N. Benton Yackey
Contributed by Karen Mitchell and Jean Griesan. Photo by Floyd Kelling.
N. Benton Yackey 1843 - 1938
Yackey was the last surviving member of the Grand Army of the Republic in Pueblo. As commander of the post - and only member - he held regular meetings and went through the ritual. He was a familiar sight as he walked about the city in his blue GAR uniform and cap until weeks before his death. He was one of the organizers of the GAR in Pueblo in 1881 and was active in affairs of the Colorado-Wyoming department. A native of Illinois, he was reared in St. Louis and served in the Second Missouri Cavalry before being wounded in the battle for Memphis, Missouri, in 1862. He then was a carpenter on steamboats plying the Mississippi River and tributaries for several years. He moved to Pueblo with his wife in 1878, worked as a clothing salesman, operated an express wagon for ten years, and later worked as a cabinet maker and carpenter. He was a member of Independent Order of Odd Fellows No. 8 for 73 years.
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