The Trustees of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) have nominated four ranchers, a saddle club, a nationally acclaimed rodeo, a horse whisperer, a race horse jockey, a woman barrel racer and five great bronc riders for their 2009 ballot.

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says, “The nominees, in seven categories, will be voted on in April and May by the Hall of Fame’s 200 Trustees, and eight of the nominees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s Hall of Honorees”.

In the Modern-era Rodeo Division, there are four nominees, and
Trustees will select two for the Hall of Honorees.

Brad Gjermundson of Marshall is a four-time PRCA World Saddle Bronc Riding Champion. He turns 50 in March and is now, according to the NDCHF by-laws, eligible for nomination and induction to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Gjermundosn began his rodeo career in high school and continued to compete on the Dickinson College Rodeo Team. He joined the PRCA in 1980 and promptly earned the Rookie-of-the-Year award. Gjermundson qualified for his first National Finals in 1981 and qualified nine times after that. Now retired from the pro-rodeo circuit, he is actively involved with the Champions Ride at Home On The Range, where he rode 18 times in 21 years. Gjermundson is a sales representative for Orwig’s Livestock Supplements and a self-employed rancher, living along the Knife River with his wife, Jackie. Their three kids are in college.

Lee Selland of Bismarck was born in 1935 and raised near Steele. From 1963 to 2005, he competed in more than 650 rodeos, participating in calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping and cow cutting. He belongs to the RCA, PRCA, NPRA, NARC, USTRC and NCHA. In 1970, he claimed an unprecedented achievement, winning four saddles at the NDRA championships: in calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping and all-around cowboy. Through the years, Selland won 22 various championships around the country. He has has produced and managed rodeos from Towner to Wishek and taught countless rodeo schools. In 1974, he was featured in the state’s “roughrider” travel promotion.
Selland has two sons who also went the cowboy way and did well in the arena. Selland taught school when he wasn’t sharing his expertise and teaching horse sense. He owns and operates a horse stable near Bismarck.

Maude Kirk Gullickson of Center was born in Washburn in 1911 and starting riding as a toddler and rode nearly every day until she was 73 years old.

Gullickson trained and rode barrel horses, competed in hundreds of local and regional rodeos and won the NDRA State Champion Barrel Racer Title in 1955. She continued to compete in Old Timers events until age 70 and was also named Old Timers Rodeo Queen. She married Orville Gullickson in 1936, and they farmed and ranched northeast of Center for 40 years. She proved to be an integral part of the operation, assisting with cattle drives and branding along with all the housework and child rearing. Gulickson volunteered her time and expertise to 4-H Clubs, assisting and teaching girls who entered horse shows and attended horse camp. Several of the horses she raised went on to win championships in events as far away as Pennsylvania. She loved reminiscing about the early days of rodeo when the prizes were trophies, ribbons and belt buckles, not cold cash. Gullickson said, “I’ve won enough buckles to make a whole belt.” Oliver County’s premiere cowgirl died in 2005.

Angus Fox was born in Elbowoods in 1936. Fox finished high school at Killdeer because the waters from the Garrison Diversion project had inundated his parents’ home place and they were forced to relocate their large family to Mandaree. He remembers that he and his brothers trailed their cattle 50 miles via the bridge at Sanish to get the herd to the new spread. Fox tamed and broke all his own horses. He began participating in rodeo in 1950, competing in every event: saddle bronc, bareback, team roping, bull riding, wild horse racing and calf roping. He attended Dickinson State College and was a member of the 1958 rodeo team that won the Rocky Mountain Regional Championship and went on to the National Championship Rodeo in Colorado Springs. Fox belonged to the North Dakota High School Rodeo Association, NDRA, NDRCA and Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association. He really excelled in the saddle bronc riding and captured the state championship title several times. He also instructed young riders in qualification issues and standards. Fox now resides in New Town.

In the Pre-1940 Rodeo Division, there are two nominees, and
Trustees will select one for the Hall of Honorees.

Born into the Montana ranching life in 1908, Melvin Griffin of Medora started helping trail cattle into Miles City with his dad when he was only 10. He finished eighth grade and got the rest of his education in the “School of Hard Knocks”. After trailing some cattle into N.D., he began breaking horses for Alex LaSotta on the Triple V Ranch. He rode saddle bronc, roped calves and rodeod around the country and served as pick-up man and rodeo judge. When the train stopped in Medora, Griffin was among the locals who put on one-hour rodeos for the amusement of train passengers. He actively participated in rodeo for about 20 years, but eased off after he married and became a family man. Griffin was a pick-up man at the last rodeo in Sanish before the arena was flooded after the Garrison Dam was built. He ranched at various locations, raising horses and Herefords that were branded with a Bar U Bar on the left thigh. He died in 1998 and was interred at the Medora Community Cemetery.

Howard Wanna of Fort Berthold was born on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Reservation in S.D. in 1906.

Sent off to Indian boarding school in Wahpeton, he met and became fast friends with Martin Old Dog from Fort Berthold. Wanna found his way to Elbowoods and spent many years with the Old Dog family and at other ranches in the vicinity, working for his room and board. The breaking of horses and ponies led him into rodeo competition Wanna (sometimes misspelled as Warner) was a familiar figure at local rodeo events in Elbowoods, Sanish, Yucca, Minot and Killdeer and was often at the pay window. His skills were captured on photographs by Frank Fiske and Leo Harris. The photo of him on Sky High at the Beulah Cowboys Reunion in 1928 was used on the advertising billboard. Wanna was among the first generation of Indian cowboys and served in the military where he contracted cholera. He died with two other relatives in a tragic house fire in 1949.

In the Pre-1940 Ranching Division, there are two nominees, and
Trustees will select one for the Hall of Honorees.

C.P. Bjornstad of Logan and Billings counties left Norway at age 17 and settled in N.D. in 1905. He acquired 9½ quarter sections of land in Logan County for $800 a quarter and transported a couple hundred head of cattle, 25 horses, his wife and 5 children north. He soon “yanktified” his name to Burnstad, also the name of the town site he platted in 1906. The YO Ranch prospered, as well, with 5,000 head of mostly white-faced Hereford cattle, 320 Percheron draft horses and 1,000 head of sheep grazing the pastures. At one point, Burnstad owned or leased 54 sections of land. He organized a Wild West Show for his town and had a ferry to expedite travels to and from his holdings. By 1919, he was a millionaire, and his town was believed to be the largest shipping point east of the Missouri. He had 10 steady cowboys on the payroll while he supplied beef to the military. In 1919, a shortage of boxcars and subsequent falling prices caused a foreclosure of the YO. Bankrupt, Burnstad later acquired a ranch near Medora and built up another herd, but that venture failed about the same time as the 1929 stock market crash. He then settled just east of Beaver Lake. Today, that ranch is owned and operated by his granddaughter, Pat Auch. Burnstad died in 1950.

Perfecto Fernandez, aka Georgie Baye, of Fort Berthold Reservation and Morton County was born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1861. His first cattle drive was to Wyoming in 1875 and, he then moved on to Dakota Territory. He helped Pierre Wibaux drive longhorns from Texas to Montana and worked as a horse wrangler. Fernandez was riding for the Little Missouri Livestock Association and took part in the massive roundup with Teddy Roosevelt in 1884. In 1885, he moved to the White Earth Valley and was the horse foreman and bronc buster five miles north of Hall’s Trading Post. Fernandez made saddles, as well as rawhide braided ropes, reins and bridles and horsehair saddle pads, during the long winter months. The Marquis de Mores gave Perfecto and Hall matching Colt 45-caliber revolvers, and the two were frequent guests at the Chateau de Mores. Fernandez made his way to Mandan when Roosevelt came to N.D. in 1903. He hopped on the train and went on to Medora with the President. Roosevelt orchestrated Fernandez’ citizenship and gave him the name Georgie Baye.

Fernandez continued a horse operation with Ed Hall, breeding draft horses. En route to the Red River Valley to sell matched teams to harvest operations, they were able to perfectly train the pairs on the trail and could command prices anywhere from $800 to $1,200 per team. Fernandez settled on Bennie Peer Creek in McKenzie County to raise sheep and horses. In the late 1890s, he married Margaret Smith in Sanger, N.D. and they had three sons. He died in 1935 and his final resting place is near the Cross Ranch, near Sanger.

In the Modern-era Ranching Division, there are two nominees, and
Trustees will select one for the Hall of Honorees.

George Fenton of Dunn County was born in 1907 near Oakdale. When his father died, his mother moved upriver to live with her brother. After Fenton finished 8th grade, he hiked 25 miles from Killdeer to start a full-fledged ranching career at age of 13, working for his uncle. He learned the benefits of good grazing distribution by observing livestock closely. Like his uncle, he bought land from settlers who were leaving the area. Eventually, the Diamond X Ranch spread over 10,000 acres of owned and leased land. Fenton built stock dams to complement the artesian wells and was careful not to overstock his herd or overgraze his pastures. He was respected as a cattleman of the finest caliber. Fenton appreciated horses and used equine power for haying well into the 1970s. He belonged to the N.D. Stockmen’s Association, 50 Years in the Saddle Club and National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma. As a young man, he’d strap an accordion onto his saddle, ride to a barn dance and play until sunrise. Fenton married Thelma Edwards in 1935, and they had four daughters. He died in 1993 and is buried at the Oakdale Cemetery.

Pat O’Brien of Belfield was born in Billings County in 1926 and raised on a ranch near Fairfield. He graduated from eighth grade in 1939 and began ranching with his father until joining the Navy in 1944. After the war, he married and raised a family of six kids, ranching in the same neck of the woods where he had grown up. O’Brien started auctioneering with farm and household sales, but his real desire was to sell livestock. In 1953, he started working at Western Livestock in Dickinson, eventually working his way up to full- time auctioneer and then to head auctioneer. He was president and manager of that operation from 1987 until he semi-retired in 1994. Winning the N.D. Livestock Auctioneer contest in 1969, he took the same prize in Montana. two years later and has competed in the world contest four times. O’Brien has donated countless hours and a lot of dollars helping young people in 4-H. He announced amateur rodeos in southwestern North Dakota during the 1950s and 1960s and was instrumental in starting the Junction Rodeo Club in Belfield. He also competed in team roping and won some buckles including the Medora Ranchorama in 1970. O’Brien was awarded the Rodeo Rancher of the Year in 2000 and the Medora Old Fashioned Cowboy Christmas Military Veteran Award in 2006. He no longer auctioneers, but still runs a few yearlings branded with the Bar 4 Bar on his spread west of Belfield.

In the Great Westerner Division, there are two nominees, and Trustees will choose between a French nobleman and a former N. D. Governor and Congressman.

Arthur Link of McKenzie County was born on a ranch near Alexander in 1914. His formal education took place in a one-room school house where he completed the 8th grade. In 1929, he enrolled in a two-year agricultural husbandry course at NDSU, but returned to the family’s farm and ranching operation after just a year. He became heavily involved with the N. D. Farmers Union and, in 1939, he married Grace Johnson. They raised five boys and one daughter and will soon celebrate their 70th anniversary. Active in many local committees and associations, Link began his legislative career in 1946 when he was elected to the State House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970, and as Governor of North Dakota in 1972, serving until 1980. Link has been an avid supporter of the N.D. Cowboy Hall of Fame and was the honorary chair of the initial capital fundraising campaign. The Links reside in Bismarck, where the former Governor continues to keep abreast of political and social affairs while working tirelessly to preserve western N.D.’s western heritage and lifestyle.

The Marquis de Mores, a/k/a Antoine Amedee Marie Vincent Amat Manca de Villambrosa, was born in Paris in 1858. The French aristocrat lived a life of privilege and, at age 24, married Medora Von Hoffman of the New York banking family. Using funds from the Von Hoffman family, de Mores arrived in the Badlands in 1883, intent on building a ranching and beef-packing empire. He built the City of Medora and named it after his wife. In addition to his packing plant and ranching operations, he also established the Medora-to-Deadwood Stage Line. Although a visionary and ahead of his time, de Mores lost millions on his North Dakota ventures. Well known in anti-Semitic political circles in France, he was assassinated in Africa in 1896. His Medora chateau was given to the State of North Dakota and a town park in Medora features a statue of the French nobleman.

In the Special Achievement Division, there are two nominees, and
Trustees will select one for the Hall of Honorees.

The 50 Years In the Saddle Club began in 1957, when 22 ranchers, who had been working with cattle since at least 1907, met in New Town. They decided to gather once a year to reminisce and “to preserve memories and traditions”. Membership requirements have changed through the years and presently, a man or woman must be at least 55 years old and have worked with livestock for their livelihood. The membership plaque at Watford City’s Heritage Park lists over 500 members since 1957. There are about 130 members who meet for the June round up. Four volumes of western North Dakota history, mostly compiled by members Andrew Johnston and Manfred Signalness, have been published by the organization. The group has voluntarily created historical markers; put up plaques, signs and benches; donated trophies for 4-H shows; and generally documented life on the “western edge”. Many members have been individually inducted into the N.D. Cowboy Hall of Fame and many charter members also belonged to the Western Livestockmen’s Association, the precursor to the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.

The North Dakota Winter Show Rodeo began after construction of the North Dakota Winter Show Events Center in Valley City. In 1963, J.C. Stevenson produced an NDRA Championship Rodeo in the new arena, hosted by the Winter Show that had begun in 1937. The rodeo was sanctioned by the PRCA the next year. Bob Aber has been associated with the event for 46 years, first as stock contractor and now as producer. The ability to attract top contestants and outstanding stock has allowed North Dakotans to enjoy pro-rodeo and to follow the careers of cowboys and cowgirls as they progress towards the NFR and PRCA World Champion titles. Such performers as Brad Gjermundson, Tex Appledoorn and the famous N.D. “Six Pack” have astonished the crowds that fill the 3,450 seats for each performance, held in early March. This local event is on par with rodeos in Cheyenne, Pendleton and Houston. Specialty acts and visiting rodeo royalty have graced the arena each year since 1964. In 1976, a Miss Rodeo North Dakota Winter Show pageant was established, giving young women an opportunity to vie for the Miss Rodeo North Dakota title.

In the Cowboy Long Rider Division, there are two nominees,
and Trustees will select one for the Hall of Honorees.

John Hovde is, far and away, the “Horse Whisperer of North Dakota.” Growing up on a Williams County ranch, he was already learning how to train horses at age six. The Hovde kids showed horses and cattle in 4-H and after the family moved into Williston, Hovde spent summers back at the ranch, under rustic conditions, taking in outside horses that were mostly four- to six-year-old renegades. Hovde graduated from NDSU with a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1969.He served two years in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division. Hovde bought cattle and leased a spread east of his childhood home, where the couple raised two children and that continues to be their home. Hovde began putting on horsemanship clinics in 1972 and the Equine Connection in 1990. Through the years, he has judged countless high school cutting competitions and horse shows. Hovde has been active in the Mondak Association and the N.D. Cutting Horse Association. The Hovdes have hosted the AQHA State Trail Ride at their ranch, with proceeds donated to the Home On The Range. For each of the past 30 years, Hovde has voluntarily conducted eight to twelve 4-H horsemanship clinics. At present, he is an adjunct professor of animal and range sciences for the Equine Department at NDSU, Fargo. One of his biggest accomplishments was his successful campaign to the AQHA championship with a 31-year-old mare. In 2003, he took 9th place in the Versatility Ranch Horse Competition. Hovde’s philosophy can be summed up as “Horsemanship isn’t teaching a horse, it is learning how to ask a horse to do something in a way the horse can understand.”

Dean Kutz of Sykeston began racing ponies at age six in his hometown. When he was12, Kutz started racing the half-mile track at the Wells County Fair. In 1972, he entered the professional circuit and, five years later, was the number one jockey at the Hawthorne race track in Chicago. Kutz is most assuredly North Dakota’s most successful horse- racing jockey. He won 2,835 races, earned 2,602 second places, and finished third in 2,533 races. His career totaled 21,575 rides.

His mounts earned almost $34 million throughout his career. But Kutz’s track successes are surpassed by his dedication to behind-the-scenes activities. He was the long-time director of the Jockey’s Guild, an organization representing the interests of member jockeys. He dedicated much time and effort to “Jockeys Across America”, establishing a fund for disabled jockeys and their families and raised $30,000 for the National Kidney Foundation. Kutz volunteered countless hours to an organization called “A Chance To Grow”, a group that helps children with learning disabilities, developmental delays and brain injuries to reach their highest potential. Along the way, he received the George Woolf and Mike Venezia Memorial Awards, not because of his riding abilities but because of his character, integrity, sportsmanship and lifestyle. Although his health was failing, forcing him to retire, he managed to give it one last go when he was the first rider on the N.D. Horse Park track at Fargo, in 2003. He tested the track, but did not race. He was 48 years old when he died in September 2004, in Lexington, Kentucky. He is buried in Carrington.

The 200 NDCHF Trustees will receive ballots and biographies of all the nominees by mid-April. Those ballots will be returned and counted by a Dickinson accounting firm, and the names of those selected will be announced over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Formal Induction ceremonies into the NDCHF will be held June 26 and 27 in Medora.

NDCHF President Phil Baird of Mandan notes, “Those not selected for induction into the Hall of Fame this year are eligible for re-nomination in future years.”

The Hall of Fame’s Center of Western Heritage and Cultures opened in Medora in 2005 and was named North Dakota’s 2007 Tourist Attraction of the Year. The facility is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from May to October and by appointment during the winter months. Its galleries and exhibits detail the history of the Plains horse culture.

The facility is also used for meetings, reunions, weddings and other events. An attached patio provides room for more than 200 people for catered events. Catered food and beverage service is available, and reservations are now being taken for 2008 events in Medora.

A statewide fundraising campaign has been launched to pay off the Hall of Fame’s mortgage in 2008. Contributions for the project may be sent to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, 1110 College Drive #216, Bismarck, ND 58501.