Chaffee County CO Archives Biographies.....McQuaid, Barney 1837 - ? ************************************************ 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, 2:47 pm Author: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Born in county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1837, and remaining there until he reached the age of sixteen, then shipping on a freighting vessel for New York and following the sea three years, in which he visited many parts of the world and went to California by way of the isthmus of Panama, and after that locating at California gulch in this state when the whole country was new and wild, Barney McQuaid has had many thrilling adventures and interesting experiences in his eventful career and is full of entertaining reminiscences of them. But he is no idle story teller. He is one of the substantial and progressive citizens of Chaffee county, actively and profitably engaged in the great cattle industry of the state and still connected in a promising way with its mining industry. He arrived at San Francisco in 1861 and, determining then to quit the sea, left his vessel and went to the southern part of California, where he passed six years busily engaged in mining with fair success. At the end of that period he came to this state and, locating at California gulch, continued his mining operations three years longer. In 1873 he bought his present ranch, which is four miles and a half southeast of Buena Vista, and which was at the time of his purchase all wild and unimproved. He and others in the neighborhood arranged to irrigate their lands from the waters of Cottonwood creek, and did so for some years. Then the development of the country requiring a greater supply of water, they dammed the Arkansas and got a plentiful supply from that river. This has made it possible to cultivate the region extensively and the enterprise of its occupants has made it blossom as the rose. Mr. McQuaid, who is one of the oldest settlers in the section, has one of the best and most highly improved ranches there, and his example and influence have been potential for good in the development of the surrounding country. He is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, and always foremost in any good undertaking for the advantage of his community; but he has never been active in political affairs as a partisan, although supporting loyally the Democratic party in all its campaigns. He was married in 1861, at Lowell, Massachusetts, to Miss Adelaide Starr, a native of Ireland. The marriage occurred in the morning, and on the afternoon of the same day they boarded the vessel for the Pacific by way of the isthmus, making their wedding trip on the two great oceans. They have had eight children, five of whom are living: Rosa (Mrs. Welch); Thomas, who is engaged in raising stock in Park county; Alice (Mrs. McGuire); Maggie (Mrs. Luney); and Mack, who lives in New Mexico and is in the cattle industry. A son named Andrew is deceased and two other children who passed away in infancy. Additional Comments: From Progressive Men of Western Colorado. Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1905 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/chaffee/bios/mcquaid205gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cofiles/ File size: 3.5 Kb