Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/coloradoprogressOOawborich PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO A. \V Bowen A: Co. 190S . 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 even- promise made in the prospectus. They ]x>int 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 he 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 Respect fully. A. \V. Bowen & Co., Publishers T] M78<110» INDEX. 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 667 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 Asking, Michael 212 Austin, Lyman W 79 Avery. Henry A 578 B Bagley, 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 Bert holf, 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 4S9 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 Bueklin. 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 Burrltt, Fred R 336 C 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 265 Caster, Charles 242 Caswell, Charles F 579 Cavanaugh. Martin 115 Chad wick. 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 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 Couehman, 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 313 Cramer, Samuel 219 Crawford, George A 150 Crawford, James H 92 Crawley. John F 82 Crisweli, 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 Fllison. 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 Fitzpatriek, 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 S35 Fuller, Collins D 190 G Gagnon, Thomas 540 Gaines. Samuel A 675 Gale, William R 360 Galloway, John R 853 Gant, Emanuel 771 Cant, 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 480 Goodrich, George H 765 Goodrich, Hubbard W 109 Gould, AJec 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 Griffing, John L 748 Grow, William J 333 Guiney, Cornelius M 399 H Hahn, 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 Hart man. 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 Hel vey. 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 Hitchens. 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 I Ikeler. Hiram B 171 Imoversteg. Robert 754 Innman, Irwin 1 235 Irving, P. F 193 Irwin. Charles C 769 J 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 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 O 230 Jones. Price i\j 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 64S 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 46S 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 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 O 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 KM Croxton, John H 278 Crnmly. 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 Eliiott, 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 Kitzpatrick, Peter 740 Fix, Samuel 619 Fletcher, R. E 259 Fogg, George 337 Forker, William 601 Forkner, Thomas A 23S Fox, Charles B 817 Frahm, Jonn H 53S Franz, Charles J 809 Fritzler. Thomas J 462 Fullenwider, John H.. Sr S35 Fuller, Collins D 190 G Gagnon, Thomas 540 Gaines. Samuel A 675 Gale, William R 360 Galloway, John R 853 Cant. Emanuel 771 Gant, William 50 Gavin, Horace 255 Cavin. 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 Griffing, John L 748 Grow. William J 333 Guiney. Cornelius M 399 Hahn. 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 Hel vey, Robert 520 Hemmerlee Brothers 870 Hemmerlee, Louis 870 Hemmerlee. William S70 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 Hiexson, John 335 Hills. Francis M 584 Hitchens, Joseph 443 Hitchens, 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 I Ikeler, Hiram B 171 Imoversteg, Robert 754 Innman. Irwin 1 235 Irving, P. F 193 Irwin. Charles C 769 .1 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 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 O 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 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 Kem, 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, Zaehariah B 189 Kilduff, Thomas 72 Kimball, G. P. 403 Kimbley. Robert 132 King. Alfred R 365 King. George W 221 Kinney, James 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 S74 L 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 S33 Lot'. Anders J. 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 Mc 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 4S4 MoCormick. 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 MeMullin, Samuel G 575 McMurray. Irvin M 359 McPherson. Daniel C 52 McQuaid, Barney 723 M Mahany, Albert D 56] 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 706 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. Samuel 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 21S Nichols, Benjamin L 40 Nicholson, Joseph 167 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. Marshall J 780 Nuruberg, 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 65S P 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 Pitchfqrd, George E 241 Plank. John J 388 Piatt, John 311 Port, John .-». 716 Porter. James S 56 Porter, Perrin 739 Powell, Arnold 61S 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 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- S 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 Sclropyi. 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. Prank R 587 Smith, George 656 Smith, George 568 Smith, George J 711 Smith. George P 550 Smith. Harvey D 345 Smith. Jay F 289 Smith, 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. Prank 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 Stat on, 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 Stringfield. Charles W 193 Stroud. H. A 401 Strouse, Edwin H 604 Stubbs, Benajah P 625 Stubbs, Dallas B 628 Sullivan, J. F., Sr 490 Swanson, Frederick W 833 Sweet, Charles L 641 Sweitzer, Louis W 309 Sweney, Joseph P 271 T 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 V Vader. Palmer H 184 Van Cleave, H. M 762 Van Cleve, Philip H 125 Van Deusen, Robert M 97 Van Hoorebeke, Gustave ....571 Van Ostein, 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 156. Welty. John 634 Weston, John N 814 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 356 Whitsell, James H 356 Wilbur. Eddie P 788 Wilder. George C 690 Wilhelm, Isaac A 524 Wilkinson. George S 114 Wilkinson, William H 412 AVilliams 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 15S 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. Rut'us 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 Y Yeaton, Arlie B 354 Yeoman. Enos F 407 Yessen, John H 551 Yoast. William L 438 Young, George L 766 Y'ule, George 592 Yule. Joseph 251 Z Zanola. Cesar 589 Zaugg. William O 199 Zerbe. Allen L 21 >. A, /X ' 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 ( hi 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 PROGRESSIJ'E 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 his 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 Glen wood 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. Henrv R. Taylor, a native of England, was brought by his parents in his infancy to Mor- gan county, Illinois, ami 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 Leavenworth (Kansas) high school, he being graduated from the latter with honor in i88r. After his graduation he at once came to Colorado and located at Leadville, where during the school year of 188 1-2 he was prin- cipal of the high school. Resigning this posi- tion in the fall of 18S2, 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 PROGRESS/ 1 'E 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 [887 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 filled them all with credit to himself and advantage to the peo- ple. In the fall of [884 he 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 ami 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 189!) 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 1 90 1 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 partv in 1896 on account of its financial position, and PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. since then he has been actively aligned with the Democrats. In their organization he has been tor 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 1, 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- ati ir 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 all 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 assembh PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 fee- 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 t<> 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 wa- 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 Hay and other public cele- brations, and in political campaigns. But in the seii.Me he seldom makes a long or formal speech. In fact, it has been said of him that be 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 m iminee 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, ami with a laudable ambition to serve as well as he can in his da}- 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- PROGRESSIJ'E 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 Ins 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 until 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 under cultivation. Before doing this, however, in [888 be went to Aspen, and during the next two years he was employed in the mines there for wages. The years (894 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 bay-meadows, title 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 iv 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 postofhce, telegraph station and the business houses of Ritle. and has con- nections to most of the principal towns of the valley of the Grand river also. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 23 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 he 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 tin- 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 ni) 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 horn at Connersville, Fayette county. Indiana, on September 8. [848. 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 T874. 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 24 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 mice 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'- 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 G, 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 G, wife of Tucey Tyler, at Kremmling, Colorado. Mr. Veatch was married on October 15. 1874, to Miss Emma G 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 ci muty. 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, i860. 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 I', and Mary J. are deceased. The eight living are: Charles W.. of Marion county. Iowa; Sarah, wife of A. E. Rees, of Meeker, Colo radu; Dr. John F., of Prairie City, Iowa; Horace S. ; Thaddeus, of Rifle; Sherman, of Sioux City, Iowa; Margaret, wife 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 1 1. 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 exceptional}- good and his stanch- ing in the communities where he is known 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 t. 185T. and in that state he was reared to the age of thir- teen, then coming with his mother and sister t<> Colorado in T864. 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 i8s8, when the son was seven, and the mother 26 PROGRESSIJ'E 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 fanner. 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 he 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 • •ne 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 I ' >\\ a 1 >n September 4. i860, 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. I "harles 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 X.. 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 count)-, was born on April 8. 1855, in Burling- ton county. New Jersey, and was there reared and educated, attending only the district schi 11 ils. He remained at home until he reached the age of twenty, then passed some years working in a machine shop at Smithsville, in Ins 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. -7 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 suryey was made pre-empting one hundred and sixty-four acres, to which he has since added fort}', 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 pre\'. 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 pan in local affairs. Both were members of the Methodist church. The father died on March 20, 1003. and since then the mother has made her home at Mt. Holly. Three of their four children are living. Charles iS., 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 T887 and are now living at Ritle. 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 well 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. H EATON. 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 Ride. Garfield county, and there quietly pursuing- the peaceful and productive life of a prosperous and progressive rancher "far from the madding crowd's ignohle strife." William V. Heaton would seem to lie 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, ■ .n 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 horn. 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 wholly 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. Tie was married on December 8. 1882. to Miss Emma L. Reynolds, a native of Kentucky, born on Decemher i6. 1861, and the daughter of James and Lucinda (Precise) Reynolds, also horn 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, first 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 Ride and located the ranch now owned by C. J. S. Hoover. Next he took a squatter's right to a tract of land hut did not prove on the same and sold his improvements to George Williams. PROGRESSIl'E MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. 29 He then located the Stone Cabin ranch on \\ e st 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 1. 1890, he was married to Miss Carrie Steven- son, a native of Seward county. Nebraska, and daughter of Samuel and • Garafelia M. ( ( >s- born ) Stevenson, the father a native of near Westminster. Maryland, born on June 5. [833, 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 Christinas 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 funis 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. 3° PROGRESSIl'E 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 a 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 tbe New Englander, Benjamin Sherwood by his advent into this state brought a valuable addition to the re- 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 16, 1847. the son of 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 j n 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 T874. He then turned his attention to hunting buffalo and was very successful in the business. In i&~j. 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 nut 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 mi ;i 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, 1881, he united in marriage with A 1 i s s 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. Marv E.. wife of ( ). 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 oik- 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 born 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 3- 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 mi nicy 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 7805. 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 t( 1 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 interest- of the community. He is one of the five irrigation da ision engineers of the state, the territory in which he works being the whole northwestern 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 COLOR. IPO. 33 and Bert. In the Dickson household two bright and interesting children have heen hern, Eldie Ray and Genevieve Lncile. WILLIAM H. CLARK. Born in Blackhawk county, Iowa, and re- moving' from there to Missouri with his par- ents when he was hut one year old. then chang- ing his residence to Kansas at the age of six- teen and to Colorado in iSSo. 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 lias had his view's hroadened 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, and in the new home 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 heen busily occupied in its various branches with great credit to him- self and advantage to the territory he has wrought. From 1897 t( > I9°° he was also omnty superintendent of the public schools, and in this department of public usefulness he was 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 lias 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 18X3 he took up a ranch which he improved and which he sold in [887. 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 t> >w n- 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 Pettijohn, 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 1, 1874, to January r, 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 lx-irn 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 ~,it]v 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 ol 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- o wintering 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 wars 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 he left 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 toot, 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 he 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- 36 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. her of the Grand Army of the Republic, and politically he is linn and faithful in his al- legiance to the Democratic party. On Janu- ary i, [867, 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. 1 le is a native of Scotland, born in Fifeshire on January 22. 1854. I lis 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 ami the mother in 1903. Their son David obtained his education in a common school, and leaving while 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 Port Lupton, this state. Here he purchased railroad land, which he sold after fanning it for awhile. In the fall of [887 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 189 1 sold the place and bought the one he now owns in the vicinity of Meeker. This also contains one hundred and sixty acres, and 011 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 tins position at the tune 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. Andrew P.. Dorothy 11.. Allan 1).. 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, ami 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 count}- 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 [873. 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 Coberlv 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 supply is sufficient for the cultivation of three hundred acres of land and it is highly fertile and productive, yielding good crops of tlie 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 count}-. Ohio. WILLIAM E. S1MPSOX. - William F. Simpson, of Meeker, one of the county's most substantial and influential men. was born on Jul}- 4. 1855. in Jefferson count}-, Pennsylvania, but was raised in Indiana count}-, 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 38 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. \V. Hugus & Company. From 1 89 1 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 1 89 1 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 count}', 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 1S9S. On January 4, 1882. Mr. Simpson was joined in marriage with Miss Almyra A. McKillip. a native of Indiana count)-, 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. 1 te 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 the}- were industrious ami 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 C863, when be came to the LJnited States, locating at Detroit, Michigan. There be wrought at his trade at various places in and around the city until [867. 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 Rangelv, in Rio Blano > 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. Recti >r 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 40 PROGRESSU'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. working with energy for its success. He lias been a county commissioner since 1900, and the wisdom of the choice is manifested by the excellence of his work in the office. He beli >ngs 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 horn in Barton county. Missouri, and they have two children. James R. and Rubie 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 111 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 186] and the mother in [895. 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 1870 he changed his residence to Omaha, Nebraska, and during the next five years was engaged in the grocery business m that city, first as a member of the firm of Beal i!x 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, hut 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 [900 he was again appointed to this office and held it until April, TQ04. He was very active in the defense of the bank at the time of its robbery on October [3, 1896, and for his bravery and skill on this occasion re- ceived a handsome and costly rirle 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 <). 1874. to Miss Anna Von Kennel, a native of Jackson county. Ohio. They have had live children, three of whom are living. Myra I Mrs. George Bloomheld). at Meeker. Fred, at Rangelv. 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 ami useful citizen who fulh' deserves the high esteem in which he is held 011 all sides. ZACHARIAH T. BANT A. 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 [4, [838, 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 1850. 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 lie located at Boulder ami 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 i860 returned with freight and in the fall of i860 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 [864 lie 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 1 87 1 . Then selling the ranch, but retaining the cattle, he moved up to Buffalo Flats. The cattle were placed on the range near Breckenridge for a time, then taken to the Arkansas valley. In 1872 he changed his resi- dence to Fremont count}-, above Canon City, and located a stock ranch on which be 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, 190 r, and on Septemlier 21, 1003. the father married a sec- ond wife, .Mrs. Virginia Stotts, widow of J. P. Stotts and daughter of George G. and Mary \\*. Grove, of Winchester. Virginia; die was bom 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 sons 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 L T nion 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 ag - e 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. -rain, 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 husi- ih-ss and are well thought of in the com- munity. Both are active Republicans, earnestly interested in the success of their part)', ami 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 twenty 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 country 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 w r as 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 1S89 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 PROGRESSIJ'E 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 comity. West Virginia, on November 12, i860, 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. Some 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 tires and hail storms. In the fall of 1887 he 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 iSS() 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. Air. Crook belongs to the Woodmen of the World and takes an earn- est and helpful interest in politics as a Republi- can, lie 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, 1804. 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 Frank, who died May 24. [904. TIMOTHY D. HOLLAND. Bom 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 the. 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 lite 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 Den 7 ver where he was associated with the Denver Omnibus Company for a period. He then moved with a party of sixteen men over Mos- quito pass to Leadville, and there lor a year worked in the lumber industry of Ceorge 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 hut the profits were large. and so he was 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 [899, 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. , me- half of which he had pre-empted in 1885. the 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 int< 1 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 ani ' settled in Xew 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 ( (ctober 10. 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, Xew York, the daughter of James and Mary (Matthews) Casey, the father born in county Tipperary and the mother in count)' 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. JOHX 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 4 6 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 to 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 landj 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. JAMFS BUDGE. It is a matter of common observation and genera] 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 190 1. 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, i860, in Madison county, Illinois, the sons of James M. ami 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 PROGRESS!]' E 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 [864 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 was 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, 1840, 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 ami 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 nourishing 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. They 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 laiilt 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 tin- 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 pf his career. He was born in Logan county, Illinois, on January 26, [853, and is the son of Daniel ami Laura ( Harcourt) Pattison, na- tives of Indiana. There were seven children in the family, live of whom are living, Hannah, wife of Grandson Dawson; John; Llizabeth. 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 [868. lie then moved t< i Winfield. Kansas, and during the next three years he farmed in that vicinity with indifferent success. In 1S71 he came to Colorado and. locating at Colorado Springs, furnished logs under contract until 1K74, 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 ami 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 ,-1 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 Lvton. 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. Prom old Virginia, where he was born on November 14, 1869, in Rockingham county. Martin L. Sandv, of Rio Blanco county, this 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 ('nil 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 inten lIs for a brief period, lie 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 r8ai. 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. Fie 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 5o 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, 1881, 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 1S54 they moved to Iowa, where they remained until t866, 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 Mc.Burney 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, anf l > s me son °f Henrv 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 1870 and 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 In mie 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 5^ 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 "I" her civil institu- tions. His life began at Kokomo, Summit county, mi August 3, [881, and he is the son of Charles P. and Carrie (Anderson) Larson. a sketch of whom will he 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. 19OJ, 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. Seventv 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 horn 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 111 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. Yerda, who was born on the 21st of October, [903. 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 ami 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 1S77 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 be located his ranch of one hundred and sixtv acres which he took up as a pre- emption claim, but of which he has since sold a PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 and 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 Xiel. Angus, Catherine, Margaret. Mary and Daniel. The parents were Presbyterians. Mr. McPhersor, is deeply interested in the welfare and progress of Colorado and her people, ami is always ready to contribute his share of inspiration and more substantial means to promote their interests. WILLIAM S. JOHXSOX. William S. Johnson, of Garfield count}". living on a ranch of one hundred and twenty acres fourteen and one-half miles southwest of Xew 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 Xew 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, lie 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 [897 he 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 pafty considerations. On October 31, 1900. he was married to Miss Xora 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 PROGRESSIFE 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- tuck}-, 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 Soldiers' 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. I )n 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, and 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 m< >\ ed 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. I It- 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 [878 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 PROGRESSI] E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. y? 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 which is abundant in all sorts of farm products suitable to the climate. In 1884 he w T as 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 i860. 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 with his parents until he was twenty- one, then came to Colorado, arriving at Denver on February 1, 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 ti >ok up a pre-emption claim of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has since doubled by purchase of another one hundred and sixtv 56 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, hay 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 to. 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 Purely. 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, ha- 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 count}'. 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, ami began doing farm work for wages in his native state to support himself. In [871, 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 arc his main products, but he also raises -rain and vegetables, and at this writing ( 1 004 I pays special attention to PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLOR.! Do. 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 (Ale- 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. 1881. Five of their children survive them: Mrs. Porter, Fannie (Mrs. Joseph C. Austin), Earl 11. Ralph R. and Millie (Mrs. Ben Gillam). Mr. and Mrs. 1'orter have eight children, Bessie A., Emma C. Charles A., Lillian P., Nellie M., Carl P.. May B. and Edith X. 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, horn 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 count}'. Missouri. The living children are ( ceorge 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 [881, 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 vears worked in the mines for wages. In [888 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- S8 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 ever} - 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 1881 moved to Canon City, this state, where lie engaged in the lumber business with his brother, P. A. Rice. Two vears 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 everv 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 A". Ware, of near New- castle, Garfield county, returned to the state in 1881 and has since made it his permanent In. me. He is a Virginian by birth and rearing, having been born in Randolph county of the Old Dominion on \ugust 17. 1838. His par- ents. William and Matilda (Ware) Ware, were PROGRESS! I '£ 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 188 1. 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 horn, 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 popularitv 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 vears 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 tin's and seventv 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 anil fruit of excellent quality. 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, i8/_>, 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 sears old. Two of their chil- dren are living, Mrs. Wilmoth and George W". Chenoweth. of Randolph count}'. West Vir- ginia. Mr. and Mrs. Wilmoth have had four children. Two died in infancy and Cora A. ( Mrs. James Heatberly). 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. lie 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) Cartel', the former born in South Carolina and the latter in North Caro- lina. They passed their lives in the Carolinas, where they were engaged 111 tanning, 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 win mi 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 m 1X54. 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 Mag 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 lie 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 cam]). 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 [883-4, 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 tin. 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, [904, Mr. Carter was united in marriage with Miss Dora Prickly, a native of DeKalb county, Missouri, daughter of Strawder and Fllen (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. JOHX F. HICKMAN. This prosperous and progressive ranchman, cattle-grower and fruit culturist of Garfield count)", 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 be was born, near Strawberry Plains, in Jefferson county, on No- vember 2^,. 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, 190 1. 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 McCullough) 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 genera] 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 I 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. EOSHBAUGH. Eli C. Loshbaugh came into being near Dayton, Ohio, on September 15, 1854. but be- fore he had knowledge of that rich and pros- pen ins 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 lain us. 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 1 he Dunkard church, and in political t.uth he was a firm and loyal Republican. Of their seven children three are living: Eli C, PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 63 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. 1 901. 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 Garfield 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, i860, 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- 6 4 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. ing near Bloomington, Illinois, where he worked on farms for wages until 1884. He then came to Colorado, and after a short resi- dence at Denver, moved to Fort Collins, where lie again took up ranch work for a year. In [885 he 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 lie now occupies. He has bought additional land and sold some, and now has seventy acres, of which lie 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 vigorous 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 .1. 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 1 90 1 he moved to Mesa county and soon after- ward settled on the ranch he now occupies. being married on Christmas clay. 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. 1 902, he died on this land, and after that his widow carried on the ranch until her marriage with Mr. Armstrong. She is a na- tive of Toledo. Ohio, and the daughter of Elea'zer and Polly (Woodbury) Powers, 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 1S77 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 James 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 THK WKLLINCTuN RANCH. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. now fourteen year- old, living with Mrs. Arm- strong. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong arc 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 who 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, who 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 bad also their usual experience of hard work on the farm. He remained with his parents and worked in their interest until he was twentv- one years of age. He then engaged in inde- pendent farm work in Iowa until 1868, when he moved to Nebraska City, where 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 Kio_> 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. Air. Springer is an unwavering Democrat, and always aids materially in the campaigns of his party. On November 1, 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, hut has enshrined him in the regard and good will of its people as one of his county's most useful ami representative citizens.- 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- anda ( 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 i860. 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, m 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 1881, 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 hostelrv 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. Tn 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 a cattle industry of large proportions. Mr. Luxen has been very successful in his business, and i^ esteemed throughout his community as one of its best business men and most repre- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. >>7 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 an d 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. 1 if 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 oyer 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 Lunning, 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 1S77 lle 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 sixtv 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 PROGRESSIJ'E MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. dition i" 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 oi hunting parties, Ins outfit tor the work being one <>t the best. It comprises eighty-rive pack animals and twenty-one hounds. He is a Woodman of the World in fraternal circles and an ardent and active Democrat in political affair-. < )n June 27, [886, 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 Irving at home. I. W. CI I vTFIELD. Horn in Geauga county. < >hio, in the region which slopes away peacefully to Lake Erie, reared on a farm in Illinois, taking a turn in the commission business when be was but nine- teen, burned, out by a disastrous tire when be was conducting a prosperous hotel enterprise, living 111 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, 1. W. Chat- field, of Garfield county, this state, whose home is at Ritle. has bad an eventful and interesting career. I lis life began on August 11. [836, and be is the son of Levi T. and Levina I Mas- ters) Cbattield. Xew Englanders by nativity, the father born in Connecticut and the mother in Vermont. The father was a. farmer and followed bis vocation for a number of years in Ohio. Then in 18+4 he moved to Mason county, Illinois, but after a short: residence in thai -tate returned to Ohio, where be remained until bis death in [848. The mother soon afterward made Illinois once more the borne of the family, and there she taught school at the town of Bath. Site 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 dollar- and a half a month and his board. In this way he was employed until he reached Ins nineteenth year. He then became .is sc mated 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 111 their business. At the end of the period named he took charge of a hotel 111 partnership with his mother, and prospered in the undertaking until they were burned out. After that Messrs.* ratten 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 tram was two months on the way to Denver, and after arriving Mr. Cbattield remained only a short lime, 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, be with his wife and his brother Charles journeyed overland to bis for- mer home m Illinois. There he was variously employed until the beginning of the (nil war. when he enlisted in the Union army in the Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry. During Ins service be was promoted to the rank of ser- geant, and as such fought in the battle of Island No. [O, and also that of Stone River. There he was taken ill and sent to the hospital. Later PROGRESSIVE MEN OF HESTERX 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 Airs. 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 Leadville, where he engaged in merchandising and rail- road contract work, remaining there until 1SS4. In that year he again sold out and moved to Aspen. Here he once more began merchandis- ing and continued until [888. 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 count}', 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 r88o, 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. [858, be was 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 Ririe. 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, and 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, [858, and he is the son of Reuben and Mary E. (Simpson) Squire, natives of the state of New York, the father horn in Livinsrston JO 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 part} - 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 ( '.rand 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 lie was in El Paso county with headquarters at Buena Vista, then went to Jefferson county and later to \.spen, carrying on the same business, and at the last named place also staging. From [886 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 it, 1886. be 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 Piatt, a resident of Denver. Their mother died on April to. [892. 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, in Lorain county. Ohio, and is the son of Clement A. and Susan ( Reynolds 1 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, lie was an earnest and loyal Democrat in political affiliation, and stood high in the community of his home. The}' 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 1 Ihio. Irving is. so t'ai" as scholastic education is concerned, a product of the public schools. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 7* 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 T2. 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 l8=;6, re- maining in that state until 1879, when they came to Colorado and located at Leadville. In 1 No] 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 1 Mrs. Frank Wood), at Morgantown, West Vir- ginia; Franklin, at Salt Lake City; and Wil- liam, at Englewood, Illinois. Wl 1. 1.1AM HUMPHREY HICKMAX. 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 1870 he moved to Ohio, where he attended the Preparatory < )rder 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 count}'. One unusual yield in recent years was one hundred and eighty-five sack-. 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) Myer-. natives of Tennessee who moved to Missouri when young and there passed the remainder of their lives farming and raising stuck. 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 Hi" Mr. Hickman; and Rosa, wife of Sam- uel Stephenson, of Ray county. Missouri The father died in 1875 and the mother in [886. ( tin- child has been born to the Hickman house- hold, a son named Charles \Y. 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 keen 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. 1 le was horn in Bradford county. Pennsylvania, on December 1, 1855. and remained with his par- ents until he reached the age of eighteen, hav- ing the usual experience of country hoys in his locality, slender school opportunities at the district schools and plenty of hard work on the farm. In 1875, at the age of 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, hut 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 [882 he changed his base of operations to Aspen, hut carried on the same business, con- tinuing it at that point until 18S5. 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 arc produced. In [903 the yield of hay was one thousand eight hundred tons from five hun- PROGRESSIVE MEN OP WESTERN COLORADO. 73 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 da}- 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 [6th, and the mother in [892, on February [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 anil 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 horn on October 11. 1844. Flis 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 lio U sc. 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 [876, 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 1S7S 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 postofiice ami for nine years served as justice of the peace. In 1887 he sold out his interests at Malta and moved to the Rirle 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 or 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 X. (Cowles) Clark, the former of Scotch and the latter of English descent. The father was a blacksmith and machinist and also a 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. JEXS 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 on 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 ■ if his own fortune^, 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 1 882 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- pr< ivement 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 rcss 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 hi .me: and George H.. of Washington. Utah. The father died on September 28, 1840, and the mother on June 11, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Clausen belong to the Lutheran church. Mrs. Clausen was one of the first white women to settle in Garfield D 'iinty. CHARLES P. LARSON. Born at Philifstad. in the province of YYermland, 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 fur the duties of the strenuous life in which lie w as 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 nut 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 1st. 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 [882. 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 earning 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 II., 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 185J. 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 be 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 X., 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, b.wa. The father died in [880 and the mother in [886. 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, ami was in active field service until he was seriously injured at the battle of Shiloh. This disabled him for further service and be soon afterward received an honorable discbarge. After spending a short time at his Iowa home when he returned from the war. he came to Colorado and settled on the I livide, north of Colorado Springs. Here he ranched and raised stock until [885, when be 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, and 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 [888 to [892 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 _'X. [865, he was united in marriage with Miss Josephine Calvin, who was bom 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. lie also was a stanch Republican in politics, lie died in [873, having survived his wife, who passed away in [869, four years. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COl.oR.llu>. The) had eight children, six of whom are liv- ing. Wesley, Charles, William P., Am. is, Josephine (Mrs. Cook), and Margaret, wife of Isaac X. Craven. Mr. and Mrs. Cook have had seven children. Grant died on July u. [880, and Elisha R. on November 8, 1903. The five living are Elmer, Frank, Harry, Josephine < \. ( Mrs. Ora Card, of Salt Lake City) and Row 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, hut they gave the new settlers no trouble. The region was a good iield tor 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 hest business methods for this portion of the land and of the men who live and. labor in it. lie was horn on February 25, 1834, in Washington count). 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 earl) 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 partv 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 hut three are living, James T.. Jennie E., wife of John \mouett. of Washington county. Missouri, and William T.. a resident of the same count). Mr. Hunter's educational advantages were limited. In 1X41). when he was hut sixteen, he accompanied his father on a trip to California in which the_\- spent five months in driving a five-yoke hull team across the plains and moun- tains from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Hangtown, 111 the former state. There they were pros- perously employed in placer mining until the Inst great flood experienced by the whites in that country swept everything away in 1852. Hie lather 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 1X64. 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 1. [865, at which time he sold out to four Eastern speculators tor a consideration of one thousand two hun- dred dollars ami moved to Boise. The snow blocked the roads badly, hut he succeeded in reaching his destination in fourteen days. Then rinding the snow so had 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 eight)- 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 78 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 fanning 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 \nn (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, 1861, and the son of Henry and Mary 1 ( )lson ) 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 ]., 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 world. In 1879 ne carne t° 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 1st 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- laud, tci 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. The}' 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 his* 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 [899 purchased the ranch on which he now lives, which comprises one hundred and seventy-five acres, one hundred and twenty of which can lie 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 lames Adams, at Washington, Iowa; Clark, at the same place; Mrs. Austin, near Rifle, this stale; 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 mi 'St useful and respected citizens. SAMUEL BRITTOX CLARK. With a strong and active mind encased in a bod) with many frailties, Samuel Britton Clark, of Aspen, has been from his childhood seriously handicapped in the race for supremacy among men. hut his native force of character and lmsiness capacity added to his persistent energy have enabled him to win a substantial triumph and secure a goodly competence of worldly possessions, lie was horn at Kala- mazoo, Michigan, on Vugust -'5, [856, and is the son of George Jahiel and Antoinette 1 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 185K they located at Fort Scott. Kansas, where the father served a num- ber of years as postmaster. In 1N61 he was appointed captain and ordnance commissary m the Union army and served in this capacity until he was mustered out. He next became associated with the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad as traveling passenger agent. with headquarters at Blooming-ton, Illinois, and continued to be so employed until his death, in .August. [899. His widow now resides at Aspen. He was a Democrat 111 politics and an Episcopalian in church affiliation. Six children were horn in the family, one of whom, Mrs. Bradish P. Morse, is deceased. Those living are William Ransom, Charles. Samuel Britton. Maria (Mrs. Walter Kent) and Frances ( Mrs. Addison 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 .me of the express offices. During this period he started a commission business at \spen. 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 m politics is Democratic. In Janu- ary. 1S88, 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 C(U.OR.UX). 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 11, 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 DAI LEV. 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 da}- 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 moral'-, 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, 1806, and is the son of Charles and Lydia F. Dailey. the former a native of Xew 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 was made assistant 82 PROGRESSIVE MEN OP 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 1, 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 dune 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. Thev have one child. Charles Dailey. Jr. Tt should be added that while endeavoring to publish a first- class newspaper, and make it a valuable party organ, Mr. Dailey has not omitted due 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-' versifies. 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, T854, in Waukesha county. Wisconsin, the son of Mi- chael and Rose (O'Brien) Crawley, natives of Ireland who came to the I nited 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 horn 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. lie ended his PROGRESSIJ'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. «3 labors and laid down his trust on May 30, 1891, and ln's wife followed him to. the spirit world on July 7. [899. Their seven surviving children are John Francis, James E., Mary J., Julia F.. Wilsey, Joseph and Louis M. The first horn, John Francis, had hut 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. Mis compensation during the first two years of his service was ten dollars a month and his hoard. The money consideration was then raised to sixteen dol- lar- a month, and at the close of his engage- ment he was getting twenty-two. 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 1880-81 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 Xew 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 Xew Mexico. The health of his family was poor at ( )gden and he was obliged to return to Leadville. Then being dissatisfied with tht 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 Ogden. 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 1891). leaving two children. a son. John Henry McKoen, and Mrs. Craw- ley. Since 1901 the father has made bis home with Mr. and Mrs. Crawley. They have two children. Francis Henry, and James Marshall. 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 FROGRESSIFE 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 count)". 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 ([nailed, and brought his craft safely through the tempest. He is a de- termined Democrat in politics and a man of tine 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 \l:lne 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 be 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 nexi thirteen years was engaged in freighting and teaming on his own account. In the autumn of [889 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 fort}' 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 county. It yields under his skillful husbandry large crops of hay and gram 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. ( >n May 12, 1875, he married with Miss Emma Seavey, like himself a native of St. George in Knox count}-, 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 111 the gulf of Mexico in September, 1856. Ik- 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 bad three children. Earl and Lyster living, and De Eoss. 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. [861, Livius C. Paxton," of Pitkin count}, living on ;i fine ranch of two hundred and fifty-nine acres two miles west of PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 85 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 count)-, Iowa, and later carried on the same business in Lyon county, thai 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 sen Mid 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 I), twins, living in California; Charles II., in < alifornia; Effie, a school teacher in the Phil- ippine islands; and Margaret and Jessie, in (alifornia. 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 1 )akota, 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 Merman, 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 i'wc 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 he 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 PROGRESSII'E 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, [873, and is the son of George M. and Louisa (Brake) Rohrbough, who were horn 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 1.. now Mrs. Luther L. Casto ; How- ard Freeman, Elsie Eva, George Elmore, and Oswald J. A daughter named Blanch died at die age of fourteen. All the living reside at Buckhannon. West Virginia, except Oswald, who lues at Belington, West Virginia, and ( leorge, who lives at Aspen, this state. 1 le 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. Le began teaching school at the age of seventeen, and devoted four years to the work in Upshur count}- and one in Harrison county. In [894 he came to Colorado and located at Aspen. Here he again taught school, continu- ing his work in this line until [901, 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 pari of which produce- good crops of hay and grain, lie is als.> interested in raising cattle and horses, and in all his efforts is measurably suc- cessful. As a member of the order of ( >dd 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 1)., Truman J.. Waitman E.. Florence, George G., Etta Maud (Mrs. Rohr- bough), Charles L.. Mollie, Willie. Clarence, Bertha, Howard and Mabel. .Mr. and Mr-. 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 hnest 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 number- of cat- tle and horses. Frederick Light, of near Snow- Ala--, is so situated that he may laugh adversit) to scorn and feel secure of an expanding and substantial prosperity during the remainder of his days, lie was born on January 17. 1S50. at Morrisonville, Clinton county. Xew York, the -on 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 Xew York, where they enjoy in a marked degree the respect of the people around them. Both are members of the ( iatholic church, and the father is a zealous and PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 87 effective working- Democrat. Eleven children blessed their union, three of whom have died. Delia. Benjamin and Louis. The eight living- are P'rederick ; 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 earl)- 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 lie 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 1XN2. At that time he lo- cated on a part of his present ranch, which he had taken up as a pre-emption claim in 1SN1. 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 [882, [883 and 1884 he carried on a freighting business between Aspen, Leadville and Granite in con- nection with his ranching industry, lie is ex- tensively occupied in raising grain and hay and producing superior grades of horses and cattle. His trip from Leadville to Aspen 111 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, 1 884. 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 \e\\ York city, where the father was engaged in the hardware business. In r88o, 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 Iverwin 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 1002. 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 "ii 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 111 [827, 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 and 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 be 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 bis children conducted the ranch. He was married on August 1, 1873, to -^' lss Anna Fair- bairn, a native of Scotland and daughter of Walter and Anna (Fischer) Fairbairn, also born 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 bis death. Since he passed away she has managed the ranch and cattle interests with success and profit ami 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. 0. 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, 1807. 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 bis death in tS7<). 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. PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLOR A I ><)_ 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 heen actively engaged in a general practice of medicine and surgery, and in the comparatively short time of bis 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 bis 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, t886. 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 [871, 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 atid prospecting, continu- ing the work until 1^84. when he made a trip to bis 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 tor wages in the Emma. One Thousand and One and Durant mines. Late in r887 he occupied himself in selling water at thirty-five cents a barrel, and did 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 sixtv acres, three hundred and twenty of it being well adapted to cultivation. His prin- cipal crops are hay, grain and vegetables, the hay being particular!}- 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 9 o PROGRESSU'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. is connected with the Woodmen of the World. On September 15. 1885, lie 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 II.. Eleanor and Wilfred L. The two living are Raymond O. and Herbert V. Air. Hurst has been unusually successful 111 his ranching and cattle industry, lint 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. Ami lie cultivates it with skill and conducts all its operations with such business capacity and vigor as to command the best results at all times, llis standing in the community, t<»>. is due in real merit and intelligent interest in the welfare of the people among whom he lives and practical service in promoting it. rOHN LUNDGREEN. mil enter)) the 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. me son °f P ar Hogan- suii and Ellen Magdalene ( Holnengreen) Lundgreen. natives of Sweden, but early in their lives residents of Denmark, where he winked 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 [873 he came to the L'nited States and lo- cated at Chicago, where he again was employed at his trade, remaining until 1877. He then moved to Omaha, and after passing three vears in that interesting city, came to Colorado in 1S80, and settled at Rollinsville, Gilpin county, where he passed the summer 111 placer mining. In the fall he returned to Omaha, and soon afterward moved to Nebraska City. Here lie worked at coopering until spring, then came once more to Colorado and. locating at Aspen, turned his attention to prospecting, continuing his operations until [885. \t that time he found profitable employment in the smelters and later 111 the lumber industry, working for a number of different linns, hut never out of a job. His last move was t,. locate the ranch en which he now lives and conducts a thriving farming and cattle business. "Phis 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 ha) 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 count}, 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 i >n 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. 111 [865, 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 bis entire time and attention to mining and prospecting. In 1 NX 1 he 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. P>oth are deceased. JOHN A. KAUBLE. John A. Kauble. of near Aspen. Pitkin countw 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 tn 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 9 2 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLOR. IPO. Haute. Indiana, on November 10, 1800, 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 suc- 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 Leadville and Aspen, and was engaged in teaming and packing down to [899, when he purchased the ranch on which he has since lived and carried on a nourishing industry in general ranching and raising stock. I fe 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, r8o.2. he united in marriage with Miss Margaret Collins, a native of Wis- consin and daughter of Joseph and Mary Col- lins, the father horn 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, 1802. The four living are Margaret (Mrs. Kauble). Mamie (Mrs Thomas Dwyer), Joseph and Tosie. Mr. and Mrs. Kauble have one child, their daughter Yelma. 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 circumstance-- 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 the}- 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 to,, ten- der regard for consequences personal to them- selves. James Harvey Crawford is a native of Pettis count)-. Missouri, born near Sedalia on March 30, 1 S45. and the son of John Ed- ward and Sarilda J. (Donnohue) Craw fori!, 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, lie 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 horn to him and his wife, of whom live, are living, John 1).. Anne E. (Airs. James J. Ferguson), Cynthia M. (Mrs. Bailey T. Thomas), James H. and ldY-.se> Grant, and all are residents of Sedalia. Missouri, except James II. The father died in November, [879, and the mother in February, 1883. Their sen James II. received a limited common-school education, remaining at home until the begin- ning of the Civil war, when he enlisted in de- fense of the Union as a member of the Seventh Missouri Cavalry, Company 1*".. entering die service at the age of sixteen a- a private and being soon afterward promoted second ser- geant, and mustered out as first lieutenant on April 14, 1865, at St. Lotus. After the close of the war he returned home and during the next eight years was engaged in farming in his native county. In 1X73 he crossed the plains with teams by the Smoky Hill route thn nigh 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 ni fw 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 [874 and thus became the first settler at the town and its founder. He laid out the townsite and gave his whole attention to promoting the growth and welfare of others who followed him to this favored locality, and his home in the town is one of the most pleasant and interesting in the town, the various rooms 1 icing 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 i> 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 line 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 111 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 hi- part) 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. Thev 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 doubh 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 mad? 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 fann- 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 3. 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 1X71, ami 1880 the people of the section received no mail except when he was able to travel on snow shoes to and from Halm's Peak, there being but three deliveries between September 3. 1880, and the summer of [881. In the summer last named he began raising cattle, which he continued until [896, 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 verv successful in winning .-11111 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. Mis shop is now one of the valued institutions in the industrial life of the town and enjoys a PROGRESSll'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 95 wide 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 comfi >rtal>le living was not difficult to get. Fra- ternally Mr. Clark belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen 01 the World. Politically he has always supported the Democratic party with ardor. He was married on December 18, [886, t<> 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 bis 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 count)' Cornwall, Eng- ■ land, until he reached the age of nineteen. He then, in [867, 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. Pie 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 • ■f 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 ami 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 t883 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 moi. Pie made all the improvements on his ranch and built up there an extensive business in ranching and the stock 9 6 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 1 901 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. [S71. he was married to Miss Anna E. Jones, who died on the 22d of September, 1879, and on July 2, 1 891, 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 vears 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 steadv 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. and 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 lie 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 ■ nil 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, hut 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 ti build the Short Line Railroad. In the fall of 1899 he moved to Steamboat Springs. Routt county, and opened a livery barn which lie is Mill 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. 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 bellows. He was married on November 2, T869, to Miss Letitia Fort, a native of Arkansas, and they have had eight children, six of whom are living. Elias \\ .. 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 born 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 his professional capacity as a civil engineer he installed the water works at Bay City, built the -renter part of the Michigan Central Railroad between Bay City and Detroit, and made the survey for the old Texas & Xew Orleans Railroad. He also served eight months in the Civil war. In [878 he moved to Colorado and followed mining in I 'ark county until he was disabled by an ac- cident in 1893. He now lives at Steamboat Springs. His wife died on March 19. 1896. ( )f their three children. Walter E. died in 1880 and Alnivra 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 [895 he moved to Routt county and located at Steamboat Springs. Here he has given atten- tion principally to ranching 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 T90T 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 energv and high character for which they are distinguished else- where, and are winning a success commensur- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN CO LOR. I no. 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 1)}- a route from Hood's canal they were the first white men ever to take. Mr. Wan Deusen was married on April 29. 1891, tn 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 tn 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 discovers', 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 counties'; 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 1, 1865, and remained in that country until he reached the age of seventeen, receiving in it> 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 year c 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 t886. 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, lie passed a year at Jersey City in the employ of the Erie Railroad, then, in 1888, sought a 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 now 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 ;i 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 pen pies 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 OE WESTERN COLORADO. 99 Steamboat Springs, and here he has erected a tine farm, comfortably provided with good buildings and other improvements, and brought the reluctant land to a cheerful and generous obedience to systematic husbandry. The development and improvement ot the sur- rounding country has been a matter of grave and practical concern with him, and he ha^ labored assiduously in promoting it. omitting' mi 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 his 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 hell 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 stale 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 t>> 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. lie 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, r 886. 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 he and his 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 7870 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 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. Air. Adams, then nearly seventeen, changed his residence to Leadville and his occupation to prospecting and mining, 111 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 1803. He was then sent to the Columbian Exposition at Chicago to represent the state of Colorado in the department of natural history, exhibiting especially the 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 mined to Routt county, locat- ing at Steamboat Springs in July. Here he has been continuously engaged 111 keeping a hotel and dealing in coal lands, and was inter- ested in the Steamboat. Sprines Pilot, a publi- cation (levntcd 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. I lis 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. ADAIR. 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. 1 if the same count)', a sketch of whom, contain- ing the family history, is to be seen elsewhere in this work. He received an elementarv 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 i88r he came to Colorado and. selecting Routt count)' 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 llavden. This he improved and on it conducted ranching and stock industries until [888, when he sold it and moved to Steamboat Springs, where he engaged in mer- chandising until 1 901. He then sold his busi- ness to A. and ( i. 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, hard) 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 "f many and ornate buildings, ami the oilier necessary equipments PROGRESS! I 'E MEN OF LIESTERN COLORADO. of ranch work in the best style. He has proven himself one of the progressive and tar-seeing ranch and cattle men of the county, and in the matter of public progress and development Min- or 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 frqm 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 111 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, his 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 he 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 tor two years. At the end of that period be moved to Leadville, and after following the same vocation there a few months returned to Georgetown, where be again engaged in it until 1882. He then con- ducted a sheep ranch on the plains for a time and in the winter of T883 worked in the Rio Grande Railroad shops at Denver. In March. 1SS4, 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 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. political relations he is a confirmed Socialist. On July 27, 1877. he was married to Miss Ruse S.uttle, 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 GKIL. Born at Pfalze. on the hanks 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 every 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. am! 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 and the father in 1869. Of their five children John and Christina are living, and of the three who are dead Michael ( '.., who was a member 1 if the Fourth 1 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 1S77; one died in infancy; and \nna M. passed away at a more advanced age. John attended school two or three years in his native land, hut after reaching this country was soon obliged to go to work, and from that time until he reached his legal majority hail almost no op- portunity to pursue his studies; and since he has keen 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 -elf-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. Towa. where he engaged in the manufacture of brick in part- nership with Thomas Flood. They prospered in their enterprise until the panic of 1857 de- 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 parsed some time in Louisi- ana and Mississippi cutting wood, ami also served as watchman on a steamboat on the Mississippi and Red rivers. In the spring of 1851) he returned to Missouri and located at St. Joseph, wdiere he followed brick making for a year. In the spring of i8<">o he came t" Colorado and during the next two years vvas 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 [862 he enlisted in Company D. Second Colorado Cavalry, in defense of the Union, and in that command he serxed to the end of the war. being discharged at Leavenworth. Kansas, in October, 1805. Returning then to Colorado, he mined and served as salesman in PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. t03 a store until 18O7. 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 fur the workmen and new settlers until winter. Then going to the headwaters near Sherman Summit, he passed the time until the spring' of [869 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. Ceil has omitted no effort required on bis part to make the most of it. His principal crop is hay, which he raises m large quantities of excellent quality. The im- provements on the place have all been made by him and they are worth}- 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. Ceil -Ties with the Democratic party, and in its fraternal life is connected with the order of Odd Fellows. He was married on February 17. 1N57. to Miss Man 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 Routt count}- 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 frontiei of this state furnished food for his appetite for danger and the more strenuous life of the holder, 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, [852, 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 bis own way in the world. What scholastic training he had was obtained in the common schools. In 1867, when he was Inn 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 be spent two years in farm work. In 1872 he changed his residence to Wisconsin, hut 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 PROGRESSIJ'E MEX OE U'ESTERX 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 be also raises some grain and the vegetables suited to the region. What the ranch is at this time it lias been made by his own industry and skill, for it was all in wild sage when be located on it and without improvements of any kind, ft 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, lie is not himself an active party worker. Fraternally he is connected with the order of Odd Fellows. On October \2. 1875, he was. married to Miss Ellen J. Gould, a native of Ed- wards count}-. Illinois. They have had four children, three of whom are living. Mrs. Walter l.aughlin. 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 halt southwest of Yampa. and who has been connected with other enterprises of value in that section, was horn 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 on her farm. In 1880 he went to Xew 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- tion-,, among them freighting on the Blue river and working in the Harris Reduction Furnace. until 18S3, 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 Xew 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 iSSS. and the father in 189J. Eight of their children are living, Thomas P., John W.. Mrs. Jacob Fry, Mrs. George Fry. Lemuel. Ira, Mrs. I.. Bird and Ovie B. Mr. Lindsay was married May 7. 1886, in Denver, Colorado. Carefully reared in a peaceful household, and early taught PROGRESS!}' E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 count}-, 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- cheri, Germany, on August 16, i860, 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, be 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 187O, 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 1). \\". Sherwood, who were at the head of the < Colorado Cattle Company. In [880 he became associated with Prior Brothers, who bad large cattle interests in southern Colorado and northern Texas, serving them faithfully until [886 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 I). 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 F... Alice, Helen, Louisa A.. Clay A.. James E.. Thomas S.. Caroline and Frank R. Through toil and trial. Mr. Clark has steadily made bis way. losing 110 foothold he once gained, and moving [o6 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF ll'ESTERN 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 count\'. 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 helonged 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, lie began at an early age to acquire mechanical skill as a ma- chinist, carpenter and 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 untii i860, 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 even-thing. 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 Mil the Des Moines river. Flis 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 [868, when he bought a store for himself in the city and during' the next two years he con- ducted this. In 1S70 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 lor three months, (losing this out at the end of that period, he took a train of twelve ox teams and wag. ins to the San Miguel county; the fust to enter that region. At San Miguel he opened PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. a store and kept the postoffice and from that place as headquarters ran three trains of burn is as pack animals to various other points. He found this business very profitable and con- tinued it three years, then in [879 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 ami widely esteemed citizen. He was married on December 14. 1^70. to Vli - Phebe A. Basford. They have had seven chil- dren, two of whi mi 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 horn near Darlington. Fayette county. Wiscon- sin, on January 24. iS^y, 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., Edwin 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 lint 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 ha- idded to lii^ original entry until he now owns, together with his wife, eight hundred ami 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 ( >wn 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 libera] 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 Uleghanies, 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 iS. 1853. and he is the son of John and Alary J. (Cassell) Squire, the former a native of the state of Xew 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. lie died in [862 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 Pittsrield. 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 by close attention PROGRESSIIE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. .09 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 1881 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 [882 he moved to Redcliff, and in the tall of 1883 he was elected the first count}- clerk and recorder of Eagle count)' as the candidate of the Republican partv. At the end of his tenure of this office, which lasted six years, he engaged in mining on Battle mountain, working tor 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, [890, he closed out his interests in Eagle count}' ami went prospecting in British Colum- bia, but without success. Returning to this country, he pint 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 Glenwood 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 1 >n 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. ( )n 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 lie 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 bom 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 down}- 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 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. Eighteenth New York Infantry as a private soldier. He served until June 13, 1805, 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 ne 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 he 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. In 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 ' le 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 180X. In that year he sold the business and assumed the management of the mercantile in- terests of the Tierney Merchandise Company al 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 & Gilman Mercantile Company, with which he was con- nected until root, when he sold ids interest in the concern. In T902 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 Mi~s 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 Mi. Idle Crove. New York, and Mrs. ]•".. A. Goodwin, of Garland, Maine. Their father was a farmer by occupation, an ardent ami active Republican in politics, and a promi- nent and highly respected citizen. IT. IX BROTHERS. These three enterprising and prosperous ranchmen and cattle-growers and excellent citizens. Gustavus, August and Charles Clin. are natives of Sweden, the first born on April if«. 1863, the second on August 10. 1865, and the third on October 2. T867. and sou of Nels and Mary (Magnisdotter) Ulin, also natives of Sweden, where the father died on Vugusl :. [800, and the mother and the rest of the PROGRESSIVE MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. 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. The)- worked in the interest of their parents until they became men, and then sever- ally came to the United States, ( lustavus ar- riving in Colorado in 1885. Charles in [888, 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. Tt 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- hound 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- 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 i860, 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 i&J/. 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 ca u> e to Colorado, and during the next two years was engaged in quartz mining at Leadville. In [881 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 on 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 tlie People's party in political affairs, and throughout the county of his residence he is widely and favorably known, lie was married March 3. [882, to Miss Anna Haiti, a native of Norway, the daughter of Ola and Ingeborg I 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 ami 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 hi-* neighborhood. His wife died in Michigan. Their son Lorenzo lived in Texas witlt 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 stop]>ed in the Indian Territory instead of going home. and during the next eight years lie lived there engaged in farming. He then came to Colo- rado and located- at Leadville, reaching that place in 1SS0, and for three years thereafter he was employed in hauling ore and timber. In 1SS4 lie 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 eenerouslv to his skillful husbandry, and the PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. "3 cattle industry he has carried on in connection with lu's 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, was a soldier on the Southern side in the Civil war and her grandfather, also named Abram, was in the war of 1812. Mr. Hudson 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, who owns two ranches in this part of the state and is one 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 _> 1 , 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 [885 he went to work for himself as a farm hand in the vicinity of his home. Three years later he determined to gratif) 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 ami, 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 soil 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 thev were grievous and hard to bear in passing through them, now serve only to heighten his pleasure in his present comfort and prosperitv 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 yieid 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 SUMNF.R WILKINSON. The old. old story of a youth leaving his parental roof-tree and starting out m life for himself armed with nothing but his energy, determined spirit, native ability and what 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 an d tne 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 de- 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 PROGRESS! I'E 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 o. [889, he 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 [rish 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 ami worked out his desire to win a home and a place in the public esteem for himself. His life began on January t. 1862. in Onondaga county. New York, near the city of Syracuse, and he is the son of John and Ann ( McDonald) ( "a\ anaugh. 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. [901, 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 Puebloon March 13th. 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 i8<)2 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 [898. 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 iqoo. 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 no PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. in matters of local improvement as a man of progress and breadth of view and in polities as an ardent Democrat. He was married on November 22, 1887. to Miss 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 1'. 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 hack, 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 In-other of Hans P. Olesen. in whose sketch on another page the family record will be found, lie 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 m >\v owns two ranches, the home place c< .111- 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. Coming 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, l\-tcr Barth was vet 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. lives. He was born on .March 14. 1847. and 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 (Barth) 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 responsivefy 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 field for his enterprise in Colorado, locating at the corner of Larimer and Thirty-fourth streets in Denver in 1872, and there doing rail 1 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 until the spring of 1X75. 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 1. 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 1SS0. 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. lie 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 I'. Olesen. sketches of whom will he found on other pages and in them the family record ap- pears. Me was horn in Germany on February to. [876, 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 [889, when he came to the United States ana 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 [892 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, \fter leaving that engagement he became the man- ager for the Riley Company at Gypsum, and conducted its affairs two years 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 15th 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 t<). 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 111 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 ,,f 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 Glenw 1 Springs, is a native of Michigan, born near Saginaw on January 14. 1862. and the son of Simpson and Julia ( Mc Wpiti ) 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, lie- coming a contractor, with saw-mills in the woods. He was thus engaged four years, then passed five in association with the Otto bake 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. < >f the joint tract one hundred and forty acres arc 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 nourishing and profitable dairy business is conducted during the 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 parry mother of William, di Mrs. Chapman, the in 1876. Five chil- PROGRESS! I ~E 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 1 if Michigan and Canada, and after leaving school remained in Canada until [881 working on farm- 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 Glen wood Springs and soon after entering into partner- ship with his father in business. On May jo. 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, lie now lives near Dil- lon on the Blue river. His wife died on June. t6, 1881. 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. Floyd. Bessie, \mos 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 nn (St 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 mi 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 Ins 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; [saac, at Cattle Creek, Colorado ; Silas in Kansas City, Missouri; Elizabeth, the wife of Hiram Weckerly, and Armantha, the wife of Frank Heald, both also in Kansas City. James had but little opportunity for schooling. l>eing obliged to assist his parents on the farm from an early age. He remained with them until he was eighteen and worked verv hard in their PROGRESSIVE MUX OF WESTERN COLORADO. interest. He then began to learn the trade of a tinsmith at Erie, Pennsylvania, and after completing his apprenticeship moved to ( )regon, 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 hint a one-half interest in this property. It was a bad case of misplaced confidence, for Bussick sold the prop- erty tor 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 f< lur 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 Fellow 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) Lnderwood, 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, lb- made two trips across the plains in [849 with Colonel Sublett. ami 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 wife 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. Xeedham : anil Charles and Joseph, also residents of Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Xeedham 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 ( ireen 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 20, [843. His PROGRESSIVE MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. parents. Ethelbert and Pauline (Goodspeed) Lewis, were natives of Connecticut, and set- tled in Vermont soon after their marriage. The}- remained in that state engaged in farm- ing until death ended their useful labors, the father dying in [885 and the mother in [891. 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, Janus, died some years ago. Wil- bert was educated in the public schools and at tlie Troy Conference Academy in his native state. After leaving school he remained at In Hue 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, be 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 _'8, 1882. he moved to bis 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 ami hardy vege- tables are raised and a flourishing cattle in- dustry is carried mi. Air. Lewis is a Republican in politics, of pronounced convictions and earn- est activity in the sen-ice 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 Xew 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 i860 and the mother in [901. 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 Xew York and his mother in Ohio. The father moved to Ohio as a young man. and after his marriage dwelt a short tune 111 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 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; Alary, 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 hoard, 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 thev arrived in due tune 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 hut one team which thev 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. Tn 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 -lock interest. Tn r88o. lie purchased laud at Nelson, Nebraska, in partnership with T. C. Rogers, which he held until 1893. then sold it and moved to Cameron, Missouri, and engaged in the real-estate business from [894 to [896. Tn the year 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. X. ( ',. Coall and W. I). 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 UJnited Workmen, and in political action ardently supports the Demo- cratic party. On June 16. tXXq. 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, and the father in May, 1893. They were members of the Methodist church and the parents of ten children, nine of whom are living, one haying died in infancy. The living are William. Henry B.. Jacob, George. Mice. Fannie, Annie. Sallie and Mrs. Weir. Mr. and Mrs. Weir have one child. Clyde Wil- liam, who was horn on February 4. 1S90. Mr. Weir is well pleased with 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 nf 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, horn 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. I lis parents were Conrad and Ursula (Margreth) PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. i-*:, 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 count}-, 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 iqoo. 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 be reached his thirtieth year. He then began farming for himself in Wisconsin, where be remained until [888, when he came to Colorado, which at that time was very wild and undeveloped. Me 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. Pie is thrifty and progressive in bis 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 the 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 be was married to Miss Wary Leonhardy, and they have bad seven children, one of whom, a son named Paul, died on May [9, [895. The six living are : Ursula, wife of Olaf Larsen, of Xew 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 bands of his mother. He was born in Wayne county, Illinois, on March 14. 1S44, 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 while 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 bis 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 be was an un- compromising Democrat, and in religious faith : Methodist, his wife also belonging to tint church. He died in 1N51 and she in [893* They had a family of nine children, four of whom survive them: Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Ellis, living near Arlington. Illinois; Hyrcanus, living near Glemvood 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 lie 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 g 1 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 J, 1873, to Miss Mar- garet M. Holmes, a native of Carroll county. < )hio, 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 I 'resbyterian 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 1 Xi»7 and the father in 1885. They were Pres- byterians. Mr. and Mrs. Staton have bad eight children. One died in infancy and a son named ( liarles 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 ( 'ana 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 1.. Sherwood, of Carbondale, Gar- field county, this state, is a product of the West, and be has tried many of its various lines of usefulness with varying success, sometimes on the crest of an advancing wave of prosperity ami 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 r_i. 1865, where his parents had settled a number of years lie- fore. He is the son of Anson and Meda 1 keg- 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 bis death, in 1S0S. After that sad event bis widow moved her family to Georgetown, Colorado, where she carried on a millinery business from [869 to T872. 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 r88i 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 \. Moore, of Florence, and Robert I.. The PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 111 a (touring-mill in the same city, and was then in the employ of Dr. Muggins, of Denver, and while working for bun 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 be moved to Leadville and. in part- nership with P. J. liall 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, lie next opened a restaur- ant at Durango, but as the population was at that time largely composed of outlaws who were bad pay. be was obliged to close his doors in a short time. Moving on. be 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 bis own account. At the end of a year be 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 Hut Sulphur Spring-. 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 be changed bis residence to Aspen, where he dealt in grain and hay for a period. After that be 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 1S70 moved to Colorado. The father was a carpenter and contractor, and followed his business at various places. In r88o they moved to Aspen, and here he con- tinued in the industrious pursuit of his voca- tion until be accidentally met his death in 1886. lie 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 liAing; : .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 bad 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- 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 [892; Perry L., of Rluemound, Illinois, Philip H.. and Marv 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 earlv 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, lie then engaged in shelling corn and shipping it to St. Louis, with head- quarters at Virden, Illinois, remaining there until t86q. when he moved to Kansas, and after devoting some time to fanning 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. ( 'lav- 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 count}', 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 (ins 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- tion-- 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 hue 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 am! 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 r. 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 1S75 mi- grated to the Black Hills in South Dakota, where he put in five years prospecting and mining hut without success. In [880 he came oxer 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 st, ive 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 count)'. 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 St attacker. John Rudie, the two I.uxinger 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. 1 [arris 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 to. 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 PROGRESSIJ'E 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 nf their six children survive the mother, who died in February, t862. Mr. and Mrs. Harris have four children living, Xettie. 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 \Y. Moore, of Routt county, now a prominent and enterprising ranch and cattle man en 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 stated resources and building up her material interests, lie was horn at Green- field, Indiana, on August 2, 1853, anil was edu- cated at the graded schools of that city. \t the aye of fourteen years he was apprenticed to the trade of a printer, serving his apprentice- ship in the office of the St. bonis 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 hail charge of the daily there owned by J. F. Leach. Mr. Moore, the younger, serving as foreman. Then father and son together boughl the Democratic paper at Nevada City, winch they conducted together for a year and a half. At the end of that period failing health induced the son to move to I iolo rado, 1 1c to,.k up his residence at ( Georgetown, where lie remained until rSj5 engaged in a number of different pursuits. In that year be 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 frotn there moved on to Leadville. Here lie 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 v ember, 1880. he became manager of two saw -mills belonging to Bull & Harrison, and. moving litem to Durango, he continued in charge of them until August, 1881. From Durango he went to Pueblo where he carried a hod until October [Oth. At that time he joined in business again with Mr. bisk and purchasing a four-mule outfit, they moved to Bear river. In the autumn of [882 be locate. 1 a pre-emption claim of one hundred and sixtv acres near 1 layden. which he improved. In the winter of [883 he 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 be soon afterward returned to Glenwood Springs where he passed some tune cutting cord wood for use in burning brick. The company for which he and eight others worked was unable to pay its employees and thev started for Leadville with a joint capital >>i four dollars. At the last named town he was variouslj employed until 1887. Fromthen until [895 he was once more in partnership with Mr. bisk, their enterprise during this period beui- the slock business. In 1805 he bought Mr. Fisk's ranch interest, and on Me cember -'8th of that year he met with an ac- cident while prospecting for coal, by which he lost his left leg. lie sold the ranch he then had in [902 at a good profit and the next year bought the one In- now owns on Williams fork. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. This comprises three hundred and twenty acres, of which two hundred and fifty acres are under advanced cultivation. Here he conduct!- a flourishing cattle industry on a large scale, in which he finds congenial employment and ex- cellent returns for his lahor. He takes an active interest in puhlic affairs as a Republican and gives the principles and candidates of his party loyal support. He is the son of William and Amanda (Woodworm) Wood, the former a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the latter ■ f 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 f< »r a number of years. Their living children are Edwin R.. Pinckney M., William W.. Mrs. Belle Snyder, Mrs. Florence Agune and Mr<. 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 their 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 raism- 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 e88i and the mother in [89 1. 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 [4. 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 and returned to Iowa. When he arrived at Denver with his parents he located a ranch on Cache La Poudre ri\er. 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 placet- 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 3° 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 fur market. The ranch is nine miles southeast 1 if Xew Castle in a good agricultural and graz- ing region and is a valuable property. Mr. Williams belongs to the Grand Army of the RejYublic 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 1 87 1 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. Thev 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 been 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 ha- sh-ice 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, he 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 and the 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 cTiecl in infancy. From her marriage with Mr. Dunstan there are also two, Augusta M. and Thomas H. The latter was the first white boy bom en 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 11)04. 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 anil literary ability. DAVID C. CROWELL. Born in Pulaski county, Virginia, on March 1, 1 84 1, 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 be served until April 0, 1865, when he was mustered out as a first lieutenant. Dur- ing bis 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 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 Fen 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 count}-, where he carried on a hotel and livery business and also served as clerk and recorder until 1883. In that year he moved to Bear River and located the ranch now owned by Cary 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 [903, 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. Crow-ell 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 kunblev, 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 opportunitv 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 Casey ville. 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 count)', where he worked in the coal mines six years for wages. In 1S87 he moved to the vicinity of Craig. Routt county, and took up a homestead of one hun- dred and sixty acres. lie has since bought another ranch of the same size, ami on the two he has two hundred and fifty acres under good cultivation, from which he realizes first-rate returns 111 the ordinary farm products of the region ,iuA 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. llis knowledge of coal mining has been oi great service in this state as he has opened well and wisely several mines of value wherein coal is found in abundance. In 1 S f >t 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 to. [893. They are Nancy ( Mrs. Zar- zoeter), Thomas, Jennie 1 Mrs. Martin Early), Fannie and James. On February 3. [902, Mr. Kimble) contracted a second marriage, being united on this occasion with Miss Patience PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. '.V* 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- bley enforces in his life work and success the value i >f 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 tine 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 well 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 Messed 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. The}' 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 horn at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June i. 1851. His parents were James and Catherine (O'Neal) Finley. the former a Pennsylvanian by nativity and the latter horn in Vermont. The father was a prominent merchant and miller. In the early pari of Ins career, in company with two other merchants, he went to Europe to purchase silks and other fine dress goods for his trade, and while the}' were returning with their purchases on hoard, 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. i<)00. Four of their seven children are living. John B., Byron S., Row- land W. and Florence E. The son. Rowland \Y.. 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 Iowa, arriving at Ottumwa with but fifty cents in money and no settled occupation in 34 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 'in the Democratic side, serving as county commissioner, count)' clerk and as a member of the hoard 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. At that time he came to Colorado to live and located 111 Routt county. Until [900 he lived on the ranch located by Hulett & Torrence in the early days, and on which still stands the first 1 g 1 abin 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. I lav 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 J002. 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 count). Pennsyl- vania. They 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 11. In the Finley household five chil- dren have been born. Lavina M. died on May 9. (879, while James W.. William 1'.. Robert I), 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 h md at several vocations and won success m 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 tin- state of Washington, and after completing the law course at the Iowa University he prac- ticed his profession in Illinois, in [88] he be- came a resident of Colorado, and here he prac- ticed law in Summit county three years. In [883 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 crop- of the usual farm products in the neigh- borhood, lie takes an active interest 111 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 [8, [891, he united m marriage with Miss Rosella PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 35 Teagarden. They haye 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 - wesl of this country have been for the most part men who were born to poverty and pri- vation and wlic 1 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, [859, in 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. iNqo. 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 [879 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 [881. 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 .n 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 mosi 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, [887, to Miss Lydia J. Lovell, a native of Will county. Illinois, born on January 4. i860. They have had four children, of whom one daughter named Pear! 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 t36 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. GE< >RGE VV. BOONE. \ self-made and very successful and pros- perous man. George VV. 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, lie is a native of McMinn county. Tennessee. born 011 July 10. [86l. 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. It 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, \\ here he found employment as stock tender for the Overland Stage Company. The next year he came to Colorado and homesteaded a por- tion of his present ranch, purchasing since one hundred and eight} acres additional, s, , 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 In 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. While taking an active and help- ful interest in public local affairs, and with- holding no effort of his needed to promote good enterprises fur the welfare of his com- munity, he is independent in politics. On June o. [889, he united in marriage with Miss Mar- garet Walker, a native of Georgia. Mr. Bi k 'lie's parents were Allen and Anna ( Hardy) Boone, natives of North Carolina, who be- came earl}- 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 T4. 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. 37 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 Eee. 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. WALLIH \X. During the last twenty-two years the sub- ject of this brief memoir has been a resident 1 if Routt county, and during that neriod 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. [859, 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 i8q8, 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 !•".. 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. T882. he located on a ranch in Routt county, which he '3? 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, 1886 and 1887, 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 lie 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 11, 1885, Mr. Wallihan was married to Mrs. Mary \. Farn- hani. 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 T83;. The father, a Methodist minister, was a carpenter in early life, and Ins 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 whom 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 rqoj. 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, s.i 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 Hayden, has served the section of country in which he lives during the last ten years, and his service has been esj>e- 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 m. [861, in the midst of the troublous times of the Civil war. He therefore was obliged to fore-- 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 font." the ordinal \ pursuits of life were largely suspended for want of die necessary force to carry them on, and the en- ergies :it hand were taxed to their utmpsl to feed, clothe and equip the armies and supply PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 39 the commonest necessaries of life for the wo- men ami children left at home. After the war the paralysis continued man}- 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, lie went to work on farms for wages at an early age and thereby supplied bis own wants and rendered assistance to his parents. In his young man- hood, and after the death of his parents left him free to cheese a future for himself, the West wore a winning smile to his hopes, and in [884 he came to Colorado and. in partner- ship with his brother, Lemuel E. Kitchens, bought 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 possible in thickly populated regions. So the work was arduous and its returns were neces- sarily small. In 1880 he sold his interest in the ranch and stock to his brother, and during the next seven years was in the employ of Wil- liam II. 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- em 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, [893. 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 1 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 I)., William P., Mary A., Sarah G., Haseltine, .Mrs. Lama 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, [874. 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 m his native state until the beginning of the ( ml 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 I '.rock. He pre-empted a claim which he af- terward proved up as a homestead, and on this he ranched and raised cattle until [902, 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 w ith very gratifying and profitable results in these lines for six years. His early work in ditching led others to follow his example and lie may be justly considered the originator of tin svstem that has been so extensively carried out and has been of such great value to the county. Oh his arrival in the county he had in thing 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- lins, Wyoming. Fraternally Mr. Fiske is a Master Mason, and politically he is a Repub- lican. He is the son of Hiram and Diantha 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. I le died in the state of New York in 1835. and 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 I in- trude at a later age. The five who are living are DeEtta, Mrs. Nellie ('lark. Mrs. Leniiie Ralston. Hiram and Charles. The mother died mi November t8, 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. lie received a good common school education, and after leaving school began at once to take an active part in Ins 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 <^' 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 line 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 g 1 '.'.ill of the community which, during the last nineteen years, he has helped to build up and develop. He was born in Saxony, Ger- many, >\ the Methodist church. Mr. and Mrs. Heusch- kel have had eight children. Of these. Francis L. died on March 25, 1895; ail(1 Ellen I Mrs. Gilmore), Joseph A., William ( )., 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 Bi g 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 live 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 ' ,e c;l|lu ' to Colo- rado and located a ranch which he occupied and farmed until 1877. working at his trade also during that period. He then 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. 143 Pain, he bought the one on which lie now lives. comprising eighty acres, all of which is under cultivation in hay, grain and vegetal lies, 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 YY. RIDER. facob 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 witli 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. Rut he preserved peaceful relations with the savages and prospered in their midst by treat- ing them fairly. In 188 1 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 lite 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. MOYER. Of William J. Mover, proprietor of the Fair department store and vice-president of the ( irand 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) Mover, 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 he 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 Mock of goods of all kinds. Fourteen person- are em PROGKESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. H: ployed in conducting it and they are among the best paid employes of their kind in Grand Junction, it having been Mr. Mover's policy from the start to secure good help and pay good wages, and he now attributes a large measure of his success to the loyalty shown by his em- ployees to his interests and the excellent assist- ance 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 pditics 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 with Miss Ida Shantz, a native of Pennsylvania who ac- companied her parents to Kansas in her girl- hood, and was living at the time (if her mar- riage at Atchison, where the ceremony was performed. PHIDELAH A. RICE. P. A. Rice was torn near Glasgow, Barren county, Kentucky, on January 22. 1845. ■'"'"' is the son of David and Selina H. (Bender) Rice, the former a native of Kentucky, of Welch descent, and the latter of Indiana, of German 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 good citizenship. Mr. Rice's father, who was a teacher, died in 1850, when the son was but six years old, and eight years later the mother moved to southwestern Missouri, taking with her three sons and one daughter, and some years afterward she died there. Phidelah. the oldest of the children, received a limited public school 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 Spring-field. 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 ^eek an outdoor life. He carrie 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 Juan 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 alwavs 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. Tn 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. Marv- landers by nativity who located in Westport in 1856, when Kansas City was known as West- port Landing. The father was engaged in '4" PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. Freighting and did an extensive business. Mr. and .Mrs. Rice have five children. .Mary B., Bernard L.. Phidelia 1>.. William O. and Ralph I I 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 [904 at Colorado College. HON. JAMES S. CARNAHAN. 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. Me was born in Pennsylvania on March 2S. [859, and is the son of Thomas and Sarah i.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 .1 year in Valparaiso, Indiana. In the. spring of 1SS7 he 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 count}- in the spring of 1889, with Julesburg as the county seat, be 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 [892 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 be 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 count)- 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 [895 he moved to Grand Junction and renewed the practice of his profession, in which be 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. 1003, he formed a part- nership with < 1. Van Hoorebeke, under the firm name of Carnahan & Van Hoorebeke. and this has become one of the leading law firms of the county. < )n December 10, 1880. he was married to Miss Rose E. Veager. a native of Fulton county. Ohio, and daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Yeager, also natives of that state. Thev are still living in Fulton county, PROGRESSIVE MEN OP iVESPPRX COLORADO. nalian hi B. and C Elks and The Judge and Mrs. Car- ren, their si ins Law rence rhe Judge belongs to the en of the World. the Wooi 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 m 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 .1 product of rural life, having been born on a farm in Kane count}'. Illinois, bis lite begin- ning on November [3, [856. 1 lis parents were George and 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. Air. 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 and later in De Kalb, where he ended bis days in 1875. his wife dying in t868. 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, hi 1875 he entered the law depart- ment of the State University of Michigan, and was graduated there in (S77 before be was twenty-one. He then came to Colorado ami 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 bis pro- fession. In the fall of 1881 the reservation was opened and. with a party of friends, be 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 lie bad located a townsite, but the}' persuaded him to join forces with them and move on to the site of the present Grand Junction. The company winch 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 sevent\ r 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 bad been the Ute reservation, and soon afterward put up a log building on Main street winch be 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- . 4 8 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 he was the 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 l>een none since. He also inaugurated the plant- ing >>f 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 T901, 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 had a commission ap- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 1, 1895. he mar- ried a second wife. Miss Mary Lapham, a na- tive of Canada but reared and educated in ( 1 >i( irado, 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- sef)]! county, Michigan, on October 1, 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 1 >f 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 [ 5o 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, 1S68, 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. Tn 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 pny 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 al 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 [850, still pursuing his law studies, he liecame the editor and proprietor of the Clinton Demo- crat, the organ of his party in Clinton county, lie at once became active and effective in poli- tics, both 111 the editorial columns of his pa- per and on the hustings showing unusual ca- pacity and force, and there evincing an ascend ancy and control over men which was through life one of his salient characteristics. From then on until he left Pennsylvania he was one PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 151 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 a t 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 president. 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 [861. 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 ov\ in- 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; Inn Ins 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 corn- pan) 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 Provo. 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 lie 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 interred 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 Monday. January 26, 1891, the life that was the most earnest and useful ever known in western Colorado, ended. And n<>\\, 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 ■ •I' Pitkin count)-, 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 raising 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 anil 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 I.eadville, and there they carried on a profitable dairy business until 1885. In that year they changed their residence to Glenwood 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 111 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 n. T842. 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 Uniontovvn, Pennsylvania, where he is the editor of the Genius of Liberty, which was established in 181 5 by John Irwin. Their mother died in 1864 and their father in 1869. Mr. Hook's educational advantages were few and limited in scope. At the age of seventeen he began to leant 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- 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 1 87 1. 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, [879, 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 PROGRESSIFE 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 [865 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 Leaclville and Emma in this state- lier 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 reft 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, [862. 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 (895. 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 be 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 [885, and at the same time conducted a ranch on Sopris creek. At the end of six years the partnership was harmoniously dissolved. In [902 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, tin- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 55 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 Maywood, Nebraska : Sarah, wife of Charles Redding, also living in Nebraska; Sytha, wife of Thomas Lawrence, of Carbondale, Colorado; Charles F... 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 Glenwood 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 districl 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 [895 to [898. R< )BERT \Y. DWYER. R. W. Dwyer is a native of Ross county. Ohio, born on Ma)- 14. 1855. and the son of lolin M. and Elizabeth (Duncan) Dwver, 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 part)' in political matters. In middle life he moved to Iowa, where he continued fanning 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 187s 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. Dwver supports the Republican party in political contests, and in fraternal life he is con- nected with tlie W linen 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 \Y., 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. Pie is a native of New Brunswick. Canada, horn on May 29. 1837, the son of William N. and Jane (Snow) Mal- 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 farm- 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 Wakefield on November 20, 1820; Anna K., born on February 8. 1822 ; Hilkiah, born on June 1, 1825; William A., born on March 4, 1829; Ezekiel, born on March 29, 1833; and Enoch G., born on May 29, 1837. The father, who was born in July. 1705. died in March. 1885. and the mother, born on September 1. 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 hut 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 Xess county. Kan- sas, where he was engaged in farming nine PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 157 vears. 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, hut 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 1 imminent 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 ami 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 W., 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 Sod- 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 witli 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 ;8 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. W I LI. ITS. 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. [848, and the son n\ 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 Xew 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. fie thereupon moved to Kansas, and after liv- ing in that state seven years changed to Texas, where he continued in the same occupation, and where his death occurred on December 1, [890. He was a Royal Arch Mason in frater- nal life, and a strong Democrat in politics. lie 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, lie was a Presbyterian in church connection. < M 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, ( Iklahoma; 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 ['"rick, helped to make the state constitution of Illinois 111 [848, and took a leading part in public, affair-, in other ways. Lee R. Willits attended the district schools near his homo, 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 [870, he began farming inde- pendently in Kansas, where he remained until [873, then moved to Texas, where he lived fourteen years engaged in farming and raising stock. In [887 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 a- county commissioner He was also a mem- ber of the thirteenth legislature of the state, ami 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 Llhanen and Phoebe A. (Moore) Robinson. 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. L59 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 II. 1',. Gillespie, of Denver; Mrs. Willi ts. of Eagle county; and Charles M.. of Pendleton, Oregon. The mother died in (886 and the father in Novem- ber. 1898. The Willits household has been blessed and brightened with four children: I 'earl E., wife of William Shanks, of Leadville; Irene 1'.. living at home; Mama E., wife of 1. II. Mitchell. of Basalt; and Bramlett, living under the parental roof. CHARLES E. JACOBS. l'.orn in Wood county. Ohio, on September 3, [871, 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 h\ progress through two or three interven- ing states and industrious effort for advance- ment m them all. His parents. Oliver and Lavina (Locy) Jacobs, were also natives of ( )hio. and in 1K73 moved to Iowa, then to Fort Scott. Kansas, afterward t < > Joplin, Missouri, and from there in 1878 to Colorado, locating at Leadville. where they lived until 1881, when they moved to Gunnison county. In bis 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 fur himself. He supported the Republican party in political matters and fraternally was connected with the order of ( )>\<\ 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 vet 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 he 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 ami has many natural advant- ages for farming and the stock industry. Mr. Jacobs was united in marriage June r, 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 horn on February 4. T873. 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 iOo 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 tried 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. 185c), 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. hi the fall of [88<; 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. ( In 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 lias 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 S, 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 Miclii gan. being among the earlv settlers of that PROGRESSIVE MEX OF WESTERN COLORADO. in- 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 who knew them. They bad 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 working 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 bis 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. Nnrnherg raises good crops. He also carries on a flourishing industry in cattle, that commodity and bay being bis principal resource and both being extensively produced. He also raises sonic fruit for market. The ranch is well sup- plied with 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 11. [861, he was married to Miss Fannie Harris, a daughter of William and Catherine (Jayne 1 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 whom four have died, twins in infancy, and Julia in 1867 and Gertrude in [871. 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 (Airs. Edward Xevitt), of Aspen; and Maud ( Mrs. Arthur Ward), of Pasadena, Cal- ifornia. While independent in polities, the fa- ther has a decided leaning toward the Republi- can party. 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. 1802, to Miss Rose Smith, a daugh- ter of Adam and Mary (Duerst) 1 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: Alary, 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 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. of Nicholas Grenfell; and Clara, the wife of Peter Wells, of South Dakota. The parents and must 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. 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, lie 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 r88o, in connection with various other kind- 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 bay. 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'- father died in r88i and his mother in 189T. GUSTAVEUS GRACE. Orphaned at the age of eleven year- 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. Tic was horn PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 163 at Hinesburg, Chittenden county, Vermont, on July 16, 1854. the son of Harrison B. and Miranda (Mosier) Grace, the former a native of Bangor. Maine, and the latter of Hinesburg, \ ermont. 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. [902. 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 Breckenridqe. took up his residence at Lincoln gulch, where he worked in the mines until September 15. [877, for a compensation of three dollars a day. On the date last mentioned he moved to Leadville, and there he wrought in the smelters until [881, when he returned to Breckenridqe. 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, he 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, lie is a firm supporter of the. Republican party, and a valued member of the Woodmen of the World. On October 5. [882, he was married to Miss Minerva Case, a native of Plattsville. Wisconsin, the daughter of Austin and Elizabeth A. (Wright) Case, the former born 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. O f 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 Vosta on the Baltea and under the shadow of the Appenines, came Alexis Arbaney to the L T nited States, when he was a young man of twenty- 104 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. nine, and here he has given his time and energy to developing a ranch and building up thereon i flourishing stock and general ranching in- dustry. He was born on November 27, 1 861 . and is the son of John B. and Margaret Ar- haney. 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 lie 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 bis first location at Delray, Wayne county. Michigan. Here he engaged in lumbering for a time and later in foundry work. On October 10, 1890, be 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 be worked ten months in the P.ride 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 aire--, 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. ( >ne 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 In.-, adopted land. He was married on June 17, 1880, to Miss Felicity Gerbaz, an Italian like himself and horn on Jul)- 2, [862. 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. horn on February 28. 1888, and Isabelle, born on December 4, 1890. The par- ents are members of the Catholic church ami 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 tor the advancement of the commu- nity and the benefit of its people. He was torn in Wisconsin on September 10, 1862, and is the son of Tunis V. and Maria (Clifford I 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. [6s Wisconsin in their early married life, but not long afterward moved to Iowa, then to Ne- braska and afterward to Illinois. Down to [880 the father was a farmer, but he is now receiver for the hoard 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. ' hie, 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 he 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 tRRo 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 be also conducted a ranch four years at Delta. In 1893 he sold all his prop- erty and coming to Glenwood, engaged in the livery business, buying out F. A. Enoch and forming a partnership with A. F. Yewell, which continued five years from July 1, 1893, in. I 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- wood 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 Ouincy, 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 an} - 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 and 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 count)-. New Jersey, on January 26, i860, 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- [66 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 religions affiliation. Their offspring numbered six, of whom five survive them, the mother having died on January 16th, 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 ' le 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 \V. L. Beardsley. of Huerfano county, living near the present town of Walsenburg. He re- mained with .Mr. Beardsley until January, [879, 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 tice, nine of them as city attorney. En [898 he was elected county judge of Garfield county, and in 1901 and in 1004 lie 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 tin- 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 VEasonic order, belonging to the lodge and the Royal Arch chapter, in the latter body holding the office of captain of the host. lie also be- longs to the Knights of Pythias. On Ma\ 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, and is the 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 familyof 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 lire, first at Vienna, then in England, where he passed eighteen months, and afterward in the United States, one year in Xew York, two PROGRESSll'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO . >"7 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 oi 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 lie 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 year-. 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 J, 1861, and is the son of George and Sarah (Smith) Copeland, the father of the same nativity as himself and the mother born in New York state. The father was dur- ing the vears 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 [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 r8g] he came to Colorado and located at As- pen where he l^egan 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 hoard 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 i >f its present excellent high school. All inter- ests i if the town, county and state have his earnest and effective support. He is treasurer of the Commercial 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 Mi idem 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 F. 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. i6g 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 u, 1842, the son of William and Emily G. (Waters) Cardnell, the former bom 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 Majestv's Ship, Pinafore." Mr. Cardnell serve! 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 be 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 h • 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, 1S83, 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 to. 1856, at Remington, Hunterford county. New Jersey, the s. wh< 1 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 gram 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 Xew York state and a widow with two children. Mildred and Leslie ( mtchel. ALOXZO 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 almosl 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 1 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 -oils 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 ami at whatever PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 be ac- cepted the government position already alluded to in what is now Gunnison county a1 Los Linos Indian agency, arriving at his post of service on Christmas day. T872. 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. LTartman remained in the government service nearly four years, then in T876 started a trading post and small st<>re for dealings with the Indians. Soon afterward the postoffice at Gunnison was established and be was appointed postmaster, but was obliged to hire a man to cany the mails once a week, or oftener as occasion demanded. This was one mi' the first postoffices on the Western slope and be had charge of it a number of years. His store was on a part of his present ranch, am! 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 count)' was organized be and James P. Kelley, who were partners, bought one hundred and twenty acres of land and laid out the townsite of Gunnison in i8t(j. Not long after this he built a store on the town- site, and from that time bis 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 bis vest pocket, but after the railroad was built through bis 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, ami 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 be 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 be 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. , 7 o PROGRESSIl'E 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 (H inkle) Haigler, who moved from their native state, West Virginia, and located near Olathe. Kansas, in i860, and were 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 .laughter. 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, Bom 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 mx 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 labi >r. His life began on February 20. 1847. anc l ne is the son of John and Jennie ( NichoD Allen. like himself natives of Scotland, where the mother died in 1853 and the 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 V. 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 Xew Vork city on July jth. 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 1S61-5 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 inhabitants, but bad 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. I.cnnan & llanna, 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. ^77 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 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, ne 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. t 7 8 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. JACOB D. MILLER. Jacob D. Miller, the pioneer meat merchant of Gunnison 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 189 1. 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. be 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 vears 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 term-. 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 payment of the prin- cipal." In fraternal life Mr. Miller i- 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 Cam]) No. 39 at the same place. He was married on April 21, [881, to Miss I.aura Riley, a native of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. They have had four PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 79 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 then- 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 count)-, and owns and operates a ranch of one thousand acres on Ohio creek, eight miles north of the county seat, was horn 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 \nna (Maltbyl 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 18^5, when he moved to Wis- consin, changing his residence in 1861 to b'ree- horn 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 tool 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 horn 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 r88o he came to Colorado, and located in Gunnison count}-. 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 PROGRESSIl'E 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. I [ere 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 Ins barns and other outbuildings are also first-class in every respect. Tn political faith lie 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. ami 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. [81 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 t. 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 i860, just before the ominous cloud of the Civil war, which had long threat- ened the peace and prosperity of our unhappy countrv. and espousing warmly the cause of the Union entered the army in its defense [82 PROGRESS I TE MEN OE 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 Xew York, he was mustered out of the service there on October 21. 1865. He then became a book- keeper in Xew York city and later engaged in merchandising at Newark, Xew Jersey, in part- nership with a younger brother. In the spring of iSj() he 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 Xew Jersey, where In- 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 enlargirig 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 were 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 Xew 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 labor- 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 (i\il war, which had for him a por tentous meaning as during four years of tin- 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 horn in Wright county. Missouri, on April 15, 1857. and 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, ( )hi<.. 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. I [is 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 wase he received for hard t8 4 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, in the spring of the year, he again turned his steps westward, com- ing to Colorado, where he spent the first year nil 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 o >unty and bought the ranch of nine hundred ami 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 superii >r 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 11, 1898, the father con- tracted a second marriage, being united on this occasion with Miss Rose McMurtry, also a na- tive of Missouri and bom in Calloway 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. PROGRESSfl'E MEX OF ll'ESTERX COLORADO. 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 die 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 X> - 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 even- kind necessary for its purposes, and in an advanced state of cultivation. It yields an average of three 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 11. 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 steadilv 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 c86 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 he 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. The}- were fanners 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 E, Lloyd G., Iva G., Mary L., Wes- ley, George 11. and Ruth M. Mr. Edgerton is successful in business, useful in citizenship, and generally esteemed. PROGRESS! VE MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. t8 7 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 Georg'e and Ozias, both residents of Colorado. The mother died in 1863 and the father in 188 1. 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 1S69 to 1 &74- 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 Ion;; afterward he sold his interest in the en- terprise at a go,.d 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 188 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 'd 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 Mankato, 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 i88 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. daxiel 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 n, 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 r, T898, 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 188 1 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 189 1 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 welfare 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, [882, 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 t86o and the mother in iS 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 be 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 lie saw active and ardu- ous service, facing death on main- a bard- 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 111 Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the winter and worked at his trade as a carpen- ter in the summer until 1873. "'ben be 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. Tn 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. [91 nent residence. To its cultivation and improve- ment he has given his whole attention ever since, and his success in the enterprise has been steady and very gratifying. He raises large emits of excellent hay. grain, vegetables and fruit, and finds himself prosperous and 1 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 \rmv 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 1 [arry ( iardner. of Carbondale, this state. 1 ler mother died on December 29, 1871 , and on fune 4. 1876. he was married to Miss Lavina Relcher. 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. and was reared and educated in that part of the country. His parents. Max and Katharine 1 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 Claus. Elsabe (Mrs. Peter Doosa), and Mar- garet (Mrs. Peter Claussen), all of whom live in Germany; and Henry, of San Francisco, ( ieorge and Timm, 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 arm}'. 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 1 9 2 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 iotli day of November, [896. 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 t8, [866. 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 Yincense, 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 1872 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. I le 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, lie was married on September 3. 1874, to Miss Mary Hunt, of St. Louis. Mis- souri, the daughter of Anton and Frances Hunt, who were horn at Baden. Germany, and came t<> 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. m 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 _>-, 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 count) , 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- '3 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. String-field 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. I'. F. IRVING. A Canadian by birth and rearing, and thor- oughly imbued with the spirit of the political institutions of his native county. 1'. 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. 1805, 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. 1'.. 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 Honnybel mine near the town. When he has been unable to get employment in his chosen line of activity and in consonance with bis special abilities, be has cheerfully ac- cepted what he could get and has performed bis service in that with all his energy and ca- pacity ; and when disaster and privation have been his portion be has risen superior to them and made even adverse circumstances minis- ter ultimately to bis advancement. He is a na- tive of Fngland. 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 tqoo. The living are Ellen, Sarah. Joseph M. B., Arthur and Hugh. Joseph M- P... 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 moms 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 COLOR. IPO. '95 cranberry swamps of western New York, al- though exciting at time, had not enough of -nap 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 r888 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 persistencv 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. iX()o. lie 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 [853 and 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 t8gj. Mr. and Mrs. Parry have three children. Jo- seph M. I 1 ,.. Jr., Margaret (i. 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 T894 he has been president of the Citizens 1 los- 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, Henrv 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 2j, 1839, at Downer's Grove, Dupage count}-. Illinois, where lie 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 i860 at a compensation of twenty-five dollars a month and his board, being part of the time a clerk and part a teamster. Tu i860 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 i8<>4 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 every 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 farmed until death. Mr. and Mrs. Tourtelotte had three children, all of whom died in youth. Mrs. Tourtelotte was a mem- ber of tlie Universalist church. She died in 1869. In 1872 Mr. Tourtelotte married a second wife. Miss Josephine Grubb, who was horn in Pennsylvania and the daughter of Ed- mond 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 order!}- 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. I le con ducted a tanner}- and manufactured fur goods at Mankato, Minnesota, and was a stanch Re- publican in politics. The family consisted of six children, twoof whom are deceased. Those living are Eugene H., William L. and Joseph- ine. Mrs. Tourtelotte. By his second mar PROGRESSIVE MEN OF IVESTERN COLOR. I in i. Li- nage, 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 1 89 1 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 horn 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, 1SS4. 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, lie remained with them one year, at the end of which he turned bis 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, when 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 torn 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 ne rame to tne United States and settled in Middlesex county, Massa- chusetts, where for five years he worked on PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. i<><> farms for wages. In 1878 he moved to Iowa, and locating- in Page count}', 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 what 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 he 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 ti 1 have tbe 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 1. 1885. His parents. Peter and Elizabeth t 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 vet a 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 189 1 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- ment^ 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 nf 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. Tn the latter part of toot 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. 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 1, 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 sun named James and Mrs. Robinson, the lat- ter dying on April 6. T8Q7. 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 wav with the commercial interests of the 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 Leadvilk'. 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 < iwn account. This he continued one year, then from 1894 to 18Q7 was busily and hopefully occupied in prospecting. In 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, anc * tne son °f J°~ 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 ne 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 he 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 Cora A. 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 190T, 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 • laughter of James and Harriett ( Coryell) Young, the former born in Scotland anil the latter in Iowa. The father is a blacksmith, successful and prosperous in his business, and ;i 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., \mia 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 of 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 to, T865, at Toledo, Ohio, and is the son of Edward W. E. and Anna M. (Mark- scheffle) 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 be 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 Perrysburg, 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, tn 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. \\\ 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 and 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. lie was married to .Miss Anna C. Liebold, a native of Gena, Germany, who came to the Cnited 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 Cnited 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 infancv. 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 Cniversity 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. 1889, 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, lie 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. Eflfa 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. ( lark's brother, Charles C. Clark, is grand master of Masons of the state of Towa. 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 count}-, 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. 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 was 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. Me 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. lie 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 Leadville and engaged in mining. In March. 1880. he began mining at Pitkin in Gunnison county, and in the spring- ( if 1 8X4 t< « ik 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 anil 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, i860, in Warren county, Iowa, and is the son of Josiah and Parmelia | Cox 1 Bogue, natives of Terre Haute, Indiana. After their marriage they moved to Iowa, and the father died in Colorado in 1897, at tne 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 he 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 bandied 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 [884 Mr. Bogue was married to Miss Lucinda Pritchett, and they arc tin- parents of five children, Jasper, Aha, Yelma, 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. PROGRESSIJ'E MEN OF. WESTERN COLORADO. _'09 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 fi ir 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 main- 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 Llerefordshire, 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 14 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, Xew York; Edwin, of Pitkin count). 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 be 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 PROGRESSI]' E 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 7th 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, T875. 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- gtta, 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. Thev 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 horn in 1848, and the son of Miles and Anna I 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 i860 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 yalue. 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- lung and Allegheny a portion of the time. In PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. the summer of t868 he moved to Kentucky, and after a short residence in that state went to Point of Rucks 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 l88r, 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 comity. 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. Airs. Carroll died in 1889, leaving six of her fourteen children to survive her. Alary. .Miles, James. Charles, Martha and Nellie. In June, 1893, Mr. Carroll married a second wife, Miss Maggie Askins. wdio was horn at Streator. Illinois. She is the daughter of .Michael and Katherine (O'Garra) Askins. a sketch of whom will he found elsewdiere in this work. Three children have been born of the second marriage, Margaret. Bessie and John E., all still at home. BENEDICT B( >URG. Although the Parisian may miss the gay salons and other attractions of the heautiful 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 an}' 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 horn 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 185 1 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- 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 with 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 he found anywhere. Tn 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. lie 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. \s a 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 zy, 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 1S65 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); Louis. I'rsule. Lilly O.. Paul. Eulalia, Victor, Alexander, Eliza D.. Mamie L. and Evangeline. Their mother died on De- cember 9, M)(>.v 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, lie 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 mam generations, and where the fa- ther was actively and profitably engaged in the shipping trade, lie and his wife were mem- bers of the Catholic church, and both died PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. **3 sarrie 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 Maty 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. 187 1, 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 lie 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. [864, 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. The} 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 [892. Locat- ing at Detroit, he wrought diligently in a ^'la^s factory fur 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 Orist. 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 it. 1003. and was mourned by a large circle of admiring and devoted friends. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 1S85 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 of Timothy E. and Isabella (Birthwick), 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 I Mrs. Daniel Greenmyer), of Kansas City. Mis- souri; Jennie (Mrs. Elmer Shryock), of Chi- cago; Eliza 1 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 to, 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 horn on March 24, 1863, an d tne 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, Man,- 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. Tn 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 fort) 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. 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 jo, 1889, he united in marriage with Miss Belle Benson, a native of Sweden, 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 which 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 vears. 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, he arrived at Aspen, and in that region he fol- lowed mining until 1800, 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, toot, 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 he 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. T883, 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 LJnited States they located at Ogden. Utah, hut 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 Tohn Mitchell, of Boise. Idaho; PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 219 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, lias 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, an ^ the son of Solomon and Mar}- 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 Libert}-, 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 honorablv 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 lie 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 horn in Linn count} - . 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. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 1893, and was with Airs. Lutie R. (Gardner) Binning, a native of New York and reared in Jackson count}'. Michigan, and the daughter of William and Catherine (Tumor) 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, a "d 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, ( iermany, 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 he 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 i860, 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 OP WESTERN COLORADO. 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 ami 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, i860, 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, ami 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 1.. (Mrs. E. H. Curtis), both of Dallas; George W., of Garfield county: Mattie. wife of John S. Routt, of Fannin county. Texas : and Le- ( Ionia, 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 years. In 1877 he 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 Law-rence 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 PROGRESSIVE MEN OP 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 be 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, Fagle county; Emanuel C. at Santa Ana. California; Mrs. King in Garfield county; Josephine, wife ■ >f 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. Born on April 10. [848, in Howard county, then on the edge of civilization, and afterward living in the wilds of Kansas until be reached the age of fifteen, when he came overland to Colorado, Charles Davis, of Pitkin county, «ine of the progressive and successful ranch and stock men living in the neighborhood of Emma, lias 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 bis memory vividly as portions of bis 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 safetv 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 thev 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 bis life, and took an earnest interest in the welfare of his party. He died on April 25, [899. Of their twelve children five are living. Frankie, the wife of Robert Gaddis, of Delta, Colorado; Charles, the immediate subject of this sketch ; Wade, livine 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 fur 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 fur active work fi ir 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, he spent 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 "4, [888, 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 nf 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 Madg-e 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 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 lie 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 1877. 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 ]>ecame a coal miner. Two years later he emigrated to the I nited 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 T893. when he bought the ranch on which be 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. J lis 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 1, 1840. and in his native county he re- ceived a common-school education, remaining with his parents and working in their interest until 1861. 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 fanned 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 horn 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, [855, 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 ne P ur " 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 which 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 bis 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 * )ld Dominion, where the father was a shoemaker and where the mother died S; 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 Ids 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 twentv-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 _>j8 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 GJenwood 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 1, 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 salt. 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. 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 10,02, elected to the office as a Democrat, and has made a record of unsurpassed usefulness and good judgment in the management of his office. On November 1, 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 bis 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 epiarrying 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, he 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, an d the father on April 12, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Owen Jones have bad five chil- dren. David died on October [2, 1886; Anna, Margaret, Owen and Levi are living. The family are Methodists in church connection. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 233 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 lias 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 73, 1850. m Montgomery county, Indiana, and-is the son of Nathan and Hulda ( McAllister) Hockett, na- tives of South Carolina, who were earlv 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 twentv-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. In- 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 it- people, who know it- 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 1S71. 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 Leadville, 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 be 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. ^33 and rendered g'ood service to his employers in thai 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 1S85, when he took up his residence at Meeker, and on August 15th 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 of 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 common 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 vears 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. 1 [e was associated with Mr. Hall in this great business until [890, 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, be is held in high esteem for the wisdom and public spirit with which he uses his influence. Mr. Shaver was married on November i_\ 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 F., 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, horn on Novem- ber 19, 1S74, 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 count\- 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 1 n'der of Odd Fellows in lodge and encamp- ment, and the order of Woodmen of the World. On September T3. 1S99. 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 X. and Lydia J. (James) Spencer, who passed many years in profitable farming. The mother died on February 28. T899. and the father now has his home at Craig. He is a stanch Republican and a highly respected citizen. IRWIN h 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 23 6 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. world on March 26, 186S, 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 1SS7 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. Thompsi in at I raig. 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 McLACHEAN. 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, anf l tne son °f 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 lias in addition valuable real estate at Craig and runs a saw- mill on a tract of fine timber land twenty-five 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 _'f>. [895, he was married to Miss Cora E. Ranney, a native of Michigan, born in [onia 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 bis 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 bis 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, (lying 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., Mareia 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 2 3 8 PROGRESS!]' E 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 1. 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 vet 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 fie 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 bis arable acreage until he now lias a comfortable and well-equipped PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 2 39 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, tin- 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 he 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 ranch 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 comfortablv 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 sparselv 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 1, 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. BR VAX. 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 earnestlv 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- 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 mine- 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 burn on March 11, 1863, the place of his birth being Galesbnrg. 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. PITCH FORD. 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 an d tne 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 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 even- 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 11. 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 with 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 pnlitics 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 [869, 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 AVilliam, 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 Breckenridge. 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 very 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 1 6, 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 die others died in infancy and Mrs. Margaret Brunick jn 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 vear. He then turned his attention to mining, going 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 fi >rtv 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 wi irthy 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 horn 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. Mcllenry 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 II. 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. LEAXDER X. BOXER. Although horn and reared t< > 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 X. 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, 1S53. 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 AYhite 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 well watered, very fertile, and yields abundant crops, liberally supporting large numbers of cattle. The improvements made on the place by Mr. Boner render it 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 OP 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 ne 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 [887 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 bis unaided efforts from an early age, and while he was yet a youth providing a home fur 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. Thev became residents of Colorado in 1860 and 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 Guv 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 be 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 land 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, farming 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 Ouillett & 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 h jurists 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 ^98 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 affair- 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 011 plantations in the neighborhood of his home fi >r '-mall 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 tp a blacksmith to learn the trade. lie 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 1st. 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 ami 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 vears. On July 1. 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 1 ity. 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 Ride: 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 wild- 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, horn on the "Mayflower" in Plymouth harbor, the first child born of English parentage in New Eng- land. Ralph was horn 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 ecpiipped 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, 1 S 5 7 , 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. 2 5 r 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 mi 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, [owa, 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 lie 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 Cmited 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 vet 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 parents on the farm, remaining with them until they died. Afterward, in partnership with relatives, he en- gaged in farming in Missouri with profit until [880, 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- PROGRESSirE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 'S3 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. 1 90 1. Mr. and Mrs. Bowles have hail eight children, of whom a son named John W. is deceased. The seven living are: Robert l\. 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 Efne 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 went 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 1, 1864, he 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, lames 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. lie 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 i860. 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-Ndthing 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. Tbe 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, i860, 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, Xew 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 PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. Mass. Two years later he sold this and leased 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 aud 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 t consumers of its products. And if it be true that 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. Flis 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 bis 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 whi >m 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 be went to Illinois and engaged in the PROGRESSIl'E 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 be 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, chielly 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 firing 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 fda 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. 1/ 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 in ir 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 torn 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 year?, when he was married and set up in life fur 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: 2 5 8 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 t< i 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 earl}- manhood in Kansas, and entered upon the business of productive work for himself in that state. His parents were horn 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, 1004, 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 wars 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 j n 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 11. II. 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, tin's state, and they are still highly respected citi- zens of that -row ing and promising city. Their son John was seven years old when they PROGRESSIVE MEN OP 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, ami is the son of William ami 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 in Grand Junc- tion, where he was engaged in the hotel busi- ness 1 >ver 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; lint 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 Mesn. 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 26o PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. a native of Erie county, Pennsylvania, bom April 29, 1849. He is the son of 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 [869 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 ami great value. He was one of the pioneers of Mesa 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 lie 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, N< >. 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. He 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 lie 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 th6 Civil war. He then enlisted in the Union army as a member of the Ninth Indiana In- 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 tne a £ e OI 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 propellor 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, Man', 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 li i -> 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 fathers 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 childh 1 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, and is the son of 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 he located on a ranch in Mesa count}' on Kannah creek, ivhere he car- ried on stock raising until 1892, when he sold his ranch interests and located at Grand Junc- tion. In 1893 ne 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 190 1, 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. Efhe, 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 187 2, 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 ne aG " .companied his parents and the rest of the fam- ily to Missouri, where he remained until 1862, when he enlisted in Company D, Twelfth Mis- 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 1S88, 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, and 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. _•<;.= an uncompromising Democrat. He was the chief inspiration in the construction of the In- dependent Ranchmen's Ditch through this section. EDWARD HEXRY. 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 burn in 1843. He is the son of Frederick and Eliza Henry, of that country, who were occupied there in till- ing the soil. In 185 1 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 he 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 i860 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 remaining 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, mi which he is still living and of which he has made a fine, productive and attractive farm. In 1887 he 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 comfortable) 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 years 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 ami Mary 1 Henry) Blair, were also na- tives of that state and of Scotch ancestry. The father died at Centerville, Michigan, in 1885. at the age 'if 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 even- 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. mi ►n-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 knows 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, bom 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 lie 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 i860 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 he 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 ,1 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. 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 hue 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 so territory. Ami while his effort:; 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 am conditions at all favorable to the work. Mr. Wurtz was born in 1845, at Louisville, Ken- tucky, the son of Godfrey and Elizabeth 1 Bas- ler) 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 carpenter's 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 VIormons 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 3 ., 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 fi >llowed 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' Assi iciation 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 'Hi 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 lias 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 1 89 1 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 [082 he was married to Miss Josephine Pay- ton, a native of Missouri, where her parents spent their lives. They have two children, Lynn and Kay. 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 in 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 ami 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 1 1. 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 patents 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 lie moved with his par- ents to Missouri where he remained until t88o, when he came to Denver, this state ar- riving: on the morning" when the excavation PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 cm 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 rm >-t 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- nedv. 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 [846. 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 f< >r years ami 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 ami 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- 2-72 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 P.. Mann, of Grand Junction, the ef- ficient and accommodating clerk of Mesa countv, 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. Ik- remained at home, occupied in tin- 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 T902 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 countv. lie was not. how- PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 2 73 ever, without experience in public office, hav- ing- served as deputy assessor under G. W. Caldwell in 1896 and 1897. ^ n 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 1). 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 1S80, 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, 1804, 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 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 count) 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 1,881, 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 anions: the number none stands 2 7 4 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 Gunnison 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 thai 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 g'ood entertainer and an appreciative listener to the efforts of others. He belongs to the Ala- 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. v 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 M.c- Kean county, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1853. the son of William and Charlotte (Springer) Seeley. lie remained a! 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, in 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 1807 by teams. In i860 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, ami 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 T872 for Colorado and arriving at Denver on October 11, 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 count}-. 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 II. 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 lie 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 clanger 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 18 12, 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 w hi >m 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. 011 August 15th, he enlisted in Company 1). 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 1S71, 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, Iowa, before leaving there. In 1S79 he moved to Idaho Springs where he worked at his trade and followed mining until 1800, discovering and locating, along with 1 ither 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. a,1( l lint '' l 9°° 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 daws. 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 II. 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, 1S01, 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 liis 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 1807, 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 in 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, bom 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 he 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. Tbe 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 tbe 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 even- 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 28o PROGRESSIVE MEN OE 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-i 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 the age of forty-six. He was a son of Joshua and Hannah (Rounds) Ross, the former a native of Vermont who settled in Xew 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 fanning' 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 convention-. at which he is a familiar figure and an earnest PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 28] wi n-ker. Until seven years ago lie was in part- nership with his lirother J. J. Ross in farming ami 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 [892 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 fi Tins 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, [842, 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 [869, aged sixty-six, being at the time on a visit to Erank- 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 tbree-vears 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 tight 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 lie participated in more than thirty engage- ments himself. His title, however, his modesty obliges us to state, was not derived from bis military service in the war. but came from his rank in the Stanford Guards, a militia or- 282 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COEORADO. 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 trade 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 horn 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, horn 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 c< unity, 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 r868. 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 188 1. 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 1S89 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 ( YYhitaker) 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 \\ . 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 Anion 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 lung-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 si >< m 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 i860 the young man changed his resi- dence to Iowa, where he passed a year buying furs for a Chicago house. I le then returned to Illinois and tried to get into the Union army as a volunteer, hut was rejected, the quota for Illinois being full. He was, hi wever, a >m- 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 lie 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 i railing 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 tint 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 ' le 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 187S 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 die first in this neighborhood. In 1884 he 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 11, 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 widow 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, fie 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 lie lived with a cousin. In March, 1855, he moved to northern Illinois, where for three years he was occupied in fann- ing. He then went into southern Wisconsin, and there followed the same vocation until Sep- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 287 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. Fn >m 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 2y, 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 [869 and 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 an( l died vei T young. Another was born on the Atlantic ocean in 1845, ar >d died before the end of the voyage, living only five days. In 1 861 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 ou 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 -nice purchased two and one-half acres mi ire, and new 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 [859 and the father in 1862. The latter was a soldier in the Confederate army in the first years of the Civil war. 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. I ., 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. lie 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. [786, and the father on July 17, \;Xj. The father was a fifer in the war of 1S12, and Mr. Curtiss still owns the fife he used in that contest. In 1843 tne family moved to Illinois, and three year- 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 20. 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 185 1 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 [861, 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 1N73, 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 tilling the office creditably three years, mi ived 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 1S88 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 postofnee 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 bis 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 be still owns he holds at twelve tin >usand 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. ( mtiss have two sons, Horace L. and John G. The former, who is thirty-eight years of age, 19 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 tbe 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 be has also given some attention to fruit culture, is a native of Rock count}-, Wisconsin, where be was born on I lecember 29, 1845. and the son of Isaac T. and Nancy A. (DeJanes) Smith, New Yorkers by nativity. The father was a farmer and dealt lerably 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 pari of the time and a part at Lake City, and being en- iged 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 t 864 he began the battle of life for himself as a laborer, work- ing in bis native state until the fall of 1805, 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 hut 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 \Y. 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. 18S7, 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, ami 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. 1804, and the -on of David R. and Nancy J. (Scott) Stephens, the former a natiw of Tennessee. His mother died when he was six weeks old and lie 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 187(1. 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 eriod 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 s. ilil to another purchaser for ten thousand dollars, the sale having heen 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 lie pot 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 lni-in^ss until [903, when he sold his stock and determined to give his attention to fruit culture, for which the land he has is well adapted. He ahead v has PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 291 tour acres in fruit in good bearing condition, and it is his intention to plant twelve acres more in standard trees, mostly peaches. On April 18. 1 87 1 , 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 . me 1 if the choice tracts of this prolific region, lias been a resident of Colorado continuously since 1803, 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, [§38, and is the son of Benjamin and Polly A. ( Miller) Watson, also natives of Ohio and life-long dwellers in that state. In 186 1 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 he 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 an- 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. ■ \RLES F. JOHNSON. The present efficient and obliging county treasurer of Chaffee o unity, who was elected on the Republican ticket in 1899 and re-elected in 1901, and whose record in the office has been a si mrce 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 school; 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 [878 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. lie came back to this state and took up his' residence at Salida, where lie 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 fill i'f [899 he was elected county treasurer, and at the close of his term in [QOI 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 paii\- 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. Ale- Cafe, a native of the same county as himself, where the marriage occurred, and Hying 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, ,111: 1 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 part}', he intended at the close of his first term to announce himself as its candi- date for the next, hut being forestalled in tins 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 stuck 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 fur this latter office the first time he changed his residence to Buena Vista, the county 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 pride and pleasure by all classes of the citizens. But his life has not wholly been given up to politics 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, r886, at Leadville. this state, he was united in marriage with Miss Maggie O'Neill, a native of Michigan. GILBERT A. WALKER. Starting nut 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 laj before him, Gilbert A. Walker, one of the leading attorneys and counselors of Chaffee county, this -late. 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 t. [866, 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 1805, 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 1, 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. [861, 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 was 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 Salida Land Company, which was organized by Mr, Roller and his partner in business. N. R. Twitchell, and of which they for years had the active management. The addition named now PROGRESSIVE MEN OF IVESTERX COLORADO. - 7 95 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 even- 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 Mis-- Xellie 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 eve. 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. \ t'( ircible illustration of this fact is furnished in the career of D. H. Craig, cashier of the First National Bank of Salida, who although bom 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. 1881. 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 1S86. 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 [885, 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, 1X90. and is now the oldest bank in the city. L. AY. 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 1X1)4. lie 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 brink has had several presidents, Robert Preston, of Salt Lake, filling the office since 1S97. Under the management of Air. ( Iraig 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 soundesl 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 part}-, 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 meml ership in the latter in the lodge at Salida, of which he is the only charter member living in the city. On September 26, i 877, at Lex- ington, Missouri, he was married to Miss Laura S. Hollis, a native of that state. They 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 contesl 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 l>v the largest majority ever given a candidate in the county. Mr. Taylor is a native of PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. > 97 Graves county, Kentucky, born in 1862, and the son of Joseph and Eliza ( Wade) Taylor, and there alsi 1 his parents were b< >rn 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 earlv settlers of Kentucky, following fast in the foot- steps of Daniel Boone, and ending his days in that state. The mother of the Sheriff, ome 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 1 c- 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 loft}- 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 I. and lames C. Jr. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COEORADO. GEORGE W. ARMSTRONG. George \V. 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 and 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, anc l H1 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. Demurest, 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 Debeque 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 manage 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. 1 90 1, 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 even- 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 he 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 she 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 wherever 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 da\- 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. I >r. 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 1S57, and the son of John 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 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 readv resourcefulness, and taught him the best of all lessons ever given in the school of ex- perience, tn 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 under 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 strung 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 lilted him fur whatever might come in future. Essentially and by nature a man of high integrity, lie met Eaithfully every draft then made upon him in the line of duty, ami since then he has continued to do so, and with the augmented force he acquired in the discipline of trial through which he was then 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 he 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 [894. The summer following was consumed in pros- pecting in the San Miguel region, and in February. 1895, he bought a bankrupt stock .if furniture in a store now kept by Messrs. Frasier & Garrett. After disposing of tliis he became live stock representative for the house of Planchard, Shelly & Rogers, of Omaha, whom he represented two seasons in this state. I >uitting this employment at the end of that period, he once more turned his attention to PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 3 ( ' ■ dealing in stuck, 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 eight) 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 resource tn g hening its commercial importance thai have commended themselves to his judgment. When the County Fair Association was or- ganized he was one of its first dir :to an i 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 Ins given the devoted loyalty and service of his mature life, he was elected as count}- 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, [890, 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 an extensive traveler in various part; 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 labor? to bloom or ripen around them. What 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 march 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, lie was born in 1840, in Franklin count}-. Missouri, the son of William Bud- decke, one of the pioneers and conquerors of the waste. They were natives of German} and brought their family to Missouri among its first settlers after the Revolution, arriving in America about the year 1.814. Fi 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 lie 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 i860. 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 limes. In that year he went to Indian Territory and from there to Texas, and in those places he was employed in the stock busi- 3 02 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 si ild 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 fanners 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 horn 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 horn 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 1 iccupied in general farming and raising blooded stock and superior qualities of fruit. In the stock industry he lri> given attention specially to the production PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 303 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 Airs. 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, and he 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 (luring 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 a farmer and surveyor, and was a prominent figure in the military organization of his ti wn 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. I lis last days were spent in Indiana, where both he and his wife died and were buried. Their daughter, the mother of Stephen, died in 1X03. at the age of seventy- four, having been the mother of ten children of whom he was the fifth. He remained on 3 ;, 4 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. the paternal homestead until he was twenty- four, and having the trade of a carpenter, worked at that and farmed in Indiana until [877, then engaged in the grocery business at New Carlisle, St. Joseph count}, alone for a time and later with a partner under the firm name of Tappan & White.. He followed this until 1S82 when he sold out and came to Giin- ni "ii county, Colorado, where he prospected and kept a store for two years. In 1884 he 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 and 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, yei meeting ever] condition with fortitude and rising from every reverse with renewed vitality, this popular and influential ranchman who bis 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 th : -1 il ■. 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 fancy 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. Idle 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 lie n- iched the age 1 if eighteen. Then, 4?c^. PROGRESSIl'E 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 2:31. 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 mid spent thirty-two daws 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 Folsoni 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 lie 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 bis 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 be came to Colorado and settled at Silverton, remaining there fur 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 Mlierta. 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 manv 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 bis stock pure. He also buys and sells cattle extensively. In 1891 be 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 wear}- 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 II. 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 1850. 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 si ildier 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 oi 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 and 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 a 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 3 o8 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 1- time aftei the war. and in this state he Ins 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 ( ver since. The ranch is well fenced, improved with good buildings, abundantly supplied with water, and wisely ami vigorously cultivated. Its crops of hay and grain are large and ex- cellenl in quality, and its widelj known herds of Shorthorn cattle and well bred horse among die most valuable in the county. The son. like his father, is a stanch Republican, and PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 309 like his father too, he has been successful in his undertaking's 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 vear he mi ived to Leadville and engaged in mining. In 1881 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 seventv 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. 3i° 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 (Hi August 2-j, 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 lie 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 horn in West Vir- ginia on June it, \^~, 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. 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 bis land is cultivated fur grain and hay. lie had been very successful and the returns for bis labor are correspondingly large. In 1903 be sold two thousand five hundred dollars worth of produce off his place. Mr. Xewell 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 horn 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 be was a Presbyterian in church membership, as is now Mrs. Newell. While living in West Virginia on bis 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 PL ATT. John Piatt, 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) Piatt, 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 be and bis 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 ( iunnison, following this occupation for three years. At the end of that period he moved to Delta county. wdiere 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 vear of bis residence here. Of his land twenty acres are in hay and the rest is given 31-2 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 marrie'd 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, 1 90 1, 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. Piatt became the father of three children, W. Clarence, John and Lawrence \Y.. one of whom, John, has died. Mr. Piatt 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. EMELIXE 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 nan'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 count v. Ohio, on July 22, 1838, and is the daughter of Josiah and Pauline D. (Neff) Bivans. The family moved to Marion count}'. 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 Scott. Kansas. Here they engaged in the stock busi- ness "'i 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- hush. 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. Once 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. 313 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 farming 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 lie served to the close of the contest. He was injured in the service and fur a portion of the time was laid up in a military hospital. After the war he lived at his Missouri home until 1 So-, then moved to Linn count}-. Kansas. Here he farmed and raised stock until 1902. when he sold out and returned to Xew Jersey where he is still living. The mother died in 1XX4 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. 1 [e 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 Xellie 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 vears. 3 J 4 PROGRESSIJ'E 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 in 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 bom 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 Ins trade and keeping hotel. He died in Massachusetts on PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 3i5 March II, 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 nourishing mer- cantile business. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley had five children, Mamie, James F., William Ff., 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 familv 316 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 tS6i. when he was twenty-two years of age, he left his home and emigrated to the United States. On April 19th 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 15th, 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 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 train- ing 011 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 hi- teams on his father's ranch until igoo, when owing to the advanced age of his parents he took charge of the ranch and has since con- ducted its operation. In [898 he bought eighty acre - of his father's place and since then be has been improving and cultivating the whole tr at of two hundred acres as well as looking after his lather's land. His principal crop is hay and be Ins a good herd of cattle. On January 1. 1903. he was married to Miss Cora Samuel, who was born in Missouri in April, 1877. and is the daughter of William and Virginia ( Bal- lengee) Samuel, life-long residents of that state. They bad seven children, six of whom are living and three are residents of Colorado Mr. and Mrs. Brower have one daughter, Rose Eugenia. Mr. Brower is earnestly interested in the fraternal life of the community as a mem- ber 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 bis influence among them is always felt in behalf of every commendable undertaking. WILLIAM J. GROW. Orphaned by the death of his father when the sou was but a few months old. and now tot. illy blind, his eyesight having gradually failed during the last few years, both the be- ginning and the close of life for William I. ( rrow, of Delta county, have been shrouded in gloom, yet notwithstanding the double affliction he has preserved a cheerful disposition and met bis responsibilities with manliness and courage. I le was born in Pennsylvania on December 12. 1840. the son of William and Frederica (Crow) 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. 11)03. 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 lit found employment in private families until he reached the age of thirteen, since which time be has done a man's work in whatever engaged his energies. In 1804, when be was about fifteen, he enlisted in the Union army a- 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, bu! lie suffered no other casuality in the service, never being in even a skirmish. \fter bis dis- charge he returned to Pennsylvania and at the clo e 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, Trish by nativity and emigrants to America early in their married life. The mother died on a ranch near Mr. Grow's in January, 1S97. 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 vear 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, hut 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. lie 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 ileal 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 -real prowess and brought Mr. Manges man)- 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 1SS4, 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 ami 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 1 S. 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 [877 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 < >regon where he farmed four years. In 1889 he came to ( iolorado 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 2j, 1877. and was to Miss Emma Hoggs, who was 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 I'.. Tenth Illinois Infantry, on the same day with his brother-in-law. and si le 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 r8i6. 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 Mid tlie father engaged in the real-estate busi- ness at Wauconda, 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, 1002. .nd 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. cane to Colo- rado with the determination to make his ,,wn 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 hi une, and on his return to this state located in Delta a iunt) . 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 18S9 he was elected county assessor for a term of two years, which he completed in a manner creditable to himself and with genera] 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 une 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 ( hi 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 sifter of William J. Brower, of the same county, a sketch of whom will lie 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 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 In- 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 count}-. 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 ln> 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- thousand-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 333 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 die 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, i8s6, 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. Air. 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. McIIUGH. 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 1 8 16 and emigrated to the Lmited 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 nut 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 live 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 acrc^. 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. Mel high 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, 1S51. 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. [864, 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 ami 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 34Q PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. the acre. He also produces potatoes of tine 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 2j, 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 Becklev household twelve children have been bom, 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. JOXES. In that prolific region on the Western slope of this state known as the fruit licit 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 even- proper means to aid in its development. Mr. Join, was horn on March 14. 1844, at Ligo- nier. Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania, where his parents, John and Jones, were also horn. The mother died in the child- hood of her son and the father in [869, 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 bis 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. Jones 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 of 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 jt, 1867, to Mi^s Mora Jacobs, who was horn in Ohio. Her father was a shoe- maker and bookbinder. The family moved to Kansas in [865, where both parents died. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have had four children, three of whom are living, Perrv 1*'.. Myrtle IV and PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 34' 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, [861, and the son of John A. and Minnie (Kremer) Riehl. who were horn and reared in Germany. They set- tled in Pennsylvania in early life, and there the mother died in A lay, 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 set "lit ten acres m truit and 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 1st 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 c< >m- 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, dydng 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 mi 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 whom 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 Koebne household, three of whom are living, Ray, Marie and Zeta. Earl and Irwin, twin brothers, died at the age of eight months. Fraternally Mr. Koebne 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 187 1, 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 ot 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. SHEER. 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 t8"o 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 18S9 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 11, 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 day, [902. 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. R< >ar- 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- 344 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 count)', Virginia, the former born in 1812 and the latter in 18 17. 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, 1880, 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 off 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 i860 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 farming 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, he united 111 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 ami lumberman. The family moved to Colorado in 1861, locating in Jefferson county. In T883 they took up their residence in Delta county, where the father died in 1884 and the mother in 18S7. .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 111 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, ;nK ' ' s tne son °f 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 hamlet. 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 vears 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 1881 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 toller 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 r8o,6 were particularly damaging to him, and in 1898 the property was destroyed by fire, leaving him almost penniless. In the autumn of 1899 ne came to Colorado and, locating in Grand valley, bought forty acres of wild land four miles east of Grand Junction, on which be 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- 1 >at inn of fanning, 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 Fruitvale 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, C839, 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 Y< irk, 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 day. had his right ear shot off. He was then sent to Lincoln Hospital at Washington, and a month later was transferred to Chestnut Hill I [ospital 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 PROGRESSIl'E 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. I [enderson 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 T2, 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 - 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 Ins 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 countw Michigan, born on September 19, [858, and the son of Samuel and Abigail (King) Jaquette, the former born in Pennsyl- vania and the latter in the state of Xew York. They were both reared in Xew York and they were married there. Soon afterward they moved to Jackson count}-, Michigan, where the father followed farming. In 1859 he started fi >r I 'ike'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 fruit- of 35° PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. the enterprise and he lost all he had. He then returned to Michigan and the family continued to live 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 Messed 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 egg's 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 nl" 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. 35 1 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 Xew 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 be 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 18^4 he filed on a land claim near Salida. but the next spring he abandoned this and moved to Mesa count} - . 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 stork business there. In the spring of 1897 he traded this for bis 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, be 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 iall of 1003 he built a modern cottage resi- dence on his ranch, which is otherwise well im- proved, and be 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. Y\ nitlev 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. JoHAXTGEN. Energetic and successful in pushing his i wn 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 X. JoHantgen, of Meeker, ranks among the leading and most useful citizens of Rio Blanco count} - 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 [846, and where he was horn 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. X., 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 ami, 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 Fairplay, but meeting with no suc- cess in these efforts, he returned to liis trade in [880, and during the next three years was fore- man of the shops of the In .11 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 Wi >rks 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 bis 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, \lways 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. i<)o; v and later as body guard of Governor Peabody 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, lie was also foremosl in securing a suitable building fur tin- 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 t'he 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. 2 3 ami 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 i860 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, he 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. Thev 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 T902 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. ne was married to Miss Lena Schoening. like himself a native of Germanv. She came to the United States with 354 PROGRESS I I'E 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 stuck 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, w-here 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 he 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 bis long patience was amply re- warded. In 1902 he bail 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 diousand 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 for the year were two thousand three hundred dollars from the 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 bis 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 Xew 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 read}- to meet its requirements as it 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. 1 Barker) Walker, were reared from childhood, the former having been born in Vermont and the latter in Xew 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. Fie 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 count}-, the same state, where he remained three years. He then passed three years in Lyon count}-. 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 tine 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 count)-, 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 liying, 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 II. 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 11, 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- den 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 COLOR. IP", 357 which his lot lias been cast. He is a native of New York city, born on December 25, [858, and the son of William and Ann (Lucas) Lumsden, who 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 bis family moved to Canada where he engaged in farming. He died in that country in T903, and his widow now lives in Xew 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 ami building on a large scale. In [883 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. Mr. 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 horn 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. [865, 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 1861 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 bis 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, be 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, t8q8, 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- PROGRESS! VE MEN OE 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 i<). 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 fi ir man}- 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 (laughters 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 vears 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. JFSSE 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 horn in Broome count)-, New York, on February 25, r85 i, 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 Xew 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 Ourav until [894, 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 si-xty-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 [899 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 Flks. 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 f< inner 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 t S 7 5 he was apprenticed to a carpenter with whom he spent three years and a half, learning bis trade and receiving one hundred and twenty- five dollars and his board for his work. For tbe 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, lie 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 [88] he became foreman for this man ami remained in his employ until 1885. In [880 he spent a short time in Colorado ami 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 OP 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, 1003. 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 nf 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 1SS7 lie 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 1 1 lavis ) 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 W. and Esther M. Mr. Cur- tis is an enthusiastic Knight of Pythias and .aided in organizing ('.rand .Mesa Lodge, No. 84, of the order at Delta in [892. 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. 363 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 bad 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, fn 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 fur 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 he sold his ranch to Fred Beaudry. 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, lie 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. I Ic 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 clay'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 helper] materially to build up, and the evidences of industrial, commercial and moral strength with which it is blessed. Mr. Crotser was born at Mifflinburg, 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 w 1 irked 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 [855 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 onlv about twenty cabins in the town at that PROGRESSIl'E 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 188 1-2 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 pi >s 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 counts- 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 In- town ami 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 -lands in the Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol at Washington, one of the two his state is allowed to place there in honor .if 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, [857, and is the son of Rufus D. and Rebecca J. ( Whit- ney 1 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 1S85. and where the mother -till lives. Thev 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 one 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, beins^ one of the first lawvers in the 3 66 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 the fall of 1804 was a candidate for the state senate on the ticket nominated by that party, hut 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. iNXj, lie 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. I Ter 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 of 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 (X: U10 ( rrande 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 was born in Clark county, Ohio, on Februarv 25, i8_'7, and is the son of John and Rachel I Morris) Henry, who were born in Kentucky and married in Ohio, where the mother died 111 [848. The father was a farmer and in 1870 he moved to Illinois, where he died in [873, 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, lie 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. 367 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 Perryville, Missouri, the capture of Island No. 10 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 vounger 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 hills 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 he 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 Rehecca 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 daughters, Clara Frances and Mary Myrta. have died. Mr. Henry is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic. ADEN B. CRABILL. Mr. Crahill 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- panv to a large and profitable development. The company was organized on January 1. [903, with a capita] stock of fifteen thousand dollars, and J. C. Cale as president, C. B. Elliott as secretary and treasurer, and A. B. Crabill as manager. The capacity of the mills is nne 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)' 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 3 68 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. and fidelity. Owing to the Civil war, which seriously disturbed all institutions and con- ditions m 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 f< irces 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. Strode, who was born at Urbana, Ohio. They have one child, their daughter, Letitia. now nineteen years old. oliyer 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 1SX7 lie began the Study of medicine, but on account of failing eyesight was obliged to abandon il for a time. In t8c>2 he came to Colorado and located at Denver, dividing his time between that city and points in Boulder county. lie was graduated from the Gross Medical College at Denver in 1901, and for two years thereafter practiced in Boulder count}-, 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 ami 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 ( Angel! ) 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 [89] entered Omaha Medical College, where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in [895. 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, Ik- 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 2$, [846, 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 Sumner 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 count}'. 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 37° 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 stnmg proof of his ability, wisdom and in- dustry, and a high tribute to his character and manliness. Mr. Bell was horn at the village of Suwannee, Tennessee, on December 11, 1X51, 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 one of the in- fluential citizens of his portion of the state. serving at times as sheriff of Grandy countv ami 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 universallv 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. Hamilton and Miller in Franklin county, Tennessee. He read law at Winches- ter, that state, and was admitted to the bar there in 1X74. 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, hut 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 light- 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 COEORADO. 37 Springs, secured the opening of the Southern Ute Indian reservation for settlement, a term of the United States court to he 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 was 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 main- 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 materiallv 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- 37 2 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 count)', 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 [890 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 I [ampshire strain, being the largest sheep man in the countv. He owns ranches in Gunnison count}- 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. 116, in the fraternity. FRED SCHERMERHORX. 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 [9, 1856, and is the son of Cornelius P. .mil 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 vears 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 bis 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, thai 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 count)-. Xew York, on October 11. 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 i860, 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 187 1 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 30th 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 1. 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 lie hauled the first stove into the county from Detroit, a distance of titty 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 thev 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 Augxrst 9, 1862, when he en- listed as a private in Company H, Twenty- second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, in de- fense of the I nil m 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 bis 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 1, 1865, passing the time in prisons at Atlanta. Richmond, Danville, Andersonville, Charles- ton and Florence. On March 1, 1865, he was paroled at Wilmington, North Carolina, and on April 28th following was commissioned second lieutenant to rank as such from April 1st. 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. [888, nearly twenty-five years afterward, the gc\ eminent 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 therein- 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 r< lad 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 cam]) of Woodmen. In May, 1873, he was married to Miss Mary Tock. a native of Xew York, who died in 1875, leaving one son. Henry F. Lake, Jr., now editor and manager of the Gunnison News-Champion; and in March. [892, he married a second wife. Miss Frances A. Norton, who was born in Livingston county, Michigan. JOSFPH 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 Xew 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 Lmited 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 bis party. He was married on November 28, 1884, to Miss Ella B. Smith, a native of Wesl 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 Air. 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 count}-. Air. and Airs. 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 horn 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 bul 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 worked as a teamster, hauling supplies to htm-. 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 ' le wen f l " 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 lie 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 count)-. Kentucky, bom ori 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 horn 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 16, 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 linn 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 count}', 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 c< muting 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 I >elta, this state, on Ash mesa. He is a native of West Virginia, born on February 24, 1836, 3 8o PROGRESSirE 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 as 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 be 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 i860 he went to Cali- fornia, where he farmed awhile, then turned his attention to mining. He remained in the state until 1863, when be 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 - bands. 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 vear last named he returned to this part of the country and settled in Ouray county, bringing witli 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 bis ranch. On June 11, 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 down)' cheek." He is a native of the kingdom of Portugal, where he was born on May 4. 1849. H is 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 bis 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 machinerv for the purpose not vet PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 38i being in vogue there. Frank received a o >m- m< in-school education and at the age of fifteen left his In nne and emigrated to the United States with hut little capital fur the strenuous life before him in his new In nne 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 count}-. Here he took up the ranch on which he now lives, but did not locate on it until the next spring. Even then, Ei ir 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 gi 11 id esteem by all his neighbors and the peo- ple generally. On January 15, 1888, he united in marriage with Miss Emily Yezina, who was born in Canada on July 14. [869, and 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 X.. Frank A.. Emma L. and Tillie E., the oldest, Joseph X.. being fifteen years old at the time of his death, December 17, K704. Mr. and Mrs. R, >ss are Catholics in church membership and in politics he sup- ports the Republican party. His ranch i^ lo- cated on Ash mesa, five and one-half miles from the city of Delta. XELSOX VEZINA. A highly respected and serviceable citizen of Delta county, living on Ash mesa, where he was a pioneer and the second settler. Nelson Yezina 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 mit 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. Imt 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 1 Si 17 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 beingThomas Ash. for whom the mesa was named. After a few more settlers came 38; 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. The)' 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 mi 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 Locli (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 count}' 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, lie organized the Farmers and Merchants' Bank of Delta. He PROGRESSIJ'E 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, [nstead 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 lie fore. 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 Man- A. Bradley, a native of Bangkok, Siam, the daughter of Dan B. and Sarah (Blachly) Bradley, the former born in Utica, Xew 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 John and Christina (Siess) Miller. The father was a mason by trade and worked at his craft throughout his mature life. In 188 1 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- roading. From that employment he moved to 3§4 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 [873, came to the United States and located in Pennsylvania, where he was in charge of a stone quarry for four years, (n [877 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 fixing 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 1003 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 MUX <>i : WESTERN COLOi ^ HARRY M. CANNON. Harn M. Cannon, one of the most ex- and successful fruit-growers of west- ern Colorado, whose fine farm of forty-five acres, with about thirty-six in choice fruit tree-, 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 keen foreman of a plan ing mill there throughout his mature life. His wife died in 1865, when her son Harry was km two months old. They had a family of si: children, all of whom are dead but Harn a of his lirothers. After the former left he worked at cigar making for some time, then ran a dairy and farmed for eight years in Indiana. In September, 1901, lie came to Colorado and settled in Mesa county Here for a vear 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 tree- 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 vear (1904) to 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 2 5 results in Iris work. Among these is a and-a-half-horsepower gasoline engine for g. On May 28, 1888, he united in marriage with Miss Katie Pefrerko of Ohio, born on August 2. 1867, the dan of Chriss and Helen (Bruner) Pefferkorne. Three children have blessed and brightened his household, Walter T„ Harry F. and Ruth all of whom are living at home. Mr. Ca always finds a ready market for lhs fruit as it is always first class and has a high reputation where it is known. He takes an earnest in- ipment of the county and every undertaking for the lasting good of its In politics he is a Republican. SAMUEL VV. WEEKS. The interesting subject of this brief review- is a native of Xew York state, where bi liis parents were born and reared, and where their forefather, lived for many genera His life began on June 2. 1853, and he 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. \tter leaving school he farmed in his native locality until 1893, tnerl turned his attention to the produce trade at Groton, Yew 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 1002. when he came to Colorado and located in Delta county. Here he purchased the place on which he m >w lives, about two miles and three-quarters si mthwest 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 3 86 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. and 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 111 California and the other two in Xew 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 German)- on December 11. 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. Tn 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, Towa, where he worked two wars 011 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 be in- tends to improve and make productive as rapidly as be can. His fruit crop in 1903 netted him about seven hundred dollars and be 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 bis 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 fanners 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 own 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 1S48. 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 bis arrival at Oregon City in the fall of 1852 he joined a government surveying partv. 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. New 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 emplov- 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- 3 88 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN ( ir 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 hearing 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, he was married to Miss Sarah M. Hapgood, one of the four children born in the household of her parents, hut 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 horn two children, A. Hapgood, who died in Kansas in 188 1, and Rosamond F., a resi- dent of Boston, Massachusetts. In August. 1882, Mr. Hawthorne married a second wife, Fa C. Short, who still abides with him. In political faith he is an active and zealous Re- in, 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 hie. 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 .if his fellow men. He was born in Wayne county. Ohio, on Sep- tember 28. 1S30, and is the son of David and (Kurtz j Flank, 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 1 at the trade until 1S62. He then en- listed in the Union army for the Civil war as a member of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Infantry and served to the close of the war. He was in the Vicksburg and Arl Post campaigns, and with General Bauks on his Red River expedition. On this expei all but seventy men in his command of four hundred were killed, the seventy saving them- ;elves by climbing a ten-foot bank by the aid of brush ami vines. This was the last im- portant engagement in which he took part. He then became a member of the One Hun- dred ami Fourteenth Volunteer Infantry and d rill the fall of 1865 and was then trans- ferred tn the Forty-eighth Ohio Veteran Bat- talion. After being mustered out of the service al 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 Ins trade there until 1803. 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, .Mill after preparing it for the purpose he set mit six and a half acres in fruit trees. Four years later he set 1 mt 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 389 i and bringing hii i revenui I md five hundred dollars' worth of fruit off of th other farm products of value. In No- vember, [866, he was married to Miss L. Flohr, who was born at Canto daughter of Jacob and Matilda (Wagley) Flohr, natives of Pennsylvania who settled in Ohio in early life. Mr. and Mrs. Plan! ven children, of whom three, Nelli Clara A. and Harry G, are living; and Lewin ephine and an infa dead. Mr. flank is a stanch Repubh politics and belongs to the Brethren's church in religious affiliation. His wife died on April to, 1 goo. He is energetic and enterprising in Ins business and earnestly attentive to all the duties i if citizenship. Among the residents of his and other porC he is highly esteemed fur his sterling worth and manly qualities. WILLIAM A. GILLASP Invested with the charge and management of a large farm, and conducting its affairs suc- cessfully for six years < wing to the continued illness of his father, he being the oldest child in the family, cheated out of all hi- earnings mrewd and dishonest partner in business a year later, working as a salesman for farm- ing machinery in a hotly contested field, then • to this state and working in the mines and at carpentering and hauling ore through a severe winter, starting a dairy later from his earnings and having- the cows, which iie had leased, offered at sheriff's »nd thereupon being obliged to borrow one thousand eight hundred dollars at eighteen per cent, to buy them. William A. Gillaspev. of Gunnison county, one of the most widely and favorably known live-stock men on the Western slope, has had plenty of trouble and : lus struggle for advancement a men, hut lie has triumphed over all diffi rked himself to a comfortable estate and i of high esteem among his fell< < zens of the county. His e the greater and the best part of his education, and while that has been bitter it h; li tical. His ranch of three hundred and twenty k, seven and a half miles I is one of the i . the valley and yields an ai of three hundred and fifty tons of hay a year. '/rain 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) pey, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. The father ■ farmer and in [855 moved his family to Henry county, Iowa, where they were pioneers. There ming operations were enlarged and be- came extensive and profitable, and there the parents died., the father in August. 1893, and 04, the forme 1 I -four and the latter sixty-four years of age at the time of death. They had ho and one daughter, all of whom are living lint the daughter, William being the oldest. He - of age when the 1. >.ts made, and obtained his educal 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 him at the time, but it was valuable all th sequent life. For nearly two years after 39° PROGRESSIJ'E 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, 1S80, having again accumulated a little money, he came to Colo- rado, reaching Gunnison on April 2T,d. 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 latter 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 he 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 [900 he bought the imported Percheron stallion Pasha. one of the finest breeders ever brought to the county. Tin's valuable animal had the mis- fortune to break a leg in [904 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 Count\- 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 be 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, [861, 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 mine to Kansas occurred, and in the common schools of PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 39i that state lie completed the education, so far as he had opportunity to go, which lie 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, 188 1, 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. he was united in marriage with Miss Lucinda Cooper, a native of Clinton county, Illinois, a daughter of Stephen D and Hannah E. (Stiles) Cooper, who were born, reared and married in Ohio, and were earlv settlers in the county of her birth. The father died in Washington county. Illinois, in T875, and the mother in Indiana in 1901. Mrs. Wylie came to Colorado in [882, 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 df 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 25. [834, 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 horn 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 thai age at once moved to Delaware county. Ohio, where he taught school two years. He was then clerk for Williams, Andrews & Com- 39^ IV E MEN OF WESTERN ■ pany, of that county, pari of the time working in a bank and part in the paper mills belonging to the company. Early in 1854 he moved to Chi- 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 ■it 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, [861, en- listed in the Union army as a member of Com- i ', First Wisconsin Infantry. Prior to this he had belonged to the Home Guards. The ■;■. a vote on joining the Federal m April 18th, and the next day went to Madison and were mustered into the service in 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 1 reneral Butler's bi and sent to Ship island, off the coast of Mis- sissippi. The command was embarked at New York city on Jamiar 1 ~. [862, with three d five hundred men on board, one sand of them cavalry. They were on the water thirty-one days, which Mr. Jaynes says was the longest period of thai length lie 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 . rred 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 n the Xew Orleans custom house. He hen assigned to recruiting sen ii 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 i every foot of the advance from W lexandra. Fie marched with his command to Alexandra although he had efore reaching the salt works, having a portion of his right knee tol away. During this march they drove General Dick Taylor's army before them. .vent down the river to Baton Rouge and marched up the country to Port Hudson, hav- ing considerable fighting on the way. on was invested on Ma) 27, 1863, and the lighting continued about a month. On | 1 ;i!i, Mr. Jaynes was shot through the right sh iulder, the ball coming out at the side. This ed early on Sunday morning, and he was left mi the field as dead until Sunday night he received assistance, having in the 1 id 1 .. He was then taken fourteen miles over a cordui scut 1 m a boat-to New Orleans, reaching a hos there on June 24th, ten days after being wounded without having his wound di This was in a frightful condition, vet and full of maggots, and it was tarkable \ italit) that he lived and wonderful recovery. He left th November 24th on a furlough to \ ermont, and without money or sufficient clothing. At the end of ninety days thereafter, allium wounds were nol entirely healed, he •■ boat at New York and rejoined ; at Xew Orleans. About four weeks later in a skirmish of the Opelousas Railroad he was sh< >t through the right thigh, receiving a flesh wounded. Soon afterward he was detailed as hospital steward and a little while latei 1 rred 1 1 the Veteran : rps. In May, [864, he went with his regimenl to New York and from there was sent to Vit where he had his last engagemenl in front of Petersburg. Here he h ls ag tin shot through PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTEi 393 the right thigh about two inches above his former wound in that limb. He was then an Reserve ■ from which he was mustered out of the sen ice at Brattleboro, Vermont, on March 24, [865. After making a short visit to his old Vermonl home lie moved to Will county, Illinois, where he rented two hundred and forty acres of land and engaged in farming. Four years later he bought iHie hundred and sixty acres of un- broken prairie in that county, and proceeded to improve it, making a tine farm out of it and enriching it with good buildings. In 1X01 he rented this to a tenant, and having twelve thousand dollars in cash, came to Colorado and purchased ten acres of land on Fruit Rid Mesa count)-. This was fenced and h acre of orchard trees. He planted mor< made other improvements until the place is 1 lie finest and most productive in the valley. It belongs to his son, it some years, ago at one thousand dollars per acre. He also sold his Illinois Fai 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 mar . March 12, 1870, to Miss Man A. Klingler. a native ■ nia, daughter of Elias am' Sarah (Moyer) Klingler. also natives of that state, who settled in Will county. Illim [867. Tlie Klinglers are of German descent hut have been in the United States generations. Mr. Jaynes' father died in Will county, Illinois, in [902, at the agi two, leaving an estate worth over fifty thou- sand dollars. The mother is still living ami is now past eighty. Mr. and Mrs. Jaynes have five children, Lester F... ( (scar \\ . ■ ' . Edith E. (wife of W. H. Borschell), ;ini Alfred T. Oscar W. is principal of the schools at Monee, Illinois. The other children residents of Mesa county, tin- Mr. Ja 1 1 lenl Republican in ; e and esteemed member of the if the Republic. JOHN H. ROMER. K d with the spirit of industi which characterizes his race, and having iractical 1 nee in his native land, John I!. > of Mesa count}-, living near Collbran, on a line ranch which he has redeemed from the and made fruitful, came to the United States a; the age of nineteen determined to get on in the world if his own efforl rid in this respect Ins hopes have Fully realized. He was born • :,. and is tin | ] Mary ■ r) Romer. They were also < ierman by ty, and lived and died in their native land, as their ancestors had. done for many nons before them. The well-to-do farmer, and lived to the ; seventy-five, dying in 1873. The mother sur- him eighteen years, dying in 1X01, at the age of eighty-'-even. Their son Jul paternal home lucated 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 Xew York in 1866. He remained there a short time and then, after passing a short time in Pennsylvania, migrated to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked on a dairy farm and drove a team. From theredie 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 ab< >iit five years. From there he came to Alma, this state, where he remained ten years. In [886 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 ami 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 f., 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 ■ if his place. ZACHARIAH BERTHOLF. One of the original pioneers of Mesa c unity, 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 lion and his own condition in life veil provided for in a worldly way and secure in public esteem. He was a native of Indiana, horn in [837, and the son of Andrew II. and Electra (Macumber) Bertholf, whose history is given at some length in the sketch of his brother, |ohn M. Bertholf, to lie 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 count}- 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 witli 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 lie 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 bear 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, hut 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 count}', who constructed and now owns and operates a saw-mill near Plateau City, the Mood 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 bom in 1864. In 1882 the family moved to Kansas, where both parents died in iSq8. George was eighteen years old when he became a resident of Kansas, and although before that event for about two years lie 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 RESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. sided, prominently connected with its develop- ed deeply interested in a practical and leading way in its enduring welfare. In this ; ate he first located near the vil- there for some years car- : a flourishing business as a rancher and Later he moved to the vicinity ity and built a saw-mil] which he n operating greatly to the ad- vantage of the community and his own profit, 'i it furnishing a much-needed cont- uses in the sun and reaping the rewards of his rprise in a large and expanding i V'hi neither ostentatious nor self-as- an important part in the public life of his section, and is highly es- teemed as a citizen of lofty tone, breadth of : t ssive 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 illage of Collbran, was darkened by the shadov i ment in the death i when he was but nine years old; and of his later life were oppressed by apparently unremuherative toil. with their incident hardships and privations. his unconquerable energy and his unvarying frugality and thrift, he is well fixed in a worldly way, and can look hack with composure over the i id trials h which he ha ■ntv. Missouri. March 25, 1852, and is the son of George E. and Mary A. (Mattln 1 1 k,the E01 mei a natn e of Rhode Island and the latter of England. The father migrated to Iowa in his youth, and later to Missouri. In 1S57 he moved his family to Kansas, where his wife died in 1861, aired 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 1 by hi: m William S. Cook remained at his home in Kansas until he reached the age of nineteen, securi education in the earning his own living for some years at ous occupations. At the age of nineteen he came to this state and located he time, as the sum earthly possessions, the clothing he wore and ten cents in money. He remained in D county ten years employed in riding the range and herding cattle. On 1 ' 882, he landed in Grand valley, Mesa county, and two later look up his residence in Plateau walk}- on the ranch which is his present home. Since that time he has been a resident - section and has been actively engaged in de- veloping a profitable farming and. stick busi- ness and in his way promoting the g growth and progress of the community in which he lives. He was married in 18 [da Jones, a native of Douglas o Colorado. Eight children have blessed their m six are living, Madge. Flora, William S.. Jr., James and Albert B Those deceased are Maud, who died in 188 1. and John who died in 1898. RICHARD HUMPHREY. Born to a destin) of t< >il, hardship, d •; En >m child- make his 1 >w 11 war iii the \vi rid. Rich- nmphrey, of Delta county, the owner and manager ol a fine ranch of two hundred orty acres lying sa eight miles from Helta, has bravely confronted every dif- ficult) and successfully overcome evei I le was horn Jul) 25, [834, in the of Kentucky and is the si n ^\ fames and An- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 39; geliru I [umphrey, both nati Kentucky. The father died when the son was but one year old, leaving a family of three chil- dr< n, all of whom are living. I reared on the farm a 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 schi « il. Vet such was the natural force and aptitude of his mind that he acq ' fair degree of knowledge of the elementar; branch very difficulties of his situation gained self- reliance rcefulness — qualities service in every en : ns subsequent life. He remained at home assisting his rnother in managing the homestead until October 22, when he enlisted in the Union arm}' as mber of the Twenty-sixth Kentucl fantry. In this regiment he served to the close i' the Civil war, being discharged on July 20. . nd was alwa) s at tin he was never absent, passin ; cl vithout receiving a wound, taken pris >ner or spending a day in the irticipated in the battles of Shiloh, Brentwood Hills and Nashville, went thr' ugh numerous skirmishes in which presenl i • Fast rind 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 Col He was at that time fifty-three years of age. with all his powers of bod) 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 levelopi ill r ery material I around him. On his arrival -I'M; . in the spring of [888, he I the place on which he id he has since bought an addition tundred and sixty acres, so that he has hundred and forty acres of n which he raises excellent 103 lie produced on 1 u1 twelve hundred bushels of rass large and elds ol i:; st-class ha) . It is Ins pres- 1 to devote Ins land principally to reafter, as this seems to be its best and I I umphrey was first married on May 10. i860, to Miss Mary Asher, . . of Kentucky. She died on May 16, leaving three children. Matilda. A., Allen \rrie C, all of whom are living. On March 20, [876, he was married to Miss er, who bore him one son, Carl Ii tiled in February, 1897, at the ai years, in a coal mine in Kentucky. The I wife died on Max [6, 1 S y - . and on May 30, 1883, he married a third, Narcissa cl in, who was bom in Davis county, Ken- lucky, on April 1/, [851. They had in which died when it was only four davs old. igh taking an active part in local affairs involving the welfare of his section of the count)" and state, Mr. Humphrey is independ- 1] in politics. In church re- lations he is a Baptist. He is a good citizen. progressive business man. an earnest pro- moter of every public interest, and is well es- teemed wherever 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 tour in the same occupation at Leadville. In 1880 he made a trip through Arizona, New Mexico and I 'tab prospecting, and in 1882 located on Roan creek- near where be 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 west 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 [890 Mr. Stewart was united in marriage with Miss \nnie 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 hoard 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 bis 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 bis 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 be grew to the age of twenty and received a fair district-school edu- cation. In 1870 he came to Colorado, ami 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 be 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, ami was engaged in mining in that prolific re- gion until [885. 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 alway-s 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 1 S<>5 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 buildings 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 be returned to Grand Junction where he remained and followed bouse paint- ing until 1887. At that time he returned to Debeque. and selling his ranch devoted himself to mercantile business for eight vears, 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 count\-, foreman of the water service there for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a native of Canada, born in 1850, 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 be 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 vears was engaged in mining at Leadville. From there he changed bis 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 400 RESSIVE 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 i blorado and went into the - of the Denver & Rio Grande Railr . and following his engagement with the company at that point he became its fore- man oi the water service at Debeque, Mesa county. Since locating here he has acquired ' some property in the neighborhood, one piece pedal value being a prolific orchard not far from the village. One of his I in active service during the Spanish-American rid was shut in the knee at the ba San Juan Hill. He is now in the Philippines in the military service of the United States government. Mr. Gti to Miss Mar) 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 Air. 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 lii> life in this state, and during that time he In- 1 een of material service m its development and improvement in a number of occupations 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 land and a builder and contractor in America. In politics he supported the Republican Four of the six children born in the family are living, James and Sophie m England, William imuel in Colorado. Owing to th< death of his parents the subject recer meager education. He came to America in nd. losing his health while working in 1st, sought its recovery in the West, re- moving to Buchanan count}, Iowa, where he to be a sawyer of lumber He b interested in the [ndi d< siring to learn their language and modes of life, went them in northwestern Iowa and in Minni \fter sharing their wild life several months, he returned to civilization at McGregor on the Mississippi, m a sawyer in the pines. Here he remained until then moved to Mew Madrid. Missouri, and in that region he was engaged in hunting and trapping until June 26. 1860. ( iarae 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. \fter the close of the war he returned to New Madrid and was appointed deputv sheriff, lie remained there until 1S73 PROGRESSITE MEN O.F 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 ami then, but all the time and every day. He served as county commissioner in 1001, 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 even kind, is a native of England, born in 1863. and the son of John and Anna (Dayton) Stroud, who were also natives of that country. In [865 the} - 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 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, laving 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 X. Rhoads, of Garfield county. Colo- rado, living about five miles north of the vil- lage of Debeque on Roan creek, came 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 vears in that state 402 PR0GRESSIJ 7 E 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 l\ 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 count)-, came to Colorado when lie was something over twenty years of age, and since then he has been actively connected witli tin- 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 ami the county macl leading by it. which i< one of the important thoroughfares in the county. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 has 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 Xew 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 bom. His boyh 1 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 -took industry in this section, having been the first man to bring cattle in numbers into the region, ami 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 necessarv 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 o in- 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 Coloradi 1 and settled at Red Cliff in Eagle county. Tie 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 011 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 111 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. 4°5 ing the second. His boyhood was passed in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, and owing to the migratory 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. Tn 1873 ne carne 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 he 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. VV. 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 ( farfield 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- ( nit 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 1S73. He went at once to Dodge City. Kansas, and began prac- ticing his profession. Seven months later he mo\ed 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 count} - be 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 bad 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. [SEM 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 ( iraham mesa in bis 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 [881 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 lie 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, wdiere he learned the trade of a shoemaker, and wdiere 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 wounds, 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 hoot 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 18S7, 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. Fie 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 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 1S76, 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. Yeomari 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 11, 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, an d 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 he 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 i86r he was married to Miss Ellen Hyde, who died in 1885, leaving three children, (inland, [da and Cora. In 1 S< > 1 Mr. Hoffman married a second wife. Miss Sarah Brown, whose death occurred July 8. IQ04. His war experience PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLOR.! DO. 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 vears 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 year-. 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 vears 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 bis 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- 4io 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 full, .wed 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. lie has all carefully selected varieties, showing him to lie 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 he 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 Dver. was a native of Virginia and an early settler in Ohio, where Joseph's father, also named Joseph, was horn 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. 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, on October 11, 1864. and at once turned his attention to farming 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 niie year as township assessor. In 1883 he moved to Colorado and settled at Tincup. Gun- nison county, where lie 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., Mar)- 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 1, 1847, and is the 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 speciallv 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. MxKAY RUSSEY. McKay Russey, of Rifle, Garfield county, is a native, of Wayne county, Indiana, born in 1845, :UK ' 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 he 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 fur 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 Springs 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 fur the Colorado Stage & Transportation Company, with headquarters at Rifle. Mr. Russey's varied and active ca- reer lias 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 II. 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, ' n 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, t86i. he promptly enlisted in Com- panv 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. 413 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 18(17. 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 activelv engaged in raising live stock and fruit. He was married in 1890 to Mrs. Catharine (Willet) Robeson, of Xew 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- sar\ 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 lie 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 [861, 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 which 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 and 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 1, 1X8 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 nourished until iSjt). when the mother died at the age of thirty-nine, leaving five chil- dren, of whom Lucius was the first born. In [886 the father moved his family to this state .'iid settled at Aspen in what is now Pitkin county. Hi' afterward moved to Newcastle, PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 4i5 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, [886, 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 hi Jasper county, Iowa, where he worked a rented farm for nine years. In 1879 he moved to Colorado and set- tled at Leadville 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. WTLLTAM 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 4 i6 PROGRESSIl'E MEN OE WESTERN COLORADO. credit to himself and advantage to the people whom he served, is a native of Jackson county. [owa, bom in 1865. He is the son of E. J. and Bridget E. 1 Reed | Kennedy, the former a native of Xew 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 bis accidentally falling from a bridge at Glenwood Springs in November, 1001, 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 [owa, then started to make his own way in the world by working on farms in the neighborhood of his borne, 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 1SS7 he moved to Aspen, where be 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 count)' assessor in 1901. when lie moved to Glenwood Springs, where lie has since been living and occupied with his official duties. He was married in 1893 to Miss Emma Marchesi, and they have three children, Fred II.. 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 adaptabilitv 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 toCJolorado. Here the mother died in 1898, aged over sev- enty years, and the father is now living with bis 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 fi >r 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 bis 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 be 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, worth\- id* 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 In- 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. lie has also gained Ins linn and elevated place in the regard of his PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 417 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, [887. He at once began to improve the place and bring the land to productiveness, but it was five vears before he had water for irrigation, and bis 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 everv respect. It was erected in 1899. Four vears prior to this time Mr. Walker 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 fruit fulness 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. Fortv 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 1 irganized. The ditch is a good one. never with- out water, and has been of great service to the valley. The company started with 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, hi 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 vallev, and from that time on he 418 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 Man ]!. 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. 116, at Delta, and Western Slope Encampment. No. 39. GEORGE W. MILLER. George W. Miller, of Hotchkiss, who since November 10, 1003, 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, 1S42. 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 [861, 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 ci immand 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 11, 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 ami 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 her 19. 1903, when he was appointed post- master at Hotchkiss, an office he is still tilling 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 o >unty. 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 Airs. 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 In- 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 count) - , 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 lias 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 bis 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, be always keeps his stock in excellent 4 20 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 tbis 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 bis possessions in that section and moved to Grand Valley, locating on the farm which is now bis home, six miles northwest of Grand Junction, arriving there in the autumn of [894. 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 11. 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, wdiere 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 be lives. WILLIAM L. CHAPMAN. The subject of tbis 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 whollj a prod- uct of Colorado. He was born and reared on her soil, lie was educated in her schools, he be- gan the battle of life in her productive activi- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. tics, and lie 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. 'Sir. 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 Cam in 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 188 1. 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 1ml 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 16, 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. Tn 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 i_'. [864, 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. I lis 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- 4-- 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 be 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 tneml>ers 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. Towa, 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. F° r three years thereafter he was principal of the Havi- land (Kansas) Academy, and to the duties of tin's position he brought the wisdom gained in leaching 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- ters 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 cue mile and a half mirth 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 burn at Juliet. Illinois, on August 31, [874, 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 \V. 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 \Y. 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, where 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 gam, 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 horn at Pleasant Plain. Jefferson county, Iowa, on November 26, 1864. He is the son of Ellis and Ruth 1 Jones) Hoskins, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in Indiana. They became residents of Jefferson county, Iowa, in [839, 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, 1004. Roth were members of the societv 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 Air. 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 Fairfield. 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 jo, 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. 4-' 5 smoothed his wrinkled front." His grand- father, his father, two of Ins 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, cm September 11, 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 wild 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 of 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 10. 1879. he was married to Miss Alary L. Sanderson, a native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a daughter of Hubbard and Jane (Warner) Sanderson, natives of Xew York where they grew to maturity and were married. In [844 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- 4 26 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 educated 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 besl and most productive in fruit in this part of the county. The Doctor became active in pn imoting 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 vears 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 [882 lamented by all who knew him. STEPHEN R. WELCH. Stephen R. Welch, one of the lending fruit- growers and representative citizens of Mesa county, this state, whose postoffice 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. Mis 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 he 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 i860. The second marriage resulted in three children, all living, Stephen being the first Irani. 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 1, 187 1. and is the son of Ezra E. and Mary (Klingler) Jaynes, of Grand Junction, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Javnes 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 c 'tint)-. 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 X. 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 country 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. Tatterick, 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, ami al- though he came to the United States when be was but two years old, and therefore was al- most wholly reared and wholly educated in this country, he still has the original liber of the Yorkshireman, and has exhibited his besl qualities in the management of his various pur- suits in different parts of America. His par- ents, Thomas and .Mice (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 ami settled there. The father was a shepherd in his native land, but being 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 1 89 1. 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 1. 1873, he was wedded with Miss Adelia Bohlander, a native of Cook county, Illinois, the daughter of John I'. 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. 4-") 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 Airs. 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 II. and Rhoda L.. still living at home. In politics both Air. Patterick and his wife are stanch and earnest Republicans. He is a valuable member of the school hoard 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 he called the special apostle of irrigation in Ids 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, horn near Williamsport on No- vember 30, 1840, and the son of Ambrose and Belinda (Marshall) Miller, also native in that county, where the)- passed their lives, actively engaged in farming. Air. Miller's maternal grandfather. James Van Camp Alarshall, 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 the_\' 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 Air. 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. Air. 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 two years, working for nine dollars a month and clothing himself. He was very frugal ami 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 stmng 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 balls, 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 count}-. Kansas, not far from Lamed, 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 [890 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 [890 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 sun 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, anf l tne son °f Laurence and Mary 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. '"id was -i) 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. Tn r88i 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 greal highway. x\fter 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 In Colorado in the latter part of 1SS0 he established at Red Cliff the PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 43 ] 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 ami took editorial charge and management of the Sunday Herald, and while conducting this established the Weekly Xews, 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 Garver. 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 RichneV, 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, horn 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 1. 1872. He passed the first five years of his resilience in this country in Kansas and Texas, working at his trade. On August 15, 1877. he 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 [884 he 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 1SS7. then sold it ami 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 ami 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- pul he in, with earnest interest in the success of his party, but without desire for official re- ward fur 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. ami become fully imbued with the spirit of its people'and its institutions. He was born on May i. 1849, U1 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 188S 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 be also conducts a general ranching business with profit. He supports the Democratic party in political matters. On No- vember 29, Joo_\ 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 iii 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 bis 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 Blackbawk, 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 nf 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 he 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 go, id 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 T873. 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 t88o. 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, T872, Mr. Kellogg was united in marriage with Miss Alma M. Cartner, 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 r, 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 Xew 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. 1870. he came to Colorado and located at Leadville, 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. I lis 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 1, 1849, aiK ' being the son of par- ents in moderate circumstances, he did not have much opportunity for attending school, but was obliged to work 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 43 6 PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. water for sufficient irrigation, and his methods of farming are of the best. In political faith lie 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 t. too_\ 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. SAMCFI. 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 Ei-win). Vada (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 be 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 18X2. 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 bis land it was all wild and wholly without improvements of any kind. He has brought the greater pari 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 bis portion of the state, Recently be sold the ranch and his live stock PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 437 to Carry Brothers, and since then lie 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 T882 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 twentv-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 milling 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, 185 1. 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 l" (11111 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 hest 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, 18S1, 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 of 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 "ii 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 s. 1 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 2j, 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, respectively, in 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 [891. The mother died in this state on June 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. Sershun), 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- 44Q 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 1SS0 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 inter- 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 fi nt y 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 1S51. 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 hound, 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. bonis. 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. 44i 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 1'anama. In [861, at St. Louis. Mr. Schaffnit enlisted in the Turner Zouaves, Third United States Reserve Cor] is, 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 Flk 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, fie 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, bis 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 Northwestern 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 186 1-2, receiving his uni- versity degree of Master of Arts some time afterward. In [854 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 Oueensville, Indiana, for several years. In [881 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 count) of his adoption, and especially devoted to its moral and educational advancement, he served from i8S() 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 be Iris been its faithful and highly appreciated historian. He also served as hill 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 HITCHENS. Joseph Hitchens, a younger brother of William M. and James H. Hitchens, 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. Hitchens 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. Hitchens. 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 OP 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, 1870, be 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 \ear be prospected through Middle and North parks, meeting with no success and suffering many hardships, lie moved on foot with his blankets packed on his back and accompanied by his one companion. John Fredrum, to Breckenridge. He had twenty-five cents in money and they had a sack of Hour weighing fifty pounds between them, his partner's only wealth being his share in this flour. As casft 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 [879. 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. ( )n March 30, 1881, he united in wedlock with Miss Hattie Cowley, a native of Pennsylvania. Thev have had five children, of whom l.ucien PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 445 C. died on December i, 1886, and Guy II., R. Roy, Elise 1. 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 Roll, of Routt count}-, 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 Roll, 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 [869. 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 be 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. Roll 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 surroundings 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, iS^J. 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 Port Scott, in the same state, but after a stay of about two months moved to Conway, Taylor county, Iowa, where he found employment as a farm band at a compensation of thirteen dollars a month and bis board. He also worked as a farm band 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 Xew Mexico for the winter. Prom 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 1, 1905. to January 1, 1909. He was mar- ried on March 1 _\ 1003. 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 \nnie (Spry) Male, the former a native of England and the latter of Pennsylvania. They ended their days in Pennsylvania, the mother dying in [869 and the father in 1897. While he was yet a mere boy the father aided in the construction of the Delaware & Hudson canal. hi later life lie was a fanner, 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- machinerv 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 1, 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. t86l, and is the son of Asbury and Nancy ( Cox ) Xorvell. 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. Non-ell 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- ditionallv 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, 1002, 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 pathwavs 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 [9, 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 oi great activity and energy, and daunted by no danger, he became an earlv tourist to the Pacific coast, 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 ami successful attorneys of the western slope. In 1903, on January 1st, 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. ana 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. lias 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, [869. with his parents in i86t 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. 45° PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. the only living son, received a common-school education and began to make his own living at the age of fourteen. When he reached that of 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. From, 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, [899, 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 ever) effort for advancement, aiding to make his home a center of gracious hospitality to bis 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 then- 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 builded 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 I lenrv and Nancy Gibbs, natives of Tennessee, who moved to Missouri in the 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 bis 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. 45' the age of eighteen, then rented a farm in his native county which he worked until the spring of 1862. On March 12th 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 Ins farm and this he continued to operate until [875, when he sold his interests in Missouri and lie- 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 tine 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, horn on March 24, 1861. and the son of Edgar M. and Harriet ( Laird) Xeiman. 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 ami Fay, are liv- ing. Charles was educated in the public schools and at the State Agricultural College 45- 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 done ever since. In 1880 he came to Colorado 1 and Li icated 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. W'vming. 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 lie again came to Colorado and. locating in Routt county, he entered the employ of the Leavenworth Cat- tle Company, and later that of the Oro Haley Cattle Company, continuing to ride the range until [895 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 me 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 now owns five hundred and twenty acres of good land with water enough to cultivate five hundred. His crops, which are large ami of good quality, comprise the or- dinary products of the region, hut 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 lie is one of the mosl successful, pro- gressive and prosperous men in the industry in his portion of the count\. 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 i^ 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 \Y. died in Jul}-. io<>4. and Leslie M. and Willis C. are living. Mr. Nei- man has parsed 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. CHARM \.\. Born near Hannibal, Missouri, on Septem- ber 1 1. iNm. when that section of the country was thrilling with the early agony of the Civil war. and had for years before been in the ^traits incident to a desperate and wasting bor- der strife, which, 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 system- 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 188.2. 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 [893 to Leadville. The father was a railway coach builder and worked at his trade in these vari- ous localities, fie 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 18S6. 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 Routt 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 want- 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, hut 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 X., 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 Xew 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 i860, 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 i860, 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, be 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. 45; after a time, but he still owns his Summit county properties. In 18S0 he moved to Routt county ami 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 be 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 Xichol. 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 1, 1844, and who taught in No. 1 Primarv 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 b\ 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 be Iris eyes to see and energy to take hold of and prop- erly use bis 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 16, (863, and is the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth E. Holland, the former a n 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 bis 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 bis 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 comfortable in scope and convenient and taste- ful in arrangement. He is in the first rank of Garfield county ranchmen and owes his posi- tion to 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, 18S7. 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. Mr. Holland occupies a high place in the regard of his fellow citizens, and is easily one of the best and most representa- tive men 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, [852, 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 dangers and privations, hut 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 Mr. Welsh mDved 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 [879 proved to be of no value. From 1NS1 to [883 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 ami sixty acres by pre-emption and afterward buying the addition of four hundred acres. This land he has redeemed front its growth of wild sage and transformed into an excellent ranch ol PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. -u; 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 i >f 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, [875, 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 tlie 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 F. Baker, of Saguache county, this stile, 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 1 Wilson 1 Baker, came into life practically on the fron- tier, the former being a native of Ohio and the litter 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 fann- ing and raising stock, except the time passed by hint as a Union soldier, and member of the Eighty-third Illinois Infantry, during the Civil war. Because of a disability which pre- cluded him from 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 I... 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 bis parents until he reached the 453 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO age of twenty-five. In 1872 lie 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 ohstacles 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 part)', 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 [876 to that of T&yy. he 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, T87S, 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 1800 he sold to the Woods Investment Company at Cripple Creek. Yet he did not wholly abandon his interest in ranching and raising stock, but has bad a share in those industries ever since his advent in the state. For a period of eleven successive years lie served as a deputy sheriff in the county, and made a record in the office for efficiencv. 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 F., 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 Spring-field. 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 T620. They have ever followed the star of empire westward, moving to Hartford. Con PROGRESSIl'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 459 necticut, in [636, 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 stunning- 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 lather 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 YV.. 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 count}-, 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 OP 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 Miever 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 lung been dominant. THOMAS MIRL AEEXAXDER. 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. Tf 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 11, 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 11, 1 88 1. 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 dialling 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 188 1, 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. In 1889 lie 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- sar) or desirable to remain. Alter traveling through this and other western states until . [892, he selected Saguache count}-, 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 count)- 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 o mdition of the place, which is one of the most product- ive and attractive country homes in the county. The ranch is supplied with water frqm 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 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 g od 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 pari of the count}- escapes his attention 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- il 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. perity 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 i860. 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, 188 1, 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. Air. 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 ne 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 1. [851, and is the son of Andrew and Polly 1 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, lie 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 [896, when lie was seventy- nine years old. His widow is still living at PROGRESSIJ'E MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 463 their Iowa home, over eighty years of age. Their s.m Thomas grew to manhood and re- ceived his education in his native state, re- maining there until he was twenty-two, when lie migrated to Utah and for a year worked in a mine and a smelter. At the end of the ye ir 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 combines 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 thirty-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 ; hut 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 he 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, horn on January jo, [877, 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, 1 1 msequence 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, 1 90 1. Their son Dacre received a good busi- ness education in the schools and had in addi- tion careful training under the supervision of bis 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 even- 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 pn "luces an excellent qual- ity 1 if 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. Mir. 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 ( fctober 28, 1903, he united in marriage with Miss Edith Francklin, a native of Colorado and daughter of Harry and Alice Francklin. wlio 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- tii in 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 ami stock business which they carry on there, was born in Millard county. Utah, in 1872. His parents are D. M. and Eliza ( Dame ) Weljl). the former a native of Wisconsin, and the latter of Utah, where she is now living, making her home in Millard county. During bis 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 lias since been his home. He was educated in the district schools near his home, beginning in those of Idaho and finishing in those of Mesa 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 lias given his best efforts to the wants of the section in the way of progress and improvement, having been one of the orig- inators ami builders of the Cottonwood lake reset ir 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 ivay, 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 must satisfactory expres- sion. Having begun his life litre 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 tw-enty-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 count}-. 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 .1 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 West. Rufus A. W 1 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 1851), 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 1870. He then came to Colorado and located al 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 [Jtah. 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 fix- ing at Clfillicothe, 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 t88i and settled in Illinois, where they lived until 1889, when they came to where their son August now lives. Here tfie father died on May 24, iqoo. and fiere tfie 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 i- 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. Pie was married in T889 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 tfie 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 bis 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 In- 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 Ivie 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 tour 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 count}-, 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. and 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. Fie 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 1 nisi- PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 409 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 count)-, 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 count)', 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 a,ge 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 vears, 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 47Q 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 enmity, a prosperous farmer and stock man residing' near Mesa postoffice, is \\orth\' 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, am ' ' s tne 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 home 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 Xels was about sixteen when they came to America, and he stopped in Nebraska where be 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 arc living, Xels P., Jr., .Mary. Philenda, Rosetta, Arthur S. ami Flor- inda. Frederick died at the age of sixteen, being drowned in Mesa lake June 17, tooo. PETER LEFEVER. Peter Lefever, the popular and well known boniface at Plateau City. Mesa county, is a na- me of Bruges, Belgium, born in 1857. and the son of John and Mary (Moore) Lefever, also natives of Bruges, Belgium. They wore 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, lie 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 with warmth and zeal. He was married May 27. 1893, t(l 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 [882, in Boulder county, at the age of sixteen. Mrs. Lefever is a native of Maine ami 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 [862 to Boulder, Colorado, being pioneers of that region. Mr. Hubbard located on a ranch and became a breeder of tine horse- and sheep. PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. He died in Boulder in 1876, aged sixty-live years, while his wife died there in June, 1904, aged ninety-one years. They were the par- ents of five children, two suns 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 ol the burden they entail. In the public life of the community 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, 1004. was a resident of Mesa count}-, 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 Mar-hfield 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 1840, 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 [896 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 bis 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 horn. 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 [883 carrte 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 stnmg 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 m [897, he has 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 additii mal preparation for the emergencies be was likely to meet with in a new country. He is the son of Peter ami 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 1002, after she had passed her eightieth year. They were the parents of ten children, of whom David was the sixth. Pie 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 wi irk- 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 18S2 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 publit 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. Thev are the parents of four children, Grace. David. Mary and John. CHESTER A. GREEN. Postmaster and hotel keeper at Iola, 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 wdio 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 \<> 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 wit'. 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 Iola, 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 woi Id 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 Wilkesharre, Pennsylvania, horn on Au- gust 19. T847. FTis parents, Richard and Su- sanna i Edwards ) Julian, were born in county Kent. England, and lived there until 1847, when they emigrated to the United States with then- 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 [862 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. Mis regiment took part in many san- guinary engagements and he was shot in the right hip at the battle of Gettysburg. < >ne of PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 475 his sons, Richard, was in the United States navy before the war, also served through it, and si ion 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 bal tie of Fredericksburg. He was also taken prisoner and held in captivity thirteen days and then paroled. After his discbarge 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 be 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 1870 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 be bad 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 lias 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 commercial 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 4/6 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. own ace unit 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 with 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 \\ 'infield 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 live 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 hi- 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- - 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 are now at home and assist him in its management. In the social life of the state lie 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. i8fij;. 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, [872, and her remains were bur ied in Liverpool. In July. 1877. Mr. Tomkins married a second wife. Mi-- Ellen Acton, a na- tive of England, this marriage also occurring in his native city. They have four children, PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. George H., Ernest, Myron J. and Charles L. Throughout his residence in Chaffee county Mr. Tomkins has served on the district school board, and has given a decided stimulus to the cause cf 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 1X7O. 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 was born there on March 1. 1855. His father, '. . ilium 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 wdiere 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 m{ 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 learning 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 [884 went to Sagauche county and started an enterprise in the cattle industry which he carried on until 1889, when he returned to ( iunnison 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 2*j, 1899. be 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 478 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 west to Wisconsin, and locating at Madison, engaged in the livery business until (868, 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 Omaha, 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 1S47. 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 [877. Late in the spring of that year he came to Colorado and settled at Crested Butte, ar- riving there on Jul}' 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 < icnnany 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 bis 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- ergs- 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 Vilkenfelde, Prussia, born in 1840, the son of John Frederick and Anna (Retzloff) Stark, who were born and reared there and who at the end of life were laid to 480 PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. rest beneath it? 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 die 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- rive 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. Plis 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 [881 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 Ouincy, 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 connmercial 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, horn in 1837. His parents were John and Eliza (Abel) Goddard, also natives of that state, where the mother died in 1837 when her son \V. E., the last bom of eleven PROGRESSIVE MEN OF WESTERN COLORADO. 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 count}', lived and labored 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 W. 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 tike charge of his father's farm when lie 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 mining 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 1. 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 [879. 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 country homes 3 1 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 ami 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 yield- 1 lesome 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 of 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 4§2 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 186S, 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 anil 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 1 S()i) busily engaged in farming. He then came farther west into the state and took up bis 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 vigi >r and system, and has made it an important element m 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 even- 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 historv. 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 W r illiam began the work of earning his < >\vn 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, w-here 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 lie was profitably engaged in raising sheep and cattle. In 1873 he sold 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 188 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 4*4 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 --"'.is, 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 Salem. 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 Withrow 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, llis son David was born at New Salem, Pennsylvania, in 1 S _> 7 . ami lust his mother by death when he was but eight years old. lie grew to manhood and was educated under the careful supervision of his father, and when he was twenty-three, in [850, removed td Inwa, where he remained two years. In 1 85 2 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 count}' 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 tn 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. 48= son county, located about six miles mirth 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 hulk 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 tne ^ am " ily moved to Iowa, and there Mr. Miller grew to manhood and was educated, and there his parents are