Tourist Tossing Season

Only a couple weeks ago I saw a picture on Facebook of a woman standing very near a buffalo at the side of a road. Its caption stated, “Tourist Tossing Season in Yellowstone.” It is doubtful she possessed any talent as a bison whisperer, but she seemed willing to check it out. Others who have tried and failed can be seen on video flying through the air after being hooked by buffalo horns. The term wild animals doesn’t carry the impact that it should. As we move through time some people relax and assume we have conquered the world and tamed all the species in it. Not yet.

Buffalo, or bison if you wish, possess an ungainly appearance, but that can fool the unsuspecting person. I once attended a buffalo sale at Kist Livestock Auction barn in Mandan. Things went as well as could be expected as small groups of them entered the sales ring. The ringmen, either experienced or forewarned, exercised caution and respect for the beasts. It was while the gate opened for one group to exit that a two year old exhibited a physical feat I never thought possible. His mates weren’t leaving fast enough, so for a quicker escape, he made an amazing vertical leap no pro basketball player could match while trying to clear a high barrier at his side. It was a remarkable demonstration of strength, agility, and determination.

Public television carried a documentary in recent months about the American buffalo. Ken Burns based it on Dayton Duncan’s book titled Blood Memory. Some of the pictures Duncan used shows buffalo being loaded onto railroad cattle cars. One shows where a bull broke through the boards of his car. The photographer caught him with his head and forequarters hanging through the opening. It is unknown if his bid for freedom succeeded, but I can imagine a very exciting scene as they worked to get the situation  under control.

We can add another category to this and call it “Cowboy Tossing Season.”  Of course, here we will talk about bucking bulls at a rodeo. While their physiques are a bit different from the buffaloes’, they too are  well-muscled, fast, and very agile. We can observe them in an arena where a cowboy tries to stay aboard for a mere eight second count. Many quotes from riders tell us they never knew eight seconds could last so long.

Watching slow motion video reruns of riders gives a good idea of the action.  The cowboy hangs onto a surcingle with one hand and keeps the other aloft. All the while he is spurring the bull’s flanks and trying to stay upright on an agitated bull that is bucking, twisting, and swapping ends. Every animal reacts differently, so a cowboy doesn’t know what to expect. That’s where athleticism and much luck come into play as he tries to ride to victory. 

Rodeo people judge whether a bull is any good by tracking the times he bucks off a rider. For instance, this year the bull called Cool Whip scored his record 43rd buck-off in a row at the 2024 Pro Bull Riders World Finals. One called Bodacious was known throughout the rodeo world as "the world's most dangerous bull.” The rodeo clowns had their hands full keeping him from riders he’d thrown. Out of 136 riders he threw 127 of them. This bull smashed Tuff Hedeman’s face which required six hours of reconstructive surgery. 

One bull made it into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in the animal division. I used  to say he’s my favorite sports hero from the state. Little Yellow Jacket proved to be a big winner for the Berger operation south of Mandan. During his career of 93 riders, only 15 ever made it to eight seconds which gave him an 84% buck-off statistic. A model of him sits on my desk today complete with that one downturned horn.

A large number of rodeos are held around the state each year with the number probably growing. A quick count of them on their tentative rodeo schedule shows that 29 of them will be held in 2024. Each of them features several events in addition to bull riding: bucking horses, both saddled and bareback, cutting, barrel racing, steer wrestling, and more.

As for the cutting horse competition, some cowboys, while training their horses, will run out of cows to practice with. The cows learn what’s happening and soon won’t offer a good workout for the horse. One time in Missouri I saw a man giving his horse a workout using buffalo. The reason given was that cows  “sour quickly” after being worked, whereas buffalo can be used over and over.

One time at a wedding reception west of the Missouri River in real cowboy country one young fellow told of learning how fast he could run when he just made it over a fence with a bull at his heels. I had my experience as a young lad playing behind the barn and seeing a bull in the pasture pawing clouds of dirt who then started after me. Luckily I made it to the roof of the barn’s lean-to. The singer Lyle Lovett suffered a badly broken leg when attacked by a bull. Lovett saw his uncle flipped by the animal and while running to help him got trampled in turn. 

Rodeo clowns aren’t present to provide some comic relief; they play an important role in distracting bulls from participants. Wild bulls or domesticated bulls would love to sink their horns into anyone who would simply become another statistic in the “tossing season.”

Paying Respects

 The birds were singing and the sun was shining when we visited the Owego Pioneer cemetery today. By the time we got to Owego Lutheran cemetery just down the road the weather was changing. We turned our car towards Fargo as soon as we finished cleaning up Thomas's grave marker. (The marker is held in place by a root of what appears to be a dying elm tree.) Dark clouds were looming in the west. Lynn is standing beside tombstone which contains the names of his 2X Great Grandma Dorthe Henningsdatter Anderson (1829-1889), his Great Grandma Helene Marie (Vangsness) Anderson (1866-1892), and stillborn Anderson infant (1892). Lynn's Great Grandpa, Thomas Anderson (1859-1938) is laid to rest at Owego Lutheran Church cemetery. Near Thomas's marker is that of his son with Helene Marie, David/Davey Anderson (1889 in Dakota Territory, died 1946 of Polio).

RANDOM THOUGHTS - Monday, July 1, 2024

Over a week has passed since Sheldon’s reunion … Bonita Bohnsack inducted into N. D. Cowboy Hall of Fame in June joining mother Freida there … Louis L’Amour’s great-grandfather killed by an arrow and buried 10 miles north of Tappen, ND … Lots of rain around here … Roger Sandvig and Ole Larson honored with Quilts of Honor … Schunk history of Owego tells of men drinking in a haymow during prohibition days when one stepped out the open door, dropped 10 feet, staggered up, and walked home showing no effects …  The slogan of National History Day is “Studying the Past to Inform the Present and Shape the Future,” and this year’s theme was “Turning Points in History.” … I’m reading the 50th anniversary edition of All the President’s Men by Woodward and Bernstein … The Dominion of Canada was formed this day in 1867 … the picture showing this guy is out to lunch …

The Sheldon School Reunion

 

 

There we were, over 300 of us, gathered to celebrate memories held dear from attending the Sheldon Public School. Our square brick school building no longer stands and most of the buildings on main street are gone, but the spirit of the place could almost be touched this day as it hovered over the occasion on Saturday, June 22, 2024. 

The high school closed in 1996 while the elementary school continued several years more before closing the doors in 2008.  The gymnasium, built in 1960, was the site that spring of its first event, the graduation ceremony for my senior class. It still stands as the remaining landmark. While the shingles on its roof are starting to look beaten and weathered, one can still read the letters that roofers weaved into them - S H A D O W S. Without modern facilities, the gym can no longer host events. In fact its east end stands open and gaping to allow all types of critters to come and go.

Our athletic teams wore the name SHADOWS on their uniforms. Someone might know when the mascot name was first adopted, but that’s likely lost in history. Perhaps it was chosen when a  few people sat around brainstorming and stopped wide-eyed when one of them suggested SHELDON SHADOWS.  “Hey, that’s it! Sounds good.” Now a shadow isn’t something you can hold or pet so we never had a replica of it to sew on our uniforms, but maybe that Shadow hovered over us this day.

Fortunately, a rather large gathering space that could host such an event was recently built on the east end of main street. The building is the result of a collaborative effort which the community center and Enderlin-Sheldon Fire Department shares. The caterers prepped the delicious food in the modern, shiny kitchen on the north end of the community center’s side of the building and dished out the meals from the large serving windows where they offered a choice of beef or turkey. I asked one of the servers if they had enough food on hand. She replied, “Ask me at the end.” 

The large collection of Sheldon’s class graduation pictures and other miscellaneous community memorabilia found a permanent home on the walls of this center. It took a great deal of volunteer effort to gather and prepare all the items for permanent display. Speaking of volunteers, the work of a six-person committee that brought us together for this reunion need to be congratulated. They are Becky Spiekermeier Radtke, Betty Bartholomay Luther, Claudia Anderson Janz, Pat Swanson Olson, Leon Bartholomay, and Dan Spiekermeier.

Over three hundred plus attendees came from many places. A quick glance at the parked cars revealed alumni traveled from many states. The couple traveling the longest distance to attend was Jim Bueling and his wife who came from their home in Kiev, Ukraine. The honor of representing the oldest class in attendance went to Connie Spiekermeier who graduated in 1949. She proudly held the certificate of appreciation the committee awarded her for dedicating her time, effort, and community knowledge to this reunion and those in the past.

Norm’s Bar worked in concert with the event by serving a spaghetti supper on Friday as well as providing a thirst-quenching oasis. The Lions Club, an active group in the community for many years, served up a pancake breakfast in the morning. There’s more. A raffle raised a nice sum of money to donate back to the center and fire department. A photographer took pictures of each class. The hayride trailer filled and drove groups around town. A few classic cars sat ready for inspection on the street. An open air street dance featuring oldies started at 7:00.

 

What is left to say? The camaraderie was in full bloom and smiling faces were the order of the day. Time had its way of spreading people apart, but this reunion brought them back together. Memories of good times, sad times, youthful antics, dreams for success, favorite teachers, and more have made up for the sum total of the Sheldon Shadow experience. We can only wish for more of the same.

Random Thoughts - Wed, June 26, 2024

  Enderlin Independent  published the Sheldon school reunion story with pictures on front page … New community building in Sheldon easily handled 300 people … On this day in 1997 J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  was first published (and I’ve never read it) … Irish joke: difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral - one less person at the funeral … Cool, breezy day today … So many to talk to at reunion that I missed a lot of them, but greatly enjoyed visits with those I did … An apple a day keeps the doctor away – if you throw it hard enough … Bye

4th Cousin Twice Removed

 Yesterday we met up with a young fellow we have come to know through family history. Parker Johnson is a mature-thinking family researcher, all of 16 years old, with whom I share some ancestral background. I asked Mary what degree of cousin the two of us are. She took a piece of paper, started charting it out, and pronounced that Parker and I are 4th cousins, twice removed. Much of the connection originated in the Owego, sandhills, and Leonard area. He and his grandmother Carol Johnson had flown in from North Carolina the day before and will stay through Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of relative Jerry Johnson, originally from Enderlin. It was at his home where we met and Jerry and I finally got acquainted, even though I had seen him around Enderlin many times.

Thoughts About D-Day

We recently commemorated Memorial Day, and then another day of note occurred, the 80th

anniversary of D-Day. I was all of two years old at the time, but a record of it exists in print and film for history buffs like myself to study and gain a bit of understanding. As for the reality of battle, I can only imagine. Thoughts about the day came to me while wandering about the cemetery on Memorial Day. One weathering gravestone drew my attention, that of Russ Ray Ranney 1892-1947.

    Mr. Ranney was the publisher of the Sheldon Progress during those years of World War II and wrote a gripping editorial in the August 20, 1942 issue about his son Myron. He wrote, “A letter came this morning from my son, Myron, saying he had volunteered for the paratroop division of the army. Myron is nineteen and a former student of the University of N. D. The letter brought a lump in my throat and made it hard for me to work. He was not forced to go. But he loves his own country greater than his own security.”

    The unit Myron joined, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 596th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, was made famous by the Stephen Ambrose story of it in his book Band of Brothers.

A film account of it by the same name is the ten-part series that ran in 2001 which I just

watched on Netflix. While reading the book we see Myron’s name mentioned frequently.

He took basic training in Georgia and quickly earned the rank of staff sergeant. The leader of their company was disliked, and Myron and a fellow soldier started a mutiny protesting his leadership which got him arrested and busted to private. But he soon saw action when he jumped into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944 and regained his sergeant stripes as well as a bronze star for bravery.

    Company E jumped in the dark of night and landed in various stages of disarray. Strong

slipstreams encountered on exiting the plane caused some of their equipment and weapons to tear away from the paratroops and scatter about the drop zone. They found themselves separated singly or in twos or threes and now faced the need to reassemble into fighting units as soon as possible, a difficult task in the dark.

    There was an immediate task for E Company to follow and accomplish, but their respected new commander Dick Winters could find only thirteen men to accomplish it. They were ordered to attack and destroy German artillery pieces that were firing on men wading ashore on Utah Beach. Short-handed as he was, he ordered them to assault and destroy these guns which they accomplished so well that West Point still studies the way they accomplished their assignment.

    Without trying to explain the situation, it can be simply said that Ranney and one other man successfully attacked the German’s right flank. Winters said that Ranney was one of “Easy Company’s killers who instinctively understood the intricacies of battle.” Winters sent a few men to crawl through an open field on the left, get as close to the artillery gun as they could and throw grenades. As for Winters he led a charge up the middle. Their training and discipline paid off when these thirteen men successfully knocked out four German guns, thereby saving many U. S. soldiers’ lives.

    As the war progressed, E Company stayed in the middle of the fight. In December of 1944 a major German push caught the U. S. military off guard. Our army wasn’t prepared to stop their advances. Cold winter weather found the men without adequate warm clothing. They were forced to fight without reserves of ammunition or medical supplies. While the battle raged on the sky remained overcast and prevented accurate airplane drops of supplies.

Centered on the town of Bastogne, it sat on an important crossroads where all traffic had to flow through. It was a prize the Germans had to take. The 101st Airborne found themselves encircled here by enemy forces whose success depended on taking the town. They failed because of the determined defense the U. S. forces made. Their division commander, General McAuliffe, wrote a Merry Christmas letter to the troops on December 24, 1944. His opening line, “What’s merry about all this you ask? We’re fighting — it’s cold, we aren’t home.” But he went on to tell them of the letter demanding their surrender he’d received from the German commander. McAulliffe then told his men, “The German commander received the following reply: NUTS.” His reply probably served as a morale booster since the defenders continued to hold the city until help    arrived.

    E Company went on to witness the horrendous conditions of prison camps and gained the

distinction of being the first to enter Hitler’s lavish Eagle’s Nest after it had been vacated. In later years Major Winters frequently repeated a quote from a letter dated January 25, 1982 that Ranney wrote to him, “In thinking back on the days of Easy Company, I am treasuring my remark to a grandson who asked, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war? No, I answered, but I served with a company of heroes.’”

    Stephen Ambrose made the observation that most of these young men would rather have stayed at home and shoot a .22 rifle instead of an M-1 and throw baseballs instead of grenades. My recent article here mentioned the war hero Woody Keeble. He gave up a promising major league career as a baseball pitcher and found himself throwing grenades in battles with distance and

accuracy.

    A mark of paratrooper pride showed when they were permitted to tuck their pant legs into their boots and blouse them out. In grade school it became the fad of hero worship for boys to wear a pair of combat boots like the big guys wore. I wore a pair.

    Ambrose reached deeply into a Shakespeare play when he titled his book The Band of Brothers. In the play “Henry V,” the king on the eve of battle with the French in 1415 said to his army, “From this day to the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”