Weld County, History of Colorado, BIOS: CAMFIELD, Daniel A. (published 1918) *********************************************************************** 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. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00015.html#0003643 September 15, 1999 *********************************************************************** "History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. (1918) Vol. II p. 178-179 DANIEL A. CAMFIELD. The days of chivalry and knighthood in Europe cannot furnish more interesting or romantic tales than our own western history. Into the wild mountain fastnesses of the unexplored west went brave men, whose courage was often called forth in encounters with hostile savages. The land was rich in all natural resources, in gold and silver, in agricultural and commercial possibilities, and awaited the demands of man to yield up its treasures; but its mountain heights were hard to climb, its forests difficult to penetrate, its densest tracts seemingly uncultivable because of the lack of water. The establishment of homes in this beautiful region therefore meant sacrifices, hardships and oft- times death but there were some men brave enough to meet the conditions that must be faced for the purpose of reclaiming the region for civilization. Such an one was Daniel A Camfield, whose name is inseparably interwoven with the history of Colorado. He figured most prominently in connection with the development of its irrigation system, and because of the extent of his business affairs and his wide acquaintance his life record cannot fail to prove of interest to the readers of this volume. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, November 26, 1863, and was there reared and educated. He made his initial step in the business world as an employe in a grocery store of Providence and when a youth of eighteen years he took a trip to the west to see the country. It was not by design or plan but by accident that he came to Greeley. He liked the climate and people and so sought work in this locality. He secured a position as a farm hand in what is known as Pleasant Valley and on attaining his majority he took up government land and in one way or another-by claim from the government, by purchase or trading-he acquired a large tract in the Crow Creek valley. Even then he saw visions of the future greatness of the section and started in to bring water to his land holdings, knowing that the soil was naturally rich and productive and that the only need was irrigation. His early days were fraught with the struggles of pioneer life, such as come to any man in a new country, but while most people secured one hundred and sixty acres or a half section as the basis of their labors, Mr. Camfield acquired thousands of acres and to the development of the immense tract devoted his thoughts, his time and his energies. His holdings reached nearly fifty thousand acres and gradually he enlarged the scope of his irrigation operations far beyond the limits of his own land and became largely responsible for the reservoir development of the Platte valley from Greeley to the Nebraska line. The irrigation enterprises with which he was connected and in which he was long the moving spirit would probably amount to between ten and fifteen million dollars. The execution of his plans involved the irrigation not only of parts of Colorado but also of Wyoming and New Mexico. His labors were therefore instrumental in the reclamation of thousands of acres which are now highly productive and annually produce most substantial crops, adding greatly to the wealth of the state and to the resources of the country at large. In addition to his work in that connection Mr. Camfield was interested in many large business enterprises of a widely different character. When Greeley needed better hotel accommodations he purchased the old Oasis Hotel, which he remodeled and to which he made additions until he converted it into the present modern Camfield Hotel, a well appointed and popular hostelry. Not long afterward he built the Farmers Trust building, directly opposite the hotel, and he became one of the organizers of the City National Bank, He was also part owner of the Tribune Republican Publishing Company and various other business interests profited by his cooperation and benefited by his sound judgment. In 1887 Mr. Camfield was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Atkinson and they resided on one of Mr. Camfield's ranches for a number of years but afterward took up their abode in Greeley. They became the parents of four children: John E., Elizabeth, Edna and Gladys. The life record of Mr. Camfield was one of continual effort. He was indefatigable in his labors and as the result of his unfaltering effort, his sound judgment and judicious investments his holdings constantly increased. His business responsibilities, however, became so great that it began to tell upon his nervous system and at times he suffered from acute indigestion, which was probably the cause of his death, which occurred when he was on a business trip in New York city, November 9, 1914. He was then but fifty-one years of age. It seems that he should have been spared for many years to come, for his labors were proving of the greatest benefit and worth as a feature in the state's development. He had the opportunity and the capacity to do a piece of work which was of vital significance to mankind and he utilized the opportunity to its full extent. The value of his service will be recognized for generations to come. His wealth was most honorably achieved. He always followed constructive measures and was never known to take advantage of the necessities of another in any business transaction. His path, therefore, was never strewn with the wreck of other men's fortunes and in fact the entire countryside benefited by his labors, and today many of the most productive regions of Colorado have come to their present fruitfulness as the direct outcome of his enterprise and his wide vision.