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

Ranching

Long X Ranch
2004 Inductee

 The Long X Ranch, the largest and most famous cattle ranch in McKenzie County, is synonymous with cattle drives and the era of open range in Dakota Territory. William D. and George T. Reynolds, brothers from Texas, purchased land from Hall and Braden, who had intended to operate a sheep ranch on Squaw Creek. However, Hall and Braden had to sell out the next spring. The Reynoldses established the ranch at the north end of Squaw Creek in the mid-1880s. The original ranch site is located southwest of Watford City, near the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In their quest for grazing land, the Reynolds brothers drove their first herd north toward Mont. in the spring of 1884. Hearing reports of "stirrup high" grass, the brothers moved their 4,000 Longhorns into the Badlands. This is said to be the first herd of Longhorns in the area. By 1888, the Reynoldses were bringing three herds a year into Dak. Territory. They named their ranch for the official brand, the "Long X" and which Reynolds descendants still use today, was one of the first two brands recorded in N. Dak. During the early years, the Long X had the reputation of running the most economical ranching business in the West. It employed a large number of cowboys, especially for spring brandings and fall roundups. During the severe winter of 1886-87, they lost about 4,000 head, and the operation never fully recovered. The Reynolds brothers sold their entire McKenzie County business to the Converse Cattle Co. Much of the Long X Ranch is now part of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The name and history of the Long X lives on through the U.S. Highway 85 bridge over the Little Missouri River south of Watford City, a sign in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park telling about the Long X Trail and the new Long X Visitor Center in Watford City, featuring exhibits about the historical ranch and trail. The Long X Ranch was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in August 2004.