The founder, editor and one of the proprie-tors of the Grand Encampment Herald, one of the leading newspapers of southern Wyoming, Edwin S. Drury, is a native of Tabor, Fremont county, Iowa. He was born on February 23, 1872, the son of C. J. and Mary (Dunham) Drury, both natives of Michigan, His paternal grandfather, Charles Drury, was a native of the state of New York, removing from that state many years ago to Michigan, where he was one of the earliest pioneers, and long engaged in agricultural pursuits. The maternal grand-father of Mr. Drury was also born in New York and removed from that state to Michigan, where he spent the latter days of his life, being a prominent minister of the Baptist faith. The father of our subject in 1861 answered to the call of President Lincoln for troops to defend the integrity of the Union, and enlisted as a member of the Seventeenth Michigan Regiment and was in service for some time, but was com-pelled to retire from active service on account of illness for a considerable time. Upon his re-covery he again enlisted and continued in the military service up to the close of the Civil War. Upon being mustered out of the army he deter-mined to seek his fortune in the far West, and removed his residence to California, where he remained for about three years, engaged in prosperous farming, stock-raising and mining-. He then returned to Michigan and later re-moved his home to Iowa. During his residence in Michigan he ably served the people of his county, in the office of sheriff, discharging the responsible duties of that position with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his con-stituents. He was for many years one of the representative men of the section of the state where he maintained his home. Edwin S. Drury was the first son of a family of six chil-dren, and grew to man's estate in Michigan, receiving his elementary education in the public schools of Cass County. He early learned the printers' trade and at the age of eighteen years went into business for himself at Lawton, Mich., where he began the publication of the newspaper known as The Lawton leader. In this enterprise he met with success, due to the energy and industry with which he conducted the business. Subsequently he successfully passed the civil service examination for employ-ment in the service of the United States government and was assigned to the Bureau of Print-ing at Washington, D. C., where he remained but a few months owing to the failure of his health through malaria, and he resigned his po-sition and removed to Wyoming, where he se-lected the new town of Encampment as a de-sirable location for a newspaper. This was in the fall of 1897, when there were but three buildings in the place, but he was satisfied with its prospects, and returning to Michigan he closed up his business interests in that state and in the spring of 1898 made his home at En-campment where he associated himself in busi-ness with his brother, W. C. Drury, and they began the publication of the Grand Encamp-ment Herald. They have been very successful, and are now the owners of one of the best equipped printing plants in Wyoming, and their publication is recognized as the leading news-paper of that section of the state. On Novem-ber 29, 1893, Mr. Drury was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Root, a native of Michigan, and the daughter of D. T. Root, a highly re-spected citizen and horticulturist of that state. Fraternally Mr. Drury is affiliated with the Freemasons and also with the Modern Wood-men of America, and takes an active interest in the social and fraternal life of the community. Politically be is a stanch member of the Republican Party, recognized as one of the trusted local leaders of that political organization. In 1898 he received the appointment of postmaster of Encampment, and upon the expiration of his term of office was re-appointed for another term of four years. His administration has given satisfaction to the businessmen of the community, as well as to the public generally. Mr. Drury is largely interested in mining enter-prises in and about Encampment, was the or-ganizer of the Coldwater Copper Mining Co., which is the owner of the six valuable Wolverine claims located at Pearl, Colo., which promise to develop into one of the great mines of that state. He is the vice-president and manager of this Company, and has successfully conducted its operations, and he also holds the same position in the Kalamazoo Mining Co., which owns property adjoining that of the Coldwater Co. As a newspaperman and editor, Mr. Drury enjoys a well-merited reputation, and his publishing establishment is supplied with all modern improvements and appliances for the publication of a live and up to date newspaper. Progressive enterprising and ever foremost in the advocacy of all measures calculated to be of advantage to the general public, he is a powerful factor in the development of this section of his adopted state. He had done much, both personally and through the Herald, to attract the attention of outside capital to the great resources of Carbon County, and to bring about the further settlement of the country in the vicinity of the city of his residence. He is one of the rising men of Wyoming, and destine to take a prominent place in its future history.
