HAMMOND, Henry, b 1857; 1905 Bio, Delta County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/delta/bios/hammondh.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 21, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Henry Hammond One of the very first settlers within the limits of what is now Delta county, having located there in 1881, before the Indians had retired from the region or the advancing footstep of civilization had invaded it, when there were no house or other works of the white man at hand and the soil was yet virgin to the plow, and having since then been active in building up the section, developing its resources, constructing its conveniences, such as roads, bridges, ditches and public buildings, and taking a prominent part in shaping its political institutions, Henry Hammond may properly be called one of the fathers of the county, and he is justly entitled to the high esteem in which he is held on every side. He was born at Cambria, Columbia county, Wisconsin, on March 17, 1857, and is the son of James and Martha (Floyd) Hammond, natives of Staffordshire, England, where they were reared, educated and married. Soon after their marriage they came to the United States, settling at Cambria, Wisconsin, the father and two other men being at the head of an English colony locating there, where they were all pioneers. They intended to start and operate in that region an extensive pottery, Mr. Hammond the elder being a practical potter. This was, however, abandoned and the colonists became farmers and developed the agricultural wealth of the neighborhood greatly to its advantage and their own. The time of their arrival was in 1844, and in the subsequent history of the section Mr. Hammond's name is conspicuous in local affairs and the faithful discharge of various public functions as an official chosen by the people around him. He and his wife died where they had erected their domestic shrine, leaving six of their ten children as their survivors, five of whom are still living. Henry was reared on the Wisconsin homestead, and had the usual experience of boys in his station at the time, attending the district schools of the neighborhood in the winter months and working on the farm the rest of the time. When he was seventeen years old he started out for himself, and after working a year in his native county, went to California in the fall of 1875. He remained in that state about three years until the excitement over the discovery of gold at Leadville, this state, brought him thither in December, 1878, among the early prospectors and miners at that camp. In partnership with his older brother George, who now lives at Rocky Ford, this state, he engaged in the meat trade and prospered. In September, 1881, he came to where the town of Delta now stands and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land five miles south of the site of the present town. This ranch, now owned by Fred Beaudry, was his home for two years, and during that time he, in company with Frank Burkhart and Ed Cappron, constructed a ditch two miles long from the Uncompahgre river for the irrigation of their land and his own, they having settled near him. This was the first ditch for irrigation purposes constructed in the present county of Delta, which at that time was a part of Gunnison county. In 1883 he sold his ranch to Fred Beaudry, and locating at the then infant town of Delta, started a livery barn, the first in this section of the country, and also ran a stage line between Delta and Hotchkiss and Paonia, carrying the mails, for a number of years. He was successful in this enterprise, and later he started a harness business and bought and managed a number of ranches at different periods. He still owns the stable and other improvements for the livery undertaking, but has sold the business itself. He has built himself a neat and comfortable residence in the town, and there he lives in peace and comfort after his many trials and struggles, in the midst of the development he has aided so materially to promote, and enjoying the advantages of the advanced civilization he has helped to bring about. In politics he is a Republican and as such has served as alderman of the town, and in fraternal circles he holds high rank in the Masonic order and the order of Odd Fellows, being a past master in his Masonic lodge and having passed the chairs in the other. He also belongs to the chapter and the commandery in Masonry. He was first married on September 10, 1884, to Miss Maggie Davis, a native of Lexington, Kentucky. She died on March 15, 1895, and on February 16, 1898, he married a second wife, Miss Mary E. Harrington, a native of Michigan. They have had three children, Martha, who died at the age of two years and seven months, William G., who is now six years old, and Alline Amy, who was born November 20, 1904. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.