Zaugg, William Oswald b.1871: Bio, Pitkin County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/pitkin/bios/zaugg.txt --------------------------------------- Donated April 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- William Oswald Zaugg One of the prosperous and progressive men of the Western slope of this state, who seems to have the touch of Midas without his sordidness, touching everything he takes hold of to gold but using his gains for the promotion of his section and the development of its resources and the expansion of all forms of its industrial, commercial and moral life, William Oswald Zaugg, of Aspen, has had an interesting and instructive career. He is a native of Independence, Kansas, where his life began on November 7, 1871, and where his father still lives, the mother having died there on August 1, 1885. His parents, Peter and Elizabeth (Ruegsegger) Zaugg, were born, reared and married in Switzerland, and emigrated to the United States soon after their marriage, locating at Independence, Kansas. There the father has since been successfully engaged in farming and loaning money. Both parents were Presbyterians, and the father is an ardent Democrat in political faith and allegiance. They had eight children, four of whom are deceased, Fred, Benjamin, Mary and Emma. The four living are William O., Peter, Otto and Rosalie. William O., the eldest of these, attended the district schools of his native place, and was graduated at the high school there and later at the State University. While yet a boy he assisted his father on the farm and took full charge of the books in the money loaning business. In 1891 he came to Colorado and located in the vicinity of Aspen. He at once began leasing mines and grub staking men to work them. Among the number he thus started on the highway to success and prosperity was W.C. Bates, who went to Cape Nome, Alaska, where he located some excellent claims, five of them afterward being sold for a large figure. Mr. Zaugg still owns a number of the claims and has refused to sell them at the same rate. He is prominent in the social and fraternal life of his community as well as one of its leading business and mining men, belonging to the Fraternal Order of Eagles and taking an active part in the proceedings of the aerie to which he belongs in the order. In politics he is an independent voter, and in church relations is a Presbyterian. With youth, health, enterprise and an already well-established success in his favor, and having the cordial good will and esteem of his fellow citizens of all classes, there would seem to be no limit to his achievements and his working out an honorable and very serviceable career but his own desires. He belongs to the type of men who command circumstances to their service and make all conditions minister to their will. And such men have made this country great and respected, pushing forward all the elements of its progress in peaceful industry, and stubbornly defending its rights and interests when assailed by hostile forces or unjust aggression. Among the citizens of Pitkin county none stands higher and none is more deserving of the public regard. For although he has been fortunate beyond most men in his undertakings, his success is not the result of accident. He has chosen his opportunities with judgment and used them with capacity, and what he has accomplished is due to merit. =================================================== 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.