ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Archived Articles

2004 Inductees - Press Release

HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT NINE AUGUST 7

Members of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Center of Western Heritage and Cultures: Native American, Ranching and Rodeo have selected nine new inductees. The nine were selected by secret ballot from more than 60 nominees and they will be formally inducted at ceremonies in Medora on August 7.

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says the inductees were selected from six categories: Pre-1940 Ranching; Modern-era Ranching; Ranches; Pre-1940 Rodeo; Modern-era Rodeo, Rodeo Livestock; Leaders of Ranching and Rodeo; and the Western Arts and Entertainment Division. He notes, "The nine inductees will join the more than 70 others who have been inducted since 1998. The inductees will be featured in the Hall of Fame’s Hall of Honorees, which will be the centerpiece of the Hall of Fame now under construction in Medora."

The new inductees include:

Pre-1940 Rodeo

"Badlands Bill" McCarty of Billings County who was a colorful and rugged horse-trading cowboy who eventually bought the Custer Trail Ranch south of Medora. Beginning in about 1912, he organized wild west shows and rodeos throughout the United States.

Walt Neuens of Bismarck and Medora began his rodeo career at about age 15 as a "hand" in a wild west show with his brother, Jack, and Buck Weaver. In the 1930s, he competed in saddle bronc and bareback riding and calf roping to supplement ranching income.

Modern-Era Rodeo

Jim Johnston of Grassy Butte rode practice horses for his Uncle Ben Johnston before starting to work for Fettig Rodeo. He competed in NDRA rodeos for more than 20 years, winning nine NDRA championships and three state RCA championships in the 1960s.

Rodeo Livestock

Whiz Bang of Billings County was a Buckskin gelding born in the Badlands in 1948 and belonged to Medora area rancher/rodeo promoter Jim Barnhardt. The outstanding horse first bucked in Belfield in 1954, but gained immortal fame at the 1956 Dickinson Match of Champions Bronc Ride.

Pre-1940 Ranching

Earl Henderson of McKenzie County was an excellent horseman who sometimes ran up to 800 horses on his ranch. A self-taught man with impressive math skills, he enjoyed creating western gear in his retirement years.

Contemporary Ranching

Jack Dahl of Gackle has raised quality cattle since the early 1950s, including developing a composite breed, Dakota Reds. He initiated the Gackle Pen of Three Feeder Calf Show in the mid-'60s and served as NCA president in 1987.

Ranches

The Long X Ranch of McKenzie County was established at the north end of Squaw Creek in McKenzie County in the mid-1880s. Owners William D. and George T. Reynolds were responsible for bringing the first herd of 4,000 Longhorns into the North Dakota Badlands.

Leaders of Ranching and Rodeo

Bill Hamann of Stark County was a cattleman who established Western Livestock Company in Dickinson in 1948. He started at 4 a.m. seven days a week. He was loyal, honest, and a well-known source of cattle for numerous ranchers just starting in the business.

Arts and Entertainment

Einar Olstad of Billings County began painting at age 14, selling scrap iron and rags to buy paints. He worked as a blacksmith and sculptor and lived on ranches at Marmarth and Sentinel Butte. He was inspired by ranch life in the Dakota Badlands.

The 2004 Induction Ceremony will be held in Medora at the Tjaden Terrace on Saturday, August 7^th. Entertainment begins at 12:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, and the induction program begins at 1:00 p.m. The keynote speaker at this year’s induction program is Montana’s U.S. Senator Conrad Burns.

NDCHF has more than 1,000 members and is in the process of building a 15,000-square-foot center of heritage and cultures in Medora. There will also be a 5,000-square-foot patio where entertainment will be provided daily. A groundbreaking was held in December, and the facility is expected to open in May 2005.

Fundraising for the project continues. Dorgan says the Hall of Fame hopes to raise an additional $500,000 prior to the opening in 2005 and notes, "We are now working with banks, foundations and a number of individuals in an effort to have all the money needed to pay for the project before it opens."

Work on the NDCHF began with a Dickinson organizational meeting seven years ago. More than a thousand people from across the country have become charter and annual members. Contributions for the project may be sent to The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1110 College Drive #216, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501.

back to What's New | Article Archive