Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductees announced

Press release

The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center has announced that John W. "Jack" Young of Lloyd will receiving the living award and Jerome "Jerry" and Flora Kearful of Chinook will receive the legacy award in the 14th class inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame. The inductees were chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general public. Inductees are honored for their notable contributions to the history and culture of Montana.

"The Hall of Fame exists to honor those who have made an impact in their part of the state and represent Montana's authentic heritage for future generations," said Bill Galt, president of Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. "Our volunteer trustees around Montana vote on nominations that come from the district in which they reside. This process gives the local communities a strong voice in who will represent them in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame."

The board of directors has designated 12 trustee districts across the state from which up to 20 trustees may be appointed. Nomination criteria established by the board for the Class of 2022 inductions allowed the election of one Living Inductee and one Legacy Inductee from each of the 12 districts.

Young and the Kearfuls are being inducted representing District 4, which includes Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties.

The other inductees are:

District 1, Daniels, Phillips, Roosevelt, Sheridan, and Valley counties:  Living - Ardelle and Kenneth "Ken" Hart from Outlook; Legacy - Howard Arnold Bestland, Antelope.

District 2, Dawson, Garfield, McCone, Prairie, Richland, and Wibaux counties:  Living - Jack Rodney and Deborah Gaye (Walton) "Debbie" Hinnaland, Brockway; Legacy - Harbaugh Ranch, Jordan.

District 3, Carter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River, Rosebud and Treasure counties: Living - Wallace Kirk "Wally" Badgett Miles City; Legacy - John W. "Johnny" Moore, Miles City.

District 5, Cascade, Glacier, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties: Living - Myrle Allon Gollaher, Cascade; Legacy - Richard Thomas "Dick" Loss, Fairfield.

District 6, Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum and Wheatland counties: Living - John Joseph "Johnny" Carr, Christina; Legacy - Everal Eugene "Sonny" Butterfield, Roundup.

District 7, Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Yellowstone counties: Living - Gary Jay Crowder, Billings; Legacy - Kill Kare Klub – Ladies Along the Yellowstone, Big Timber.

District 8, Broadwater, Jefferson and Lewis and Clark counties: Living - Kitty Ann (Quigley) Taaler, Helena; Legacy - Donald W. "Don" Hilger, Helena.

District 9, Gallatin, Meagher, and Park counties - Living: James Andrew "Jim" Lind, White Sulphur Springs; Legacy: Patrick - "Pat" Bergan, White Sulphur Springs.

District 10, Flathead, Lake, Lincoln and Sanders counties: Living - Gerald Lee "Jerry" Hamel, Dixon; Legacy - Miracle of America Museum, Polson.

District 11, Mineral, Missoula and Ravalli counties: Living - Raymond Glenn "Ray" Cebulski, Seeley Lake; Legacy - Travelers' Rest State Park, Lolo.

District 12, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Silver Bow, Granite, Madison and Powell counties: Living - Edward Everett "Jack" Hooker, Ovando; Legacy - Charles Peter Henry and Nicholas John Bielenberg, Deer Lodge.

The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center plans to honor these inductees during the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Annual Induction Ceremony and Western Heritage Gathering April 9, 2022, in Great Falls at the Heritage Inn. Look for more information as it becomes available on the Cowboy Hall of Fame Facebook page and website.

Full biographies for past inductees are available on the MCHF and WHC's website, http://www.montanacowboyfame.org . This year's inductees will be added to the website soon.

For further information, contact the MCHF and WHC at 406-653-3800 or email Christy@montanacowboyfame.org.

Jerome "Jerry" A. and Flora (Tibbits) Kearful (1867-1947) (1871-1945) District 4 2022 Legacy Inductee

In June of 1888, Jerome "Jerry" A. Kearful traveled from St. Joseph, Missouri, on a railroad work train, into the untamed Montana Territory. School studies had inspired him to venture west for a better living. Born in Morgan County, West Virginia, Jan. 11, 1867, he was the ninth child of Charles and Phoebe Anna (Dike) Kearful. Jerry tried his fortune at mining for gold in Helena before settling in the Clear Creek section of the Bear Paw Mountains, 15 miles south of Chinook, using squatter rights.

Flora May Tibbits was born to Judson W. and Rachel (Green) Tibbits in Davenport, Iowa, on Dec. 10, 1871. Following the loss of her parents, she migrated with her older brother, their grandmother and two old-maid aunts, to South Dakota. After five years of "starved-out" farming, they gathered their remaining possessions and located to Chinook, Montana, on an emigrant train in November of 1889. The resident homesteaders offered supplies, food, coal and labor to build their home in Clear Creek. Flora had superb side saddle horsemanship and was an excellent shooter and trapper, selling pelts at the general store of Thos. O'Hanlon Co. in Chinook. When age 21, she qualified to homestead and soon realized she was one of only two single women within 50 miles of her settlement.

On a neighboring homestead, Jerry Kearful joked of Flora Tibbits, "If the young lady isn't Kearful (pronounced "Careful") she soon will become one." When they were engaged, a traveling photographer took their engagement picture. With her aunts as chaperones, Jerry and Flora made the four-day round trip to purchase their marriage license by horse and buggy to the Chouteau County seat in Fort Benton. Jan. 5, 1895, they married in Havre and joined their homesteads as the Eden Ranch.

Their home was the cabin Jerry built in 1890, with logs he had cut in the Bear Paws. He added onto the cabin after he and Flora were married. When logs were needed for building, Jerry made it fun for his family by camping and picnicking in the mountains. In 1916, a mail-order house was purchased from the Sears & Roebuck Catalog and constructed on a knoll overlooking the garden and meandering creek.

The Kearful's raised chickens, cattle and sheep. They operated a huge truck garden, with the usual vegetable plantings, along with melons, grapes and tobacco for Jerry's corncob pipe. Locally, Jerry was known as the Clear Creek "Cabbage King," having had heads that weighed as much as 20 pounds each. He always maintained that "Corn should be knee-high by the Fourth of July." The family would work through the night gathering produce, butchering and preparing chickens that Flora transported to Havre by horse and wagon in the cool of morning, proudly selling door to door. Because the produce and meat was top-notch, they earned a substantial amount of income prompting the reference as "The Bonanza Farmers of the Bear Paws" When robbers began waiting outside of town to steal their money, Flora commenced to carrying a pistol and lengthy horse whip. Attempts became less after that. Jerry was leary of banks and kept his money buried in the back yard. Flora deposited her money and, when the banking system crashed, she received one cent for every dollar.

At the first Hill County Fair, in 1912, the Kearful's were awarded a sizeable trophy cup by Jim Hill of the Great Northern Railroad, promoting agriculture, for the best display of irrigated grain and vegetables.

Daughters, Phoebe, Josephine and Marion assisted with the daily chores. Josephine's passing, at 15, instilled deep faith in the Lord and it was at this time the Kearful's began hosting church services in their home. When Marion divorced, the couple took in their 9-year-old granddaughter, Fay, and lovingly raised her.

Flora believed, "Life's richest dividends consist, not of money, but of happiness and contentment." She crocheted, groomed her two-acre yard, wrote of Montana life for the Daily Tribune and was devoted to her husband. At age 70, she was given an old Model T Ford and a willing young hired man taught her to drive. Never shifting out of low gear when taking Fay to school, kids would delight in passing the car on their horses. Jerry disliked the Model T, refusing to ride in or have anything to do with it.

Jerry continually carried his gun to eliminate the wolves killing livestock. Ducks and geese were harvested to make feather pillows and beds and when he began raising grain, the mattresses were stuffed with straw. Jerry trapped beavers and muskrats and sent the pelts to St. Joseph, Missouri, which were made into coats, muffs and driving gloves for his family. Living up to his reputation of being a tireless worker, Jerry created and cleaned miles of irrigation ditches by hand to collect any spring runoff. He made his shovel handles from willow trees and fence posts from timber along the creek. In the spring and fall, he traveled to town, for supplies, tend to business and to enjoy a few cold beers.

The long-legged carriage horses he rode had endurance for herding cattle as well as power for pulling the plow and wagon. His sheep dog was always close beside him, helping move the nearly 500 sheep to forage. He read everything he could lay his hands on and wrote articles for the Northwest Magazine. Knowing the importance of community, he belonged to the Knights of Columbus and Eagles Club, and respectfully served on juries. Believing education was vital to sustaining a more comfortable life, he was instrumental in establishing the local school district, housing teachers and serving as a board member.

One fond family memory was of Flora and the educator being caught in an electrical storm when returning to the ranch from town and going astray. After several hours of wandering, they unhitched the horses from the wagon, both mounted the same steed, who upon being given his head took them safely home.

Over 100 old-timers and friends gathered at the Eden Ranch for a picnic in June of 1938, to celebrate the Kearful's 50th anniversary of continuous residence on Clear Creek. The young folks played games and the older ones were entertained with music and stories of the early days in Montana. They reminisced of courage, endurance, overcoming hardships and love of the land.

Flora passed away Jan. 18, 1945, and Jerry March 28, 1947. The Great Falls Tribune, Independent Record and Havre Daily News referred to Jerry as "One of this section's most esteemed pioneers." The couple are buried in the Calvary Cemetery, Hill County, Havre, Montana. Their daughter Marion later oversaw the operations of the Eden Ranch, now managed by a great-grandson, Fred Olson. The Montana Historical Society's homestead photo of the Kearful's beside their log cabin in 1900 is evidence these tough pioneers helped settle the West, making significant contributions to the foundation of Montana's western heritage.

Resources: The Kearful and family handwritten memories.

John W. "Jack" Young District 4 Year 2022 Living Inductee

John W. Young is a true Montana cowboy who embodies grit and a deep passion for rodeo and ranching.

"Jack" was born March 10, 1943, to William Winfield "Bill" and Una (Barber) Young in Havre, Montana. His family lived in the Bear Paw Mountains and raised Hereford cattle along Clear Creek south of Chinook. Jack and his five siblings worked right alongside their parents. He remembers bitter cold winter mornings feeding by team, dragging calves to the fire at spring brandings, long hot summer days haying, and crisp fall mornings shipping cattle. Jack and his brothers enjoyed practicing their "bronc skills" by riding the milk cows and calves around the corral. As they grew older they would saddle up and ride the mountain behind their house to gather wild horses which they used for bronc riding practice.

Jack and his siblings attended the one-room Ada School, which was miles from the home place, until his father and a local rancher headed up community support to raise funds to construct the future Bear Paw School. Jack was one of the first students to attend the school that opened in 1951, eliminating the endless miles to and from the Ada School. Jack graduated from Chinook High School in 1960.

Jack won the Montana High School Rodeo District 1 All Around Cowboy award his senior year. He went on to place at the Montana High School Finals in the saddle bronc, earning himself a spot to compete at the National High School Finals in Hot Springs, South Dakota, placing fourth in both the bull riding and the saddle bronc. In his heyday, one of Jack's favorite rodeos was the historic Warrick Rodeo during the Fourth of July. He also frequently competed in the wild horse races at many different rodeos.

After high school, Jack married Helen Labuda in 1963 in Big Sandy, Montana. They bought the Mundt homestead located just east of the homeplace. Over the next 44 years, the Young's worked cattle and raised a family. They had three sons, William W. "Bill" Young, John Nicolas "Nick" Young, and Gordon Michael Young. Jack and Helen started out with 300 cow-calf Hereford pairs and later switched to black Angus cattle which he continues to run today. Jack and his family used horses on a daily basis as they were a vital part of the ranch's operation.

Jack stopped traveling the rodeo circuit after 20 years. He continued to be involved in passing on rodeo's tradition, dedicating his time and resources to run the annual Blaine County Kids Rodeo every summer during the county fair. For 13 years, Jack and Helen enjoyed giving back to their community. To this day, Jack can be found sitting in the stands at local rodeos showing his enthusiasm for the sport. He also isn't afraid to throw some money down at the Calcutta in hopes that his favorite riders will win big.

Jack has been able to influence many young cowboys over the years, including his nephew Kevin Keller, a Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit contestant.

When asked about Jack, Kevin talks with high regard, "Jack Young defines the word 'cowboy' in every shape and form. He has lived the lifestyle to the fullest. One of his greatest attributes is his ability to read cattle. He could sort cattle quietly and efficiently whether he was riding a green broke colt, a 50-dollar old nag, or a 50,000-dollar cutting horse because he knew how the cattle would respond. I've watched him sort cattle during branding and shipping with ease, never getting the cattle excited and always getting them to work for him. There was nothing more impressive than sitting horseback with Jack, the smell of him smoking a Winston in the air, overlooking a field of cattle and listening to him explain how we were going to ride the field and how the cattle were going to move. Uncle Jack isn't flashy, but his work ethic and passion for the true spirit of the cowboy way is what defines him."

Jack was actively involved with the North Central Montana Stockgrowers Association, for eight years serving as a director, vice president, and president. Jack has continued to support the agricultural community through NCMSGA for the past 50 years by attending annual meetings and events put on by the association.

Jack and Helen divorced in 2007. He moved to the Cooper place; a small piece of land inherited from his father located southwest of the Mundt place. In order to have enough grass to run his cattle, Jack leased summer pasture on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. At this time, Jack could have slowed down and retired, but in true cowboy spirit he took on an even bigger challenge. In the spring of 2013, he leased the Anchor Ranch in the Missouri River Breaks on the southern edge of the Bear Paw Mountains, about 70 miles south of Chinook.

Jack, Merla Hamilton and two of his three grandsons now run more than 800 cow-calf pairs in one of the roughest expanses of Blaine County just north of the Missouri River. Over the years, Jack has ridden across 90,000 acres moving cattle, fixing broken wires, and checking reservoirs for water. He is proud to have his son Gordon and his three grandsons, Merle, Kevin and Casey, carry on the ranching tradition. Jack's son Bill passed away in February 2021 and Nick lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee. Eyeing that great-granddaughter of his, Jack has high hopes that a sixth generation will live and work in the Bear Paw Mountains.

Jack now feeds cattle with the pickup, gathers livestock with his trusty steed, also known as his John Deere Gator, and gives roping advice to the up and coming ropers in the branding corral. There is no slowing Jack down as he continues to cowboy each and every day at 78 years young.

Works Cited

Young, Jack. Interview. By Devyn Young. Aug. 9, 2021.

Young, Gordon. Interview. By Devyn Young. Aug. 13, 2021.

Keller, Kevin. Interview. By Devyn Young. Oct. 17, 2021.