Pitkin County CO Archives Biographies.....Cookman, Gideon  February 25, 1860 - ?
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Judy Crook jlcrook@rof.net December 20, 2005, 12:50 am

Author: Progressive Men of Western Colorado

     Gideon Cookman, one of Pitkin county’s most successful and progressive

ranchmen at this time, has had a chequered career of success and failure, yet

through the darkest adversities he maintained his serenity and elevation of

spirit, his unyielding courage and his persistent determination to win out in

the end.  He is a native of Lewis county, West Virginia, born on February 25,

1860, and the son of William Cookman, like himself a native of West Virginia,

where he was successfully engaged in farming.  They were of English parentage,

and had ten children, four of whom have died, one in infancy and Florence, Ellen

and Virginia later in life.  The six living children are Minerva, Louisa,

Phoebe, George, John L. and Gideon.  The parents were Methodists and have paid

nature’s last debt, the mother dying in March, 1860, and the father in July,

1897.  Their youngest living son, Gideon, received a limited education at the

schools near his West Virginia home, and at the age of twelve went to work for

his father on the farm.  He remained at home so occupied until he was

twenty-one, then in 1881, came to Colorado and located at Denver.  Here he

worked in a brickyard at two dollars and seventy-five cents a day for two

months, after which he found employment on a ranch at thirty dollars a month and

his board.  Six months later he returned to Denver and shipped to Gunnison,

where he devoted his energies to railroad grading at two dollars and fifty cents

per day for a time, then grubbed out willows until June 1, 1882.  At that time

he returned to Gunnison and engaged in the express and transfer business at

forty dollars a month and his board, continuing this occupation until fall, when

he moved to Grand Junction and went to ranching for wages.  The water did not

agree with him, and he moved back to Gunnison and took up a pre-emption claim of

one hundred and sixty acres on which he spent three years, then sold it at a

profit, as it was a promising ranch and he had made comfortable improvements and

brought much of the land under cultivation.  The place was eighteen miles

northwest of Gunnison on Ohio creek.  After selling this he went to prospecting,

but with such poor success that he lost all he had accumulated and was obliged

to work again for wages, which he did at Kokomo, this state.  Eight months

afterward he again took up his residence at Gunnison and started a new transfer

business which he conducted eighteen months.  In 1887 he moved to Aspen and

rented a ranch on Capitol creek near the one he now owns and occupies.  He was

unsuccessful here and in two years again went broke and was soon obliged to do

ranching for wages.  This he continued until 1892, then became purchasing agent

for Frederick Light, an extensive cattle man, having also an interest in the

business himself.  He next engaged with S. P. Sloss in the cattle industry, and

at the end of 1897 took charge of his share of the stock and purchasing a ranch

of eighty acres of John Carlton, has since carried on a cattle business of his

own.  His land is located on Capitol creek, and he has increased his holdings by

a subsequent purchase of one hundred and seventy-three acres and a desert claim

of seventy-three acres, giving him a total of three hundred and twenty-six

acres, about two hundred of which are under cultivation and produce good crops

of hay and grain.  He also has an extensive range near his ranch and is largely

engaged in raising cattle and some horses.  In politics he is a Democrat and in

fraternal relations an Odd Fellow, and belongs to the Daughters of Rebekah, the

Woodmen of the World and the Order of Woodcraft.  

Additional Comments:
From Progressive Men of Western Colorado.  Chicago:  A.W. Bowen & Co., 1905



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