Cattle flourished on the excellent grazing lands of western Dakota Territory in the 19th century. Massive herds roamed freely across the plains. Ranches began springing up in the Badlands before North Dakota was even a state. The most famous was Teddy Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Ranch but there were many more. Some folded after just a few years, while others managed to hang on and become prosperous.
Before barbed wire, keeping track of loose cattle on the open range was a real challenge. Herds from different ranches often mixed together. That’s when western ranchers adopted branding to identify their cattle, a practice made famous by the cowboys of the Old West.
Many ranches were named for nearby landmarks. Places like Sloping Bottom, the Badlands Cattle Company, and the Oxbow Ranch, owned by the Marquis de Mores. Others took their names from the brand itself, like the Maltese Cross or the Long X.
On this date in 1909, the Golden Valley Chronicle announced the sale of a very prosperous Billings County ranch to an experienced horseman from Dickinson. The Q-Bar Ranch, located at the head of Magpie Creek, got its name from its well-known brand which was a Q with a straight-line underneath.
The property included 200 head of horses, a comfortable ranch house, a barn, and a summer camp for ranch hands in the Badlands. Buyer Bert Townsend said he was putting up a large amount of hay in preparation for winter. He also believed the ranch could support up to 500 horses, and planned to expand his stock in the coming year. Townsend was described as a skilled horseman, and the paper predicted he’d improve the region’s breeding stock.
Ranching is still alive in the Badlands. Cattle are still home on the range but things have changed. These days, many ranches offer visitors a chance to stay on a working cattle operation. Activities include riding the range alongside real working cowboys. Visitors won’t spend twelve hours a day in the saddle in all kinds of weather but they’ll get a glimpse of what life was like on the old cattle ranches.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Golden Valley Chronicle. “Famous Billings County Ranch Sold.” Beach ND. 9/10/1909. Page 1.
- Theodore Roosevelt Center. “A Historical Study of Billings County, Dakota Territory.” https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Research/Digital-Library/Record/ImageViewer?libID=o273314&imageNo=2Accessed 8/3/2025.
- AgAmerica. “What’s in a Brand? The History of Cattle Branding.” https://agamerica.com/blog/brand-history-of-cattle-branding/Accessed 8/3/2025.
