Nicholas "Uncle Nick" Buchholz
Marriages
Mary Owen Adams Buchholz - June 6, 1866
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle County Blade page 1 - August 25, 1911
BUCHHOLZ, Nicholas ---- Herewith we are giving a short sketch of the life of the late Nicholas BUCHHOLZ. This tribute was delayed in the effort to obtain
some early photographs of Mr. BUCHHOLZ, but which we were finally
disappointed in securing.--Ed.
One of the oldest pioneers of Eagle county, who was perhaps better known
throughout the length and breadth of the county than any man in it, passed to
the great beyond on Sunday, Aug. 6, 1911.
"Uncle Nick," as he was affectionately called by everyone who became well
acquainted with him, was born Feb. 11, 1835, at Kappel on the Rhine,
Germany.
In 1852 he came to this country and shortly after enlisted as a sailor and
visited all the South and Central American countries. When the war broke out
between the north and south Mr. BUCHHOLZ enlisted in Hayes' brigade 11th
Louisiana Tigers. At the battle of Bull Run he was severely wounded; upon
recovering from this wound, and while returning to the Confederate lines, he
fell in with Mosby's famous Black Horse Troop and joining this fighting
aggregation under the name of Nicholas B. SKELTON he served with
distinction throughout the balance of the war.
After the war Mr. BUCHHOLZ married a young Virginia lady of the name of
Mary O. ADAMS. The following children were born to this union; James,
John, Mattie (deceased), Hannah (Mrs. Wm. JOHNSTON), Nicholas
(deceased), Leo, Bertha. Mrs. BUCHHOLZ died here in Eagle county June
4th, 1903. The first few years of their married life was spent in the city of
Washington and in the states of Maryland and Virginia, Mr. BUCHHOLZ being
engaged first in the mercantile business and later having a butcher's stall and
meat market in Washington. Coming west the family first located in Quincy,
Ill., where Mr. Buchholz again engaged in the meat business. Following the at
that time trend of affairs, when everybody was coming to Colorado, the
vigorous young state in the west, the family first came to Leadville in 1878,
where Mr. BUCHHOLZ engaged in the burning of charcoal for the Leadville
smelters until the year of 1882 at which time they came to the Eagle valley.
Taking up by pre-emption the land that is now the SHERMAN Bros. ranch,
which was later sold to the HOLLINGSWORTH Bros. of Boston, Mr. BUCHHOLZ located on the land that is now known as the BUCHHOLZ mesa. At this place was passed what is still termed in this country as "the hard winter." Mr. BUCHHOLZ has many times related to the writer the hardships undergone by the early settlers in the valley that merciless, long, hard winter. Day after day and week after week went by and the snow kept coming, the weather was bitterly cold, and for weeks the sun scarcely showed itself. Flour soon was all gone in the settlement and everyone here had to subsist the balance of the winter on vegetables and game.
In the year of '89-'90, Mr. BUCHHOLZ brought in a flock of sheep from Castle
Rock, near Denver, the first sheep ever brought to this county. This venture
was later abandoned owing to the opposition of the cattlemen of the country.
A few years ago the mesa ranch was sold to E. M. TABOR and shortly after Mr. BUCHHOLZ, with his son, John, became interested in the livery business
in Eagle, in which business he continued until his death.
Mr. BUCHHOLZ has always been prominently identified with every movement
tending toward the improvement and raising of better and finer stock in the
county.
In his religion Uncle Nick was a devout Catholic, being the moving spirit in the
establishing of a Catholic church in Eagle and treasurer of the organization.
It is in the politics of the county that Uncle Nick will be best remembered. A
staunch and ardent democrat when the numbers of that party were mighty
few in the county, his mature counsel will be sure to be greatly missed by his
party. At the time of his death he was regarded as possibly the shrewdest
politician of either party in the county. His political activity and personal
popularity combined to elect him to the office of assessor of this county for an
aggregate period of sixteen to eighteen years.
As a prominent and respected citizen Nicholas BUCHHOLZ was blessed with
a love and regard from his fellow associated and acquaintances that few men
in public life are privileged to awaken. As an opponent he was a vigorous and
resourceful and exceedingly clever campaigner as any number of his political
adversaries has good reason to remember.
In the public schools of the county Mr. BUCHHOLZ has always been an
important factor, taking an influential and prominent part in and endeavoring
in the early days by every means in his power to secure educational
advantages for the children of this valley then growing up. Later he was one
of the first members of the county high school board.
In a thousand different ways old timers of Eagle county will recall old time
occasions when Uncle Nick took part in the affairs of this county have done
much toward shaping the history of the county during the past twenty-nine nine
years.
The Catholic funeral services were conducted by Father CARRIGAN of
Glenwood Springs in the auditorium at Woodman hall, and it was beyond
question the largest funeral ever held in Eagle County. Father CARRIGAN'S
very excellent address upon the life and character of his old time friend and
parishioner was replete with comforting assurance and truths for the bereaved family. Messrs. L. R. WILLITTS, Chas. MAYER, A. S. LITTLE, Chas. COURSEN, Frank SMITH and Dr. GILPIN, all brother county officials, served as pallbearers. An immense procession followed the remains to the grave, where the beautiful flowers tendered by loyal and loving friends formed the final resting place of a grand good spirit laid to rest.
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - August 11, 1911
Another Eagle County Pioneer Passes Out of This Life.
Assessor Nicholas Buchholz Succumbs after an Illness of but a few Months--One of the Picturesque Character in History of this County.
County Assessor N. Buchholz passed quietly our of this life, at the Red Cross hospital in Salida, on Saturday, August 5, 1911, after an illness of but a few months duration.
"Uncle Nick," as he was familiarly and generally known throughout Eagle county, was taken to the hospital at Salida on July 4, suffering with what he thought was stomach trouble, but upon examination it was found that his only hope for recovery was an operation for gall stones, the cause of all his sickness. The operation was performed on July 6, and although the operation itself was pronounced successful he did not recuperate and gradually grew weaker until the end came.
Nicholas Buchholz was born in Kappel on the Rhine, Baden, Germany, February 11, 1835, a little over 76 years ago. When but a mere boy he came to America, landing in New York City. He remained here two years and then went back to Germany, returning to this country a little later and was engaged as a sailor for a period of four or five years.
When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the army and in 1861 joined General HAYES' brigade, 11th Louisiana Tigers, at New Orleans. In a battle at or near Winchester, Virginia, Mr. Buchholz received two bullet wounds, one to the chest and the other through the thigh, which disabled him for service for a time. After his release from the hospital, he became a private in Company A, General MOSBY's 43rd Battallion, Virginia Cavalry, and was with him until the surrender.
The above is only a very brief record of some of the events in the career of Mr. Buchholz, who will now be classed as one of the heroic dead who was ready to give up his life, in the cause for which he fought, during the hardship and disappointments of those exciting times.
Shortly after the war was over, Mr. Buchholz married Mary O. ADAMS in Virginia. They went to Washington City and made their home there, Mr. Buchholz taking up the butcher business as a profession. Here he made a fortune and then lost it through unfortunate speculation.
In 1874, Mr. Buchholz moved to Quincy, Ill., and made a new start in the meat business. He prospered there for five years and in the spring of 1879 he was attracted to Leadville where he spent a short time prospecting, later taking up the work of burning charcoal on Tennessee pass.
In 1882, before the railroad extended this far west, Mr. Buchholz with his family came to the Eagle River valley and took up the ranch which now forms a portion of Sherman Bros. place. He sold this to Z. T. HOLLINGSWORTH and then took up a claim on what is now known as Buchholz mesa, making this place his home up to seven years ago, when his wife departed this life. In 1890, he conducted a butcher shop at Red Cliff, supplying the railroad crews with meat while the road was being changed from a narrow to a broad gauge.
During the past twenty four years the deceased has served Eagle county a assessor continuously, with the exception of three or four terms. His work was of the highest order and each term was served with much credit to himself.
