Moffat County, Colorado GenWeb Project




MOFFAT COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT BIOGRAPHIES T - Z
Extracted from "Progressive Men of Western Colorado" generously donated by the 'Museum of Northwest Colorado', email musnwco@cmn.net Transcribed by Shelley Barnes shellbbco@prodigy.net
NAME	BIOGRAPHY
TEMPLE, John Charles	Although the son of parents born in Scotland and reared in Ireland, the prominent and progressive ranch and cattle man who is the subject of this article is a native of Colorado and has passed the whole of his manhood so far within the state. He was born in Clear Creek county on January 7, 1867, and is the son of James E. and Rebecca Temple, who emigrated to the United States soon after their marriage and located at St. Louis, Missouri. There the father served as captain on a steamboat on the Mississippi until 1860, then came to this state and took up his residence near Black Hawk, Gilpin county, where he followed mining two years without success. In 1862 he moved to clear Creek county, and after farming there a short time returned to black Hawk and resumed his mining operations, which he continued at that place until 1869. In that year he moved his family to New Mexico, and there he was more fortunate, locating several valuable mines, among them the Touse at Cimmeron. In 1871 he turned his attention to the raising of cattle and conducted a dairy business in connection with the industry at Cimmaron. Two years later he moved eastward in the territory but kept on in the same lines of activity three years longer. IN 1876 he began to devote his attention to raising cattle exclusively and carried on the business extensively. He was a successful man in his various enterprises, and in political faith was a stanch republican, he died in March, 1886, and his wife passed away in 1899. Six of their children are living, Edward J., Joseph R., William O., John Charles, Harry r. and Frank L. John Charles is practically a self-make man. He attended the common schools, but in an irregular way owing to the migratory life of the family. When he was approaching manhood he had an opportunity to attend two terms at the Denver University, and being quick and studious, he made good use of his time there. From boyhood he assisted his parents, remaining with them in New Mexico until 1885. He then returned to Colorado and took up his residence at Maybell, Routt county, on Bear river. Here he was employed in looking after cattle and remained until 1890. There were but few settlers on the river then and the life of Mr. temple was almost devoid of congenial associations. But he had a fund of entertainment within himself, and the ministrations of nature were always pleasing and fruitful of inspiration to him. She opened to him a theater of boundless life, and held forth a cup brimming with redundant pleasure, of which he could fearlessly drink, gaining new vigor with every draught and finding no dregs of bitterness at the bottom. In 1890 he purchased the ranch he now owns and occupies, which was one of the first located in the vicinity of Hayden, and now one of the best. It comprises seven hundred and twenty acres, of which he can cultivate four hundred in hay, grain and vegetables, but hay and cattle are is chief productions and most profitable resource. He has made many fine improvements on his ranch and carried its cultivation forward to a high state. His cattle are grade Shorthorns and they have an exalted rank in the stock industry of the state. Politically Mr. Temple is a Republican and fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and a Woodman of the World. He was married on December 24, 1895, to Miss Daisy Dowden, a native of Colorado, born in Jefferson county. They have four children, James R., Laura M., Frank L. and Dora. Mrs. Temple is the daughter of Samuel M. and Anna L. Dowden, natives of Indiana who came to Colorado to live in 1866 and are now prosperously engaged in farming near Grand Junction. The father was a soldier in the Civil war. Politically he is a Democrat. Eight children were born in the household, six of whom are living, Anna R. (Mrs. Walker), Nellie E., Carrie C., Ella G., Mrs. Temple and Willie. While living in New Mexico Mr. Temple saw Indians who were wards of the government and supposed to be entirely peaceful and who drew their supplies at Cimmaron, massacre white persons and steal cattle. His people were living remote from the main roads and on that account escaped injury. The fighting Indians were Utes and Apaches.
THOMPSON, Elija B.	From his youth the subject of this sketch has been connected actively with the stock industry, and he has learned the business by practical experience in every department of it. His life began in Tuolumne county, California, on August 27, 1856, and he is the son of George and Sarah (Blakesley) Thompson, farmers of Virginia who moved to California soon after the discovery of gold in that state. There the father devoted his attention to mining and in his work discovered and located several valuable properties, among them the Red Bluff gold mine, which he discovered on March 9, 1857. There were two children born in the family, Obediah and Elijah. The latter had no opportunities for attending school beyond a period of six days. He reached man's estate through labor and privation, enduring hardships and encountering dangers of various kinds in the wild, unsettled country n which his earlier years were passed, and as soon as he was able became a range rider in the cattle industry. In the employ of the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company he drove cattle from Texas to Rockyford, in this state, bringing them over the trail in the absence of definite roads, and also served the company in other ways during a period of ten years, being their foreman seven years of the time. He became a resident of Colorado in 1884, and on May 30, 1890, purchased a ranch of three hundred and twenty acres on Snake river where he was busily occupied in ranching and raising cattle and horses until 1900. Here he suffered many reverses, but in spite of them he made steady progress. On November 4, 1898, his buildings were destroyed by hostile Indians who had risen against the whites because their destruction of game was ordered stopped by the game warden. They gave the settlers a great deal of trouble over this order, and as Mr. Thompson was able to speak the Mexican language, he served as interpreter in bringing about a settlement of the dispute. One battle was fought in which six Indians were killed, and during the turmoil he was himself marked for slaughter, the notorious Tom Horn having arranged to kill him and four other men on October 27th. The plot was only partially successful, Isham Dart being killed by the desperado on the date named and Matthew Rasch by the same hand on October 4th, the others, Mr. Thompson, Joseph Davenport and Samuel Bassett, escaping. From 1900 to May, 1904, Mr. Thompson was engaged in the livery business and in dealing in horses, and he is now located on a good ranch of three hundred and sixty acres on Williams's fork. He has three hundred acres under cultivation, raising good crops of hay, grain and vegetables, and also carries on a thriving cattle industry. In political life he is an earnest Democrat and fraternally belongs to the Woodmen of the World. In May, 1890, he was married to Miss Armida Bowner, who was born in Wisconsin. Three children have been born to them. One died in infancy and Lyman B. and Anama are living. It should be mentioned as a matter of interest that there are large deposits of bituminous coal on Mr. Thompson's land and the outlook for the vigorous and profitable working of mines there is very promising.
UTLEY, David	The parents of David Utley, one of the progressive and enterprising ranch and stock men and leading citizens of Routt county, who lives on a fine ranch of three hundred and twenty acres located in the neighborhood of Hamilton, Benjamin B. Rebecca (Stevens) Utley, were born and reared in Indiana. Soon after their marriage they moved to the vicinity of Bushnell, Illinois, where their son David was born on April 30, 1861, and later they moved to Christian county, that state. The parents have followed farming all their lives so far, and are engaged in that occupation now in Bates county, Missouri, where they settled in 1871. They have had eleven children, six of whom have died. The five living are Rebecca, Miranda, David, Joseph and George. David was reared on the farm and educated at the district schools. He remained with his parents in Bates county, Missouri, until he reached his nineteenth year, then, in 1880, became a resident of Colorado. In this state he first located at Gunnison and there he followed mining and prospecting three years. In 1883 he moved to Leadville, where he mined for wages and prospected for a period of eight months. In the spring of 1885 he took up by pre- emption a portion of the ranch which has since been his home, and subsequently added one hundred and sixty acres more by purchase. The ranch is located on Williams fork and is one of the best in that highly favored region. Mr. Utley has a large acreage under cultivation and raises excellent crops of hay and grain, but his main dependence is on cattle and hay. These he produces on a large scale and of superior quality. He is a very progressive and public- spirited citizen, and is highly esteemed throughout the whole section in which he lives, being always foremost in matters of public improvement and moral questions in which the best interests of the community are concerned. He was married on October 26, 1891, to Miss Anna Miller, a native of Cooper county, Missouri, but who grew to maturity in the border county of Bates, that state. She is the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Moore) Miller, the father born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and the mother in the state of Indiana. They made Missouri their final home, and here the father was a prosperous blacksmith. They had eleven children. Thomas and Daniel died, and William, John, Joseph, James, Carl, Augusta, George, Gertrude and Anna are living. The father was an ardent Republican in political faith and took a cordial interest in public local affairs. He died in 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Utley have one child, Ralph. Having lived now nearly twenty-five years in this state, and all the while actively engaged in some of its leading industries, Mr. Utley has contributed essentially and substantially to its growth and development, and its deeply and serviceably interested in every element of its greatness, wealth and power. Throughout the section in which he lives he is held in high esteem and looked upon as one of the influential and representative men.
VAN TASSEL, Hiram	The early settlers of the West and North west of this country have been for the most part men who were born to poverty and privation and who learned early in life the lessons of self-denial and self- reliance, and by taking care of themselves acquired readiness in emergencies and resourcefulness under all circumstances. To this type belongs Hiram Van Tassel, an influential citizen of Routt county, conducting a large and profitable ranching and cattle industry five miles east of Craig. Mr. Van Tassel was born on March 15, 1859, in Antrim county, Michigan, and is the son of Andrew and Adeline Van Tassel, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of England. They became residents of Michigan in early days and in that state they passed the remainder of their lives, the mother dying in 1859 and the father on January 20, 1890. The father was a gunsmith and carpenter, and working at these crafts he achieved a gratifying success. He was a Democrat in political faith and an Odd Fellow in fraternal relations. Five children were born in the family, only two whom are living. Hiram and his older brother Charles. Hiram was obliged to look out for himself at an early age and consequently his opportunities for education at the schools were very limited. Until he reached the age of twenty years he was variously employed in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois. In 1879 he became a resident of Colorado, and, locating at Lake City, he furnished supplies for the John J. Crook mines under contract, continuing in the business until he "went broke" at it in 1881. He then turned his attention to raising cattle near the boundary line between Gunnison and Saguache counties, and remained there so occupied until September, 1903. He then sold the ranch of one thousand acres which he had acquired, getting a good price for it, and moved to the one he now occupies, which he bought. It comprises three hundred and sixty acres and he has one hundred and fifty acres in a good state of fertility and productiveness, raising hay, grain, small fruits and vegetables in abundance, but finding cattle and hay his most prolific and profitable products. He is an enterprising and progressive citizen, and shows an earnest interest in every phase of the development and growth of his community. Fraternally he belongs to the Woodmen of the World, and politically he is independent. Mr. Van Tassel was married on February 3, 1887, to Miss Lydia J. Lovell, a native of Will county, Illinois, born on January 4, 1860. They have had four children, of whom one daughter named Pearl died on April 3, 1896, and Olive F., Earl A. and Blanche P. are living. In his long life in this state, Mr. Van Tassel has had many trials, endured many hardships and taken part in many thrilling incidents. He witnessed the capture of Packer, the noted cannibal, and helped to build the scaffold on which he was to have been hanged. He also witnessed the hanging of Betts and Downing, two notorious outlaws. The last words of Downing were "Give me a chew of tobacco." While at work at the smelter Mr. Van Tassel also witnessed the shooting of his partner, George Young.
WALKER, George W.	Born at a pleasant home in the sunny South, and beginning life with fair prospects of advancement, the career of George W. Walker, of near Craig, Routt county, illustrates the irony of fortune which so often mocks the brightest hopes of men, and also the advantages of pluck, persistency, industry and frugality in this land of boundless opportunities. His life began in Franklin county, Alabama, on February 12, 1856, and he is the last born and only surviving child of Anderson and Martha Walker, the former a native of Georgia and the latter of Alabama. They had a family of eight children of whom seven are dead. The father was a prosperous farmer for his day and section, but died when the son was only ten years old, his wife having passed away three years before. Thus orphaned at the early age of ten years, Mr. Walker saw all his prospects for a good start in life laid in the graves of his parents, and from the time of his father's death was obliged to make his own way in the world. At this time he migrated to Illinois, where he remained and worked on farms for wages until 1882. His next three years were passed in Nebraska in the same employment, and in 1885 he came to Colorado and located on Bear river. Here he pre-empted a tract of land and homesteaded on another, securing three hundred and eighty acres in all. The land was wild and unbroken, given up wholly to unprofitable sage brush and grease-wood. But with characteristic energy he went to work at improving it and making it productive with tthe result that he now has one hundred acres under good cultivation and one of the desirable and profitable ranches in his neighborhood. His principal resources are hay and cattle, but he raises first-rate crops of grain, vegetables and small fruits. All the buildings and other improvements on the ranch have been made by Mr. Walker, and the place is a tribute to his enterprise, skill and business capacity. He has also taken a warm and serviceable interest in the local affairs of his community, sparing no effort on his part toward its development and wholesome progress. He helped to build the first church in Routt county, laying the stone foundation himself, this being one of the popular church edifices at Craig and in many other ways he has contributed to the substantial advancement of every worthy interest in the neighborhood. On arriving in this state his entire capital in money was fifty cents, but he had in addition a firm determination to succeed, an unyielding energy, a resourceful self-reliance, and a keen eye for good opportunities. Through these his present success has been won, and as a self-made man he is a credit to American citizenship, and as such is universally esteemed wherever he is known. He was married on June 9, 1889, to Miss Mary Breeze, a native of Illinois. They have one child, their daughter Jennie E.
WALLIHAN, Allen G.	During the last twenty-two years the subject of this brief memoir has been a resident of Routt county, and during that period he has borne his full share of labor and responsibility in the development and advancement of the section. He is a progressive and far-seeking ranch man, a photographer of live game of wide renown and a writer of note. In each branch of his business and in all his sports and pleasures his wife is an active assistant and an enthusiastic partner with him, she being the only lady widely noted as a successful photographer of wild game. Mr. Wallihan was born at Fortville, Rock county, Wisconsin, on June 15, 1859, and is the son of Pierce and Lucy L. (Flower) Wallihan, natives of the state of Pennsylvania. The father was a tailor and farmer. In 1870 he brought his family to Colorado and located at Denver. He engaged in ranching near the city, but owing to the ravages of the grasshoppers was obliged to abandon this venture, and then returned to his old Wisconsin home, where he died in 1898, having survived his wife of twenty-one years. The father was a Republican politically, and both he and his wife belonged to the Methodist church. Six of their eleven children are living, Orlando F., Dr. Samuel S., Sylvanus F., George P., Allen G. and Mary K. Allen received his slender education in the common schools, supplementing the lessons learned there in the subsequent school of experience and by general reading. He remained at home working in the interest of his parents until 1876, then began operations for himself, working on farms in the vicinity of his home until 1879, when he came to Colorado and took up his residence at Leadville. Here he expended his time and money to prospecting and mining without success. In the fall of 1880 he moved to Colorado Springs, and after passing nearly a year there in a variety of occupations, in 1881 changed his residence to Alpine, where he again engaged in prospecting and mining, with alternate success and failure. In July, 1882, he located on a ranch in Routt county, which he took up on a pre-emption claim and on which he lived until 1885, engaged in raising horses for market. He then homesteaded on the one he now occupies, and in addition, in the years 1885, 1886 and 1887, leased the Ora Haley ranch. His location is at Lay, on Bear river, twenty-two miles west of Craig, and his ranch comprises one hundred and sixty acres. Actively interested in the success of the Republican party, to which he yields a loyal support and recognized as a man of force and usefulness in its councils, he has been the postmaster at Lay continuously since 1885, and is said to be the oldest postmaster by continuous service in the state. In addition to his ranch property Mr. Wallihan owns an interest of magnitude in a tract of ten thousand acres of bituminous coal land in which the deposit is two hundred feet thick. When he settled in this region the whole of it was in its primeval condition of wildness and game was very abundant. This inspired him and his wife to cultivate their taste for photographing and they acquired great skill in taking pictures of wild animals in their various attitudes and movements. They have a fine collection of such photographs which has so high a rank that at the Paris exposition in 1900 it secured a diploma as the finest collection ever exhibited, and was awarded a bronze medal at St. Louis in 1904. Mr. Wallihan also published a book entitled "Camera Shots at Big Game," an introduction to which was written by Mr. Roosevelt, now President of the United States. On April 11, 1885, Mr. Wallihan was married to Mrs. Mary A. Farnham, a native of Milwaukee county, Wisconsin, and credited with being the first white child born in that county. She is the daughter of Elisha and Eliza Higgins, natives of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, who moved to Milwaukee in 1835. The father, a Methodist minister, was a carpenter in early life and has the credit of building the first house in Milwaukee. He served there as a justice of the peace for many years, and in other ways was serviceable in the local public life of the community, actively supporting the principles and candidates of the Whig party until its dissolution. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom four are living, Martha, wife of W. H. Gildersleeve; Dr. C. W. Higgins, Thomas R. Higgins, and Mrs. Wallihan. A son named Franklin died in 1902. The father died in 1874 and the mother in 1883.
WEISBECK, Martin	Martin Weisbeck, of Routt county, whose ranch of one hundred and twenty acres located near Craig, is considered one of the best of its size in the county, is one of the sturdy mechanics of self-reliance, perseverance and capacity who helped so materially to develop the resources of this state and build up its industries. He was born in Erie county, New York, on December 1, 1849, and being the son of parents in moderate circumstances, he did not have much opportunity for attending school, but was obliged to work for the necessaries of life from his boyhood. He learned three trades practically, those of stone mason, plasterer and carpenter, and having a handy mechanical turn, found it more easy to master three than many do to master one. In his native state he wrought at these trades for a period of twenty-seven years, then came to Colorado and located at Central City. Here he worked at his trades and also did mining and teaming, continuing at his numerous occupations there until 1885. He then moved to the vicinity of Craig and took a homestead right to his present ranch. It was entirely covered with wild sage brush when he took possession of it, and its present condition is the result of his own indefatigable industry and skillful management. he made the improvements and brought the land to fertility and comeliness, and has been very successful in raising large crops of hay, grain and vegetables. There is an abundant supply of water for sufficient irrigation, and his methods of farming are of the best. In political faith he is a Democrat, but he is not an active partisan. He finds enough to occupy his mind and time in his private affairs
WHITE, Ralph H.	Born and reared in the midst of all the blandishments of the highest civilization, and trained carefully for a mercantile career, with the inheritance of a large business, old and well established, in view, it would seem that Ralph H. White, of near Rifle, Garfield county, has, like Esau, parted with his birthright and sacrificed all that most men hold dear in social and business circles in coming to the wilds of the far West and settling down on a ranch to herd and traffic cattle and become a tiller of the soil. Yet so nicely does nature balance her gifts that to the eye of a true discernment the fate we often repel turns out in the experience to be the best and most agreeable for us. It is so in this case, Mr. White finding both profit and enjoyment in his present occupation, and what is better than either, good health and strength of body as well as elasticity of spirits and cheerfulness of disposition. He is a direct descendant of Peregrine White, born on the "Mayflower" in Plymouth harbor, the first child born of English parentage in New England. Ralph was born in Suffolk county, near Boston, Massachusetts, on October 17, 1873, and is the son of R. H. and Ellen M. (Tucker) White, also natives of that state. His father has from his early manhood been an extensive wholesale and retail merchant, with dry goods as his special commodity, his house being one of the largest in his portion of the country. He has been very successful in his career and has prominence and influence among his people both in mercantile and political circles. He is a stanch Republican in politics and takes an active interest in public affairs, local and national. The children born to the family number four. One daughter is deceased, Anna C., and the other three children are living, Emily, at Boston, Edith, at Newton, and Ralph, in this state. The mother is also deceased, having passed away in 1894. The one son, Ralph was educated at private schools, and was well prepared for business by proper instruction and training. After leaving school he passed a few years in his father's wholesale house, but a threatened failure of his health brought him to Denver, Colorado, to overcome disaster. He remained there four years, then realizing that this was the climate for him to retain his health in he bought the ranch which is now his home, and on which he has since conducted an active and profitable ranch and stock industry. It comprises two hundred acres and ninety acres of the tract are under cultivation, two of them in a prolific and improving orchard. An independent water right appertains to the place, and in addition there is an abundant supply for his cattle from springs. There is a fine modern dwelling on the land, which is equipped with hot and cold water and all the other desirable conveniences of a first-class home. The crops raised are chiefly hay and potatoes, and the cattle industry is extensive and up-to-date in every respect. Mr. White is a devoted and earnest Republican in political activity, and a zealous and serviceable promoter of every good enterprise for the welfare of his community. On August 28, 1903 he married Miss Edith M. Apted, like himself a native of Suffolk county, Massachusetts, and a daughter of William H. and Ella F. (Wood) Apted, also natives of Massachusetts. Her parents have been dead for a number of years, the father passing away on September 8, 1885, and the mother on January 15, 1896. She and her brother Herbert, who lives in New Jersey, are the only survivors of the family. She is well pleased with Colorado as is Mr. White.
WISE, Thomas H.	Belonging to the great Wise family of Virginia, Thomas H. Wise, of near Craig, Routt county, this state, a prominent rancher and cattle man, has well sustained in the new fields of enterprise, which he sought as a young man of twenty-three, the traditions and fame of his ancestry in the Old Dominion. His father, William H. Wise, was a native of that state, where his forefathers lived and took a prominent part in public affairs for generations; and his mother, whose maiden name was Caroline Smith, was born and reared in Ohio. They were prosperous farmers in the latter state for a number of years, then moved to Illinois, where their son Thomas was born on March 11, 1863, the place on his birth being Galesburg, Knox county. The father was a Democrat in national politics. He died in 1869 and the mother in 1871. They had nine children, two of whom, Thomas H. and his older brother John M., are living. Thomas received very little education in the schools, his wisest and best teacher being experience. Even in his boyhood he earned his won living by working on his father's farm, removing with his parents to northwestern Missouri in 1870. Here he learned lessons of useful industry on the paternal homestead located near the city of St. Joseph. He remained in Missouri engaged in farming until 1884, then became a resident of Colorado, and ranched in Boulder county until 1886. In that year he moved to Routt county and, in partnership with his older brother, took up a fine ranch of five hundred and sixty acres on Williams fork, which has since been his home. Since the death of his brother Francis M., in 1895, he has had entire management. He found his land full of promise, but with all its possibilities as yet undeveloped and containing nothing in the way of a human habitation or other necessary buildings or appurtenances for the business which it was his purpose to carry on there. He has two hundred acres of his domain to an advanced state of cultivation. The cattle industry is his principal dependence, but he also raises good crops of grain, hay and vegetables. In the public life of his neighborhood Mr. Wise has taken an active interest from the start, and he is universally regarded as one of the leading citizens of the county. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonic order, and in political faith he is a firm and zealous Democrat. He has found excellent opportunities for advancement in Colorado and is a loyal citizen of the state, ardently devoted to its every interest and in every commendable way earnest in the work of promoting the welfare of its people. He carries into the affairs his county in which the progress and enduring advantage of his fellows are involved the same breadth of view, commanding energy and progressive spirit which he applied to the management of his private business, and helps to subserve the public interest without stint to the best of is abilities.
WOOLLEY, George, D.	George D. Woolley, head of the firm of Woolley Brothers, extensive and prominent stock men doing business on Bear river near Craig, was born in Jefferson county, Colorado on July 26, 1872, and is the son of George and Hannah Woolley, the farmer a native of New York state and the latter of Ireland. During the early manhood of the father he followed mining, but his later years were devoted to ranching and raising cattle. He came to Colorado in 1861 and located at Nevadaville. He mined in this neighborhood until 1871, having varied success and failure, then moved to Golden where he mined for a time, then turned his attention to ranching as has been noted. Fraternally he was a Knight of Pythias and politically a Democrat. He died on June 7, 1888, leaving his wife and six children as his survivors, all of whom are still living. The children are Charles L., Effie, wife of John Mack, Mary E., wife of Joseph McKay, Ida C., wife of James Finlay, Lillian G., wife of Harry Terrill, and George D. The last named was educated at the common and high schools in his native county and remained at home with his parents assisting in their labors until he reached his seventeenth year. In 1893, in partnership with his brother Charles, he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land, of the ranches now owned and worked by the firm, which was then covered with sage brush. This they began at once with energy and judgment to improve and reduce to productiveness. In 1896 they bought another ranch of two hundred acres, and this also they have redeemed to fertility and comeliness and furnished it with good buildings and other improvements necessary to a first-class ranching and cattle business. Their crops on both places are large and the quality is superior, and their cattle industry is one of the leading ones in this part of the county. The brothers take a deep and helpful interest in the public and fraternal life of the community. George being a member of the Masonic order and the Woodmen of the World, and both being Democrats in political alliance. They are progressive, enterprising and popular, zealous for the advancement and improvement of the community, and the county in which they live, and always willing to bear their share of the burden incident to the best interests of the public. George D. was married on September 25, 1901, to Miss Catherine E. Finley a native of Decatur county, Kansas, a daughter of Roland W. and Laura E. (White) Finley, a sketch of whom will be seen on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Woolley have one child, their son Raymond D. The style of the firm under which the ranching business is conducted is Woolley Brothers. It is well known throughout a wide extent of country as a synonym for uprightness and integrity as well as enterprise and progressiveness in business, while the individual members of the firm are highly esteemed as men and citizens.

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MOFFAT COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT

BIOGRAPHIES T - Z

Extracted from "Progressive Men of Western Colorado" generously donated by the 'Museum of Northwest Colorado', email musnwco@cmn.net

Transcribed by Shelley Barnes shellbbco@prodigy.net

NAME

BIOGRAPHY

TEMPLE, John Charles

Although the son of parents born in Scotland and reared in Ireland, the prominent and progressive ranch and cattle man who is the subject of this article is a native of Colorado and has passed the whole of his manhood so far within the state. He was born in Clear Creek county on January 7, 1867, and is the son of James E. and Rebecca Temple, who emigrated to the United States soon after their marriage and located at St. Louis, Missouri. There the father served as captain on a steamboat on the Mississippi until 1860, then came to this state and took up his residence near Black Hawk, Gilpin county, where he followed mining two years without success. In 1862 he moved to clear Creek county, and after farming there a short time returned to black Hawk and resumed his mining operations, which he continued at that place until 1869. In that year he moved his family to New Mexico, and there he was more fortunate, locating several valuable mines, among them the Touse at Cimmeron. In 1871 he turned his attention to the raising of cattle and conducted a dairy business in connection with the industry at Cimmaron. Two years later he moved eastward in the territory but kept on in the same lines of activity three years longer. IN 1876 he began to devote his attention to raising cattle exclusively and carried on the business extensively. He was a successful man in his various enterprises, and in political faith was a stanch republican, he died in March, 1886, and his wife passed away in 1899. Six of their children are living, Edward J., Joseph R., William O., John Charles, Harry r. and Frank L. John Charles is practically a self-make man. He attended the common schools, but in an irregular way owing to the migratory life of the family. When he was approaching manhood he had an opportunity to attend two terms at the Denver University, and being quick and studious, he made good use of his time there. From boyhood he assisted his parents, remaining with them in New Mexico until 1885. He then returned to Colorado and took up his residence at Maybell, Routt county, on Bear river. Here he was employed in looking after cattle and remained until 1890. There were but few settlers on the river then and the life of Mr. temple was almost devoid of congenial associations. But he had a fund of entertainment within himself, and the ministrations of nature were always pleasing and fruitful of inspiration to him. She opened to him a theater of boundless life, and held forth a cup brimming with redundant pleasure, of which he could fearlessly drink, gaining new vigor with every draught and finding no dregs of bitterness at the bottom. In 1890 he purchased the ranch he now owns and occupies, which was one of the first located in the vicinity of Hayden, and now one of the best. It comprises seven hundred and twenty acres, of which he can cultivate four hundred in hay, grain and vegetables, but hay and cattle are is chief productions and most profitable resource. He has made many fine improvements on his ranch and carried its cultivation forward to a high state. His cattle are grade Shorthorns and they have an exalted rank in the stock industry of the state. Politically Mr. Temple is a Republican and fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and a Woodman of the World. He was married on December 24, 1895, to Miss Daisy Dowden, a native of Colorado, born in Jefferson county. They have four children, James R., Laura M., Frank L. and Dora. Mrs. Temple is the daughter of Samuel M. and Anna L. Dowden, natives of Indiana who came to Colorado to live in 1866 and are now prosperously engaged in farming near Grand Junction. The father was a soldier in the Civil war. Politically he is a Democrat. Eight children were born in the household, six of whom are living, Anna R. (Mrs. Walker), Nellie E., Carrie C., Ella G., Mrs. Temple and Willie. While living in New Mexico Mr. Temple saw Indians who were wards of the government and supposed to be entirely peaceful and who drew their supplies at Cimmaron, massacre white persons and steal cattle. His people were living remote from the main roads and on that account escaped injury. The fighting Indians were Utes and Apaches.

THOMPSON, Elija B.

From his youth the subject of this sketch has been connected actively with the stock industry, and he has learned the business by practical experience in every department of it. His life began in Tuolumne county, California, on August 27, 1856, and he is the son of George and Sarah (Blakesley) Thompson, farmers of Virginia who moved to California soon after the discovery of gold in that state. There the father devoted his attention to mining and in his work discovered and located several valuable properties, among them the Red Bluff gold mine, which he discovered on March 9, 1857. There were two children born in the family, Obediah and Elijah. The latter had no opportunities for attending school beyond a period of six days. He reached man's estate through labor and privation, enduring hardships and encountering dangers of various kinds in the wild, unsettled country n which his earlier years were passed, and as soon as he was able became a range rider in the cattle industry. In the employ of the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company he drove cattle from Texas to Rockyford, in this state, bringing them over the trail in the absence of definite roads, and also served the company in other ways during a period of ten years, being their foreman seven years of the time. He became a resident of Colorado in 1884, and on May 30, 1890, purchased a ranch of three hundred and twenty acres on Snake river where he was busily occupied in ranching and raising cattle and horses until 1900. Here he suffered many reverses, but in spite of them he made steady progress. On November 4, 1898, his buildings were destroyed by hostile Indians who had risen against the whites because their destruction of game was ordered stopped by the game warden. They gave the settlers a great deal of trouble over this order, and as Mr. Thompson was able to speak the Mexican language, he served as interpreter in bringing about a settlement of the dispute. One battle was fought in which six Indians were killed, and during the turmoil he was himself marked for slaughter, the notorious Tom Horn having arranged to kill him and four other men on October 27th. The plot was only partially successful, Isham Dart being killed by the desperado on the date named and Matthew Rasch by the same hand on October 4th, the others, Mr. Thompson, Joseph Davenport and Samuel Bassett, escaping. From 1900 to May, 1904, Mr. Thompson was engaged in the livery business and in dealing in horses, and he is now located on a good ranch of three hundred and sixty acres on Williams's fork. He has three hundred acres under cultivation, raising good crops of hay, grain and vegetables, and also carries on a thriving cattle industry. In political life he is an earnest Democrat and fraternally belongs to the Woodmen of the World. In May, 1890, he was married to Miss Armida Bowner, who was born in Wisconsin. Three children have been born to them. One died in infancy and Lyman B. and Anama are living. It should be mentioned as a matter of interest that there are large deposits of bituminous coal on Mr. Thompson's land and the outlook for the vigorous and profitable working of mines there is very promising.

UTLEY, David

The parents of David Utley, one of the progressive and enterprising ranch and stock men and leading citizens of Routt county, who lives on a fine ranch of three hundred and twenty acres located in the neighborhood of Hamilton, Benjamin B. Rebecca (Stevens) Utley, were born and reared in Indiana. Soon after their marriage they moved to the vicinity of Bushnell, Illinois, where their son David was born on April 30, 1861, and later they moved to Christian county, that state. The parents have followed farming all their lives so far, and are engaged in that occupation now in Bates county, Missouri, where they settled in 1871. They have had eleven children, six of whom have died. The five living are Rebecca, Miranda, David, Joseph and George. David was reared on the farm and educated at the district schools. He remained with his parents in Bates county, Missouri, until he reached his nineteenth year, then, in 1880, became a resident of Colorado. In this state he first located at Gunnison and there he followed mining and prospecting three years. In 1883 he moved to Leadville, where he mined for wages and prospected for a period of eight months. In the spring of 1885 he took up by pre- emption a portion of the ranch which has since been his home, and subsequently added one hundred and sixty acres more by purchase. The ranch is located on Williams fork and is one of the best in that highly favored region. Mr. Utley has a large acreage under cultivation and raises excellent crops of hay and grain, but his main dependence is on cattle and hay. These he produces on a large scale and of superior quality. He is a very progressive and public- spirited citizen, and is highly esteemed throughout the whole section in which he lives, being always foremost in matters of public improvement and moral questions in which the best interests of the community are concerned. He was married on October 26, 1891, to Miss Anna Miller, a native of Cooper county, Missouri, but who grew to maturity in the border county of Bates, that state. She is the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Moore) Miller, the father born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and the mother in the state of Indiana. They made Missouri their final home, and here the father was a prosperous blacksmith. They had eleven children. Thomas and Daniel died, and William, John, Joseph, James, Carl, Augusta, George, Gertrude and Anna are living. The father was an ardent Republican in political faith and took a cordial interest in public local affairs. He died in 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Utley have one child, Ralph. Having lived now nearly twenty-five years in this state, and all the while actively engaged in some of its leading industries, Mr. Utley has contributed essentially and substantially to its growth and development, and its deeply and serviceably interested in every element of its greatness, wealth and power. Throughout the section in which he lives he is held in high esteem and looked upon as one of the influential and representative men.

VAN TASSEL, Hiram

The early settlers of the West and North west of this country have been for the most part men who were born to poverty and privation and who learned early in life the lessons of self-denial and self- reliance, and by taking care of themselves acquired readiness in emergencies and resourcefulness under all circumstances. To this type belongs Hiram Van Tassel, an influential citizen of Routt county, conducting a large and profitable ranching and cattle industry five miles east of Craig. Mr. Van Tassel was born on March 15, 1859, in Antrim county, Michigan, and is the son of Andrew and Adeline Van Tassel, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of England. They became residents of Michigan in early days and in that state they passed the remainder of their lives, the mother dying in 1859 and the father on January 20, 1890. The father was a gunsmith and carpenter, and working at these crafts he achieved a gratifying success. He was a Democrat in political faith and an Odd Fellow in fraternal relations. Five children were born in the family, only two whom are living. Hiram and his older brother Charles. Hiram was obliged to look out for himself at an early age and consequently his opportunities for education at the schools were very limited. Until he reached the age of twenty years he was variously employed in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Illinois. In 1879 he became a resident of Colorado, and, locating at Lake City, he furnished supplies for the John J. Crook mines under contract, continuing in the business until he "went broke" at it in 1881. He then turned his attention to raising cattle near the boundary line between Gunnison and Saguache counties, and remained there so occupied until September, 1903. He then sold the ranch of one thousand acres which he had acquired, getting a good price for it, and moved to the one he now occupies, which he bought. It comprises three hundred and sixty acres and he has one hundred and fifty acres in a good state of fertility and productiveness, raising hay, grain, small fruits and vegetables in abundance, but finding cattle and hay his most prolific and profitable products. He is an enterprising and progressive citizen, and shows an earnest interest in every phase of the development and growth of his community. Fraternally he belongs to the Woodmen of the World, and politically he is independent. Mr. Van Tassel was married on February 3, 1887, to Miss Lydia J. Lovell, a native of Will county, Illinois, born on January 4, 1860. They have had four children, of whom one daughter named Pearl died on April 3, 1896, and Olive F., Earl A. and Blanche P. are living. In his long life in this state, Mr. Van Tassel has had many trials, endured many hardships and taken part in many thrilling incidents. He witnessed the capture of Packer, the noted cannibal, and helped to build the scaffold on which he was to have been hanged. He also witnessed the hanging of Betts and Downing, two notorious outlaws. The last words of Downing were "Give me a chew of tobacco." While at work at the smelter Mr. Van Tassel also witnessed the shooting of his partner, George Young.

WALKER, George W.

Born at a pleasant home in the sunny South, and beginning life with fair prospects of advancement, the career of George W. Walker, of near Craig, Routt county, illustrates the irony of fortune which so often mocks the brightest hopes of men, and also the advantages of pluck, persistency, industry and frugality in this land of boundless opportunities. His life began in Franklin county, Alabama, on February 12, 1856, and he is the last born and only surviving child of Anderson and Martha Walker, the former a native of Georgia and the latter of Alabama. They had a family of eight children of whom seven are dead. The father was a prosperous farmer for his day and section, but died when the son was only ten years old, his wife having passed away three years before. Thus orphaned at the early age of ten years, Mr. Walker saw all his prospects for a good start in life laid in the graves of his parents, and from the time of his father's death was obliged to make his own way in the world. At this time he migrated to Illinois, where he remained and worked on farms for wages until 1882. His next three years were passed in Nebraska in the same employment, and in 1885 he came to Colorado and located on Bear river. Here he pre-empted a tract of land and homesteaded on another, securing three hundred and eighty acres in all. The land was wild and unbroken, given up wholly to unprofitable sage brush and grease-wood. But with characteristic energy he went to work at improving it and making it productive with tthe result that he now has one hundred acres under good cultivation and one of the desirable and profitable ranches in his neighborhood. His principal resources are hay and cattle, but he raises first-rate crops of grain, vegetables and small fruits. All the buildings and other improvements on the ranch have been made by Mr. Walker, and the place is a tribute to his enterprise, skill and business capacity. He has also taken a warm and serviceable interest in the local affairs of his community, sparing no effort on his part toward its development and wholesome progress. He helped to build the first church in Routt county, laying the stone foundation himself, this being one of the popular church edifices at Craig and in many other ways he has contributed to the substantial advancement of every worthy interest in the neighborhood. On arriving in this state his entire capital in money was fifty cents, but he had in addition a firm determination to succeed, an unyielding energy, a resourceful self-reliance, and a keen eye for good opportunities. Through these his present success has been won, and as a self-made man he is a credit to American citizenship, and as such is universally esteemed wherever he is known. He was married on June 9, 1889, to Miss Mary Breeze, a native of Illinois. They have one child, their daughter Jennie E.

WALLIHAN, Allen G.

During the last twenty-two years the subject of this brief memoir has been a resident of Routt county, and during that period he has borne his full share of labor and responsibility in the development and advancement of the section. He is a progressive and far-seeking ranch man, a photographer of live game of wide renown and a writer of note. In each branch of his business and in all his sports and pleasures his wife is an active assistant and an enthusiastic partner with him, she being the only lady widely noted as a successful photographer of wild game. Mr. Wallihan was born at Fortville, Rock county, Wisconsin, on June 15, 1859, and is the son of Pierce and Lucy L. (Flower) Wallihan, natives of the state of Pennsylvania. The father was a tailor and farmer. In 1870 he brought his family to Colorado and located at Denver. He engaged in ranching near the city, but owing to the ravages of the grasshoppers was obliged to abandon this venture, and then returned to his old Wisconsin home, where he died in 1898, having survived his wife of twenty-one years. The father was a Republican politically, and both he and his wife belonged to the Methodist church. Six of their eleven children are living, Orlando F., Dr. Samuel S., Sylvanus F., George P., Allen G. and Mary K. Allen received his slender education in the common schools, supplementing the lessons learned there in the subsequent school of experience and by general reading. He remained at home working in the interest of his parents until 1876, then began operations for himself, working on farms in the vicinity of his home until 1879, when he came to Colorado and took up his residence at Leadville. Here he expended his time and money to prospecting and mining without success. In the fall of 1880 he moved to Colorado Springs, and after passing nearly a year there in a variety of occupations, in 1881 changed his residence to Alpine, where he again engaged in prospecting and mining, with alternate success and failure. In July, 1882, he located on a ranch in Routt county, which he took up on a pre-emption claim and on which he lived until 1885, engaged in raising horses for market. He then homesteaded on the one he now occupies, and in addition, in the years 1885, 1886 and 1887, leased the Ora Haley ranch. His location is at Lay, on Bear river, twenty-two miles west of Craig, and his ranch comprises one hundred and sixty acres. Actively interested in the success of the Republican party, to which he yields a loyal support and recognized as a man of force and usefulness in its councils, he has been the postmaster at Lay continuously since 1885, and is said to be the oldest postmaster by continuous service in the state. In addition to his ranch property Mr. Wallihan owns an interest of magnitude in a tract of ten thousand acres of bituminous coal land in which the deposit is two hundred feet thick. When he settled in this region the whole of it was in its primeval condition of wildness and game was very abundant. This inspired him and his wife to cultivate their taste for photographing and they acquired great skill in taking pictures of wild animals in their various attitudes and movements. They have a fine collection of such photographs which has so high a rank that at the Paris exposition in 1900 it secured a diploma as the finest collection ever exhibited, and was awarded a bronze medal at St. Louis in 1904. Mr. Wallihan also published a book entitled "Camera Shots at Big Game," an introduction to which was written by Mr. Roosevelt, now President of the United States. On April 11, 1885, Mr. Wallihan was married to Mrs. Mary A. Farnham, a native of Milwaukee county, Wisconsin, and credited with being the first white child born in that county. She is the daughter of Elisha and Eliza Higgins, natives of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, who moved to Milwaukee in 1835. The father, a Methodist minister, was a carpenter in early life and has the credit of building the first house in Milwaukee. He served there as a justice of the peace for many years, and in other ways was serviceable in the local public life of the community, actively supporting the principles and candidates of the Whig party until its dissolution. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom four are living, Martha, wife of W. H. Gildersleeve; Dr. C. W. Higgins, Thomas R. Higgins, and Mrs. Wallihan. A son named Franklin died in 1902. The father died in 1874 and the mother in 1883.

WEISBECK, Martin

Martin Weisbeck, of Routt county, whose ranch of one hundred and twenty acres located near Craig, is considered one of the best of its size in the county, is one of the sturdy mechanics of self-reliance, perseverance and capacity who helped so materially to develop the resources of this state and build up its industries. He was born in Erie county, New York, on December 1, 1849, and being the son of parents in moderate circumstances, he did not have much opportunity for attending school, but was obliged to work for the necessaries of life from his boyhood. He learned three trades practically, those of stone mason, plasterer and carpenter, and having a handy mechanical turn, found it more easy to master three than many do to master one. In his native state he wrought at these trades for a period of twenty-seven years, then came to Colorado and located at Central City. Here he worked at his trades and also did mining and teaming, continuing at his numerous occupations there until 1885. He then moved to the vicinity of Craig and took a homestead right to his present ranch. It was entirely covered with wild sage brush when he took possession of it, and its present condition is the result of his own indefatigable industry and skillful management. he made the improvements and brought the land to fertility and comeliness, and has been very successful in raising large crops of hay, grain and vegetables. There is an abundant supply of water for sufficient irrigation, and his methods of farming are of the best. In political faith he is a Democrat, but he is not an active partisan. He finds enough to occupy his mind and time in his private affairs

WHITE, Ralph H.

Born and reared in the midst of all the blandishments of the highest civilization, and trained carefully for a mercantile career, with the inheritance of a large business, old and well established, in view, it would seem that Ralph H. White, of near Rifle, Garfield county, has, like Esau, parted with his birthright and sacrificed all that most men hold dear in social and business circles in coming to the wilds of the far West and settling down on a ranch to herd and traffic cattle and become a tiller of the soil. Yet so nicely does nature balance her gifts that to the eye of a true discernment the fate we often repel turns out in the experience to be the best and most agreeable for us. It is so in this case, Mr. White finding both profit and enjoyment in his present occupation, and what is better than either, good health and strength of body as well as elasticity of spirits and cheerfulness of disposition. He is a direct descendant of Peregrine White, born on the "Mayflower" in Plymouth harbor, the first child born of English parentage in New England. Ralph was born in Suffolk county, near Boston, Massachusetts, on October 17, 1873, and is the son of R. H. and Ellen M. (Tucker) White, also natives of that state. His father has from his early manhood been an extensive wholesale and retail merchant, with dry goods as his special commodity, his house being one of the largest in his portion of the country. He has been very successful in his career and has prominence and influence among his people both in mercantile and political circles. He is a stanch Republican in politics and takes an active interest in public affairs, local and national. The children born to the family number four. One daughter is deceased, Anna C., and the other three children are living, Emily, at Boston, Edith, at Newton, and Ralph, in this state. The mother is also deceased, having passed away in 1894. The one son, Ralph was educated at private schools, and was well prepared for business by proper instruction and training. After leaving school he passed a few years in his father's wholesale house, but a threatened failure of his health brought him to Denver, Colorado, to overcome disaster. He remained there four years, then realizing that this was the climate for him to retain his health in he bought the ranch which is now his home, and on which he has since conducted an active and profitable ranch and stock industry. It comprises two hundred acres and ninety acres of the tract are under cultivation, two of them in a prolific and improving orchard. An independent water right appertains to the place, and in addition there is an abundant supply for his cattle from springs. There is a fine modern dwelling on the land, which is equipped with hot and cold water and all the other desirable conveniences of a first-class home. The crops raised are chiefly hay and potatoes, and the cattle industry is extensive and up-to-date in every respect. Mr. White is a devoted and earnest Republican in political activity, and a zealous and serviceable promoter of every good enterprise for the welfare of his community. On August 28, 1903 he married Miss Edith M. Apted, like himself a native of Suffolk county, Massachusetts, and a daughter of William H. and Ella F. (Wood) Apted, also natives of Massachusetts. Her parents have been dead for a number of years, the father passing away on September 8, 1885, and the mother on January 15, 1896. She and her brother Herbert, who lives in New Jersey, are the only survivors of the family. She is well pleased with Colorado as is Mr. White.

WISE, Thomas H.

Belonging to the great Wise family of Virginia, Thomas H. Wise, of near Craig, Routt county, this state, a prominent rancher and cattle man, has well sustained in the new fields of enterprise, which he sought as a young man of twenty-three, the traditions and fame of his ancestry in the Old Dominion. His father, William H. Wise, was a native of that state, where his forefathers lived and took a prominent part in public affairs for generations; and his mother, whose maiden name was Caroline Smith, was born and reared in Ohio. They were prosperous farmers in the latter state for a number of years, then moved to Illinois, where their son Thomas was born on March 11, 1863, the place on his birth being Galesburg, Knox county. The father was a Democrat in national politics. He died in 1869 and the mother in 1871. They had nine children, two of whom, Thomas H. and his older brother John M., are living. Thomas received very little education in the schools, his wisest and best teacher being experience. Even in his boyhood he earned his won living by working on his father's farm, removing with his parents to northwestern Missouri in 1870. Here he learned lessons of useful industry on the paternal homestead located near the city of St. Joseph. He remained in Missouri engaged in farming until 1884, then became a resident of Colorado, and ranched in Boulder county until 1886. In that year he moved to Routt county and, in partnership with his older brother, took up a fine ranch of five hundred and sixty acres on Williams fork, which has since been his home. Since the death of his brother Francis M., in 1895, he has had entire management. He found his land full of promise, but with all its possibilities as yet undeveloped and containing nothing in the way of a human habitation or other necessary buildings or appurtenances for the business which it was his purpose to carry on there. He has two hundred acres of his domain to an advanced state of cultivation. The cattle industry is his principal dependence, but he also raises good crops of grain, hay and vegetables. In the public life of his neighborhood Mr. Wise has taken an active interest from the start, and he is universally regarded as one of the leading citizens of the county. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonic order, and in political faith he is a firm and zealous Democrat. He has found excellent opportunities for advancement in Colorado and is a loyal citizen of the state, ardently devoted to its every interest and in every commendable way earnest in the work of promoting the welfare of its people. He carries into the affairs his county in which the progress and enduring advantage of his fellows are involved the same breadth of view, commanding energy and progressive spirit which he applied to the management of his private business, and helps to subserve the public interest without stint to the best of is abilities.

WOOLLEY, George, D.

George D. Woolley, head of the firm of Woolley Brothers, extensive and prominent stock men doing business on Bear river near Craig, was born in Jefferson county, Colorado on July 26, 1872, and is the son of George and Hannah Woolley, the farmer a native of New York state and the latter of Ireland. During the early manhood of the father he followed mining, but his later years were devoted to ranching and raising cattle. He came to Colorado in 1861 and located at Nevadaville. He mined in this neighborhood until 1871, having varied success and failure, then moved to Golden where he mined for a time, then turned his attention to ranching as has been noted. Fraternally he was a Knight of Pythias and politically a Democrat. He died on June 7, 1888, leaving his wife and six children as his survivors, all of whom are still living. The children are Charles L., Effie, wife of John Mack, Mary E., wife of Joseph McKay, Ida C., wife of James Finlay, Lillian G., wife of Harry Terrill, and George D. The last named was educated at the common and high schools in his native county and remained at home with his parents assisting in their labors until he reached his seventeenth year. In 1893, in partnership with his brother Charles, he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land, of the ranches now owned and worked by the firm, which was then covered with sage brush. This they began at once with energy and judgment to improve and reduce to productiveness. In 1896 they bought another ranch of two hundred acres, and this also they have redeemed to fertility and comeliness and furnished it with good buildings and other improvements necessary to a first-class ranching and cattle business. Their crops on both places are large and the quality is superior, and their cattle industry is one of the leading ones in this part of the county. The brothers take a deep and helpful interest in the public and fraternal life of the community. George being a member of the Masonic order and the Woodmen of the World, and both being Democrats in political alliance. They are progressive, enterprising and popular, zealous for the advancement and improvement of the community, and the county in which they live, and always willing to bear their share of the burden incident to the best interests of the public. George D. was married on September 25, 1901, to Miss Catherine E. Finley a native of Decatur county, Kansas, a daughter of Roland W. and Laura E. (White) Finley, a sketch of whom will be seen on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Woolley have one child, their son Raymond D. The style of the firm under which the ranching business is conducted is Woolley Brothers. It is well known throughout a wide extent of country as a synonym for uprightness and integrity as well as enterprise and progressiveness in business, while the individual members of the firm are highly esteemed as men and citizens.

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