Pueblo County Biographies

Pueblo County, Colorado
JOHN D. MILLER

Contributed by Karen Mitchell.

This gentleman, now a prominent merchant at Pueblo, was one of the earliest settlers of Colorado. He was born in Danby, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 1836. He came West in 1857, as far as Kansas, where, locating a quarter-section of land, he engaged in ranching about a year. His prime object in going to Kansas was to join the movement to suppress slavery there. In May, 1858, young Miller started with a party for the Rocky Mountains. The summer of that year, they spent in prospecting for gold along the foot-hills. They surveyed and located the town of Mortana. In September, Mr. Miller returned to his ranch in Kansas, and the following winter he went to New York, where he procured means to purchase a stock of goods. He bought his goods in Leavenworth City, the following May, and started for Denver, arriving there in June. From Denver he went to Deadwood, taking with him his stock of goods, but on the way he had the misfortune to lose most of his stock by accidental burning, and disposing of the remainder in Deadwood he afterward engaged in mining, which he continued to follow in different parts of Colorado for about two years. He served three years in the late war as a soldier of the First Colorado Cavalry. In October, 1864, his time expiring, he left the army and went to New York, where he remained until the next spring. In May, 1865, he again returned to Colorado and went to Pueblo, at which place he has since lived. For about two years, he engaged in various employment, driving a team for a while, and clerking for a time in a store. In 1867, he was elected County Clerk for the county of Pueblo, which position he held four years. He was married, at Pueblo, December 2, 1869, to Miss Lizzie Dodson. In the fall of 1871, he embarked in the grocery business with Thomas W. Sayles as partner. The partnership was continued till 1876, when Mr. Miller bought Mr. Sayles' interest, and since then he has continued the business alone. Mr. Miller has been eminently successful in business. He now has one of the largest and best assorted stocks of goods in the the general grocery and queens-ware line in the city, and in point of custom he is second to no merchant in Pueblo. History of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado O L Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1881

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