Lifetime Leaders of Rodeo & Ranching Rodeo Ranching Great Westerner Western Entertaiment & Arts Rodeo Producers & Livestock Special Achievement Cowboy Long Rider Legacy Award

Ranching

James William (Bill) Follis
2000 Hall of Fame Ranching Inductee

 James William "Bill" Follis was born March 19, 1865, on a ranch near Stevensville, Texas. His parents were W.J. and Mary (Hudges) Follis. His father served as a Confederate Army cavalryman during the Civil War. When Bill was seven, his family left Texas, trailing cattle to Trinidad, Colorado. He rode herd as though he were a grown man.

 Bill left home at age 15 and worked in New Mexico for two years. There he heard cowboys tell of the "Three Seven" outfit in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. In 1883, he took a train to Keith, near Wibaux, Montana. He was hired by the 777 outfit and promoted to foreman in 1884 at a salary of $175 a month. He was also had the authority and responsibility for buying and receiving company cattle.

 Many Texas cattle were purchased for the 777 in the 1880s, and Bill ran about 30,000 head a year from 1888 to 1898, gaining a reputation as a superb roper. He worked with Teddy Roosevelt in the big roundup of 1884. The 777 closed out its holdings in 1898, and Bill helped round up and ship 6,500 cattle in 13 trainloads.

 He purchased his first ranch in 1897 and, when the 777 closed out, he began ranching 20 miles south of Medora. The ranch was located near a bend in the Little Missouri River known as the Little Ox-Bow, for which the ranch was named. Bill used "OX" as his cattle brand and a "Lazy 7" for horses. Bill later changed his cattle brand to the "reverse FN connected." He bought two other ranches nearby and eventually ran about 1,000 cattle. He also served two terms as Billings County sheriff, from 1899 to 1903.

 Bill owned a team of white horses named Pud and Charley, noted for their ability to swim the Little Missouri, which could become a high and raging torrent. One of his favorite saddle horses was a bay named Major. He sold his last ranch on Bullion Creek in 1928 and moved to Dickinson. When the stock market crashed in 1929, Bill headed west for another eight years of ranching.

 He married Mary Powers in Wibaux in 1888. They had two sons and four daughters, with one of each dying in infancy. Mary died in 1897. He later married Mary "Mayme" Lebo.

 Bill died on November 15, 1950, and is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Dickinson.