John E. Hammett Jr. ST. XAVIER - Longtime Big Horn County rancher, John Hammett, Jr., 81, died Dec. 21, 2007, of natural causes, at his St. Xavier home.
He was born May 25, 1926, in Thermopolis, Wyo., to John and Blanche Brown Hammett, Sr. His childhood years were spent in the Wyola area. He attended schools in Wyola and Lodge Grass. John joined the Navy during World War II and served aboard LST 694 from 1943 to 1946. He participated in a number of invasions and landings in the South Pacific. When asked what his duties were on the LST, he said he was "in charge of paint and rag" in addition to being a gunner on the landing craft.
After World War II, he returned to Wyola and ranching. He broke horses and punched cows for the Antler Ranch and the PR Krone Ranch. He spent a number of years in cow camps around the area and in GarvinBasin and Big Bull ridge in the BigHornMountains. John rode saddle broncos and participated in many rodeos. He won some money, broke some bones and traveled quite a few miles with some great friends. They frequently found themselves in unusual predicaments and it brings smiles to our faces as we remember the stories he told about this time in his life. In addition to being a cowboy, John tried his hand at a few other things. He worked on an old rig in Wyoming and in the underground mines in Butte. These adventures were short-lived before he returned to ranching.
In 1956, he married Mary Ruth Wolf and they made their home on Rotten Grass Creek, where they got into the sheep business. John didn't really like sheep, so after a few years, they switched back to cattle. For 19 years, the Hammetts trailed sheep and then cattle to their summer range on the BigHornMountains. This was always a big event and was looked at with anticipation and dread! In 1979, John and Mary Ruth moved to the Charlie Wolf place on Soap Creek, where they continued their cattle operation. John was a top hand and helped many neighbors and friends with branding and shipping. In 1999, John and Mary Ruth moved to their retirement home near St. Xavier, but continued with the cattle operation on Soap Creek. 2004 brought big changes after John and Mary sold their cattle and retired. Two month after the trucks pulled out, Mary Ruth unexpectedly died on Dec. 7. In retirement, John became quite a self-taught welder. His specialty was hat racks made from old horseshoes.
His parents and wife of 48 years, Mary Ruth, preceded John in death.
Survivors include his daughters, Linda (Gary) Greenwalt of Hardin, Julie (Max) Hallfrisch of Great Falls, Wanda (Donovan) Sauter of Billings and Barbara Chavez (Scott Turner) of Worden; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He also leaves behind his siblings, Lee Hammett of Wyoming, Olive Sargent of South Dakota, Roberta Williams of CookeCity, Alice Stevens of Wyoming and Ina Belle Snyder of Arizona; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and some great cowboy friends.
"Your hard ride is over; you taught us well."
We would like to extend a special thank you to Emily Byrd, Lee Hammett and Susan Easterday for all of their loving care.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, in the Bullis Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow in the LodgeGrassCemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the Big Horn County Historical Museum.

 

 

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