The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-17
CAREER OF A. v. M'GUNE
INTERESTING STORY TOLD IN
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER.
Rich, But Jocularly Calls Himself a
Wood-chopper- California Paper
Discusses His Chance For Senator.
(san Francisco Examiner.)
What is your occupation"

What is your occupation?'
''Woodchopper."
That was the opening and finishing
w. McCune, when the latter went I'D
to go security on the bond of Barney
B. Quinn. assessor of Salt Lake county.
couldn't do as we'll, but that's what
McCune did and he seems able to do
it again.
Starting out as a sheepherder, a cow
puncher, and, in 1868, as a bulwark of
the Utah pioneers against the Black
Hawk Indians at a time when he was
but IA years of age, Alfred w. McCune
has established for himself quite a rec
ord
McCune is one of the aspirants for
the United States senatorship from
Utah this winter, and hopes to receive
the nomination from the Democratic
state legislature just elected. Aside
from the record he has made for him
self, Mr.. McCune has became a ma
tional figure in the line of the develop
ment Of western resources.
He has lately organized the Utah &
Pacific railroad, line to connect Mil
ford, Utah, with tidewater, and this of
itself gives him a financial standing
even equal to his earlier achievements
in industrial pursuits. The road from
Salt Lake to Los Angeles was first sur
Veyed and 125 miles of the grade made
by the Union Pacific, and in 1890 seven
miles of the road were constructed but
the financial ills of the old Union Pa
cific were such that the work could
not be completed. After a lapse of one
year the track laid was taken up and
shipped elsewhere, but so great was
the need of the road into southern Utah
and southeastern Nevada, with the
coast as an objective point, that nu-
merous companies We're organized to
take up the work of construction where
it was dropped by the Union Pacific.
/ They all failed to finance the enterprise
until McCune came forward and vol
unteered to construct the first rs miles
out of his own pocket. 1t requires no
stretch of the imagination to assume
that when these rs miles are construct
ed it will be an easy matter to finance
the remainder of the fine to make an
all-rail line from Salt Lake City to Los
Angeles.
Prior to his embarkation in railroad
construction McCune had experienced
a diversified career. Though essential
ly a Utah product, he first saw the light
of day under the British flag, but on
Asiatic soil. His father was an officer
in a line regiment in India, and in 1919
Mac, as he is now known aside from all
other McCunes, was born in Calcutta.
His father became a convert to Nor
monism, and in 1857, after % years of
military service, moved his family to
Utah, poor man, financially. In 1853
he grew a crop in Nephi, and the young
McCune learned then his first lessons
in industry and thrift. The struggle
of the Mormons in those days was for
existence, and, regardless of his tender
years, the present railway magnate,
mine-owner, capitalist and senatorial
aspirant was pressed into the work of
harvesting the crop. Only four years
! later the Indian wars broke out, and
when but il years of age McCune did
of the settlers cattle, and, incidentally,
of bunch of calvesp he had acquired
himself two years earlier.
The construction of the main line of
the Union Pacific suggested possibili-
ties to him, and in 1868 he sold all he
possessed for an outfit and went into
| Wyoming as a contractor. He was sue
cessful and later organized the con-
tracing firm of Grover, McCune &,
Read. and built railroads in Utah,
! Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana
and Oregon. He was the moving spirit
in the establishing of the forwarding
business from Salt Lake City to Phoebe,
New, when that was the banner mining
camp of the west and could record
more homicides, etc, than have since
been heard of from Creole, Cripple
| Creek or Klondike.
Everything considered, McCune is the
most picturesque figure in business as
well as political circles in Utah today,
and that he will win out in the ensG-
ing senatorial contest is generally con-
! ceded