1940-1949

90th Birthday

•1942 Reunion•Family Portrait•Move to Wyoming•Raising Horses

1940-1949 World Events

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90th Birthday

President: Franklin D Roosevelt, Harry S. TrumanVice President: John N GarnerPopulation: 132,122,446 (1940)Postage Stamp: $.03Unemployment: 14.6% (1940), 1.9% (1945)Average US Annual Salary: $1,299; Teachers $1,441

•First regular television station in New York with 10,000 viewers (1940)•First Bugs Bunny cartoon (1940)•Japan bombs Pearl Harbor US into World War II (1941)•First HMO Kaiser Foundation Health Plan started in Oakland California (1942) •Radar comes into operational use (1942)•Withholding tax on wages introduced (1942)•The Pentagon is completed and becomes the larest office building in the world (1942)•GI Bill of Rights passed, providing benefits for armed-service veterans (1944)•First automatic, general purpose digital computer constructed at Harvard University (1944)•DNA is isolated (1944)•Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders, May 8 is declared V-E day (1945)•US drops atomic bomb Aug 6 and 8, Japan surrenders, September 2 V-J day (1945)•FDR dies and Harry S. Truman becomes president (1945)•Oral penicillin developed by Raymond Libby (1946)•Folic acid discovered by American Cyanamid (1946)•Benjamin Spock’s childcare classic published (1946)•US Army makes first radar contact with the moon 1946)•Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran (1947)•Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947)•Micro oven is invented by Percy Spencer (1947)•Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier (1947)•Polaroid Land Camera invented (1948)•Cable television started (1949)•45 RPM records are sold in US (1949)

1940-1949 Hoff Reunion 1942

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90th Birthday

Don Aupperle (husband of Helen Hoff- daughter of Rasmus) Felix & Alvin (of Peter), Phil & Leonard (of Rasmus), Rudolph (of Peter), Mark (of Rasmus), Aurther Brashear (married Jenny Hoff’s younger sister. Jenny was married to Rasmus)

The descendants of Nils Hoff held a reunion in 1942. This was the last time they were all together at the same time.

1940-1949 Hoff Reunion 1942

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90th Birthday

Hansine (married to Nils), Bessie (married to Felix), Ruth (Hoff) Rogers (married to Earl Rogers) Anna (wife of Peter)

Alvin (of Peter), Mark, Phil & Rueben (of Rasmus), Rudolph (of Peter)

The reunion included all the Hoff Men and their wifes.

1940-1949 Hoff Family

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90th Birthday

A Peter Hoff descendants reunion at a later date.

Gladys (Hoff) Alloway, Rudolf, Anna, Felix, Ruth (Hoff) Rogers, Alvin

Anna had all five of her children home at the same time.

Alvin, Anna, Gladys, Ruth, Felix

Reunions Abound

1940-1949 Bought Ranch 1943

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90th Birthday

Preparing to plant a wind break above the house. And the wind surely could blow! The buildings are gone but the wind break is still growing.

Bessie’s father had passed away so in 1943 Felix bought the Wyoming ranch on Paint Creek from Grandma Bosley. It was located about 25 miles west of Powell and 25 miles north of Cody and included a 4 room house with an attic, a bunk house, and an out house; no electricity.

The first few years Felix raised sheep and horses and later cattle and horses along with the alfalfa, timothy and brome grass.

1940-1949 A Typical Week

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90th Birthday

Phyllis started first grade at the Paint Creek school at age five. There were only five students and she was the only girl. The school was ½ mile from the ranch house. The last month of school Bessie took her to town to be with her. But Phyllis spent every summer at the ranch.

This was her first day of school.

A typical scene; Bessie working in her shop.

While Felix ran the ranch, Bessie ran her own beauty salon in Powell. She’d drive the 25 miles on dirt roads, rain or shine, every weekend to bring out groceries and see her family.

1940-1949 Family

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90th Birthday

Bessie, Phyllis and Felix Hoff (about 1942)

Bessie stayed with the Sundquists before she was married. Mildred was Bessies mother’s youngest sister.Back row: Felix, Bessie, Aunt Mildred, Unknown, Uncle Ernest SundquistFront row: Phyllis, “Bunky” Sundquist

1940-1949 Bought Ranch 1943

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90th Birthday

Got one and four to go.

Every Saturday all of the horses were rounded up for the weekend visitors to enjoy. At one time they had forty horses.

Felix was now able to pursue a life long dream; raise horses. Growing up they had work horses and no time for colts. The saddle horse that was given to when he was a kid, Silver, was killed by a train. The ranch was a dream come true.

Weekend visitors watching the action in the corral.

1940-1949 Brand and Saddle

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90th Birthday

After buying the Ranch Felix had a saddle made to fit him. The saddle is still in the family.

With the Ranch came the ‘Heart Hanging Y” brand..

The Ranch had 2300 acres, a few acres were irrigated but it was mostly dry land pasture.

1940-1949 Horse and Riders

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90th Birthday

Felix is taking the ladies on a day trip 7 miles up Bald Ridge; Ruth (his sister on Phyllis’ horse Pet), Bessie (on Tulip), and Gladys (his sister). His saddle is on Rocket with a rifle in the scabbard under his right leg.

Felix wearing his 10 gallon hat.

Felix on the left and a relative from Iowa on the right.

The ranch was always a popular place for friends and relatives to visit. Felix took the visitors on rides, some long, some short.

1940 -1949 Horse

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90th Birthday

This is “Itto Pete” Felix’s prize bull. He was so small when purchased at the sale ring in Billings,that Phyllis held him on her lap going home.

The mare with the colt is Tulip. Felix bought her and a blue roan mare he named Rocket from a herd of wild horses run in by an airplane over by Meeteetse. Tulip was a strawberry roan and one of Felix’s favorites. Orchid on the right, one of Tulips colts.

Bally was a work horse that came with the ranch. He turned out to be a great saddle bronc and was entered in the Cody Rodeo often. Later Gene Autrey’s rodeo bought him. Out of the shute he was as gentle as a kitten.

Horses and colts in abundance.

Suzy and her first colt Trixy