1. William Newton Byers was a founding figure of Omaha, Nebraska, serving as the first deputy surveyor of the Nebraska Territory, on the first Omaha City Council, and as a member of the first Nebraska Territorial Legislature.
14 Facts About William Byers
1. 2.
William Byers was an early settler of Denver, Colorado, and the founder and editor of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver.
3.
William Byers was married to Elizabeth Byers who was a prominent woman in Denver for her philanthropic activities.
4.
William Byers was born in Madison County, Ohio, to Moses and Mary.
5.
In 1859 William Byers moved to Denver to take advantage of recent gold strikes in the area.
6.
Robert W Furnas, in 1859 associated with the Nebraska Advertiser, later recalled that Byers had bought the equipment of the defunct newspaper and had it taken by ox team to Denver, then in western Kansas Territory, where he used it in the publication of the Rocky Mountain News.
7.
In 1863 William Byers purchased Hot Sulphur Springs in northern Colorado from a Minnesota Sioux woman in a shady deal, causing the real owners, the Ute tribe, to unsuccessfully sue.
8.
William Byers was married to Elizabeth Byers who came to Denver during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush when it was a small settlement of tents.
9.
William Byers had rough experiences during her 60 years in Denver.
10.
William Byers was active in establishment of charitable organizations in Denver.
11.
The William Byers-Evans House is a museum, and is located next to the Denver Art Museum in downtown Denver.
12.
In 1891 Byers and his wife relocated to a mansion they built on a large tract of land at 171 S Washington St Byers was an avid horticulturalist and planted a wide variety of tree species on his property; he used the majority of the land plot for personal farming and gardening.
13.
William Byers had a mistress, Hattie Sancomb, who tried to kill him.
14.
William N Byers died on March 25,1903, and was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.