ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Archived Articles

1998

January 28, 1998

** COWBOY HALL OF FAME-WESTERNERS JOIN FORCES**

The Bismarck Corral of Westerners International will house their records with the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF. The Fort Lincoln Corral of Bismarck has more than 100 members and is part of Westerners International, a worldwide group of more than 200,000 dedicated to the preservation and study of western history and heritage.

Bismarck Westerners spokesman Vern Erickson says that Westerners International maintains its national headquarters at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and notes, “It’s natural for us to form a close connection with the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Both organizations are interested in preserving the rich history and heritage of the West”.

The Bismarck Corral of Westerners has also voted to contribute $200 to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says the financial gift is appreciated and will help with planning for the museum and heritage center that will be part of the propose multi-million dollar center for the American West at Medora. Dorgan says, “Alliances with groups like the Westerners International will insure the long-term success of the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

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February 18, 1998

---MEMBERSHIP GROWING-HEADING FOR ANNUAL MEETING---

People from as far away as Illinois are on their way home for the annual North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF), gathering. A membership meeting, dinner and fund-raising auction will be held Saturday, February 28^th at Mandan’s Seven Seas.

Work on the NDCHOF began with a Bismarck organizational meeting three years ago and the group now has more than 700 members from across the country. Among the charter members are ranchers, cowboys, kids who’ve donated nickels and dimes, two U.S. Senators and a Federal Judge. Next month the group will launch a nation-wide corporate fund-raising drive to pay for the project.

1998 is the 50^th anniversary of high school rodeo and North Dakota who went on to win national titles will be special guests at this year’s cowboy gathering. NDCHOF President Phil Baird says most of the 20 former high school rodeo champions from North Dakota have been located and will be at the banquet. In addition to former contestants, long-time, high school rodeo director Earl Northrop of Fargo will also be honored as a special guest.

Another person returning for the event is Ruth Taylor-Scobie of Evanston, Illinois. Taylor-Scobie was born in Dunn County in 1915 and was the first girl child born in the town of Dunn Center. Taylor-Scobie’s father was rancher Bill Taylor who came to Dakota Territory with the original Texas cattle herds in the late 1800’s.

One hundred fifty Trustees were recently selected for the Hall of Fame and they will also hold their organizational meeting at the Mandan meeting. Baird says the Trustees will be asked to lay the ground rules for inducting people into the Hall of Fame. “There has been considerable talk about possible nominations and induction’s yet this year. Only the Trustees will vote on who’s inducted, and it’s possible there may be nominations in Mandan,” said Baird.

A special fund raising auction will be held following the banquet with proceeds going to the Hall of Fame.

Limited edition gifts for sale will include: an original oil painting by nationally acclaimed western artist Vern Erickson; limited edition art prints by Walter Piehl of Minot and Gary Miller of Bismarck; a custom pair of chaps by leather artist Tom Neuens; a custom gun cabinet by TMI of Dickinson; a Las Vegas vacation at the Imperial Palace Hotel and numerous other items.

Space limitations will allow for the sale of only 325 banquet tickets and Hall of Fame Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says reservations should be made quickly for the first come, first serve sales by calling the Cowboy Hall of Fame at 250-1833.

Plans now call for the center of western heritage and history to be located in the proposed multi-million dollar Center for the American West in Medora. The Center will be built by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation with the Hall of Fame featured as the centerpiece of the project. The North Dakota Historical Society will also use part of the Center to display memorabilia and artifacts from the state’s rich western heritage.

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April 8, 1998

---NOMINEES PICKED FOR COWBOY HALL OF FAME---

The Trustees of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF) have nominated six of the nation’s rodeo riders of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s for potential induction into the NDCHOF Hall of Honorees Rodeo division. The six include: 1957 World Saddle Bronc Riding Champion Alvin Nelson of Grassy Butte; Saddle Bronc riders Jim Tescher of Beach and brother Tom of Medora; Saddle Bronc rider Joe Chase, a North Dakota native who now lives in Colorado; Saddle Bronc Rider Dean Armstrong of Beulah; Bareback and Bull Rider Duane Howard of Minnewauken.

The six were nominated for inclusion in the Rodeo Division of the Hall of Honorees at the NDCHOF Annual Meeting in Mandan on Saturday. The NDCHOF Trustees approved nominations for the Hall of Honorees. There are 170 Trustees from across North Dakota.

NDCHOF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says plans now call for the nominations to be sent to Trustees for a vote and that in the rodeo division only four of the six nominated will be voted in this year. Dorgan says, “Those not selected by secret ballot for induction into the Hall this year are eligible for nomination in future years.”

In addition to the nominations for the Rodeo Division, nominations were also made for the Western Entertainment and Arts Division, The Special Achievements Division, and Ranching Division.

In the Western Entertainment and Arts Division, four were nominated and one will be chosen, the four nominees include: Author Louis L’Amour, Opera singer and rancher Harriet Beckert, artist and long-time Billings County Sheriff Ted Cornell, and renowned frontier photographer Frank Fiske.

In the Ranching Division, there were six nominees and four will be chosen for induction. The six include Angus Kennedy Sr., John Leaky, Vic Christensen, A.C. Huidekoper, and Paige Baker Senior. All were pioneers in the North Dakota livestock industry.

In the Special Achievement Division, there was only one nominee, The Killdeer Round-up Rodeo.

Dorgan says, “The Killdeer Rodeo will celebrate its 75^th anniversary this summer and because of its long and illustrious history of promoting the best of rodeo competition, the Trustees felt it had more than earned the first Special Achievement Award.”

The dates of the Killdeer Roundup this summer are July 3, 4, and 5. Special events are being planned in Killdeer for the 75^th anniversary celebration.

Plans now call for the 170 NDCHOF Trustees to be sent ballots and biographies of all the nominees by the end of April. Those ballots will be returned and counted by the Eide Helmeke accounting firm of Bismarck. The winners will be announced Memorial Day Weekend.

Actual induction ceremonies into the NDCHOF will be held the first weekend in August. Hall of Fame Founding President Evelyn Neuens says portions of the induction ceremonies will be held Saturday, August 1^st in Medora and additional activities are planned for the following day at The Champions Ride Rodeo at Home on the Range in Sentinel Butte.

The families of the first inductees as well as dignitaries from across the country will be invited as special guests for the induction ceremonies.

Work on the NDCHOF began with a Bismarck organizational meeting three years ago. A charter membership and fundraising drive ended April 1^st and the Hall of Fame now has more than 850 members scattered across the state and nation. Among the charter members are ranchers, cowboys, kids who have donated nickels and dimes, two U.S. Senators, a Federal Judge and opera Soprano Korliss Uecker--a native of Hettinger, now a star at the Metropolitan in New York City.

The Hall of Fame has now launched a nation-wide corporate fund-raising drive to pay for the two million dollar Hall of Fame, which will be the centerpiece of the planned multi-million dollar Center for the American West in Medora. The Center will be built by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and be used by both the Hall of Fame and the North Dakota Historical Society to display memorabilia and artifacts from the state’s rich western heritage.

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June 11, 1998

** COWBOY HALL OF FAME TO PRESENT FIRST COMMEMORATIVE FLAG**

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF) will present its first official flag to the Killdeer Mountain Round Up Rodeo. The flag will be presented to people and events that will be included in the NDCHOF Hall of Honorees in Medora. The flag presented to officials of the state’s oldest professional rodeo will be the first ever given.

President Phil Baird says, “The 170 Trustees of the NDCHOF voted unanimously to bestow the honor for Special Achievement on this unique event. This rodeo began in 1924 with 125 horses, steers and riders from across the country. Cars were parked in a circle to form the first arena and 75 years later it’s still going strong and that’s a remarkable achievement.”

NDCHOF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan say the Killdeer rodeo is one of North Dakota’s oldest sporting events noting, “With the exception of one or two years during the depression this has been a major rodeo event. That’s commitment. UND and NDSU have meet on the football field since 1894 but they didn’t play in 1943 or 44 because of World War II. There was a gas shortage during the War years in Killdeer too but they simply hitched up the wagon and headed for the arena. Because many of the young guys had been drafted a lot of the older cowboys climbed into the chute and kept the tradition alive. Wars may halt football rivalries but don’t stop events like the Killdeer Mountain Round Up Rodeo.”

In addition to the Special Achievement Division, NDCHOF Trustees recently finished voting on other honorees for the Hall of Fame and those results will be announced on Friday June 19 at a Bismarck Press Conference. In addition to the Special Achievement Division that includes the award for Killdeer Rodeo, other categories inlcude: Ranching; Rodeo; and Western Entertainment and Arts. The hall of Honorees will include individual areas for honorees in each of the categories. The other honorees will be presented with their special flags at events in Medora and Sentinel Butte the first weekend in August. A special delegation from the Killdeer Rodeo will be asked to be special guests.

The 75^th Anniversary edition of the Killdeer Mountain Round Up Rodeo begins on July 3^rd with a parade, a special cowboy reunion luncheon and evening rodeo. There will be another parade and rodeo on the afternoon of the 4^th of July. The first Cowboy Hall of Fame commemorative flag will be officially presented at each of the performances

Since its inception thousands of cowboys from across the country have ridden at the Killdeer rode. In the early 1920’s newspaper accounts say up to ten thousand gathered for the event that featured real wild horses and cattle from the open range. Over the years, numerous World Champions like Alvin Nelson, Wayne Herman, Brad Gjermundson from North Dakota and Casey Tibbs from South Dakota have been participants.

Publicity Chair Bobby Kukla says the rodeo committee has increased the prize money for The Diamond Jubilee Rodeo and that means even more of the country’s best riders will be arriving to help celebrate the anniversary. Kukla notes, “There will be a lot going on in Killdeer in conjunction with the rodeo. There will also be an Indian village with tribal elders who will share their heritage. There will be a special pony express run from Dodge to Killdeer, a wagon train and mountain man encampment. The population of this community of 750 will be at least a couple of thousand from the 3^rd to the 5^th of July and everyone is welcome.”

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame has now launched a nation-wide fund raising drive to pay for the two million dollar project, which will be the centerpiece of the planned multi-million dollar Center for the American West in Medora. The Center will be built by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and be used by both the Hall of Fame and the North Dakota Historical Society to display memorabilia and artifacts from the state’s rich western heritage.

President Phil Baird says it’s an honor to have the Hall of Fame involved with an event that has the stature and history of the Killdeer Mountain Round Up Rodeo. He notes, “the pioneers who started this unique event and the sons and daughters who keep it going today are helping preserve western heritage and history. That’s the goal of the Cowboy Hall of Fame too.

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June 19, 1998

---FIRST HONOREES SELECTED FOR COWBOY HALL OF FAME---

The Trustees of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF) have selected four of the nation’s top rodeo riders of the 1950’s, 60’s; four of the state’s premier pioneer ranchers; one of the world’s best selling authors and a historic rodeo as the first inductees into the Hall of Fame. The ten honorees will be formally inducted into the NDCHOF during ceremonies in Medora on Saturday, August 1 and Sentinel Butte on Sunday, August 2.

In the Ranching Division the four honorees selected by secret ballot include pioneer McKenzie County rancher Angus Kennedy Sr., a founder of the North Dakota Stockman’s Association who arrived in North Dakota with a single horse; Texas trail driver John Leakey who came in 1893 and at one point ran more than 5,000 cattle on 44,000 acres; Noted horse rancher Vic Chistensen of the famed Figure Four ranch in Dunn County; and Slope County rancher A.C. Huidekoper who founded the HT Ranch. At one point the HT ranch, which covered portions of Slope, Stark and Billings Counties, had more than 10,000 horses.

In the NDCHOF Rodeo Division the four honorees selected include: 1957 World Saddle Bronc Riding Champion Alvin Nelson of Grassy Butte; Saddle Bronc riders Jim Tescher of Beach and brother Tom of Medora; and bareback and bull rider Duane Howard of Minnewauken. Howard recently moved to Devils Lake. The four traveled together extensively in the 1950’s and 60’s and between them won or placed in hundreds of rodeos including the National Finals, Madison Square Garden as well as Sanish and the famed Match of Champions Ride in North Dakota.

In the Arts and Entertainment Division, the 170 NDCHOF Trustees picked Author Louis L’Amour as their first honoree. The Jamestown native, famed for his western novels is one of the worlds largest selling authors and prior to his death in 1988 was presented with the North Dakota Roughrider award as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In the Special Achievement Division, The Killdeer Mountain Rodeo was the only nominee in the first round of choices for the Hall of Honorees. NDCHOF President Phil Baird says, “The rodeo and the people who have produced the state’s oldest professional sporting event were a unanimous choice by NDCHOF Trustees. The 75^th edition of the Killdeer Mountain Rodeo will be held this year on July 3,4 and 5 and Cowboy Hall of Fame members will present a special flag to designate the event as the first picked for the Special Achievement Division of the NDCHOF.”

Induction ceremonies for the NDCHOF Honorees will be held the first weekend in August. Hall of Fame Founding President Evelyn Neuens says, “Portions of the induction ceremonies will be held Saturday, August 1^st in Medora at 1:30 in the afternoon. Additional activities are planned for the following day at The Champions Ride Rodeo at Home on the Range in Sentinel Butte. The families of the first inductees as well as dignitaries from across the country will be invited as special guests and plans call for a live radio broadcast of the events.”

NDCHOF Board Member Willard Schnell of Dickinson notes, “Those not selected by secret ballot for induction into the Hall this year are eligible for nomination in future years. The CHOF Trustees will meet in Medora prior to the induction ceremonies and set guidelines and categories for next year’s nomination and induction into the Hall of Fame.”

Work on the NDCHOF began with a Bismarck organizational meeting three years ago. A charter membership and fundraising drive ended April 1 and the Hall of Fame now has more than 850 members scattered across the state and nation. Among the charter members are ranchers, cowboys, kids who have donated nickels and dimes, two U.S. Senators, a Federal Judge and opera Soprano Korliss Uecker-a native of Hettinger, now a star at the Metropolitan in New York City.

The Hall of Fame has now launched a nation-wide corporate fund-raising drive to pay for the two million dollar Hall of Fame, which will be the centerpiece of the planned multi-million dollar Center for the American West in historic Medora. The Center will be built by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation and be used by both the Hall of Fame and the North Dakota Historical Society to display memorabilia and artifacts from the state’s rich western heritage.

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July 23, 1998 ---PROGRAM SET FOR HALL OF FAME INDUCTION---

U.S. Senator Kent Conrad will be the keynote speaker and a commemorative rifle will be unveiled at the first induction ceremony for the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF). The Induction ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. (MDT) Saturday, August 1 at the Tjaden Terrace in Medora. Activities continue the following day at 2 p.m. (MDT) at the Champions Ride Rodeo at Home on the Range in Sentinel Butte.

Nine individuals and one event will be the first honored by the NDCHOF. The ten were nominated and selected by 170 Trustees from across the country. The ten include: four of the nation’s top rodeo riders of the 1950’s, 60’s; four of the state’s premier pioneer ranchers; one of the world’s best selling authors and a historic rodeo.

Conrad will speak briefly at the Medora induction ceremony and then the awards will be presented to the Inductees or their representatives. The specially commissioned limited edition Winchester Model 94 will officially be unveiled prior to the ceremony and be displayed in both Medora and Sentinel Butte. The rifle is being produced by the S&S Promotional Group of Fargo. Only 50 numbered, engraved gold plated weapons will be made and sold. Money from the sale of the limited edition rifles will be used to build the Hall of Fame that will be the centerpiece of the proposed Center for the American West at Medora. The cost of the CHOF section of the Center for the American West is estimated at two million dollars.

The Ranching inductees include: Pioneer McKenzie County rancher Angus Kennedy Sr; Texas trail driver John Leakey who came in 1893; Noted horse rancher Vic Chistensen of the famed Figure Four ranch in Dunn County; and Slope County rancher A.C. Huidekoper who founded the HT Ranch.

The Rodeo inductees will include: 1957 World Saddle Bronc Riding Champion Alvin Nelson of Grassy Butte; Saddle Bronc riders Jim Tescher of Beach and brother Tom of Medora; and bareback and bull rider Duane Howard of Minnewauken. Howard recently moved to Devils Lake. The four traveled together extensively in the 1950’s and 60’s and between them won or placed in hundreds of rodeos including the National Finals, Cheyenne and Madison Square Garden.

In the Arts and Entertainment Division, the NDCHOF Trustees picked Author Louis L’Amour as their first honoree. The Jamestown native, famed for his western novels, was one of the world’s largest selling authors prior to his death in 1988.

In the Special Achievement Division, The Killdeer Mountain Rodeo was the only nominee in the first round of choices for the Hall of Honorees. The rodeo celebrated its 75^th birthday on the 4^th of July and is the state’s oldest professional sporting event.

When the Hall of Fame is built in Medora, the ten inducted this year, as well as others selected in future years, will be featured in a special Hall of Honorees.

The families of the first inductees as well as dignitaries from across the country have been invited as special guests. Other activities in Medora and Sentinel Butte the weekend of the inductions include a Michael Martin Murphey Concert, a pitchfork fondue and the Medora Musical.

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September 30,1998

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad is the latest contributor to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) building fund. The railroad that is responsible for the settlement of most of North Dakota recently presented Hall of Fame officials with the first installment of a $20,000 pledge.

BN Santa Fe spokesman Richard Elkin of Bismarck says the contribution is part of the railroad’s program for gifting worthy causes in the area it serves. BN Santa Fe will give more than $3,000,000 to worthy causes nation-wide in 1998. Elkin says, “The Hall of Fame gift is the largest gift we’ve given in North Dakota in several years. This is an important project that will preserve heritage and history. Our railroad played a key role in the state’s development and it’s fitting we should be involved in documenting the unique western legacy.”

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan calls the gift from Burlington Northern Santa Fe gratifying noting it adds to a growing building fund that now totals about $100,000 in commitments. He says, “Our goal in 1998 was to build a state-wide organization, induct people into the Hall of Fame and begin raising money for our building fund. We’ve gotten a good start on all three and are looking forward to 1999.”

Plans call for the center of western heritage and history to be located in the proposed multi-million dollar Center for the American West in Medora. The Center will be built by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation with the Hall of Fame featured as the centerpiece of the project. The North Dakota Historical Society will also use part of the Center to display memorabilia and artifacts from the state’s rich western heritage.

The NDCHF began with a Bismarck organizational meeting three years ago

and the group now has about 850 members from across the country. In August, more than 650 people attended the first induction ceremonies in Medora. Nine individuals and one event were formally inducted into the Hall of Fame and will be featured in a special Hall of Honorees once the project is complete.

1999 nominations for the Cowboy Hall of Fame Honorees are now being considered by group’s 170 Trustees.

Photo: Left to Right- Richard Elkin, Burlington Northern Santa Fe; Darrell Dorgan, Executive Director, North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame

December 6, 1999 -

** NOMINATIONS FOR 1999 HALL OF FAME HONORESS**

North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) Trustees are now preparing nominations for the 1999 round of inductions into the Hall of Fame Hall of Honorees. Last year nine individuals and one event became the first inductees for the center of western heritage and history that will be built in Medora.

Hall of Fame Board Members have approved plans to again induct Honorees for their excellence in Rodeo, Ranching, Western Arts and Entertainment and Special Achievement. They have also created a new division called “The Great Westerner”. NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says “The number of inductees this year will increase to 11 with the addition of the new division. There will be four inductees in the Ranching category. Three of the four inductees will be individuals but the fourth will be a ranch; four will again be inducted in the Rodeo Division; one individual for excellence in Western Arts and Entertainment; one inductee will be accepted in the Special Achievement Division; and one in the newly created “Great Westerner” category.”

The criteria for Honorees in the Great Westerner Division specifies it will be presented to individuals known for achievement, character, integrity, celebrity, personality, and involvement or promotion of the North Dakota western heritage and lifestyle. Nominees must be individuals who are noted for their character and personality and influence with people, places and events. Dorgan says, “These individuals by their actions will have brought credit to the western heritage or lifestyle either through achievement, character, performance, heritage or activity. Honorees must also be 50 years of age or deceased.”

Trustees will make nominations to the Hall of Fame on or before January 4, 1999. Anyone with knowledge of a person or event they feel belongs in the Hall of Fame should contact a Hall of Fame Trustee. All nominations must include A brief biography of no more than one standard, double-spaced page, photos and other supporting material. Trustees will meet in February to decide which of the nominees will be placed on the 1999 ballot. Selection for induction into the Hall of Fame will be by a majority of Trustees voting in June and July of 1999. Actual inductions will be in August in Medora, North Dakota.

The NDCHF began with a Bismarck organizational meeting three years ago and the group now has about 850 members from across the country. In August, more than 650 people attended the first induction ceremonies in Medora.

Enclosure: List of District Trustee Chairs and map outlining Hall of Fame North Dakota District’s.

September 30, 1998

** HALL OF FAME ESTABLISHES MEMORIAL WALL**

North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) Board of Directors has approved the establishment of a Memorial Wall once the Hall of Fame is built in Medora. The Memorial Wall will be used to honor individuals for whom a memorial fund has been established at the Hall of Fame and for Benefactors who name the Hall of Fame in their estates.

The Hall of Fame has received thousands of dollars in memorials honoring individuals over the past three years. Recently, the memorial fund for former Medora rancher Jack Connell topped the $1,000 mark. NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says the decision by the Board means anytime a memorial for an individual reach the thousand dollars level a special plaque will be placed on the Memorial Wall. He noted, “Jack Connell’s family is really responsible for the idea of a Memorial Wall. They wanted a way to create a lasting memorial to a North Dakota Cowboy. They approached us about raising a $1,000 in Jack’s name. The Board then decided memorials that reach that level will be noted with special plaques. Others have since expressed an interest in donating to the Hall of Fame to memorialize friends and relatives on the Memorial Wall.”

The special Benefactors plaques will honor those who name the Hall of Fame in their estate plans with gifts of $5,000 or more. Dorgan says, “A number of families have made inquiries about gifting the Hall in their estates and this will insure those individuals will be remembered as people who cared about history and heritage.”

The first plaque that will be placed on the Memorial Wall was formally presented to Jack Connell’s son Fay in Bismarck. Fay says, “We were looking for a way to honor Dad and the Cowboy Hall of Fame project was something he felt strongly about. He would be honored to have his picture hanging on the Hall of Fame Memorial Wall and the family is thankful to his many friends who contributed to the memorial fund.

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