LEWIS, Alfred S., b 1849; 1905 Bio, Delta County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/delta/bios/lewisas.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 10, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Alfred S. Lewis The late Alfred S. Lewis, of Delta county, who came to this portion of the state in 1883 and died on his ranch three miles up the Gunnison from the town of Delta in 1897, was a native of North Carolina, born in Cherokee county on August 6, 1849. His parents were Alfred and Sarah (Merlan) Lewis, natives also of North Carolina. The father died when the son was but two years old, and at the beginning of the Civil war the mother moved the family to Georgia, where she died in July, 1890. It was in this state that the son grew to manhood, received the greater part of his education and learned his trade as a carpenter; and there also he started in life for himself and worked at his trade until 1880. He then came to Colorado, locating at Leadville, where for a short time he was employed in the smelter sampling ore. In August of that year he moved to Lake City and mined coal for coke, remaining until 1883. In that year he changed his residence to Delta county and his occupation to ranching and raising stock. For the first year he rented a ranch in order that he might learn how he liked the country before making a purchase and establishing a permanent home. In 1884 he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land staked off by another man, paying five hundred dollars for the rights to the property and one hundred dollars worth of ditch stock. The land was so dry at the time that there were great cracks in various places in it, yet by close and continued industry and taking advantage of all favoring conditions, he made it productive, raising good crops from the start. He set out twenty acres in fruit, but there are now only seven acres of the orchard standing and its yield is used by the family. The whole region was undeveloped, there being but one bridge over the Gunnison at the time, and that a cottonwood structure subject to toll. But accepting the conditions around him with cheerfulness, he entered upon the task of improving his property and aiding in the development of the country with energy, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing the neighborhood advancing with gratifying rapidity to a state of great fruitfulness and comfort. To the end of his life he devoted himself to the work before him, taking an earnest and helpful interest in local affairs, and aiding as far as he could in building up the section in which he had cast his lot, being one of its useful citizens, and leaving at his death the benefits of his practical wisdom and continued industry. He was married on January 10, 1867, to Miss Grace Ledford, who was born and reared in Union county, Georgia, and is the daughter of Silas and Elmira (Bollen) Ledford, the father a native of North and the mother of South Carolina. The mother died very young and the father in 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are living at or near the family homestead. Since the death of the father the mother has carried on the operations of the ranch with the help of the children at home, and with the ten thousand dollars insurance he had on his life she has bought additional land and a number of cattle. The father had sold one hundred acres of his original purchase before his death and the widow has purchased sixty acres, so that she now has one hundred and twenty. Her stock industry is thriving, and with the fine yield of hay she gets from the land she usually has enough feed for the cattle, raising an average of about four hundred tons of hay a year. Mr. Lewis was a Democrat in politics and a Baptist in church membership. =================================================== 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.