Born in Clyde, Iowa in 1867, Commodore C. Hampton moved to the western portion of Cheyenne County (now part of Banner County) at the age of 20.  He filed his papers for a homestead claim and created the C. C. Hampton Homestead. From modest beginnings, Hampton grew his 160-acre claim into over 3,000 acres within a decade, before selling his ranch and moving to a farm near Gering. The original 160-acre C. C. Hampton Homestead (Warner Ranch) is located in northwestern Banner County near the headwaters of Pumpkin Creek. In addition to Hampton’s log house, the original ranch consisted of numerous outbuildings, including a bunkhouse, a small stone spring house, a coal storage shed, a grain bin, a banked barn, and a machine shed.

C.C. Hampton influenced life on the Nebraska frontier by introducing several long-lasting and progressive agricultural methods. Knowing that the soil of Banner County proved productive when properly watered, Hampton was an early proponent of water conservation and management. He was also an early promoter of the Aeromotor Windmill, which was all metal with curved sheet-steel sails set at angles to derive the most power from the wind. Through a complex series of gears, the Aeromotor proved efficient at extracting water from aquifers. By distributing these windmills to his fellow ranchers, Hampton assured that adequate water was available for livestock, farming, and domestic use in the area.

In 1902, Hampton sold his homestead and moved to a farm in Gering. The ranch passed through three different owners before Lawrence Warner bought Hampton’s original 160-acre property in 1942. The Warner family renamed the homestead the Warner Ranch and conducted a ranching and farming operation on the land for over 50 years.