SIEBER, Charles R., b 1869; 1905 Bio, Delta County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/delta/bios/siebercr.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 21, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Charles R. Sieber Highly fortunate in his life, both in its productive usefulness and in the esteem of his fellow men which it won him, and which was largely enhanced by the "deep damnation of his taking off," the late Charles R. Sieber, of Mesa county, who was brutally murdered by a former employee while at the height of his usefulness and power for good to the people among whom he lived and labored, was one of the best known and most serviceable citizens of the Western slope, and as such was a shining mark for the shafts of malice, envy and ill-will. He was native of Germany, born at Breslau on January 28, 1846, and the son of Paul and Francisca Sieber, also natives of the fatherland, where they passed their lives and where their forefathers had lived for many generations. There were ten children in his father's family, of whom he was the last born. When he was fourteen years old he came to America in company with a friend, Charles Kretchmer, who is now an esteemed citizen of Pueblo, this state. After passing a year in Canada they moved to the United States and settled in Illinois, where they remained until in the 'sixties, when they came with the German colony established in Wet Mountain valley, to Colorado. Mr. Kretchmer stopped at Pueblo and Mr. Sieber accompanied the colony to the valley. Here he engaged in farming and raising cattle, becoming a man of consequence and influence in the section, so that when Colorado was admitted to the Union as a state in 1876 he was chosen to represent his people in the first state legislature. At the session in which he served, a portion of what had been Fremont county was cut off and erected into a new county called Custer, the name it now bears. Mr. Sieber continued his operations in the cattle and ranching industry there until 1885, when he moved to Mesa county and, in partnership with Mr. Hudson, under the firm name of Hudson & Sieber, he enlarged his stock business and also opened a large retail market at Grand Junction. This was in the early 'nineties. In 1897 the Sieber Cattle Company was formed with Mr. Sieber as president and manager and John and Mahlon Thatcher as other members of the company. The company did a very extensive business, at times having ten thousand cattle on hand. While at Summer Camp, thirty-five miles southeast of Grand Junction, Mr. Sieber was shot and killed in cold-blooded murder by one Harris, a former employee of the company, who had a grudge against him. This shocking occurrence aroused the greatest indignation throughout the western part of the state, where the victim of it was widely known as a pioneer, upright and progressive man, and one of the leading citizens of the section. It ended a life of value to the whole state with no advantage to the murderer beyond the gratification of his passion and malice. Mr. Sieber was married on December 25, 1869, to Miss Henrietta Palmer, a native of Steuben county, New York, where her parents, Azor and Martha (Dickson) Palmer, were also born. In 1864 the Palmer family crossed the plains with wagons to Colorado and located at Russellville, thirty-five miles from Denver, on Cherry creek, where Mr. Palmer kept a stage station several years, going to Wet Mountain valley and engaging in the stock business in the spring of 1869. He died there in 1886 and his wife in 1899. They had four children, all living. Twelve were born in the Sieber household, eleven of whom are living, Louise, Anna, Francisco, Henrietta, Martha, Frankie, Carl, John, Jessie, Paul and Fred. Laura died some years ago. =================================================== 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.