Howard and Clara Kohn
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Howard Louis Kohn | |
|---|---|
 Clara and Howard Kohn, 1923 wedding picture | |
| Born | November 8, 1861 |
| Died | November 2, 1933 (aged 71) Tucumcari, Quay, New Mexico |
| Occupations | Cattleman, banker, businessman |
| Known for | Owner of T4 Cattle Company |
Clara McGowan Kohn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clara McGowan November 20, 1899 |
| Died | March 7, 1988 (aged 88) |
| Other names | Clara K. Hoover |
| Occupations | Bookkeeper, cattlewoman, businesswoman |
| Known for | Owner of T4 Cattle Company |
Howard Louis Kohn (November 8, 1861 – November 2, 1933) and Clara (McGowan) Kohn (November 20, 1899 – March 7, 1988) were New Mexican businesspeople and ranchers of T4 Cattle Company, one of the largest private ranches in the United States with about 220,000 acres. They also held a hotel, banks, and mercantile shop. Howard shipped cattle on railroad cars from Texas into New Mexico in groups as large as 1,200 at a time.
Howard
Howard Louis Kohn was born on November 8, 1861, in the Cherry Creek area of Denver, Colorado.[1] He was the son of immigrants Samuel and Yetta Kohn, who arrived at Cherry Creek in 1860 to prosper as businesspeople during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.[2][3] After the Cherry Creek flood of 1864, the Kohn's and their two sons, Howard and George, returned to Kansas for a few years. Howard's sister Belle was born in Kansas. The Kohns traveled by oxen-driven covered wagon to Las Vegas, New Mexico. They opened a wool and hides business. [2] Samuel died in 1877, and Yetta took over the family business.[4]
Yetta moved the family to the town of La Cinta (along La Cinta Creek and near present-day Conchas Dam) in 1882 and established several businesses. She operated the post office, a ferry across the Canadian River, a mercantile store, and the 4V cattle ranch, the latter of which was managed by her son Howard. The ranch was the family's main source of income.[5] Howard, who was known as a well-dressed businessman, became a working cowboy. He castrated and branded cattle, bailed hay, and managed the cattle business. On a trip to the Texas panhandle to purchase cattle, he shared the last bed with space for another person with Billy the Kid. Howard considered the well-armed man to be "affable and square".[6]
Yetta's children attended school and college away from home in about 1885. In 1888, she sold her cattle and ranch to Wilson Waddingham of Bell Ranch. Yetta was then a real estate investor who lived in Wichita, Kansas and New York.[2][7] Around the turn of the century, Howard worked at livery stables in Denver, Colorado.[7]
In 1902, Howard, his mother, and siblings moved to Montoya, New Mexico, where they established several businesses.[1] They purchased the town's mercantile business from Henry K. Rountree & Company. Howard, Charles, and George Kohn operated the Kohn Bros. Merchantile Store. Besides being a mercantile and grocery store, it traded in livestock, wool, and hides.[7]
Although the region was in a severe drought, the Kohns bought cattle and land from Rountree. It rained heavily on the date of the sale, which signaled the end of the drought.[7] The Kohns invested in real estate. The family received business advice from Howard's successful uncle Solomon Kohn of New York, and Howard was responsible for most family business decisions. Montoya, near the county seat of Tucumcari, New Mexico, was a railroad stop. Within ten years, Howard and his family had one the most successful ventures in eastern New Mexico.[7] Charles, who gained experience at a store in Denver, ran the store and was the agent for the Montoya Townsite and Land Company. He was also the town's justice of peace and postmaster.[7] The Kohns invested in banks and a hotel. They acquired land through the Homestead Act.[8] His sister Belle and her husband Albert Calish lived in the Montoya Valley and operated their own ranch in the Mesa Rica area.[2][9] Albert and Charles also entered into politics.[7] He sold up to 1,200 cattle at a time that he bought in Texas and had shipped in railroad cars to the ranch.[8]
A three-year drought beginning in 1909 caused homesteaders to move away from the Montoya area. The family obtained land to settle debts with the mercantile business or loans.[10]
Howard operated the family businesses and was a real estate investor after his brothers' and mother's death.[2] The Kohn Bros. Mercantile was renamed the Kohn Mercantile Company, with head salesman John D. Thomason managing the business.[8] His sister and her family moved from Montoya, eventually living in El Paso, Texas.[8]
Clara
Clara, who was born on November 20, 1899,[11] was the daughter of Pearl McGowan and John Leonard McGowan. Her maternal grandfather, Seth L. Baker, was the head of an extended family which moved across the country with him as he engaged in speculative businesses. Clara suffered from diphtheria, dysentery, and other diseases during her childhood. While the family moved around Clara stayed in the South.[12]
Clara's health improved as she grew up. Clara went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she enrolled in an accounting course. She then worked in a lumber camp in Mississippi. Clara's parents moved to Montoya, New Mexico, for the drier, healthier climate. In 1919, her parents bought a hotel in town. By March, her father, who likely had tuberculosis, committed suicide after his illness worsened.[12]
Clara, while visiting Montoya, was hired by Howard to be her bookkeeper.[12]
Marriage
Howard Kohn married Clara McGowan, his bookkeeper, in 1923.[2] They then moved to Tucumcari, New Mexico.[1] The Kohns had a daughter named Yetta in May 1927.[12] After the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindberg Jr. (1932), Howard drove his daughter home at the end of every school day.[13]
Among Howard's philanthropic interests, he established Camp Kohn, a girl scout camp. He was also a Mason and a founding member of the Elks Club.[13] Howard suffered smoke inhalation and a stroke after fighting a fire at the Kohn ranch and died on November 2, 1933.[2][13]
After Howard's death, in 1938, she married Dr. Thomas B. Hoover, who was a large landowner.[14] Dr. Hoover died in 1985. Clara died on March 7, 1988.[15]