ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Stories & Articles

HISTORY COMES ALIVE IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH

FOR RELEASE
February 18, 2008

For Additional Information
Darrell Dorgan 250-1833

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) has again joined forces with the North Dakota Humanities Council and the Reiten Television Network to produce a series of winter history and entertainment gatherings.

This year's tour will feature a discussion of homesteading in North Dakota by Humanities Scholar and UND History Professor Emeritus Jerry Tweton. There will also be a special showing of the orientation video from the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora. The video was written and produced by NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan.

This year's symposiums begin on Wednesday, February 27, in Bowman at the Pioneer Trails Museum. The series continues with programs at the Civic Center in Beulah on Thursday, February 28, and conclude on Wednesday, March 19, in Williston at Williston College, Room 216 E. The programs begin at 7:00 p.m. mountain time in Bowman and Beulah and 7:00 p.m. central time in Williston. They are free and open to the public.

Tweton’s presentation is titled “Saga of the Sodbuster; Homesteading in North Dakota”. He has been a part of the statewide history series since it began in 1998. He says that anyone interested in North Dakota history will be fascinated with the discussion on state’s colorful homestead era.

He says, “If there’s one thing all of us have in common, it’s the 1862 Homestead Act. It’s why our great-grandparents and grandparents came to North Dakota. To them, 160 acres of free land sounded like a plantation. It was a chance for freedom, a piece of the American pie.”

The retired UND history professor and author found that many who arrived were surprised to find a largely flat and treeless prairie. Tweton says, “The railroads and others who had an economic interest in promoting migration and homesteading often failed to mention harsh winters, drought and grasshoppers, but talked about rich soil, fresh air and the potential for bumper crops.”

Cowboy Hall of Fame Executive Director Darrell Dorgan, who wrote and produced the video called “The Dream”, says it explores the settling of North Dakota and the plains horse culture that developed with the Native Americans, continued with the homesteaders and continues today.

He says, “This is a wonderful story about people who overcame adversity and carved out a way of life in a harsh land. It’s a culture that is admired today around the world.”

North Dakota Humanities Council Executive Director Jan Daley-Jury says the council has sponsored the symposiums for the past six years. "It’s a chance for people to get out, meet friends and neighbors and learn a bit about the past and the state's rich cultural heritage."

All programs begin at 7:00 p.m. and are free and open to the public.