ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Stories & Articles

Dirty Harry's "Make My Day" .44 Magnum Coming to Medora

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame will host its third annual “Gun Road Show”, with one of the nation’s top firearms experts, on June 12 and 13 in Medora.

Evaluating the antique guns will be National Firearms Museum Curator Doug Wicklund. A noted firearms author, Wicklund is often seen on the History Channel and is published in numerous publications. He will answer gun owners’ questions on what they have, what it’s worth and where it came from.

Wicklund, in charge of the National Rifle Association’s 4,500-piece collection at the National Firearms Museum in Virginia, says, “A lot of people have guns they’ve inherited, and many have great legends that go with them. Some of the stories are true and, if you would like to know what you’ve got in the closet, bring it to Medora. We’ll look it over.”

Gun owners from throughout the region are invited to dig out their family heirlooms and have them evaluated and appraised. NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says there have been some incredible surprises the past two years.

He says, “Firearms, with a value of more than $40,000, have come through the door in gunny sacks. The owners were shocked at what they had and what it was worth.”

As a special attraction, Wicklund will bring with him the .44-caliber Smith and Wesson Magnum revolver carried by Clint Eastwood in his “Dirty Harry” movie series. Dorgan says the pistol will be on display during the Gun Road Show, in addition to the 60 to 70 historic firearms in the current “Guns of Dakota” exhibit.

Wicklund and the NRA, in a cooperative effort with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, provided the historic guns for the Hall of Fame’s “Guns of Dakota” exhibit. The exhibit features a cross section of guns used in North Dakota from the time of Lewis and Clark until the early 1900s.

This year, NDCHF is also featuring a .36-caliber Colt that once belonged to world famous 1800s showman “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who took his famous Wild West Show around the world.

Other featured pieces include one of Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting rifles, a set of dueling pistols that once belonged to the Marquis de Mores, a rifle used at the Battle of the Little Big Horn and a plank cannon found at the Fort Dilts site near present-day Marmarth, North Dakota. There are also 40 other historically important firearms in the Hall of Fame’s Hauer Gallery.

Dorgan says the unique Gun Road Show will run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. (MDT) on Saturday and will feature a 7:00 p.m. presentation by Wicklund on the “Guns of the West”. The Gun Road Show continues Sunday afternoon from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Hall of Fame.

Access will be on a “first come, first served basis”, and all guns will have to be inspected and tagged at the door before they can be brought in to be examined and evaluated.

The Center of Western Heritage and Cultures: Native American, Ranching and Rodeo draws more than 25,000 visitors a year to Medora. The facility was named North Dakota’s 2007 Tourist Attraction of the Year, and recently named the America’s 2010 Best Cowboy Museum of the Year. The Hall of Fame is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (MDT) until the end of September. 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.

Fundraising for the project continues. Dorgan says the Hall of Fame hopes to raise an additional $1 million over the next year to become debt free. Contributions for the project may be sent to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, 120 N. 3rd Street, Suite 85, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501

Dirty Harry's Gun
Dirty Harry Gun

Doug Wicklund