La Junta tribune., 1908-03-21
IN memoe,an.

IAtNs Oi"o, ApTli ID, 1904, ana uleu
in La Junta, Colo, Friday morning.
March Il, 1908. aged 73 years, 10
months and 10 days. death resulting
from a stroke of paralysis which he
suffered January 18th of the present
year.
Mr.. Spane's parents came from
East X Mt England. early in the
year 1874 and he was born shortly
after their arrival. They settled
near Cleveland, Ohio. After re.
naming there short time they re-
moved to Richland county. same
state. He attended the common
schools and worked on farm until
he was seventeen years of age. Mr..
Spane at this time went to johnson
county Iowa, and improved farm
for Mr. Mason during the fall and
winter of lS5l-52. He then crossed
the plans to Oregon. on the Colum-
bia River. thirteen miles east of
Portland. He was nearly six months
on the road. The party ran out of
provisions while on the Blue Noun
tains. For two days, he was out on
hunting expedition. and killed
only few grouse. They found a
substitute for beef and wild game
in an Indian pony, which they killed
and lived on for forty-eight hours.
Soon after this. they came TO an In
dian camp, and traded for some
corn and potatoes. The following
day. they arrived at a place where
they traded an odd steer for thirty
pounds of flour. The steer was
valued at $50. In the winter, flour
was worth $50 per hundred pounds
in Oregon. Mr.. Spane was in the
TERRITORY about eighteen months.
He had put in a crop Of wheat. and.
just before harvesting, gold ex
citement sprang up on the coast
range of mountains in Southern
Oregon. He left his fields and did
not return to them. He proceeded
to Sterlingville, Ore, and located
gold mines.
For time, he worked for other
parties and sold out his claims on
account of floods. and went to APP
plegate. short distance from Ster-
lingville. He then proceeded to
Hamburg Bar. Klamath River, in
Northern California. There, in
company with others, he worked
naasy two years in placing a dam
across the river in order to turn its
course for the purpose of working
the river bottom. The scheme was
not a paying one. Mr.. Spane then
went to some southern mines in
Tuolumne county, near Columbia.
There he bought an interest in a
claim in Martinez Gulch, where he
remained until the fall of 1859. He
then returned to Ohio. where he
remained until the spring of 1860,
when he went to Kansas. where he
enlisted. June. 1861. in the Second
Kansas Volunteer Infantry; served
five months. and was discharged,
but re-enlistcd, December, 1861.
in the Third Kansas Volunteers,
which vas composed of cavalry and
infantry. but was subsequently
transferred to the Fifth Kansas
Volunteer Cavalry. During his SER
vice, he was wounded four times.
At one time, he was wounded and
left on the battlefield. near Mount
Vernon, Ark. He also received a
wound at the time General Lyon
was killed at Wilson Creek. For
ten months, he was prisoner, hav-
ing been captured at Marks Mill.
Ark. He was discharged in April,
1865. On account Of being cap
tured, he lost his descriptive list,
and was consequently detained at
Leavenworth for some time before
receiving duplicate from Washing
ton. After leaving the army, he
went to Linn County, Kan, and
worked at carpentering. He was
married, May l3. 1S66.to Miss Sarah
Summers. In the spring of 1873. he
came to Colorado. His first stop
was on the divide. during the sum-
mer. In the fall, he went to Red
Creek and hauled ties to the river.
In the spring Of 1874, Mr.. Spane
moved to Riches ranch and farmed
u,r voorc In Eehruarv 1875 hq