Crook, John E, 1905 Bio, Rio Blanco County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/rioblanco/bios/crookje.txt --------------------------------------- Donated March 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- John E. Crook Born in Harrison county, West Virginia, on November 12, 1860, and growing to manhood at a time when the whole section surrounding his home was in the throes of the Civil war and suffering from its disastrous effects, the early life of John E. Crook afforded but little opportunity for his systematic education and gave the entire generation to which he belongs only irregular and disturbed business chances. He therefore sought a wider and more settled field for effort when he reached his legal majority by moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he worked as a farm hand for five years. In 1886, when the excitement over Oklahoma was at its height, he moved to southern Kansas, but accomplishing nothing to his own advantage, he returned to Lincoln. Some little time later he changed his residence to Cheyenne county, Kansas, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and devoted two years to farming, but suffered repeated losses through fires and hail storms. In the fall of 1887 he came to Colorado and settled at Calumet, where he worked at saw-milling for wages a few months, then moved to Buena Vista and there for a period of eighteen months he got out ties for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad under contract at a good profit. After closing that contract he was engaged by the D. & M. Ranch Company as a range rider. In 1889 he moved to Meeker, and here he continued range riding and other ranch work in the employ of others until 1897, when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on White river thirteen miles southeast of the town. He has one hundred and twenty-five acres of his tract under cultivation, with a good water supply, and is steadily improving his property and enlarging his arable acreage. His main dependence is on cattle and hay, but he raises other farm products in good quantities and of superior quality. Mr. Crook belongs to the Woodmen of the World and takes an earnest and helpful interest in politics as a Republican. He is a son of James W. and Harrietta (Wolf) Crook, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of West Virginia, who were farmers in that section, and died where they had lived and labored, generally esteemed, the mother passing away in 1872 and the father in 1899. They had a family of five children, all of whom are dead but their son John E. He was married on November 12, 1894, to Miss Hannah Pierson, a native of Central City, Colorado, and they have one child, their son Frank M. The parents of Mrs. Crook were natives of Sweden. NOTE.--Since the above sketch was written the dark angel has visited the home of Mr. and Mrs. Crook, removing the light of the household, the child of their hopes and solicitous care, their son Frank, who died May 24, 1904. =================================================== 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.