Nevada
County
Biographies
EUGENE KRUGER
The name of Kruger has been
inseparably interwoven with the history of Truckee for more than a third of a
century. The wise system of industrial
economics which has been brought to bear in the development of Truckee has
challenged uniform admiration, for while there has been steady advancement in
material lines there has been an entire absence of that inflation of values and
that erratic “booming” which have in the past proved the eventual death knell
to many of the localities in the west where “mushroom towns” have one day
smiled forth with “all modern improvements” and practically on the next have
been shorn of their glories and of their possibilities of stable prosperity. In Truckee progress has been made
continuously and in safe lines. Mr.
Kruger and his father before him have taken an active part in the early days of
the development of the town. His father
became connected with its business interests and was active in the
establishment of many enterprises which have been important factors in
promoting the material welfare of Truckee.
Entering upon his business career here, the subject of this review has
during the last decade, not only labored so as to win success for himself, but
has contributed to the prosperity of the town by his promotion of many business
concerns.
His entire life has been passed in
California, his birth having occurred in Placer County, on the 14th
of April, 1871. His father, William H.
Kruger, was born in Germany and was a sailor by occupation. For many years he followed the seas, prior to
coming to California, but arrived in the Golden state in the early pioneer
days. Like many others who sought homes
on the Pacific coast at that period, he engaged in mining for some time and in
the ‘60s became identified with the Truckee Lumber Company and other important
enterprises in Nevada County, and from that time until his death he was
intimately associated with various commercial interests that brought to him a
handsome competence. His wife, whose
maiden name was Mary D. Richeson, is a native of
Pennsylvania and is descended from one of the old and influential families of
the Keystone state. She now resides in
the city of Alameda. By her marriage she
became the mother of ten children, Eugene being the fifth in order of birth.
The subject of this review obtained
his education in the schools of San Francisco and was graduated in the Trinity
school, in the class of 1890. He soon
afterward became identified with the business interests conducted by his father
in Truckee. He is now vice-president of
the Truckee Lumber Company, one of the leading industrial concerns in this part
of the state. It was incorporated in
1870 and the magnitude of its business is indicated by the fact that two
hundred workmen are employed. Mr. Kruger
is also manager of a general mercantile establishment owned by the Truckee
Lumber Company, and is the secretary and one of the leading stockholders of the
Truckee Electric Light & Power Company.
On the 12th of October,
1898, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Kruger and Miss Sarah A. Greenleaf, a
native of California and a daughter of John Greenleaf, of Santa Clara. Their pleasant home is celebrated for its
gracious hospitality and is the center of a cultured society circle. Mr. Kruger is a member of the Dover Parlor,
No. 162, N. S. G. W., and is one of the prominent and popular citizens of
Truckee. He is a young man of
resourceful ability, of marked executive power, keen discrimination and sound
judgment, and he carries forward to successful completion whatever he
undertakes. He displays great diligence
and energy in the control of his extensive interests and has thereby become the
possessor of a most handsome competence.
In all life’s relations he commands the respect of his fellow men and
his life’s record has become an integral part of the history of Truckee.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 727-728. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2011
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Nevada County Biographies