Tales of the Ranch
Stories from and relating to the Old Martell Ranch, and the people who called it home. Stories of the pioneer days in western North Dakota; the dreams, work and resilience of all those who passed through the land and the years.
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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 “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, North Dakota, lies one of these cemeteries. In the corner of one side, a simple cross stands marking the grave of William Johnson, a Spanish- American War veteran. In the weathered wood…
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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…
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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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The Last Cattle Drive II
This story was written and posted with many pictures in Writin’ for the Brnd’s Tales of the Ranch in 2022. North Dakota Horizons magazine has published an edited version in their last summer issue; sadly this is the last year of the magazines publication. I am grateful for the numerous times they published a story of mine. They always brought my articles to life with beautiful layouts. It’s fitting that my last article for them is The Last Cattle Drive. Author note: This story was told to me by Lloyd Lester in 2017. He typed the original story and in subsequent conversations added details. Lloyd worked on the Martell ranch…
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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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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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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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Rex
https://dakotahorsemagazine.com/articles/rex/ This story was published in the online edition of Dakota Horse Magazine, April 12, 2023 and in the Fall 2023 hard copy edition. Rex: Latin for “king” Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy or beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent, there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient. England’s past has been borne on his back. All history is his industry; we are his heirs, he our inheritance. The Horse, poem by Ronald Duncan Rex…
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The Battle at Guilford Courthouse
On a recent trip to North Carolina I visited the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park with my sister and niece. There is a great deal I don’t know about this time in our nation’s history! So much of our revolutionary war education centers on the north, yet the battles in the south were of tremendous importance. Somewhere in the fight for Independence two centuries ago are two ancestors of mine, Moses Hill and John Gould who was an ancestor of my Grandmother Martell (Lila Vanderhoof). There is also a Morgan on Don’s side who may very well have been in one of these battles since the Morgan’s at that time…
