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Laumbach, Casimiro "Ike"

About | Abstract

About

Details consultant's days working on several ranches in New Mexico, including the Bell Ranch and the OX Ranch near Springer. Describes his childhood and memories of his father's ranch in the La Cinta Canyon area.

Interviewee Casimiro "Ike" Laumbach, male, born in 1913
Date Range 1913-1950
Date & Location September 24, 2010, Laumbach residence in Albuquerque, N.M.
Project Farm and Ranch Folks
Region Central New Mexico
Number of Tapes 2
Transcribed February 9, 2011
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Abstract

Tape 1, Side A

Laumbach describes various ranches he worked on and the people he worked for. He worked at the Bell Ranch, the OX Ranch, and the YNB Ranch. In addition to working with a branding crew, he also spent some time breaking horses for the Army cavalry. He was paid five dollars per horse. He attended the University of New Mexico in 1936 and 1937. He worked at Bell Ranch in 1938, running one of the bull camps. In 1939 he worked at the Bascom Ranch camp, which ran "weaner heifers."

Tape 1, Side B

Laumbach worked for Rio Grande Steel in California from 1940 to 1943, where he built airplanes. Some of the planes he built were used in the bombing of Tokyo. He returned to New Mexico in 1943 to work for several freight companies and retired from the freight business after thirty-five years.
He recalls that he broke his first horse at age thirteen or fourteen. His dad had approximately 60 head of horses and tells a story of the time when his dad trimmed the herd and gave some of the mares to Alex Cruz at Mora. He recalls that his dad and Cruz moved the horses across Diamond A Ranch land. They left them unattended for a night, and when they returned to the horses, they found that they had all been killed, apparently by the Diamond A staff.
At one point his dad raised mules, and Laumbach remembers that his dad had one horse that was never ridden or worked. This horse was used to stud, and recalls that this was the only horse that was kept in a stable that his dad had built for it. The French Train Robbery and chuck wagons are briefly discussed. He does not remember any African Americans working at the Bell Ranch but knew of three on other ranches in New Mexico.

Tape 2, Side A

Laumbach's dad had a lot of friends and was well known around the state. He recalls that at one point someone started putting in a game preserve on part of his Uncle Dan's ranch. Laumbach and his brother would do target practice on the preserve signs and tore them down as their dad had requested. The preserve eventually abandoned their efforts.
Hunting deer, a story of accidentally shooting a doe, and making head cheese from hog heads are discussed.