-
Outlaw and Lawman: The Tragic Tale of Two Old Friends
Published in The Cowboy Chronicle, August 2025 The second in a series about frontier lawmen Late afternoon on November 8, 1878, with the sun’s warmth still lingering, two men lay dead in the Pembina, North Dakota post office. This was the tragic end to a once close friendship. William Collins and William Anderson had gone to school together in Texas. They became the kind of good friends that had stood as best men at each other’s weddings a decade before. In the time since, their lives diverged in directions that could not be reconciled. Pembina was a small community about as far north as one can get. It was an…
-
Alexander McKenzie: An honorable, yet corrupt man who helped shape North Dakota
This is the first in a series of stories in the Cowboy Chronicle about pioneer lawmen and law enforcement He fell from grace almost as far as any lawman could. Alexander McKenzie was arrested in 1901 for fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to a year in jail. Newspapers said that he was “high handed and greedy”, yet even though the “Boss of North Dakota” was left with a tarnished reputation and diminished power, 21 years later he received a state funeral with honor guards. He was the only person who ever lay in state in the old state capitol, even though the only elected office he ever held…
-
2025 Inductee North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame: Dr. Victor Hugo Stickney
2025 Great Westerner Inductee North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Dr. Victor Hugo Stickney, “The Cowboy Doctor” October 1, 1858 – July 26, 1927 See also North Dakota Horizons Magazine article and Cowboy Chronicle article posted on this website Dr. Victor Hugo Stickney was inducted into The Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City in 1966 from North Dakota In his biography for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame he was described as having lived: “one of the richest and most productive lives a man can live. He had achieved distinction in the practice of his profession. He had…
-
2025 Inductee North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame: Andrew Nohle
North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Andrew Nohle Inductee 2025 Pre- 1940’s Ranching October 1, 1858 – August 20, 1925 See also: Biography of Andrew Nohle: posted February 28, 2018 Arriving in North Dakota in 1881, Nohle first worked at a Grand Forks hotel. In 1882 Nohle began working for R.M. Prouty, L.B. Richardson and Charly Sprout. They sent him west with a small herd of cattle and the authority to make purchases along the way. He arrived at the Mouse River near the present day town of Towner, North Dakota with 260 head of cattle. Nohle operated the first cattle business in that area. Nohle also established a…
-
Christmas Memories: Holiday vignettes from pioneer families and recipes from Grandma’s recipe box
Life was rugged and the day’s work was never ending for the pioneer families that homesteaded a century or more ago. Christmas though, was always a day to find a way to take the time to make merry in even some small way. Celebrations were simple then, but families had their traditions and the day was special. There were decorations, visiting, special meals, an extra kindness for a neighbor, or maybe just a few cents worth of chocolate, but one way or another the day was remembered and celebrated. Here are glimpses of those Christmas’ long ago. Along with the stories are Christmas recipes from the old recipe box, the…
-
A Square Deal: the Story of William “Bill” Johnson
Published in the October 2024 edition of the Cowboy Chronicle: For Love of Country with a special dedication to Chief Warrant Officer 2, Shane Barnes Update: On April 26, 2025, Bill Johnson’s name was added to the memorial wall at the Veteran’s Park in Watford City. “A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.” – Theodore Roosevelt Rural cemeteries dot the North Dakota prairies. Many of the towns they belong to have long since vanished; succumbing to the elements and dissolving in to the prairie. Along the outskirts of what little is left of Charbonneau,…
-
Grandma’s Recipe Box
Published in The Cowboy Chronicle; North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame August 2024 Lila was briefly mentioned in the article Staking their Claim: Women Homesteaders in North Dakota. After homesteading with her sister, Lila went to secretarial school and was working at the courthouse in Williston, North Dakota where she met C. F. Martell. They were married February 27, 1929 The old little wooden box was nothing fancy, but it held a treasure of history and love. It represented much of Lila’s life. At one time it sat in the cupboard of a ranch house with Charbonneau Creek out the back. If it wasn’t windy, you could hear the gentle…
-
Staking Their Claim: Women Homesteaders in North Dakota
Published in the June 2024 edition of The Cowboy Chronicle We have read the books and seen the movies about the pioneer families making their way across the prairies hoping to make a new life. We have heard of the grizzled lone pioneer arriving in uncivilized territory to stake his claim. These adventurers faced dangers and hardships but ultimately settled the west. The Homestead Act spurred settlement like never before. As with all important moments in history we learn the overarching concept, but there are many details and nuances we may not know. When we think about the Homestead Act, most do not realize that a significant percentage of American…
-
Looking Through the Life and Lens of Frank Fiske
This article was fun to write – wait until you learn the history this man saw! Frank Bennett Fiske was an early inductee into the NDCHF. In 2001 he was inducted in the Arts and Entertainment Division for his extensive and noteworthy photography of the people of the Standing Rock Reservation. He was the first photographer inducted. Fiske’s work was mostly known to historians and collectors, but in 2021 a book with a 100 of his Standing Rock portraits was released, giving the general public a chance to see his extraordinary work. Fiske lived most of his sixty nine years on the Standing Rock Reservation. His remarkable photography was part…
-
The Battle to Save Roosevelt’s Horses
https://dakotahorsemagazine.com/articles/the-battle-to-save-roosevelts-horses/ Update: On April 25, 2024 Senator John Hoeven announced that he had “secured a commitment” from the National Park Service to maintain the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park Sierra Schmidt grew up visiting and getting to know the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). She says the memory is still in her mind as clear as the day she first saw ‘Cloud’ and his band walking down the road near the prairie dog town in the park. She was ten and had been coming to the park since she was three to see the horses. Cloud was an amazing stallion with a big white face…
You May Also Like
Rex
