Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Hawks, William Edward, Jr. |
Date Born |
08/31/1864 |
Birthplace |
Bennington, Vermont |
Deceased |
07/05/1929 |
Place of Death |
Jackson, New York |
Father |
Hawks, William Edward, Sr. |
Mother |
Hawks, Helen Elizabeth Brown |
Spouse |
Hawks, Jessie Blanchard |
Places of Residence |
Bennington, Vermont |
Notes |
William E. Hawks lived most of his life in Bennington, but as a young man he worked for about nine years as a cowboy on an Idaho ranch his father had an interest in. The experience at the Two-Bar Seventy ranch (marked "//70"), had a deep effect on him and he retained an interest in the romance of the Old West throughout his life. The ranch lost 10,000 cattle in the blizzard of 1888, and after that setback Hawks returned to his hometown. He operated a livery stable on Union Street, behind the Hawks block at 431 East Main Street in Bennington. On November 16, 1892 he married Jessie Blanchard and the couple bought a home on School Street. Hawks maintained relationships with people like Buffalo Bill Cody and Pawnee Bill and returned to visit the Rocky Mountains and American Southwest. Collecting stories, relics, and songs related to the Wild West was a passion, and he intended to publish a book. He gave occasional lectures in Bennington and maintained a room in his house dubbed the "Tepee Room" filled with artifacts and memorabilia. He maintained a summer camp at Lauke Lauderdale, where he died suddenly July 5, 1929. |
