Art 10-31, Wray Gazette, May 12, 1904, Wray, Yuma County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/yuma/newspapers/wg1904b.txt Special Edition, Wray Gazette, Wray, Colorado Published May 12, 1904 Transcribed by Lee Zion Notes: 1) This "land promotion" edition of The Gazette was widely distributed in an effort to attract settlers to Yuma County. In 1904 about two- thirds of the public lands in the county were still open for homestead claims. 2) 1904 prices - I didn't find a comparison to the 1900-1905 dollar but according to the Treasury Department's CPI a 1913 $1.00 purchase would cost about $18.00 in today's dollars. 3) This edition was published two years after Wray wrested the county seat honors from Yuma after a thirteen year, sometimes bitter, campaign. You will note a bit of gloating and references to the town of Yuma, which incorporated two years prior to Wray, as: "Yuma station" and the "village of Yuma." The Wray and Yuma newspapers carried the grudge match into at least the 1940s. 4) The publishing and distribution costs for this special edition were underwritten by the individuals and businesses whose "career sketches" appear in the paper. This was a common funding practice of the period. 5) I don't have a useable copy of the photographs used to engrave the plates for this paper. The scanned copy of the paper I transcribed is at least second generation and the illustrations are "black and white blobs." A very few of the original prints and negatives survived the W.B. Coston studio fire of the 1920s. 6) The [num] are my added article numbers for the index of names in the edition not the original page numbers. [10]============================================ William Burkett Making Pleasing Success of the Mercantile Business at Laird In the above named gentleman the pretty village of Laird has a pleasing illustration of what persevering industry and a laudable ambition can accomplish in the business affairs of life. Mr. Burkett is a native of Russia, where he was born thirty years ago. When three years of age he came to the United States with his parents and they settled on a farm in Nebraska where he grew to manhood. In 1892, with no capital save a spirit of industry and a determination to succeed, he commenced to hew his own pathway in life. He found employment on the railway and his fidelity soon obtained recognition in the shape of a promotion to foreman. After several years of faithful work and prudent living, the gentleman engaged in the mercantile business at Laird last June. He put in a well assorted stock of general merchandise, which he bought right and sold right, as a result of which he has done a good business from the beginning. He manages his store on honorable principles, and this, in connection with his genial courtesy to customers and the excellent value he offers, is one of the chief reasons for his pleasing success. He has the leading business house in Laird; those who know him have faith in his integrity and his business is growing day by day. He owns a large Howe scales, and buys produce of all kinds, paying the best prices possible. In 1898 Mr. Burkett married Miss Mary Yost, an estimable Nebraska lady, and two children have blessed their home. Fraternally the gentleman is a member of the A.O.U.W. Mr. Burkett is an affable, generous-hearted citizen, who takes a deep interest in public affairs and is ready at all times to aid in the development of his town and county. In his successful career young men starting out in life may find an inspiration to cultivate prudence, industry and a laudable ambition to succeed. [11]=============================================== City Meat Market One of the Most Attractive Butcher Shops in Eastern Colorado (Photos of O.M. Wimmer, Interior of City Meat, P.T. Edmunds) Wray can boast of one of the best conducted and most attractive meat markets to be found in Eastern Colorado. O.M. Wimmer, the genial proprietor of this model establishment, is a native of Creston, Iowa, where he was born thirty-four years ago. After his school boy days, during which time he acquired a liberal education, he devoted his attention to farming pursuits until 1894 when he moved to Colorado and took up a homestead in Arapahoe county. In addition to the cultivation of his homestead he engaged in teaching school, which he continued for five years, with the most gratifying success. In 1903 he sold his Arapahoe county farm and moved to Wray last spring. Here he purchased five lots and created a cozy home during the summer. In October he bought the City Meat Market from H.J. Cox and under his charge the business is proving a pleasing success. Mr. Wimmer keeps the very best qualities of all kinds of meats, fish and game in season, and he treats customers with that courteous consideration which attracts trade. He is fortunate in having as an assistant in the market P.T. Edmunds, one of the best butchers and meat cutters in the state. At this shop the public is assured of first-class meats, cut right, sold right and with scrupulous cleanliness a reigning factor in the business. Wray is fortunate in having such an enterprising, up-to-date meat market. In Mr. Wimmer the city has an energetic, honorable business man who is proving a valuable acquisition as a useful, broad-minded citizen, who well merits the general esteem in which he is held. Fraternally he is a member of the Woodmen of the World. Note his advertisement on another page of today's Gazette. Note - Since the above article was in type, Mr. Wimmer sold his meat market to H.J. Cox and now devotes his attention to buying poultry, eggs, produce, etc. [12]=============================================== W.W. Cunningham An Early Settler Who Has Prospered in Yuma County Among the early settlers of Yuma county there are none more widely known and highly esteemed than W.W. Cunningham, the popular farmer and real estate dealer, who lives adjacent to Wray. Mr. Cunningham is a native of West Virginia, where he grew to manhood on a farm. When nineteen years of age he went to Indiana where he continued farming pursuits for eighteen years. In 1883 he moved to Nebraska, where he remained four years and then came to Colorado, where he selected Yuma county, then a part of Weld county, as his future home. He located on a homestead four miles southwest of Wray, engaging in general farming and stock raising. His energy and industry, combined with his through knowledge of every detail of farm cultivation, were generously rewarded by abundant crops and satisfactory financial returns year after year. In addition to his farm of 160 acres out in the country, Mr. Cunningham owns seven large lots of land immediately adjoining the southwestern city limits. On one of these blocks he has erected a beautiful home in which he and his estimable wife and family enjoy that comfort and happiness which they so richly merit. The other six blocks he intends to plat into lots and place on the market as an addition to the city of Wray. The situation is very desirable and the lots will soon find eager purchasers. Three years ago Mr. Cunningham engaged in the real estate business, in which he is meeting with success. He handles farms, ranches and city property, improved and unimproved, and he can furnish a purchaser any kind of property the latter desires. His well known integrity is ample guarantee to those who do business with Mr. Cunningham, that they will be treated honorably in every respect, without misrepresentation of any kind. Not only in business affairs, but as a kind-hearted neighbor and useful citizen the gentleman's worth receives general recognition. He is modest and unassuming in his intercourse with men, but to every movement calculated to promote the moral or material welfare of the city and county he gives generous aid and encouragement. There are few if any gentlemen in Yuma county who enjoy such a wide measure of public confidence and genuine regard as does Mr. Cunningham. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham were blessed with nine children, three of whom are married and all are highly esteemed in the community. [13]======================================================= Health and Prosperity G.B. Ingram Has Enjoyed Both in Yuma County. That Yuma county bestows health as well as prosperity, has been illustrated frequently during the time that has elapsed since the first settlers came to this favored section of Colorado and in the career of G.B. Ingram can be found another proof of this fact. Mr. Ingram is a native of the northwestern part of Missouri, where he was born on a farm thirty-one years ago and grew to manhood. For many years the gentleman was afflicted with lung trouble, from which he could obtain no relief from medical skill. Five years ago he decided to come to Colorado to seek restored health and he located in Yuma county. At that time he weighed only 103 pounds and the future seemed shrouded in a mantle of gloom. Ere long however, he began to find relief in this health-giving climate and the improvement continued day after day until now, after five years, Mr. Ingram weighs nearly 150 pounds and enjoys robust health. In addition to the inestimable boon of health, the gentleman has found a generous measure of prosperity also. When Mr. Ingram came to the county he secured 160 acres two and one-half miles from Wray and he also owns another farm of 160 acres seven miles south of the city, or 320 acres in all. His principal crops have been wheat, corn and potatoes and he has made farming in Yuma county a most pleasing success. While he has almost invariably raised profitable crops of wheat and corn, he has made potato culture a special success, the latter crop yielding him, clear of all expenses $40 an acre on an average, year after year. In addition to the 160 acres near Wray, Mr. Ingram farmed quite an area of adjacent rented land on which he grew wheat and corn. He kept an accurate account of the receipts and expenditures, including labor, relating to this rented land, and it returned him, clear of all expenses, $8.35 for every day he spent in cultivating the wheat and $8.65 for every day he worked on the corn. For some time Mr. Ingram has been overseer of the public roads in his section of the county, and in this capacity he is giving excellent satisfaction. In Missouri, nine years ago, the gentleman married Miss Annie Lewis, an estimable lady, and two bright children, both boys, have blessed the happy union. Mr. Ingram is a genial, industrious gentleman who is highly esteemed by those who know him because of his good qualities as a kind neighbor and desirable citizen. His experience in Yuma county has rendered him exceedingly pleased with its climatic conditions and financial possibilities. In five years, the climate has restored him to health and strength, while the fertile soil has bestowed upon him generous returns as a reward for his persevering efforts and honorable toil. Mr. Ingram well merits the success he has achieved and the esteem in which he is held. [14]================================== Churches of Wray Six Temples of Worship Proclaim the Old, Old Story. The Buildings Comfortable Structures and the Ministers Full of Zeal. An indication of the christian moral spirit that inspires the community can be found in the six churches of Wray and the large congregations they attract from both the city and the country each Sunday. The influence exerted by these temples of worship is far reaching, tending to eradicate evil and purify the thoughts and lives of all classes and conditions of men. ------------------------------ Presbyterian Church (Photo of church) The First Presbyterian church of Wray was organized in 1887, with a membership of about fifty. The membership embraced the territory south and west of Wray, for several miles, including the Vernon district. About twelve years ago the members who lived in the Vernon section of the county withdrew from the Wray church and established another church at Vernon. About fourteen years ago the Wray congregation erected a comfortable church building at a cost of $1,500 and in 1900 an attractive manse was erected at a cost of $1,400. The church has a membership of about sixty now and it is entirely free from debt. Rev. E.B. Gramelio, a gentleman of much more than ordinary ability and one who displays zealous devotion in the work of the Master, is the present pastor of the church, and he is doing a grand, good work in rescuing the perishing. ------------------------------- Church of Christ (Photo) The Wray Church of Christ was organized on April 28, 1901, under the direction of Leonard G. Thompson, secretary of Colorado state missions, and J.P. Lucas, an evangelist of Colorado City, with thirty charter members. The fact that the church erected a new house of worship at a cost of $2,500 and dedicated it on June 22, 1902, speaks louder than words of the earnestness of the newly formed band of worshipers. Since then the church has made marked progress, having more than doubled its membership. From the beginning the church has contributed liberally to general missionary activities, the ladies of the organization doing very effective service. An enthusiastic Christian Endeavor society was organized a few months ago. Judging by its past, this church has a wonderfully useful future before it in the work of redemption. Since October 11, 1903, Elder G.C. Johnson has been pastor and he is proving an earnest and devoted minister. The gentleman, who is a native of Ohio, graduated from Bethany college, West Virginia. Before coming here he was pastor of a Nebraska church for nearly four years. -------------------------------- Latter Day Saints (Photo) The Wray branch of the Reorganized church of Latter Day Saints was organized in June 1892 with a membership of eighteen. Elder E.D. Bullard was chosen pastor and he faithfully served the church until 1902 when Elder A.E. Tabor, the present pastor, succeeded him. Elder J.B. Roush, who had been president of the Eastern Colorado district of this religious organization for many years, resides at Wray and since he was compelled to abandon that work owing to illness, he has been assisting in the pastoral work at Wray. For several years the congregation of this church worshipped in school houses in the vicinity of Wray, but in 1901 the present house of worship was erected at a cost of $800 and dedicated, free from debt, in September of that year. The present membership of the church is fifty-three. This branch of the Latter Day Saints has no connection or sympathy with the Utah Mormon church. On the contrary, it is an uncompromising opponent of the latter, holding plural marriages and other disreputable features of the Utah Mormon church in utter detestation. -------------------------------- The Methodist Church The Wray M.E. Church was organized in 1892, with a membership of six. Services were held in the Presbyterian church for about seven years, but in 1899, under the pastorate of Rev. George R. Groff, the church erected a house of worship of its own. The building was completed under the pastoral charge of Rev. S.E. Ellis. In 1902 a new parsonage was erected while Rev. C.W. Cunningham was pastor. A short time ago, while Mr. Cunningham was on his way to visit friends in the East, he died very suddenly in Chicago. He was succeeded by Rev. Edward E. Hick as pastor of the church. Mr. Hick is a native of West Virginia, having finished his education at the Mt. Union (Ohio) college and was ordained to the ministry at the Wesleyan University of West Virginia. He is a gentleman of pronounced ability and his zealous devotion to the work of his church cannot fail to accomplish good results. This church has a membership of ninety-four now. --------------------------------- The Catholic Church This is the first church that was organized in Wray. At first services were held in private houses, but in 1888 a comfortable church was erected in which the congregation has worshipped regularly up to the present time. The parish is not able to support a resident priest, but Rev. Father Robertson, of Brighton, is the pastor in charge, holding regular services at stated intervals. Father Robertson was formerly professor of philosophy in the Catholic college at Portland, Oregon, and he is distinguished because of his profound learning, as well as his zealous tabors in behalf of his church and people. In addition to English, the gentleman's high educational attainments extend to Hebrew, Greek, Latin, German, French and Spanish. ---------------------------------- Seventh Day Adventist (Photo) The Seventh Day Adventist church was organized on December 22, 1900, with a membership of twelve. The new church building was dedicated on March 9, 1902 and it was entirely free from debt when it was opened for worship. Since its organization this church has made cheering progress and now it has a membership of forty earnest, christian people. Elder George O. States is pastor; B.E. Parkins, first elder; B.E. Lewis, deacon; Mrs. Anna Morton, clerk, and Lilly Dorman, librarian. A.M. Dorman is superintendent of the Sabbath school and Minnie Dorman, secretary. There is an average attendance of thirty at the Sabbath school. [15]====================================== A Good Barber Shop O.A. Courtney Conducts a Popular Establishment in Wray The barber shop conducted by O.A. Courtney on the corner of Chief and Kiowa streets in Wray is one of the most popular in Eastern Colorado. The gentleman owns his shop and two lots on this valuable corner, and he has every convenience and comfort to make his place of business an inviting one. He has two chairs and only first-class barbers are employed in the establishment, with cleanliness as a pronounced feature. Those who patronize this shop are assured of a first-class hair cut and a smooth shave. Mr. Courtney is a native of Carningville, Ill., where he was born twenty-five years ago. His parents moved to Nebraska when he was only five years of age, and there they remained for one year. Then they came to Colorado and located in Yuma county, where they filed on a homestead, a pre-emption and a timber claim, amounting to 480 acres, a short distance from Wray. Mr. Courtney spent his boyhood days on the farm, but seven years ago he moved to Wray and learned the barber's trade. Shortly afterwards he engaged in business for himself and his spirit of industry has been rewarded by the most generous success. The young gentleman is well and favorably known, and this, in connection with his pronounced skill as a barber of more than ordinary ability, has won for him a large and constantly increasing patronage. Mr. Courtney takes a deep interest in the progress of Wray and gives his generous aid to every measure calculated to promote the welfare of the city and county. [16]======================================== The Wray Mills The Most Important Manufacturing Industry in Yuma County How the Untiring Energy of N.D. Beaver Created a Flourishing Business (Photo - The Wray Mills) Undoubtedly there is no other single factor in the commercial and business pursuits of Yuma county that is doing so much to enhance the progress and prosperity of the community as the Wray Mills, and in the recent career of this flourishing industry is illustrated to a remarkable degree what the untiring energy, persevering industry and business sagacity of one man can accomplish in restoring confidence in a discredited institution and making of it an active, progressive leader in diffusing general prosperity. The mills, which are situated in the eastern part of Wray, on the north fork of the Republican river, were erected by J.W. Pickle and L.M. Butts in 1892, the city having donated them a considerable bonus for establishing the industry. A very substantial building was erected and the work was characterized by skilled workmanship in every detail. It was designed for a Plansifter mill, with a grinding capacity of seventy- five barrels of flour per day. It was fitted with the latest improved Barnard & Lease machinery and everything required to make it first-class in every particular, the entire cost being $14,000. The power is supplied by the Republican river, a never-failing and abundant stream of spring water having a fall of thirty-two feet a mile. The mill was perfect, the most prolonged drouth did not affect the water power and the supply of excellent wheat was ample, but, unfortunately, the mill displayed an infirmity of management which culminated in blasted hopes and business disaster. The business methods pursued were bad, the quality of flour produced was worse, and the dissatisfaction of the mills' patrons became most pronounced. The management changed repeatedly, and with each new change better results were promised, but the mills continued to produce the same old inferior quality of flour. Finally public disgust with the products of the mill became general and the patronage became so small that the owners were forced to suspend operations and close the mills. Such were the discouraging conditions when N.D. Beaver, the present proprietor, came from Kansas and bought the mills in November 1901. Only those who can realize how hard it is to inject life into a physical corpse can comprehend how difficult it is to revive a decayed industry and inspire confidence in its frequently discarded products. Indeed the people of Wray and Yuma county had acquired almost as much platonic affections for the output of the Wray Mills as they entertain for a pesthouse or a building covered with smallpox signs, when the young man from Nebraska commenced his "campaign of education" in "the enemy's country." B.R. Stickley, a gentleman who enjoyed a well merited and flattering reputation as a first-class miller for many years was placed in control of the manufacturing department of the mills, and he commenced producing a superior quality of flour at the very beginning. Then day after day, Mr. Beaver vigorously engaged in the work of creating a market for his flour. He placed it on sale with business men on condition that unless the consumers found it to be exactly as represented, payment would not be expected. Day after day he gave farmers dozens of sacks of flour, with the proviso that if it was found of good quality to pay for it and if not satisfactory to feed it to their hogs free of charge. He continued this policy of enlightenment for several months, during which time he distributed many hundreds of sacks of flour, and the results were more than gratifying. At first he ran the mills only one day in the week, but the excellence of the flour he continued to manufacture was reflected in the rapidly increasing demand for it and within six months he found a ready market for all the flour the mills could produce, its superior quality receiving general recognition. The mills manufacture two kinds of flour, the winter wheat and spring wheat products. The best quality of winter wheat flour is the "Golden Rays" brand, and the best quality of spring wheat flour is the "Sunshine" brand. They make another grade called "Standard" and a third grade bearing the "Up-to-Date" brand. In addition, the mills manufacture very fine qualities of corn meal and graham flour, as well as large quantities of feed for stock. The mills are running full time and how firmly the superior quality of its products is established is indicated by the fact that the Wray Mills supply more than 90 per cent of all the flour used in Yuma county, besides making regular shipments to many towns of the railway line west of this county and to Nebraska towns east of here. The entire output of bran and shorts is sold at home. The Wray Mills buy all kinds of grain, paying such good prices that Wray is now recognized as a first-class market. The result is that farmers within a radius of forty and fifty miles, extending into Nebraska, market their produce at Wray. Mr. Beaver, too, pays the highest figures for hogs, of which he feeds an average of 200 all the time and ships one car-load a week to the Denver markets. In addition he keeps over three hundred chickens, geese and ducks. Since he purchased the mills a little more than two years ago, Mr. Beaver has expended over $3,000 in improvements, including twenty acres of land adjacent to the mills, which he purchased for yards, hog pasture, etc., and he is contemplating the erection of an elevator and large warehouse at an early date, in order to accommodate his rapidly increasing business. And now a few words about the personality of the gentleman who has accomplished so much for himself and Wray during the last two years. A Personal Sketch Mr. Beaver, who is thirty-three years of age, is a native of St. Charles, Madison county, Iowa, where his father was a practicing physician. When he was ten years of age, the family moved to Seward, Neb., and after three years to Colby, Kan., where he completed his common school education. Then he attended the Salina normal university and after graduating he returned to Colby to face the realities of life. First he was employed in a large lumber and coal yard in that town for three years, when he resigned to accept the management of a similar business at Selden, in the same state. After two years of faithful service, he moved to Oberlin, Kan., where he assumed charge of another large lumber yard, and there he remained until he came to Wray. In the Kansas campaign of 1898, the Republicans of Decatur county, who were "shy" a candidate for clerk of the district court, implored Mr. Beaver to accept the position, then considered an empty honor, as the Populists had a majority of 500 in the county. Finally the gentleman accepted the nomination and after a display of his "hustling" qualities in the campaign, he was elected by a majority of more than one hundred, indicating the great esteem in which he was held by the masses. On January 1, 1899, Mr. Beaver married Miss Grace Stickley, the brilliant and accomplished daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Stickley, then of Oberlin, Kan., but now popular residents of Wray. Mrs. Beaver utilized her marked ability and bright intellect by discharging in a most creditable manner the duties of district court clerk during the term her husband had been elected the previous autumn. As an efficient district court clerk the lady won general commendation in that county. In Yuma county the activity and political shrewdness of Mr. Beaver soon received recognition, and he is now secretary of the Republican county committee. Fraternally, the gentleman is a member of the Masonic lodge, Royal Arch Chapter, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver own a cozy home in the eastern part of the city. Only those who have witnessed the untiring energy, persevering industry and business acumen of Mr. Beaver during the past two years, and more, can fully realize the discouraging obstacles he surmounted, and the signal benefits he has conferred on Wray and Yuma county. He has not only converted the idle and despised Wray Mills into an active, appreciated and popular industry, which is diffusing prosperity in the entire community, but he has established a grain and hog market at Wray that attracts a large volume of business to this city. It is no exaggeration to affirm that hundreds of farmers who seldom, if ever, visited Wray before Mr. Beaver bought the mills, now sell all their produce here and make this city their regular trading point. Not only does the gentleman display wonderful activity and zealous devotion to his own business interests, but in every movement calculated to promote the welfare of the city and county he is equally energetic, contributing generously of his time and means to aid local advancement and prosperous conditions. Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that the genial gentleman has already won a degree of general esteem and confidence in Yuma county that is but rarely bestowed on an individual who has spent a life-time in well doing. Note - Since the above was in type Mr. Beaver has sold the Wray Mills to Nebraska parties and he is now manager of the Wray Telephone Co. [17]============================================ The Public Schools Most Liberal Provisions are Made for Educational Purposes. Good Buildings, Modern Appliances and Experienced Teachers Employed. (Photo of Wray Public School) The public school system of Colorado is worthy of this great state. In providing generously for the sustenance of the public schools, the people display a true conception of what constitutes one of the most attractive features of the Centennial State. Realizing that true education - mental, moral and physical - leads to good citizenship and the perpetuity of the government, our public school system is recognized as one of primary importance, and for no other purpose are the people more liberal in the expenditure of money. The County Schools From the early settlement of Yuma county the education of the rising generation has been kept in the van of progress, as a result of which the county can now present most creditable educational attractions. The school buildings are substantial, comfortable structures, well ventilated and lighted and generously equipped with modern appliances necessary for efficient school work. The school sites, too, are carefully selected, with due regard for healthful surroundings. In providing for the education of their children our citizens believe in supplying every possible comfort to promote health and aid in the development of the youthful intellect. School Statistics The county has a scholastic population of 1,141 and the total revenue for educational purposes this year is $17,716.85, of which amount the teachers are paid $13,849. There are fifty-nine school districts in the county employing sixty-eight teachers, and the value of school property amounts to $22,099. Miss Minnie Cunningham, a brilliant and highly educated young lady, who has been a very successful teacher, is the present county superintendent of schools, and the educational interests of the county are making encouraging and very satisfactory progress under her efficient supervision. ------------------------ Wray Graded Schools Have Earned a Flattering Reputation Because of Their Efficiency. In their efforts to promote the material advancement of the city, the people of Wray have always realized the importance of the public school. They have exerted every effort to create an institution that would prove beneficial to their children and a credit to their town, and the flattering reputation as a superior educational institution acquired by the school in Eastern Colorado, is no mean reward for their energy and zeal in well-doing. The history of the Wray public school began with the early settlement of the town, one of the first public movements being the organization of a school district, which was supplemented by the erection of a school building. This structure soon became inadequate for the growing population when it was sold to the town for a city hall and the present school building erected. The latter soon became too crowded with pupils, and in 1901 an additional building was erected for the accommodation of the primary department. And still the capacity of these buildings is so insufficient that there is a strong public sentiment in favor of the erection of a large brick school house at an early date. In 1898 the course of study was extended to embrace the first year of the regular high school work. At the present time it includes the full high school course work as required by the Colorado state university, to admit it to the accredited list of that institution and it is anticipated that the school will soon be so admitted. The high school course embraces five departments - English, Mathematics, History, Science and Latin, with the privilege of substituting four years of Commercial for the four years of Latin work, at the option of the student. The English work, includes English grammar, word analysis, rhetoric and English composition, American and English literature, a through course in mathematics - including work in arithmetic, algebra and plane and solid geometry - and an equally thorough four years' course in Latin. These three departments of the high school work are being very efficiently conducted by Miss Mary Collins, of the Baker university, Baldwin, Kansas. The work in History includes a through course in general history, with special work in English and American history and United States and state civics. The Science work includes biology, physical geography, physics and chemistry. The four years Commercial work embraces one year each in commercial arithmetic, correspondence, bookkeeping and business practice and business law. These three departments are conducted by the principal, Prof. Simon S. Dow, who has been in charge of the school for six years and to whose executive ability the school owes much of its material advancement. This year vocal music was added to the course and it is in charge of Miss Letita Scott. The school has always been popular with the pupils of the rural districts and the percentage of non-resident students enrolled each year is a credit to the institution. These pupils receive every possible encouragement from the patrons and board of education in Wray and their efficient work as students has repaid the board for the very moderate tuition fee charged. Some of the best pupils in the high school come from the country. The fact that not less than one-third of Yuma county's teaching force are either graduates or undergraduates of the Wray school, is sufficient evidence that the standard of work is high. Of the present corps of teachers, numbering seven, four are members of the alumni. Evidently the very general rule that "Prophets are not without honor, save in their own country," does not apply to Wray or the product of its school in the teaching profession is above the average. One of the noteworthy features of the school, outside of the regular work, is the maintenance by the pupils of the high school and grammar department of a good library, which is under control of the Wray Public School Library Association. This library contains about three hundred volumes and it is receiving constant additions of desirable literature. The association has provided the school with physical and chemical apparatus, also. Other features are the literary society work and the annual essay contests, which have been important factors in developing the literary side of the education of pupils who have taken an active interest in them. The present enrollment of the school is about 200 pupils, of whom forty-five have been enrolled in the high school department. The present corps of teachers is composed of Simon S. Dow, principal; Mary E. Collins, assistant principal; Flora Finn, grammar; Grace Chapin, intermediate; Ida Hedrick, intermediate; Rola Cunningham, primary, and Mrs. Letitia Scott, vocal music. The board of education is composed of William Hiendel, president; W.K. Fisk, secretary, and W.W. Cunningham, treasurer. The present school year has been one of the best in the history of the school, and the prospects are good for a continuation of the good work. Wray's schools have been prominent factors in the progress of the city and they will mean more and more as the years roll on. Settlers who come to locate either in the city or country are assured of first- class school facilities for their children. [18]======================================= H. Lepper A Prosperous and Progressive General Merchant in Wray. Among the solid and progressive business men of Yuma county, who have achieved a generous measure of success, the above gentleman stands high. Mr. Lepper is a native of northeast Missouri, where he spent his boyhood on a farm in Munroe county. After attaining manhood he engaged in the farming and stock industry, his energy and industry being rewarded with fair returns for the labor involved. In 1892, however, Mr. Lepper came to Colorado and located at Wray where he engaged in general merchandise which he continued all these years. Making integrity of purpose and courtesy to customers fundamental principles of his business, Mr. Lepper inspired confidence from the beginning, his trade expanding day by day until it has reached gratifying proportions. One year ago the gentleman erected a handsome brick store on the corner of Chief and Kiowa streets which he occupies at the present time. It is well stocked with dry goods, clothing, shoes, groceries, etc., which are sold on very close margins. In addition to his business block, Mr. Lepper owns a cozy home in the city and his admirable qualities as an honorable business man and good useful citizen have won for him general esteem in the community. The gentleman is a member of the Odd Fellows and the local tent of the Maccabees. See his advertisement in another column. [19]======================================= Dr. E.D. McGill One of the Most Popular Physicians in Eastern Colorado As Representative Made a Flattering Record in State Legislature (Photos of Dr. McGill's office and residence) Perhaps there is not in eastern Colorado a gentleman who is more widely known and held in such general esteem as the subject of this brief article. Although yet in the morning of manhood, his worth as a progressive private citizen, his surpassing skill as an eminent physician and surgeon and his ability in the public affairs of life have already commanded a pronounced recognition that is usually achieved only by a life time of earnest endeavor. Dr. McGill, who is a native of the Saginaw Valley, Michigan, is only thirty-one years of age. When a young boy, he accompanied his parents to Denver, Colo., where they located and there he attended the public schools. He was given those generous scholastic advantages which his brilliant young mind coveted and finished his education in Denver and Chicago. In 1897 he obtained his diploma from the University of Colorado, where he graduated in both the allopathic and homeopathic schools of medicine, and commenced practicing in that city. The ability and skill of the young graduate soon attracted attention and he was in the county hospital, and, also, was appointed physician for the Denver Union Water company. In these positions he enjoyed an invaluable experience in the treatment of almost every conceivable kind of disease and surgical operation, which proved of inestimable benefit in subsequent years. After serving two terms in the hospital, Dr. McGill resigned and moved to Yuma, this county, in 1898, where he commenced practicing medicine. Six months later he came to Wray, where he found a broader field in which to exercise his well known _n__w_ and zeal for his profession. The gentleman's fame as a successful physician had preceded him and that, in connection with his genial, happy personality, won public confidence and esteem from the beginning. As a result he now enjoys an extensive and quite lucrative practice, which perhaps exceeds that of any physician in eastern Colorado. In 1890 the gentleman established the drug store now conducted by Dr. Barr and did a large and growing business until one year ago when the demands of his increasing practice compelled him to sell it to its present proprietor. In 1891 Dr. McGill was appointed state medical inspector by the Colorado state board of health. He was appointed health officer for the counties of Yuma and Arapahoe, as well as for the city of Wray, and he is the local medical examiner for the old line insurance companies and all the fraternal organizations. Three years ago Dr. McGill was elected coroner of the county on the Republican ticket, by an overwhelming majority. A significant feature of this election, indicating the personal esteem in which Dr. McGill is held was the fact that the vote cast was two to one in his favor, although on strict party lines the county has a handsome Democratic majority. In 1901 Dr. McGill was elected chairman of the county central Republican committee, and displayed marked ability in directing the campaign. In 1902 the Republican legislative convention for the district composed of the counties of Yuma, Phillips, Sedgwick, Adams, Denver, South Arapahoe and part of Washington nominated Dr. McGill as Republican candidate for representative in the state legislature. It was a keenly contested campaign in a Democratic district, but as a result of the magnetic personal qualities of their candidate and the general confidence in his ability and honesty of purpose, the Republicans won by over one hundred majority. A feature of this election which speaks louder than any words could regarding the standing of Dr. McGill where he is best known, is the fact that he received a majority in every voting precinct in Yuma county. While Dr. McGill is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party, as a state legislator entrusted with important interests which his constituents confided to his charge, he did his own thinking and was governed by his honest judgment regarding the matters under consideration and his sworn duty to those he represented. As a result, the political wise-acres who are found in every party and assume almost divine intuition as to the future and the full right to dictate to their colleagues, found in Dr. McGill a poor subject on whom to operate. The gentleman introduced many bills in the legislature, two of them being in reference to public roads. One of the latter was vetoed by the governor after its passage in both houses, and the medical bill, in which he was interested, shared the same fate. But the act whereby the eastern part of Arapahoe county was added to Yuma county, by which the size of the latter county was more than doubled shall ever remain an enduring monument of Dr. McGill's devotion to the best interests of his constituents. He introduced the measure in the house and it became a law in defiance of strong opposition, largely through his energy, ability and personal magnetism. The gentleman was a member of several important committees, and while he did not seek oratorical notoriety on every pretext, as so many do, he was a hard worker and gave every measure presented his best thoughts and honest judgment, accompanied by the courage of his convictions. He made a business record in the legislature, which evoked the warm commendation of his constituents. Among his large property interests in the city Dr. McGill owns a beautiful residence, desirably situated and with elegant surroundings that make it an ideal home. Recently he completed a handsome brick office on Pawnee street, in the business section. It is 20x25 feet in size and contains a general reception room, a special treatment room and a general consulting and operating room. Each of these apartments is elegantly furnished and the office is generously supplied with all modern medical appliances and surgical instruments used in the profession. Indeed, it is save to assert that there are but few other physician's offices, if any, in eastern Colorado, that are so inviting in appearance and so well supplied with necessary appliances and comforts. Recently the gentleman purchased a H____ automobile, the first and only one owned in this section of eastern Colorado. With this modern method of road travel he can reach remote parts of the county to visit patients, ____, and to emergency calls requiring the prompt presence of a physician or a surgeon, in one-third the time possible with the ordinary conveyance. At Denver in 1896, Dr. McGill married Miss I.V. Nay of Morrison, Colo., an estimable and accomplished lady, who has proved a charming acquisition to Wray social circles. The union has been blessed with two interesting children, increasing the joys and contentment of the happy home. Since Dr. McGill's arrival in Wray, he has proved one of the most enterprising of our citizens. While he is modest and unassuming in his intercourse with men, he is one of the most affable of gentlemen. Honorable in his aspirations, generous in spirit and progressive in his ideas, he is always ready to aid in the development of the resources of the city and county or to contribute liberally towards any other worthy cause. The architect of his own success his pronounced popularity in Yuma county is based on his admirable qualities as a skilled physician, an honorable gentleman and a useful enterprising citizen. [20]======================================= Galveston Leaman Prospering in Yuma County and is Well Contented Galveston Leaman, one of Yuma county's contented farmers, is a native of Indiana, where he was born in 1858. In the Hoosier State, he followed farming, threshing and the saw-mill industry. In March, 1888, he came to Colorado and located on a homestead nine miles north of Wray. Subsequently he relinquished this and filed on another homestead southwest of the city where he engaged in farming pursuits. After many years he sold this homestead and he is now living six miles north of Wray. He devotes his principal attention to stock and dairying, of which he is making a pleasing success. He owns fifteen horses, a herd of thirty cattle and thirteen milch cows. He owns, also, a well bred shire stallion. In 1900 Mr. Leaman married Miss Emma Clark, an excellent lady, and they have one child. The gentleman is delighted with Yuma county and its possibilities, and he could not be induced to engage in farming in the East again. He is an industrious citizen who merits his prosperity. [21]======================================= Yuma County Bank An Institution Which is Enjoying a Large and Growing Business. Ably Managed, Strong Financially and Basking in Public Confidence. It is conceded that the condition of its banking institutions furnishes a true index of the progress and prosperity of a community, and in this respect the Yuma County Bank is a most worthy representative of the city of Wray and Yuma county. While it is now only one year old, it is one of the strongest financial institutions in Eastern Colorado and it is making gratifying progress into public favor. The bank was organized over one year ago and it opened its doors for business on May 7, 1903, with the following stockholders; M.B. Holland, Thomas Ashton, W.T. Auld and P.J. Sullivan, the officers being M.B. Holland, president; P.J. Sullivan, cashier, and M. Finch, assistant cashier. Mr. Holland is a wealthy retired lumber dealer of Orleans, Neb., where he is engaged in the banking business. He is not only one of the most extensive property owners in that section of the state, but his long and honorable business career has won for him a most enviable reputation for integrity of purpose in every pursuit of life. Mr. Ashton, whose beautiful home is situated ten miles east of Wray, is one of the pioneers of Yuma county. As a result of his good judgment and untiring industry, he has achieved remarkable success and he owns vast tracts of excellent ranch land and great herds of cattle. It is conceded that the gentleman is the wealthiest individual in Yuma county, as well as one of the most honorable. Mr. Auld is the president of the City National Bank of Lincoln, Neb., where he resides. He is also a heavy stockholder in the First National Bank of Wymore, Neb., the State Bank of Red Cloud, Neb., and a couple of other banking institutions in that state. He owns large cattle and ranch interests, also, and has spent twenty years of a most successful and honorable career in the banking and cattle business. Mr. Sullivan, the affable cashier of the bank, is a native of Ohio. When a boy he moved with his parents to the vicinity of Friend, Neb., where he was educated and engaged in farming pursuits after he grew to manhood. Subsequently he moved to Colorado and engaged in the cattle business, in which he has been very successful. He and his brother own an extensive ranch twenty miles southeast of Akron, in Washington county, and another valuable ranch in Morgan county, immediately adjacent to the town of Brush. The gentleman's honorable past career is exceedingly creditable, inspiring the utmost confidence in his future. Mr. Finch, the assistant cashier of the bank, is a native of Ohio, but his parents moved to Iowa during his infancy and he spent his boyhood days in the Hawkeye State. He has devoted his attention to the banking business since an early age, principally in Nebraska, where he was connected with the Red Cloud State Bank for ten years. He received a careful training in correct banking methods and his through knowledge of the business renders him an invaluable feature to the Yuma County Bank. It may be seen that the Yuma County Bank commenced business under the most favorable circumstances, liberally endowed with the essential attributes necessary to inspire confidence in its integrity and stability, and the uniform courtesy of the cashier and assistant cashier are pleasing and popular features of the institution. It is doing a large and steadily increasing business. The Bank and Its Methods. The Yuma County Bank does business in its own building, a commodious structure situated on Chief street in the business center of the city. It is furnished with a burglar proof steel safe, with time locks, and in addition to this safeguard, it carries a heavy insurance against burglars in the Fidelity and Casualty Co., of New York, thereby rendering the deposits of its customers absolutely safe in this respect. In financial and commercial circles the Yuma County Bank enjoys a confidence in keeping with its financial strength and splendid management. Its business principles are founded on broad experience and ripe judgment, while its methods are progressive, yet conservative. Its officers are gentlemen who understand financiering in its minutest details and while they are ever ready to extend to customers all courtesies commensurate with good banking, they are conservative enough to preserve the stability of the institution to an invulnerable degree. The value of such a bank to any community is hard to estimate and Wray was fortunate in securing such a worthy promoter of prosperity. Its influence is not only manifest in the local neighborhood but it gives to the city a standing conferred by no other institution, and its support means success to any legitimate local enterprise. [22]======================================= J.J. Eastin A Recent Arrival Who is Well Pleased With Yuma County J.J. Eastin, who came to Yuma county in 1900, is a native of Illinois, to which state his parents went from Kentucky. He settled on a homestead twenty-five miles southwest of Wray and engaged in the cattle business. He came here with money and his ranch is already stocked with 100 well bred cattle. He has the utmost faith in the future of Yuma county and he feels fully convinced, from his experience and observation since he came here, that it presents possibilities - especially for a poor man - that surpass those found in any other section of the country. Recently the gentleman purchased the Ashley ranch of 800 acres, which is a valuable property. In 1870 Mr. Eastin married Miss A. Brayton, an estimable Missouri lady, and thy have three children, to who they have given an excellent education. Mr. Eastin is a genial gentleman, who is popular with all who know him. [23]======================================= A.A. McKean The Popular District Court Clerk and a Successful Farmer (Photo Residence of A.A. McKean) Among the prosperous business men and popular officials, who have won well merited distinction in Yuma county, the above gentleman occupies a pleasing position. Mr. McKean is a native of Indiana, where he was born in 1852. At the age of thirteen years he moved with his parents to Illinois and there he grew to manhood. His father was a shoemaker and he learned that trade in his boyhood days, but after he attained his majority he devoted his attention to railroading for a time. Subsequently he established a harness shop, which he conducted until 1882 when he moved to Nebraska where he continued the same business for five years. In 1887 he came to Yuma county, where he entered pre-emption and homestead claims a few miles east of the town of Yuma, where he established a harness shop at the same time. The gentleman was in moderate circumstances when he came to Yuma county. While he gave all due attention to his harness business, he did not neglect the improvement of his ranch which has developed into a very valuable property. The soil is excellent and especially adapted for general farming and stock raising, in both of which industries Mr. McKean has been very successful. He has fifty acres under cultivation on which he has raised excellent crops year after year, the rest of the ranch being used for meadow and grazing purposes. The fact that many thousands of acres of free range are tributary to this ranch renders it invaluable for stock growing purposes. The ranch is well fenced and on it are an excellent residence, good barn and all other improvements requisite for all purposes. Soon after locating in Yuma, Mr. McKean was appointed deputy sheriff and city marshal, giving the best satisfaction in both positions. In 1895 he was appointed clerk of the district court, the duties of which office he discharged with such marked ability that he was re-appointed for a second term of six years in 1901. In 1902 it was decided to move the county seat to Wray and Mr. McKean sold his harness shop at Yuma, leased his ranch and moved to the new county seat in March, 1903. Since coming to Wray, the gentleman has erected one of the most beautiful homes in the city and opened a shoe shop to which he devotes his leisure time. The genial courtesy with which Mr. McKean discharges his official duties and his recognized worth as an honorable, progressive citizen, have rendered him exceedingly popular in the county, where he enjoys general confidence and esteem. Fraternally he is a member of the order of Maccabees. In April, 1887 the gentleman married Miss H.A. Cutler, an estimable Nebraska lady, who is a valued acquisition to Wray social circles. Owing to the fact that Mr. McKean's official duties require his continual presence in Wray, his ranch near Yuma, twenty-six miles from here, is for sale. It offers and excellent opportunity to secure an exceptionally comfortable home on a ranch that has always yielded profitable returns to its owner. [24]======================================= The Bank of Wray A Prosperous Financial Institution With a Most Creditable Record. Was Established Fifteen Years Ago and Enjoys Full Public Confidence. (Photo - Residence of W.C. Grigsby) Among the solid and reliable financial institutions of Eastern Colorado, the Bank of Wray occupies a most creditable position. It was founded by A.D. Hoy in 1889 and purchased by W.C. Grigsby, its present owner, in 1900, and since then it has enjoyed a degree of uninterrupted prosperity that is very flattering to its excellent management. The bank has a capital of $60,000, and its deposits exceed $60,000, while its loans are somewhat in excess of $80,000, Mr. Grigsby being president and owner of the institution and J.C. Tuomey cashier. The bank is furnished with one of the latest and most improved burglar proof steel safes with a time lock attachment. While the management of the bank displayed an accommodating spirit from the beginning, it has never deviated from the careful and conservative methods which are so necessary for the safety of any financial institution. The Bank of Wray has always evinced a disposition to furnish material aid in support of any legitimate plan for the development of the resources of the city and county, and that the management has been satisfactory to the community interested may be judged by the ever-increasing confidence and patronage bestowed on it. President of the Bank W.C. Grigsby, president and proprietor of the Bank of Wray, is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born and raised on a farm near the city of Newcastle. He received a liberal education and graduated at Newcastle when only twenty years of age. Possessed of ambition, self- reliance and sturdy independence, the young man came to the West to commence the battle of life in 1883. He secured homestead, pre-emption and tree claims composed of choice land, which he sold subsequently and in 1886, in partnership with his uncle, J.J. Grigsby, engaged in the general merchandise business at Wray, under the firm name of Grigsby and Grigsby. As the firm became known in the community, its honest business qualities continued to attract increased confidence, its trade growing and expanding from day to day. In 1890 the subject of this brief sketch bought the interest of his partner, becoming the sole owner and manager of the business. He devoted to it that pronounced ability, untiring energy and preserving industry which have been such prominent characteristics of his entire career, and he was rewarded by generous financial returns until 1896, when he retired from the mercantile business. Soon afterwards he established the bank of W.C. Grigsby, which he merged into the Bank of Wray when he purchased the latter institution in 1900. Since then the career of the bank has been beneficial to the public, as well as profitable to its energetic owner. At one time Mr. Grigsby owned some ten thousand acres of land in this county, but he disposed of the most of it and at present his holdings in the county are only 830 acres, all of which is excellent land, however, in addition to his banking property, he owns a very elegant home, most desirably situated, in the western part of the city. The residence, which is a spacious two-story building of pleasing design is richly furnished and fitted with all modern improvements and comforts, including hot and cold water on both floors. The barn and stables, situated on the rear of the block, are in keeping with the handsome house, while the well kept lawn and immediate surroundings of the beautiful residence indicate the reefing influences that reign within. Mr. Grigsby's worth as an honorable business man and useful citizen has received frequent public recognition. Since the city was incorporated he was elected mayor two terms, and for the balance of the time, until recently he served as a member of the board of aldermen. He is a member of the local Masonic lodge. In 1892 Mr. Grigsby married Miss Emma Miller, an intellectual and accomplished lady from Knox county, Missouri, who presides over her beautiful home with pleasing grace and dispenses the most charming hospitality. Three interesting children have blessed the happy union and permeated the domestic circle with the sweet fragrance of childish joys and innocence. Contented amid their elegant surroundings, Mr. Grigsby and his popular wife have the confidence and esteem of the community, while they enjoy that ease and comfort which a career of industry and well doing so richly merits. [25]======================================= F.M. Sisson & Son Extensive Dealers in Clothing, Shoes and Men's Furnishings. (Photo - Residence of F.M. Sisson) Among the enterprising and progressive business men of Wray the above firm occupies a front rank. While the firm is only one year old, its members are pioneers, who are widely known and highly esteemed in Yuma county. F.M. Sisson, the senior member of the firm, is a native of Ohio, where he was born fifty-six years ago. He spent his boyhood days on a farm, received a liberal education, and engaged in teaching school when he had grown to manhood. After a time he entered the mercantile business, which he conducted most successfully for many years. In 1876 he married Miss Lizzie Brown, an estimable young lady from West Virginia, who has diffused the fragrance of happiness within the family circle and made her personality a pleasing feature in the community. In 1885 Mr. Sisson and family came to Colorado, locating in Yuma county, seven miles west of Wray, where they secured homestead, pre-emption and timber claims, amounting to 400 acres. There Mr. Sisson engaged in farming which he conducted with that energy and industry which were rewarded by bountiful crops year after year. Eight years ago, after a most successful decade spent on the farm, the gentleman and family moved to Wray, to give the children the superior education advantages to be found in this city. But he retained ownership of his valuable farm, from which he now derives a handsome revenue in rental returns. After coming to this city, Mr. Sisson engaged in bookkeeping, fire insurance and other pursuits from which he enjoyed a very satisfactory recompense. About one year ago he and his son engaged in the clothing business on Chief street. Mr. Sisson is a most worthy member of the Christian church, in which he has held several offices, being now one of the trustees. He is a charter member of the Wray lodge of Odd Fellows, of which he has been secretary for two terms. Since he came to Yuma county the gentleman's qualities as a kind, generous-hearted neighbor and a good citizen of sterling worth in a community have received general recognition, and his popularity is most pronounced in both city and county. Mr. Sisson owns a beautiful home in the western part of Wray. Brown E. Sisson, the junior member of the firm, who is a native of Ohio, is not quite twenty-one years of age, but in business capacity and acumen he is a commercial veteran. The young gentleman was the recipient of careful training in a Christian home, supplemented by an excellent education, well fitting him for exercising his natural activity, brilliant intellect and laudable ambition in the active pursuits of life. When only sixteen years of age, he filled an important position as telegraph operator for the Burlington railway company. After three years of faithful service he resigned and spent a year in Ohio and West Virginia. On his return here, in connection with his father, he engaged in the clothing business. The young gentleman has the active management of the store, including the purchase of goods, and he displays an ability and rare good judgment that would be creditable to an experienced merchant of mature years. He is very popular in the city because of his admirable traits of character and is esteemed by young and old alike. The third member of the firm is Simon S. Dow, who has been principal of the Wray public schools for six years. A brief resume of the gentleman's career will be found on another page of this edition. The firm carries a very large stock of clothing, hats, shoes and gentlemen's furnishings - indeed, their stock would be creditable to a city three times the size of Wray - and they sell on close margins. This in conjunction with the personal popularity of the members of the firm and the honorable principles upon which they conduct the business, won for them a large and steadily increasing trade from the beginning, and the future looks exceedingly promising. On another page you will find something about their stock and the inducements they offer in gentlemen's wear. [26]======================================= A Beautiful Home The Valuable Ranch of Charles P. Reeck and Attractive Surroundings. (Photo - Residence of Charles P. Reeck) Perhaps no better illustration could be presented of what preserving in industry and untiring energy can accomplish in the pursuits of life, than is found in the successful career of Charles P. Reeck, who owns what is conceded to be the most elegant ranch home in Yuma county, eighteen miles south of Wray. Mr. Reeck is a native of near Berlin, Prussia, where he was born in 1851. He was the son of a prominent furniture manufacturer, from whom he learned this trade. The lad was endowed with a bright mechanical mind and at an early age he had acquired an expert practical knowledge of cabinet making, excelling in the more delicate branches of the trade. In 1870, when only nineteen years of age, Mr. Reeck came to the United States to carve his own fortune in the Western Hemisphere. He located in Chicago, where he worked at his trade for two years, when he came to Colorado and found remunerative employment in Denver. While he prospered in the city, he secured a section of land in what was then Elbert county, which increased in value year after year and netted him handsome returns as a cattle ranch. After spending seven years in Denver and on his ranch near there, Mr. Reeck sold his Elbert county property, and, with seventy-five cattle, located in that part of old Arapahoe county which is now a portion of Yuma county, on what now constitutes his beautiful and productive home. He bought 640 acres, which constitutes perhaps one of the most valuable ranch properties in Colorado, owing to its natural favorable conditions for conducting a successful cattle business. A valley composed of wonderfully rich soil, through which flows a never-failing stream of pure spring water, traverses his farm. On his valley land he harvests immense quantities of alfalfa and natural hay, corn, cane, etc., for his stock. Along the banks of the stream, on either side, there is a heavy growth of timber, which adds beauty to the landscape and furnishes excellent shade for the grazing cattle in the hot summer days. Another advantage is the fact that the fringe of forest along this stream has furnished Mr. Reeck excellent fuel all these years, and the supply will last for many years to come. In addition to his deeded land of 640 acres, the gentleman uses 1,000 acres of leased state land and controls a wide area of free range for his stock. He owns 200 fine Durham cattle, which are in excellent condition as a result of the abundance of feed and excellent care bestowed upon them by their energetic owner. The barns, sheds, corrals, etc., are substantial structures, the walls of which are composed of dressed stone laid in mortar, and displaying a comfort, convenience and neatness but seldom found on a ranch. Mr. Reeck's cattle have ample protection from the storms of winter, and the abundance of feed with which they are provided in both summer and winter is one of the secrets of the gentleman's success in the industry. In 1892 Mr. Reeck married Miss Sarah Bond, a charming English lady, whose brothers are well known in the business and financial circles of Colorado and Toronto, Canada. His sunny tempered and devoted wife has given Mr. Reeck inspiration and cheerful aid in making their ranch such a beautiful home of comfort. Five years ago they erected their new residence on an elevated plateau, at the base of which flows the stream of water, the banks of which are fringed with a generous growth of trees. From the front there is a fine view of a broad expanse of the rich valley land, with frequent clusters of forest trees, extending for miles, while towards the south arises a rugged background of picturesque hills, which extend east and west and make the view a most delightful one. The house is composed of cut magnesia limestone of superior quality of which Mr. Reeck owns an inexhaustible quarry situated about one-half mile southeast of his home. The interior presents a most elegant appearance. The walls and ceilings are exquisitely painted with beautiful decorations of chaste designs, while the rich carpets, furniture, paintings and other artistic decorations display the utmost harmony and good taste. In addition to a great variety of Indian relics found on the ranch, Mr. Reeck has added to the attractions of his home by creations of his own mechanical skill, among others, a handsome representation of a closed bible made from a piece of pink gypsum he found in the "Garden of the Gods." It is a beautiful work of art, the lids most delicately and perfectly engraved with the word "Bible" and other decorations. An ornamental table in which the legs are composed of polished horns is another striking evidence of the gentleman's mechanical genius, as well as hat racks with buffalo horn attachments. While the interior of the home reflects the refined instincts and love of the beautiful which characterize Mrs. Reeck, the easy grace and genial welcome with which she receives and entertains guests, enhance the happiness bestowed by the well-known hospitality of this estimable couple. In the front yard are artistic mounds and pyramids of petrified wood and peculiar rocky fossil formations, which bear the evidence of prehistoric times, when this part of Colorado was a portion of a great interior sea. Doubtless Mr. and Mrs. Reeck own the most beautiful and luxuriously furnished ranch home in Colorado, and the excellent couple well merit the happiness and comfort which they are enjoying. Mr. Reeck is a broad-minded gentleman who takes a generous interest in the moral and material welfare of the county and both he and his accomplished wife enjoy the sincere esteem of all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance. [27]======================================= Lumber and Coal A.F. Greer Conducts One of the Leading Yards in Wray. The large and prosperous lumber business owned and managed by A.F. Greer, is one of the leading industries of Wray. The yard, which is situated in a convenient position near the chief business street, covers nearly one-half block, and is exceedingly well stocked with lumber of all kinds and qualities, as well as shingles, posts, wire and paint. In addition he sells the best grades of hard and soft coal. Mr. Greer is a native of Maryland, where he was born forty-seven years ago. He was raised on a farm and in 1879 moved to Eastern Nebraska, where he continued farming pursuits. In 1886 he moved to Colorado and located in Yuma county, where he entered homestead, pre- emption and tree claims fifteen miles south of Wray. He conducted his farming operations, including cattle and hogs, most successfully until six years ago, when he sold his 480 acres and moved to Wray, where he engaged in the mercantile business. After a time he sold this and about one year ago he commenced his lumber and coal industry. Mr. Greer is well known in the county and his reputation for integrity is so firmly established that the gentleman did a good business from the beginning, which is constantly increasing. He makes no misrepresentations in his business and he treats customers with that courteous consideration which inspires confidence and cements friendship. As an enterprising and public spirited citizen of sterling worth, the gentleman has obtained well merited public recognition and he is now a member of the city council. Fraternally he is a member of the Odd Fellows and Woodmen organizations. He now owns 480 acres of good land in the county, 320 aces of which are adjoining Wray to the south-west. Mr. and Mrs. Greer own a cozy home in the western part of the city and they enjoy the well merited esteem of the community. [Spelled Grier in advertisement [65] and in cemetery books.] [28]======================================= A Team and 35 Cents The Capital on Which Charles E. Kellar Commenced in Yuma County. In Eighteen Years He Amassed a Handsome Competence in Farming and Stock Industry The fertility of Yuma county soil and the attractions it offers to those who seek homes in the West are illustrated by the career of Charles E. Kellar. Mr. Kellar, who was born on a farm in Wisconsin, is fifty years of age. At the age of seventeen he entered the employ of a windmill factory, where he remained for eight years. In 1879 he moved to Pleasant Dale, Nebraska, near which place he bought eighty acres of land and engaged in farming. After seven years of energetic effort, he moved to Colorado and located on a homestead nearly nine miles south of Wray, his claim being situated in what was then a portion of Arapahoe county. When Mr. Kellar arrived at Wray he had a team of horses and a wagon and after paying his livery bill and hotel expenses the morning he started for his homestead on the open prairie, his cash capital amounted to just 35 cents. But with a courage that merited his future success, he faced the stern realities of life and commenced improving his claim. He found work for himself and team and gradually secured the comforts of a modest home, while he was preparing to cultivate his land. From the beginning his untiring industry and energy were rewarded by good crops of wheat, corn, oats, millet, vegetables, etc., which yielded him a handsome revenue, and enabled him to extend his farming operations. In a few years he purchased 160 acres adjoining his homestead, making a farm of 320 acres which he still owns and cultivates. He has 200 acres under cultivation, the rest of his land being used for pasture. He owns twenty-five cattle and sixteen horses, his comfortable residence, barn, sheds and generous supply of all needed agricultural implements, proclaiming the prosperity he is enjoying. And in accomplishing all this Mr. Kellar had to overcome serious misfortunes. One year after his arrival here one of his legs was broken badly, which rendered him helpless for nearly twelve months, and since then his wife died after a long sickness. In his early struggles here the gentleman's mechanical skill was of great assistance to him, as he did quite an extensive business in setting up and repairing pumps and windmills. In 1883, at Lincoln, Neb., Mr. Kellar married Miss Addie V. Ickes, an estimable lady who died last October, leaving two sons and three daughters to mourn the loss of a tender-hearted mother and a faithful devoted wife. Mr. Kellar is a charter member of the Wray lodge of Odd Fellows, of which he was the first noble grand and was re-elected for a second term. He has filled all the offices in the lodge except treasurer, which he declined. Last December a mining expert pronounced the country in which Mr. Kellar's farm is located rich in coal and oil and the gentleman is now sinking a test shaft on his land. Should his hopes be realized his farm will be very valuable property. Personally, Mr. Kellar is a genial honorable gentleman, who is highly esteemed by all who know him because of his many estimable traits of character. [29]======================================= Hon. A.F. Peck An Honored Pioneer Who Has Done Much for Yuma County. Well and Favorably Known in Private as Well as in Public Life. (Photo - Hon. A.F. Peck) Among the men whose ability, untiring energy and fidelity to the best interests of their chosen home have brought such marked prosperity to Yuma county, the gentleman whose name heads this brief sketch occupies a front rank. For eighteen years Mr. Peck has sang the praises of what is now Yuma county, at home and abroad, and in every way possible he has encouraged and aided settlers in their efforts to create happy and prosperous homes on the virgin prairies of Eastern Colorado. Mr. Peck is a native of Des Moines county, Iowa, where he was born in 1856. In the Hawkeye State he received a generous education and grew to manhood, but in 1886 he came to Colorado and located at Idalia, in what was then eastern Arapahoe county, now a part of Yuma. He engaged in the real estate and loan business, being, also, notary public, conveyancer and land attorney, and he soon enjoyed a most lucrative patronage. As his sterling honesty and integrity of purpose in every phase of his life became more generally known, his business grew in harmony with his growing popularity. The settlers had faith in his ability; they knew that they could place implicit confidence in his integrity, and they entrusted their business to him with the utmost assurance that their interests would be guarded with zealous devotion. When settlers got into trouble they went to Mr. Peck to help them out, and he never refused his aid where the cause was just and honorable, often fighting the battles of his friends at his own personal expense. He record was a clean one and, while of necessity, he made a few enemies, he attained a high degree of wide popularity which but few men ever enjoy in a community. Mr. Peck has always been a Republican and in the campaign of 1894 he received the nomination for representative in the state legislature for the eastern district of Arapahoe county. In defiance of the bitter opposition of some politicians, the gentleman was elected triumphantly, and in the legislative session of 1895 he made a most creditable record. Among other measures which received his active support, he introduced and carried though a bill providing an appropriation of $50,000 for the purpose of buying seed grain for the drouth stricken counties of Eastern Colorado. The governor referred the bill to the supreme court on a question of constitutionality, and upon receiving an adverse decision from that tribunal he vetoed the measure. One prominent feature of Mr. Peck's career is the fact he scrupulously avoided the advocacy of anything dishonorable, or tainted with the slightest degree of fraud or dishonesty. He never took a position on any subject that was not inspired by the highest and purest motives, or one that he would now recall if he could. As a result, even his enemies have the utmost faith in the gentleman's veracity and integrity of purpose. Two years ago Mr. Peck suffered a serious loss in the burning of a large hotel and an adjacent business office he owned in Idalia. The furniture of the hotel, too, as well as that of his office, and many valuable papers were burned also. The gentleman owns several quarter sections of land in the southern part of the county, as well as a herd, each, of fine cattle and horses. In 1893, Mr. Peck married Miss Maud Mitchell, an accomplished Arapahoe county lady, and the union has been blessed with four interesting children. Last November the gentleman and family moved to Wray where he will open an office for the transaction of business at an early date. While Mr. Peck is modest and unassuming, his well stored mind and magnetic qualities render him one of the most genial and companionable of gentlemen. He is an honorable opponent and one of the most faithful and generous of friends, his friendship recognizing no limits within the bounds of ability, honor and truth. In public matters he is enterprising and progressive, giving his hearty support to every measure calculated to benefit the community, and he has well earned the general esteem in which he is held in Yuma county. He and his excellent wife and family form a pleasing acquisition to the business and social circles of Wray. [30]======================================= Amos Carl Carries a Large Stock of Hardware Furniture and Implements. One of the leading business houses in Wray is the extensive hardware, furniture and implements establishment of the above gentleman, on the corner of Chief and Pawnee streets. His two-story brick, which is the largest in the city, is well stocked with everything in the line of hardware, stoves, etc., while the furniture department contains a complete assortment of everything in that line, from common goods to the most elegant made. The gentleman handles the best makes of farming implements of all kinds and his sales are increasing in volume year after year. Indeed it is seldom that a town the size of Wray can boast of a stock which can compare with that of Mr. Carl in extent, variety and value. He carries a large supply of coffins, caskets and undertaking goods also. Mr. Carl is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born on a farm near Harrisburg. He moved to Ohio in 1880, and came to Colorado in 1883. At first he devoted his attention to mining and the smelter industry at Leadville, but after three years he came to Yuma county and engaged in farming. In 1899 the gentleman abandoned farming and moved to Wray, where he has been eminently successful. Mr. Carl owns a cozy home in this city as well as the elegant brick block in which he does business. He is a member of the Masonic order and, also, of the local camp of Woodmen. His admirable qualities as a business man and useful citizen have won for him a wide measure of personal esteem in the community. [31]======================================= Prof. Simon S. Dow Has Been Principal of the Wray Public Schools for Six Years. (Photo - Prof. Simon S. Dow) Prof. Simon S. Dow, who has been instrumental in giving the Wray public schools such a flattering reputation in Eastern Colorado, is a native of Hastings, Nebraska, but when eight years of age he moved with his parents to Oxford, Nebraska. After completing his public school studies, he finished his education in the Franklin (Neb.) Academy; the Orleans (Neb.) College, in which he was the valedictorian of his class, and the Lincoln (Neb.) Normal University. He graduated with distinguished honors, and then taught in the rural schools of Furnas and Harlan counties, Nebraska. Subsequently he was principal of the public schools at Danbury, Neb., in 1894-1895; assistant principal at Orleans, Neb., in 1897-1898, and principal of the Wray public schools from 1898 to the present time. Prof. Dow's connection with the Wray schools has been characterized by the most gratifying success. He is generously endowed with those natural and acquired attributes so necessary in imparting education, with the requisite energy and industry to apply them, and he has made a teacher's record in Wray which is exceedingly creditable to himself, as well as beneficial and satisfactory to the city. In fact, through his high educational qualifications and untiring efforts, the Wray public schools now enjoy an enviable reputation and they are advancing with every assurance of even greater achievements in the future, should the district be so fortunate as to retain his services as principal. Since coming to Wray, Prof. Dow has conducted two teacher's summer schools and he taught in the teachers' institute last year. He owned and edited the Wray Rattler one year, and he is now a member of the extensive firm of F.M. Sisson & Son, the most important clothing firm in Eastern Colorado. In 1900, Prof. Dow married his assistant principal, Miss Edna Sisson, an accomplished daughter of F.M. Sisson of Wray, and the union has been blessed by a charming little daughter now two years old. They own a pretty home in the city. Fraternally the gentleman is a Mason and a Maccabee. Prof. Dow is popular in the city, where he is prominent in church and other good works. In the spring of 1903 he was elected mayor, the duties of which position he discharged faithfully and well. Personally he is a bright, affable gentleman, honorable in his impulses and upright in his intercourse with men, and he well merits the general esteem which he is enjoying. =================================================== 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.