George Dauth's Meat Market

George Dauth was youngest son of Andreas Dauth, who immigrated to America in 1884 at the age of 15.¹“George Dauth Killed by Fast Train at Evans.” Weekly Tribune [Greeley, CO], 29 Apr. 1946 When he arrived he began working for his eldest brother Louis, at the “Dauth & Annis” grocery in Fort Collins.²“George Dauth Killed by Fast Train at Evans.” Weekly Tribune [Greeley, CO], 29 Apr. 1946 He eventually set off on his own in 1888 and found his way to Leadville, where he apprenticed in butchery at E. J. Van Camp’s Monarch Grocery.³“Leadville City Directory 1892”, Lake County Public Library During this time Louis sold his Fort Collins business and moved to Five Points in Denver to open a new grocery. George wanting to support his brother moved to Denver in 1894 to work as a butcher at Louis’s new location.⁴“Denver Directory 1894”, Denver Libray Digital Collections George would practice his trade here for the next decade, transitioning from a butcher to a clerk and eventually owning his own share of Louis’s business.

In 1903 George married Florence Yeaton and together they decided to move Greeley where Florence had plans to open a Millinery Parlor.⁵“Yeaton-Dauth.” The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 10 Sep. 1903 Within a month of moving George had announced his intentions to open his own business, and by October of 1903 had secured a lease to rent the first floor of a new building being built on the corner of Eight avenue and Ninth street.⁶“Another FIne Block.” The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 29 Oct. 1903 After several months of preparations George announced the opening of the “George Dauth & Company” meat market at 806 Ninth Street on January 7th 1904.⁷“New Meat Market.” The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 07 Jan. 1904

George initially advertised for the sale of fresh, salted, and smoked meats along with oysters and fish. He ordered corn fed cattle by the train load and rendered lard in-house at the grocery.⁸The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 11 Feb. 1904, p. 7.

In 1905, George hung a giant five by seven foot painting inside his store to attract customers. It was painted by his mother-in-law Mrs. Zelotes Yeaton a professional artist based in Oklahoma. Local newspapers claimed it was the largest painting in Greeley at the time.

In 1908 George ran a five month long advertisement campaign, publishing simple meat based recipes weekly. He hoped that the new “unusual” recipes would catch the readers’ eyes and attract new customers.

By 1909 George had acquired ranch land, located on Fifth Street next to property owned by W. H. Senier, which he would use to raise livestock and run a slaughter house.¹²“Objections to Change.” The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 18 Nov. 1909¹³“George Dauth Killed by Fast Train at Evans.” Weekly Tribune [Greeley, CO], 29 Apr. 1946 He further expanded his business in 1911 with a new barn located just behind the store.¹⁴The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 05 Oct. 1911 George became increasingly interested in the livestock side of the butchery business and in 1913 sold the Ninth Street Market to completely shift his focus towards ranching.¹⁵“Keltner & Mosier Market to Have New Proprietor.” Weekly Tribune [Greeley, CO], 06 Apr. 1918

For five years George raised and sold livestock while increasingly becoming more involved with Greeley’s social organizations, such as the Elks and Commercial Clubs.¹⁷The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 10 Oct. 1912 However George realized that he was missing the day to day routine of running a store and so in April 1918 he bought back the old Ninth Street Market from S. Reed.¹⁸“Keltner & Mosier Market to Have New Proprietor.” Weekly Tribune [Greeley, CO], 06 Apr. 1918

In 1920 George purchased the Idlewild Lodge in the Big Thompson Canyon.¹⁹The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 17 Jun. 1920 His focus shifted completely towards developing the property and making it into a summertime retreat. To give him more time in the mountains he sought out help at the store, which is when met August and Henry Baab. The Baab Brother’s agreed to go into business with George in 1921.²⁰The Greeley Tribune [Greeley, CO], 13 Apr. 1940

The new partnership brought about a new name for the grocery and it was henceforth known as Baab Brothers & Dauth. During the 1920s George was spending most of his time and energy developing Idlewild Lodge, with a smaller role at the store.