WURTZ, Henry G., b 1845; 1905 Bio, Mesa County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/mesa/bios/wurtzhg.txt --------------------------------------- Donated August 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Henry G. Wurtz Henry G. Wurtz, of Mesa county, who lives on a fertile and well improved farm not far from the city of Grand Junction, is actively engaged in the cultivation of fine fruit, an industry that is a leading one in its way in that section, and has helped to make it well and widely known in all parts of a large scope of territory. And while his efforts in this line are of comparatively recent origin, they have been rewarded with a very gratifying success and prosperity. He brought to the business an intelligence and technical knowledge gained in an extensive and judicious observation, and has followed it with a vigor and judgment bound to command success under almost any conditions at all favorable to the work. Mr. Wurtz was born in 1845, at Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Godfrey and Elizabeth (Basler) Wurtz, natives of Germany, who came to the United States soon after their marriage and settled at Louisville, where they had a family of four children, their son Henry being the first born. His mother died when he was about six years old, and he was thus early left to himself for training and proper preparation for the battle of life, in which he was also obliged to engaged at an early age. He grew to manhood in his native city, and after brief and irregular attendance at the public schools owing to the circumstances of the family, was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade, which he mastered and then followed it in connection with contracting and building at Louisville until 1880. He then moved to Kansas where he remained a year working at his trade. At the end of that time he came to Colorado and went into the employ of the Santa Fe Railroad, remaining in that service three months until the line was completed to Pueblo. A few days later he joined the force that was building the road to Bridgeport, and after that was finished came to Grand Junction and went to work for the Mormons to aid in building a road for them to State Line. This contract being completed, he settled down at Grand Junction and began to work regularly at his business as a contractor and builder, finding his services much in demand under the spirit of progress and development then pushing forward the growth of the town. He also engaged in the ice business and in bottling soda water, which he followed for eight years, at the end of which he leased his plant and good will and retired from active commercial life in all those lines and began to devote himself to the occupation in which he is now pleasantly engaged, settling for the purpose on land located on the bank of the Grand river, and there winning from the waste his present attractive and fruitful home called Grove Park Orchard, on which he has developed a fruit industry of good proportions and high grade. His place is well improved, and all that it shows as the result of careful and skillful husbandry is the work of his own enterprise. His products are peaches, apples, apricots, pears and cherries, but he also produces in large quantities excellent varieties of cantaloupes. Mr. Wurtz was married in 1892 to Miss Louisa La Gard, a native of Louisiana. He has been active in advancing the interests of fruit culture in every way, combining for mutual benefit the efforts of those engaged in it by organizing the Fruit Grower's Association through which the literature of the industry has been brought prominently to the attention of the members, and their own experience and observations have been made serviceable in a forceful way. =================================================== 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.