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Tales of the Ranch

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  • History,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Just One More Ride

    December 9, 2018 /

    Across the prairies they are galloping as fast as old Sandy can go. The tall grass and trees are a blur, the wind is stinging the young cowboy’s face. There is no time to be timid; the outlaws are in close pursuit and he has got to get away. He knows he’s got a loyal friend with him. Sandy is sure footed and wily. All of a sudden Sandy lurches to a stop…and Mom is there saying its time to go. It seems so long ago now, the world of grocery store rides. Young cowboys and cowgirls begging for a quarter for just one more ride! The moms and dads…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    Necessities for a Nomadic Life

    August 18, 2019

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015

    The Battle at Guilford Courthouse

    May 1, 2019
  • The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    Who was Benjamin Henry?

    October 10, 2018 /

    Who was Benjamin Henry? Historians and those knowledgeable of guns would be familiar with his name, but for most his significance is unknown.  Conversely, the name Winchester sparks immediate recognition. Yet in one of history’s many ironies, it was Henry who was directly responsible for the Winchester rifle and Oliver Winchester’s place in American history. As a young man Henry worked as a gunsmith apprentice and rose to foreman of a small arms company in Vermont.  He worked with Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson who went on to form the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. Oliver Winchester, a clothing manufacturer, was one of their main investors.  Winchester was able to take over…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    History of the Western Saddle

    January 27, 2015

    The Western Trail

    February 13, 2015

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

    January 29, 2015
  • Native Americans,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    War Bonnet!

    August 13, 2018 /

    The old steamer trunk has been in the family attic for generations.  The treasure it holds comes out from time to time to be admired and pondered. Who wore it?   What moments in history did the wearer see and experience? What stories are hidden in this honorary headdress? Over one hundred years ago the US government opened up a strip of land to homesteaders between the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. There were over 100,000 applicants but only 2500 families won a claim. One of these families was that of Henry and Margaret Lutgen, who established their farm along the path the local Native Americans…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    The Legacy of the Horse in the Lives of the Great Plains People

    August 25, 2016

    Necessities for a Nomadic Life

    August 18, 2019
  • North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    “Come and Get It”

    May 30, 2018 /

    She’s all done up like she would have been back in her heyday when she was perhaps the most important entity in a cowboy’s life on the trail. The horse was a cowboy’s first love, but to start and end the day what could be more important than the chuck wagon!

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 4 Comments

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

    January 29, 2015

    The True Facts

    July 3, 2017

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015
  • North Dakota History,  North Dakota Today,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    The Wild Horses of Roosevelt’s Badlands for The Cowboy Chronicle

    November 10, 2017 /

    He’s an old man now – arthritic and without a family band, but Singlefoot, the oldest stallion living in  Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)still roams wild and free where his ancestors did, looking out over grasslands and rolling hills interrupted by dramatic and colorful badlands. The history of the plains horse dates from prehistoric times; disappearing from the North America about 11,000 years ago and returning in the 1500’s with Spanish explorers.  Singlefoot and the other horses in the park are descended from those brought by the Spaniards and other domesticated stock. Once domesticated, they are feral animals, not “wild” horses as they are generally called. Regardless, these beautiful animals seen…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 2 Comments

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

    October 27, 2016

    “Come and Get It”

    May 30, 2018

    The Lewis and Clark Trail Museum

    February 7, 2015
  • North Dakota History,  North Dakota Today,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    National Day of the Cowboy: Preserving Pioneer Heritage and Cowboy Culture

    May 29, 2017 /

    “We celebrate the Cowboy as a symbol of the grand history of the American West. The Cowboy’s love of the land and love of the country are examples for all Americans” President George W. Bush The thirteenth annual National Day of the Cowboy is July 22, 2017. The American cowboy has firmly taken his place in American history. He is an almost mythological character of the American west; often a lone rider embracing a simple life, loving and living off the land with hard work and nobility. The cowboy culture is firmly embedded in the character of many western states; the cowboy hat and boots are more than just a…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    Harold Schafer, Mr. Bubble and the Legacy of Medora

    April 9, 2015

    The Western Trail

    February 13, 2015

    In Good Company

    February 13, 2019
  • Biographies,  North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle

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

    October 27, 2016 /

    SCANDAL !  Back room deals and a little back stabbing to maintain positions of power. Ah, the stuff of politics. In October 1934 some involved in this kind of political dance held a forum in Watford City to woo the ranchers, farmers, and independent minded residents. Surprising many was soft spoken Lydia Langer, the state’s recent first lady, now the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Traveling with congressional contenders in pursuit of their political desires, Lydia could not be farther away from how her life was anticipated to be. It was not the 1600 miles from New York to Bismarck; she could have been across oceans living a more expected life. Lydia Cady…

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    Biography of George W. Nohle

    March 1, 2015

    A Wandering Man: Louis L’Amour

    September 28, 2019

    Harold Schafer, Mr. Bubble and the Legacy of Medora

    April 9, 2015
  • History,  North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015 /

    As you drive around the prairies and badlands of North Dakota you will find countless ghost towns; old structures abandoned and falling victim to the weather and lack of use and upkeep. The majority of these ghost towns were once thriving railroad towns along a giant web of railroad tracks that spread across North Dakota. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century there was a huge wave of immigration and settlement in North Dakota. This influx of pioneers and settlers was largely due to the development of railroad lines.

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    The Battle at Guilford Courthouse

    May 1, 2019

    Straight to the Horse’s Mouth

    April 30, 2019

    Necessities for a Nomadic Life

    August 18, 2019
  • Biographies,  North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle

    Harold Schafer, Mr. Bubble and the Legacy of Medora

    April 9, 2015 /

    He was skeptical at first, but after a night of cleaning everything in his hotel room with a sample bottle he woke the supplier up in the middle of the night and ordered two boxcars full. ... “My obligation today is to see that Medora’s greatness can be carried on after my lifetime, that it’s future can be even better than it’s past”. Clearly Harold’s dream was realized and his goals are still being met today. What a great legacy Medora continues to be for Mr. Bubble.

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 2 Comments

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

    October 27, 2016

    Biography of Charles Franklin Martell

    February 28, 2015

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

    February 13, 2019
  • North Dakota History,  The Cowboy Chronicle,  Western History

    The Western Trail

    February 13, 2015 /

    American cattle drives loom large in our imagination, but in reality they only lasted a short time in our history. The Chisolm Trail is iconic Americana and often what people think of when they envision an old west cattle drive. However, the lesser known Western Trail which succeeded the Chisolm was longer, carried more cattle and was traveled for more years.

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    Mary Patricia Martell Jones 0 Comments

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    Biography of Andrew J. Nohle

    February 28, 2015

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

    January 29, 2015

    The Railroad and Settlement in Early North Dakota

    April 9, 2015
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