P. N. Yunker Socorro County, New Mexico

P. N. Yunker, who is conducting a blacksmithing and carriage shop in Socorro, was born in Denmark, March 6, 1854, and a public school education fitted him for life's practical and responsible duties. In early life he learned the blacksmith's trade and saw military service in the army of Denmark. In 1875, when twenty-two years of age, he came to the United States and was employed in New Jersey and in New York until 1877, when he went to Texas and entered the cattle business, which he successfully followed. For sixteen years he devoted his time and energies to the raising of cattle and afterward removed to California, where he engaged in dealing in real estate for six years. He first came to the Territory of New Mexico in 1880 for the purpose of mining and prospecting. He afterward located on a ranch at Lemitar, and in 1893 resided in Socorro. There he established a hotel, which he conducted until the building was destroyed by fire in 1905. He was also engaged in the livery business, dealt in feed and carried on an implement and commission business in Socorro. He likewise established a blacksmith shop, but has disposed of all of his business interests in Socorro with the exception of the blacksmith and carriage shop, concentrating his energies upon these lines of business since October, 1905. While engaged in farming he planted a twenty-acre orchard of prunes, peaches, English walnuts, plums and apricots. He did much experimenting and found that English walnuts and apricots could not be profitably raised here, but that other trees produced good crops. He has sixty-five acres planted to alfalfa and one hundred acres of his land is under irrigation. He also has a small bunch of cattle on his place and raises hogs on an extensive scale. Mr. Yunker was married in 1881 to Miss Margaret M. Dickman.

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Source: History of New Mexico, Its Resources and People, Volume II, Pacific States Publishing Co., 1907.