by Charles W. Bowman

Biographies

   Mr. Smith came from Southern Kansas to Colorado, where he has resided most of the time since 1860. He was born in Oneida County, N.Y., in 1837. Three years afterward, his parents removed to New York City. He attended the city schools until he commenced to learn the paper-ruling and book-binding business. His parents died when he was thirteen years old, and left him to care for himself. He made rapid progress in his trade, and, at the age of seventeen, he received a journeyman's wages. In 1855, he went to Rock Island, Ill., where he was employed at his trade until the spring of 1857, when he removed to Wyandotte, Kan., where he remained most of the time until the spring of 1860. It was during the Pike's Peak excitement that he came to Colorado. He prospected in the mountains for several months, spending a portion of the time in California Gulch. In the winter of 1860-61, he went to New Mexico and worked a year on a farm. During a short season in the early part of the war, he was drafted into the militia, and was stationed a portion of the time at the Governor's house. After he left the service, he returned to Fort Union and farmed on shares. The winter of 1862-63, he went on a hunting expedition for deer, elk, bear and antelope, of which there were great numbers. In 1863, he commenced farming on the Purgatoire Creek, in Nine Mile Bottom. In the fall of 1864, he took care of a bunch of cattle on shares with Uriel Higbee. This business he followed until the spring of 1866. In the fall of the same year, he took up land on the Purgatoire Creek and continued farming and stock-raising. It was during this year that Mr. Smith was elected Assessor for Las Animas County. It extended over a vast territory, and Mr. Smith would ride from one to three days without finding any one to assess. It was at a time when money was not plenty, and county officers were not promptly paid. After his work was finished, he sent in a bill of $188. The payment of it was long delayed. He finally gave it to his partner, Mr. Higbee, and he traded it at Pueblo for two mowing cradles and a gallon of whiskey. Since 1864, he has paid all his attention to farming and stock-raising. During his early settlement on the Purgatoire Creek, he had a good deal of trouble with the Indians. The belt with his pistol was buckled on every morning for years. Mr. Smith is a thoroughly educated cattle man, and is carrying on the business on quite an extensive scale. In the palmy days of Nine Mile Bottom, he was Postmaster and Justice of the Peace. Mr. Smith came to West Las Animas in 1876, where he now resides.