Pueblo County CO Archives Biographies.....Skiff, Michael 1869 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 13, 2009, 8:46 pm

Author: Wilbur Fiske Stone (1918)

MICHAEL SKIFF.

    Michael Skiff is a general contractor conducting a successful and extensive
business In Pueblo. He was born in Austria on the 28th of September, 1869, and
is a son of George and Mary Skiff, both of whom have passed away. He acquired
his education in the schools of his native country and his opportunities in that
direction were somewhat limited, for in his youthful days he had to go to work
and provide for his own support. He left home when but thirteen years of age,
bound for the United States. Crossing the Atlantic, he did not tarry on the
eastern coast but proceeded at once into the interior of the country and arrived
in Pueblo in 1882. He was influenced as to his destination by the fact that he
had an older brother living in Pueblo. His financial condition rendered it
imperative that he obtain immediate employment and he began working in the steel
mills. His life has been one of unremitting industry and whatever success he has
achieved is the direct reward of his persistent and earnest effort. He was
ambitious, however, to engage in business on his own account, and twelve years
ago he engaged in the contracting business and has since been active along this
line. He is now doing work on the Santa Fe trail, a most important project, and
he has also considerable county work. In fact, the contracts awarded him have
been of a most important character and his activities have brought him
prominently to the front in connection with the contracting business.

    In 1895 Mr. Skiff was united in marriage to Miss Regina Jekovc and to them
have been born three children, Regina, Karl and Ellis M. In politics Mr. Skiff
maintains an independent course, supporting men and measures rather than party,
and he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to
concentrate his efforts entirely upon his business affairs. He is the owner of
the Valley Barn and does all kinds of trucking, hauling and work of that
character. He does much public contract work as well, including grading, and his
investments and activities have brought him a substantial measure of prosperity.
He is truly a self made man. He started out in the business world when a lad of
but thirteen years and has since been dependent upon his own resources.
Believing that he would have better opportunities in the new world than he could
secure in the old, he came to the United States and has never had reason to
regret this step. He here found the chances which he sought—chances which were
superior to those which he could have secured in Austria, and as the years have
passed he has so utilized his opportunities that he is today one of the
prominent representatives of industrial activity in Pueblo with business
interests that reach out over a broad territory. His long experience and study
of conditions have made him familiar with the great principles that underlie
construction work and there is no possible phase of the business which he has
not thoroughly mastered.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF COLORADO

ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1918


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