Title
MR. AND MRS. CLINT RANDALL
Creator
James Randall
Coverage
TOWNSHIP 139N RANGE 96W
Text
MR. AND MRS. CLINT RANDALL
Timothy Russell Randall was born in Canton, Pa., Sept. 25, 1847. His parents were Lewis Randall and Esther Palmer. Esther was, by family tradition, a granddaughter of Ethan Allen Jr. She had a brother named Seth Ethan Allen Palmer. The family is also supposed to have Nathan Hale, a relative of the martyr as an ancestor. Randall is an English name but Tim claimed to be mostly Irish.
Tim grew up in Canton and enlisted from there in the Union Army during the Civil War, participating in the battle of Gettysburg. After the war he made a trip to Iowa and married Matilda Clark at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, July 2, 1868. Matilda had been born at Mt. Pleasant, Dec 10, 1850, but her parents were Scots who had immigrated to Iowa from Nova Scotia.
Tim must have been a restless soul as shown by his trips back and forth, by the birthplaces of his children and his later trips west and even to China by cattle boat after 1902. The children's birthplaces were Stephen, born March 1, 1871, at Mt. Pleasant; Frank, born April 13, 1873, Mt. Pleasant; Clinton Clark, born Feb. 6, 1878, Canton; Lewis, born Dec. 25, 1878, Mt. Pleasant; Charles Christopher (Bipe) born July 23, 1881, Mt. Pleasant; Guy, born Dec. 19, 1884, Dickinson; Kate, born Oct. 2, 1886. Dickinson; Ada, born Sept. 1, 1889, Dickinson; Sylvia, born July 7, 1894, Oakdale; James Russell, born Sept. 2, 1897, Dickinson.
The Randalls came to Dickinson in April, 1883. Client reported to his children that there were piles of buffalo hides piled alongside the tracks, ready to be loaded up when the family arrived. That spring Tim filed on a quarter section on the river near the NP Dike. Steve and Clint attended the first public school in Dickinson, held during the year of 1883-1884 in the Baptist Church.
The family lived on the homestead until 1886, when they moved to a ranch they started at the southwest corner of Killdeer Mountain. Tim put up plenty of hay to winter the 225 head of cattle he had, but the hard winter of 1886-1887 took care of that. It started snowing and blowing early and didn’t quit. He could neither get hay to his cattle nor cattle to his hay. He found 25 head the next spring.
That spring he bought a place five miles west of Dickinson on the Heart River and moved there. Tim went to work on the section for $50, a month. His wife and boys took a team of oxen and gathered buffalo bones. They could gather about two dollars worth a day.
After getting on his feet again Tim did considerable work with teams around Dickinson, hauling bricks from the brick plant to town, digging basements and the like. He also worked as a carpenter, building several school houses northwest of Dickinson. He was president of the local board for several years and his wife was treasurer for a time. He was an excellent horseman and would trade gentle horses for broncs or spoiled horses. When he got them in shape he would trade them off for another bunch. His sons said that he seldom had more than two gentle, well-broke horses at the start of haying or spring's work. After Tim and the boys were big enough to swing a pitch fork to get the broncs started, the boys not big enough to pitch hay were expected to take them on mowers and keep them going. From 1887 to 1902 the family rotated between the mountain place and the Heart River place, spending the latter years of this period on the Heart River so the children could go to school.
Steve, Clint, Lew, Bipe and Guy were all cowboys for the big outfits before homesteading took over. Clint worked for the AHA outfit from 1893 to 1903, being kept on as foreman the last year to clean up the strays and close them out. They had shipped everything they could find in 1902. After that Clint started his own ranch in McKenzie County. He was sheriff from 1917 to 1919. He was a charter member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and an honorary-member of the Fifty Years in the Saddle. Guy ranched in McKenzie for years and was a charter member of both the North Dakota Stockmen's Association and the Fifty Years in the Saddle.
James Reilly came to Medora (Little Missouri) in 1882 as a “pumper” for the NP James, the son of Irish immigrants, was born in New York City in 1841. As an 11 year old boy he attended bobbins in a New York mill, working 12 hours out of each 24 from midnight to noon seven days a week. He married Luella Fuller in Iowa. They had three children, Mary, John and Peter born at Joice City, Iowa. He brought the family to Medora in 1883. Their last four children: James, Andrew, Edward and Frank, were born at Medora. Mary and John attended the first school held there.
James was later the NP pumper at Dickinson and Richardton, dying at the latter place in 1911. All of the Reilly children grew up in this area. Descendents of John still ranch in the Medora area. Peter married Elizabeth Schmidt of Richardton. One son, Fr. James Reilly of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, resides there. Anna Hutzenbiler, a daughter, lives in Dickinson.
Mary married Clint Randall at Richardton on Dec. 3, 1902 They established a home ranch on the Little Missouri south of where Watford City would be later. They had nine children of whom only three, James, Richard and Elinor survive. James attended rural school in McKenzie County with three years in high school in Watford City. He graduated from high school at Fairview, Mont. In 1920.
James started teaching at Dore, N.D., in 1921. With one full year at Minot in 1924, and many summer school terms, he graduated from the degree course in 1941, having taught 17 years in rural schools and small town schools in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. The next eight years were spent as superintendent at Fortuna, Hanks, Noonan and Tioga, all in North Dakota. After four years (1949-1953) as superintendent at Belfield he became superintendent of Stark County remaining there for 15 years until July 1, 1968. The next year was spent as business manager of the Dickinson School District. He retired July 1, 1969 after 45 years in education.
James married Margaret Oleson Dec. 27, 1940. Margaret, born at Pequot Lakes, Minn., was a graduate of St. Cloud Teachers College and had taught seven years in Minnesota and North Dakota previous to marriage. They have three children: Francis of Racine, Wis., Mary Rose (married to Edward Mataitis), Rochester, Minn., and Margaret (married to Andrew Johnson), Rolla, N.D.
In 1953 when James became county superintendent, Margaret became his deputy and served in that position until 1967. At that time she took a position as remedial reading teacher in the Taylor School. In 1968 she took the same position in' the Dickinson Public Schools and served there until she retired in June 1975.
By James Randall
Timothy Russell Randall was born in Canton, Pa., Sept. 25, 1847. His parents were Lewis Randall and Esther Palmer. Esther was, by family tradition, a granddaughter of Ethan Allen Jr. She had a brother named Seth Ethan Allen Palmer. The family is also supposed to have Nathan Hale, a relative of the martyr as an ancestor. Randall is an English name but Tim claimed to be mostly Irish.
Tim grew up in Canton and enlisted from there in the Union Army during the Civil War, participating in the battle of Gettysburg. After the war he made a trip to Iowa and married Matilda Clark at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, July 2, 1868. Matilda had been born at Mt. Pleasant, Dec 10, 1850, but her parents were Scots who had immigrated to Iowa from Nova Scotia.
Tim must have been a restless soul as shown by his trips back and forth, by the birthplaces of his children and his later trips west and even to China by cattle boat after 1902. The children's birthplaces were Stephen, born March 1, 1871, at Mt. Pleasant; Frank, born April 13, 1873, Mt. Pleasant; Clinton Clark, born Feb. 6, 1878, Canton; Lewis, born Dec. 25, 1878, Mt. Pleasant; Charles Christopher (Bipe) born July 23, 1881, Mt. Pleasant; Guy, born Dec. 19, 1884, Dickinson; Kate, born Oct. 2, 1886. Dickinson; Ada, born Sept. 1, 1889, Dickinson; Sylvia, born July 7, 1894, Oakdale; James Russell, born Sept. 2, 1897, Dickinson.
The Randalls came to Dickinson in April, 1883. Client reported to his children that there were piles of buffalo hides piled alongside the tracks, ready to be loaded up when the family arrived. That spring Tim filed on a quarter section on the river near the NP Dike. Steve and Clint attended the first public school in Dickinson, held during the year of 1883-1884 in the Baptist Church.
The family lived on the homestead until 1886, when they moved to a ranch they started at the southwest corner of Killdeer Mountain. Tim put up plenty of hay to winter the 225 head of cattle he had, but the hard winter of 1886-1887 took care of that. It started snowing and blowing early and didn’t quit. He could neither get hay to his cattle nor cattle to his hay. He found 25 head the next spring.
That spring he bought a place five miles west of Dickinson on the Heart River and moved there. Tim went to work on the section for $50, a month. His wife and boys took a team of oxen and gathered buffalo bones. They could gather about two dollars worth a day.
After getting on his feet again Tim did considerable work with teams around Dickinson, hauling bricks from the brick plant to town, digging basements and the like. He also worked as a carpenter, building several school houses northwest of Dickinson. He was president of the local board for several years and his wife was treasurer for a time. He was an excellent horseman and would trade gentle horses for broncs or spoiled horses. When he got them in shape he would trade them off for another bunch. His sons said that he seldom had more than two gentle, well-broke horses at the start of haying or spring's work. After Tim and the boys were big enough to swing a pitch fork to get the broncs started, the boys not big enough to pitch hay were expected to take them on mowers and keep them going. From 1887 to 1902 the family rotated between the mountain place and the Heart River place, spending the latter years of this period on the Heart River so the children could go to school.
Steve, Clint, Lew, Bipe and Guy were all cowboys for the big outfits before homesteading took over. Clint worked for the AHA outfit from 1893 to 1903, being kept on as foreman the last year to clean up the strays and close them out. They had shipped everything they could find in 1902. After that Clint started his own ranch in McKenzie County. He was sheriff from 1917 to 1919. He was a charter member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and an honorary-member of the Fifty Years in the Saddle. Guy ranched in McKenzie for years and was a charter member of both the North Dakota Stockmen's Association and the Fifty Years in the Saddle.
James Reilly came to Medora (Little Missouri) in 1882 as a “pumper” for the NP James, the son of Irish immigrants, was born in New York City in 1841. As an 11 year old boy he attended bobbins in a New York mill, working 12 hours out of each 24 from midnight to noon seven days a week. He married Luella Fuller in Iowa. They had three children, Mary, John and Peter born at Joice City, Iowa. He brought the family to Medora in 1883. Their last four children: James, Andrew, Edward and Frank, were born at Medora. Mary and John attended the first school held there.
James was later the NP pumper at Dickinson and Richardton, dying at the latter place in 1911. All of the Reilly children grew up in this area. Descendents of John still ranch in the Medora area. Peter married Elizabeth Schmidt of Richardton. One son, Fr. James Reilly of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, resides there. Anna Hutzenbiler, a daughter, lives in Dickinson.
Mary married Clint Randall at Richardton on Dec. 3, 1902 They established a home ranch on the Little Missouri south of where Watford City would be later. They had nine children of whom only three, James, Richard and Elinor survive. James attended rural school in McKenzie County with three years in high school in Watford City. He graduated from high school at Fairview, Mont. In 1920.
James started teaching at Dore, N.D., in 1921. With one full year at Minot in 1924, and many summer school terms, he graduated from the degree course in 1941, having taught 17 years in rural schools and small town schools in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. The next eight years were spent as superintendent at Fortuna, Hanks, Noonan and Tioga, all in North Dakota. After four years (1949-1953) as superintendent at Belfield he became superintendent of Stark County remaining there for 15 years until July 1, 1968. The next year was spent as business manager of the Dickinson School District. He retired July 1, 1969 after 45 years in education.
James married Margaret Oleson Dec. 27, 1940. Margaret, born at Pequot Lakes, Minn., was a graduate of St. Cloud Teachers College and had taught seven years in Minnesota and North Dakota previous to marriage. They have three children: Francis of Racine, Wis., Mary Rose (married to Edward Mataitis), Rochester, Minn., and Margaret (married to Andrew Johnson), Rolla, N.D.
In 1953 when James became county superintendent, Margaret became his deputy and served in that position until 1967. At that time she took a position as remedial reading teacher in the Taylor School. In 1968 she took the same position in' the Dickinson Public Schools and served there until she retired in June 1975.
By James Randall