Denver County CO Archives Biographies.....Barth, Moritz 1834 - 1918
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 December 14, 2008, 4:16 am

Author: Wilbur Fiske Stone (1918)

MORITZ BARTH.

    With various phases of life in the west Moritz Barth was closely identified
from pioneer times to the era of present prosperity and progress. He was for
many years a prominent figure in connection with the shoe trade of Denver and
was an extensive investor in Denver real estate. He also became connected with
the directorate of banks and of the Denver Consolidated Tramway Company and thus
his activities were of a character that contributed in substantial measure to
the upbuilding of the city and state in which he made his home.

    Moritz Barth was born in Dietz, Nassau. Germany, July 24, 1834, a son of
George and Mina Barth. After attending the public schools and gymnasium of his
native land until fourteen years of age he secured employment in the surveyor
general's office with the intention of devoting his time to mining, but changed
his future plans upon resolving to locate in America. He then learned the
shoemaker's trade and in 1852 left Havre on the sailing vessel William Nelson
and after a voyage of fifty-four days reached New Orleans in December. There he
worked at his trade for a few months but in the following May, with the other
members of the family who had come to this country, he made his way up the
Mississippi river and located at Mascoutah. St. Clair county, Illinois. In 1854,
however, he removed to Parkville, Platte county, Missouri, then a populous and
flourishing steamboat landing town on the Missouri river, where he engaged in
business with his brother William. The Civil war, however, changed all of their
plans, for the Barth brothers were Union men and opposed to slavery and their
opinions were therefore very unpleasing to the pro-slavery element which
controlled that part of Missouri.. Moreover, the tide of emigration was flowing
toward Colorado, caused by the discovery of gold in that territory. The Barth
brothers accordingly decided to leave Missouri and make their way to the Rocky
mountains. They crossed the Missouri river on the 2d of June, 1861, and with a
wagon drawn by ox-team started on the long journey across the plains. They
traveled for a month before arriving at California Gulch, near the site of
Leadville, then a placer mining district. There they began work at the
shoemaker's trade but after a few months William Barth returned to St. Louis,
while Moritz Barth went to Canon City, Colorado, where he opened a general
store. Conditions there did not look very favorable and accordingly Moritz Barth
rejoined his brother William in the manufacture of boots and shoes in St. Louis.
They made a specialty of manufacturing heavy nail boots for the Rocky Mountain
trade, having become thoroughly familiar with the requirements of such trade
when in Colorado. After remaining in St. Louis until 1862 they again started
across the plains to Colorado with two wagons, William Barth locating at
Fairplay, Park county, while Moritz Barth settled in Montgomery, at the head of
South Park. In the following spring he went over the Snowy range to Gold Run,
Colorado, where he engaged in business until the following autumn, when gold
discoveries in Montana induced him to make his way to Virginia City. Three
months later he returned to the Mississippi valley and purchased a large stock
of goods which he took to Montana, there conducting business until the fall of
1865, when he returned to Denver, where he and his brother William established
and successfully conducted an extensive shoe business. Their store was at first
in small quarters on Blake street. They could obtain only a little space between
two buildings, which space was roofed, but so narrow was the store that they
could stand in the center and reach to either wall. Their patronage steadily
increased, however, and they soon sought more commodious quarters at No. 232
Fifteenth street, between Market and Blake. The brothers established branch
houses in Salt Lake City and at Corinne, Utah, and of these Moritz Barth took
charge in 1868, after which he returned to Denver in 1870. The brothers then
conducted business together in Denver until 1882, when they sold out. In the
meantime they had built up a very extensive trade which made their business an
extremely profitable one.

    In the early days Moritz Barth invested quite largely in Denver real estate
and with the increase in property values in the city Mr. Barth amassed a large
fortune. From time to time he extended his business connections along other
lines. He built the old Barth Block, which for a time was occupied by the City
National Bank, at the corner of Sixteenth and Lawrence streets. He was a
stockholder and one of the directors of the City National Bank and be also
became interested in the organization of the Bank of San Juan at Del Norte,
Colorado. He was likewise for some time a director of the Denver Tramway Company
and of the Denver Consolidated Tramway Company.

    On the 7th of January, 1880, Mr. Barth was united in marriage to Miss
Georgia A. Tulie Rhodus, of Kentucky, and to them was born a son, Moritz Allen
Barth, born September 23, 1890, when his parents resided at 1773 Grant street,
Denver. He is now an instructor in the marine training school at Mare Island,
California. He married Josephine Hooper of Denver and has a daughter, Josephine.

    Mr. Barth was a man of many admirable traits of character, his life being
actuated by kindly motives and a generous spirit was manifest in all of his
relations to his fellow-men. He contributed liberally to every worthy cause that
benefited the community or the commonwealth and never sought publicity in so
doing. He belonged to the Chamber of Commerce and to the Board of Trade and for
some years was president of the Denver Maennerchor. He was also for ten years
treasurer of the State School of Mines at Golden. He stood for progress and
improvement in all things and contributed in substantial measure to the
material, intellectual, social and moral progress of the community. A man of
benevolent spirit, be was constantly reaching out a helping hand to those in
need of assistance and there are many who have reason to revere his memory
because of his kindness to them in an hour of need. He passed away in Denver on
the 5th of June, 1918. The family home has been since September 13th at 1375
High street at the corner of Fourteenth street, where the widow now resides.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF COLORADO

ILLUSTRATED

VOLUME III

CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1918



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