Don Robert Hamm was born to Hugh “Bob” and Evelyn Hamm on July 17, 1948, in Gillette. In 1940, Adolph Hamm, Don’s grandfather, bought the Adon Ranch that Don now owns. Adolph was a big influence in Don’s life. He served as the Wyoming Commissioner of Ag after he retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service. In the early 1960s Adolph was one of the first to bring black Angus cows into Campbell County, which are still run on the Adon Ranch today. Adolph was also the one to buy Don his first horse when he was five years old and Don has been horseback since. Don spent his winters as a kid feeding their sheep and cattle with a team braving the harsh winter conditions and blizzards. He attended Campbell County High School, Casper College, and the University of Wyoming. After he graduated from UW, he worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, and taught agriculture at Sheridan College before buying the family ranch from his grandmother. In 1980 Don started raising quarter horses and become a lifetime member of the American Quarter Horse Association. Don married Melody Rathbun and they had a daughter, Lexi. Melody also had two sons, Brad and Casey Tenke.
Don Hamm
