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John Dickinson Hale: From Black Hills Ox Teams to a Tilford Ranch and the Legislature

John Dickinson Hale hauled freight to the Black Hills gold camps, then ranched near Tilford and held legislative office for eight terms.

Who was John Dickinson Hale?

John Dickinson Hale (1847 to 1929) was a South Dakota freighter, rancher and legislator whom the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted into its Hall of Great Westerners in 1966. The Hall lists him as a cattleman and political leader, but the museum's own biography is mostly about freight, sheep, horses and public office, which is a reminder that ranching in the Black Hills country rarely meant cattle alone.

One quirk of the record is worth noting. The museum's biography text spells his surname Hall in the body and Hale in the heading, so researchers will see both spellings. The Hall's inductee listing uses Hale, and this profile does the same.

How Hale made his start hauling freight to Deadwood

According to the museum's Hall of Great Westerners biography of John Dickinson Hale, he started freight operations from Nebraska to Deadwood during the Black Hills gold rush. The business grew to seven eight-yoke ox teams and 17 wagons.

Scotty Philip, another Hall inductee, was hauling freight from Nebraska to the Black Hills by 1882, according to the HistoryNet profile of Scotty Philip, so Hale was not the only Hall inductee to haul freight on that route. The sources do not date Hale's start in freighting or say what he earned from it.

A Tilford ranch stocked with sheep

In 1879 Hale bought a ranch near Tilford, South Dakota, and stocked it with 3,000 sheep, the museum says. The museum's summary does not mention a cattle herd, so any claim that he was primarily a cattleman rests on the Hall's classification, not on details in the biography.

That choice of sheep is a useful reminder that western South Dakota stockmen mixed livestock. Another inductee, Al Clarkson, shifted to cattle and sheep after World War I, according to the museum's Clarkson biography, so the combination was not unusual.

Percheron stallions and the Chadron to Chicago race

Hale's ranch became known for Percheron stallions, the museum says. He supplied horses to Fort Meade and provided the winning horse in an overland race from Chadron, Nebraska, to Chicago. The biography gives neither the horse's name nor the year of the race.

The sources do not explain how Hale moved from ox teams to horse breeding or how large his horse operation became.

Eight terms in the legislature

Hale was elected four times to the South Dakota House of Representatives and four times to the state Senate, according to the museum. That is eight elections to the legislature across the two chambers, a long record of service.

In 1905 he and friends from the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade, the museum says. The biography does not list the committees he served on or the bills he backed.

The Key to Hale's Success

Hale's record shows a man who moved from one frontier business to the next as the region changed. The sources show the sequence but not his reasons.

The sources are silent on profits, partners and any losses he suffered, so the lessons below come only from what he is documented to have done.

  • Serve the boom without gambling on it. He freighted supplies to Deadwood during the Black Hills gold rush rather than mining.
  • Scale a working business. His freight outfit grew to seven eight-yoke ox teams and 17 wagons.
  • Settle on land. He bought a ranch near Tilford in 1879 and stocked it with 3,000 sheep.
  • Build a reputation in one breed. His ranch became known for Percheron stallions, and he supplied horses to Fort Meade.
  • Go into public life. He won eight legislative elections, four in each chamber.

Honors and legacy

The Hall of Great Westerners inducted Hale in 1966, thirty-seven years after his death. Wikipedia reports that the Hall now honors more than 200 people, according to its Hall of Great Westerners overview.

To read more about western ranching and livestock, farm.FM has a ranching section, and a farm.FM story about South Dakota ranch life is a good companion piece.

Timeline

  1. 1847John Dickinson Hale born
  2. 1879Buys a ranch near Tilford, South Dakota, and stocks it with 3,000 sheep
  3. 1905Rides with friends from the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade
  4. 1929Dies
  5. 1966Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Dickinson Hale?

John Dickinson Hale (1847 to 1929) was a Black Hills freighter, Tilford rancher, Percheron horse breeder and eight-term South Dakota legislator, inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1966.

What was Hale's freight business?

During the Black Hills gold rush he ran freight from Nebraska to Deadwood. The museum says it grew to seven eight-yoke ox teams and 17 wagons.

What animals did Hale raise on his ranch?

In 1879 he stocked his ranch near Tilford, South Dakota, with 3,000 sheep, and it later became known for Percheron stallions. The museum does not describe a cattle herd.

Is it Hale or Hall?

The museum's inductee listing uses Hale, but its biography text uses Hall in the body, so both spellings appear. This profile follows the Hall's listing, Hale.

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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