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William K. Weaver

Posted 2007-01-06 by Gail Meyer Kilgore
WILLIAM K. WEAVER

Respected Citizen of Valley and Sterling Pioneer, Dies in San Francisco

William Weaver, one of Casa Grande's most respected citizens and an old timer in this section, passed away in San Francisco at 4 a.m. Monday morning, August 4, [1913]. Mr. Weaver went to San Francisco a short time ago in search of medical assistance in curing a cancer which had been bothering him for several years, but as usual it was impossible to find a cure.

He was born near Fredonia, Chautauqua, New York, on December 1, 1830 and was married to Lucretia Putman, July 3, 1857. Throughout life William Weaver was a strong, fearless man who possessed many sterling qualities. He lived in many states of the union and wherever he had lived he made his personality felt and had been active in the upbuilding of the communities.

Early in his life he moved from the place of his birth to a place in Southern Minnesota and did so much toward the upbuilding of the town that a grateful people named the town after him [Weaver, Minn., near Plainville]. At Weaver, Minn. he was engaged in the hotel and livery business. The brick hotel which he built at Weaver still stands. From Minnesota, Mr. Weaver moved to North Dakota and for eighteen years operated one of the largest farms in the great northwest, this farm containing over 4,000 acres.

While on this farm he went into the breeding of buffalo on a large scale and in addition to a great number of pure-blooded buffalo he raised hundreds of half-breed buffalo. During a San Francisco Exposition, he took his entire herd of buffalo to the exposition and spent a fall and winter there. The following spring he sold the herd and many of them are still to be found in the Golden Gate Park at San Francisco.

It was while in San Francisco that he first became interested in Arizona. Meeting Peralto Reevis, who is well known to all who have lived in the Gila Valley, he was induced to come to Arizona and contracted with Reevis for a large body of land in what is now the Casa Grande Valley, with the view of colonizing the same. Going back to North Dakota as soon as he made his contract with Reevis, he sold his entire holdings and in the year 1894 returned to Casa Grande. He brought with him besides other stock, ten head of famous Poliangus cattle and there can now be found in the valley hundreds of these fine cattle.

During the last few years, although feeble in health and greatly troubled with deafness, he still displayed courage and earnestly and honestly did everything he could for the betterment of Casa Grande.

The remains were brought to Casa Grande Friday morning on Train No. 10 and were laid away at Arizola at 11 a.m., the same day, nearly every man, woman and child in Casa Grande accompanying him on his last journey from Casa Grande to Arizola.

He leaves to mourn his loss two sons, Fred Weaver of Colton, California and Walter E. Weaver of Hayden; two daughters, Mrs. R. F. [Addie] Phillips of Casa Grande and Mrs. James Maloney of Fargo, S.D., and a host of friends throughout the country.

Casa Grande Times
August 15, 1913
Vol. II-No. 31






Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.

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