Chaffee County CO Archives Biographies.....McKenna, James J. February 3, 1860 - ? ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/cofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Judy Crook jlcrook@rof.net February 28, 2006, 3:11 pm Author: Progressive Men of Western Colorado James J. McKenna, proprietor of the McKenna Mercantile Company, one of the most active and extensive wholesale and retail grocery establishments in central Colorado, is a native of county Cavan, Ireland, where he was born on February 3, 1860, and where he remained until 1877, working at various occupations and attending the common schools as he had opportunity. In that year, when he was about seventeen years of age, he determined to come to the United States, and on his arrival in this country proceeded at once to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he passed a short time as a clerk in the office of a machine shop, and then worked a few months in the same capacity for the Western Transportation Company. In the fall of the same year he accepted a position in the construction department of the City Railway Company of Chicago, and during the next four years was employed in building the first cable street car lines in that city. In October, 1881, he became a resident of Salida, this state, and passed the next four years as manager of the large mercantile business of Peter Mulvaney here. In 1885 he moved to Denver and opened a retail grocery at Twenty-first and Champa streets in that city, which he conducted some seven months, then sold it and returned to Salida, entering the employ of Webb & Corvin, wholesale grocers, with whom he remained about eighteen months, until they closed out their business. In 1888 he bought into a grocery business with W.R. Boyd, the firm being known as Boyd & McKenna. A few months afterward they sold out and Mr. McKenna organized the firm of Harrington & McKenna in the same trade. This was in business about two years, and then Moritz J. Kerndt bought the interest of Mr. Harrington and the firm became McKenna & Kerndt, which continued until 1895, when Mr. McKenna bought Mr. Kerndt out and organized the McKenna Mercantile Company, of which he is still the active head. In 1902 the business was moved into a new building which he had erected, which is known as the McKenna building and is one of the finest business houses in the city. The upper story was specially arranged for the use of the lodge of Elks, of which Mr. McKenna is an enthusiastic member, and is one of the most complete and attractive lodge homes in the state. Mr. McKenna also belongs to the Woodmen of the World. Politically he is an earnest Democrat and always an active worker for his party, wise in direction, vigilant in observation and effective in action. Additional Comments: From Progressive Men of Western Colorado. Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1905 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/chaffee/bios/mckenna210gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cofiles/ File size: 3.2 Kb