ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Archived Articles

NDCHF Press Release

FOR RELEASE For Additional Information
July 29, 2005 Or Electronic Release
Darrell Dorgan 250-1833
---HALL OF FAME INDUCTION/DEDICAITON SET FOR AUGUST 6 AND 7 --
Members of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame will induct seven individuals and dedicate the new Center of Western Heritage and Cultures: Native American, Ranching and Rodeo on August 6 and 7 in Medora and Sentinel Butte.
Activities begin with the formal induction program at the Tjaden Terrace at 1:00 p.m. (MDT) on Saturday, August 6. Eight individuals will be honored and formally be welcomed to the Hall of Honorees, which is the centerpiece of the Center of Western Heritage and Cultures in Medora. The eight new inductees include:
Joe Wicks of Cannonball in the Pre-1940 Rodeo Division: Wicks arrived in North Dakota on an orphan train and began his rodeo and ranching career on the Steve Weekes ranch near Almont. Wicks, later known as the "Heart River Kid," was an outstanding saddle bronc rider who began producing local rodeos in 1930 and later became a public servant. Joe served in the State Legislature and was a well-known auctioneer.

Alvin Gabbert of Lefor in the Modern-Era Rodeo Division: Gabbert trained, rode and showed performance horses across the country and held roping schools and horsemanship clinics southeast of Dickinson. A soft-spoken man, he won six NDRA calf roping championships in the 1950s and 1960s.
Edward S. Hall in the Pre-1940 Ranching Division: Hall was the first white man to settle in Mountrail County and started the first horse ranch in western Dakota Territory. He and his family held many July 4^th celebrations at their ranch and trading post. He operated the last trading post on the White Earth River between Fort Buford and Sanish.
Raymond "Butch" Luger of Fort Yates in the Contemporary Ranching Division: Luger was an entrepreneur who started raising livestock at age 12. During the 1930s, his herd grew to 1,500 head, and he later added race horses. He began cross breeding in the 1950s and received many honors for his ranch work.
Two were selected by voting Trustees in the Rodeo Producer Division. Leslie "Jim" Barnhart of Medora and Frank Wetzstein of Mandan.

Barnhart was one of North Dakota’s early rodeo producers, starting in the early 1930s with wild horse roundups. Local ranchers around Grassy Butte would bring in their wildest stock and local cowboys would try to ride them. Jim was also one of the first stock contractors, raising stock and leasing it out to other rodeo producers.
Wetzstein was instrumental as a Mandan Rodeo organizer in the 1940s and 1950s. He helped round up cowboys and contract stars, often paying rodeo expenses himself. During his time, the Mandan Rodeo was known to have the top cowboys. Frank will be remembered as bringing big-time rodeo to Mandan. He also had a ranch where he raised Angus cattle and Quarter horses.

Sitting Bull of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Great Westerner Division: The last of the great Sioux leaders was born along the Grand River in the 1840’s. One of the leaders of the Indian forces that defeated Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, he became one of the most famous men in America. Following his 1881 surrender, Sitting Bull traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and spoke at the Territorial Capitol cornerstone laying in Bismarck. An opponent of government efforts to take treaty lands, he was killed during an attempt to arrest him in 1890.

Evelyn Neuens of Bismarck with the Legacy Award Category: Neuens is the first-time recipient of this award and is the Founding President of the Hall of Fame. She and current President Phil Baird conceived the idea for the Hall of Fame 10-years ago. Evelyn’s late husband, Walter, was inducted two years ago in the Pre-1940 Rodeo Category.
More than 80 men, women, ranches, events and rodeo animals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame the past eight years. Their photos and biographies are featured in the Center of Western Heritage and Culture Hall of Honorees in Medora.
The keynote speaker at the Induction program will be rancher/entrepreneur/author Hal Rosenbluth. Rosenbluth, former CEO of Rosenbluth International brought more than 1,000 jobs to North Dakota in the 1990’s. He currently ranches near Linton in Emmons County and is the co-founder of Take Care Health Systems.
Following the induction program there will be a dedication program for the Hall of Fame’s Center of Western Heritage and Culture in downtown Medora. NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says activities begin in downtown Medora at 4:00 p.m. Following a brief ceremony and ribbon cutting, the facility will be formally opened to the public.
NDCHF has more than 1,250 members. Work on the 15,000-square-foot Center of Western Heritage and Cultures in Medora began with a groundbreaking in December 2003. The $3-million dollars plus facility has more than 15,000 square feet of exhibit area and a 5,000-square foot patio.
Hall of Fame activities continue on Sunday, August 7, at the 49^th annual Champions Ride at Home on The Range in Sentinel Butte.
Fundraising for the project continues. Dorgan says the Hall of Fame hopes to raise an additional $500,000, "We are working with banks, foundations and a number of individuals in an effort to have all the money needed to pay for the project."
Contributions for the project may be sent to The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1110 College Drive #216, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501.

Release and photos of nominees available electronically at
www.northdakotacowboy.com.

-30-

back to What's New | Article Archive