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James William Follis: Texas Cowboy Who Ran 30,000 Head for the Three Sevens

Hired at eighteen, he was foreman within a year and became a Billings County sheriff.

Who Was James William Follis?

James William Follis spent fifteen years running cattle for one of the biggest outfits on the northern range, then served as a county sheriff and lived long enough to tell about it. The Prairie Public Dakota Datebook profile calls him a North Dakota cowboy and rancher, and fellow ranchers reportedly called him the Cowboy's Cowboy for his knowledge of the cattle business and his roping.

He was born March 19, 1865, and died November 15, 1950. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum lists him as a North Dakotan inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1967, and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2000.

A Texas Childhood on the Trail to Colorado

Follis grew up on a ranch outside Stevensville, Texas. His father was a retired Confederate cavalryman, and the boy learned horsemanship early. At seven he helped his family drive their cattle to Trinidad, Colorado, where they settled.

At fifteen he struck out alone and worked two years for a cattle company in New Mexico. While driving cattle through Colorado he heard about an outfit working western North Dakota and eastern Montana, and that rumor changed his career.

Fifteen Years With the Three Sevens

Follis went to Wibaux, Montana, and was hired in 1883 by the outfit the Dakota Datebook spells both Three Seven and Triple Seven. Within a year he was promoted to foreman, and he held authority to buy and receive cattle for the company. He stayed fifteen years.

Under his direction the outfit reportedly ran about 30,000 head a year, roughly double what most local operations handled. That figure comes from the Prairie Public account, which draws on a 1990 volume of oral histories, so treat it as a reported number.

Working the 1884 Little Missouri Roundup

In 1884 Follis worked alongside Theodore Roosevelt during the Little Missouri River Livestock Roundup. The same roundup is mentioned in the museum's profile of another Badlands foreman, John W. Goodall, and the National Park Service history of Roosevelt's ranching years shows why the era was so fragile: the winter of 1886-87 killed roughly 80 percent of the Badlands cattle.

Follis spent fifteen years with the Three Sevens, so the roundup falls early in a long career with the outfit.

The Key to Follis's Success

Follis rose quickly because he combined hard skills with business judgment, and the record lets us name them without guessing at his thoughts. The sources do not give his pay, his own herd or his finances.

One limit is worth stating: the account of his life comes mostly from a single Prairie Public essay, so its details, such as the 30,000-head figure, deserve the label reported.

  • He learned stock handling as a child on the Texas-to-Colorado drive, then took wage jobs in New Mexico before he was seventeen.
  • He went after the outfit he heard about while driving cattle, traveling to Wibaux to get hired.
  • He earned the foreman's job within a year, and the company trusted him to buy and receive cattle.
  • He managed a herd said to be about double the size of most neighbors' operations.
  • He built a reputation for roping and for cattle-business knowledge that fellow ranchers repeated.
  • He later served two terms as county sheriff.

Billings County Sheriff, 1899 to 1903

After leaving the Three Sevens, Follis served two terms as sheriff of Billings County, from 1899 to 1903. Another Hall of Great Westerners cattleman from the same country, John W. Goodall, also served as a sheriff.

He retired from active ranching at age 73, and in his last years he lived on his ranch at Dickinson, where he entertained visitors with stories of the Old West.

Honors and Where to Read More

Follis died on November 15, 1950, and is remembered in two halls of fame. The museum inductee page confirms his 1967 induction in the Hall of Great Westerners.

Readers who want the wider story of the northern range can head to farm.FM's ranching section or browse a farm.FM story about North Dakota cowboys.

Timeline

  1. 1865Born March 19 near Stevensville, Texas
  2. 1872At seven, helps drive the family's cattle to Trinidad, Colorado
  3. 1880At fifteen, leaves home and works two years in New Mexico
  4. 1883Hired by the Three Sevens at Wibaux, Montana
  5. 1884Promoted to foreman; works the Little Missouri roundup with Theodore Roosevelt
  6. 1899-1903Serves two terms as sheriff of Billings County
  7. 1938Retires from active ranching at age 73
  8. 1950Dies November 15
  9. 1967Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was James William Follis?

James William Follis (1865-1950) was a Texas-born cowboy who became foreman of the Three Sevens outfit in the North Dakota and Montana range and later served as sheriff of Billings County, North Dakota.

Why was Follis called the Cowboy's Cowboy?

According to the Dakota Datebook profile, fellow ranchers admired his knowledge of the cattle business and his skill with a rope and some called him the Cowboy's Cowboy.

How many cattle did Follis manage?

Prairie Public reports that under his direction the Three Sevens ran about 30,000 head a year, roughly twice as many as most local operations. It is a reported figure from oral-history sources.

What halls of fame honor James William Follis?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum lists him in the Hall of Great Westerners (1967), and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2000.

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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