Ernie Hammer was 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.

Editor's note: Ernie Hammer passed away in the early morning hours of September 15, 2025. The Kiowa County Press was fortunate to have him as a frequent visitor, including his most recent just a few days before he died. This series was written in the months before his death, and will continue over the coming months as we remember and celebrate his extraordinary life.

Second Time Around

I was born in the Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs on February 12, 1938. It was still open and shut four barbwire gates to get to a graded road. My Mother had worked in that hospital a year after she graduated from Hanover. She stayed at the hospital dormitory.

When I was two years old, I got kicked in my head by one of Dad’s work horses that was in the horse barn. My Mother thought I was with my dad, and he thought I was with her. They found me in the horse barn. The blood on my scalp was dry. They took me to Memorial Hospital. It was slow going through the four gates to the county road. Over time I healed with no aftereffects. However, my mother had to watch how she cut my hair so the scar did not show.

We did not have electricity until I was four years old. My Mother had a washing machine with a gas motor. We had a refrigerator that ran on kerosene. We had a wind charger that made enough electricity for three light bulbs and a radio.

We milked two cows and separated the cream from the milk with a hand cranked separator.  We also made butter with a hand crank churn. We feed skim milk to cats, dog, and hogs. Some time we would have excess cream that we sold to a creamery in Colorado Springs. Sometimes if we had excess baby calves, we would teach them to suck the cows that had excess milk.

I started helping my dad do chores when I was pretty young. There were two programs on the radio that we listened to before we did evening chores. They were Sky King and the Lone Ranger.

My Dad would catch a bull snake and put it in the grain bin to keep the mice down. Every time I got grain for the milk cow, I had to look to see where the snake was. He also put a snake in the basement where we kept canned food. When I was sent to the basement to get food, I made sure I knew where the snake was.

My Dad always had about ten sow’s. Those that didn’t have any pigs, he would turn those loose onto the prairie to eat different plants they like to supplement the feed my Dad fed them.

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.