The Kenneth M. Hammer Collection

Born in South Dakota in 1918, Dr. Hammer grew up listening to stories about the settlement of the Dakotas and Montana. His particular interest in Custer grew from a visit to Fort Abraham Lincoln as a child with his father. Over the years, he collected many materials related to the Custer fight and wrote several volumes about it. In 1977, Dr. Hammer was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book, "Custer in '76: Walter Camp's notes on the Custer Fight". His most recent work is "Men with Custer: Biographies of the 7th Cavalry, June 25, 1876, Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association, 1995.

Shortly after Dr. Hammer arrived at Whitewater, Andersen Library acquired much of his Custer collection for the University's Special Collections. Over the years, the Library has acquired additional materials to supplement the Hammer Collection. Professor Kenneth M. Hammer taught economics at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater from 1966 to 1983, after a distinguished career in the United States Air Force. Dr. Hammer lives in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and remains a valued emeritus professor of this University.