ND Cowboy Hall of Fame - Stories & Articles

2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES NAMED

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July 4, 2008

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Darrell Dorgan 250-1833

--- 2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES NAMED ---

The 200 Trustees of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) have selected six individuals, one historic ranch and one rodeo bucking horse for their Hall of Honorees in Medora. The actual induction of the eight new honorees will take place in Medora on Saturday, August 2, beginning at 12:00 p.m. MDT.

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says the 2008 inductees will join the more than 100 others who have been inducted since 1998. He notes this year’s inductees come from: Grant, Morton, Dunn, McLean counties and the Fort Berthold Reservation.

The 2008 nominees include:

Pre-1940 Rodeo

George Charging, of McLean and Dunn counties and the Fort Berthold Reservation, was born in 1893. At age 17, he was hired to ride the range on the Fort Berthold Reservation Big Lease. He competed in rodeos across North Dakota in calf roping and, in later years, provided stock for the Minot State Fair Rodeo.
Charging’s ranching endeavors did not permit him to travel very far to participate in rodeo competitions. Always the cowboy, Charging rode many miles to assist other ranchers during round ups and brandings where his roping skills were invaluable. He was active in his local church council, and the Fort Berthold Tribal Council. He and his wife raised a family of six children, and he died in 1952.

Modern-era Rodeo

Mervel Raymond Hall, of Elbowoods, Mandaree and Fort Berthold, was born on the family ranch near Elbowoods in 1928 and grew up on horseback. Hall has ranched and farmed near Mandaree since 1948. The NDRA named him Champion Bareback Rider in 1958 and 1964, Champion Saddle Bronc Rider in 1958 and All-around Cowboy in 1964. Hall participated in three events (saddle bronc, bareback and bull riding) in rodeos from Fort Worth to Denver to Tucson. He liked to win saddles at rodeos around home and found time for the Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association events, too. He was a major competitor in events from Amidon to Wing and from Fort Worth to Tucson from 1951 to 1967.

Pre-1940 Ranching

William Connolly of Dunn County was born in 1861 on his family’s homestead in Minnesota. His ranching operations in North Dakota began in the1880s near the Killdeer Mountains. In 1886, he bought the ranch his grandson now lives on in Dunn County. In 1890, Connolly registered the first cattle brand with the new state of North Dakota. In the 1890s, he brought the first registered Hereford bulls from Chicago, and they became the foundation of his cattle empire. Connolly bred English thoroughbred studs with Percheron mares and sold the draft crosses in the Red River Valley and Iowa. He was a charter member of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association and the fifth person from North Dakota to be inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. He died in 1946.

Modern-era Ranching

Alick Dvirnak of Dunn County was raised on his parent’s historic Diamond C Ranch near Killdeer. As a youngster, he was one of a crew that trailed the Diamond C herd to summer grazing on the Fort Berthold Big Lease. In 1940, eight sections around the Killdeer Mountains were leased and added to the Diamond C and subsequently fenced. Chopping their own posts, Dvirnak and two others tried to string one mile of fence per week. Dvirnak and his wife raised a family of six at the Diamond C. He and his brother bought the ranch from their dad in 1965, splitting the operation in 1985. Dvirnak then ran about 200 cows and fed their offspring. In 1988, the North Dakota Natural Science Society recognized the Dvirnaks for contributions to helping preserve the state’s natural heritage in. He hosted many Native American ceremonies at the ranch, which is located where the Battle of Killdeer Mountain took place in 1864.

Ranches

The Anchor Ranch, west of the Cannonball River in Grant County, near the community of Shields, was established by William V. Wade in 1889 on open range. After Grant County was officially opened for homesteading, he gained legal title to the acreage. Later, the Wades operated the “Wade” post office and small store on their property. Wade died on the ranch in 1927 and his daughter, Mamie Weedun, handled operations until 1951 and increased the land holdings. The ranch was purchased by John Voigt after he was forced from his spread near Elbowoods by the Garrison Reservoir. The Voigts trailed their herd of Herefords cross country to their new holdings. Duaine Voigt took over operations for his father in 1961. Over the years, he raised Red Angus and Simmentals and cross bred them with Solares. He also raised registered Quarter horses. Voigt uses three brands: the Lazy V Hanging J, the Bar Diamond Bar and the X Lazy J. Upon his retirement, his daughter and her husband now lease the ranching operation and have segued from cattle to buffalo. Two thousand head of buffalo roam the same 23 quarters of land that Wade first laid eyes on 120 years ago.

Leaders of Ranching and Rodeo

Jim Weekes of Almont and Slope and Sioux counties, was born in 1917 on the family ranch near Almont. His grandfather, S.P. Weekes, and his uncles produced rodeos, and Weekes entered his first pony race when he was a seven-year-old tenderfoot. His folks moved to the HT Ranch near Amidon in Slope County just a few years later. As a cowboy, Weekes competed in saddle and bareback riding, as well as steers and relay races. After his discharge from the Army in 1945, Weekes and his dad bought a ranch in Grant County. He married a girl who was reared on the O Bar O on the Cannonball. After his father died, Weekes partnered with J. C. Stevenson and Jack Chesrown in an amateur rodeo stock business, which worked well until 1960. Weekes then put together a band of Quarter horse mares and decided to go PRCA as a pick-up man, with Duane Howard as his pick-up partner. The Lazy J W Ranch on the Cedar River was Jim and Janet’s base of operation for 25 years, a working ranch with irrigated alfalfa meadows that made for happy cattle and horses. His children followed in his footsteps and participated in rodeo events. Weekes died in 2002.

Rodeo Livestock

Red Pepper, from the Killdeer-based Fettig Brothers Rodeo Company, was a red sorrel gelding whose age and breeding were unknown. The Fettig Brothers Rodeo Company purchased him in Miles City in the late 1950s and branded him with their rodeo brand Y. Red Pepper was a consistent saddle bronc who performed well in any and all conditions: day or night, indoor or outdoor, hard ground or soft muck. He was selected for the NFR for 11 years and appeared in 20 performances with cowboys placing in the top 4 on him 15 times. Red Pepper was also chosen as the top saddle bronc horse at the Deadwood Days of ’76 Rodeo and made appearances at the Match of Champions at Sentinel Butte, North Dakota, too. Red Pepper died in Texas.

Rodeo Arena

Steve Tomac, of St. Anthony was born in Hettinger, in 1953. The second oldest in a family of 18 kids he had to be tough just to get a shot at the dinner table. He accidentally got a start clowning at Raleigh on July 4, 1971, when the contracted clown cancelled his appearance. Within five years, Tomac had worked every NDRA rodeo. He worked as a bullfighter from 1971-1980 and a barrel man and contract specialty act from 1975-2004. Between 1983 and 2001, he worked 40-50 PRCA performances each year, covering a range of 7 states. In 2005, Tomac was invited to make a “farewell appearance” and be a special feature at the Mandan Rodeo Days celebration in July. His barrel is on display at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora. Elected in 1986, Tomac served stints in both houses of the state legislature until 2003. At present, Tomac ranches a 1,100-acre spread near St. Anthony with his brother and works as the senior legislative representative at Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

Induction activities for the latest inductees begin with a barbeque and dance at the Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 2.

Activities continue with the induction program that begins at 12:00 p.m. MDT on Saturday, August 2, and concludes when the new inductees are introduced at the Home on the Range Champions Ride in Sentinel Butte on Sunday, August 3.

Reservations for the barbecue can be made by calling the Hall of Fame in Medora at 701-623-2000.

Last year, the Cowboy Hall of Fame’s Center of Western Heritage and Cultures: Native American, Ranching and Rodeo drew more than 25,000 visitors. The facility, named North Dakota’s Tourist Attraction of the Year for 2007, is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. MDT until the end of September. Its galleries and exhibits detail the history of the plains horse culture.

The center 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, 1110 College Drive Suite 216, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501