Ernie Hammer is a long time Kiowa County Press contributor. This week, we continue a series looking back at Ernie and his wife, Judy's, adventures. Last week's installment can be found here. To see Ernie's previous series, click here.

Second Time Around

My Mother, one of seven Baker girls, married my dad and they had a small ranch located two and a half miles north of the Hanover Road. This was a trail road with three barb wire gates to open and shut when my mother went to visit her family in Hanover. One time my mother got upset with my father, got into the car to go see her mother. She drove through the barb wire yard gate and got tangled up in it. By the time my dad got the wire untangled from the axles, my mother decided she didn’t need to go.

There were four barb wire gates if we went north to the graded Squirrel Creek Road. This road took us into Fountain and Colorado Springs. If we went on north to see my Grandmother Hammer, it was another four barb wire gate to Drennan Road.

There was a cow camp about three miles north of our house. There was a cowboy, who worked for a big ranch, that lived there by himself in a little cabin. One time we came by just after he had gotten buck off his horse. He wasn’t hurt too bad.

My Dad’s ranch had five springs on it and they ran the same year in and year out. He made his pastures size according to the amount of cattle the spring would support. He tried drilling a well in different locations, but couldn’t find any water except at the house. Here, he had a weak well with a windmill and a large water supply tank. It was round like a cylinder and stood about thirty feet tall. It had a covered top with a place for the well water to enter. There was a plank from the top of the windmill over to the top of the storage tank. My Mother lost track of me and found me on top of the tank. She was afraid of heights, so she talked me down for the top of the tank, across the planks, to the windmill, down to the ground.

We had water in the house and water for a garden. Also, we had water for stocks tanks.

Another time I showed up missing… The horses would come into the corral and lick salt, and I would lick with them. When they would go back to the pasture to graze, I followed. When my mother realized the horses were gone and so was I, she started walking to the pasture looking for me. About a quarter of mile from the corral she saw my dog running up to the top of a gulley and the back down. She said when she got to me, I was bawling my eyes out.

I remember an old homestead located one and a half miles northeast of our house. There were no buildings left but a few cherry trees. We used to go there and pick cherries. Over time, the trees died and melted into the ground. There is no sign of any human activity at this place.

The Kiowa County Press invites those who live in or have ties to Colorado - especially the southeast, however all contributions are welcome - to share their story with our readers. Family history, current life, unique sites and adventures, and other aspects of living in Colorado are welcome. Contact us at editor@KiowaCountyPress.net.