Eli C. Loshbaugh came into being near Dayton, Ohio, on September 15, 1854, but before he had knowledge of that rich and prosperous agricultural and manufacturing region, his parents, John and Sarah (Hartman) Loshbaugh moved, within the year of his birth, to Texas, where they remained two years and a half. They then changed to Iowa, and made their home in that state nine years, after which they took up their residence in Kansas, and there they remained until death ended their labors, the father dying in 1869, and the mother on July 14, 1894. He was a native of Germany and she of Ohio. Both were members of the Dunkard church, and in political faith he was a firm and loyal Republican. Of their seven children three are living: Eli C., the subject of this sketch; Laura, wife of Jacob Richel, of Newcastle, Colorado, and Orley, a resident of Indian Territory. Eli received a limited common-school education and remained at home assisting his parents on the farm until he was twenty-four. He then began to work independently for himself, hiring out on farms in the vicinity of his home. In 1879 he came to Colorado and located at Denver, where he remained two years working on ranches. From 1881 to 1886 he was at Durango and Telluride prospecting and mining. In the year last named he moved to Glenwood Springs and from there to Camp Defiance, where he passed the summer prospecting. In the autumn of 1887 he changed his base to Red Cliff and his occupation to getting out railroad ties under contract. From the fall of that year to the spring of 1898 he rented land and occupied himself in ranching. In April, 1898, he purchased one hundred acres of the ranch which he now owns, to which he has since added sixty acres, and here he has from that time been actively engaged in conducting general ranching and stock industry. One hundred acres of his land are under cultivation and produce good crops of the character common to the region and abundant supplies of fruit. He has an orchard of twelve acres which is very prolific and thrifty, and this he finds a source of considerable revenue. The water supply for his land is fair and its fertility is of a high order. During the last twelve years he has carried on a flourishing cattle industry with every care to the business needed to secure the best results. In fraternal connection he is an interested Odd Fellow, and in political faith an ardent Republican, especially in national affairs. On October 21, 1889, he was married to Miss Laura Leas, a native of Pennsylvania and daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Shurr) Leas. She was born on October 19, 1853, and died on March 27, 1901, leaving three of her four children to survive her, Silas L., Charles O., and Fannie. The other child died in infancy. Her father was an active Republican and for many years served as a justice of the peace. He died on August 29, 1891, having survived his wife, who passed away on June 7, 1858, thirty-three years of age, deeply lamented by all.
Source: Bowen, A. W. Progressive Men of Western Colorado. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., Publishers. 1905.