Sandy, Martin L, 1905 Bio, Rio Blanco County, Colorado
http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/rioblanco/bios/sandyml.txt

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Donated March 2001
Transcribed by Judy Crook <jlcrook@rof.net> from the book:
Progressive Men of Western Colorado 
Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill.

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Martin L. Sandy

     From old Virginia, where he was born on November 14, 1869, in 
Rockingham county, Martin L. Sandy, of Rio Blanco county, this state, 
brought the traditions and lessons of families long resident in the Old 
Dominion from which he is descended, and also the condition of poverty 
and disaster which the great Civil war in this country put upon the 
section from which he came.  Because of the general paralysis of every 
industry in that section through the mighty conflict, he started in the 
race for supremacy among men seriously handicapped, and was able to 
snatch from the stream of knowledge as it sparkled across his pathway 
but a small portion of its invigorating waters, attending only the 
common schools at intervals for a brief period.  He is therefore a 
self-made man and has built his fortunes by his own efforts unaided by 
circumstances or favorable conditions, except that he had health, 
courage, endurance and a determined spirit of enterprise.  From the age 
of fifteen he has paddled his own canoe, and although he found the 
currents rough at times and the progress slow, he has made steady 
advances.   In the spring of 1888 he came to Colorado and located at 
Meeker.  Soon after his arrival he became connected with the Oakridge 
Park ditch and continued working in its construction until 1891, at 
which time he located his home ranch of one hundred and twenty acres 
seven miles southeast of Meeker.  He also has acquired the ownership of 
another ranch of one hundred and sixty acres, and in the two has about 
one hundred and fifty acres of good land sufficiently supplied with 
water for profitable cultivation.  He raises cattle in goodly numbers 
and carries on a general ranching business.  His home ranch has been 
improved until it is one of the best and most attractive in his section 
of the county.  Mr. Sandy owns an individual ditch and has interests in 
the Oakridge Park and the Archie & Holland ditches, and not only in the 
matter of improvements of this kind for the benefit of his district, 
but in all matters which make for the general weal of it and its 
people, he takes an earnest and serviceable interest.  He is a Democrat 
in politics, and is prominent in the councils of his party and also in 
the common public life of the community.  His parents are William and 
Susan (Keller) Sandy, who were born and reared in Virginia and the 
father is still living there, making his home at Staunton, Augusta 
county.  He was for many years prosperously engaged in farming, but is 
now retired from active pursuits.  The mother died in 1870.  They had 
two children, both of whom are living, Ella Virginia (Mrs. John 
Nielsen) and Martin L.  The latter is one of the highly esteemed and 
representative citizens of Rio Blanco county, whose work in the 
improvement of that portion of the state proclaims him as worthy of 
honorable mention among any enumeration of the progressive men thereof.

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