LINES, William H., b 1839; 1905 Bio, Montrose County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/montrose/bios/lineswh.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 9, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- William H. Lines To the peace and contentment and the substantial prosperity which he now enjoys this enterprising and progressive ranch man has come through long and dangerous journeying by sea and land and through many trials and difficulties after reaching his desired haven. He is a native of England, born on August 31, 1839, and the son of John and Jane (Haddon) Lines, the former born in that country in 1814 and the latter in 1816. The father was a gardener in his native land, and in 1864 started with his family to Utah. They reached Florence, Nebraska, by the usual routes, and from there they started across the plains to their destination. There were eight children in the family and seven of them left England with their parents, William having preceded them three years to this country. While crossing the plains with their ox teams, first one of the children died, then the mother, and after her two of the other children. Later a cousin of the children also died, making five deaths in one family on this fateful trip, which consumed several months. The members of the family who lived to complete it reached a place called Goshen, in Utah county of the Mormon state, in October, and there they engaged in farming until the death of the father in 1866. William Lines grew to manhood in his native land and there received a good common-school education. In 1861, when he was twenty-two years of age, he left his home and emigrated to the United States. On April 19th of that year, after reaching this country, he started for Utah and got to Florence, Nebraska, in May. Here he was obliged to wait three weeks for an ox train with which he could travel. When the train came in it composed sixty-three four-yoke teams of oxen. They left Florence in June and reached the end of their journey in Salt Lake City on September 15th, following. The only trouble they had with the Indians was a slight skirmish on Deer Creek, Wyoming, and the train got through in good shape with but little loss, it being considered the star train for the season. Mr. Lines was sick a part of the time on the way and came near dying. But he survived and reached Utah in a fair state of health. He went to work on a farm soon after his arrival and remained in that region until 1871. He then went into the mining district at what is now named Tintic, there being three families that settled there. During the next two years he followed mining and prospecting in that region, and at the end of that period went to work in the mill reducing ores. He worked at this occupation ten years. In the autumn of 1883 he came to Colorado and most of the mill crew came with him. He pre-empted a ranch on California mesa and planted the first orchard on this now fruitful elevation. He was also the first man to utilize the water for irrigation that came through what is now the ditch of the Montrose & Delta Ditch Company, using the first water that came through the flume crossing Dry creek. In the erection of this ditch he was one of the principal contractors, and did a large part of the work in its construction. This was in the spring of 1889. In 1890, after selling the place he had pre-empted, he bought the one on which he now has his home on the same mesa, four miles and a half west of Olathe, in Montrose county. It comprises fifty acres and has been much improved by him. He has lived on it continuously since buying it, and has farmed it wisely and industriously, raising only what stock he needed for his own use and could keep comfortably on the ranch. He has one acre and a half in fruit, but gives his attention principally to the production of cereals and hay. His first crop was raised with water from Dry creek, but the ditch has furnished him with better facilities than he had from that stream. On December 5, 1864, he was married to Mrs. Caroline (Barber) Blunt, the widow of Charles Blunt, with whom she came to Utah in 1861 and who died in 1863, leaving one child who is living in Utah. Mrs. Lines is the daughter of William and Eliza (Higgins) Barber. Mr. and Mrs. Lines have had nine children, Eliza J., John H., Alice A., Louisa, Carrie, Joseph E., William, Thomas and Stephen. Seven of them are living, five sons and two daughters, all in Colorado. All the members of the family belong, or have belonged, to the Mormon church. In politics the head of the house supports the Republican party. His youngest child is the only one now living at home. =================================================== 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.