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GARFIELD
COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT
William & Leanora Hocker
in 1925, at their Rifle ranch (1906-1936) where with the
help of youngest son, Daddy John, ran a small dairy, grew sugar beets & had a
large apple orchard. The ranch was located in what is now Palomino Park Sub
Division. The old house remains. This picture was taken in the front yard near
the big trees & under the stained glass window where many family pictures were
taken. The big trees are gone now but the stained glass window remains. Will &
Lea are resting on Rose Hill. William Edward was a pioneer along with his
father, mother and brothers. They traveled the Oregon Trail freighting supplies
with 3 wagons to military posts. He was in charge of one of the wagons at age 16
yrs.
He married three times, as his young wives either died of diptheria or in
childbirth. First wife was Nora Cockrell; he and Nora had two children, Edna
Maude and William Roy. In 1886 William married her sister Joetta Cockrell, she
passed away in 1891. Two children were born to this marriage; Clarence Benjamin
and Carl Ernest.
He married his third wife, Leonora Redmon, in 1893. They
had four children; Lotus Leota, Kenneth, John Garrett, a 4th child was
stillborn. He and Leonora operated a ranch in Monte Vista, Co before moving to
Rifle in 1906. There they owned a 62 acre ranch north of town with apples and
other fruit. When Leonora died in 1925, he went to live with Lotus, his
daughter, in Grand Junction, CO.
Letter written by William Hocker about the Rifle Creek Flood in 1930
August 8, 1930. Flood on Rifle Creek washed out the bridge over the creek at
west Third street. The main highway through Rifle followed 3rd street, but it
was not yet Highway 24. The federal government began numbering roads about 1926,
and Highway 40 was designated through Colorado. However, it went north of Rifle
through Craig. So Rifle's highway was named 40S. In 1936, 40S was renumbered as
Highway 24
Carl Ernest Hocker
Carl Hocker graduated in the first Rifle Union High Class in
1910. Then from the US Military Academy Class of 1915.
When Carl graduated,
Rifle Union High School was being taught 2nd floor of the 4th street school
building. The 9th street high school building was not completed until 1911,
first graduating class there was 1912.
The Hocker family, grand parents William & Leanora, with children Lotus & John,
go to Rifle Town early 1900's.
John Hocker 1930
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