Excerpt of the book "Writer and Engraver's Picture of Graham County's Progress Since Its Organization" (1906)

J.P. Pomeroy

(pages 22-24)

The subject of this sketch was born in Cincinnati in 1837 and moved to Boston in early manhood. His father was a financier and was associated with J. Gould in railroad enterprises.

J. P. Pomeroy’s wife and daughter are buried in Boston while his eldest daughter and sole heir is married and, with her husband lives in that place.

Mr. Pomeroy has been a tourist in many lands, and there are but few countries on the globe with which he is not familiar.

His varied experiences and many years of contact with men have made him an interesting personality, and the story of his life is like a most interesting book.

Mr. Pomeroy inherited not only his father’s wealth but also his keen commercial insight and good financial judgment, and today has many and varied business interests, which make him one of the greatest developers, improvers and promoters of the Great West. And not the least important to him, and by far the most important for us among his business interests, is his interest in Graham county and subsequently in Hill City.

Few small western towns are so fortunate as is Hill City in having so altruistic a friend. For twenty years he has never lost his faith in the possibilities of this county and has given evidence of his confidence in a most substantial manner.

Mr. Pomeroy is a heavy owner of western Kansas lands, and bought most of his 60,000 acres in this vicinity in 1885, with a total investment in western Kansas of something over $500,000.00. Since that time Mr. Pomeroy has never withheld his personal interest or check where the advancement or growth of Hill City’s best interests were concerned. Among his chief investments in and around Hill City are, the Boston Store, which building he still owns and values at $10,000.00; the Pomeroy Hotel a well furnished, modern commercial house, worth $9,000.00; some forty residences, built in 1890 of which he still owns five; a number of good business buildings and twenty stone cottages which are now being erected and sold as soon as completed.

Mr. Pomeroy built and gave to Graham county, the Court House which cost him $20,000.00. He is the heaviest taxpayer in the county, having paid an average of $5,000.00 annually into its treasury for some 20 years.

Perhaps his greatest gift to Graham county, even to the Great West is the promotion of the Campbell system of soil culture. Prof. Campbell had been unable to interest the capital in his theory and, not having sufficient means to develop it, had been unable to make it practical. Mr. Pomeroy gave evidence of his interest in the agricultural interests of Graham county, when he established and maintained the Model Farm of 480 acres, for the trial of this proposed method of farming. Every production of this soil has been tested under this system on the Model Farm, and the yield has, in almost every instance, been three times that of the average. Mr. Pomeroy’s interest in the benefits of this system has caused him to establish such farms throughout the semi-arid districts of the west, in Texas, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona, and many thousand acres of arid land have been reclaimed for agricultural purposes through his efforts. Recently our Model Farm was sold to H. H. Barbee.

Mr. Pomeroy has put on the market all of his Graham County lands, and his instructions to his agents have been to sell as far as possible in small tracts, and without exception to honest, reputable citizens, thereby making the sale of each section, a gain of a good citizen to Graham county.

Among the many interests which are claiming his attention are his offices as President of the Farm Land Development Company, President and Treasurer of the Pomeroy Investment Company, and heavy stockholder in various mining concerns. All of his business interests are managed at his headquarters in Colorado Springs, which place Mr. Pomeroy considers his home.

He has been in Hill City for the past month and is enjoying unusual good health. One would scarcely think, when talking with Mr. Pomeroy, that he has spent some 70 years in so strenuous a manner as his vast business interests would indicate, and, lightly indeed, has he borne the burdens of an active life of 3 score years and ten.

His interest in Hill City is growing and, with his practical and prophetic eye he reads for her a prosperous future. He is making final arrangements for three new store buildings, and for several blocks of cement side-walk which will mark the streets lined by his buildings, besides the 20 new residences. (See illustration at the head of this article.)

Mr. Pomeroy contemplates giving to Hill City a beautiful park and has in view other benefits which will be of great value to our flourishing town.

Great, indeed, are Hill City’s prospects so long as Mr. Pomeroy’s interest is so evident.