Bourg, Benedict; b.1842 Bio, Pitkin County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/pitkin/bios/bourgb.txt --------------------------------------- Donated August 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Benedict Bourg Although the Parisian may miss the gay salons and other attractions of the beautiful city when absent from it, the ordinary native of France has an adaptability of nature and vivacity of disposition that make him feel at home anywhere, and an energy of industry and force of character that win success in life from almost any circumstances. It is so with Benedict Bourg, one of the most prominent and progressive ranchmen and stock-growers of Pitkin county, whose beautiful and fertile ranch of eight hundred acres, located nine miles northwest of Aspen, is considered the best in the valley. He was born at Privas, Ardeche, France, on December 17, 1842, and is the son of Victorian and Ursula (Chalaye) Bourg. also French by nativity. The father was a skillful and successful ditcher and mine shaft sinker, working for the greater part under contract, and both parents were ardent Catholics in religious faith. The mother died in 1851 and the father in 1893. Their family comprised eight children, five of whom have died, Victorian, Louis, Matilda and two infants. The three living are Eliza, Leopold and Benedict. The last named attended the state schools for short periods at intervals, being obliged to go to work in the mines near his home at the age of nine years. He remained with this parents until the death of the mother and after that with his father until 1865, then came to the United States and located at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was employed in mining coal. He remained in that locality until 1867, then moved to Broadtop in the same state, and during the next eighteen months he did the same kind of work there. At the end of that period the mines closed operations and he returned to Pittsburg and mined until 1871. In that year he moved to Trumbull county, Ohio, and the next nine years were passed in the coal mines there. In 1880 he came to Colorado, and, settling at Leadville, mined silver under contract until 1884, in the meantime, in the year 1882, locating a portion of his present ranch, a pre-emption claim of one hundred and sixty acres. To this he has since added by purchase and otherwise until he has eight hundred acres, much of which is as good and productive land as can be found anywhere. In 1903 he was one of the organizers and principal stockholders of the Salvation Ditch Company, which was incorporated for twelve thousand dollars, for the purpose of building a ditch eleven miles long, taking water out of the Roaring Fork river two miles above Aspen in order to irrigate some of the high mesa land. The ditch was recently completed, at a cost of over twenty-two thousand dollars, and Mr. Bourg is constructing an extension of eight miles of ditch to furnish water for one hundred and twenty acres of land owned by him. He has six hundred acres under cultivation in hay, oats and other grain and vegetables, and he raises numbers of good cattle and horses for market. In his early manhood after coming to this country he was an ardent supporter of the Republican party, but of late years he has been a Populist. As a candidate of the Populist party he was elected county commissioner of Pitkin county in 1892, and is now serving his third term in the office. On April 27, 1867, he united in marriage with Miss Eulalia Raroux, a native of Paris, France, and daughter of Frank and Mary (Guay) Raroux, who were also born and reared in France. In 1865 the father came to America and the mother and children followed in 1866. They lived at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, the father engaged in mining, until 1883, when they came to Colorado and took up their residence on a ranch near the one occupied by Mr. Bourg, a property now owned by Thomas Gannon. In 1898 they sold their ranch and moved to Youngstown, Ohio, where the mother died in 1899, and the father is now living. In politics, while living in this state, he was a Populist. They had sixteen children, only two of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Bourg have had thirteen children, twelve of whom are living and one dead, Anthony. The living are Frank B., of Seattle; Nettie A. (Mrs. True Smith, of this county); Louis, Ursule, Lilly O., Paul, Eulalia, Victor, Alexander, Eliza D., Mamie L. and Evangeline. Their mother died on December 9, 1903, aged about fifty-five years. =================================================== 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.