Keller, William A, 1905 Bio, Rio Blanco County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/rioblanco/bios/kellerwa.txt --------------------------------------- Donated March 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- William A. Keller A Virginian by nativity, and born in Rockingham county on March 25, 1850, then losing his father by death two years later, William A. Keller, of near Meeker, one of the prominent ranchers and self-made men of Rio Blanco county, began life under very unpromising conditions, as in addition to his orphanage his section of country a few years later was bearing the brunt of the Civil war, which paralyzed every industry of its people and laid untold hardships upon them. Under the circumstances Mr. Keller had almost no opportunity for attending school, but was obliged to begin hustling for himself at the age of ten years. He remained in Virginia until April 5, 1870, when he left for Missouri, locating first in Lafayette county and later in Clay. Here he worked as a farm hand for small wages until 1873. With a party of ten men he then crossed the plains from Carney to Chery [sic] creek, in the neighborhood of Denver, consuming six weeks in the journey. He came to this state for the benefit of his health and, desiring still an outdoor life he became a cattle herder for the Coberly Brothers, with whom he remained until winter. At that time he moved to Denver and occupied himself in an express business which later he sold and afterward went to Hall's Gulch, where he worked in the mines for the Hall's Gulch Mining Company three months. From there he moved to Caribou and continued the same line of work until 1876. At that time he changed his residence to Boulder and his occupation to keeping a hotel. This he continued two years with profit, then went to Leadville and there mined and kept a hotel, remaining until 1887, when he sold his interests, and moving to Lone Tree creek, pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, a portion of the ranch on which he has since lived and which he has increased to four hundred and eighty acres. Here he has carried on extensive industries in raising stock and general ranching, his cattle for the greater part being Shorthorns and Herefords of good quality. His water supply is sufficient for the cultivation of three hundred acres of land and it is highly fertile and productive, yielding good crops of the ordinary farm products suited to the region, hay, grain, vegetables and small fruits, but the cattle being his principal reliance. His success in this enterprise has been exceptional and he is rated as one of the leading stock men of the county. Fraternally he belongs to the Elks and the Odd Fellows, and politically he is a firm and loyal Democrat. His parents were Joseph and Margaret (Crickenberger) Keller, natives of Virginia, where the father was a blacksmith and died in 1852. The mother still resides at the old family homestead, and is past eighty-one years old. They had two children, a daughter Susan, who died, and William. On October 26, 1876, Mr. Keller was united in wedlock with Miss Wilda Younker, a native of Coshocton county, Ohio. =================================================== 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.