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From the Frontier to the Fleet: Celebrating North Dakota’s Legacy in the 250 Years of the U.S. Navy
Americans were fighting for independence from colonial England over a year before the Declaration of Independence was written. The fighting began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. George Washington, understanding the importance of naval power, urged the Second Continental Congress to create a Continental Navy. On October 13, 1775, a resolution was passed to establish a naval force. The birthday of the Navy is celebrated every October 13 in a tradition authorized officially in 1972. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the U.S. Navy. In July of 1917, Lt. Willis Winter Bradley Jr., was aboard the USS Pittsburgh on the way…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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The Letter
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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On Sitting Bull’s Vest
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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Pioneering Women in Rodeo
Published in the Cowboy Chronicle; Publication of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame June 2023 Theodore Roosevelt, attending the Wild West show that was part of the entertainment for his Rough Riders reunion, graciously bowed to the diminutive teenage girl and applauded her success. Roosevelt had watched in awe as she roped a running steer and beat all the cowboys for first prize. He told her none of his Rough Rider troops could have done a better job. It was 1900 and the vice-presidential candidate had put together the second Rough Riders reunion in Oklahoma City. Roosevelt’s brief but transformative ranching career in North Dakota set in him an…
