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Al Clarkson: The Ranch Hand Who Became One of the West's Biggest Horse Ranchers

James Albert Clarkson started as a ranch hand in the Black Hills country and became a major horse breeder, cattleman and banker.

Who was Al Clarkson?

James Albert Clarkson, known as Al, lived from 1866 to 1957 and became what the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum calls a prominent horse breeder, cattleman and developer in the four-state area. The museum inducted him into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1961, in a class of eight honorees that also included John Clay, George Grant and Ben Johnson Sr.

His career follows a common western pattern, from hired hand to owner to local banker, but it carries a twist. Clarkson built his fortune first on horses, not cattle, and had to change course when the horse business shrank.

How Clarkson started in western South Dakota

The museum says Clarkson arrived in what is now South Dakota in 1888 and settled in the Whitewood and Fruitdale areas. He began as a ranch hand and later claimed a ranch in the Cave Hills region, according to the museum's biography of Al Clarkson.

The sources do not give his acreage, brand or early herd numbers, so the early years are described only in outline. What the record does show is the direction: from hired hand to claimant to large-scale breeder.

One of the largest horse ranchers in the West

By the early 1900s, the museum says, Clarkson had become one of the largest horse ranchers in the West. The sources do not say how many horses he ran or where he sold them, so any claim beyond the museum's wording would be a guess.

Horse breeding mattered then because horses powered ranches, farms, freight and transportation. Other South Dakota stockmen of the era also valued horses highly: John Dickinson Hale's ranch near Tilford became known for Percheron stallions, according to the museum's Hale entry.

Why Clarkson moved to cattle and sheep

After World War I, the museum says, mechanization reduced the demand for horses, and Clarkson shifted to cattle and sheep. For a rancher whose reputation rested on horse breeding, this was a major turn, and the sources do not say how long the transition took.

He also moved into banking. With his brother he founded the Buffalo State Bank. The sources do not date the bank or describe how it fared in the 1920s and 1930s, so its history is left open.

The Key to Clarkson's Success

Clarkson's documented career shows several habits that other stockmen of his generation would recognize. The record is brief, but it is specific enough to draw practical points.

The limits are real: the sources give no herd sizes, no financial figures and no information about how he handled hard years, so none of those can be assessed.

  • Start where the work is. He began as a ranch hand and learned the business before claiming land in the Cave Hills.
  • Specialize, then scale. By the early 1900s he was one of the largest horse ranchers in the West.
  • Read the market. When mechanization cut demand for horses after World War I, he moved to cattle and sheep.
  • Build a second business. He and his brother founded the Buffalo State Bank.
  • Bring others along. The museum says he was known for generosity and helped young men start ranching careers.

The western South Dakota range Clarkson worked

Clarkson worked in country that other documented stockmen shaped too. Scotty Philip's herd in the 1890s reportedly numbered about 20,000 head, but blizzards in 1886 and 1887 killed about 80 percent of it, according to the HistoryNet profile of Scotty Philip. That is the kind of loss any rancher of Clarkson's era had to weigh.

Ed Lemmon, by comparison, helped found the Western South Dakota Stock Growers Association, according to the Wikipedia biography of G. E. Lemmon, a body that gave small and large operators a common voice. Clarkson's own memberships are not documented in the sources reviewed.

Family, honors and legacy

Clarkson married Lelia Ashburn on May 15, 1909, and the couple had four children, according to the museum. He died in 1957, and the museum inducted him into the Hall of Great Westerners four years later, in 1961.

The Hall itself is described by Wikipedia's entry on the Hall of Great Westerners as honoring more than 200 people. For current ranching stories, farm.FM runs a ranching section, and a farm.FM story about South Dakota horse ranching adds further reading.

Timeline

  1. 1866James Albert Clarkson born
  2. 1888Arrives in what is now South Dakota; settles in the Whitewood and Fruitdale areas
  3. 1909Marries Lelia Ashburn on May 15
  4. 1957Dies
  5. 1961Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was Al Clarkson?

James Albert Clarkson (1866 to 1957) was a South Dakota horse breeder, cattleman and banker who arrived in 1888, became one of the largest horse ranchers in the West and entered the Hall of Great Westerners in 1961.

Why did Al Clarkson switch from horses to cattle and sheep?

The museum says that after World War I mechanization reduced demand for horses, so Clarkson shifted his ranch to cattle and sheep.

Where did Al Clarkson ranch?

He settled in the Whitewood and Fruitdale areas of what is now South Dakota in 1888 and later claimed a ranch in the Cave Hills region, according to the museum.

What bank did Al Clarkson found?

With his brother, Clarkson founded the Buffalo State Bank, according to the Hall of Great Westerners biography. The sources reviewed do not give the founding date.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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