Mother and Daughter Unite in Hall of Fame

The aftermath of wild winds be seen when you drive through the sandhills area in the eastern side of Ransom County. On this tall grass prairie those winds in the historic drought years ripped and tore at the surface and reshaped the terrain with drifting dunes of sand. Adequate rainfall and conservation methods have tamed it now which enables stands of waving grass to take root again. 

It can be said one of the area’s families grew their roots to stay in place, too.  The Bohnsack Ranch sprawls for 2,000 acres in parts of Owego and Coburn Townships. The property  now rests in the hands of Bonita Bohnsack Laske, her husband Lynn Laske,  and their daughter Lydia who represents the fourth generation.

Charles and Hulda Bohnsack purchased the land in 1918 and held it until 1935 when they offered it to their daughter, Frieda. She accepted its challenge even though it came with a big mortgage, rundown buildings, and six Holstein calves. Father Charles loved the beauty and peacefulness of the sandhills and helped Frieda until 1957 when he died at the age of 98.

Frieda rolled up her sleeves and managed the ranch operation until being joined by her daughter Bonita whom she adopted as a newborn baby in 1941. In spite of a heavy workload, Frieda made sure to surround her daughter with love and a healthy nurturing environment. That upbringing serves her well and brings us to the present day. The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) recently inducted Bonita to their “Leaders in Ranching and Rodeo” category.

The daughter is adamant about crediting the mother for being the role model for her successes. You see, that same organization inducted Frieda into their “Pre-1940s Ranching” category in 2002. Now they are the only mother-daughter pair represented in the NDCHF.

We’ll summarize the narrative that lists some of Frieda’s qualifications for induction. Relishing the job of rebuilding and operating the ranch during the 1930s, she built her Angus herd by taking in cattle for summer grazing. The quality of her herd often brought top price at McLeod’s annual Sandhills Feeder Calf Sale. Willing to experiment in improving her herd, she brought in purebred Blue Brahman bulls to develop Brangus cattle. In addition to her hands-on work, she found time to start a saddle club, lead a 4-H club, teach school, and maintain membership and leadership in several relevant organizations. She promoted rodeos, showdeos, trail drives, and various other gatherings at the ranch during her active years.

Bonita started tracing the steps of her role model mother. Some of her accomplishments include honors of being named Miss Rodeo North Dakota, an NDRA Champion Barrel Racer, and a runner-up in the Miss Rodeo America contest to name a few. After graduation from NDSU she worked for the National Livestock and Meat Board in Chicago as a traveling home economist, married Lynn Laske and moved to Oklahoma for his work with western boot companies. Among other things, she has  served as president of the Oklahoma Cowbelles, worked in hospitality events for the National Finals Rodeo, and chaperoned the Miss Rodeo contest.

North Dakota lures her family back each summer to live and work on the ranch they’ve leased to another party. It seems natural that while in residence  they enjoy promoting the history of the western lifestyle in the beautiful setting of the Sandhills of eastern North Dakota. Conscious of the environment, she told of waging a fight against the spread of leafy spurge in their pastures. Sheep eat it, so they’ve welcomed a large flock of about 1,000 head to come eat their fill. 

Cutting horses play an important part in their lives, both past and present. They still hold a cutting event sponsored by the North Dakota Cutting Association called the Don Taylor Memorial Cutting in memory of Lynn’s late brother-in-law. They began training them and fondly recall riding one out of the famous Doc Bar line that placed highly in the National Cutting Futurity. 

Ian Tyson sings about meeting up with the Doc Bar line of horses in his song “The Steeldust Line” as he heads to Las Vegas and a cutting competition. Upon arriving he reads the entry list and sees “the whole Doc Bar dynasty a-posted on the wall.” He knew he would be facing good horses and strong competition.

 

When touring the ranch headquarters, a visitor can’t help but notice the interior of one building where about 400 ribbons hang and 60 trophies are displayed from winning or placing in various contests. Bonita lives a full life, as did her mother. The family does not neglect their spiritual life and attends and supports two churches here, the Helendale Lutheran Church and the Bethel Moravian Church in Leonard. A testimonial supporting her candidacy for induction into the NDCHF came from a former Miss Rodeo North Dakota who stated “She is the real deal.” A video of her induction at Medora can be viewed online.