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Photographs - Collections - 1-1091 251-300 - #00286

Title: Eaton Brothers Custer Trail Ranch, Medora (ND)

Dates: July 5 – September 1, 1902

Collection Number: 00286

Quantity: 248 items

Abstract: Album of images taken by Richard Cecil Hall of Eaton Brothers Custer Trail Ranch, Medora (ND), cattle round up and beef issue at Fort Yates, and a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park on horseback. Hall, from Bedford, Pennsylvania likely was a long time friend of the Eatons and visited the ranch in 1902.

Provenance: The State Historical Society of North Dakota acquired this photograph album from Dr. George R. Price in August 1962.

Copyrights: Copyrights to materials in this collection remain with the donor, publisher, author, or author's heirs.  Researcher should consult the 1976 Copyright Act, Public Law 94‑553, Title 17 U.S. Code and an archivist at this repository if clarification of copyright requirements is needed.

Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the collection title, collection name, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota in all footnote and bibliographic references.

Related Collections:
A2299 Custer Trail Ranch house ca. 1881
00129-09 Eaton family house Custer Trail, Medora

Biographical Sketch

The Custer Trail Ranch, south of Medora, was owned by the Eaton brothers, Howard, Alden, Willis, and Charles of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Howard came to Dakota Territory to work on the Northern Pacific Railroad and later was a hunting guide in the Medora area. A. C. Huidekoper, an Eaton family friend, came out to hunt, thought the land would be good for ranching and helped finance the ranch in 1882. The name for the ranch came from the fact that Custer and the 7th Cavalry camped there on the way to the Little Big Horn in 1876.

Howard’s brothers came out to work on the ranch which remained in the family until 1904 when three of the brothers moved to a ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming. In the 1880s Howard Eaton knew the Marquis de Mores and Theodore Roosevelt. It is said that the Custer Trail Ranch was the first dude ranch in America as Howard invited people from the east to stay, ride horses and enjoy the area. The 1900 census shows a number of boarders at the ranch whose occupation is listed as gentleman and gentleman of leisure.

Howard Eaton was born February 8, 1851 and died in Sheridan, Wyoming April 5, 1922.

Sources:
50 Years in the Saddle, by Andrew Johnson
Did You Know That…? Vol. 2, by Curt Eriksmoen
Ancestry

PHOTOGRAPHS INVENTORY
00286-01a – 01e Eaton Brothers Ranch buildings, Medora (ND)
00286-02a            Blacksmith shop
00286-02b           Stables
00286-02c            Pump and corrals
00286-02d           Stables
00286-03a            View of corrals taken from top of butte in front of ranch house
00286-03b           View of ranch from top of butte in front of house
00286-03c            Bound for the train
00286-03d           On trail to town
00286-04a            View off of Lebo Plateaux
00286-04b           Trail to town from top of butte in front of house
00286-04c            Pickett Butte
00286-04d           View off of Lebo Plateaux
00286-05a            Cannon Butte
00286-05b           View of Little Missouri River
00286-05c            Little Missouri River
00286-05d           Down side of butte in upper end of little pasture to the river
00286-06a            Off top of Pickett Butte towards ranch
00286-06b – 06d  River views
00286-07a            River view
00286-07b           Looking out over Badlands
00286-07c            Some more Badlands
00286-07d           River view
00286-08a            Man hanging clothes on a line
00286-08b           Prairie dog and hole
00286-08c – 08d Man on horseback on side of Pickett Butte
00286-09a            Man standing on Pickett Butte
00286-09b           Alden bridling a horse
00286-09c            Alden and Willis in front of corral
00286-09d           Howard Eaton
00286-10a            Willis in front of corral
00286-10b           Pete Pettis on Striking a Match
00286-10c            “Danny” Kerr
00286-10d           Nelse Nichols on horse
00286-11a            Alden with horse in front of corral
00286-11b           Howard in front of corral
00286-11c            Breaking horse in corral
00286-11d           Branding a horse
00286-12a – 12b Tying a horse for branding
00286-12c            Breaking a horse
00286-12d           Tying a horse for branding
00286-13a            Horse in a sling with one leg tied up
00286-13b           Shoeing a horse
00286-13c            Alden takes a crowd out
00286-13d           The bunch of mares
00286-14a            Cowboys and horses fording the river
00286-14b           At the corral gate
00286-14c – 14d In the corral
00286-15a            horse “Buckshot”
00286-15b           horse “88”
00286-15c            horse “Marquis”
00286-15d           mule “El Sabio” The Wise One
00286-16a            The S R Outfit
00286-16b           Wrangling
00286-16c            S R Camp
00286-16d           Nelse and the mess wagon
00286-17a            1st S R Camp
00286-17b           S R Camp
00286-17c            Rattlesnake Joe Madara
00286-17d           Jo on herd
00286-18a – 18b “El Sabio” and I have a round
00286-18c – 18d “El Sabio”
00286-18e           Breaking horse in corral
00286-18f            Man in a suit
00286-18g            Hanging wash on the line
00286-18h           Texas Jack twisting horse’s ears – this often quiets them when nothing else will
00286-18i             horses in corral
00286-18j             Texas Jack tying rope to corral, Paul standing by
00286-18k            Tying horse for branding
00286-18l             Hill on the ranch
00286-19a – 19b Nelse and a bronc
00286-19c – 19d Colts in corral
00286-20a            Jo on horse
00286-20b           Paul with rifle
00286-20c            John saddling a horse
00286-20d           Brown in front of house
00286-21a            Paul in front of house
00286-21b- 21c Jo on horse
00286-21d           Jo’s horse           
00286-22a            Saddling up in front of house
00286-22b           The day I got home from the Park. Miss Forgarty, Miss Young and Danny Kerr in wagon
00286-22c            H B, Miss F, Dan K, Miss Y, Miss S T in front of barn
00286-22d           Hugh Barr on horse
00286-23a            Nick Hall and Hugh Barr on horses
00286-23b           Don McKaig and horse “Smutt”
00286-23c            Jim McCutchem on horse in front of stable
00286-23d           Ala Mexico – man on mule wearing sombrero
00286-24a            Nick and Dick Hall on horses
00286-24b           Hugh Barr on mule wearing sombrero
00286-24c            Man in suit
00286-24d           Hugh Barr on horse
00286-25a            Tommy Meg
00286-25b           Col. Henry Hall
00286-25c            Dan McKaig on horse by chuck wagon
00286-25d           Col. Henry Hall
00286-26b           Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
00286-26c            Geo. D’s store, Glass Block, Minneapolis
00286-26d           Man on horse “Orc”
00286-26e           Man on horse “Buckshot”
00286-27a            The Standing Rock, Fort Yates
00286-27b           Cannon Ball Ranch, Fort Yates
00286-27c            “Teepee Town,” Fort Yates
00286-27d           Sheep grazing, Fort Yates
00286-28a            Bringing in mounts, Fort Yates
00286-28b           Sore feet (of horse) fixed, Fort Yates
00286-28c            Nelse at cookstove, Fort Yates
00286-28d           Trimming hooves, Fort Yates
00286-29a            Breaking camp, Fort Yates
00286-29b           Rolling tarps, Fort Yates
00286-29c – 29d Camp, Fort Yates
00286-30a            Going out to the Indian dance in wagon, Fort Yates
00286-30b – 30c Camp, Fort Yates
00286-30d – 31a Indian police bringing in steer for slaughter, Fort Yates
00286-31b           Shooting the steer, Fort Yates
00286-31c – 31d Moving steer through chute, Fort Yates
00286-32a            Alden and Mr. Parkin in buggy, Fort Yates
00286-32b           No Spirit, Fort Yates
00286-32c            Major Bingenheimer and No Spirit, Fort Yates
00286-33a – 33c Native American man holding can and bag, Fort Yates
00286-33d           White Bear, famous warrior, Fort Yates
00286-34c – 34d Native American men and boys by log cabin, Fort Yates
00286-35c – 35d Group seated around the slaughterhouse, Fort Yates
00286-36a            Native American woman carrying child with dog following by log cabin, Fort Yates
00286-36b           Native American women scraping hides, Fort Yates
00286-37b           Group of Native American women by wood frame building, Fort Yates
00286-37c – 37d Native American man driving Studebaker wagon with childrn riding in back
00286-40a            Group packing horses “Day we left Yellowstone”
00286-40b           near Emigrant (MT)
00286-40c            Jupiter Terrace, Yellowstone National Park
00286-40d           Silver Gate, Yellowstone National Park
00286-41a            Golden Gate, Yellowstone National Park
00286-41b – 41c 1st camp, mess wagon, Yellowstone National Park
00286-41d           Chow line, Yellowstone National Park
00286-42a            Chuck wagon at Camp Gibb on meadow, Yellowstone National Park       
00286-42b – 42c Geo Donaldson at camp, Yellowstone National Park
00286-42d           Geo Donaldson shaving, Yellowstone National Park
00286-43a – 43c Geo Donaldson and I (Dick Hall) rolling our tarp, Yellowstone National Park
00286-43d           Howard cooks and reads, Yellowstone National Park
00286-44a            Howard with rope and saddle, Yellowstone National Park
00286-44b           Archie Williams, Yellowstone National Park
00286-44c            Nelse, Yellowstone National Park
00286-44d           Horse gets up after rolling on ground, Yellowstone National Park
00286-45a – 45d Gibbon River Falls, Yellowstone National Park
00286-46a            Congress Pool at Norris, MT, Yellowstone National Park
00286-46b           Black Growler, Yellowstone National Park
00286-46c            Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
00286-46d           At the fountain, Yellowstone National Park
00286-47b           Among the trees on Gunel Road, Yellowstone National Park
00286-47c            Blaner Lake, Yellowstone National Park
00286-47d           Bear in trees, Yellowstone National Park
00286-48a – 48b Bear, Yellowstone National Park
00286-48c – 48d Dick McTavish “Denver Dick”  Y & M Stage Line, Yellowstone National Park
00286-49a            Balanced Rock in Willow Creek, Yellowstone National Park
00286-49b           Firehole River above the falls, Yellowstone National Park
00286-49c            Falls of the Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park
00286-50a            Cinnibar (MT), the start
00286-50b           At Cinnibar (MT)
00286-50c            On the way up to Mammouth near MT-WY border
00286-50d           Geo, Charles and I in Silver Gate
00286-51a            Leaving 1st camp Swan Lake
00286-51b           View from cliff above camp at Gibbon Meadows
99286-51c – 52a Howard and group eating at camp at Gibbon Meadows
00286-52b           Nichols, Hewitt and Col. Hall in camp near “Fountain”
00286-52c            Waiting for “Grub pile”
00286-52d           “grub pile” eating
00286-53a53b    Charles McGee
00286-53c            Deer on hillside
00286-53d           Bear
00286-54              Deer in trees
00286-55a            Medora 1902
00286-55b           The Maltese Cross, Roosevelt’s old ranch
00286-55c            Settin’ on the porch       
00286-55d           Miss Forgarty
00286-56a – 58d Native Americans
00286-55              Train crossing Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge, Bismarck
00286-58a – 60c Panoramic views of Custer Trail Ranch
00286                    Swan Lake, Yellowstone National Park

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