Pueblo County Biographies

Pueblo County, Colorado
COL. M. H. FITCH

Contributed by Karen Mitchell.

This gentleman is well known as a capitalist and banker of Pueblo. He was born in Lexington, Ky., March 12, 1832. When nine years of age he removed with his parents to Clermont County, Ohio, about twenty miles from Cincinnati. He attended school at the Farmers' College, six miles out from Cincinnati. He studied law and was admitted to the Cincinnati bar in 1860. Soon afterward, however, he went to Prescott, Wis., where he practiced law about a year. When the war broke out, he entered the Federal army, enlisting in the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry. In 1862, he was transfered to the Twenty-first Wisconsin, and commissioned Adjutant of the regiment. He afterward arose by a series of promotions to the office of Brevet Colonel. After the close of the war, Col. Fitch located in the practice of law at Milwaukee, Wis. He was married at Batavia, Ohio, October 12, 1864, to Miss Alice Rhodes. He immigrated to Colorado and located at Pueblo in the spring of 1870. For some time he devoted his exclusive attention to stock-raising, and he is still considerably interested in that line, having his residence upon a large ranch a few miles from Pueblo. In 1872, Col. Fitch was appointed Major General of State Militia for Southern Colorado, which position he held, by re-appointment, four years. He was also for a time Receiver of Public Moneys in the Land Office at Pueblo. He has been the President of the Stock Growers' National Bank since November 1, 1876, he himself being one of the largest stockholders. The Stock Growers' Bank was established in January, 1876. It has a capital stock of $50,000, and does an extensive business, especially with the stock men of the surrounding country. Col. Fitch has various and valuable interests at Pueblo. Being a man of enterprise and unusual business tact, he has grown quite wealthy. History of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado O L Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1881

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