Routt County CO Archives Biographies.....McCormick, William G. December 25, 1859 - ? ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/cofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Judy Crook jlcrook@rof.net March 25, 2006, 7:37 pm Author: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Although born and reared to the age of fourteen in the mining regions of Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, and the son of a father who afterward became a miner in Colorado, William G. McCormick, of Routt county, one of the prominent and progressive ranch and cattle men of the Elk creek region and the fourth settler on the creek, never caught the mining fever, but during nearly the whole of his life from his youth has been connected with the ranch and stock industries of this state. His life began on Christmas day, 1859, and he is the son of David B. and Emeline McCormick, the father a native of New York of Scotch descent and the mother of Pennsylvania of New England ancestry, her forefathers being among the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in the early days of Massachusetts history. Mr. McCormick’s father was a speculator in the East until 1873. In that year he came to Colorado and located at Denver, and near that city he followed mining until 1889, when failing health obliged him to abandon the pursuit. He was successful in business and retired with a competence. In public life he takes an active part as a Republican, and in fraternal circles is connected with the Masonic order. The mother died in 1869. They had four children, Eugene, Elizabeth, Wyatt and William G., all of whom are living. William, the first born, was educated at the common schools and assisted his parents until he reached the age of twenty. Then, in 1879, he located in Fremont county and spent four years ranching and raising cattle on Texas creek. At the end of that period he took charge of the Wendling & Schuyler ranch, and continued in charge of it until 1888. He then returned to Denver and began speculating in land, but owing to the amount of almost worthless paper he was obliged to take in payments, his business was not profitable and he abandoned it in 1890. With four hundred dollars in money and a team and wagon which he saved from the wreck he moved to Routt county that fall and, squatting on a claim, devoted his attention to breaking horses for James Kenney until the ensuing spring, when he pre-empted his present ranch, which comprises two hundred acres of tillable land. Here he has made good improvements and brought his tract to such a state of development that it yields him excellent crops of hay, grain and vegetables, hay and cattle, however, being his principal products. He supports the Republican party in national politics. In October, 1882, he united in marriage with Miss Anna Rounds, a native of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. They have five children, Claude, Nelson, Jessie, Edson and Walter. Mr. McCormick has had his share of adversities in life, but he has never yielded to them, always keeping his courage up and exhibiting a spirit of determination that no business calamity should overcome his energy or determination to succeed. And this earnestness of perseverance and industry has won him his present possessions and his well established hold on the regard of his fellow men wherever he is known. Additional Comments: From Progressive Men of Western Colorado. Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1905 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/routt/bios/mccormic444gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cofiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb