History of Colorado; Volume IV, Part 13

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 836

USA > Colorado > History of Colorado; Volume IV > Part 13

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In October, 1914, Rosa E. Kingsbury was united in marriage to R. Bachman, a successful agriculturist of Washington county. He is prominent in fraternal circles, being connected with the blue lodge of Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the principles of brotherhood underlying these organizations guiding him in his life's relations.

Mrs. Bachman takes a great interest in war service work and is thoroughly patriotic. She is chairman of the Woman's Council of Defense and also chairman of the Junior Red Cross and devotes a great deal of her time to this important work. She is a member of the Parent-Teachers Association, in the proceedings of which she takes a leading part, and was the organizer of the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County. Fraternally she belongs to the Eastern Star and to the Rebekahs. Her religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church and she is much interested in the work of that organization and charitable institutions. Politically she is a republican, supporting the party plat- form and party principles. Mrs. Bachman has done much to promote the cause of educa- tion in Washington county as well as other public causes here, as is evident from her record. She has proven herself a citizen of the first class and underlying all of her work there is a loyal and unwavering patriotism.

CHARLES WILLIAM SEITZ.

Charles William Seitz, of Denver, is the president and manager of what is one of the largest industrial enterprises in the state of Colorado, known as the Mountain Iron Works Company. The company is a close corporation and the business estab- lished by Mr. Seitz in a small way has developed until the enterprise is scarcely second to anything of the kind in the west. A most modest beginning was made with a capital of about thirty-five dollars in cash and for nearly two weeks this was all of the money which Mr. Seitz had at his command. He had to buy supplies for his foundry and also meet the demands of his household, then consisting of himself and his parents. He faced the situation, as he has many other trying prob- lems since that time, bravely, courageously and with determination. Step by step he has advanced, enlarging and extending his efforts as opportunity has offered, and today his name figures most prominently upon the pages of the history of manu- facturing in the west.

Such a life story should serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to all who have the will to dare and to do. Charles W. Seitz was born in Cahokia, Illinois, now within the boundary lines of East St. Louis, February 12, 1875, a son of Fred and Louise Seitz, who were of European birth but came to America in early life and established their home on Cahokia creek, where the father engaged in farming. In later years he disposed of his farm and removed to St. Louis, Mis- souri, where he conducted a hotel for an extended period. In 1891, however, he came to Colorado, settling in Valverde, where he engaged in gardening and where he still makes his home. His wife passed away in St. Louis in 1879. They had a family of six children, four of whom survive, namely: Fred, who is connected with the Tacoma Times of Tacoma, Washington; Mrs. Tina Shelton, residing in Texas; Bertha, living in Denver; and Charles W., of this review.

The last named, the youngest in the family, attended the public schools of St. Louis, Missouri, but at the early age of ten years put aside his textbooks and began work for the Missouri Car Wheel Company, now the American Car & Foundry Com- pany. There he remained until 1890, when he came to Denver and secured a posi- tion in the employ of Thomas Walker at Fourteenth and Wazee streets. In that con- nection he completed his trade as a moulder and subsequently went to work for Alfred Cordingly in the Queen City Foundry. He remained a faithful, capable and efficient employe there for nine years and then in 1902, with a small amount of money, he began business on his own account under the name of the Western Foundry Company. He struggled through one year with limited capital, but ere the close of the year his trade had substantially increased and he leased a lot on Twelfth street, between Market and Wazee streets, whereon was a foundry. Later, he sold his interest in the property at a handsome profit. He afterward operated the Colo-

CHARLES W. SEITZ

MRS. CHARLES W. SEITZ

104

HISTORY OF COLORADO

rado Gray Iron Works for a year and at the end of that period, or in 1909, he purchased the ground and erected thereon the first buildings that now constitute a part of the plant of the Mountain Iron Works Company. Since the beginning he has greatly improved this property and has made addition after addition in build- ings and equipment until the plant now occupies a solid block of ground and is one of the busiest centers to be found in the industrial district of the city, with from eighty-five to one hundred and twenty-five workmen. At the present time they have a large allotment of government work and contracts on hand and their activities are constantly broadening in scope. This is destined to become one of the most prosperous industrial institutions of the west, with more than one hundred thousand dollars invested in buildings and improvements, while other thoroughly modern types of buildings are soon to be added. The foundry is today an important industrial enterprise of Denver, which was incorporated in 1906 as a close corpora- tion, of which Mr. Seitz has always been president and general manager, while his wife has been secretary and treasurer. Mr. Seitz still remains one of the active workers in the establishment and all of the business is conducted under his imme- diate personal supervision. He is unassuming and at all times approachable and is constantly among his employes, working with them and assisting them. Besides his present large contracts for government work, he has done much for the following corporations: the Colorado & Southern Railway, the Denver & Salt Lake Railway, the Western Chemical Corporation, the Great Western Sugar Company and many smaller concerns.

On the 2d of December, 1896, in Denver, Mr. Seitz was married to Miss Clara W. Wedell, of this city. She was born in Yankton, South Dakota, but from girl- hood was reared in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was a daughter of Cornelius and Susan (Holzwarth) Wedell. Mrs. Seitz has taken not only a keen but active interest in the business affairs of her husband, and has rendered most helpful influ- ence as well as material assistance, sharing with her husband credit for the building up of the business in the days when their combined help was quite neces- sary for the success that came later. They have become parents of four daughters and one son. Frank W. Seitz, who was born in Denver, was accidentally drowned in Cherry creek, July 15, 1913, on his twelfth birthday. The daughters are: Irene Louise, born in Denver in 1906; Lillion May, in 1908; Elsie Beatrice, in 1911; and Kathleen Maria, in 1916. The three eldest daughters are now in school.

In politics Mr. Seitz maintains an independent course. He belongs to the Denver Manufacturers Association and his time and interests have largely centered upon his business affairs. Working his way upward unaided and alone, his progress has been continuous and his diligence has wrested fortune from the hands of fate. In no other land is the opportunity for individual progress so great as in the United States. Unhampered by any traditions of caste or class, the individual may prove his worth and his intelligently directed industry becomes the means of his pros- perity.

JOHN WESLEY BAKER.

John Wesley Baker, owner of a farm in the Wolfcreek district of Elbert county, was born at Lexington, Indiana, in 1867, a son of John H. and Susanne Baker. In the paternal line he comes of German ancestry, his grandfather having left Germany to establish a home in the new world. He made his way to Indiana, where representatives of the family have since lived. On the maternal side Mr. Baker comes of French and Irish lineage and his great-great-grandfather, who was of English and French descent, was born in Illinois.

With the removal of his parents to Avon, Illinois, John Wesley Baker there pur- sued his education and in 1884 he came to Colorado, where he entered .upon railroad work, being connected with the Burlington & Missouri and afterward with the Denver & Rio Grande systems. About fourteen years ago he homesteaded in Elbert county and has since given his time and energies to the development of his farming interests. He has greatly extended his holdings, adding to his farm from time to time as his financial resources have permitted until he is today owner of one of the most excellent farm properties in the Wolfcreek district. His place is equipped with modern machiney, sub- stantial buildings and every accessory found upon the model farm of the twentieth cen- tury and the methods which he employs in the production of his crops are most gratify- ing and resultant.

105

HISTORY OF COLORADO

On the 16th of February, 1897, in Denver, Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Maud Sturns, a daughter of Washington Sturns, who was a native of Indiana, and Josephine Sturns, a native of Sweden. Mrs. Baker was born in the building in which the constitution of Colorado was framed. To Mr. and Mrs. Baker have been horn three children, Washington Edward, Harold Wesley and Linnie Ruth.

JOHN SLATTERY.

John Slattery, who was born in the state of New York in 1860, passed away in Colorado in 1902. He was a son of Daniel and Alice (Ryan) Slattery. He pursued his education in the public schools of New York and when still a hoy came to Colorado, after which he engaged in mining. At a later date he settled in Boulder, where he took up the occupation of farming, which he followed for nine years. He then removed to Central City, where he again engaged in mining, and later was connected with the Cripple Creek district and sought a fortune in the mines in Leadville. He met with only a fair measure of success in his work as a miner, however, and settled on a ranch near Denver, where he engaged in farming to the time of his death. He became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he converted into rich and produc- tive fields and from which he annually gathered large harvests. He was also Interested quite extensively in mining in Leadville and his various business affairs and investments brought to him a gratifying measure of prosperity as the years passed.

Mr. Slattery was married in Leadville, Colorado, to Miss Jane Gully, a daughter of Thomas and Temperance Ann (Powell) Gully. Mrs. Slattery was born in Tipperary, Ireland, and with her parents came to Colorado during her girlhood, after which she attended school in Central City. By her marriage she became the mother of three chil- dren, Katherine, Thomas and John, all deceased. The religious faith of Mr. Slattery was that of the Catholic church and Mrs. Slattery is also a communicant thereof. She is a member of the Altar Society and has worked most earnestly for it. At his death Mr. Slattery left his widow in very comfortable financial circumstances owing to his careful business management in former years and he also left the priceless heritage of an un- tarnished name, for in his business dealings he had been straightforward and honorable, having won creditable success as the years passed by.

LOUIS J. STARK.

For twenty years Louis J. Stark has been a representative of the Denver bar, having begun active practice in 1899. He was born at Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, May 27, 1873, and is a son of John and Mary ( (Bleck) Stark, both of whom were pioneers of Wisconsin, the father following the occupation of farming. He died at Johnson Creek in 1898 and there the mother also passed away in 1907.

Louis J. Stark was the sixth in order of birth in a family of nine children. He entered Lawrence University at Appleton, Wisconsin, in his fifteenth year but before completing the course there, changed to Northwestern College at Naperville, Illinois, from which he was graduated on the completion of the college course with the class of 1895. The degrees of B. S. and LL. B. were conferred upon him by Northwestern College. Determining upon the practice of law as a life work, he then matriculated in the law department of the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 1895. Removing to the west, he entered the law school of Denver University in 1897. At the outbreak of the Spanish- American war he volunteered for active service as a member of a regiment of Colorado troops but hecame ill with typhoid fever and was honorably discharged. After his recovery he entered upon the practice of law in 1899 and has become a successful mem- ber of the Denver har.

On the 23d of April, 1902, Mr. Stark was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Hutton, of Denver, Colorado, a daughter of John and Mary Hutton. They have become parents of six children. Ethel, born in Denver in 1903, and Annie D., in 1904, are attending high school. John H., born in 1906, Louis B., in 1908, and Henry L., in 1910, are all in the public schools. Meritt W., the youngest, born in 1916 is the life of the household.

Mr. and Mrs. Stark are members of the Unitarian church. He belongs to the Denver Bar Association. His political endorsement is given to the republican party. In 1912 he was a candidate for congressman, and in 1916 for the office of district attorney for the city and county of Denver, hut was defeated. In 1916 he served as chairman of the

106

HISTORY OF COLORADO

Booth Charter Committee at the time the present charter was adopted. He has actively advocated that the judiciary should be independent of politics and that the judges be selected by the members of the legal profession. During his practice he was attorney for the Italian, Austro-Hungarian, German and Mexican consulates, and has also been connected with many important cases in our courts.

ADOLPH JOSEPH ZANG.

Time gives the perspective which places every individual in his true position in relation to the community of which he has been a part, and in the instance of Adolph Joseph Zang time serves to heighten the regard in which he is held, for it is recog- nized that his labors have been a most important element in the upbuilding of the city of Denver and of the state at large. For many years he figured prominently as a banker and mine owner and, following constructive lines, he built up business in- terests of extensive proportions. He also acquired large property holdings and was at the head of the Zang Realty & Investment Company.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Zang was born on the 14th of August, 1856, a son of Philip and Elizabeth (Hurlebaus) Zang. The father was born in Aschaffen- burg, Bavaria, Germany, and coming to America in 1853, established his home in Philadelphia, but the following year removed to Louisville, Kentucky, where he founded a brewery in 1859, conducting it for ten years under the firm style of Zang & Com- pany. He then removed to Denver, where he established the Rocky Mountain Brew- ing Company, and during the period of his residence in this state he recognized and utilized the opportunities offered by the natural resources of Colorado. He became one of the founders of the Vindicator Consolidated Gold Mining Company and he furthermore contributed to the early development of the state through his coopera- tion and support of many of its pioneer industries.

His son, Adolph Joseph Zang, after acquiring his early education in a private school in Louisville, Kentucky, conducted by Professor Heilman, went to Germany, where he spent two years in further study. He made his initial step in the business world in connection with the firm of J. Dolfinger & Company of Louisville, dealers in queensware, and his business enterprise and capability contributed much to the suc- cess of the undertaking. Attracted to Denver, he became a resident of the city in 1882 and entered into business in connection with his father. Their interests in the brewing business, however, were sold to an English syndicate in 1889, but the firm insisted that Mr. Zang remain in the capacity of president and general manager and he so continued until 1912. However, he was extending his efforts in many other directions as the years passed and his investments showed the soundness of his judg- ment and gave proof of his belief in Denver and her future. He was one of the organizers of the Schirmer Insurance & Investment Company, which later developed into the banking house conducted under the name of the German American Trust Company of Denver, now the American Bank & Trust Company. He was instrumental in developing this into one of the foremost financial institutions of the west and served as one of its directors from the time of its organization until his death, as well as the first vice president. He was one of the founders of the famous Vindicator Consolidated Gold Mining Company, operating large and heavily producing prop- erties in the Cripple Creek district of Colorado, and at the time of his demise was its president. The town of Goldfield owes its establishment to Mr. Zang, who was its founder. Extending his activities in mining, he became one of the directors of the Cresson Consolidated Gold Mining & Milling Company and one of its largest stockholders. He did much to assist in the legitimate development of the mining industry, not only in Colorado but throughout the west, and was never afraid to back his judgment by the investment of his own resources. He made extensive pur- chases of land in the state and founded the Zang Realty & Investment Company. He was the owner of one of Colorado's model farms, comprising four thousand acres and situated only a few miles from Denver. This was devoted largely to the breeding of pure blooded horses, for Mr. Zang was a true lover of the noble steed and his horses were exhibited throughout the entire country, winning many blue ribbons. He im- ported from France a number of the finest animals that could be purchased, among them a Percheron stallion which won prizes at practically every large horse show in France and the United States.

On the 29th of March, 1881, Mr. Zang was married to Miss Minnie Louise Vogt, a daughter of William F. Vogt, a jeweler of Louisville. Kentucky, and they became

ADOLPH J. ZANG

108

HISTORY OF COLORADO

the parents of the following named. Philip Adolph, who is mentioned at length on another page of this work; Adolph Frank, vice president of the Vindicator Consolidated Gold Mining Company, secretary of the Cresson Consolidated Gold Mining Company, secretary of the Adolph J. Zang Investment Company, director of The Rare Metals Ore Company and treasurer of The Ferro Alloy Company; Gertrude, the wife of Charles Leedom Patterson; Minnie Elizabeth; and Louise Adelgunda, the wife of John Henry Morrison.

The family circle was broken by the hand of death on the 28th of September, 1916, Mr. Zang having been taken suddenly ill while on a trip of inspection to the Vindicator mine. His death was the occasion of the deepest regret because of his wide acquaintance and his many admirable traits of character. He was a Scottish Rite Mason, an Elk, a life member of the Denver Athletic Club and was a member of every civic and commercial organization of Denver, all of which profited by his cooperation and his public spirit. One of his most marked characteristics was his love of literature and his taste along that line was most discriminating. His library was equaled by but few private collections in the United States, either in its size, Its range or in its intrinsic value. A contemporary writer said of Mr. Zang: "He was essentially and before all else a devoted and home-loving man, domestic in all his tastes and neglecting no opportunity to cultivate the heautiful things of life. He was a true and liberal philanthropist, never making known his beneficiaries but giv- ing freely to charities of all kinds. He was most democratic in his attitude toward all men, a man of imposing stature, lovable and genial to an extreme and loyal not only to his friends but to the world."

JOHN GULLY.

John Gully was one of the representative farmers of Colorado who through well directed efforts accumulated extensive holdings and in course of time became the owner of eleven hundred and twenty acres of land in Arapahoe county. His life record should serve to inspire and encourage others who have to begin business, as he did, empty-handed. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, June 24, 1850, and his life activities covered the intervening years to the 29th of May, 1915, when he nearly had reached the age of sixty-five years. He was a son of Thomas and Temperance (Powell) Gully and in 1862 came to Colorado with his parents, this being fourteen years before the state was admitted to the Union. They crossed the plains with team and wagon, and Mr. Gully acquired his education in the schools of the mining towns of Central City, Blackhawk and Silver Plume as the family removed from place to place. When he was sixteen years of age he went to Tollgate with his parents and there worked upon the home ranch, assisting largely in the development and cultivation of the property. When about twenty-one years of age he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land in Arapahoe county and, as the years passed on, kept adding to his possessions from time to time, as his financial resources increased, until he accumulated eleven hun- dred and twenty acres. He engaged extensively in raising live stock and also carried on dry farming to the time of his death. His methods were practical and his work was characterized by a progressiveness that brought good results. His sons are now operating the ranch and are raising wheat and live stock. They have inherited the industrious spirit of the father and their labors are being attended with excellent results.

On the 20th of September, 1892, Mr. Gully was united in marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Clifford, a daughter of Patrick J. and Mary Ann (Maher) Clifford. Mrs. Gully was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, and was educated in the public schools of that state. She made progress in her studies and won a teacher's certificate there, after which she engaged in teaching in Iowa for two years. Later she went to Colorado and taught for several years or up to the time of her marriage. She proved a capable teacher, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge that she had acquired. To Mr. and Mrs. Gully were born five children: Mary Frances, James Edward, John Thomas, William Anthony and Elizabeth Alphonese.

The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church, to which Mr. Gully always adhered. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party and on several occasions he was offered the nomination to public office but always declined. He preferred to give his thought, attention and effort to his business affairs and by reason of the sound judgment which he displayed in the conduct of his farm- ing interests he became one of the prominent ranchmen of Arapahoe county. John

JOHN GULLY

110

HISTORY OF COLORADO

Gully was a man of striking personality and charm of manner which. endeared him to those who knew him well. His integrity was unquestioned and in all of his deal- ings with his fellow men, he applied the principle of the Golden Rule. Coming to Arapahoe county when that section of the state was practically an unbroken wilder- ness, he manifested his confidence in the future of the country by meeting the priva- tions, and even the dangers, with smiling fortitude, and it may truly be said that he had no small part in the development of Colorado's greatness. Those who knew him, and he had a wide acquaintance, esteemed him for his sterling worth and when death called him on the 29th of May, 1915, there were many who deeply regretted his pass- ing and who yet cherish his memory.

AARON GOVE.

For thirty years-the entire formative period of Denver's school system-Aaron Gove was in charge of the educational interests of the city. While at the outset of his task there were other school districts within the limits of the city, District No. 1, of which he was the head, comprised the greater part of the population. Later he became superin- tendent of all the merged districts. This was his life work. From the time that he was three years old until he was sixty-five, with the exception of the period during which he was a participant in the Civil war, he was never out of a schoolroom. He not only became one of the great educators of the country, honored in 1887-8 by the presidency of the National Educational Association, but proved himself a wise and care- ful administrator and financial manager.

From 1864 until 1874 he was in charge of the schools at Normal, Illinois. During that period he was mastering his profession and demonstrating his energy and capacity at teachers' institutes and on the lecture platform.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Colorado; Volume IV, Part 13

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Number of Pages: 836

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 836