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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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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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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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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…
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Returning Home: the Tragedy and Triumph of the Great American Buffalo
Published in: The Cowboy Chronicle Volume 24 Issue 6 November 2020 Publication of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame With profound joy and a great sense of a spiritual connection they watched the animals step out of the trucks and onto Tribal lands once again, greeting them with traditional welcoming ceremonies. The buffalo and their way of life had been gone for generations, but the longing remained in the people’s souls. The relationship between the buffalo and native people is deep, personal, and ethereal. While the stories and sacred ceremonies had been retained, the youth could not completely understand the kindred relationship because they had not been able to…
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North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Podcast
I was interviewed by Bill Palanuk, Media Director at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, after my article- “Little Misery”: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Badlands Town, was published. This aired on October 21, 2020 North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Any time you pick up an issue of The Cowboy Chronicles newsletter, you have undoubtedly read articles written by Mary Pat Martell Jones. Mary’s passion for history is very evident in her articles and also on her fabulous website writinforthebrand.com which is maintained by her son Michael which she greatly appreciates.We’ll get to know Mary just a bit better today here on Cowboy Chronicles – The…
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“Little Misery”: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Badlands Town
Published in the Cowboy Chronicle Publication of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Volume 24 Issue 5 Newspapers from New York to Paris and London in the late 1870’s and early 1880’s were abuzz about the Dakota cattle boom on the northern plains of America. Books, such as James Brisbin’s The Beef Bonanza or How to get Rich on the Plains (1871) and Trans Missouri Stock Raising; the Pasture Lands of North America by Hiram Latham ( 1881), fueled the excitement for the expanding cattle industry. In 1879 The Bismarck Tribune proclaimed that that western North Dakota possessed “the best grazing lands in the world”. A writer for the…
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Just a Bit About the Bit
A good relationship between the horse and his rider is all about communication. A horse can sense fear, anger and competence, and will react accordingly. However, a good ride whether for work or pleasure, requires effective communication between the horse and rider. Since ancient times the bit, in one form or another, has been the instrument to help send these messages. The horse is the only animal we control by putting something inside their mouth. The ancient man’s experience of controlling a pack or riding animal before the domestication of the horse, was by various forms of nose pressure. This method would not work for the equine as its…
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Sentinel on the Prairie: Celebrating Twenty-five Years of the Preservation and Protection of North Dakota History
He had been thinking about this for a while now. So many stories and moments, friendships and connections were passing through time. They drifted like the wind across the prairies, and he hated the thought they could all be lost. Countless hours were spent visiting with folks and embracing all the memories and history he could. The stories they told may not have been notable markers in history, but they embodied the character and the essence of the generations. These moments in time woven together were the fabric of America’s western history and an important part of a great national epic. Those who built North Dakota, who dreamed, sacrificed and…
