William H. Hyde
Contributed by Karen Mitchell and Jean Griesan. Photo by Floyd Kelling.
William H. Hyde
William H. Hyde, a native of Illinois and a blacksmith, went to California in 1857 where he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War. He served with the First California Volunteer Infantry in New Mexico and Arizona for two years. Hyde lived for several years in Denver and Golden before coming to Pueblo in 1870. He opened a blacksmith and wagon building business at Third and Main streets. In 1880 he built six new-style half-spring buckboards for use by Barlow and Sanderson on its Gunnison stage line. He was elected Mayor of Pueblo in 1879 and served for two terms. A major concern, at that time, was to rid the town of filth and garbage and to keep it clean. Hyde was an organizer of Pueblo Building and Improvement Company, and Union Gas Company, both in 1880. Hyde overextended credit to his customers and as a result lost his business in March 1892. He then became an agent for farm machinery firms. He died in Pueblo on February 17, 1918.
to the Pueblo County Index Page.
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