Jan Dodge, retired Director of McKenzie County Tourism, Watford City, ND, is a walking history book with heartfelt knowledge of the development of northwest North Dakota's ranching country.
Chatting with North Dakota's The Pfeiffer Sisters, Jan tells a fascinating story of the Long X Trail that initiated in south Texas and often ended in the grasslands of the Watford City area. Time after time, minimally 2,500 head of Longhorn cattle and 3,000 horses along with numerous cowboys populated each drive during its four-month journey. Jan notes, "It was quite a feat!"
Although these cattle drives were decades prior to the 1950s, they initiated the economic development of McKenzie County's ranching and farming enterprises along with the oil industry, which followed in its footsteps.
©2023. Janine Knop. All Rights Reserved. No Unauthorized Duplication Permitted.
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