My Roots Trip

quick dog

quick dog

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I just got back from western North Dakota. On a lark, my son and I flew back there in an attempt to find my grandfathers ranch which was located near the town of Regent, ND (pop. 213). It was quite an adventure. We met a lot of really nice, hard-working, people and saw some very beautiful country.

We concluded after four days that North Dakota has gotten a bad rap over the years. Apparently, others must feel the same way. Bismark, the capitol city, is booming with construction, new businesses, and American emigrants. The Capitol grounds, buildings, structures, and efficient public services make our Sacramento Capitol look like Tijuana.

A lot of Califonians are moving to Bismark and bringing money.
 

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Sounds like a fun trip. My father was from South Dakota, I would love to go for a visit. Did you find your grandfathers farm? Is it still in the family?
 
Typical man telling a story...you bring up something and then just drop it.

;)

Did you find the ranch?
 
quick dog said:
I just got back from western North Dakota. On a lark, my son and I flew back there in an attempt to find my grandfathers ranch which was located near the town of Regent, ND (pop. 213). It was quite an adventure. We met a lot of really nice, hard-working, people and saw some very beautiful country.

We concluded after four days that North Dakota has gotten a bad rap over the years. Apparently, others must feel the same way. Bismark, the capitol city, is booming with construction, new businesses, and American emigrants. The Capitol grounds, buildings, structures, and efficient public services make our Sacramento Capitol look like Tijuana.

A lot of Califonians are moving to Bismark and bringing money.
Click to expand...
Before you pack up you might pay another visit n say January or February...
 
Been to Williston many times..and those parts. My friend has a cabin right on the Missouri river right outside of Williston. Nice part of the country.

(On a side note...it seems that wherever I go, I see people I know. Once while in Williston, North Dakota..walking down Main Street, I saw a friend of mine from Irvine, California...surprise!!)
 
First of all, I am aware that the mean temperature in Regent in January is five degrees, and that the temperature has been as low as minus 60 degrees. During the Winter of 1886-87, 75 percent of the cattle and sheep in western North Dakota froze to death, even those animals confined in barns!

I began my impromptu quest after reading a series of well-written 30 year-old letters written by my mother and her brother. Both were raised on my grandfather’s ranch. There were a lot of holes in the stories. As is true with most hand written letters, the writers expected the familiar reader to understand the frames of reference, and the series of disparate events that dictated the course of their lives. The ranch mystery was further complicated by the fact that my great grandfather brought his family to western North Dakota in 1887 from up-State New York. There were family members scattered all around the North Dakota badlands and eastern Montana.

My son and I arrived in Regent in the afternoon. All I had was a hand-written survey location and the name and phone number of a land owner whom I believed owned the land where the farm house was located. With nothing better to do, we walked into the Cannon Ball Tavern to have a beer. We bellied up to the bar and ordered several beers. The bartender finally asked where we were from because he knew all 213 of the town’s inhabitants, and we were not amongst them. I indicated that we were looking for my grandfather's ranch. More specifically, I was looking for a local farmer named Jess Kouba. As happens in small towns, a woman standing next to the bartender pipes up and asks what I need. Iy was Kouba's wife.

I explained what I wanted to do and produced a 1940 photo of the Gibbs family ranch house. She did not know where it was, but indicated her husband would know. He and her two sons were bailing hay. Virtually every farmer in the region was working like mad trying to bail up hay and harvest wheat. There was also a gang of migrant combine operators in town. They start in Texas and end up in Mannitoba.

Karen called another local farmer who owned the local guest house. The Crocus Inn is a two story Victorian farm house which was recently converted to a guest house. The owners came down to the bar and tried to help me find the ranch. Then we walked a half-block to the Crocus Inn. The owners indicated that the doors were open, and the place was unoccupied. We handed them some cash . They also sold me a local history book, and that was the last that we saw of them. The place was ours. We never locked a door. We went back to the tavern and Karen barbecued steaks for us. They were excellent. Beers were $1.25.

To make a very long and intricate story short, we found the site of my grandfather’s ranch. A local family of rural bums had apparently occupied the house for more than 50 years. They told everyone that they owned the property. They did not, but they ruined the fanciest Victorian home in the region. When my uncle went back and sold the property in 1975. The new owners burned the house down and bulldozed the remnants of the house into the basement to prevent vagrants from living there.

The ranch is now owned by the former Attorney General of North Dakota. He bought the ranch for a place to visit and shoot pheasants. There are a lot of major twists in the story. I am sure that this is pretty boring for most folks.

My mother is the 12 year-old standing on the left. The building is her cousin's house which was located four miles north of her place.
 

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QD - That is an EXCELLENT story. Thanks for sharing. Now, if it isn't too much trouble, could you explain the comment about your mother and the building?

Am I to assume you're going to attach a photo?

;)

Edit: Oops. Should have shown a tad more patience.

:D
 
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