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    2025 Inductee North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame: Dr. Victor Hugo Stickney

    March 15, 2025 /

    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…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    Biography of Charles Franklin Martell

    February 28, 2015

    Biography of George W. Nohle

    March 1, 2015

    The Wandering Man

    June 4, 2019
  • Biographies

    2025 Inductee North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame: Andrew Nohle

    March 15, 2025 /

    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…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 1 Comment

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    A Wandering Man: Louis L’Amour

    September 28, 2019

    Lydia Langer: The Unexpected Candidate Amid 1930’s Political Scandal and Intrigue

    October 27, 2016

    The Cowboy Doctor

    December 22, 2020
  • Biographies,  History,  Tales of the Ranch,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Christmas Memories: Holiday vignettes from pioneer families and recipes from Grandma’s recipe box

    December 25, 2024 /

    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…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 1 Comment

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    The Cowboy Doctor

    December 22, 2020

    Biography of Andrew J. Nohle

    February 28, 2015

    Lydia Langer: The Unexpected Candidate Amid 1930’s Political Scandal and Intrigue

    October 27, 2016
  • Biographies,  Ghost Towns,  North Dakota Today,  Tales of the Ranch,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    A Square Deal: the Story of William “Bill” Johnson

    October 30, 2024 /

    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,…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    The Cowboy Doctor

    December 22, 2020

    A Wandering Man: Louis L’Amour

    September 28, 2019

    Lydia Langer: The Unexpected Candidate Amid 1930’s Political Scandal and Intrigue

    October 27, 2016
  • Tales of the Ranch,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Grandma’s Recipe Box

    August 8, 2024 /

    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…

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    The True Facts

    July 3, 2017

    The Battle at Guilford Courthouse

    May 1, 2019

    Booming Settlement to Ghost Town: Whispers of the Living History of Charbonneau

    January 29, 2015
  • History,  North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Staking Their Claim: Women Homesteaders in North Dakota

    June 29, 2024 /

    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…

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    Necessities for a Nomadic Life

    August 18, 2019

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015

    Just One More Ride

    December 9, 2018
  • Biographies,  History,  Native Americans,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Looking Through the Life and Lens of Frank Fiske

    January 31, 2024 /

    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…

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    Charles Franklin Martell: Pre-1940’s Ranching Division nominee 2019

    February 13, 2019

    Biography of Charles Franklin Martell

    February 28, 2015

    Lydia Langer: The Unexpected Candidate Amid 1930’s Political Scandal and Intrigue

    October 27, 2016
  • Dakota Horse Magazine,  Horses,  North Dakota Today

    The Battle to Save Roosevelt’s Horses

    December 31, 2023 /

    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…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 1 Comment

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    Rex

    April 21, 2020
  • History,  North Dakota History,  Tales of the Ranch,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    The Letter

    October 29, 2023 /

    As we began to take stock of all that was in there, I came across an unopened letter postmarked 1918.  At first I was spinning tales in my head as to why he would have not opened and read this letter. With a closer look I saw that it had been addressed to Pvt. Sam Dagg and was stamped “returned to writer.” Martell didn’t open the letter because he knew what was inside, he had written it. There were many other letters and papers in the trunk pertaining to Samuel John Dagg.

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015

    Straight to the Horse’s Mouth

    April 30, 2019

    The Battle at Guilford Courthouse

    May 1, 2019
  • History,  Native Americans,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    On Sitting Bull’s Vest

    August 4, 2023 /

    While there were many important Indian leaders during the expansion of the West, Sitting Bull is one of the most familiar.  He was an important political and spiritual leader. His leadership was integral to the success of the Lakota at the Battle of Little Big Horn, and his final surrender at Fort Buford was a true turning point in American history.   In an interview with Darrell Dorgan in the summer of 2004, Ron His Horse is Thunder (formerly Ron McNeil) reflected on his great, great, grandfather, Sitting Bull. His great grandfather was Sitting Bull’s nephew and adopted son One Bull. He said Sitting Bull is often called “Chief” and…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015

    Just One More Ride

    December 9, 2018

    Necessities for a Nomadic Life

    August 18, 2019
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