The 200 Trustees of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame have selected six individuals, one historic ranch and one rodeo bucking horse for their Hall of Honorees in Medora. The actual induction of the eight new honorees will take place in Medora at noon MDT Aug. 2.

NDCHF Executive Director Darrell Dorgan says the 2008 inductees will join the more than 100 others who have been inducted since 1998.

The nominees are:

Pre-1940 rodeo

George Charging of McLean and Dunn counties and the Fort Berthold Reservation was born in 1893. At age 17, he was hired to ride the range on the Fort Berthold Reservation Big Lease. He competed in rodeos across North Dakota in calf roping and, in later years, provided stock for the Minot State Fair Rodeo.

He and his wife raised a family of six children, and he died in 1952.

Modern-era rodeo

Mervel Raymond Hall of Elbowoods, Mandaree and Fort Berthold was born on the family ranch near Elbowoods in 1928 and grew up on horseback. Hall has ranched and farmed near Mandaree since 1948. The NDRA named him Champion Bareback Rider in 1958 and 1964, Champion Saddle Bronc Rider in 1958 and All-around Cowboy in 1964. Hall participated in three events (saddle bronc, bareback and bull riding) in rodeos from Fort Worth to Denver to Tucson.

Pre-1940 ranching

William Connolly of Dunn County was born in 1861 on his family's homestead in Minnesota. His ranching operations in North Dakota began in the 1880s near the Killdeer Mountains. In 1886, he bought the ranch his grandson now lives on in Dunn County. In 1890, Connolly registered the first cattle brand with the new state of North Dakota. In the 1890s, he brought the first registered Hereford bulls from Chicago, and they became the foundation of his cattle empire.

He died in 1946.

Modern-era

ranching

Alick Dvirnak of Dunn County was raised on his parents' historic Diamond C Ranch near Killdeer. As a youngster, he was one of a crew that trailed the Diamond C herd to summer grazing on the Fort Berthold Big Lease. In 1940, eight sections around the Killdeer Mountains were leased and added to the Diamond C and subsequently fenced. In 1988, the North Dakota Natural Science Society recognized the Dvirnaks for contributions to helping preserve the state's natural heritage.

Ranches

The Anchor Ranch, west of the Cannonball River in Grant County, near the community of Shields, was established by William V. Wade in 1889 on open range. After Grant County was officially opened for homesteading, he gained legal title to the acreage.

Later, the Wades operated the "Wade" post office and small store on their property. Wade died on the ranch in 1927 and his daughter, Mamie Weedun, handled operations until 1951 and increased the land holdings.

The ranch was purchased by John Voigt after he was forced from his spread near Elbowoods by the Garrison Dam. The Voigts trailed their herd of Herefords cross-country to their new holdings. Duaine Voigt took over operations for his father in 1961. Over the years, he raised Red Angus and Simmentals and cross-bred them with Solares.

Upon his retirement, his daughter and her husband now lease the ranching operation and have segued from cattle to buffalo.

Leaders of ranching

and rodeo

Jim Weekes of Almont and Slope and Sioux counties was born in 1917 on the family ranch near Almont. His grandfather, S.P. Weekes, and his uncles produced rodeos, and Weekes entered his first pony race when he was a 7-year-old tenderfoot. His folks moved to the HT Ranch near Amidon in Slope County just a few years later.

As a cowboy, Weekes competed in saddle and bareback riding, as well as steers and relay races. After his discharge from the Army in 1945, Weekes and his dad bought a ranch in Grant County. He married a girl who was reared on the O Bar O on the Cannonball.

After his father died, Weekes partnered with J. C. Stevenson and Jack Chesrown in an amateur rodeo stock business, which worked well until 1960. Weekes then put together a band of quarterhorse mares and decided to go PRCA as a pick-up man, with Duane Howard as his pick-up partner.

Weekes died in 2002.

Rodeo livestock

Red Pepper, from the Killdeer-based Fettig Brothers Rodeo Co., was a red sorrel gelding whose age and breeding were unknown. The Fettig Brothers Rodeo Co. purchased him in Miles City in the late 1950s and branded him with their rodeo brand Y.

Red Pepper was a consistent saddle bronc who performed well in any and all conditions: day or night, indoor or outdoor, hard ground or soft muck. He was selected for the NFR for 11 years and appeared in 20 performances, with cowboys placing in the top four on him 15 times.

Red Pepper also was chosen as the top saddle bronc horse at the Deadwood Days of '76 Rodeo and made appearances at the Match of Champions at Sentinel Butte, N.D., too. Red Pepper died in Texas.

Rodeo arena

Steve Tomac of St. Anthony was born in Hettinger in 1953. He accidentally got a start clowning in Raleigh on July 4, 1971, when the contracted clown canceled his appearance.

Within five years, Tomac had worked every NDRA rodeo. He worked as a bullfighter from 1971 to 1980 and a barrel man and contract specialty act from 1975 to 2004. In 2005, Tomac was invited to make a "farewell appearance" and be a special feature at the Mandan Rodeo Days celebration in July. His barrel is on display at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora.