Henry Knights McGUINEY

	Born: 31 Oct 1878, Cannelton, Perry Co., Indiana
	Married: 20 Dec 1923
	Died: 15 Sep 1955

   General Notes:

Henry lived in Cannelton, Indiana, for 35 years before going West in 1913. He worked for the Cannel Coal Company in the days when coal was brought from the mines to the river via the "donkey" engine. He worked for a period of about 10 years. In March, 1913, he decided to go West and started for Montana to take up a homestead but got as far as Wichita, Kansas, where he got work as a car repairman. He remained there for two years. He then joined with other parties on a trip into the old West. The trip of 400 miles from Wichita to Utleyville, Colorado, was made by covered wagon. He found a suitable homestead site and filed on it in 1915. The first year he broke 20 acres of ground and put it in broom corn from which he got a yield of only three bales but each year he kept breaking a little more ground, planting pinto beans and broom corn. He also added cattle to the farm. The terrible dust storms, which struck the West in the late twenties did considerable damage throughout his part of the country, blowing top soil away and leaving only hard ground. Many homesteaders were so discouraged that they sold out and moved to other parts of the country but McGuiney stayed on to rebuild his land. He recalls that during his first years there were many rattlesnakes and when plowing one could look back and see them coming out of the plowed furrow. Wild longhorn cattle were thick in the area and there were many sheep camps. The land was covered with big high blue stearn and buffalo grass which had to be eliminated before the ground could be made fit for cultivation.

In his older years, Mr. McGuiney suffered with rheumatism and failing eyesight. He was a member of the Odd Fellows for more than 50 years. He liked to read and listen to radio programs.

Source: Cannelton Newspaper, Article by Vernice A. Knapp

   Marriage Information:

Henry married Mauda BEEN on 20 Dec 1923.