Carl F. Tiedt
Carl Fredrick Tiedt, the son of Herman Johann Heinrich and Charlotte Marie Sophie "Mary" (Bolte) Tiedt, was born on January 9, 1901, in Grove Hill, Franklin Twp, Bremer Co, Iowa. (Grove Hill is no longer a town. It is near the Wapsipinican School, between Fairbanks and Readlyn, Iowa.) When Carl was ten his parents moved to New Town, Missouri. The move was necessary mostly because of his father's asthma, partly because of a family feud.
In February of 1916 the family moved to Colorado and settled on a homestead about 20 miles north and west of Springfield. Herman did some dryland farming, raised some livestock, and with the help of his young son, eked out a living. Herman raised a particular kind of rye much favored by the local bootleggers and legend in the family says son Carl furnished the bootlegger with rye in return for 8 gallons of whiskey a month and he drank it all. Carl told his children he rode 14 miles, round trip, a day to get an education at a country school. The family was very poor, as were many hundreds of other early homesteaders in southeastern Colorado. When Carl was about 16-18 there was a local rodeo, much favored by frontier people for entertainment. Carl wanted so badly to show off his expertise at bronco riding, but one of the requirements was that the contestant had to spur the bronc while completing the ride. Young Carl had no boot to strap a spur to. That determined young man strapped a spur to his bare foot and rode that bronco in the rodeo.
Carl grew to manhood on his parents homestead, earning money however he could. In about 1926, he spent time rounding up wild horses and breaking them. It was hard, brutal work, and horses didn't bring much in those days. Carl's firey German temper almost got him into serious trouble when a crippled man, living near by, cut his fence and turned his horses loose a couple times. The third time it happened, Carl pulled his rifle and fired several shots between some bystanders, not coming close to hitting anyone, but intending to punctuate the fact that his fence was not to be cut any more. The crippled man dropped his "walking stick" and took off running. He went to the sheriff and brought charges of assault against Carl. The charges were eventually dropped.
Katherine "Katie" Roth, the daughter of Lorenz and Katherine (Gruman) Roth, was born on March 3, 1909, in Kenton, Hardin County, Ohio. Carl Katie on November 18, 1928. They began their married life on the Trostle Brothers Ranch near Caddoa, where Carl began a span of 19 years employment. The ranch was a huge operation of many sections of land and cattle. The Trostle ranch was closely tied to the Sniff operation, as well as the Richard Klett operation. Carl began his career on the Trostle Ranch at the beginning of the great depression, and the young family were fortunate to have a house to live in and an income. This was the years of the "dust bowl" days, and the family remembers how Katherine had to wet sheets to hang over the doors and windows to try to keep dirt and dust out as those great sand storms howled over the countryside. Often after a blow they had to use scoop shovels to get dirt and sand out of the house. They tell of one period of 13 months without a drop of rain. The house furnished them was 1 mile east of old Caddoa.
Along about 1935, Carl F. rode into home for the noon meal, left his horse standing with the reins dropped as was usual, this time the horse wandered off grazing and wandered up onto the railroad tracks. The noontime Zypher hit the horse, and Carl's saddle showed up on the "cowcatcher" of the engine in Pueblo.
Carl Fredrick was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 190 pounds. To all his friends he was known as "Shorty." The ranchers and cattle workers were blessed with a sense of humor, and did any number of things just for laughs. Carl told of the time when several "locals" were gathered at the old Caddoa Store, located in what is today the bottom of John Martin Lake, and pulled one of their ribald, fun loving stunts. It was said that Richard Klett, Sr., was so fond of candy, and often came into the store and picked up and ate whatever sack of candy he found, eating and talking. Carl Tiedt and the others fixed up a sack of Exlax, breaking it into pieces to simulate chocolate candy. Richard Klett, Sr., comes into the store and does his usual thing, ate the whole thing! Meanwhile, of course all the jokesters could hardly contain themselves. Richard, Sr., was not seen at the store for several days. When he did show up he was almost feeble, pale, and drawn. He said to the bystanders in the store, "You sob's almost killed me."
In 1947, the Trostle Ranch loaded out about 48 carloads of cattle, which represented an enormous amount of time and work for the ranch foreman. Carl Tiedt left the employ of Trostle Ranch in 1948 and moved to Missouri with his young family, leaving behind his older daughter Elsie, who was married to Don Doyle. During his years on the Trostle Ranch, Carl had accumulated 2200 acres of his own land, which he bought for 10 cents an acre. When he left Bent County in 1948 he sold it for $12.50 per acre.
Carl and Katie had 4 children:
| Elsie Esther Tiedt | Elsie was born in 1929, in Caddoa, Bent County, Colorado. She married Donald Delbert Doyle in 1946, in the Court House in Syracuse, Kansas, and they had 2 sons and a daughter. Elsie later married Clinton Edward Miller in 2001, in Hasty, Bent, Colorado. |
| Hubert Carl Tiedt | Hubert was born in 1932, in Caddoa, Bent County, Colorado. He married Lois Marie Lee in 1966, in Alameda, California. Hubert died in 2006, at the age of 74. |
| Joyce Katherine Tiedt | Joyce was born in 1934, in Caddoa, Colorado. She married Charles Richard Hinkle in 1952, in Lamar, Missouri. |
| Betty Ann Tiedt | Betty was born in 1936, in Caddoa, Colorado. She married Dean Robert Cox in 1957, in North Kansas City, Missouri. Betty died on July 25, 1986, at the age of 50. |
Katie died when just a young mother, on April 11, 1939, in Halstead, Harvey County, Kansas, at the age of 30.
Mathilda Charlotte Elisabeth Koeltzow, the daughter of Paul Heinrich Karl Martin and Wilhelmine Katharina "Minnie" (Polf) Koeltzow, was born on April 3, 1907, in Lone Wolf, Kiowa County, Oklahoma.
After his first wife Katherine died in 1939, Carl married Mathilda on August 6, 1939, in Caddoa, Bent County, Colorado, and they had 7 children:
| Leonard Paul Tiedt | Leonard was born in 1940, in Lamar,Prowers County, Colorado. He married Rita Marie Sachs in 1969, in Rolla, Phelps County, Missouri. |
| Carl Herman Tiedt | Carl was born in 1942, in Las Animas, Bent County, Colorado. He married Barbara Kay Holden in 1966, in Redeemer Lutheran Church, Springfield, Greene County,Missouri. |
| Helen Minnie Tiedt | Helen was born in 1944, in Las Animas,Bent County,Colorado. She married David Eugene Kellner in 1963, in Tipton, Missouri. Helen remarried to David Otto Jackson February 18, 1989, in Phoenix, Arizona. |
| Ilene Mathilda Tiedt | Ilene was born in 1946, in Las Animas, Bent County, Colorado. She married Jerry Duke Nelson in 1961, in Lamar, Missouri. |
| Mildred Marie Tiedt | Mildred was born in 1948, in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri. She married Alvin Dean Piatt in 1966, in San Diego, San Diego County, California . |
| Dorothy Fern Tiedt | Dorothy was born in 1951, in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri. She married Steven Potter in 1975, in Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Arizona . |
| Alfred Lloyd Tiedt | Alfred was born in 1953, in Lamar,Barton County,Missouri. He married Donna Lee Boquist in 1983, in Reno, Storey County, Nevada. |
Carl died on November 25, 1990, in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri, at the age of 89. Mathilda died on March 4, 1978, in Lamar, Barton, Missouri, at the age of 70.