A pioneer in raising sheep and cattle in Garfield county, the first man in his neighborhood to plant and cultivate fruit trees, one of the founders of the Christian church at Parachute, and a leading man in the public life of this portion of the state, John B. Hurlburt, of Parachute, has lived to good purpose in his community, and rendered signal and appreciated service to its people. He was born on October 4, 1839, in Scott county, Iowa, and is the third of seven children of his parents, Isaiah and Rebecca (Breeden) Hurlburt. His father’s parents were citizens of the United States, but he was born in Canada. His youth and early manhood were passed on the great lakes where for six years he was captain on a steamboat. He afterward lived in Michigan, Iowa and Missouri, and in 1854 moved his family to California where he was engaged in farming until his death in 1891, when he was eighty-two years old. Mr. Hurlburt’s grandfather, John Hurlburt, a native of Connecticut, was a soldier in the Revolution, and lost his brother Consider in one of the decisive battles of that war. The mother of Mr. Hurlburt was a native of Kentucky and died in 1846. Her son, John B., passed his boyhood in Iowa and California, and at the age of sixteen began to make his own way in the world by mining in Placer county, California. In 1859 he moved to Oregon, where he was employed for a short time splitting rails. He then returned to California, and, locating in Butte county, gave his attention to farming until 1869, and from then until 1882 lived in Lawson county, that state. In 1882 he came overland to Parachute, Garfield county, this state, and during the first two years of his residence here he was occupied in raising sheep, but was obliged to abandon that enterprise because of the shameful killing of all of the sheep in the neighborhood by cowboys. In 1894 he turned his attention to dealing in real estate, and since then he has been actively prosecuting and building up his business in this line. He has been devoted to the development of his section and the promotion of all its interests, helping to organized the Christian church at Parachute, starting the planting of orchards in this vicinity, serving two years as president of the Farmers’ Club, which embraces Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties in its membership and operations, and in many other ways aiding in pushing forward the general welfare. He has given special attention to school matters, serving as secretary of the local board and bringing to the management of educational matters in his district a breadth of view and enterprising spirit which have been of great benefit to the cause in which they have been employed. In 1871 he was married to Miss Martha A. Rock, and they have twelve children, Francis E., Luther L., Mark P., Minnie L., Rebecca L., Alice (deceased), Martha M., Lottie B., Jessie, Frederick, Winifred S. and Daisy J.
Source: Bowen, A. W. Progressive Men of Western Colorado. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., Publishers. 1905.