Ernie Hammer is a long time Kiowa County Press contributor. This story is written by Ernie’s Aunt Liz, Elizabeth Katherine (Hammer) Smith Benatti, based on her memories and family research. The story begins in Germany with Oswald Hammer and Margarethe Marie von Barsewisch, Liz’s parents. Liz passed away at the age of 104. She was living at the Kohart Home in Kit Carson at the time of her death. Part 23 can be read here.

Changing Times

World War I was ended with the signing of the Armistice.  Martin was home from serving his country and married.  He married Eva Hadler before coming home, after being discharged at Fort Dix in New Jersey.  The next spring, he and his wife Eva, with a team of mules and a saddle horse moved to his homestead at Divide, Colorado.

Paul was back from his tour of duty at Fort Lewis, Washington.  He was working for the Pacific Bell Telephone Company, that promised him his job when he returned from World War I.  He, too, got married and started a family with Margaret Lilly in San Francisco.  They had two boys.  His new home was in the hills of Marin County at San Anselmo, California.

Frederick was doing the internship of oldest son at home, managing the homestead.  Oscar was in Colorado College going to school at a very young age.  But this tall, lanky Irish girl, a good horseman at the Broadmoor riding academy, had a yen for Oscar’s fun things he talked about.  They were biology majors, but Mary’s folks wanted her to also take art, in which she certainly was talented.  Mary Moore was Oscar’s good friend.  She came out with him often.  On one such occasion, Fritz was home with the extra help needed for branding the cattle with of course Oscar helped, too.  So then at school several weeks later Mary asked Oscar, “when can I meet Fritz?”  So the courtship began.  Fritz and Mary were married quietly by a Lutheran minister.   

Rod, William, and Henry received notices that they would be drafted into World War II, and to go and see the draft board.  Road and Lena and been married and had two children, so Rod felt confident that he would not have to go.  Henry was married and had one son.  William volunteered to go, seeing he was single.  The condition was that Henry would have to work his cattle with the rest of the homestead cattle as long as it was ok with Mother Hammer, and after a long talk, Mother agreed.

Gerhart married Bess, who was employed in Florissant, where they retreated.  

William was the youngest son and the one who took over the homestead.  After William came home, he was welcomed by the neighbors, for he was forever giving his best to helping those who were old or needed help.  William was never idle.  He made cabinets for the kitchen. He repaired the water systems.  William passed away in June of 1976 after a brief illness.  He was 66 years old.  

Ted left home first, actually.  He left home at sixteen, as a drifter he managed to become a large cattle company with his wife and seven children.

Gerhardt was eager to make a name for himself.  He took jobs as a rural mail carrier, a superintendent for the King Cattle Company at Divide, CO, known as the Crescent Ranch.  Fritz, too, was ambitious to get into the workforce on big cattle ranches.

Rod became a contractor for plowing with his little ford tractor and got into harvesting after WWI.  Oscar went to Colorado College and became a fellow student at Cornell in NY.  He was an entomologist who was on the payroll of Dow Chemical Company until he retired.

The other two boys and youngest stayed on the ranch and as it branched out they took to being the owners and managers of the vast properties in eastern El Paso County.

Next week – Changing Times (cont.) 

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