Robert Smith

By Robert E. Smith, Jr. I was born September 11, 1922 at the Beth Ell Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Robert Earl and Laura G. Smith. I lived on my Grandfather’s Midway Ranch south of Colorado Springs at Pinion until two years old. We then moved to Hartsel, Colorado to work for the Colorado Land and Livestock Co., which was owned by Swift and Company. The Hartsel Ranch was one of the largest sheep ranches at that time with over 300,000 acres and running seventeen to twenty thousand ewes. Father was the sheep foreman until he became the ranch manager. I attended school in Hartsel through the 10th grade then moved to Johnstown, Colorado to live with my Grandparents and finished high school, graduating 1940. While at the ranch, I started working on the hay crew driving horses on hay mowers and rakes at 11 years old. Had acres to play in, discovered an Indian grave site and cave with soft pliable chalk that hardened when out in the air. Ice skated on the rivers and lakes in the winter; skis were all wood with a strap across the toe for the bindings. School had a toboggan that we used on toboggan parties. I herded small bunches of ewes and lambs in late spring that were at the ranch. My first wage was $.50 per day. The ranch had 3 large hay crews of about twenty men each pulling mowers rakes and buck rakes. The ranch had three lambing camps during lambing season. Ewes were all lambed in April and May then brought into the shearing sheds for shearing and docking of the lambs. There were over one hundred men employed during haying and lambing times. I attended Colorado State University for two years after graduating from high school, and then returned to Hartsel in 1942 to become the ranch sheep foreman. I was inducted into the army in 1944 and sent to Camp Wotters (Wolters) in Texas (outside of Mineral Wells, Texas) for training. I was trained for sixteen weeks to become a truck driver and then sent over seas. It was the last time I ever drove a truck. I joined the 10th Infantry Division on Mindanao Island in the Philippines. I served with the Headquarters Company, 108th infantry through the Philippine campaign. After Japan was defeated we were sent to South Korea as occupational forces where I was transferred back to the 6th Infantry Division. Was shipped back to the U.S. and discharged at Camp Beale, California in November 1946 as a First Sergeant. (About 40 miles north of Sacramento and was named after the man who founded the Army Camel Corp.) I worked for Leonard Byler at Holly, Colorado running sheep on wheat pasture for two winters. I had a custom weed and cattle sprayer business for two summers while living in Lamar, Colorado. Moved to the Byler Ranch at Kalvesta, Kansas in March 1948. The Byler Ranch contained about two thousand acres of which six hundred was farm ground and the rest grass. We ran calves and yearlings on the grass and had four hundred acres alfalfa of which almost all was sold. The creek was damned on the ranch for fishermen. Married Margaret L. Leonard in Holly on October 24, 1948. We lived near Kalvesta, Kansas on the Pawnee Valley Ranch until 1958. Our children Barbara, Bob, Pamela, Karla and Alan were born in Dodge City, Kansas during this time. I belonged to the Cimarron Roping club where I roped and Margie barrel raced. I was on the school board and broke roping horses using goats. We then moved to Holly, Colorado where I worked for Evertt Willhite as the horse foreman for about four years. We moved to Lamar in 1962 where I went to work for Cliff Augustine and Bud Ogden, building and managing a feedlot east of Lamar. Our daughter Jana was born in Lamar. All the kids were involved in 4-H where I was a 4-H leader for five years. We had as many as eight steers per year throughout the years with most coming from the Mather’s Ranch outside of Canadian, Texas. One was grand champion at Holly and one at Lamar. Jana showed in the Tiny Tot division. We moved to Burlington, Colorado in 1968 where I became the manager for the Burlington commercial Feedlot to until it was sold in 1986. I worked odd jobs after semi-retiring such as at the Burlington Manor as their maintenance man and driving a truck during harvest. I started restoring buggies, wagons, sleds in 1988 and completed eight restorations. I had a carriage service for five years performing weddings, anniversaries, parades and rides around Eastern Colorado, Western Kansas and Nebraska with a Visa Vie. I had a 17.3 hand Percheron mare I raised and 16 hand Persheron cross for carriage horses. Some of my projects included a two seat Surry, Doctor’s Buggy, two seat sled, buckboard and two training carts. I founded the Prairie Carriage Club of Burlington with a membership of over thirty members and was the president for three years. Bob died September 30, 2005 at the Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital at the age of 83. Bob is survived by his wife Margaret, six children; Barbara Hitchcock and husband Duane of Burlington; Bob Smith and wife Alane of Colorado Springs; Pam Ochs of Wichita, KS; Karla Shriver and husband Doug of Monte Vista, CO; Alan Smith and wife Jackie of Wichita, KS; and Jana Carlin and husband Greg of Burlington. He is also survived by his sister Jean Meeks and husband Earl of Centennial, CO. Bob also leaves his greatest joy of twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends. Memorial services for Mr. Smith were held on Tuesday, October 4, 2005 at 11:00 AM at the Burlington United Methodist Church with Pastor Ralph Datema officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in the Fairview Cemetery in Burlington. Visitation was held on Monday, October 3, 2005 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Love Funeral Home in Burlington.