  was  left 


after  several  months'  business  in  partnership 
with  Samuel  Motz,  bought  him  out,  since  when 
he  has  conducted  the  paper  and  its  adjunct  job 
printing  alone.  He  has  made  many  improve- 
ments in  his  plant  and  equipment  until  he  now 
has  one  of  the  best  printing  offices  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  state.  His  paper  is  a 
weekly,  and  has  a  large  general  circulation  in 
its  tributary  territory,  and  the  office  is  also  able 
to  meet  all  demands  of  the  jobbing  trade.  Mr. 
Wilder,  like  his  father,  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  unwavering  in  his  faith  and  untiring  in 
his  service  to  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is  an 
Elk,  a  Mason  and  a  Woodman  of  the  World. 
He  has  shown  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
city  by  serving  as  alderman.  He  is  also  chiel 
of  the  Creede  fire  department.  '  On  'December 
n,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lola  E.  Motz, 
a  native  of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  In  addition 
to  his  newspaper  and  printing  business,  Mr. 
Wilder  has  mining  interests  and  city  property 
of  value. 

HENRY  H.  WASON. 

This  well  posted  mining  man  and  success- 
ful ranch  and  stock  man,  whose  home  and  inter- 
ests are  in  Mineral  county,  where  he  is  one  of 
the  promiinent  and  influential  citizens,  was  born 
on  January  5,  1869,  *n  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  the  stepson  of  Martin  V.  and  son 
of  Harriet  L.  Wason,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire  and  the  latter  of  England. 
The  mother  was  the  author  of  three  books 
which  have  been  popular  and  had  an  extensive 
sale.  They  are  "Letters  From  Colorado," 
"Tale  of  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains"  and  "The 
Legend  of  Manitou  Caverns."  The  father  was 
a  successful  ranch,  stock  and  mining  man,  who 
came  to  Colorado  in  1873  and  the  same  year 
was  married  at  Del  Norte.  In  1879  he  took 
up  a  homestead  two  miles  south  of  Creede*. 
which  he  increased  to  a  ranch  of  two  thousand 
acres,  and  became  the  first  settler  in  the  neigh- 


692 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


borhood.  He  raised  hay  and  cattle  extensively 
and  was  active  and  successful  in  the  mining  in- 
dustry. In  1873  he  began  mining  at  Silverton 
on  King  Solomon  Mountain  and  acquired  the 
controlling  interest  in  one  mile  of  the  North 
Star  vein  and  the  property  in  which  it  is  lo- 
cated. He  retained  a  one-half  interest  in  the 
Shenandoah  and  all  of  Shenandoah  No.  3,  also 
two-thirds  of  the  Dives  claim  and  one-half  of 
the  Yellow  Jacket,  silver  and  lead  mines.  At 
one  time  he  owned  also  a  one-third  interest  in 
the  Bachelor  mine  at  Creede,  but  sold  out  at  a 
good  profit.  When  he  came  to  Colorado  he 
had  two  hundred  horses,  and  so  had  something 
to  make  a  good  start  with,  and  as  he  was  a 
careful  prospector,  all  his  efforts  were  success- 
ful. In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig  in  politics, 
but  in  later  life  a  Democrat.  He  was  one  of  the 
leading  men  in  the  mining  industry  in  his  day 
and  locality,  and  highly  esteemed  as  a  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  citizen,  of  benevolent 
disposition  and  widely-known  generosity.  His 
life  ended  in  December,  1903,  and  that  of  his 
wife  in  August,  1904.  Henry  H.  is  their  only 
surviving  child.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  at  Del  Norte  and  the  Denver  high 
school,  and  also  passed  two  years  at  the  State 
School  of  Mines  in  Golden.  After  making  this 
preparation  for  the  business  he  spent  ten 
months  in  the  King  Solomon  mines  to  acquire 
a  thorough  practical  knowledge  of  mining,  and 
thereby  became  well  learned  in  all  departments 
of  the  industry.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  death  ended  their  labors,  and  since  then  he 
has  carried  on  the  business  which  his  father 
built  up  to  such  great  proportions,  retaining  all 
the  property  and  keeping  every  line  of  the  busi- 
ness, mining,  ranching  and  raising  stock,  in  full 
activity  with  enlarging  profits.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party.  In  fraternal  relations  he 
is  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  an  Elk.  In  March,  1891,  he  was  married 


to  Miss  Frances  Rogers,  a  native  of  Golden, 
Colorado,  and  daughter  of  Loren  P.  and  Eliz- 
abeth Rogers,  pioneers  of  Colorado,  the  father 
being  very  successful  in  mining.  They  now 
live  at  Golden.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wason  had  two 
children,  their  daughter  Norma  M.  and  their 
son  Loren  H.  Their  mother  died  in  1900. 
*• 

WILLIAM  STONE. 

This  popular  citizen  and  valued  public  of- 
ficial of  Mineral  county,  this  state,  is  a  native 
of  Colorado,  born  on  Greenhorn  range  in 
Pueblo  county  on  July  28,  1880,  and  the  son  of 
Charles  and  Apollonia  (Kohn)  Stone,  natives 
of  Germany  who  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1873  and  lived  in  Rhode  Island  until 
1877,  then  came  to  Colorado.  While  in  Ger- 
many the  father  was  a  sailor  and  traveled  on 
many  vessels  to  many  ports.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Rhode  Island  he  followed  blacksmith- 
ing  with  profit,  and  after  his  arrival  in  Colo- 
rado adhered  for  a  time  to  the  same  craft.  He 
has  also  engaged  in  mining  here  with  good  suc- 
cess. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has 
served  as  alderman.  Three  of  the  children  born 
to  the  family  are  living,  Carl  F.,  who  resides 
at  Bizbee,  Arizona;  Albert  E.  R.,  and  William. 
The  last  named  obtained  a  good  business  edu- 
cation, attending  the  Hinsdale  school  at  Pueblo 
and  schools  at  Creede.  He  has  had  extensive 
business  experience,  having  been  deputy  post- 
master at  Creede  a  number  of  years,  and  after- 
ward a  clerk  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road at  the  same  place.  Since  1901  he  has 
been  county  clerk  and  recorder  of  Mineral 
county,  and  has  filled  the  office  with  great  credit 
to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  allegiance, 
and  has  proven  himself  to  be  a  wide-awake  and 
competent  official,  and  a  public -spirited  citi- 
zen. Fraternally  he  is  allied  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  the  Elks  and  the  Masons.  In  all 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


693 


the  relations  of  life  he  has  met  the  require- 
ments of  duty  with  manliness  an<.l  uprightness, 
and  is  universally  esteemed  throughout  the 
county. 

HON.  OMER  M.  KEM. 

It  is  only  within  a  very  reent  period  that 
the  great  West  of  our  country  has  been  able 
to  make  itself  heard  in  any  effective  way  in  its 
demand  for  the  aid  of  the  general  government 
in  developing  its  vast  arid  regions  and  bringing 
them  into  productiveness  and  fertility  through 
systematic  and  sufficient  irrigation.     To  all  ap- 
peals on  this  score  prior  to  a  few  years  ago 
the  congress  of  the  United  States  turned  a  deaf 
and  often  defiant  ear,  apparently  unable  or  un- 
willing to  see  that  the  waters  of  the  Rocky 
mountain  region,   if  properly  stored  and  dis- 
tributed,  would   not   only   fructify   the   great 
plains  that  stretch  away  from  it  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, but  would  also  be  restrained  from  cre- 
ating the  disastrous  floods  which  spring  after 
spring  for  centuries  have  wasted  many,  many 
times  the  wealth  required  for  their  proper  use 
in  this  way.     Among  the  broad-minded  and 
aggressive  representatives  of  the  West  whose 
persistent  efforts  at  last  compelled  an  attentive 
audience  to  this  subject  and  secured  provision 
for  the  mighty  means  of  beneficence  and  local 
and  national  aggrandizement  involved  therein, 
Hon.  Omer  M.  Kem,  a  member  of  the  fifty- 
second,  fifty-third  and  fifty-fourth  congresses 
from  Nebraska,  but  now  an  esteemed  resident 
of  Colorado,  is  entitled  to  special  consideration 
and  credit.    From  the  time  of  his  entry  into  the 
halls  of  national  legislation  to  the  close  of  his 
valuable  services  there  he  was  a  persistent  and 
able  advocate  of  the  scheme,  and  labored  in- 
cessantly in  committees  and  on  the  floor  of  the 
house  of  representatives  in  its  behalf.     His  ef- 
forts and  others'  have  at  length  been  crowned 
with  success,  for  the  government  is  now  en- 
gaged    in     constructing    immense    irrigation 


works  throughout  the  West,  which  solves  for 
all  time  the  irrigation  problem.     If  there  were 
nothing  else  in  his  life  worthy  of  regard,  his 
efforts  in  this  behalf  would  entitle  him  to  be 
enshrined  in  the  loving  remembrance  of.  the 
Western  people  for  all  time.     Mr.  Kem  was 
born  in    1855    at   Martinsdale   Creek,  Wayne 
county,  Indiana,  and  is  the  son  of  Madison  and 
Malinda  (Bulla)  Kem.     His  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  West  Virginia,  and  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen emigrated  to  Indiana,  then  a  newly  opened 
territory  and  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness: 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  settled  in 
Wayne  county,  with  his  parents,  Joseph  and 
Lucy  (Helms)  Kem,  who  were  'among  the  first 
settlers  there,  what  is  now  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond having  at  the  time  of  their  arrival  only 
three  log  cabins  as  the  sum  of 'its  human  habi- 
tations.    Both  father  and  grandfather  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  that  state,  the 
latter  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  and  the 
former  at  that  of  seventy-five.      Mr.    Kern's 
mother  was  a  native  of  the  state,  her  parents 
having  come  thither  from  North  Carolina  pre- 
vious to  her  birth.     They  died  while  she  was 
a  young  girl,  and  she  passed  away  in  1883, 
aged  sixty-five  years,  leaving  eight  children,  of 
whom  Omer  was  the  last  born.     His  boyhood 
and  youth  were  passed  in  Indiana  and  in  her 
district  schools  he  received  his  education.     At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  engaged  in  farming  there, 
remaining  until  1880,  when  he  moved  to  Illi- 
nois and  during  the  next  two  years  farmed  in 
Vermilion  county,  that  state.     He  then  moved 
farther  west  to  the  frontier  of  Nebraska  and 
settled  on  a  homestead  in  Custer  county  near 
what   is   now   the   city  of   Broken    Bow,    the 
county  seat.    Here  he  farmed  and  improved  his 
land,  and  gave  earnest  attention  to  the  public 
affairs  of  the  section,  aiding  in  developing  its 
resources,  multiplying  its  conveniences,  raising 
the  standards  of  life  among  its  people,  and 
doing  all  that  a  man  of  public-spirit,  breadth 


694 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


of  view  and  patriotic  devotion  to  his  com- 
munity could  do  to  accelerate  its  progress  and 
better  its  condition.  In  1890  he  was  selected 
deputy  county  treasurer  and  served  in  that 
capacity  till  July  of  the  following  year.  He 
was  nominated  by  the  People's  Alliance  party 
for  representative  in  the  fifty-second  congress, 
and  at  the  ensuing  election  was  successful.  He 
was  twice  re-elected,  serving  in  three  successive 
congresses,  and  during  that  service  of  six  years 
was  of  great  benefit  to  his  state  and  section  in 
many  ways.  He  fully  understood  the  people  he 
represented,  and  was  in  full  sympathy  with 
their  aspirations  and  thoroughly  imbued  with 
their  spirit.  Moreover,  he  knew  the  needs  of 
the  region,  was  familiar  with  its  history,  had  a 
comprehensive  conception  of  its  resources  and 
possibilities,  and  was  entirely  loyal  and  devoted 
to  its  interests.  It  was  inevitable  that  a  man 
so  prepared  and  equipped,  and  with  the  ability 
to  use  his  forces  effectively  in  set  arguments  or 
running  debate,  and  withal  possessed  with  a 
courtesy  and  geniality  of  manner  that  almost 
disarmed  opposition  to  begin  with,  should 
prove  to  be  a  most  valuable  and  serviceable 
representative,  and  his  people  set  the  seal  of 
their  approval  on  his  usefulness  by  continuing 
him  at  his  post  so  long.  After  the  close  of 
his  congressional  career  he  moved  to  Colorado 
and  settled  on  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  which  is  his  present  residence,  three 
miles  west  of  Montrose.  On  this  he  has  planted 
an  orchard  of  twenty  acres,  containing  apple, 
apricot,  plum  and  cherry  trees,  and  a  vineyard 
of  select  varieties  of  grapes,  and  has  erected  a 
fine  brick  dwelling  of  modern  pattern  and 
ample  proportions,  with  all  the  needed  out- 
buildings and  other  appurtenances  for  the  stock 
industry  which  he  conducts  in  connection  with 
his  fruit  culture.  In  Colorado  he  has  taken 
but  little  part  in  politics,  but  he  is  none  the 
less  keenly  alive  to  the  enduring  welfare  of 
the  state,  and  neglects  no  opportunity  to  aid  in 


promoting  it.  Mr.  Kem  has  been  married 
twice,  the  second  time  in  1884  to  Miss  Maria 
Lockhart,  of  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Rachel  (Welch)  Lockhart,  of  that  state.  The 
father  was  a  minister  there  and  died  in  1877, 
and  his  widow  is  now  living  at  Paonia,  Colo- 
rado. By  this  marriage  Mr.  Kem  became  the 
father  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living,  Huxley  Darwin.  Iris,  Myrtle,  Victor  and 
Kathleen.  Another  son,  Bert,  and  a  daughter, 
Marie,  are  deceased.  His  first  marriage  was  to 
Miss  Lenora  Benson,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, who  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four, 
leaving  three  children,  Maud,  Malinda  and 
Claud.  Two  others,  Edwin  and  Earl,  died  in 
childhood. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  a  speech 
delivered  by  Congressman  Kem  in  the  national 
house  of  representatives  on  Friday,  August  10, 
1894,  on  the  question  of  government  irrigation. 
It  is  entitled  to  special  interest  as  being  the 
first  speech  ever  made  in  congress  publicly  ad- 
vocating government  irrigation  and  also  be- 
cause the  government  is  now  practically  follow- 
ing out  the  ideas  embodied  therein. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN:  The  question  that  this  commit- 
tee is  now  discussing  is  one  of  the  greatest  questions 
that  Congress  has  ever  been  called  upon  to  discuss. 
We  are  to-day  face  to  face  with  this  problem,  and  it 
is  one  that  we  have  got  to  solve  whether  we  wish  to 
or  not,  because  the  logic  of  events  is  driving  it  fast 
upon  us. 

The  supreme  importance,  the  crying  need  of  irri- 
gation was  never  so  keenly  realized  by  the  people  of 
the  West  as  it  is  to-day.  An  awful  calamity  has  fallen 
on  the  people  of  the  trans-Missouri  corn  belt.  An 
extraordinary  period  of  drought  and  hot  winds  has 
almost  annihilated  the  great  staple  crop  of  that  sec- 
tion. Mr.  Chairman,  the  people  of  the  West  are 
brave,  hardy,  and  proud-spirited.  Nevertheless  they 
are  forced  by  the  extreme  necessities  of  the  present 
to  cry  aloud  for  help  in  some  form.  Thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  them  will  be  compelled  to  accept 
charity  before  another  crop  can  be  raised. 
*  *  * 

'Nearly  one-half  the  total  area  of  the  United  States 
lies  in  the  arid  and  subhumid  district,  all  of  which 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


695 


needs  irrigation  for  successful  agriculture.  The  dis- 
trict is  composed  of  the  following  seventeen  states 
and  territories:  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Ne- 
braska, Kansas,  Indian  Territory,  Texas,  Montana, 
Wyoming,  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Idaho,  Utah,  Ne- 
vada, Arizona,  Washington,  Oregon  and  California. 
Narrow  strips  in  the  eastern  and  western  borders 
of  this  great  district  are  well  watered  naturally.  Con- 
tiguous to  these  strips  are  considerable  tracts  that  are 
classed  as  subhumid.  The  rainfall  in  these  tracts  is 
often  sufficient  to  produce  good  crops,  but  it  cannot 
be  depended  on  year  after  year.  This  subhumid  re- 
gion includes  about  half  of  the  Dakotas,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  Texas. 

This  arid  and  subhumid  region  contains  about 
2,000,000  square  miles  of  territory,  or  1,280,000,000 
acres,  100,000,000  acres  of  which  may  be  irrigated  in 
time.  This  at  a  fair  estimate  gives  ample  room  for 
1,250,000  rural  homes,  sheltering  an  agricultural  pop- 
ulation of  6,250,000.  Along  with  these  will  come 
other  millions  to  engage  in  various  trades  and  pro- 
fessions. Just  as  irrigation  spreads  out  over  this 
vast  region  will  it  become  populated  and  brought 
within  the  pale  of  a  higher  civilization. 

Just  as  the  supply  of  water  which  is  daily  run- 
ning to  waste  on  its  way  to  the  sea,  is  gathered  up 
and  utilized  in  irrigation,  the  farmers  will  reach  out 
and  take  possession  of  the  fertile  plains  and  valleys, 
the  forests  that  cover  the  mountain  sides  will  be 
utilized,  and  the  mountains  will  surrender  the  stored 
wealth  of  ages.  It  is  estimated  by  high  authority  that 
the  full  development  of  this  mountainous  region  alone 
would  create  a  market  equal  to  that  of  all  Europe. 
In  short,  the  possibilities  of  this  country  under  a 
proper  system  of  irrigation  cannot  be  computed  by 
the  mind  of  man. 

This  vast  region  offers  the  opportunity  and  the 
raw  materials  for  almost  every  occupation  known  to 
mankind.  It  produces  the  cotton  and  tropical  fruits 
of  the  Sunny  South,  the  cereals,  vegetables  and  hardy 
fruits  of  the  North. 

On  its  eastern  and  western  slopes  are  great  tracts 
of  fertile  plains  the  settlement  of  which  has  only  well 
begun.  Throughout  the  entire  mountain  region  are 
innumerable  valleys,  whose  soil  of  unsurpassed  rich- 
ness is  unbroken  by  the  plow  of  the  husbandman. 
On  the  mountain  sides  are  vast  forests  of  valuable 
timber,  in  which  the  ring  of  the  woodman's  ax  has 
not  been  heard.  Within  the  strong  recesses  of  the 
mountains  an  almost  inexhaustible  supply  of  all  the 
principal  minerals  of  the  planet  lie  untouched.  I  be- 
lieve, Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  justified  in  saying  that 
nowhere  on  the  globe  is  there  a  country,  virtually  un- 
occupied as  this  is,  which  offers  such  varied  and 
abundant  opportunities  as  that  part  of  the  United 
States  lying  west  of  the  ninety-seventh  meridian. 


And  all  these  opportunities  are  open  to  man  on  one 
condition  only — proper  irrigation. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  see,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  im- 
portance of  establishing  as  perfect  a  system  as  man 
is  capable  of  devising,  a  system  in  which  all  the  nat- 
ural rights  of  the  citizen  shall  be  secure  regardless 
of  his  station  in  life  or  the  location  of  his  habitation. 
In  my  opinion  this  can  only  be  done  by  nationalizing 
the  system  and  placing  the  distribution  of  the  water 
under  control  of  Federal  law  that  shall  apply  through- 
out the  entire  arid  region  alike.  I  do  not  suppose 
for  a  moment  that  this  suggestion  will  meet  the  ap- 
proval of  a  majority  of  this  Congress,  for  I  have  long 
since  discovered  that  it  is  built  on  the  way-back  plan, 
and  belongs  to  the  ages  that  were. 

But  I  have  great  hope  that  Congress  may  soon 
be  modernized,  when  it  will  be  able  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  the  people,  by  keeping  abreast  with 
civilization.  Without  irrigation  this  region  can  never 
be  settled,  and  its  civilization  must  and  will  dwindle. 
Not  only  the  welfare  but  the  absolute  existence  of 
unborn  millions  rests  wholly  upon  the  success  with 
which  this  irrigation  problem  is  worked  out. 

*  *     * 

I  think  there  ought  to  be  no  question  about  a 
measure  being  national  when  it  affects  directly  mil- 
lions of  our  citizens  and  reaches  over  seventeen  dif- 
ferent states  and  territories,  as  this  does.  It  affects 
not  only  our  own  people  directly,  but  it  affects  equally, 
though  not  so  directly  perhaps,  the  people  of  the  East, 
for  it  solves,  in  a  measure  at  least,  another  grave 
problem,  namely:  Wjhat  shall  be  done  with  the  sur- 
plus of  humanity  which  is  accumulating  as  it  never 
did  before?  Upon  the  proper  solution  of  the  one  de- 
pends largely  the  solution  of.  the  other.  Heretofore 
in  all  history  westward  the  course  of  empire  has 

steadily  taken  its  way. 

*  *     * 

I  desire  before  proceeding  further  to  notice 
briefly  the  principle  involved  in  this  proposition,  rec- 
ognizing that,  before  Congress  will  agree  to  anything 
of  the  sort,  it  must  be  convinced  that  the  principle  is 
a  true  one. 

I  believe,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  principle  of  govern- 
ment control  to  be  both  true  and  safe.  I  believe  it  is 
the  only  solution  of  many  problems  with  which  we  are 
confronted  at  this  time.  The  rights  of  one  should  be 
the  concern  of  all.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  national  gov- 
ernment to  step  in  at  any  time  and  protect  the  rights 
of  the  citizens  as  individuals,  or  collectively  as  a 
state. 

When  the  rights  of  the  citizens  of  one  state  are 
jeopardized  by  the  conduct  of  the  citizens  of  another 
state,  then  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the  general  govern- 
ment to  act.  Every  great  public  improvement  which 
is  not  confined  to  one  state  should  be  taken  charge 


696 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


of  and  controlled  by  the  general  government.  Mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  citizens  of  two 
or  more  states  and  governed  by  the  different  laws 
of  their  respective  states  are  always  a  fruitful  source 
of  evil  in  pecuniary  loss  by  clash  of  interests. 

One  general  law  should  govern  all  such  interests, 
regardless  of  state  lines.  In  short,  the  principle  in- 
volved is  this:  National  control  of  all  matters  which 
are  not  strictly  local  in  their  nature  and  effect,  such 
as  railway,  telegraph,  and  telephone  lines,  finance  and 
irrigation.  The  application  of  this  principle  would 
save  to  the  people  millions  that  otherwise  go  into  the 
pockets  of  private  individuals  as  profits  on  fictitious 
capital,  commonly  known  as  "watered  stock."  We 
should  abolish  the  present  system,  by  which  private 
corporations  control  these  great  public  necessities  and 
build  up  colossal  fortunes  for  a  few  by  robbing  the 
many.  These  necessities  should  be  controlled  by  one 
gigantic  corporation,  composed  of  the  whole  people. 

I  believe,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  that  sort  of  trust  in 
which  every  one  shares  the  profits.  This  method 
would  yield  the  greatest  benefits  at  the  least  cost.  All 
the  advantages  which  a  large  business  has  over  a 
small  one  would  accrue  to  the  people,  and  the  cost  of 
service  would  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  Under  na- 
tional control  employes  would  be  paid  such  fair  and 
regular  wages  that  strikes  and  labor  troubles  would 
entirely  cease. 

The  work  of  redeeming  these  arid  wastes  through 
a  system  of  irrigation  is  more  gigantic  and  fraught 
with  greater  good  to  humanity  than  any  work  ever 
undertaken  in  this  country.  It  is  so  colossal  both  in 
size  and  benefits  that  the  mind  of  man  can  scarcely 
comprehend  it,  and  no  power  on  earth  can  successfully 
grapple  with  it,  except  that  of  the  whole  people  com- 
bined operating  through  the  national  government. 
But  this  power  can  solve  the  problem  successfully, 
cause  this  desert  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  and  dot  its 
hillsides  and  valleys  with  prosperous,  happy  homes. 
*  *  * 

This  government  owes  it  to  the  thousands  it  has 
deceived  to  begin  the  work  at  once,  and  by  irrigation 
make  that  country  what  the  settler  had  the  right  to 
believe  it  was  when,  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  he 
entered  it  under  the  alluring  enticements  of  the 
homestead  and  pre-emption  laws,  to  find  after  years  of 
dreadful  experience  that  he  had  been  deceived.  What 
the  government  had  led  him  to  believe  was  a  country 
with  sufficient  rainfall,  he  learned  to  his  sorrow  can 
be  depended  upon  for  a  crop  only  at  intervals.  I 
say  the  government  deceived  these  people  by  failing 
to  make  a  proper  division  of  the  country.  Millions 
of  acres  of  these  western  lands  were  opened  to  settle- 
ment under  the  provisions  of  the  homestead  and  pre- 
emption laws  that  should  have  been  opened  under  the 
desert  land  act.  If  this  had  been  done  no  one  would 


have  been  deceived,  and  these  people  would  not  have 
lost  their  all  in  a  hopeless  fight  against  fate. 

Scattered  all  over  the  Eastern  slope  of  this  vast 
empire  are  thousands  of  as  fair  women  and  brave 
men  as  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  whose  honesty,  in- 
tegrity, frugality,  and  industry  are  unsurpassed  the 
world  over.  Thousands  of  them  have  been  bravely 
fighting  a  hopeless  battle  for  years  in  their  endeavor 
to  build  up  homes  where  there  is  not  sufficient  mois- 
ture to  enable  them  to  produce  crops  with  certainty. 
Many  of  these,  after  exhausting  their  little  all,  desti- 
tute and  heart-sick,  are  drifting  back  to  the  already 
crowded  East  where  they  come  in  direct  competition 
with  the  millions  who  now  are  struggling  for  bread, 
thus  making  the  lot  of  both  more  miserable. 

Common  justice  to  these  people  demands  that  the 
government  take  hold  of  this  matter  and,  so  far  as 
possible,  make  this  country  what  it  said  it  was  when 
these  people  entered  it.  More  than  .three  hundred 
million  dollars  have  the  settlers  of  this  region  paid 
into  the  national  treasury  for  these  lands.  One-third 
of  this  amount  will  suffice  to  carry  this  work  of  irri- 
gation to  a  point  where  it  will  be  self-supporting  and 
not  cost  the  government  a  cent.  Now  is  the  accepted 
time  for  this  Congress  to  begin  the  work  of  rescuing 
this  country  and  people  from  the  blast  of  hot  winds 
and  the  curse  of  railroad  monopoly. 

Two  of  the  greatest  enemies  of  reform  in  legis- 
lation are  the  precedent  hunter  and  the  constitutional 
objector.  One  can  not  see  to  go  forward  because  he 
is  always  looking  backward  for  a  precedent.  The 
other  can  not  advance  because  he  fears  he  may  tram- 
ple on  the  constitution.  *  *  *  If  a  measure  is  pro- 
posed which  seemingly  encroaches  somewhat  upon 
old  ideas,  the  man  after  precedents  is  sure  to  rise  and 
want  to  know  if  there  is  a  precedent  for  it.  He  at 
once  begins  to  search  among  the  musty  files  of  past 
ages  to  learn  if  at  any  time  in  the  dim  savage  past 
any  of  our  barbarous  ancestors  did  the  same  thing. 
If  he  finds  that  they  did,  the  proposition  is  all  right; 
but  woe  unto  it  if  he  fails  to  find  a  precedent.  *  *  * 
The  precedent  hunter  is  a  back  number,  stale  and 
mossgrown,  standing  in  the  shade  of  the  glory  which 
belongs  to  dead  ages.  Afraid  of  the  bright  light  of 
a  higher  civilization,  he  endeavors  to  prevent  others 
from  entering  it  by  his  persistent  demands  for  prec- 
edents. *  *  *  If  a  reform  measure  escapes  the 
precedent  hunter,  it  is  sure  to  be  run  down  by  the 
constitutional  constructionist,  who  always  stands 
ready  to  hurl  the  constitution  in  the  way  of  all  prog- 
ress. He  has  been  at  it  from  the  foundation  of  the 
government,  and  I  presume  he  will  keep  at  it  till  the 
end  of  time,  for  he  seems  never  to  learn  anything. 

Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  as  high  regard  for  the 
organic  law  of  my  country  as  I  think  should  be  re- 
quired of  any  man,  but  I  do  not  place  an  iron-clad 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


697 


construction  upon  it,  as  did  the  Jews  upon  their  law, 
which  visited  the  penalty  of  death  upon  one  found 
gathering  fagots  on  the  Sabbath  day.  The  constitu- 
tion was  made  for  man  and  not  man  for  the  constitu- 
tion. It  is  the  creature  of  the  people,  made  to  give 
them  greater  liberties  and  benefits.  If  time  has 
proved  it  not  sufficiently  elastic  to  permit  the  people 
to  reach  outward  and  upward  in  improvement  and 
reform,  then  a  little  more  elasticity  should  be  injected 
into  it,  either  by  the  construction  of  the  courts,  or  by 
proper  amendments.  Nothing  must  stand  in  the  way 
of  our  progress,  not  even  the  constitution.  ' 

To  my  mind,  Mr.  Chairman,  there  are  no  consti- 
tutional difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  present  propo- 
sition. They  have  all  been  removed  by  the  action  of 
the  government  itself  in  the  construction  of  the  na- 
tional road  years  ago,  the  building  of  levees  on  the 
lower  Mississippi  to  prevent  overflow  of  lands,  and 
many  other  internal  improvements.  But  if  there  be 
any  doubts  in  the  matter,  I  think  this  a  good  time  to 
run  the  ship  into  the  dry  dock  and  give  her  bottom 
a  scraping.  She  will  sail  all  the  smoother  for  it  in 
the  future. 

*     #     * 

In  my  opinion  this  Congress  should  at  once  es- 
tablish an  irrigation  bureau  under  the  Agricultural 
Department  with  a  competent  chief  at  its  head,  whose 
duty  it  should  be  to  have  sole  charge  of  irrigation  in 
the  United  States.  He  should  be  allowed  all  the  help 
necessary  to  push  the  work.  This  bureau  should  be 
made  permanent,  for  it  will  take  many  years  to  com- 
plete the  work.  Then  under  the  supervision  of  this 
bureau  the  army  officers,  in  order  to  make  first  cost  as 
light  as  possible,  should  be  put  to  work  making  a  sys- 
tematic survey  of  this  whole  region.  The  bureau 
should  ascertain  (1)  the  amount  of  water  available 
under  the  different  plans  of  obtaining  water  in  the 
different  watersheds;  (2)  the  cost  of  ditches  and  reser- 
voirs for  collecting  and  storing  the  water  during  the 
season  when  it  is  not  needed  until  the  season  of  crop 
growing;  (3)  the  amount  of  irrigable  land. 

This  work  should  begin  first  in  the  more  thickly 
settled  portions  of  the  territory  to  be  irrigated  in 
order  to  give  speedy  relief  to  those  who  have  been 
struggling  against  drought  and  hot  winds  for  years. 
As  fast  as  finished  in  these  portions,  the  work  should 
be  pushed  into  the  wilderness,  preparing  the  way  for 
the  civilization  that  will  follow  fast  in  its  wake. 

The  drainage  of  this  country,  as  in  all  others, 
consists  of  various  basins  or  watersheds,  each  of 
which  is  drained  by  a  certain  stream  or  streams. 
For  instance,  in  my  district  there  is  a  section  of  coun- 
try drained  by  the  Platte  and  its  tributaries.  This 
is  one  watershed. 

Another  section  is  drained  by  the  Loup  rivers 
and  their  tributaries;  another  by  the  Elkhorn;  an- 


other by  the  Niobrara,  and  so  on.  Each  one  of  these 
basins  forms  a  natural  basis  for  a  system  of  irriga- 
tion. Each  basin  has  its  own  water  supply.  Nature 
has  established  the  lines  regardless  of  any  arbitrary 
boundaries  established  by  man.  This  fact  alone  shows 
the  problem  to  be  interstate,  therefore  national. 
Hence  the  entire  system  must  be  operated  regardless 
of  state  lines;  otherwise  the  laws  of  Wyoming  or 
Colorado  might  shut  off  the  water  supply  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Nebraska,  and  so  on  throughout  the  whole 
district. 

When  the  surveys  are  begun  in  one  or  more  bas- 
ins, as  may  be  thought  best,  the  work  in  each  should 
be  completed,  ready  for  the  work  of  construction  to 
begin  before  the  survey  in  a  new  basin  is  taken  up. 
As  soon  as  the  survey  in  any  basin  is  complete  the 
work  of  excavating  should  begin,  and  the  water  of 
the  entire  basin  available  for  irrigation  or  manufac- 
turing purposes  should  be  made  applicable  before  the 
parties  having  the  work  in  charge  are  permitted  to 
enter  a  new  field.  In  this  way  we  shall  have  each 
system  complete  in  itself,  and,  although  it  may  lie 
in  one  or  more  states,  the  equal  rights  of  all  residents 
of  the  same  basin  will  be  secure  regardless  of  whether 
they  reside  in  one  state  or  a  half  dozen  states.  The 
government  will  begin  to  derive  revenue  from  this 
source  just  as  soon  as  one  system  is  complete,  thus 
making  the  work  self-supporting  almost  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

*  *     * 

We  ask  for  no  paternal  gifts  of  any  kind  from 
this  government.  What  we  ask  for  is  fraternal  help 
to  aid  us  in  surmounting  difficulties  we  can  not  sur- 
mount alone.  Neither  are  we  proposing  any  Pacific 
Railroad  "confidence"  or  subsidy  "skin  games"  of  any 
sort  to  fleece  the  people  of  millions.  We  propose  that 
the  people  already  in  this  country  and  those  to  follow, 
shall  pay  for  all  of  the  direct  benefits  derived  from 
this  system  of  irrigation,  and  no  citizen  be  robbed 
of  a  dollar,  while  all  will  be  greatly  benefited.  This 
can  be  accomplished  by  the  government  retaining 
control  of  all  water  rights  and  charging  each  user  of 
water  a  small  annual  water  rental  no  larger  than  just 
sufficient  to  reimburse  the  government  in  a  reasonable 
period,  say  thirty  or  forty  years,  for  money  expended. 

*  *     * 

Mr.  Chairman,  there  seems  to  be  a  disposition 
on  the  part  of  some  to  confine  this  irrigation  problem, 
so  far  as  the  government  is  concerned,  to  government 
lands.  It  is  proposed  to  cede  these  lands  to  the  states 
and  allow  the  states  to  assume  full  control  of  the 
matter.  As  a  representative  in  part  of  a  state  in 
which  the  government  has  no  agricultural  lands  left, 
I  protest  against  any  such  arrangement  for  various 
reasons,  any  one  of  which  seems  to  me  a  sufficient  ob- 
jection. 


698 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


First.  The  lands  owned  by  the  government  suit- 
able for  agriculture  are  but  a  small  part  of  the  arid 
region,  and  if  all  were  irrigated  the  problem  would 
yet  be  unsolved.  In  several  of  these  states  the  gov- 
ernment has  no  lands  left  that  are  fit  for  agricul- 
ture, either  with  or  without  irrigation. 

Second.  If  these  lands  are  ceded  to  the  states, 
it  will  result  in  jobs  and  steals  through  state  legisla- 
tures, as  so  often  has  happened  heretofore,  by  which 
the  water  rights  will  pass  into  the  control  of  com- 
bines, and  the  agriculturist  will  continue  to  be  their 
victim. 

Third.  Each  state  can  only  control  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  arid  district.  This,  as  already  stated,  will 
cause  a  conflict  of  interests  between  the  citizens  of 
the  different  states,  and  result  in  endless  litigation 
and  loss. 

Fourth.     It  is  an  interstate  question,  therefore  a 
national    one,    and    the    federal    power    is    the    only 
power   capable   of   dealing  with   it  successfully   in   a 
way  to  secure  to  all  citizens  their  just  rights. 
*     *     * 

The  principle  of  government  is  inherent  in 
man  ,was  born  in  him,  and  first  appeared  in  the  pri- 
vate family  as  paternal  government.  Out  of  this  came 
patriarchal  government  through  the  banding  together 
of  the  several  families  of  a  community  for  mutual 
benefit  and  protection,  which  they  could  not  have  as 
single  families.  This  simply  means  a  fraternal  or- 
ganization, the  principle  of  which  underlies  all  true 
government,  and  is  that  which  we  are  contending  for 
to-day. 

Our  government  was  constituted  by  organizing  all 
of  the  families  of  this  great  country  into  one  frater- 
nal organization  known  as  the  national  government. 
The  relation  that  should  exist  between  the  govern- 
ment and  the  people  is  hot  the  same  which  exists 
between  the  parent* and  his  helpless  infant  or  a  dot- 
ing father  and  a  favorite  son,  in  which  the  father 
lavishes  upon  the  son  all  the  good  things  of  life, 
while  his  brothers  and  sisters  go  hungry  and  ragged. 
The  true  relation  is  that  existing  between  the  mem- 
bers of  a  fraternal  organization  and  its  officers,  the 
members  contributing  to  the  support  of  the  organiza- 
tion according  to  their  several  abilities,  the  officers  in 
turn  enacting  and  executing  the  laws  in  such  a  way 
as  to  give  protection  to  all  alike. 

But,  Mr.  Chairman,  as  above  stated,  I  have  no 
hope  of  getting  any  relief  from  Congress  as  now  con- 
stituted. It  is  almost  impossible  to  get  even  a  hear- 
ing on  this  matter,  to  say  nothing  of  action  that  will 
accomplish  the  work.  Thousands  of  dollars  are  ap- 
propriated for  monuments  to  dead  men,  thousands  for 
firing  the  sundown  gun,  millions  to  build  cannons  so 
large  that  it  costs  hundreds  of  dollars  to  fire  them 
once,  and  millions  more  for  the  general  interests  of 


the  East;  but  not  one  cent  for  irrigation,  the  Wtest's 
greatest  interest,  although  we  are  more  than  willing 
to  repay  it. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say  that  I  have  endeavored 
to  arouse  the  interest  in  this  body  which  the  impor- 
tance of  the  proposition  demands,  and  whether  I  suc- 
ceed or  not,  I  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
I  have  done  my  duty. 


A.  N.  PERREAULT. 

A.  N.  Perreault,  the  proprietor  of  the  lead- 
ing hotel  at  Tincup,  has  learned  the  peculiari- 
ties of  his  fellow  man  through  a  long  experi- 
ence in  catering  to  his  wants.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  mature  life  he  has  been  a  ho- 
tel keeper,  and  in  this  capacity  has  been  brought 
into  intimate  relations  with  all  kinds  and  con- 
ditions of  men.  Probably  no  occupation  in  ac- 
tive life  enables  a  man  to  see  more  of  the  true 
being  and  individual  characteristics  of  his  fel- 
lows than  that  of  a  boniface  whose  patronage 
is  large  and  comprehensive.  He  has  to  deal  al- 
most wholly  with  their  physical  comfort,  and 
when  this  is  at  stake  all  the  true  inwardness 
of  a  man  is  revealed.  It  must  be  said  to  his 
credit  that  Mr.  Perreault  has  used  his  oppor- 
tunities for  observation  to  good  purpose,  and 
is  therefore  able  to  understand  and  properly 
provide  for  his  guests,  and  this  is  one  reason 
for  his  popularity  as  a  host.  He  is  a  'Canadian 
by  nativity  and  was  born  at  Montreal  in  1846. 
His  parents,  Joseph  and  Charlotte  (Dannels) 
Perreault,  were  also  Canadians,  passing  the 
whole  of  their  lives  in  the  Dominion,  the 
mother  dying  in  1862,  aged  seventy,  and  the 
father  in  1867,  aged  eighty-four.  Their  fam- 
ily numbered  eleven  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review  was  the  last.  At  an  early 
age  he  was  sent  to  New  York  city,  and  there 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-three  he  began  keeping  a  hotel 
in  that  city  and  remained  there  so  occupied  un- 
til 1875.  At  that  time  he  became  a  traveling 
salesman  and  during  the  next  five  years  was 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


699 


employed  in  that  interesting  but  trying  capac- 
ity. In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  after 
spending  six  months  in  Denver,  located  at  Tin- 
cnp  where  he  has  since  resided.  For  some 
years  he  was  engaged  in  prospecting  and  min- 
ing, then  again  entered  the  hotel  business,  to 
which  he  has  since  adhered,  at  the  same  time 
holding  on  to  his  interests  in  the  valuable  min- 
ing properties  which  had  become  a  part  of  his 
possessions,  among  which  the  most  important 
are  the  Wolverine,  the  Deacon,  the  Bull-do- 
Mingo,  the  Black  Warrior  and  the  Duchess. 
The  part  Mr.  Perreault  has  borne  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  country  in  which  his  activities 
have  been  employed  is  well  appreciated  by  his 
fellow  citizens,  and  the  part  he  has  borne  in 
ministering  to  their  comfort  as  a  caterer  is  held 
also  in  high  regard.  He  has  been  active  in  all 
channels  of  material  improvement,  and  the  com- 
munity owes  him  much  in  this  behalf;  and  he 
has  as  well  given  serviceable  aid  to  all  means 
for  the  increase  and  improvement  of  the  educa- 
tional and  moral  forces  of  the  district,  for 
which  he  is  equally  if  not  more  entitled  to  re- 
spect and  admiration. 

JAMES  TRIMBLE. 

The  prairies  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  with 
their  fecundity  in  agricultural  products,  their 
wealth  of  wild  game,  their  fruitful  rivers,  and 
their  onward  stride  in  the  march  of  civilization 
and  progress,  were  once  the  themie  of  song  and 
story,  and  engaged  the  pen  of  the  historian  in 
recitals  "of  their  wonderful  opportunity  and 
promise.  But  they  have  long  since  given  way 
to  the  more  thrilling  stories  of  life  in  the  far- 
ther West  where  all  that  they  offered  for  ad- 
miring contemplation  is  coupled  with  a  mineral 
wealth  that  surpasses  the  wildest  dreams  of  the 
Arabian  Nights  in  prosaic  realities,  and  almost 
staggers  the  imagination  in  its  untold  and  per- 
haps but  dimly  conceived  magnitude.  In  the 


career  of  James  Trimble,  of  Montezuma 
county,  who  is  the  proprietor  of  an  excellent 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  with  an 
extensive  range  for  his  cattle,  about  ten  miles 
west  of  Dolores,  the  romance  and  the  reality  of 
the  two  regions  are  harmoniously  commingled. 
He  was  born  and  reared  in  the  one,  he  has 
thriven  and  flourished  in  the  other,  and  he  thus 
illustrates  in  a  forcible  manner  the  breadth  and 
flexibility  of  opportunity  for  systematic  indus- 
try in  this  country,  and  how  the  lessons  learned 
in  one  section  can  be  profitably  applied  and  use- 
fully employed  in  another.  He  was  born  in 
Indiana  on  October  25,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Raney)  Trimble,  natives 
of  Kentucky.  When  he  was  about  two  years 
old  the  family  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he 
reached  the  estate  of  manhood  and  received  his 
education.  In  1881  he  became  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  ac- 
tively connected  with  the  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  this  state.  His  principal  industry  has 
been  rearing  and  preparing  for  the  markets  a 
fine  grade  of  well  bred  cattle,  Herefords  and 
Shorthorns  being  his  favorite  strains,  and  at 
this  time  his  enterprise  in  this  line  has  grown 
to  such  magnitude  that  he  handles  annually 
about  one  thousand  head  of  these  breeds,  all  of 
which  he  keeps  in  prime  condition.  The  fruits 
of  his  industry  and  business  capacity  are  large 
and  multiform.  He  is  easily  the  most  extensive 
cattle  owner  in  Montezuma  county,  he  stands 
high  in  the  public  regard,  not  only  as  a  man  of 
enterprise  and  progressiveness,  but  also  as  a 
far-seeing  and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  he 
could  count  to  his  credit,  if  his  miodesty  did  not 
forbid,  a  widely  ramifying  source  of  beneficence 
to  individual  industry  and  ambition,  and  a  vol- 
uminous contribution  to  the  general  industrial 
and  commercial  activities  of  the  portion  of  the 
country  in  which  he  lives  and  operates.  Of 
the  fraternal  societies  so  numerous  and  so  justly 
admired  among  men,  he  has  favored  with  his 


700 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


membership  but  two,  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Elks.  He  was  married  in  Clay  county, 
Missouri,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Alice  King,  a  native 
of  that  state.  They  have  four  children,  Lottie, 
John,  James  and  Winnie,  and  their  pleasant 
and  comfortable  home  in  Dolores  is  the  center 
of  a  charming  social  circle. 

ALBERT  M.  PUETT. 

Albert  M.  Puett,  one  of  the  leading  stock 
men  and  general  farmers  of  southeastern  Colo- 
rado, living  on  a  fine  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  about  two  miles  from  the  town 
of  Cortes,  Montezuma  county,  is  a  pioneer  of 
1874  in  the  state  and  a  native  of  Indiana, 
where  he  was  born  on  December  i,  1865.  In 
1.874,  when  he  was  but  a  youth,  the  family 
moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Wet  Moun- 
tain valley,  where  they  remained  two  years. 
They  then  located  at  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Durango  and  built  one  of  the  first 
dwellings  erected  in  the  town  of  Animas.  They 
also  staked  off  the  first  ranch  on  the  Lower 
Animas,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  and 
raising  stock.  On  this  ranch  Albert  Puett  grew 
to  manhood  and  learned  the  duties  of  life.  Here 
also  his  father  died  in  1888  and  his  mother  in 
1893.  In  1884  he  moved  to  Dolores  county, 
driving  stock  there,  and  he  has  ever  since 
been  connected  with  the  stock  industry.  In 
-1888  he  came  to  the  Montezuma  valley  and 
bought  the  land  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  on 
this  he  has  since  conducted  a  flourishing  stock 
business,  rising  from  a  small  beginning  to  a 
position  as  one  of  the  leading  stock  men  of  this 
part  of  the  state,  and  running  large  bands  of 
both  cattle  and  sheep,  and  having  as  well  a 
potent  influence  in  every  phase  of  the  public 
life  of  the  community.  Mr.  Puett  was  married 
at  Cortez  to  Miss  Nellie  Tarsner,  a  native  of 
Michigan  and  daughter  of  T.  J.  Tarsner.  They 
have  four  children,  Albert  L.,  Harlord  M., 


William  E.  and  Glen  E.  Mr.  Puett  saw  this 
section  of  the  country  when  the  advancing  foot 
of  civilization  was  first  invading  it,  and  he  has 
witnessed  its  progress  from  a  state  of  savage 
nature  to  its  present  development  and  condition 
of  mighty  promise  for  the  future.  It  is  much 
to  his  credit,  too,  that  in  the  transition  he  lias 
borne  a  conspicuous,  serviceable  and  fruitful 
part,  assuming  his  full  measure  of  responsibility 
and  discharging  his  full  share  of  the  duties  in- 
cident to  the  case  with  fidelity  and  ability.  He 
is  justly  esteemed  as  one  of  the  leading  and 
representative  men  of  the  county. 

JAMES  O.  KINNEY. 

Coming  to  Colorado  in  1861,  when  he  was 
but  thirteen  years  old,  and  living  in  the  state 
continuously  since  then,  James  O.  Kinney,  of 
Mesa  county,  a  prosperous  and  successful  min- 
ing man  and  fruit-grower  living  one  mile  and 
a  half  east  of  Grand  Junction,  has  had  abund- 
ant opportunities  to  aid  in  the  development  and 
progress  of  the  state,  and  he  has  used  them  to 
its  advantage  and  his  own.  He  was  born  on 
September  9,  1848,  at  New  London,  Canada, 
while  his  parents  were  on  a  visit  there.  They 
were  Calvin  and  Phoebe  M.  (Starr)  Kinney, 
the  former  a  native  of  St.  Lawrence  county, 
New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Canada.  The 
father  was  a  cooper  and  worked  at  his  trade  in 
his  native  state  until  1853,  when  he  moved  to 
Black  Hawk  county,  Iowa,  locating  at  Water- 
loo. Here  he  became  a  contractor  in  lumber, 
and  later  built  a  fine  hotel  in  the  town  which 
he  conducted  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Then,  in  1861,  the  family  came  to  Colorado 
where  the  family  engaged  in  mining  at  Central 
City  and  other  places.  He  died  at  Hot  Sulphur 
Springs  in  1892.  While  living  in  Jefferson 
county  he  served  two  terms  as  sheriff  in  the 
early  days  when  Golden  was  the  capital  of  the 
territory.  His  widow  died  in  Mesa  county  in 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


701 


1902.  When  the  family  arrived  in  this  state 
it  was  a  new  and  undeveloped  country,  and  the 
facilities  for  education  of  country  boys  were 
crude  and  primitive ;  so  that  Mr.  Kinney  is 
mainly  a  self-educated  man.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen, 
working  some  in  his  father's  mines,  and  at  that 
age  began  a  mining  career  for  himself  which 
has  been  very  successful.  He  continued  his 
operations  in  this  line  for  a  number  of  years 
and  still  owns  promising  and  valuable  proper- 
ties in  Clear  Creek  county,  among  them  the 
Christie,  which  he  owns  individually,  the 
Everglade,  which  he  owns  in  partnership  with 
Judge  Caswell,  of  Grand  Junction,  and  the 
White  Talk,  which  he  owns  in  partnership 
with  Judge  Caswell  and  John  Lumsden.  Mr. 
Kinney  discovered  these  properties  and  also 
the  Cameron  Consolidated  group  in  Gilpin 
county.  He  sold  his  interest  in  this  group  hi 
1882  for  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  In  1877 
he  moved  to  Grand  county,  and  locating  at  Hot 
Sulphur  Springs,  engaged  in  the  stock  industry, 
which  he  carried  on  successfuly  for  twelve 
years,  raising  standard  bred  cattle  and  horses. 
He  lost  considerable  money  in  horses,  but  on 
the  whole  found  his  stock  business  profitable. 
Two  notable  racersj  Troublesome  and  Ray- 
mond M.,  were  bred  by  him  and  proved  a  good 
enterprise.  The  former  won  a  ten-thousand- 
dollar  purse  at  Independence,  Iowa,  in  1897, 
and  won  forty  thousand  dollars  in  purses  dur- 
ing that  year.  In  1894  he  sold  his  interests  in 
Grand  county  and  moved  to  Mesa  county, 
where  he  bought  the  forty-five  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  now  lives,  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of 
Grand  Junction.  He  has  since  sold  all  but  ten 
acres  of  his  original  purchase,  and  these  he 
devotes  wholly  to  fruit.  He  is  also  still  in- 
terested in  stock,  having  now  ten  or  twelve 
standard  bred  horses.  On  August  n,  1883,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  May  E.  Eubank, 
who  was  born  near  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  is  the 


daughter  of  James  T.  and  Minnie  (Hewitt)  Eu- 
bank, the  former  a  resident  of  Mesa  county 
and  the  latter  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinney 
have  five  children,  Victor  G.,  Nina  M.,  Inez, 
Gladys  and  Bessie.  In  politics  the  head  of  the 
house  is  an  earnest  working  independent. 
While  living  in  Grand  county  he  served  one 
term  as  sheriff  and  two  as  under  sheriff. 

JOSEPH  HAHN. 

This  hardy  pioneer  and  daring  discoverer, 
whose  monument  is  the  noble  mountain  in 
Routt  county,  this  state,  which  bears  his  name 
and  received  it  in  his  honor,  belongs  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  adventurous  men  who  laid 
the  foundation  of  civilization  in  Colorado  and 
opened  it  to  settlement  and  made  its  mineral 
treasures  and  other  advantages  known  to  the 
world.  But  little  is  known  of  his  early  life  ex- 
cept that  he  was  born  in  Germany,  and  was 
reared  and  well  educated  in  his  native  land.  In 
1848,  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  he 
fought  in  the  German  army  under  Sigel.  His 
party  being  unsuccessful  in  the  war,  he  fled  to 
Switzerland  to  avoid  being  taken  prisoner,  and 
a  few  years  later  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  New  York  in  1852.  After  a  short 
residence  in  Michigan,  where  his  success  was 
not  such  as  he  expected  and  desired,  he  came  to 
Colorado,  arriving  in  this  state  in  1860  with 
two  companions.  He  always  wrote  his  name 
Henn,  but  pronounced  it  Hahn.  He  was  a 
powerful  man  physically,  standing  five  feet  ten 
inches  in  height  and  weighing  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds.  In  disposition  he  was 
mild  and  generous,  always  kind  to  man  and 
beast,  and  always  optimistic,  never  looking  on 
the  dark  side  of  a  condition.  Companionable 
and  genial,  he.  was  a  good  comrade,  and  ever 
enjoyed  the  highest  esteem  of  his  associates. 
Mr.  Hahn  and  William  A.  Doyle  met,  early  in 
1863,  an(l the  former  told  the  latter  of  the  great 


702 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


find  he  had  previously  made  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  what  is  now  Hahn's  Peak,  and  they 
agreed  to  unite  and  organize  a  company  and 
prospect  the  country  thoroughly.  But  in  the 
meantime  Mr.  Doyle  joined  the  army  in  de- 
fense of  the  Union,  and  it  was  not  until  1865, 
•after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  that  they  under- 
took the  expedition.  Then  Hahn,  Doyle  and 
Capt.  George  Way,  with  others,  moved  for- 
ward into  the  unknown  region  to  make  their 
investigations.  In  a  superficial  prospecting 
of  the  country  they  found  gold  enough  to  make 
them  feel  justified  in  making  further  develop- 
ments, but  winter  overtaking  them,  they  de- 
ferred further  efforts  to  a  more  favorable  sea- 
son and  separated  for  the  winter,  Mr.  Hahn 
going  to  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  met  again  in 
the  spring  of  1866.  It  was  about  the  middle  of 
August  before  these  men,  with  a  company  of 
about  fifty  others,  could  arrange  the  prelimin- 
aries and  begin  their  tedious  journey,  and  even 
at  that  late  season  they  met  with  almost  insur- 
mountable difficulties.  The  snow  was  deep 
and  the  cold  intense  before  they  reached  the 
region  for  which  they  started.  They  outfitted 
with  a  complete  equipment  for  starting  a  new 
mining  camp,  and  had  about  one  hundred  miles 
to  travel  before  them  in  a  line  almost  due  north- 
west between  Empire,  where  they  started,  and 
the  place  of  their  destination.  They  passed  over 
the  Berthould  into  Middle  Park,  camping  at 
Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  and  from  there  kept 
north  of  Lower  Muddy  Buttes,  near  the  present 
town  of  Kremmling,  crossing  the  Muddy 
above  Hilt  creek.  Here  Hahn  took  the  party 
in  charge,  leading  them  over  the  range  by  a 
pass  east  of  Rabbit  Ear  peak  which  he  discov- 
ered in  1861,  and  which  was  known  only  to 
him.  On  August  27,  1866,  they  threw  off  their 
packs  and  made  camp  beneath  .the  shadow  of 
that  noted  mountain  that  rises  twelve  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea  level  into  the  clouds.  The 
only  sign  of  human  life  they  found  in  the  deso- 


lation was  a  lone  Ute  Indian  who  was  hungry. 
Captain  Way  wished  to  kill  him,  but  Mr.  Hahn 
insisted  on  feeding  him  and  treating  him  with 
kindness,  and  as  there  were  hundreds  of  Utes 
in  the  district,  that  one  act  of  humanity  made 
them  all  the  friends  of  the  party  and  saved  it 
from  extermination.  The  men  in  this  adven- 
turous party  went  to  work  at  once,  dividing 
their  forces,  some  prospecting,  some  building, 
and  others  doing  other  necessary  work  for  the 
enterprise.  Leaving  Hahn  in  camp,  Mr.  Doyle 
and  Captain  Way  after  a  hard  climb  reached 
the  extreme  top  of  the  mountain.  In  a  baking 
powder  can  that  had  a  top  screwed  on  and  was 
water  proof,  Doyle  placed  a  paper  relating 
some  of  the  incidents  of  the  journey,  some  data 
as  to  directions  of  route  followed,  and  lastly 
"This  is  named  Hahn's  Peak  by  his  friend  and 
comrade,  William  A.  Doyle,  on  August  27, 
1865,"  tne  climbing  of  the  mountain  and  nam- 
ing it  occuring  during  the  first  visit  of  the  pio- 
neers, a  year  before  the  incidents  last  related 
above.  In  the  fall  of  1866  all  left  the  region 
but  Hahn  and  Doyle.  During  the  winter  they 
whipsawed  lumber,  first,  building  a  substantial 
cabin  for  their  shelter.  They  suffered  dread- 
ful privations  and  hardships,  and  Mr.  Doyle  is 
unable  now  to  tell  how  they  lived  through  the 
winter.  On  April  22,  1867,  they  packed  up 
and  began  their  long  journey  on  the  backward 
trail  to  Empire.  On  April  29,  near  the  banks 
of  the  Muddy  they  sat  down  on  a  snow  bank 
to  rest,  and  while  gazing  out  over  the  desolate 
wastes  of  snow,  a  flock  of  snow  birds  flew  over 
them,  one  of  which  lighted  on  Mr.  Hahn's 
head.  "That  is  a  bad  omen,"  said  Doyle,  but 
Hahn  made  no  reply.  They  went  forward  and 
apparently  all  was  well.  That  night  they 
reached  the  Muddy  and  rested  until  about  nine 
o'clock.  When  they  attempted  to  go  on  Hahn's 
strength  failed  and  he  staggered  like  a  drunken 
man.  They  spread  their  blankets  on  the  snow 
and  couched  themselves  as  comfortably  as  pos- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


703 


sible.  After  a  night  of  wakefulness  and  delir- 
ium, Hahn  died  next  day,  while  Doyle  was 
away  looking  for  help.  The  latter  left  his  dead 
comrade  on  the  banks  of  the  Muddy  in  his 
winding  sheet  of  snow,  and  made  his  way  back 
to  civilization  through  almost  incredible  hard- 
ships, often  being  near  perishing.  Joseph 
Halm's  remains  lay  bleaching  on  the  banks  of 
the  Muddy  from  April  30,  1867,  until  the  next 
November,  when  his  friend,  Paul  Lindstrom,  of 
Empire,  sent  a  man  out  to  recover  them  and 
give  them  proper  burial.  His  grave  by  the  side 
of  the  stream  where  he  died  is  unmarked  and 
the  exact  spot  is  now  unknown.  But  in  the  far 
distant  ages  of  the  past  a  monument  was 
erected  by  omnipotent  power,  which  stands  to 
his  everlasting  memory,  and  which  towers 
above  the  earth  as  his  manhood  and  force  of 
character  made  him  tower  above  common  men, 
while  the  record  of  his  deeds,  now  known  and 
commended  by  the  beneficiaries  of  his  great 
courage  and  foresight,  is  reserved  as  a  fitting 
theme  for  a  lofty  epic,  when  the  time  shall 
come  in  which  our  mercenary  and  striving  for- 
getfulness  of  heroism  shall  have  yielded  to  a 
calmer  pulse,  and  the  sons  of  men  shall  have 
brought  forth  a  poet  capable  of  embalming  in 
immortal  verse  the  deeds  of  this  and  other  men 
of  the  heroic  pioneer  mold. 

AYLMER  F.  REEVES. 

This  successful  business  man,  energetic  pro- 
moter, wise  civic  force  and  influential  citizen  of 
Montrose,  in  this  state,  is  a  scion  of  the  Irish 
race,  whose  versatility  of  talent,  exuberance 
of  spirits  and  wonderful  adaptability  to  cir- 
cumstances and  conditions  enable  them  to 
mould  a  shapely  destiny  out  of  any  plastic  ele- 
ments that  fate  may  fling  before  them,  and  find 
enjoyment  in  life  even  in  the  midst  of  alarms 
or  under  the  burdens  of  oppressive  trouble.  He 
was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  on  September  26. 
1857,  where  his  parents,  Robert  T.  and  Jean 


A.  (Shane)  Reeves,  also  first  saw  the  light  of 
this  world.  The  father  was  of  English  and  the 
mother  of  Scotch  ancestry.  The  elder  Reeves 
was  a  lawyer  and  a  barrister  for  a  number  of 
years  at  Dublin.  He  visited  the  United  States 
in  1854,  and  in  the  early  'sixties  moved  here 
with  his  family,  locating  in  New  York  city. 
While  on  a  business  trip  to  Dublin  in  1865  he 
died  in  that  city.  The  family  then  lived  three 
years  in  London,  the  mother  devoting  her  time 
to  literary  work,  for  which  she  was  well  quali- 
fied. In  1868  they  all  became  residents  of  New 
York  again,  arid  there  the  mother  died  after 
many  years  of  usefulness  as  a  writer  for  the 
American  Tract  Society,  passing  away  in  1894. 
Seven  children  were  born  in  the  family,  three 
sons  and  four  daughters,  and  all  but  the  oldest 
son  are  living.  Aylmer  was  the  sixth  child. 
He  resided  in  London  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  eleven,  then  came  to  New  York  with  his 
mother.  He  was  educated  by  private  tutors, 
in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  at  Irv- 
ing Institute  at  Tarrytown,  New  York.  When 
he  was  sixteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  Al- 
fred, Marion  &  Company,  foreign  bankers, 
with  whom  he  remained  nearly  two  years.  Prior 
to  this,  however,  in  1870,  when  he  was  a  lad  of 
thriteen,  he  passed  a  year  and  a  half  in  Ne- 
braska and  Kansas  during  which  he 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  General  Cus- 
ter,  Colonel  Cody  ("Buffalo  Bill")  and 
other  frontier  celebrities,  and  acquired 
a  taste  for  the  wild  life  of  the  plains 
which  has  never  left  him.  So  after  leaving  the 
banking  house  he  went  to  Texas  and  soon 
afterward  joined  an  outfit  driving  cattle  to 
Colorado.  He  made  two  trips  to  old  Mexico 
and  from  there  drove  the  stock  over  the  trails 
to  this  state.  In  1878  he  located  at  Denver, 
and  not  long  after  settling  there  he  went  with 
a  party  on  horseback  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  state,  passing  through  the  Ute  -reservation 
and  over  the  ground  on  which  Grand  Junction 
and  Montrose  now  stand  in  1879,  and  also 


704 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


through  the  San  Juan  region.     Returning  to 
Denver,  he  bought  an  interest  in  a  hardware 
business  and  during  the  next  two  years  the 
store  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Reeves  &  Adams,  Mr.   Reeves  being  also  in- 
terested in  mining  at  the  same  time.     After 
selling  his  interest  in  the  hardware  establish- 
ment, he  mined  for  a  few  years  in  various  parts 
of  the  state,  and  in  February,  1885,  settled  at 
Montrose,  then  a  prosperous  freighting  and  dis- 
tributing point  for  surrounding  towns.     He  at 
first  engaged  in  staging  with  the  Great  West- 
ern Mail,  Stage  &  Express    Company,    oper- 
ating two  or  three  lines  of  stages  to  different 
towns.     In  1886  he  started  the  furniture  firm 
of  Reeves  &  McFann,  which  passing  through 
several  changes  of  partnership,  continued  in 
successful  business  with  Mr.  Reeves  at  its  head 
until  1890.     In  that  year  he  sold  his  interest  in 
this  firm  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  real 
estate,  loans  and  insurance  business,  in  which 
he  has  ever  since  been  engaged.     He  has  been 
one  of  the  active  and  progressive  business  men 
of  Montrose  ever  since  he  located  there,  and 
has  contributed  very  materially  to  a  number  of 
enterprises  for  the  improvement  and  advance- 
ment of  the  community,  helping  to  construct 
ditches  and  other  beneficial  works,  and  giving 
close  and  intelligent  attention  to  the  proper  de- 
velopment and  concentration  of  public  senti- 
ment for  the  general  weal.    For  seven  years  he 
was  a  member  of  Company  I,  Second  Regi- 
ment, Montrose  State  Militia,  serving  on  the 
staff  of  General  Brooks,  and  during  this  period 
he  saw  many  stirring  times.     In  political  alle- 
giance he  is  a  thoughtful  and  reflecting,  but  un- 
wavering Democrat,  and  in  the  service  of  his 
party  he  has  been  ever    active,    earnest    and 
forceful,  now  and  during  the  past  six  years  act- 
ing as  chairman  of  the  seventh  judicial  district 
party   organization.      Governor    Thomas    ap- 
pointed him  superintendent  of  Division  No.  5 
of  the  irrigation  district,  embracing  nearly  all 


the  counties  of  the  Western  slope,  and  Gover- 
nor Orman  re-appointed  him  to  the  position, 
which  he  held  until  the  beginning  of  the  Pea- 
body  administration.  He  also  served  six  years 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Montrose. 
He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  through  all 
its  departments  to  and  including  the  thirty- 
second  degree  in  the  Scottish  rite,  and  is  also 
a  Knight  of  Pythias.  On  May  8,  1883,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Pauline  M.  Ott,  a  native 
of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Pauline  (LeFaure)  Ott,  of  that  city. 
The  father  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  had  charge  of  the  con- 
struction of  military  wagons  for  the  Confeder- 
ate army  at  New  Orleans.  He  moved  to  Phil- 
adelphia after  the  war,  and  later  came  to  Den- 
ver, where  he  died.  His  widow  then  returned 
to  New  Orleans  where  she  is  now  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Reeves  have  five  children,  Jean,  Her- 
bert, Aylmer,  Thomas  and  Alfred. 

EDWARD  E.  SHINN. 

Edward  E.  Shinn,  of  Montrose,  is  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  successful  sheep- 
growers  in  Colorado,  carrying  on  his  business 
on  a  scale  of  great  magnitude,  and  with  vigor 
and  breadth  of  view  that  challenge  adversity 
and  defy  competition.  He  was  born  at  Tren- 
ton, in  Grundy  county,  Missouri,  on  February 
15,  1856.  His  father,  Oliver  Shinn,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Louisa  Clempson,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina.  Both  died  in  California.  They  had 
a  family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Edward,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  when 
four  years  old  accompanied  his  parents  from 
their  Missouri  home  across  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  to  this  state.  The  incidents  of  that 
memorable  trip,  through  a  wild,  unbroken 
country,  beset  with  dangers  from  wild  beasts 
and  savage  men  and  fraught  with  hardships 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


705 


and  privations  of  many  forms,  are  indelibly  im- 
pressed on  his  memory,  as  is  the  welcome  sight 
of  Denver  after  the  long  and  trying  journey, 
although  that  now  imposing  and  beautiful  city 
was  then  but  a  hamlet  of  log  cabins,  black- 
smith shops  and  the  other  uncanny  concomit- 
ants of  a  frontier  village,  just  struggling  into 
being.  The  family  remained  at  Golden  until 
the  spring  of  1861,  then  traveled  with  ox  teams 
to  Oregon.  The  father  had  previously  gone  to 
California  in  1850  and  remained  two  years. 
And  he  still  had  a  longing  for  that  state.  Ac- 
cordingly, after  a  residence  of  ten  years  in  Ore- 
gon, they  moved  into  nothern  California, 
where  they  remained  until  the  parents  died. 
Edward  was  fifteen  years  old  at  the  time  of 
this  removal,  and  owing  to  the  migatory  life 
of  the  family  and  the  lack  of  school  facilities  in 
the  West  at  that  time,  his  education  in  the 
schools  was  very  scant.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  he  carried  on  a  flourishing  meat  busi- 
ness for  a  time.  In  1884  he  returned  to  Colo- 
rado, locating  at  Montrose.  Here  he  started 
and  for  three  years  conducted  a  wholesale  and 
retail  meat  market,  then  turned  his  attention 
to  the  stock  industry,  devoting  his  energies 
mainly  to  the  production  of  sheep  on  a  large 
scale.  In  this  branch  of  that  great  industry 
he  has  ever  since  been  successfully  engaged, 
running  now  over  winter  from  year  to  year 
some  eight  thousand  to  nine  thousand  sheep, 
and  having  on  the  range  in  summer  about  six- 
teen thousand.  He  owns  two  large  ranches, 
one  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  located 
ten  miles  east  of  Montrose.  For  the  irrigation 
of  this  he  has  recently  completed  a  ditch  thirty 
miles  long,  in  company  with  others,  which 
takes  water  from  the  Cimarron  river  and  has 
a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  of 
the  fluid  and  ability  to  properly  irrigate  fifteen 
thousand  acres  of  land.  The  ditch  was  con- 
structed by  a  company  of  which  he  is  a  leading 
stockholder  and  the  president,  and  cost  about 

45 


sixty-five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Shinn' s  other 
ranch  comprises  two  hundred  acres  and  is  in 
the  mountains,  affording  an  ideal  summer 
range  for  his  stock.  In  all  commendable  enter- 
prises for  the  benefit  of 'his  section  of  the  state 
he  takes  an  active  and  intelligent  interest.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  and  organ- 
izers of  the  Western  Slope  Bank  of  Montrose, 
and  is  now  a  director  in  that  institution.  On 
February  20,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Nettie  (McKissick)  Harris,  a  native  of  Cali- 
fornia and  the  daughter  of  John  McKissick,  a 
prominent  stock  man  of  that  state.  Both  of 
her  parents  are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shinn 
have  had  four  children.  Three  are  living,  John, 
Walter  and  Cecil.  A  daughter  named  Ethel 
died  several  years  ago  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
months.  Mr.  Shinn  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  he  is  not  an  active  partisan.  He  belongs  to 
the  order  of  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

HENRY  A.  MEREDITH. 

Henry  A.  Meredith,  an  honored  citizen  of 
Montrose,  and  one  of  the  builders  and  makers 
of  the  town,  has  a  high  reputation  for  ability, 
skill  and  enterprise  in  his  chosen  line  of  work, 
and  ranks  among  the  leading  men  of  the  city 
he  has  done  so  much  to  beautify  and  adorn.  He 
is  a  civil  engineer  by  profession  and  a  builder 
and  contractor  in  business,  and  as  such  he  has 
erected  most  of  the  best  residences  in  Montrose 
and  a  number  of  business  blocks,  but  he  gives 
his  attention  mainly  to  putting  up  first-class 
residences.  He  was  born  near  Batavia,  New 
York,  on  July  27,  1842,  the  son  of  Stephen  M. 
and  Mary  (Smith)  Meredith,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
latter  of  near  Batavia,  New  York.  The  father 
was  a  miller  and  for  a  number  of  years  oper- 
ated the  Genesee  County  Mills  at  Batavia. 
which  did  an  extensive  business,  he  being  as- 
sociated with  the  Holland  Purchasing  Com- 


706 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


pany  in  carrying-  them  on.  Later  he  retired 
from  milling  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1845,  at  the  a§"e  °f  ^~ 
ty-one,  owned  the  largest  farm  in  the  county. 
His  wife  survived  him  forty  years,  dying  at 
the  old  home  in  1885.  He  was  a  cousin  of  Hon. 
William  M.  Meredith,  the  distinguished  secre- 
tary of  the  United  States  treasury  during  the 
'forties.  Only  two  of  their  nine  children  are 
living,  Henry  A.  and  an  older  brother  William, 
the  latter  residing  at  San  Bernardino,  Cali- 
fornia. Another  older  brother  served  four 
years  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  an  inde- 
pendent battery  which  was  afterward  merged 
in  the  Ninth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery.  He 
was  in  many  important  engagements,  but  being 
modest  and  retiring,  he  declined  to  accept  his 
commission  when  the  time  came  for  a  promo- 
tion which  he  had  richly  earned.  He  died  in 
Nebraska  in  1895.  Mr.  Meredith  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  state  and  there  received  a 
liberal  education.  He  was  prepared  for  col- 
lege, but  the  Civil  war  took  his  brothers  away 
from  home  and  he  was  obliged  to  stay  and  help 
his  widowed  mother  conduct  the  farm.  He, 
however,  ook  a  course  of  instruction  in  civil 
engineering  but  was  unable  to  do  anything  in 
the  profession  for  a  number  of  years.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty-six  years 
old,  then  became  a  traveling  solicitor  and  col- 
lector for  a  firm  of  Syracuse,  New  York.  After 
'that  he  was  occupied  for  twelve  years  mer- 
chandising at  different  places  in  his  native 
state.  In  this  business  he  passed  through  two 
financial  panics  and  met  with  many  reverses. 
In  1880  he  settled  at  Pitkin,  this  state,  and 
joined  the  engineer  corps  under  Major  Evans 
which  was  engaged  in  locating  and  constru0- 
tion  work  for  the  Denver  &  South  Park  Rail- 
way, devoting  three  years  to  this  employment, 
Early  in  1884  he  moved  to  Montrose,  and  since 
then  he  has  resided  at  that  town  continuously 
and  been  occupied  in  contract  and  building 


work.  He  is  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
contractor  and  builder  in  the  town,  and  the 
work  of  his  well  trained  mind  and  skillful 
hands  is  to  be  seen  in  every  part  of  the  place. 
It  was  a  small  village  when  he  moved  there, 
and  he  has  been  the  principal  factor  in  building 
it  up  and  making  it  comely  with  good  resi- 
dences and  substantial  business  blocks.  Mr. 
Meredith  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in  politics 
and  is  ever  active  in  public  affairs.  He  was 
married  on  December  27,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary 
L.  Gregory,  a  native  of  Batavia,  New  York, 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Louise  (Grant) 
Gregory,  the  former  born  in  England  and  the 
latter  in  New  York.  Both  are  deceased.  The 
father  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Meredith  have  one  child,  their  son  Harold 
H.,  a  physician  at  Montrose,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  Meredith 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

HAROLD   H.   MEREDITH,    M.    D. 

Dr.  Harold  H.  Meredith,  one  of  the  bright 
and  promising  young  physicians  and  surgeons 
of  Montrose,  may  almost  be  said  to  be  a  prod- 
uct of  that  city,  as  he  has  lived  there  from  the 
time  when  he  was  six  years  old,  having  come  to 
this  state  and  that  town  in  1884,  from  his  na- 
tive city  of  Batavia,  New  York,  where  he  was 
born  on  September  n,  1878.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Montrose,  being  gradu- 
ated from  its  high  school  in  1894.  He  then 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Dr.  Johnson,  of  Montrose  and  in  1895 
entered  the  State  University,  intending  to  pur- 
sue the  course  in  the  medical  department.  But 
owing  to  changes  in  the  course  and  a  conse- 
quent delay  in  completing  it,  he  left  that  insti- 
tution and  attended  the  Gross  Medical  College 
in  Denver,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1898.  By  com- 
petitive examination  he  secured  the  position 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


707 


of  resident  physician  at  the  Arapahoe  County 
Hospital,  where  he  passed  a  year  and  a  half  in 
study  and  clinical  work.  He  then  returned  to 
Montrose  and  began  an  active  general  practice 
which  he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  ever 
since.  He  has  exhibited  care  and  skill  in  his 
professional  work,  and  a  conscientious  devotion 
to  the  highest  interests  of  the  science  of  which 
he  is  a  practitioner,  being  a  diligent  student 
and  close  observer,  with  excellent  judgment  in 
applying  practically  the  results  of  his  study  and 
obesrvation.  He  is  also  a  gentleman  of  high 
character  and  pleasing  manners,  and  has  won 
in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and  regard 
of  the  people  among  whom  he  moves.  With 
youth,  health  and  a  proper  ambition  on  his  side, 
and  with  devotion  to  lofty  ideals  in  his  line  of 
usefulness,  his  success  is  assured  and  already 
begun.  He  has  built  up  a  representative  prac* 
tice  of  good  proportions  which  is  steadily  in- 
creasing in  magnitude  and  importance,  and  he 
is  rapidly  rising  to  a  front  rank  in  professional 
circles,  such  as  he  already  occupies  in  social 
life  and  general  citizenship.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  International  Society  of  Railway  Sur- 
geons and  secretary  of  the  local  pension  board. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, and  politically  he  is  a  steadfast  Republican. 
On  April  25,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Florence  McCartney,  who  died  in  September, 
1902,  leaving  one  daughter,  Florence  Louise. 
On  June  3,  1903,  the  Doctor  married  a  second 
wife,  Miss  Harriet  Ellingwood,  an  accom- 
plished and  popular  lady.  Dr.  Meredith's  pa- 
rents are  H.  A.  and  Mary  L.  (Gregory)  Mere- 
dith, pioneers  of  Montrose,  having  located  at 
that  town  in  1884.  They  have  been  active  and 
serviceable  in  promoting  the  growth  and  prog- 
ress of  the  town  and  county,  and  are  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  classes  of  the  people  among 
whom  they  live.  A  sketch  of  them  will  be  found 
on  another  page  of  this  work. 


DANIEL  KENNEY. 

From  his  youth  Daniel  Kenney,  one  of  the 
leading  ranch  and  cattle  men  of  Mesa  county, 
has  been  connected  ( with  the  stock  industry  of 
the  West,  and  in  his  career  has  well  illustrated 
the  truth  that  singleness  of  purpose  and  con- 
stancy of  effort  are  winning  factors  in  the  bat- 
tle of  life.  He  is  a  native  of  the  section  of  coun- 
try  in  which  he  now  lives,  born  at  Holden,  Mil- 
lard  county,  Utah,  on  April  18,  1872,  and  the 
son  of  John  and  Phoebe  (Alden)  Kenney.  He 
was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  to  the  age 
of  seventeen,  and  educated  in  its  public  schools. 
Then,  in  1889,  he  became  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado and,  locating  in  Plateau  valley  in  Mesa 
county,  entered  the  employ  of  the  Alta  Land 
&  Live  Stock  Company,  with  which  he  re- 
mained three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  returned  to  Utah,  and  during  the  next  seven 
years  he  was  employed  by  the  Webster  City 
Cattle  Company.  In  the  fall  of  1893  ne  once 
more  took  up  his  residence  in  Plateau  valley 
and  bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives 
two  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Plateau  City.  This 
comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  sixty- 
five  of  which  are  irrigated  and  yield  abun- 
dantly. He  gives  his  attention  principally  to 
the  cattle  industry  and  is  making  it  pay  with 
increasing  volume  in  its  profits.  On  July  3, 
1897,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Anderson, 
a  native  of  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and 
daughter  of  David  and  Jessie  (Scrimgeour)  An- 
derson, a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on  an- 
other page.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kenney  have  one 
son,  William  Thomas.  Mr.  Kenney  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  its  adjunct 
organization,  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  hold- 
ing his  membership  at  Collbran.  He  is  es- 
teemed as  an  excellent  and  progressive  citizen 
in  all  parts  of  the  county. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


HERMAN  EILEBRECHT.    • 

Herman  Eilebrecht,  of  Gunnison  county, 
whose  well  improved  and  well  cultivated  ranch 
of  seven  hundred  acres  of  good  land,  of  which 
about  six  hundred  acres  are  under  irrigation,  is 
a  lasting  tribute  to  his  enterprise  in  business 
and  his  skill  in  husbandry,  as  well  as  to  his  loy- 
alty to  the  genius  of  improvement,  and  is  lo- 
cated in  a  highly  favored  region  on  Ohio  creek 
six  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  is  a  native  of 
Prussia,  and  was  trained  in  the  severe  but 
wholesome  discipline  of  that  progressive  coun- 
try, whose  people  are  distinguished  for  thrift 
and  industry  wherever  they  pitch  their  tents, 
and  are  always  likely  to  make  the  most  of  their 
opportunities  and  of  the  conditions  with  which 
they  are  surrounded.  His  parents,  Herman 
and  Carolina  (Stork)  Eilebrecht,  were  also 
Prussians  by  birth  and  belonged  to  families 
resident  in  their  native  land  for  many  genera- 
tions. They  never  wandered  from  their  home 
country,  but  passed  their  lives  there  usefully 
employed  in  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agricul- 
ture. Their  offspring  numbered  eight,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  Herman  being  the  fourth 
born.  His  life  began  on  November  9,  1855, 
and  he  was  reared  on  the  paternal  homestead 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  After  remaining  at  home  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four,  he  was  mar- 
ried on  November  22,  1879,  to  Miss  Frances 
Michaels,  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Carolina  (Wintermeier) 
Michaels,  who  were  also  natives  and  life-long 
residents  of  Prussia.  In  1881,  with  his  wife 
and  infant  son,  Mr.  Eilebrecht  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  after  lingering  a  week  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  three  weeks  at  Hays, 
Kansas,  where  he  intended  to  locate  and  build 
a  home,  turning  the  virgin  prairie  of  that  pro- 
lific state  to  his  purposes,  but  did  not  find  the 
outlook  agreeable  for  farming  just  then,  left 


his  family  there  and  came  on  to  Colorado,  ar- 
riving at  Gunnison  in  June.  During  the  rest  of 
the  summer  he  worked  on  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  and  the  South  Park  branch, 
and  in  the  fall  returned  to  the  Mississippi  val- 
ley and  took  up  his  residence  in  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  two  years  employed  in  the  coal 
mines  at  Pontiac  and  Mannk.  In  the  spring  of 
1883  he  brought  his  family  to  Colorado,  and 
again  located  in  Gunnison  county,  where  dur- 
ing- the  next  four  years  he  performed  faithful 
and  appreciated  service  at  whatever  he  found 
to  do.  In  1887  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives, 
which  he  has  since  then  enlarged  to  seven  hun- 
dred acres,  and  transformed  into  one  of  the 
most  valuable  and  desirable  properties  of  its 
kind  on  the  creek,  having  it  improved  with  a 
good  modern  dwelling  and  outbuildings  to  cor- 
respond, well  watered  with  ample  ditches  which 
irrigate  six  hundred  acres  of  it,  and  yielding  an 
annual  return  for  his  labor  of  some  five  hun- 
dred tons  of  hay  with  good  crops  of  grain  and 
other  products.  He  has  also  gradually  worked 
into  cattle  and  now  has  about  four  hundred 
well-bred  Shorthorns.  He  constructed  his  own 
ditches,  one  of  which  is  six  miles  long  and  cost 
him  two  thousand  dollars.  He  has  in  addition 
a  fine  dairy  outfit  in  which  he  has  averaged  for 
a  number  of  years  forty  to  seventy-five  pounds 
of  butter  a  week.  When  he  settled  on  his  land 
it  was  nearly  all  given  up  to  an  unprofitable 
growth  of  wild  sage  brush  and  desitute  of  im- 
provements of  every  kind.  His  first  habitation 
here  was  a-  rude  shack,  such  as  many  pioneers 
live  in  until  they  win  from  the  soil  means  of 
building  a  better,  and  although  such  dwellings 
were  crude  and  inconvenient,  they  were  no 
roofs  to  conceal  guilt  but  the  homes  that  shel- 
tered men,  and  contented  spirits  and  quiet  con- 
sciences dwelt  within  them.  In  political  faith 
Mr.  Eilebrecht  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  seldom 
active  in  campaign  work  and  has  never  aspired 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


709 


to  public  office.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  with  membership  in 
the  camp  of  the  order  at  Gunnison.  He  and  his 
wife  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Herman, 
Frank,  Joseph,  Lena,  Fred,  Charley,  Emma 
and  Tillie.  It  is  from  material  like  that  in  this 
worthy  man  that  the  more  useful  qualities  of 
American  citizenship  are  fashioned,  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  country,  which  takes  its  broad 
and  bountiful  benefactions  at  first  hand  and 
makes  them  fruitful  of  good  to  the  world  and 
develops  in  the  very  wilds,  remote  from  the 
haunts  and  blandishments  of  cultivated  life,  a 
civilization  that  meets  all  the  requirements  of 
a  free  and  independent  people  and  commands 
the  admiration  of  mankind. 

THOMAS  P.  NISBETH. 

Thomas  P.  Nisbeth,  of  Gunnison  county, 
who  is  comfortably  established  on  a  good 
ranch  on  Carbon  creek  one  mile  north  of  Mt. 
Carbon,  where  he  is  conducting  a  prosperous 
ranching  and  stock  industry,  has  come  to  his 
present  estate  of  worldly  ease  and  firmly  fixed 
place  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow  citizens 
through  an  experience  of  hardship  and  priva- 
tion, toil  and  perseverance  under  very  trying 
circumstances  and  over  difficulties  that  were 
hard  to  surmount.  But  with  the  true  spirit  of 
the  pioneer,  he  has  met  every  obstacle  with  a 
determination  to  surmount  it,  gaining  headway 
all  the  while  in  the  struggle  for  advancement 
and  steadfastly  holding  every  foot  of  his  prog- 
ress. He  is  a  native  of  Birmingham,  England, 
born  on  March  5,  1849,  and  the  son  of  William 
and  Charlotta  (Clark)  Nisbeth,  the  former  a 
native  of  Herefordshire,  England,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Birmingham.  The  father  worked  on 
farms  by  the  day  or  month  in  his  native  land 
until  1865,  when  the  family  he  had  then  around 
him  accompanied  him  to  this  country,  where 
he  sought  and  not  in  vain  larger  opportunities 


and  better  conditions  than  he  had  at  home.  His 
first  two  years  in  the  United  States  were  passed 
in  Indiana  at  work  on  farms  for  wages.  In  1867 
he  moved  to  Macon  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  bought  a  small  farm  on  which  he  and  his 
wife  lived  until  death  ended  their  labors.  They 
were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  the  eleventh  in  the  order  of 
birth  being  their  son  Thomas.  Owing  to  the 
moderate  means  of  his  parents  he  had  little 
chance  to  attend  school,  and  was  obliged  to  go 
to  work  for  himself  at  an  early  age.  In  1863, 
when  he  was  but  fourteen,  he  came  to  America 
with  an  older  brother,  and  for  nearly  two  years 
thereafter  he  worked  on  a  railroad  in  Vermont. 
In  the  spring  of  1865  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and 
after  working  on  a  farm  near  Evansville  in 
that  state  several  months,  changed  his  residence 
to  Macon  county,  Missouri,  where  he  passed 
the  next  ten  years  of  his  life.  During  the 
greater  part  of  this  time  he  was  employed  in 
coal  mines,  but  he  also  joined  his  father  in  the 
purchase  of  some  land  which  they  farmed  to- 
gether. The  winter  of  1882  was  passed  by  him 
in  arduous  labor  in  coal  mines  in  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and  in  the  spring  of  1883  he  came  to  Col- 
orado and  located  at  Gunnison.  In  the  follow- 
ing January  he  moved  to  his  present  ranch, 
having  taken  up  eighty  acres  of  it  in  the  previ- 
ous fall.  When  he  settled  on  this  land  the 
prospect  was  dreary  in  the  extreme.  It  lay 
under  six  feet  of  snow,  and  was  without  the 
shadow  of  a  building  for  his  accommodation 
except  a  rude  and  inartistic  log  cabin  which 
he  had  built,  with  nothing  around  it  "but  the 
great  out-doors  beneath  the  overhead."  The 
prospect  would  have  deterred  any  but  a  resolute 
and  self-reliant  man,  and  he  was  of  that  caliber. 
He  went  to  work  with  a  will  to  make  his  place 
habitable  and  productive,  and  in  this  effort  he 
has  so  well  succeeded  that  he  now  has  a  com- 
fortable home  of  his  own  construction  and  an 
expanse  of  fruitful  and  profitable  ranch  land 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


which  yields  good  annual  crops  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables.  He  has  bought  additional  land 
until  he  owns  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres, 
about  one-third  of  which  is  under  irrigation, 
and  on  this  he  has  steadily  prospered,  although 
his  progress  at  first  was  slow  and  his  hardships 
were  many.  Soon  after  taking  possession  of 
his  first  tract  he  started  a  stock  business  which 
has  grown  in  magnitude  until  he  has  an  aver- 
age of  one  hundred  cattle,  all  well-bred  Short- 
horns. He  is  so  well  fixed  and  his  home  is  so 
comfortable  and  well  provided  that  he  can 
now  laugh  the  summer's  storms  and  floods  and 
the  winter's  siege  to  scorn,  and  enjoy  life  in 
every  season  with  a  fullness  of  content.  Thus 
does  bountiful  America  reward  men  of  industry 
and  thrift  wherever  they  ask  her  favors  with 
the  spirit  of  determined  seekers,  and  thus  does 
she  wait  upon  the  faith  of  the  pioneers  who 
come  upon  her  soil  with  eyes  to  see,  skill  to  use 
and  energy  to  develop  the  opportunities  she 
has  always  at  their  command.  Being  an  early 
settler  in  his  section  of  the  state,  Mr.  Nisbeth 
has  necessarily  been  deeply  interested  in  its  wel- 
fare and  active  in  the  development  of  its  re- 
sources and  the  promotion  of  its  people's  wel- 
fare. He  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in  political 
faith,  especially  in  state  and  national  affairs, 
and  an  equally  ardent  advocate  and  aid  of 
every  commendable  enterprise  for  local  ad- 
vantages without  regard  to  partisan  consider- 
ations, bestowing  upon  local  public  matters  the 
same  foresight,  energy  and  breadth  of  view 
which  have  characterized  his  management  of 
his  private  business.  It  follows  that  he  is  one 
of  the  useful  and  respected  citizens  of  his 
county,  and  has  the  general  good  will  of  all  the 
others.  On  March  17,  1872,  he  married  with 
Miss  Louisa  Cundiff,  who  was  born  near  Du- 
buque,  Iowa,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Greenbury 
and  Dorcas  (Warren)  Cundiff,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Indiana,  both 
of  whom  died  in  Missouri,  where  they  passed 


the  latter  years  of  their  lives  as  well-to-do 
farmers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nisbeth  have  one 
child,  their  son  William  Wallace.  In  all  his 
undertakings  and  his  efforts  to  accomplish  them 
Mrs.  Nisbeth  has  been  a  true  helpmate  to  her 
husband,  and  no  small  part  of  his  prosperity  is 
due  to  her  industry,  resourcefulness  and  ac- 
complishments. She  is  a  lady  of  indefatigable 
energy,  giving  her  close  and  helpful  attention  to 
all  her  domestic  duties,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1904  in  addition  made  about  two  thousand 
pounds  of  cheese  which  was  eagerly  bought  at 
good  prices  in  the  mining  camps  of  the  county. 
She  also  finds  time  to  gratify  her  taste  for 
works  artistic,  having  a  wide  range  and  high 
order  of  ability  in  fancy  work.  During  the 
past  few  years  she  has  pieced  more  than 
twenty-five  bed-spreads,  one  alone  having  over 
four  thousand  pieces  in  its  construction.  Be- 
sides all  this  she  is  skillful  in  making  lace  and 
has  a  fine  collection  of  many  beautiful  patterns, 
all  the  work  of  her  own  hands. 

JOHN  P.  BROWN. 

John  P.  Brown,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Mesa 
county,  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers  in  the 
Plateau  valley.  He  located  land  here  in  1882 
adjoining  the  well-improved  ranch  on  which 
he  now  lives  near  the  postoffice  of  Mesa,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  substantial 
stock  and  ranch  men  of  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Rush  county,  Indiana,  on  July  20, 
1846,  and  is  the  son  of  John  E.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Fry)  Brown,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  married  in  Indiana,  where  they  were 
engaged  in  farming  to  the  end  of  their  lives. 
Their  son  John  was  reared  in  his  native  county 
and  obtained  a  limited  education  in  its  com- 
mon schools,  attending  whenever  he  could  be 
spared  from  the  labors  of  the  farm,  which  was 
during  the  winter  months  of  a  few  years.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  enlisted  in  defense  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


711 


the  Union  in  Company  L,  Twelfth  Indiana 
Cavalry,  entering  the  service  in  July,  1864.  His 
regiment  fought  its  way  through  Tennessee 
and  went  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Or- 
leans. From  there  the  command  to  which  it 
was  attached  made  a  campaign  into  Alabama 
and  back  to  Vicksburg,  where  he  was  dis- 
charged December,  1865.  He  took  part 
in  the  siege  of  Mobile  and  in  the  skirm- 
ishes around  Nashville  during  the  bat- 
tle at  that  city.  In  1866,  moved 
with  his  love  of  adventure  and  the 
promise  of  its  gratification,  and  also  by  the 
hope  of  better  opportunities  to  be  found  in  the 
Northwest,  he  journeyed  to  Montana,  and  in 
that  young  but  great  and  promising  state,  he 
was  for  some  time  engaged  in  freighting  be- 
tween Fort  Benton  and  Helena,  "whacking 
bull  teams"  for  the  Bullard  freight  outfit. 

GEORGE  J.  SMITH. 

George  J.  Smith,  of  Gunnison  county,  is  in 
more  than  one  sense  a  pioneer  in  Colorado  and 
comes  of  a  family  of  pioneers.  He  was  an 
early  settler  in  the  state,  coming  here  in  1880, 
and  he  was  the  first  man  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  present  home,  or,  indeed,  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  to  demonstrate  that  vegetables 
could  be  successfully  raised  at  the  altitude  of 
his  present  home,  carrying  on  there  for  fifteen 
years  a  prosperous  vegetable  garden  industry. 
Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ohio, 
on  October  30,  1843,  and  reared  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Clark.  He  is  the  son  of  Levi 
and  Emily  (Johnson)  Smith,  the  former  born 
near  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  the  latter  in 
Clark  county,  Ohio.  The  families  of  both  were 
early  pioneers  in  Ohio,  and  the  father  died 
there  in  1845,  the  mother  surviving  him  many 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1856  she,  with  her  son 
George  and  two  daughters,  moved  to  Iowa, 
locating  in  Louisa  county,  where  they  were 


pioneers.  The  son  was  then  about  thirteen 
years  old.  He  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  in  1865  became  a  pioneer  of  Madi- 
son county  in  the  same  state.  Later  he  was 
among  the  early  residents  of  other  counties  in 
the  state,  helping  to  build  the  first  store  at 
Kellogg  in  Jasper  county,  and  renting  the  first 
postoffice  box  after  the  office  was  established 
at  Dexter  in  Dallas  county.  He  farmed  in 
that  vicinity  for  a  number  of  years,  improving 
and  selling  farms  to  good  advantage.  In  1878 
he  moved  to  Nebraska,  and  after  working  at 
his  trade  as  a  carpenter  about  two  years,  he 
came  to  Colorado  in  March,  1880,  and  the 
following  year  crossed  the  range  to  the  West- 
ern slope  in  a  wagon  accompanied  by  his 
family.  He  lived  two  years  in  the  vicinity  of 
Tincup  and  put  up  the  first  frame  store  build- 
ing at  that  place.  In  1883  he  took  up  the 
ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  on  the  Gunnison 
river,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Gunnison,  se- 
curing it  through  a  pre-emption  claim.  It  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  when  he 
took  possession  of  it  it  was  all  raw  land,  virgin 
to  the  plow  and  without  the  suggestion  of  a 
human  habitation.  He  has  improved  it  with 
good  buildings  and  other  structures  needed  for 
its  purposes  and  brought  it  to  an  advanced 
stage  of  cultivation  and  productiveness.  For 
fifteen  years  after  getting  a  start  here  he  car- 
ried on  market  gardening  on  a  large  scale, 
being  the  first  man  in  the  region  to  raise  vege- 
tables, it  having  been  previously  supposed  that 
the  altitude  was  too  great  for  vegetables.  The 
ranch  is  now  devoted  principally  to  raising  hay 
and  stock  in  which  he  is  extensively  engaged. 
He  has  been  a  leading  man  in  the  section  and 
is  highly  esteemed  as  a  far-seeing  and  enter- 
prising citizen.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  pro- 
nounced Republican  in  national  affairs,  but  is 
bound  strictly  by  party  ties  in  local  matters, 
considering  always  the  best  interests  of  the 
county  rather  than  the  behest  of  any  political 


712 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


organization.  In  1870  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Shuck,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have 
had  seven  children.  Three  died  in  infancy  and 
Emma  H.,  wife  of  Jasper  Tidd,  of  Shelton, 
Washington,  Elbert  E.,  May,  wife  of  Lee  Leh- 
man, of  Gunnison  county,  and  Glenn  G.  are 
living. 

GEORGE  W.  ANDREWS. 

This  progressive  ranch  man  and  stock- 
grower  of  Gunnison,  whose  well  improved  and 
highly  cultivated  ranch  of  four  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  lies  about  four  miles  west  of 
Gunnison,  has  seen  many  parts  of  this  country 
and  had  valuable  experience  in  each.  He  was 
born  in  Canada  on  March  2,  1866,  the  son  of 
Elkney  H.  and  Jane  (Phillips)  Andrews,  both 
natives  of  the  Dominion,  where  they  grew  to 
maturity  and  were  married.  The  family  moved 
to  Buena  Vista  county,  Iowa,  in  1869  and  to 
Colorado  in  1881.  The  mother  has  been  dead 
a  number  of  years  and  the  father  is  now  living 
in  Denver.  They  had  six  sons  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living,  George 
being  the  seventh  born.  He  was  three  years 
old  when  the  family  located  in  Iowa  and  twelve 
when  they  came  to  Colorado.  His  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  and  he  was 
reared  on  a  ranch,  or  rather  two  of  them.  The 
parents  were  in  straitened  circumstances  and 
every  available  hand  in  the  household  was  in 
requisition  to  aid  in  making  the  living,  so  that 
from  an  early  age  Mr.  Andrews  was  inured  to 
labor,  and  he  has  never  shirked  his  portion  of 
whatever  was  at  hand  to  do.  The  Gunnison 
county  home  was  twenty-five  miles  southwest 
of  the  county  seat,  and  on  this  the  son  remained 
and  worked  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  Then,  starting  out  in  life  for  himself,  he 
was  employed  as  a  hand  on  other  ranches 
several  years  and  also  bought,  improved  and 
sold  farm  lands.  In  1890  he  went  to  California 
and  during  the  next  seven  years  was  engaged 


in  farming  and  other  occupations  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  that  state.  Returning  to  this 
state  in  1897,  he  has  since  followed  ranching 
in  Gunnison  county,  and  raising  live  stock, 
principally  cattle,  having  now  about  two  hun- 
dred head  of  Shorthorns.  His  ranch  of  four 
hundred  and  seventy  acres  is  four  miles  west  of 
Gunnison  and  is  highly  improved  and  about 
all  under  irrigation.  Hay  is  his  principal  crop 
and  of  this  he  raises  an  average  of  two  hun- 
dred 'and  fifty  tons  a  year.  He  is  enterprising 
and  progressive,  omitting  no  effort  on  his  part 
to  secure  the  best  results  from  his  work,  and 
the  skill  with  which  he  manages  his  affairs  is 
shown  by  the  condition  of  his  property  and  the 
profits  of  his  business.  In  political  matters  he 
is  independent  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the 
lodge  of  Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Gunnison. 
He  was  married  on  April  12,  1892,  to  Miss 
Clara  May  Kinman,  a  native  of  California,  the 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Craw)  Kin- 
man, who  were  born  and  reared  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  moved  from  that  state  to  California 
among  its  pioneers  of  1849,  crossing  the  plains 
in  wagons  and  being  more  than  a  year  on  the 
journey.  They  still  have  their  home  in  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  have  two  chil- 
dren, their  daughter  Edith  Fay  and  their  son 
Roy. 

RICHARD  H.  ANDREWS. 

Since  1882  Richard  H.  Andrews,  one  of 
Gunnison  county's  most  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive ranch  and  stock  men,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Colorado,  and  during  all  but  two 
years  of  .the  time  of  the  county  which  now  has 
the  benefit  of  his  productive  industry  and 
elevated  citizenship.  He  is  an  older  brother  of 
George  W.  Andrews,  of  the  same  county  and 
neighborhood,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  else- 
where in  this  work  in  which  the  family  record 
will  be  found.  Mr.  Andrews  was  born  in 
Canada  on  December  26,  1860,  and  when  he 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


was  but  little  over  eight  years  old  moved  with 
his  parents  to  Buena  Vista  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a  com- 
mon-school education.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  during  his  minority,  then  in  January, 
1882,  came  to  Colorado,  and  during  the  first 
twro  years  of  his  residence  in  this  state  worked 
with  a  pack  train  at  the  mines  near  Durango. 
He  then  became  a  range  rider  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  state,  and  in  this  employment  be- 
came thoroughly  familiar  with  the  stock  busi- 
ness in  every  detail  from  its  foundation 
through  all  the  gradations  of  its  interesting 
and  multiform  extension.  In  1885  he  moved 
into  Gunnison  county,  and  after  two  years  of 
faithful  and  efficient  work  on  ranches  for  other 
men,  bought  for  himself  the  one  on  which  he 
now  lives,  a  tract  of  raw  land  without  improve- 
ments of  any  kind  and  lying  in  its  state  of 
primeval  nature  as  it  had  for  uncounted  ages, 
a  portion  of  it  being  secured  on  a  desert  claim. 
He  set  to  work  diligently  to  make  it  habitable 
and  productive,  and  now  has  it  practically  all 
under  irrigation,  supplied  with  commodious 
and  comfortable  buildings  and  the  other  struc- 
tures necessary  for  his  business,  and  yielding 
annually  four  hundred  tons  of  good  hay.  On 
this  ranch  he  carries  on  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able cattle  industry,  owning  five  hundred  to  six 
hundred  first-rate  cattle  which  he  keeps  in  good 
condition  with  every  consideration  for  their 
comfort  and  the  maintenance  of  the  high  stand- 
ard his  output  has  in  the  markets.  It  may  be 
truthfully  said  that  his  prosperity  is  the  result 
of  his  own  industry 'and  thrift,  coupled  with  his 
business  capacity  and  knowledge  of  the  work  in 
which  he  is  engaged.  He  has  paddled  his  own 
canoe  from  his  early  manhood,  and  has  steadily 
advanced  it  through  troubled  waters  and  over 
dangers  until  it  is  fairly  afloat  on  the  smooth, 
pleasant  surface  of  a  large  and  well  sustained 
success.  Politically  he  is  independent,  and  fra- 
ternally is  connected  with  the  order  of  Odd 


Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at 
Gunnison.  As  a  citizen  he  is  well  esteemed 
and  one  of  the  men  to  be  depended  on  when- 
ever any  good  undertaking  is  on  foot  for  the 
improvement  of  his  county  or  the  comfort  and 
advantage  of  its  people.  On  February  14, 
1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Perkins, 
a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Kansas,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Eli  Perkins,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  that 
state.  They  have  two  children,  their  son  Ray 
R.  and  their  daughter  Mabel. 

JOHN  T.  PARLIN. 

John  T.  Parlin,  the  first  and  only  post- 
master at  the  village  of  Parlin,  Gunnison 
county,  which  was  named  in  his  honor  and  was 
the  second  postoffice  established  in  the  county, 
in  which  he  has  handled  the  mails  continuously 
for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  and  has  be- 
come thereby  the  oldest  postmaster  in  un- 
interrupted service  in  the  state,  was  born  at 
Norridgewock,  Maine,  on  February  12,  1832, 
and  is  the  son  of  Seth  and  Nancy  C.  (Tufts) 
Parlin,  both  natives  and  life-long  residents  of 
Maine,  where  they  both  died ;  the  mother  died 
in  1853.  They  had  a  family  of  four  children, 
of  whom  their  son  John  was  the  first  born  and 
is  the  only  one  living.  After  the  death  of.  his 
first  wife  the  father  married  again,  and  of  the 
second  union  three  daughters  were  born,  all 
of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Parlin  was  frugally 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  there  acquired 
habits  of  thrift  and  useful  industry  which  well 
fitted  him  for  the  stirring  scenes  and  trials  of 
his  later  life  on  the  wild  frontier  of  this  and 
other  states,  and  was  liberally  educated  in  good 
schools  at  Augusta  and  the  Waterville  Insti- 
tute in  his  native  state,  passing  four  years  at 
the  institute.  He  studied  medicine  a  year,  and 
in  1856,  at  the  end  of  that  period,  the  gold  ex- 
citement took  him  to  California  by  way  of  the 
isthmus  of  Panama,  the  trip  keeping  him 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


twenty-two  days  on  the  ocean  before  he  reached 
San  Francisco.  In  the  neighborhood  of  that 
city  he  worked  at  placer  mining  one  year  with- 
out success,  after  which  he  was  employed  in 
mines  for  wages  in  California  and  Nevada. 
He  next  passed  some  two  years  in  the  service 
of  water  companies  constructing  reservoirs  for 
the  mining  industries,  and  during  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  he  was 
employed  on  that  great  highway  as  foreman 
from  Newcastle  to  Truckee,  California,  spend- 
ing two  years  and  a  half  in  that  capacity.  In 
the  spring  of  1867  he  moved  to  the  Sierra 
valley  and  bought  a  ranch  which  he  sold  after 
living  and  working  on  it  four  years,  with  good 
financial  results.  His  next  venture  was  to  re- 
turn east  and  engage  in  the  live  stock  business 
in  western  Kansas ;  but  after  three  years  of  un- 
profitable operations  in  this  line  there,  he  came 
to  Colorado  in  1874  and  located  near  Laveta, 
Huerfano  county.  Here  he  again  engaged  in 
raising  stock  and  also  kept  a  hotel  for  three 
years.  In  June,  1877,  he  moved  to  Gunnison 
county  and  bought  a  squatter's  right  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  is  a  part 
of  his  present  ranch.  This  now  comprises 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  is'  well 
watered  from  the  Tomichi  and  Quartz  creeks, 
which  flow  through  it,  and  has  been  brought  to 
a  high  degree  of  fertility  and  well  improved 
with  good  buildings  and  other  structures  neces- 
sary to  its  proper  management.  He  is  one  of 
the  oldest  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  county, 
and  being  a  man  of  enterprise  with  a  genius 
for  improvements,  he  has  borne  his  full  share 
of  the  labor  and  cost  of  building  up  and  de- 
veloping the  section.  Two  years  after  his  lo- 
cation on  the  ranch  the  postoffice  of  Parin  was 
established,  the  second  in  the  county,  and  he 
was  appointed  postmaster,  an  office  which  he 
has  filled  ever  since.  He  has  also  kept  a  hotel 
from  the  time  ,of  his  arrival  on  the  ranch  until 


now,  having  it  on  the  main  stage  roads  of  the 
region  and  making  it  one  of  the  principal  stage 
stations  before  the  railroads  were  built 
through  here,  and  since  then  on  those  lines  of 
travel,  both  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Colorado  Southern  passing  through  his  ranch. 
On  the  place  he  cuts  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tons  of  good  hay  a  year  and  feeds  one  hundred 
cattle.  He  had  cattle  with  him  when  he  set- 
tled on  the  ranch  and  for  years  conducted  a 
profitable  dairy.  The  early-  days  of  his  resi- 
dence here  were  prolific  in  good  prices  for 
everything  he  raised  and  handled,  hay  being 
seldom  less  than  eighty  dollars  a  ton  and  often 
one  hundred  dollars.  The  times  were  flush 
and  the  travel  through  the  region  was  large, 
and  its  enterprise,  new  and  undeveloped  as  it 
was,  was  striking.  In  political  belief  Mr. 
Parlin  is  a  pronounced  Republican,  and  while 
he  is  not  a  hide-bound  partisan,  and  seeks 
neither  the  honors  nor  the  emoluments  of 
public  office,  he  has  taken  such  an  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  community,  that  he  on  one 
occasion  overbore  his  repugnance  to  official 
station  and  served  as  county  commissioner 
from  1878  to  1 88 1.  When  he  was  first  elected 
to  this  office  in  the  fall  of  1878  there  were  but 
ninety-two  voters  in  the  county.  He  also 
served  many  years  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  the 
sparseness  of  the  population  and  a  public  neces- 
sity seeming  to  require  this  service  of  him.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly  re- 
spected men  on  the  Western  slope,  and  in  all 
his  demeanor  in  public  and  private  life  he  has 
justified  the  confidence  and  esteem  which  he 
so  largely  enjoys.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  and 
the  Royal  Arch  chapter  at  Gunnison.  In  1866 
he  was  married  at  San  Francisco  to  Miss 
Nancy  C.  Gould,  a  native  of  Norridgewock, 
Maine.  They  have  five  children,  Ida,  Walter 
S.,  Robert  H.,  Frank  J.  and  Edna  M. 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


FRANK  E.  SONGER. 

Frank  E.  Songer,  the  present  capable,  oblig- 
ing and'  popular  postmaster  of  Crested  Butte, 
who  was  the  choice  of  a  large  membership  in 
his  party  for  the  position  because  of  his  recog- 
nized fitness  for  it  and  his  zeal,  efficiency  and 
constancy  in  party  service  for  many  years,  is 
a  native  of  Clay  county,  Illinois,  born  on  Janu- 
ary 14,  1861,  his  parents  being  John  and  Anna 
(Maudlin)  Songer,  the  former  born  in  Illinois 
and  the  latter  in  Indiana.  The  family  moved 
to  Colorado  in  1864,  among  the  earliest  settlers 
in  this  part  of  the  West,  and  here  the  father  is 
still  engaged  in  mining.  Their  son  Frank  was 
but  little  over  three  years  old  when  the  move  to 
this  state  was  made,  and  he  was  accordingly 
reared  on  its  soil  and  educated  in  its  public 
schools.  In  the  spring  of  1879  ne  moved  with 
his  parents  to  Gunnison  county,  where  they 
were  pioneers  and  where  the  mother  died  in 
1883,  the  home  being  at  Crested  Butte.  He 
mined  for  a  time  and  then  turned  his  attention 
to  teaming,  and  also  carried  the  United  States 
mails  between  Crested  Butte  and  Irwin  and 
Gothic  for  a  year.  In  November,  1903,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  Crested  Butte  and  has 
held  the  office  since  that  time,  performing  its 
duties  with  a  skill  and  assiduity  that  are  highly, 
creditable  to  him  and  generally  satisfactory  to 
the  patrons  of  the  office.  He  has  also  served 
the  community  well  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council.  In  political  faith  he  is  an  unwavering 
Republican,  always  active  and  effective  in  the 
service  of  his  party,  doing  yeoman  work  him- 
self and  stimulating  others  to  similar  efforts. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Master  Mason  with  charter 
membership  in  the  lodge  at  Crested  Butte,  of 
which  he  served  three  consecutive  terms  as  the 
worshipful  master,  and  belongs  to  the  Royal 
Arch  chapter  and  the  commandery  of  Knights 
Templar  at  Gunnison.  On  June  17,  1884,  he 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Levina  A. 


Swan,  a  native  of  Kittanning,  Pennsylvania, 
where  her  father  was  for  many  years  a  large 
manufacturer  of  brooms,  and  where  he  died, 
his  wife  soon  afterward  coming  with  her 
children  to  Colorado.  She  died  some  years 
ago  at  Hotchkiss,  Delta  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Songer  have  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living,  Mabel  F.,  Olive  M.,  Edgar  J.,  Cora 
K.,  Samuel  R.,  Marguerite  S.  and  Charles  C. 
Two  sons,  Elgin  M.  and  Arthur  T.,  died  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago.  Mr.  Songer  is  also  interested 
in  the  publication  of  the  Elk  Mountain  Pilot, 
the  oldest  newspaper  in  Gunnison  county.  His 
daughter,  Mabel,  is  the  associate  editor  and 
business  manager  of  the  paper,  and  performs 
her  part  of  the  work  in  a  manner  that  has  won 
her  general  commendation  as  a  bright,  ready 
and  resourceful  writer  and  a  capable  and  care- 
ful business  woman.  ' 

CHRISTIAN  J.  DIEL. 

Among  the  various  occupations  of  mankind 
there  is  scarcely  any  that  within  its  limits 
ministers  more  directly  and  specifically  to  the 
public  comfort  and  convenience  than  a  good 
hotel.  If  it  has  the  dignity  of  age  upon 'it,  it 
is  in  small  an  epitome  of  the  history  of  the 
community  in  which  it  is  located.  All  the 
lights  and  shades  of  the  life  around  it  are  re- 
flected in  its  own.  All  types  and  tides  of  people 
flow  through  its  corridors  from  time  to  time. 
Honored  men  and  winsome  ladies  sleep  beneath 
its  roof.  The  political  conference,  the  business 
interview  and  the  social  confab  find  shelter  be- 
hind its  doors.  The  caucus  whisper,  and  traf- 
fic's dark  intrigue,  shunning  the  open  air,  creep 
round  from  mouth  to  mouth  in  its  secluded 
chambers;  and  moist,  merry  men  use  it  for 
their  mirth  when  they  are  festive.  Such  a 
political,  business  and  social  center  was  the  Elk 
Mountain  House  at  Crested  Butte  under  the 
popular  management  of  Christian  J.  Diel,  it 


716 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


being  then  and  now  the  leading  and  most  at- 
tractive hostelry  of  the  place  and  much  patron- 
ized by  the  better  class  of  tourists  and  the 
general  public.  To  the  comforts  provided  by 
its  ample  rooms  and  artistic  furnishings  was 
added  the  gracious  savor  of  the  proprietor's 
pleasing  manner  and  hospitable  disposition. 
Mr.  Diel  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  at  Bad 
Ams  on  April  9,  1858,  and  the  son  of  Peter 
and  Margaret  (Auster)  Diel,  who  passed  their 
lives  in  that  country,  profitably  engaged  in 
farming.  They  had  four  sons,  all  of  whom 
are  living  in  Germany  but  the  subject  of  this 
review,  who  was  the  first  born  in  the  family. 
He  grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated  in  his 
native  land,  remaining  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-six.  In  May,  1886,  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  with 
thirty  dollars  in  money  and  his  clothes  his 
only  earthly  possessions.  There  he  worked  in 
the  coal  mines  a  year  and  in  1887  came  west  to 
Idaho,  and  during  the  next  three  months  was 
employed  in  the  mines  near  Silver  City,  that 
state.  On  September  8,  1887,  he  arrived  at 
Crested  Butte,  in  Gunnison  county,  this  state, 
and  soon  afterward  went  to  work  in  the  coal 
mines,  continuing  his  engagements  there  about 
three  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  acquired 
an  interest  in  a  furniture  store,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1890  rented  the  Elk  Mountain  Hotel  and 
became  one  of  its  proprietors,  being  in  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  O'Toole,  under  the  firm  name 
of  O'Toole  &  Diel.  He  bought  the  furniture 
in  the  house  in  1891,  and  in  1895  the  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  O'Toole  was  dissolved  and  he 
became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  hostelry. 
Four  years  later  he  bought  the  hotel  and  be- 
came its  sole  owner.  In  1901  he  refitted  and 
refurnished  it  throughout  and  conducted  it  as 
a  first-class  hotel  in  every  respect  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1904,  when  he  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits, selling  the  furniture  and  leasing  the  build- 


ing. He  owns  considerable  other  real  estate 
of  value  in  and  around  the  town  and  is  one  of 
the  substantial  men  of  the  community,  his  suc- 
cess being  due  entirely  to  his  own  industry, 
thrift  and  good  management.  Politically  he  is 
independent  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Colorado  Springs. 
On  October  19,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  Quinlisk,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her  father 
died  in  Kansas  where  her  mother  now  has  her 
home.-  Mr.  Diel  is  universally  recognized  as 
a  good  citizen  and  a  representative  man  of  his 
county,  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  classes 
of  its  people  with  whom  he  mingles. 

JOHN  A.  PORT. 

Pleasantly  located  on  a  small  fruit  and  a 
larger  grain  and  hay  ranch  about  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  west  of  Palisades,  Mesa  county,  and 
there  carrying  on  a  prosperous  fruit  and  gen- 
eral ranching  industry,  John  A.  Port  has  not 
miscalculated  his  chances  for  advancement  in 
a  worldly  way  in  this  part  of  Colorado,  but  has 
accepted  his  opportunities  with  the  determin- 
ation to  make  the  most  of  them,  which  he  has 
done.  He  is  a  native  of  Linn  county,  Iowa, 
born  on  January  20,  1868,  and  the  son  of  John 
and  Catherine  M.  (Armstrong)  Port,  the 
father  born  in  England  and  the  mother  in  the 
state  of  New  York.  Early  in  their  married  life 
they  moved  to  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  the 
father  died  in  1880  and  the  mother  is  now 
living.  Four  of  their  seven  children  are  living, 
of  whom  John  is  the  youngest.  He  remained 
at  home  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty,  then  after  working  two  years  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  his  native  state  as  a  carpenter, 
he  came  to  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1890,  where 
he  spent  five  years  in  the  employ  of  the  street 
car  company.  In  1895  he  moved  to  the  vicinity 
of  Palisades  and  bought  fifteen  acres  of  new 
land,  ten  acres  of  which  he  prepared  with  care 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


717 


and  set  out  in  fruit  trees  of  different  varieties, 
but  principally  in  peaches  and  apples.  Two 
years  later  he  planted  the  rest  of  the  tract  in 
fruit  of  the  same  kinds,  but  more  peaches  than 
anything  else.  In  1902  he  sold  five  acres  of 
this  place,  and  in  1903  he  realized  three  thou- 
sand two  hundred  dollars  from  the  fruit  raised 
on  the  other  ten.  He  has  also  bought  ad- 
ditional land  to  the  extent  of  one  hundred 
acres,  of  which  he  has  sold  twenty  acres  for 
two  thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  it  being 
raw  and  unimproved.  The  eighty  acres  which 
he  still  owns  of  this  parcel  are  worth  about 
twenty-eight  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars. 
On  January  6,  1896,  he  was  married  at  Denver, 
this  state,  to  Miss  Theresa  Callahan,  who  was 
born  in  England  in  1871,  and  three  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  Melvin  C.,  Dorothy 
W.  and  Katie  M.  Mrs.  Port's  parents  are 
Matthew  and  Winifred  C.  Callahan,  the  father 
born  in  Ireland  and  the  mother  in  England.  In 
politics  Mr.  Port  supports  the  Republican  party 
and  in  church  relations  he  and  his  wife  are 
Methodists.  He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
proceedings  of  his  camp  in  the  order.  Through- 
out the  section  in  which  he  lives  he  is  well 
thought  of  and  has  a  host  of  friends. 

ROBERT  J.  COFFEY. 

Robert  J.  Coffey,  of  Delta  county,  who 
lives  half  a  mile  northwest  of  the  town  of  the 
same  name  and  is  one  of  the  experimenting, 
progressive  and  successful  fruit-growers  of  the 
Western  slope,  giving  studious  attention  to  his 
business  at  all  times  and  seasons,  and  applying 
the  results  of  his  study  and  observation  in 
such  a  way  as  to  secure  the  largest  returns 
for  his  labor  and  intelligence.  He  was  born 
in  Cumberland  county.  Pennsylvania,  on  April 
14,  1839,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Eliza 
(Savage)  Coffey,  the  father  born  at  Wilming- 


ton, Delaware,  on  April  u,  1795,  and  the 
mother  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  on  October 
12,  1803.  They  both  moved  to  Pennsylvania 
in  childhood  with  their  parents,  and  in  that 
state  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
the  mother  dying  on  August  30,  1871,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight,  and  the  father  on  October  2, 
1878,  at  that  of  eighty-three.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  and  lumber  merchant,  and  owned 
and  operated  four  saw  mills.  Their  son  Rob- 
ert received  a  good  education,  remaining  at 
school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen. 
He  then  began  teaching  in  his  native  county 
and  continued  two  years.  The  Civil  war 
breaking  out  soon  after  the  end  of  that  period, 
he  gave  up  the  mercantile  business  in  which  he 
had  been  a  partner  for  about  one  year  and 
joined  the  Union  army  in  a  troop  of  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  volunteers  called  at  that 
time,  the  spring  of  1861,  the  Minute  Men  of 
the  Border.  This  troop  preserved  its  separate 
identity  until  the  fall  of  1861  and  was  then 
merged  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  in  which  Mr.  Coffey 
served  until  the  fall  of  1864,  when  he  went  into 
the  Two  Hundred  and  Second  Pennsylvania 
Infantry,  and  in  that  regiment  he  remained  to 
the  close  of  the  war. ,  The  regiment  was  at- 
tached to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  partici- 
pated in  more  than  twenty-eight  battles,  all 
the  leading  ones  in  which  that  great  fighting 
organization  took  part.  In  the  battle  of  Cold 
Harbor  his  troop  lost  over  one  thousand  one 
hundred  men.  After  the  war  Mr.  Coffey  re- 
turned to  his  Pennsylvania  home  and  taught 
a  term  of  school.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  en- 
gaged in  newspaper  work,  becoming  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Valley  Sentinel,  published  at 
Shippensburg.  He  conducted  this  paper  until 
1872,  at  which  time  he  sold  it  and  established 
another  in  the  same  town,  of  which  he  was  pro- 
prietor three  years.  In  1875  he  sold  the  sec- 
ond paper  and  moved  to  Lansing,  Michigan. 


7i8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


where  he  worked  for  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railroad  as  purchaser  of  timber 
until  the  spring  of  1888.  He  then  changed  his 
residence  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  established  a  paper  called  the  Eagle.  In  the 
same  fall  he  established  another  called  the 
Junction  City  Sentinel,  and  he  conducted  both 
until  April,  1890.  Then  selling  both,  he  came 
to  Colorado  on  a  visit  to  a  brother-in-law  in 
Delta  county.  '  He  was  so  well  pleased  with  the 
country  and  its  promise  of  future  growth  .that 
he  determined  to  remain.  He  started  the 
Labor,  a  newspaper  at  Delta,  which  he  man- 
aged for  a  year,  then  dropped  it  and  turned 
his  attention  to  raising  fruit,  taking  up  for  the 
purpose  the  forty  acres  of-  land  on  which  he 
now  lives.  This  was  the  last  camping  place 
of  the  Ute  Indians  before  they  left  their  reser- 
vation for  Utah,  and  on  it  they  spent  their 
last  night  in  this  section.  This  land  was  also 
the  tract  on  which  the  United  States  soldiers 
were  stationed  in  their  last  trouble  with  these 
Indians.  Two  of  them  were  killed  and  buried 
on  this  land,  and  Mr.  Coffey  gives  their  graves 
careful  attention.  He  took  up  this  land  in  the 
autumn  of  1890,  cleared  it  of  the  timber  which 
then  covered  it,  and  in  1893  set  out  one  hundred 
fruit  trees.  Since  then  he  has  planted  twenty 
acres  in  fruit,  making  first  careful  experiments 
as  to  what  variety  are  best  adapted  to  the  soil 
and  clmate  of  this  section.  He  has  now  so 
many  trees  that  he  can  hardly  make  a  fair 
estimate  of  what  his  yield  will  be  when  all 
are  in  good  bearing  order.  But  he  has  a  good 
orchard  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  wisest 
and  most  judicious  fruit  men  in  the  county.  On 
September  12,  1866,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  E.  Brown,  a  native  of 
Elmira,  New  York,  born  on  February  15,  1841. 
Her  parents  were  Daniel  %D.  and  Mary  L. 
(Bulklin)  Brown,  who  were  born  in  New  York 
state.  The  father  died  on  September  8,  1851. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coffey  have  had  four  children. 


Fannie  L.  and  Rena  J.,  who  are  deceased, 
and  Mary  E.  and  Daisy  L.,  who  are  living.  In 
politics  Mr.  Coffey  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  fra- 
ternal circles  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order, 
the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Red  Men  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  has  been  a  prominent  and  pro- 
gressive man  in  several  states,  and  his  record 
appears  in  Bates's  History  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  History  of  Cumberland  County  in  that 
state,  the  History  of  Medina  County,  Ohio,  a 
History  of  Michigan  published  in  1887,  and  a 
History  of  Kansas  published  about  1889. 

CARL  DOUGHTY. 

Farm  hand,  mechanic,  clerk  and  book- 
keeper, and  ranchman.  Carl  Doughty,  of  Delta 
county,  Colorado,  has  tried  his  powers  in  a 
variety  of  occupations  in  different  states  and 
has  won  success  of  greater  or  less  degree  in  all. 
He  was  born  on  September  n,  1864,  in  Pepin 
county,  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Chris- 
tiana (Cook)  Doughty,  the  former  a  native  of 
Long  Island,  New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
The  father  was  a  wagonmaker  and  worked  at 
his  trade  from  his  young  manhood  until  1894. 
tie  found  it  a  profitable  occupation  during  the 
whole  of  his  residence  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
and  his  wife  settled  soon  after  their  marriage. 
The  son  remained  at  home  until  he  was  fifteen 
and  received  a  good  public-school  education. 
In  1879  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  becoming 
a  hired  hand  on  farms  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  home,  and  continuing  at  this  occupation 
until  1890.  He  then  went  into  a  flour  mill  to 
learn  the  trade  of  milling,  the  mill  being  lo- 
cated in  South  Dakota.  After  passing  five 
years  in  the  business  and  mastering  every  detail 
of  the  craft,  in  1895  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
took  up  a  ranch  in  Delta  county.  On  this  he 
spent  a  year  in  hard  work,  improving  the 
property  and  preparing  the  land  for  cultivation, 
then  went  into  the  mountains  as  a  time  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


719 


bookkeeper  for  a  large  lumber  and  mercantile 
company.  He  remained  with  the  company  two 
years,  and  in  1898  returned  to  his  ranch  on 
which  he  has  since  resided  and  employed  his 
energies.  It  comprises  eighty  acres,  the 
greater  part  being  under  cultivation.  Here  he 
raises  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables 
for  market  and  runs  a  large  herd  of  cattle.  His 
business  is  well  conducted  and  vigorously 
pushed  for  the  best  results,  and  Mr.  Doughty 
finds  it  steadily  growing  in  magnitude  and  in- 
creasing in  profit.  On  February  9,  1895,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Addie  L.  Gil- 
bert, a  native  of  Olmstead  county,  Minnesota, 
the  daughter  of  O.  D.  and  Cornelia  (Saxton) 
Gilbert,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  the 
state  of  New  York  and  moved  to  Minnesota 
when  young,  and  came  to  Colorado  later.  The 
mother  died  in  this  state  on  February  2,  1901, 
and  the  father  is  still  living  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Doughty  have  one  child,  their  son  Gilbert  H., 
now  (March,  1904)  nine  months  old.  Mr. 
Doughty  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  in  fraternal  life. 
He  has  given  much  time  and  effort  to  the  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  the  section 
in  which  he  lives,  and  is  accounted  one  of  the 
reliable  and  useful  citizens  of  his  part  of  Delta 
county. 

CHARLES  C.  CHRISTIE. 

This  industrious,  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive ranch  and  stock  man  of  Montrose  has 
passed  almost  the  whole  of  his  life  on  the 
frontier  and  has  aided  in  the  development  and 
improvement  of  two  or  three  portions  of  the 
country  in  an  efficient  and  serviceable  way.  He 
was  born  in  Daviess  county  in  northwestern 
Missouri  on  December  12,  1859,  and  there  he 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  thirteen,  when  he  left 
home  and  went  to  work  for  himself  as  a  farm 
hand  in  Harrison  county  adjoining  his  native 
one  on  the  north.  His  parents  were  Henry  B. 


and  Martha  E.  (Burton)  Christie,  the  former 
born  in  Kentucky  on  June  2,   1839,  and  tne 
latter  in  the  same  state  on  August  21,  1843. 
The  father  was  brought  to  Missouri  at  the  age 
of  ten,  and  after  he  grew  to  manhood  he  taught 
school  in  the  winter  and  farmed  in  the  summer 
for  a  number  of  years.     He  has  retired  from 
active  pursuits  with  a  good  estate  and  is  now 
living    in    the    town    of    Hampton,    Missouri. 
Twelve  children  were  born  in  the  family,  of 
whom-  nine  are  living,  three  of  them  in  Mont- 
rose  county,  this  state.     Charles  left  home  in 
1872,   when  he  was  but  thirteen,  and  began 
making  his  own  living  working  for  wages  on 
farms  in  Harrison  county,  in  his  native  state, 
where  he  remained  until  1888.    Then,  in  com- 
pany with  a  party  having  five  teams,  he  came 
overland  to  Colorado  and  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Olathe.     In   1890  he  bought  the  place  on 
which  he  now  lives,  which  he  had  previously 
rented  for  two  years.    This  is  favorably  located 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  west  of  Olathe  and  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.    He  has  an 
acre  and  a  half  in  fruit  and  produces  some  of 
the  best  of  this  commodity  raised  in  the  county, 
but  his  enterprise  in  this  line  is  only  for  his  own 
use.     His  principal  crops  are  grain  and  hay, 
and  these  he  produces  in  abundance  and  first- 
class  condition.    He  also  raises  large  quantities 
of  potatoes,  to  which  the  soil  of  his  farm  seems 
well  adapted.     Mr.  Christie  has  been  a  fanner 
all   his   life  and  makes  no  pretention  to  ex- 
tensive learning  outside  of  his  business.     He 
knows  that  well,  however,  and  he  applies  to  its 
operations  the  knowledge  he  has,  conducting 
them  with  skill  and  wisdom,  and  securing  the 
best  results  in  his  efforts.     He  carries  on  a 
general  farming  industry  and  also  has  a  herd  of 
good  cattle  on  the  hills  in  summer  which  are 
properly   sheltered   and   cared   for  in   winter. 
When  he  moved  into  this  locality  the  house  in 
which  he  now  lives  was  the  only  frame  building 
in  the   valley,   the  others  being  all  rude  log 


720 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


cabins.  To  the  development  and  improvement 
of  the  section  he  has  given  ready  and  efficient 
aid,  and  its  present  state  of  advancement  is 
largely  due  to  his  work  and  the  stimulus  of 
his  example  on  others.  On  February  22,  1872, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Spiers,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Bell)  Spiers,  of  that  state,  and  a  sister  of 
Jacob  Z.  Spiers,  in  whose  sketch  on  another 
page  of  this  work  the  family  history  is  re- 
corded. In  the  Christie  family  three  children 
have  been  born.  The  oldest  is  nineteen  years 
of  age  and  the  youngest  fifteen.  Mr.  Christie 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  He  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in  political 
allegiance,  and  has  served  his  party  well  in 
public  office  and  his  private  station.  He  was 
general  road  overseer  two  years  and  has  been 
school  director  six.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
trustees  of  his  church. 

AMOS  E.  WALTHER. 

Banker  and  stock-grower,  Amos  E.  Wal- 
ther, of  Ouray  county,  has  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  development  of  this  portion  of  the 
state,  and  by  his  own  energies  and  business 
capacity  is  just  at  the  beginning  of  what 
promises  to  be  an  active  and  useful  career, 
having  passed  the  period  when  a  desperate 
struggle  for  maintenance  sharpens  the  faculties 
and  calls  for  the  expenditure  of  all  the  vital 
forces  in  reaching  and  securing  a  foot-hold  and 
establishing  himself  well  and  worthily  in  the 
confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  Mr.  Walther  is 
a  pioneer  of  1872  in  Colorado,  having  come 
with  his  parents  to  this  state  when  but  eight 
years  old.  He  was  born  at  Hoboken,  New  Jer- 
sey, on  August  14,  1864,  and  shortly  there- 
after his  parents  moved  to  Syracuse,  New 
York.  He  is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary 
(Amos)  Walther,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 


On  account  of  the  ill  health  of  the  father,  the 
family  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  in  Den- 
ver in  1872,  where  the  father  was  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  until  1877,  wrhen  he  was 
compelled  to  retire  on  account  of  ill  health,  and 
died  in  1895.  Their  son  Amos  received  a 
public  school  education  in  Denver,  which 
terminated  in"  1878,  and,  leaving  Denver  in 
1879,  he  accepted  a  government  position  at 
the  Uintah  Indian  agency,  Utah,  following  the 
removal  of  the  White  River  Indians  from  Colo- 
rado.' In  1883  he  came  to  Montrose  county 
and  was  engaged  in  placer  mining  on  the  lower 
San  Miguel  river.  He  came  to  Ouray  in  the 
spring  of  1884  and  during  the  four  years  fol- 
lowing was  engaged  in  various  occupations ;  in 
1888  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Miners  & 
Merchants'  Bank  of  Ouray  and  severed  his 
connection  with  that  institution  in  1891  to  ac- 
cept the  position  as  cashier  of  the  Bank  of 

.  Ridgway  in  the  then  new  town  of  Ridgway, 
ten  miles  north  of  Ouray.  This  position  he 
held  until  1901,  at  which  time  he  purchased  the 
bank  and  has  since  been  its  owner,  controlling 
spirit  and  inspiration.  He  also  owns  large 
herds  of  a  superior  grade  of  cattle,  several  fine 
ranches  and  is  interested  in  valuable  mining 
properties  and  real  estate.  Successful  in  all 
his  ventures,  he  is  attentive  to  the  wants  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  devotes 
his  time  and  energy  to  the  promotion  of  its 
best  interests.  He  may  be  said  to  be  entirely  a 
self-made  man,  with  all  his  acquisitions  as  the 
fruits  of  his  earnest  labor,  thrift  and  business 
acumen.  On  November  8,  1891,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Louise  A.  Corbett,  a 
native  of  California  and  daughter  of  Miles  S. 
Corbett,  an  Ouray  county  pioneer  of  1878. 
Their  offspring  numbers  one,  a  daughter, 

1  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  at  Ridgway  on 
August  25,  1892.  Mr.  Walther  served  five 
years  in  the  Colorado  state  militia  and  in  the 
service  was  promoted  to  corporal  and  after- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


721 


ward  to  sergeant,  being  discharged  at  the  end 
of  his  term  with  the  latter  rank.  In  this  line 
of  duty,  as  in  all  others,  he  was  faithful  and 
capable,  omitting  no  effort  necessary  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  cause  with  which  he  was  in 
sympathy  and  doing  his  part  at  all  times  with 
his  utmost  skill  and  energy.  He  is  one  of  the 
substantial,  progressive  arid  enterprising  men 
of  the  county  and  the  general  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  demonstrates  that  his  qualities  of 
manhood  and  his  public  spirit  are  highly  ap- 
preciated by  his  fellow  citizens  of  every  grade 
and  condition. 

SAMUEL  JAY. 

Samuel  Jay,  of  Delta  county,  living  one 
mile  and  a  half  west  of  Cory,  one  of  the 
prosperous  and  enterprising  fruit-growers  of 
the  county,  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  on 
August  29,  1835.  His  father,  Isaac  Jay,  was 
a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Ruth  Jay,  of  Ohio. 
Her  father  was  a  distant  relative  of  her  hus- 
band, and  the  various  and  distant  places  of 
birth  of  the  son  and  his  parents  furnish  a 
forcible  illustration  of  the  harmony  of  the 
American  people  and  the  facility  with  which  the 
different  sections  mingle  and  enter  into  a  com- 
munity of  effort  in  the  industries  of  the  coun- 
try. Mr.  Jay's  parents  were  farmers  who  set- 
tled in  Henry  county,  Iowa,  in  1840,  at  a  time 
when  there  were  but  few  families  in  that  now 
populous  and  progressive  county.  Mount 
Pleasant,  now  a  thriving  little  city  of  some  five 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  then  a  straggling 
village  and  the  largest  town  in  the  county. 
Indians  were  still  numerous  in  the  region,  but 
they  were  peaceable  and  the  new  settlers  had 
no  trouble  with  them.  The  parents  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  there,  the  father's  end- 
ing in  1857.  There  were  five  children  in  the 
family.  The  only  son  besides  Samuel  died 
46 


about  the  same  time  as  his  father,  and  the 
management  of  the  farm  fell  to  the  lot  of 
Samuel.  He  remained  with  his  mother  until 
April,  1863,  then  near  the  end  of  that  month 
started  with  an  ox  team  for  Denver,  this  state, 
where  he  arrived  on  June  2oth  following. 
The  tedious  and  trying  trip  across  the  plains 
was  devoid  of  incident  worthy  of  special  men- 
tion. There  were  large  numbers  of  Indians 
and  buffalo  on  the  plains,  but  the.  train  was 
not  disturbed  by  either.  On  his  arrival  at  Den- 
ver Mr.  Jay  bought  some  town  lots  and  built 
a  boarding  house  on  them  which  he  conducted 
until  the  next  spring,  when  he  moved  to  the 
Arkansas  river  below  Pueblo.  Here  he  rented 
a  ranch  and  farmed  it  until  Christmas  day 
1864,  when  the  family  started  with  a  four- 
horse  team  for  Denver.  They  left  this  city 
on  January  i,  1865,  on  their  way  to  Iowa,  and 
reached  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  on  the  last 
day  of  the  month.  Indians  attacked  parties 
before  and  behind  them,  and  they  also  lost  five 
men  of  their  party  through  savage  fury.  Mr. 
Jay  went  from  Nebraska  City  to  Kansas,  sold 
his  stock  and  team,  and  then  proceeded  to  his 
old  home  in  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until 
1870.  In  that  year  he  returned  to  Kansas, 
taking  a  saw-mill  with  him,  and  in  that  state 
he  located  a  pre-emption  claim  on  which  he 
farmed  and  ran  his  saw-mill  until  1875.  He 
then  came  again  to  Colorado,  and  during  the 
next  seven  years  he  mined  and  prospected  at 
and  near  Leadville.  In  1882  he  moved  to 
Sargents,  near  Marshall  pass,  and  in  1885  to 
Dallas.  There  he  conducted  a  hotel  until 
the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1890. 
after  which  he  passed  five  years  on  a  ranch 
in  the  neighborhood.  In  1895  he  moved  to  his 
present  ranch,  then  wholly  wild  and  unim- 
proved. It  comprises  ten  acres,  all  of  which 
he  planted  in  fruit  trees  the  second  year  after 
his  arrival,  and  he  now  has  an  excellent  orch- 
ard just  in  the  first  vigor  of  its  first  maturity 


722 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  productiveness.  On  April  10,  1859,  Mr. 
Jay  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Ann  Harper, 
the  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Ann  (Davis) 
Harper,  all  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  parents 
moved  to  Ohio  in  1843,  and  ten  years  later  to 
Iowa,  where  the  father  died  on  November  18, 
1854,  and  the  mother  on  February  7,  1890. 
Five  of  their  six  children  are  living.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jay  have  had  nine  children,  Elisha  H., 
Annie  C,  Etta  C,  Sidney  S.,  Ruth  A.,  Wil- 
liam D.,  Ethan  A.,  Minnie  and  Lida  E.  Three 
of  the  daughters  and  all  of  the  sons  are  living. 
All  are  residents  of  Colorado  and  have  their 
homes  near  that  of  their  parents.  In  political 
conviction  Mr.  Jay  is  a  Socialist,  but  he  is  not 
an  active  partisan  although  taking  a  leading 
part  in  many  local  interests  and  the  advance- 
ment and  improvement  of  his  community. 

GEORGE  W.  MILLER. 

George  W.  Miller,  of  Hotchkiss,  who  since 
November  19,  1903,  has  been  the  dutiful  and 
attentive  postmaster  of  the  town,  and  was  for 
many  years  prior  to  that  time  one  of  the  active 
and  progressive  promoters  of  the  state's  in- 
terests in  a  number  of  commendable  ways,  was 
born  in  Delaware  county,  New  York,  on  May 
19,  1842.  He  is  a  brother  of  Charles  R.  Mil- 
ler, of  near  Hotchkiss,  a  sketch  of  whom  will 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  the  son 
of  Putnam  G.  and  Margaret  (Roff)  Miller,  na- 
tives of  the  same  county  as  himself.  In  1854 
they  moved  to  Iowa,  and  years  afterward  they 
died  there.  In  1861,  when  he  was  but  eighteen 
years  of  age,  Mr.  Miller  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  for  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  H,  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry,  his  regi- 
ment later  becoming  the  veteran  of  the  army,  it 
being  the  first  to  re-enlist  at  the  end  of  its  first 
term.  It  was  first  under  the  command  of  Col. 
A.  B.  Porter  and  later  under  that  of  Col.  Ed- 
ward F.  Winslow.  The  command  formed  a 


part  of  General  Grant's  army  at  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  in  1864  was  with  Sherman.  Mr. 
Miller  was  taken  prisoner  on  October  n,  1862, 
and  kept  in  captivity  about  three  weeks.  He 
was  then  under  parole  three  months  before  he 
was  exchanged.  In  a  desperate  charge  his 
horse  fell  with  him  and  seriously  crippled  him, 
but  this  diet"  not  keep  him  from  again  seeking 
active  service.  In  August,  1865,  he  received 
an  honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  1872. 
He  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  Clear 
Creek  county  for  a  short  time,  being  engaged 
in  mining.  In  the  summer  of  1876  he  was  in 
the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  while  that 
region  was  at  the  height  of  its  boom  and  min- 
ing excitement,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  re- 
turned again  to  Iowa,  remaining  until  the  fall 
of  1880,  when  he  came  back  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Pitkin,  where  he  passed  the  time 
until  1883  in  mining.  In  that  year  he  made 
another  visit  to  Iowa  and  Dakota,  and  again 
in  the  fall  becoming  a  resident  of  this  state 
located  in  Delta  county,  where  he  started  an 
enterprise  in  ranching  and  raising  stock,  which 
he  conducted  until  1891,  then  opened  a  drug 
store  at  Hotchkiss  and  included  an  extensive 
line  of  harness  in  his  stock,  but  still  retained 
his  ranch  of  forty-five  acres  adjoining  the 
town,  of  which  he  has  twenty  acres  in  fruit. 
In  the  spring  of  1900  he  sold  his  store  and 
devoted  his  time  to  his  ranch  thereafter  until 
November  19,  1903,  when  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Hotchkiss,  an  office  he  is  still 
filling  capably  and  with  satisfaction  to  its  pa- 
trons. His  ranch  was  raw  land  when  he  bought 
it  in  1891,  and  the  improvements  he  has  made 
on  the  first  purchase  and  an  additional  forty 
acres  which  he  pre-empted  in  1893,  are  all  the 
result  of  his  own  enterprise  and  well  applied 
industry,  making  the  property  into  one  of  the 
best  fruit  ranches  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Miller  was  married  on  September  2,  1866, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


723 


to  Miss  Mary  Mead,  a  native  of  Rockford,  Illi- 
nois. Some  years  after  her  birth  her  parents 
moved  to  Chickasaw  county,  Iowa,  where  the 
mother  died  and  the  father  is  still  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller  have  three  children,  Gertrude, 
Harry  and  C.  Lloyd,  all  living  in  Colorado. 
The  head  of  the  house  belongs  to  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  is  a  Republican  in. 
politics,  though  seldom  an  active  partisan. 

BARNEY  McQUAID. 

Born  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1837, 
and  remaining  there  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
sixteen,  then  shipping  on  a  freighting  vessel 
for  New  York  and  following  the  sea  three 
years,  in  which  he  visited  many  parts  of  the 
world  and  went  to  California  by  way  of  the 
isthmus  of  Panama,  and  after  that  locating  at 
California  gulch  in  this  state  when  the  whole 
country  was  new  and  wild,  Barney  McQuaid 
has  had  many  thrilling  adventures  and  interest- 
ing experiences  in  his  eventful  career  and  is  full 
of  entertaining  reminiscences  of  them.  But  he 
is  no  idle  story  teller.  He  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  citizens  of  Chaffee 
county,  actively  and  profitably  engaged  in  the 
great  cattle  industry  of  the  state  and  still  con- 
nected in  a  promising  way  with  its  mining  in- 
dustry. He  arrived  at  San  Francisco  in  1861 
and,  determining  then  to  quit  the  sea,  left  his 
vessel  and  went  to  the  southern  part  of  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  passed  six  years  busily  en- 
gaged in  mining  with  fair  success.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  he  came  to  this  state  and,  locat- 
ing at  California  gulch,  continued  his  mining 
operations  three  years  longer.  In  1873  he 
bought  his  present  ranch,  which  is  four  miles 
and  a  half  southeast  of  Buena  Vista,  and  which 
was  at  the  time  of  his  purchase  all  wild  and 
unimproved.  He  and  others  in  the  neighbor- 
hood arranged  to  irrigate  their  lands  from  the 
waters  of  Cottonwoocl  creek,  and  did  so  for 


some  years.  Then  the  development  of  the 
country  requiring  a  greater  supply  of  water, 
they  dammed  the  Arkansas  and  got  a  plentiful 
supply  from  that  river.  This  has  made  it  pos- 
sible to  cultivate  the  region  extensively  and  the 
enterprise  of  its  occupants  has  made  it  blossom 
as  the  rose.  Mr.  McQuaid,  who  is  one  of  the 
oldest  settlers  in  the  section,  has  one  of  the 
best  and  most  highly  improved  ranches  there, 
and  his  example  and  influence  have  been  poten- 
tial for  good  in  the  development  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  He  is  a  public-spirited  and 
progressive  citizen,  and  always  foremost  in  any 
good  undertaking  for  the  advantage  of  his 
community;  but  he  has  never  been  active  in 
political  affairs  as  a  partisan,  although  support- 
ing loyally  the  Democratic  party  in  all  its  cam- 
paigns. He  was  married  in  1861,  at  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  to  Miss  Adelaide  Starr,  a  native 
of  Ireland.  The  marriage  occurred  in  the 
morning,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day 
they  boarded  the  vessel  for  the  Pacific  by  way 
of  the  isthmus,  making  their  wedding  trip  on 
the  two  great  oceans.  They  have  had  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living:  Rosa  (Mrs. 
Welch)  ;  Thomas,  who  is  engaged  in  raising 
stock  in  Park  county;  Alice  (Mrs.  McGuire)  ; 
Maggie  (Mrs.  Luney)  ;  and  Mack,  who  lives 
in  New  Mexico  and  is  in  the  cattle  industry. 
A  son  named  Andrew  is  deceased  and  two 
other  children  who  passed  away  in  infancy. 

HUGH  MAHON. 

Hugh  Mahon,  of  Chaffee  county,  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  ranch 
and  cattle  men  of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  for 
many  years  an  active  and  effective  worker  in 
the  cause  of  the  Democratic  party  in  Colorado, 
whose  fine  ranch  on  Cottonwood  creek,  one 
mile  west  of  Buena  Vista,  is  one  of  the  best  in 
that  valley,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  July  16, 
1831,  in  Kings  county.  He  remained  in  his  na- 


724 


tive  land  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen, 
then  came  to  the  United  States.  Meeting  with 
an  accident  soon  after  his  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try, the  greater  part  of  his  first  year  was 
passed  in  a  hospital.  After  his  recovery  he 
went  to  New  Orleans,  and  two  years  later  lo- 
cated at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  did 
grading  and  other  work  under  contract  with 
the  railroads,  remaining  in  this  business  nine 
years  and  having  a  number  of  contracts  during 
the  Civil  war.  Here  he  also  had  a  brick  yard 
from  which  he  carried  on  an  active  and  exten- 
sive trade.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  moved 
to  California  gulch,  this  state,  which  was  then 
a  new  mining  country,  but  busy  \vith  placer 
mining  only.  He  took  his  turn  at  mining,  and 
buying  a  herd  of  Jersey  cattle,  also  conducted  a 
dairy.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he  came  into 
the  Arkansas  valley,  and  after  looking  it  over, 
located  on  his  present  ranch  and  started  the 
industry  he  now  conducts  in  raising  cattle  and 
horses.  In  addition  to  this  he  passed  some 
years  freighting  between  the  city  of  Denver 
and  Cache  creek  and  California  gulch.  He  has 
never  abandoned  his  interest  in  the  mining  in- 
dustry, however,  and  still  owns  a  num- 
ber of  claims  in  promising  properties. 
His  ranch,  which  is  his  chief  business 
concern,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  valley 
and  is ,  managed  with  every  consideration 
for  securing  the  most  desirable  returns  for  the 
labor  and  care  expended  on  it.  Politically  Mr 
Mahon  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  has  always 
taken  an,  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  party. 
In  the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  this  sec- 
tion it  was  all  Lake  county,  and  large  as  the 
domain  was  he  campaigned  all  over  it  many 
times  in  the  interest  of  his  political  faith.  In 
1863,  the  year  of  his  arrival  at  California 
gulch,  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  serving 
one  term.  Aftenvard  he  was  elected  county 
coroner,  and  served  one  term  as  county  road 
overseer.  During  his  service  as  coroner  there 


were  two  strong  factions  fighting  for  suprem- 
acy in  Lake  county  and  he  was  kept  busy  with 
his  official  duties,  as  there  were  many  deaths 
on  account  of  the  feuds  and  consequent  strife. 
He  has  also  served  many  years  on  the  district 
school  board  and  was  deputy  sheriff  of  the 
county.  He  is  a  man  of  active  public-spirit  'and 
breadth  of  view  in  reference  to  public  prog- 
ress and  the  general  weal,  and  has  aided  the 
development  of  his  section  at  all  times  and  by 
all  proper  means  at  his  command.  In  April, 
1860,  he  was  married  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
to  Miss  Mary  Whalen,  a  native  of  Ireland. 
They  had  fourteen  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  living.  She  died  in  1883,  and  in  July  of 
that  year  Mr.  Mahon  married  a  second  wife. 
Miss  Ellen  Shine,  also  born  in  Ireland.  They 
have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. 

L.  C.  ELLINGTON. 

Fortunate  in  a  large  measure  in  the  charac- 
ter of  her  soil  and  the  conditions  of  life  upon  it 
after  it  became  somewhat  settled  and  developed, 
and  rich  in  nature's  bounty  in  every  way,  Col- 
orado is  scarcely  less  highly  favored  in  the 
character  of  her  early  settlers,  the  men  of  brain 
and  brawn  who  accepted  nature's  tender  in 
good  faith  and  went  to  work  to  build  up  the  em- 
pire here  which  was  \vaiting  for  their  enterprise 
and  foresight  to  call  it  into  being  and  deck  it 
with  all  the  concomitants  of  cultivated  life. 
Among  the  men  who  came  into  the  state  early 
and  turned  their  attention  to  the  development 
of  its  resources,  was  L.  C.  Ellington,  who  is 
now  one  of  the  leading  and  representative  citi- 
zens of  Delta  county,  where  he  has  an  excel- 
lent ranch  of  eighty  acres,  four  miles  and  a  half 
northwest  of  Hotchkiss,  on  which  he  has  a 
flourishing  orchard  of  forty-five  acres  of  su- 
perior fruit  and  ten  acres  of  alfalfa  from  which 
he  gets  fine  crops  of  first-class  hay,  averaging 
about  six  tons  to  the  acre  and  worth  five  dol- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


725 


lars  a  ton.  He  is  also  engaged  extensively  in 
dairying  and  the  cattle  industry,  producing 
large  quantities  of  butter  for  market  and  rais- 
ing numbers  of  the  best  cattle.  Mr.  Ellington 
was  born  in  Platte  county,  Missouri,  on  August 
19,  1848,  the  son  of  Alpheus  and  Tabitha  (Old- 
ham)  Ellington,  who  were  born  in  Kentucky 
and  came  to  live  in  Colorado  in  1865.  Mr.  El- 
lington, their  son,  began  his  business  career  in 
1871  as  a  cattle  man  in  El  Paso  county,  this 
state,  on  the  frontier,  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  then  moved  to  White  Pine,  Gunnison 
county,  where  for  eight  years  he  carried  on  a 
livery  business  and  did  some  mining.  In  1888 
he  moved  to  Colorado  Springs,  and  during  the 
next  two  years  was  engaged  in  the  transfer 
business  there.  Then  losing  his  health,  he 
sold  his  outfit  and  bought  the  ranch  on  which 
he  has  since  had  his  home.  This  comprises 
eighty  acres,  with  forty-five  in  fruit,  all  in  good 
bearing  condition  and  very  profitable,  yielding 
an  annual  revenue  of  about  $300  an  acre.  He 
also  has  ten  acres,  bountiful  in  alfalfa,  from 
which  he  gets  nearly  enough  hay  for  his  cattle, 
and  in  addition  conducts,  as  has  been  stated,  a 
flourishing  dairy  business.  On  September  13, 
1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  Terrell,  a 
native  of  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Amos  H.  and 
Mary  T.  (Hutchins)  Terrell,  who  were  also 
born  in  Iowa.  The  father  was  a  cattle  man, 
and  died  in  1903  at  Colorado  Springs,  this 
state,  where  the  mother  is  now  living.  Mr.  El- 
lington was  one  of  eleven  children  born  to  his 
parents,  and  his  wife  was  one  of  three  born  to 
hers.  They  have  had  three  of  their  own,  two 
of  whom  are  living,  Rollin  T.  and  Alva  E. 
Their  father  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
1891  he  built  the  first  irrigating  reservoir  ever 
put  up  in  this  part  of  the  country.  This  was 
the  Miller  reservoir  and  he  afterward  built  the 
Crater  reservoir,  being  the  pioneer  in  construc- 
tions of  the  kind  here.  He  has  since  sold  his 


interest  in  one  of  these  for  the  sum  of  one 
thousand  six  hundred  dollars.  Always  enter- 
prising and  public-spirited,  he  has  borne  his 
full  share  of  labor  and  care  in  helping  to  de- 
velop the  country,  and  stands  well  in  the  re- 
gard of  the  people  in  consequence. 

JOHN  SMITH  HALSEY,  JR. 

John  Smith  Halsey,  Jr.,  the  younger  of  the 
two  living  sons  of  John  Smith  Halsey,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  young 
business  men  of  Chaffee  county,  Colorado,  was 
born  at  Swatow,  China,  on  May  16,  1873.  He 
was  a  boy  of  about  eight  years  old  when  the 
family  located  at  Buena  Vista,  and  he  received 
his  early  education  in  that  town,  his  father  em- 
ploying a  tutor  for  his  two  sons.  He  afterward 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  later  a  college 
at  Faribault,  Minnesota.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  was  for  two  years  a  student  at  the 
Golden  (Colorado)  School  of  Mines.  He  then 
became  interested  in  the  mining  industry,  open- 
ing an  assay  office  at  Buena  Vista.  In  the 
spring  of  1898  he  went  to  old  Mexico  and  dur- 
ing the  next  three  years,  or  nearly  that  period, 
was  in  the  employ  of  a  mining  company  near 
the  city  of  Mexico,  returning  to  Buena  Vista 
in  the  fall  of  1900.  After  the  death  of  his 
mother  he  was  associated  with  his  brother  in 
the  drug  trade  until  in  the  division  of  his 
father's  estate  the  drug  store  was  assigned  to 
his  brother.  He  then  bought  the  book  and 
stationery  store  which  he  is  now  keeping.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Halsey  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Elks,  with  membership  in  the  lodge  of  the 
order  at  Leadville.  On  August  30,  1901,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  E. 
Ryan,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  the  marriage  tak- 
ing place  at  Leadville.  Mr.  Halsey  has  in- 
herited in  a  large  measure  the  energy  and  pub- 
lic-spirit of  his  father,  and  is  always  ready  to 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


do  his  part  in  any  undertaking  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  community  in  any  commendable 
way.  He  is  recognized  as  a  young  man  of 
force  and  capacity,  and  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  throughout  the  county. 

JOHN  SMITH  HALSEY. 

The  late  John  Smith  Halsey,  of  Buena 
Vista,  Chaffee  county,  who  was  one  of  the 
leading  mining  men  of  central  Colorado,  had 
an  eventful  and  interesting  career.  Four 
times  he  journeyed  around  the  world, 
passed  many  years  in  the  customs  service  of  a 
foreign  country,  and  declined  citizenship  with 
the  emoluments  of  a  high  official  station  in 
another.  Some  of  his  children  were  born  in 
China,  and  with  him  and  his  wife  saw  many 
parts  of  the  globe.  He  located  in  the  central 
part  of  this  state  when  it  was  largely  wild  and 
unsettled,  and  he  bravely  bore  his  part  in 
bringing  about  its  settlement  and  civilization, 
and  in  developing  its  resources  and  making 
them  help  to  swell  the  tides  of  industrial  and 
commercial  life.  Mr.  Halsey  was  born  in  1830 
at  Greene,  Chenango  county,  New  York,  and 
passed  his  boyhood  days  there  on  his  father's 
farm,  remaining  at  home  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  eighteen,  and  getting  his  education  at 
the  district  schools  in  the  neighborhood.  Filled 
from  childhood  with  a  desire  to  go  abroad  and 
'see  the  world,  he  left  home  at  the  earliest  prac- 
ticable date,  and  joined  an  uncle  at  Adrian, 
Michigan,  who  did  an  extensive  business  with 
his  boats  on  Lake  Michigan.  But  his  restless 
disposition  soon  carried  him  back  to  his  na- 
tive state  and  from  there  through  various  parts 
of  the  East.  He  then  turned  once  more  toward 
the  setting  sun  and  crossed  the  plains  to  Cal- 
ifornia. Having  somewhere  picked  up  a  jew- 
eler's book  which  he  read  attentively,. on  arriv- 
ing at  San  Francisco  he  opened  a  jewelry 
store,  and  after  conducting  it  for  awhile,  went 


to  Honolulu,  where  he  started  a  similar  enter- 
prise. But  the  roving  spirit  still  possessed  him, 
and  disposing  of  his  interests  in  Honolulu,  he 
crossed  the  Pacific  to  the  Philippine  islands. 
In  1857  ne  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chinese 
government  as  one  of  its  leading  customs  of- 
ficials, and  in  this  service  he  was  from  time  to 
time  stationed  at  the  various  ports  of  the  em- 
pire. He  remained  in  China  until  the  fall  of 
1879.  and  then  being  granted  a  furlough  for 
two  years  as  an  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  by  the  government,  at  full 
pay,  he  visited  his  native  land.  But  before 
coming  home,  he  was  offered  the  post  of  gov- 
ernor of  the  Philippines  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment, which  had  noted  his  ability  and  fidelity 
to  duty,  the  condition  of  his  appointment  being 
that  he  should  become  a  citizen  of  Spain.  But 
being  true  to  his  own  country,  although  so  long 
absent  from  it,  he  declined  the  flattering  offer 
and  followed  his  wife  to  the  United  States, 
whither  she  had  come  in  1876  with  their  three 
sons  born  in  China.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he 
reached  his  native  place,  and  the  next  spring 
came  to  Hancock,  Chaffee  county,  this  state. 
Here  he  became  interested  in  mining,  taking 
the  management  of  the  Stonewall  mine  at  Han- 
cock, and  here  his  family  joined  him  in  1881. 
In  1882,  his  furlough  approaching  its  end,  he 
returned  to  China  and  resigned  his  position 
under  the  government.  While  there  he  sold 
the  Stonewall  mine  to  English  capitalists,  and 
closing  up  his  affairs  in  the  Orient,  came  back 
to  Colorado  after  an  absence  of  about  two 
months.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  formed  the 
Brunswick  Mining  &  Milling  Company  at  Tin- 
cup,  Gunnison  county,  of  \vhich  he  was  one  of 
the  principal  stockholders  and  manager  until 
his  death  in  October,  1895,  always  having  his 
home  at  Buena  Vista  after  settling  his  family 
there  in  1881.  Politically  he  was  a  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party,  but  he  never  took  an 
active  part  in  political  contentions,  although  he 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


727 


served  for  a  time  as  mayor  of  Buena  Vista. 
For  many  years  he  was  an  active  and  enthusi- 
astic member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  was 
married  at  Greene,  New  York,  to  Miss  Ann 
Amelia  Ripley,  a  native  of  the  place  and  one 
of  his  old  schoolmates,  he  coming  home  from 
China  for  the  purpose.  At  the  time  of  his 
marriage  Mrs.  Halsey  was  instructor  of  paint- 
ing in  LaSalle  Female  Seminary.  After  their 
marriage  they  made  a  tour  of  the  world,  and 
then  returning  to  China,  he  resumed  his  duties 
there.  They  had  four  children,  all  born  in 
China:  One  daughter  who  died  in  that  coun- 
try; Cady  Ripley  and  John  Smith,  Jr.,  sketches 
of  whom  will  be  found  in  this  work,  and  Albert 
Neal,  who  died  at  Greene,  New  York,  in  1877. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Halsey 
remained  at  Buena  Vista  with  her  sons  until 
her  death,  on  May  2,  1902.  The  remains  of 
both  were  buried  in  that  town. 

THOMAS  J.   EHRHART. 

Although  born  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
Thomas  J.  Ehrhart,  of  Chaff ee  county,  has 
been  for  so  nearly  all  his  life  a  resident  of 
Colorado  that  he  may  be  said  to  be  practically 
a  product  of  the  state.  His  life  began  on 
January  28,  1859,  and  when  he  was  less  than 
four  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Denver. 
The  father  came  to  the  state  in  1860,  and  the 
family  followed  in  1863.  Soon  after  their  ar- 
rival they  moved  to  what  is  now  Chaffee  but 
was  then  a  part  of  Lake  county.  Here  they 
took  up  land  that  is  now  a  part  of  Mr.  Ehr- 
hart's  home  ranch.  The  father  prospected 
and  mined  during  the  summer  months  and 
wintered  on  the  ranch.  He  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral ranching  business  in  a  small  way  and 
raised  as  many  cattle  as  the  circumstances 
would  allow,  prospering  at  the  work  and  find- 
ing congenial  winter  employment  in  conducting 
it.  On  this  ranch  the  son  Thomas  J.  grew  to 


manhood,  using  with  profit  such  school  facili- 
ties as  were  then  available  in  this  new  and 
unsettled  country,  which  comprised  a  term  of 
three  months  or  less  each  year,  interrupted  by 
stress  of  weather  and  other  unfavorable  condi- 
tions. But  while  the  school  terms  were  short 
and  irregular,  the  arduous  labor  on  the  ranch 
was  constant  and  exacting,  and  he  was  from 
boyhood  obliged  to  take  his  part  of  it  and  did 
so  .with  cheerfulness  and  willing  obedience.  He 
was  the  only  child  of  his  parents  and  grew  to 
maturity  under  their  personal  care;  and  when 
his  father  died  he  took  charge  of  the  ranch  and 
conducted  its  interests  for  the  benefit  of  his 
mother,  who  remained  with  him  until  her 
death  in  1898.  On  January  2,  1882,  at  Na- 
throp,  Chaffee  county,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  Evans,  a  native  of  Illinois. 
They  have  two  daughters  and  one  son.  Mr. 
Ehrhart  has  passed  almost  all  of  his  life  so  far 
in  this  particular  portion  of  Colorado,  and  has 
been  a  material  contributor  to  its  growth  and 
development.  No  phase  of  its  expanding  and 
aspiring  life  has  failed  of  his  ardent  support 
or  quickening  influence.  In  the  ranch  and 
stock  industry  he  has  become  a  leader,  in  the 
general  public  affairs  of  the  county  and  section 
he  is  prominent  and  forceful,  and  in  political 
activities  he  occupies  a  position  of  command- 
ing loftiness  and  weight,  being  one  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  Democratic  party  whose  standard  he 
has  borne  to  triumph  in  more  than  one  hard 
fought  contest.  He  has  served  two  terms  as 
county  commissioner,  one  beginning  in  1885 
and  the  other  in  1899.  Between  these  terms  in 
that  office  he  held  others,  being  elected  to  the 
state  house  of  representatives  in  the  fall  of 
1896  as  a  representative  of  Fremont  and  Chaf- 
fee counties,  and  to  the  state  senate  in  1898  to 
represent  the  twentieth  district.  From  his 
youth  he  has  been  zealous  and  active  in  party 
work,  even  when  just  past  twenty-one  years  of 
age  being  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  asses- 


728  . 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


sor,  and  although  defeated  then,  his  zeal  never 
flagged  and  his  ardor  never  cooled.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  other  business  Mr.  Ehrhart  has  been 
interested  in  mining  from  time  to  time  and 
owns  claims  in  various  places  which  promise 
to  be  of  great  value  when  fully  developed.  In 
fraternal  relations  he  is  connected  with  Salida 
Lodge  of  Elks  and  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
of  that  tow-n. 

DANIEL  H.  STALEY. 

« 

This  progressive,  public-spirited  and  prom- 
inent business  man  of  Chaffee  county,  whose 
life  in  this  state  has  been  productive  of  much 
good  to  its  mercantile  and  industrial  interests, 
is  a  native  of  Mason  county,  Illinois,  born  on 
March  25,  1867.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  district  school  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  home,  remaining  under 
the  parental  roof  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen.  He  then  went  to  Hamlin,  Kansas,  and 
during  the  next  two  years  conducted  a  con- 
fectionery business  at  that  place  and  studied 
bookkeeping.  In  1887  he  moved  to  Portis  in 
the  same  state  and  took  a  position  in  a  bank 
there  which  he  held  for  about  one  year  and  a 
half.  In  April,  1891,  he  came  to  this  state  and 
located  at  what  is  now  Hooper,  Costilla  county, 
but  was  then  called  Garrison.  He  became  cash- 
ier of  the  bank  there  and  also  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising in  partnership  with  his  brother,  they 
having  two  stores.  About  the  year  1895  he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  cashier  of  the  bank  at 
Creede  and  moved  to  that  town.  Three  years 
later  he  and  his  brother  sold  one  of  their  stores 
at  Hooper  and  organized  the  Costilla  County 
Bank,  with  his  brother  Wesley  as  president  and 
himself  as  cashier,  and  in  1901  they  disposed 
of  their  other  store  at  Hooper.  Mr.  Staley 
then  organized  the  State  Bank  of  Salida,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  which 
was  increased  the  next  year.  Dr.  F.  N.  Coch- 


ran  was  made  president,  Mr.  Staley  vice-presi- 
dent, and  J.  M.  Whitmore  cashier.  In  1903 
the  bank  was  re-organized  with  Mr.  Staley  as 
president,  E.  R.  Naylor  vice-president  and  Mr. 
Whitmore  cashier.  Under  their  management 
the  bank  has  flourished,  greatly  increasing  its 
volume  of  business  and  growing  strong  in  the 
confidence  of  the  people.  It  is  now  one  of  the 
esteemed  and  firmly  established  financial  insti- 
tutions of  the  western  or  central  part  of  the 
state,  .with  a  large  body  of  well  satisfied  patrons 
and  a  steadily  expanding  trade.  Mr.  Staley  is 
also  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Monte  Vista,  which  was  organized  in  1904 
being  a  consolidation  of  the  Costilla  County 
Bank  and  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Monte  Vista. . 
Of  this  his  brother  Wesley  is  cashier  and  gen- 
eral manager.  In  political  allegiance  Mr.  Sta- 
ley is  an  ardent  Democrat  and  always  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  is 
'chairman  of  its  county  central  committee  in 
Chaffee  county,  and  the  vigor  and  earnestness 
of  its  campaigns  there  are  largely  due  to  the 
skill  of  his  management  and  the  spirit  he  in- 
fuses into  its  activities.  Fraternally  he  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  order  of 
Elks  at  Salida.  In  the  former  he  is  a  member 
of  the  finance  committee  of  the  grand  lodge, 
and  in  the  latter  is  treasurer  of  his  lodge  at 
Salida,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member.  He 
also  belongs  to  a  number  of  other  fraternal 
orders  and  is  ever  active  and  helpful  in  lodge 
work. 

NELSON  CYR. 

Nelson  Cyr,  who  has  been  active  and  help- 
ful in  the  ranching  and  cattle  industry  of  Colo- 
rado, and  also  concerned  in  a  forceful  and  serv- 
iceable way  in  the  public  life  of  his  section  in 
the  state,  is  a  native  of  near  Montreal,  Canada, 
born  on  May  2,  1845.  ^n  ms  native  land  and 
under  the  paternal  rooftree  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


729 


began  life's  work  for  himself  as  a  farmer.  He 
remained  there  so  occupied  until  the  year  1879, 
then  at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  in  the  prime  of, 
his  manly  vigor  and  mental  force,  he  became 
a  resident  of  Colorado,  well  prepared  for  the 
exactions  of  its  strenuous  life  and  eager  to 
enter  into  the  contest  which  they  embodied.  He 
remained  in  the  state  two  years  then  made  a 
visit  to  his  old  home  in  Canada.  Returning  to 
Colorado  in  1881,  he  located  at  Leadville  and 
found  employment  in  the  mines  and  at  the 
smelter  for  about  three  years.  In  1884  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  taking  up  » 
ranch  four  miles  from  Buena  Vista,  not  far 
from  the  town  of  Riverside.  After  a  year  passed 
here  he  returned  to  mining  and  spent  three 
years  in  that  industry,  then  once  more  became 
a  farmer.  In  1895  he  sold  his  ranch  and  began 
to  carry  the  mails  between  Buena  Vista  and  St. 
Elmo  under  contract.  He  did  this  for  a  year, 
then  sub-let  the  contract  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Buena  Vista,  where  he  was  variously 
employed  until  1900,  when  he  again  started 
ranching  on  a  location  fifteen  miles  west  of 
Salida.  In  the  spring  of  1904  he  moved  to  the 
ranch  he  now  occupies,  which  is  seventeen 
miles  from  Salida,  and  is  well  improved  and  in 
an  advanced  state  of  tillage.  Mr.  Cyr  was 
married  on  January  30,  1866,  to  Miss  Amelia 
Duclos,  a  native  of  Canada  where  the  marriage 
occurred.  They  have  three  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

DR.  FINLA  McCLURE. 

Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances  the' 
life  of  a  country  doctor  is  one  of  toil  and  to 
some  extent  of  hardship  and  privation.  And 
when  it  is  passed  on  the  frontier,  with  a  terri- 
tory of  enormous  extent  and  sparsely  popu- 
lated to  ride  through,  without  roads,  bridges 
or  other  public  conveniences  in  many  places, 
with  danger  ever  near  and  the  means  of  avert- 


ing it  often  scarcely  attainable,  it  becomes  a 
destiny  of  great  exactions  and  slender  rewards, 
all  the  unfavorable  elements  being  many  times 
multiplied  and  the  compensations  rendered  at 
the  same  time  more  uncertain  and  less  profita- 
ble. On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  nature 
of  his  work  and  the  wild  life  of  exposure  and 
hardship  fashions  the  practitioner  into  a  man 
of  rugged  health,  strong  nerve,  ever  ready  re- 
sourcefulness, and  commanding  influence, 
makes  him  the  friend  of  every  settler  and  all 
of  them  friends  of  him,  elevates  him  into  a  per- 
sonage of  universal  regard,  and  gives  him  a 
controlling  voice  in  the  life  of  the  region  if 
he  should  choose  to  have  it.  Such  as  this  has 
been  the  experience  of  many  a  good  physician 
in  the  West,  and  among  them  Dr.  Finla  Mc- 
Clure  is  worthy  of  high  mention.  He  was 
born  at  Dundee,  Illinois,  on  March  23,  1849, 
and  six  months  later  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Elgin,  where  he  lived  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  ten  years.  The  family  then  moved  to 
Chicago,  and  in  that  city  he  completed  his 
academic  training  at  the  high  school  and  en- 
tered Rush  Medical  College  for  his  profes- 
sional course.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
medical  college  in  February,  1876,  and  at  once 
began  practicing  in  Chicago.  He  continued 
his  work  there  until  the  spring  of  1880,  when 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in  Chaffee 
county  at  a  town  then  called  Junction  City  but 
since  rebaptized  Garfield,  which  was  a  small 
mining  camp.  The  Doctor  opened  an 
office  in  a  tent  there  and  was  soon 
actively  engaged  in  a  large  mining  prac- 
tice. He  also,  imbibing  the  spirit  of  the 
place  and  time,  became  interested  in  the  mining 
industry,  and  this  taste  then  acquired  has  never 
left  him,  as  he  has  had  an  interest  in  mining 
properties  ever  since.  He  practiced  medicine 
nine  years  at  Garfield,  serving  as  surgeon  for 
all  the  large  mines  and  companies,  then  in  1889 
moved  his  office  and  residence  to  Salida,  where 


730 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


he  has  since  made  his  home  and  enlarged  his 
practice.  He  is  the  oldest  physician  in  the 
county  and  is  easily  in  the  front  rank  in  his 
profession  in  this  part  of  the  world.  He  has 
also  from  the  beginning  of  his  career  here  been 
active  and  forceful  in  political  matters.  He 
was  a  Republican  until  1895,  then  became  a 
Populist  and  was  elected  mayor  of  Salida  as 
such,  and  since  then  he  has  served  for  a  number 
of  years  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  In 
1903  he  was  again  elected  mayor,  he  being  at 
the  time  out  of  the  state  on  a  visit  to  Michigan/ 
His  interest  in  the  growth  and  improvement 
of  the  city  has  been  unflagging  and  has  been 
shown  in  actions  of  wisdom  and  breadth  of 
view.  He  is  largely  entitled  to  the  credit  for 
the  fine  streets  of  the  city  and  for  many  other 
features  of  utility  or  enjoyment  for  its  people. 
He  started  the  work  of  improvement  during  his 
first  term  as  mayor,  and  it  has  steadily  pro- 
gressed ever  since,  receiving  a  new  impetus 
during  his  second  term.  He  has  also  rendered 
efficient  and  valued  service  to  the  people  as 
county  physician,  and  to  the  fraternal  life  of 
the  community  as  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Elks.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  Elgin,  Illinois,  on  October  17,  1877,  to 
Miss  Leah  S.  Anderson,  a  native  of  that  state. 

VORHIS   C.   DAVENPORT. 

For  the  ordinary  conditions  of  human  life 
in  this  country,  and  for  many  of  the  extraord- 
inary conditions  prevalent  in  portions  of  the 
country  not  yet  reduced  to  full  subjection  and 
systematic  culture  and  development,  there  is, 
in  the  main,  no  better  preparation  than  a  boy- 
hood and  youth  passed  in  the  invigorating  and 
health-giving  pursuits  of  rural  life,  in  close 
communion  with  nature,  with  her  ministra- 
tions of  strength  for  the  body  and  breadth  and 
self-reliance  for'  the  spirit.  It  was  in  such  an 
experience  that  Vorhis  C.  Davenport,  of  Sa- 


lida, was  reared  and  prepared  for  life's  duties. 
He  was  born  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  on 
May  26,  1856,  and  near  that  city  and  Stevens 
Point,  in  a  near-by  county,  to  which  his  parents 
moved  when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  After 
leaving  school  he  served  a  few  years  as  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store  at  Stevens  Point,  then  in 
1876,  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  he  left 
his  native  state  for  the  Black  Hills  of  South 
Dakota,  a  region  then  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  world  because  of  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  its  midst  in  what  seemed  almost  fabulous  de- 
posits. He  made  the  trip  to  the  Hills  by  way  of 
Cheyenne  and  arrived  at  Custer  City  in  Aug- 
ust. Soon  afterward  he  went  on  to  Deadwood, 
which  at  the  time  contained  only  a  few  log 
houses  and  tents,  and  at  Lead  there  were  but 
two  or  three  houses,  or  rude  shacks.  One  day 
when  he  had  not  been  long  in  the  place  he 
started  to  stake  out  a  claim  where  the  now  fam- 
ous Homestake  mine  is,  but  a  Californian  who 
appeared  to  know  much  about  mining 
yet  was  unfamiliar  with  the  formation 
at  this  point,  persuaded  him  to  abandon  the 
project. as  the  ground  was  of  no  value  for  min- 
ing purposes.  Thus  once  at  least  Fortune 
knocked  at  his  door,  but  as  she  did  not  receive 
a  cordial  encouragement  to  abide  with  him  she 
passed  on  to  others  for  that  time.  Instead  of 
becoming  owner  of  a  great  mine  he  became  as- 
sistant agent  for  Clark's  Pony  Express,  at 
Deadwood,  and  while  the  returns  were  by  no 
means  so  extensive,  they  were  more  immediate 
and  readily  available.  In  the  spring  of  1877  ne 
helped  to  found  the  town  of  Spearfish  and  in 
its  vicinity  he  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  hay 
and  also  operated  a  saw-mill  until  1879.  In 
July  of  that  year  he  moved  to  Canon  City, 
Colorado,  and  found  employment  in  the  lumber 
yard  of  Esley  &  Thomas.  Three  months 
later  he  took  charge  of  a  lumber  yard  for  this 
firm  at  Cleora,  a  then  promising  place  just 
below  Salida  which  had  not  yet  been  started 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


73 i 


Following  this  enterprise,  he  managed  a  yard 
for  the  firm  at  Poncho  Springs  and  later  one  at 
Maysville.  In  1880  he  bought  the  yard  at 
Maysville  and  during  the  next  two  years  car- 
ried on  its  business.  The  town  showing  signs 
of  decadence  then,  he  moved  his  stock  to  Sa- 
lida  and  purchased  the  lumber  yard  he  now 
owns  and  manages,  and  which  does  an  exten- 
sive business,  the  largest  in  this  part  of  the 
state.  During  the  whole  of  his  residence  in 
Colorado  he  has  been  interested  in  mines  and 
mining,  and  still  owns  many  claims  of  promise. 
In  1900  he  bought  the  Wellsville  Hot  Springs, 
six  miles  east  of  Salida  on  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad,  and  by  continuous  effort  he 
has  made  extensive  improvements  and  erected 
the  place  into  a  popular  summer  resort  which 
grows  in  favor  every  year.  The  waters  are 
highly  curative  and  beneficial,  the  plaee  has 
many  natural  attractions  and  is  well  conducted, 
and  being  on  the  highway  of  a  great  traffic  it 
is  easily  accessible.  Mr.  Davenport  is  an  earn- 
est Republican  in  political  faith,  warmly  inter- 
ested in  the  success  of  his  party,  but  without 
desire  for  any  of  its  honors  or  emoluments.  He 
still  takes  a  most  active  interest  in  the  lumber 
industry  in  every  way,  and  is  now  president  of 
the  State  Association  of  Lumber  Dealers.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Woodman  of  the  World  with 
membership  in  the  camp  of  the  order  at  Sa- 
lida, and  in  business  outside  of  his  own  im- 
mediate commercial  channel  he  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Salida,  a  stock- 
holder and  vice-president  of  the  Building  & 
Loan  Association,  and  a  stockholder  and  the 
treasurer  of  the  Fairview  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion. 

ERIC  ANDERSON. 

Leaving  his  native  Sweden  in  company 
with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  nineteen  to  em- 
brace the  larger  opportunities  presented  to 
young  men  of  enterprise  and  capacity  offered 


by  this  Western  world,  Eric  Anderson,  of 
Montrose  county,  comfortably  settled  on  an  at- 
tractive little  farm  of  forty  acres  located  four 
miles  west  of  the  town  of  Montrose,  is  realiz- 
ing his  hopes  and  at  the  same  time  aiding  in 
developing  and  building  up  the  section  of  the 
state  in  which  he  has  settled.  He  was  born  in 
Sweden  in  1855,  and  is  the  seventh  of  the 
twelve  children  of  Andrew  and  Christina 
(Ericsson)  Anderson.  His  parents  were  Swedes 
by  nativity  and  of  Swedish  ancestry  running 
back  to  the  time  when  the  Norse  kings  held 
sway  over  the  northern  seas  and  made  all 
Europe  tremble  at  their  power.  They  were 
prosperous  farmers  in  their  native  country, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1874,  making 
their  home  at  Denver,  this  state,  where  the 
mother  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three, 
and  where  the  father  died  in  1897,  aged 
eighty-seven.  They  felt  that  they  had  finished 
their  life  work  when  they  left  their  native  land, 
and  from  the  time  of  their  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try they  lived  retired  from  active  pursuits,  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  their  previous  fruitful 
labors  and  winning  the  regard  of  the  people 
around  them  by  their  sterling  worth  and  genial 
manners.  At  his  death  the  father  was  laid  to 
rest  in  that  beautiful  city  of  the  dead,  Fair- 
mount  Cemetery,  in  Denver.  Their  son  Eric 
was  well  educated  in  the  state  schools  of 
Sweden,  and  came  to  his  new  home  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic  well  prepared  for  the  stirring 
activities  in  which  he  was  destined  to  engage. 
He  at  once  began  prospecting  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  acquired  valuable  claims,  among 
them  the  Trapper  and  the  Independence  mines 
in  Idaho,  and  worked  them  for  a  period  of 
eleven  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
merchandising  at  Montrose  which  he  followed 
for  a  year,  then  settled  on  the  beautiful  ranch 
which  he  now  occupies,  on  which  his  principal 
industry  is  the  production  of  choice  varieties  of 
fruit,  although  he  does  some  farming  in  a  gen- 


732 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


eral  way,  and  raises  a  few  cattle.  When  he 
took  hold  of  his  place  it  was  nearly  all  given  up 
to  wild  sage  brush,  and  would  have  looked  un- 
promising to  any  but  a  man  of  enterprise  and 
indomitable  spirit.  But  Mr.  Anderson  went 
to  work  on  it  with  the  energy  characteristic  of 
his  people,  and  has  transformed  it  into  a  garden 
of  fertility  and  beauty,  and  enriched  it  with 
substantial  buildings  and  other  improvements, 
enduring  and  attractive  in  character  and  mod- 
ern in  style  and  equipment.  He  also  has  in- 
terests in  a  mercantile  business  conducted  by 
his  brother,  A.  L.  Anderson,  in  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
Anderson  was  married  in  1895  to  Miss  Math- 
ina  Nelson,  a  native  of  Sweden  and  daughter  of 
Nelse  Nelson,  who  passed  his  life  in  that  coun- 
try and  is  now  deceased.  One  child  has  blessed 
and  brightened  the  Anderson  household,  Wil- 
liam T.  Anderson.  During  his  mining  days  the 
head  of  the  house  did  not  confine  his  operations 
to  one  locality,  but  tried  his  hand  at  Leadville 
as  early  as  1878,  and  later  also  at  Cripple 
Creek.  He  is  prosperous  in  his  present  business 
and  deserves  his  success  as  he  does  the  general 
esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  friends  which  he 
richly  enjoys. 

JOHN  E.  PELTON. 

John  E.  Pelton,  of  Montrose,  receiver  of 
the  United  States  land  office  at  that  point,  was 
born  at  Folsom,  Ohio,  in  1857,  and  is  the  son 
of  Benjamin  H.  and  Mary  Dorothy  (Harhar) 
Pelton,  the  former  a  native  of  that  state  and 
the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  in  Ohio  until 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  Eighth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was 
soon  at  the  front  with  his  regiment  and  laid  his 
life  on  the  altar  of  his  country  in  a  skirmish  at 
Cumberland  Gap,  Virginia,  while  the  opposing 
armies  were  playing  for  the  possession  of  that 
important  base  of  operations  in  the  great  cam- 


paigns which  were  then  impending.  The 
mother  moved  with  her  parents  in  her  girlhood 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  and  was  there  mar- 
ried after  reaching  years  of  maturity.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  she  removed  her  family 
to  Colorado  and  in  1897  sne  died  at  Salida, 
this  state,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  She  was 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  John  being  the 
sixth.  He  remained  at  home  to  the  age  of 
fifteen  and  in  1872  came  west  alone,  and  lo- 
cating at  Central  City  or  Blackhawk,  in  what 
is  now  Gilpin  county,  began  following  the  al- 
most universal  occupation  of  that  section, 
prospecting  and  mining.  In  1881  he  dis- 
covered and  located  a  valuable  mine  which  he 
named  the  Leo,  after  his  oldest  daughter, 
Leonora.  Two  years  later  he  left  this  section 
of  the  state  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Crip- 
ple Creek,  remaining  there  and  continuing  his 
mining  operations  until  the  Alaska  excitement 
broke  out,  when  he  went  to  that  far  northern 
country  and  remained  until  1893.  Then  re- 
turning to  Colorado,  he  settled  on  a  ranch  two 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Montrose  and  devoted 
his  attentions  to  the  production  of  high  grade 
cattle  and  fine  fruit.  For  two  years  he  also  had 
a  warehouse  at  Montrose  and  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  improvement  of  that  portion  of  the 
state,  being  the  first  man  to  agitate  the  Gunni- 
son  irrigation  project  which  has  resulted  in  so 
much  benefit  to  this  section.  He  has  made  his 
ranch  one  of  the  best  and  most  valuable  in  its 
neighborhood  by  industry  and  skill  in  its  culti- 
vation and  excellent  judgment  in  its  improve- 
ment, adding  to  its  attractions,  in  addition  to 
the  necessary  features  which  subserve  the  utili- 
ties, many  that  please  the  eye  and  contribute  to 
the  enjoyment  of  his  family  and  his  numerous 
friends.  One  of  these  is  a  lake  of  good  size 
which  he  has  stocked  with  Eastern  brook  trout, 
his  move  was  an  experiment  of  doubtful  suc- 
cess, but  it  has  succeeded  in  a  way  that  realizes 
his  most  ardent  hopes  concerning  it,  and  has 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


733 


become  so  popular  and  interesting  to  the  com- 
munity that  his  place  has  been  named  in  con- 
sequence "Pelton  Lake  Farm."  In  politics  Mr. 
Pelton  has  been  through  life  an  active  Repub- 
lican, always  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his 
party  and  doing  his  part  of  the  work  necessary 
to  the  success  of  its  cause.  On  February  15, 
1901,  he  was  appointed  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  at  Montrose  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  the  performance  of  his  official 
duties.  He  is  a  zealous  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  On  February  28,  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Katie  Anderson,  a  native 
of  Sweden  and  sister  o'f  Eric  Anderson,  of  near 
Montrose,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren, Leonora  S.,  an  accomplished  musician, 
carefully  trained  at  one  of  the  leading  con- 
servatories; Edna  D.,  engaged  in  teaching 
school;  George  S.,  and  Herbert  E.,  a  recent 
graduate  of  the  Montrose  high  school. 

JOHN  J.  TOBIN. 

Whether  impelled  by  the  hard  conditions  in 
their  native  land,  their  natural  restless  energy, 
the  thirst  for  gold  or  the  inviting  prospects  ofj 
advancement  in  the  United  States,  the  Irish 
people  have  left  their  own  flowery  island  by 
thousands  and  spread  themselves  out  over  this 
country  greatly  to  its  advantage  and  their  own, 
quickening  every  active  impulse  toward  im- 
provement wherever  they  have  settled,  and  at 
the  same  time  winning  the  reward  of  faithful 
toil  in  worldly  comfort  and  political  and  social 
consequence.  John  J.  Tobin,  of  Montrose,  this 
state,  is  the  son  of  Irish  parents  who  have 
shared  the  benefits  of  American  freedom  and 
opportunity,  and  have  poured  out  their  energy 
and  skill  in  building  up  the  section  in  which 
they  made  their  home  a^  he  has  done.  He  was 
born  in  1865  at  Columbus,  Wisconsin,  the  son 


of  John  and  Catherine  (Kiernan)  Tobin,  na- 
tives of  Ireland  who  came  with  their  parents 
to  this  country  in  childhood.  The  father  was 
brought  over  when  he  was  but  a  year  and  a 
half  old.  His  parents  lived  for  a  time  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  then  moved  to  Pennsylvania 
and  later  to  Wisconsin.  At  an  early  age  he 
started  in  life  for  himself,  driving  a  team  on 
the  Erie  canal,  and  when  he  grew  tired  of  this 
occupation  he  came  on  to  Wisconsin  from  the 
end  of  his  division  by  stage.  Here  he  was  em 
ployed  by  a  milling  company  until  he  retired 
from  active  pursuits  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
at  Columbus,  where  he  had  been  living  for 
many  years.  Here  he  was  married  when  a 
young  man  to  Miss  Catherine  Kiernan,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland  also,  daughter  of  Bernard  and 
Mary  Kiernan,  who  were  early  settlers  and 
prosperous  farmers  in  Wisconsin.  She  died  in 
1872,  aged  seventy-two,  leaving  three  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons,  John  being  the  third  of  the 
sons.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen  and  received  an  ordinary 
district  school  education.  At  that  age  he  went 
to  Chicago  and  secured  a  position  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Hayden  Brothers,  proprietors  of 
large  department  stores  in  that  city  and 
Omaha.  In  1882  he  quit  their  employment 
and  came  to  Denver,  Colorado,  where  he 
taught  school  in  Harman's  Addition,  then  a 
newly  opened  portion  of  the  city.  After  teach- 
ing two  years  he  came  to  Montrose  in  1884  and 
was  made  principal  of  the  Montrose  schools, 
serving  four  years  in  that  capacity  and  the 
next  five  as  county  superintendent.  During  his 
tenure  in  this  office  he  made  many  improve- 
ments in  the  school  system  of  the  county,  mod- 
ernizing its  methods,  raising  its  standards  and 
increasing  its  efficiency  in  thoroughness  and 
breadth.  His  administration  was  highly  com- 
mended, and  the  evidence  of  his  wisdom  and 
energy  is  still  apparent  in  the  excellent  condi- 
tion and  work  of  the  schools.  In  the  mean- 


734 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


time  he  bought  a  tract  of  unimproved  land 
three  miles  and  a  half  west  of  the  town,  and  ex- 
pended his  spare  time  and  energies  in  improv- 
ing it  and  getting  it  ready  for  habitation.  It 
has  for  some  years  been  his  home  and  is  one  of 
the  most  complete  and  desirable  rural  homes 
in  this  part  of  the  county,  having  a  productive 
orchard  and  an  unusually  well  furnished  dairy 
among  its  features  worthy  of  special  notice. 
He  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of 
the  state  board  of  control.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  In  1891  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  McTiernan,  a  native  of  Wisconsin 
and  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  McTiernan. 
of  Irish  nativity,  both  now  deceased.  In  all 
undertakings  involving  the  advancement  or  im- 
provement of  the  county  Mr.  Tobin  has  been 
active  and  serviceable,  approaching  public 
questions  with  breadth  of  view  and  a  spirit  of 
enterprise  which  have  been  effective  in  helping 
to  secure  the  best  results.  He  is  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  county's  leading  and  most  pro- 
gressive citizens,  an  estimable  man  and  an  ap- 
preciated force  for  good  in  this  section  of  the 
state. 

E.  A.  LOPER. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  E.  A.  Loper, 
of  Montrose  county,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  having  come  to  the  state  to  live  in 
'1883.  He  then  settled  on  the  place  where  he 
now  resides,  securing  it  as  a  pre-emption  claim 
of  wild  sage  brush  land,  and  devoting  the  time 
since  he  took  possession  of  it  in  redeeming  it 
from  the  waste  and  making  it  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive. He  is  a  native  of  Fulton  county,  Ill- 
inois, born  in  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaiah 
and  Mary  (Stone)  Loper,  Eastern  people  who 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  great  Prai- 
rie state.  The  father  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
of  German  parents,  and  as  a  young  man  came 
west  to  Ohio,  where  he  lived  a  number  of  years 


and  was  married.  In  1850  he  moved  his 
family  to  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  and  after  ten 
years  of  faithful  work  as  a  farmer  in  that 
state,  died  there  in  1860.  His  wife  was  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont,  and  accompanied  her  parents 
to  Ohio  while  she  was  young.  After  the  death 
of  hec  husband,  she  continued  to  live  in  Illinois 
until  1869,  when  she  came  with  her  son,  the 
subject  of  this  brief  review,  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  lived  with  him 
there  on  a  farm  until  1883.  The  trip  from 
their  Illinois  home  was  made  by  team  overland, 
but  while  tedious  and  long  drawn  out  in  the  age 
of  steam  in  which  it  was  made,  it  lacked  the 
elements  of  danger  and  privation  of  such 
journeys  in  earlier  times,  the  greatest  part  of 
the  country  through  which  they  traveled  being 
well  settled  and  supplied  with  the  conveniences 
of  life.  In  1883  tne  son  sold  his  property  in 
Kansas  and  together  they  came  to  Colorado, 
settling  in  Montrose  county,  where  she  died  in 
the  summer  of  1903,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 
Her  remains  were  buried  at  Olathe.  Her  off- 
springs numbered  twelve,  E.  A.  being  the 
ninth.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the 
farm  work  in  Illinois  until  he  reached  his 
eighteenth  year,  and  then  with  his  mother 
moved  to  Kansas,  as  has  been  stated,  remaining 
in  that  state  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Atchison 
until  the  autumn  of  1883.  He  then  determined 
to  come  farther  west,  and  disposing  of  his  farm 
in  Kansas,  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  going  at 
once  to  Montrose  county,  located  on  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  sixty  acres, 
about  six  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Montrose. 
This  was  wild  sage  brush  land  and  altogether 
unimproved  and  uncultivated  when  he  moved 
on  it.  By  assiduous  and  systematic  industry 
since  then,  continued  in  spite  of  many  dis- 
couragements and  diffiulties,  he  has  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  productiveness, 
improved  it  with  -good  buildings,  and 
adorned  it  with  trees  and  shrubbery 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


735 


which  make  it  attractive  as  a  rural  home  and 
valuable  as  a  piece  of  well  developed  property. 
Soon  after  settling  on  it  he  planted  an  orchard 
of  apple,  peach,  plum  and  cherry  trees,  which 
he  has  carefully  nurtured,  and  which  is  now 
repaying  his  care  with  abundant  yields  of  ex- 
cellent fruit  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  market 
either  near  or  far,  and  out  of  which  he  realizes 
a  handsome  income.  He  is  also  engaged  ac- 
tively in  general  farming  and  stock-growing, 
and  is  making  both  lines  of  industry  pay  well. 
He  was  married  in  1902  to  Mrs.  Myron 
(White)  Gravestock,  widow  of  the  late  John 
Gravestock,  an  old  settler  of  the  section  who 
died  about  ten  years  ago.  They  have  one  son, 
Eugene  Wesley.  A  farmer  in  three  of  the 
great  states  of  the  Union,  Mr.  Loper  has  a 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  agricultural 
industry  in  this  country,  and  his  varied  and  -ex- 
tensive experience  has  given  him  capacity  of 
a  high  order  for  conducting  it  successfully. 
He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  wide-awake  and 
progressive  ranchers  of  the  county,  and  one 
of  its  most  estimable  citizens. 

ALBERT  G.  WACHTER. 

The  thrift,  the  frugality,  the  persistent  in- 
dustry of  the  German  race  tells  and  leaves  its 
impress  wherever  it  is  applied;  and  it  matters 
not  what  the  line  of  life  may  be,  or  what  occu- 
pation engages  the  subject,  the  qualities  of  suc- 
cess are  inherent  in  him,  and  he  can  bring  them 
into  service  if  he  will.  Albert  G.  Wachter,  of 
Montrose  county,  this  state,  belongs  to  this  race 
and  in  his  career  has  exhibited  the  character- 
istics of  his  people.  Although  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  at  Waterloo,  Seneca  county,  in 
1864,  he  is  but  one  generation  removed  from 
the  fatherland  and  was  trained  in  the  school  of 
stern  discipline  and  attention  to  duty  which 
has  raised  the  German  nation  to  its  present 


rank  and  consequence.  His  parents  were 
Ernest  W.  and  Julia  A.  (Ailing)  Wachter, 
the  former  a  native  of  Prussia  and  the  latter 
of  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York.  The 
father  was  the  son  of  a  prominent  physician  in 
his  native  land  and  was  educated  for  the  same 
profession,  being  graduated  from  a  medical 
college  before  leaving  home.  In  1856  he  came 
to  the  United  States  a  young  man  and  located 
at  Elmira,  New  York,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  for  several  years,  then  removed  to 
Seneca  county,  after  living  short  times  at  dif1 
ferent  other  places,  and  there  died  in  1886  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six.  During  the  last  two  years 
of  the  Civil  war  he  was  surgeon  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  New  York  Volun- 
teers, and  rendered  services  to  his  companions 
in  arms  that  were  highly  appreciated.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Ailing,  a  well-to- 
do  farmer  of  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York, 
and  is  now  living  at  Stockton,  California, 
aged  seventy-seven  years.  Albert  is  the  fifth 
of  their  seven  children.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world  by  clerking  in  a  grocery  store  at  Wa- 
terloo, his  home  town.  After  two  years  of  this 
unpromising  employment  he  came  to  Colorado, 
and  locating  at  Montrose,  entered  the  employ 
of  Matthews,  Reynolds  &  Goodwin,  extensive 
orchard  and  fruit-growers.  He  remained  with 
them  five  years,  then  set  up  in  farming  for 
himself,  purchasing  the  place  he  now  owns 
and  occupies  on  which  he  is  actively  engaged 
in  a  general  farming  and  stock  industry,  his 
principal  crop,  however,  being  hay.  In  1903 
he  was  appointed  deputy  water  commissioner 
under  W.  O.  Hershaw,  of  Olathe,  a  position 
well  suited  to  his  capacity  and  his  tastes,  as  he 
had  given  the  subjects  involved  in  his  official 
duties  study  and  reflection,  and  is  familiar 
with  their  various  phases  of  interest.  In  1888 


736 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


he  married  Miss  Lillie  M.  Kemp,  a  native 
of  Brighton,  Canada,  daughter  of  John  Kemp, 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  that  part  of  the  Do- 
minion. They  have  two  children,  E.  Earl  and 
Leo  Pauline. 

JACOB    E.  BORAH. 

Jacob  E.  Borah,  a  younger  brother  of  Al- 
fred G.  Borah,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work,  was  born  at  Morgan- 
town,  Butler  county,  Kentucky,  on  April  13, 
1847.  Mr.  Borah  obtained  a  meager  common- 
school  education  and  began  to  make  his  own 
living  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  remained  in 
Kentucky  until  July,  1868,  then  moved  to  Mis- 
souri to  look  up  a  location.  Not  being  pleased 
with  the  outlook,  he  soon  afterward  went  to 
Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  1872  and  farmed  with  profit.  In  the  year 
last  named  he  changed  his  residence  to  Chero- 
kee county,  Iowa,  and  after  three  years  of  dif- 
fering employments  there  came  to  Boulder 
county,  this  state,  joining  his  brother  Alfred 
as  a  partner  in  mining  operations.  On  June 
14,  1878,  they  moved  to  Leadville,  and  from 
there  they  prospected  in  various  parts  of  the 
Western  slope.  Their  success  was  good  until 
1885,  when  Jacob  located  at  Gypsum,  and  since 
then  he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  hunt- 
ing, trapping  and  serving  as  a  tourists'  guide, 
his  reputation  in  the  latter  capacity  being  first- 
class  and  wide-spread.  He  has  ah  outfit  of  sev- 
enty-five pack  animals  with  mess  wagons  and 
twenty  hounds,  and  knows  all  the  country  in 
Wyoming,  Idaho,  New  and  Old  Mexico  and 
Colorado,  and  besides  he  has  a  pleasing  person- 
ality and  an  obliging  disposition  which  make 
him  very  ppoular  as  a  guide.  Many  large  par- 
ties of  tourists  from  different  parts  of  the 
world  have  had  the  benefit  of  his  services,  and 
have  gone  away  afterward  singing  his  praises 
wherever  their  duty  or  inclination  took  them. 


As  an  illustration  of  his  success  in  his  profes- 
sion it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that  during 
the  year  of  1904  forty-three  bears  and  thirty- 
four  mountain  lions  were  killed  by  the  different 
parties  he  escorted.  In  one  instance  during  the 
season  they  killed  six  bears  in  twelve  days, 
which  included  the  entire  time  they  were  out, 
including  moves,  etc.  Mr.  Borah  was  married 
on  October  14,  1890,  to  Miss  Minnie  H. 
Hockett,  a  native  of  Cedarville,  Kansas.  They 
have  two  children,  L.  J.  and  LeRoy.  This 
hardy  trapper  and  guide  has  not  lost  his  fond- 
ness for  ease,  security,  and  all  that  civilization 
reckons  among  the  goods  of  life ;  but  the  wilder- 
ness, rough,  harsh  and  inexorable  as  it  is,  has 
charms  for  him  more  potent  in  their  seductive 
influence  than  all  the  lures  of  luxury  and  sloth. 
True,  his  path  is  often  choked  with  difficulties, 
but  his  body  and  soul  are  hardened  to  meet 
them ;  it  is  beset  with  dangers,  but  these  are  the 
very  spice  of  his  life.  And  he  has,  in  addition 
to  his  knowledge  of  woodcraft  and  other 
qualifications  as  a  guide,  the  happy  faculty  of 
putting  those  who  are  with  him  in  touch  with 
his  spirit  in  this  respect  and  making  them  enjoy 
to  its  full  the  rugged  life  of  the  wilderness, 
wherein  men,  beasts  and  nature  herself  seem 
armed  against  them. 

ENOS  H.  NORTON. 

The  scion  of  old  New  England  families, 
whose  traditions  of  the  dignity  of  labor  he  fully 
inherited  and  whose  habits  of  industry  he 
formed,  and  reared  amid  the  bustling  activities 
of  that  section  of  the  country,  well  educated  too 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  that  hive  of 
intellectual  productiveness,  and  having  all  the 
proverbial  Yankee's  thrift  and  self-reliance, 
Enos  H.  Norton,  of  Montrose,  Colorado,  came 
to  the  West  well  prepared  for  the  exactions  of 
its  strenuous  life  and  equipped  to  bear  his  part 
creditably  in  almost  any  field  of  its  multitudin- 


JACOB  E.  BORAH. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


737 


ous  opportunities.  He  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  in  1851,  and  is  the  son  of 
Hart  Z.  and  Emily  (Hine)  Norton,  both  natives 
of  Connecticut,  and  their  only  living  offspring, 
his  brother  Eugene  having  died  in  childhood. 
His  mother  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years,  when  he  was  only  six  months  old,  and 
he  was  reared  under  the  careful  supervision  of 
his  father,  who  in  his  early  manhood  was  in  the 
insurance  business  in  New  Haven.  In -1861  he 
moved  his  family  to  South  Norfolk  and  there 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  steam  boilers 
until  1873,  when  he  was  burned  out.  After  this 
disaster  he  moved  to  New  York  city  and  be- 
came a  prominent  plumber  and  steam  fitter,  in 
the  meantime  having  married  a  second  wife, 
Miss  Sophia  Hine,  the  sister  of  his  first  wife, 
who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  The 
elder  Norton  continued  in  the  plumbing  busi- 
ness until  his  retirement  from  active  pursuits  in 
1895,  and  is  now  living  in  New  York  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three.  All  of  his  life  he  has  been 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  active  in  the  service 
of  his  party.  In  1870  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Connecticut  legislature,  and  during  the  Civil 
war  was  the  United  States  recruiting  officer  at 
Norfolk,  that  state.  In  his  business  he  was  a 
far-seeing  and  progressive  man,  ever  on  the 
lookout  for  new  devices,  and  for  years  was  the 
only  manufacturer  on  the  American  continent 
of  patent  wire  ferules  for  holding  the  bristles 
fast  in  paint  brushes.  In  fraternal  relations  he 
is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  belonging  to  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery  for  many  years.  The  first  five  years 
of  EnoS  Norton's  life  were  passed  in  his  na- 
tive city,  and  he  then  went  with  the  rest  of  the 
.  family  to  Norfolk  where  he  grew  to  manhood. 
He  was  liberally  educated,  completing  the  pub- 
lic school  course  of  instruction,  and  then  at- 
tending a  good  college  at  Fort  Edward,  New 
York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1868. 
Four  years  later  he  came  west  to  Chicago,  and 

47 


for  two  years  thereafter  was  employed  on  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  Fireside  Friend,  a  literary 
paper  published  in  that  city.  Returning  in 
1874  to  Connecticut,  he  engaged  in  plumbing 
in  association  with  his  uncle,  Morris  Norton, 
for  a  year.  In  1875  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Lake  City  as  the  representative  of 
Colonel  Hopkins,  of  Denver,  and  the  mercan- 
tile house  of  Swetzer  &  Company.  He  re- 
mained in  their  employ  until  the  winter  of 
1879,  then  went  to  Leadville  where  he  followed 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  until 
1 88 1,  returning  at  that  time  to  New  York  city 
to  take  part  in  his  father's  plumbing  business. 
Two  years  were  passed  in  this  association,  and 
he  then  branched  out  for  himself,  opening  an 
establishment  in  the  upholstering,  hardware 
and  jobbing  trade,  which  he  conducted  until 
1886,  when  he  became  the  New  York  repre- 
sentative of  Cushman  Brothers,  of  Boston, 
dealers  in  wood  and  brass  upholstering  sup- 
plies. In  1890  he  was  sent  to  Staunton,  Penn- 
sylvania, as  superintendent  and  manager  of  the 
Kroder  Woodenware  Company,  in  whose  in- 
terest he  erected  a  manufactory  and  remained 
in  charge  of  it  until  1895.  He  then  once  more 
turned  his  steps  to  the  western  slope  of  the 
Rockies,  coming  to  Montrose,  this  state,  as 
chief  bookkeeper  for  the  A.  J.  Mathers  Mer- 
cantile Company,  with  which  he  remained  a 
year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  entered  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  as  a  real  estate  and 
insurance  agent.  Since  then  he  has  served  four 
years  as  chief  game  warden  of  the  thirteen 
southwestern  counties  of  the  state,  and  justice 
of  the  peace  and  police  magistrate  of  Montrose 
for  two  years.  During  his  residence  at  Lake 
City  he  was  clerk  of  Hinsdale  county  from 
1878  to  1880.  In  politics  he  is  a  Populist,  and 
he  proves  his  faith  in  the  principles  of  the 
party  by  giving  its  platforms  and  candidates 
loyal  and  effective  service  in  every  campaign. 
He  is  also  prominent  in  the  fraternal  life  of  the 


738 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


state,  belonging  to  the  Masonic  order,  the 
lodge  and  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr. 
Norton  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Hettie  A. 
Simons,  a  native  of  Ohio  who  came  to  Colo- 
rado with  her  parents  in  1865.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Hettie  Mackelroy.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Ohio,  came  to  Colorado  by 
ox  teams  in  1859  and  settled  in  Denver.  In 
1870  he  moved  to  Kit  Carson,  in  1873  to  Colo- 
rado Springs,  in  1875  to  Lake  City,  in  1879  to 
Leadville,  and  in  1886  back  to  Denver,  where 
he  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  He 
is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  in  1878  was 
county  judge  of  Hinsdale  county.  His  wife 
is  also  living  and  aged  seventy-two.  She  and 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Norton,  were  the  first  white 
women  in  Lake  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton 
have  had  five  children,  Esther,  Hettie  (who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen),  Russell,  Irene  and 
Enos,  Jr.  Mr.  Norton's  career  and  character 
are  highly  appreciated  wherever  he  is  known, 
and  his  capacity  has  been  of  great  service  in 
many  places  where  he  has  lived. 

ROBERT  SAMPSON. 

Reared  to  rural-  life  in  the  Emerald  Isle, 
where  a  snug  cottage  and  a  few  pliant  acres  are 
all  that  the  ordinary  farmer  can  hope  for,  it  is 
characteristic  of  the  flexibility  and  scope  of  the 
mental  outfit  of  his  people  that  Robert  Samp- 
son, of  Montrose,  was  able  to  easily  embrace 
and  properly  use  the  opportunities  for  agri- 
cultural pursuits  offered  in  the  western  part  of 
the  United  States,  where  miles  rather  than 
acres  form  the  unit  of  measure  and  nothing  is 
small  or  cramped,  the  spirit  of  our  institutions 
being  in  due  proportion  to  the  spread  of  our 
territory.  He  was  born  in  county  Down, 
north  of  Ireland,  in  1858,  the  son  of  William 
and  Mary  (McCoule)  Sampson,  whose  fore- 
fathers were  for  many  generations  tillers  of 
the  generous  soil  of  that  bright  little  island, 


the  home  of  gallant  men  and  winsome  ladies, 
the  land  of  poetry  and  song.  His  father,  fol- 
lowing the  family  vocation,  was  a  farmer  there, 
and  died  in  1877,  aged  sixty  years.  The 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  - 
(Allen)  McCoule,  also  farmers  and  the 
descendants  of  long  lines  of  farmers  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  country.  She  died,  leav- 
ing as  her  offspring  five  daughters  and  three 
sons,  Robert  being  the  oldest  of  the  sons.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county, 
and  looked  forward,  doubtless,  to  settling  down 
there  to  the  occupation  of  his  people,  and 
with  little  prospect  of  fame  or  fortune  beyond 
their  own.  And  in  fact,  after  reaching  years 
of  maturity  he  did  engage  in  farming  for  a  year 
or  two  near  his  home.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three,  however,  he  heard  the  voice  of  nature 
within  him  calling  him  to  larger  opportunities 
in  a  foreign  land,  and  turned  with  eager  long- 
ing and  high  hopes  to  the  land  across  the  sea 
wherein  so  many  of  his  countrymen  have  won 
distinction  and  wealth,  and  have  rendered 
signal  service  to  the  cause  of  human  progress. 
Accordingly,  on  the  last  day  of  April,  1870,  he 
set  sail  for  the  United  States,  and  on  the  23d 
day  of  May  following  he  landed  at  New 
York.  Soon  after  he  went  to  the  state  of  Dela- 
ware where  he  remained  three  months,  then 
transferred  his  energies  to  the  vicinity  of 
Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  where  for  twenty- 
two  months  he  was  employed  on  a  farm.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  as  a  fireman,  and  in  that  capacity  and 
as  an  engineer  he  served  that  great  corporation 
until  February,  1884.  On  the  22d  of  that 
month  he  reached  Montrose,  this  state,  and 
purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  sage 
brush  land,  all  unimproved  and  virgin  to  the 
plow,  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  farm- 
ing and  raising  stock.  His  first  work  was, 
however,  one  of  toil  and  faith.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  get  a  portion  of  the  land  into  condition 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


739 


for  cultivation  and  await  results,  and  to  this 
he  addressed  himself  with  ardor  and  confidence. 
After  making  considerable  progress  in  this  di- 
rection with  his  first  tract,  he  purchased  an 
addition  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  similar  land  and  began  to  im- 
prove and  fertilize  that.  He  has  been 
constant  and  assiduous  in  his  industry,  while 
wide-awake  and  intelligent  in  the  application 
of  his  labor,  and  far-seeing  enough  to  build 
and  work  for  results  of  magnitude  and  perma- 
nency rather  than  for  immediate  returns  of 
small  value;  and  time  has  demonstrated  the 
wisdom  of  his  course.  He  now  has  a  body  of 
the  finest  grain  land  in  the  county,  and  his 
stock,  principally  trotting  horses  of  the  Ham- 
hletonian  and  Messenger  strains,  is  worthy  of 
the  pride  he  feels  in  it.  He  was  married  in 
1876  to  Miss  Maggie  Westbrook,  a  native  of 
Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  whose  parents 
were  also  natives  of  that  state  and  lived  there 
all  their  lives,  the  father  being  a  train  des- 
patcher  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  They 
have  five  children  living,  Sarah,  George,  Mor- 
gan, Thomas  and  Katie,  and  one,  William,  de- 
ceased. While  improving  his  own  fortunes 
with  diligence  and  judgment,  Mr.  Sampson 
has  not  neglected  the  claims  of  the  community, 
but  has  been  a  forceful  factor  in  its  proper  de- 
velopment and  progress. 

PERRIN   PORTER. 

Perrin  Porter,  an  esteemed  citizen  and  a 
progressive  stock  man  and  farmer  of  Mon- 
trose  county,  living  about  four  miles  from  the 
county  seat,  is  a  descendant  of  old  Maryland 
and  Virginia  families  of  Scotch  ancestry,  who 
were  early  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Booneville,  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  born  in  1842.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Hannah  (Ellis)  Porter,  the  former  a  native  of 
Maryland  who  settled  at  Booneville  in  his 


young  manhood  and  engaged  in  mercantile  life 
and  farming,  remaining  there  until  his  death 
in  1860,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  The  mother, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Ball) 
Ellis,  of  Virginia,  was  also  born  in  the  Old  Do- 
minion and  came  with  her  parents  in  her  girl- 
hood to  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  and  there 
grew  to  womanhood  and  was  married.  There 
also  she  died,  passing  away  in  1876,  aged  fifty- 
four  or  fifty-five,  and  was  buried  on  the  home- 
stead where  the  remains  of  her  husband  also 
repose.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  their  son  Perrin  was  the  firsi 
born.  His  school  days  were  passed  in  his  na- 
tive state,  where  he  remained  living  at  home 
and  taking  his  part  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-three  or 
twenty-four.  He  then  came  to  Colorado,  stop- 
ping first  at  Animas  in  what  is  now  La  Plata 
county,  and  from  there  began  prospecting  in 
the  San  Jaun  region  and  mining  in  various 
parts  of  that  prolific  mineral*  belt.  For  seven 
years  he  followed  this  precarious  occupation  in 
connection  with  lumbering  at  times,  then  deter- 
mined to  seek  a  more  stable  and  enduring  field 
for  his  energies  in  ranching  and  raising  stock, 
and  for  this  purpose  homesteaded  on  a  part  of 
his  present  ranch.  Eighteen  years  have  passed 
since  then,  all  expended  by  him  in  diligent  ef- 
forts to  improve  his  land.  He  has  purchased 
additional  land  from  time  to  time,  and  by  the 
same  judicious  and  systematic  industry  has 
transformed  it,  as  he  has  the  first  tract,  from  a 
waste  of  wild  sage  brush  into  fields  of  waving 
grain,  orchards  bending  with  luscious  fruit, 
vineyards  rich  in  the  clustering  wealth  of  the 
vine,  and  meadows  verdant  with  the  promise 
of  winter  food  for  his  cattle.  His  chief  in- 
dustry has  been  the  breeding  and  handling  of 
high  grade  stock  and  the  production  of  alfalfa 
for  their  maintenance.  His  aim  has  been  to 
have  and  produce  the  best  cattle  in  the  county, 
and  by  so  doing  improve  the  quality  of  this 


740 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN-   COLORADO. 


commodity  throughout  its  limits.  At  one  time 
he  was  also  a  breeder  of  fine  horses,  but  his 
energy  as  a  breeder  is  now  devoted  almost  ex- 
clusively to  cattle.  He  takes  a  lively  and  help- 
ful interest  in  public  local  affairs  and  gives  a 
due  share  of  his  time  and  substantial  aid  to  all 
projects  for  the  elevation  of  the  people, 
the  development  of  the  resources  and 
the  expansion  of  the  material  interests  of  the 
county  and  the  improvement  of  the  social  life 
around  him,  as  well  as  the  management  of  the 
governmental  concerns  of  the  section  in  which 
he  lives".  He  is  an  ardent  Democrat  in  political 
faith,  and  makes  good  his  allegiance  by  faithful 
support  of  his  party.  In  1884  he  married  with 
Miss  Rose  Croycroft,  a  native  of  Maryland  and 
daughter  of  Aaron  Croycroft,  of  that  state, 
who  settled  in  Missouri  during  her  childhood 
and  there  remained  until  his  death  engaged  in 
farming.  She  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two,  leaving  one  child,  her  daughter  Hattie. 
A  son  named  Benjamin  died  before  she  passed 
away.  In  1902  he  was  married  a  second  time, 
his  choice  on  this  occasion  being  Miss  Elise, 
Baughman,  a  New  Yorker  by  nativity. 

ALFRED   KELLER. 

Alfred  Keller,  who  during  the  last  eighteen 
years  has  been  a  resident  of  Colorado  and  one 
of  the  esteemed  citizens  of  Montrose  county, 
living  on  a  large  and  well  improved  farm 
about  four  miles  from  the  county  seat,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was 
born  in  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  Fredonia  and 
Rosena  (Stuckey)  Keller,  of  that  state,  where 
their  lives  were  passed  in  the  peaceful  pursuits 
of  agriculture,  the  father  dying  in  1881,  at  the 
age  of  seventy,  and  the  mother  at  the  same  age 
in  1889.  Four  sons  and  four  daughters  com- 
prised their  family,  Alfred  being  the  youngest 
of  the  sons.  He  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
and  educated  in  the  district  schools,  remaining 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  then 


going  out  to  learn  his  trade  as  a  miller.  After 
completing  his  apprenticeship  he  worked  at  the 
trade  three  years  in  Grant  county,  the  same 
state,  then  came  to  Colorado  in  1885  and  locat- 
ing in  Montrose  county  on  a  portion  of  the  ex- 
tensive body  of  land  which  he  now  owns,  gave 
hknself  up  wholly  to  the  leading  industry  of  the 
section,  ranching  and  raising  cattle.  He  ac- 
quired the  land  by  purchase  and  proceeded  to 
improve  it  and  bring  it  to  fertility.  This  in- 
dustry he  has  continued  until  he  has  raised  it 
to  a  high  degree  of  productiveness  and  pro- 
vided it  with  comfortable  and  commodious 
buildings  of  every  kind  needed  for  the  business 
he  conducts  on  it.  The  home  place  contains  two 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres,  and  he  has  three 
hundred  and  twenty  more  in  other  tracts,  also 
well  improved.  He  raises  cattle  and  horses  of 
good  breeds  and  takes  every  care  to  keep  them 
in  first-class  condition.  In  the  fraternal  life  of 
the  community  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Mechanics,  belonging  to  the 
lodge  at  Montrose.  And  while  he  has  never 
married  he  has  shown  a  good  citizen's  helpful 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  county  and  town, 
and  been  a  substantial  aid  to  all  good  projects 
for  its  promotion.  He  has  a  fine  apple  orchard 
of  fifty  acres  on  the  home  farm,  and  in  addition 
to  his  land  in  the  country  owns  valuable  town 
property  at  Montrose. 

PETER  FITZPATRICK. 

Born  and  reared  on  a  farm  'in  Ireland,  and 
having  there  acquired  a  taste  for  tilling  the  soil 
and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business, 
Peter  Fitzpatrick,  of  Montrose  county,  on  his 
ranch  just  south  of  Cimarron,  near  the  Gunni- 
son  county  line,  has  returned  to  the  occupation 
of  his  young  manhood  and  of  his  father's,  after 
passing  many  years  in  mining  and  various 
other  occupations  of  promise  and  profit.  His 
life  began  in  county  Down,  Ireland,  in  1836, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  Owen  and  Catherine  Fitz- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


patrick,  who  were  well-to-do  farmers  in  that 
country  and  whose  families  had  been  engaged 
in  that  line  of  activity  for  many  generations. 
The  father  died  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five,  and  the  mother  in  1891,  aged  sixty,  and 
their  bones  rests  with  those  of  their  ancestors 
in  their  native  soil.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  them,  of  whom  their  son  Peter  was  the  third. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty,  and  had  the  advantage  of  such  edu- 
cational facilities  as  were  available  to  one  in 
his  station  and  locality.  In  1856  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  went  to  mining  in  Penn- 
sylvania, remaining  there  so  occupied  eight 
years.  During  the  next  sixteen  years  he  was  in 
a  number  o-f  different  places  and  engaged  in  a 
variety  of  vocations.  In  1880  he  settled  in  Col- 
orado, and  after  remaining  a  few  months  at 
Alma,  Park  county,  spent  two  years  at  Del 
Norte  at  different  kinds  of  work.  In  1883  he 
moved  to  Cimarron,  and  pre-empting  a  part  of 
the  place  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  be- 
gan farming  and  raising  cattle  in  which  he  is 
still  engaged,  improving  his  land  and  increas- 
ing his  acreage  by  additional  purchases  as 
time  passed.  His  ranch  is  a  large  and  valuable 
one,  well  located  and  completely  equipped  for 
the  business  in  which  he 'is  engaged,  and  as  a 
progressive  and  enterprising  farmer  and  also 
as  an  influential  and  broad-minded  citizen,  he 
enjoys  in  a  high  degree  the  respect  and  good 
will  of  the  whole  surrounding  country.  In 
1871  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Eliza  McClan,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Sarah 
J.  (Bannon)  McClan,  natives  of  Ireland,  where 
she  also  was  born.  Her  mother  died  in  1886 
and  her  father  in  1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitz- 
patrick  have  had  seven  children,  Helma,  Pat- 
rick, Kate,  Peter  (deceased),  James,  William 
and  Sarah.  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  is  well  established 
in  his  business  and  conducts  it  with  success  and 
enterprise,  and  is  also  actively  interested  in 
the  progress  of  the  community. 


FRANK  H.  MOORE. 

Among  the  progressive  men  of  Colorado 
who  have  helped  to  develop  her  resources  and 
build  up  her  industries,  her  educational .  and 
benevolent  agencies  and  her  social  life,  Frank 
H.  Moore  is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  For  forty-four  years  he  has  lived  in  the 
state,  about  half  of  the  time  in  Montrose 
county,  and  has  expended  the  energies  of  al- 
most the  whole  of  his  life  so  far  in  the  activities 
which  engage  her  people.  He  was  born  in  1854 
in  Arkansas,  the  son  of  P.  D.  and  Mary  A. 
(Steele)  Moore,  the  father  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see and  the  mother  of  Missouri.  His  father 
moved  from  his  native  state  to  Missouri  when 
he  was  a  young  man  and  carried  on  farming 
and  trading.  After  a  residence  of  some  years 
in  that  state  he  moved  his  family  to  the  vicinity 
of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  where  he  remained 
until  1859,  when  they  came  to  Colorado  dur- 
ing the  Pike's  Peak  excitement,  and  located  on 
Cherry  creek  on  a  part  of  the  land  which  the 
city  of  Denver  now  covers.  Here  he  remained 
until  1865  engaged  in  farming,  then  moved  to 
Pueblo  county  and  later  took  up  his  residence 
near  Colorado  Springs  where  he  was  occupied 
in  farming  and  raising  stock  until  1881.  In 
that  year  he  moved  to  Montrose  county, 
then  a  part  of  Gunnison  county,  and 
there  he  ended  his  days  in  September,  1898,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight.  He  was  in  all  respects 
a  progressive  man,  eager  for  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lived,  and. ever  willing  to  give  time  and  atten- 
tion to  this  end.  He  took  great  pride  in  his 
farming  operations  and  conducted  them 
on  a  high  plane  of  intelligence  and  skill. 
He  also  had  the  first  three  fish  ponds  in 
the  county  stocked  with  trout  and  carp,  being 
at  the  time  the  only  man  in  the  county  who 
gave  attention  to  interests  of  that  kind.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  was  twice  elected 


742 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


county  commissioner  of  Pueblo  county  and 
twice  to  the  same  office  in  Montrose  county. 
His  father  was  Davis  Moore,  a  life-long  resi- 
dent and  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Tennessee.  P. 
D.  Moore  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war  and 
was  taken  a  prisoner  twice  during  that  contest. 
His  wife,  mother  of  Frank,  was  the  daughter 
of  Matthew  W.  Steele,  of  Missouri,  where  she 
was  married.  He  came  to  Colorado  in  1859 
and  lived  the  rest  of  his  days  at  Denver  and 
Pueblo,  dying  at  the  latter  place.  -  Mrs.  Moore 
died  in  1899,  a§"ed  sixty-six,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren, Frank  H.  being  the  second.  At  the  age 
of  four  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Colorado, 
and  moved  to  Montrose  county  at  the  same 
time  they  did.  He  took  up  land  by  pre-emption 
on  Uncompahgre  river,  five  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Montrose,  on  which  he  lived 
about  fourteen  years,  residing  in  the  same 
vicinity  until  November,  1902,  when  he  came 
to  live  at  his  present  home  on  the  Big  Cimar- 
ron,  where  he  is  busily  engaged  in  raising 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  general  farming.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  has  filled  a  number  of 
local  offices.  In  1876  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ida  B.  Cropper,  a  native  of  Missouri,  daughter 
of  L.  and  Tabitha  (Owsley)  Cropper,  who  came 
from  that  state  to  Colorado  in  1859.  Their 
residence  was  at  Denver  six  years,  and  in  their 
.dwelling  they  had  the  first  paneled  door  in  the 
town.  From  Denver  they  moved  to  Pueblo, 
remaining  three  years,  then  located  at  Colorado 
Springs  where  the  father  died  in  1881,  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  His  wife  preceded  him  to 
the  grave  many  years,  dying  in  1864,  aged 
twenty-seven.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  had 
six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  Matthew, 
Maud,  Earl,  Jessie  and  Dora.  A  son  named 
Edward  is  deceased.  When  Mr.  Moore  came 
in  his  childhood  to  Denver  there  was  but  one 
tent  and  one  log  cabin  as  the  beginning  of  the 
present  great  and  progressive  city.  The  family 
crossed  the  plains  in  a  prairie  schooner,  the 


usual  mode  of  travel  in  these  parts  at  that  time. 
After  their  arrival  they  had  considerable 
trouble  with  the  Ute  Indians  on  different  oc- 
casions. 

W.  D.  CONKLIN. 

^  A  resident  of  Colorado  for  more  than  a 
third  of  a  century  and  more  than  two-thirds  of 
his  life,  W.  D.  Conklin,  living  six  miles  south 
of  Montrose  where  he  is  actively  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business,  is  well  acquainted  with  the 
people  of  'the  state  and  is  in  close  touch  and 
harmony  with  their  ambitions,  deeply  inter- 
ested in  their  abiding  welfare  and  full  of  loyalty 
to  every  better  aspiration  among  them.  He 
was  born  in  Missouri  in  1851,  the  son  of  Hobbs 
and  Margaret  (Hendricks)  Conklin,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  father  emigrated  to  Missouri  early 
in  his  life  and  settled  in  Schuyler  county  where 
he  prospered  as  a  farmer  and  became  prominent 
in  the  local  government  of  the  county,  serving 
as  sheriff  for  many  years.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
army,  starting  as  a  private  under  Colonel 
Green  and  coming  out  as  quartermaster,  having 
served  to  the  end  of  the  contest.  After  the  war 
he  went  to  Texas  and,  locating  in  Denton 
county  near  Pilot  Point,  followed  farming 
there  for  a  number  of  years.  He  then  moved 
to  Brownwood,  Brown  .county,  to  spend  his 
remaining  days  and  died  there  in  1890,  aged 
sixty-four  years.  He  was  through  life  an  ard- 
ent believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  on  all  occasions  gave  its  candidates 
a  loyal  and  hearty  support.  For  a  long  time 
he  was  an  enthusiastic  Freemason ;  and  always, 
wherever  he  was,  took  an  active  and  serviceable 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  community.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry, daughter  of  John  and  Henrietta  Hen- 
dricks, and  moved  in  her  girlhood  to  Mis- 
souri with  her  parents.  They  were  farmers 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


743 


in  that  state,  and  died  there.  The  father  was 
a  zealous  Whig  in  politics  and  a  man  of  promi- 
nence in  his  section  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Conklin 
died  in  Missouri  in  1863  at  tne  age  of  forty- 
six.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  W.  D.  being  the  third  child.  He 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  sixteen  and  received  a 
limited  education  in  the  public  schools.  In 
1868  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  coming 
to  Denver,  this  state,  where  he  remained  until 
1872,  engaged  in  freighting  to  and  from  vari- 
ous points  near  and  far  in  this  part  of  the  West. 
This  was  prior  to  the  construction  of  the  rail- 
road through  here,  he  having  come  to  this  sec- 
tion with  a  freight  team  from  his  Missouri 
home.  In  1872  he  went  into  the  lumber  busi- 
ness on  the  divide  between  Denver  and  Color- 
ado Springs,  and  followed  that  business  with 
varying  fortunes  until  1881.  The  next  two 
years  he  passed  at  Colorado  Springs,  and  in 
1884  moved  to  Montrose  and  homesteaded  on 
eighty  acres  of  his  present  ranch  which  was  at 
the  time  wild,  uncultivated  land  given  up  to  the 
unprofitable  gayety  of  sage  brush,  and  never 
yet  commanded  to  productiveness  for  the  bene- 
fit of  man.  He  has  cleared  it  of  this  and  made 
it  valuable  through  judicious  and  skillful  culti- 
vation and  with  costly  improvements,  one  of 
which  is  a  fine  brick  dwelling  of  good  size  and 
convenient  in  arrangement.  He  is  engaged 
principally  in  the  cattle  industry  and  carries 
it  on  with  vigor  and  system,  giving  every  de- 
tail of  the  business  his  careful  personal  atten- 
tion. In  politics  he  is  a  faithful  Populist  and 
as  the  candidate  of  that  party  has  served  the 
county  'as  county  commissioner.  In  1881  he 
was  married  to  Miss  M'ary  Cropper,  a  native  of 
Colorado,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Levin  Crop- 
per, an  old  settler  of  the  Colorado  Springs 
section  where  he  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conklin 
have  one  child  living,  Rose,  and  two  dead, 
Stella  and  Walter  H.  Both  are  buried  in  Fair- 
view  cemetery,  at  Montrose. 


THOMAS  C.  MOORE. 

Thomas  C.  Moore,  the  second  son  and  old- 
est child  now  living  of  the  eleven  born  to  his 
parents,  Joseph  D.  and  Jane  (Brown)  Moore, 
is  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
life  began  in  1827.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  when  a  young  man  came  to 
Ohio,  then  the  far  West  of  the.  country,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now  Morgan 
county.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and 
worked  at  his  craft,  for  which  there  was  great 
need  in  the  sparsely  settled  country  in  which 
he  lived  at  that  time  and  conducted  the  opera- 
tions of  his  farm  also.  In  1855  ne  moved  his 
family  to  the  vicinity  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1865,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Clemson)  Moore,  Pennsylvanians 
by  nativity  and  Quakers  in  religious  belief. 
Joseph  was  a  blacksmith  and  his  son  learned  the 
trade  under  his  instructions.  The  father  of 
Joseph  was  James  Moore,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Ireland  and  came  to  this  country  a 
young  man,  settling  in  Pennsylvania  where  he 
passed  his  life  working  at  his  trade  as  a  black- 
smith. Thomas  C.  Moore's  mother  was  born 
in  Perry  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  -  -  (Clayton)  Brown,  of  that  state, 

Her  father  came  from  Ireland  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  a  child  and  they  took  up  their 
residence  in  Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood 
and  remained  until  his  death.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  and  died  in  1881. 
aged  seventy-five.  Mr.  Moore  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and  after  reaching 
his  legal  majority  lived  six  years  in  Indiana, 
taking  up  a  tract  of  uncultivated  land  in  White 
county  and  making  a  good  farm  of  it.  He  then 
moved  to  Iowa  where  he  did  the  same,  and  on 
the  farm  which  he  redeemed  from  the  wilder- 
ness in  that  state  he  lived  thirty-five  years.  At 
times  in  the  various  places  of  his  residence  he 


744 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


has  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade,  which  he 
learned  before  leaving  Kentucky.  In  1893  ne 
came  to  Colorado  and  settled  on  the  farm  of 
eighty  acres  which  has  since  been  his  home. 
Soon  after  taking  possession  of  it  he  planted 
about  half  of  it  in  fruit  trees  and  these  have 
been  in  good  bearing  order  for  several  years, 
and  growing  in  value  and  increasing  their  yield 
from  year  to  year  until  they  are  now  in  full 
vigor  and  very  productive  .and  profitable.  He 
conducts  a  stock  business  of  good  proportions 
but  distinguished  more  for  the  quality  of  its 
product  that  its  extent,  his  chief  concern  in  this 
line  being  the  breeding  and  handling  superior 
horses  of  Hambletonian  strain.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1851  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Betts,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  who  lived  on  the  farm  adjoining  that 
of  his  father,  and  with  whom  he  was  in  almost 
constant  companionship  from  childhood.  She 
died  in  1897  at  his  present  home,  aged  sixty- 
seven  years,  and  was  buried  at  Grandview 
cemetery  at  Montrose.  Having  no  children  of 
their  own,  they  reared  a  niece  and  an  adopted 
son,  Francis  Moore,  who  married  Miss  B.  W. 
Marsh,  of  Montrose.  Mrs.  Moore's  parents 
were  Jordan  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Betts,  the 
fromer  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of 
Ohio.  They  lived  many  years  in  Ohio,  then 
moved  to  Illinois  where  they  both  died. 

JOSEPH  MOORE. 

Joseph  Moore,  brother  of  Thomas,  who  in 
his  younger  days  was  a  school  teacher  and  held 
certificates  of  qualification  as  such  from  four 
states,  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  in 
1830.  He  lived  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  -Iowa  near 
the  Nebraska  line,  and  Colorado.  In  1897  he 
was  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  since  then  has 
done  no  active  work.  He  is  a  joint  owner  with 
Thomas  of  the  farm  on  which  they  live,  and  has 
never  married.  His  services  as  a  teacher  were 
highly  appreciated  by  all  who  had  the  benefit 


of  them,  as  he  was  a  most  progressive  educator 
and  far  ahead  of  his  day  in  the  profession  in 
many  ways,  and  while  possessing  breadth  of 
view  as  a  theorist  was  highly  endowed  with 
executive  ability  and  teaching  power.  He  also 
exhibited  high  character  and  admired  courtesy 
of  manner  in  his  work. 

X 

J.   M.   KELSEY. 

Among  the  most  fertile  and  productive 
regions  of  this  country  is  the  renowned  Wa- 
bash  valley  in  Indiana.  Nature  there  has  en- 
riched the  soil  with  every  element  of  fruitful- 
ness,  and  seems  to  have  pleasure  also  in  suiting 
the  climate  with  generous  hand  to  its  advant- 
age, making  the  seasons  just  as  they  should  be 
for  the  best  results,  retarding  the  approach  of 
winter  until  the  crop  is  ripened  and  harvested, 
yet  not  withholding  the  benignant  smiles  of 
spring  too  long  for  their  proper  planting.  And 
the  population  that  inhabits  this  region  is  in 
keeping  with  its  munificence.  After  its  first 
wild  condition  was  transformed  to  one  of 
comeliness  and  salubrity,  its  bounty  to  the  toil 
of  the  husbandman  became  impressively  ap- 
parent, and  men  grew  broad,  progressive  and 
forceful  in  consonance  with  the  conditions 
around 'them,  so  that  now  the  region  is  a  con- 
tinuous succession  of  highly  cultivated  farms 
with  stirring  marts  of  commerce  and  indus- 
trial productions  at  frequent  intervals,  and  is 
rich  in  schools  and  colleges,  churches  and  li- 
braries, hospitals  and  asylums,  and  all  the  other 
concomitants  of  cultivated  life.  It  was  in  this 
region,  at  Cravvfordsville,  Montgomery  county, 
that  J.  M.  Kelsey,  one  of  the  esteemed  farmers 
and  apiarists  of  Montrose  county,  this  state, 
was  born,  reared,  learned  farming  and  prac- 
ticed the  art  for  more  than  half  a  century.  His 
life  began  in  1826,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Edward 
and  Eliza  (Miboer)  Kelsey  and  the  third  of 
their  family  of  seven  sons.  His  father  was  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


745 


native  of  Ohio,  born  near  Springboro,  Warren 
county,  and  settled  near  Crawfordsville,  In- 
diana, in  1825,  among  the  first  hardy  adven- 
turers who  occupied  that  section  and  who  laid 
the  foundations  of  its  present  prosperity.  He 
remained  there,  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  a  lead- 
ing citizen  until  his  death  in  1859,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven.  In  politics  he  was  an  uncompro- 
mising Democrat  of  the  old  school,  and  in 
church  connections  a  Methodist.  His  parents 
were  old  Ohio  pioneers,  and  he  and  his  family 
helped  to  repeat  on  the  soil  of  Indiana  the 
triumphs  they  had  aided  in  winning  on  that 
of  Ohio.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Rhoda  Miboer,  and  ac- 
companied her  parents  from  that  country  to 
this  in  her  childhood.  They  lived  awhile  in 
New  Jersey,  then  moved  to  Ohio'  where  she- 
grew  to  womanhood  and  was  married.  She 
died  in  Indiana  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four,  having  seen  two  states  of  that  section  of 
the  country  redeemed  from  barbarism  and 
grow  to  greatness  within  the  short  space  of  her 
life.  Mr.  Kelsey's  early  years  were  passed  on 
the  paternal  homestead  in  whose  labors  he  took 
his  part  as  a  boy  and  a  young  man.  He  at- 
tended the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  ac- 
quiring a  fair  degree  of  book  knowledge  and  a 
substantial  equipment  of  common  sense  and 
practical  utility  under  the  ministrations  of  the 
typical  "Hoosier  Schoolmaster,"  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  began  farming  in  his  native 
county  for  himself,  and  soon  after  was  mar- 
ried and  doubtless  felt  that  he  was  established 
for  life  among  his  own  people.  He  rose  to  in- 
fluence in.  local  affairs,  served  the  county  well 
as  sheriff,  filled  with  credit  other  county  of- 
fices, and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial 
yeomen  of  his  district  on  whom  its  present 
safety  and  future  hopes  depended.  For  fifty- 
three  years  and  longer  he  lived  on  that  same 
farm  and  concentrated  his  efforts  on  its  im- 
provement and  development  and  built  up  there 


a  profitable  agricultural  business.  In  1880  he 
sold  the  farm  and  his  other  real  property,  and 
came  to  the  mountains  of  Colorado  to  prospect 
and  mine  for  the  precious  metals.  He  fol- 
lowed this  interesting  but  uncertain  occupation 
for  six  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Ouray  and 
Telluride,  and  located  a  number  of  promising 
claims.  He  then  turned  again  to  the  vocation 
of  his  former  years,  purchasing  the  place  on 
which  he  now  resides  and  giving  himself  up 
to  its  improvements  and  the  development  of  the 
general  farming  industry  which  he  started  on  it 
and  which  he  conducted  until  about  1884.  At 
that  time  he  conceived  the  idea  that  there  was 
room  in  this  locality  for  the  cultivation  of  bees 
and  the  production  of  honey  on  a  large  scale, 
and  with  all  the  ardor,  of  a  man  of  strong  con- 
victions he  went  into  that  business.  He  has 
confined  his  efforts  mainly  to  the  Italian  breeds 
of  bees  and  since  the  inauguration  of  his  enter- 
prise in  this  line  has  handled  more  than  four 
hundred  colonies  of  their  best  and  most  vig- 
orous workers.  In  politics  Mr.  Kelsey  was  in 
early  life  an  ardent  Democrat;  but  being  at 
heart  in  earnest  opposition  to  slavery,  he  joined 
the  Republican  party  at  its  organization  and 
cast  his  vote  in  1860  for  Lincoln  for  President. 
Since  coming  to  Colorado  he  has  trained  with 
the  Populists,  and  while  not  an  active  partisan 
in  the  sense  of  seeking  or  desiring  office,  has 
given  the  principles  and  candidates  of  that 
party  effective  support.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  an  enthusiastic  Odd  Fellow,  holding 
membership  in  Crawfordsville  Lodge,  No.  29, 
of  the  order.  In  1847  ne  was  married  to  Miss 
Mercuria  Harlan,  who  was  born  and  reared  on 
the  farm  adjoining  that  of  his  father  in  In- 
diana, the  daughter  of  George  and  Ruth 
(Gregg)  Harlan,  natives  of  Ohio  who  settled 
in  that  portion  of  Indiana  in  1825,  about  the 
time  the  Kelseys  did.  Her  father  was  a  farmer 
of  note  in  his  day  and  locality,  and  an  influen- 
tial Whig  and  Republican  in  politics.  Mrs. 


746 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Kelsey  is  still  living  and  has  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-three.  They  have  had  four  children, 
Josephine;  Hortense,  who  died  in  Indiana  and 
was  buried  in  the  Masonic  cemetery  in  Mont- 
gomery county;  Eva;  and  Ruth  E.,  who  died 
after  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  Colorado  and 
is  buried  at  Montrose. 

JAMES  A.  FENLON. 

The  endless  variety,  the  high  spice,  the  full- 
ness of  incident  and  excitement  and  incident  of 
life  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  coun- 
try has  been  a  fruitful  theme  of  romance  and 
narrative,  yet  the  most  improbable  stories  told 
of  it  cannot  out-do  the  facts  or  overstate  them. 
Many  may  be  entirely  untrue  but  none  is  more 
wonderful  in  fiction  than  many  that  are  true  in 
the  experience  of  the  pioneers,  and  have  been  so 
frequent  in  that  experience  as  to  excite  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  have  had  it  more  than  a 
passing  comment.  Most  days  in  their  early 
years  brought  events  of  tragical  interest,  many 
had  much  of  this  element  and  some  were  full  of 
it,  the  plain  unvarnished  tale  of  some  single 
lives  on  the  frontier  or  amid  the  mines  would 
furnish  material  for  several  plays  of  thrilling 
interest,  while  the  aggregate  of  human  history 
in  this  section  in  the  early  days  makes  up  a 
volume  of  life  that  is  complete  in  itself  and 
unique  and  unmatched  in  any  other  time  or 
place.  The  career  of  James  A.  Fenlon,  of  Un- 
compahgre,  the  genial  and  accommodating 
postmaster  of  the  town  for  almost  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  is  one  of  this  unusual  and  spectacular 
kind.  He  was  born  in  1850  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary 
(Maher)  Fenlon,  natives  of  Dublin,  Ireland, 
who  came  separately  to  the  United  States  late 
in  the  'thirties  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania  near 
Blairsville.  The  father  was  a  young  man 
when  he  came,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  be- 
came a  contractor  in  the  construction  of  the 


Pennsylvania  Central  and  the  Allegheny  Valley 
Railroads.  He  continued  to  follow  this  line  of 
occupation  until  he  was  killed  by  accident  at 
Ashtabula,  Ohio,  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Home  Guard  military  organization  at 
Blairsville,  and  wherever  he  lived  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  development  and  improvement  of 
the  country.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Maher,  who  were  natives 
and  residents  of  Dublin,  and  came  with  them 
to  America  from  that  city  in  1838  or  1839. 
They  settled  on  a  farm  near  Blairsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  there  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
were  passed,  the  father  dying  in  1843  and  the 
mother  in  1856,  and  both  being  buried  at 
Blairsville.  The  elder  Fenlons  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  James  was  the  first 
born.  His  education  was  begun  at  the  public 
and  parochial  schools  of  Blairsville  and  con- 
tinued at  St.  Francis  College  at  Loretto  in  the 
adjoining  county.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  left  college  and  began  to  make  his  own  liv-- 
ing  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Hillside,  Westmore- 
land county,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring 
of  1867.  He  then  went  into  the  oil  regions  not 
far  away  and  for  several  months  sought  for- 
tune's winning  smile  in  the  unctuous  fluid 
poured  forth  from  the  depths  of  earth  that  made 
many  men  rich  beyond  their  wildest  dreams 
then  and  afterward.  In  the  fall  of  that  year, 
having  saved  money  from  his  earnings  for  the 
purpose,  he  returned  to  St.  Francis  to  complete 
his  education,  and  in  February  following  came 
west  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  en- 
tered the  service  of  Carney,  Fenlon  &  Com- 
pany at  that  place,  remaining  in  their  employ 
until  fall,  at  which  time  he  left  them  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  with  Price  &  Nichols,  post 
traders  and  sutlers,  for  whom  he  clerked  until 
the  spring  of  1879.  He  then  took  a  long  de- 
sired vacation  and  made  a  visit  to  his  old  Penn- 
sylvania home.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  again 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


747 


came  west  to  Alamosa,  Colorado,  and  engaged 
as  a  clerk  with  Field  &  Hill,  who  were  promi- 
nent in  the  mercantile,  forwarding  and  com- 
mission business.  The  spring  of  1880  found 
him  transferred  to  Fort  Garland  and  making 
ready  to  take  charge  of  the  traders'  stores  of 
Kinney  and  Erwin  on  the  expedition  against 
the  Utes  commanded  by  General  McKenzie. 
The  expedition  left  Fort  Garland  on  May  20, 
1880,  and  arrived  at  the  Uncompahgre  Ute 
agency  on  June  ist.  After  remaining  there  a 
few  days  the  body  moved  down  the  Uncom- 
pahgre valley  some  twenty  miles  and  estab- 
lished a  permanent  camp  which  was  called  the 
"Camp  on  the  Uncompahgre."  Here  they 
waited  until  the  waters  were  fordable,  then 
started  up  Douglas  creek  and  White  river  to 
the  agency,  where  Mercer  was  massacred.  A 
number  of  days  were  passed  there,  after  which 
the  expedition  advanced  over  the  mesa,  con- 
structing roads  and  bridges,  holding  its  camp 
on  the  mesa  until  September,  when  it  broke 
camp  and  came  to  the  place  where  Mr.  Fenlon 
now  lives,  then  called  the  Cantonment,  arriving 
on  October  ist,  the  day  of  the  Jackson  massa- 
cre ;  but  instead  of  resting  from  the  march,  the 
whole  body  was  at  once  put  in  motion  to  go 
forward  and  quiet  the  Indians.  Mr.  Fenlon 
has  remained  here  ever  since,  literally  holding 
the  fort,  as  his  embraces  a  part  of  the  old  Fort 
Crawford  post,  including  the  parade  ground, 
which  he  has  preserved  in  its  old  military  form. 
Until  1891  he  was  engaged  in  business  for  the 
government  and  with  the  Indians,  and  since 
then  has  been  carrying  on  a  general  merchan- 
dising establishment.  He  has  seven  hundred 
acres  of  fine  land  whose  principal  crop  is  hay. 
On  this  he  has  made  many  and  costly  improve- 
ments including  an  elegant  brick  dwelling  on 
which  he  expended  several  thousand  dollars. 
He  also  has  a  fine  and  well-developed  orchard 
and  from  it  he  gathers  large  quantities  of  su- 
perior fruit.  He  has  been  connected  in  a  lead- 


ing way  with  all  the  important  industrial 
and  commercial  enterprises  in  this  part  of 
the  state — was  president  of  the  Farmers 
&  Merchants'  Milling  Company,  one  of  the 
founders  and  directors  of  the  Bank  of 
Montrose,  which  collapsed  during  the  panic, 
and  a  prominent  and  influential  man  in  every 
line  of  productive  activity  in  his  locality.  In 
politics  he  is  an  active  Democrat  and  has  been 
his  party's  candidate  for  the  offices  of  county 
treasurer  and  county  commissioner,  but  went 
down  under  a  hopelessly  large  majority  for  the 
other  side  which  is  normal  in  the  county.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  valued  member  of  Uncom- 
pahgre Lodge,  No.  68,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  has  been  postmaster  of  the 
town  since  1880.  In  1882  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Clark,  a  native  of  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  daughter  of  Hartford 
and  Mary  A.  (Desanno)  Clark,  who  settled  at 
Fort  Leavenworth  after  the  Civil  war,  in  which 
the  father  was  a  captain.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  on  June  7,  1881,  he  was  serving  as  hos- 
pital steward  at  the  fort.  His  widow  died  in 
November,  1892,  at  the  fort.  Mrs.  Fenlon  is 
living  and  is  forty-three  years  of  age. 

G.  H.  LANDO. 

A  man  who  fyas  had  extensive  experience 
in  various  lines  of  activity,  and  whom  emer- 
gencies have  frequently  thrown  on  his  own  re- 
sources without  previous  notice  or  warning,  if 
he  have  spirit  and  self-reliance,  can  be  de- 
pended on  to  turn  every  situation  to  his  ad- 
vantage in  at  least  enduring  with  commendable 
fortitude  adverse  circumstances  and  overcom- 
ing them  to  the  extent  of  securing  his  own 
temporary  welfare  and  future  good.  This  is 
forcibly  illustrated  in  the  career  of  G.  H. 
Lando,  a  prominent  and  prosperous  rancher 
and  stock  man  of  Gunnison  county,  with  three 
hundred  twenty  acres  of  superior  land  located 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


four  miles  and  a  half  from  the  town  of  Gunni- 
son,  on  which  he  carries  on  a  thriving  farming 
and  stock  industry  which  is  one  of  the  leading 
enterprises  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  began  life's  duties  for  himself  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  as  a  prospector  and  trader  in  the 
wilds  of  Michigan  along  Lake  Superior,  and 
since  then  has  been  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
a  miner,  an  earnest  worker  in  industrial  and 
commercial  lines,  and  a  successful  and  progres- 
sive leader  in  the  business  in  which  he  is  now 
engaged.  Mr.  Lando  first  saw  the  light  of  this 
world  in  1836  at  the  little  village  of  Essex, 
New  York,  which  is  beautifully  located  on  Lake 
Champlain  in  the  midst  of  a  historic  region 
in  which  have  been  fought  some  of  "the  big 
wars  that  make  ambition  virtue,"  it  being  about 
half  way  between  old  Fort  Ticonderoga  and  the 
city  of  Plattsburg.  His  parents  were. Francis 
and  Elizabeth  (Morris)  Lando,  the  former  a 
native  of  France  who  came  to  that  portion  of 
New  York  when  a  young  man  and  there  lived 
the  remainder  of  his  days,  prosperously  work- 
ing at  his  trade  as  a  shoemaker.  The  mother 
was  born  and  reared  in  Canada  and  when  she 
reached  years  of  maturity  moved  to  New  York 
where  she  was  married  and  where  she  also 
lived  out  her  earthly  existence,  dying  in  1877, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  and  leaving  ten 
children  as  her  best  legacy  to  mankind.  The 
father  passed  away  in  1856.  The  subject  was 
the  fourth  of  their  children,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen,  at- 
tending school  as  he  had  opportunity  and  aid- 
ing his  father  in  his  work  as  he  could.  When 
he.  determined  to  look  out  for  himself  he  came 
west  to  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  and  in 
the  then  almost  unsettled  wilds  of  northern 
Michigan  busied  himself  in  trading  with  In- 
dians and  the  scattered  whites,  and  in  explor- 
ing the  country  in  search  for  mineral  pine 
lands.  He  remained  there  so  occupied  for 
nearly  ten  years.  In  1862,  in  response  to  one 


of  the  stirring  calls  of  the  President  for  volun- 
teers to  defend  the  Union,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  Twenty-seventh  Michigan  Infantry, 
and  thereafter  was  with  that  regiment 
through  the  thick  of  the  war,  serving  three 
years  and  being  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  He  remained  in  that  state,  located 
at  Lexington,  until  the  spring  of  1871,  when 
he  moved  to  Kansas  City  and  until  1880  he  was 
in  business  in  that  then  young  but  aspiring 
western  metropolis.  In  1880  he  came  to  Col- 
orado, and  the  next  three  years  were  passed 
by  him  at  Gunnison  in  various  occupations.  He 
then  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  which,  with  a  homestead  of  equal  extent 
taken  up  at  the  same  time,  constitutes  his 
present  fine  country  estate  and  the  seat  of  his 
extensive  and  flourishing  stock  business  and 
general  farming  industry.  He  was  married  in 
1871  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Porter,  a  native  of 
Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts. 

JOHN  L.  GRIFFING. 

Born  and  bred  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and 
having  followed  it  at  times  since  leaving  the 
parental  roof-tree,  John  L.  Griffing,  of  Gunni- 
son county,  living  four  miles  from  the  town 
of  Gunnison,  on  a  very  attractive  and  desirable 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  on  which  he  has  made  extensive  and  valu- 
able improvements,  came  to  his  present  occupa- 
tion as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock- 
growers  of  western  Colorado  both  through 
natural  inclination  and  favorable  circumstan- 
ces. His  early  life  was  passed  on  his  father's 
farm  near  Crystal  Lake,  McHenry  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  born  in  1856.  His  parents 
were  Franklin  and  Lodema  (Thompson)  Grif- 
fing, natives  of  New  York  who  settled  in  Mc- 
Henry county,  Illinois,  in  1836,  and  from  that 
time  until  near  the  death  of  the  father  were 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


749 


actively  engaged  in  farming  in  that  county. 
In  1878  the  father's  failing  health  brought  the 
family,  or  those  members  of  it  who  were  still 
at  home,  to  Colorado  Springs,  this  state,  but 
too  late  for  much  advantage  to  him,  as  he  died 
in  1879,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  He  wras  a 
Veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  Seventy-second  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  three  years,  participating  in  some  of 
the  severest  battles  of  the  conflict.  The 
mother  survived  her  husband  twenty-two  years 
and  died  at  Colorado  Springs  in  1901,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children,  John  L.  being  the  last  born.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  1876,  except  that  some  of 
his  school  days  were  passed  in  Chicago.  In  the 
year  last  named  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated where  the  town  of  Gunnison  now  opens 
its  hospitable  doors  to  tourists  and  pleasure- 
seekers  from  all  over  the  world,  there  being 
then  at  that  point  no  evidence  of  civilization  or 
progress  except  one  little  country  store.  From 
this  place  as  a  base  of  operations  he  followed 
freighting  and  prospecting  for  four  years.  In 
1880  he  took  up  as  a  homestead  half  of  the 
place  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  and  has  added 
to  its  extent  by  subsequent  purchases  until  he 
now  has  a  beautiful  expanse  of  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  rich  in  natural  fertility  and 
brought  to  abundant  productiveness  by  judi- 
cious, energetic  •  and  skillful  husbandry.  His 
principal  product  from  the  soil  is  a  fine  quality 
of  hay  which  he  grows  in  large  quantities,  and 
he  also  conducts  a  flourishing  and  profitable 
stock  industry,  rearing  and  dealing  in  superior 
grades  of  well  bred  cattle.  He  has  enriched  the 
place  with  commodious,  comfortable  and  at- 
tractive buildings  and  other  improvements, 
which  are  capacious  in  extent  and  equipped 
with  appurtenances  for  the  requirements  of  the 
business  that  are  of  the  most  approved  modem 
patterns.  Mr.  Griffing  gives  every  detail  of 
his  large  business  his  personal  attention,  and 


the  results  are  commensurate  with  the  outlay, 
of  skill  and  industry.  As  a  citizen  he  stands 
high  in  the  public  regard  as  a  wide-awake  and 
progressive  man,  with  admirable  breadth  of 
view  and  public-spirit,  and  with  excellent  busi- 
ness capacity  wherewith  to  put  his  views  in 
practice  for  the  advancement  of  his  community 
and  the  advantage  of  its  people. 

COLUMBUS  L.  STONE. 

Made  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  father 
when  he  was  but  nine  years  old,  Columbus  L. 
Stone,  of  Gunnison  county,  a  prosperous  and 
enterprising  farmer  and  stock-grower  whose' 
life  in  the  county  has  been  a  source  of  advan- 
tage to  the  people  in  the  commercial  influence 
and  improvement  it  has  helped  to  bring  about, 
and  in  the  example  of -productive  industry  and 
business  energy  it  has  given,  early  began  to 
rely  on  himself  for  advancement  in  life,  and  to 
acquire  the  spirit  of  resoluteness  and  determin- 
ation for  which  he  is  well  known.  He  is  a  native 
of  that  great  hive  of  varied  and  all-conquering 
industry,  Pennsylvania,  born  at  Waverly, 
Lackawanna  county,  in  1857.  His  parents 
were  Hannibal  and  Clara  (Parker)  Stone, 
Pennsylvanians  by  birth  and  residents  of  that 
state  until  after  the  Civil  war,  when  they  moved 
to  Illinois  and  were  prosperously  engaged  in 
farming  on  the  virgin  prairie  of  that  state  until 
death  struck  down  the  father  in  1866  at  the  age 
of  thirty-one.  The  mother  took  up  the  burden 
of  carrying  on  the  business  and  rearing  her 
five  children,  and  steadily  persevered  in  her 
heroic  work  until  death  .ended  her  labors  also, 
passing  away  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one. 
•Columbus  was  the  first  born  of  their  children, 
and  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  aid  his  mother  in  provid- 
ing for  the  family  while  he  was  yet  very  young, 
so  that  his  opportunities  for  securing  an  educa- 
tion were  very  limited,  except  what  were  of- 
fered in  the  hard  but  effective  school  of  exper- 


750 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


.  ience  and  practical  work.  At  the  age  of  twen 
ty-one  he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer 
in  Illinois.  A  year  later,  in  1879,  he  came  to, 
Colorado  and  located  at  Seboya  where  he  did 
as  well  as  he  could  whatever  his  hands  found 
to  do,  but  was  principally  engaged  in  farm 
work  during  the  next  three  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  the  Indian  reservation,  near 
which  he  had  been  employed,  and  there  began 
ranching  and  raising  stock.  He  was  capable 
and  industrious,  attentive  to  his  work  and 
skillful  in  doing  it,  and  had  at  his  command  a 
ready  and  resourceful  business  capacity.  He 
throve  in  his  venture  from  the  beginning,  not- 
withstanding there  were  many  delays  and  dis- 
appointments, and  he  encountered  frequent 
events  and  circumstances  of  a  very  discourag- 
ing nature.  He  persevered  in  spite  of  all  ad- 
versities, improving  his  ranch  with  diligence 
and  judgment,  and  rising  by  his  qualities  of 
elevated  citizenship  and  breadth  of  view  in  the 
public  esteem  and  becoming  an  influential  fac- 
tor in  the  general  life  of  the  community,  serv- 
ing as  postmaster  at  Seboya  and  after-ward  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  many  other  ways 
contributing  to  the  general  weal.  For  eighteen 
years  he  lived  and  labored  in  that  section,  and 
steadily  won  his  way  in  every  line  of  activity  in 
which  he  took  a  hand.  He  then  desired 
a  larger  field  for  his  enterprise  and  bought  the 
ranch  of  four  hundred  acres  which  is  now  his 
home  and  four  and  one-half  miles  from  Gunni- 
son.  Here  he  has  continued  his  stock  and 
farming  business,  and  the  place  has  been 
greatly  increased  in  value  by  judicious  im- 
provements. He  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss 
Mary  Andrews,  a  native  of  Iowa,  the  daughter 
of  E.  H.  Andrews,  and  his  family  consists  of 
five  children  who  are  living,  Clifford,  Earl, 
Lawrence,  Ralph  and  Helen.  A  twin  sister  of 
Helen  named  Gladys  died  when  she  was  four 
months  old. 


HERMAN  AND  HENRY  RAUSIS. 

The  Rausis  brothers,  Herman  and  Henry, 
ranchers  and  general  fanners  of  Gunnison 
county,  with  a  fine  farm  of  four  hundred  acres 
which  they  own  in  partnership  and  conduct  to- 
gejther,  learned  much  of  the  business  in  which 
they  are  engaged  in  their  native  land  of  Switz- 
erland, whose  stock  industry  is  extensive  for 
the  size  of  the  county,  and  whose  dairy  prod- 
ucts are  known  and  enjoyed  in  all  parts  of 
the 'world.  Herman  was  born  in  that  country 
in  1871  and  Henry  in  1875.  They  are  the 
children  of  John  and  Pauline  Rausis,  who  were 
also  Swiss  by  nativity,  and  who  passed  their 
lives  in  Switzerland  industriously  engaged  in 
farming,  the  mother  dying  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five  in  1 88 1,  and  the  father  at  that  of  sixty- 
four  in  1893.  They  had  four  children,  of 
whom  Herman  was  the  first  born.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  Herman,  having  secured  a  fair 
education  in  the  state  schools  and  acquired  a 
good  knowledge  of  farming  as  it  is  carried  on 
in  his  home  country,  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  willing  to  accept  its  larger  conditions 
and  eager  to  embrace  its  larger  opportunities. 
He  came  at  once  to  Colorado  in  1888,  and  lo- 
cated at  Gunnison  where  he  began  to  put  into 
practice  in  the  service  of  others  the  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture  and  raising  stock 
which  he  had  gained  at  home.  He  was,  how- 
ever, looking  out  for  his  own  chance  for  pre- 
ferment, and  being  joined  by  his  brother 
Henry  in  1895,  they  together  bought  their 
present  valuable  property  and  turned  their  at- 
tention fully  to  its  development  and  improve- 
ment, realizing  that  if,  while  working  for 
others  with  machinery  and  on  land  in  which 
they  had  no  interest,  they  could  earn  a  subsist- 
ence, scanty  and  precarious  though  it  might  be, 
should  they  work  for  themselves  with  machin- 
ery and  on  land  which  they  owned,  they  might 
hope  for  better  pay,  more  steady  employment 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  larger  prospect  of  improvement.  In  their 
stock  industry  their  favorite  production  is  a 
high  grade  of  pure  bred  Durham  cattle  for 
which  they  have  an  established  reputation  and 
in  handling  which  they  have  done  much  to  raise 
the  standard  of  cattle  in  their  own  and  ad- 
joining counties.  They  have  also  shown  com- 
mendable enterprise  with  reference  to  the  pub- 
lic life  of  the  community  and  its  most  judicious 
progress  and  development,  taking  an  earnest 
interest  in  all  matters  of  general  public  advant- 
age, and  giving  to  local  governmental  con- 
cerns a  close  and  intelligent  attention  although 
themselves  not  political  partisans  in  any  ardent 
way.  The  brothers  are  not  married  and  are 
wanting  in  the  higher  enjoyments  of  domestic 
life,  yet  they  are  not  lonely  and  do  not  long 
for  the  blandishments  of  society.  They  have 
plenty  to  occupy  their  minds  and  engage  their 
faculties  in  their  work  and  the  interests  they 
have  in  charge,  and  in  the  beauty  and  variety 
of  the  country  around  them  nature  opens  a  the- 
atre of  boundless  and  satisfying  entertainment, 
holding  forth  a  cup  brimming  with  redundant 
pleasure  from  which  the  mind  properly  attuned 
may  fearlessly  drink,  and  gain  new  vigor  and 
a  heightened  zest  with  every  draught  and  find 
no  dregs  of  bitterness  at  the  bottom. 

FRANK  DUNN. 

Frank  Dunn,  living  four  miles  from  Doyle, 
on  a  ranch  which  he  has  improved  and  fertil- 
ized to  a  great  extent  since  he  purchased  it,  is 
one  of  the  enterprising  young  farmers  and 
stock 'men  of  Gunnison  county  who  are  the  stay 
of  her  present  and  the  hope  of  her  future 
prosperity.  Mr.  Dunn  is  a  native  of  Hardin 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  on  April  7, 
1871,  and  where  he  lived  with  his  parents, 
John  and  Malinda  A.  (Hyatt)  Dunn,  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen  when  they  moved 
to  Kansas.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Illinois 


and  moved  to  Iowa  when  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old.  There  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a 
carpenter  until  1885,  then  sought  a  new  home 
wherein  his  hopes  might  expand  and  flourish 
in  Kansas,  settling  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  state.  He  lived  there  to  the  end  of  his  days, 
dying  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
His  wife,  an  Indianian  by  birth,  is  still  living  at 
Gunnison,  Colorado,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Frank 
being  the  second  in  the  order  of  birth  and  the 
oldest  son.  His  education  was  begun  in  the 
schools  of  Iowa  and  completed  in  those  of 
Kansas.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  came  to 
Colorado  and,  locating  in  Gunnison  county, 
bought  the  farm  which  has  since  been  his  home, 
and  which  represents  in  its  high  state  of  im- 
provement and  cultivation,  and  in  the  pros- 
perous and  vigorous  stock  industry  he  has  built 
up  on  it,  the  labor  and  skill  of  his  subsequent 
years  and  the  progressiveness  and  breadth  of 
view  he  exhibits  in  all  enterprises  to  which  he 
gives  his  active  attention.  The  principal  fea- 
ture of  his  stock  production  is  a  high  grade  of 
Shorthorn  cattle  which  are  well  bred  and  well 
cared  for,  and  which  have  a  deservedly  secure 
and  strong  hold  on  the  confidence  and  approval 
of  breeders  in  his  section  of  the  county  and 
elsewhere  where  they  are  known.  His  efforts 
to  bring  and  keep  them  up  to  a  high  standard 
have  stimulated  others  to  the  same  aspiration 
and  have  aided  in  realizing  it,  so  that  he  has 
been  a  direct  and  positive  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity in  the  improvement  of  its  stock.  He 
has  also  given  a  close  and  intelligent  attention 
to  the  public  affairs  of  the  county,  and  having 
selected  this  part  of  the  country  as  his  per- 
manent home,  has  a  patriotic  and  active  interest 
in  its  welfare  in  every  way,  which  he  exhibits 
by  a  substantial  and  helpful  support  of  every 
good  undertaking  for  its  advancement  or  im- 
provement. Although  an  active  participant  in 
political  affairs,  he  is  by  no  means  a  self- 


752 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


seeking  or  ambitious  partisan,  but  approaches 
public  questions  with  a  view  to  the  general  good 
rather  than  from  a  desire  to  immediately  pro- 
mote his  own  advantage.  He  belongs  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  gives  its  principles  and 
candidates  his  allegiance  and  support.  In  the 
fall  of  1893  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Edna  Hardman,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Hardman.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
four  children,  Emma,  Harry,  Oscar  and 
Georgia. 

FRANK.  DONLAVY. 

Frank  Donlavy,  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
enterprising  farmers  of  Montrose  county,  liv- 
ing on  his  highly  improved  and  well  tilled 
ranch  one  mile  north  of  Olathe,  is  a  native  of 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Anna  (Long)  Donlavy,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  His 
father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Ohio,  re- 
maining there  until  1868,  when  he  moved  his 
family  to  Kansas,  and  there  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  in  1895,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two.  His  wife  also  died  in  that  state, 
passing  away  in  1876,  aged  forty-nine.  Their 
son  Frank  was  reared  to  habits  of  industry  on 
the  farm,  and  began  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Ohio  and  completing  it  in  those 
of  Kansas,  removing  to  that  state  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  fourteen  and  then 
came  to  this  state,  settling  at  Denver  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  cowboy  until  1875.  I*1  that 
year  he  went  back  to  Kansas  and  was  married 
to  Miss  Lizzie  Witt.  After  his  marriage  he  re- 
turned to  Colorado  and  worked  in  logging 
camps  until  1881,  when  he  settled  at  Olathe 
and  was  there  employed  in  a  sawmill 
until  a  few  years  later,  at  which  time 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Preston 
Hotchkiss  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a  cat- 
tle business.  They  continued  this  enterprise 


until  1885,  tne  partnership  being  then  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Donlavy  going  to  farming  on 
the  place  which  he  now  occupies  and  owns,  and 
which  comprises  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
acres  of  excellent  land.  His  household  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children,  three  boys  and 
one  girl.  They  are  John  H.,  Jesse  E.,  Morton 
A.  and  Anna  G.,  all  living  and  at  home.  Mr. 
Donlavy's  farm  is  in  an  excellent  condition  of 
development  and  cultivation  and  is  well  im- 
proved with  good  buildings,  much  the  result  of 
his  -own  energy  and  skillful  industry;  and  his 
career  illustrates  forcibly  the  possibilities  of 
American  manhood  and  the  opportunities  open 
to  thrift,  capacity  and  enterprise  in  this  western 
world.  He  came  to  Colorado  without  a  dollar 
in  money  and  with  little  else  besides  the 
clothes  he  wore,  and  is  now  well  fixed  as  to 
worldly  comforts;  and  what  he  has  acquired 
by  his  own  efforts  without  the  aid  of  adventi- 
tious circumstances  or  the  favors  of  fortune. 
He  is  also  well  established  in  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  his  fellow  citizens,  being  a 
man  of  public  spirit  and  deeply  and  serviceably 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  community.  He 
has  been  connected  with  many  undertakings  for 
the  general  good,  and  is  now  one  of  the  eleven 
directors  of  the  water  association  of  Montrose 
county. 

WILLIAM  W.  WOLL. 

In  the  veins  of  William  W.  Woll,  of  Tin- 
cup,  Gunnisoh  county,  one  of  the  men  of  busi- 
ness capacity  and  progressive  enterprise  on 
whom  the  commercial  welfare  of  that  portion 
of  the  country  largely  depends,  the  blood  of 
the  sturdy  German  and  the  vivacious  French- 
man commingles  in  harmony  and  produce  a 
combination  of  qualities  which  off-set  and  bal- 
ance one  another  in  an  agreeable  poise,  and 
form  a  character  of  rare  excellence  for  almost 
any  form  of  productive  energy  or  serviceable 
manly  force.  And  in  his  career  he  has  utilized 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


753 


them  to  great  advantage.     Mr.  Woll  was  born 
in  the  state  of  Indiana  in  1858,  and  is  the  son 
of  Lewis  and    Mary    (Barrett)    Woll.       His 
father    was    a    native    of    Germany    and    his 
mother    of  France.     They  came  to  the  United 
States  in   1848  and  settled  in  Indiana,  where 
the  mother  died  in  1860,  when  their  son  was 
but  two  years  old,  and  the  father  in  1876  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two,  the  son  being  then  eigh- 
teen.    At  the  death  of  the  mother  she  was 
about  thirty.     They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  William  being  the  second.     He  was 
reared  by  his  father  and  given  such  educational 
advantages  as  the  times  and  circumstances  al- 
lowed, and  after  the  death  of  his  father  began 
the  work  of  providing  for  himself  as  a  furni- 
ture dealer  and  undertaker  in  his  native  place. 
After   following  this  business   four  years   he 
came  to   Colorado  in   1880,   and   making  his 
headquarters    at    Gunnison,    prospected     and 
mined  in  that  section  until  1887.  He  then  again 
entered  the  mercantile  life  by  opening  a  gen- 
eral store  at  Tincup  which  he  is  still  conduct- 
ing with  great  enterprise  and  success,  it  being 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  estab- 
lishments of  its  kind  in  the  whole  section  of  the 
state  in  which  it  is  located.    He  also  still  holds 
valuable  interests  in  a  number  of  mining  prop- 
erties rich  in  their  yield,  among  them  the  Im- 
perial   Group,  the    Forest    Hill,    the    Italian 
Mountains,  The  West  Gold  Hill  and  the  Cross 
Mountain.     Secure  from  adverse  winds  of  for- 
tune by  a  liberal  share  of  worldly  wealth,  and 
firmly  fixed  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow  men  by 
his  uprightness  and  the  usefulness  of  his  life 
to  the  community  in  which  it  is  passing,  Mr. 
Woll  has  many  elements  of  happiness  in  his 
lot,  and  is  blessed  with  a  cheerful  and  sunny 
disposition  that  adds  greatly  to  their  value  to 
him  and  to  others.     He  was  married  in  1886 
to  Miss  Clara    Weston,    and    their    domestic 
hearthstone  has  been  brightened  and  cheered 
by  three  children,  their  son  Wilforcl  and  their 
48 


daughters  Maud  M.  and  Abbie.  Among  the 
people  of  the  Tincup  region  no  family  is  held 
in  higher  or  more  general  esteem  and  good  will 
than  this.  Mr.  Woll  has  been  one  of  the 
builders  and  developers  of  the  region  and  has 
the  meed  of  his  usefulness  in  the  admiration 
and  appreciation  of  those  who  are  the  benefici- 
aries of  his  enterprise  and  public-spirit. 

AUGUST  SCHUPP. 

August  Schupp,  a  prosperous  ranchman 
living  twelve  miles  north  of  Gunnison,  Gunni- 
son county,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in 
1848,  and  has  put  in  practice  in  the  land  of  his 
adoption  the  habits  of  thrift,  frugality  and  per- 
sistent industry  which  he  acquired  in  that  of 
his  birth,  and  for  which  the  people  of  his  race 
are  everywhere  distinguished.  They  are  the 
great  and  continuous  toilers  in  any  field  or 
mine,  whether  it  be  in  the  physical  or  the  men- 
tal world,  and  they  leave  their  impression  in 
beneficent  results  wherever  they  plant  their 
feet.  Mr.  Schupp's  parents  were  Christian 
and Schupp,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  the  fatherland,  where  the  mother  is  still 
living  and  the  father  died  in  1860,  aged  sixty- 
two  years.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  during 
the  whole  of  his  mature  life  wrought  diligently 
at  his  trade,  and  was  much  esteemed  as  a  skill- 
ful mechanic  and  an  estimable  man.  Their  son 
August  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
land,  and  remained  there  until  1882,  when 
seeing  but  little  chance  for  improvement  in  his 
prospects  there,  he  determined  to  join  the  great 
army  of  industrial  progress  that  America  was 
recruiting  for  the  conquest  of  her  vast  unculti- 
vated regions  and  their  transformation  into  civ- 
ilized and  serviceable  communities.  In  that 
year  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  passing 
by  the  older  settlements  made  his  way  at  once 
to  Colorado,  settling  at  Crested  Butte  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  coal  mines  for  seven  years. 


754 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


He  then  embraced  an  opportunity  to  turn  his 
attention  to  a  more  pleasing  occupation,  and 
taking  up  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres  at  East  river, 
settled  down  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and 
the  rearing  of  cattle,  in  which  he  is  still  en- 
gaged. His  business  is  flourishing  and  he 
stands  well  in  the  community  as  a  good  farmer 
and  a  useful  citizen. 

OLIVER  E.  WILLIS. 

Although  Colorado  is  yet  very  young  among 
the  states  of  the  Union,  and  her  whole  history 
must  be  reckoned  in  decades  rather  than  cen- 
turies, she  is  old  enough  to  have  produced  a 
generation  of  active  workers  devoted  to  her 
farther  progress  and  development,  and  the 
spread  of  her  power  and  fame  throughout  the 
world.  To  this  new  birth  on  her  prolific  soil 
belongs  Oliver  E.  Willis,  located  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Howeville,  Gunnison  county,  on  what 
is  known  as  the  Jack's  Cabin  ranch,  one  of  the 
first  tracts  of  land  in  this  part  of  the  country 
to  fall  under  the  dominion  of  the  white  man 
and  yield  tribute  to  the  skill  and  labor  of  the 
husbandman.  Mr.  Willis  was  born  in  Boulder 
county,  this  state,  in  1868,  and  is  the  "son  of 
William  A.  and  Rachel  (Eggleston)  Willis, 
who  reside  near  his  home  on  a  valuable  ranch 
and  are  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock. 
The  father  is  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the 
mother  of  Iowa.  They  came  to.  the  state  in 
1864  and  settled  where  they  now  live.  Their 
son  Oliver  is  wholly  a  product  of  Colorado, 
born  on  her  soil,  educated  in  her  schools, 
learning  the  duties  of  life  in  her  industries,  and 
quickened  with  patriotic  love  of  country  amid 
her  grand  inspiring  mountains.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  her  enterprise 
which  waits  not  for  years  to  ripen  nor  time 
to  mellow  the  energies  of  man,  but  seizes  with 
ready  hand  the  opportunities  that  come,  he  be- 
gan the  contest  of  life  for  himself  by  purchas- 
ing a  ranch  and  for  fourteen  years  thereafter 


he  was  busily  employed  in  developing,  im- 
proving and  cultivating  this  property.  He 
then  sold  it  to  good  advantage  and  purchased 
the  one  on  which  he  is  now  settled,  which  is 
one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  ranches  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  being  the  old  Jack's 
S3abin  ranch  whose  history  is  almost  co-exten- 
sive with  that  of  the  commonwealth  itself,  if 
it  does  not  precede  even  that.  Here  Mr. 
Willis  is  actively  conducted  a  flourishing  and 
expanding  stock  and  general  farming  industry, 
growing  in  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  the 
people  around  him  by  the  enterprise  and 
breadth  of  view  which  he  displays  with  refer- 
ence to  the  general  welfare  and  progress  of  the 
community.  He  was  married  in  1895  to  Miss 
Ida  Jones,  and  they  have  one  child,  Lloyd  B. 

ROBERT  IMOVERSTEG. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch,  whose  life 
story  has  in  it  many  interesting  features  and 
events,  is  a  native  of  the  land  of  William  Tell, 
among  whose  impressive  mountains  and 
breathing  in  their  air  of  freedom  and  inde- 
pendence, his  forefathers  lived  and  flourished 
for  countless  generations.  And  when  he  left 
its  inspiring  scenes  and  history  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  new  world,  it  was  not  unfit  that  he  should 
find  it,  after  efforts  in  other  localities,  amid  the 
great  mountains  of  its  West,  nor  is  it  to  be 
wondered  at  that  he  should  there  turn  to  the 
occupations  of  his  fathers  as  the  proper  field 
for  his  energies.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland 
in  1852,  the  son  of  Frederick  D.  and  Mary 
(Hardi)  Imoversteg,  both  members  of  old 
Swiss  families  engaged  from  time  immemorial 
in  tilling  the  soil  and  tending  flocks  and  herds, 
although  his  father  did  not  follow  specifically 
and  wholly  the  avocations  to  which  he  had  been 
bred,  but  became  a  valued  teacher  and  a  pros- 
perous merchant.  He  died  in  Switzerland  in 
1898.  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His 
widow  survived  him  but  a  year,  dying  in  1899 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


755 


at  the  same  age  as  himself.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  their  son  Robert  being 
the  fourth  in  numerical  order.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  country,  remaining 
there  until  he  was  seventeen.  Then  with  high 
hopes  and  a  spirit  of  determination  to  brave 
every  danger  and  endure  every  hardship,  and 
also  to  make  every  effort  necessary  to  success 
in  life,  he  embarked  for  the  United  States  and 
made  Toledo,  Ohio,  his  first  stopping  place  for 
work  and  advancement.  In  the  vicinity  of  that 
growing  metropolis  of  the  inland  seas  he  was 
employed  in  farm  labor  for  two  years.  Then 
going  to  the  city  he  clerked  in  a  store  for  four 
years.  From  Toledo  he  went  to  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  and  after  clerking  a  year  there, 
opened  a  store  of  his  own  and  carried  it  on 
successfully  for  a  year.  He  had  a  longing, 
however,  for  the  far  West  that  would  not  be 
stifled,  and  selling  out  his  business  in  1876,  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  accepted  a  position  as  a 
clerk  in  Denver  which  he  held  about  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  that  period  buying  out  the 
proprietor  and  during  the  next  two  years  run- 
ning the  store  himself.  Toward  the  end  of 
1880  he  sold  out  all  his  interests  in  Denver  and 
bought  the  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  excellent  land  on  which  he  has  since 
lived  and  conducted  a  vigorous  and  progressive 
farming  and  stock  raising  industry.  His  land 
is  located  near  the  banks  of  the  East  river,  and 
not  far  from  the  postoffice  of  Oversteg,  derived 
from  his  name  and  named  in  his  honor.  He 
was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Mattie  Hall,  and 
they  have  nine  children,  Emma,  Ida,  Fred, 
Olive,  Rachel,  William,  Robert,  Jr.,  Reese  and 
Luretta. 

THOMAS  VIRDEN. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  born  on  March  14, 
1831,  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  that  state,  then 
going  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  to  Iowa  and  for 
six  years  farming  the  productive  soil  of  that 


state  and  following  this  with  four  years  of  the 
same  occupation  in  Nebraska,  when  he  came 
to  Colorado  in  1862,  Thomas  Virden,  of  Mesa 
county,  was  well  prepared  for  the  business  of 
farming  and  raising  stock  in  which  he  is  now 
profitably  engaged.     And  he  was   also   thor- 
oughly imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  West  and 
ready  for  any  phase  of  life  it  might  lay  before 
him,  having  had  experience  in  a  variety  of  pur- 
suits particularly  incident  to  the  state  of  this 
country  at  the  time  of  and  for  years  after  his 
arrival  here.     His  parents  were  William  and 
Martha    (Williamson)   Virden,    the   former  a 
native  of  Delaware  and  the  latter  of  New  Jer- 
sey.    The  father  was  by  occupation  a  farmer, 
and  followed  that  line  of  useful  industry  in  his 
native  state,  Kentucky,  Illinois  and  Iowa.     In 
the  last  named  state  he  died  in   1863,   aged 
sixty-seven  years.     His  widow  survived  him 
thirty-three  years,  dying  in  Iowa  in   1886,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-four.     Their  offspring  num- 
bered   nine,    Thomas    being    the    ninth.    He 
remained    in    his    native    state    and    on    the 
patenial  homestead   until   he  was   twenty-one 
years    old,    then,  went    to    Iowa,    where    he 
was  engaged  in  farming  six  years,  and  by  in- 
dustry and  capacity  he  made  his  work  profit- 
able.    At  the  end  of  the    period    named    he 
moved  to  Nebraska  where  he  remained  four 
years  farming  and  carrying  the  mails.    Decid- 
ing then  that  there  was  greater  opportunities 
for  him  in  the  farther  West,  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  settling  at  Denver,  then  a  small  but 
promising  city,   he    conducted    a    flourishing 
freighting  business  between  that    place    and 
Omaha  for  five  years.    He  next  located  in  Fre- 
mont county,  this  state,  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  and  raising  stock,  which  he 
continued    for    about    fifteen    years     in    that 
county,  then  moved  to  Ouray  county,  where 
he  was  occupied  in  the    same    industry    until 
1888,  at  which  time  he  moved  to  where  he  now 
lives,  and  where  he  has    developed    and    im- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


proved  his  property  into  a  fine  ranch  and  his 
business  into  one  of  large  proportions  and 
profitable  returns.  Wherever  he  has  lived  Mr. 
Virden  has  taken  an  earnest  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  rendered  good  service  to  his  district 
and  county.  He  was  assessor  of  Fremont 
county  in  1872,  and  when  the  Indian  outbreak 
occurred  he  volunteered  as  a  member  of  the 
Third  Colorado  Regiment  and  was  for  one 
hundred  days  in  the  war  that  was  waged 
against  the  savages,  taking  part  in  several  con- 
tests, among  them  the  battle  of  Sand  creek,  in 
which  the  whites  lost  one  hundred  men  and 
the  Indians  five  hundred.  Mr.  Virden  was 
married  in  1867  to  Miss  Emma  Strong,  of 
Shellsburg,  Iowa,  and  they  have  had  three 
children,  Minnie  and  Walter,  who  are  living, 
and  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

AUGUSTUS  HALL. 

From  that  land  of  thrift  and  industry,  pa- 
tient plodding  and  large  achievements,  Ger- 
many, which  has  contributed  so  largely  and 
so  serviceably  to  the  development  of  this  coun- 
try, came  Augustus  Hall,  of  Mesa  county,  liv- 
ing not  far  from  the  village  of  Whitewater  and 
about  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion. He  was  born  in  the  fatherland  in  1843, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  .(Ruland) 
Hall,  also  natives  in  that  country.  They  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1846  and  settled  at 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  but  after  a  residence 
of  a  few  years  there  moved  to  Missouri  and 
afterward  to  Iowa,  where  the  mother  died  in 
1886,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  The  father  later 
took  up  his  residence  in  Illinois  where  he  died 
in  1894,  aged  eighty- four.  Their  son  Augus- 
tus was  reared  and  educated  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent in  Missouri,  and  there  he  learned  his  trade 
as  a  blacksmith.  He  wrought  at  the  craft  for 
two  years  at  Canton,  in  that  state,  then  moved 
to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  he  passed  four  years 


in  the  same  pursuit.  In  1883  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  settled  at  Grand  Junction.  Here  he 
found  his  trade  in  great  demand  and  was  em- 
ployed at  it  for  ten  years.  He  was  handy  at 
other  mechanical  work  also,  and  made  the  first 
brick  ever  molded  in  the  place.  From  Grand 
Junction  in  1893  he  moved  to  Whitewater, 
where  after  following  blacksmithmg  for  some 
time  he  acquired  a  ranch  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides near  the  village.  Here  he  carries  on  a 
promising  and  expanding  farming  and  stock 
industry,  and  has  a  very  pleasant  home.  In 
1866  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Nyemas- 
ter  and  they  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
Laura  L.,  John  A.,  William  H.  (deceased), 
Milton  L.,  James  E.,  Estella  (deceased)  and 
David  S.  Mr.  Hall  has  been  and  is  an  indus- 
trious, enterprising  man,  with  his  eyes  open 
for  opportunities  and  his  energies  in  training 
to  use  them  to  advantage.  The  first  brick  he 
made  at  Grand  Junction  were  produced  in  the 
summer  of  1883,  and  his  product  was  so  much 
esteemed  that  he  was  unable  to  supply  the  de- 
mand for  it.  It  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the 
growth  of  the  town  and  changed  the  character 
of  both  business  blocks  and  residences. 

A.  J.  DODGION. 

A.  J.  Dodgion,  a  prosperous  and  enterpris- 
ing ranchman  and  stock-grower  of  western 
Colorado,  and  a  resident  of  the  state  since 
1869  or  1870,  and  living  now  about  twelve 
miles  south  of  Grand  Junction,  near  White- 
v-ater  post-office,  Mesa  county,  is  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  where  he  was  born  in  1835, 
the  place  of  his  nativity  being  Haywood  county, 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  and  amid  its 
mountains  and  mineral  regions.  His  parents 
were  William  and  Mary  (Henderson)  Dodgion, 
the  former  born  and  reared  in  South  Carolina 
and  the  latter  in  North  Carolina.  His  father 
was  a  planter  in  the  old  North  state  until  1874, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


757 


when  he  moved  to  Kansas  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  The  mother  is  also  dead. 
Their  son  remained  at  home  until  he  was  about 
twenty-three  years  old,  then  began  the  business 
of  life  for  himself  by  engaging  in  farming  until 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  es- 
poused the  cause  of  his  section  and  state  and 
joined  the  Confederate  army  as  a  member  of 
Company  G,  Twenty-fifth  North  Carolina  In- 
fantry. He  served  to  the  end  of  the  war,  and 
when  its  embattled  hosts  melted  away  from  the 
field  of  carnage  and  mingled  once  more  with 
the  pursuits  of  peaceful  industry,  he  returned 
to  his  home  and  for  four  years  followed  his 
former  occupation.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
he  determined  to  seek  better  opportunities  in 
the  new  regions  of  the  West  than  the  wasted 
conditions  of  the  South  then  seemed  to  offer, 
and  came  to  Colorado,  settling  in  Huerfano 
county  where  he  was  actively  and  profitably 
occupied  in  raising  stock  for  eight  years.  In 
1880  he  purchased  the  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  to 
its  development  and  improvement  he  has  since 
devoted  his  energies  to  such  good  purpose  that 
it  has  become  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  at- 
tractive in  his  portion  of  the  county.  His  stock 
industry  has  grown  to  good  proportions,  and 
everything  about  him  proclaims  his  enterprise 
and  prosperity.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  Pat- 
terson, of  his- native  state,  and  they  have  four 
children,  Olive,  Samuel,  Mary  and  Ruby.  Mr.. 
Dodgion  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
but  seeks  no  political  honors  for  himself. 

J.  B.  NOLAN. 

The  East,  the  West,  the  North  and  the 
South,  and  almost  every  foreign  clime  in  the 
civilized  world  has  contributed  to  the  settlement 
and  development  of  Colorado.  But  J.  B.  No- 
lan, of  Mesa  county,  living  in  the  Whitewater 
section,  twentv-four  miles  southeast  of  Grand 


Junction,  is  wholly  a  product  of  the  state.  He 
was  born  in  the  San  Luis  valley  in  1877,  was 
reared  on  the  parental  homestead  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  state,  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  near  his  home,  and  since  leaving  school 
has  employed  his  energies  in  developing  the 
resources  of  the  state,  and  improving  the  con- 
dition of  her  business  interests  and  promot- 
ing'her  general  welfare.  He  passed  his  child- 
hood and  youth  in  the  section  of  his  nativity, 
attending  school  when  he  could,  and  as  soon 
as  he  was  able  working  on  farms  near  his 
home.  In  1902  he  was  married  to  Miss  Efiie 
Gill,  and  they  have  one  child,  their  son  George 
E.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Nolan  settled  on 
the  place  he  and  his  family  now  occupy,  twenty- 
four  miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junction,  Mesa 
county,  where  he  carries  on  a  stock  and  farm- 
ing business  of  good  size  and  gratifying  profits. 
This  he  conducted  with  care  and  vigor,  devot- 
ing to  it  all  his  time  and  energy  and  winning 
the  rewards  of  his  toil  and  attention  which  he 
assuredly  earns.  Having  cast  his  lot  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  he  is  earnestly  interested  in 
its  welfare  and  like  other  good  citizens  aids  in 
promoting  all  good  enterprises  tending  to  this 
end,  giving  them  active  and  intelligent  support. 

J.  V.  GEIGER. 

J.  V.  Geiger,  of  Mesa  county,  with  an  attrac- 
tive home  on  a  productive  and  well  cultivated 
ranch  sixteen  miles  southeast  of  Grand  Junc- 
tion and  in  the  vicinity  of  Whitewater,  is  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  on  De- 
cember 9,  1860.  His  parents  were  Andrew 
and  Mary  (Mott)  Geiger,  natives  of  Germany, 
where  their  forefathers  had  lived  for  genera- 
tions before  them.  They  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  not  many  years  after  their  mar- 
riage and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days,  the  mother 
dying  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  and  the 


758 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


father. in  1887,  at  that  of  sixty-seven.  Their 
son  passed  his  boyhood  at  Williamsport  in  his 
native  state,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  progressive  city.  About  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  started  in  life  for  himself, 
coming  west  to  Missouri,  and  after  remaining 
in  that  state  about  six  months,  moving  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and 
there  engaging  in  farming  for  a  year.  He  next 
came  to  Fort  Collins  in  this  state,  and  worked 
in  the  stone  quarries  there  about  six  months, 
then  went  to  New  Mexico  where  he  was  em- 
ployed for  a  year  in  railroad  construction  work. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Color- 
ado, and  after  -spending  about  four  years  in 
prospecting,  he  bought  the  ranch  on  which  he 
now  resides  and  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
home.  To  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of 
this  property  he  has  devoted  himself  with  care 
and  industry,  and  he  has  made  his  labor  pay 
in  the  increased  productiveness  and  value  of  his 
land  and  the  greater  comfort  and  attractiveness 
of  his  buildings.  He  is  a  progressive  and  far- 
seeing  man  and  works  with  system  toward  his 
desired  ends.  In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  Virden  and  they  have  four  children, 
Frank,  Mary,  Gertrude  and  Annie.  Born  and 
reared  in  the  East,  and  having  lived  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  middle  and  farther  West, 
Mr.  Geiger  has  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  extent  and  wealth  of  our  country,  and  to 
its  interests  he  is  earnestly  devoted,  giving  es- 
pecially to  his  own  section  his  best  aid  in  its 
advancement. 

CHARLES  T.  JENKINS. 

After  years  of  useful  industry  in  various 
lines  and  different  places,  Charles  T.  Jenkins, 
of  Mesa  county,  settled  down  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  old  patriarchs,  and  has  since  been 
successfully  conducting  and  developing  his  val- 


uable and  productive  ranch  on  the  George 
mesa,  in  Plateau  valley.  He  was  born  in  1852, 
in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  and  is  the  son  of 
Joseph  N.  and  Melinda  (Ellis)  Jenkins.  The 
father  was  born  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and 
came  to  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  in  1832,  where 
""lie  was  married  to  Miss  Ellis.  Some  years 
later  he  moved  to  Kansas,  and  after  a  residence 
of  many  years  in  that  state,  came  farther  west, 
settling  at  Denver,  Colorado,  where  they  have 
since  resided.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  their  son  Charles  is  the  old- 
est. He  lived  with  his  parents  in  Illinois  until 
1874  and  then  accompanied  them  to  Kansas. 
His  education  having  been  finished  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  state,  on  his  arrival  in 
Kansas  he  engaged  in  farming  and  continued 
in  this  line  of  work  until  he  was  twenty-nine 
years  of  age.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
the  grocery  and  hardware  trade  and  followed 
that  until  1888.  In  that  year  he  moved  to 
Grand  Junction,  this  state,  where  he  remained 
nine  years  working  in  the  round-house  and  fin- 
ally running  a  locomotive  on  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad.  Tiring  of  railroading  at 
the  end  of  this  period,  he  bought  the  ranch 
which  he  is  now  operating  and  which  has  been 
his  home  continuously  since  that  time.  It  is 
located  in  one  of  the  best  agricultural  regions 
in  his  part  of  the  state  and  has  been  made  very 
productive  by  his  well  applied  industry  and 
rendered  valuable  by  the  improvements  he  has 
made  on  it.  He  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss 
Mary  Beye,  and  they  have  had  seven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  Floyd,  Hazel,  Bessie 
and  Clarence.  Three  others,  Edna,  Clyde  and 
Winifred,  died  in  childhood.  M'r.  Jenkins  is 
industrious  in  his  farming  operations  and  pro- 
gressive, as  he  has  been  in  all  other  pursuits, 
and  he  is  winning  a  gratifying  success.  He 
also  stands  well  in  his  community  and  is  gener- 
ally esteemed. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


759 


ROY  E.  JONES. 

The  sturdy  yeomanry  of  Wales  have  for 
centuries  been  among  the  productive  toilers  in 
any  line  of  work  that  engages  the  attention  of 
men,  and  have  shown  capacity  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  all  conditions  and  circumstances  and 
turn  even  adverse  fate  to  their  advantage. 
They  are  limited  in  their  native  land  to  small 
areas  and  few  occupations,  but  wherever  they 
locate  amid  the  more  expansive  realms  and 
larger  opportunities  of  the  United  States  they 
are  ready  for  every  call  to  duty  and  can  use 
their  chances  well  and  wisely  both  for  their 
own  substantial  good  and  that  of  the  section 
in  which  they  live.  To  this  adaptable  and  ca- 
pable people  Roy  E.  Jones,  of  Mesa  county, 
a  prosperous  and  progressive  farmer  living  in 
Parker  basin,  in  Plateau  valley,  belongs ;  and  in 
his  career  and  his  present  condition  of  com- 
fort and  prosperity,  which  he  has  won  by  his 
own  efforts  and  ability,  he  illustrates  forcibly 
their  salient  characteristics.  He  was  born  in 
Iowa  in  1875,  and  is  the  son  of  Jethro  and 
Hannah  L.  (Robinson)  Jones,  the  father  a 
Welchman  by  nativity  and  the  mother  born 
and  reared  in  Ohio.  His  father  came  to  the 
United  States  when  he  was  young  and  settled 
in  Illinois.  There  he  lived  for  a  number  of 
years  and  was  married.  Some  time  after  this 
event  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Iowa,  where 
he  was  living  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war. 
Strong  in  his  devotion  to  the  Union,  he  was 
one  of  the  early  volunteers  in  its  defense,  en- 
listing in  1861  in  Company  C,  Thirty-eighth 
Iowa  Infantry,  and  in  that  command  serving 
to  the  close  of  the  contest.  After  its  end  he 
returned  to  his  Iowa  home  and  resumed  his 
farming  operations,  which  -he  continued  in  that 
state  for  a  number  of  years,  then  moved  to 
Wisconsin  and  remained  there  eleven  years. 
From  there  he  came  to  Colorado  and  now  re- 
sides in  Plateau  valley,  Mesa  county.  His 


wife  is  still  living  and  abides  with  him  at  their 
pleasant  home,  where  they  are  visited  by  large 
numbers  of  admiring  friends.  Their  son  Roy 
passed  the  most  of  his  early  life  in  Wisconsin, 
and  received  his  education  there.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  this  state,  and  soon  after- 
ward bought  a  ranch  in  partnership  with  his 
brother.  This  they  conducted  together  until' 
recently,  when  he  sold  his  interest  and  pur- 
chased another  ranch  of  his  own,  the  one  on 
which  he  now  lives  in  Parker  basin  and  which 
he  manages  with  success  and  profit.  He  has 
improved  it  with  good  buildings  and  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  development,  making.it  a 
very  attractive  country  home  of  appreciating 
value.  In  1889  Mr.  Jones  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Alice  Mottj  and  they  have  one  child, 
their  son  Clyde  R.  Jones. 

HANK  BOGERT. 

Hank  Bogert,  of  near  Mesa,  is  one  of  the 
strong-minded,  self-reliant  and  hardy  men 
who  have  been  taught  by  the  sharp  lessons  of 
adversity  and  the  necessity  for  speedy  action 
how  to  handle  themselves  in  emergencies,  to 
whom  the  great  West  is  indebted  for  her  open- 
ing to  commercial  and  industrial  importance, 
and  all  the  blessings  of  cultivated  life.  He  was 
born  on  Long  Island,  New  York,  on  August 
3,  1868,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  L.  and 
Amelia  (Hamilton)  Bogert,  both  natives  of  the 
same  state  as  himself.  The  father  was  an  arch- 
itect and  well  esteemed  in  his  profession.  He 
.served  in  the  Seventh  New  York  Volunteers 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  after  its  close  re- 
turned to  his  home  and  resumed  his  profes- 
sional work  to  which  he  adhered  until  his 
death.  His  wife  died  soon  after  he  did  and 
their  son  Hank  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early 
age  and  obliged  to  look  out  for  himself.  He  had 
few  advantages  of  schooling  except  in  the 
hard  school  of  experience,  but  was  always 


760 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


ready  for  any  employment  he  could  get,  and 
was  never  without  work.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  came  west  to  Utah,  and  in  that  state  he 
rode  the  range  and  herded  cattle  for  about  fif- 
teen years,  then  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of 
his  present  home.  He  kept  a  general  store  at 
Mesa,  in  the  Plateau  valley,  for  four  yearsv 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  moved  to  the  ranch 
he  now  occupies  and  which  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  Here  he  has  continued  his  cattle  in- 
dustry, and  in  the  management  and  expansion 
of  it  he  has  greatly  prospered.  In  1893  ne  was 
married  to  Miss  Adeline  Mitchell,  and  their  off- 
spring number  six,  -Bertha,  Margaret,  Vir- 
ginia, Esta,  William  and  Julia  H.  Mr.  Bogert 
has  been  actively  connected  with  the  develop- 
ment of  this  section  ever  since  he  came  here  to 
live,  and  his  worldly  wisdom  and  breadth  of 
view  have  been  of  valuable  service  to  the  com- 
munity, as  has  also  the  influence  of  his  example 
of  industry,  enterprise  and  progressiveness.  No 
man  in  his  neighborhood  is  more  highly  re- 
spected, and  none  deserves  to  be. 

M.  C.  THOMPSON. 

M.  C.  Thompson,  of  Parker  basin,  Plateau 
valley,  in  Mesa  county,  Colorado,  was  born  in 
Butler  county.  Pennsylvania,  in  1875,  an^  is 
the  son  of  James  and  Rosa  (Covert)  Thompson, 
both  natives  of  that  state,  where  they  were 
reared,  educated  and  married.  They  were 
farmers  by  occupation  and  prosperous  in  their 
work  until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war, 
when  the  father,  thoroughly  patriotic  and  de- 
voted to  the  Union,  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  on  June 
27,  1862,  laid  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  coun- 
try at  the  battle  of  Gaines  Mills,  Virginia.  The 
bereaved  and  stricken  mother  took  up  the  bur- 
den of  rearing  her  family  as  best  she  could  and 
with  patience,  perseverance,  great  devotion  to 
duty  and  lofty  faith,  bore  it  to  a  successful  con- 


clusion, living  to  see  her  offspring  well  settled 
in  life  and  putting  into  daily  practice  the  les- 
sons of  fidelity  and  industry  she  had  labored 
so  sedulously  to  teach  them.  She  died  in  De- 
cember, 1902,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Their 
offspring  numbered  ten,  M.  C.  being  the  sixth. 
His  opportunities  for  attending  school  were 
necessarily  limited,  as  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
was  obliged  to  begin  to  earn  his  own  livelihood, 
which  he  did  by  working  on  farms  near  his 
home  until  1878.  He  was  then  twenty-one, 
and  determined  to  seek  in  the  West  larger  op- 
portunities than  his  home  county  afforded,  es- 
pecially to  one  in  his  circumstances,  and  moved 
to  Illinois,  locating  at  Kewanee,  where  he 
farmed  for  two  years.  From  there  he  moved 
on  to  Nebraska  in  1880,  and  after  five  years  of 
farming  in  one  part  of  that  state  with  varying 
success,  he  settled  in  Custer  county,  in  the  cen- 
tral part,  where  he  remained  until  1894,  en- 
gaged in  the  same  pursuit.  In  that  year  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  present  ranch 
in  Parker  Basin,  on  which  he  has  since  resided 
and  been  industriously  occupied  in  an  expand- 
ing farming  industry  with  gratifying  results 
and  increasing  prosperity,  succeeding  in  his  en- 
terprise and  building  himself  up  in  the  esteem 
and  good  will  of  the  people,  and  exhibiting 
among  them  an  elevated  and  serviceable  citi- 
zenship. In  1888  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cora 
M.  Kitchen,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza 
(Emerson)  Kitchen.  They  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living,  Elmer  B.,  Anna 
M!,  Edwin  N.,  Allen  P.,  Beulah  S.  and  Roy  E. 
A  daughter  named  Ethel  died  when  she  was 
two  months  and  four  days  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  are  ornaments  to  the  social  life  of 
their  community,  and  he  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising and  representative  men  of  the  section 
in  all  matters  of  public  importance. 

MRS.  ELIZA  EMERSON  KITCHEN,  who  has 
for  nearly  ten  years  been  a  resident  of 
Plateau  valley,  Mesa  county,  has  had  an  in- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


761 


teresting  and  varied  career,  involving  much  of 
the  tragedy  of  life  as  well  as  its  sunshine  and 
cheer.  She  was  born  in  Luzerne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1834,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  (Kendrew)  Emerson,  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1829, 
and  settled  in  the  place  of  her  birth,  where  they 
were  prosperously  engaged  in  farming.  The 
mother  died  in  1837  and  the  father  in  1888, 
aged  eighty-four.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Kitchen  was  the 
fourth.  She  passed  her  girlhood  in  her  native 
state  and  was  married  there  to  John  Kitchen, 
a  native  of  England.  When  the  Civil  war  was 
nearing  its  close  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
One  Hundred  and  Eighty-eighth  Pennsylva- 
nia Infantry,  and  served  to  the  end  of  the  con- 
test, being 'discharged  on  December  i,  1865. 
They  then  moved  to  Nebraska  and  were  again 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death  in  March, 
1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  In  1894 
Mrs.  Kitchen  came  to  Colorado  to  live, 
and  located  in  Plateau  valley,  where  she 
has  since  "made  her  home,  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
M.  C.  Thompson,  and  husband  coming  with 
her.  She  and  her  husband  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  Jennie,  Mary  D.,  Thomas  E., 
Ella,  Anna  M.  (deceased),  Cora  M.  (Mrs. 
Thompson)  and  Charles  A.  Mrs.  Kitchen  is 
widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  in  this 
country,  and  finds  her  residence  in  Colorado 
pleasant  and  satisfactory.  She  is  well  pleased 
with  the  state  and  warmly  attached  to  its  peo- 
ple as  they  are  to  her. 

JOHN  M.  BERTHOLF. 

John  M.  Bertholf,  of  Plateau  valley,  Mesa 
county,  is  one  of  the  very  early  pioneers  of  the 
section,  arriving  in  it  when  there  were  no  con- 
veniences of  life  available,  and  every  foot  of 
ground  that  was  occupied  and  made  product- 
ive had  to  be  literally  wrested  from  the  wilder- 


ness and  its  savage  denizens.  He  helped  to 
lay  out  and  construct  the  first  county  road  in 
the  county,  and  to  begin  many  other  of  its 
works  of  public  utility.  He  brought  the  first 
cooking  stove  into  the  county,  packing  it  in  on 
the  back  of  a  bull.  Thus  starting  with  the  very 
dawn  of  civilization  in  this  region,  he  has  been 
helpful  and  effective  in  fostering  and  develop- 
ing all  its  interests  since  then,  and  building  it 
up  into  a  progressive  and  wide-awake  commun- 
ity, full  of  earnest  activity  and  the  promise  of 
future  greatness.  Mr.  Bertholf  was  born  in 
Lee  county,  Illinois,  in  1846,  and  comes  of  a 
race  of  pioneers.  One  of  his  paternal  ances- 
tors in  the  direct  line  came  from  his  European 
home  to  the  wilds  of  America  as  a  missionary 
in  1666;  and  since  then  the  family  have  been 
among  the  foremost  of  the  emigrants  to  the 
farther  West  at  all  times,  finding  pleasure  in 
the  wild  life  of  the  frontier  and  the  conquests 
they  were  able  to  win  in  its  untrodden  domains. 
Th«  parents  of  this  particular  member  of  the 
family  were  Andrew  H.  and  Electra  (Macum- 
ber)  Bertholf,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Jer- 
sey, and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  His  father  moved 
to  New  York  when  a  boy  and  lived  in  that 
state  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  then  be- 
gan a  steady  progress  westward  through  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
on  to  Iowa,  where  he  ended  his  days  as  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  dying  in  1878,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four.  The  mother  lived  until  1883, 
when  she  passed  away,  aged  sixty-seven.  Their 
family  comprised  twelve  children,  John  being 
the  eighth.  Although  born  in  Illinois,  he 
passed  his  early  life  to  the  age  of  twenty  in 
Madison  county,  Iowa,  remaining  at  home  un- 
til then  assisting  on  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
ceiving what  education  he  could  at  the  neigh- 
boring public  schools.  He  then  began  fanning 
for  himself  in  Iowa  and  continued  to  be  so  em- 
ployed there  until  1874.  At  the  time  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  in  Chaffee  county. 


762 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  until  1880, 
when  he  determined  to  turn  his  attention  to 
ranching,  and  for  this  purpose  took  up  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  Plateau  valley  which. he  occupied 
and  farmed  until  1901.  He  sold  it  in  that  year 
and  since  then  has  made  his  home  at  Plateau 
City,  Mesa  county.  As  has  been  noted,  the 
country  in  which  he  settled  in  1880,  although 
promising,  was  wholly  undeveloped,  and  there 
were  but  few  people  living  in  it  at  the  time. 
And  those  who  were,  with  himself,  are  entitled 
to  great  credit  for  the  rapidity  with  which  they 
opened  it  up  and  brought  its  resources  into  the 
markets  of  the  world.  In  its  present  condi- 
tion of  advancement  and  progress,  it  stands  a 
monument  to  their  enterprise  and  daring,  and 
the  comforts  with  which  it  is  now  filled,  and 
the  blessings  of  civilization  which  it  enjoys, 
only  emphasize  the  privations  of  their  early 
day  and  the  heroic  spirit  with  which  they  en- 
dured and  overcame  them.  Mr.  Bertholf  was 
married  in  1867  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Moore,  and 
they  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  five  are 
giving,  Elmeda  and  Elnora  (twins),  Glen, 
Fred  and  Roxie.  A  son  named  Wilbur  died 
in  1 88 1,  aged  three  years. 

H.  M.  VAN  CLEAVE. 

The  place  of  nativity  of  H.  M.  Van  Cleave, 
a  highly  esteemed  and  successful  farmer  of 
.Garfield  county,  residing  on  an  excellent  ranch 
of  his  own  located  fifteen  miles  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Debeque,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  In- 
diana, where  he  was  born  in  1845.  His  parents 
were  Benjamin  and  Nancy  (Van  Cleave)  Van 
Cleave,  cousins,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana 
and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  They  maintained 
a  residence  of  many  years  in  Indiana,  where 
they  were  prosperously  engaged  in  farming. 
The  father  died  in  1879,  aged  sixty-three;  the 
mother  had  preceded  him  to  the  other  world 
some  sixteen  years,  dying  in  1863,  at  the  age 


of  forty-five.  Their  offspring  numbered  eleven, 
of  whom  H.  M.  was  the  fifth  born.  He  re- 
mained at  home  attending  the  district  schools 
and  working  on  the  farm  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  eighteen,  then  in  1863  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  for  a  term  of  three  years  or  dur- 
ing the  war  as  a  member  of  the  Twelfth  Mis- 
.souri  Cavalry.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the 
contest  and  was  in  several  important  engage- 
ments. Being  mustered  out  at  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  in  1866,  he  returned  to  Missouri,  but 
soon  afterward  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  was 
busily  employed  in  farming  during  the  next 
twelve  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  Leadville,  en- 
gaged in  prospecting  and  mining  until  1884, 
when  he  settled  on  the  land  he  now  occupies 
and  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  raising 
stock.  His  land  is  in  the  midst  of  the  fertile 
region  watered  by  Roan  creek,  and  its  fertility 
and  productiveness  fully  justify  the  hopes  of 
its  early  occupants  of  whom  Mr.  Van  Cleave 
was  one.  He  has  seen  the  region  transformed 
from  almost  primeval  wilderness  to  a  state  of 
advanced  cultivation  and  enriched  with  all  the 
blessings  of  a  progressive  civilization;  and  he 
has  aided  materially  to  bring  about  the  change 
and  build  up  the  industries  with  which  the  sec- 
tion is  now  so  abundantly  crowned.  Among 
the  people  of  this  portion  of  the  county  none 
is  more  widely  known  or  more  highly  es- 
teemed ;  and  none  is  more  worthy  of  the  public 
regard  and  approval. 

GEORGE  STODDARD. 

George  Stoddard,  of  near  Mesa,  Mesa 
county,  Colorado,  who  is  successfully  engaged 
in  ranching  and  raising  cattle,  is  a  native  of 
California,  born  at  San  Bernardino  in  1862. 
His  parents  were  Rufus  and  Martha  (Weaver) 
Stoddard,  the  father  a  native  of  Canada  and 
the  mother  of  Missouri.  In  1849  tne  father 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


763 


made  a  trip  to  California  and  finding  the  coun- 
try agreeable  and  the  conditions  of  life  favor- 
able, he  decided  to  remain,  and  engaged  in  the 
cattle  industry  there  for  many  years.  He  is 
now  a  retired  ranchman  living  in  Utah.  His 
wife,  whom  he  met  and  married  in  California, 
is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  is  still  living,  hav- 
ing her  home  with  him  in  Utah.  Their  son 
George  was  but  a  child  when  they  moved  from 
California  to  Utah,  and  he  passed  the  greater 
part  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the  latter 
state.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  to  help 
to  earn  his  own  living  by  herding  horses  near 
Salt  Lake  City.  After  spending  about  a  year 
in  this  employment,  he  was  connected  with  the 
cattle  industry  about  four,  then  followed  min- 
ing until  1882,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  and 
settled  on  the  land  on  which  he  now  resides, 
and  where  he  has  a  comfortable  home,  a  well- 
cultivated  farm  and  a  growing  stock  business. 
He  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Susie  Buz- 
zard, and  they  have  two  children,  Ethel,  aged 
thirteen  years,  and  Hazel,  aged  six.  Mr.  Stod- 
dard  has  been  frugal  and  industrious  through 
life,  and  has  realized  the  reward  of  his  course. 
Realizing  early  that  his  success  must  be  wholly 
the  result  of  his  own  efforts,  he  lost  no  time 
and  wasted  no  energy,  but  made  every  hour 
and  every  faculty  count  to  his  advantage.  His 
example  in  this  respect  has  been  a  stimulus  to 
others,  and  has  opened  .to  more  than  one  de- 
spondent or  indifferent  fellow  worker  a  new 
door  of  hope  and  opportunity. 

JOHN  LARKIN. 

A  native  of  Ireland  and  the  son  of  an  Irish 
father  and  a  Scotch  mother,  John  Larkin,  of 
Mesa  county,  Colorado,  living  two  miles  south 
of  Debeque,  possesses  the  more  admirable 
characteristics  of  both  races,  the  versatility  and 
resourcefulness  of  the  Irish,  and  the  keenness 
of  perception  and  sturdy  industry  and  frugality 


of    the    Scotch,    and    has    made    them    tell 
in    his   American    career    to   his    own   advan- 
tage and   the   substantial   gain  of   the  places 
in  which    he    has    lived.      He    was    born    on 
the    Emerald    Isle  .in    1829    and    is    the    son 
of    John    and    Eliza    (McCitric)    Larkin,    the 
former  of  the  same  nativity  as  himself  and  the 
latter  born  in  Scotland.     His  mother  died  in 
1838,  when  he  was  but  nine  years  old,  and  soon 
afterward  he  began  to  provide  for  himself  by 
working  around   in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
home,  at  the  same  time  attending  school  when 
he  could,  and  thus  receiving  a  limited  knowl- 
edge of  the  common  branches  of  education. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  land  and 
followed  the  same  occupation  in  this  country 
after  he  emigrated  thither  in  1841.     After  his 
arrival  in  this  country  he  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania where  he  ended  his  days,  dying  in  1871, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three.       His  son  John 
came  over  a  year  previous  and  located  in  New 
York  city  where  he  engaged  in  making  cigars 
until  1847.    He  then  went  to  Pennsylvania  and 
worked  for  his  father  in  the  lumber  business 
until  1855.    In  that  year  he  moved  to  Illinois, 
and  a  year  later  to  Louisiana.  After  a  residence 
of  a  few  months  in  that  state  he  returned  to 
Illinois,    and    then    came    west    to    Nebraska. 
In  that  state  and  Missouri  he  passed  the  time 
until  1864,  then  came  to  Colorado,  and  locat- 
ing in  Laramie  county,  was  employed  in  driv- 
ing a  team.     In  1869  he  made  a  trip  through 
the    Blackhawk   and   Central   City   section   of 
Gilpin  county,  prospecting,  and  remained  there 
until  1880,  wrhen  he  went  to  Gothic  in  Gunnison 
county.     He  remained  there  and  at  Durango 
mining  until  the  autumn  of  1881.    At  that  time 
he  moved  to  where  he  now  lives  and  in  com- 
pany with  a  partner  took  up  a  ranch  near  De- 
beque.    At  the  period  of  their  arrival  the  land 
in  this  portion  of  the  county  was  not  yet  sur- 
veyed, and  all  the  conditions  were  primitive  and 
undeveloped.     They  gave  themselves  with  ar- 


764 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


dor  and  energy  to  the  improvement  of  the  sec- 
tion, starting  a  movement  which  resulted  in  the 
construction  of  the  Larkin  irrigating  ditch,  and 
stimulating  the  industries  of  the  region  toward 
the  building  of  other  public  improvements 
which  have  resulted  in  great  good  to  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Larkin  is  a  representative  man 
in  this  neighborhood,  with  a  voice  of  influence 
in  local  affairs,  and  a  warm  place  in  the  re- 
gard of  his  fellow  citizens,  deserving  his  place 
among  them  by  his  merit  and  the  breadth  of 
view  and  public-spirit  with  which  he  considers 
all  matters  of  general  interest,  and  by  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  private  character  and  the  up- 
rightness of  his  daily  life. 

CHARLES  A.   CHADWICK. 

Born  and  reared  far  from  the  scenes  of  his 
present  labors,  and  occupying  the  years  and 
energies  of  his  younger,  manhood  in  vastly  dif- 
ferent pursuits  from  those  in  which  he  is  now 
engaged,  the  native  force  and  adaptability  of 
Charles  A.  Chadwick,  of  Garfield  county,  this 
state,  are  such  that  he  turned  readily  and  suc- 
cessfully to  his  present  occupations,  and  has 
made  them  profitable  and  well  worthy  of  his 
own  continued  application  and  the  general  es- 
teem in  which  his  management  of  them  are 
held.  He  is  a  native  of  Kennebunk  Port, 
Maine,  where  his  life  began  in  1845,  and  is 
the  son  of  Nathan  and  Mary  A.  (Carlton) 
Chadwick,  then  residents  of  that  place.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  New  York  who  moved 
to  Vermont  in  early  life  and  afterward  to  Mas- 
sachusetts. Not  long  before  the  birth  of  the 
son,  who  was  the  third  of  seven  children,  the 
family  settled  at  Kennebunk  Port,  and  there 
the  father  died  in  1874,  aged  seventy-two 
years.  The  mother  died  in  the  'sixties,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight.  Their  son  Charles  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  town,  and  received  a 
common-school  education  there.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  his  father  started  him  in  business 


as  a  grocer  at  Biddeford,  Maine,  and  he  con- 
tinued the  enterprise  there  four  years.  He 
then  engaged  in  business  in  the  woolen  indus- 
try at  Bridgton,  in  the  same  state,  in  which  he 
was  occupied  until  1864.  At  that  time  he 
moved  to  Massachusetts  and  became  a  con- 
tractor in  furnishing  building  and  other  stone, 
remaining  there  so  occupied  until  1879.  In 
that  year,  the  Leadville,  Colorado,  mining  ex- 
citement being  at  its  height,  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  that  place,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  he  followed  the  exciting  but  delusive 
work  of  prospecting  and  mining,  losing  all  he 
had  accumulated.  From  Leadville  he  went  to 
Helena,  Montana,  where  he  again  became  a 
stone  contractor,  and  in  the  four  years  during 
which  he  was  engaged  in  this  business  at  that 
city  he  partially  retrived  his  fortunes.  In  1884 
he  again  came  to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Den- 
ver where  he  remained  two  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  took  up  his  residence  on  the 
ranch  he  now  occupies  on  Roan  creek  and 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  raising 
stock.  His  land  was  practically  unimproved 
and  virgin  to  the  plow,  but  by  assiduous  labor 
and  the  application  of  common  sense  and  an 
awakened  intelligence  to  his  new  occupation  he 
has  brought  much  of  it  to  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  built  up  his  stock  industry  to  a  large 
and  profitable  business.  His  ranch,  which  is 
located  in  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  prom- 
ising sections  of  the  state,  in  Garfield  county 
about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Debeque,  has  been 
transformed  into  a  desirable  and  valuable  coun- 
try home,  and  is  well  known  throughout  that 
region  for  the  excellence  of  its  products,  its 
attractive  appearance  and  the  skill  and  vigor 
with  which  it  is  managed.  In  1861,  before 
leaving  his  native  heath,  Mr.  Chadwick  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Abbie  F.  Chick, 
a  native  of  Maine  like  himself.  They  have 
had  five  children,  Charles  A.,  who  died  in 
1865  ;  Fred  D.,  who  died  in  1868;  and  George 
M.,  Charles  A.  and  Edward  E.,  who  are  living. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


765 


GEORGE  H.  GOODRICH. 

The  son  of  English  parents  who  left  their 
native  land  early  in  their  married  life  and 
came  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  this  country, 
George  H.  Goodrich,  of  Garfield  county,  has 
well  exemplified  the  pluck  anc]  determination 
for  which  they  were  noted,  and  by  his  own  per- 
sistence and  systematic  industry  has  wrung 
from  adverse  conditions  a  comfortable  estate 
and  a  secure  place  in  the  regard  and  good  will 
of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(•Iliff)  Goodrich,  who  followed  farming  in 
England  for  a  few  years  after  their  marriage 
there,  then  in  1853  came  to  the  United  States 
and  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. Some  years  later  they  removed  to  West 
Virginia,  where  they  continued  farming,  and 
where  the  father  died  in  July,  1903,  aged 
seventy-nine.  The  mother  is  still  living  there 
at  an  advanced  age.  Their  offspring  numbered 
eleven,  George  being  the  fifth.  The  greater 
part  of  his  boyhood  was  passed  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  the  public  schools  there  he  re- 
ceived his  education.  He  learned  practical 
farming  on  the  paternal  homestead,  remaining 
there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two 
when  he  came  to  Colorado,  arriving  in  the  state 
in  1 88 1  and  locating  at  Silver  Cliff.  After  a 
short  residence  there  he  moved  to  Leadville 
where  he  was  employed  eight  years  hauling 
ore.  In  1889  ne  took  up  a  fine  body  of  land  on 
the  Grand  river,  in  Garfied  county,  and  on  this 
he  has  since  made  his  home,  developing  and 
improving  it,  adding  to  its  value  by  judicious 
husbandry  •  and  well  arranged  buildings,  and 
bringing  it  to  an  advanced  condition  of  pro- 
ductiveness. He  was  married  in  1898  to  Mrs. 
Emma  E.  (Ward)  Doughten,  a  widow  with 
three  children,  Emmet,  Dora  and  Wilson,  the 
last  named  having  since  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen.  The  condition  and  appearance  of  Mr. 


Goodrich's  ranch  proclaims  him  as  an  enter- 
prising and  progressive  farmer,  and  his  pub- 
lic-spirited and  breadth  of  view  make  him  a 
valuable  factor  in  the  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity. He  is  regarded  as  a  representative 
man  of  high  character,  and  has  the  esteem  and 
good  will  of  all  classes. 

CHARLES  McKINNEY. 

Charles  McKinney,  who  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  ranching  and  stock  indus- 
tries of  Colorado  for  a  period  of  twenty-one 
years,  and  in  that  time  has  suffered  the  usual 
ups  and  clowns  of  the  business,  but  is  now  com- 
fortably and  profitably  established  on  a  good 
ranch  near  the  village  of  Mesa,  Mesa  county, 
has  contributed  essentially  to  this  portion  of 
the  state,  and  especially  to  building  up  and  im- 
proving the  line  of  activity  to  which  he  belongs. 
He  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1859, 
and  the  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Wiseman) 
McKinney,  who.  were  living  in  McDowell 
county  at  the  time.  Both  are  natives  of  the  old 
North  state  and  are  now  living  there  in  Mitchell 
county.  There  also  their  son  passed  his  child- 
hood and  youth  and  received  his  education,  re- 
maining at  home  until  he  was  about  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  then  engaged  in  general 
farming  for  two  years  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  moved  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he 
worked  in  a  dairy  for  six  months.  From  there 
he  came  to  Leadville,  this  state,  and  at  that 
point  he  followed  mining  for  a  year  and  a  half. 
The  next  two  years  he  spent  in  Garfield 
county,  where  he  was  again  employed  in  dairy 
work,  and  then  moved  to  Plateau  valley  in 
1885  ar>d  settled  on  a  ranch.  This  he  sold  and 
bought  another  which  proved  to  be  of  no  value, 
and  in  the  deal  he  lost  all  he  had  in  it.  He 
bought  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives  in 
1888,  and  since  then  he  has  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  its  development  and  improvement  and 


;66 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  expansion  of  his  business  with  gratifying 
results  and  cumulative  profits.  In  1892  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  M'ary  Wallace, 
and  they  have  five  children,  Henry  L.,  David 
R,  Adelbert  L.,  Jessie  J.  and  Clara  B.  Mr.  Mc- 
Kinney  has  been  connected  with  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  county  in  a  leading 
way,  and  is  one  of  its  influential  and  represen- 
tative citizens,  widely  known  and  generally  re- 
spected on  all  sides. 

JOHN  B.  HURLBURT. 

A  pioneer  in   raising  sheep  and  cattle  in 
Garfield  county,  the  first  man  in  his  neighbor- 
hood to  plant  and  cultivate  fruit  trees,  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Christian  church  at  Para- 
chute, and  a  leading  man  in  the  public  life  of 
this  portion  of  the  state,  John  B.  Hurlburt,  of 
Parachute,  has  lived  to  good  purpose  in  his 
community,  and  rendered  signal  and  appreci- 
ated service  to  its  people.    He  was  born  on  Oc- 
tober 4,  1839,  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  and  is  the 
third  of  seven  children  of  his  parents,  Isaiah 
and  Rebecca  (Breeden)  Hurlburt.    His  father's 
parents  were  citizens  of  the  United  States,  but 
he  was  born  in  Canada.     His  youth  and  early 
manhood  were  passed  on  the  great  lakes  where 
for  six  years  he  was  captain  on  a  steamboat. 
He   afterward   lived    in    Michigan,    Iowa   and 
Missouri,  and  in  1854  moved  his  family  to  Cal- 
ifornia where  he  was  engaged 'in  farming  until 
his  death  in    1891,   when  he  was   eighty-two 
years  old.     Mr.  Hurlburt's  grandfather,  John 
Hurlburt,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution,  and  lost  his  brother  Consi- 
der in  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  that  war. 
The  mother  of  Mr.  Hurlburt  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  died  in  1846.    Her  son,  John  B., 
passed   his  boyhood   in   Iowa  and   California, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began  to  make  his 
own   way  in  the  world  by  mining  in   Placer 
county,  California.     In  1859  he  moved  to  Ore- 


gon, where  he  was  employed  for  a  short  time 
splitting  rails.     He  then  returned  to  California 
and,  locating  in  Butte  county,  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  until  1869,  and  from  then  until 
1882  lived  in  Lawson  county,  that  state.     In 
1882  he  came  overland  to  Parachute,  Garfield 
county,    this   state,    and   during  the  first   two 
years  of  his  residence  here  he  was  occupied  in 
raising  sheep,  but  was  obliged  to  abandon  that 
enterprise  because  of  the  shameful  killing  of 
all  of  the  sheep  in  the  neighborhood  by  cow- 
'boys.     In  1894  he  turned  his  attention  to  deal- 
ing in  real  estate,  and  since  then  he  has  been 
actively  prosecuting  and  building  up  his  busi- 
ness in  this  line.     He  has  been  devoted  to  the 
development  of  his  section  and  the  promotion 
of    all  its    interests,    helping   to    organize    the 
Christian    church    at    Parachute,    starting   the 
planting  of  orchards  in  this .  vicinity,   serving 
two  years  as  president  of  the  Farmers'  Club, 
which    embraces    Garfield,    Eagle    and    Pitkin 
counties  in  its  membership  and  operations,  and 
in  many  other  ways  aiding  in  pushing  forward 
the  general  welfare.     He  has  given  special  at- 
tention to  school  matters,  serving  as  secretary 
of  the  local  board  and  bringing  to  the  manage- 
ment of  educational  matters  in  his  district  a 
breadth  of  view  and  enterprising  spirit  which 
have  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  cause  in  which 
they  have  been   employed.      In    1871   he  was 
married  to  Miss  Martha  A.   Rock,  and  they 
have  twelve  children,  Francis  E.,  Luther  L., 
Mark  P.,   Minnie  L.,   Rebecca  L.,   Alice   (de- 
ceased),  Martha  M.,  Lottie  B.,  Jessie,   Fred- 
erick, Winifred  S.  and  Daisy  J. 

GEORGE   LUDINGTON   YOUNG. 

The  breadth  and  variety  of  American  life 
afford  scope  for  all  sorts  of  abilities  and  op- 
portunities to  give  every  capable  and  energetic 
man  an  opening  whatever  his  circumstances. 
Born  to  excellent  educational  advantages  and 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


767 


intended  for  advanced  scholarship,  yet  driven 
by  failing  health  to  an  outdoor  life  in  the  dry 
atmosphere  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region, 
George  Ludington  Young,  of  the  Thompson 
creek  section  of  Pitkin  county,  this  state,  has 
become  one  of  the  extensive  and  successful 
stockmen  and  ranchers  of  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  conducts  his  operations  on  a  scale  of 
magnitude  which  would  probably  have  aston- 
ished him  to  contemplate  in  his  earlier  years 
and  ambitions.  He  was  born  on  November 
19,  1875,  the  son  of  George  and  Jennie  (Lud- 
ington) Young,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York  and  the  latter  of  Chicago.  The  mother 
died  in  1902,  aged  fifty,  at  Chicago,  and  the 
father  now  has  his  home  there.  George  is 
their  only  child.  He  passed  his  boyhood  in 
Chicago,  and  his  education  was  carefully  at- 
tended to.  After  completing  preliminary 
courses  of  study  in  good  schools,  he  was  grad- 
uated at  the  Phillips-Andover  Academy,  and 
entered  Yale  University  in  1896,  but  on  ac- 
count of  his  health  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
university  in  1898.  He  then  came  west  and 
remained  a  short  time  in  Wyoming,  but  soon 
afterward  came  to  Colorado  and  purchased 
what  is  known  as  the  Swan  ranch  on  Thomp- 
son creek  in  Pitkin  county.  It  comprises  about 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of  which  he  has 
two  hundred  and  fifty  under  irrigation  and  the 
rest  in  course  of  rapid  improvement  for  cul- 
tivation. He  runs  about  eight  hundred  cattle 
and  has  produced  six  hundred  and  fifty  tons 
of  alfalfa,  two  thousand,  three  hundred  bushels 
of  grain  and  eight  thousand,  five  hundred 
sacks  of  potatoes  in  one  season.  He  is  easily 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  extensive 
farmers  in  his  part  of  the  state,  and  one  of  the 
most  representative  and  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens. To  abandon  the  empire  of  letters  is  not 
pleasant  when  the  taste  for  it  is  decided,  and 
to  win  an  empire  in  industrial  and  commercial 


life  is  not  always  easy.  Mr.  Young  has  done 
both  to  his  credit  under  a  sense  of  duty,  and  is 
probably  winner  in  both  directions. 

JOHN  G.   BENNETT. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review  has  lived 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  this  state  and  be- 
come thoroughly  identified  with  its  interests 
and  the  aspirations  of  its  people.  He  is  one 
of  them  in  feeling  and  purpose,  and  all  his  en- 
ergies are  bent  to  help  in  building  up  the  state 
and  multiplying  its  resources  in  every  element 
of  industrial,  commercial  and  moral  greatness. 
Mr.  Bennett  was  born  at  Franklin,  Indiana, 
in  1876,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Frances  V. 
(Fisk)  Bennett,  also  native  in  Indiana.  In  1884 
the  family  moved  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Aspen.  Some  little  time  after  their  residence 
was  changed  to  the  ranch  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  there,  they  lived  until  the  property 
was  purchased  of  the  father  by  the  son,  since 
which  time  he  and  his  mother  has  occupied  it 
and  the  father  is  now  bookkeeper  in  Van 
Luck's  hardware  establishment  at  Aspen.  Mr. 
Bennett,  the  younger,  is  actively  engaged  in 
ranching  and  raising  stock,  and  in  developing 
his  land  and  bringing  it  under  cultivation  with 
systematic  industry  and  regularity.  His  plans 
for  its  improvement  are  laid  on  a  broad  basis  of 
enduring  value,  and  while  there  is  no  attempt 
at  striking  or  occasional  effects,  there  is  steady 
and  substantial  progress  in  his  work.  His 
cattle  are  cared  for  with  judicious  attention 
which  keeps  them  in  good  condition  and 
every  effort  is  made  to  keep  the  breeds  pure 
and  the  standard  high;  and  with  reference  to 
the  agricultural  products  of  his  land  as  much 
care  is  given  to  securing  good  qualities  as 
large  quantities  of  produce.  Mr.  Bennett  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, belonging  to  the  lodge  of  the  order  at 


768 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Carbondale,  and  also  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  belonging  to  Camp  No.  405  at  the  same 
place.  He  is  held  in  general  respect  and  esteem 
as  a  good  citizen,  a  serviceable  and  productive 
force  in  his  business  operations,  a  man  of  in- 
fluence on  the  public  life  of  the  community 
whose  efforts  are  all  in  behalf  of  its  best  inter- 
ests, and  a  social  factor  of  decided  and  bene- 
ficial activity  and  usefulness. 

FRANCIS  SMITH. 

\ 

Having  come  to  Routt  county,  this  state,  to 

live  some  seventeen  years  ago,  Francis  Smith, 
living  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  Steamboat 
Springs,  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county,  and  his  success  as  a  ranch  and  cattle 
man  on  two  good  ranches  which  were  taken 
up  and  improved  by  him,  marks  him  as  one  of 
its  most  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens. 
He  is  a  native  of  Bedford,  Taylor  county,  Iowa, 
born  on  September  17,  1868.  His  parents, 
Ernest  and  Elizabeth  Smith,  were  born  in  Ger- 
many and  Ireland,  respectively.  On  emigrat- 
ing to  this  country  they  settled  in  Iowa,  then 
moved  to  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Colorado  in 
turn.  The  father  was  a  barber  and  followed 
his  trade  for  many  years,  but  after  becoming  a 
resident  of  Colorado  devoted  his  attention  to 
mining,  the  livery  business  and  ranching,  one 
after  another.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  active  in  the  service  of  his  party.  His  suc- 
cess in  business  was  good  and  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  was  high.  The  mother  died 
in  1880  and  he  in  1897.  They  were  Metho- 
dists in  religious  faith.  Their  offspring  num- 
bered nine,  of  whom  but  four  are  living,  Daniel, 
William.  Francis  and  Ernest.  Francis  re- 
mained with  his  parents  devoting  his  earnings 
to  their  assistance  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twelve,  then  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a 
farm  hand  in  Kansas.  In  1879  he  came  to  Col- 
orado, and  after  a  residence  of  two  years  at 


Denver,  located  at  Louisville,  Boulder  county, 
where  he  found  employment  in  the  coal  mines 
for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  he  moved  to 
Breckenridge.  Here  he  worked  a  year  in  the 
quartz  mines  and  in  1883  joined  his  father  in 
a  livery  and  feed  business  at  Dillon,  which  they 
conducted  in  partnership  and  with  good  results 
until  1885.  Disposing  then  of  his  interest  in 
the  business  at  an  advantage,  he  went  to  Lan- 
der, Wyoming,  where  he  took  a  contract  to 
carry  the  mails  between  that  city  and  South 
Pass,  which  he  held  until  the  spring  of  1887, 
being  in  partnership  with  William  Pierce.  At 
the  time  last  mentioned  he  once  more  became 
a  resident  of  Colorado,  homesteading  a  ranch 
on  Deep  creek,  in  Routt  county.  This  he  im- 
proved and  in  1889  turned  it  over  to  his  father, 
who  owned  and  managed  it  until  his  death.  At 
the  same  time  he  bought  the  ranch  on  which  he 
now  lives.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  are  in 
a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Hay  and  cattle  and 
horses  are  his  chief  products  but  he  also  raises 
good  crops  of  grain.  The  land  was  without  im- 
provements when  he  bought  it,  and  all  that  it 
now  contains  he  has  made.  His  prosperity 
here  has  been  continued  and  ever  on  the  in- 
crease, and  the  smiling  and  fruitful  condition 
of  the  country  around  him  at  this  time  presents 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  scene  when  he  located 
here  as  one  of  the  first  white  men  to  venture 
into  this  region  which  was  still  infested  with 
Indians  and  wild  beasts,  and  the  habitations  of 
civilized  life  were  almost  unknown.  The  In- 
dians at  one  time,  soon  after  his  arrival,  gave 
the  settlers  a  scare  but  did  not  molest  them. 
Mr.'  Smith  is  a  firm  and  loyal  Democrat  in  na- 
tional politics.  He  was  married  on  September 
27,  1900,  to  Miss  Cora  E.  Jones,  a  native  of 
Buena  Vista,  Colorado,  and  the  daughter  of 
William  G.  and  Phoebe  A.  Jones,  the  former 
born  in  Canada  and  the  latter  in  Illinois.  They 
are  now  living  near  Sidney,  in  this  state.  The 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF,  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


769 


father  was  for  many  years  a  merchant  but  is 
now  engaged  in  ranching.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics.  Of  their  eight  children  five  are  liv- 
ing, Edwin  D.,  Guy,  Mrs.  Smith,  Ida  and 
Neva.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  two  children, 
Edwin  E.  and  Ernest  W. 

CHARLES  C.   IRWIN. 

For  a  full  quarter  of  a  century  Charles  C. 
Irwin,  of  Routt  county,  has  been  connected  in 
a  progressive  and  productive  way  with  the 
ranching  and  cattle  industries  of  Colorado, 
and  within  this  period  he  has  also  given  the 
mining  industry  of  the  state  some  attention, 
somewhat  to  its  advantage  but  not  to  his  own. 
He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  at  Sciotoville  on, 
July  7,  1862,  and  the  son  of  George  W.  and 
Mahala  Irwin,  natives  of  that  state  who  moved 
to  Illinois  late  in  their  lives  and  there  ended 
their  days,  the  mother  dying  in  1872  and  the 
father  in  1881.  The  father  was  a  prominent 
business  man  in  Illinois,  carrying  on  extensive 
operations  in  farming,  merchandising  and 
milling.  He  owned  the  controlling  interest  in 
the  Hungarian  Mills,  then  the  largest  enter- 
prise of  its  kind  in  the  state.  He  was  an  active 
Republican  and  a  prominent  Freemason.  Of 
the  nine  children  in  the  family  six  are  living, 
Charles  C.,  Albert  R.,  Maud  E.  (Mrs.  Owen 
M.  Biler),  Emma  J.  (Mrs.  William  Puyalls), 
Minnie  (Mrs.  Guy  W.  Ward),  and  George  G. 
Charles  was  educated  at  the  common  and 
graded  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  re- 
mained at  home  working  for  his  parents  until 
he  reached  his  sixteenth  year.  He  then  moved 
to  Bowling  Green  Valley,  Missouri,  and  leased 
a  farm  which  he  managed  for  a  year.  In  the 
autumn  of  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  dur- 
ing the  next  two  years  conducted  a  ranch  on 
Ralston  creek.  In  1882  he  began  a  search  for 
a  more  desirable  and  suitable  location,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1883  took  up  a  homestead  near 

49 


Slater  which  he  improved  and  afterward  sold. 
Then,  after  devoting  several  years  to  ranch- 
ing and  raising  cattle  with  good  results,  he 
took  his  earnings  and  tried  to  develop  mining 
properties  in  the  vicinity  of  Hahn's  Peak.  The 
venture  was  disastrous  to  him  and  in  it  he  lost 
a  large  sum  of  money.  With  what  he  had  left 
he  bought  in  1900  his  present  ranch  on  Elk 
river.  This  he  has  greatly  improved,  erecting 
good  buildings  and  bringing  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  his  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  His  ranch 
is  eight  miles  west  of  Steamboat  Springs, 
which  affords  him  a  good  market  easily  avail- 
able, and  is  pleasantly  located  and  well  sup- 
plied with  water.  Cattle  and  hay  are  his  prin- 
cipal resources,  and  these  are  raised  in  large 
quantities.  He  also  has  the  Milner  ranch  near 
by  under  lease.  In  fraternal  circles  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Odd 
Fellows,  and  politically  he  supports  the  prin- 
ciples and  candidates  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  progressive  and  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zen, full  of  practical  zeal  and  activity  in  behalf 
of  all  good  undertakings  for  the  benefit  of  the 
community  and  deeply  interested  in  the  endur- 
ing welfare  of  his  county  and  state.  At  one 
time  he  lived  neighbor  to  the  well-known  Jim 
and  John  Baker,  old  Colorado  pioneers  on 
Snake  river,  and  he  has  many  graphic  and  in- 
teresting reminiscences  of  these  renowned 
characters,  high  types  of  a  race  of  heroic  men 
that  has  almost  passed  out  of  American  life. 
Mr.  Irwin  is  himself  something  of  a  pioneer 
and  he  saw  many  phases  of  frontier  life  in  its 
earlier  and  more  rugged  days. 

^  ; 

GIDEON  COOKMAN. 

Gideon  Cookman,  one  of  Pitkin  county's 
most  successful  and  progressive'  ranchmen  at 
this  time,  has  had  a  chequered  career  of  success 
and  failure,  yet  through  the  darkest  adversities 


770 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


he  maintained  his  serenity  and  elevation  of 
spirit,  his  unyielding  courage  and  his  persist- 
ent determination  to  win  out  in  the  end.  He  is 
a  native  of  Lewis  county,  West  Virginia,  born 
on  February  25,  1860,  and  the  son  of  William 
Cookman,  like  himself  a  native  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  successfully  engaged  in 
farming.  They  were  of  English  parentage, 
and  had  ten  children,  four  of  whom  have  died, 
one  in  infancy  and  Florence,  Ellen  and  Vir- 
ginia later  in  life.  The  six  living  children  are 
Minerva,  Louisa,  Phoebe,  George,  John  L.  and 
Gideon.  The  parents  were  Methodists  and 
have  paid  nature's  last  debt,  the  mother  dying 
in  March,  1860,  and  the  father  in  July,  1897. 
Their  youngest  living  son,  Gideon,  received  a 
limited  education  at  the  schools  near  his  West 
Virginia  home,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  went 
to  work  for  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  re- 
mained at  home  so  occupied  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-one, then  in  1881,  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Denver.  Here  he  worked  in  a  brick- 
yard at  two  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  a 
day  for  two  months,  after  which  he  found  em- 
ployment on  a  ranch  at  thirty  dollars  a  month 
and  his  board.  Six  months  later  he  returned  to 
Denver  and  shipped  to  Gunnison,  where  he  de- 
voted his  energies  to  railroad  grading  at  two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  day  for  a  time,  then 
grubbed  out  willows  until  June  I,  1882.  At 
that  time  he  returned  to  Gunnison  and  engaged 
-in  the  express  and  transfer  business  at  forty 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board,  continuing  this 
occupation  until  fall,  when  he  moved  to  Grand 
Junction  and  went  to  ranching  for  wages.  The 
water  did  not  agree  with  him,  and  he  moved 
back  to  Gunnison  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which 
he  spent  three  years,  then  sold  it  at  a  profit, 
as  it  was  a  promising  ranch  and  he  had  made 
comfortable  improvements  and  brought  much 
of  the  land  under  cultivation.  The  place  was 
eighteen  miles  northwest  of  Gunnison  on  Ohio 


creek.  After  selling  this  he  went  to  prospect- 
ing, but  with  such  poor  success  that  he  lost  all 
he  had  accumulated  and  was  obliged  to  work 
again  for  wages,  which  he  did  at  Kokomo,  this 
state.  Eight  months  afterward  he  again  took 
up  his  residence  at  Gunnison  and  started  a  new 
transfer  business  which  he  conducted  eighteen 
months.  In  1887  he  moved  to  Aspen  and 
rented  a  ranch  on  Capitol  creek  near  the  one 
he  now  owns  and  occupies.  He  was  unsuccess- 
ful here  and  in  two  years  again  went  broke  and 
'was  soon  obliged  to  do  ranching  for  wages. 
This  he  continued  until  1892,  then  became 
purchasing  agent  for  Frederick  Light,  an  ex- 
tensive cattle  man,  having  also  an  interest  in 
the  business  himself.  He  next  engaged  with  S. 
P.  Sloss  in  the  cattle  industry,  and  at  the  end  of 
1897  took  charge  of  his  share  of  the  stock  and 
purchasing  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres  of  John 
Carlton,  has  since  carried  on  a  cattle  business 
of  his  own.  His  land  is  located  on  Capitol 
creek,  and  he  has  increased  his  holdings  by  a 
subsequent  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-three acres  and  a  desert  claim  of  seventy- 
three  acres,  giving  him  a  total  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty-six  acres,  about  two  hundred  of 
which  are  under  cultivation  and  produce  good 
crops  of  hay  and  grain.  He  also  has  an  ex- 
tensive range  near  his  ranch  and  is  largely  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle  and  some  horses.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  in  fraternal  rela- 
tions an  Odd  Fellow,  and  belongs  to  the 
Daughters  of  Rebekah,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Order  of  Woodcraft. 

SAMUEL  W.  WATSON. 

During  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  in- 
teresting subject  of  this  review  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Colorado,  and  in  that  time  has  won 
from  her  soil  a  good  estate  in  worldly  posses- 
sions, and  by  his  public  spirit  and  enterprise 
in  behalf  of  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  county 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


771 


in  which  he  lives  has  attained  to  a  high  place 
in  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people,  be- 
ing now  considered  one  of  the  best  and  most 
representative  men  in  his  section  of  the  state. 
He  was  born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  March  12, 
1 86 1,  the  son  of  James  and  Carrie  (Whitcomb) 
Watson,  the  father  a  native  of  West  Virginia 
.and  the  mother  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  The 
father  moved  to  Ohio  when  he  was  a  young 
man,  and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in  keeping 
a  hotel.  Later  he  practiced  law  and  rose  to 
prominence  in  his  profession  and  in  public 
life.  He  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
United  Workmen.  He  died  in  December, 
1891,  and  his  wife  in  January,  1892.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Their 
offspring  numbered  four,  three  of  whom  are 
deceased.  A  daughter  named  Ella  died  in  in- 
fancy; Benjamin  passed  away  later  in  life,  and 
James  went  to  Alaska  and  ended  his  days  at 
Cape  Nome,  in  1900.  Samuel  attended  the 
public  schools  at  Clearmont  Academy,  in  his 
native  state.  He  helped  his  parents  as  clerk  in 
the  hotel  until  1880,  whe.n  he  came  to  Color- 
ado and  located  at  Aspen.  Here  he  engaged  in 
freighting  between  that  town  and  Granite  and 
Leadville  for  three  years.  In  1883  he  located 
his  present  ranch,  or  a  portion  of  it  a  pre-emp- 
tion claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
afterward  took  up  a  desert  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  and  purchased  an  additional  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  making  a  total  of  four* 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  he  now  owns. 
Qf  this  land  three  hundred  acres  are  under  cul- 
tivation in  alfalfa  and  timothy,  and  an  extens- 
ive cattle  business  is  carried  on,  with  enough 
horses  included  in  the  products  to  supply  the 
needs  of  the  ranch.  The  ranch  is  located  six- 
teen miles  west  of  Aspen,  and  is  well  adapted  to 
the  purposes  to  which  it  is  devoted,  and  here 
Mr.  Watson  has  prospered  abundantly.  He  is 
an  ardent  Democrat  in  politics  and  belongs  to 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  During  the  five 


years  of  his  residence  in  this  section  there  was 
an  occasional  scare  on  account  of  the  Indians. 
They  never  attacked  the  settlement,  but  threat- 
ened to  do  so  from  time  to  time  with  such  per- 
sistency and  determination  as  to  keep  up  a  con- 
tinual state  of  alarm.  In.  his  business  and  as  a 
leader  of  thought  and  action  in  behalf  of  the 
promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  the  commun- 
ity he  has  been  very  successful,  and  the  elevated 
position  he  holds  in  the  public  regard  he  has 
fully  earned  by  his  merit  and  his  valuable  and 
appreciated  services. 

EMANUEL  GANT. 

Almost  two  decades  of  human  life  have 
passed  since  the  subject  of-  this  brief  review 
settled  on  Main  creek,  Garfield  county,  where 
he  now  lives,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  time 
he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country  in  which  he  has  cast  his 
lot.  He  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1856,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Grant)  Gant,  both 
natives  of  England,  who  came  to  America  in 
the  'forties  and  settled  in  Canada  where  they 
maintained  their  home  about  ten  years.  They 
then  moved  into  "The  States,"  locating  in 
Iowa,  where  their  son  Emanuel  was  born,  as 
has  been  noted.  A  short  time  afterwards  they 
changed  their  residence  to  Kansas  and  are  still 
living  in  that  state,  the  father  aged  eighty-four 
and  the  mother  eighty-two.  Their  offspring 
number  eight  and  Emanuel  is  the  seventh  in 
the  order  of  birth.  He  remained  at  home  in 
Kansas  until  he  was  twenty  and  then  began 
working  wholly  for  himself,  running  cattle  in 
that  state.  In  1884  he  became  a  resident  of 
Colorado,  locating  on  Main  creek  not  far  from 
the  village  of  Rifle,  Garfield  county,  where  he 
has  since  lived,  and  where  he  has  built  up  a 
flourishing  business  in  ranching  and  the  stock 
industry.  Mr.  Gant  was  married  in  1891  to 


772 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  QF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Miss  Eunice  Cozad,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Lawrence  and  Helen  R.  The  practical 
knowledge  which  Mr.  Gant  has  gained  in  his 
wide  and  varied  experience  and  the  acquaint- 
ance with  men  which  it  has  given  him,  has 
been  of  great  service  to  him  in  his  private  busi- 
ness and  enabled  him  to  take  the  active  part 
in  the  public  affairs  of  his  community  for 
which  he  is  fitted  by  endowment,  taste  and  ca- 
pacity, with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the 
people.  He  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  leading 
representative  men  of  this  section  of  his  county, 
and  justifies  the  respect  in  which  he  is  held 
by  a  broad  and  intelligent  view  of  public  mat- 
ters and  an  earnestness  and  zeal  in  their  pro- 
motion that  is  in  every  way  highly  commenda- 
ble. At  the  same  time  he  neither  seeks  nor  de- 
sires political  honors  for  himself. 

ROBERT  A.  ROBERTSON. 

Robert  A.  Robertson,  who  has  developed  an 
excellent  ranch  on  Main  creek,  Garfield  county, 
this  state,  within  the  country  tributary  to  the 
village  of  Raven,  and  whose  fruit  industry 
there  is  one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  its  kind 
in  this  part  of  the  state  is  a  native  of  New 
York  state,  born  at  the  town  of  Gouverneur, 
in  St.  Lawrence  county,  in  1862.  He  is  the 
son  of  Archibald  and  Ellen  (Hill)  Robertson, 
the  former  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter 
of  New  York.  About  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  in  1831,  the  father  came  to  this  country 
and  settled  in  Vermont.  Some  time  later  he 
moved  to  New  York,  where  he  was  married 
and  lived  for  a  number  of  years.  He  then  mi- 
grated with  his  family  to  Nebraska,  and  a 
few  years  afterward  to  Webster,  South  Da- 
kota, where  he  died  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven.  His  wife  died  in  1889,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three,  leaving  two  children,  of  whom 
Robert  was  the  first  born.  Her  parents  were 
Scotch  by  nativity  and  residence  and  after  long 


lives  of  usefulness  they  passed  away  in  their 
native  land  and  were  laid  to  rest  beneath  the 
soil  that  was  hallowed  by  their  labors.  She 
also  had  a  brother  on  the  Union  side  in  the 
Civil  war  who,  in  the  struggle  made  a  good 
record  for  valor  and  other 'soldierly  qualities. 
Robert  Robertson  accompanied  his  parents  in 
their  wanderings,  remaining  at  home  until  he 
was  about  twenty  years  of  age  and  enjoying 
such  educational  advantages  as  his  circum- 
stances afforded.  In  1882  he  became  a  resident 
of  Colorado,  locating  in  the  South  Park  where 
he  remained  about  a  year,  then  moved  to  Lead- 
ville.  There  he  was  employed  in  the  smelter 
until  September,  1883,  when  he  went  to  live 
at  Denver,  and  during  the  next  two  years  he 
was  variously  employed  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
capital  city.  In  June,  1885,  he  moved  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Main  creek,  Garfield  county, 
and  in  1890  took  up  the  land  on  which  he  is 
now  living  and  he  has  since  devoted  his  time 
and  energies  to  its  improvement  and  develop- 
ment, and  the  expansion  and  successful  man- 
agement of  his  profitable  ranching  and  fruit 
business.  He  is  prosperous  in  his  venture,  and 
highly  respected  in  the  community. 

MICHAEL  T.  ROWNAN. 

The  interesting  though  modest  subject  of 
this  sketch  belongs  to  the  race  of  versatility  and 
resourcefulness,  of  sentiment  and  poetry,  who 
have  dignified  and  adorned  every  walk  of  life 
in  their  own  and  this  country,  and  given  to 
history  some  of  its  mqst  engaging  themes  and 
to  song  many  of  its  loftiest  aspirations.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland  on  March  6,  1874,  and  is 
the  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Rownan,  natives 
also  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  where  they  were  pros- 
perous small  farmers  and  passed  lives  of  useful- 
ness and  uprightness.  The  father  is  still  liv- 
ing there  at  an  advanced  age,  and  the  mother 
died  in  1876  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  soil 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


773 


hallowed  by  her  labors.  Both  belonged  to  the 
Catholic  church,  of  which  the  father  is  yet  a 
devout  and  loyal  member.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living,  Timothy,  Michael,  John,  Thomas,  Brid- 
get, Daniel  and  Jennie.  The  four  who  died 
were  Thomas,  Julia,  Mary  and  Margaret. 
Michael  attended  the  common  schools  and  as- 
sisted his  parents  on  the  farm,  remaining  at 
home  until  he  was  nearly  twenty-five,  then  in 
1889  came  to  the  United  States,  and  located  at 
Colorado  Springs,  this  state,  where  he  gave 
his  attention  to  railroad  work  for  over  a  year. 
He  next  was  employed  on  a  ranch,  first  at 
thirty,  then  at  forty-five  dollars  a  month  and 
his  board,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Carbondale. 
He  now  has  a  ranch  of  his  own  eighteen  miles 
west  of  Aspen,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  good  land  on  which  he  raises  gen- 
erous crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  and  a 
lot  of  live  stock.  He  has  been  successful  in  his 
business  and  attentive  to  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship, so  that  he  is  well  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him.  He  is  a  Catholic  in  religion  and  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

JOHN  S.  STEWARD. 

One  of  Pitkin  county's  oldest  and  most  es- 
teemed ranchmen  and  worthiest  citizens,  John 
S.  Steward's  life  among  its  people  has  been 
an  example  of  value  to  the  younger  generation, 
and  of  political  influence  in  the  development 
and  progress  of  the  county.  He  is  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  born  on  December  5, 
1834,  and  the  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Rob- 
inson) Steward,  natives  of  Scotland.  The 
father  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  both 
parents  were  Presbyterians  in  religious  faith. 
He  was  a  liberal  in  politics  and  took  an  active 
part  in  public. local  affairs.  There  were  seven 
children  born  in  the  family,  only  two  of  whom 
are  living,  James  and  John  S.  The  father  died 


on  May  10,  1874,  and  the  mother  on  May  27, 
1887.  Their  son  John  S.  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  when  a  mere  boy  began  assisting 
his  parents  on  the  farm,  remaining  at  home 
until  1882,  when  he  came  to  Colorado  to  col- 
lect some  money  that  was  due  him  here,  he  be- 
ing engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages 
in  his  native  country,  where  he  also  served  as 
a  justice  of  the  peace  by  appointment.  On  his 
arrival  in  this  state  he  was  pleased  with  the 
climate  and  promise  of  prosperity  and  con- 
cluded to  remain.  He  was  offered  a  compen- 
sation of  five  dollars  a  day  to  work  at  black- 
smithing,  a  trade  he  had  learned  and  followed 
in  Nova  Scotia,  and  at  once  tjegan  operations 
at  the  work  at  Leadville.  He  remained  there 
until  1884,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  loca- 
tion, and  in  partnership  -with  J.  D.  Hooper 
leased  mining  property  in  Tourtellotte  Park. 
The  next  seven  years  were  devoted  to  the  de- 
velopment of  this  property  with  fair  success, 
and  in  1885  he  purchased  the  ranch  he  now 
owns  and  occupies,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  acres,  and  turned  his  attention 
to  raising  stock  and  general  farming.  His  land 
is  productive  and  under  his  skillful  cultivation 
yields  abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  other 
farm  products,  and  generously  supports  the 
cattle  and  horses  which  he  raises  in  large  num- 
bers. Here  he  has  taken  a  warm  and  service- 
able interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  community, 
supporting  the  Republican  party  and  serving 
the  people  faithfully  as  a  justice  of  the  peace 
elected  on  that  party's  ticket.  He  was  married 
on  April  18,  1855,  to  Miss  Sarah  Boggs,  a  na- 
tive of  Nova  Scotia,  and  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  Boggs,  also  natives  of  that  country, 
and  prosperous  farmers  there.  Their  family 
comprised  six  children,  only  one  of  whom  is 
living,  their  son  John,  who  resides  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Steward  died 
after  reaching  the  age  of  ninety.  To  her  and 
her  husband  there  were  born  nine  children. 


774 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Three  of  these,  John  A.,  Joseph  M.  and  Janet 
Agnes,  have  died.  The  six  living  are  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  Joseph  Spanks,  of  Nova  Scotia; 
Mary,  now  Mrs.  Norman  Robinson,  of  Bos- 
ton; John  Hy;  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Robert 
McCann,  of  Boston;  Carolina  M.  and  Joseph 
M.  Their  mother  died  on  August  14,  1873, 
and  on  November  26,  1874,  Mr.  Steward  mar- 
ried a  second  wife,  Miss  Catherine  McClain, 
also  a  Nova  Scotian  by  nativity,  born  in  No- 
vember, 1844,  and  daughter  of  Hugh  and 
Sarah  McPherson  McClain,  successful  farm- 
ers there.  Both  of  her  parents  are  deceased, 
the  father  dying  in  October,  1851,  and  the 
mother  in  August,  1895.  They  were  members 
of  the  Catholic  church  and  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The 
living  are  John  S.,  Duncan,  Agnes,  Mary, 
Sarah,  Margaret  and  Catherine.  Of  Mr.  Stew- 
ard's second  marriage  five  children  were  born. 
Three  of  them,  Daniel  J.,  Ronald  M.  and  Janet 
A.,  have  died.  Hugh  and  Annie  are  living,  the 
latter  being  the  wife  of  Daniel  W.  Chisim,  of 
Pitkin  county,  living  near  Snow  Mass.  Now 
in  the  evening  of  life,  Mr.  Steward  can  look 
back  over  his  career  with  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  a  clean  record  of  duty  well  and  faith- 
fully performed  and  opportunities  wisely  and 
worthily  used.  He  is  secure  in  the  regard  and 
good  will  of  his  fellow  men,  and  sees  bloom- 
ing around  him  the  results  of  a  tremendous 
effort  in  peaceful  industry  to  develop  the  coun- 
"try  in  which  he  has  lived  so  long,  and  to  whose 
progress  he  has  contributed  largely  and  sub- 
stantially and  to  effective  purpose. 

ROBERT  C.  DIRLAN. 

Robert  C.  Dirlan,  of  Aspen,  Pitkin  county, 
Colorado,  is  a  native  of  Saxony,  Germany, 
where  he  was  born  on  October  18,  1855,  the 
son  of  Robert  C.  and  Rosina  (Elsing)  Dirlan, 
also  born  and  reared  in  the  fatherland;  and 


from  his  native  land,  although  he  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  he  wa,s 
less  than  a  year  old,  he  brought  the  thrift  and 
enterprise  of  its  people  which  conquers  all  dif- 
ficulties and  make  their  mark  wherever  they 
are  put  in  motion.  In  1856  the  family  emi- 
grated to  this  country  and  settled  in  Winona 
county,  Minnesota,  where  they  remained  until 
1874,  when  they  moved  to  Dixon  county, 
Kansas.  There  they  were  engaged  in  farming 
with  varying  success  until  1892,  then  they 
took  another  flight  toward  the  tropics,  remov- 
ing to  Oklahoma  Territory,  where  they  con- 
tinued their. farming  industry.  The  father  was 
a  furrier  until  he  came  to  America,  and  after 
that  he  remained  continuously  occupied  in 
farming  at  which  his  success  was  only  moder- 
ate, owing  to  unfavorable  circumstances  and 
conditions.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  American 
politics  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  devoted 
Lutherans.  They  had  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  have  died,  three  passing  away  in  in- 
fancy. The  two  living  are  Elma,  now  Mrs. 
Eliza  Hunt,  of  Aspen,  and  Robert  C.,  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  writing.  The  father 
died  in  1889  and  the  mother  on  March  4,  1890. 
Robert  C.  Dirlan,  their  only  living  son,  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  Minnesota  in  the 
winters  of  his  boyhood,  passing  the  summers 
in  arduous  labor  on  the  home  farm  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  parents.  When  he  reached  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  hired  on  neighboring  farms 
for  wages,  passing  five  years  so  occupied  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Fillmore.  He  then  moved 
to  the  vicinity  of  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota, 
and  continued  at  farm  work  there  two  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  he  passed  a  short  time  in 
Wyoming,  and  in  1883  came  to  Colorado,  lo- 
cating at  Littleton  near  Denver.  He  remained 
there  until  December,  then  wintered  at  Calu- 
met, this  state,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884 
moved  to  Crested  Butte.  In  that  neighbor- 
hood he  was  engaged  in  mining  independently 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


775 


until  the  spring  of  1885.  From  there  he  went 
to  Cripple  Creek,  and  there  was  employed  in 
mining  until  the  spring  of  1900,  when  he 
moved  to  Aspen.  He  has  found  the  conditions 
of  life  very  agreeable  in  Colorado,  and  has 
been  successful  in  his  efforts  for  advancement. 
He  is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the; 
state  and  its  people,  taking  an  active  part  in 
public  local  affairs  as  a  Democrat,  the  party  of 
his  choice  and  one  of  the  objects  of  his  solicit- 
ous and  serviceable  attention.  Wherever  he  is 
known  he  is  highly  respected  as  a  wise  coun- 
selor and  an  upright  man  and  an  excellent  citi- 
zen. 

JACOB  JACOBSON. 

Comfortably  located  on  a  good  ranch  of 
eighty-three  acres,  all  of  which  is  naturally  til- 
lable and  productive,  eighteen  miles  northwest 
of  Aspen,  and  carrying  on  there  a  profitable 
industry  in  general  farming  and  raising  stock, 
Jacob  Jacobson  may  seem  to  snap  his  fingers 
in  the  face  of  fate  and  smile  at  fortune's  frowns. 
He  was  born  in  Denmark  on  September  14, 
1 86 1,  and  when  he  was  five  years  old  came  with 
his  parents  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Ber- 
rien  county,  Michigan,  where  the  family  pros- 
pered as  farmers  and  won  a  competence  of 
wordly  comfort.  His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Mary  Jacobson,  also  Danes  by 'nativity  and 
long  descent.  They  are  now  living  in  Michi- 
gan retired  from  active  pursuits  and  spending 
the  evening  of  their  clays  in  quiet  contentment, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  earlier  labors  and 
rejoicing  in  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the 
new  co'untry  which  they  helped  to  civilize  and 
build  up.  Both  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church  in  the  old  country  but  have  affiliated 
with  the  Christian  church  in  the  new.  Nine 
children  were  born  in  the  household,  of  whom 
five  have  died.  Two  passed  away  in  infancy, 
and  Carrie,  Hannah  and  William,  at  more  ad- 
vanced ages.  The  four  who  are  living  are : 


Lizzie,  wife  of  John  Stump,  of  Michigan;  So- 
phie, wife  of  George  Wagner,  of  Michigan; 
Carl,  residing  in  Wyoming;  and  Jacob,  of  Pit- 
kin  county,  this  state.  He  received  a  limited 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  an  early 
age  was  put  to  hard  work  on  the  paternal 
homestead.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one,  then  came  to  Colorado,  and  at 
Longmont,  Boulder  county,  passed  two  years 
as  a  ranch  hand  at  twenty-seven  dollars  a 
month  and  his  board.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Aspen,  and  until  the  spring  of  1888  was  em- 
ployed at  various  occupations.  At  that  time  he 
took  up  his  present  ranch,  a  pre-emption  claim 
of  eighty-three  acres,  and  since  then  he  has  de- 
voted his  time  and  energies  to  its  improve- 
ment and  cultivation,  and  the  expansion  of 
the  stock  business  he  is  profitably  conducting 
on  it.  He  is  earnestly  interested  in  the  prog- 
ress and  development  of  his  county  and  state, 
but  in  political  matters  he  is  independent  of 
party  control  and  exercises  his  own  judgment 
as  to  measures  and  candidates.  On  February 
14,  1899,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen 
Kejley,  a  native  of  Ireland,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Ellen  (Comely)  Kelley,  who  were 
also  born  in  Ireland  and  prospered  there  as 
farmers.  Two  children  were  born  in  the  fam- 
ily, Mrs.  Jacobson  and  her  sister  Mary,  now 
Mrs.  Joseph  Bryant,  of  Cincinnati.  The  par- 
ents were  both  devout  Catholics,  and  both  are 
now  deceased. 

JOHN  HENRY  STEWARD. 

The  present  accommodating  and  well  qual- 
ified postmaster  at  Snow  Mass,  Pitkin  county, 
who  is  also  interested  extensively  in  mining, 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado  in  1881,  and 
since  then  has  been  devoted  to  the  improve- 
ment and  development  of  the  state  and  the  prog- 
ress and  welfare  of  its  people.  He  is  a  native 
of  Nova  Scotia,  born  on  the  I5th  day  of  July, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


1860,  where  his  parents,  John  S.  and  Catherine 
(McClain)  Steward,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
on  another  page  of  this  volume,  were  also 
born  and  reared.  He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents, attending  the  public  schools  and  aiding  in 
the  farm  labor  until  he  reached  the  age  of  four- 
teen, then  he  began  to  earn  his  own  living  by 
working  on  neighborhood  farms  and  doing 
other  work  that  w,as  at.  hand.  In  1881,  when 
he  was  about  twenty-one,  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  settled  at  Leadville,  where  he  followed 
mining  for  two  years.  In  1883  he  returned  to 
his  old  Canadian  home,  and  during  the  next 
seven  years  conducted  the  operations  of  his 
father's  farm.  In  1890  he  came  back  to  this 
state  and  located  at  Aspen,  and  until  1899 
working  in  Percy  mines.  He  then  took  up  a 
part  of  his  present  ranch,  a  homstead  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres.  This  he 
has  since  increased  to  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  acres  by  purchase  of  an  additional  quarter 
section.  About  half  of  his  land  is  under  cultiva- 
tion and  yields  excellent  crops  of  good  grain 
and  hay.  In  1901  he  was  appointed  postmas- 
ter at  Snowr  Mass,  and  is  still  filling  the  office 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  its 
patrons.  He  is  also  interested  in  mining,  and 
in  politics  is  a  faithful  Republican.  Success- 
ful in  business  and  influential  in  local  affairs, 
he  is  easily  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
town,  and  as  such  is  universally  esteemed. 

DONALD  MCLEAN. 

It  was  in  Rosshire,  Scotland,  on  March  12. 
1868,  that  the  life  of  the  interesting  subject 
of  this  brief  review  began,  and  his  parents. 
Angus  and  Margaret  McLean,  were  also  na- 
tives of  that  country,  where  they  passed  their 
lives  in  farming  with  success  and  profit,  both 
dying  in  1898.  They  had  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living,  Donald,  Mur- 
dock  and  Hester.  The  three  who  died  were 


Duncan,  Isabella  and  Finley.  Donald,  who  is 
one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Colorado,  having 
come  hither  in  1871,  received  a  slight  common- 
school  education  in  his  native  land,  and  assisted 
in  the  work  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was 
nearly  twenty  years  old.  He  then  came  to  the 
United  States  and  after  working  three  years  as 
a  farm  hand  in  New  York,  South  Carolina 
and  Pennsylvania  became  a  resident  of  this 
state  in  1871.  During  the  next  seven  years 
he  was  engaged  in  butchering  at  Black  Hawk, 
Central,  Fairplay  and  Alma.  In  1878  he  was 
attracted  to  Leadville  by  the  gold  excitement 
over  that  place,  and  there  he  followed  mining 
until  1881,  when  he  came  to  Pitkin  county  and 
located  a  homestead.  In  1883  he  moved  to  his 
present  ranch,  which  comprises  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
twenty  are  under  cultivation.  Timothy  and 
alfalfa  hay  of  good  quality  are  raised  in  abun- 
dance and  also  grain,  horses  and  cattle.  The 
ranch  is  four  miles  north  of  Aspen,  and  is  nat- 
urally well  adapted  to  farming.  In  political 
activity  Mr.  McLean  is  an  independent  Demo- 
crat, and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows.  On  July  29,  1879,  he 
married  with  Miss  Macbeth,  a  native  of  Bu- 
reau county,  Illinois,  born  on  October  8,  1857, 
a  daughter  of  Duncan  and  Ann  Macbeth,  who. 
were  born  and  reared  in  Scotland  and  belonged 
to  families  resident  in  that  country  from  time 
immemorial.  The  father  was  a  successful 
farmer  in  business  and  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  belonged  to  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  died  on  November  26, 
1887,  and  the  mother  on  February  26,  1903. 
Three  of  their  seven  children  are  living,  Mrs. 
McLean;  Anna,  wife  of  John  Buchanan,  of 
Norton,  Kansas ;  and  Finley,  of  Kewanee,  Illi- 
nois. Those  deceased  were  Elizabeth,  Mrs. 
John  McPherson,  of  Denver,  John  and  James. 
Their  mother  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLean  have  had  seven 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


777 


children,  one  of  whom,  Finley,  died  on  April 
25,  1887;  those  now  living  are  John,  Angus, 
Duncan,  Anna,  Donald  and  Elizabeth  J.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  their 
community.  Mr.  McLean's  parents  belonged 
to  the  Free  Presbyterian  church  and  were  ac- 
tive contributors  to  its  support  and  its  works 
of  benevolence. 

EDWARD  E:  EGLEE. 

Edward  E.  Eglee,  manager  of  the  Boston 
Coal  &  Coke  Company  at  South  Canon,  Colo- 
rado, five  miles  west  of  Glenwood  Springs, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  active 
mining  corporations  in  the  state,  i.s  a  native  of 
Queens  county  on  Long  Island,  New  York, 
born  on  October  26,  1860,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  was  educated,  being  a  graduate 
of  the  Flushing1  Institute.  After  leaving  school 
he  devoted  his  time  to  building  public  works 
until  1902  when  he  came  to  this  state  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  corporation  with  which  he  is  now 
so  prominently  connected.  This  company  has 
an  output  of  excellent  quality  amounting  to 
four  hundred  tons  a  day,  and  within  a  short 
time  this  will  be  increased  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  tons  a  day.  The  property  belonging 
to  the  company  comprises  three  thousand  five 
hundred  acres  of  the  finest  mineral  land,  and 
on  its  development  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  have  been  expended,  whereas 
when  Mr.  Eglee  took  charge  of  the  industry 
the  whole  tract  was  an  undeveloped  wilderness. 
The  coal  produced  is  of  high  grade  suitable 
for  both  domestic  and  steam  utilities,  and  the 
company  is  capitalized  at  one  million  five  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  The  works  are  run  by 
electric  power  generated  at  the  central  station, 
six  separate  mines  have  been  opened,  three 
hundred  operatives  are  employed,  and  the 
progress  in  development  is  so  rapid  and  so 


profitable  that  before  long  the  plant  will  be 
one  of  the  largest,  best  and  most  complete  in 
the  state.  Mr.  Eglee  gives  his  whole  time  to 
the  enterprise,  and  the  results  of  his  intelligent 
activity  are  highly  creditable  to  him  and  satis- 
factory to  the  owners  of  the  mines.  In  politics 
he  is  independent,  not  wanting  in  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  community  and  county,  to 
which  he  gives  a  good  portion  of  his  attention 
in  a  commendable  way,  but  not  subject  to  party 
control  in  the  exercise  of  his  franchise  and 
public-spirit.  He  is  very  prominent  in  the 
community  and  has  a  commanding  influence 
with  the  people.  His  parents,  Charles  E.  and 
Elvira  Eglee,  were  like  himself  natives  of  New 
York  state,  where  the  father  was  a  merchant 
in  his  earlier  life  and  later  a  banker,  and  was 
very  successful  in  both  lines  of  business. 
Three  children  were  born  in  the  family,  one, 
Carrie  Louise,  dying  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 
Both  parents  are  also  deceased,  the  mother  hav- 
ing died  in  1870  and  the  father  in  1889.  The 
two  living  children  are  Charles  Henry,  county 
treasurer  at  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  and 
Edward  E.  The  latter  was  married  in  June, 
1887,  to  Miss  Mary  Geneva  Sullivan,  a  native 
of  New  York  state.  Mr.  Eglee's  industrial 
activity  and  skill  have  greatly  benefited  the 
state  of  Colorado  and  his  broad-minded  and 
progressive  citizenship  has  been  an  ornament 
to  her.  He  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  classes 
of  her  people,  and  is  fully  deserving  of  the 
standing  he  has  among  them. 

TRUE  ALBERT   SMITH. 

Prominent  and  successful  as  a  miner,  a 
business  man,  an  early  settler  and  a  stock- 
grower  and  ranchman  of  Pitkin  county,  True 
Albert  Smith,  of  near  Watson,  is  wholly  a 
product  of  Colorado.  In  this  state  he  was 
born,  in  its  public  schools  he  was  educated,  on 
its  fertile  soil  he  learned  and  has  practiced  the 


778 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


art  of  agriculture,  and  among  its  people  he  has 
grown  to  consequence  and  general  public  es- 
teem. His  life  began  at  Denver  on  April  7, 
1864,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Jonathan  M.  and 
Jennie  M.  Smith,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Maine  and  the  latter  in  Iowa.  When  the 
Pike's  Peak  excitement  over  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  famous  eleva- 
tion broke  out  the  parents  left  their  Iowa  home 
and  came  to  Colorado,  and  here  the  father,  who 
had  been  an  industrious  shoemaker  up  to  that 
time,  became  an  equally  industrious  miner,  fol- 
lowing the  business  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Peak 
and  Denver  until  1879,  when  he  moved  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Aspen,  and  continued  his  op- 
erations there  for  a  time,  then  turned  his  at- 
tention to  ranching  which  he  followed  up  to 
his  death  in  1896,  his  last  few  years  being 
passed  in  California.  His  wife  preceded  him 
to  the  other  world  twenty  years,  dying  in  1876. 
He  was  an  earnest  Republican  in  politics  and 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  fraternally. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  three 
of  whom  have  died,  Edward,  Clarence  and 
Xama.  The  three  who  are  living  are  Frank 
E.;  a  resident  of  Routt  county,  this  state,  and 
occupied  in  raising  cattle  near  Bear  river; 
Delia,  the  wife  of  Frank  Yates,  of  Aspen,  who 
is  a  prominent  Freemason  and  connected  in 
business  with  the  L.  H.  Thompkins  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  True  Albert,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  The  latter  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  and  after  completing  their  course 
pursued  one  in  special  business  training  at  the 
Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College  at  Chicago. 
He  also  attended  the  high  school  at  George- 
town, this  state.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
began  making  his  own  living  by  leasing  and 
working  mines  and  also  ranching.  Afterward 
he  managed  a  ranch,  and  finally  purchased  the 
one  he  now  owns  and  conducts,  acquiring  the 
ownership  of  it  in  1894.  It  comprises  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  about  one-half 


of  it  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  producing 
excellent  qualities  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables. 
Mr.  Smith  also  carries  on  a  flourishing  cattle 
business  and  raises  horses  to  a  limited  extent. 
His  principal  crops  are  alfalfa  and  timothy 
hay,  and  of  these  his  product  is  large  and  su- 
perior. He  may  properly  be  called  one  of  the 
fathers  of  this  region,  as  he  was  one  of  its 
first  settlers,  one  of  its  earliest  prospectors,  and 
one  of  its  most  valiant  defenders  against  hos- 
tile Indians.  When  their  threats  of  violence 
alarmed  and  drove  away  a  number  of  the  early 
settlers  he  \vas  one  of  the  thirteen  men  who 
remained  and  after  some  effort  drove  out  the 
Indians  themselves.  There  were  at  that  time 
but  two  rifles  in  the  party,  and  he  owned  one 
of  them.  In  political  action  he  ardently  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party  and  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  On  June 
15,  1892,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nettie  A. 
Bourg,  a  daughter  of  Benedict  and  Eulalia 
(Raroux)  Bourg,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  have  one  child,  Beloit  E.,  who  is 
living  at  home  and  attending  school. 

CHARLES  M.   RHYNE. 

Born  near  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  on 
September  21,  1859,  and  having  his  childhood 
darkened  by  the  terrible  shadow  of  the  Civil 
war,  Charles  M.  Rhyne  began  life  under  very 
adverse  circumstances,  which  were  continued 
throughout  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early  man- 
hood. Four  of  his  brothers  served  in  the  Con- 
federate army,  and  three  of  them  laid  down 
their  lives  on  the  altar  of  their  convictions, 
being  killed  in  battle.  His  parents  were  David 
and  Malinda  Rhyne,  also  born  in  the  Old 
North  state,  where  the  father  was  a  farmer 
and  tanner  and  was  winning  a  fair  success 
when  the  war  began.  He  supported  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


779 


Democratic  ticket,  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Their  off- 
spring numbered  fifteen,  six  of  whom  are  dead, 
John,  George  and  Joseph  falling  in  battle  on 
the  Southern  side,  Frank  and  Mary  dying  in 
childhood,  and  Sibie,  then  Mrs.  James  Cobb, 
passing  away  in  mature  life.  The  living  chil- 
dren are:  James  and  David,  who  also  served 
in  the  Confederate  army;  Laban,  Robert,  Ed- 
ward, Davidson,  Sarah  (Mrs.  Adolphus  Hobis), 
Katharine  (Mrs.  Buchanan),  and  Charles  M. 
Charles  had  very  limited  school  facilities,  re- 
maining and  working  with  his  parents  untii 
death  ended  their  labors.  He  then  rented  a 
farm,  but  soon  afterward  gave  up  the  enter- 
prise and  became  a  laborer  in  railroad  con- 
struction work,  being  made  foreman  after  a 
short  time  as  a  laborer.  He  moved  to  Chil- 
licothe,  Missouri,  and  in  1890  came  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  worked  for  the  Midland  Rail- 
road eleven  years.  In  1900  he  bought  his 
present  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
one  hundred  and  forty  of  which  can  be  culti- 
vated. The  land  is  of  good  quality  and  the 
water  rights  belong  to  it.  Excellent  and 
abundant  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables 
are  raised,  and  a  considerable  body  of  stock  is 
also  produced.  The  ranch  is  two  miles  and  a 
half  north  of  Carbondale,  so  that  a  good 
market  for  its  products  is  easily  available.  Mr. 
Rhyne  is  a  Democrat  in  national  affairs,  and  a 
man  of  progressiveness  and  public-spirit  in  all. 
He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  On  August  5,  1880,  he 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  Gregory 
of  the'  same  nativity  as  himself  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  Sanford  B.  and  Emily  Gregory,  who 
were  born  in  Virginia.  They  were  successful 
farmers  and  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
and  they  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  of 
whom  have  died :  Frances,  then  Mrs.  Joel 
Clonigar,  in  1884,  and  Charles  F.  in  1880.  The 
living  children  are:  William,  of  Galveston, 


Texas;  Thomas  F.,  of  North  Carolina;  George, 
of  Pineville,  South  Carolina;  Sarah,  the  wife 
of  James  Abennaphy,  of  North  Carolina; 
Martha,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Rhyne,  and  Julia,  the 
wife  of  Fred  Gill,  of  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado. 
The  father  was  killed  in  the  Confederate  army 
during  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhyne 
have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Lawrence, 
John  B.  and  Mattie-are  deceased;  and  Macie 
F.,  Georgia,  Irene  and  Lucile  are  living.  The 
parents  belong  to  the  Methodist  churh.  Mr. 
Rhyne  is  enthusiastic  over  Colorado,  and 
highly  estimates  the  opportunities  it  furnishes 
to  men  of  enterprise  and  industry  for  advance- 
ment in  the  world. 

DAVID  S.  JAMES. 

Perhaps  by  natural  endowment,  perhaps  by 
inheritance  from  his  ancestors,  this  now  pros- 
perous and  successful  stock  man  and  rancher 
was  possessed  in  early  life  with  a  desire  to  go 
abroad  from  the  narrow  confines  of  his  home 
and  see  the  country  and  ,  make  his  own  way 
wherever  fortune  or  inclination  might  lead 
him.  At  any  rate  when  he  was  twenty  years 
old  he  freely  gave  up  bright  prospects  in  the 
mercantile  line,  and  turning  his  back  upon  the 
scenes  and  associations  of  his  childhood  and 
youth,  and  the  pleasures  of  a  peaceful  fireside, 
he  came  into  the  wilds  of  the  west  with  but 
little  capital  beyond  high  hopes,  a  stout  heart, 
good  health  and  a  first-rate  education,  here  to 
encounter  danger  and  disaster,  hard  work  with 
slender  compensation,  privation,  loneliness  and 
cheerless  outlooks,  until  by  native  force  and 
the  exercise  of  good  judgment  he  made  a  lodg- 
ment against  fate  and  commanded  circum- 
stances to  his  service,  winning  prosperity  by 
sheer  determination  and  perseverance.  He 
was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
December  18,  1845,  the  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth James,  the  former  a  native  of  England 


780 


•PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OR  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  the  latter  of  Maryland.  They  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  in  their  early  married  life,  and 
there  the  father  became  a  prosperous  merchant 
and  banker.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican 
and  in  church  affiliation  a  Methodist.  The 
mother  was  a  Lutheran.  She  died  in  1875  and 
he  in  1898.  Their  family  comprised  seven 
children.  Mary,  then  the  wife  of  Jacob  Earn- 
hardt, died  at  the  town  of  Bedford,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Sarah  at  her  father's  house.  The 
living  children  are :  William,  living  at  Charles- 
ville,  Pennsylvania;  Maria,  the  wife  of  John 
Emig;  John,  at  Rainsburg,  Pennsylvania; 
Rachel  H.,  in  Ohio;  and  the  subject  of  this 
brief  review.  The  latter  received  a  good  edu- 
cation, attending  the  public  schools  and  the 
Missionary  Institute  located  at  Seal's  Grove 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Susquehanna.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  received  from  his  father  a 
one-half  interest  in  his  mercantile  business, 
and  for  two  years  he  gave  his  attention  to  the 
enterprise  with  zeal  and  industry.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  occu- 
pation, he  abandoned  his  interest  and  started 
west  to  find  something  more  congenial.  He 
stopped  at  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  where  he 
secured  employment  as  a  clerk  in  the  postoffice 
at  a  compensation  of  fifty  dollars  a  month. 
He  remained  there  so  employed  three  years, 
then  came  to  Gunnison,  Colorado,  and  began 
prospecting.  During  the  two  years  he  devoted 
to  this  business  he  suffered  many  hardships 
a'nd  privations,  with  all  the  danger  and  dis- 
comfort incident  to  life  in  a  wild  mining  camp; 
Giving  up  prospecting  as  a  bad  job,  he  located 
the  ranch  on  which  Carbondale  has  since  been 
built,  but  two  years  later  sold  it  to  Elsey 
Cooper  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
after  which  he  purchased  another  ranch  which 
he  sold  three  years  afterward  to  Mr.  Crane  of 
the  vicinity.  He  had  tried  to  improve  it,  but 
the  survey  for  the  ditch  was  made  wrong  and 
the  water  was  unavailable.  In  1884  he  moved 


to  Aspen,  where  he  remained  until  July  of  the 
next  year  without  accomplishing  much,  then 
changed  to  the  vicinity  in  which  he  now  lives 
and  bought  a  ranch  of  Mr.  Campbell  for  fifty 
dollars.  The  ranch  comprised  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  was  located  six  miles  north- 
east of  Carbondale.  Retaining  this,  he  re- 
turned to  Aspen,  and  during  the  next  three 
years  he  drove  a  transfer  wagon  in  the  interest 
of  Mr.  Stephens.  He  then  moved  back  to  his 
ranch  and  remained  there  five  years,  at  the  end 
of  that  period  selling  the  property  at  a  good 
profit.  His  next  venture  was  the  purchase  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres  of  the  ranch 
which  he  now  owns,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres,  making 
his  holding  at  this  time  three  hundred  and 
twenty-four  acres.  Of  this  he  cultivated  two 
hundred  acres,  raising  hay,  grain,  potatoes  and 
other  vegetables.  His  crops  are  first-rate  in 
quality  and  generous  in  quantity.  The  water 
right  is  good  and  the  supply  sufficient,  and  the 
land  responds  readily  to  skillful  tillage.  Mr. 
James  has  also  devoted  some  time  and  atten- 
tion to  raising  horses.  In  national  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  in  fraternal  circles  he  is 
connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Patriotic  Sons  of 
America. 

MARSHALL  JAMES  NUCKOLDS. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review  has  special 
interest  for  the  readers  of  this  work  in  the  fact 
that  he  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Colorado  and 
has  passed  the  whole  of  his  life  so*  far  within 
its  limits,  drawing  vigor  from  its  sources  of  in- 
spiration, getting  intellectual  development  and 
culture  in  her  seats  of  learning,  and  practic- 
ing the  inspiring  duties  of  citizenship  as  part 
of  her  body-politic  and  a  participant  in  her 
beneficent  civil  institutions.  He  was  born  at 
Denver  on  March  9,  1870,  and  is  the  son  of 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


781 


Emmet  and  Maria  Nuckolds,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Nebraska. 
They  located  at  Denver  in  1860,  and  moved  to 
Leadville  in  1878.  'There  the  father  dealt  in 
feed  and  followed  mining  in  conjunction  until 
1895,  when  the  family  moved  to  Pueblo,  where 
he  opened  a  packing  house  which  he  is  still 
conducting  with  gratifying  success  and  increas- 
ing profit.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith 
and  ever  ready  to  render  effective  service  in 
the  campaigns  of  his  party.  They  have  had 
four  children,  one  of  whom  is  dead,  a  son 
named  Isaac.  The  three  living  are  Harvey, 
living  at  Pueblo  and  manager  of  the  packing 
house;  Marshall  J.,  living  near  Rifle,  Garfield 
county;  and  Israh,  at  Pueblo.  Their  mother 
died  on  May  17.  1875.  Marshall  attended  the 
public  school  at  Leadville,  held  in  a  little  log 
shanty,  far  from  weatherproof  and  largely  de- 
void of  comforts  and  conveniences  of  every 
kind  necessary  for  its  purpose.  It  was  the 
first  school  opened  there,  and  uncanny  in  ap- 
pearance as  it  was,  and  primitive  in  equip- 
ment and  scope,  was  yet  a  source  of  pride  to 
the  community  and  of  profit  to  its  younger 
members.  Subsequently  he  pursued  a  course 
of  business  training  at  the  Denver  Business 
College.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  to 
make  his  own  living,  working  as  a  ranch  hand 
until  1893.  During  the  next  ten  years  he 
had  charge  of  the  cattle  for  the  packing  com- 
pany at  Pueblo,  serving  in  this  connection  ten 
years.  In  1903  he  took  up  the  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  now  owns 
and  works,  eighty  acres  of  which  are  under 
cultivation.  The  water  supply  for  this  ranch 
is  the  best  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  return  for 
his  persistent  and  skillful  labor  on  it  the  land 
yields  an  abundance  of  everything  grown  in 
the  neighborhood.  He  also  raises  cattle  in 
numbers  and  some  horses.  In  politics  he  is  an 
earnest  and  working  Democrat,  and  in  fra- 
ternal life  belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks.  In  his 


business  he  is  prosperous  and  progressive;  in 
reference  to  local  affairs  involving  the  welfare 
of  the  community  is  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  ;  and  in  social  circles  has  a  strong  hold 
on  a  host  of  admiring  friends.  He  is  one  of 
the  rising  men  of  his  section  and  is  generally 
esteemed  as  a  broad-minded,  intelligent  and 
upright  citizen. 

HAGEN  R.  BERG. 

All  climes  and  tongues  in  the  civilized 
world  have  contributed  of  their  brain  and 
brawn  to  aid  in  settling  and  developing  the 
Northwest  of  this  country,  and  the  section  en- 
joys in  an  unusual  degree  the  benefits  of  the 
conglomerate  population  which  has  resulted, 
having  at  hand  the  best  elements  in  the  char- 
acter of  every  race,  and  blessing  all  in  return 
with  a  wealth  of  opportunity  almost  un- 
precedented in  modern  times.  One  of  the 
valued  natives  of  Norway,  the  land  of  great 
thrift  and  enterprise,  of  scientific  research  and 
hardy  manhood,  of  intellectual  power  and 
physical  force,  is  Hagen  R.  Berg,  of  Rio 
Blanco  county,  who  lives  on  a  well-improved 
and  productive  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Meeker,  five  miles  west 
of  the  town.  Mr.  Berg's  life  began  on  Janu- 
ary 1 6,  1853,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Hans  and 
Maren  Berg,  also  natives  of  Norway,  where 
they  were  thrifty  and  prosperous  farmers  and 
devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  Gabriel,  Olans,  Hagen  R., 
Mary  and  Julia.  The  father  died  in  April, 
1891,  and  the  mother  in  April,  1897.  Hagen 
was  educated  at  the  state  schools,  and  at  the 
ag'e  of  fifteen  and  a  half  years  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  blacksmith  in  Christiania,  the 
capital  city  of  the  country.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  in  his  native  land  until  1879,  then  came 
to  this  country  and  settled  in  the  Black  Hills  of 


782 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


South  Dakota,  where  he  followed  mining, 
ranch  work  and  blacksmithing.  After  some 
months  of  profitable  labor  there  he  moved  to 
Deadwood  and  turned  his  hand  to  the  carpenter 
trade,  securing  employment  in  building  flumes 
for  the  Battle  Creek  M.ining  Company.  In 
1 88 1  he  change'd  his  residence  to  Wyoming, 
and  locating  at  Cokeville,  was  there  variously 
employed  from  July,  1881,,  to  September, 
1882,  when  he  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled 
on  a  ranch  six  miles  west  of  Meeker  on  White 
river.  After  improving  this  ranch  he  sold  it 
and  pre-empted  another  which  he  proved  up 
on  and  sold.  He  then  bought  the  one  on  which 
he  now  lives.  Of  this  tract  one  hundred  acres 
are  under  cultivation  and  yield  abundant  crops 
of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  and  support 
generously  a  large  herd  of  cattle,  the  stock  and 
hay  being  the  main  source  of  revenue.  The 
water  right  is  good  and  the  supply  sufficient 
for  the  needs  of  the  place,  and  the  land  re- 
sponds kindly  to  the  persuasive  hand  of  Mr. 
Berg's  -wise  and  skillful  husbandry.  In  ad- 
dition to  running  his  farming  and  cattle  in- 
dustries he  also  works  at  his  trade  in  the  in- 
terest of  Harp  &  Riley,  a  firm  that  carries  on 
blacksmithing  extensively.  He  is  an  earnest 
advocate  of  the  wholesome  progress  and  de- 
velopment of  his  community,  and  in  political 
allegiance  is  a  stanch  Republican.  When  he 
first  came  to  the  White  river  valley  game  was 
plentiful  and  Mr.  Berg  devoted  a  portion  of  his 
time  to  hunting  and  trapping,  in  which  he  was 
quite  successful.  He  was  married  on  January 
22,  1887,  to  Miss  Bradine  Holton,  a  native 
of  Norway  and  daughter  of  John  and  Andrenri 
Holton,  who  were  also  born  in  that  country. 
The  father  was  a  tailor  in  his  young  manhood, 
but  in  later  life  became  a  successful  farmer. 
Both  parents  were  Lutherans,  and  both  have 
been  dead  for  a  number  of  years.  Of  their 
four  children  one,  Mrs.  Berg,  is  deceased,  her 
death  having  occurred  on  February  14,  1903. 


Andrew,  Olie  and  Mary  are  living.  To  Mr, 
and  Mrs.  Berg  two  children  were  born,  Her- 
man R.  and  Olaf  M. 

JOHN  J.  LANGSTAFF. 

John  J.  Langstaff,  of  Rifle,  Garfield  county, 
an  extensive  and  prosperous  stock  man,  was 
born  on  February  14,  1855,  in  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  was  reared  and  educated  there, 
attending  the  district  .schools  during  the  winter 
.months  for  a  few  years.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
he  took  up  the  burden  of  life  for  himself  and 
from  that  time  until  the  present  he  has  made 
his  own  way  in  the  world  successfully.  Being 
obliged  to  work  hard  for  a  livelihood  and  de- 
p-end  wholly  on  himself  in  the  effort,  he  learned 
self-reliance  and  acquired  a  good  knowledge 
of  his  own  capacities  and  the  characteristics 
and  temperaments  of  men  in  general.  He  be- 
gan by  working  nine  years  in  the  lead  and 
coal  mines  of  his  native  state,  then  in  1876 
went  to  Illinois  and  later  to  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
For  two  years  he  followed  coal  mining  in  those 
states,  and  in  1878  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing, moving  soon  afterward  to  Minnesota, 
where  he  farmed  for  wages.  He  determined 
to  return  to  the  mining  industry,  and  until 
1880  was  engaged  in  that  pursuit  in  Utah  and 
Montana.  In  the  year  last  named  the  gold  ex- 
citement at  Leadville  in  this  state  led  him 
thither,  and  during  the  next  two  years  he  mined ' 
both  for  wages  and  on  an  independent  basis  in 
different  parts  of  Colorado,  meeting  with  good 
success  most  of  the  time.  In  1882  he  pre- 
empted a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Grand  river  valley,  to  which  he  added  other 
tracts  until  he  owned  six  hundred  acres,  and  on 
this  land  he  ranched  and  raised  stock  until 
1903.  He  then  sold  the  land  but  retained  the 
cattle  which  he  has  since  kept  and  tended  on 
the  open  range.  When  he  located  in  Grand 
valley  the  country  was  wild  and  wholly  un- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


783 


settled  and  the  Indians  were  numerous  and 
hostile.  They  killed  stock  owned  by  other  per- 
sons in  the  neighborhood  in  1885,  but  did  not 
molest  his.  Mr.  Langstaff  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  that  portion  of  the  valley, 
and,  with  the  help  of  William  L.  Smith  and 
H.  G.  Brown,  buried  the  first  white  man  who 
died  there.  His  name  was  William  Gay  and  he 
died  in  1883.  A  coffin  was  made  of  wagon- 
bed  timber  by  James  Moss  and  in  this  the  body 
was  buried.  Mr.  Langstaff  was  the  first  county 
commissioner  elected  in  Garfield  county, 
and  he  also  had  charge  of  the  bridge  and  road 
building  in  the  county  at  its  organization. 
There  were  then  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
of  roads  and  four  bridges,  and  the  sum  of 
twenty-seven  thousand  dollars  was  appropri- 
ated for  their  maintenance  and  extension.  In 
political  faith  and  allegiance  he  has  always 
been  an  active  working  Republican,  and  in  fra- 
ternal life  has  for  many  years  belonged  to  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  parents  were  Wil- 
liam and  Laura  Langstaff,  the  former  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  attd  the  latter  of  Michi- 
gan. They  located  in  Wisconsin  at  an  early 
period  and  the  father  built  the  first  smelter  in 
that  state.  He  was  a  successful  business  man 
and  died  in  1871,  his  wife  also  passing  away. 
Both  belonged  to  the  Methodist  church.  Six 
of  their  nine  children  are  living:  William,  at 
Cripple  Creek;  Mary  A.  (Mrs.  James  Wilson), 
at  Beloit,  Wisconsin ;  John  J.,  at  Rifle ;  Jennie, 
at  Boulder;  Margaret  (Mrs.  Edward  Crane), 
at  Beloit,  Wisconsin;  and  Bartholomew,  at 
Parachute,  this  state. 

CHARLES  L.  TODD. 

Doubly  orphaned  in  his  childhood  by  the 
death  of  his  mother  at  his  birth  and  of  his 
father  when  he  was  nine  years  old,  Charles  L. 
Todd,  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive 
ranch  and  cattle  men  living  in  the  neighbor- 


hood of  Rifle,  Garfield  county,  this  state,  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  early  in  life 
and  has  been  obliged  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world  ever  since.  He  was  born  at  Levant, 
Penobscot  county,  Maine,  on  November  7, 
1855,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Helen  Todd, 
the  father  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia  and  the 
mother  of  Maine.  The  father  was  a  carpenter 
and  worked  many  years  at  his  trade,  but  de- 
voted the  later  part  of  his  life  to  merchandising, 
at  which  he  was  moderately  successful.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  in  church  con- 
nection both  were  Methodists.  The  mother 
died  on  November  7,  1855,  the  day  her  son 
Charles  was  born,  and  the  father  in  1864.  They 
had  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  Silas 
at  Leadville,  Eva  (Mrs.  Charles  Taylor)  in  New 
Hampshire,  Emma  (Mrs.  Robert  Brenton)  at 
Rifle,  and  the  subject  of  this  review.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  the  latter  moved  to  Wisconsin 
and  found  a  home  with  Alonzo  Wing,  through 
whom  he  received  a  good  education,  pursuing 
a  general  course  of  instruction  in  the  Jefferson 
University  in  that  state.  After  completing  this 
he  entered  a  grocery  store  as  clerk  and  book- 
keeper, where  he  remained  a  year  and  half. 
In  the  winter  of  1871  he  went  to  Chicago,  and 
there  he  associated  with  J.  L.  Sterner  in  busi- 
ness, and  later  passed  five  years  in  some  of  the 
eastern  cities  in  a  variety  of  occupations.  In 
April,  1879,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Georgetown,  where  he  followed  mining  until 
1885,  at  first  working  for  wages  and  afterward 
on  his  own  account,  and  was  quite  successful. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  moved  to  Rifle  and 
located  a  ranch  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of 
the  town  in  the  Cactus  valley.  Here  he  is  now 
living  and  since  settling  on  this  land  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising 
cattle  with  increasing  success  and  profit.  He 
has  sold  a  portion  of  his  land  but  still  owns  a 
good  ranch  which  has  a  plentiful  supply  of 
water  from  a  right  of  its  own,  and  as  he  omits 


784 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


no  effort  due  on  his  part  to  make  it  productive 
he  realizes  excellent  returns  from  his  labor.  In 
connection  with  his  ranching  he  opened  a  store 
on  the  place  in  1886  which  he  conducted  until 
1888,  then  sold  it.  Afterward  he  organized 
the  Western  Mercantile  Company,  whose  in- 
terests were  afterward  sold  and  are  now  a  part 
of  the  establishment  of  Hughes  &  Company. 
In  the  autumn  of  1898, -on  October  ist,  he 
started  the  store  he  is  now  conducting  in  part- 
nership with  Albert  Ziezeniss.  This  is  a  first- 
class,  up-to-date  gents'  furnishing  emporium,, 
with  a  complete  stock  of  merchandise  well 
adapted  to  the  community,  and  has  in  addition 
a  line  of  good  millinery.  It  is  one  of  the  popu- 
lar mercantile  institutions  of  the  section  and 
does  a  good  business.  In  1889  Mr.  Todd  was 
appointed  postmaster  and  in  1903  he  was  re- 
appointed.  He  is  a  reliable  working  Repub- 
lican in  political  allegiance  and  fraternally  be- 
longs to  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  owns  valuable 
mining  claims  in  addition  to  his  ranch  and  mer- 
cantile business,  and  gives  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  every  enterprise  in  which  he  is  in- 
terested. In  October,  1884,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Minnie  Holfernine,  a  native  of  Den- 
mark. They  have  had  five  children.  One  died 
in  infancy,  and  May,  Lillian,  Gertrude  and 
Thelma  are  living. 

BENJAMIN  WHITEHEAD  LEWIS. 

The  great  American  republic  has  in  many 
ways  reset  the  conditions  of  life  and  changed 
long  established  beliefs  in  numerous  lines  of 
thought  and  action.  Until  the  gigantic  enter- 
prises which  distinguished  the  development  ot 
her  enormous  northwestern  territories  were  put 
into  successful  operation  no  one  thought  of 
looking  for  mercantile  or  business  industries 
of  magnitude  outside  the  mighty  marts  of  com- 
merce. America  has  taught  the  world  that 
they  can  be  conducted  on  an  enormous  scale  in 


the  very  heart  of  an  almost  unbroken  wilder- 
ness. One  of  the  most  impressive  illustrations 
of  this  fact  is  furnished  by  the  career  and 
achievements  of  the  late  Benjamin  Whitehead 
Lewis,  of  Gunnison,  whose  death  on  October 
23,  1903,  after  an  illness  of  only  a  few  hours, 
left  his  great  >  work  unfinished  but  so  far  de- 
veloped as  to  make  it  a  lasting  monument  to 
his  executive  ability,  financial  genius  and  ca- 
pacity for  large  affairs.  The  business  enter- 
prises which  he  put  in  motion  and  conducted 
with  emphatic  success  were  of  such  character 
and  magnitude  as  to  forcibly  engage  attention 
and  almost  stagger  belief,  even  here  in  the  west, 
where  men  have  their  vision  adapted  to  colossal 
proportions  in  everything.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
born  at  Glasgow,  Missouri,  on  August  14,  1840, 
and  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  W.  and  Amanda 
(Barton)  Lewis,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  emi- 
grated to  Missouri  when  young  and  were  mar- 
ried at  Glasgow  in  that  state.  There  the  father 
became  a  tobacco  merchant  on  an  extensive 
scale,  in  fact,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United 
States  at  the  time,  with  warehouses  also  in  Lon- 
don, England1.  He  and  his  wife  died  some 
years  ago  in  the  town  which  had  been  the 
scene  of  his  great  operations,  and  their  remains 
were  buried  there.  Their  son  Benjamin  was 
reared  in  his  native  town  and  received  a  liberal 
education  from  private  instructors  at  Fayette, 
Missouri.  While  yet  a  young  man  he  entered 
the  business  of  his  father,  and  during  the  Civil 
war  was  its  representative  in  London.  Near 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home 
and  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  business. 
Soon  afterward  he  opened  his  principal  office 
in  New  York  city,  and  about  1870.  owing  to 
the  high  war  tax  on  tobacco,  he  retired  from 
his  chosen  line  and,  going  to  St.  Louis,  or- 
ganized the  Merrimac  Iron  and  the  Big  Muddy 
Coal  companies,  which  carried  on  extensive 
business  with  mines  located  in  southwestern 
Missouri,  and  works  and  blast  furnaces  at 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


785 


Grand  Tower.  Later  he  became  connected  with 
the  Kansas  City  &  Northern  Railroad  and  was 
made  its  president.  During  his  tenure  in  this 
office  he  extended  the  line  from  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  When  the 
Wabash  gained  control  of  the  road  the  presi- 
dency of  the  system  was  offered  him,  but  find- 
ing himself  in  conflict  with  the  Goulds,  he  de- 
clined the  offer  and  retired  from  the  railroad 
business.  Before  doing  so,  however,  he  con- 
summated the  sale  and  transfer  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  from  Commodore  Garrison  to  Jay 
Gould,  one  of  the  largest  deals  of  its  kind  in 
the  history  of  the  country  up  to  that  time.  He 
next  gave  his  attention  to  operating  in  grain 
on  the  St.  Louis  stock  exchange  and  acquired 
considerable  wealth  by  his  operations.  About 
1880  he  became  interested  in  mines  in  various 
parts  of  Colorado,  principally  at  Leadville  and 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Gunnison,  and  came 
into  possession  of  some  of  the  most  extensive 
iron  mines  in  the  country.  His  great  ambition 
was  to  make  Gunnison  a  second  Pittsburg  on 
account  of  its  natural  advantages  in  iron  and 
coal,  and  with  this  end  in  view  he  became  one 
of  the  leading  builders  and  promoters  of  the 
place.  In  1883  he  put  up  the  La  Veta  Hotel, 
one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  state,  four 
stories  high,  one  hundred  by  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  size,  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  rooms  for  guests,  and  constructed  of  brick 
and  stone,  the  house  and  its  furnishings  cost- 
ing about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. About  the  same  time  he  organized  the 
Gunnison  Gas  &  Water  Company,  which 
furnishes  light  and  protection  from  fire  to  the 
city,  and  a  little  later  built  the  electric  light 
plant  of  the  city.  In  1885  he  built  the  Tomichi 
Valley  Smelter  at  Gunnison,  at  a  cost  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  ex- 
pended large  sums  in  operating  it,  but  without 
success  on  account  of  unfair  discrimination  in 
railroad  rates.  He  worked  for  years  and  spent 
50 


fortunes  to  bring  about  his  one  desired  result, 
that  of  making  Gunnison  a  great  smelting  and 
steel  manufacturing  town,  and  in  his  efforts 
acquired  extensive  holdings  in  iron  mines.  At 
various  times  he  had  good  opportunities  to  sell 
these  to  great  advantage,  but  in  every  deal  that 
was  undertaken  he  made  it  a  condition  that 
works  should  be  established  at  Gunnison  in 
case  the  sale  were  consummated,  and  this  con- 
dition being  unwelcome  to  the  intending  pur- 
chaser, he  retained  the  almost  inexhaustible 
iron  ore  deposits  of  this  region  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  in  all  things  proving  his  unswerving 
loyalty  to  the  town  of  his  choice  and  benefac- 
tions, which  he  did  more  to  build  up  and  de- 
velop than  any  other  man.  In  the  midst  of  his 
great  usefulness,  and  while  his  mighty  projects 
were  yet  unfinished,  he  was  fatally  stricken  and 
died  a  few  hours  later.  His  wife  and  daughter 
were  at  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  at  the  time, 
but  they  hastened  home  in  season  to  be  present 
at  the  imposing  funeral,  which  was  held  in 
Denver,  his  remains  being  buried  from  the 
home  of  Rev.  Dean  Hart,  one  of  his  intimate 
friends  in  that  city.  He  was  married  in  1867 
to  Miss  Anna  McCreery,  a  native  of  that  city 
and  daughter  of  Phocion  and  Mary  J.  (Hynes) 
McCreery,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  both  of 
whom  died  in  St.  Louis.  The  father  was  a 
member  of  the  old  and  widely  known  dry 
goods  firm  of  Crow,  McCreery  &  Company. 
In  the  Lewis  household  eight  children  were 
born.  One  son,  Humphries,  died  in  1898, 
aged  seventeen  years.  Robert  B.,  Mary  Mc- 
Creery, Amanda  E.,  wife  of  K.  L.  Fahnestock, 
of  Leadville,  William  H.,  Anna  E.,  McCreery 
and  Irwin  are  living.  On  the  fame  of 
this  man  of  great  enterprise  and  capacity, 
whose  life  was  devoted  to  pursuits  of  magni- 
tude which  provided  employment  for  thousands 
of  willing  heads  and  hands,  and  furnished  com- 
fort for  hundreds  of  happy  homes,  time  set  be- 


786 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


fore  he  went  hence  the  seal  which  is  seldom  set 
except  upon  the  fame  of  the  departed;  for  he 
was  known  throughout  the  country  as  a  great 
captain  of  industry  long  before  his  death. 

JOHN  D.  MOOG. 

Many  lines  of  useful  industry  and  the 
claims  of  public  office  in  the  service  of  the  peo- 
ple occupy  the  time  and  energies  of  the  in- 
teresting subject  of  this  sketch,  who  besides 
being  an  excellent  farmer  and  enterprising 
stock  man,  is  a  good  business  factor,  well 
qualified  official  and  one  of  the  best  surveyors 
and  civil  engineers  in  the  western  part  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  at  Trarbach,  Germany,  on 
June  24,  1857,  the  son  of  John  D.  and  Sophie 
Moog,  who  passed  their  lives  in  the  fatherland, 
as  their  forefathers  did  for  many  generations 
before  them,  the  mother,  who  died  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  1901,  having  been  laid  to  rest  in  her 
natal  soil.  The  father  is  .still  living  where-  he 
was  born  and  is  a  prosperous  miller  and  wine- 
grower, owning  large  vineyards.  He  belongs 
to  the  Lutheran  church,  as  his  wife  did.  Five 
children  composed  their  family,  of  whom  three 
are  living,  Sophie,  John  D.  and  Max.  John 
received  a  liberal  education  in  his  native  land, 
attending  the  public  or  state  schools  and  also  a 
technical  school  where  he  learned  civil 
engineering  and  surveying.  He  served  the 
government  in  his  profession  three  years,  and 
was  afterward  employed  in  the  same  capacity 
in  the  land  office.  Coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1880,  he  located  in  Nebraska,  but 
not  liking  the  conditions  in  that  state,  he  moved 
to  Colorado  in  1881.  Here  he  soon  found  con- 
genial and  profitable  employment  in  the  office 
of  the  assistant  general  superintendent  of  the 
Rio  Grande  Railroad  and  also  in  that  of  the 
general  road  master,  and  afterward  as  an  ac- 
countant for  the  same  company.  In  1889  ne 
moved  to  Meeker  and  located  a  ranch  near 


Yellow  creek.  The  situation  not  being  pleas- 
ing to  him,  he  bought  the  improvements  on 
another  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  Miller  creek.  He  has  made  subsequent 
purchases  until  he  now  owns  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  has  made  extensive  improve- 
ments and  can  cultivate  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  the  tract,  and  having  the  first  water 
right  along  the  line,  he  produces  excellent 
crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  He  also 
raises  cattle  and  horses  extensively,  both  being 
of  good  grades,  many  of  the  horses  of  the 
French  coaching  strain.  The  ranch  is  fifteen 
miles  southeast  of  Meeker.  Taking  a  warm 
interest  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  county,  Mr. 
Moog  has  served  as  county  surveyor  since  the 
fall  of  1893,  and  he  also  served  as  water  com- 
missioner from  1895  to  19°4-  In  business  he 
is  interested  in  the  Meeker  Oil  Company  and 
other  enterprises  of  value.  He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  political  faith  and  always  active 
in  the  service  of  his  party.  In  his  profession 
he  has  a  high  rank,  being  considered  by  many 
the  best  surveyor  in  the  county,  and  in  that 
line  of  activity  he  has  done  a  great  amount  of 
very  valuable  work.  He  was  married  on  May 
28,  1900,  to  Mrs.  Jack  Card,  born  Miss  Mar- 
garet Watson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moog  are  the 
parents  of  one  son,  John  W. 

JOHN  B.  GOFF. 

A  renowned  hunter  and  trapper  with  a 
large  number  of  pelts  to  his  credit,  a  tourists' 
guide  who  has  led  many  distinguished  parties 
to  extended  pleasures  and  triumphs  of  sports- 
manship, and  a  ranchman  of  pronounced  enter- 
prise and  progressiveness,  John  B.  Goff,  of 
Meeker,  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  this 
part  of  the  country  and  one  of  the  most  useful 
and  respected  citizens  of  his  county.  He  is  a 
native  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  born 
on  May  27,  1866,  and  was  there  educated  to  a 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


787 


limited  extent  in  the  public  schools.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  began  to  work  for  himself  as 
a  farm  hand  in  Kansas,  whither  his  parents 
moved  in  1868.  He  remained  in  that  state 
until  1883,  then  came  to  Colorado  and  located 
at  Meeker,  which  at  that  time  had  but  twenty 
inhabitants,  four  of  whom  were  women.  He 
located  a  ranch  on  strawberry  creek  six  miles 
west  of  the  village,  which  he  retained  two 
years,  improved,  and  sold  at  a  profit.  In  1886 
he  leased  a  ranch  on  Mesa  which  he  held 
two  years,  then  sold  his  equipment  and  cattle 
there,  after  which  he  freighted  for  two  years 
with  a  ten-horse  team  for  Hughes  &  Company, 
between  Meeker  and  Rifle,  an  occupation  which 
inured  him  to  privation  and  danger  and  gave 
him  readiness  for  any  emergency.  He  next 
turned  his  attention  to  hunting  and  trapping 
and  became  a  guide  for  tourists  and  hunting 
parties,  having  for  both  pursuits  special  fitness 
acquired  in  his  long  and  varied  experience  in 
western  life.  In  these  occupations  he  is  still 
engaged,  and  has  an  outfit  for  the  purpose  com- 
prising forty  horses,  pack  and  saddle  animals, 
and  twenty-five  hounds  and  dogs,  and  being 
therefore  fully  equipped  for  almost  any  de- 
mand the  business  may  make  upon  his  re- 
sources. He  has  killed  himself  and  treed  for 
other  parties  in  all  more  than  three  hundred 
and  fifty  mountain  lions  and  one  hundred  bears 
and  has  slain  every  other  form  of  wild  animal 
to  be  found  in  Colorado,  Wyoming  and 
Mexico.  He  is  thoroughly  versed  in  every 
phase  of  woodcraft,  and  well  qualified  to  take 
his  part  and  upbuild  his  reputation  in  any 
game  country.  As  a  guide  he  was  with  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  in  his  five  weeks'  hunting  tour 
of  recent  date.  The  ranch  he  now  owns  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  eight  miles 
west  of  Meeker,  and  the  water  supply  is  suf- 
ficient for  the  cultivation  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres.  The  crops  are  those  usually 
produced  in  the  section,  hay,  grain  and  vege- 


tables, and  are  abundant  in  quantity  and  excel- 
lent in  quality.  His  cattle  and  his  business  as 
a  guide  are  his  main  resources,  however,  al- 
though the  products  of  the  soil  furnish  a-  sub- 
stantial addition  to  his  revenues.  In  the  fra- 
ternal life  of  the  community  he  takes  an  in- 
terest as  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  in  politics  as  a  Republican.  In 
March,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mattie 
Myrick,  a  native  of  Iowa,  reared  in  Kansas. 
They  have  four  children,  Laura,  Byron,  Wal- 
ter and  Earl.  Mr.  GofFs  parents  are  Byron 
and  Fannie  GofF,  the  father  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  mother  of  Indiana.  The  father 
is  a  carpenter  and  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Kansas  in  connection  with  farming.  The  fam- 
ily moved  to  Meeker  in  1888,  and  here  the 
parents  have  since  maintained  their  home. 
Eight  children  composed  their  offspring,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  Harry,  Josiah,  John  B., 
Homer,  Andrew,  Bertha  (Mrs.  Joseph  Ral- 
ston), and  Celia  (Mrs.  Jack  Burns).  The 
father  is  a  Populist  in  political  allegiance  and 
has  been  successful  in  business.  Both  father 
and  son  have  lived  usefully  and  creditably  and 
have  won  the  guerdon  of  their  fidelity  to  duty 
in  the  lasting  regard  of  their  fellow  citizens. 

WILLIAM  H.  GOFF. 

One  of  the  most  popular  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful ranchers  and  cattle-growers  of  Rio 
Blanco  county  is  William  H.  Goff,  who  is  com- 
fortably established  on  a  ranch  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  fifteen  miles  west  of  the 
village  of  Rangely  and  is  an  older  brother  of 
John  B.  Goff,  of  Meeker  (see  sketch  elsewhere 
in  this  volume).  He  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  on  November  29,  1855,  and 
there  received  a  meager  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  assisted  his  parents  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
then  secured  land  in  Kansas,  where  they  were 


788 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


living  at  the  time,  in  Osage  county,  and  farmed 
it,  conducting  a  meat  market  and  livery  busi- 
ness in  addition,  until  1882.  In  November  of 
that  year  he  sold  all  his  interests  in  Kansas  and 
moved  to  Colorado,  where  he  at  once  secured 
employment  as  a  range  rider  for  Ora  Haley, 
an  extensive  cattle-grower,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained thirteen  months.  In  January,  1884,  he 
moved  to  Meeker  and  secured  a  contract  for 
carrying  the  mails  between  that  town  and 
Grand  River,  meeting  the  dangers  of  the  busi- 
ness with  courage  and  self-reliance  and  endur- 
ing its  hardships  of  weather  and  privation 
with  fortitude  and  cheerfulness.  At  the 
termination  of  this  contract  he  began  raising 
and  trading  in  stock  which  he  continued  to  do 
to  1893.  At  that  time  he  moved  to  the  west- 
ern portion  of  Rio  Blanco  county  on  the  state 
line,  where  he  took  up  a  desert  claim  which 
is  a  portion  of  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives. 
He  has  added  to  its  extent  until  he  has  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  of  which  one  hun- 
dred acres  are  under  cultivation.  His  crops 
are  hay,  grain,  hardy  vegetables  and  fruit,  and 
the  yield  is  good.  In  addition  to  his  ranching 
industry  Mr.  Goff  has  for  some  years  con- 
ducted one  in  supplying  the  neighboring  In- 
dians with  needed  provisions,  paying  particu- 
lar attention  to  raising  cattle  and  horses  for 
this  purpose.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Union 
Oil  Company,  and  formerly  had  some  shares 
of  ownership  in  the  Gilsonite  mines,  but  dis- 
posed of  the  latter  to  good  advantage.  In  the 
public  and  fraternal  life  -of  the  community  Mr. 
Goff  has  ever  been  earnestly  interested,  being  a 
strong  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  belong- 
ing to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  was 
married  on  March  9,  1881,  to  Miss  Mary  R. 
Hart,  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  and 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  A.  Hart,  also  born 
in  that  state.  Her  father  is  a  prosperous 
father  and  busy  saw-mill  owner  and  manager. 
The  family  comprises  five  children,  Sarah, 


Ella,  Mary,  Sherman  and  Emily,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goff  have  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  a 
son  named  Leroy  on  July  i,  1883.  The  living 
child  is  their  son  Claude  L.  Mr.  Goff  is  prac- 
tically a  self-made  man  and  has  made  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  His  progress  has  been  steady 
and  continual,  through  effort  and  trial,  not 
showy  or  spectacular,  but  along  the  lines  of 
quiet  and  peaceful  industry.  He  is  an  example 
to  others  in  the  manliness  with  which  he  has 
performed  every  duty  and  the  courage  with 
which  he  has  assumed  every  proper  responsi- 
bility; and  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
all  classes  of  his  community  because  of  his 
sterling  worth  and  elevated  citizenship. 

EDDIE  P.  WILBUR. 

When  the  active,  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  citizen  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
settled  in  Rio  Blanco  county  in  ,  September, 
1882,  only  two  stock  men  lived  in  the  White 
river  valley.  There  were  few  roads  and  almost 
no  bridges  in  the  region.  The  land  was  in  its 
state  of  primitive  nature,  productive  of  its  wild 
growth  of  little  use  for  civilized  life  and  yield- 
ing grudgingly  to  the  hand  of  the  husbandman. 
There  were  no  ditches  for  irrigation  and  large 
acreages  were  too  arid  for  cultivation.  In- 
dians and  wild  animals  still'  roamed  about  at 
will  insulting  the  lone  majesty  of  night  with 
their  hideous  deeds,  and  white  men,  not  yet 
present  in  sufficient  numbers  to  provide  the 
community  of  effort  necessary  for  self-defense, 
were  practically  at  the  mercy  of  nature's  un- 
tamed children  who  jealously  resisted  the  in- 
trusion and  encroachments  of  the  strangers- 
Mr.  Wilbur  has  therefore  the  distinction  of  be- 
ing one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  section  and  can 
look  around  him  and  see  in  almost  every  evi- 
dence of  progress  and  improvement  a  tribute 
to  his  daring,  endurance,  constructive  enter- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


789 


prise  and  breadth  of  view.  He  helped  to  build 
the  first  ditch  in  the  county  and  also  the  Old 
Agency,  Miller  and  Oakridge  ditches,  and  the 
Meeker  townsite  as  well.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  inevitable  Indian  troubles,  espe- 
cially those  occurring  at  the  time  when  warrants 
were  issued  for  the  arrest  of  troublesome  Utes 
in  1887.  Then  he,  Mr.  Gilley,  James  Van 
Cleve,  and  Frank  Clark  buried  Jack  -Benner, 
Mart  Holden  and  Edward  Archie,  victims  of 
savage  fury.  -He  was  the  guide  of  the  troop 
that  made  the  arrests  and  quelled  the  conse- 
quent uprising,  and  one  of  its  leaders  in  action. 
He  was  the  first  juror  summoned  to  service  in 
the  county,  Breckenridge  then  being  the  county 
seat.  He  served  as  marshal  of  Meeker  from 
1890  to  1894,  sheriff  of  the  county. from  1893 
to  1897,  member  of  the  county  high  school 
board  for  many  years,  and  since  1897  has 
beerf  secretary  of  the  Coal  Creek  school  board. 
His  life  began  in  Schenectady  county,  New 
York,  on  September  22,  1862,  and  he  is  the 
son  of  David  V.  and  Norine  Wilbur,  natives  of 
New  York  state.  In  his  early  manhood  the 
father  was  a  farmer,  but  his  later  years  were 
devoted  to  work  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  both  parents 
were  Methodists.  Of  their  nine  children  six 
are  living,  Charles  E.  H.,  Julius  R.,  Bradford 
v  B.,  Eddie  P.,  Aggie,  wife  of  William  Showers, 
and  Ella,  wife  of  Frank  E.  Watson.  The 
father  died  in  August,  1900,  and  the  mother 
is  living  at  Meeker.  Mr.  Wilbur  attended  the 
public  schools  and  worked  on  the  home  farm 
until  he  was  seventeen.  He  then  moved  to 
Chicago- and  for, a  number  of  years  worked  at 
different  employments,  among  them  driving 
piles  at  the  docks,  and  boating  between  that 
city  and  Buffalo.  In  1881  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Denver  where  he  worked  at  hard 
labor  for  several  months.  In  March,  1882,  he 
moved  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  there  con- 
tinued working  as  a  laborer,  finally  shipping  out 


on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  for  labor  in  the  em- 
ployment of  that  road;  but  being  dissatisfied 
with  the  boss  in  charge,  he  left  the  train  and 
went  forward  on  foot,  his  blankets  packed  on 
his  back,  the  snow  deep  and  troublesome,  and 
his  provision  along  the  hard  and  difficult  way 
being  one  meal  a  day,  and  that  often  a  scant 
one.  After  some  considerable  effort  and 
through  hardships  he  will  never  forget,  he 
reached  Idaho  and  secured  employment  with 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  A  short  time  after- 
ward he  went  to  freighting  for  the  government 
and  in  the  spring  of  1882  for  Hughes  & 
Adams,  at  the  same  time  furnishing  hay  and 
wood  for  the  government  under  contract.  In 
September  following  he  located  the  ranch  on 
which  he  now  lives,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  it,  adding  eighty  acres  afterward  by 
purchase.  Of  this  tract  two  hundred  acres  are 
under  cultivation  and  yield  good  crops,  while 
cattle  and  horses  furnish  his  chief  resource. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  politically  he  is  independent.  On 
Christmas  day,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mollie  E.  Watson,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  Wat- 
son (see  sketch  elsewhere  in  this  work).  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wilbur  have  had  five  children,  of 
whom  Ella  P.,  Arthur  E.,  George  D.  and  Mary 
B.  are  living,  and  Frankie  died  in  August, 
1890. 

FRANK  A.  HARKER. 

Although  born  in  the  Cherokee  nation,  In-, 
dian  Territory;  Frank  A.  Harker  became  a 
resident  o>f  Colorado  at  so  early  an  age  that  he 
may  almost  be  considered  wholly  a  product  of 
the  state.  He  has  entered  so  fully  into  the  spirit 
of  its  enterprise  and  the  pursuits  of  its  people 
that  he  has  become  one  of  its  most  progressive 
and  successful  ranch  men,  and  as  such  has 
contributed  materially  to  its  advancement  and 
the  business  success  which  has  made  so  much 
of  its  interesting  and  wonderful  history.  His 


790 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


life  began  on  November  3,  1859,  an^  he  is  the 
son  of  George  and  Adeline  Harker,  the  former 
a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of  New 
York  state.  The  father  emigrated  to  America 
at  the  age  of  thirteen.  After  residing  and 
working  at  various  places  in  this  country,  he 
moved  his  family  to  Colorado  in  1860  and  took 
up  a  ranch  five  miles  east  of  Denver.  Here  he 
met  with  serious  losses  by  the  flood  of  1864  and 
by  having  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses  and 
three  hundred  cattle  stolen  by  the  Indians ;  but 
notwithstanding  these  losses  he  achieved  a 
substantial  success  in  his  ranching  and  stock  in- 
dustries and  became  a  man  of  standing  and  in- 
fluence in  his  section.  He  died  in  1864,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Republican 
party.  In  1872  the  mother  and  the  rest  of  the 
family. moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Colorado 
Springs  and  continued  ranching  and  raising 
cattle,  Frank  managing  the  business.  There 
were  three  children  in  the  family.  Annie,  then 
Mrs.  Leon  Marcolt,  died  in  1890,  and  George 
is  living  at  Cripple  Creek.  Frank  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  after  leaving 
school  took  charge  of  the  home  ranch  which 
he  managed  until  1882.  In  connection  there- 
with, in  1879,  he  freighted  between  Colorado 
Springs  and  Leadville,  and  in  this  work  he  suf- 
fered many  hardships,  one  winter  freezing  his 
feet  so  badly  that  he  was  obliged  to  quit  work 
and  lie  up  for  recovery  during  a  period  of  five 
months.  He  afterward  followed  mining  under 
contract  and  also  prospected  two  years  in  the 
San  Juan  country.  In  1884  he  returned  to  his 
home  and  the  next  year  he  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  five  miles  and  a 
half  east  of  Meeker,  to  which  he  has  added  by 
purchase  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Of 
the  whole  tract  he  can  cultivate  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  and  on  this  body  he  raises  good 
crops  of  the  products  suitable  to  the  region.  He 
has  made  all  the  improvements  on  the  place 
himself  and  by  his  vigorous  and  skillful  man- 


agement has  made  the  place  one  of  the  most 
productive  and  desirable  in  the  neighborhood 
of  its  location.  He  is  a  very  enterprising  and 
progressive  ranch  man,  full  of  the  spirit  of 
modern  advancement  in  which  each  year  is  ex- 
pected to  mark  a  substantial  move  toward  bet- 
ter and  more  profitable  results.  In  fraternal 
circles  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of-  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  in  political  affairs  he  supports  the 
Republican  party.  On  March  19,  1891,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mattie  Proctor  and  they 
have  three  children,  Leon  R.,  W7illiam  A.  and 
Cora  A.  In  this  part  of  Rio  Blanco  county 
there  is  no  more  esteemed  citizen  and  there  is 
none  more  worthy  of  the  standing  he  has 
among  his  fellow  men.  In  business,  in  social 
relations,  in  the  public  local  interests  of  the 
community  and  in  the  ordinary  duties  of  citi- 
zenship he  has  met  his  responsibilities  faith- 
fully, regardless  of  opposition  where  that  has 
confronted  him  and  in  spite  of  difficulties 
where  they  have  beset  his  path. 

HENRY  PIERSON. 

The  life  of  Henry  Pierson,  of  Rio  Blanco 
county,  although  passing  along  smoothly  for 
the  greater  part  in  useful  labor,  has  not  been 
devoid  of  incident  and  adventure  of  an  exciting 
nature,  nor  free  from  danger  and  privation.  He 
was  born  on  June  18,  1848,  in  Sweden,  where 
his  parents,  Peter  and  Hannah  (Hanson)  Pier- 
son,  were  also  native.  The  father  was  a  miner 
in  his  home  country,  and  after  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  the  United  States  in  1878,  he  be- 
came a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Nebraska,  where 
both  parents  ended  their  days.  They  had  seven 
children,  and  six  of  them  are  living,  Ida,  wife 
of  Swan  N.  Swanson,  Henry,  Anna,  wife  of 
Olaf  Windel,  Carrie,  wife  of  Nelson  Windel, 
Betsie  and  Ellen,  wife  of  Peter  Windel.  Henry 
attended  the  state  schools  in  his  native  land, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


791 


and  after  leaving  school  assisted  his  parents  in 
providing  for  his  living,  working  in  the  mines 
with  his  father.  He  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  reaching  Chicago  with  but  twenty-five 
cents  in  money.  In  that  city  he  was  employed 
in  paving  streets  until  1863,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army  in  which  he  served  to  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war.  After  the  war  he  set- 
tled in  Colorado,  and  with  headquarters  at  Cen- 
tral City  and  Georgetown,  eng-aged  in  mining 
and  prospecting  from  1870  to  1885.  When  the 
excitement  over  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the 
Black  Hills  broke  out  he  joined  the  stampede 
to  that  promising  field,  and  when  Leadville  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  mining  world  as  a 
new  eldorado,  he  transferred  his  energies  to 
that  camp.  He  was  also  among  the  first  ar- 
rivals at  Aspen,  locating  there  when  the  village 
had  only  twenty  white  inhabitants.  In  1885 
he  bought  a  ranch  on  Bear  creek  near  Morrison 
on  which  he  was  occupied  in  general  ranching 
until  1892.  He  then  sold  that  property  and 
purchased  the  one  he  now  owns,  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  original  body,  to 
which  he  has  added  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  by  a  subsequent  purchase.  Here  he  has 
sufficient  water  'for  the  cultivation  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  carries  on  farming 
and  raising  cattle  on  a  large  scale.  The  ranch 
is  well  located  five  miles  west  of  Meeker,  within 
easy  reach  of  a  good  market  for  its  products, 
and  he  has  improved  it  with  good  buildings  and 
made  it  fruitful  by  judicious  and  industrious 
cultivation.  Mr.  Pierson  was  married  in  1873,' 
to  Miss  Mary  Lawson,  a  native  of  Sweden, 
who  died  on  February  28,  1887,  leaving  six  of 
their  seven  children  to  survive  her,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Crook,  Benjamin,  Alfred,  Minnie,  Harry  and 
Edna.  The  other  child,  a  son  named  Nelson, 
died  some  years  ago.  On  November  21,  1888, 
the  father  married  a  second  wife,  Miss  Betsie 
Harbardson,  also  born  in  Sweden,  the  daughter 
of  Harbar  and  Mary  (Ericsson)  Harbardson, 


who  passed  the  whole  of  their  lives  in  their  na- 
tive land.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  farmers  by  occupation  and  the  parents 
of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Carrie 
and  Mrs.  Pierson.  By  his  second  marriage  Mr. 
Pierson  became  the  father  of  two  children. 
Claude  and  Peter.  He  supports  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  political  affairs,  and  takes  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  the  progress  of  his  county  and 
state.  Among  the  incidents  of  thrilling  inter- 
est which  he  witnessed  in  the  early  days  of  his 
residence  in  this  state  were  the  scalping  of  An- 
derson and  Burklin  in  the  Black  Hills  and  the 
burning  to  death  of  a  man  tied  to  a  tree  at 
Aspen  in  1881,  both  attrocities  perpetrated  by 
Indians. 

JOHN  DELANEY. 

From  the  Emerald  Isle,  which  has  given  so 
much  of  talent,  vivacity,  versatility  and  useful 
labor  in  various  lines  of  productive  effort  to 
our  country,  came  the  prominent  and  progres- 
sive cattle  and  ranchman  who  is  the' subject  of 
this  article.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  on  April 
23,  1847,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  Delaney, 
also  Irish  by  nativity,  as  their  forefathers  were 
for  many  generations  before  them.  The  fam- 
ily emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1854  and 
took  up  their  residence  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  Here  the  father,  who  had  been  a  whole- 
sale grocer  and  liquor  merchant  at  Dublin  in 
his  native  land,  and  also  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity 
of  that  city,  became  a  manufacturer  of  paper, 
and  was  making  steady  progress  to  a  successful 
business  career  in  this  country  when  in  1861 
death  cut  short  his  life  and  usefulness,  he  hav- 
ing for  five  years  survived  his  wife  who  died 
in  1856.  Thus  orphaned  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, their  son  John,  the  second  born  of  their 
three  living  children,  the  other  two  being  Mary 
A.  and  Theresa,  was  thrown  on  his  own  re- 
sources and,  stimulated  by  the  sharp  spur  of 
necessity,  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 


792 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


world  with  commendable  industry  and  frugal- 
ity. He  had  received  a  limited  education  at  the 
common  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
home,  and  in  starting  out  for  himself  found 
employment  as  a  farm  hand,  an  occupation  to 
which  he  adhered  for  a  number  of  years  in  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania.  In  1880  he  became  a 
resident  of  Colorado,  and  during  the  next 
seven  years  devoted  his  time  to  mining  at  va- 
rious places  on  the  Western  slope.  In  1887, 
having  determined  to  turn  his  attention  to 
ranching  and  the  stock  industry,  he  took  up  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  by  pre- 
emption, the  one  on  which  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  In  addition  to  this  he  has  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  of 
the  whole  tract  he  cultivates  three  hundred 
acres  in  the  ordinary  farm  products  of  the  re- 
gion in  which  he  lives.  His  principal  reliance 
in  his  business  is,  however,  the  cattle  he  raises 
and  handles,  and  in  this  line  of  enterprise  he  is 
very  successful,  conducting  his  operations  on  a 
large  scale  and  with  excellent  results.  He  is  a 
leading  citizen  of  his  section  of  the  county,  an 
earnest  Democrat  in  politics,  a  cordial  sup- 
porter and  helpful  aid  in  all  undertakings  for 
the  good  of  his  communityand  a  widely  known 
and  esteemed  citizen.  He  was  married  in  1872 
to  Miss  Sarah  Durkin.  They  have  had  eight 
children.  John  B.  died  on  December  13,  1900. 
and  Mary,  Sarah,  James,  Edward,  Anna  B., 
Frank  and  Joseph  are  living.  All  the  family  be- 
long to  the  Catholic  church.  In  his  life  in  this 
state  Mr.  Delaney  has  seen  some  strenuous 
times.  In  1887,  when  there  was  an  Indian  out- 
break in  the  vicinity  of  his  new  home,  and  he 
happened  to  be  at  Glenwood  Springs,  although 
he  had  plenty  of  money  for  the  purpose,  he  was 
unable  to  hire  any  one  to  take  him  home  so 
that  he  could  assist  in  putting  down  the  sav- 
ages ;  so  he  was  obliged  to  make  the  trip  on 
foot,  but  he  reached  the  scene  of  action  in  time 
to  be'  of  material  assistance  in  protecting  the 
community  and  restoring  peace. 


FARRELL  McLAUGHLIN. 

More  than  sixty  years  ago  the  useful  life 
which  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  writing  to  briefly 
outline  began  in  the  western  portion  of  Ireland. 
The  subject  is  a  descendant  of  long  lines  of 
Irish  ancestry,  who  turned  the  glebe  in  the 
isle  of  flowers  for  many  generations,  or  other- 
wise added  by  their  labors  to  the  commercial 
or  industrial  wealth  of  the  country.  He  was 
born  on  April  25,  1843,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Bridget  McLaughlin,  who  emigrated  from 
their  own  hospitable  shores  to  the  larger  liber- 
ties and  greater  opportunities  of  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  the  states  of  New  York 
at  Troy.  The  father  was  a  farmer,  and  took  an 
earnest  interest  in  the  political  activities  of  his 
adopted  land  as  a  leading  Democrat  in  his  lo- 
cality. Both  parents  died  a  number  of  years 
ago  leaving  three  of  their  eight  children  to  sur- 
vive them,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living,  Hugh. 
Henry  and  Farrell.  The  last  named  attended 
the  common  schools  in  his  boyhood  and  early 
youth,  but  has  learned  his  best  and  most  useful 
lessons  in  the  exacting  but  thorough  school  of 
experience.  In  1863,  when  he  was  twenty 
years  old,  he  left  his  father's  home,  and  after 
following  a  number  of  different  vocations,  in 
1874  opened  a  produce  commission  house 
which  he  conducted  two  years  without  much 
success.  In  1876  he  became  a  resident  of 
Blackhawk  in  Gilpin  county,  this  state,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  three  years  engaged  in  mining  for 
wages  and  prospecting  on  his  own  account.  In 
1879  he  moved  to  Leadville,  then  one  of  the 
busiest  camps  in  the  state,  and  for  five  years 
thereafter  he  did  a  thriving  butchering  busi- 
ness in  partnership  with  William  L.  Otterpach. 
Then  selling  out  his  interest  there,  he  changed 
his  residence  to  Rio  Blanco  county  and  gave 
his  attention  to  raising  cattle  on  the  open 
range.  At  this  time  he  located  the  ranch  now 
occupied  by  James  Ed  Hall  which  he  after- 
ward sold  to  that  gentleman.  He  then  bought 


PROGRESSIVE.  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


793 


another  on  Piceance  creek  which  he  held  until 
1890,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  home  near 
Rangely.  He  now  owns  two  quarter-sections 
and  has  two  hundred  acres  of  good  land  under 
cultivation.  He  is  also  extensively  engaged  in 
the  cattle  business  with  profitable  returns.  His 
land  is  well  irrigated  from  two  ditches  which  he 
owns,  and  as  he  omits  no  effort  needed  for  its 
proper  cultivation,  he  realizes  abundant  harv- 
ests from  its  fertile  soil.  Although  by  nature 
and  desire  a  peaceful  man,  Mr.  McLaughlin 
has  not  escaped  the  common  lot  of  the  pioneers 
in  trouble  with  the  Indians.  He  assisted  in 
driving  the  hostile  Utes  out  of  his  section,  of  the 
state  in  1879,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  take  his 
place  in  other  engagements  with  the  savages 
from  time  when  occasion  required  it.  In  the 
public  life  of  the  county  he  has  ever  been  active 
and  serviceable.  He  served  as  county  com- 
missioner four  years,  and  is  generally  con- 
ceded to  have  been  one  of  the  best  men  the 
county  ever  had  in  this  office.  He  was  elected 
as  a  Populist,  but  had  previously  been  a  Demo- 
crat. He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Conway  Fitzpatrick,  a  native  of  Macon,  Mis- 
souri, and  they  have  seven  children,  Belle. 
Catherine,  Hannah,  Eliza,  Ora,  Reba,  and  one 
other.  The  parents  belong  to  the  Catholic 
church. 

ROBERT  REIGAN. 

Coming  to  Colorado  when  he  was  but  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  and  with  almost  no  capital 
except  his  natural  endowments  of  mind  and 
body  and  a  slender  common-school  education, 
through  his  quickness  of  perception  and  vigor 
of  action  in  the  opportunities  offered  by  the 
state  to  men  of  energy  and  capacity,  Robert 
Reigan,  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  has  acquired  a 
large  extent  of  property  and  built  up  a  good 
business  in  general  ranching  and  raising  cat- 
tle. He  has  also  risen  to  prominence  among 
the  citizens  of  his  locality  and  made  substan- 


tial contributions  toward  the  development  and 
improvement  of  the  country.  He  is  a  native  of 
Iowa  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  on 
September  25,  1858.  His  father,  Patrick  Rei- 
gan, was  born  and  reared  in  Ireland  and  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man.  Here  he  mar- 
ried, and  soon  afterward  they  moved  to  Wis- 
consin, where  they  passed  the  rest  of  their  lives 
in  profitable  farming.  Both  belonged  to  the 
Catholic  church.  Their  offspring  numbered 
twelve,  and  of  these  their  son  Michael  died  in 
1887,  and  two  others,  James  and  Patrick,  were 
killed  in  1885  by  an  explosion  of  their  home 
arranged  for  by  cattle  rustlers  whom  they  re- 
fused to  aid  in  thefts  of  stock  from  the  neigh- 
boring farms.  They  were  sleeping  when  the 
explosion  occurred  and  had  no  chance  to  es- 
cape. The  nine  living  children  are  John,  Mary, 
Ellen,  Thomas,  Theresa,  Robert,  Johanna, 
Morris  and  Alice.  The  parents  are  dead.  Their 
son  Robert  assisted  them  in  the  work  of  the 
farm  until  some  of  the  younger  boys  were  able 
to  take  his  place,  then  in  1877,  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  located  at  Georgetown,  where  he 
passed  two  years  mining  for  wages  and  on 
leased  properties.  In  1879  he  transferred  his 
energies  to  Leadville,  where  he  mined  a  year 
under  contract.  From  1881  to  1884  he  was 
manager  of  the  Minnie  A.  Y.  mines,  and  in  the 
latter  year,  desiring  to  turn  his  attention  to 
ranching  and  raising  stock,  he  bought  an  out- 
fit for  the  purpose  at  Denver  which  he  brought 
to  Piceance  creek  and  there  he  pre-empted  his 
present  home  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  He  has  since  purchased  three  additional 
quarter  sections,  and  of  the  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  fifty 
are  well  watered  and  under  cultivation.  He 
raises  an  abundance  of  farm  products  common 
to  the  locality  and  large  numbers  of  cattle.  His 
undertakings  in  these  lines  have  been  wisely 
managed,  vigorously  developed  and  success- 
fully operated.  He  has  exhibited  also  such  in- 


794 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


terest  and  activity  in  the  public  life  of  the  com- 
munity that  he  has  risen  to  prominence  in  the 
councils  of  the  Democratic  party  of  which  he  is 
an  enthusiastic  and  influential  member.  On 
December  17,  1890,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Minnie  Lochran,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land and  reared  in  the  United  States.  They 
have  had  six  children.  Of  these  Louis  J.  is 
deceased  and  Ellen,  Robert,  Alice,  Patrick  and 
Catherine  are  living. 

OWEN  H.  LUNNY. 

The  blessings  of  a  free  and  unsettled  coun- 
try like  the  United  States  to  the  overcrowded 
populations  of  the  older  lands,  and  which  has 
aptly  been  called  the  great  charity  of  God  to  the 
human  race,  can  be  fully  estimated  only  by 
those  who  have  experienced  them  and  their 
benefits,  and  can  not  be  overestimated  by  any- 
body. Their  voice  has  been  loud  and  persuasive 
for  several  hundred  years,  and  has  been  heeded 
by  uncounted  millions,  who  have  come  hither  to 
secure  and  enjoy  them,  and  in  doing  so  have 
not  only  found  wide  and  multiform  opportuni- 
ties for  their  own  advancement,  but  have  also 
helped  to  magnify  in  volume  and  increase  in 
value  their  service  to  the  race.  Among  the  men 
of  thrift  and  substance,  who  in  their  youth 
sought  the  benefits  thus  offered  and  have  used 
them  to  their  own  advantage,  is  Owen  H. 
Lunny,  of  Rio  Blanco  county,  this  state,  who 
came  to  our  shores  when  he  was  a  boy  of  fif- 
teen, and  has  since  been  diligent  in  employing 
his  opportunities  for  his  own  good  and  the 
good  of  the  country  itself.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ireland,  born  on  May  26,  1866,  and  the  son  of 
Owen  and  Ella  Lunny,  natives  of  that  country 
and  belonging  to.  families  resident  there  from 
time  immemorial.  The  father  was  an  indus- 
trious farmer  and  raised  cattle  for  market  on  a 
small  scale.  There  were  nine  children  in  the 
family,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  Mary,  Ella, 


Owen  H.,  Peter  H.,  James,  Hugh  and  Edward. 
The  father  has  been  dead  a  number  of  years 
and  the  mother  is  still  living  in  her  native  land. 
Owen  attended  the  common  schools  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home  when  he  could,  which  was 
but  seldom  and  not  long  at  a  time,  for  the  en- 
ergy of  every  member  of  the  family  was  re- 
quired to  aid  in  the  work  on  the  home  farm.. 
When  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  and  after  remain- 
ing in  the  state  of  New  York  two  years,  en- 
gaged in  any  occupation  that  offered,  he  came 
to  Colorado,  arriving  in  1883  and  locating  at 
Leadville.  Here  he  mined  for  wages  and  under 
lease,  and  also  at  times  served  as  engineer  in 
running  a  steam  pump.  In  1885  he  moved  to 
Rio  Blanco  county  and  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  Coal  creek, 
which  he  at  once  settled  on  and  began  to  im- 
prove. As  time  passed  and  he  prospered  in  his 
enterprise,  he  added  to  his  domain  until  he  now 
owns  one  thousand,  five  hundred  acres  of  land 
and  has  three  hundred  of  it  under  cultivation. 
He  started  early  in  the  stock  business  and  hag 
increased  the  scope  of  his  interests  in  it  to  its 
present  extent,  which  is  one  of  large  propor- 
tions and  leading  importance  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. As  a  helpmate  in  his  labors  and  a  partic- 
ipant in  his  success,  he  secured  by  marriage  on 
July  2,  1893,  Miss  Anna  S.  Meagher,  his  de- 
voted wife  and  the  mother  of  his  one  child. 
They  have  lived  prosperously  and  happily  in 
their  new  home,  which  has  been  improved  and 
developed  by  their  own  efforts,  and  they  enjoy 
in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
those  who  know  them  throughout  the  com- 
munity in  which  their  useful  lives  are  passing 

ELIJAH  B.  THOMPSON. 

From  his  youth  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
ha!s  been  connected  actively  with  the  stock  in- 
dustry, and  he  has  learned  the  business  by  prac- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


795 


tical  experience  in  every  department  of  it.  His 
life  began  in  Tuolumne  county,  California,  on 
August  27,  1856,  and  he  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  (Blakesley)  Thompson,  farmers  of 
Virginia  who  moved  to  California  soon  after 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  that  state.  There  the 
father  devoted  his  attention  to  mining  and  in 
his  work  discovered  and  located  several  valu- 
able properties,  among  them  the  Red  Bluff  gold 
mine,  which  he  discovered  on  March  9,  1857. 
There  were  two  children  born  in  the  family, 
Obediah  and  Elijah.  The  latter  had  no  oppor- 
tunities for  attending  school  beyond  a  period 
of  six  days.  He  reached  man's  estate  through 
labor  and  privation,  enduring  hardships  and 
encountering  dangers  of  various  kinds  in  the 
wild,  unsettled  country  in  which  his  earlier 
years  were  passed,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
became  a  range  rider  in  the  cattle  industry.  In 
the  employ  of  the  Pitchfork  Land  &  Cattle 
Company  he  drove  cattle  from  Texas  to 
Rockyford,  in  this  state,  bringing  them  over 
the  trail  in  the  absence  of  definite  roads,  and 
also  served  the  company  in  other  ways  during  a 
period  of  ten  years,  being  their  foreman  seven 
years  of  the  time.  He  became  a  resident  of 
Colorado  in  1884,  and  on  May  30,  1890,  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  Snake  river  where  he  was  busily  oc- 
cupied in  ranching  and  raising  cattle  and  horses 
until  1900.  Here  he  suffered  many  reverses, 
but  in  spite  of  them  he  made  steady  progress'. 
On  November  4,  1898,  his  buildings  were  de: 
stroyed  by  hostile  Indians  who  had  risen 
against  the  whites  because  their  destruction  of 
game  was  ordered  stopped  by.  the  game  warden. 
They  gave  the  settlers  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
over  this  order,  and  as  Mr.  Thompson  was  able 
to  speak  the  Mexican  language,  he  served  as 
interpreter  in  bringing  about  a  settlement  of 
the  dispute.  One  battle  was  fought  in  which 
six  Indians  were  killed,  and  during  the  tur- 
moil he  was  himself  marked  for  slaughter,  the 


notorious  Tom  Horn  having  arranged  to  kill 
him  and  four  other  men  on  October  27th.  The 
plot  was  only  partially  successful,  Isham  Dart 
being  killed  by  the  desperado  on  the  date 
named  and  Matthew  Rasch  by  the  same  hand 
on  October  4th,  the  others,  Mr.  Thompson, 
Joseph  Davenport  and  Samuel  Bassett,  escap- 
ing. From  1900  to  May,  1904,  Mr.  Thompson 
was  engaged  in  the  livery  business  and  in  deal- 
ing in  horses,  and  he  is  now  located  on  a  good 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Wil- 
liams's  fork.  He  has  three  hundred  acres  under 
cultivation,  raising  good  crops  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables,  and  also  carries  on  a  thriving 
cattle  industry.  In  political  life  he  is  an  earn- 
est Democrat  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  May,  1890,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Armida  Bowner,  who  was 
born  in  Wisconsin.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them.  One  died  in  infancy  and  Lyman 
B.  and  Anama  are  living.  It  should  be  men- 
tioned as  a  matter  of  interest  that  there  are 
large  deposits  of  bituminous  coal  on  Mr. 
Thompson's  land  and  the  outlook  for  the  vig- 
orous and  profitable  working  of  mines  there  is 
very  promising. 

ROBERT  H.  GREEN. 

Born  and  reared  on  the  frontier,  and  mak- 
ing his  preparation  for  the  battle  of  life  amid 
its  incidents  of  thrilling  interest,  wherein  often 
every  day  was  fraught  with  danger,  all  time 
was  laden  with  toil,  and  the  lot  of  man  one  of 
hardship  and  privation,  Robert  H.  Green  grew 
to  manhood  in  an  environment  well  adapted  to 
produce  courage  and  self-reliance  in  spirit, 
strength  and  suppleness  of  body,  and  self- 
knowledge  of  the  most  valuable  kind.  His  op- 
portunities for  education  were  found  mainly 
in  the  rugged  school  of  experience,  and  his. 
knowledge  of  men  in  boyhood  and  youth  was 
gained  almost  wholly  from  contact  with  the 


796 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


hardy  and  resourceful  pioneers.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  Springfield,  Missouri,  on 
March  27,  1855,  and  even  in  his  boy- 
hood had  contact  with  the  stirring  ac- 
tivities of  our  progressive  colonization 
which  found  expression  in  his  section  in 
the  border  wars  over  the  question  of  slavery. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty,  bearing  a  cheerful  and 
serviceable  part  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  and 
in  1875  set  out  for  himself  in  a  new  country. 
as  they  had  done  in  their  early  lives.  Coming 
to  Colorado  then,  he  passed  a  year  in  various 
occupations  at  Denver.  In  1876  he  rented  a 
ranch  on  Plumb  creek,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  he  himself  devoted  to  its  improve- 
ment and  cultivation.  In  1881-  he  re- 
turned to  Missouri,  but  not  finding  con- 
ditions to  his  liking,  and  making  no 
financial  headway  by  his  really  vigorous 
efforts,  he  once  more  became  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado, leasing  a  ranch  in  Douglas  county  on 
which  he  lived  until  1885.  He  then  moved  to 
Routt  county  and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  eight  miles  east  of 
Craig,  which  he  sold  after  improving  it.  In 
1894  he  purchased  another,  a  part  of  which  is 
his  present  home.  His  purchase  was  a  quar- 
ter-section, but  he  has  sold  all  except  forty 
acres,  enough  to  suitably  employ  his  energies 
in  the  ranching  and  cattle  business  which  he 
conducts  on  it,  raising  good  crops  of  hay, 
g.rain  and  vegetables,  and  numbers  of  high 
grade  cattle,  the  latter  being  his  main  source 
of  revenue.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
public  local  affairs  of  his  county  and  grown  to 
prominence  and  influence  among  its  people. 
Earnestly  supporting  the  Republican  party  in 
political  matters,  he  is  regarded  by  the  members 
of  the  organization  as  wise  in  counsel  and  vig- 
orous and  serviceable  in  action,  and  has  been 
chosen  by  them  to  official  station  of  promin- 
ence and  responsibility.  He  was  elected  county 
commissioner  in  1900  and  for  many  years  has 


served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  also  as 
school  director.  He  was  married  on  February 
n,  1875,  to  Miss  Eleanora  Hays,  who  was 
born  in  Missouri.  Of  their  seven  children  a 
daughter  named  Laura  died  in  infancy,  and 
Irwin  E.,  Wesley,  Willis,  Robert,  Eleanora  and 
Alice  are  living.  Mr.  Green  is  the  son  of 
Louis  and  Nancy  Green,  natives  of  Tennessee 
and  early  emigrants  to  Missouri.  In  early  life 
the  father  was  a  farmer,  but  he  is  now  engaged 
in  the  Christian  ministry  in  the  Baptist  church. 
The  mother  died  in  1898.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  them,  of  whom  are  living,  Frank, 
James,  Benjamin,  William,  Ida  and  Robert  H. 

GEORGE  W.  WALKER. 

Born  at  a  pleasant  home  in  the  sunny 
South,  and  beginning  life  with  fair  prospects  of 
advancement,  the  career  of  George  W.  Walker, 
of  near  Craig,  Routt  county,  illustrates  the 
irony  of  fortune  which  so  often  mocks  the 
brightest  hopes  of  men,  and  also  the  advant- 
ages of  pluck,  persistency,  industry  and  frugal- 
ity in  this  land  of  boundless  opportunities.  His 
life  began  in  Franklin  county,  Alabama,  on 
February  12,  1856,  and  he  is  the  last  born  and 
only  surviving  child  of  Anderson  and  Martha 
W^alker,  the  former  a  native  of  Georgia  and  the 
latter  of  Alabama.  They  had  a  family  of  eight 
children  of  whom  seven  are  dead.  The  father 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  for  his  day  and  sec- 
tion, but  died  when  the  son  was  only  ten  years 
old,  his  wife  having  passed  away  three  years 
before.  Thus  orphaned  at  the  early  age  of  ten 
years,  Mr.  Walker  saw  all  his  prospects  for  a 
good  start  in  life  laid  in  the  graves  of  his  par- 
ents, and  from  the  time  of  his  father's  death 
was  obliged  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
At  this  time  he  migrated  to  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  and  worked  on  farms  for  wages  until 
1882.  His  next  three  years  were  passed  in  Ne- 
braska in  the  same  employment,  and  in  1885 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  on  Bear  river. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


797 


Here  he  pre-empted  a  tract  of  land  and  home- 
steaded  on  another,  securing  three  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  all.  The  land  was  wild  and  un- 
broken, given  up  wholly  to  unprofitable  sage 
brush  and  grease-wood.  But  with  characteris- 
tic energy  he  went  to  work  at  improving  it  and 
making  it  productive  with  the  result  that  he 
now  has  one  hundred  acres  under  good  cultiva- 
tion and  one  of  the  desirable  and  profitable 
ranches  in  his  neighborhood.  His  principal 
resources  are  hay  and  cattle,  but  he  raises  first- 
rate  crops  of  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits. 
All  the  buildings  and  other  improvements  on 
the  ranch  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Walker,  and 
the  place  is  a  tribute  to  his  enterprise,  skill  and 
business  capacity.  He  has  also  taken  a  warm 
and  serviceable  interest  in  the  local  affairs  of 
his  community,  sparing  no  effort  on  his  part 
toward  its  development  and  wholesome  prog- 
ress. He  helped  to  build  the  first  church  in 
Routt  county,  laying  the  stone  foundation  him- 
self, this  being  one  of  the  popular  church  edi- 
fices at  Craig  and  in  many  other  ways  he  has 
contributed  to  the  substantial  advancement  of 
every  worthy  interest  in  the  neighborhood.  On 
arriving  in  this  state  his  entire  capital  in 
money  was  fifty  cents,  but  he  had  in  addition 
a  firm  determination  to  succeed,  an  unyielding 
energy,  a  resourceful  self-reliance,  and  a  keen 
eye  for  good  opportunities.  Through  these  his 
present  success  has  been  won,  and  as  a  self- 
made  man  he  is  a  credit  to  American  citizen- 
ship, and  as  such  is  universally  esteemed 
wherever  he  is  known.  He  was  married  on 
June  9,  1889,  to  Miss  Mary  Breeze,  a  native  of 
Illinois.  They  have  one  child,  their  daughter 
Jennie  E. 

JULIAN  P.  MORIN. 

A  man's  life  of  usefulness  to  his  fellows 
and  success  in  his  own  affairs  is  the  best  tribute 
to  the  uprightness  of  his  character,  the  lofti- 
ness of  his  motives,  the  steadfastness  of  his 


purpose  and  the  proper  employment  of  his  time 
and  faculties.  Tried  by  this  severe  standard 
Julian  P.  Morin,  •  of  near  Padoga,  Routt 
county,  one  of  the  most  representative  and  pro- 
gressive ranchers  and  stock  men  of  the  Wil- 
liams fork  region  is  entitled  to  a  high  regard. 
Without  ostentation  or  self-seeking,  except  in 
the  domain  of  making  his  way  successfully  in 
the  world  and  providing  for  his  family  or 
others  who  may  be  dependent  upon  him,  he  has 
gone  his  way  through  every  trial,  performing 
with  fidelity  and  industry  every  daily  duty, 
true  to  himself  and  therefore  necessarily  true 
to  his  fellows.  Mr.  Morin  was  born  in  the 
province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  on  February  19, 
1835,  and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
Morin,  the  former  born  in  France  and  the  lat- 
ter in  Canada.  The  father  came  to  this  con- 
tinent when  young  and  settled  in  the  province 
of  Quebec  where  he  was  married  and  became 
an  industrious  and  prosperous  farmer.  He  died 
in  1873  and  the  mother  in  1888.  Two  of  their 
children  survive  them,  their  sons  Joseph  and 
Julian.  The  latter  grew  to  the  age  of  seventeen 
in  his  native  place,  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  learned  practical  farming  on 
the  paternal  homestead,  on  which  he  remained 
until  1852.  He  then  emigrated  to  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  remained  until  1858  and  thor- 
oughly learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  returned  to  his  native 
land,  where  he  lived  and  wrought  at  his  trade 
until  1870.  Desiring  then  a  further  residence 
in  "The  States,"  he  again  crossed  our  northern 
boundary  and  located  in  Iowa.  Here  he  fol- 
lowed his  craft  for  one  year  at  the  end  of  which 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado.  Locating  at 
Hutchinson  Junction,  he  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop  which  he  conducted  four  years,  and  he 
was  successful  in  his  enterprise.  At  the  end  of 
the  period  named  he  sold  out  at  a  good  profit, 
and  after  blacksmithing  for  a  short  time  at 
Lake  City,  moved  to  Antelope  Springs,  then 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


opening  to  populous  settlement,  and  during  the 
next  two  years  engaged  in  ranching  in  that 
neighborhood.  From  there  he  moved  to  Lead- 
ville  where  he  burned  charcoal  from  1879  to 
1884  and  prospered  in  the  work,  it  being  a  pri- 
vate enterprise  conducted  solely  for  his  own 
profit.  In  1884  he  located  the  ranch  on  which 
he  now  lives,  and  which  has  since  been  his 
home,  takmg  up  first  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  which  he  has  since  in- 
creased to  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  A 
considerable  portion  of  his  land  is  devoted  to 
the  production  of  the  ordinary  farm  products  of 
the  neighborhood  and  the  rest  is  excellent  graz- 
ing ground  for  his  large  herds  of  cattle  which 
form  the  greater  part  of  his  industry.  The 
land  was  wild  and  unbroken  when  he  settled  on 
it,  he  being  one  of  the  first  to  locate  in  the  re- 
gion, and  he  has  made  all  the  improvements  it 
contains,  both  in  buildings  and  cultivation, 
himself,  providing  it  with  commodious  and 
comfortable  structures  for  its  purposes  and 
bringing  the  arable  portion  of  the  soil  to  a  high 
state  of  productiveness.  He  has  become  thor- 
oughly attached  to  the  institutions  of  the  coun- 
try, and  is  a  loyal  and  serviceable  citizen  of 
Colorado  in  whose  prosperity  and  progress  he 
takes  an  earnest  and  helpful  interest.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  national  politics,  but  in  local  af- 
fairs seeks  to  subserve  by  his  efforts  and  his  in- 
fluence the  best  interests  of  the  community  and 
its  people.  He  is  very  progressive  and  pub- 
lic-spirited in  his  own  business  and  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  lasting  welfare  of  his  county  and 
state,  and  has  a  wide  and  well-founded  popular- 
ity throughout  the  section  in  which  he  lives. 
Practically  a  self-made  man,  he  has  produced 
his  fortunes  by  his  own  effort  and  his  career 
furnishes  an  example  worthy  of  emulation  by 
young  men  everywhere  and  a  substantial  proof 
of  the  value  of  thrift  and  enterprise,  as  well  as 
of  integrity,  in  a  land  of  really  boundless  op- 
portunities. 


SHAW  BROTHERS. 

The  Shaw  brothers,  John,  Graham  O.  and 
Herbert,  whose  ranch  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pagoda, 
Routt  county,  is  one  of  the  best  improved,  most, 
highly  cultivated  and  most  productive  in  the 
region,  containing  along  with  other  improve- 
ments a  number  of  trees  which  are  said  to  be 
the  oldest  and  largest  in  the  county,  are  natives 
of  Pender  county,  North  Carolina,  where  John 
was  born  on  October  13,  1855,  Graham  O.  on 
March  27,  1862,  and  Herbert  on  September  9, 
1865.  They  are  the  sons  of  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth Shaw,  who  were  also  born  and  reared  in 
North  Carolina,  and  were  prosperous  farmers 
there.  Eight  of  their  children  are  living,  Ada, 
James,  Edwin,  Daniel,  Annie,  John,  Graham  O. 
and  Herbert.  The  mother  died  in  1866,  and  the 
father  in  January,  1895.  A  portion  of  the  ranch 
on  which  the  brothers  live  and  which  they  are 
successfully  and  vigorously  operating,  was 
taken  up  by  Graham  in  1889,  and  he  was  joined 
in  the  enterprise  by  Herbert  in  1890  and  by 
John  five  years  later.  Additional  land  was  pur- 
chased and  the  operations  have  been  enlarged 
from  time  to  time  until  these  enterprising  gen- 
tlemen conduct  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
flourishing  industries  in  their  line  to  be  found 
on  Williams  Fork  whereon  they  are  so  pleas- 
antly and  advantageously  located.  John  Shaw 
was  educated  in  private  schools  in  his  native 
state,  but  his  opportunities  for  attending 
school  were  neither  many  nor  long  continued. 
At  an  early  age  he  was  obliged  to  make  a  hand 
on  his  father's  plantation  and  perform  a  man's 
share  of  the  labor.  He  remained  at  home  so 
occupied  until  1882,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  at  Boulder.  He  engaged  in  ranch 
work  and  quarrying,  helping  to  get  the  stone 
of  which  the  county  court  house  was  built.  He 
afterward  leased  a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  and 
continued  farming  there  until  1895,  when  he 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


799 


joined  his  brothers  on  Williams  Fork.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics. and  takes  an  active  part 
in  the  campaigns  of  his  party.  He  is  also  cord- 
ially interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  county,  as 
are  his  brothers,  and  they  omit  no  effort  they 
can  make  to  push  forward  its  progress  and  de- 
velopment. Graham  O.  Shaw  attended  the 
common  schools  and  also  the  college  at  Greeley, 
this  state.  He  came  to  Colorado  in  1882,  when 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  after  spending 
a  year  at  Denver  variously  occupied,  moved  to 
Longmont  in  1883,  and  there  he  operated  a 
baling  outfit  for  the  George  Coffin  Company 
one  year,  then  became  associated  with  Mr.  Cof- 
fin as  a  partner  in  the  business,  remaining  with 
him  until  1889.  In  that  year  he  severed  his 
connection  with  the  enterprise  and  located  a 
portion  of  the  ranch  now  belonging  to  him  and 
his  brothers.  Like  his  brother  John  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  faith,  and,  like  him,  he 
takes  an  active  and  serviceable  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party.  Since  1900  he  has  been 
one  of  the  county  commissioners  of  Routt 
county.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Master  Mason,  and 
is  ardently  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  order. 
Herbert  Shaw  came  to  this  state  in  1885,  and 
in  1890  became  a  partner  of  his  brother  Gra- 
ham in  the  ranching  and  cattle  business  which 
the  three  now  conduct.  On  September  9,  1900, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sadie  Turner,  a  na- 
tive of  Ray  county,  Missouri.  His  political 
affiliation  is  with  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
is  devoted  to  its  welfare.  Hay  and  cattle  are 
the  staples  produced  on  the  ranch  of  the  broth- 
ers ;  but  they  also  raise  large  quantities  of 
grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits.  They  are 
men  of  fine  progressive  spirit,  commendable 
breadth  of  view  and  loyal  devotion  to  the  sec- 
tion in  which  they  have  cast  their  lot.  They 
are  also  prominent  in  all  local  affairs,  and  are 
held  in  high  esteem  for  their  wisdom  in  coun- 
sel and  their  energy  and  diligence  in  action 
where  the  best  interests  of  the  county  are  con  • 
cerned. 


THOMAS  DUNSTAN. 

Thomas  Dunstan,  of  near  Pagoda,  Routt 
county,  who  is  considered  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  successful  ranchers  and  stock  men 
in  his  portion  of  the  state,  is  a  native  of  Aus- 
tralia, born  on  -November  21,  1847.  His  parents 
also  were  born  in  that  country  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1872,  locating  in  Kan- 
sas where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  in  profitable  farming.  The  father  died  in 
1886  and  the  mother  in  1901.  They  had  three 
children,  Mrs.  George  Jeniver,  Richard  J.  and 
Thomas,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Thomas,  the1 
youngest,  received  a  common-school  education 
and  was  well  prepared  for  the  business  of  life 
and  future  usefulness  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead. He  came  to  this  country  with  his  pa- 
rents in  1872  and  lived  with  them  in  Kansas 
until  1878.  He  then  moved  to  Colorado  and, 
locating  at  Denver,  farmed  with  varied  success 
for  a  few  years.  After  following  other  occupa- 
tions for  a  time,  he  furnished  teams  under  con- 
tract for  grading  the  ground  for  the  station  of 
the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  in  that  city, 
excavated  the  ground  for  the  round-house  of 
the  same  road  and  graded  for  the  city  water 
works.  In  these  works  he  was  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Richard.  They  also  shipped  to 
Pueblo  and  there  they  continued  the  same  line 
of  operations.  One  of  the  profitable  contracts 
they  had  and  completed  was  straightening  the 
railroad  between  Pueblo  and  Salida.  Thomas 
was  afterward  employed  in  the  shops  of  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  at  Denver  as  a  machin- 
ist's helper.  In  1886  he  secured  by  pre-emp- 
tion a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  and  to  the 
original  tract  he  has  added  forty  acres  by  a 
subsequent,  purchase.  He  has  brought  eighty 
acres  of  this  land  to  an  advanced  state  of  pro- 
ductiveness in  hay  and  grain,  and  the  rest  is  ex- 
cellent grazing  ground  for  his  cattle  which  he 
raises  in  large  numbers.  From  1886  to  1892 
his  brother  Richard  was  an  active  partner  in 


8oo 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  ranching  and  cattle  industry,  but  since  the 
year  last  named  Thomas  has  conducted  the 
business  alone.  Mr.  Dunstan  is  a  zealous  Re- 
publican in  political  faith  and  is  prominent  and 
influential  in  his  party  as  he  is  progressive  and 
successful  in  his  business.  He  is  popular 
throughout  his  neighborhood  with  all  classes  of 
the  people,  and  is  given  up  to  be  one  of  the 
leading  and  representative  citizens  in  his  por- 
tion of  the  county.  Although  not  a  native  of 
this  country  he  is  warmly  attached  to  its  in- 
stitutions and  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  wel- 
fare of  its  people.  His  residence  in  various 
» parts  of  it  has  made  him  familiar  with  its  fea- 
tures and  the  interests  of  its  different  sections, 
and  this  enables  him  to  take  a  broad  and  liberal 
view  of  its  needs  and  see  with  a  broad  mind 
and  true  public-spirit,  and  those  who  know  hirp 
well  value  him  for  his  genuine  patriotism,  his 
extensive  general  information,  his  tolerance  of 
differences  of  opinion  and  his  strong  devotion 
to  truth  in  every  form  without  regard  to  sec- 
tional prejudices. 

JOHN  LYONS. 

Owing  to  the  death  of  his  father  when  the 
son  was  but  ten  years  old  and  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  next  to  the  oldest  living  child  in  the 
family,  and  was  therefore  obliged  to  assist  in 
providing  a  living  for  his  mother  and  the  rest 
of  the  children,  John  Lyons,  of  Routt  county, 
one  of  the  esteemed  citizens  and  successful 
ranch  and  cattle  men  living  near  Pagoda,  felt 
at  a  very  early  age  the  'burdens  of  life  and 
found  his  youth  clouded  by  the  responsibility 
and  difficulty,  which,  however,  he  bore  cheer1 
fully  and  with  energy  and  courage.  And  it  may 
.be  truthfully  said  that  his  subsequent  successes 
and  his  present  prosperity  afford  him  all  the 
greater  satisfaction  because  of  his  early  trials. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  on  August  15,  1853, 
and  instead  of  going  to  school  for  any  length 


of  time  as  most  boys  do,  he  was  forced  by  cir- 
cumstances to  go  to  work,  and  so  had  almost  no 
opportunity   for  securing  even  the  rudiments 
of  an  education.     His  parents  were  Jeremiah 
and  Mary  (Haley)  Lyons,  both  Irish  by  nativ- 
ity.    The  father  was  a  farmer  and  in  connec- 
tion with  his  farming  raised  dairy  cattle.     He 
died  in   1863  leaving  a  widow  and  five  chil- 
dren in  very    moderate    circumstances.      The 
children   are   Daniel,   John,    Nora,    Margaret, 
wife  of  Patrick  Sullivan,  and  Michael.     They 
are  all  Catholics  in  church  affiliation.    John  re- 
mained in  his  native  land  variously  employed 
until  1 88 1,  then  coming  to  America  he  located 
in  New  York  state  and  for  some  years  there 
followed   a   number   of   different  occupations. 
Being  willing  and  capable  he  was  never  long 
without  employment,   and  being    thrifty    and 
frugal  at  the  same  time  he  soon  found  himself 
making  headway  slowly,  it  is  true,  but  steadily. 
His  principal  work  during  these  earlier  years 
of  his  American  life  was  in  the  line  of  construc- 
tion.    He  helped  to  build  the  long  docks  in 
New  Jersey,  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the 
stock  yards  there  and  worked  on  the  Brooklyn 
bridge.     In  1885,  deeming  that  he  would  find 
better  opportunities  for  advancement    in    the 
West,  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  near 
Cardiff,  pre-empted  a  claim  which  he  sold  after 
making  some  improvements  on  it,  Charles  Dar- 
row,    of   Glenwood   Springs,   being    the    pur- 
chaser.    For  some  years  thereafter  he  ran  cat- 
tle on  the  Grand  river,  and  in  1889  moved  to 
his  present  location,  pre-empting  a  portion  of 
the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives.  He  has  added 
to  his  original  domain  by  purchase  until  he  now 
owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.    He  has 
a  considerable  acreage  devoted  to  general  farm 
products  and  a  large  range  of  grazing  ground 
for  his  cattle.     The  cattle  form  his  staple  pro- 
duction and  main  reliance  on  the  ranch.     He 
has  made  extensive  and  advantageous  improve- 
ments on  the  land  and  has  a  very  comfortable 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


801 


and  desirable  home.  Having  been  the  first  set- 
tler in  his  immediate  neighborhood,  he  has  been 
one  of  the  chief  factors  in  its  development  and 
progress,  aiding  by  his  means  and  labor  and 
stimulating  by  his  example  the  interest  of 
others  toward  the  construction  of  roads, 
bridges,  churches,  schoolhouses  and  other  pub- 
lic improvements,  and  giving  full  sympathy 
and  active  support  to  all  undertakings  in  the 
way  of  industrial  and  commercial  enterprises 
in  which  the  welfare  of  the  community  seemed 
to  be  involved.  He  was  married  on  January 
1 6,  1896,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hagerty,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  has  been  of  great  assistance  in 
his  various  undertakings  and  in  full  sympathy 
with  his  enterprise  and  aspirations.  Mr.  Lyons 
is  a  prominent  and  influential  man,  and  has  the 
respect  and  good  will  of  all  who  kno\v  him. 

WILLIAM  H.  ROSS. 

A  native  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, where  he  was  born  near  the  city  of  Lon- 
don on  April  22,  1850,  and  having  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  lumbering,  mining,  follow- 
ing the  life  of  a  sailor  on  the  great  lakes,  char- 
coal burning  and  various  other  occupations, 
William  H.  RosS,  of  Routt  county,  with  a  fine 
ranch  and  a  flourishing  cattle  business  on  For- 
tification creek,  not  far  from  Craig,  brought  to 
his  present  occupations  and  experience  gained 
in  a  variety  of  pursuits  and  association  with 
men  in  a  number  of  different  places.  His  pa- 
rents were  Peter  and  Louisa  Ross,  natives  of 
Canada  and  successful  farmers  in  that  country, 
where  the  father  died  in  1884,  and  the  mother 
in  1900.  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living,  Mary,  Rebecca,  Mar- 
garet, Elise,  Albina,  Charlotte,  Sarah,  Stephen 
and  William  H.  There  was  not  much  oppor- 
tunity for  William  to  secure  an  advanced  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered 
actively  on  the  work  of  the  farm  at  home  in  the 
interest  of  his  parents,  remaining  there  until 


1865.  He  then  moved  to  Michigan  where  he 
engaged  in  lumbering,  farming  and  mining  on 
the  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and  also  was  em- 
ployed as  a  sailor  on  boats  plying  between  Du- 
luth  and  other  points  on  the  lake.  In  1879  ne 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  at  Central  City. 
Here  he  was  occupied  in  teaming  and  cutting 
cord  wood  until  1887,  when  he  moved  to  Aspen, 
and  there  devoted  two  years  to  prospecting  and 
burning  charcoal  on  his  own  account.  In  1889 
he  located  his  present  ranch  on  Fortification 
creek,  taking  up  homestead  and  timber  claims 
and  thus  securing  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  good  land.  This  place  he  has  greatly 
improved  and  much  of  the  land  he  has  brought 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  abun- 
dant water  for  proper  irrigation,  being  the 
owner  of  the  Little  Bear  ditch.  His  crops  are 
good,  comprising  all  the  products  common  to 
the  neighborhood,  but  hay  and  cattle  are  his 
chief  dependence.  When  he  located  here  the 
whole  country  was  still  wild  and  game  was 
very  plentiful.  There  was  but  little  in  the  way 
of  convenience  for  comfortable  living  in  the 
region  as  settlers  were  few  and  only  meager 
progress  toward  development  has  been  made. 
Now  the  whole  expanse  smiles  with  the  prod- 
ucts of  cultivated  life  and  pleasant  homes  and 
waving  fields  gladden  the  observer.  In  work- 
ing out  this  change  Mr.  Ross  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor,  and  he  has  his  reward  in  hav- 
ing become  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
prosperous  ranchers  on  the  creek.  While  not  an 
active  partisan  he  supports  the  Republican 
party  in  national  politics.  On  August  7,  1902, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hattie  Thorn- 
ton, a  native  of  England. 

JOSEPH  A.  CARROLL. 

A  farmer's  son  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  reared 
to  habits  of  useful  industry  on  the  paternal 
homestead,  beginning  the  battle  of  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  sixteen  equipped  with  almost 


802 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


nothing  but  his  natural  endowments  of  a  stout 
heart,  a  clear  head,  a  willing  hand  and  a  deter- 
mined spirit,  Joseph  A.  Carroll,  of  Routr 
county,  this  state,  has  made  his  way  in  the 
world  to  a  comfortable  estate  and  a  position 
of'  esteem  among  his  fellow  men,  through  a 
variety  of  scenes  and  experiences,  it  is  true, 
but  wholly  by  his  own  efforts.  He  was  born  in 
Halifax  county,  Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  on  May 
2,  1866,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  of  his 
parents  until  1882.  He  attended  the  local  dis- 
trict schools  as  he  had  opportunity  but  this  was 
only  at  short  intervals  in  the  winter  months 
and  but  for  a  few  years.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Mary  A.  Carroll,  both  natives  of  Canada 
and  well-to-do  farmers  there.  The  father  died 
in  1869  and  the  mother  in  1872.  Their  off- 
spring numbered  two,  Joseph  and  his  older 
sister  Emma,  both  of  whom  are  living.  In 
1882,  when  Joseph  left  his  native  land  he  came 
at  once  to  Colorado  and  was  employed  as  a 
stock  tender  by  Mr.  Perkins,  an  extensive  stock 
man,  for  a  time,  then  became  a  range  rider  for 
various  other  persons,  continuing  in  this  occu- 
pation until  1888.  In  that  year  he  moved  to 
Aspen  and  was  employed  in  teaming  and  help- 
ing to  build  the  toll  road  between  Aspen  and 
Hunter's  creek.  In  these  and  some  other  occu- 
pations he  passed  the  time  until  1891,  and  then 
he  located  his  present  ranch,  taking  it  up  as  a 
homestead  claim.  It  comprises  one  hundred 
"and  sixty  acres  and  he  cultivates  one  hundred 
acres  in  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  the  hay  with 
his  cattle,  however,  forming  his  chief  reliance 
and  main  source  of  revenue.  Mr.  Carroll  is  a 
very  progressive  man  and  runs  his  business 
with  all  the  energy  and  breadth  of  view  of  his 
nature.  He  is  making  it  successful  and  of  ex- 
panding value,  and  meanwhile  he  is  rising  into 
a  higher  general  esteem  among  the  people  of 
his  community  the  more  he  is  known.  Politi- 
cally he  is  an  earnest  Democrat  and  fraternally 
a  Woodman  of  the  World.  On  August  24, 


1891,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Slinkard, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Colo- 
rado with  her  parents.  Mr.  Carroll's  ranch  is 
located  thirteen  miles  north  of  Craig.  When 
he  took  charge  of  it  the  only  product  of  the  soil 
was  wild  sage  brush  and  all  its  promise  was 
far  from  encouraging.  But  his  energy  and  per- 
sistent diligence,  together  with  his  skill  and  ca- 
pacity as  a  farmer,  have  brought  about  a  wel- 
come change  and  transformed  the  waste  into  a 
fruitful  farm. 

CHARLES  L.  CLAPP. 

Having  received  a  good  scholastic  training 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  having 
since  acquired  in  the  practical  and  thorough 
school  of  experience  a  more  valuable  education 
in  mechanical  lines  and  knowledge  of  men  and 
affairs,  Charles  L.  Clapp  is  a  wise,  well-in- 
formed and  very  practical  man  and  citizen,  and 
is  generally  esteemed  as  such.  He  was  born  in 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  on  October  28, 
1862,  and  after  leaving  school  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  surveying  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  pattern  maker.  He  had  valuable  exper- 
ience as  marine  engineer  on  the  Hudson  river, 
and  also  in  other  capacities  in  a  mechanical  and 
professional  way.  In  1887  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  with  headquarters  at  Canon  City  he 
became  associated  with  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  in  the  capacity  of  bridge 
builder,  helping  to  build  all  the  iron  bridges  on 
the  road  between  Denver  and  Grand  Junction. 
He  was  afterward  associated  with  the  Western 
Coal  and  Machinery  Company  of  Denver  for 
two  years  and  installed  machinery  for  it  in 
Iowa,  Illinois  and  other  states.  For  two  years 
previous  to  taking  up  his  present  ranch  he  was 
interested  in  ranching  on  Elk  Head  creek  in 
Routt  county  in  company  with  the  same  parties 
in  Denver.  Then  in  November,  1891,  he  took 
a  homestead  right  to  the  ranch  he  now  owns 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


803 


which  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  is  located  on  Fortification  creek,  twenty- 
seven  miles  north  of  Craig.  While  general 
farm  products  are  raised  in  abundance  cattle 
and  horses  are  the  principal  products  of  inter- 
est, and  profit.  Mr.  Clapp  has  the  reputation  of 
raising  the  best  horses  in  this  section  of  Routt 
county.  His  stock  is  standard  bred,  his  stud 
including  the  well-known  thoroughbred  stallion 
Don  John.  The  ranch  is  considered  one  of  the 
best  in  the  neighborhood  and  all  its  products 
are/of  first-rate  quality.  Mr.  Clapp  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  national  politics  and  is  public- 
spirited  and  far-seeing  in  reference  to  local  af- 
fairs. He  is  a  son  of  Clinton  W.  and  Kather- 
ine  S.  Clapp,  natives  of  New  York  state.  The 
father  is  a  broker  and  money  lender  at  Wap- 
pinger  Falls,  New  York.  They  have  had  six 
children,  one  of  whom,  Warren  H.,  died  in 
March,  1879.  The  five  living  are  Benjamin  F., 
George  M.,  Charles  L.,  Walter  C.  and  Jason  E. 
Their  mother  died  in  1870. 

NORRIS  W.  BROCK. 

Although  a  Canadian  by  birth,  and  trained 
to  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  traditions  and 
political  activities  of  his  native  land,  Norris  W. 
Brock,  of  Routt  county,  this  state,  is  none  the 
less  loyal  and  devoted  to  the  interests  and  in- 
stitutions of  the  country  of  his  adoption,  and 
during  his  residence  of  nearly  thirty  years  here 
he  has  all  the  elements  of  first-rate  American 
citizenship.  He  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Quebec  on  August  3,  1853,  an<^  *s  tne  son  °^ 
Harvey  and  Hannah  Brock,  who  were  success- 
ful and  prosperous  farmers  in  the  dominion 
and  prominent  and  active  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  there.  The  father  supported 
the  Liberal  party  in  Canadian  politics,  and  as 
he  was  active  in  its  campaign,  the  son  imbibed 
at  an  early  age  the  spirit  of  its  policy  and  felt 
the.  ambitions  which  it  awakened.  The  father 
died  in  1884  and  the  mother  in  1892.  Six  chil- 


dren survive  them,  Herbert,  Norris,  Edson, 
Almand,  Alonzo  and  Renzo.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  Norris  left  his  home  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  the  great  world,  and  during  the  next 
two  years  engaged  in  farming  in  Vermont.  In 
1872  he  moved  to  Boston,  where  he  worked  at 
the  carpenter  trade  four  years,  then  went  to 
Oldtown,  Maine,  and  there  passed  the  summer 
of  1876  in  a  lumber  camp  on  the  Penobscot.  In 
the  fall  he  came  to  this  state,  and  after  a  short 
residence  at  Georgetown,  packed  his  bedding 
and  other  worldly  goods  on  horses  and  jour- 
neyed on  foot  to  Routt  county.  On  his  arrival, 
having  no  money  to  begin  operations  for  him- 
self, he  found  employment  on  the  ranch  of 
Smart  Brothers,  with  whom  he  remained  three 
years.  He  then,  in  1879,  located  a  ranch  for 
himself  on  Elk  Head,  the  one  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Harrison.  Afterward  he  was  in  partner- 
ship with  Thomas  lies  in  contracts  for  carry- 
ing the  United  States  mails,  and  found  the 
business  profitable,  continuing  it  four  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  the  partnership  was 
harmoniously  dissolved  and  Mr.  Brock,  selling 
the  ranch  he  then  owned  to  a  Mr.  Haley,  lo- 
cated another  which  he  sold  in  1889  to'  the 
Care}'  brothers.  After  this  he  bought  the  one 
he  now  owns  and  occupies,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  valley  and  comprises  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  under  cultivation.  Here  he  raises  good 
crops  of  hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits, 
but  finds  his  staple  in  cattle.  The  trees  with 
which  his  place  is  so  beautifully  adorned  were 
planted  by  him,  and  now  spread  their  umbra- 
geous branches  a  monument  to  his  taste  and 
enterprise.  Mr.  Brock  is  a  prominent,  pro- 
gressive and  representative  citizen,  a  successful 
ranch  and  stock  man,  and  a  leader  in  all  public 
undertakings  of  value  to  his  section.  He  was 
married  on  March  3,  1886,  to  Miss  Anna 
Wentworth,  a  native  of  the  province  of  Quebec, 
Canada.  They  have  four  children,  Lonney, 
Stanley,  James  and  Bernice. 


804 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN   COLORADO. 


SAMUEL  B.  REID. 

Samuel  B.  Reid,  of  Hayden,  Routt  county, 
and  almost  the  first  settler  in  that  vicinity,  is  a 
native  of  Cherokee  county,  North  Carolina, 
born  on  July  12,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of  Jesse 
and  Clarissa  Reid,  also  born  and  reared  in  the 
Old  North  state,  where  they  passed  the  whole 
of  their  lives.  The  father  was  a  planter  and 
stock-grower,  and  both  parents  belonged  to  the 
Baptist  church.  Three  of  their  eight  children 
are  living,  Sarah  L.,  Jane  L.  and  Samuel  B. 
Samuel  remained  with  the  family  until  1855, 
working  in  their  interest,  and  after  the  death 
of  the  father  aiding  his  mother  in  supporting 
them.  In  1856  he  made  a  trip  over  the  plains 
to  California,  and  on  his  arrival  in  that  state 
located  on  the  Sacramento  river,  where  he  fol- 
lowed mining,  but  with  poor  success.  In  1858 
he  moved  to  Oregon,  and  there  worked  three 
years  in  the  mines  for  wages.  He  then  changed 
his  residence  to  eastern  Washington,  and  later 
to  Idaho,  discovering  in  that  now  rapidly  de- 
veloping state  the  first  mine  around  which  a 
camp  was  formed.  There  he  mined  three 
years,  then  farmed  until  1868  in  Idaho.  In  the 
year  last  named  he  turned  his  attention  to  rais- 
ing cattle,  and  the  next  year  went  back  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state.  In  1870  he  moved  to  Nevada,  and  there 
he  was  engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  stock 
until  1873.  After  passing  the  winter  of  that 
year  at  Denver,  Colorado,  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  the  spring  of  1874  in  Routt  county,  or 
meant  to  live  there;  but  finding  the  section  he 
had  selected  without  settlers,  he  went  on  to 
the  Snake  river  country  and  located  near  the 
present  village  of  Beggs,  Wyoming,  where  he 
remained  until  the  Meeker  massacre,  in  1879, 
at  which  time  they  were  burned  out,  losing  al- 
most their  entire  possessions.  They  then  moved 
to  Bear  river  and  later  located  on  Elk  river, 
making  the  ranch  now  owned  by  Charles  Tem- 


ple his  home  and  being  the  first  settler  in  this 
region.  This  ranch  he  improved  and  gave 
a  stimulus  to  the  occupation  and  improvement 
of  others  near  him  by  building  the  Reed  & 
Walker  ditch.  He  also  improved  a  portion  of 
the  Byron-Shelton  ranch.  He  kept  the  first 
store  at  Hayden,  hired  the  teacher  for  the  first 
school  taught  here,  in  1884,  and  also  helped  to 
build  the  Shelton  ditch.  In  1891  he  sold  out 
in  that  neighborhood  and  went  to  Los  Angeles, 
California,  where  he  remained  until  1895,  then 
went  to  Tennessee  and  Alabama,  returning  to 
Colorado  in  1900.  In  political  action  Mr.  Reid 
is  independent,  and  in  reference  to  the  interests 
of  the  section  in  which  he  was  so  important  a 
pioneer,  he  is  ever  zealous,  active  and  service- 
able. In  1863  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Denney,  a  native  of  Delaware.  They  have 
had  five  children,  namely:  Albert  S.,  born  at 
Boise  City,  Idaho,  in  1864;  Martha  J.,  born  at 
Helena,  Montana,  in  1866,  became  the  wife  of 
Ephus  Donnelson;  Mary  A.,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased, was  born  at  Argenta,  Nevada,  in  1869, 
and  was  the  wife  of  Amos  Whetstone,  of  Cali- 
fornia; Siren  N.,  who  was  born' at  Bullion, 
Nevada,  in  1871,  is  the  wife  of  A.  F.  Wilson, 
of  Iowa;  Samuel  A.,  born  at  Hahn's  Peak, 
Colorado,  in  1879. 

EPHUS  DONNELSON. 

Ephus  Donnelson,  of  Routt  county,  living 
on  a  fine  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
five  miles  northeast  of  Hayden,  is  a  native  of 
Knoxville,  Knox  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
born  on  October  21,  1856.  His  parents,  John 
and  Malinda  Donnelson,  were  born  in  Norway 
but  reared  in  the  United  States.  Their  final 
location,  after  living  in  a  number  of  places, 
was  in  Minnesota,  where  the  mother  died  on 
April  12,  1880,  and  the  father  on  February  12, 
1901.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  the  father  was  a  Republican  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


805 


political  allegiance.  They  had  a  family  of 
ten  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  George, 
Ephus,  Inger  and  Bertha.  Ephus  had  but; 
meager  educational  advantages,  having  oppor- 
tunity only  to  attend  the  common  schools  and 
then  but  a  short  time.  He  remained  at  home 
working  with  and  for  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  Then,  in  1880,  he 
started  out  in  the  world  for  himself,  and  com- 
ing to  Colorado,  located  at  Breckenridge, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining,  working  for 
wages  and  prospecting  on  his  own  account,  and 
remaining  there  three  years.  In  1883  he 
moved  to  Middle  Park,  and  there  he  was  em- 
ployed on  ranches  two  years.  In  1885  he 
changed  his  residence  to  the  neighborhood  in 
which  he  now  lives,  taking  up  a  homestead 
claim  on  one-half  of  the  land  on  which  the 
town  of  Hayden  has  since  been  built.  His 
ranch  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
This  he  improved  and  cultivated,  and  on  it  he 
lived  and  carried  on  a  flourishing  ranching  and 
cattle  industry  until  1901,  when  he  sold  out 
there  and  bought  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies.  This  comprises  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  excellent  land,  well  supplied 
with  water  and  all  under  cultivation.  Hay, 
grain,  small  fruits  and  vegetables  are  raised  in 
abundance,  but  cattle  and  horses  are  the  chief 
and  most  profitable  products.  His  cattle  are 
all  well  bred  Shorthorns  and  Herefords  and 
his  horses  are  of  good  strains.  He  has  im- 
proved his  ranch  with  superior  buildings  and 
other  structures,  and  cultivates  his  land  with 
every  consideration  of  skill  and  diligence  look- 
ing to  the  best  results.  He  not  only  has  one 
of  the  best  ranches  in  his  valley  but  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  farmers  in  his  locality, 
having  the  distinction  of  being  an  old  settler 
and  at  the  same  time  a  modern,  up-to-date 
ranch  and  cattle  man.  Politically  he  supports 
the  Republican  party.  On  March  15,  1887, 
he  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  J. 


Reid,  a  native  of  Montana.  They  have  two 
children,  their  daughter  Emma  M.  and  their 
son  John  G.  Colorado  offers  plentiful  oppor- 
tunities to  thrifty  and  industrious  men,  and 
Mr.  Donnelson  is  one  of  the  vast  number  who 
have  taken  advantage  of  her  bounty  and  made 
the  most  of  it. 

JOHN    ED.  McCOY. 

A  self-made  and  very  progressive  man, 
John  Ed.  McCoy,  of  Routt  county,  located  on 
a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
own,  and  one  of  the  leading  ranch  and  cattle 
men  in 'the  country  tributary  to  the  town  of 
Hayden,  is  wholly  indebted  to  his  own  efforts 
and  capacity  for  his  advancement  in  life  and 
can  justly  attribute  to.  himself  the  substantial 
estate  he  has  won  from  the  hard  conditions  of 
life  in  this  western  wilderness,  which,  although 
it  offers  ample  opportunity  for  thrift  and  enter- 
prise, exacts  their  full  value  in  return  in  the 
way  of  arduous  and  systematic  toil.  Mr.  Mc- 
Coy was  born  on  June  6,  1866,  at  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  and  there  remained  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fourteen,  attending  the  common 
schools  a  few  years  during  the  winter  months 
and  working  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  provide 
for  his  own  necessities.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Colorado,  and  'with  headquarters  at  Denver, 
went  out  into  the  mountains  near  Morrison 
where  he  gave  his  attention  to  hauling  wood 
and  saw-mill  work  until  1889.  On  July  I9th 
of  that  year  he  took  up  his  present  ranch  in 
Routt  county  on  a  homestead  claim.  This  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  is  in 
an  advanced  state  of  cultivation,  producing 
hay  and  grain  of  unusually  good  quality  in 
great  abundance.  He  also  raises  cattle  in 
goodly  numbers  and  finds  this  a  source  of  profit. 
His  ranch  is  near  Dunckley  postoffice  and 
about  sixteen  miles  south  of  Hayden.  It  is  in 
a  good  and  prolific  region  which  is, rapidly 


8o6 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


improving  under  the  industry  of  such 
.men  as  he,  and  his  land  is  steadily 
growing-  in  value.  Politically  Mr.  McCoy  is 
a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  the  son  of 
David  W.  and  Mary  J.  McCoy,  the  former  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  The 
father  is  now  a  resident  of  Denver,  where  he 
carries  on  a  prosperous  butchering  business 
and  maintains  a  pleasant  home  for  his  wife 
and  those  of  their  nine  children  who  are  yet 
living  under  his  roof.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  is  well  esteemed  in  business  cir- 
cles. The  children  born  in  his  household  are 
John  Ed.,  Mary,  Hannah,  Mattie,  Cora,  Julia, 
Robert,  Macy  and  Minnie.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  the  father 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

THOMAS  MORGAN. 

Born  in  Madison  county,  Wisconsin,  on 
April  22,  1859,  and  having  made  his  own 
living  by  continued  industry  and  thrift  since 
he  was  seventeen,  and,  moreover,  confronting 
many  of  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the 
Western  wilds,  Thomas  Morgan,  of  Steamboat 
Springs,  Routt  county,  this  state,  has  had 
nearly  thirty  years  of  what  is  known  as  "the 
strenuous  life,"  but  he  has  met  every  trial  and 
difficulty,  with  a  manly  and  determined  spirit, 
and  fought  every  foe  to  his  peace  and  his  pros- 
perity with  the  courage  that  always  wins  in 
the  end.  Passing  through  reverses  and  periods 
of  adversity,  but  never  losing  his  nerve  or 
waning  in  his  self-reliance,  he  has  won  the 
fight  and  is  now  well  fixed  in  a  worldly  way, 
and  stands  well  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens  who  have  learned  to  know  and  admire 
his  worth.  He  is  the  son  of  William  A.  and 
Mary  (Prosser)  Morgan,  the  former  a  native 
of  England  and  the  latter  of  Wales.  They 
had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living, 


Joseph,  David,  Charles,  Mary,  Sarah,  Melcah, 
William,  Benjamin  and  Thomas.  The  parents 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1851  and  located 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1852.  Both  are  now  de- 
ceased. Their  son  Thomas  attended  the  district 
schools,  accompanying  his  parents  to  Colo- 
rado in  1863,  when  he  was  but  four  years  old. 
The  first  location  of  the  family  in  this  state 
was  on  Clear  creek,  where  they  remained  until 
1873,  engaged  in  farming.  In  the  year  last 
named  they  moved  to  the  Cross  mountain  re- 
gion on  Snake  river  in  Routt  county,  where 
they  found  the  Indians  friendly  and  carried  on 
a  profitable  trading  business  with  them.  At 
an  early  age  Mr.  Morgan  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  Cross  mountain, 
and  during  the  next  ten  years  raised  cattle.  In 
1889  he  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Axial., 
where  he  homesteaded  on  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  promising  land,  which  he  im- 
proved and  devoted  to  raising  horses  and  cat- 
tle. After  some  years  of  varying  success  in 
this  line,  he  engaged  in  merchandise  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother  William  on  Snake 
river  until  1892,  when  he  moved  to  Steamboat 
Springs,  and  there  he  once  more  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  cattle  industry,  in  which  he  is 
still  occupied.  He  was  the  first  settler  on 
Snake  and  Bear  rivers  in  the  Lily  Park  vicinity, 
and  when  he  located  in  the  region  it  was  full 
of  buffalo  and  other  wild  game,  and  many  of 
his  experiences  in  his  lonely  and  remote  situ- 
ation were  thrilling  in  the  extreme.  His  start 
in  life  was  almost  nothing,  and  his  struggle  for 
years  was  arduous;  but  he  is  now  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,  and  one  of  the  highly  es- 
teemed frontiersmen  and  pioneers  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Always  a  stanch  Democrat, 
he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  as  the 
candidate  of  his  party  in  1886  and  proved  him- 
self to  be  a  capable  and  fearless  official.  On 
May  18,  1892,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Grace 
Vaugh,  a  native  of  New  Mexico  but  reared  in 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN,  COLORADO. 


807 


Colorado.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Eliza  (Woods)  Vaugh,  the  father  born  in  Ten- 
nessee and  the  mother  at  Alton,  Illinois.  They 
made  Farmington,  New  Mexico,  their  final 
earthly  home,  and  there  followed  farming  suc^ 
cessfully.  Both  are  deceased,  but  eight  of  their 
children  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morgan 
have  two  children,  their  son  Thomas  P.  and 
their  daughter  Elsie  L. 

JAMES  F.  PRICE. 

It  \vas  in  that  great  nursery  of  American 
enterprise,  resourcefulness  and  good  citizen- 
ship, the  ample  farming  life  of  our  country, 
that  James  F.  Price  acquired  the  salient  char- 
acteristics of  manly  independence,  undoubting 
self-reliance  and  vigorous  industry  which  have 
enabled  him  to  forge  ahead  in  the  struggle  for 
supremacy  among  men,  and  build  up  a  com- 
petence for  himself  and  secure  a  lasting  place 
in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellows.  He 
was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Illinois,  on  July  22, 
1850,  the  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Price,  the 
former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of 
Indiana.  Somewhat  earlier  in  their  married 
life  they  moved  to  Illinois,  and  there  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days,  the  father 
dying  there  in  1881,  after  surviving  his  wife 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  she  having  died  in  1856. 
He  was  a  Freemason  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  and 
politically  belonged  to  the  Republican  party. 
They  had  three  children,  Edward,  Fannie  and 
James  F.,  all  of  whom  are  living.  James,  the 
last  born,  grew  to  the  age  of  eighteen  on  the 
paternal  homestead  and  was  educated  at  the 
district  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  He 
remained  in  his  native  state  until  1869,  then 
moved  to  Minnesota,  where  he  passed  one 
summer  as  a  farm  hand  at  small  wages.  Re- 
turning then  to  Illinois,  he  settled  in  Jefferson 
county  and  spent  ten  years  farming  on  his  own 
account.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and' 


located  near  Denver,  where  he  worked  as  a 
saw-mill  and  ranch  hand  for  a  time.  His  next 
move  was  to  Rathbone,  and  here  he  engaged  in 
freighting  between  that  place  and  Georgetown 
until  1881.  In  that  year  he  became  a  resident 
of  Routt  county,  homesteading  on  a  part  of  his 
present  ranch  and  subsequently  adding  the  rest 
by  purchase.  He  now  has  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  are  under  cultivation  with  good  annual 
results  in  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vegetables,  al- 
though cattle  and  hay  are  his  principal 
products.  He  was  among  the  first  set- 
tlers in  this  section  of  the  county,  and  he  has 
been  prominently  connected  in  a  serviceable 
way  with  all  its  improvements,  local  and  gen- 
eral. The  buildings  on  and  the  productiveness 
of  his  own  land  are  the  results  of  his  own  inj 
dustry  and  thrift,  and  much  that  is  of  real  aid 
to  the  development  and  progress  of  the  neigh- 
borhood has  had  abundant  help  for  him.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order, 
and  in  political  allegiance  he  is  a  devoted  Re- 
publican. His  ranch  is  well  located,  six  miles 
northwest  of  Steamboat  Springs,  in  a  region 
renowned  for  its  fertility  and  still  undeveloped 
possibilities,  its  resources  being  as  yet  but 
slightly  stirred,  but  as  they  are  in  the  hands  of 
a  highly  progressive  and  enterprising  people, 
among  whom  he  has  an  elevated  rank  as  a  pro- 
moter, the  day  of  their  full  development  and 
usefulness  is  not  far  distant.  All  honor  to  the 
men  of  brain  and  brawn  who  have  taken  this 
wilderness  in  hand  and  made  it  begin  to  blos- 
som as  the  rose. 

THOMAS  R.  DUCEY. 

When  in  the  fullness  of  time  the  settlement 
and  development  of  the  great  West  of  this 
country  became  the  natural  order  of  events,  the 
men  who  essayed  the  task  came  from  the  ranks 
of  the  toilers  and  producers,  fitted  and  willing 


8o8 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


to  endure  all  forms  of  hardship,  encounter  all 
manner  of  danger,  put  up  with  all  measures  of 
inconvenience  and  undergo  all  requirements  of 
the  most  exacting  labor.  They  were  not  the 
spoiled  darlings  of  the  highest  social  circles, 
the  sons  of  wealth  and  scholarship,  or  the  scions 
of  a  top  lofty  aristocracy.  When  a  great  work 
in  human  affairs  is  to  be  accomplished  God 
sends  workers  to  do  it,  and  he  allows  no  mis- 
take in  the  choice.  To  this  class  belongs 
Thomas  R.  Ducey,  of  Routt  county,  who  settled 
there  in  1887,  early  enough  to  be  a  pioneer,  and 
armed  with  the  requisite  qualifications  to  well 
uphold  the  credit  of  the  name.  He  was  born  of 
industrious  parentage,  and  at  an  early  age  be- 
gan to  make  headway  for  himself  through  the 
channels  hallowed  by  their  labors.  And  by  try- 
ing experiences  and  faithful  attention  to  duty  in 
various  fields  of  usefulness  in  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent places,  he  developed  his  own  manhood 
and  established  his  force  of  character.  His  life 
began  at  Shullsburg,  Lafayette  county,  Wis- 
consin, on  January  17,  1865,  and  he  is  the  son 
of  Morris  and  Ellen  Ducey,  who  were  born  in 
Ireland,  the  former  at  Dublin  and  the  latter  at 
Cork.  Early  in  their  married  life  they  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Wis- 
consin, where  they  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  both  dying  some  years  ago.  The 
father  was  a  lead  miner  in  early  life  and  spent 
his  later  years  as  an  industrious  and  well-to- 
do  farmer.  He  supported  the  Democratic  party 
in  political  affairs,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  devout  Catholics.  Seven  children  were 
horn  of  their  union  and  four  of  them  are  liv- 
ing, Thomas  R.,  Maggie,  William  and  John 
J.  Beginning  his  own  active  career  at  the  age 
of  fifteen,  in  1880,  Thomas,  who  had  enjoyed 
but  few  and  meager  opportunities  for  securing 
an  education,  worked  at  different  occupations 
in  several  states,  particularly  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Illinois  and  Nebraska,  doing  farming,  saw- 
milling  and  various  kinds  of  lumbering  for  the 


Dubuque  (Iowa)  Lumber  Company.  In  1885 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  arriving  on 
April  2d  at  Denver,  where  he  engaged  in  dairy 
and  ranch  work  for  two  years.  In  1887  he 
moved  to  Routt  county  and  took  up  his  present 
ranch  under  a  homestead  claim.  It  comprises 
two  hundred  acres,  all  fit  for  cultivation  and 
now  in  a  state  of  advanced  productiveness, 
although  when  he  settled  on  it  it  was  com- 
pletely covered  with  sage  brush  and  had  not 
on  it  the  print  of  a  white  man's  foot  or  the 
sign  of  a  human  habitation.  He  made  good 
progress  in  improving  it  and  making  it  profit- 
able, and  now  has  the  abundant  reward  of  his 
labor  in  one  of  the  comfortable  and  fruitful 
farms  of  the  section  in  which  he  lives,  which 
is  the  Deep  creek  country,  his  ranch  being  six- 
teen miles  northwest  of  Steamboat  Springs. 
Hay  and  cattle  are  the  staple  productions  and 
both  the  land  and  the  location  are  well  adapted 
to  their  being  raised  in  large  quantities  with 
ordinary  ease  and  success.  Mr.  Ducey  is  an 
ardent  Democrat  politically  and  by  no  means 
neglects  the  interests  of  his  party.  He  was 
married  on  October  20,  1889,  to  Miss  Roxie 
E.  Fly,  a  native  of  Barry  county,  Missouri,' 
the  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Charity  Fly,  the 
former  born  in  Missouri  and  the  latter  in  Ten- 
nessee. The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  serving  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  great  struggle,  and  although  in  very  active 
service  nearly  all  the  time,  escaping  without  a 
wound  or  being  captured.  They  came  over- 
land through  Colorado  in  1884  and  took  up 
their  residence  at  Slater,  Wyoming,  where  they 
remained  until  1887,  since  which  time  they 
have  lived  in  Routt  county,  this  state,  on  Elk 
creek  seven  miles  north  of  Steamboat  Springs. 
The  father  has  always  devoted  his  attention  to 
farming.  They  have  five  children,  all  living, 
Mrs.  Ducey,  Fount  E.,  Miranda,  Gertrude  and 
Elvira.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ducey  have  three  chil- 
dren, Rachel  E.,  John  E.  and  Morris  D. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


CHARLES  J.  FRANZ. 

While  the  men  of  capital  and  industrial 
enterprise  who  take  the  products  of  a  country 
and  transform  them  into  marketable  commodi- 
ties, or  who  develop  its  raw  material  on  a 
large  scale  and  prepare  it  for  manufacturing 
purposes  and  put  it  into  the  channels  of  trade, 
are  entitled  to  great  credit  for  the  benefits  they 
confer  on  their  fellow  men  and  their  country, 
the  other  class  of  men,  those  who  go  boldly  into 
the  unexplored  wilds  of  new  sections  and  there 
plant  the  seeds  of  the  civilization  which  follows, 
preparing  the  way  for  the  efforts  of  the  greater 
developers,  are  worthy  of  all  praise  also,  and 
are  often  entitled  to  even  greater  credit  than 
the  former  class,  especially  when  it  is  remem- 
bered what  difficulties  they  have  to  contend 
with,  what  trials  and  hardships  they  have  to 
undergo,  and  the  sacrifice  of  most  that  men  en- 
joy they  are  required  to  make  in  connection 
with  the  meager  rewards  they  are  frequently 
obliged  to  accept  for  their  daring  and  efforts. 
To  the  class  of  adventurous  pioneers  rather 
than  to  that  of  great  developers  belongs 
Charles  J.  Franz,  of  Routt  county,  the  first 
settler  on  Elk  creek  and  one  of  its  progressive 
and  broad-minded  ranch  and  cattle  men,  al- 
though he  is  not  to  be  deprived  of  the  tribute 
to  merit  due  him  for  the  work  of  developing 
the  county  his  opportunities  and  circumstances 
have  afforded  him;  for  these  he  has  used  to 
the  best  advantage  and  greatly  to  the  benefit 
of  his  section.  Mr.  Franz  is  the  scion  of  old 
German  families,  although  he  was  himself  born 
at  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  his  life  beginning  there  on 
February  14,  1859.  Receiving  only  a  limited 
common-school  education,  and  providing  for 
his  own  advancement  in  the  world  from  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  has  yet  made  substantial  and 
steady  progress,  and  that  by  his  own  individual 
efforts  without  the  aid  of  adventitious  circum- 
stances or  any  mentionable  favors  of  fortune 


beyond  the  maintenance  of  his  health  and  self- 
reliant  disposition.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  painter  and  followed  it 
for  three  years  in  various  Iowa  towns  and 
cities.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated at  Leadville.  There  he  worked  at  his 
trade  six  months,  then  moved  to  Breckenridge, 
giving  attention  there  also  to  his  craft  and  at 
odd  times  prospecting  and  mining.  His  search 
for  mineral  wealth  has  been  rewarded  with 
good  results,  as  he  owns  a  group  of  eighteen 
claims,  containing  combination  ores  of  copper, 
lead,  gold  and  silver,  which  are  located  three 
miles  from  his  ranch.  This  he  located  in  1880, 
securing  the  land,  which  amounts  to  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  through  pre- 
emption, homestead,  desert  and  timber  culture 
claims.  Five  hundred  acres  of  the  land  is  easy 
of  cultivation  and  the  most  of  it  is  yielding  well 
in  hay  and  grain  although  it  was  all  wild  sage 
ground  when  he  settled  on  it.  The  tract  is  well 
supplied  with  water  from  independent  ditches 
belonging  to  it,  and  it  responds  to  his  per- 
suasion in  cultivation  with  bountiful  generosity. 
In  connection  with  his  ranching  industry  he 
raises  cattle  and  horses  of  high  grades  ex- 
tensively, producing  principally  Percherons  in 
the  latter  line.  Since  1892  he  has  maintained 
a  private  elk  park  also,  which  is  stocked  with 
many  noble  animals  both  old  and  young.  The 
ranch  is  fifteen  miles  north  of  Steamboat 
Springs,  and  the  improvements  he  has  made 
on  it  are  of  such  a  character  and  the  state  of  its 
fertility  is  of  an  order  so  high,  that  it  is  justly 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  and 
desirable  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Franz 
also  conducts  and  operates  a  threshing  outfit, 
for  his  own  benefit  and  that  of  the  country  for 
many  miles  around  him,  and  in  that  enterprise 
is  equipped  to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  its 
work  under  almost  any  circumstances.  He 
has  not  met  with  much  difficulty  in  his  resi- 
dence here,  but  has  not  been  free  from  the 


8io 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


menace  and  actual  experience  of  Indian  hos- 
tility, for  when  the  outbreak  in  Middle  Park 
occurred  he  was  present  and  took  part  in  quell- 
ing it.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  fra- 
ternally is  connected  with  the  order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  His  parents,  Charles  F.  and  Mary 
(Rickert)  Franz,  were  natives  of  Germany  who 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  early  in  their 
married  life  and  settled  in  Iowa,  where  they 
remained  until  the  end  of  their  lives,  which 
came  some  years  ago.  The  father  was  a  meat 
merchant  and  followed  this  business  all  his  life 
from  his  youth.  He  also  was  a  Democrat  in 
political  affiliation  and  belonged  to  the  order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  Both  parents  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  Five  of  their  children 
survive  them,  Caroline,  John,  Charles  J., 
George  and  William. 

WILLIAM  R.  WALKER. 

It  was  far  away  from  Colorado,  in  the 
sunny  Southland,  and  more  than  three-score 
years  and  ten  ago,  that  the  interesting  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born.  His  life  began  on 
April  5,  1833,  in  what  was  then  a  part  of  Burke 
but  is  now  McDowell  county,  North  Carolina, 
near  the  town  of  Marion.  He  is  the  son  of 
Daniel  and  Anna  Walker,  who  were  born  in 
the  old  North  state  and  moved  to  Georgia  in 
1849.  They  were  successful  farmers  and  .de- 
vout Christians,  the  father  belonging  to  the 
Baptist  church  and  the  mother  to  the  Method- 
ist. In  political  matters  the  father  was  in- 
dependent, but  he  was  ardently  devoted  to  his 
section  of  the  country,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  promoting  its  best  interests,  approaching  all 
public  questions  with  fearless  courage  and  an 
intelligent  breadth  of  view.  His  wife  died  in 
June,  1878,  and  he  on  January  16,  1898.  They 
had  a  family  of  eight  children  of  whom  Powell, 
Sarah  J.,  Jesse  M.  and  Mary  A.  have  died  and 
William  R.,  Jonathan  S.,  Absolom  and  James 


W.  are  living.  William  R.  had  but  few  edu- 
cational advantages  except  those  provided  in 
the  thorough  though  harsh  school  of  ex-, 
perience.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
1855,  purchasing  a  plantation  in  Georgia  in 
1849  and  remaining  in  that  state  until  1874. 
He  then  sold  his  Georgia  property  and  changed 
his  residence  to  North  Carolina,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1 88 1,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  in  Routt  county  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hayden.  Through  a  pre-emption  claim  he  took 
up  the  ranch  which  is  now  owned  by  Charles 
Temple,  and  which  he  sold  to  that  gentleman 
in  the  summer  of  1882.  After  selling  this 
ranch  he  homesteaded  on  the  one  he  now  owns 
and  occupies,  and  which  comprises  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  three-fourths  of  it  being 
tillable  land  and  under  excellent  cultivation. 
Hay,  grain,  vegetables  and  small  fruits  are 
produced  in  abundance,  and  cattle  also  are  ex- 
tensively raised,  while  the  place  is  well  im- 
proved with  good  buildings  and  other  neces- 
sary structures.  Mr.  Walker  is  an  unwavering 
Democrat  and  as  such  served  as  county  com- 
missioner of  Routt  county  in  1882,  1883  and 
1884.  He  is  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  his 
locality  and  one  of  its  best  known  and  most  re- 
spected citizens.  In  1855  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Nancy  Reid,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  died  in  1862.  They  had  four 
children.  Of  these  James  D.  died  and  Martin 
P.,  Clara  C,  wife  of  James  Kitchens,  and 
Samuel  J.  are  living.  On  February  28,  1864, 
Mr.  Walker  married  a  second  wife,  Miss 
Angeline  Birch,  who  was  born  in  Georgia. 
They  have  one  child,  their  daughter  Mattie  L. 
SAMUEL  J.  WALKER,  a  son  of  William  R. 
by  his  first  wife,  was  educated  in  the  commbn, 
schools  and  at  Hayesville  Academy  in  North 
Carolina,  being  graduated  from  the  academy  in 
1880.  When  a  young  man  of  nineteen,  seeing 
no  great  opportunity  for  advancement  in  his 
own  section,  particularly  in  securing  a  large 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF   WESTERN    COLORADO. 


811 


tract  of  land  and  carrying  on  the  cattle  in- 
dustry, on  which  his  heart  was  set,  he  decided 
to  come  west  and  grow  up  with  the  newer 
country,  and  chose  Colorado  as  his  future 
home.  In  1881  he  became  a  resident  of  Routt 
county,  making  his  home  near  Harm's  Peak 
and  working  in  the  placer  mines  for  a  short 
time,  after  which  he  located  in  the  Hayden 
valley  and  soon  became  a  leading  ranch  and 
stock  man  there,  residing  in  that  valley  and 
conducting  a  prosperous  live  stock  business 
twenty-three  years.  In  1902  he  disposed  of 
his  cattle  and  two  years  later  moved  to  the  town 
of  Yampa,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to 
merchandising,  connecting  himself  with  the  H. 
J.  Hernage  Mercantile  Company,  being  im- 
pelled to  this  change  of  occupation  partially  by 
a  panic  in  the  cattle  market  and  partially  by 
consideration  for  the  health  of  his  wife.  Mr. 
Walker  has  always  been  a  man  of  great  in- 
dustry and  high  character.  He  has  in  a  marked 
degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens  of  Routt  county,  and  has  been  twice 
elected  county  assessor  as  the  candidate  of  the 
Democratic  party  to  which  he  has  ever  given 
a  firm  and  loyal  support.  He  is  a  stanch  be- 
liever in  God  and  Christianity,  and  belongs  to 
the  Missionary  Baptist  church,  but  as  there  is 
no  organization  of  that  denomination  in  his 
neighborhood,  he  at  present  affiliates  with  the 
Congregational  church  at  Yampa.  He  was 
made  a  Master  Mason  at  Craig,  Colorado,  in 
Yampa  Lodge,  No.  88,  in  1898,  and  joined  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Hayden,  Colorado,  in 
1897.  Both  he  and  his  wife  became  members 
of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  at  Yampa  in 
May,  1904.  On  October  15,  1884,  he  was  mar- 
ried, at  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  to  Miss  Laura 
Elizabeth  Green,  oldest  daughter  of  Rev. 
Charles  M.  Green,  a  Baptist  minister  of  La 
Veta,  this  state,  who  came  to  Colorado  as  a 
missionary  in  1883,  and  located  at  La  Veta, 
where  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  at  dif- 


ferent times  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church.  He 
was  also  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  in  Indian 
Territory  eight  years  of  the  twenty-two  he 
has  lived  in  the  West.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker 
have  three  children,  their  daughters  Edna  Reba 
and  Wilma  Arva,  and  their  son  Charles  Law- 
rence. 

WILLIAM  F.  HOOPER. 

Born  and  reared  to  the  age  of  eighteen  in 
the  sunny  Southland,  and  then  impelled  by 
love  of  adventure  and  conquest,  roaming 
abroad  through  many  parts  of  the  West,  con- 
fronting every  form  of  danger  on  the  frontier 
and  in  the  untrodden  wilderness,  and  trying  his 
hand  at  various  occupations  with  alternating 
success  and  failure,  William  F.  Hooper,  who  is 
now  comfortably  seated  on  a  good  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of  Toponas,  is  well  pleased  with 
his  location  and  the  rapidly  developing  promise 
of  the  section.  He  was  born  on  October  23, 
1833,  near  Madisonville,  Monroe  county, 
Tennessee,  and  is  the  son  of  Enos  C.  and  Mar- 
garet (Hopkins)' Hooper,  natives  and  life-long 
residents  of  that  state.  The  father  was  a 
physician  and  farmer  and  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential politician  in  his  county,  chosen  to 
many  local  offices  as  a  Democrat  and  filling 
them  with  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to 
his  people.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Baptist  church.  The  father  died  in  1873 
and  the  mother  in  1885.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  George 
Pain,  Riley  S.,  Mrs.  Theodore  Miller  and  \Vil- 
liam  F.  The  last  named  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  worked  on  the  paternal 
homestead  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He 
then  turned  his  longing  eyes  toward  the  setting 
sun  and  took  up  his  march  in  its  wake  over 
the  plains  and  mountains  to  California,  jour- 
neying by  way  of  the  Platte  river,  through  the 
Black  Hills,  over  the  Continental  Divide  at 


8l2 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Pacific  Springs,  along  the  Bear  river  in  Utah 
and  down  Snake  river  to  Oregon,  consuming 
six  months  and  four  days  in  the  trip,  and  mak- 
ing it  with  four  yoke  of  oxen.  On  the  way  the 
Sioux  Indians  stole  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
train  but  afterward  returned  them  for  a  barrel 
of  crackers,  which  the  chief  divided  among  the 
braves.  From  Oregon  Mr.  Hooper  moved  on 
to  California  and  established  his  headquarters 
at  Oroville  in  Butte  county.  From  here  as  a 
base  of  operations  he  followed  mining  with 
fair  success  until  1873.  He  then  returned  to 
Tennessee  and  engaged  in  raising  tobacco  two 
years  but  without  profit.  In  1875  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Breckenridge,  where 
he  mined  and  prospected  without  success  until 

1883.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Eagle  county 
and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  becoming  the  first  settler  in  the 
Burns'  Hole   district.      He   has   increased   his 
ranch  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  has 
two    hundred    under    good    cultivation.     His 
water  supply   is    furnished   from  independent 
ditches  belonging  to  the  place,  and  is  sufficient 
for  his  present  purposes,   with  enough  for  a 
considerable  expansion  of  his  tillable  acreage. 
The  land  was  all  in  wild  sage  when  he  took  it 
up,  and  the  development  of  it  into  its  present 
productive  and  attractive  condition  is  the  work 
of  his  own  hands  almost  wholly.     Hay  and 
cattle  are  his  chief  productions,  and  these  are 
raised  on  an  extensive  basis.     In  politics  Mr. 
Hooper  is  an  ardent  Democrat.     He  was  mar- 
ried on  November   18,    1858,  to  Miss  Nancy 
Rogen,  a  native  of  Bloomfield,  Iowa.     They 
have  had  six  children.    Louis  died  in  1864,  and 
William   W.,    Mrs.    Louis   W.    Woods,    Mrs. 
Thomas  J.  Parker,  Charles  E.  and  Mrs.  Oscar 
G.    Allen   are   living.      Their  mother   died  in 

1884,  Mr.    Hooper    applies    to   his    business 
with  intelligence  and  vigor  the  results  of  a  wide 
and  general  experience,  and  a  progressive  spirit, 
and  in  it  he  is  very  successful.    He  is  a  leading 
and  highly  esteemed  citizen  in  his  community. 


HON.  JOHN  HUGH  WILLIAMS. 

• 

This  honored  citizen  of  Saguache  county, 
who  in  the  fall  of  1904  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  county  judge,  which  he  had  previously 
filled  one  term  with  great  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  the  people,  and  who  has 
well  administered  the  affairs  of  several  other 
offices  in  the  county  and  town  of  his  residence, 
is  a  native  of  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  born  on 
August  16,  1842.  His  parents,  John  H.  and 
Eleanor  Williams,  lived  for  a  number  of  years 
in  Ohio,  then  moved  to  Iowa  in  1856,  and 
there  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
The  father  was  of  Irish  and  Welsh  ancestry 
and  the  mother  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  passing  many  years  of  his  life 
at  his  trade  as  a  jeweler,  the  father  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  and  raising  live  stock,  in 
which  he  was  measurably  successful.  He  was 
a  Whig  in  politics  until  the  death  of  that 
party,  and  after  that  supported  its  successor, 
the  Republican  organization.  The  family  com- 
prised six  children.  Of  these  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Beckley,  Mrs.  Hillhouse,  the  Judge  and  his 
brother  George  are  living,  and  Parker  and 
James  M.,  who  was  a  colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Alabama  Infantry  in  the  Civil  war,  are 
dead.  Judge  Williams  received  only  a  com- 
mon-school education,  the  circumstances  of  the 
family  requiring  his  services  on  the  farm  as 
soon  as  he  was  able  to  work.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  left  home  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  miller.  He  wrought  at  this  and  followed 
merchandising  in  Iowa,  whither  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  in  1856,  until  after  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1861  he  made 
his  first  trip  to  Colorado,  traveling  overland 
by  the  River  Platte  route,  and  crossing  the  river 
at  Shinn's  Ferry.  Sixty  days  were  consumed 
in  the  journey,  and  while  it  was  fraught  with 
difficulty  no  hostile  Indians  were  encountered, 
although  the  train,  which  was  loaded  with  sup- 
plies, was  a  tempting  prize  for  marauders. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


813 


While  returning  to  Iowa  he  heard  on  the  plains 
of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  hastening  home, 
he  enlisted  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  G,  First  Iowa  Cavalry.  He 
served  to  the  end  of  the  momentous  conflict 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
bearing  the  scars  of  two  slight  wounds  received 
in  battle.  During  the  next  three  years  he  was 
engaged  in  milling,  merchandising  and  farm- 
ing in  Iowa,  and  in  1868  again  came  to  this 
state,  this  time  in  search  of  an  improvement  of 
his  health.  He  made  the  trip  by  the  same  route 
that  he  had  formerly  followed  except  that  he 
crossed  the  Platte  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska. 
The  grass  was  so  high  and  heavy  at  many 
places  along  the  way  that  the  road  was  hidden 
by  it.  The  Judge  reached  Saguache  in  July, 
1868,  and  determined  to  make  that  place  his 
permanent  residence.  In  the  course  of  a  little 
time  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk  and 
this  office  he  held  until  1880,  then  by  reason 
of  the  death  of  T.  J.  Ellis  he  was  appointed 
county  commissioner.  He  also  served  one 
term  as  county  judge  and  two  as  county  com- 
missioner by  election.  From  September,  1896, 
to  the  time  of  his  second  qualification  as  county 
judge  he  was  postmaster  at  Saguache,  having 
previously  been  assistant,  and  from  the  same 
time  has  been  a  half  partner  in  the  Lawrence 
Hardware  Company  there.  During  his  long 
residence  in  the  county  he  has  been  closely 
identified  with  and  deeply  interested  in  every 
phase  of  its  progress  and  development,  and  his 
devotion  to  its  agricultural  interests  induced 
him  to  become  a  landholder.  He  owns  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  three  miles  east 
of  the  town,  which  he  took  up  as  wild  land  and 
has  improved  with  all  the  requisites  for  ranch- 
ing and  stock-growing,  and  made  one  of  the 
valuable  and  attractive  rural  homes  of  the  re- 
gion. His  political  allegiance  is  given  freely, 
fully  and  zealously  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  'in  its  councils  in  this  state  he  has  long 


been  influential  and  highly  regarded.  On  Oc- 
tober 14,  1869,  ne  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Shoults,  and  they  have  had 
eleven  children.  One  son,  Henry  P.,  has  died. 
The  other  ten  are  living.  They  are,  Eugene, 
John  F.,  Elizabeth,  Hope,  Hugh,  Roy,  Glenn, 
Wilson  P.,  James  R.  and  John  H.  It  is 
much  to  say  of  any  man  that  a  residence  of 
thirty-six  years  in  a  community  has  steadily 
advanced  him  in  the  confidence,  good  will  and 
regard  of  its  people,  and  left  no  just  cause 
of  complaint  in  either  his  private  or  his  public 
life.  But  this  can  be  truly  said  of  Judge  Wil- 
liams, who  has  all  elements  of  the  community 
as  his  friends  and  fully  deserves  their  esteem. 

JOHN  CHRISTIAN  SCHUTTE. 

This  estimable  citizen,  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive business  man,  and  influential  civic  and 
social  force,  although  a  resident  of  Glenwood 
Springs,  is  one  of  the  leading  ranchmen  and 
stock-growers  of  Rio  Blanco  county.  He  has 
had  a  wide  and  valuable  experience  in  life,  and 
has  learned  in  it  the  lessons  of  every-day 
worldly  wisdom  which  are  taught  in  no  other 
school.  From  his  ancestry  he  inherits  a  natural 
force  of  character  and  business  capacity — a 
knowledge  of  how  to  make  money  and  what  to 
do  with  it  for  the  best  results,  and  his  train- 
ing has  made  him  a  man  of  unusual  executive 
ability  and  breadth  of  view.  He  was  born  in 
the  old  and  historic  free  city  of  Bremen,  Ger- 
many, on  September  10,  1847,  the  son  of  John 
F.  D.  and  Louisa  (Kolbur)  Schutte,  who  were 
also  native  there.  The  father  was  a  member 
of  the  renowned  "Black  Corps"  of  Brunswick, 
that  neither  asked  nor  gave  quarter  in  the  wars 
with  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  and  followed  the 
standards  of  that  command  during  many  of 
the  best  years  of  his  life.  Seventeen  other  years 
were  passed  by  him  in  active  merchandising. 
In  civil  life  also  he  was  prominent  and  in- 


814 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


fluential,  being  for  a  long  time  a  member  of 
the  local  house  of  representatives.  He  died  on 
December  10,  1871,  and  his  wife  in  1884. 
Their  son  John  is  their  only  surviving  child. 
He  received  a  common  and  high  school  edu- 
cation in  his  native  land,  and  from  the  age  of 
fifteen  to  that  of  nineteen  was  employed  in  his 
father's  store.  In  1866  he  came  to  this  conti- 
nent with  the  intention  of  going  to  South 
America  to  live.  But  he  located  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  served  as  a  clerk  and  book- 
keeper until  1871.  He  then  moved  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  but  after  clerking  in  a  store 
a  few  months,  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and 
located  in  Philadelphia.  There  he  was  en- 
gaged from  1872  to  1877  in  transacting  busi- 
ness in  foreign  countries  for  residents  of  the 
city,  and  during  this  period  he  made  many 
trips  across  the  Atlantic.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  came  west  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming, 
and  opened  a  store.  But  his  health  failed  and 
he  was  unable  to  give  his  personal  attention  to 
the  business,  and  it  did  not  succeed,  he  losing 
his  all  in  the  venture.  About  that  time  he  re- 
ceived a  call  from  Webster,  Colorado,  to  take 
charge  of  the  freight  forwarding  business  at 
that  point,  and  four  months  later  was  moved 
to  Leadville  in  the  same  interest  and  capacity. 
He  made  his  headquarters  at  that  booming 
camp  until  the  railroad  was  completed  to  it  and 
greatly  diminished  the  business  of  the  outfit 
for  which  he  was  working.  The  next  six 
months  he  passed  as  manager  of  the  Elgin 
Smelter  there,  owing  to  the  illness  of  Colonel 
Sherwin,  the  regular  manager.  From  the 
termination  of  this  engagement  until  1884  he 
was  manager  for  C.  Conrad  &  Company,  of 
Leadville,  and  built  up  their  business  to  colossal 
proportions,  making  a  reputation  for  executive 
ability  second  to  none  in  the  whole  Northwest. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1882,  he  located  several 
ranches  on  Grand  river  and  Piceance  creek, 
being  the  first  settler  on  the  latter  stream. 


Along  its  banks  he  still  has  his  home  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  it  being  under  advanced  and 
vigorous  cultivation,  and  yielding  abundant 
stores  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables.  It  is  well 
equipped  with  good  buildings  and  other  im- 
provements, and  is  favorably  located  thirteen 
miles  west  of  -Rio  Blanco  postoffice.  On  this 
ranch  he  conducts  a  flourishing  industry  in 
raising  horses  and  cattle  of  steadily  increasing 
magnitude  and  profit.  At  the  head  of  his  stud 
there  he  has  the  celebrated  Belgium  stallion 
"Rustic,"  which  is  well  known  and  much 
sought  for  breeding  thoroughout  a  large  extent 
of  the  surrounding  country.  This  is  an  im- 
ported horse  of  excellent  pedigree  and  record, 
and  has  many  foals  in  the  region  of  pronounced 
and  demonstrated  merit.  In  political  affairs 
Mr.  Schutte  supports  the  Republican  party,  but 
without  personal  ambition  for  political  honors. 
On  January  12,  1882,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Eliza  Villager,  a  native  of 
Switzerland.  They  have  one  child,  their  son 
John  B.  Although  proud  of  the  city  of  his 
birth,  with  its  eleven  hundred  years  of  interest- 
ing and  impressive  history,  and  its  commanding 
commercial  importance  for  centuries,  Mr. 
Schutte  is  fervently  loyal  to  the  land  and  state* 
of  his  adoption,  showing  his  interest  in  the  en- 
during welfare  of  each  by  a  strict  and  cheerful 
performance  of  every  duty  of  exalted  and 
serviceable  citizenship. 

EUGENE  WILLIAMS. 

Eugene  Williams,  who  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  sheriff  of  Saguache  county  with 
great  satisfaction  to  the  people,  and  is  in  ad- 
dition a  prosperous  and  progressive  ranchman, 
is  practically  a  self-made  man  and  one  of  the 
leading  and  most  popular  citizens  of  the  county. 
He  was  born  on  February  19,  1871,  at  Homer, 
Hamilton  county,  Iowa,  and  came  to  Colorado 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


815 


in  his  boyhood.  He  received  only  a  common- 
school  education,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
began  to  make  his  own  living  and  started  the 
career  which  is  so  greatly  to  his  credit.  His 
first  employment  was  ranch  work  and  labor  in 
mines,  and  he  learned,  both  the  ranching  and 
the  mining  industry  from  the  ground  up  by 
actual  experience  in  all  the  details  of  each.  As 
a  miner  he  ranks  among  the  most  knowing 
and  skillful  in  the  state,  but  his  own  ventures 
have  not  been  as  yet  largely  successful.  In  the 
fall  of  1899  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county, 
and  at  the  end  of  his  term  in  1902  he  was  re- 
elected  as  a  Republican.  In  the  same  year  he 
bought  a  ranch  of  forty  acres,  all  of  which  can 
be  cultivated,  and  on  which  he  produces  good 
hay,  grain  and  vegetables  at  a  large  yield  to 
the  acre.  He  also  raises  cattle  and  horses  for 
market,  the  former  being  all  full-blooded 
Shorthorns  and  the  latter  well-bred  and  of  su- 
perior strains.  His  mining  claims,  which  are 
numerous,  are  promising,  but  have  not  up  to 
this  time  been  very  productive,  as  he  has  not 
worked  them  with  the  vigor  they  require  owing 
to  his  absorbing  interest  in  other  matters,  as 
he  takes  an  active  part  in  whatever  shows 
benefit  for  the  county,  in  whose  welfare  he  is 
deeply  and  intelligently  interested.  In  fra- 
ternal life  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World.  He  was  married  on  September  25, 
1900,  to  Miss  Clara  M.  Ellis,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
who  was  reared  in  Colorado,  coming  with  her 
parents  to  this  state  in  1873,  when  she  was 
an  infant.  They  have  two  children,  their 
daughter  Mina  C.  and  their  son  John  H.  Mrs. 
Williams  is  the  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Ruth 
A.  Ellis,  both  born  in  Pennsylvania,  the  father 
in  Wyoming  and  the  mother  in  Clarion  county. 
They  moved  to  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  in  1855, 
where  they  farmed  successfully  until  1867, 
then  crossed  the  plains  to  Denver  by  the  North 
Platte  route.  Two  years  later  they  returned  to 


Iowa,  and  not  long  afterward  moved  to 
Kansas.  But  they  did  not  find  the  change 
beneficial  and  soon  went  back  to  Iowa.  There 
they  remained  until  the  spring  of  1872,  when 
they  once  more  set  sail,  in  a  "prairie  schooner" 
for  Colorado,  their  course  being  through 
Omaha  and  up  the  South  Platte  to  Greeley, 
then  on  to  Denver  and  through  South  Park 
into  the  San  Luis  valley.  The  father  located 
a  ranch  and  after  improving  it  he  sold  it  in 
1894.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in 
freighting  and  various  other  occupations. 
From  1894  to  1897  he  conducted  the  Cali- 
fornia Livery  Barn.  At  this  writing  (1904) 
he  is  occupied  in  mining.  At  the  time  of  his 
arrival  here  there  were  but  few  settlers  in  the 
valley,  and  he  was  therefore  warmly  welcomed 
as  an  addition  to  the  developing  force  of  the 
region,  and  he  has  not  disappointed  the  hopes 
which  his  coming  hither  inspired.  Politically 
he  is  an  ardent  working  Democrat.  He  and 
his  wife  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs. 
Williams,  Mrs.  Herbert  Ellis  and  Mrs. 
Halcyon  W^ard.  The  Sheriff  owns  real  estate 
in  the  town  of  Saguache  in  addition  to  his 
ether  possessions,  and  has  a  special  interest  in 
the  town  as  well  as  a  general  one  in  that  of  the 
county.  He  is  an  influential  and'  represent- 
ative citizen,  and  stands  high  in  the  regard 
of  every  section  and  class  of  the  territory  he 
is  serving  so  efficiently. 

JOHN  W.  TRITES. 

Men  who  make  themselves  felt  in  the  world 
avail  themselves  of  a  certain  fate  in  their  con- 
stitution, which  they  know  how  to  use.  In  the 
case  of  John  W.  Trites,  of  Saguache  county, 
whose  fine  ranch  of  one  thousand  and  forty 
acres  is  located  about  eight  miles  southwest 
of  the  town  of  Saguache,  a  section  of  the 
county  in  which  he  and  John  Davey  were  the 
first  settlers,  this  fate  or  native  force  is  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


readiness  to  see  and  the  ability  to  seize  and 
make  the  most  of  every  opportunity  that  pre- 
sents itself,  and  the  willingness  to  do  what- 
ever that  opportunity  demands  as  the  price  of 
success.  He  has  foresight,  resourcefulness  and 
energy,    with   a   determined   self-reliance   that 
shrinks  from  no  difficulty  and  cowers  before  no 
danger.    And  these  are  qualities  which  are  not 
only  at  high  premium  but  are  essential  to  any 
success    of    magnitude    in    the    ordinary    con- 
ditions    of     life     in     this     western     world, 
where     nature    is     provident,     but     will     not 
unmask  her  treasures  to  the  timid,  the  halting 
or  the  doubtful.     Mr.  Trites  was  born  on  No- 
vember 30,   1842,  in  Pennsylvania,  that  great 
field  of  labor  wherein  every  line  of  human  ac- 
tivity is  worked  and  all  are  profitable.     He  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Robinson)  Trites,  na- 
tives of  Germany  who  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try and  located  in  Pennsylvania  in  early  life. 
They  afterward  moved  to  Maine,  and  still  later 
to  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  where  they  ended 
their   days.     The    father    was    a    successful 
farmer  and  also  conducted  a  profitable  butch- 
ering business  in  New  Brunswick.     He  was  a 
Freemason  of  high  degree,  and  both  parents 
were   Baptists   in   church   connection.      Three 
children    survive    them,    John,    Amelia     and 
James.     The  first  named  received  a  common- 
school  education,  and  impelled  by  the  irrepres- 
sible spirit  of  energy  inherited  from  long  lines 
of  thrifty  ancestors,  started  out  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  ask- 
ing no  favors  of  fortune,  and  relying  on  his 
own  capabilities  in  the  effort.     He  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  three  years  in    a    carriage 
manufactory  in  New  Brunswick,  and  then  an- 
other as  a  joiner  in  the  shipyards.     In  1866  he 
moved  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  during 
the  summer  of  that  year  worked  as  a  joiner  in 
a   carpenter   shop,    also   helping   to   build   the 
first  bridge  over  the  Missouri  from  the  Wyan- 
dotte  Bottoms  to  Kansas  City.      In   1867  he 


took  the  western  fever,  and  he  started  to  work 
his  way  to  the  goal  of  his  desires  on  what  is 
now   the   Union   Pacific   Railroad,   helping  to 
build  the  bridges  on  the  line    between    Fort 
Wallace  and  Denver.     After  reaching  the  city 
last  named,  he  rested  there  four  months,  then 
took  a  position  to  aid  in  building  the  bridges  on 
the    narrow    gauge    road    between    there    and 
Canon  City,  devoting  two  years  to  this  work. 
Afterward  he  made  a  visit  of  inspection  into 
the  San  Luis  valley,  but  not  being  pleased  with 
the  outlook,  went  to  Colorado  Springs  in  1872. 
He  soon  moved  back  into  the  valley,  however, 
and  bought  a  ranch  which  after  improving  it 
to  some  extent  he  sold  in  1874.     He  then  pur- 
chased a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  and  by 
subsequent  purchases  he  has  increased  this  to 
one  thousand  and  forty  acres,  four  hundred  of 
which  are  devoted  to  grain  and  the  rest  to  hay 
and  pasturage.     He  is  extensively  engaged  in 
raising   cattle   and  horses,   being  one   of   the 
leading  men  in  the  business  in  his  county,  and 
his  ranching  operations  are    also    large    and 
profitable.      The   place   is   well   watered    from 
nine  artesian  wells  bored  on  it  by  his  own  en- 
terprise,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  is  under 
good  fencing.     It  is  much  to  his  credit,  that 
having  settled  here  when  there  was  no  other  - 
family  in  the  neighborhood,  by  his  influence 
and  example  the  region  is  now  filling  up  with 
thrifty  and  enterprising  citizens  and  its  unde- 
veloped wealth  is  gradually  flowing  into  the 
channels  of  commerce  and  adding  to  the  im- 
portance and  consequence  of  the  county.     His 
only  neighbor  at  first  was  John  Davey,  who 
settled  here  about  the  same  time  as  he  did, 
and  the  opening  of  the  country  by  these  two 
progressive  and  hardy  men  has  resulted  in  its 
present   state   o'f  advancement    and    develop- 
ment.  Mr.  Trites's  ranch  is  well  improved  with 
a  good    dwelling  and    other    buildings,    and 
every  interest  on  it  or  growing  out  of  its  op- 
eration has  the  benefit  of  his  close  attention 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


817 


and  skillful  management.  He  is  earnest  in  the 
public  life  of  the  county  as  a  Democrat,  zeal- 
ous in  its  fraternal  life  as  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
serviceable  to  all  its  local  interests  as  a  pro- 
gressive, far-seeing  and  energetic  citizen. 

CHARLES   BROOKS   FOX. 

For  thirty  years  after  reaching  man's  es- 
tate a  printer,  lumberman,  ranch  hand,  freigh- 
ter, prospector,  miner  and  saw-mill  operator, 
and  before  then  from  the  age  of  sixteen  for 
four  years  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  Charles 
Brooks  Fox,  of  Saguache  county,  who  since 
1895  has  been  comfortably  settled  on  his  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  eleven  miles 
west  of  the  town  of  Saguache,  has  seen  every 
phase  of  frontier  life,  and  under  trying  cir- 
cumstances, and  some  of  bustling  activity  in 
the  midst  of  an  advanced  civilization,  besides 
facing  death  in  all  forms  of  horror  on  bloody 
fields  where  American  valor  contended  for 
mastery  in  the  most  determined  sectional  strife. 
He  is  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  in 
Genesee  county  on  February  8,  1846.  His  par- 
ents were  Jonathan  and  Sarah  K.  (Joshlin) 
Fox,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  New  York 
and  made  Michigan  their  final  earthly  home. 
The  father  was  a  tailor  and  worked  at  his 
trade  many  years,  but  devoted  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  to  farming.  He  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  political  faith,  and  took  an  earn- 
est interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  Six 
children  blessed  their  union,  four  of  whom 
died,  Ella,  Joseph,  and  Lucy  and  Louisa,  twins. 
Charles  and  his  brother  Alvin  J.  are  now  the 
only  living  members  of  the  family.  The  par- 
ents were  devout  and  attentive  members  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Their  son  Charles  re- 
ceived a  good  common  and  high  school  educa- 
tion, being  graduated  from  the  high  school  at 
Batavia  in  his  native  state.  On  August  4, 
1862,  when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  and  six 
52 


months  old,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-first  New  York  Infantry, 
in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  in  that  command 
he  served  to  the  end  of  the  Civil  war,  being 
mustered  out  of  the  service  on  June  26,  1865. 
He  was  a  musician  and  his  service  as  such  was 
highly  valued  by  the  regiment,  and  as  it  was 
almost  constantly  at  the  front,  he  was  in  con- 
tinual requisition  to  sound  the  movements  of 
the  troops,  and  therefore  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  greatest  danger.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  New  York  home  and 
there  learned  his  trade  as  a  printer.  Of  this 
craft  he  is  a  thorough  master,  and  at  it  he 
worked  several  years  as  a  journeyman  in  Ba- 
tavia, New  York,  and  he  also  served  one  year 
as  editor  of  The  Spirit  of  the  Times  in  that 
town.  From  there  he  moved  to  Tuscola,  Mich- 
igan, and  secured  employment  with  Murphy, 
Avery  &  Eddy,  lumber  merchants,  until  the 
early  part  of  1869,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  located  near  Trinidad,  where  he  served  as 
a  ranch  hand  until  fall.  He  then  crossed  the 
range  into  New  Mexico,  and  after  passing  the 
winter  there  quietly,  began  freighting  in  the 
spring  of  1870  between  La  Masia  and  Silver 
City,  continuing  this  occupation  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1871.  Removing  then  to  Saguache 
county,  in  this  state,  he  passed  the  next  two 
years  working  for  Charles  Hartman  on  the  In- 
dian reservation,  and  early  in  the  winter  re- 
turned to  Saguache  county,  where  he  took  up 
a  ranch,  which  he  improved,  then  in  1874  sold 
it.  He  next  helped  to  build  the  toll  road  be- 
tween Saguache  and  Lake  City.  He  returned 
to  the  county  of  Saguache  in  the  fall  and  en- 
gaged in  saw-mill  work  until  the  spring  of 
1875,  then  bought  a  freighting  outfit,  and 
from  that  time  until  the  fall  of  1876  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  hauling,  logging  and 
mill  work  at  Lake  City.  Returning  once  more 
to  Saguache  county,  he  got  his  teams  together 
and  journeyed  overland  to  the  lead  mines  at 


8i8 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Joplin,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1877,  then  moved  to  Kansas  and 
found  employment  that  fall  in  helping  to 
gather  the  corn  crop.  The  next  spring  he 
moved  to  DeKalb  county,  Missouri,  and  there 
was  variously  employed  for  three  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1881  he  came  overland  to  Colorado, 
by  way  of  St.  Joseph,  Atchison,  and  the  Platte 
to  Pueblo,  and  from  there  to  Saguache,  where 
he  arrived  on  October  7th.  During  the  en- 
suing ten  years  he  wrought  at  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent occupations,  always  finding  something 
useful  and  profitable  to  do,  and  doing  it  with 
all  his  energy  however  difficult  it  might  be.  In 
the  summer  01*1891  he  made  a  tour  of  obser- 
vation to  Green  River,  Wyoming,  but  re- 
turned to  his  old  Colorado  haunts  in  the  fall, 
and  after  four  more  years  of  varied  employ- 
ment, in  1895  bought  his  present  ranch.  This 
comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
good  land,  one-half  of  which  is  at  this  time 
under  cultivation  in  hay  and  vegetables,  and  on 
which  he  raises  large  numbers  of  cattle  and 
Angora  goats,  his  flock  of  the  latter  being  the 
only  one  in  his  part  of  the  county.  Through- 
out his  long  nomadic  residence  in  this  state 
and  others,  and  his  wide  wanderings  from 
place  to  place,  he  experienced  all  the  forms  of 
hardships,  privation  and  danger  incident  to 
pioneer  life,  dependent  for  long  periods  at 
many  times  on  wild  game  for  his  meat  and 
obliged  to  secure  it  at  whatever  hazard,  in- 
curring he  risk  of  hosility  from  predatory 
Indians,  and  sometimes  sharing  their  hospital- 
ity, encountering  often  the  fury  of  the  ele- 
ments without  shelter,  and  not  wholly  escap- 
ing from  the  avarice  of  marauding  highway- 
men. But  he  maintained  a  spirit  of  lofty  cour- 
age and  endurance,  and  now  has  reward  for 
his  constancy  of  purpose  and  persistency  of 
effort  in  a  comfortable  estate  and  freedom 
from  seeking  a  precarious  livelihood.  From 
his  early  manhood  he  has  loyally  supported  the 


Republican  party  in  political  affairs,  and 
wherever  he  has  lived  he  has  been  an  earnest 
promoter  of  the  improvement  and  advance- 
ment of  the  community  of  his  residence.  On 
April  10,  1873,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Emma  T.  Church,  who  died  in  1877, 
leaving  one  child,  their  son  Bryan  B.,  who  died 
on  May  4,  1901.  In  1879  he  married  a  second 
wife,  Miss  Mary  J.  Tophan,  a  native  of  Page 
county,  Iowa.  They  have  two  daughters,  Mrs. 
Frank  Burns  and  Jennie  E.,,  the  latter  living 
at  home. 

PHILIP  STAHL. 

The  great  German  empire,  which  in  recent 
times  has  risen  to  a  position  of  such  command- 
ing influence  among  the  powers  of  the  world, 
and  which  has  in  every  crisis  of  its  modern 
history,  gloriously  maintained  itself,  is  strong 
because  of  the  strength  of  its  people  in  their 
individual  character,  resources  and  determined, 
patient,  plodding  industry.  And  as  one  of  the 
ambitions  of  that  empire  is  extensive  coloniza- 
tion, it  has  opened  the  doors  freely  to  its  sturdy 
men  and  women  to  go  forth  into  every  corner 
of  the  world  and  make  the  German  name  and 
the  German  type  as  great  and  respected  abroad 
as  it  is  at  home.  Multitudes  of  the  empire's 
teeming  populations  have  sought  homes  and 
fortunes  in  other  lands,  and  in  none  have  they 
been  more  successful  in  their  quest,  or  done 
more  for  the  land  of  their  adoption  than  in  the 
United  States.  In  our  country  their  mark  is 
plainly  visible  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  it  is 
always  to  their  credit.  Wherever  a  worthy 
member  of  the  race  has  pitched  his  tent 
among  us  his  influence  has  been  felt  in  bene- 
ficial ways,  and  his  work  has  been  productive 
of  good  to  the  locality.  The  subject  of  this 
brief  review  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in 
Bavaria  near  Hesse  Darmstadt,  on  May  3, 
1845,  who  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  and  in  his  career  in  this  country 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


819 


he  has  well  maintained  the  traditions  and  good 
name  of  his  race.  He  is  the  son  of  Frank  and 
Margaret  Stahl,  who  were  also  Bavarians,  and 
passed  their  lives  in  their  native  land.  The 
father  was  a  thrifty  stone  mason,  and  made  a 
good  living  at  his  trade.  He  died  in  1863  and 
his  wife  in  1877.  They  were  devout  and 
faithful  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
enjoyed  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  them. 
Two  of  their  children  survive  them,  Philip  and 
his  sister  Theresa.  The  son  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  in  Bavaria  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  old,  then  worked  on  the  farm  belonging 
to  the  family  until  1865.  On  June  i6th  of 
that  year  he  set  sail  for  what  seemed  to  him 
the  land  of  promise,  and  landed  in  New  York 
after  an  uneventful  voyage.  After  his  arrival 
he  worked  for  two  weeks  in  an  iron  manufac- 
tory, then  came  to  Colorado,  making  the  jour- 
ney from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  with  three  mule 
teams.  One  month  was  spent  in  the  journey, 
the  route  being  by  way  of  Fort  Kearney  to 
Julesburg,  then  up  the  South  Platte  to  Denver. 
A  band  of  one  thousand,  three  hundred  hos- 
tile Indians  who  had  been  burning  buildings 
and  wagon  trains,  menaced  the  little  party  but 
did  not  molest  it.  Mr.  Stahl  remained  in  Den- 
ver from  1865  to  1873,  doing  cellar  work  in 
the  Rocky  Mountain  Brewery  of  that  day  sev- 
enteen months,  mining  one  month,  ranch  work 
two  months  and  serving  as  clerk  and  helper  in 
a  hardware  store  the  rest  of  the  time.  Denver 
was  then  a  straggling  and  uncanny  town  of 
few  inhabitants,  but  it  already  had  the  life  and 
movement  which  gave  promise  of  its  future 
greatness.  In  1873,  determined  to  turn  his 
attention  to  rural  pursuits,  Mr.  Stahl  left  the; 
capital  city  and  moved  to  the  Cottonwood  sec- 
tion of  Saguache  county,  where  he  purchased 
the  improvements  on  his  present  ranch  on 
which  he  in  due  time  proved  and  has  since  re- 
sided. It  comprises  two  tracts  which  adjoin 
and  which  together  contain  four  hundred  and 


forty  acres.  Nearly  all  of  the  land  is  under 
vigorous  cultivation  and  yielding  first-rate 
crops  of  hay,  grain  and  hardy  vegetables.  Cat- 
tle and  horses  of  superior  grades  are  also 
raised  in  numbers.  A  special  feature  of  the 
industry  on  this  ranch  is  the  culture  of  fruit, 
quantities  of  apples  of  fine  quality  being  pro- 
duced annually,  and  this  being  one  of  the  fe\y 
ranches  in  the  county  whereon  fruit  is  grown. 
Having  been  among  the  very  early  settlers  of 
the  county,  it  goes  without  the  saying  that  Mr. 
Stahl  has  been  closely  and  actively  connected 
with  its  progress  and  development  from  the 
time  of  his  arrival  here.  Nature  gave  an  em- 
pire in  the  territory  and  its  people  have  been 
diligent,  energetic,  far-seeing  and  constant  in 
making  the  most  of  it,  and  among  them  he  has 
borne  an  honorable  part  in  every  phase  and 
element  of  the  work.  He  is  practically  a  self- 
made  man,  and  by  that  fact  has  the  greater 
resourcefulness  and  adaptability,  and  is  there- 
fore all  the  more  useful  as  a  citizen,  and  inde- 
pendent and  self-reliant  as  a  man.  He  is 
widely  known  and  highly  respected,  and  gives 
earnest  and  helpful  attention  to  the  political 
campaigns  as  a  devoted  Republican,  and  to  lo- 
cal affairs  as  a  man  interested  in  the  enduring 
welfare  of  the  locality  of  his  home.  He  was 
married  in  1866  to  Miss  Magdalena  Ktach- 
laugher,  a  German  by  birth  like  himself.  They 
have  had  six  children.  Of  these  August,  Ther- 
esa and  Margaret  have  died,  and  Joseph, 
Frank  and  Robert  are  living.  Their  mother 
died  on  February  n,  1883. 

GEORGE  NEIDHARDT. 

George  Neidhardt,  the  first  settler  in  the 
Cottonwood  district  of  Saguache  county,  came 
to  his  present  estate  through  many  difficulties 
and  vicissitudes,  and  even  after  he  located  on 
the  fine  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  which  was 


820 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


secured  by  homestead  and  pre-emption  claims 
in  1868,  he  found  that  the  battle  of  life  for 
him  was  not  yet  over,  and  much  of  its  most 
strenuous  work  remained  to  be  done.  His  land 
was  wild  and  unbroken,  virgin  to  the  plow  and 
given  up  to  the  untamed  growths  of  centuries, 
beasts  of  prey  still  had  their  lairs  on  it,  and 
antelope  still  bounded  freely  through  the  re- 
gion. There  were  no  near  neighbors  for  com- 
munity of  effort  with  him,  and,  dependent  al- 
most wholly  on  his  own  resources,  he .  was 
obliged  to  begin  at  the  very  beginning  and 
build  up  a  farm  from  the  wilderness.  But  he 
had  been  prepared  for  difficulty  and  danger 
by  his  previous  experience,  and  having  his 
mind  and  body  hardened  to  meet  them  he 
rather  welcomed  than  avoided  them.  He  de- 
voted his  time  and  energies  to  the  improve- 
ment and  cultivation  of  his  place  and  to  build- 
ing up  thereon  a  stock  industry  of  good  pro- 
portions and  profitable  in  its  returns,  and  by 
persistent  and  well  applied  industry  he  has 
made  his  place  into  one  of  the  most  desirable 
and  best  improved  in  that  portion  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Neidhardt  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  in  the  historic  old  city  of  Witten- 
berg, where  the  religious  thunders  of  Luther 
and  Melancthon  shook  the  world  and  started 
the  mighty  church  reformation  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  his  life  beginning  there  on  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1837.  His  parents  were  Xavier  and 
Mary  Ann  Neidhardt,  like  himself  natives  of 
Germany  and  belonging  to  families  resident  in 
that  country  from  immemorial  times.  His 
father  passed  his  life  in  the  service  of  the  gov- 
ernment as  a  trusted  official,  and  died  in  1855, 
the  mother  following  him  to  the  other  world  in 
1 86 1.  Their  son  George  is  their  only  surviv- 
ing child.  .  He  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation and  learned  his  trade  as  a  cooper  in  his 
native  land,  working  also  in  breweries  there, 
and  remaining  until  1854,  when  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  New  York  on 
September  i8th.  The  next  May  he  moved  to 


Pennsylvania  and  located  in  Westmoreland 
county,  and  after  a  residence  of  two  years 
there,  came  west  to  Iowa  City,  Iowa.  There 
he  became  a  cook  and  baker  and  remained  until 
1859,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  Iowa  City 
and  Des  Moines.  In  November,  1859,  he 
moved  to  Lecompton,  Kansas,  where  he 
worked  as  a  baker  until  April,  1860,  then  with 
bull  teams  crossed  the  plains  to  Colorado  in 
company  with  a  few  other  men.  The  party 
reached  Denver  without  mishap,  not  meeting 
an  Indian  on  the  way,  and  having  an  almost 
continuous  stretch  of  good  weather  while  mak- 
ing the  journey.  Denver  at  the  time  was  a 
crude  and  straggling  village  of  rude  cabins 
and  tents,  yet  withal  a  pleasant  place  of  resi- 
dence to  men  worn  and  wasted  by  a  long  jaunt 
from  the  edge  of  civilization  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  Mr.  Neidhardt  remained  there  until 
September  4,  1861,  working  at  his  trade  as  a 
baker.  On  the  date  last  mentioned  he  became 
a  Union  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in 
the  First  Colorado  Infantry,  from  which  he 
was  soon  afterward  transferred  to  a  cavalry 
regiment,  and  in  this  he  served  until  Novem- 
ber 17,  1864,  when  he  was  mustered  out  at 
Denver.  In  his  military  campaigns  he  cooked 
for  the  officers  and  baked  for  the  army  at  the 
various  stopping  places.  After  leaving  the 
army  he  moved  on  to  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Gar- 
land and  engaged  in  ranching.  But  the  grass- 
hoppers were  so  destructive  that  he  spent  his 
strength  for  naught  and  in  1865  gave  up  the 
enterprise  and  changed  his  residence  to  the 
Kerber  creek  district,  in  which  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  first  dwelling  on  September 
27th  and  remained  more  than  two  years,  or 
until  February,  1868,  when  he  .changed  his  lo- 
cation to  the  Cottonwood  country  and  be- 
came the  first  settler  in  that  region.  Here  his 
land  is  all  fit  for  cultivation,  well  improved 
with  good  buildings,  provided  with  an  inde- 
pendent saw-mill,  a  threshing  outfit,  a  grain 
chopper  and  a  wind  mill  for  motive  power. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


821 


and  supplied  plentifully  with  water  from  a 
number  of  artesian  wells,  these  improvements 
all  being  the  result. of  his  enterprise  and  good 
management,  and  returning  to  him  a  large 
profit  on  the  outlay  of  time  and  money  neces- 
sary to  secure  them.  He  also  has  the  first 
water  right  from  Cottonwood  creek  for  addi- 
tional irrigation.  The  ranch  is  twelve  miles 
southeast  of  Villagrove,  and  is  one  of  Sag- 
uache  county's  choice  pieces  of  property  and 
rural  homes.  In  the  earlier  years  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  raised  large  numbers  of  first- 
rate  horses  for  market;  but  his  stock  industry 
is  now  confined  to  cattle  and  sheep,  and  his 
chief  agricultural  product  is  hay.  Mr.  Neid- 
hardt  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics,  and 
as  such  served  as  county  commissioner  from 
1872  to  1 88 1,  three  terms.  In  1891  and  1892 
he  was  water  superintendent  of  his  division, 
and  during  the  last  eight  years  he  has  served 
as  water  commissioner.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  cause  of  public 
education  in  a  leading  and  helpful  way,  oc- 
cupying several  school  offices  and  giving  their 
claims  on  him  close  and  careful  attention,  his 
service  in  this  connection  covering  already  a 
period  of  twenty-seven  years.  He  is  promin- 
ent in  the  fraternal  life  of  the  county  as  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  On 
August  ii.  1877.  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Laura  Hammaka,  a  native  of  Germany.  They 
have  two  children,  their  son  John  and  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Dr.  John  Kiger.  As  this  ex- 
cellent citizen  was  a  pioneer  in  opening  this 
region  to  settlement,  so  he  has  been  a  leader  in 
thought  and  action  in  all  the  elements  of  its 
progress,  development  and  enduring  welfare. 
No  interest  in  which  the  substantial  good  of 
the  section  or  its  people  has  appealed  to  him  in 
vain,  and  in  most  he  has  not  waited  for  an  ap- 
peal, but  has  himself  started  the  beneficent 
movement.  And  in  consequence  no  man  in  the 
county  stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  its 


citizens,  and  none  deserves  a  larger  share  of 
the  public  regard  and  esteem  than  does  he. 

WILLIAM  THOMAS  ASHLEY. 

A  native  of  Kentucky,  and  inheriting  the 
hardihood,  courage,  love  of  adventure  and  re- 
sourcefulness of  the  people  of  that  state,  Wil- 
liam Thomas  Ashley,  of  Saguache  county,  was 
well  fitted  by  nature  and  training  for  the  pio- 
neer life  in  which  he  was  obliged  to  take  a 
part  on  his  arrival  in  this  state  in  1865,  and  his 
career  in  the  midst  of  hardships  and  dangers 
here,  and  the  success  he  has  achieved  from  try- 
ing and  for  a  time  unresponsive  conditions, 
give  proof  that  he  did  not  choose  unwisely 
either  in  the  place  or  the  line  of  his  activity. 
His  life  began  in  Crittenden  county,  of  the 
Blue  Grass  state,  on  May  u,  1846,  and  he 
remained  there  until  1860,  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  working  on  his  father's  farm. 
In  1869  he  accompanied  his  parents,  Samuel 
and  Mary  B.  Ashley,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky,  to  Mis- 
souri, and  he  lived  at  home  in  that  state  until 
1865,  completing  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  learning  new  features  of  the  agri- 
cultural life  begotten  of  the  changed  condi- 
tions around  him.  In  1865  the  family  crossed 
the  plains  to  Colorado,  making  the  trip  with 
mule  and  ox  teams  and  being  three  months  on 
the  way.  There  were  seven  hundred  men  and 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  wagons  in  the 
train,  and  although  it  was  savagely  attacked 
by  Indians,  the  whole  party  escaped  without 
serious  mishap.  After  his  arrival  in  this  state 
Mr.  Ashley  took  up  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Marold  ranch  in  Saguache  county,  and  from 
that  time  to  this  he  has  been  extensively  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  raising  cattle  in  that 
county.  He  owns  at  present  four  thousand 
acres  of  good  land,  one-half  of  which  is  fully 
irrigated  and  under  cultivation,  the  rest  at  this 


822 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


time  is  devoted  to  grazing,  and  supports  gener- 
ously the  large  herds  of  cattle  which  form  one 
of  the  staple  products  of  the  place.  Hay  is 
raised  extensively  and  grain  and  other  farm 
products  in  good  quantities.  Cattle  have, 
however,  been  from  the  first  the  main  reliance 
of  this  enterprising  grower,  and  he  has  often 
had  as  many  as  four  thousand  head  at  one 
time,  in  fact,  being  considered  the  most  exten- 
sive cattle  owner  in  the  San  Luis  valley.  He 
has,  with  characteristic  enterprise,  kept  pace 
with  the  spirit  of  modern  progress  in  his  busi- 
ness, and  also  in  the  matter  of  improvements, 
on  his  ranch.  His  dwelling  is  a  modern  brick 
house  of  good  proportions  and  attractive  ap- 
pearance, and  his  barns  are  commodious,  well- 
built,  conveniently  arranged  and  furnished 
with  everything  needed  for  carrying  on  the 
work  of  the  place  according  to  the  most  ap- 
proved methods  and  with  a  view  to  the  best  re- 
sults. '  The  whole  place  is  well  fenced,  and 
every  feature  of  its  various  interests  is  looked 
after  with  care  and  good  judgment  of  an  ex- 
cellent farmer  and  a  progressive  and  far-see- 
ing owner.  In  the  public  affairs  of  the  county 
Mr.  Ashley  has  always  taken  an  active  inter- 
est and  a  leading  part.  He  served  as  a  county 
commissioner  from  1884  to  1890,  and  again 
from  1893  to  1895.  He  is  prominent  and  in- 
fluential in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic 
party,  following  its  fortunes  from  strong  con- 
viction .and  without  desire  for  the  honors  of 
official  life.  The  ranch  is  six  miles  southeast 
of  the  county  seat  in  a  region  of  great  present 
productiveness  and  future  possibilities.  On 
January  21,  1880,  Mr.  Ashley  was  joined  in 
wedlock  with  Miss  Emma  Scandrett,  a.  native 
of  Greene  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  T.  and  Malinda  Scandrett,  an  account 
of  whose  lives  will  be  found  on  another  page, 
in  the  sketch  of  their  son,  Charles  A.  Scan- 
drett. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashley  have  had  three 
children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy  and  Mrs. 


Ralph  Shellabarger  and  Thomas  C.  are  living. 
Mr.  Ashley  is  a  self-made  man,  and  has  been 
largely  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune, 
and  that  too  has  been  erected  on  a  solid  basis 
of  strong  character,  upright  motives  and  gen- 
erous aspirations,  and  built  by  persistent  ef- 
fort, good  judgment  and  excellent  business  ca- 
pacity. He  is  widely  known  throughout  Sag- 
uache  and  the  surrounding  counties,  and  is 
everywhere  held  in  the  highest  esteem  as  a 
representative  man  and  a  very  useful  and  pro- 
gressive citizen. 

RILEY   M.   EDWARDS. 

Born  in  Dade  county,  Missouri,  on  July 
1 6,  1849,  and  reared  there  to  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, then  moving  to  Cooper  county  in  the 
same  state,  and  living  in  that  county  until 
1872,  when  he  came  to  Colorado,  Riley  M.  Ed- 
wards, of  Saguache  county,  has  passed  the 
whole  of  his  life  practically  on  the  frontier.  He 
is  familiar  with  every  phase  of  its  wild  life  of 
incident  and  adventure,  of  danger  and  diffi- 
culty, of  hardships  and  privations,  and  also 
with  the  exaltation  and  broadening  spirit 
which  come  from  close  and  uninterrupted  com- 
munion with  nature  in  her  "populous  soli- 
tude." His  success  in  dealing  with  its  condi- 
tions and  making  them  over  into  a  comfortable 
estate,  satisfying  to  both  mind  and  body, 
shows  that  he  was  well  fitted  to  be  a  pioneer, 
and  that  wherever  he  might  have  gone  in  the 
wilderness,  settlement,  civilization  and  prog- 
ress would  have  followed  in  his  wake.  That 
his  energies  and  breadth  of  view  were  em- 
ployed here  instead  of  elsewhere  is  a  fortun- 
ate circumstance  for  the  county  in  which  he 
lives,  and  for  the  state  in  general.  Mr.  Ed- 
wards is  a  son  of  James  and  Juliana  Edwards, 
the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  moved  to  Missouri 
soon  after  their  marriage  and  passed  the  re- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


mainder  of  their  lives  in  that  state  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock.     They 
were  Presbyterians  in  church  alliance  and  the 
father  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party  in  politics.     He  died  in  1849    and    the 
mother  in   1896.     Six  children  were  born  to 
them.     Of  these  Mary  and  James  died,  and 
John  J.,  William  P.,  George  M.  and  Riley  M. 
are  living.     Three  of  the  sons  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  all  escaped  the  terrible  ordeal 
without  injury.     Riley  was  left  at  home  to  as- 
sist his  parents  in  the  farm  work,  and  from  an 
early  age  he  did  a  man's  share  of  it.     He  was 
educated  at  the  common  schools  and  a  high 
school  in  his  native  county,   devoting  all  his 
spare  time  to  the  aid  of  his  parents,  and  the 
devotion  to  their  interests  then  shown  contin- 
ued until  death  ended  their  labors.     In  1863, 
when  he  was  iri  his  seventeenth  year,  he  went 
to  Cooper  county  in  the  same  state  and  there 
engaged  in  various  lines  of  useful  work.     In 
1872  he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Denver,  and  in  and  around  that  city 
he  was  employed  at  different  occupations  until 
the  spring  of  1873,  when  he  rented  a  ranch 
which  he  worked  till  fall.     He  then  moved  to 
Colorado  Springs,  and  during  the  next  seven 
years  was  occupied  in  hauling  and  freighting 
between  that  city    and    Leadville    and    other 
points.    He  next  made  a  trip  with  his  teams  to 
Alamosa,  and  afterward  made  many  freight- 
ing trips  between  that  place  and  Pitkin.     His 
life  in  this  work  was  full  of  hazard  and  hard 
work,  but  the  profits  were  large  and  there  was 
additional  compensation  in  the  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence   and    self-reliance    which    it    engen- 
dered.   In  June,  1880,  he  traded  the  freighting 
outfit  for  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  which  was  the  nucleus  which  subsequent 
purchases  have  increased  to  one  thousand,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.    Of  this  tract  fully 
three-fourths  are  under  cultivation  and  the  re- 
mainder  furnishes    excellent   pasture    for   his 


cattle.     The  ranch  is  well  located  five  miles 
and  three-quarters  east  of  the  town  of  Sag- 
uache,    and   he   has    improved   it   with   good 
buildings,  including  a  commodious  and  com- 
fortable    modern     brick     dwelling,     first-rate 
fences  and  other  needed  structures.  The  water 
supply  is  plentiful  and  constant,  and  the  hus- 
bandry  is   vigorous   and   up-to-date   in   every 
way.    Every  year  of  his  life  here  has  witnessed 
increased  prosperity  and  progress,  and  he  is 
now  well  established  in  personal  comfort,  an 
active  and  profitable  industry  and  the  public 
regard.     He  raises  hay,  grain  and  cattle  ex- 
tensively, and  conducts  all  the  operations  of  his 
ranch  and  all  phases  of  his  business  with  com- 
mendable vigor  and  judgment.     His  prosper- 
ity is  the  result  of  his  own  efforts,  and  is  all 
the  more  gratifying  on  that    account.      The 
favors  of  fortune  are  not  to  be  despised,  but 
they  are  not  necessary  to  the  success  of  a  man 
of  proper  spirit  who  has  eyes  to  see  and  en- 
ergy to  properly  use  his  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement.     Politically    Mr.    Edwards    is    a 
stanch  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected prominently  with  the  order    of    Odd 
Fellows.    On  March  28,  1880,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Long,  a  native  of  Barton 
county,  Missouri.     They  have  four  children. 
Finis  H.,  Clarence,  Ada  and  Edna.  The  father 
is  a  leading  and  representative  citizen  of  the 
county,  zealous  in  the  promotion  of  its  wel- 
fare and  warmly  devoted  to  its  best  interests 
with  good  judgment  as  to  what  is  best  and 
earnest  diligence  in  promoting  it. 

CURTIS  BROTHERS. 

Among  the  leading  citizens  and  most  en- 
terprising and  prosperous  ranchmen  and  stock- 
growers  of  Saguache  county  are  the  Curtis 
Brothers,  Wilbur  L.  and  George  H.,  whose  ex- 
cellent ranch  of  six  hundred  acres,  located  not 
far  from  the  county  seat,  was  one  of  the  first 


824 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


opened  up  in  the  county  and  is  now  one  of  the 
best.  Wilbur  L.  was  born  at  Independence, 
Iowa,  on  December  14,  1870,  and  George  H. 
in  Sagiiache  county,  Colorado,  on  November 

25,  1874.    They  are  sons  of  Lora  D.  and  Eliza 
(Martin)   Curtis,   the  former  born  in  Geneva 
county,  New  York,  on  February  25,  1838,  and 
the  latter  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  on  June 

26,  1858.    The  father  was  the  son  of  Newman 
and  Maria  Curtis,  who  were  natives  of  New 
York  state,  the  former  of  Scotch  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Holland  ancestry.     They  moved  to  In- 
dependence, Iowa,  early  in  their  married  life, 
and  there  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives   engaged   in   farming    and    raising    live 
stock.    The  father  was  a  Whig  in  politics  until 
the   death   of   that  party,   and   after  that   an 
ardent  Republican.     Both  died  in  Iowa.     Their 
son,  Lora  D.  Curtis,  received  a  common-school 
education,  and  remained  with  his  parents  until 
July  i,  1876,  when,  in  order  to  restore  his  fail- 
ing health,  he  came  overland  with  a  small  train 
to  Colorado,  and  located  in  Saguache  county. 
Here  he  pre-empted  a  ranch  ten  miles  south- 
east of  the  county  seat,  which  he  improved  and 
sold.    He  then  moved  near  the  town  of  Sag- 
uache,   which   was    at   the   time   a   hamlet   of 
rude  dwellings  and  few  inhabitants,  and  de- 
voted  his    remaining   years    to    ranching   and 
raising  cattle  in  that  neighborhood.  He  always 
took  an  earnest  interest  in  the  progress  of  the 
county,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  having 
good  roads  and  other  improvements  of  a  kin- 
dred character  made.     He  became  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
county  and  one  of  its  leading  business  men.  In 
political   affairs  he   supported   the   Republican 
party  with  ardor  and  effectiveness.     He  died 
on  April  22,  1898,  and  his  widow  now  makes 
her  home  at  Saguache.     Like  their  father,  Re- 
publicans in  politics,  and  like  him  alert,  enter- 
prising and  far-seeing  in  business,  the  sons  are 
highly  esteemed    citizens,    and    very    helpful 


forces  in  carrying  on  the  general  interests  of 
the  county,  in  which  they  have  a  constant  and 
earnest  concern.  Wilbur,  who  was  four  years 
old  when  the  family  moved  to  this  state,  has 
passed  all  his  subsequent  years  in  Saguache 
county  except  the  period  from  1891  to  1896, 
inclusive,  when  he  was  superintendent  of  con- 
struction for  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  and 
Coke  Company.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools,  and  at 
the  Western  University  and  Powers  Busi- 
ness College  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and 
his  courses  of  study  at  these  has  been 
supplemented  by  a  wide  and  varied  experience, 
which  has  made  him  a  broad-minded  and  well- 
informed  man.  George  L.,  who  is  wholly  a 
product  of  Colorado,  attended  only  the  com- 
mon schools,  the  necessities  of  the  work  on  the 
ranch  and  the  other  interest^  in  which  his 
father  was  engaged,  requiring  his  presence  at 
home  from  an  early  age.  Both  are  valued 
members  of  the  Masonic  order  in  their  local- 
ity, and  both  are  actuated  by  a  lofty  and  pro- 
ductive public-spirit  in  all  their  citizenship 
Since  their  father's  death  they  have  managed 
the  business  affairs  of  the  family  with  increas- 
ing success  and  profit,  and  looking  after  every 
phase  of  its  multiform  activities  with  close  at- 
tention and  excellent  judgment.  Eighty  acres 
of  the  tract  are  in  grain  and  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  in  hay,  and  the  rest  is  devoted  to 
pasturing  the  large  herds  of  well  bred  cattle 
which  form  one  of  the  staple  products  of  the 
place,  which  is  known  as  the  Andy  Settle 
Ranch,  and  was  one  of  the  first  located  in  the 
county.  It  is  improved  with  good  dwellings 
and  other  buildings,  plentifully  watered  and 
near  a  good  and  active  market  at  Saguache. 
The  sons,  while  inheriting  the  business,  inher- 
ited also  the  spirit  of  their  father,  and  thev 
have  exemplified  in  their  career  all  the  manli- 
ness, energy,  elevated  citizenship  and  local  pa- 
triotism that  were  conspicuous  in  his.  And  as 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


the  country  has  improved,  they  have  kept  pace 
with  the  spirit  of  progress,  continuing  in  the 
front  rank  of  its  business  men  and  among  the 
leaders  of  its  thought  and  action  in  every  use- 
ful line  of  improvement. 

WALLACE  ABIJAH  JOHNSON. 

A  resident  of  Colorado  since  1889,  Wallace 
A.  Johnson,  of  Saguache  county,  has  during 
the  last  fifteen  years  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  various  industries  carried  on  in  the  locality 
of  his  residence,  and  has  shown  himself  to  be 
a  far-seeing  and  resourceful  man,  never  with- 
out employment  of  importance,  and  always  at 
the  front  in  projects  for  the  improvement  of 
the  region  and  the  advantage  of  its  people.  He 
has  capacity  for  carrying  on  affairs  of  magni- 
tude, and  in  a  sparsely  settled  region,  as  this 
was  when  he  came  here,  such  men  are  of  es- 
pecial value.  Mr.  Johnson  was  born  near  Van 
Wert,  Ohio,  on  September  13,  1859,  and  is  the 
son  of  Joseph  H.  and  Mary  A.  (Goodwin) 
Johnson,  who  were  born  and  reared  in  Ohio 
and  lived  in  Iowa  from  1861  to  1889,  part  of 
the  time  in  Polk  county  and  the  remainder  at 
Garden  Grove  in  Decatur  county.  In  April, 
1889,  they  came  to  Colorado,  and  until  1892 
lived  in  Saguache  county,  then  moved  to  Rio 
Grande  county,  where  they  resided  eight  years, 
returning  to  Saguache  in  1900.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  and  school  teacher  in  Ohio,  but 
in  Iowa  and  Colorado  he  gave  his  whole  at- 
tention to  ranching  and  raising  stock.  He  is 
an  unwavering  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
progressive  man  in  all  matters  of  local  im- 
provement. Of  the  nine  children  in  the  family 
Alice  and  Frederick  have  died,  and  Wallace 
A.,  Mrs.  Charles  S.  Dick,  Frank,  Flora,  Mrs. 
Andrew  Gemmill,  Davis  B.  and  Nerva  are  liv- 
ing. Wallace  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  two  terms  at  the  graded 
schools  of  Iowa  Center.  The  necessity  for  his 


labor  on  the  homestead  limited  his  opportuni- 
ties, but  enabled  him  to  form  early  in  life 
habits  of  industry  and  self-reliance.  In  1879 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  father  to 
carry  on  the  farming  interests  of  the  family, 
and  this  continued  until  1890.  For  a  year 
thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  saw-mill  work, 
and  during  this  period  he  aided  in  building  the 
Gotthelf  store  at  Saguache.  From  1891  to 
1893  he  was  associated  with  the  Gotthelf  Mer- 
cantile Company,  and  in  the  latter  year  he 
bought  the  stage  line  between  Saguache  and 
Villagrove,  and  operated  it  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  Frank.  In  the  spring  of  1894  he 
sold  his  interest  in  this  to  his  brother  and  re- 
turned to  his  former  connection  with  the  Gott- 
helf Mercantile  Company,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued in  the  same  capacity  until  April,  1898, 
when  he  became  a  full  partner  with  Isaac  Gott- 
helf in  the  cattle  industry,  and  to  this  he  has 
since  given  his  exclusive  attention,  together 
with  the  ranching  interests  connected  with  it. 
Their  ranch  comprises  twelve  hundred  acres 
and  is  located  near  the  town  of  Saguache. 
The  business  is  carried  on  extensively,  Mr. 
Johnson  being  an  exceptionally  fine  judge  of 
cattle,  and  a  manager  of  a  high  order  of  ca- 
pacity and  vigor.  In  political  matters  he  loy- 
ally supports  the  Republican  party  from  earn- 
est conviction,  and  never  withholds  his  efficient 
services  when  the  party  needs  them.  He  has 
served  many  years  as  chairman  of  its  local 
committees.  After  the  nomination  of  the  late 
President  McKinley  in  1896,  he  remained  true 
to  his  faith,  and  was  the  only  firm  and  unyield- 
ing Republican  in  the  county.  He  is  a  third- 
degree  Freemason,  a  self-made  and  prosperous 
man,  and  a  prominent  citizen,  everywhere 
known  and  very  popular  in  all  portions  of  the 
county.  On  November  22,  1881,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Hannah  Quayle,  a  native 
of  the  Isle  of  Man.  They  have  had  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  a  son 


826 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


named  Frank  L.  was  killed  by  lightning  on 
June  21,  1900.  The  living  children  are  their 
sons  Curt  and  Charles. 

WILLIAM  ROBERT  MONTEITH. 

From  his  childhood  to  a  recent  period  the 
life  of  this  subject  was  one  of  toil  and  tempest, 
difficulty  and  danger,  arduous  effort  and  thril- 
ling adventure.  The  death  of  his  father  when 
the  son  was  but  five  years  old  left  the  family  in 
very  moderate  circumstances,  and  laid  each  of 
its  members  under  tribute  for  aid  in  making 
the  living  for  the  household  as  soon  as  strength 
and  ability  were  available  for  the  purpose,  and 
so  from  the  age  of  nine  he  has  been  working 
for  himself  and  others.  The  destiny  seemed  a 
hard  one  as  he  passed  through  it,  but  he  can 
now  realize  its  beneficial  features  in  the  prep- 
aration it  gave  for  the  more  stirring  and  ex- 
acting duties  ahead  of  him,  when  the  cold 
blasts  of  poverty  and  adversity  assailed  him  in 
youth,  and  can  contemplate  with  satisfaction 
the  impediments  then  in  his  way.  which  he 
converted  into  instruments  of  service,  and  the 
enemies  of  circumstance  which  he  fashioned 
into  power  for  his  advance.  Mature  life 
brought  him  face  to  face  with  duties  of  a  stern 
and  unrelenting  character-,  in  the  performance 
of  which  the  element  of  personal  danger  was 
ever  present,  but  his  early  training  had  armed 
him  to  meet  them.  It  brought  him  trials  and 
"privations  of  unexpected  magnitude,  but  his 
long  habit  of  self-denial  and  self-reliance 
robbed  them  of  terrors  and  shrunk  them  into 
littleness  in  the  presence  of  his  resolute  and 
determined  spirit.  Meanwhile,  he  made  steady 
progress  in  bettering  his  condition,  using 
every  advantage  gained  as  a  stepping  stone  to 
higher  results.  He  is  now  one  of  the  most  gen- 
erally relied  on  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Sag- 
uache  county,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial in  the  way  of  worldly  possessions.  His 


fellow  citizens  gave  a  striking  proof  of  their 
confidence  in  him  and  their  regard  for  him  on 
November  8,  1904,  by  electing  him  sheriff  of 
his  county  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  at  a  time 
when  almost  every  other  candidate  on  that 
ticket  there  was  overwhelmingly  defeated,  and 
his  party  was  awfully  beaten  in  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  country.  Mr.  Monteith  is  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois,  born  in  Pike  county,  at  the 
town  of  New  Canton,  on  February  12,  1851. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Mary  J.  (Gal- 
lagher) Monteith,  the  former  born  in  Scotland 
and  the  latter  in  Ireland.  After  their  marriage 
they  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated in  Illinois.  There  the  father  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  raising  live  stock  until 
his  death  in  November,  1856.  Of  the  three 
children  in  the  family  James  died  in  1899,  and 
Mrs.  John  Lewis  and  William  R.  are  living. 
Some  time  after  the  husband's  death  the 
mother  brought  her  children  to  Colorado  and 
located  in  Denver,  where  she  is  now  living. 
Here  she  married  a  second  husband,  Thomas 
Campbell,  who  died  in  1899.  By  the  early 
death  of  his  father  William  R.  Monteith  was 
deprived  almost  wholly  of  school  advantages. 
At  the  age  of  nine  he  went  to  work  to  earn  a 
little  money  for  the  aid  of  his  mother  in  sup- 
porting the  family,  going  to  Iowa  in  1860  and 
passing  two  years  in  that  state  in  different  em- 
ployments. His  next  engagement  was  driving 
bull  teams  across  the  plains,  and  in  this  he  four 
times  made  the  long  and  perilous  trip 
through  the  wilderness,  in  1862,  1863,  1865 
and  1867,  starting  from  Nebraska  City,  Atch- 
inson  and  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in  turn.  Each 
trip  was  fraught  with  danger  and  had  its  share 
of  hardship  and  adventure.  On  the  last  one, 
in  1867,  the  number  of  persons  in  the  train 
was  thirteen,  and  when  they  reached  the  little 
Blue  river  in  Kansas,  they  encountered  hostile 
Indians,  and  were  in  great  danger  as  they  had 
only  three  guns  in  the  party.  But  they  sue- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


827 


ceeded  in  defeating  the  attack  and  killing  the 
Indian  chief,  although  the  savages  stole  nine 
of  their  horses.  Moving  on,  they  reached  Fort 
Kearney  in  safety,  and  here  they  were  de- 
tained three  days  for  re-enforcements.  In  this 
they  were  fortunate,  for  when  they  reached 
Plumb  creek  a  band  of  five  hundred  Indians 
attacked  them,  firing  three  volleys  into  the 
train.  Two  of  the  party  were  killed  and  Mr. 
Monteith  received  an  arrow  wound  in  the 
thigh.  Along  their  further  progress  they  found 
the  remains  of  many  white  men  who  had.  been 
slain  by  Indians,  but  they  reached  Denver  with- 
out additional  mishap.  Here  Mr.  Monteith  re- 
mained from  July  3,  1867,  just  one  year,  and 
was  employed  in  ranch  work  and  range-riding. 
In  1868  he  went  to  New  Mexico  in  the  service 
of  Andy  Slain,  and  later  made  another  trip 
there  for  the  same  gentleman.  In  1869 
he  was  sent  to  Texas  by  John  Hitson,  the  cat- 
tle king  of  that  day,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  moved  into  the  San  Luis  valley  of  this 
state,  where  he  managed  the  interests  of  the 
Gilpin-Grant  Stock  Company  from  1870  until 
1872.  He  next  entered  the  employ  of  Samuel 
Kelley  and  took  one  thousand,  five  hundred 
cattle  to  Nevada  for  him.  Returning  to  Colo- 
rado in  1873,  he  located  near  Salida,  and  until 
November,  1874,  made  ties  under  contract  for 
the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad.  On  the 
completion  of  his  contract  he  moved  into  Sag- 
uache  county,  and  here  he  has  since  had  his 
home  except  at  intervals  when  his  duty  or  in- 
terest called  him  elsewhere.  In  1875  and  1876 
he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  and  town  marshal 
at  Lake  City,  and  also  engaged  in  mining  there. 
On  August  18,  1879,  he  joined  the  police  force 
at  Leadville  on  which  he  served  through  the 
troublous  times  to  1881,  then  left  with  the 
credit  of  having  been  the  only  man  on  the  force 
who  was  fearless  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty. 
In  this  service  he  had  a  hazardous  encounter 
with  the  noted  desperado,  George  Connors, 


who  had  the  whole  town  stood  off  until  ar- 
rested by  Mr.  Monteith,  and  in  effecting  the 
arrest  he  received  an  ugly  wound  in  his  breast. 
From  1876  to  1879  ne  freighted  out  of  Colo- 
rado Springs,  but  since  1881  he  has  given  his 
attention  almost  wholly  to  his  ranch  and  stock 
interests  in  Saguache  county,  carrying  them  on 
extensively  and  vigorously,  improving  his 
property  and  cultivating  it  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. He  owns  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
good  land  in  three  ranches  three  miles  east  of 
the  county  seat,  and  it  is  all  under  cultivation, 
being  well  watered  from  independent  ditches, 
and  produces  enormous  crops  of  excellent  hay. 
His  cattle  industry  is  also  large  and  profitable. 
Since  he  came  to  Colorado  he  has  not  been 
wholly  immune  from  the  fever  universally  epi- 
demic among  its  people,  but  has  taken  his  turn 
at  prospecting  now  and  then.  He  is  a  third- 
degree  Mason,  and  a  highly  respected,  pro- 
gressive and  prominent  citizen.  For  the  office 
of  sheriff,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1904,  as 
noted  above,  he  has  special  fitness  by  nature 
and  experience,  and  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  the  position  with  unusual  credit  and  benefit 
to  the  county.  He  was  married  on  November 
24,  1876,  to  Miss  Julinette  Joy,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  Morgan  county.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren, both  deceased,  Mary  J.  and  Hattie. 

THOMAS  C.  CLARK. 

After  passing  his  childhood,  youth  and 
young  manhood  in  Missouri,  and  having  ex- 
perience in  life  there  in  various  lines  of  ac- 
tivity and  amid  different  classes  of  people, 
Thomas  C.  Clark,  of  the  vicinity  of  Center, 
Saguache  county,  came  to  this  state  in  1885, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  and  located  at  the 
Jasper  mining  camp  in  Rio  Grande  county.  His 
life  began  in  Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  near 
the  town  of  Quitman,  on  September  9,  1853. 
and  he  is  the  son  of  John  and  Catherine  Clark. 


828 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


who  were  born  and  reared  in  Ohio,  and  moved 
to  Missouri  in  1844.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  also  owned  and  operated  a  saw-mill.  He 
prospered  in  his  work,  supported  the  Republi- 
can party  in  political  affairs  with  ardor  and 
earnestness,  and  with  his  wife  gave  good  and 
effective  service  to  the  cause  of  religion  ac- 
cording to  the  tenets  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  of  which  they  were  members.  He 
was  a  man  of  local  prominence  in  his  section 
and  held  in  good  regard  by  its  people.  "Occa- 
sionally he  allowed  the  use  of  his  name  for  a 
local  office  in  order  to  promote  the  general 
weal,  and  in  all  respects  he  discharged  with 
uprightness  and  fidelity  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship. Three  of  their  children  are  living,  Wesley, 
Thomas  and  Edward.  Thomas  had  no  educa- 
tional advantages  except  such  as  were  to  be 
had  in  the  common  country  schools  of  his  day 
and  locality,  but  was  obliged  from  an  early 
age  to  work  hard  and  continuously  on  the 
home  farm.  Here,  however,  he  learned  a  use- 
ful vocation  and  acquired  independence  and 
self-reliance  of  spirit  as  well  as  strength  and 
suppleness  of  body.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmithing,  remaining  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  He  then  worked  at  his 
trade,  in  connection  with  saw-trulling  in  his 
native  county,  and  also  engaged  in  farming 
and  raising  stock  there. with  success.  In  1885 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  at  the 
Jasper  mining  camp  in  Rio  Grande  county, 
turned  his  attention  to  prospecting  and  mining 
for  wages.  The  conditions  of  life  were  all  new 
to  him  and  the  face  of  the  country  was  differ- 
ent in  large  degree  from  what  he  had  been 
accustomed  to.  But  he  had  acquired  in  his 
previous  experience  that  readiness  of  adapta- 
tion and  resourcefulness  in  the  use  of  his  fac- 
ulties, that  he  would  not  long  have  felt  strange 
or  embarrassed  anywhere,  and  was  soon  as 
much  at  home  in  the  mountains  and  mining  re- 
gions of  Colorado,  and  amid  the  wild  adven- 


turers who  then  made  up  the  population  of  a 
mining  camp  as  he  had  been  among  his  own 
people  on  the  plains  of  Missouri.  A  mind  at 
peace  with  itself  and  in  full  possession  and 
control  of  its  own  attributes  is  not  easily  over- 
thrown or  disturbed  by  circumstances,  and 
this  was  his  case.  He  took  his  place  among 
the  fortune  seekers  at  the  camp  with  as  much 
ease  and  self-possession  as  any  of  them,  and 
wrought  his  portion  with  the  rest.  So  well 
pleased  was  he  with  Colorado,  in  fact,  that  he 
determined  to  remain  in  the  state  permanently, 
and  to  this  end,  he  located  a  part  of  his  present 
ranch  four  miles  northeast  of  Center  on  pre- 
emption and  timber-culture  claims,  and  to  this 
he  has  since  added  by  purchase  until  he  now 
owns  one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  all,  but  in  three  distinct  bodies.  All 
his  land  can  be  cultivated,  and  the  spirit  of  im- 
provement has  so  possessed  him  that  it  is  all 
fenced,  provided  with  comfortable  modern 
buildings  and  other  necessary  structures,  and 
in  an  advanced  state  of  productiveness.  His 
principal  crops  are  peas,  potatoes  and  grain, 
and  his  live  stock,  wrhich  he  raises  extensively, 
includes  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  The  whole 
of  his  enterprise  here  is  a  gain  from  the  waste, 
as  there  was  nothing  of  husbandry  or  the  sem- 
blance of  a  human  habitation  on  the  land  when 
he  acquired  it,  and  there  were  only  three  set- 
tlers in  the  neighborhood  when  he  pitched  his 
tent  in  this  region.  He  is  not  only  a  self-made 
man,  but  his  estate  is  also  his  own  creation. 
In  political  action  he  is  a  loyal  and  unyielding 
Republican,  and  in  local  improvements  he  is  a, 
wide-awake,  far-seeing  and  earnest  man  of 
positive  force  and  an  inspiring  influence.  On 
November  18,  1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Julia  E.  Noffsinger,  who  was  born  in  Missouri 
and  in  the  same  county  as  himself.  They  have 
had  seven  children.  Of  these  Perry  E.,  Cad- 
die and  Goldie  E.  have  died,  and  Jennie  M., 
Emma,  Katie  and  Roy  E.  are  living.  It  is 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


829 


from  such  sturdy  and  resolute  stock  as  Mr. 
Clark,  men  who  know  how  to  do,  what  to  do, 
when  to  do,  and  who  stand  always  ready  to  do, 
whatever  may  be  required  of  them  in  the  line  of 
duty,  that  the  population  of  Colorado  has  been 
largely  recruited,  and  to  such  good  purpose 
that  within  one  generation  of  human  life,  or 
but  little  more  than  this,  the  state  has  grown 
to  colossal  greatness  and  power  in  industrial 
and  commercial  development,  and  achieved 
distinction  all  'over  the  world  by  the  multitude 
of  her  products,  the  magnitude  of  her  enter- 
prises, and  the  promise  of  a  far  more  mighty 
future  which  even  in  her  infancy  is  plainly 
manifest.  While  nature  has  been  bountiful 
here  beyond  the  wildest  dreams  of  her  pio- 
neers, the  men  and  women  who  have  sought 
a  share  in  her  bounty  have  been  worthy  of  it 
and  have  accepted  it  in  the  lofty  spirit  of  true 
craftsmen  entitled  to  the  best  raw  material  at- 
tainable to  work  upon. 

DANIEL  SHERMAN  JONES. 

Born  in  the  state  of  Maine,  near  the  city  of 
Eastport,  on  January  u,  1859,  and  reared  in 
that  locality  to  the  age  of  seventeen,  then 
learning  a  useful  trade  in  Massachusetts,  and 
afterward  following  a  variety  of  occupations 
in  different  parts  of  the  West,  the  subject  of 
this  brief  review  has  seen  American  life  under 
many  stars  and  amid  circumstances  widely  dif- 
fering in  character,  all  of  which,  however, 
have  served  to  strengthen  the  fiber  and  broaden 
the  scope  of  his  mind  and  manhood,  and  pre- 
pare him  for  any  emergency  that  might  con- 
front him.  He  is  the  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary 
(Sherman)  Jones,  natives  and  life-long  resi- 
dents of  Maine.  The  father  was  a  surveyor 
and  carpenter,  prosperous  in  his  work  and  use- 
ful to  an  unusual  extent  to  his  community  and 
county.  He  followed  with  ardor  the  fortunes 
of  the  Republican  party  from  the  first  cam- 


paign to  his  death,  yet  while  doing  this,  he 
never  allowed  his  party  spirit  to  overbear  his 
genuine  interest  in  the  improvement  and  gen- 
eral welfare  of  his  local  surroundings.  He  was 
born  in  1814  and  died  in  1898.  The  mother's 
life  began  in  1818  and  ended  in  her  native 
state  in  1901.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  Eliza,  Mary  'and  Hannah 
are  dead,  and  Mrs.  Edgar  Nash,  Mira,  Mrs. 
Edith  Wilson,  Mrs.  Frederick  Thompson, 
Daniel  S.,  Enmuel  G.  and  Benjamin  are  liv- 
ing. Daniel  was  liberally  educated  in  the  com- 
mon and  high  schools,  and  at  the  state  univers- 
ity at  Dennysville  and  Orona  in  his  native 
state.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  went  to 
Massachusetts,  where  he  learned  the  jeweler's 
trade  and  watch  making.  In  1879,  when  he 
was  twenty,  he  came  to  Colorado  to  do  sur- 
veying, which  he  had  mastered  in  theory  and 
practice,  and  selected  Leadville,  which  was 
then  in  the  height  of  its  first  booming  activity, 
as  the  field  of  his  operations.  But  owing  to  the 
fact  that  there  were  many  surveyors  at  that 
point,  and  the  competition  rendered  the  work 
unprofitable,  he  changed  his  mind  and  sought 
the  benefit  of  an  outdoor  life  as  a  ranch  hand 
on  Bear  creek.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Fort  Col- 
lins, where  he  leased  a  ranch  and  bought  some 
cattle,  and  there  he  carried  on  a  ranching  and 
stock  business  until  some  time  in  1881.  He 
then  went  back  East  and  locating  at  Fort  Fair- 
field  in  Aroostook  county,  Maine,  opened  a 
jewelry  store,  remaining  there  until  1885.  In 
the  winters  of  1882  and  1883  he  also  taught 
school  in  the  woods  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  which  was  uncertain.  After  serving 
three  years  as  county  surveyor  of  Aroostook 
county,  he  was  chosen  in  1884  by  its  people  as 
one  of  their  representatives  in  the  state  legis- 
lature. In  1885  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  de- 
voted the  summer  to  surveying  and  laying  out 
townsites  there,  then  in  the  fall  came  again  to 


830 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Colorado,  and  locating  in  Rio  Grande  county, 
homesteaded  a  ranch  there  on  which  he  lived 
until  1889.  His  life  in  that  county  was  one  of 
loneliness  and  privation.  Montevista  was  the 
nearest  town,  and  the  business  of  ranching  and 
raising  stock,  in  which  he  engaged,  was 
fraught  with  difficulties  owing  to  the  unde- 
veloped condition  of  the  country  and  the 
scarcity  of  conveniences  and  even  necessary  ap- 
pliances for  the  work.  But  he  accepted  the 
situation  and  conditions  with  cheerfulness  and 
resolutely  determined  to  make  the  most  of 
them.  The  life  gave  him  strength  and  sup- 
pleness of  body,  and  his  close  attention  and 
skillful  management  of  his  business  brought 
him  good  returns.  In  1889  he  sold  his  ranch 
in  Rio  Grande  and  bought  a  portion  of  the 
one  he  now  owns  and  occupies  in  Saguache 
county,  the  remainder  of  which  he  has  acquired 
by  subsequent  purchases.  This  consists  of 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
four  hundred  of  which  can  now  be  cultivated. 
The  whole  tract  is  enclosed  with  good  fences 
and  the  buildings  are  many  and  of  good 
quality  and  proportions.  Here  he  is  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  ranching  and  raising  cat- 
tle, and  his  business  is  steadily  increasing  in 
volume  and  profits,  with  a  sure  promise  of  still 
greater  results  as  time  passes  and  a  more 
plentiful  supply  of  water  is  secured.  But  his 
time  has  not  been  given  up  wholly  to  his  own 
interests.  He  is  a  citizen  of  strong  patriotism, . 
•  local  and  general,  and  has  taken  an  earnest  and 
productive  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county. 
He  helped  to  build  and  managed  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Alamosa  Creek  Canal  Ditch,  which 
cost  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  from 
1896  to  1899,  inclusive,  served  the  county  well 
and  wisely  as  the  superintendent  of  its  public 
schools.  He  has  also  taken  a  leading  part  in 
the  cause  of  high  school  education,  serving  on 
the  board  which  managed  that  branch  of  the 
cause,  and  mainly  by  his  efforts  effecting  the 


organization  in  1899,  becoming  its  first  secre- 
tary and  filling  his  position  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  June,  1903,  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Governor  chief  engineer  of  the  Rio  Grande 
irrigation  division,  a  position  for  which  he 
has  special  fitness  and  in  which  he  has  ren- 
dered service  of  great  magnitude  and  value.  In 
political  faith  he  is  an  unwavering  Republican, 
and  in  the  cause  of  his  party  he  is  interested 
effectively  every  day  in  the  year.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order  and  the 
Odd  Fellows.  In  June,  1883,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Ella  H.  Bubar,  a  native  of  Aroostook, 
Maine.  They  have  six  children,  Hope,  Jay, 
Frank,  Neal,  Mary  and  Daniel.  In  three 
states  Mr.  Jones  has  tried  his  hand  at  different 
kinds  of  private  enterprise  and  public  work, 
and  in  each  he  has  an  excellent  record  to  his 
credit.  He  is  a  cultivated  man,  and  has  been 
wise  to  know  and  bold  to  perform  whatever 
came  before  him  at  the  call  of  duty,  and  always 
working  with  might  and  main  toward  the  de- 
sired end.  He  has  many  trials  and  disappoint- 
ments, but  his  buoyancy  and  resistance  have 
always  prevailed  to  preoccupy  him  with  the 
call  to  a  new  interest,  and  the  wounds  he 
suffered  have  cicatrized,  and  his  fiber  has  be- 
come tougher  for  the  hurt  in  every  case.  His 
is  the  sort  of  citizenship  that  has  made  our 
country  great  and  powerful,  and  laid  its 
treasures  at  the  feet  of  the  world  for  service. 
And  he  has  the  good  fortune  to  realize,  even 
while  living,  that  his  work -is  appreciated  at 
some  measure  of  its  full  value,  and  that  he 'is 
correspondingly  esteemed. 

JAMES  WATSON. 

When  the  high  and  often  extravagant 
hopes  inspired  by  the  general  discoveries  of 
gold  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions  of  this 
country  brought  thousands  of  eager  seekers 
for  the  precious  metals  to  Colorado,  and  thus 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


led  to  populating  and  developing"  the  territory, 
men  of  all  classes  and  conditions  in  life,  and 
from  every  section  of  this  and  other  countries, 
became  its  citizens  and  put  in  motion  here  their 
various  kinds  and  degrees  of  enterprise  and 
skill.  Although  led  in  the  first  instance  by  the 
promise  of  great  gains  from  the  mining  in- 
dustry, they  soon  found  other  lines  of  activity 
full  of  fruitfulness  and  gain,  and  remained  to 
cultivate  the  soil  and  build  up  substantial  and 
enduring  business  interests  where  they  had 
come  to  levy  a  quick  and  bounteous  tribute  for 
use  in  enterprises  of  magnitude  elsewhere. 
Among  the  eager  seekers  for  fortune  in  the 
glittering  store  which  lay  hidden  in  the 
mountains  waiting  for  the  voice  of  masterful 
energy  to  call  it  forth  and  make  it  serviceable 
to  mankind,  was  James  Watson,  the  scion  of 
old  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  families,  who, 
although  young  in  years,  was  a  fully  developed 
man  in  determined  spirit,  unyielding  enterprise 
and  resourcefulness  in  emergencies,  ready  to 
dare  any  fate  and  make  the  most  of  any  cir- 
cumstances. The  faith  which  brought  him 
through  hardships  over  the  plains  into  the  wil- 
derness, and. which  sustained  him  in  the  ardu- 
ous toils  and  trials  of  his  early  years  in  this 
country  has  been  amply  justified  by  his  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings  and  the  position  of 
respectability  and  general  esteem  to  which  his 
merit  has  raised  him.  Mr.  Watson  was  born 
in  the  picturesque  and  historic  valley  of  the 
Shenandoah,  near  the  town  of  Woodstock  in 
Virginia,  in  1850,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Jemima  Watson,  the  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia-and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
were  prosperous  planters  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
and  the  father  was  a  man  of  local  prominence 
and  influence,  holding  many  county  offices  in 
the  gift  of  his  people,  serving  in  one  continu- 
ously from  1842  to  1858.  He  was  a  pro- 
nounced Democrat  in  political  faith,  and  was 
ever  active  in  the  service  of  his  party.  In  re- 


ligious belief  both  parents  were  ardent  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church,  and  the  father  was 
one  of  the  pillars  of  the  congregation  to  which 
they  belonged.  He  died  in  his  native  state  in 
1859  and  his  widow  at  the  same  place  in  1864, 
Six  of  their  children  have  died,  leaving  their 
son  James  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
family.  He  received  a  meager  scholastic  train- 
ing in  the  common  schools  of  his  day  and  lo- 
cality, which  were  rendered  less  serviceable 
than  usual  because  of  the  disturbed  conditions 
preceding  and  during  the  Civil  war.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  after  the  death  of  his  parents, 
he  had  the  wide  world  and  its  battle  of  life  be- 
fore him,  and  was  armed  for  the  contest  with 
nothing  but  his  native  powers  of  mind  and 
body,  and  .  the  limited  education  he  had  ac- 
quired. In  1878  he  journeyed  to  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  by  rail,  and  from  there  with  mule 
teams  up  the  Arkansas  river  to  Silverton,  this 
state,  then  a  young  but  promising  mining 
camp.  He  was  six  weeks  making  the  trip  and 
arrived  with  two  teams  and  a  few  dollars  as 
his  only  capital.  But  he  found  a  ready  demand 
for  the  use  of  his  teams  and  his  own  energies 
in  teaming,  and  made  good  profits  at  the  busi- 
ness, at  the  same  time  prospecting,  as  every- 
body else  did,  and  acquiring  by  his  efforts  a 
number  of  valuable  mining  claims.  In  the  fall 
of  1879  he  moved  to  Lake  City  and  continued 
his  freighting  operations,  running  between 
Lake  City  and  Alamosa,  until  1884,  meanwhile 
becoming  possessed  of  additional  mining  prop- 
erties. Since  the  year  last  named  he  has 
been  engaged  in  handling  local  freight  and 
mining  in  San  Juan  and  Hinsdale  counties. 
He  holds  interests  of  value  in  the  Index,  the 
Mountain,  the  King  and  the  Excelsior  mines 
in  San  Juan  county,  and  in  others  elsewhere. 
Since  1889  he  has  also  been  occupied  vigor- 
ously and  extensively  in  the  feed  and  coal 
trade,  handling  all  kinds  of  feed  and  standard 
varieties  of  coal,  such  as  the  Baldwin,  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


Crested  Butte,  the  Anthracite  and  the  Somer- 
set outputs.  In  the  public  affairs  of  his  county 
and  section  he  has  taken  an  active  and  promi- 
nent part,  serving  as  county  commissioner  of 
Hinsdale  county  in  1903  and  1904,  and  on  the 
town  board  of  Lake  City  for  a  number  of 
years.  Politically  he  is  a  firm  and  loyal  Demo- 
crat, arid  fraternally  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  was  married  on  January 
17,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Mowry,  of  the  same 
nativity  as  himself,  who  still  abides  with  him. 
He  has  been  a  bold  and  far-seeing  operator  in 
many  lines,  and  while  often  taking  great  risks, 
has  generally  been  successful;  and  his  useful- 
ness in  the  development  of  his  section  and  in- 
telligence and  force  in  caring  for  its  best  in- 
terests, have  made  him  a  leading  and 
universally  esteemed  citizen,  while  his  genial 
and  generous  disposition  has  gained  him  great 
popularity,  and  his  readiness  to  assist  in  the 
promotion  of  every  valuable  enterprise  has 
won  him  commanding  influence  in  commercial 
and  industrial  circles  throughout  his  portion  of 
the  state.  His  is  the  kind  of  citizenship  that 
has  made  Colorado  great  and  her  name  re- 
spected throughout  the  world  as  a  land  of  won- 
derful possibilities  and  gigantic  undertakings, 
and  he  is  correspondingly  respected  by  all 
classes  of  her  people. 

SAMUEL  WATSON. 

•  The  late  Samuel  Watson,  of  Lake  City,  a 
brother  of  James  Watson,  whose  useful  life  in 
this  state  is  briefly  outlined  elsewhere  in  this 
work,  was  like  his  brother  a  native  of  Shenan- 
doah  county  in  what  is  now  West  Virginia, 
and  was  born  in  1845.  He  became  a  resident 
of  Lake  City,  Colorado,  in  1876,  and  here  he 
died  in  1876.  His  life  in  this  community  was 
an  example  of  humility  and  fidelity,  of  genuine 
charity  to  his  fellows  and  helpfulness  in  their 
needs,  an  example  of  the  truest  and  loftiest 


ideal  as  a  citizen,  neighbor  and  friend;  and  his 
memory  is  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his  fel- 
low citizens  as  one  of  their  best  and  brightest 
possessions.  Proving  himself  in  every  trial 
and  difficulty  a  man  of  lofty  faith,  great  re- 
sourcefulness and  unyielding  self-reliance,  and 
performing  well  and  skillfully,  without  osten- 
tation or  self  praise,  every  duty,  however 
arduous  or  seemingly  impossible,  he  was  one 
of  the  real  heroes  of  civilization  in  a  field 
whereon  its  highest  and  best  efforts  were  in 
constant  requisition.  For  a  period  of  twenty 
years  he  wrought  as  a  pioneer  of  the  most  ad- 
vanced type,  accomplishing  results  of  magni- 
tude, not  offering  excuses  for  not  doing  things. 
He  and  his  brothers  did  all  the  heavy  teaming 
of  the  Lake  City  section  at  a  time  when  the 
highest  engineering  skill  was  required  to  over- 
come obstacles,  and  the  best  generalship  in  the 
disposition  of  their  forces.  When  heavy 
machinery  was  to  be  moved  to  mountain  tops, 
over  rugged  and  almost  impassable  ground, 
they  always  did  it,  s6metimes  effecting  results 
that  would  have  reflected  credit  on  large  trans- 
portation facilities  of  the  most  modern  and 
complete  character.  They  cut  trails  and  built 
roads  through  and  over  well  nigh  insurmount- 
able obstructions,  commanding  all  the  opposing 
forces  of  nature  to  "stand  ruled"  at  their  de- 
sire, and  even  to  pay  tribute  to  their  needs. 
They  braved  the  fury  of  the  elements  and  con- 
quered it.  Storm  and  flood  did  not  deter  them, 
rain,  and  hail  and  snow  did  not  daunt  them, 
the  winter's  cold  and  the  summers  heat  did 
not  stop  or  stay  them  in  the  accomplishing  an 
end  once  definitely  in  view.  And  the  ruling 
spirit  of  their  enterprise  was  Samuel.  And 
even  when  most  beset  with  difficulties  and  con- 
fronted with  obstacles  themselves,  they  were 
generous  and  open-handed  in  helping  others, 
and  promoting  the  general  weal,  aiding  a 
friend  or  neighbor  in  need  or  assistance  with 
substantial  bounty  of  every  required  kind,  and 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


833 


meeting  all  county  and  town  necessities  with 
wise  counsel,  foreseeing  sweep  of  vision  and 
strong  hands  of  material  service.  Samuel 
Watson  was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  Confeder- 
ate army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  carried 
through  life  the  terrible  scenes  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, Cedar  Creek  and  other  renowned  battles 
of  the  momentous  struggle.  When  the  war  was 
ended  he  accepted  the  results  in  a  manly  spirit 
of  generosity,  harboring  no  .ill  feeling  toward 
the  conquerors  of  his  cause,  but  with  de- 
light in  promoting  the  welfare  of  his  re-united 
country,  in  whatever  section  of  it  he  happened 
to  be.  Through  life  he  was  generous  in  the 
true  spirit  of  generosity,  which  keeps  no  books 
of  account  and  exacts  no  usury  for  benefac- 
tions; and  always  he  dealt  with  his  fellows 
along  lines  of  unwavering  and  unhesitating 
integrity.  When  he  was  laid  to  rest  among 
the  fruitful  enterprises  he  had  aided  so  ma- 
terially in  creating,  "Nature  might  stand  up 
and  say  to  all  the  world  'This  was  a  man !'  ' 

HARRY  LINTON. 

Harry  Linton,  an  enterprising  farmer  and 
stock-grower  of  Gunnison  county,  with  a  fine 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  located 
seven  miles  northeast  of  the  county  seat,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1845,  and  was  reared 
to  the  age  of  nine  years  amid  the  seething  and 
intense  activities  of  that  great  commonwealth. 
At  that  age  he  moved  with  his  parents,  George 
and  Susan  (Folk)  Linton,  to  Iowa,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  received  a  common- 
school  .education.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  born  just  when  the 
eighteenth  century,  glorious  in  its  achieve- 
ments for  the  elevation  of  mankind,  was  sur- 
rendering the  scepter  of  power  to  its  young  and 
ambitious  successor,  and  they  passed  their  lives 
in  that  state,  until  1854,  prosperously  engaged 
in  lumber  pursuits,  then  moved  to  Iowa  where 
53 


they  ended  their  days,  the  father  dying  in  1863, 
aged  sixty-one,  and  the  mother  in  1895,  aged 
ninety-two.  They  were  of  old  colonial  stock 
of  Revolutionary  fame,  the  father  of  English 
and  the  mother  of  Welch  ancestry.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  their  son  Harry  began  life  for  him- 
self, learning  the  carpenter  trade  and  working 
at  that  and  farming  until  1883,  when  he  emi- 
grated to  Colorado  and  settled  at  Mount  Car- 
bon, Gunnison  county.  There  for  five  years  he 
worked  at  his  trade,  finding  great  demand  for 
his  mechanical  skill  amid  the  growing  energies 
of  the  place,  and  prospering  in  the  use  of  it. 
In  1890  he  moved  to  Denver  and  started  a 
real  estate  business,  which  he  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Iowa  and  settled  at  Des  Moines,  where  he  re- 
mained five  or  six  years.  Then  coming  back  to 
Colorado,  he  settled  on  the  beautiful  and  fertile 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  which 
he  now  occupies  on  Gunnison  river.  This  has 
since  been  his  home,  and  here  he  has  conducted 
an  up-to-date  and  progressive  ranching  and 
stock  industry,  of  good  proportions  and  ele- 
vated character.  Mr.  Linton  was  married  in 
1889  to  Miss  Louisa  Pennington,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  a 
resident  of  Gunnison,  where  the  marriage  was 
solemnized.  They  have  three  children,  George 
C,  Helen  H.  and  Edith  Elnoria,  who  died  on 
April  1 6,  1905.  Mr.  Linton  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  active  in  the  service  of  his 
party  at  all  times.  He  is  also  devotedly  attached 
to  the  section  in  which  he  lives  and  zealous  in 
promoting  its  welfare  and  advancement  by  all 
means  at  his  command. 

FREDERICK  WILLIAM  SWANSON. 

Ignoring  the  advantages  of  an  advanced 
education  that  were  open  to  him,  and  because 
of  the  independence  and  self-reliance  of  his 
spirit  beginning  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 


834 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


world  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  Frederick  W. 
Swanson,  of  Alamosa,  has  had  an  interesting 
career,  has  tried  his  hand  at  several  pursuits 
and  has  become  familiar  with  American  in- 
stitutions and  the  aspirations  and  tendencies 
of  the  people  by  contact  with  them  in  a  num- 
ber of  different  places  and  lines  of  activity. 
He  was  born  at  Gottenborg,  Sweden,  on  May 
6,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Sophia 
Swanson,  also  natives  of  that  country.  The 
father,  who  was  a  wholesale  grocer,  died  on 
December  22,  1850,  and  the  mother  in  1889. 
Two  of  their  children  are  living,  Mrs.  John 
Hillberg,  now  living  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
Frederick.  A  daughter  named  Virginia,  who 
was  born  on  May  9,  1849,  died  in  1854.  The 
parents  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  Swanson  learned  his  trade  as  a  lithographer 
in  his  native  land,  and  worked  at  it  there  for  a 
time,  then  went  to  sea,  and  while  on  the  water 
learned  ship  carpentering.  In  1866  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  until  the  fall  of  1868 
he  worked  at  carpentering  in  Chicago.  He 
then  moved  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  where  he 
worked  as  a  carpenter  in  the  service  of  the  gov- 
ernment for  a  time,  and  afterward  passed  eight 
months  hunting  buffalo  to  supply  meat  to  the 
forts  and  military  posts  on  the  frontier.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  had  considerable  trouble  with 
predatory  Indians  who  stole  his  meat,  horses 
and  other  belongings.  In  1870  he  returned  to 
Topeka,  and  after  a  short  stay  there,  came  to 
Colorado,  locating  at  Denver.  After  devoting 
six  months  to  carpenter  work  in  that  city,  he 
moved  into  the  San  Juan  country,  which  at 
that  time  had  no  white  settlers,  and  devoted  a 
considerable  time  to  prospecting  and  mining, 
making  some  good  finds  but  never  realizing 
much  from  them.  He  did,  however,  have  a 
rich  harvest  of  privations  and  hardships  in  this 
wilderness,  but  he  was  nerved  to  meet  them 
and  enduring  them  as  a  necessary  part  of  his 
discipline  and  experience.  In  1872  he  helped 


to  survey  the  Del  Norte  townsite,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1873  moved  to  Pueblo,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  and  builder 
until  the  spring  of  1877,  also  conducting  a 
dairy  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  His 
next  locations  were  at  Lake  City  and  Capital 
City,  where  he  remained  until  November,  1877, 
freighting,  mining  and  carpentering  at  those 
places  and  at  Garland,  where  he  helped  to 
build  the  smelter  in  the  fall  of  1877.  In 
February,  1878,  he  located  at  Alamosa,  one  of 
the  six  first  men  in  the  town,  and  he  is  now  the 
only  one  of  the  six  remaining  there.  There 
were  no  buildings  in  the  town  when  he  came, 
and  the  mechanical  forces  were  few  and  in 
great  demand.  Mr.  Swanson  made  by  hand 
the  first  sash  and  flooring  used  there  and  helped 
to  build  the  first  hotel  at  the  place,  which  was 
used  for  the  postoffke,  for  a  saloon  and  for 
various  other  purposes  as  well  as  a  hostelry 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  public.  He 
clerked  in  this  hotel  and  also  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral store  until  the  spring  of  1880,  then  moved 
to  Cornwall,  where  he  opened  another  store 
and  devoted  some  of  his  time  to  mining.  He 
built  a  toll  road  through  Summitville  which 
proved  a  disastrous  venture,  and  his  mining 
schemes  also  all  failed,  so  he  went  broke  and 
was  obliged  to  begin  life  again.  From  1880 
to  1885  ne  a^so  operated  stage  and  freighting 
lines  between  Cornwall,  Alamosa  and  Summit- 
ville, and  in  the  year  last  named  returned  to 
Alamosa  to  live.  From  then  until  1898  he  was 
variously  employed,  then  opened  a  store  which 
he  conducted  until  1901,  at  the  same  time  run- 
ning an  extensive  real  estate  business.  The 
latter  proved  to  be  a  line  well  suited  to  his 
capacities  and  fruitful  in  good  opportunities 
for  profit,  and  since  1901  he  has  devoted  his 
energies  almost  exclusively  to  it,  the  fire  in- 
surance industry  and  ranching.  In  his  insur- 
ance work  he  represents  the  Connecticut,  the 
Home,  the  Seva,  the  New  Zealand  and  the 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


835 


Alliance  companies,  and  does  an  excellent  busi- 
ness for  each.  He  is  also  interested  in  the 
Costilla  &  Excelsior  Dutch  Company's  enter- 
prise and  owns  thirty  acres  of  the  Alamosa 
townsite.  His  ranch  property  consists  of  one 
ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and 
one  of  one  hundred  and  sixty.  Both  are  well 
supplied  with  water  and  improved  with  good 
buildings  and  fences,  and  they  yield  him  good 
returns  for  his  labor  in  general  ranching  and 
the  stock  industry.  But  it  is  in  real  estate 
transactions  that  he  finds  the  most  congenial 
occupation  and  his  best  field  for  industry.  In 
this  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  business  and 
been  very  successful.  He  is  known  as  a  man 
of  excellent  judgment  in  this  line,  and  of  great 
energy  and  resourcefulness.  Serving  as  the 
president  of  the  Building  &  Loan  Association, 
he  has  abundant  opportunity  to  push  his  own 
business  and  help  his  fellows  to  good  chances 
for  securing  homes  and  making  profitable  in- 
vestments. In  the  public  life  o>f  the  community 
he  takes  an  active  and  serviceable  interest.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  town  trustees  since  1891, 
and  his  administration  of  the  office  has  been 
highly  beneficial  to  the  town.  He  is  at  this 
time  also  county  coroner.  In  Freemasonry  he 
has  taken  the  thirty-second  degree  and  filled  all 
the  chairs  in  his  lodge,  chapter  and  auxiliary 
organization  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
On  August  22,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Clara  Olesen,  of  Sweden.  They  have  one  liv- 
ing child,  their  daughter  Hilda,  now  Mrs.  Glen 
Griffin,  of  Alamosa.  Their  son  William,  who 
was  born  in  1878  and  died  in  1887,  was  the 
first  white  boy  born  in  Alamosa. 

JOHN   H.   FULLENWIDER,   SR. 

This  fine  specimen  of  the  winter  green,  who 
is  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Johnnie,"  is 
without  doubt  one  of  the  liveliest  and  most 
active  men  of  his  age  to  be  found  in  Colorado. 


He  is  closely  approaching  the  age  of  seventy- 
four,  and  yet  his  energy  is  still  abounding,  his 
faculties  are  in  full  vigor,  and  time  seems  to 
have  written  no  wrinkles  on  his  essential  being 
in  any  way.  One  of  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  the  San  Luis  valley,  he  has  earned  his 
distinction  by  his  enterprise  and  public-spirit, 
which  are  great,  and  the  general  and  high  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held  by  his  geniality  and 
generosity,  which  are  open  to  every  demand 
and  fully  responsive  on  all  occasions.  His 
home  is  at  M'onte  Vista,  and  he  has  helped  to 
make  that  section  of  Colorado  what  it  is  by 
his  unflagging  energy  and  his  far-seeing  pro- 
gressiveness.  In  personal  appearance  he  bears 
a  striking  resemblance  to  United  States  Sen- 
ator Chauncey  Depew,  whom  he  also  resembles 
in  his  cordiality  of  manner  and  radiant  good 
humor.  Mr.  Fullenwider  was  born  in  Shelby 
county,  Kentucky,  on  September  17,  1831,  on 
the  verge  of  a  season  of  very  unusual  severity, 
nine  feet  of  snow  falling  that  winter  in  many 
parts  of  the  United  States.  He  is  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Henrietta  (Neal)  Fullenwider,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter 
of  Virginia.  After  the  marriage  of  the  parents 
they  lived  in  block  houses,  in  a  new  country 
full  of  hostile  Indians.  They  followed  farm- 
ing and  the  communities  in  which  they  dwelt 
kept  watchers  out  continually  for  savage  at- 
tacks. One  day  when  the  brother  of  our  sub- 
ject's father  was  creeping  under  a  block  house 
to  escape  Indians  they  reached  him  before  he 
got  all  the  way  in  and  chopped  his  head  off. 
In  1834  the  family  moved  to  Illinois,  and  there 
before  the  end  of  the  year  the  father  died, 
leaving  his  widow  with  nine  children  to  pro- 
vide for  and  rear  amid  the  inhospitable  wilds 
of  an  unsettled  new  country.  She  assumed  her 
heavy  burden  with  fortitude  and  bore  it  with 
endurance  and  cheerfulness,  although  at  times 
she  suffered  great  privations,  and  was  obliged 
to  boil  and  grate  corn  for  food  for  the  family. 


836 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


Of  the  thirteen  children  born  to  the  family 
four  died  before  their  father  and  were  buried 
in  Kentucky,  and  five  others  at  short  periods 
afterward,  and  they  were  buried  in  Illinois. 
Another,  Solomon,  died  in  service  during  the 
Civil  war.  The  other  three,  Simon  P.,  who 
lives  in  Iowa,  Marcus  L.,  a  resident  of  Butler 
county,  Kansas,  and  John  H.,  are  living.  The 
last  named  had  but  limited  educational  advant- 
ages. He  always  took  an  active  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  home  farm,  and  aided  his  mother 
in  supporting  the  rest  of  the  family.  For 
forty-six  years  he  lived  near  Springfield,  Il- 
linois, and  was  well  acquainted  with  Abraham 
Lincoln,  under  whose  persuasive  oratory  on 
the  hustings  he  became  a  Republican.  In  1880 
he  moved  to  Kansas  and  located  at  Eldora  in 
Butler  county,  and  in  less  than  two  years  was 
elected  to  the  legislature.  In  that  body  he 
voted  for  the  late  United  States  Senator  Plumb 
for  the  position  he  so  signally  adorned,  and  in 
return  for  the  favor  Senator  Plumb  had  him 
appointed  on  the  United  States  bureau  of 
animal  industry,  on  which  he  served  a  year, 
and  was  then  appointed  a  regent  of  the  Man- 
hattan Agricultural  College,  a  position  he  filled 
acceptably  three  years.  Governor  Martin  also 
appointed  him  a  delegate  at  large  to  the  Louisi- 
ana Cotton  Exposition  from  the  state  of 
Kansas.  In  1888  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated a  ranch  in  the  Monte  Vista  section  of 
the  San  Luis  valley,  which  he  still  owns  and 
has  brought  to  a  state  of  advanced  improve- 
ment, one  thousand  five  hundred  acres  of  the 
land  being  under  high  cultivation.  There  were 
but  few  settlers  in  the  valley  at  the  time,  and 
the  conditions  of  life  were  hard  and  its  con- 
veniences few.  His  is  now  considered  one  of 
the  best  ranches  in  the  region,  and  one  of  the 
most  judiciously  improved.  On  this  tract  he  has 
been,  from  time  to  time,  engaged  in  all  the  dif- 
ferent elements  of  a  general  rariching  industry, 
raising  fine  live  stock  of  various  kinds,  and 


all  the  crops  suited  to  the  section.  He  has  in- 
terests in  Magita  and  Northeastern  ditches. 
His  home  is  at  Monte  Vista,  and  in  this  beau- 
tiful little  city  he  secured  the  needed  subscrip- 
tions for  laying  out  and  adorning  the  city  park, 
which,  in  1904,  was  named  in  his  honor  the 
Fullenwider  Park.  On  September  20,  1855,  ne 
was  married  at  Mechanicsburg,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Isabella  Hall,  of  Sangamon  county,  Illinois. 
They  have  had  five  children,  of  whom  two  died 
in  infancy  and  three  are  living,  Mrs.  William 
Machem,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  John  G.,  a  pros- 
perous San  Luis  valley  rancher  and  sheep 
raiser,  and  Henry  A.,  of  Center,  who  was 
elected  county  assessor  of  Saguache  county  in 
1904. 

GRAVES  &  AHRENS. 

This  enterprising  and  far-seeing  real  estate 
firm,  the  leading  one  in  the  San  Luis  valley, 
which  has  sold  more  land  and  other  real  estate 
than  any  other  agency  for  the  same  purpose  in 
the  region  in  which  it  operates,  is  composed 
of  Arthur  Graves  and  John  M.  Ahrens,  two  of 
the  most  active,  energetic  and  progressive  busi- 
ness men  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region. 

Arthur  Graves,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  was  born  on  August  29,  1862,  at  McFall, 
now  Gentry,  then  Harrison  county,  Missouri. 
He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Jones) 
Graves,  prosperous  farmers  of  that  state.  The 
son  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  as- 
sisted his  parents  on  the  farm  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fifteen,  then  during  the  next  five 
years  worked  for  wages  on  his  own  account. 
In  1882  he  moved  to  Clark  county,  Kansas,  and 
pre-empted  land  which  he  improved  and  after 
farming  it  two  years  sold  it.  In  1884  ne  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Canon  City,  and  for 
two  years  farmed  for  wages.  '  In  1886  he  made 
a  visit  of  several  months  to  his  old  Missouri 
home,  returning  to  this  state  in  1887.  During 
the  next  three  years  he  worked  at  various  oc- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


837 


cupations  in  different  places,  and  saved  his 
earnings.  In  1890  he  moved  into  the  San 
Luis  valley  and  located  a  ranch  which  he  still 
owns  and  which  he  has  increased  to  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  It  is  ten  miles 
northeast  of  Monte  Vista  and  yields  excellent 
crops  of  wheat,  oats  and  pears.  The  improve- 
ments on  it  are  modern  and  complete  for  its 
needs.  Since  1903  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Ahrens,  and  has  been  unusually  successful.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  in  fraternal  life 
a  Woodman  of  the  World  and  a  Knight  of 
Pythias.  On  June  9,  1894,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Reno  Brewer,  a  native  of  the  same 
county  as  himself.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren. Of  these  Walter  has  died  and  Eldon  C., 

\ 

Charles  and  Ethel  M.  are  living.  Mr.  Graves 
is  one  of  the  most  popular,  wide-awake  and  en- 
terprising men  in  the  valley  of  his  home,  and 
one  of  its  most  popular  citizens. 

John  Wr.  Ahrens,  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  to  which  these  paragraphs  are  dedicated, 
was  born  on  October  n,  1860,  at  Attica,  Foun- 
tain county,  Indiana,  and  is  the  son  of  Hein 
and  Augusta  (Kemper)  Ahrens,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  The  father  was  a  stone-cutter 
and  contractor.  The  son  obtained  his  edu- 
cation at  the  high  school  in  his  native  town, 
but  grew  weary  of  school  life  and  did  not  com- 
plete the  course.  He  was  a  lover  of  nature 
and  preferred  hunting,  fishing  and  outdoor  oc- 
cupations to  confinement  in  the  school  room, 
and  as  he  lived  on  the  "banks  of  the  Wabash 
far  away"  from  his  present  abode,  he  had 
abundant  opportunity  for  the  gratification  of 
his  taste.  At  the  same  time,  he  lived  no  idle, 
loafing  life,  and  was  not  devoid  of  teachers  in 
the  great  school  of  Nature;  and  besides,  he 
was  fond  of  reading,  and  by  these  means  be- 
came a  well-informed  man.  After  leaving 
school  he  entered  mercantile  life  at  Hedrick  in 
his  native  state,  being  then  twenty  years  of  age. 


He  began  his  mercantile  career  in  1880  and 
through  the  dishonesty  of  his  partner  failed  in 
1884.  The  year  before  he  began  manufactur- 
ing tiles  at  Hedrick,  but  this  enterprise  was 
swept  away  with  the  mercantile  business.  He 
then  returned  to  Attica,  Indiana,  and  there 
went  into  the  milling  business  in  partnership 
with  his  brothers.  This  industry  was  sold  in 
1888,  and  Mr.  Ahrens  turned  his  attention  to 
farming.  Not  finding  this  pursuit  congenial, 
he  quit  at  the  end  of  a  year  and  started  a  fire 
insurance  business  at  Attica,  afterward  adding 
dealing  in  chattel  mortgages,  farm  loans  and 
real  estate  to  his  line,  and  carrying  on  the  busi- 
ness fourteen  years  in  partnership  with  J. 
Shannon  Vave.  During  this  period  Mr. 
Ahrens  took  on  as  side  lines  dealing  in  fast 
horses  and  backing  a  friend  who  had  a  patent 
right,  which  he  still  thinks  has  merit,  but 
neither  venture  was  profitable.  In  August, 
1903,  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  at 
Monte  Vista,  and  first  engaged  in  the  real  es- 
tate business  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Graves 
and  Richard  Blakey.  After  nine  months  Mr. 
Blakey  retired  from  the  firm  and  it  has  since 
been  known  as  Graves  &  Ahrens.  Having  a 
great  many  friends  in  his  native  home,  many 
of  whom  had  their  eyes  turned  toward  the  set- 
ting sun  for  better  prospects,  it  was  not  dif- 
ficult for  Mr.  Ahrens  to  induce  them  to  come  to 
the  favored  location  in  which  he  was  operating, 
and  the  business  of  the  firm  has  been  excellent 
in  volume  and  value.  Since  he  entered  the  firm 
it  has  sold  21,319  acres  of  land  for  $395,500. 
and  the  prospects  for  trade  in  future  are  ex- 
ceptionally bright.  In  political  faith  Mr. 
Ahrens  is  a  stanch  and  active  Democrat,  and 
in  fraternal  life  a  M^son,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a 
Modern  Woodman  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
He  is  as  yet  a  bachelor,  but  if  indications  can 
be  credited  the  flowery  yoke  of  Eros  is  not  far 
before  him.  He  is  one  of  the  brightest  men 
and  best  citizens  of  the  valley. 


838 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF.    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


CHARLES  W.  CAIN. 

The  most  extensive  grower  of  potatoes  in 
Mesa  county,  this  state,  and  a  pioneer  in  bee 
culture  in  this  section,  Charles  W.  Cain,  living 
two  miles  and  a  half  northeast  of  Fruita,  has 
added  two  new  industries  to  the  extensive  and 
almost  universal  productiveness  of  that  section 
of  the  state,  and  thereby  greatly  increased  the 
commercial  wealth  and  activity  thereof.  And 
it  should  be  said  that  his  present  comfort,  pros- 
perity and  success  are  all  the  more  gratifying 
because  of  the  hardships  and  privations  of  his 
childhood,  youth  and  earlier  manhood,  the 
shadows  of  adverse  fortune  having  hung  over 
him  from  the  cradle  and  for  years  after  he 
reached  maturity.  He  was  born  at  Marietta, 
Ohio,  on  August  8,  1855,  the  son  of  John  and 
Caroline  (Benedict)  Cain,  the  former  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  the  parents  of 
two  children,  both  boys,  of  whom  Charles  was 
the  younger.  He  was  orphaned  at  an  early  age 
and  until  he  reached  eleven  was  reared  by 
relatives.  He  then  lived  in  and  near  Toledo 
several  years,  doing  chores  and  odd  jobs  for 
his  board,  working  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do  in  summer  and  securing  now  and  then  for 
a  few  months  in  the  winter  a  coveted  oppor- 
tunity to  attend  the  public  schools.  Being 
alone  in  the  world,  with  no  capital  but  his  clear 
head,  ready  hand  and  stout  heart,  he  had  a  dif- 
ficult struggle  to  get  along.  But  he  saved  some 
money  by  great  economy  and  when  he  was 
eighteen  attended  the  Delta,  Ohio,  high  school 
for  a  year.  Afterward  he  worked  in  lumber 
yards  and  wholesale  houses  at  Toledo  for  a  few 
years,  and  in  the  winter  of  1879-80  came  to 
Colorado.  During  the  next  two  or  three  years 
he  prospected  and  mined  near  Leadville,  but 
with  no  permanent  success,  accumulating  a 
little  money  at  times,  then  spending  it  all  on 
prospects.  In  1882  he  went  to  California  and 
he  remained  mostly  in  that  state  until  1893, 


when  he  returned  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Mesa  county.  In  the  meantime  he  made  trips 
through  various  parts  of  the  Western,  South- 
ern and  Eastern  states.  On  his  return  to  this 
state  in  the  spring  of  1893  ne  took  UP  a  desert 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  five  miles 
below  Fruita,  which  has  since  come  under  the 
Kiefer  extension  ditch.  Of  this  he  still  owns 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  having  donated 
twenty  acres  to  the  sugar  beet  industry.  In 
1894  he  bought  twenty  acres  of  his  present 
home  ranch,  to  which  he  has  by  subsequent 
purchases  added  sixty  acres,  making  it  eighty 
in  all.  On  these  tracts  of  land  he  devotes  his 
attention  to  general  farming  and  the  develop- 
ment of  his  fruit  industry.  He  has  an  orchard 
of  six  acres  which  yields  abundantly,  but  in  his 
farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of  potatoes,  and 
in  addition  has  a  thriving  and  growing  in- 
dustry in  bees,  he  being  the  pioneer  in  this 
branch  of  enterprise  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
His  apiary  covers  one  hundred  hives  and  is 
very  productive.  He  raises  more  potatoes  than 
any  other  man  in  Mesa  county.  His  crop  in 
1903  was  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons, 
and  in  the  last  three  years  has  aggregated  over 
five  hundred  tons.  On  February  23,  1898, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  Lane,  a  native  of 
New  York,  daughter  of  Squire  G.  Lane,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
They  have  two  children,  Winnie  and  Ethel. 
In  politics  Mr.  Cain  is  an  independent  Re- 
publican, but  he  is  not  an  active  partisan.  He 
is  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  country,  and 
accounted  one  of  its  best  citizens. 

FRANK  F.   KNOWLES. 

One  of  the  prominent  and  successful  con- 
tractors and  builders  of  Mesa  county,  with 
headquarters  at  Fruita,  and  as  well  a  leading 
ranchman  and  stock-grower,  Frank  F. 
Knowles  has  risen  to  his  present  consequence 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


839 


and  high  place  in  public  esteem  through  his 
own  unaided  efforts,  having  been  substantially 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortune  and  his  own 
main  reliance  in  building  it.  He  is  a  native 
of  Waldo  county,  Maine,  born  on  March  23, 
1856,  and  the  son  of  Robert  S.  and  Grace  A. 
(Philbrook)  Knowles,  both  born  and  reared 
in  Maine,  where  their  families  lived  for  gener- 
ations. In  youth  and  early  manhood  the  father 
was  a  sailor,  and  during  the  Civil  war  served 
one  year  in  the  United  States  navy.  For  some 
years  before  the  war  and  after  it  until  his 
death,  in  1900  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  he 
was  a  prosperous  farmer.  His  widow  is  still 
living  on  the  old  Maine  homestead  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  The  son  Frank  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  received  a  common  and  high-school 
education  in  his  native  state.  He  remained  at 
home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  then  -began 
work  as  a  carpenter,  following  the  trade  in 
Maine  six  years.  In  1881  he  started  west  and 
passed  three'  months  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota, 
working  at  his  trade,  then  went  to  Kansas  City 
where  he  wrought  at  the  same  occupation  until 
the  spring  of  1882.  At  that  time  he  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  at  Colorado  Springs, 
where  he  again  worked  at  his  trade,  remaining 
until  June,  when  he  moved  to  Trinidad  and 
there  enlarged  his  operations,  becoming  some- 
what prominent  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  In 
October,  1883,  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Grand  valley  where  he  found  immediate  and 
growing  demand  for  his  skill  as  a  mechanic, 
building  the  first  house  erected  within  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Fruita.  He  continued  his  oper- 
ations as  a  contractor  and  builder  in  this  neigh- 
borhood for  something  over  a  year,  then  moved 
to  Las  Animas,  where  he  remained  ten  years 
occupied  in  the  same  pursuits.  In  1895  he  re- 
turned to  Fruita,  and  here  he  has  since  resided 
and  carried  on  extensively  in  contracting  and 
building.  In  the  spring  of  1896  he  bought  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  forty-four  acres  five 


miles  below  Fruita  on  the  Grand  river,  to 
which  he  has  since  devoted  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  his  time  and  energy,  turning  it  from  a 
desert  into  a  fruitful  farm,  and  improving  it 
with  a  fine  dwelling  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings for  the  proper  conduct  of  his  large  stock 
industry  which  he  has  developed  there.  He  put 
in  a  water  wheel  thirty-two  feet  in  diameter 
to  raise  water  for  irrigation  and  has  an  abund- 
ance for  all  his  needs.  His  residence  is  a 
two-story  stone  house,  heated  with  hot  water 
and  furnished  with  all  modern  appliances  for 
comfortable  living,  it  being  the  finest  ranch 
.  home  in  the  county.  A  coal  mine  on  the  ranch 
provides  him  with  the  greatest  abundance  of 
fuel  for  his  own  needs  and  more  than  he  can 
use,  while  an  immense  deposit  of  fire  clay 
yields  handsome  returns  for  the  labor  expended 
in  working  it  and  getting  it  to  market.  Near 
the  ranch  he  has  a  range  of  two  thousand  acres 
fenced  with  a  natural  wall  of  rocks  and  cliffs. 
Dividing  his  time  between  his  ranching  and 
his  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  he 
is  a  very  busy  man,  but  he  still  has  time  to  give 
due  attention  to  the  public  affairs  of  the  county 
and  contribute  to  its  development  and  general 
welfare  in  many  ways.  On  April  17,  1888. 
he  was  married  at  Kansas  City  to  Miss  Jennie 
O.  Hickman,  a  native  of  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  daughter  of  James  and  Monica 
(Gates)  Hickman,  natives  of  Missouri.  Her 
father  was  for  many  years  a  bookkeeper  at  the 
fort  in  the  employ  of  the  government.  He  died 
at  Independence,  Missouri,  and  since  his  death 
his  widow  has  made  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Knowles.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knowles  have  four  children,  Anna  G.,  Frank 
R.,  George  H.  and  Ethel.  In  political  faith  Mr. 
Knowles  is  a  stanch  Republican,  earnestly  de- 
voted to  the  welfare  of  his  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Workmen  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  taking  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  these  orders. 


840 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


HEMAN  R.  BULL,  B.  S.,  M.  D. 

The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  located 
in  Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  in  May,  1887, 
and  has  been  a  serviceable  and  valued  con- 
tributor to  the  growth  and  development  of 
western  Colorado  and  the  promotion  of  the 
best  interests  of  its  people.  He  was  born  near 
Warwick,  Orange  county,  New  York,  on  Oc- 
tober 26,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Sidney  and 
Ruth  (Cooley)  Bull,  the  former  a  native  of 
Orange  county,  New  York,  and  the  latter  of 
New  Jersey.  The  father,  who  is  now  living 
retired  from  active  pursuits  at  Cameron,  Mis- 
souri, passed  the  whole  of  his  life  of  fruitful 
energy  as  a  farmer,  moving  from  New  York 
to  Missouri  in  1868  and  living  until  1897  at 
Amity,  in  that  state.  The  Doctor  is  the  first 
torn  of  six  children  in  the  family  and  his  edu- 
cation was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of 
Amity.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he 
entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Wash- 
burn  University  at  Topeka,  Kansas.  Complet- 
ing the  preparatory  course  in  1880,  he  entered 
the  collegiate  department  and  there  pursued  the 
scientific  course,  graduating  in  1884  as  the 
valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  then  began  his 
professional  training  at  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege. Philadelphia,  and  in  1887  received  his 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  that  in- 
stitution. Before  the  end  of  that  year  he  came 
to  Colorado  and  located  at  Grand  Junction, 
where  he  at  once  opened  up  an  office  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  In  1891 
he  returned  East  and  took  post-graduate  work 
at  the  Polyclinic  in  New  York  city.  Again  in 
1902  he  spent  the  winter  in  post-graduate 
work  at  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  Medical 
School,  and  during  his  whole  professional  life 
he  has  been  an  industrious  and  thoughtful 
student  of  medical  literature,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  physicians  of  the  state. 
Since  1893  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  state 


board  of  health.  He  belongs  to  the  State 
Medical  Society  and  to  the  American  Medical 
Association,  in  both  of  which  he  has  taken  an 
active  interest,  being  vice-president  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  in  1896  and  1897. 
Since  1889  he  has  been  the  attending  physician 
and  surgeon  to  the  United  States  Indian  School 
at  Grand  Junction,  and  during  the  same  period 
has  been  surgeon  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande 
and  Rio  Grande  Western  Railroads.  In  the 
local  affairs  of  his  community  he  has  been 
active  and  serviceable,  especially  in  efforts  to 
improve  the  sanitary  condition  of  his  home 
city.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
school  directors  for  several  years  and  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  the  educational  affairs  of  the 
city.  He  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  Canon 
block  and  in  the  organization  of  the  Mesa 
County  Building  and  Loan  Association,  and 
has  for  some  years  been  a  director  in  the  Mesa 
County  State  Bank.  The  Doctor  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of 'the  Congre- 
gational church,  being  the  chairman  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  latter.  On  September 
4,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maud  W. 
Price,  daughter  of  George  B.  Price,  a  promi- 
nent editor  of  Carrollton,  Illinois.  The  Doc- 
tor and  Mrs.  Bull  have  two  children,  Sidney 
Price  and  Leland  Rowlee. 

HON.  HORACE  TOOL  DELONG. 

Our  discreet  and  discriminating  philoso- 
pher-poet, Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  has  said 
that  the  most  important  act  of  a  man's  life  is 
the  selection  of  his  grandfather.  In  this  re- 
spect Hon.  Horace  Tool  DeLong,  state  senator 
for  the  sixteenth  district  of  this  state,  seems  to 
have  been  unusually  wise  before  his  day  and 
generation,  for  he  chose  as  judiciously  in  his 
maternal  as  in  his  paternal  ancestry,  being  a 
scion  of  distinguished  and  forceful  families  on 
both  sides  of  his  house.  He  is  the  grandson. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


841 


on  his  mother's  side,  of  the  Adam  Tool  who, 
founded  Tool's  Point,  now  Monroe,  in  Jasper 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  secured  a  considerable 
body  of  land  at  an  early  day  and  built  an  inn 
that  became  a  famous  hostelry  at  which  all 
travelers  of  the  time  through  that  region  found 
comfortable  entertainment  "for  man  and 
beast."  He  rose  to  consequence  there  and  his 
family  were  the  leaders  of  thought  and  action 
in  all  that  section  of  the  country.  His  two 
sons,  James  and  John,  were  both  members  of 
the  legislature  and  otherwise  prominent  in 
public  affairs,  and  his  daughters  were  among 
the  leaders  and  ornaments  of  society  there  and 
in  domestic  life  were  excellent  wives  and 
mothers.  One  of  these,  Susan  Adaline,  was 
the  Senator's  mother. 

In  the  paternal  line  are  several  men  who 
have  won  renown  in  our  day,  among  them 
Lieutenant  George  DeLong,  of  the  Jeannette 
arctic  exploration  fame,  who  is  a  relative  of  the 
Senator,  and  another  of  the  name  and  family 
who  was  conspicuous  in  connection  with  the 
recent  Boxer  uprising  in  China.  His  grand- 
father, George  DeLong,  was  a  good  tailor  and 
a  man  of  sterling  character;  his  father,  Wil- 
liam DeLong,  a  farmer,  successful  and  pros- 
perous. 

Of  these  progenitors  Mr.  DeLong  sprang, 
and  was  born  on  April  20,  1860,  at  the  Tool's 
Point  or  Monroe,  above  mentioned,  or  rather 
on  the  family  farm  not  far  from  the.-town. 
There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  started  his 
scholastic  training  in  the  Monroe  public 
schools.  When  he  was  about  sixteen  he  en- 
tered for  a  course  of  instruction  in  the  pre- 
paratory school  of  Simpson  College  at  Indian- 
ola  in  the  adjacent  county  of  Warren.  After 
finishing  this  he  returned  to  his  native  town  of 
Monroe  and  completed  the  course  at  the  high 
school  there,  receiving. the  first  diploma  -issued 
by  the  institution  and  being  the  valedictorian 
of  his  class.  He  then  taught  winter  schools 


and  boarded  himself  at  twenty  dollars  a  month, 
even  at  that  salary  saving  money  for  a  further 
development  of  his  ambitions.  Later  he  be- 
came principal  of  the  Monroe  high  school, 
from  which  he  had  recently  graduated,  and 
afterward  was  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Victor,  Iowa.  Between  times  he  went  to  col- 
lege, passing  a  year  or  two  at  the  Central 
University,  Pella,  Iowa;  but  while  pursuing  his 
studies  there  with  zeal  and  distinction,  his  eye- 
sight failed  in  a  measure  and  he  was  obliged  to 
abandon  his  books.  He  came  to  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, in  1885,  ar|d  after  making  short  trips 
to  neighboring  towns  wintered  at  Aspen, 
where  his  parents  dwelt  and  where  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Annie  Shelledy,  still  resides.  While 
there  he  arranged  by  correspondence  with  a 
college  churn,  Newton  R.  Beck,  then  living  at 
Colorado  Springs,  to  go  into  the  real  estate, 
loan  and  insurance  business  with  him  at  Grand 
Junction.  On  his  way  to  that  town  he  passed 
through  Glenwood  Springs,  whence  there  was 
a  stage  line  to  the  Junction,  the  stage  making 
the  trip  in  three  days.  Instead  of  taking  the 
stage  Mr.  DeLong  determined  to  make  the 
journey  on  foot,  which  he  did  in  three  days 
and  a  half.  The  business  enterprise  was  be- 
gun and  for  a  time  was  conducted  under  the 
firm  name  of  Beck  &  DeLong.  Soon  Mr. 
Beck  returned  to  Iowa  and  Prof.  Ira  M.  De- 
Long,  now  of  the  Colorado  State  University  at 
Boulder,  became  a  member  of  the  new  firm  or- 
ganized under  the  name  of  DeLong  Brothers 
&  Marsh.  Since  the  dissolution  of  this  firm 
Mr.  DeLong  has  conducted  the  business  alone. 
He  is  prominent  and  successful  in  the  com- 
mercial, social,  fraternal  and  church  life  of  the 
state,  and  has  a  commanding  influence  in  its 
politics.  In  religious  work  he  is  active  and 
serviceable,  being  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Grand  Junction 
and  the  teacher  of  its  young  folks'  Bible  class. 
He  was  a  delegate  with  Governor  Evans  to  the 


842 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


general  conference  at  Omaha  in  1892.  In  Ma- 
sonic circles  he  has  the  highest  rank.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  on  the  twenty-first  anniversary 
of  his  birth  in  his  native  town  of  Monroe,  but 
for  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  lodge  of 
the  order  at  Grand  Junction,  and  in  it  he  has 
held  every  office  of  prominence,  becoming 
thereby  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge.  In  this 
body  his  interest  was  so  active  and  his  services 
were  so  signal  that  he  rose  to  the  position  of 
grand  master  of  the  state,  which  he  filled  with 
conspicuous  ability,  giving  general  satisfaction 
to  the  craft  throughout  the  jurisdiction.  He  is 
also  a  valued  member  of  the  Woodmen.  In 
politics  he  has  through  life  been  an  unwaver- 
ing Republican,  although  not  active  in  party 
work  until  after  his  arrival  at  Grand  Junction. 
He  never  desired  office,  or  consented  to  accept 
a  nomination  until  his  party  named  him  as 
its  candidate  for  state  senator  in  1902.  The 
senatorial  district  has  for  some  years  been  giv- 
ing a  Democratic  and  Populist  fusion  majority 
of  eight  hundred  to  nine  hundred,  but  he  car- 
ried it  by  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  as  a 
straight  party  man,  which  was  a  phenomenal 
gain  and  an  impressive  evidence  of  his  popu- 
larity and  his  ability  as  a  campaigner. 

The  ensuing  session  of  the  legislature  is 
memorable  for  its  storms  and  party  dissensions, 
but  through  them  all  he  followed  the  habit  of 
his  life  in  business  and  other  relations  by  pur- 
suing a  straight-forward  and  manly  course, 
always  acting  and  voting  in  accordance  with 
his  convictions.  In  fact,  so  wholly  free  from 
any  desire  to  conceal  an  act  or  a  motive  in  his 
legislative  course  was  he,  that  his  bill  file  con- 
tained memoranda  in  his  own  hand  of  the  fate 
of  every  bill,  his  vote  on  it  and  his  reasons 
therefor.  He  was  a  strong  man  in  the  senate, 
and  although  one  of  the  most  rapid,  was  one 
of  the  clearest  and  most  logical  speakers  that 
ever  sat  in  the  body. 

In  March,    1887,   Mr.   DeLong  began  the 


organization  of  the  Grand  Junction  Building, 
Loan  and  Savings  Association,  being  ably  as- 
sisted therein  by  the  late  Dr.  F.  P.  Brown  and 
E.  E.  Emrick.  The  Senator  was  the  vitalizing 
and  hustling  spirit  in  the  enterprise  and  se- 
cured the  necessary  subscriptions  to  the  stock. 
His  efforts  were  soon  crowned  with  success, 
the  association  being  incorporated  on  May  2, 
1887,  with  a  capital  stock  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  divided  into  one  thousand  shares 
of  one  hundred  dollars  each.  This  has  since 
been  increased. to  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars and  there  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  of  it  issued  and  outstanding. 
This  association  has  done  more  to  develop  the 
city  of  Grand  Junction  than  any  one  other 
enterprise,  and  to  Senator  DeLong  belongs  a 
large  share  of  the  credit.  He  has  aided  greatly 
through  this  channel  in  making  it  a  city  of 
homes. 

On  Christmas  day,  1887,  Mr.  DeLong 
married  Miss  Kate  Weston,  then  one  of  his 
Sunday  school  class.  Their  children  are  Bessie, 
William  Weston,  Gladys  and  Gretchen  (twins) 
and  Ira  Mitchell. 

R.  N.  ROGERS. 

R.  N.  Rogers,  mayor  of  Telluride,  elected 
in  1903,  brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  of- 
ficial duties  a  fund  of  worldly  wisdom  gathered 
in  a  wide  experience  among  different  classes  of 
men  engaged  in  various  occupations,  and  has 
justified  the  confidence  shown  in  his  selection 
for  the  position  by  a  careful  and  judicious 
management  of  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  act- 
ive and  intelligent  efforts  for  its  advancement 
and  progress  along  lines  of  safe  and  healthy 
development.  He  has  long  been  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  community,  and  has  con- 
ducted enterprises  of  .  magnitude  and  great 
public  convenience  for  the  benefit  of  its  peo- 
ple, running  an  extensive  livery  and  feed  barn, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


843 


with  complete  equipment  for  the  business,  and 
also  operating  the  stage  lines  to  the  Tomboy 
and  Alta  mines,  and  owning  and  developing  the 
townsite  of  Dunton,  where  the  hot  springs  are 
located.  He  is  a  pioneer  of  1889  in  the  state, 
and  was  born  and  reared  on  Prince  Edward 
Island,  Canada,  where  his  life  began  on  Febru- 
ary 28,  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Griffith  J.  and 
Margaret  (Neil)  Rogers,  who  were  also  born 
and  grew  to  maturity  on  that  island.  Mr. 
Rogers  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive place,  and  reached  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  without  incident  worthy  of  notice  dif- 
ferent from  what  occurs  usually  in  the  life  of 
boys  in  his  class  and  locality.  In  1882  he 
came  to  Dakota  and  during  the  next  four 
years  was  engaged  in  farming  in  that  territory. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  changed  his  base  of 
operations  to  Wisconsin  and  his  business  to 
butchering  and  conducting  a  meat  market,  in 
which  he  was  also  occupied  four  years.  In 
1889  he  came  to  this  state  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  mining,  which  he  followed  until 
1895,  when  he  started  the  livery  business  which 
he  is  now  conducting,  and  which  he  has  ex- 
panded into  one  of  considerable  magnitude  and 
conducts  with  vigor  and  enterprise,  and  with 
every  consideration  for  the  wants  of  his  pa- 
trons. His  outfit  is  one  of  the  most  complete  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  nothing  being  omitted 
either  in  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  rigs  or 
the  quality  of  his  teams  that  is  required  for  the 
most  active  and  up-to-date  establishment  of 
the  kind.  In  addition  to  this  business  he  also 
owns  and  conducts  the  stage  lines  between  the 
town  and  the  Tomboy  and  Alta  mines,  with 
which  he  does  a  flourishing  business,  and  finds 
room  for  his  surplus  capital  and  enterprise  in 
developing  the  townsite  of  Dunton  which  he 
owns,  and  which  he  is  pushing  forward  with 
as  rapid  progress  as  the  circumstances  allow. 
It  is  at  this  place,  as  has  been  stated,  that  the 
hot  springs  of  southwestern  Colorado  are  lo- 


cated, the  curative  powers  of  which  have  al- 
ready attracted  attention  throughout  a  large 
extent  of  country,  and  which  promise  in  time 
to  rival  in  patronage  and  beneficial  effects  simi- 
lar natural  waters  at  the  older  resorts.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Rogers  is  connected  with 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks.  From  the  time 
of  his  arrival  at  Telluride  he  has  been  active 
and  zealous  in  helping  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  community,  serving  for  a  number  of 
years  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  since 
1903  as  mayor  of  the  town,  and  rendering  ef- 
ficient and  appreciated  service  to  the  people  in 
both  positions.  He  was  married  here  on 
August  10,  1899,  to  Miss  Clara  J.  Chapman,  a 
native  of  this  state.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Thelma,-  the  only  survivor  of  their  family.  No 
citizen  of  the  county  stands  higher  in  the  re- 
spect and  good  will  of  the  people,  and  none  is 
more  entitled  to  their  regard. 

J.  L.  CRISWELL. 

The  pioneer  merchant  of  Riclgeway,  whose 
arrival  in  this  section  antedated  the  birth  of 
the  promising  little  town,  and  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  most  public-spirited  citizens  of  On  ray 
county,  J.  L.  Criswell  is  a  native  of  Missouri, 
born  in  1857,  and  the  son  of  Wesley  and 
Martha  (Hudson)  Criswell,  also  natives  of 
that  state.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Missouri  and  educated  in  the  neighboring 
district  schools.  In  the  exacting  but  manly 
labors  of  the  farm  he  acquired  habits 
of  industry  and  thrift  and  also  a  spirit 
of  self-reliance  and  independence,  learn- 
ing to  depend  on  his  own  acumen  and  energy 
in  every  emergency  and  use  his  faculties  to 
good  advantage  under  any  circumstances.  After 
reaching  the  estate  of  manhood  he  was  en- 
gaged near  his  home  for  a  period  in  farming, 
and  afterward  followed  the  same  occupation  in 
Nebraska  and  Wyoming  for  a  time.  In  1880 


844 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


he  came  to  Colorado,  and  for  a  year  was  em- 
ployed as  bookkeeper  for  the  railroad  com- 
pany. In  1 88 1  he  settled  where  Ridgeway  has 
since  been  built  and  engaged  in  mining,  and 
also  helped  to  survey  the  southwestern  counties 
of  the  state  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
government.  He  continued  his  mining  and 
prospecting  operations  until  1886,  making  a 
number  of  important  discoveries  which  he  sold. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  opened  a  general 
store  at  Dallas  which  he  conducted  for  a  short 
time,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  site  of 
Ridgeway  and  started  the  merchandising  busi- 
ness here  which  he  still  carries  on,  and  which 
was  the  first  of  the  kind  in  this  neighborhood. 
His  establishment  is  a  large  and  complete  one 
for  its  locality  and  carries  a  stock  of  merchan- 
dise well  selected  to  suit  the  wants  of  the  peo- 
ple who  patronize  it,  at  the  same  time  satisfy- 
ing and  cultivating  the  taste  of  the  community,, 
and  laying  under  tribute  to  its  trade  a  large 
extent  of  the  surrounding  country.  He  also 
owns  a  ranch  on  which  he  conducts  a  thriving 
stock  industry,  pushing  his  business  in  that 
line  with  the  same  energy  and  capacity  that  he 
exhibits  in  his  merchandising.  As  a  pioneer 
in  this  locality  he  has  had  much  to  do  with  the 
development  of  the  section,  and  has  been  con- 
spicuous in  every  line  of  useful  activity  that  has 
been  put  in  motion  among  its  people.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town,  and  to  its  in- 
terests and  the  spread  of  its  influence  and  the 
growth  of  its  vitality  he  has  sedulously  de- 
voted himself.  For  six  years  he  served  as  its 
postmaster,  and  while  in  the  office  greatly  en- 
larged its  postal  conveniences.  In  many  other 
ways  he  has  stimulated  its  forces  for  progress, 
and  subserved  the  convenience  and  lasting 
good  of  its  inhabitants.  In  1892  he  was  mar- 
ried here  to  Miss  Edith  King,  a  native  of 
Michigan  but  reared  in  Colorado,  and  a  sister 
of  Cassio  King,  the  gifted  poet  of  San  Juan, 
whose  muse  has  embalmed  the  natural  beauties 


and  social  features  of  the  region  in  the  amber 
of  their  inspiring  lines.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cris- 
well  have  four  children,  their  sons  Walter  and 
Robert,  and  their  daughters  Ruth  and  Lillian. 
Mr.  Criswell  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  has  given  the  order  a 
due  share  of  his  stimulating  and  serviceable  at- 
tention. Successful  in  business,  esteemed  as 
a  citizen,  potential  as  a  civic  force,  and  inspir- 
ing as  an  example  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
Mr.  Criswell  is  living  a  useful  and  commend- 
able career  in  which  all  the  best  elements  of 
American  manhood  are  worthily  exemplified. 

L.  S.  WHEELER. 

Born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  exchanging  the  highly  cultivated 
and  well  developed  agricultural  industry  of 
that  great  state  in  the  full  flush  of  his  young 
and  vigorous  manhood  for  the  hard  conditions 
and  unsettled  state  but  more  promising  oppor- 
tunities of  the  industry  in  the  farther  west,  and 
accepting  the  lot  he  found  here  with  a  man- 
liness and  self-reliance  which  has  made  the 
most  of  them,  L.  S.  Wheeler,  of  Ridgeway, 
has  not  been  a  loser  by  the  change  and  the 
state  of  Colorado  has  been  largely  the  gainer. 
His  life  began  in  1843,  an^  ne  ^s  the  son  of 
S.  A.  and  Clarissa  (Hale)  Wheeler,  who  were 
also  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  He  grew  to 
manhood  on  his  father's  farm  and  expected  to 
devote  his  energies  through  life  to  the  vocation 
of  his  ancestors  for  many  generations.  But 
the  West  called  him  to  her  open  fields  and 
more  inspiring  chances  before  he  reached  the 
prime  of  life  and  became  too  well  established 
in  his  early  surroundings  to  leave  them  with- 
out too  keen  a  pang.  In  1880,  when  he  was 
about  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  he  came  to 
Colorado  and,  locating  at  Gunnison,  engaged 
in  mining.  Three  years  later  he  moved  to  Sil- 
verton,  where  he  discovered  some  of  the  valu- 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


845 


able  properties  which  have  been  yielding  hand- 
somely since  then,  and  in  some  of  which  he  is 
still  interested.  He  also  has  holdings  of  great 
worth  at  Eureka  which  he  still  works,  although 
he  maintains  his  residence  at  Ridgeway,  and 
takes  an  interest  in  farming  and  raising  stock 
as  a  side  issue.  He  was  married  at  Ouray  in 
1889,  to  Mrs.  Jennie  Masenia,  who  is,  like  him- 
self, a  native  of  Pennsylvania  but  has  been 
for  many  years  a  resident  of  this  state.  Mr. 
Wheeler  has  been  an  industrious  developer  of 
his  mining  properties,  and  given  a  stimulus  to 
the  business  wherever  he  has  worked.  He  has 
also  shown  a  good  citizen's  active  and  intelli- 
gent interest  in  the  general  welfare  of  his  home 
locality,  and  zealously  supported  every  under- 
taking for  its  advancement.  For  years  he  has 
been  an  earnest  and  loyal  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  its 
teachings  and  living  its  principles  in  his  daily 
life.  No  citizen  of  Ouray  county  is  more 
worthy  of  public  esteem  or  has  it  in  larger 
measure. 

ALEC  GOULD. 

With  a  fine  valley  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  acres  and  a  flourishing  stock 
business,  located  in  a  good  section  of  the 
country,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  town 
of  Ridgeway,  Ouray  county,  Alec  Gould  has 
won  out  of  the  difficult  conditions  of  the  far 
western  life  a  good  estate  and  a  substantial 
comfort  which  expands  with  the  flight  of  time 
through  his  own  efforts  and  becomes  more 
firmly  established  as  the  application  of  his  sys- 
tematic industry  and  fruitful  labors  continue. 
He  is  a  pioneer  of  1881  in  this  state,  but  a 
native  of  Canada,  where  he  was  born  on  Febru- 
ary 23,  1852.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Margaret  Gould,  also  native  in  the  dominion, 
where  he  was  reared  and  received  a  district 
school  education.  In  1870  he  came  to  Nevada, 
and  six  years  later  moved  to  Cheyenne,  Wyo- 


ming, where  he  remained  a  short  time,  then 
went  to  the  Black  Hills  and  engaged  in  mining. 
In  1 88 1  he  came  to  Colorado  and,  settling  at 
Ouray,  again  went  to  mining,  and  a  short  time 
afterward  bought  the  place  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and 
raising  stock.  To  this  business  he  has  since 
devoted  himself  with  regular  and  close  appli- 
cation, studying  its  development  with  care  and 
thoughtfulness,  and  applying  the  results  of  his 
study  and  observation  with  judgment  and  dis- 
crimination. His  ranch  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  promising  in  his  neighborhood  and  his 
business  is  growing  with  gratification,  steadi- 
ness and  healthy  progress.  Mr.  Gould  is  not 
married,  but  he  is  none  the  less  deeply  and  in- 
telligently interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity and  none  the  less  active  in  promoting 
it  by  substantial  aid  to  every  good  enterprise. 
He  is  a  man  of  breadth  of  view  and  experience, 
having  seen  much  of  the  country  and  his  native 
land,  and  has  been  taught  by  association  with 
men  in  various  pursuits  and  under  a  wide 
range  of  circumstances  that  the  real  prosperity 
of  a  country  depends  upon  the  prosperity  and 
intelligence  of  the  great  body  of  its  people,  and 
not  on  the  showy  acquisitions  of  any  particular 
class.  He  is  well  esteemed  throughout  his  dis- 
trict as  a  useful  citizen,  an  industrious  and  far- 
seeing  man,  and  a, force  for  good  in  the  section 
of  the  country  where  he  lives. 

JOHN  MERLING. 

John  Merling,  a  prominent  farmer,  stock- 
grower  and  dairyman  of  Ouray  county,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  where  he  was  born  on  Janu- 
ary 29,  1839,  and  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and 
Margaret  Merling,  who  were  also  born  in  Ger- 
many and  belonged  to  families  that  had  lived 
in  that  country  for  many  generations.  When 
he  was  seven  years  old  his  parents  emigrated 
to  America,  bringing  their  children  with  them. 


846 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


They  located  in  Vermont,  there  he  lived  at 
home  and  went  to  school  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  seventeen.  He  then  came  west  to  Iowa, 
and  in  1859  drove  an  ox  team  across  the  plains 
to  Camp  Floyd  in  Utah;  and  from  there  he 
went  on  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in 
mining  until  1861.  At  that  time  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army  for  the  Civil  war  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  B,  First  California  Infantry. 
He  served  three  years  and  three  months,  and 
was  then  discharged  in  New  Mexico,  his  regi- 
ment having  been  engaged  principally  in  fight- 
ing the  Indians  who  took  advantage  of  the  op- 
portunity furnished  by  the  war  to  rise  and  seek 
to  regain  their  lost  prestige  and  drive  the 
whites  out  of  the  country.  After  his  discharge 
he  returned  to  Vermont,  and  after  remaining 
there  a  year  came  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and 
was  employed  in  railroad  work  on  the  Union 
Pacific.  He  continued  in  the  employ  of  this 
company  until  the  road  was  completed  into 
Wyoming.  In  1869  he  came  to  Colorado  and, 
locating  at  Las  Animas,  engaged  in  raising 
stock  and  dairying,  and  also  ran  a  meat 
market.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Ouray  county 
and  settled  on  his  present  ranch,  which  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  excellent 
farming  and  grazing  land.  When  he  took  pos- 
session of  it  the  Indians  claimed  the  ownership 
and  he  had  difficulty  in  defending  his  rights. 
But  he  succeeded  after  a  struggle  in  establish- 
ing himself  firmly  on  the  land,  and  at  once 
began  to  raise  stock  and  sometime  later  started 
a  dairy  which  he  has  since  been  actively  and 
profitably  conducting.  He  has  ahvays  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county 
and  has  served  it  well  as  county  commissioner 
and  county  school  superintendent.  He  was 
married  in  Vermont  in  1866  to  M'iss  Mary  E. 
Pepler,  also  a  native  of  Germany.  She  died 
in  Ouray  county  in  1901,  leaving  five  children 
surviving  her,  George,  John  D.,  Charles, 
Frederick  and  Lillie.  In  his  business  ventures 


Mr.  Merling  has  prospered,  and  in  his  as- 
sociation with  his  fellow  men  he  has  won  their 
high  and  lasting  esteem,  being  now  considered 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county  in  a  com- 
mercial way  and  in  public  affairs.  His  life  has 
been  useful  and  upright,  and  his  influence  for 
good  in  the  development  and  progress  of  the 
county  has  been  considerable  and  has  always 
been  wisely  and  judiciously  exercised. 

GEORGE  W.  COBB. 

George  W.  Cobb,  a  prosperous  Ouray 
county  farmer  and  stock-grower,  living  three 
miles  east  of  Ridgeway,  is  a  pioneer  of  1862 
in  Colorado,  and  a  native  of  Michigan  born 
in  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Septimus  and  Caro- 
line (Brook)  Cobb,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  New  York  •  state.  Their  son  George  was 
reared  on  the  farm  which  they  made  their 
home  in  Michigan  soon  after  their  marriage, 
and  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  went 
to  Missouri  and  located  at  Springfield,  where 
he  remained  three  years.  In  1862  with  four 
yoke  of  oxen  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Denver, 
Colorado,  and  from  there  moved  to  Fairplay 
and  engaged  in  merchandising,  remaining  until 
the  Granite  excitement  broke  out,  when  he  went 
to  that  place,  but  after  a  short  residence  there 
transferred  his  base  of  operations  to  Canon 
City  and  was  one  year  with  the  Colorado  Im- 
provement Company.  He  then  began  merchan- 
dising again  and  continued  it  until  1876,  when 
he  sold  out  and  made  a  trip  East.  In  1877  he 
came  to  Ouray  county  and  merchandised  for 
a  while  at  Portland,  later  moving  to  Dallas 
and  in  1885  taking  up  his  residence  at  Ridge- 
way,  where  he  carried  on  a  store  for  two 
years.  In  1901  he  moved  to  the  farm  which 
he  now  occupies,  which  comprises  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  excellent  bottom  land  and 
yields  abundant  crops  of  hay  and  some  grain 
and  generously  supports  his  band  of  high-grade 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


cattle.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs,  giving  earnest  attention  to  every  com- 
mendable enterprise  for  the  improvement  of 
the  county,  and  inspiring  others  to  a  similar 
activity  by  his  example.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  order.  At  Portland,  in  May,  1879, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Blanche  Jacknick,  a 
native  of  Iowa,  whose  father  was  for  eleven 
years  chief  clerk  in  the  interior  department 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren, Chester  G.,  Etta  R.,  Ethel  V.  and  Clar- 
ence M.  In  addition  to  his  farming  industry 
Mr.  Cobb  is  also  interested  in  mining  and  owns 
a  number  of  valuable  claims.  He  has  been  a 
man  of  great  industry  and  energy,  and  has  won 
the  reward  of  his  efforts  in  a  substantial  com- 
petency in  worldly  wealth  and  the  lasting 
esteem  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 

GEORGE  R.  COUCHMAN. 

Born  and  reared  on  an  Indiana  farm  and 
learning  the  science  and  the  practical  work  of 
agriculture  in  that  region  where  they  are 
highly  developed  and  vigorously  followed. 
George  R.  Couchman,  of  Ouray  county,  with 
a  fine  ranch  and  comfortable  residence  about 
four  miles  and  a  half  northeast  of  Ridgeway, 
came  to  this  country  when  it  was  new  and  un- 
developed well  prepared  for  his  part  in  start- 
ing its  agricultural  interests  forward  on  a 
career  of  gratifying  and  almost  unexampled 
success.  He  was  born  in  1846,  the  son  of 
Andrew  and  Margaret  (Evans)  Couchman,  na- 
tives of  Indiana,  and  prosperous  farmers  in 
that  state,  and  on  the  paternal  homestead  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  in  the  neighboring  dis- 
trict schools  received  his  education.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  quite  young  and  the  burden 
of  helping  to  conduct  the  farm  and  the  affairs 
of  the  household  fell  heavily  on  his  shoulders 
early  in  his  life.  He  remained  at  home  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  then  enlisted 


in  Company  G,  Thirty-third  Indiana  Infantry. 
After  a  service  of  one  hundred  days  in  this 
command  he  was  discharged,  and  he  then  enlist- 
ed in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
eighth  Indiana  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  and  although  his  regi- 
ment was  in  active  field  work  and  confronted 
the  enemy  on  many  a  bloody  field,  he  escaped 
unhurt,  and  at  the  close  of  the  contest  returned 
to  his  Indiana  home,  later  he  moved  to 
southwestern  Missouri,  and  the  next  year  to 
Kansas.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  fanning 
five  years,  and  in  1873  came  to  Colorado, 
locating  at  Colorado  Springs.  During  the  next 
five  years  he  was  farming  and  carrying  on  a 
lumber  business  at  this  point,  and  in  1879 
moved  to  Lead vi lie  and  turned  his  attention  to 
mining.  In  1884  he  came  to  Ouray  county 
and  located  his  present  ranch,  which  consists 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  superior 
hay  land  that  yields  abundant  crops  and 
furnishes  a  plentiful  supply  of  provender  for 
his  stock.  He  was  also  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing for  four  years  at  Ridgeway,  and  is  now 
conducting,  in  addition  to  his  farming  and 
stock  operations,  a  large  flouring  mill  that  has 
an  appreciative  body  of  patrons  and  supplies  an 
extensive  district  with  its  high-grade  products. 
Mr.  Couchman  has  been  a  wide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive citizen,  deeply  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  county.  He  served  a  number  of 
years  as  county  commissioner,  and  in  nrtny 
other  ways  has  aided  in  the  development  and 
proper  growth  of  his  section  of  the  state  and 
the  improvement  and  increased  comfort  of  its 
people.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  zealous 
and  energetic  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  In  1870,  while  living  in  Kansas,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Holbrook,  a  native 
of  Michigan.  They  have  four  children,  Mary, 
Jessie,  Lulu  V.  and  Mabel.  The  family  oc- 
cupies an  attractive  residence  at  Ridgeway. 
which  is  maintained  there  in  order  that  the 


848 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


children  may  have  the  best  school  facilities 
available.  Among  the  enterprising,  far-seeing 
and  progressive  citizens  of  Ouray  county 'none 
stand  higher  than  Mr.  Couchman  in  the  public 
esteem,  and  none  has  done  more  to  deserve  the 
cordial  good  will  and  confidence  of  his  fellow 
men. 

LEWIS  V.  ORNIS. 

Lewis  V.  Ornis,  of  Ouray  county,  is  one 
of  the  progressive  farmers,  stock  men  and 
dairy  men  of  this  part  of  the  state  who  has 
done  much  to  develop  its  resources  and  push 
forward  its  progress  with  rapid  but  whole- 
some activity.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  the 
celebrated  hot  springs  of  this  region  which 
experts  claim  are  equal  in  curative  powers  to 
those  in  Arkansas.  Mr.  Ornis  was  born  in 
Wisconsin  in  1855,  the  son  of  Harrison  F. 
and  Johanna  (Corbin)  Ornis,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Iowa. 
When  he  was  five  years  old  the  family  moved 
to  Nebraska  and  a  month  or  two  later  came  on 
to  Colorado,  settling  at  Central  City  where  the 
father  engaged  in  mining.  A  short  time  after- 
ward they  moved  into  Boulder  county,  and 
there  he  carried  on  a  farming  and  stock  in- 
dustry. Here  the  mother  died  in  1865,  when 
her  son  was  ten  years  old,  and  here  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  received  his  education.  The 
father  now  resides  in  Oklahoma.  In  1878  the 
son  came  to  Ouray  county  and  in  the  locality 
of  his  present  residence  began  mining,  and 
also  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock.  In 
1882  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Sarah  E.  Jarvis,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  came 
to  this  neighborhood  in  1886,  and  was  es- 
tablished on  the  farm  they  now  occupy  when 
they  were  married.  They  have  four  children, 
Lewis  F.,  Jr.,  Delia,  Edith  A.  and  Edna,  and 
Mrs.  Ornis  has  a  daughter  by  her  former  mar- 
riage, Lucy  Jarvis.  Their  farm  comprises 
eighty  acres  and  is  devoted  to  general  farming 


and  raising  stock  which  are  carried  on  vigor- 
ously and  attentively,  and  it  also  supports  a 
flourishing  dairy  industry  to  which  Mr.  Ornis 
gives  his  close  personal  attention.  On  the  land 
the  noted  hot  springs  of  this  county  are  found, 
as  has  been  stated,  and  they  seem  destined  in 
time  to  become  as  celebrated  as  their  prototypes 
in  Arkansas,  the  curative  powers  of  the  waters 
being  equal  in  the  judgment  of  competent  ex- 
perts to  those  of  the  Arkansas  product,  and  the 
surrounding  fully  as  attractive.  No  systematic 
effort  has  been  made  as  yet  to  make  a  resort 
of  the  place,  but  such  a  movement  is  under 
contemplation,  and  it  promises  abundant  suc- 
cess. 

ARTHUR  B.  HYDE. 

It  was  in  Canada,  the  province  of  Ontario, 
that  the  active  and  serviceable  life  of  Arthur 
B.  Hyde,  of  Ouray  county,  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock-grower,  living  about  one  mile  south 
of  Ridgeway,  began,  and  in  1840  that  he  was 
born.  His  parents  were  George  and  Eunice 
Hyde,  and  his  father  was  a  captain  in  the  royal 
navy.  The  son  grew  to  man's  estate  in  his 
native  land,  and  in  its  excellent  schools  he  re- 
ceived his  education.  After  leaving  school  he 
was  employed  in  various  avocations  until  1876. 
He  then  determined  to  emigrate  to  the  United 
States,  and  came  direct  to  Denver,  this  state. 
In  March,  1877,  he  moved  to  Ouray  county, 
and  after  mining  for  a  year  and  a  half  with 
varying  success,  he  settled  on  the  land  which 
is  now  covered  by  the  town  of  Ridgeway, 
where  he  lived  until  he  sold  his  farm  to  the 
townsite  company  and  moved  to  the  place  of 
his  present  comfortable  and  fruitful  establish- 
ment. His  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  of  a  very  superior  grade 
and  he  has  a  herd  of  fine  cattle.  To  these  he 
gives  every  care  necessary  to  keep  them  in  good 
condition  and  is  zealous  in  holding  his  breeds 
up  to  a  high  standard  of  excellence  and  purity. 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


849 


He  was  married  in  1867,  before  leaving 
Ontario,  to  Miss  Susan  M.  Jones,  a  native,  like 
himself,  of  that  province.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren living,  Arthur  J.,  Letitia,  Harris,  Naterly 
and  Richard.  Since  living  in  this  section  Mr. 
Hyde,  while  industriously  pushing  his  own 
business  and  endeavoring  to  get  the  best  re- 
sults from  it,  has  also  been  sedulously  and 
eagerly  interested  in  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  his  part  of  the  county  along  the 
lines  of  the  most  approved  and  desirable  prog- 
ress, giving  his  influence  and  his  substantial 
aid  to  every  commendable  undertaking  look- 
ing to  that  end  and  inspiring  others  by  his  ex- 
ample and  his  force  to  the  same  activity.  He  is 
loyal  to  the  land  of  his  adoption  and  is  deeply 
concerned  for  its  enduring  welfare  in  county, 
state  and  national  affairs.  And  while  not  seek- 
ing to  be  prominent  or  potential,  he  is  energetic 
and  intelligent  in  the  use  of  his  citizenship,  dis- 
playing breadth  of  view  as  well  as  devotion  to 
lofty  ideals. 

ROSWELL  A.  HOTCHKISS. 

Roswell  A.  Hotchkiss,  one  of  the  pioneer 
merchants  and  stock  men  of  Ouray  county, 
and  a  leading  citizen  and  business  man  of 
Ridgeway,  is  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
born  on  November  21,  1829,  and  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  and  Medosa  (Ackley)  Hotchkiss,  of 
the  same  nativity  as  himself.  While  he  was 
yet  an  infant  they  moved  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  that  state  he  was  reared  and  educated, 
and  after  he  grew  to  manhood  he  followed  lum- 
bering there  until  he  was  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  then  came  west.  On  June  22,  1857,  he 
crossed  the  Missouri  river  into  Nebraska,  and, 
locating  in  Dixon  county,  in  company  with  his 
brother  he  built  the  first  flouring  mill  in  the 
territory.  They  prospered  in  the  enterprise 
and  acquired  valuable  interests  in  that  state 
and  Dakota.  Some  years  afterward  they  sold 
the  mill  and  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
54 


stock.  In  1876  Mr.  Hotchkiss  came  to  Colo- 
rado, and  after  living  nearly  a  year  at  Lake 
City,  his  family  joined  him  and  they  moved  to 
Ouray.  In  1880  he  opened  a  general  merchan- 
dising establishment  at  Portland  in  what  is 
now  Fremont  county,  which  he  conducted  for 
some  time  and  then  moved  to  Dallas.  From 
there  he  moved  to  Ridgeway  and  built  the  store 
he  now.  occupies,  and  since  then  he  has  been 
carrying  on  an  extensive  general  trade  in  one 
of  the  large  and  well  appointed  emporiums  of 
this  part  of  the  country,  displaying  to  the  choice 
of  his  numerous  patrons  a  large,  varied  and 
judiciously  selected  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise, and  offering  it  for  purchase  with  every 
regard  to  fair  dealing  and  the  most  obliging 
attention  to  the  wishes  and  desires  of  his  cus- 
tomers. It  has  been  the  aim  of  this  establish- 
ment to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  most  ex- 
acting taste  and  at  the  same  time  to  supply  the 
widest  range  of  demands  for  such  commodities 
as  the  people  in  the  locality  can  make,  keeping 
his  stock  up  to  date  in  every  respect,  both  as 
to  variety  and  quality.  He  is  also  interested 
in  the  general  business  of  the  section,  owning 
and  operating  two  large  ranches  with  a  flour- 
ishing stock  industry  on  each,  wisely  managed 
and  vigorously  conducted.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  postmasters  in  the  county,  and  served  the 
people  in  this  important  capacity  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1853,  before  leaving  New  York, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jane 
Cobb,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  have  two 
children  living,  their  sons  Charles  R.  and 
Virgil,  both  of  whom  are  stockmen  in  Mont- 
rose  county,  and  men  of  consequence  and  in- 
fluence in  their  localities.  Mr.  Hotchkiss  has 
done  well  in  business  wherever  he  has  been, 
and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
local  affairs  of  his  community,  giving  judicious 
aid  to  good  enterprises  and  using  his  influence 
for  the  general  welfare.  He  is  well  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him  and  stands  high  in  the 
public  regard  of  the  whole  people. 


850 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


JUDGE  WILLIAM  RATHNELL. 

The  jurisprudence  of  the  western  states, 
and  the  propriety  and  learning  of  their  courts, 
notwithstanding  the  wild  conditions  of  their 
early  life,  have  challenged  the  favorable  criti- 
cism and  admiration  of  the  English  speaking 
world,  and  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  Amer- 
ican people,  under  all  circumstances,  look  to 
judicial  tribunals  as  the  last  bulwark  of  liberty 
and  the  ultimate  protection  of  life  and  property. 
Among  the  men  who  have  adorned  the  bench 
in  this  part  of  the  world  Judge  William  Rath- 
nell,  of  Ouray  county,  county  judge  since 
1889,  is  entitled  to  a  high  regard.  He  is  the 
son  of  William  and  Mary  A.  (Stimmel)  Rath- 
nell,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  latter  of  Ohio.  The  father  emigrated  from 
his  native  state  in  his  young  manhood  to  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married,  and  soon  afterward  be- 
came a  farmer  in  Illinois.  He  lived  there  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army  and  was  in  active 
service  throughout  the  momentous  contest  in 
which  this  country  was  then  engaged.  After 
the  war  he  moved  to  Douglas  county,  Kansas, 
and  located  land  on  which  he  lived  for  a  few 
years,  then  moved  to  Johnson  county  in  the 
same  state.  Judge  Rathnell  was  born  on 
January  26,  1862,  and  received  a  district- 
school  education  and  when  near  the  estate  of 
manhood  began  life  as  a  school  teacher.  In 
1 880  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  engaged  in  the  same  occupation,  and  also 
in  mining  and  teaching.  In  the  meantime  he 
prepared  himself  for  a  professional  career  by 
studying  law.  In  1899  he  was  elected  county 
judge  of  Ouray  county,  and  was  re-elected  in 
1902.  He  has  filled  the  office  with  credit  and 
won  high  commendation  from  the  people  of 
the  county,  without  regard  to  party  or  station, 
for  his  legal  learning,  his  judicial  bearing  and 
his  fearless  independence  in  the  administration 
of  his  official  duties.  He  has  not,  however. 


lost  his  interest  in  the  general  run  of  business, 
being  a  partner  in  the  abstract  office  and  still 
holding  and  having  worked  vigorously  several 
valuable  mining  claims.  In  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  he  also 
displays  an  active  and  admirable  interest,  giv- 
ing his  cordial  support  to  every  good  enter- 
prise and  aiding  in  directing  public  opinion 
along  lines  of  healthy  and  proper  development. 
On  April  i,  1894,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Lottie  Smith,  a  native  of  this  state.  She  died 
in  August,  1895,  leaving  one  child,  their  daugh- 
ter Ella.  In  March,  1902,  the  Judge  married 
a  second  wife,  Miss  Minnie  Halady,  a  native 
of  Kansas,  and  a  cultivated  and  public-spirited 
lady,  who  is  now  giving  the  county  excellent 
and  highly  appreciated  service  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  public  schools.  She  and  her  husband 
are  among  the  social  and  intellectual  leaders  of 
the  county,  and  are  recognized  as  factors  of 
influence  and  potency  in  all  the  public  life  of 
this  people.  They  are  well  esteemed  and  have 
the  confidence,  good  will  and  earnest  admir- 
ation of  the  whole  people  and  the  cordial  regard 
of  a  host  of  warm  and  loyal  friends. 

EDWARD    WARRINGTON    ROBINSON. 

While  it  may  be  a  source  of  regret  to 
right-thinking  and  well-behaved  people  that  the 
necessity  still  exists  in  all  civil  society  for 
officers  of  the  law  and  conservators  of  the 
peace  in  great  numbers,  it  is  also  a  fact  worthy 
of  high  commendation  that  such  officials  are  in 
most  cases  men  of  character  and  capability. 
who  have  the  interests  of  the  community  they 
serve  zealously  at  heart  and  are  worthy  of  the 
public  confidence  they  usually  enjoy.  This  is 
•particularly  the  case  with  the  officials  of  Tellu- 
ride,  and  of  the  number  none  stands  higher  or 
is  more  justly  esteemed  than  was  Edward  War- 
rington  Robinson,  the  late  police  judge  of  that 
town.  He  was  born  May  4,  1859,  at  Maiden, 
a  suburb  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  his 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


851 


father,  William  S.  Robinson,  a  native  of  Con- 
cord, that  state,  lived  and  had  a  long  and  bright 
career  as  a  newspaper  man  and  writer  of  note, 
under  the  pen-name  of  "Warrington."  He 
was  also  prominent  in  helping  to  organize  the 
Republican  party  and  in  conducting  its  affairs  in 
Massachusetts.  The  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Harriet  J.  Henson,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Boston,  and  she  is  also  well-known  as 
an  author  of  several  valuable  books.  Mr.  Robin- 
son grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  city  a'nd  re- 
ceived his  education  in  its  public  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  was  employed  for  nine  years 
in  the  Old  Corner  Bookstore  in  Boston,  then 
was  with  Dodd,  Mead  &  Company  two  years 
in  New  York.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  during  the  next  seven  years 
was  with  Lawrence  in  the  book  and  stationery 
business  in  Denver.  His  next  berth  was  with 
the  Rio  Grande  Express  Company,  in  whose 
employ  he  came  to  Telluride  in  1896.  He  re- 
mained with  this  company  some  time,  then  was 
appointed  deputy  county  clerk  and  at  the  end 
of  his  employer's  term  he  succeeded  to  the 
office  of  clerk.  He  was  next  elected  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  served  in  that  office  until 

1903,  when,  he  was  made  police  magistrate  of 
San  Miguel  county,  and  this  position  he  held 
until  his   death,   in  Telluride,   on,  January  8, 

1904.  In  each  of  the  offices  he  held  he  made 
an  excellent  record  for  close  attention  to  duty 
and  wisdom  and  breadth  of  view  in  its  adminis- 
tration.    He  was  married  at  Denver  in  1893, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Robinson,  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England.    They  have  two  children,  their 
daughters  Harriet  H.  and  Lucy  W. 

GEORGE  S.  MOTT. 

George  S.  Mott,  the  postmaster  of  Tellu- 
ride, became  a  resident  of  San  'Miguel  county 
in  1890  and  of  Colorado  in  1884,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  diligent  and  serviceable  in 


helping  to  build  up  and  develop  this  portion 
of  the  county.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of 
New  York  in  1857,  and  is  the  son  of  D.  D.  and 
Elmira  (Sylvester)  Mott,  of  that  state.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  place, 
and  after  leaving  school  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business  there  until  1881,  when  he  moved 
to  Chicago  where  he  again  turned  his  attention 
to  merchandising.  Three  years  later  he  settled 
at  Montrose,  this  state,  and  carried  on  a  busi- 
ness in  general  merchandising  until  1890.  He 
then  moved  to  Telluride  and  was  employed  as 
state  agent  until  the  railroad  was  completed 
through  this  part  of  the  state.  At  the  same 
time  he  conducted  one  of  the  leading  groceries 
of  the  section,  continuing  his  operations  in  this 
line  until  1898,  when  he  was  appointed  post- 
master. He  was  re-appointed  to  this  office  in 
1901,  and  is  now  filling  it  capably  and  to  the 
general  satisfaction  of  the  people.  In  all 
phases  of  the  public  life  of  his  county, he  is 
earnestly  and  actively  interested,  giving  his  aid 
effectively  to  every  undertaking  for  its  im- 
provement and  the  welfare  of  its  people,  and 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  representative  and 
progressive  men  of  the  portion  of  the  state  in 
which  he  lives.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  and  to  the  affairs  of  his  lodges  gives 
a  close,  intelligent  and  serviceable  attention. 
At  Lake  City,  Colorado,  in  1887,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Kirker,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
They  have  two  sons,  George  C.  and  Thomas. 
Popular  in  all  sections  of  the  county,  and  fer^ 
vently  patriotic  wherever  the  welfare  of  his 
people  is  involved,  and,  moreover,  approaching 
every  public  question  and  every  public  and 
private  duty  with  breadth  of  view  and  a  lofty 
ideal  of  citizenship,  he  well  deserves  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held,  and  uses  wisely  and  for 
good  the  strong  influence  he  undoubtedly 
wields,  being1  considered  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  his  community. 


852 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


J.  C.  RUTAN. 

J.  C.  Rutan,  the  obliging  and  capable 
sheriff  of  San  Miguel  county,  this  state,  who 
is  now  serving  his  third  term  in  this  important 
office,  and  enjoys  in  a  marked  degree  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  the  people,  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  where  he  was  born  in  1854  and  where 
he  was  reared  on  a  farm.  His  life  in  youth 
was  but  little  different  from  those  of  other 
country  boys,  as  it  was  passed  on  a  farm  and 
in  attending  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
home  during  the  winter  months.  His  parents 
were  Henry  and  Mary  (Guy)  Rutan,  who  were 
natives  of  Virginia  and  moved  to  Ohio  early 
in  life.  When  he  was  twenty-two  years  old, 
their  son  moved  to  Dakota  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1881.  He  then  came 
to  Colorado  and,  locating  at  Telluride,  en- 
gaged in  mining,  and  with  this  industry  he  has 
ever  since  been  connected.  He  has  been  an 
industrious  and  observing  prospector  and  has 
located  some  valuable  mining  properties  which 
he  still  owns  and  operates,  among  them  the 
mines  at  Pandora,  where  he  is  also  interested  in 
the  townsite.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county  and  for 
years  has  been  one  of  its  leading  and  most 
progressive  citizens.  In  1891  he  was  elected 
sheriff  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  was  re- 
elected.  In  1901  he  was  again  the  choice  of  the 
people  of  the  county  for  this  office,  and  is  now 
filling  it  with  great  credit  to  himself  and 
many  advantages  to  those  who  set  the  seal  of 
their  approval  on  his  character  and  official  con- 
duct by  electing  him  a  third  time.  Being  a 
single  man  and  having  therefore  no  family 
claims,  he  is  able  to  devote  the  whole  of  his 
time  and  energy  to  his  business,  private  and 
official,  and  pushes  both  with  great  vigor  and 
success.  During  the  first  few  years  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  was  associated  with  a  brother  in 
his  mining  operations,  but  has  since  been  con- 


ducting them  wholly  on  his  own  account.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  high  standing  and  influence, 
and  his  force  has  been  wisely  exhibited  in 
promoting  the  development  and  general  im- 
provement of  the  county,  and  throughout  its 
borders  he  is  well  known  and  highly  esteemed. 

JOHN  C.  CLARE. 

John  C.  Clare,  of  Placerville,  San  Miguel 
county,  is  one  of  the  fast  fading  body  of  real 
pioneers  who  helped  to  settle  the  great  West 
of  the  United  States  and  braved  all  the  perils 
and  endured  all  the  hardships  of  frontier  life 
in  doing  it.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1875 
after  having  served  his  country  valiantly  in 
the  Civil  war  and  engaged  in  various  occupa- 
tions in  his  Eastern  home.  He  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  on  October  18,  1843, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Louisa  Clare, 
by  whom  he  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  state.  In  1861,  soon  after  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  for  three  months 
in  Company  C,  First  Maryland  Infantry,  in 
defense  of  the  Union,  and  at  the  end  of  his 
term  he  re-enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Delaware  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
to  the  close  of  the  war.  His  regiment  was  in 
active  service  and  he  took  part  in  many  of  the 
most  noted  engagements  of  the  momentous 
contest,  but  escaped  without  injury.  After  his 
discharge  he  returned  to  his  Maryland  home, 
and  in  1866  came  wTest  to  Kansas,  where  he 
remained  until  1875,  then  moved  to  Colorado 
and  settled  for  awhile  at  Del  Norte,  where  he 
engaged  in  mining,  an  occupation  he  has  fol- 
lowed almost  continuously  since  that  time  in 
various  localities.  He  has  discovered  many 
valuable  mines  and  still  owns  a  number  of 
them.  In  1877  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
what  is  now  San  Miguel  county  and  here  he 
has  since  lived  and  taken  a  zealous  and  helpful 
interest  in  the  development  of  the  section,  giv- 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


853 


ing  good  and  intelligent  attention  to  every 
phase  of  public  life  and  assisting  in  the  pro- 
motion of  every  commendable  enterprise  for 
the  benefit  of  the  county  and  the  surrounding 
country,  although  he  could  never  be  persuaded 
to  accept  public  office  of  any  kind.  From  his 
early  manhood  he  has  been  an  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  Miasonic  fraternity,  belonging 
to  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  and  being 
diligent  and  serviceable  in  each.  He  is  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  county  and  is  held 
in,  the  highest  esteem  by  all  classes  of  its  peo- 
ple for  the  uprightness  of  his  life,  his  pro- 
gressive views  and  the  lofty  and  broad-minded 
citizenship  for  which  he  is  widely  known. 

JOHN  R.  GALLOWAY. 

John  R.  Galloway,  a  member  of  the  mer- 
cantile firm  of  Galloway  Brothers,  of  Norwood, 
San  Miguel  county,  one  of .  the  largest  and 
most  successful  establishments  of  its  kind  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  on  March  16,  1865,  and  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Hon.  James  P.  and  Minerva  C. 
(Wade)  Galloway,  the  former  a  native  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  the  latter  of  Hancock 
county,  Illinois.  The  father  was  reared  in 
Iowa,  and  after  he  grew  to  manhood  engaged 
in  business  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  until  1873, 
when  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Colorado, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  raising  stock  on  an 
expansive  scale.  Later  he  moved  to  Hinsdale 
county,  and  in  1883  came  to  Paradox  valley, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1897.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  stock 
men  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  one  of 
the  leaders  of  thought  and  action  in  public  af- 
fairs, being  always  at  the  front  of  every  good 
enterprise  for  the  improvement  of  the  county, 
and  serving  its  people  with  fidelity  and  ability 
in  the  state  senate  for  a  time.  His  widow  now 
resides  at  Pueblo.  Their  offspring  number 


seven:  L.  Wood  Galloway,  the  other  member 
of  the  firm  of  Galloway  Brothers;  John  R., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Gordon,  a  promi- 
nent stock  man  living  one  mile  west  of  Nor- 
wood; Nino,  the  wife  of  Albert  Neal,  of  Mont- 
rose;  Jessie,  the  wife  of  A.  Herendon,  two 
miles  from  Norwood;  and  James  P.  and 
Eugene,  residents  of  Norwood.  John  R.  Gal- 
loway came  with  his  parents  and  the  rest  of 
the  family  as  it  was  then  to  Colorado  in  1873, 
when  he  was  eight  years  old.  Here  he  grew 
to  man's  estate  and  received  the  greater  part 
of  his  education.  After  leaving  school  he  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  industry  until  1899,  when 
he  came  to  Norwood  and,  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  L.  Wood  Galloway,  started  the 
business  which  they  are  now  conducting. 
They  have  a  fine  two-story  business  block 
equipped  with  every  modern  device  for  the 
convenient  and  successful  management  of  their 
business,  and  carry  a  large  and  varied  stock  of 
general  merchandise  which  is  selected  with 
special  reference  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity and  kept  up-to-date  in  every  particular. 
It  includes  all  kinds  of  farm  machinery,  along 
with  other  commodities,  and  the  establishment 
is  one. of  the  leading  ones  in  the  county,  laying 
under  tribute  to  its  trade  a  large  extent  of 
the  surrounding  country.  Mr.  Galloway  is 
active  and  progressive  in  public  affairs,  and  is 
now  rendering  the  county  excellent  service  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers. He  is  a  valued  and  energetic  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  order  of  Elks.  At  Centralia,  Illinois,  on 
May  8,  1888,  he  married  with  Miss  Hettie 
Warren,  a  native  of  that  place.  They  have 
four  children,  John  W.,  Minerva,  James  B.  and 
Enon.  Accurate  and  successful  in  all  the  ele- 
ments of  his  extensive  business  operations, 
elevated  in  the  character  of  his  citizenship, 
stern  and  unyielding  in  his  integrity,  and  en- 
dowed with  rare  social  qualities,  Mr.  Galloway 


854 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


is  well  worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  and  the  place  he  has  won  by  his  merit  as 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  representative 
men  in  the  county. 

JOHN  M.  WATKINS. 

John  M.  Watkins,  a  prosperous  and  skillful 
blacksmith  of  Norwood,  San  Miguel  county, 
and  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county,  has  been 
something  of  a  wanderer  in  the  western  coun- 
try, but,  unlike  the  proverbial  rolling  stone,  he 
has  not  failed  to  gather  a  goodly  store  of 
worldly  wealth  and  lay  it  up  for  whatever 
emergencies  may  come  to  him.  He  is  a  native 
of 'Georgia,  where  he  was  born  on  May  12, 
1855,  and  the  son  of  W.  S.  and  C.  L.  Watkins. 
also  natives  of  that  state.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  and 
received  a  district  school  education  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  father's  plantation.  In  1873  the 
family  moved  to  this  state  and  settled  in  Huer- 
fano  county.  Here  he  learned  his  trade  as  a 
blacksmith,  and  then  yielding  to  an  ardent  de- 
sire to  see  more  of  the  country,  he  started  on 
his  travels,  which  perhaps  proved  to  be  more 
extensive  than  he  at  first  intended,  but  which 
nevertheless  gave  him  opportunity  to  know 
men  and  their  works  in  many  places  and  under 
a  great  variety  of  circumstances.  In  1875  he 
went  to  La  Plata  county  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  and  handled  horses  until  1879.  He 
then  migrated  to  the  pan-handle  of  Texas,  and 
after  a  short  residence  there  returned  to  Colo- 
rado. He  lived  for  a  time  at  Trinidad  and 
then  at  Rosita.  In  1881  he  moved  to  Ouray, 
and  from  there  to  Red  Cliff,  and  later  to  Lead- 
ville.  In  1882  he  settled  at  Telluride,  and  the 
next  year  moved  to  Saguache  county.  In  1884 
he  returned  to  Leadville,  and  in  1888  went  to 
Manhattan,  Kansas.  He  continued  his  wander- 
ings from  there  to  the  Osage  nation,  in  Indian 
Territory.  In  1889  ne  changed  his  base  of 
operations  to  Pawnee,  Nebraska,  and  later  to 


Fort  Crawford,  that  state.  Here  he  wrought 
at  his  trade  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  and  followed  the  construction  of  the 
line  into  the  Black  Hills.  Then  quitting  the 
employ  of  this  company,  he  went  to  Custer 
City,  South  Dakota,  and  worked  for  the  Etta 
Tin  Mining  Company  for  a  short  time,  after 
which  he  moved  to  Red  Lodge,  Montana,  from 
where  he  made  a  trip  into  the  Couer  d'Alene 
country  and  thence  on  into  the  Potlatch  coun- 
try. His  next  location  for  a  short  time  was 
Cracker  Creek,  Oregon,  and  the  next  Express. 
He  then  made  a  trip  through  parts  of  Wyo- 
ming, winding  up  at  Winnemucca,  Nevada, 
where  he  remained  until  1896,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Colorado,  locating  in  Routt  county. 
In  1898  he  once  more  took  up  his  residence  at 
Ouray,  and  the  next  year  returned  to  San 
Miguel  county.  In  1900  he  settled  at  Norwood, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Here  he  at  once 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  since  then  has 
vigorously  wrought  at  his  craft,  carrying  on 
an  extensive  business  in  both  iron  and  wood 
work.  He  has  also  acquired  an  attractive  home 
in  the  town  and  become  one  of  its  prosperous 
and  progressive  citizens.  In  December,  1902, 
his  \vorth  and  capability  were  recognized  by 
his  appointment  to  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff, 
which  he  is  still  filling.  He  was  married  at 
Ouray  in  1899  to  Miss  Alice  M.  Mannon,  a 
native  of  Ouray  county.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Harry  Leo  and  S.  L.  After  all  his  jour- 
neyings  Mr.  Watkins  seems  to  have  found  a 
permanent  residence  which  pleases  him,  and 
here  he  is  growing  into  consequence  and  in- 
fluence, and  winning  his  way  steadily  into  the 
lasting  regard  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
lives. 

CHARLES  R.  HOTCHKISS. 

Charles  R.  Hotchkiss,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  successful  stock-growers  and  farmers  of 
southwestern  Colorado,  whose  postoffice  is 
Colona,  Ouray  county,  near  the  Montrose 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


855 


county  line,  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  in 
1857,  and  came  to  this  state  as  a  pioneer  in 
1878.  He  is  one  of  the  two  sons  of  Roswell 
and  Jane  (Cobb)  Hotchkiss,  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  While 
he  was  yet  quite  young  his  parents  moved  to 
Nebraska  and  soon  afterward  to  Dakota, 
where  they  lived  until  1878,  when  they  settled 
in  this  state.  He  was  twenty-one  at  the  time, 
and  had  been  reared  to  a  life  of  useful  industry 
on  the  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  in  the  various  localities  where 
the  family  lived.  On  his  arrival  in  Colorado 
he  settled  near  the  town  of  Montrose,  and  there 
he  was  engaged  in  freighting  until  1889.  He 
then  moved  to  the  Norwood  mesa,  where  he 
took  up  a  homestead  and  engaged  in  farming 
and  raising  stock.  In  1901  he  sold  this  prop- 
erty and  moved  to  his  present  location,  purchas- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  superior 
land,  and  continuing  thereon  his  industry  as  a 
stock  man  from  that  time  until  the  present. 
He  has  a  large  herd  of  fine  cattle  and  a  good- 
sized  band  of  horses  of  excellent  grades  and  de- 
sirable breeds.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
and  progressive  men  of  the  section,  conducting 
his  business  with  vigor  and  skill,  and  giving 
his  active  aid  to  every  commendable  enterprise 
in  the  community.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  Nebraska, 
on  June  22,  1877,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  J.  Manley,  a  native  of  Texas. 
They  have  five  children,  all  sons,  Fred,  Frank, 
Roy,  Eugene  and  Clyde.  The  father  of  Mrt 
Hotchkiss,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
Ou'ray  county,  is  a  prominent  merchant  at 
Ridgeway,  and  his  brother  Virgil,  the  only 
other  son  and  child,  is  like  himself,  an  enter- 
prising and  successful  farmer  and  stock-grower 
in  Montrose  county.  Father  and  sons  have 
done  much  for  the  development  of  this  section, 
and  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  They  are 
men  of  enterprise  and  high  character  with 
breadth  of  view  and  public-spirit. 


STEPHEN  MORGAN. 

This  prosperous  and  successful  farmer  and 
stock  man  of  San  Miguel  county,  who  is  com- 
fortably settled  on  a  fine  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  one  mile  northeast  of  Norwood, 
is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  his  section  of  the  state,  developing 
and  building  up  his  own  business  with  com- 
mendable energy  and  skill,  and  aiding  in  push- 
ing forward  the  community  and  county  in 
which  he  lives  to  their  highest  and  best  develop- 
ment. He  was  born  in  1858  in  Texas,  whither 
his  parents,  Seth  and  Martha  Morgan,  moved 
soon  after  their  marriage  from  their  native 
Tennessee.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  seventeen,  assisting  in  the 
farming  and  stock  industry  in  which  his  father 
was  engaged,  then  in  1875  began  life  for  him- 
self in  the  same  business,  locating  for  the  pur- 
pose near  Las  Vegas  in  New  Mexico,  where 
he  remained  until  1880.  In  that  year  he  went 
to  Wyoming  where  he  continued  his  operations 
in  the  same  line  until  1885.  He  then  came  to 
Colorado  and  located  the  land  on  which  he  now 
lives  and  of  which  he  has  made  a  beautiful 
home.  Here  he  has  conducted  a  thriving  stock 
industry  on  an  expanding  scale  of  volume  and 
profits,  and  has  become  well  established  in  the 
respect  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  has  a  herd  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  well- 
bred  cattle  of  high  grades  and  all  kept  in  prime 
condition.  In  the  social  and  fraternal  life  of 
the  community  he  -is  active  and  influential, 
being  a  prominent  member  of  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  occupying  a  leading  place  in 
the  general  public  life  around  him.  In  1886. 
in  the  county  of  his  present  residence,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Laura  Southard,  a  native  of 
England.  His  pleasant  home  is  a  center  of 
generous  and  considerate  hospitality,  where  the 
numerous  friends  of  himself  and  his  wife  are 
always  cordially  welcomed  and  bountifully 
entertained.  It  is  high  praise  to  say  of  a  man 


856 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


that  he  has  met  every  duty  in  life  with  a  proper 
spirit  and  conducted  all  his  operations  on  a  high 
plane  of  regard  for  the  rights  and  feelings  of 
others,  but  it  is  due  to  Mr.  Morgan  to  state  that 
this  is  his  record  by  the  voluntary  and  cheerful 
testimony  of  all  who  know  him  well. 

JOHN  W.  WINKELMAN. 

John  W.  Winkelman,  of  San  Miguel 
county,  living  on  a  valuable  and  attractive 
ranch  one  mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  Norwood, 
and  there  conducting  a  flourishing  stock  in- 
dustry which  is  one  of  the  leading  enterprises 
of  its  kind  in  this  portion  of  the  county,  is  a 
native  of  the  good  old  state  of  Maryland, 
which  has  given  many  an  inspiring  theme  to 
the  pen  of  the  historian,  the  song  of  the  poet 
and  the  forensic  power  of  the  statesman.  He 
was  born  in  that  state  in  1858,  and  lived  there 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then, 
in  1875,  migrated  to  the  Black  Hills,  but  passed 
the  first  two  winters  of  his  western  life  at 
Laramie  and  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  In  1878 
he  came  to  Colorado  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Custer  county.  Two  years  later  he  moved 
to  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Telluride,  and 
for  two  years  thereafter  conducted  a  pack  train. 
He  then  engaged  in  mining  for  a  time  until  he 
located  on  the  place  which  is  now  his  residence 
and  the  seat  of  his  prosperous  business,  -and 
which  by  industry  and  good  taste  and  enter- 
prise he  has  transformed  from  a  veritable  wil- 
derness into  a  beautiful  and  comfortable  home. 
He  owns  an  additional  ranch  in  the  mountains, 
and  so  has  ample  range  for  his  herd  of  superior 
cattle  which  has  grown  from  a  small  beginning 
to  very  respectable  proportions  and  has  been 
kept  by  judicious  care  and  proper  treatment  in 
first-class  condition  until  it  has  become  known 
far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  best  in  this  portion 
of  the  state.  Mr.  Winkelman  also  is  earnestly 


devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  section  and  has 
for  years  been  one  of  its  most  progressive  and 
influential  citizens,  although  not  seeking  or 
desiring  public  office  for  himself.  No  enter- 
prise of  value  to  his  community  goes  without 
his  active,  intelligent  and  substantial  support; 
and  no  question  of  public  interest  is  determined 
without  his  advice  and  cordial  interest.  He 
was  married  here  in  1897  to  Miss  Marian 
Southard,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  and  this  part  of  the  country 
with  her  parents  in  eary  life.  Both  she  and 
her  husband  stand  well  in  social  circles  and  are 
widely  known  and  highly  esteemed. 

EDWIN  JOSEPH. 

Leaving  his  parental  home  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  beginning  the  battle  of  life  for 
himself  amid  the  hard  conditions  but  boundless 
opportunities  of  the  frontier,  Edwin  Joseph,  of 
San  Miguel  county,  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  progressive  ranchmen  and  stock-breeders 
of  the  Norwood  mesa  and  located  about  three 
miles  southwest  of  the  town,  has  been  true  to 
the  example  and  the  spirit  of  his  parents  and 
in  close  touch  with  the  on-flowing  tide  of 
American  life  which  has  overspread  the  coun- 
try and  redeemed  its  waste  places  to  civiliza- 
tion and  useful  productiveness.  He  was  born 
in  Michigan  in  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Dollie  Joseph,  who  in  early  life  left  their 
native  state  of  New  York  and  sought  a  new 
home  wherein  their  hopes  might  expand  and 
flourish  in  the  wilds  of  Michigan,  at  that  time 
as  undeveloped,  as  wild,  as  full  of  privation  and 
danger  to  the  hardy  pioneer  as  this  section  was 
when  he  came  into  it.  He  was  taught  the 
value  of  thrift  and  industry  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place  secured  a  limited  knowledge  of  books  and 
imbibed  the  spirit 'of  independence  and  self- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


857 


reliance  that  has  characterized  the  pioneers  of 
our  country  from  its  earliest  history.  In  1869 
he  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  settling  at 
Denver,  then  a  city  of  about  five  thousand  in- 
habitants. Here  he  was  engaged  in  handling 
stock  until  1871,  when  he  moved  into  the  Del 
Norte  region,  where  he  continued  the  enter- 
prise he  had  begun  at  Denver.  In  1875  he  went 
to  the  San  Luis  valley  where  he  again  followed 
the  stock  industry,  and  from  a  year  prior  to 
this  time  he  was  occupied  also  in  prospecting 
until  1878.  The  next  year  he  came  to  the 
Norwood  mesa  and  located  the  ranch  he  now 
occupies  and  which  has  since  been  his  home. 
This  ranch  was  the  first  piece  of  patented  agri- 
cultural land  within  the  limits  of  San  Miguel 
county,  and  its  beautiful  and  productive  ap- 
pearance and  character  fully  justify  his  wis- 
dom in  the  choice  of  it  as  the  base  of  his 
operations  in  a  permanent  employment  of  his 
faculties,  tastes  and  skillful  industry.  He  has 
converted  it  into  one  of  the  attractive  and  valu- 
able rural  homes  in  this  portion  of  the  country. 
The  stock  industry,  to  which  he  has  sedulously 
devoted  himself  since  settling  here,  has  grown 
extensive  and  prosperous  around  him  and 
through  his  judicious  management  he  now  has 
a  fine  herd  of  some  two  hundred  cattle,  all  well 
bred  and  worthy  of  the  best  markets.  Besides 
being  energetic  and  constant  in  attention  to  his 
private  business,  he  is  earnest  and  full  of  force 
in  attention  to  the  public  interests  of  his  com- 
munity, being  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Re- 
publican party  in  this  section,  and  giving  the 
people  admirable  service  as  a  county  commis- 
sioner. In  every  line  of  public  life  and  enter- 
prise he  is  active,  vigilant  and  influential,  and 
is  easily  accorded  a  position  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ers of  thought  and  activity  in  the  county.  He 
was  married  at  Del  Norte  in  1875  to  Miss 
Jennie  Herendon,  a  native  of  Missouri.  They 
have  one  son,  Horace,  who  was  the  first  white 
child  born  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
county. 


WILLIAM  H.  NELSON. 

It  is  to  prominent  families  of  Virginia 
who  lost  heavily  through  the  Civil  war  that 
William  Nelson,  of  Norwood,  San  Miguel 
county,  owes  his  origin,  he  having  been  born  in 
that  state  in  1856,  the  son  of  J.  K.  and  Sarah 
Nelson,  who  were  also  native  there  and  de- 
scended from  an  ancestry  long  resident  in  the 
commonwealth.  In  1868  the  family  moved  to 
Kansas  and  they  were  among  the  first  settlers 
on  the  Osage  reservation.  Their  son  received 
only  such  education  as  their  time  and  circum- 
stances allowed,  owing  to  their  migratory  life, 
and  when  he  was  fourteen  began  life  for  him- 
self on  the  plains  where  he  passed  two  years. 
-In  1872  he  came  to  Colorado  and  located  in 
Park  county  where  he  drove  an  overland  stage 
for  two  years.  He  was  then  eighteen  years 
old,  and,  desiring  a  more  settled  and  less  haz- 
ardous occupation,  moved  to  Lake  county  and 
went  to  work  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  of 
which  he  had  previously  acquired  some  knowl- 
edge, and  also  engaged  in  the  stock  industry. 
In  1877  he  crossed  the  range  into  the  Gunni- 
son  country  with  stock,  making  the  first  trail 
into  Pitkin  Park  and  locating  a  ranch  around 
the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Parlin.  On 
this  ranch  he  lived  until  the  railroad  was  con- 
structed through  this  region  when  he  sold  it  to 
the  company,  and  in  1880  he  moved  to  San 
Miguel  county,  locating  first  in  Gupsum  valley 
on  the  Dolores  river,  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead which  he  still  owns.  He  has  also  ac- 
quired a  large  amount  of  other  property  and 
has  a  considerable  herd  of  fine  cattle  and  a 
large  band  of  superior  horses.  In  1898  he 
took  up  residence  permanently  at  Norwood 
and  there  he  built  a  beautiful  residence  which 
he  is  now  living  in.  In  1903  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Norwood,  thus  keeping  up  his 
interest  in  the  public  life  of  the  community 
which  began  with  his  advent  into  this  section. 
He  was  one  of  the  county  commissioners  in 


858 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


the  county,  serving  two  terms  of  three  years 
each.  He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  first  con- 
vention held  in  Gunnison  county.  In  fraternal 
relations  he  is  an  interesting  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  has  for  many  years 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  proceedings  of  his 
lodge.  At  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susie  Minor, 
a  daughter  of  P.  H.  Minor,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  stock-grower  of  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try, where  she  was  born  and  reared.  They 
have  three  children,  John  M.,  Preston  H.  and 
Wesley  R.  Mr.  Nelson'  is  one  of  the  real 
pioneers  of  this  state  and  saw  the  beginning  of 
civilization  where  he  has  lived  and  contributed 
substantially  to  its  progress  and  development, 
being  an  important  factor  in  helping  to  settle, 
the  country  and  bring  its  resources  into  the 
channels  of  trade  and  make  them  known  to  the 
commercial  and  industrial  world.  The  people 
around  him  value  his  efforts  in  this  behalf  and 
hold  him  in  the  highest  esteem  on  every  hand. 

THOMAS  R.  McCALL. 

Thomas  R.  McCall,  of  near  Norwood,  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  ranchmen 
and  stock-growers  of  San  Miguel  county,  is  a 
native  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  where  he  was  born  on 
St.  Patrick's  day  in  1843.  He  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Rachel  (Heyworth)  McCall,  na- 
tives of  Tennessee,  who  moved  to  Illinois  in 
early  life.  There  the  son  lived  with  them  until 
1862,  aiding  his  father  in  the  farm  work  and 
attending  the  district  schools  in  the  winter 
months.  In  the  year  last  named  he  left  the 
parental  homestead  and  crossed  the  plains  to 
Fort  Laramie  with  ox  teams,  being  in  charge 
of  the  freighting  business  of  Gillman,  Carter 
&  Company,  of  Omaha.  He  remained  in  their 
employ  six  years  freighting  over  the  plains  and 
helping  to  build  government  forts  and  military 
posts  under  contract.  Fort  McPherson  was 


one  of  the  structures  in  whose  erection  he  was 
concerned,  and  while  living  in  that  neighbor- 
hood he  took  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs, 
serving  as  a  member  of  county  and  state  con- 
ventions from  time  to  time.  In  one  of  the 
former  he  was  the  man  who  placed  Colonel 
Cody  ("Buffalo  Bill")  in  nomination  for  the 
legislature.  In  1868  he  quit  the  employment 
of  this  company  and  for  a  time  engaged  in 
trading  with  the  Indians.  He  then  bought  a 
freighting  outfit  of  his  own  and  followed 
-freighting  until  1882,  when  he  located  at  Den- 
ver in  this  state,  and  for  eleven  years  there- 
after he  was  occupied  in  an  extensive  whole- 
sale commission  business.  In  1893  he  moved 
to  San  Miguel  county,  and  locating  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  good  land  in  the  park, 
began  the  industry  of  farming  and  raising 
stock  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  has 
an  excellent  ranch  and  a  large  band  of  first- 
rate  cattle  and  prosecutes  a  vigorous  business. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  In  1872  he  was  married  at 
Greeley  to  Miss  Ella  Fisk,  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  a  niece  of  the  celebrated  Wall  street  broker, 
the  late  James  Fisk.  They  have  six  children 
living:  Dr.  Floyd  H. ;  Stella,  wife  of  William 
Ray;  Kate,  wife  of  G.  Galloway;  Thomas  R. ; 
Earl ;  and  one  other.  Mr.  McCall  was  in  many 
Indian  fights  in  the  earlier  days,  and  a  few 
years  ago  he  buried  the  bodies  of  ten  of  his 
men  near  Plum  creek  who  had  been  killed  by 
the  savages. 

SHADRACK  T.  TALBERT. 

The  Paradox  valley  in  Montrose  county  was 
a  land  of  promise  to  its  early  settlers,  whose 
imagination  saw  it  redeemed  from  its  wild  and 
uncomely  condition  and  blossoming  with  the 
fragrance  and  fruitful  with  the  products  of 
cultivated  life  after  the  contest  with  wild 
men,  wild  beasts  and  the  wild  growth  of 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


859 


centuries  should  be  won ;  and  with  lofty  faith  in 
the  vision  they  camped  upon  its  fertile  soil  and 
began  the  battle  for  supremacy.  It  responded 
readily  to  the  persuasive  hand  of  systematic  in- 
dustry, and  before  the  march  of  civilization  its 
savage  denizens  slowly  and  sullenly  but  steadily 
retired.  The  promise  has  been  realized,  hope 
has  ended  in  fruition,  faith  in  sight,  and  now 
the  region  brings  forth  in  abundance  every- 
thing good  and  beautiful  and  nourishing. 
Among  the  men  of  lofty  spirit  and  daring  con- 
fidence who  first  invaded  its  unbroken  solitudes 
and  essayed  to  plant  therein  the  beneficent 
activities  of  modern  culture,  Shadrack  T.  Tal- 
bert, living  near  the  village  of  Paradox,  and 
now  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
stock  men  and  farmers  of  the  valley,  was  the 
fourth  to  arrive,  twenty-three  years  ago.  He 
was  born  in  Warren  county,  Kentucky,  on  De- 
cember 4,  1833,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Lottie  Talbert,  themselves  native  in  the  Blue 
Grass  state.  -When  he  was  about  nine  years 
old  they  moved  to  Missouri,  and  locating  in 
Pulaski  county,  continued  there  the  farming 
industry  they  had  been  carrying  on  at  their 
former  home.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
completed  the  common-school  education  which 
had  scarcely  more  than  begun  in  his  native  state. 
When  the  Civil  war  began  he  joined  Price's 
army  in  defense  of  the  Confederacy,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  sanguinary  conflict  returned  to 
his  home  and  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter 
engaged  in  farming  and  other  pursuits.  In 
1874  he  moved  to  Arkansas,  and  a  few  years 
later  crossed  the  plains  to  Nevada,  where  he 
was  occupied  in  mining  until  1880.  He  then 
came  to  Colorado  and  located  on  the  land  where 
he  now  lives.  There  were  but  three  settlers  in 
the  valley  at  the  time  of  his  arrival,  and  all  the 
work  of  reducing  the  land  and  its  savage 
occupants  to  subjection  was  yet  to  do.  But  he 
and  the  others,  and  those  who  have  come  hither 
since,  have  persevered  in  their  purpose,  and 


now  Mr.  Talbert  has  a  fine  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  well  improved  and  in  an 
advanced  state  of  cultivation,  and  an  excellent 
orchard  of  choice  fruit  of  his  own  planting. 
His  herd  comprises  about  fifty  cattle  of  good 
breeds  and  is  kept  in  prime  condition.  He  is 
also  interested  in  mining  with  favorable  re- 
sults. In  1854,  in  Dent  county,  Missouri,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Lamb,  a  native 
of  that  state.  She  died  on  the  farm  on  July  27, 
1 88 1,  leaving  four  children,  George,  Thomas. 
Andrew  and  Frank,  who  are  all  living.  Mr. 
Talbert  is  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  this  region 
and  one  of  its  leading  citizens.  Tie  sees  the 
fruits  of  his  labors  •  plentiful  and  beneficent 
about  him,  and  time  has  set  on  his  career  the 
approval  which  is  seldom  accorded  except  to 
the  departed.  He  lives  -in  comfort  and  peace, 
and  crowned  with  the  general  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  of  the  section  and  the  surround- 
ing country. 

EUGENE  C.  HAMILTON. 

A  native  of  Michigan,  born  at  Mount 
Clemens  in  1845,  and  the  son  of  pioneers  in 
that  state,  Eugene  S.  Hamilton,  of  Paradox 
valley,  living  not  far  from  the  village  of  Para- 
dox, Montrose  county,  came  honestly  by  his 
tendency  to  frontier  life,  and  by  the  traditions 
and  experiences  of  his  family  and  his  own  early 
training  was  well  prepared  for  its  strenuous  re- 
quirements. His  parents  were  Hiram  S.  and 
Jeannette  Hamilton,  natives  of  Massachusetts, 
who  settled  in  Michigan  at  an  early  period  of 
its  history.  When  he  was  yet  young  they 
moved  to  Minnesota  and  located  the  first 
claim  of  government  land  near  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Winona,  where  they  remained 
ten  years,  then  moved  to  Chicago.  The  father 
was  a  man  of  great  activity  and  enterprise,  and 
engaged  in  various  pursuits,  always  finding 
work  at  his  hand  to  be  done,  and  always  doing 


86o 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


it  with  might  and  productive  results.  He  was 
a  noted  Congregational  minister  of  his  day,  but 
was  also  a  worker  in  industrial  lines,  engaging 
in  building  railroads  in  Missouri  and  other 
works  of  public  improvement.  His  son 
Eugene  reached  manhood  in  Chicago  and 
finished  his  education  there.  After  leaving 
school  he  was  employed  in  the  collection  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  and  in  1875  came  west. 
Two  years  later  he  settled  at  Lost  Trail  in  this 
state  and  found  ready  and  remunerative  em- 
ployment in  transferring  freight  from  wagons 
to  pack  trains,  and  also  ran  a  large  warehouse 
business.  He  and  a  Mr.  Carson  discovered  the 
Carson  mine  and  continued  to  work  it  until 
1883,  when  he  sold  his  interests  and  moved  to 
the  land  which  he  now  occupies,  which  he  then 
bought  and  has  ever  since  owned  and  farmed. 
He  has  a  fine  valley  ranch  and  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  raising  stock  on  a  large 
scale  and  with  cumulative  profits.  He  has, 
however,  never  lost  his  interest  in  the  mining 
industry,  and  still  owns  several  valuable 
properties  in  this  department  of  human  enter- 
prise, among  them  the  well  known  Sunrise 
copper  mine.  He  is  also  part  owner  of  the 
Copper  Prince,  which  has  a  large  vein  of  cop- 
per and  the  largest  known  vein  of  uranium, 
this  mine  being  in  fact  the  only  one  in  the 
United  States  that  is  developed  and  actively 
worked  for  this  metal.  From  it  more  than 
two  hundred  tons  of  its  rare  product  have  been 
shipped  to  the  old  country.  In  1879  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton was  married  in  Chicago  to  Miss  Mollie 
Olinger,  a  native  of  Carlisle,  Ohio.  They  have 
no. children.  In  1895  Mrs.  Hamilton  was  ap- 
pointed postmistress  at  Paradox,  and  she  is 
still  in  charge  of  the  office.  When  they  settled 
here  there  were  but  three  or  four  families  in 
the  valley,  and  they  have  seen  all  its  progress 
and  contributed  essentially  to  its  development 
and- growth.  They  have  a  competency  for  life 
won  by  their  own  efforts,  are  well  es- 


tablished in  the  public  regard  of  their 
community,  and  are  yet  in  the  full  flush 
of  their  vigor  and  energy.  Behind  them 
in  a  path  of  rugged  and  difficult  progress  over 
which  they  have  come  to  their  present  estate, 
and  before  them,  with  health,  strength  and  en- 
terprise on  their  side,  and  with  a  so  much  bet- 
ter armament  for  the  trials  they  may  yet  come 
there  would  seem  to  be  a  career  of  still 
greater  triumph  and  usefulness. 

L.  G.  DENNISON. 

Well  known  throughout  San  Miguel 
county  and  the  surrounding  country  for  his 
beautiful  home  and  his  generous  and  consider- 
ate hospitality,  prominent  in  the  cattle  industry 
and  well  established  in  the  best  social  circles, 
L.  G.  Dennison,  living  about  twenty  miles 
south  of  Norwood,  has  won  his  way  in  the 
world  over  adverse  circumstances  and  his  pres- 
ent estate  is  wholly  the  product  of  his  own 
efforts  and  capacity.  He  was  born  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  on  March  u,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Ruth  (Thomas)  Dennison,  and 
the  last  born  of  their  five  children.  His  father 
died  in  Chicago  in  1859,  and  the  mother  soon 
afterward  moved  her  family  to  Michigan, 
where  she  died  in  1860.  Thus  orphaned  at 
the  age  of  four,  their  son  grew  to  manhood 
under  the  care  of  strangers,  and  although  his 
father  left  a  large  amount  of  property  in  Chi- 
cago, he  found  himself  on  the  threshold  of  life's 
duties  with  nothing  but  his  natural  abilities,  his 
courage  and  his  determined  industry  as  the 
capital  for  his  coming  struggle,  for  the  estate 
had  been  practically  expended  by  the  guard- 
ians. His  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed  at 
Niles,  Michigan,  where  he  received  a  good 
common-school  education  and  attended  Avalon 
College.  In  1870,  at -the  age  of  fourteen,  he 
came  west  for  his  health,  located  at  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  where  he  remained  until  1878.  He 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


861 


then  settled  at  Denver,  Colorado,  and  secured 
a  position  in  the  offices  of  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad  Company,  which  he  held  until 
1880.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Telluride, 
making  the  trip  with  teams  in  company  with 
Oris  Thomas  and  two  other  persons.  The 
country  was  wholly  unsettled  then, 'or  almost 
so,  and  full  of  Indians.  Provisions  were  very 
high,  flour  being  forty  dollars  a  hundred 
weight,  and  other  things  in  proportion.  In 
1882  he  and  Mr.  Thomas  engaged  together  in 
merchandise  at  Telluride,  and  continued  their 
operations  until  1886.  He  then  sold  his  in- 
terest in  the  establishment  and  settled  on  the 
ranch  which  he  now  occupies  and  which  has 
ever  since  been  his  home.  It  comprises  six 
hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  is  beautifully  lo- 
cated, highly  fertile  and  well  improved,  making 
it  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the  coun- 
ty, renowned  alike  for  its  natural  and  artistic 
beauties  and  its  wealth  of  hospitality,  as  un- 
ostentatious as  it  is  unstinted,  and  as  genuine 
as  it  is  generous.  The  cattle  bred  and  handled 
here  are  thoroughbreds  of  high  grade  and  every 
care  is  taken  to  keep  them  up  to  a  high  standard 
of  excellence  and  in  first-class  condition.  Mr. 
Dennison  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  belonging  to  lodge,  chapter  and 
commandery,  and  taking  an  active  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  all.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  is  influential  in 
the  proceedings  of  his  lodge  in  this  order.  On 
August  30,  1882,  at  Denver,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Nellie  Thomas,  a  native  of  Flint, 
Michigan,  who  became  a  resident  of  Denver 
not  long  before  her  marriage.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Charles  A.  and  Amoretta  (Knapp) 
Thomas,  natives  of  Albion,  New  York,  but  now 
residents  of  Telluride.  Mrs.  Dennison  is  a 
highly  cultivated  lady,  with  musical  talent  of  an 
elevated  order  which  has  been  carefully  culti- 
vated, and  she  and  her  husband  are  among 
the  leading  people  in  this  portion  of  the  state. 


FRANK  M.  STOCKDALE.      . 

The  stock  industry  of  Colorado  is  one  of 
large  proportions  and  it  requires  an  enormous 
quantity  of  provender  to  keep  it  going.  The 
men  who  produce  this  in  quantities  of  magni- 
tude are  among  the  important  factors  in  keep- 
ing the  industry  up  to  its  normal  activity  and 
extending  its  operations.  Especially  is  this 
true  of  those  who  raise  big  crops  of  hay  for 
winter  feeding;  and  among  these  scarcely  any 
one  is  better  known  or  more  highly  appreciated 
in  this  section  than  Frank  M.  Stockdale,  of 
San  Miguel  county,  whose  fine  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  lying  sixteen  miles 
south  of  Norwood,  is  one  of  the  widely  known 
hay  producers  of  the  county.  Mr.  Stockdale 
is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  the  son  of  John  and 
Cinderella  (Davis)  Stockdale,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Ohio.  When  he  was  two  years  old 
the  family  moved  to  Indiana,  and  fourteen 
years  later  to  Kansas,  where  they  engaged  in 
farming  and  raising  stock.  He  has  therefore 
been  connected  with  the  industry  in  which  he 
is  now  engaged  from  an  early  period,  and  has 
had  opportunity  to  learn  it  from  the  ground 
up.  Having  made  good  use  of  his  oppor- 
tunities, and  given  careful  attention  to  the 
business  from  his  youth,  he  may  safely  be 
classed  among  the  most  energetic  and  success- 
ful men  who  follow  it.  His  education  was  se- 
cured in  the  district  schools  of  Indiana  and 
Kansas,  and  after  leaving  school  he  lived  four 
years  in  Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  in  the 
same  vocation.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado, 
and  locating  at  Rico,  engaged  in  mining  for 
four  years,  then  in  1882  settled  on  his  present 
ranch  which  has  been  his  home  continuously 
since  that  time.  The  place  is,  as  has  been  indi- 
cated, well  adapted  to  raising  hay,  and  its 
product  in  this  commodity  is  both  large  in 
quantity  and  excellent  in  quality.  In  fraternal 
circles  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order, 


862 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


and  is  prominent  and  active  in  the  affairs  of 
his  lodge.  In  1894  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Laura  Booth,  a  native  of  Kansas. 
They  have  three  children,  their  daughters 
Hazel,  Celia  and  Doris.  Mr.  Stockdale's  life 
of  more  than  twenty  years  in  this  section  has 
been  fruitful  of  benefit  to  his  community  and 
won  him  high  esteem. 

JOHN  DUNHAM. 

'Wholly  a  product  of  the  farther  West, 
and  indebted  directly  in  no  wise  to  the  culture 
and  high  civilization  of  the  East,  unfavored 
too  by  the  smiles  of  fortune  or  adventitious 
circumstances,  but  having  won  his  way  in  life 
altogether  by  his  own  efforts,  John  Dunham, 
of  Dolores  county,  living  and  carrying  on  a 
flourishing  farming  and  stock  industry  on 
Disappointment  creek  near  the  village  of 
Lavender,  is  one  of  the  leading  men  and  most 
representative  citizens  of  this  section  of  the 
country.  He  was  born  in  California  on 
February  26,  1861,  and  is  the  son  of  John  B. 
and  Susan  Dunham,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  early  settlers  on  the  Pacific  slope.  In  1873 
the  family  moved  to  Colorado  and  settled  on 
Pine  river,  where  they  engaged  in  the  stock 
business.  Here  their  son  John  reached  man's 
estate  and  received  the  greater  part  of  the  dis- 
trict-school training  he  was  able  to  get.  In 
1882,  just  after  passing  his  majority,  he  set  up 
in  life  for  himself,  coming  to  Dolores  county 
and  locating  on  his  present  ranch.  Since  then 
he  has  been  busily  engaged  in  improving  his 
land,  making  a  comfortable  home  for  himself 
and  his  own  family,  and  developing  the  stock 
industry  which  he  conducts  and  which  he  has 
expanded  into  one  of  the  leading  enterprises  in 
its  line  in  this  part  of  the  state.  His  ranch  is 
one  of  the  best  for  stock  in  the  country,  and 
he  has  in  addition  an  extensive  and  productive 
range  for  his  herd  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 


well-bred,  high-grade  cattle,  and  his  band  of 
superior  horses.  He  was  married  in  January, 
1888,  to  Miss  Lena  Estes,  a  native  of  Arkansas, 
but  reared  in  Colorado.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, their  son  Irving  and  their  daughter  May. 
Coming  to  this  part  of  the  county  when  it  was 
practically'  unsettled  and  undeveloped,  .  Mr. 
Dunham  has  been  potential  and  active  in  the 
improvement  of  the  section,  and  in  bringing  its 
resources  to  the  knowledge  of  the  world.  He 
has  also  borne  an  active  part  in  its  public  life, 
and  in  developing  and  guiding  the  thought  and 
activity  of  its  people  in  channels  of  wholesome 
and  beneficial  progress.  Among  the  citizens  of 
the  section  none  is  more  highly  or  more  justly 
respected  and  esteemed. 

JAMES  HALL. 

Inured  from  his  youth  to  the  wild  life  of 
the  plains  and  engaged  in  the  inspiring  al- 
though dangerous  occupation  of  a  range  rider, 
and  living  thereafter  on  the  verge  of  civiliza- 
tion for  a  number  of  years,  James  Hall,  of 
Rico,  is  a  typical  pioneer  and  well  versed  in  all 
the  lore  of  the  craft.  He  is  a  pioneer  of  1878 
in  Colorado,  and  was  born  in  Alabama  on 
December  28,  1853.  His  parents,  James  M. 
and  Sarah  T.  (Goble)  Hall,  were  natives  of 
Ireland  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively,  and 
when  their  son  James  was  quite  young  moved 
to  Pennsylvania  from  their  southern  home. 
When  he  was  sixteen  he  left  the  paternal  roof 
tree  and  made  his  way  to  Texas.  There  he 
was  employed  in  riding  the  range  and  hunting 
buffalo  until  1878,  when  he  came  to  Colorado 
and  turning  his  attention  to  mining.  The  next 
year  he  moved  to  Rico  and  started  an  industrv 
in  the  liquor  business  in  which  he  has  since 
been  actively  engaged,  building  up  a  large  trade 
and  catering  to  a  high  class  of  patrons.  He 
experienced  all  the  dangers  and  suffered  all  the 
hardships  of  frontier  life,  seeing  every  phase 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


863 


of  it  from  time  to  time,  living  now  and  then 
on  the  fat  of  the  land  and  anon  eking  out  a 
scanty  subsistence  on  the  gingerly  provision  of 
nature  in  her  more  ungenerous  localities  and 
moods.  He  was  often  confronted  with  savage 
fury  and  treachery  too,  and  was  obliged  to  put 
all  his  self-reliance  and  woodcraft  in  play  at 
times  to  outwit  them  and  escape  their  venom. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  party  that  pursued  and 
exterminated  the  band  that  killed  Dick  May 
and  at  Thurman,  this  state,  at  Castle  valley  they 
had  a  hot  fight  with  a  superior  force,  and  of 
their  nineteen  men  ten  were  killed  and  three 
wounded,  while  thirty-two  of  the  Indians  bit 
the  dust.  Here  they  were  surrounded  and  in 
momentary  danger  of  violent  deaths.  But  they 
managed  to  escape  in  the  night.  In  this  con- 
test Mr.  Hall  was  wounded  in  three  places.  In 
addition  to  his  mercantile  establishment  he  has 
interests  in  a  number  of  valuable  mines.  He 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks.  He 
was  married  in  Pennsylvania  on  January  20, 
1893,  to  Miss  Ida  Mi.  Thompson,  a  native  of 
that  state.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Warden  and  Rae. 

.      PENDLETON  HUNTER. 

From  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia  to 
the  mountains  of  Colorado  is  a  long  leap  in 
climatic  and  social  conditions,  although  both 
localities  involve  much  of  personal  daring  and 
self-reliance,  and  require  of  those  subjected  to 
them  stern  endurance  and  a  readiness  for 
emergencies  that  are  likely  to  be  met  with  at 
any  time.  It  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of 
American  manhood  that  individuals  and  classes 
are  adaptable  to  all  conditions  and  superior  to 
every  environment.  This  leap  has  been  taken 
by  Pendleton  Hunter,  of  Rico,  Dolores  county, 
and  this  adaptability  has  been  shown  in  a 
marked  degree  by  him.  Wholly  unacquainted 
with  western  life,  except  in  a  general  way, 


when  he  came  here,  he  yet  met  its  require- 
ments and  overcame  its  exactions  in  a  master- 
ful way,  and  in  the  course  of  his  life  in  this 
section  of  the  county  has  shown  that  he  would 
have  done  well  under  any  circumstances  and 
won  his  way  to  success  and  consequence  over 
any  difficulties.  He  was  born  in  West  Virginia 
on  August  12,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of  Moses 
H.  and  Catherine  (Hammond)  Hunter.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  his  mother 
of  Ohio,  she  being  the  daughter  of  Charles 
Hammond,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati 
Gazette.  While  he  was  yet  very  young  his 
parents  moved  to  Michigan,  where  he  reached 
man's  estate  and  was  educated.  After  leaving 
school  he  served  as  paymaster's  clerk  in  the 
United  States  navy  and  was  in  the  service  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  In  1868  he  received  a  com- 
mission in  the  Eighth  United  States  Cavalry, 
and  as  such  served  until  February,  1871,  when 
he  was  discharged.  He  was  with  General 
Crook  in  Oregon  in  the  campaign  against  the 
Indians  in  1867-8,  and  in  that  campaign  was 
wounded  while  in  pursuit  of  the  savages,  and 
was  honorably  mentioned  for  bravery.  He  was 
also  in  Indian  wars  in  Nevada.  In  1871  he 
came  to  Colorado  and  first  located  at  Kit  Car- 
son, in  what  is  now  Cheyenne  county.  Soon 
afterward  he  moved  to  Las  Animas,  in  the 
present  county  of  Bent.  Here  he  engaged  in 
surveying  government  land  and  hunting  buf- 
falo. In  1878  he  moved  to  the  San  Juan 
country  and  occupied  himself  in  mining,  milling 
and  surveying.  He  was  one  of  the  first  arrivals 
at -the  Rico  camp,  and  in  all  the  stirring  scenes 
of  its  earlier  history  he  bore  an  important  and 
prominent  part.  In  1901  he  was  elected  sur- 
veyor for  Dolores  county,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  discharging  his  official  duties  with 
capacity  and  skill,  and  with  a  conscientious  de- 
votion to  the  general  welfare  of  the  county 
and  due  consideration  for  .the  rights  of  in- 
dividual citizens.  Among  the  officials  of  the 


864 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


county  he  has  a  high  rank  for  fidelity  and  fair- 
ness, and  as  a  citizen  and  man  of  progressive 
and  public  spirit  he  is  universally  esteemed. 
His  work  in  his  office  has  been  of  great  benefit 
to  all  concerned,  and  by  its  correctness  and  ex- 
cellence many  causes  of  controversy  have  been 
removed  and  the  public  good  has  been  greatly 
promoted  and  advanced. 

WILLIAM  MAY. 

William  May,  of  Dolores,  late  county  sur- 
veyor of  Montezuma  county,  was  the  offspring 
of  pioneers  on  both  sides  of  the  family  line, 
and  in  his  career  well  exemplified  the  char- 
acteristics of  his  ancestors.  He  came  to  Colo- 
rado in  1869  and  located  in  Huerfano  county 
at  a  time  when  the  country  was  just  waking 
up  to  its  possibilities  as  a  home  for  civilization 
and  its  possible  place  in  the  onward  march  of 
American  enterprise;  and  taking  fast  hold  of 
the  opportunities  it  presented  for  energy  and 
systematic  industry  and  thrift,  did  his  best  to 
make  them  available  for  his  own  advancement 
and  use  them  for  the  general  welfare.  He  was 
born  in  1835,  and  is  the  son  of  John  B.  and 
Delia  (Boone)  May,  the  latter  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. His  grandfather,  Henry  May,  settled 
in  Missouri  in  1810,  and  his  mother  was  a 
grand  niece  of  Daniel  Boone.  His  parents 
dwelt  on  the  frontier  at  different  places  during 
the  whole  of  their  lives,  dying  in  Oregon, 
whither  they  moved  in  the  early  clays  of  the 
section  in  which  they  settled.  His  boyhood 
and  youth  were'  passed  in  his  native  state,  amid 
its  scenes  of  uncultivated  life  and  strenuous 
effort  for  supremacy  made  by  the  forces  of 
civilization  with  those  of  barbarism.  In  1858, 
when  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  he  moved 
to  Kansas,  and  he  lived  there  during  the 
troublous  times  just  preceding  the  war,  when 
human  safety,  and  often  human  life  was  the 
cost  of  opinion,  and  peace  and  security  were 
matters  of  only  momentary  continuance.  In 


1860  he  drove  an  ox  team  across  the  plains  and 
over  the  mountains  to  California,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  two  years  and  then  moved 
to  Nevada.  He  was  in  that  state  during  the 
excitement  over  the  Comstock  lodge.  In  1866 
he,  in  company  with  two  other  persons,  drove 
a  band  of  horses  to  Iowa  and  sold  them  there. 
In  1869  he  came  to  Colorado,  and  locating  in 
Huerfano  county,  engaged  in  farming  and 
the  stock  industry,  and  also  did  surveying  for 
the  government.  Six  years  later  he  moved  to 
La  Platte  county,  and  in  1877  changed  his  base 
of  operations  to  Montezuma  county,  taking  his 
cattle  with  him.  He  located  on  the  Dolores 
river  one  mile  and  a  half  below  the  village  of 
the  same  name,  making  the  first  settlement  in 
the  township  for  the  government,  and  while 
doing  so  he  was  also  busily  occupied  in  improv- 
ing his  ranch  and  getting  it  into  condition  for 
cultivation.  It  comprises  three  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  good  land,  and  on  it  he  raised 
fine  horses  and  high  grade  cattle.  He  also 
owned  town  property  of  value  at  Dolores.  He 
was  an  enterprising  man  and  active  all  along 
the  line  of  public  improvements  and  private 
conveniences.  He  built  the  flour  mill  at 
Dolores  which  was  burned  clown  after  a  few 
years  of  usefulness  to  the  community.  He 
served  six  years  as  county  commissioner,  and 
was  nearly  that  long  in  the  office  of  county  sur- 
veyor. Fraternally  he  was  prominent  in  the 
order  of  Freemasonry  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  in  civil  life  was  energetic  and 
zealous  in  behalf  of  every  good  enterprise  for 
the  lasting  welfare  of  the  community.  Coming 
here  in  the  early  days,  he  had  many  sharp 
contests  with  the  Indians,  and  was  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  death  of  a  brother  killed  by  them. 
He  was  generally  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  .the  county,  and  was  widely  re- 
spected as  a  most  useful  and  representative 
citizen,  deep  and  sincere  regret  being  expressed 
on  every  side  upon  the  occasion  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  January  5,  1905. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


865 


J.  B.  McGREW. 

J.  B.  McGrew,  of  Dolores,  the  genial  and 
accommodating  host  of  the  Southern  Hotel, 
who  is  a  native  of  Lexington,  Missouri,  born 
on  October  25,  1864,  is  a  pioneer  of  1880  in 
Colorado,  and  the  son  of  Calvin  L.  and  Martha 
(Ward)  McGrew,  natives  of  Kentucky.  In 
1873  the  family  moved  to  New  Mexico  and 
there  followed  the  stock  business  until  1879. 
They  then  moved  their  stock  to  Colorado,  and 
in  1880  settled  in  La  Plata  county,  where  they 
continued  the  business  until  1900,  it  being  car- 
ried on  under  the  supervision  of  the  mother 
after  the  death  of  the  father  in  1895.  She  is 
now  living  at  Durango,  this  state.  There  are 
three  children  in  the  family :  Irving  W.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Miaple  Creek,  Canada,  and  engaged  in 
the  stock  business;  J.  B.,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  and  Christina  B.,  the  wife 
of  John  G.  Muggins,  proprietor  of  the  Durango 
Telegraph.  Mr.  McGrew  sold  his  stock  in 
1900  and  bought  the  Southern  Hotel  at 
Dolores,  and  this  he  has  elevated  to  a  high  rank 
among  houses  of  entertainment  in  the  West, 
making  it  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind  to  be 
found  in  this  section  of  the  country.  He  is 
well  fitted  by  nature  and  experience  for  the 
exacting  duties  of  a-  boniface,  and  discharges 
them  in  a  way  that  makes  his  house  popular  and 
retains  the  friendship  of  all  who  once  become 
his  guests.  The  hotel  is  up-to-date  in  its  ap- 
pointments and  is  conducted  on  a  broad  and 
modern  style  of  enterprise  that  meets  the  re- 
quirements of  the  traveling  public,  and  makes 
it  a  home  for  its  permanent  residents.  Nothing 
is  wanting  to  its  completeness  for  houses  of  its 
class,  and  no  effort  on  the  part  of  the  host  to 
make  it  satisfactory  to  its  patrons  is  omitted. 
Mr.  McGrew  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Durango  Lodge, 
No.  46.  He  was  married  in  1899  to  Mrs. 
Emma  Reed,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Their  fain 

55 


ily  consists  of  themselves  and  two  children  of 
Mrs.  McGrew  by  her  former  marriage,  her  son 
John  and  her  daughter  Kate.  Aside  from  his 
business  Mr.  McGrew  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  as  a  public-spirited  and  broad-minded 
citizen, -and  is  a  welcome  addition  to  the  best 
social  circles. 

WILLIAM  KENNEY. 

Not  among  those  whom  poverty  restrains, 
but  rather  of  the  number  whom  untoward  ob- 
struction stimulates,  the  late  William  Kenney. 
of  Plateau  City,  in  Mesa  county,  whose  un- 
timely death  on  February  19,  1900,  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty-eight,  when  all  his  powers  were 
in  full  maturity  and  his  aspirations  were  work- 
ing out  a  career  of  benefit  to  his  fellow  men 
while  advancing  his  own  fortunes  in  the  sane 
and  healthful  atmosphere  of  utilitarian  service, 
was  universally  lamented  and  left  a  void  in 
industrial  and  commercial  circles  as  well  as  in 
the  influence  of  good  citizenship  in  his  com- 
munity which  it  is  difficult  to  fill,  gave  to  tin- 
world  immediately  around  him  an  example  of 
worth  and  high  endeavor  which  will  be  full  of 
incitement  to  those  who  contemplate  it  rightly. 
He  was  a  native  of  Millard  county,  Utah,  born 
at  Holden  on  March  22,  1866,  the  son  of  John 
and  Phoebe  (Alden)  Kenney,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  the  mother  of 
Bristol,  England.  The  father  was  reared  in 
his  native  land  and  early  in  life  became  a  sailor. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  was  converted  to 
Mormonism  and  then  determined  to  join  the 
great  body  of  his  church  in  Utah.  There  he 
met  with  and  married  his  wife,  who  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Mormon  church  and  had  emi- 
grated to  Utah  from  England  in  1855.  They 
are  still  living  near  the  sacred  altars  of  their 
faith,  and  of  their  six  children  four  are  now 
out  in  the  world  engaged  in  its  stirring  activi- 
ties, while  two  have  passed  over  to  the  activities 


866 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


which  know  no  weariness,  one  dying  at  the  age 
of  eleven  months.  William  was  the  second 
born  in  the  family,  and  remained  at  home  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  receiving  a 
limited  scholastic  training  in  the  common 
schools  and  a  thorough  discipline  in  useful 
labor  on  his  father's  farm.  Then  going  to 
Nevada,  he  was  employed  for  a  time  in  driv- 
ing freight  teams,  and  on  his  return  to  Utah 
became  a  range  rider  in  the  service  of  cattle 
outfits.  In  1884,  when  eighteen  years  old,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Alta  Land  and  Live 
Stock  Company  in  western  Colorado  and  east- 
ern Utah,  having  his  headquarters  most  of  the 
time  in  the  Plateau  valley.  He  was  industrious 
and  economical,  and  with  commendable  and 
characteristic  enterprise  soon  started  a  cattle 
industry  of  his  own  on  a  small  scale,  being  one 
of  the  first  to  engage  in  that  business  in  the 
valley,  and  also  kept  on  working  for  the  cattle 
men  of  the  section  a  few  years  longer.  He 
advanced  rapidly  and  soon  became  a  leader  in 
his  business  in  this  fruitful  valley,  buying  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  two  miles 
southwest  of  Plateau  City  in  1893.  By  im- 
proving this  he  transformed  his  uncanny  waste 
into  a  fine  ranch  and  built  on  it  a  commodious 
and  attractive  modern  dwelling,  a  view  of 
which  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page.  In 
time  he  increased  his  land  there  to  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  also  bought  and  im- 
proved another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  four  miles  south  of  Plateau  City  and  ac- 
quired the  ownership  of  several  hundred  acres 
of  grazing  lands.  He  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  cattle  industry,  buying,  feeding  and  sell- 
ing stock  on  a  large  scale,  and  became  widely 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  live-stock  men 
of  the  Western  slope.  He  died  on  February 
19,  1900,  from  injuries  received  a  year  before 
in  having  his  horse  fall  on  him  while  he  was 
riding  after  stock.  He  had  hosts  of  friends  in 
many  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  and 


was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  everywhere 
throughout  the  range  of  his  acquaintance.  He 
was  a  great  lover  and  an  excellent  judge  of 
horses  and  always  owned  a  number  of  good 
ones.  While  an  ardent  Republican  in  political 
faith,  he  never  held  or  aspired  to  public  office, 
holding  an  elevated  and  influential  position  in 
the  councils  of  his  party,  but  ever  averse  to  the 
honors  and  emoluments  of  official  station,  find- 
ing full  satisfaction  for  his  ambitions  in  his 
business.  Some  eight  or  nine  years  before  his 
death  the  golden  thread  of  sentiment  began  to 
run  permanently  through  the  woof  and  warp 
of  his  life,  and  on  Christmas  day,  1893,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Anderson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Jessie  (Scrimgeour)  Ander- 
son, a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on  another 
page.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kenney  became  the  par- 
ents of  one  child,  their  daughter  Grace  Edna, 
who  was  born  on  June  I,  1896.  Since  Mr. 
Kenney's  death  Mrs.  Kenney  has  married  with 
Orville  L.  Dawson,  a  native  of  Kansas  and  for 
several  years  a  resident  of  Plateau  valley. 

ROBERT  BROWN. 

Robert  Brown,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Brown,  Berquin  &  Company,  prominent 
business  men  of  Dolores  and  Dunton.  and 
active  in  the  general  public  life  of  Montezuma 
county,  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  born  in  1854. 
on  September  16,  and  a  pioneer  of  Colorado  of 
1879.  He  is  the  son  of  James  W.  and 
Catherine  (Baumgartner)  Brown,  the  father  a 
native  of  South  Carolina  and  the  mother  of 
Georgia.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state,  remaining  at  home  until  he  was  nineteen. 
In  1873  he  migrated  to  Texas  and  there  became 
a  range  rider  and  later  served  as  deputy 
sheriff.  In  1879  he  came  to  Colorado  and  lo- 
cated on  the  Las  Animas  river,  removing  from 
there  to  Rico  in  1880.  Here  he  engaged  in 
mining  and  continued  his  operations  in  this 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


867 


line  for  four  years,  then  occupied  himself  in 
mercantile  business  until  1897.  ^n  that  year 
he  bought  the  place  on  which  he  now  lives,  ten 
miles  west  of  the  village  of  Dolores.  This 
ranch  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  and  is  in  a  well  improved  and  highly 
cultivated  condition.  He  also  owns  a  leading 
interest  in  a  first-class  liquor  establishment  at 
Dolores  and  in  one  at  Dunton.  All  his  busi- 
ness operations  are  conducted  on  a  high  plane 
and  with  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  Mr. 
Brown  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county, 
active  in  all  good  works  for  the  improvement 
of  his  section  and  zealous  in  stimulating  others 
to  the  same  energy  and  public-spirit.  He  was 
married  at  Rico  on  December  19,  1891,  to 
Miss  Katie  Lincoln,  a  native  of  Colorado 
Springs,  this  state.  They  have  two  children, 
their  sons  Robert  Boyce  and  Miller.  Although 
a  native  of  the  South,  and  reared  amid  the  tra- 
ditions and  customs  of  its  older  civilization,  Mr. 
Brown  is  fully  in  touch  with  the  spirit  of  the 
West  and  in  close  sympathy  with  the  aspir- 
ations and  impulses  of  its  people.  This  he  has 
shown  by  his  active  interest  in  every  commend- 
able undertaking  for  the  advantage  of  his  lo- 
cality and  every  element  of  progress  and  great- 
ness in  his  section  of  the  country.  With  laud- 
able breadth  of  view  he  sees  in  the  West  great 
possibilities  of  good  for  the  whole  country, 
and  is  doing  his  part  to  make  them  operative 
and  effective. 

JAMES  TOTTEN. 

For  a  period  of  nearly  eighteen  years  the 
interesting  subject  of  this  brief  review  has 
been  a  resident  of  Colorado  and  a  factor  of 
force  and  influence  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  part  of  the  state  in  which  he  cast 
his  lot.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 


Montezuma  county,  and  conducts  a  thriving 
stock  and  farming  industry  on  an  excellent 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  lying 
three  miles  east  of  Cortez  in  Montezuma 
county,  which  he  took  up  as  a  homestead  in 
1886,  and  which  he  has  redeemed  from  the 
wilds  and  transformed  into  a  comfortable  home 
and  a  fruitful  farm.  He  was  born  in  Canada 
in  1840  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Agnes 
Totten,  the  former  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, of  Irish  parentage,  and  the  latter  born 
and  reared  in  Canada.  Mr.  Totten  grew  to 
maturity  in  his  native  place  and  received  a 
common-school  education  there.  In  1864  he 
crossed  the  line  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Michigan,  and  the  next  year  moved 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
until  1882.  He  then  came  to  Colorado  and 
located  at  Rico.  In  1886  he  settled  in  the 
Montezuma  valley,  taking  up  a  homestead 
which  is  a  part  of  his  present  ranch,  and  at  once 
entered  on  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  stock 
industry  with  a  special  view  to  the  production 
of  high  standards  and  good  qualities  of  stock. 
At  the  same  time  he  entered  actively  into  the 
spirit  of  his  locality  and  gave  his  energies  in 
a  forceful  and  intelligent  way  to  its  develop- 
ment and  advancement,  lending  his  aid  to  every 
line  of  industrial,  commercial  and  educational 
activity.  The  influence  of  his  enterprise  and 
the  force  of  his  example  have  Ijeen  widely  felt 
and  of  great  benefit  to  the  community,  and 
he  is  universally  esteemed  as  among  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  county.  He  belongs  to  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  been 
one  of  the  enthusiastic  promoters  of  the  wel- 
fare of  the  order.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  great 
breadth  of  view  and  public-spirit  and  may  be 
counted  on  at  all  times  to  support  any  good 
undertaking  for  the  benefit  of  his  section,  and 
for  a  daily  exemplification  of  the  best  attributes 
of  American  citizenship. 


868 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


RICHARD  KERMODE. 

Although  yet  a  comparatively  young  man, 
and  for  only  ten  years  a  resident  of  Montezuma, 
county,  so  forcibly  has  Richard  Kermode,  of 
Cortez,  impressed  his  sterling  manhood  and 
far-seeing  and  resourceful  business  capacity  on 
the  people  of  the  county,  that  he  has  risen  to 
consequence  and  power  among  them,  and  has 
also  achieved  a  substantial  success  in  business. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  England,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  Kermode,  also 
English  by  nativity.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land,  and  in  1886,  at  the  age 
of  twenty- four,  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
taking  up  his  residence  at  once  in  Colorado. 
He  located  in  San  Juan  county  and  engaged  in 
farming,  the  pursuit  of  his  ancestors  for  many 
generations.  In  1893  he  moved  to  Montezuma 
county,  and  located  land  two  miles  north  of 
Cortez,  where  he  passed  three  years  in  success- 
ful farming.  He  also  served  two  years  as 
county  road  overseer,  and  gave  the  people  such 
excellent  service  in  this  capacity  that  in  1901  he 
was  elected  sheriff.  Removing  then  to  the 
county  seat,  he  started  the  livery  business  which 
he  is  now  conducting  there,  and  has  built  it  up 
to  large  proportions,  and  managed  it  with  great 
enterprise  and  close  attention  to  its  every  want. 
He  has  one  of  the  best  equipped  barns  and  most 
active  trades  in  this  line  in  his  portion  of  the 
country.  In  1902  he  also  took  a  contract  to 
carry  the  mails  between  Cortez  and  Dolores, 
and  is  prosecuting  this  enterprise  with  the  same 
vigor  and  generally  good  results  that  character- 
ize all  his  other  undertakings.  In  addition  to 
his  home  place  he  owns  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  eight  miles  from  Dolores ; 
and  on  the  two  he  has  fine  herds  of  well-bred 
cattle.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  At  Telluride  in  1887  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Marv  Calhoun,  a  native  of  Minnesota. 


They  have  two  children,  Gentle  and  Alfred.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  he  is  wise, 
firm  and  fearless;  in  his  citizenship  elevated, 
patriotic  and  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  county;  and  in  social  life  genial,  com- 
panionable and  entertaining.  He  is  everywhere 
popular  and  highly  respected. 

DAVIS  H.  SAYLOR. 

In  .1720  the  American  progenitors  of  the 
Saylor  family  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
from  that  day  to  this  its  members  have  been 
prominent  and  active  in  their  section,  illustrat- 
ing the  pages  of  local  history  with  elevated 
citizenship  and  manly  deeds  in  all  departments 
of  activity.  One  branch  of  the  family  moved 
over  into  Maryland  in  the  $arly  days,  and  its 
descendants  have  been  among  the  best  citizens 
of  the  portion  of  that  state  in  which  they  live. 
It  is  from  this  branch  that  Davis  H.  Saylor,  of 
Cortez,  in  Montezuma,  one  of  the  represent- 
ative men  of  Montezuma  county  and  post- 
master of  the  town,  is  derived.  He  was  born 
in  Maryland  on  December  20,  1842,  and  is 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Renner)  Saylor. 
who  were  also  native  in  that  state.  He  wa? 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  place,  and 
bred  to  habits  of  industry  on  his  father's  farm. 
In  1 86 1,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Seventh  Maryland  In- 
fantry, in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  there- 
after saw  three  years  of  active  and  arduous 
service,  being  discharged  on  August  20,  1864. 
on  account  of  wounds  received  in  battle,  some 
of  them  at  the  contest  over  the  Weldon  Rail- 
road in  North  Carolina.  After  his  discharge 
he  settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until 
1870,  then  came  to  the  Osage  Indian  reser- 
vation in  Kansas.  Three  years  later  he  located 
in  Boulder  county,  Colorado,  and  engaged  in 
merchandising,  also  serving  as  postmaster. 
From  1879  to  1886  he  was  mining  in  the  San 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


869 


Juan  country,  and  at  the  end  of  this  period  he 
moved  to  the  Montezuma  valley  and  located 
land  three  miles  northeast  of  Cortez,  where- he 
has  since  been  busily  occupied  in  farming.  He 
has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  good  land, 
well  improved  and  under  advanced  cultivation, 
and  a  large  herd  of  superior  cattle.  He  also  has 
a  large  apiary  and  is  one  of  the  leading  produc- 
ers of  fine  honey  in  this  part  of  the  country.  In 
1900  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Cortez 
and  moved  to  the  town,  and  he  is  yet  filling  the 
office.  With  active  membership  in  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Red  Men,  he  has 
all  the  fraternal  relations  he  has  sought.  On 
October  5,  1880,  he  married  with  Miss  Alice 
M.  Markley,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  have 
six  children,  Robert  A.,.Beunice  I.,  Louise,  Jes- 
sie, Daniel  and  Olive. 

CYRUS  F.  NEWCOMB. 

Through  the  thrilling  and  exciting  scenes  of 
American  life  in  many  places  and  under  a 
great  variety  of  circumstances,  and  yielding  his 
due  tribute  of  service  and  good  citizenship  to 
his  country  in  all,  Cyrus  F.  Newcomb,  of 
Durango,  La  Plata  county,  came  to  his  estate 
of  worldly  comfort  and  public  esteem.  He  was 
a  pioneer  of  1868  in  this  state  and  a  native  of 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  born  on  August  13. 
1831.  His  parents,  Harley  and  Roxanna  D. 
(Hartwell)  Newcomb,  were  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  descended  from  some  of  the 
founders  of  the  state.  Their  son  Cyrus  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  state  and  was  educated 
there.  In  1852  he  came  west  to  Iowa,  and  a 
few  months  later  went  to  Chicago  where  he 
clerked  in  a  hotel  for  three  years.  He  then 
went  to  Rock  Island  and  engaged  in  business 
as  a  traveling  salesman,  following  this  occu- 
pation three  years.  In  1859  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  Pike's  Peak,  and  after  a  short  stop 


there  went  on  to  California.  In  1860  he  moved 
to  New  Mexico,  and  soon  afterward  to  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  where  he  built  and  operated  the 
Mound  House  and  the  Half-YVay  House, 
hotels,  for  a  period,  then  passed  some  time  in 
the  Reese  river  and  White  Pine  country.  From 
there  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  from 
there  to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  then  to  Ore- 
gon and  back  to  South  Pass,  Wyoming,  where 
he  remained  until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Colo- 
rado and  was  employed  in  treating  ore  at  the 
first  mill  at  Georgetown.  He  helped  to  start 
the  first  mill  at  Gilpin  gulch,  and  worked  there 
until  1872.  At  that  time  he  moved  to  Del 
Norte.  He  became  the  first  mayor  of  this 
town  and  read  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
in  public  for  the  first  time  it  was  so  read  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  From  1881  to  1886  he 
was  deputy  revenue  collector.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Durango  to  live.  Here  he  served  a 
number  of  years  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
United  States  commissioner  and  as  police 
judge.  He  was  also  interested  in  mining,  and 
was  also  the  author  of  a  number  of  well-known 
books  concerning  the  ancient  races  of  history. 
Mr.  Newcomb  was  a  valued  memter  of  the 
San  Juan  Pioneer  Association  and  made  sub- 
stantial contributions  to  the  interest  and  profits 
of  its  proceedings.  His  first  marriage  oc- 
curred in  Chicago  in  1852  and  was  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Huddleston.  She  died  a  few  ye-irs 
later  in  Chicago,  leaving  two  children.  Dr.  \Y. 
K.  Newcomb,.  of  Champaign,  Illinois,  and 
Harley  Newcomb,  of  Durango,  this  state.  Mr. 
Newcomb's  second  marriage  took  place  in  1871, 
and  was  with  Miss  Jane  Wells.  In  1881  he 
married  a  third  wife.  Mrs.  Hattie  E.  Allen,  n 
widow  with  five  children  by  a  former  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Newcomb  was  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizen  and  was  universally  respected 
throughout  his  portion  of  the  state,  his  death. 
which  occurred  on  January  3.  1905.  being 
deeply  regretted. 


PROGRESSIVE    MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


HEMMERLEE  BROTHERS. 

This  firm  of  extensive,  enterprising  and 
progressive  ranch  and  cattle  men,  who  are 
prominent  in  every  line  of  life  in  Routt  county 
and  looked  upon  as  among  its  most  represent- 
ative and  useful  citizens,  is  composed  of  Louis 
and  William  Hemmerlee,  natives  of  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  the  former  born  on  Oc- 
tober 2,  1857,  and  the  latter  on  February  7, 
1868.  They  are  sons  of  Francis  P.  and 
Theresa  Hemmerlee,  who  were  born  and  reared 
in  Germany,  and  who  located  at  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  on  coming  to  this  country,  and 
there  the  father  died  on  August  n,  1881.  He 
was  a  prosperous  butcher  and  meat  merchant 
in  that  city,  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  man 
of  earnest  and  valued  activity  in  the  business 
and'  political  life  of  the  community.  The 
mother  is  now  living  at  Canon  City,  this  state. 
Of  their  family,  seven  are  living,  William, 
Louis,  Andrew,  Mollie,  Tillie,  Sophie  and 
Theresa.  Louis  and  William  were  educated  in 
the  public  schools  and  came  to  Colorado  in  the 
spring  of  1874,  locating  at  Canon  City,  where 
they  remained  until  1897.  William  was  for 
many  years  engaged  in  riding  the  range  in  the 
service  of  the  Reynolds  and  the  Boston  Land 
Cattle  companies,  and  afterward  had  charge 
of  the  interests  of  the  Pucha  Park  Land  and 
Cattle  Company.  In  1897  ne  and  his  brother 
purchased  their  present  ranch  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is 
under  vigorous  cultivation,  in  the  Yampa 
valley.  Here  they  carry  on  an  extensive  ranch- 
ing and  stock  industry,  their  cattle  being  prin- 
cipally well-bred  Herefords.  They  raise  large 
quantities  of  first-class  hay  with  some  grain. 
Their  land  is  well  watered  and  has  a  profitable 
variety  of  soil.  It  is  pleasantly  located,  and 
the  valuable  improvements  they  have  made  on 
it  aid  in  making  it  one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  attractive  ranches  in  this  part  of  the 


county.  William  was  married  on  June  7,  1899, 
to  Miss  MabelLaughlin,  a  native  of  Colorado 
Springs,  this  state.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  in  fraternal  life  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Elks,  holding  his  membership  in 
Lodge  No.  610  at  Canon  City. 

On  his  arrival  in  Colorado  Louis  became 
connected  with  the  butchering  trade  and  for 
some  time  supplied  meat  under  contract  to  the 
state  penitentiary  at  Canon  City.  He  is  also  a 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Elks'  lodge  at 
Canon  City.  On  December  17,  1885,  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Grant,  a  native  of 
Peoria,  Illinois.  They  have  two  sons,  Andrew 
G.  and  Francis.  The  name  of  this  firm  is  as 
familiar  as  a  household  word  throughout  Routt 
county,  and  the  brothers  are  everywhere  well 
esteemed  for  the  uprightness  of  their  lives, 
their  uniform  fair  dealing  with  all  men,  their 
business  capacity  and  enterprise  and  their 
active  serviceable  interest  in  the  public  affairs 
of  their  section  of  the  state. 

MARK  CHOATE. 

Coming  to  Colorado  in  1883,  when  he  was 
but  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  without 
capital  except  his  natural  endowment  of  pluck 
and  enterprise,  his  clearness  of  vision  and 
alertness  in  seizing  opportunities  and  turning 
them  to  his  advantage,  Mark  Choate  has  es- 
tablished himself  well  and  firmly  in  this  state, 
and  is  carrying  on  an  extensive  business  in 
ranching  and  raising  stock  in  Routt  county  on 
a  good  ranch  of  five  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
a  part  of  which  he  acquired  as  a  homestead  and 
the  rest  by  purchase.  His  ranch  is  one  of  the 
best  fenced  and  most  highly  improved  and 
cultivated  in  his  portion  of  the  county.  It  is 
six  miles  north  of  Yampa,  and  is  well  supplied 
with  water  from  ditches  belonging  to  it.  It  was 
covered  with  wild  sage  when  he  located  on  it, 
and  all  that  it  is  now  in  the  way  of  improve- 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


871 


ment  and  productiveness  is  the  result  of  his 
continued  and  wisely  applied  industry  and  taste. 
Two  hundred  acres  of  the  tract  are  tillable  and 
in  an  advanced  state  of  cultivation.  Here  Mr. 
Choate  raises  large  quantities  of  hay,  grain 
and  vegetables,  and  numbers  of  well-bred  and 
valuable  cattle  and  horses.  The  draft  stallion 
Prince,  of  the  Percheron  strain,  which  is  cele- 
brated throughout  all  this  section,  belongs  to 
him.  Mr.  Choate  is  altogether  a  self-made 
man,  and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
county.  He  was  born  in  Dade  county,  Mis- 
souri, on  December  28,  1861,  and  secured  a 
very  limited  education  in  the  common  schools 
near  his  home.  Until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years  he  assisted  his  parents  on 
the  homestead,  taking  his  place  as  a  full  hand 
on  the  farm  at  an  early  age  and  maintaining 
his  place  among  the  men  until  he  left  the  place. 
His  parents,  Huston  and  Nancy  (Parala) 
Choate,  were  born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  and 
after  farming  in  that  state  a  number  of  years, 
moved  to  Dade  county,  Missouri,  where  the 
mother  died  in  July,  1894,  and  the  father  is 
still  living.  The  father  is  a  farmer  there  as  he 
was  in  his  native  state,  and  he  also  raises  stock 
in  large  numbers.  He  is  a  Democrat  politically. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  saw  much 
service  in  that  memorable  contest  wherein 
American  valor  was  put  to  its  severest  test  and 
gloriously  justified  all  the  encomiums  that  have 
been  passed  upon  it.  Three  children  survive 
the  mother,  Alexander,  Mrs.  Amelia  Faulx 
and  Mark.  The  last  named  was  married  on 
May  6,  1890,  to  Miss  Anna  Brown,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  has  three  children,  Ella  R.,  Lewis 
M.  and  Anna  D. 

WILLIAM  M.  BIRD. 

Coming  to  Colorado  in  1875  as  a  young 
man  of  twenty-nine  years,  and  passing 
all  of  his  subsequent  life  in  this  state. 


nearly  twenty-rive  years  of-  it  on  his 
present  ranch  in  Routt  county,  William 
M.  Bird  has  been  a  factor  of  potency  and  great 
helpfulness  in  the  development  and  progress 
of  his  section  and  enjoys  in  an  unusual  de- 
gree the  rewards  of  his  efforts  in  the  general 
regard  and  good  will  of  the  people  of  his 
county.  He  was  born  near  Huntingdon,  Car- 
roll county,  Tennessee,  in  1836,  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Annie  Bird,  natives  of  that  state, 
who  moved  to  Dade  county,  Missouri,  later  in 
life  and  there  ended  their  days.  The  father  was 
a  blacksmith  and  also  conducted  large  farm- 
ing operations  and  an  extensive  saw-mill  busi- 
ness. He  was  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and 
a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  in  the  local 
councils  of  his  party.  Ten  children  were  born 
in  the  household,  three  of  whom  are  living, 
William,  Mrs.  Thomas  B.  Gibbs  and  Mrs. 
Charity  Washum.  William  had  few  and 
meager  educational  opportunities.  He  assisted 
his  parents  until  he  reached  his  majority,  and 
under  the  direction  of  his  father  learned  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith.  In  1875  he  left  Mi> 
souri  for  the  farther  west,  and  located  near 
Florissant,  in  Teller  county,  of  this  state, 
where  he  homesteaded  on  a  ranch  and 
while  developing  it  freighted  between 
Fairplay,  Leadville  and  Alma,  continu- 
ing his  operations  in  this  line,  although  sub- 
ject to  many  hardships  and  dangers,  until 
1880.  He  then,  with  a  part  of  his  freighting 
outfit  which  he  had  retained  for  the  purp.  ^o. 
moved  overland  to  the  vicinity  of  Yampa  in 
Routt  county,  where  he  took  up  another  home- 
stead. This  comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  one  hundred  of  which  are  tillable.  The 
ranch  is  pleasantly  and  favorably  located  and 
responds  to  Mr.  Bird's  systematic  husbandry 
with  good  crops  of  hay,  grain  and  vegetables. 
His  chief  industry  is  raising  an  excellent  quality 
of  hay  and  large  numbers  of  first-rate  cattle. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  his  land  was  given 


872 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


up  to  wild  sage  brush  when  he  took  hold  of 
it.  and  had  not  even  the  suggestion  of  a  human 
habitation  on  it,  a  fair  idea  can  be  had  of  the 
enterprise  and  industry  which  he  has  applied 
to  its  development  from  its  present  attractive, 
comfortable  and  fruitful  condition,  and  the 
credit  that  is  accorded  to  him  as  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  his  neighborhood  can  be 
easily  understood.  Having  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  blacksmith  in  the  Yampa  valley. 
he  has  also  contributed  a  large  measure  of 
mechanical  skill  and  diligence  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  section  and  the  welfare  of  its  peo- 
ple. While  not  particularly  active  in  political 
matters,  he  loyally  supports  the  principles  and 
candidates  of  the  Republican  party.  On  De- 
cember 22,  1854,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  E.  Wilson,  a  native  of  Fayette 
county,  Ohio.  They  have  had  ten  children,  and 
eight  of  them  are  living,  Albert,  Samantha. 
Louis.  Frank,  Ulysses,  Robert.  Loren  and  Mrs. 
Frederick  McCoy. 

A.  R.  MOLLETTE. 

Among  the  progressive  lawyers  of  this  state 
none  is  more  universally  esteemed  than  A.  R. 
Mollette,  of  Alamosa,  the  county  attorney  of 
Archuleta  county,  who  was  born  on  March  31, 
1868,  in  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Jacob  S.  and 
Annie  (Grandaw)  Mollette,  who  lived  for  a 
-time  in  Misouri  but  made  their  home  finally 
in  Denver,  Colorado,  coming  to  this  state  in 
1879.  Their  marriage  occurred  on  May  i, 
1867.  in  Wisconsin.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  by  trade  a  wagonmaker 
and  millwright.  In  his  younger  manhood  he 
was  a  Democrat,  but  the  Civil  war  made  him 
a  Republican.  For  that  memorable  contest 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Thirty-second  Wis- 
consin Infantry,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living,  A.  R.,  George,  Edward, 


Mrs.  E.  C.  Schutt  and  Emily,  the  last  named 
living -in  Nebraska,  the  others  in  this  state. 

A.  R.  Mollette  is  a  self-educated  man,  earn- 
ing by  hard  labor  in  the  mines  the  money 
wherewith  to  pay  his  expenses  at  school  and 
through  the  law  department  of  the  Denver 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
honors  and  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
For  a  time  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  he 
practiced  in  Denver,  and  later  was  associated 
in  practice  with  Ben  Wade  Ritter,  of  Durango, 
the  foremost  lawyer  in  southwestern  Colorado, 
then  moved  to  Pagosa  Springs,  Archuleta 
county,  where  he  resided  until  June  i,  1904, 
when  he  removed  to  Alamosa.  He  has  a  large 
general  practice  and  has  been  connected  with 
some  of  the  most  important  mining  cases  in  the 
state,  among  them  the  late  suit  of  Sadie  C. 
Smith  against  the  Commodore-  Mining  Com- 
pany, of  Creede,  involving  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars  damages,  and  in  which  he  was 
counsel  with  Wolcott,  Vaile  &  Waterman,  of 
Denver.  He  is  local  attorney  for  the  Denver  & 
Rio  Grande  Railroad  and  also  for  the  Pagosa 
Lumber  Company  in  Archuleta  county.  For 
two  years  he  was  connected  with  the  office  of 
George  D.  Johnstone,  district  attorney  for  the 
ninth  judicial  district,  at  Aspen,  and  made  a 
good  reputation  in  all  his  official  transactions. 
He  has  one  of  the  largest  law  libraries  and  best 
appointed  offices  in  the  San  Luis  valley,  and 
in  all  his  forensic  efforts  shows  that  he  has  it 
for  use  and  uses  it.  In  1902  he  was  appointed 
county  attorney  for  Archuleta  county,  and  to 
this  office  he  has  been  twice  appointed  since, 
the  last  time  after  his  removal  from  that  county, 
which  speaks  well  for  his  administration  of  that 
office.  He  was  also  city  attorney  of  Pagosa 
Springs  for  two  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason  of  the  Knights  Templar  degree  and  a 
Shriner.  and  politically  an  ardent  Republican. 
On  May  13,  1891,  in  Denver,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Rose  M.  Graham,  a  native  of  Illinois 


A.      R.      MOLLETTE 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


873 


reared  in  Kansas.  They  have  two  children, 
their  daughter  Netta  M.  and  their  son  Wal- 
lace G. 

CHARLES  M.  SHARPE. 

In  the  death  of  this  highly  respected  citizen 
of  Chaffee  county,  after  an  illness  of  short 
duration,  central  Colorado  lost  one  of  its  best 
friends  and  the  mining  industry  of  the  state 
one  of  its  most  capable  and  active  promoters. 
From  the  spot  where  his  remains  were  buried 
can  be  .seen  the  three  great  mountain  peaks. 
Harvard,  Yale  and  Princeton,  whose  bases  he 
pierced  in  order  that  their  hidden  wealth  might 
come  forth  to  bless  and  brighten  mankind,  and 
there  are  in  the  portion  of  the  state  wherein 
they  stand  a  number  of  other  mining  proper- 
ties which  he  helped  to  develop  with  equally 
beneficent  results.  Mr.  Sharpe  was  born  on 
Beach  Hill  at  Sackville,  New  Brunswick, 
Canada,  on  February  23,  1845,  and  was  thrown 
on  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  twelve.  At 
that  age  he  made  his  way  to  Chicago  and  went 
to  work  in  the  wholesale  hardware  establish- 
ment of  Miller  Brothers,  in  which  he  remained 
eight  years,  working  himself  up  from  one  posi- 
tion to  another,  until  when  he  reached  his  legal 
majority  he  was  deemed  worthy  and  capable 
of  being  sent  out  as  a  traveling  salesman  for 
the  house,  in  which  capacity  he  served  it  an- 
other term  of  eight  years.  Later  he  started  a 
shears  factory  for  himself  at  Belleville,  Illinois, 
which  he  conducted  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1879  he  sold  this  enterprise  and  the  next  year 
became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  locating  at 
Buena  Vista,  where  he  opened  the  first  assay 
office  in  the  town,  having  previously  studied 
chemistry  and  assaying.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
he  located  "The  Dandy."  a  mineral  claim  which 
now  forms  a  part  of  the  property  of  the 
Latchaw  Mining,  Tunnel  &  Milling  Company, 
on  Mt.  Princeton.  In  the  fall  of  1880  Mr. 
Sfnrpe  discovered  here  a  rich  vein  of  ore  that 


seemed  to  run  downwards,  and  he  took  up  the 
claim  and  organized  several  companies  to  work 
the  property.  In  1900  the  Latchaw  Mining. 
Tunnel  &  Milling  Company  was  organized, 
with  him  as  superintendent,  and  it  took  in  all 
the  seventy  Mt.  Princeton  claims.  The  work  of 
tunneling  the  mountain  was  at  once  begun,  and 
in  the  superintendency  of  this  work  Mr.  Sharpe 
was  occupied  until  his  death.  In  this  position 
his  eldest  son,  Charles  I.  N.  Sharpe,  has  suc- 
ceeded  him.  The  property  promises  to  be  one 
of  the  richest  in  the  state.  In  1897  the  elder 
Sharpe  organized  the  Mercur-Mercury  Gold 
Mining  Company,  buying  and  bonding  twenty- 
two  claims  on  Mt.  Yale,  and  served  as  its  vice- 
president  and  manager  until  death  ended  all  his 
labors.  This  property  also  holds  out  the 
promise  of  a  great  future  with  large  returns  for 
the  faith  and  enterprise  of  its  promoters.  Mr. 
Sharpe  was  one  of  the  best  mining  men  in  his 
section  and  one  of  its  leading  and  most  es- 
teemed citizens.  His  sterling  qualities  of  head 
and  heart,  and  his  manhood  of  unending  up- 
rightness, won  him  the  respect  and  high  re- 
gard of  all  who  knew  him.  It  was  almost 
wholly  due  to  his  persistent  energy  that  the 
mineral  possibilities  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Collegiate  Group  have  been  made  apparent.  He 
was  never  an  active  partisan  in  political  mat- 
ters, all  his  time  being  devoted  to  the  mining 
interests  he  had  in  charge.  On  October  6.  1868. 
he  was  married  at  Belleville,  Illinois,  to  Miss  C. 
Fredonia  Lemen.  a  native  of  that  state  and  be- 
longing to  one  of  its  oldest  and  most  prominent 
families.  They  had  five  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  other  three.  Charles  I. 
N.,  Edna  F.  L.  and  Grant  A.,  are  living.  The 
family  dwelt  most  of  the  time  in  the  East  and 
in  that  section  of  the  country  the  children  were 
educated. 

CHARLES  I.  X.  SHAKIM-:  \va<  born  on  March 
4."  1874.  at  Belleville.  Illinois,  and  educated  in 
I'.oston.  Philadelphia  and  St.  Louis.  l>eing 


874 


PROGRESSIVE   MEN    OF    WESTERN    COLORADO. 


graduated  from  a  high  school  in  the  city  last 
named  and  afterward  attending  college.  He 
studied  chemistry  and  assaying  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  father,  and  worked  in  the  office 
with  him  many  years,  occasionally  going  out 
and  doing  assaying  in  a  number  of  mining 
camps  on  his  own  account.  He  located  many 
of  the  claims  which  form  the  holdings  of  the 
two  mining  companies  of  which  he  is  now 
superintendent.  Having  often  and  abundantly 
demonstrated  his  knowledge  of  the  business 
and  his  capacity  to  carry  it  on,  at  the  death 
of  this  father  he  was  chosen  to  succeed  him 
and  placed  in  charge  of  both  the  Latchaw  and 
the  Mercur-Mercury  companies.  He  has 
rilled  the  positions  with  great  credit  to  himself 
and  advantage  to  the  companies.  The  work  of 
both  has  progressed  rapidly  and  successfully 
under  his  management.  Politically,  like  his 
father,  he  is  not  an  active  partisan.  Fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  order  of  Elks,  holding  his 
membership  in  the  lodge  of  the  order  at  Lead- 
ville. 

JAMES  J.  McKENNA. 

James  J.  McKenna,  proprietor  of  the  Mc- 
Kenna  Mercantile  Company,  one  of  the  most 
active  and  extensive  wholesale  and  retail  gro- 
cery establishments  in  central  Colorado,  is  a 
native  of  county  Cavan,  Ireland,  where  he  was 
born  on  February  3,  1860,  and  where  he  re- 
mained until  1877,  working  at  various  occupa- 
tions and  attending  the  common  schools  as  he 
had  opportunity.  tln  that  year,  when  he  was 
about  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  determined 
to  come  to  the  United  States,  and  on  his  ar- 
rival in  this  country  proceeded  at  once  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  where  he  passed  a  short 
time  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  a  machine  shop, 
and  then  worked  a  few  months  in  the  same  ca- 
pacity for  the  Western  Transportation  Com- 
pany. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  accepted 
a  position  in  the  construction  department  of  the 
City  Railway  Company  of  Chicago,  and  during 


the  next  four  years  was  employed  in  building 
the  first  cable  street  car  lines  in  that  city.  In 
October,  1881,  he  became  a  resident  of  Salida, 
this  state,  and  passed  the  next  four  years  as 
manager  of  the  large  mercantile  business  of 
Peter  Mulvaney  here.  In  1885  he  moved  to 
Denver  and  opened  a  retail  grocery  at  Twenty- 
first  and  Champa  streets  in  that  city,  which  he 
conducted  some  seven  months,  then  sold  it  and 
returned  to  Salida,  entering  the  employ  of 
Webb  &  Corvin,  wholesale  grocers,  with  whom 
he  remained  about  eighteen  months,  until  they 
closed  out  their  business.  In  1888  he  bought 
into  a  grocery  business  with  W.  R.  Boyd,  the 
firm  being  known  as  Boyd  &  McKenna.  A  few 
months  afterward  they  sold  out  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Kenna organized  the  firm  of  Harrington  &  Mc- 
Kenna in  the  same  trade.  This  was  in  business 
about  two  years,  and  then  Moritz  J.  Kerndt 
bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Harrington  and  the 
firm  became  McKenna  &  Kerndt,  which  con- 
tinued until  1895,  when  Mr.  McKenna  bought 
Mr.  Kerndt  out  and  organized  the  McKenna 
Mercantile  Company,  of  which  he  is  still  the 
active  head.  In  1902  the  business  was  moved 
into  a  new  building  which  he  had  erected,  which 
is  known  as  the  McKenna  building  and  is  one 
of  the  finest  business  houses  in  the  city.  The 
upper  story  was  specially  arranged  for  the  use 
of  the  lodge  of  Elks,  of  which  Mr.  McKenna  is 
an  enthusiastic  member,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  attractive  lodge  homes  in  the 
state.  Mr.  McKenna  also  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  .Politically  he  is  an  earnest 
Democrat  and  always  an  active  worker  for  his 
party,  wise  in  direction,  vigilant  in  observation 
and  effective  in  action. 

EDWARD  KREUGER. 

Edward  Kreuger,  who  is  the  only  exclu- 
sively hardware  merchant  of  Buena  Vista,  and 
one  of  its  leading  business  men,  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  Prussia  on  December  20, 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


875 


1860.  He  received  a  slender  education  in  his 
native  land,  and  on  leaving  school  worked 
about  one  year  in  a  machine  shop.  He  then  be- 
gan to  learn  the  trade  of  a  tinner,  and  after 
completing  his  apprenticeship,  in  1879,  at  the 
age  of  between  nineteen  and  twenty  years,  de- 
termined to  seek  a  better  opportunity  for  ad- 
vancement than  he  had  at  home  in  the  new 
world.  Accordingly  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  after  working  at  his  trade  a  few 
months  in  the  city  of  New  York,  came  west  to 
Omaha.  There  and  in  other  towns  along  the 
Missouri  he  followed  his  trade  for  a  few 
months,  then  made  a  trip  to  old  Mexico,  but 
not  liking  the  country,  he  did  not  remain  long. 
From  there  he  moved  into  southern  California, 
where  he  passed  a  short  time,  being  away  on  his 
travels  about  one  year  in  all.  In  1880  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  located  first  at  Leadville,  then 
at  the  height  of  its  boom.  Not  succeeding  to 
his  wishes  here,  he  concluded  to  return  to 
Omaha.  But  when  he  reached  Buena  Vista  and 
found  it  a  live  and  busy  town,  he  determined  to 
remain,  and  went  to  work  here  at  his  trade. 
He  was  steady  and  industrious  and  saved  his 
earnings,  wisely  investing  them  and  making 
continued  progress.  He  worked  as  a  journey- 
man tinner  three  years,  then  went  into  business 
for  himself.  He  has  gradually  increased  his 
trade  and  the  volume  and  variety  of  his  stock 
until  he  now  carries  a  complete  line  of  hard- 
ware and  farming  implements,  and  also  car- 
riages, crockery,  wall  paper  and  paints.  By 
close  attention  to  his  business  and  strict  in- 
tegrity in  the '  management  of  it  he  has  risen 
to  the  first  rank  among  the -merchants  of  the 
town  and  county  and  firmly  established  himself 
in  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  people. 
He  has  also  been  interested  in  real  estate  to  a 
considerable  extent,  and  owns  a  large  business 
block  in  the  city  with  stores  on  the  ground 
floor  and  a  hall  above.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  order  of  Qdd  Fellows  and  its 


adjunct,  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  holding  membership 
in  lodges  of  these  orders  at  Buena  Vista.  On 
May  2,  1889,  he  was  married  at  Buena  Vista 
to  Miss  Sophia  Hilsinger,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. They  have  one  child,  their  son  Edward. 

CHARLES  NACHTRIEB. 

The  late  Charles  Nachtrieb,  of  Chaffee 
county,  whose  home  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  village  of  Nathrop,  where  his  business 
career  in  this  state  mainly  developed,  and  whose 
untimely  death  on  October  3,  1881,  at  the  early 
age  of  forty-eight,  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  came  to  this  country  in  boyhood  with  his 
brother  and  sister.  He  was  born  in  1833. 
After  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he  lived 
for  a  time  in  Boston,  then  moved  to  Chicago, 
in  both  places  working  in  butcher  shops.  In 
1860  he  became  a  resident  of  California  gulch 
in  Chaffee  county,  this  state,  and  there  he  mined 
and  kept  a  store,  it  being  prior  to  the  birth  of 
Leadville.  In  1865  ne  to°k  UP  tne  ranch  on 
which  his  widow  now  lives  and  secured  a  right 
to  water  from  Chalk  creek.  This  was  one  of 
the  first  ranches  started  in  that  valley,  and  now 
it  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  productive.  The 
next  year  he  built  a  mill  on  the  land,  and  from 
that  time  to  his  death  made  the  place  his  home, 
carrying  on  a  good  ranching  and  cattle  busi- 
ness, operating  the  mill  and  keeping  a  store. 
He  also  had  saw  mills  in  other  places,  and  was 
extensively  engaged  in  business.  He  was  a 
prominent  man  in  the  community,  but  he  never 
took  an  active  part  in  political  contentions. 
He  was  successful  in  his  ventures  after  many 
reverses  and  hardships,  and  at  his  death  left  a 
considerable  estate  to  his  family.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  August  20,  1871,  on  Brown's  creek  in 
Lake  county,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  (Tull)  Ander- 
son, a  native  of  Iowa,  born  and  reared  near  the 
city  of  Burlington.  She  was  educated  in  the 


8;6 


PROGRESSIVE  MEN  OF  WESTERN  COLORADO. 


schools  of  that  city,  and  remained  in  her  native 
region  until  she  was  nineteen  years  old,  when 
she  was  married  to  a  Mr.  Anderson  and  with 
him  moved  to  Fort  Scott,  Kansas.  This  was 
in  the  region  wasted  by  the  border  warfare  just 
before  the  Civil  war,  and  everybody's  life  was 
in  perpetual  danger.  The  dwellings  were  built 
without  windows  and  no  one  opened  a  door 
after  dark  through  fear  of  being  shot.  While 
living  there  Mrs.  Nachtrieb  saw  old  John 
Brown  and  his  gang  in  their  raid  through  the 
section,  his  followers  camping  within  a  mile 
of  her  home.  She  endured  the  horrors  of  this 
life  of  hazard  and  apprehension  a  year  and  a 
half,  and  then  the  family  moved  to  California 
gulch,  this  state,  where  Mr.  Anderson  engaged 
in  mining.  When  they  arrived  in  the  gulch 
it  had  a  floating  population  of  about  ten  thou- 
sand and,  like  all  wild  mining  camps,  laid  upon 
its  inhabitants  heavy  burdens  of  hardship,  pri- 
vation and  danger.  In  time  its  boom  was  over 
and  the  population  shrunk  to  its  normal  size  of 
about  five  hundred,  among  them  only  nine 
women.  Mrs.  Nachtrieb  and  a  Mrs.  Catlin,  of 
South  Cannon,  are  the  only  ladies  living  \vho 
were  in  the  gulch  in  1860.  From  1865  to  1871. 
when  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Nachtrieb,  this 


resolute  and  heroic  woman,  whose  life  has  been 
full  of  adventure  and  exciting  incident,  lived  on 
a  ranch  in  the  Arkansas  valley.  Since  her  last 
husband's  death  she  has  continued  to  make  her 
home  on  his  old  ranch.  She  settled  up  his  es- 
tate as  administratrix  and  became  guardian  of 
their  three  children,  serving  as  such  until  they 
became  of  age.  They  are  Charles,  who  is  now 
in  Mexico,  but  who  was  for  some  years  a 
stock  man  in  this  state,  his  mother  buying  him 
out  in  1903  ;  Josephine,  a  graduate  of  the  medi- 
cal department  at  the  Michigan  State  Univers- 
ity, and  during  the  last  four  years  a  practicing 
physician  at  Pueblo;  and  Chris,  who  is  living 
at  home  with  his  mother  and  looks  after  her 
stock.  She  owns  nearly  one  thousand  acres  of 
land  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  raising  cat- 
tle. Since  her  husband's  death  she  has  always 
leased  out  the  mill  on  her  place.  The  ranch  is 
located  eight  miles  from  Buena  Vista,  thus  giv- 
ing her  a  good  market  of  easy  access  for  the 
products  of  her  ranch.  She  is  an  excellent  busi- 
ness woman  and  manages  her  affairs  with  great 
vigor  and  success,  making  the  most  of  her 
opportunities,  and  maintaining  the  high  posi- 
tion she  has  won  in  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  the  communitv.