Halls of Fame

 

Various halls of fame can be found in North Dakota established to preserve and honor the memory of notable citizens. An argument might be made that The Rough Rider Hall of Fame in the capitol building at Bismarck is  the premier one. The hall inducted for its first member in 1961 the popular Lawrence Welk. He still rides high in the estimation of many older North Dakotans, especially in the “sauerkraut triangle” with its high density of Germans who emigrated from Russia. 

By July of last year 47 people had been inducted representing a wide variety of achievers such as entertainers, athletes, authors, entrepreneurs, and others that have excelled. Other halls of fame have been established, too. They can be found in such places as the Sports Hall of Fame, Jamestown’s Civic Center;  The Aviation Hall of Fame, in the terminal building at the Bismarck Municipal Airport; and The Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks; as well as others.

Lest some readers think we’ve omitted a big one, rest assured, it’s been saved for last, just because it’s my favorite - The Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) in Medora. When inductees are chosen, the committees award their honors for a variety of individuals, animals, and events. Any connections to Ransom County? Yes.

The Sheldak Ranch near Sheldon owned by Dave and Kim Utke entered the Ranches Division of the hall in 2022. They’ve built an international reputation for raising Appaloosa horses of note. The NDCHF summarized their entry: “They bought an old farmstead near Sheldon, ND, and started with nothing but $1,000 cash, a small loan from the local bank, and one mare. The couple spent years fixing up the run-down farmstead into what it is today – a premier North Dakota ranching operation recognized worldwide to countless stock horse owners and enthusiasts.”

Over their 54 years in operation, the Utke’s have earned countless ribbons, trophies, and accolades, but now, in their 80s , want to slow down. 

In 2007, I had a hand in the induction of a gentleman for the Pre-1940 Ranching Division when I spoke for Donald Stevenson at their selection meeting. My interest in his accomplishments had grown over the years through his work in the county and beyond as a freighter. He and his ox drawn wagons hauled the materials and supplies for the building of Fort Ransom in the 1860s, then onward to Fort Abraham Lincoln where he furnished the necessities to build its structures.

The distances his wagons traveled while moving at the speed of plodding oxen are mind-boggling. Much of the freight came up the Mississippi River to St. Cloud where his wagons would load and begin their arduous journeys. Fort Abercrombie stood as a stopover as did Pigeon Point in Ransom County. It was his forty-wagon train that stalled in a three-day blizzard near Lisbon. 

Establishing his operations in Bismarck, his wagon train to the Black Hills was the first to bring back gold ore samples, which helped to set off a gold rush. After a life of adventures in the territory, he finally settled down and began ranching in Grant County.

The Bohnsack Ranch at Sheldon entered the Pre-1940s Ranching category of the Hall of Fame in 2002. After inheriting her family’s 2,000 acre ranch in 1935 with a big mortgage, Freida Bohnsack went to work rebuilding and making it a viable operation during the drought and depression years of the 1930s. As she started building her own herd of cattle, she took in cattle for summer grazing from which an interesting story developed.

In those years before large horse trailers and cattle trucks were available, herds were driven overland to their destination. Being a resourceful thinker, she organized a trail drive with other owners of 600 head to the West Fargo Stockyards. Having found a clue to this, I searched the archives of The Fargo Forum and found in a September 18, 1940 issue an article about the drive. The paper’s reporter opened with “Frieda Bohnsack has dropped her M.A. (Master of Arts) for some very early A.M. in Ransom County and the result is she has brought some old fashioned cow country with the very environs of the Red River Valley.”

Through the years she participated in several relevant organizations, started a saddle club and a 4-H club, and taught school for a couple of years. Along the way she adopted a baby girl, Bonita, who still owns the ranch. Freida was the first woman to be inducted to the NDCHF.

Kenneth Krueger joined the ranks of the Hall of Famers in 2016 in the Pre-1940 Rodeo category. He might not have lived in Ransom County, but it was nearby in Cass County. He began his rodeo career as a saddle bronc rider in the early 1930s. and then promoted his own rodeos at his Leonard ranch and other local venues in the 40s and 50s. He was instrumental in promoting rodeo in the southeastern region of North Dakota. Many of the rodeo posters listed him as “Wild Horse Krueger,” bronc rider, rodeo producer and trick rider. He dressed and lived the part. We find “Ken Krueger, the bronc rider” listed on Bohnsack Dude Ranch poster advertising an upcoming rodeo in 1942.

I’ve been a long time fan of rodeo events, especially the bucking bulls. One named Little Yellow Jacket lived near Mandan, ND, and I’d watch him perform whenever I could. His horns were distinctively mismatched. One pointed downward while its mate aimed up. Ridden only 14 times out of 90 tries, he was described by an official of the Professional Bull Riders Assn as  “a once in a lifetime bull. He has the kind of heart, desire and athletic ability that true champions in any walk of life possess.” When he bucked the last time in North Dakota at the Bismarck Civic Center, there was a big celebration, and he won that time, too. We were there. He was inducted in 2006.

Since the NDCHF’s inception, about 230 men, women, events, and livestock have entered its membership roster, all of them representing impressive achievements.