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Western Artists: Preserving our History
Published in The Cowboy Chronicle December 2022. Following is a more detailed version that was not published. Stories and art have always been part of human history. The written word evokes powerful images and emotions. The visualization of a story brings new clarity and a sense of reality. When Theodore Roosevelt chronicled his life in North Dakota with the book Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, Frederick Remington was commissioned to do illustrations for the book. Roosevelt wanted the artwork to bring his experiences to life. The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame has recognized North Dakota artists since its inception with the Arts and Entertainment category. Since then, five…
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North Dakota Farmers and Ranchers Go to Washington!
“Proudly owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union” is not something you would expect to see over the door of a popular restaurant in Washington DC, just a mile away from the White House. Yet there it is, proudly serving locals and visitors since 2006. The farmer owned Founding Farmers restaurant is the first of its kind anywhere. Along with six other restaurants now in its group, these restaurants serve and educate 45,000 people a week. Through their ownership of the Founding Farmer Restaurant Group farmers are helping consumers and Beltway residents better understand and appreciate family farm agriculture and rural America. The restaurants food is sourced from family farms…
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Historic Homesteads – Minot Daily News
2021 – 2022 Edition Photos from the Martell Family archives Information provided to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame by Mary Pat Martell Jones Charles Martell was inducted into the NDCHF in 2019
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On the Edge of History: A Profile of Medora’s Doug Ellison
“It is the romance and drama of history that still holds my interest. Growing up on a ranch was a reflection of the Old West, so that is the era that first attracted my attention. All of history is interconnected, so one theme leads to another.” Doug Ellison There has always been a certain romance to the American West. There is mystery, excitement, beauty and wide open spaces where adventure and opportunity awaits. Indeed this was true even back in the day when the west was first being settled. Men and women living in crowded tenements and working long hours in often grueling jobs, saw the west as the land…
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The Old Cottonwood Reflection
The summer of 2022 is winding down and soon the fall leaves will be floating by in the breeze. The end of a season is a natural time of reflection. It always goes by so fast – in the spring it seems the summer months will be long enough for so many plans. At the end of every summer I lament what didn’t come to pass, but this summer did start with a lovely day showing my sister and two of her girls a special place with a significant history. As you enter the Yellowstone – Missouri Confluence Center, a majestic cottonwood now over 200 years old, stands guard at…
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Telling the Stories of North Dakota
Published in the Summer 2022 edition of North Dakota Horizons magazine Over a thousand years ago, a Native American carved symbols into the rocks at what is now Writing Rock Historic Site in Divide County. These were not random symbols; each had purpose, meaning, and told a story. Humans have built their cultures, preserved and passed on knowledge, communicated ideas, and entertained with storytelling since the beginning of their existence. What began as oral tradition, evolved to stories written, acted and, in the modern world, also presented on film. Canticle Productions, a North Dakota-based film and theater production company, showcases stories that are as personal to North Dakota as the…
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Lewis and Clark in North Dakota
Published in the Cowboy Chronicle, Publication of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, June 2022 Captain William Clark wrote in his journal on August 3, 1806: “Last night the Musquetors were so troublesom that no one of the party slept half the night. For my part I did not sleep one hour. Those tormenting insects found their way into my beare and tormented me the whole night. They are not less noumerous or troublesom this morning at two miles passed the entranance of Jo. Fields Creek. “ The Lewis and Clark Expedition was on its way home. On the morning of August 2, 1806, Clark and his detachment from…
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The Last Cattle Drive
Up ahead Lloyd saw a rattler taking in the morning sun. Rattlesnakes were common out here in the summer so you “listened real close” for the rattles when you were out in the pasture. The Prairie Rattler may be smaller than other rattlesnakes, but it maintains a nasty disposition none the less. Here they were, about ready to cross one’s path with over hundred head of cattle and men on horseback. Before he could say a word out came Oliver’s lariat with a snap, catching the rattler and Lloyd by surprise. Oliver finished off the snake and gave Lloyd the rattles. What a day, and it had only just begun!…
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Murderer Lynched: A Frontier Community’s Wrath
She wasn’t even born when it happened, but like for so many in this community tucked away in western North Dakota, the story had a profound effect on her. She remembers as a young child hearing her parents quietly but earnestly talking in the kitchen about it. Even though the incident occurred almost a decade before this conversation, the little girl felt like it had just happened. A family of six, including four children, had been murdered and buried in their own farmyard by a young man who lived and worked in their community. She had bristled at the mention of murdered children. When they saw her peeking in and…
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Sakakawea: A Good and Best Woman
Published in The Cowboy Chronicle, July 2021, Volume 25 Issue 4 Much of what we accept as historical fact is often interpretation and legend created from a few known and recorded truths. It is frequently difficult to separate fact from fiction for many of the famous historical figures in our western heritage. The passing of one such person on December 20, 1812, was sadly noted by clerk John Luttig at Fort Manuel, a short lived (1812-1813) fur trading outpost along the Missouri River in what is now South Dakota. He wrote, “This evening, the wife of Charbonneau, a Snake squaw died of putrid fever. She was a good and best…
