ARMSTRONG, George W., b 1843; 1905 Bio, Chaffee County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/chaffee/bios/armstronggw.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 6, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- George W. Armstrong George W. Armstrong, now one of the leading merchants of Salida where he conducts a large drug business, has had a varied and interesting career since coming to Colorado in 1864, seeing many ups and downs in western 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, and in that city he grew to manhood and received his education. After leaving school he served five years in the banking house of Brown Brothers & Company, then, in 1864, started across the plains to Colorado 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 mining. He was unsuccessful and walked to Denver 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 remained in their employ three years, having risen to the position of traveling salesman before he left. In 1880, in partnership with DeWitt C. Demorest, he opened a grocery in West Denver, and within the same year was elected to the city council. After two years of business prosperity in Denver he moved to Cimarron, Montrose county, in 1882, and there opened a general store, with a branch at Sapinero, fourteen miles distant in Gunnison county. At the same time he started a similar enterprise at 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, 1901, he bought the drug store of E. M. Thompson at Salida, and after enlarging and remodeling the store engaged in the drug business on a large scale, and is still engaged in it. Fraternally Mr. Armstrong is a thirty-second-degree Mason, with the rank of past master 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. McIntyre, a native of New York city, where the marriage took place. They have one son, Douglas Armstrong, who is a locomotive engineer on the Rio Grande, and two daughters. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.