Cañon City record., 1911-02-09
OTTO MEARS
A PIONEER OF
COLORADO

acters at the good roads banquet at
the Strathmore hotel last Saturday
night was Otto Mears OF SilveIt-n,
the father of mountain road building
in Colorado. Mr.. Mears is in many
respects ne of the best posted and
most interesting men in the state and
ii is always a pleasure to talk to him
about early times in the west. ne
went to California from the east IN
1851 and engaged in gold mining IL
the outbreak of the Civil war ten
years later when he Joined the F ST
California Volunteers and was sent
with his regiment to this section i
the country to help keep Colorado
and New Mexico in the Union.
When the was w.s over and he
vas mustered out Of the military
service he settled In Saguache CO ru-
ty, where he engaged in stock r4ls-
ing. and later. in the freighing bra.-
ness. His nearest neigrbors wee
about eighty miles away, but he =
not mind 1t very much as there was
nobody to bother him In his nfer
prises. He was prominent in having
the territorial legislature establisn
Saguache county. although there vrs
hardly more than forty white msu
living within fits boundaries at that
time At the first election after the
county was orPanized Fifty woe.
were cast. which Mr.. Mears says Ess
considerably in excess of all ne
white people residing there when tie
election was held. For a consic ar
able period there were no county OF
fcers and the citizens voluntarily es-
sessed themselves an equal amount
in the way of taxes and sent the
money TO the territorial treasure At
Denver In order to get representa-
ton in the legislature. Saguache was
At that time in a senatorial district
composed OF Fremont. FL Paso and
Park counties
In 1867 Nr. Nears made his n-st
VISIT to Canon CITY. coming here tc
sell fruit end vegetables. which he
had grown in the San Luis valley.
The town then had four or FIVE han
dred people and was trading point
OF importance in this section of the
country For many years Mr.. Mears
has been prominently Identified with
the development OF the San Juan
valley. particularly with its mining.
agricultural and grazing interests
He owns and operates a narrow
gauge railroad over there and 81 Is
employment in one way and anoth er
employs a good many people at gid
wages. He has In service on his
road seven locomotive engines. If
teen or twenty passenger coach s
and twenty-five freight cars. Many
OF the cars used in carrying trelg Il
beyond his own lines belong to the
( Denver & Rio Graude system. A ss-
culiar thing about Mr.. Mears road {
that bis men have been trained to 10
almost anything connected with the
railroad business. and, as n conse-
/ quence. II a conductor Is sick sid
compelled to take n Iay-off q brake
man can take his place. or a nrea.au
perform the duties OF an engineer.
Every man In his mploy 10 given &
months vacation every year With
full pay and N ufshed q pass to
California. Florida. or any other nat
Otto Mears is one of the interestine
and picturesque figures OF Color lido
Mr.. Mears is well on toward
eighty years OF age. but he is as act
I've and energetic as most men at
three score and his interest In bus
ness Affairs as keen as ever. HIS
health and vitality are marvellous and
, everywhere he goes he Is congratu-
, lated on his youthful appearance. HIS
physical and mental preservation e
! wonderful and reveals the possi, Ill
ties OF an abstemious and careful '.e.
Mr.. Mears declares that II has been
SO long since he was sick that he has
forgotten IT, No says he rarely has
nm ache or pain of any kind ana
attributes his good health TO the
regularity Of his habits and mannei
Of living. He says that fully sixty
per cent OF the nights since conink
to Colorado nearly hnii century
he has slept out In the open air. He
never eats pastry OF any kind. al
though he smokes cigar once In n
while and for years has occasionaii,
taken = little whlskey "for the stpm-
ach's sake"
'r'fTar-s