This substantial cattleman, having his productive and extensive ranch on the Laramie River, in Laramie County, Wyoming was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 26, 1850. His father was a native of Louisville, a carpenter by trade, but who believing in the justice of the cause of the South, served in the Confederate army throughout the Civil War. John J. McCormick was educated in his native city and resided there until he was twenty years of age, when he came west arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1872, and was soon employed by the U. S. government in freighting supplies to Fort Laramie, Sidney and to other northern posts and later he commenced working on the range. In 1890 he settled on the Laramie River one and one-half miles west of his present ranch engaged in the cattle trade and lived there until 1891, when he removed to his present place on the river, eleven miles east of the fort. Mr. McCormick was united on marriage on May 27, 1885 on the Laramie River at the P. C. Ranch to Miss Minnie L. Sutherland a native of Denver, Colorado and a daughter of James H. and Emma P. (Boler) Sutherland, the former of whom was born in New York and the latter in Kentucky. The McCormick family is of Scottish origin and the immediate ancestors of John J. were settlers in New York State in Colonial days. The Sutherlands were also of Scottish ancestry. James H. Sutherland, the father of Mrs. McCormick remained ion New York until he was seventeen years of age, when he came west and located at Denver, Colorado, here engaged in mining until 1861 and then enlisted in Co. D, First Colorado Cavalry, in which he became disabled after one year’s service took a position in the sutler’s store attached to the camp and in this employment served out the remainder of this term of enlistment. Before the war Mr. Sutherland had started west from Kansas City with a large quantity of merchandise belonging to others and valued at $5,000. While camping on the Platte River near Julesburg, Colorado he was raided by Indians and robbed of everything and was forced to return to the city from which he had departed. After the war Mr. Sutherland married in Kansas City, Missouri and with two teams traveled across the plains to Colorado then built the first hotel in Denver, the St. Charles. This he conducted about two and one-half years, and in 1867 removed to a ranch on Cherry Creek nine miles from Denver and engaged in the cattle business for about two years, when he was forced to retire on account of trouble with the Indians, and he was next engaged in mining near Central City, which he followed until 1876. He then started for the Black Hills but on reaching Fort Laramie was warned by the soldiers of the Indian trouble then existing and he consequently took up a ranch on the Laramie River, twelve miles from the fort, engaged in the cattle business and there resided until his death on February 17, 1891, being then the oldest settler in the section and he was buried on the old homestead. His wife had died on May 17, 1879. John J. McCormick possesses all the inherent shrewdness of the indomitable race from which he descends and this is made manifest in every transaction of his life. He also possesses the deep-seated religious sentiment with which the Scots are imbued and his walk through life has been marked by the strictest integrity. He has made hosts of friends since he has resided in Laramie County who admire him for his straightforward and manly conduct as well as for his genial disposition and open-handed generosity.
