Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 31

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

supports the silver branch of the Republican par- ty. Active in temperance work, he has used his best efforts toward the abolition of saloons.

October 25, 1888, at Plainfield, Ind., Dr. Al- len married Sarah M., daughter of William M. and Sarah P. (Gregory) Fredenburg, and a na- tive of Michigan. One daughter blesses the union, Mary Agnes. Mr. Fredenburg was born in Penn Yan, N. Y., in 1831, and when a child accompanied the family to Michigan. He was engaged in the drug business at Ida, Monroe County. In 1874 he removed to Convoy, Ohio, and there conducted a drug business until two years prior to his death. For a number of years he was mayor of his town. In his family there were three children. His older son, William M., Jr., is connected with the editorial staff of the Pharmaceutical Era, of New York. The younger son, George Leon, is a telegrapher of Chicago. Mrs. Fredenburg now makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Allen; she was born in Northampton, Mass., a daughter of Joseph and Ann (Coleman) Gregory, who were natives of England and emigrated to America in 1828, set- tling in Massachusetts, but removing to Michi- gan at the same time with the Fredenburgs. The latter family is of Holland-Dutch origin.

R. SANBORN. Having been identified with the ranch interests of South Park . from early boyhood, Mr. Sanborn has not only formed a wide acquaintance among the peo- ple of this region, but has also become familiar with its progress and assisted in its growth. He was only twelve years of age when he began to work on a stock farm here, and from that time to this he has been a resident of Park County. After having worked as a farm hand for some years, in 1893 he was in a position to engage in ranching for himself, and at that time leased a ranch, which for five years he conducted, meant- while acquiring extensive cattle interests. In the spring of 1898, in partnership with Christ Kaiser, he purchased a ranch of sixteen hundred and ten acres on Rock Creek. This property he assists in managing, in connection with the ranch of ten hundred and fifty acres, situated four miles north - west of Jefferson, where he and his wife, with their children, Frank Leonard, Edwin Arthur and Eva Esther, have a pleasant home.

A son of Capt. George L. and Marion Alice (Holstein) Sanborn, the subject of this sketch was born in Living Springs, Colo., August 21,

1871, and was one of eight children. He is the only surviving son and has three sisters: Gertie M., the widow of Harry Leonard, of Aspen, Colo .; Lillie K., wife of John Mortimer, of Canon City; and Cosey F., Mrs. A. W. Cameron, of Vic- tor. The father of this family was born in Salem, Mass., in 1830, and in boyhood accompanied his parents to Cleveland, Ohio, later going to Chi- cago, where he learned the printer's trade. Upon completing his apprenticeship he began to work as a journeyman, following the trade in many of the eastern states. In 1859 he joined the proces- sion of gold-seekers and crossed the plains to Colorado. From Denver he went to Cherry Creek, where he commenced to mine. Afterward he engaged in ranching at a point farther up the creek. He was the locator of Camp Weld on Cherry Creek, and was one of the compositors em- ployed on the Rocky Mountain News when that now famous paper was first established. In 1862 he was made captain of Company H, Sixth Colo- rado Cavalry, and served under Colonel Chiving- ton in many of the regiment's fights with the Indians. After his honorable discharge from the service, he bought eight span of government inules, which he drove back to Missouri and sold. In exchange for these mules he gave his ranch of eighty acres on Cherry Creek, running through what is now Fifteenth street in Denver. Could he have discerned the future, he would have retained the property and gained millions in so doing; but there was absolutely nothing in the surroundings to indicate that the ranch would in time become the site of the metropolis of the mountains.

On his return to Colorado from Missouri, Captain Sanborn engaged in ranching on Cherry Creek, but in 1870 moved to Living Springs, where he gave his attention to the stock business. In 1879 he removed to Denver and opened a gro- cery on the corner of Blake and Fifteenth streets. In 1882 he established his home in Morrison, where he carried on a grocery business. After three years he removed to Aspen, where he con- tinued in the grocery business until 1894, and later spent a short time in Steamboat Springs and Mid- land. For some years he has made his home with our subject and has led a retired life. During his residence in Arapahoe County he served as assessor for one term. He has been interested in public affairs and few are more familiar than he with the growth of the territory and its develop- ment into a populous and wealthy state.

Carashyper

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

A life-long resident of Colorado, the subject of this sketch is naturally devoted to the welfare of his state. He is particularly interested in the growth of his home county. As a ranchman he is energetic and will undoubtedly in time become one of the most extensive stockmen of South Park. He was married in this county May 10, 1893, his wife being Miss Ellen McCartney, who is an estimable lady and his assistant in every undertaking.

HARLES DYER. Of the railroads that traverse the great plains of the west one of the most important, as well as one of the most recent, is the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. There is, perhaps, no line in the United States that has done more than it to benefit the people, for, by the reduction of freight charges and pas- senger rates, and by throwing open for settlement a large section of the country, this road has proved itself to be a friend of the people. While it has made an unprecedented record for speed be- tween the Mississippi Valley and southern Cali- fornia, yet safety is never sacrificed for speed, and the comfort and well-being of passengers are given constant attention by all connected with the company, from the highest official to the humblest laborer.

Among the number who assisted in the build- ing of the road through the west and south- west, and who have since been intimately identi- fied with its history, prominent mention belongs to the subject of this article. Mr. Dyer is super- intendent of the western division of the road, ex- tending from Dodge City, Kan., to Denver, and from Pueblo to Canon City, a distance of nearly five hundred miles. His position is one of the greatest responsibility, and one for which his large ability eminently qualifies him. In the oversight of the division he is obliged to spend about twenty-five days of each month on the road, a portion of which time is spent at the La Junta shops, which are the largest owned by the com- pany outside of those at Topeka, while during the remainder of the month he visits other im- portant points, spends some time at his head- quarters in Pueblo, oversees the division from its eastern limit to Denver, while in his few leisure moments he enjoys the society of friends in Colo- rado Springs, where he resides.

The Dyer family is of Scotch-Irish extraction. Its first representatives in America settled on Long Island, where occurred the birth of William

Dyer, a captain in the Revolutionary war, and afterward a farmer in Springfield, Windsor County, Vt. The captain had a son, William, who was born in Springfield, and followed the blacksmith's trade, together with the manage- ment of his carriage shop, during his active life. For years he was a selectman and justice of the peace in Springfield, where he resided until his death.

Henry R., son of William Dyer, was born in Chester, Vt., and graduated from Chester Semin- ary, Andover College and the Boston Polytech- nic Institute. He became a skilled mechanical engineer and was employed in the locomotive works in South Boston, making his home in Charlestown, a suburb of Boston. Afterward he was placed in charge of the locomotive of the Fitchburg Railroad as master mechanic, and held a similar position with the Sullivan County Railroad, whose line extended from Bellows Falls, 'Vt., to Windsor, Vt. Later he settled in Rut- land, Vt., where he was at first employed as master mechanic of the old Rutland Railroad, and afterward rebuilt the Rutland foundry and machine shops, of which he was superintendent for two years, 1859 to 1861. From that time on he was connected with the completion and man- agement of the gas works in Rutland. He was captain of an artillery company of the Vermont militia. Prominent in local affairs, he was one of the first selectmen of Rutland and held other offices of honor in that place. He died there in the fall of 1876, at sixty-four years of age. The last three years of his life were given largely to his work as organizer and grand lecturer for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In religion he was a Baptist.

The mother of our subject was Sarah Miller, who was born in Springfield, Vt., and died in Rutland in 1870. Her father, Abijah, a farmer of Vermont, was a descendant of Scotch ances- try. Her children comprised three sons and two daughters. Of these, James, who enlisted at the opening of the Civil war as a member of the ninety-day troops, was assigned to the First Vermont Infantry, but afterward enlisted in the Twelfth, continuing in the army until the fall of 1863. Subsequently he engaged in the hardware business until he was accidentally shot and killed when out hunting. William lives in Rutland; Carrie Williams is the wife of D. M. Barker, of San Jose, Cal .; and Faustina married James Blake, of Oakland, Cal.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The second of the sons, Charles Dyer, the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Springfield, Vt., April 30, 1845. He attended the grammar and high schools, and at the age of thirteen entered his father's shop in Rutland, where he learned the machinist's trade and studied mechanical en- gineering. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted as a drummer boy in Company I, Twelfth Vermont Infantry, and served with his regiment in the de- fense of Washington, then along the Alexandria Railroad, and in engagements with Ashby's cav- alry, and the battle of Gettysburg, where the drummer boy shouldered a gnn and went into action. In October, 1863, he was mustered out at Brattleboro, Vt., two months after the expi- ration of his time of service. Returning to the shops, he completed his trade. In 1864, with the money he had earned while in the army, he went to Eastman's Commercial College at Pough- keepsie, N. Y., where he took the regular course, graduating one year later. He then became bookkeeper for his father. In 1867 he built a telegraph line for the Troy & Boston Railroad, and, having learned telegraphy when a boy, he began to operate the line. Later he managed the telegraph office in Springfield for the Boston & Albany road, but after six months was given a clerkship in the superintendent's office. Illness caused him to resign his position in 1868, and he went to Florida for his health. In 1870 he was again taken sick, and this time started west, reaching Kansas City in July, and Emporia, Kan., in November.

At that time Emporia was the western termi- nns of the Santa Fe Railroad. Mr. Dyer entered the employ of this company as operator and cashier. In June, 1873, when the road had been completed to Granada, Colo., he was made termi- nal agent at that point. When the line reached Pueblo, in April, 1876, he was made chief train dispatcher, with charge of all the crews, a posi- tion that he held until 1878. When the Santa Fe was building west, he was with the chief en- gineer, A. A. Robinson, as material agent, hav- ing headquarters in Pueblo for three months, then going to Canon City, and later assisting Mr. Robinson in the building of the road through Santa Fe and Albuquerque. He was material agent at Las Vegas until April 10, 1881, and after- ward held the same position at Albuquerque for three months, when he was called back to Las Vegas by Mr. Robinson, who had been appointed superintendent of the New Mexico division, in

addition to his work as engineer. Mr. Dyer be- came trainmaster of the New Mexico division, in which capacity he was retained from the fall of 1881 until August, 1884. He was then promoted to be superintendent of the New Mexico division, from Raton to Deming, and continued in that office until June 1, 1894. Accepting another pro- motion, he became general superintendent of the Western grand division, comprising the Colorado Midland, the present western division of the Santa Fe, the New Mexico and Rio Grande di- visions of the Santa Fe, a total of sixteen hun- dred miles, of which he had full charge. He es- tablished his headquarters and residence in Colo- rado Springs, where he has since made his home. Upon the reorganization of the Midland, with its accompanying changes, he removed his head- quarters to Pneblo, and became superintendent of the western division.

In addition to the superintendency, Mr. Dyer is a director in the Pueblo & Arkansas Valley Railroad, which runs from the western boundary of Kansas to Canon City; a director in the Denver & Santa Fe Railroad, from Pueblo to Denver; director in the Canon City Coal Company, Raton Coal and Coke Company and the Trinidad Coal and Coke Company. In 1897 and 1898 he held the office of president of the Colorado Associa- tion of Railway Superintendents. Politically he is a Republican and in religious connections is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Colo- rado Springs. In 1877 he was made a Mason in Pueblo Lodge No. 17, with which, as with Chapter No. 3, R. A. M., he is still connected. While in Las Vegas he took an active part in the organization of the town, of which he was trustee for five years, his work being most helpful in establishing the village upon a sound business and financial basis.

In Chicago, Il1., April 27, 1882, Mr. Dyer married Miss Attie C. Howe, member of a prominent Massachusetts family that were allied with General Howe. She was born in Walling- ford, Vt., and graduated from the high school of Rutland and the Ladies' Seminary at Poultney, Vt. In her school days she was a friend of the gentleman whom she afterward married. Four children were born of their union. The eldest, Carrie, graduated from the University of the Pacific, at San Jose, Cal., and is now the wife of C. A. Rathbun, of Las Vegas. Mamie Howe, who graduated from the University of the Pacific, married Walter Sporleder, and died in Denver,

HON. THERON STEVENS.

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

April 27, 1898. Nellie, who was also a graduate of the University of the Pacific, is now the wife of Frederick W. Flanley, of Butte, Mont. The only son and youngest child is Frank Howe.

ON. THERON STEVENS, judge of the seventh judicial district, comprising the

- counties of Ouray, San Miguel, Hinsdale, Gunnison, Montrose, Delta and Mesa, is one of the leading jurists of Colorado and among the most prominent members of the Democratic party in the San Juan country. In the position he now fills he has enhanced the reputation he had previously gained. By means of his thor- ough knowledge of the statutes of Colorado and the rulings of the common law, the cases which have come under his jurisdiction have been treated in an able, impartial manner, which has gained the admiration of the legal fraternity and the re- spect of private citizens.

In Seneca County, N. Y., the subject of this article was born, December 1, 1842, a son of Charles and Asenath (McIntire) Stevens. He was one of six children, whose mother died in 1845. His father, a native of Seneca County, was for a number of years engaged in the mer- cantile business at Peach Orchard, and took an active part, as a Democrat, in affairs of a polit- ical nature. He died in the locality where his entire life had been passed, at eighty-three years of age, in 1890.

The education of our subject was such as pub- lic schools afforded. At the age of eighteen years he enlisted as a private in Company H, Thirty- eighth New York Infantry, and was promoted from the ranks to be orderly sergeant, serving for two years. He fought in all the battles of the army of the Potomac, from the first engage- ment at Bull Run to Chancellorsville, with the single exception of Antietam. In 1863 he was mustered out of the service, and returned to his home county. He learned the blacksmith's trade at Perry City, N. Y., and carried on a shop of his own at Peach Orchard and North Hector. This occupation he followed for some years. May 21, 1876, he landed in Ouray, which was then an unattractive mining station with only three houses, and those of log. He opened a black- smith's shop here. In 1877, after the organiza- tion of Ouray, he was elected the first judge of Ouray County, which office he held for six years, and during that time he studied law and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1882. Upon the expiration

of his term as judge, in 1883, he formed a part- nership with Judge Story, under the firm name of Story & Stevens, which connection continued until 1897.

Governor Adams in 1888 appointed Judge Stevens to fill an unexpired term in the office of judge of the seventh judicial district. The same governor, December 30, 1897, appointed him judge of the same district, and in the fall of 1898 he was elected to the office, on the Demo- cratic ticket, receiving a majority of six hundred and forty-six, notwithstanding the fact that this district usually gives a Populist majority. Dur- ing the long period of his residence in Ouray he has been active in local affairs, and held both the office of city and county attorney. He was a fac- tor in the organization of the Bank of Ouray, in which he owns an interest. He assisted in de- veloping the Sailors' Fortune mine, which he sold in 1892; he also owns a one-half interest in the Silver Queen mine. Aside from mining, he has important real-estate interests in Ouray. In 1875 he married Miss Elizabeth Drake, of North Hector, N. Y., and they have one son, Percy Stewart Stevens.

Fraternally Judge Stevens is connected with Ouray Lodge No. 37, A. F. & A. M., of which he is past master; Kilwinning Chapter No. 21, R. A. M .; Ouray Commandery No. 16, K. T .; and El Jebel Temple, N. M. S., of Denver. When the record of his life is reviewed, it will be seen that he has been a progressive man. From the blacksmith's anvil he has risen to the judgeship of the largest judicial district in the state. From poverty he has risen to prosperity, through hardships to success. The secret of his influence is his high standing as a man, and the respect in which he is held for his broad learning, scholarly attainments and the determination with which he has hewed down every obstacle in his path.

ERNON G. CLARK, M. D., one of the rising physicians and surgeons of Telluride, was born in Missouri in 1872, a son of N. G. and F. A. Clark. His father, when he was a young man, studied law and was admitted to the bar, after which he engaged in practice in Craw- ford County, Mo., becoming a prominent crimi- nal lawyer of that county. Active in public af- fairs, he twice represented his district in the state legislature. During the Civil war he held a cap- tain's commission in the Thirty-second Missouri

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Infantry. He continued to reside in Missouri until 1882, meantime building up an enviable reputation in his chosen profession, but in that year he came to Colorado and has since made Montrose his home, with the exception of a few years in Fort Collins.

The subject of this sketch was educated in pub- lic schools and by diligent study acquired a good education, which, after 1882, was conducted in the Fort Collins schools. He began the study of medicine in Montrose and later entered the Mis- souri Medical College at St. Louis, from which he graduated in 1896, with the degree of M. D. In the fall of the same year he came to Telluride, where he opened an office and began in general practice. He is capable and painstaking, as well as thoroughly informed in all the details of pro- fessional work, and is therefore held in high re- spect as a physician. Besides his private prac- tice, which is steadily increasing, he holds the office of city physician and also is serving as health officer. Through his membership in the Alumni Association he maintains his connection with his alma mater in St. Louis. It may safely be predicted of him that the future years hold for him professional honors, as well as a high place in the citizenship of his home town and the regard of friends and acquaintances.

INFIELD SCOTT STRATTON. Because the name and fame of the great Indepen- dence mine at Cripple Creek are household words in the United States, and because this great mine, with a score of others belongs to a single individual, special interest attaches to the life of the man who located, prospected, developed and owns this mine. It will be of interest to the pub- lic to know definitely whether the discovery and possession of this mine are due to blind chance and pure accident, or whether it is the natural se- quence of years of study, work, experience and perseverance. Winfield Scott Stratton, of Colo- rado Springs, is the owner of the Independence, lie is one of the leading figures in the mining and financial life of the great mineral state of Colorado, and, whether he desires it or not, the public in- terest in him because of his mines, his great wealth and the romantic story of the building of his fortuue, is such that truthful statements about him, his life and his success in life, will be eagerly read.

Winfield Scott Stratton was born July 22, 1848, in Jeffersonville, Ind. He is the son of Myron

and Mary (Halstead) Stratton. As he was born near the close of the Mexican war he was named in honor of the hero of that conflict. Mr. Strat- ton, as his name indicates, is of English descent, the British Strattons having been prominent in feudal times. The first representatives of the fam- ily to come to America settled in New England. Martin Stratton, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, resided in Granby, Hartford Coun- ty, Conn., where the family name is perpetuated by the village of Stratton Brook. During the Revolutionary war Martin Stratton owned a flour- ing mill in New Haven, and furnished flour to the Colonial army until his means were entirely exhausted and he became bankrupt.

Cephas Stratton, our subject's grandfather, was the eldest of six brothers, the others of whom were Timothy, Martin, Serager, Phineas and Calvin. His wife was a member of the Adanis family of Massachusetts. He removed to Brad- ford County, Pa., where most of his family were born. The family is still represented in Tioga County, which adjoins Bradford. Later, he and his brothers Timothy and Serager re- moved to Ohio, whence the last named went to Tennessee and founded the southern branch of the family. Cephas settled in Connellsville, now a suburb of Cincinnati. His old homestead is now included in Spring Grove Cemetery, where he and other members of his family are interred.

Of the children of Cephas Stratton, Lyman, the eldest, spent almost his entire life in Tioga County, Pa. Orange, the second son, removed to Ohio, and was a pioneer in the vicinity of Dayton. Curtis F., the third son, was born December 3, 1799, removed to Jefferson County, Ind., in 1838, and thence, in 1852, went to California, his fam- ily joining him on the Pacific coast two years later. Martin filled a responsible position in the .railroad service in Blossburg, Pa., but removed from there to Ohio, where he died. Harriett died in Connersville, and Samantha resides at Cass- town, Ohio. The remaining member of the fam- ily was Myron, the father of W. S. Stratton, and a native of Bradford County, Pa.

Curtis F. Stratton, mentioned above, died on the western coast in 1872. Of his twelve children ten attained mature years, and among the num- ber some become quite prominent. Riley E., who was an attorney by profession, served on the bench as jurist for eight years prior to his death, in 1866. A younger brother, Milton A., was at the time of his death, in 1895, president of the

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First National Bank of East Portland. The sur- vivors of the family are as follows: Delia C., Mrs. Patton, a widow residing in the state of Wash- ington; Mrs. Augusta J. Whittemore, a widow living in Seattle; Mrs. Irene H. Wilber, wife of a successful attorney of Portland; Horace F., a resident of Seattle, Wash., and interested in min- ing in the west; Julius A., who is a well-known attorney of Seattle and was formerly a judge there; and C. C. Stratton, D. D., of Chicago.

For more than a quarter of a century Myron Stratton resided in Jeffersonville, Ind., and dur- ing eighteen years of that time he was a member of the town council. A man of integrity aud in- telligence, he won the esteem of his associates. He was a member of the firm of Logan & Strat- ton, boat builders and contractors, and was noted for being a skilled workman and scientific draughtsman. Both he and his wife were consis- tent members of the Christian Church and exem- plified in their lives the principles of the religion to which they adhered. Of their nine children, there was only one son, and he forms the subject of this review. When he was five years of age he entered the primary department of the public school. He continued in school until he had completed the regular course of study. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to Christian Heyne, a carpenter and mechanical draughtsman of Jeffersonville, with whom he remained for three years. One of the most remarkable of his native gifts was his ability as a draughtsman and in the art of drawing he has, from youth, been re- garded as exceptionally gifted.

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Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 31

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1530

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530