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John W. Goodall: Marquis de Mores' Foreman Who Became a Dakota Sheriff

From Oregon livery barns to the Badlands, a stockman who scouted a stage line and later wore the sheriff's star.

Who Was John W. Goodall?

John W. Goodall worked on nearly every side of the Dakota cattle frontier: cowhand, foreman, stage-line scout, roundup organizer, rancher, county commissioner and sheriff. The Hall of Great Westerners page lists him as a North Dakota livestock figure inducted in 1958, and it gives the outline used here.

He was born September 30, 1857, in Portland, Oregon, and died February 2, 1931, of stomach cancer. The museum page gives his age at death as 74, but a person born on that September date would have been 73, so that one number appears to be off by a year.

A Restless Youth From Oregon to Texas

Goodall's family moved often. At eighteen he left home and worked in livery barns, on overland freight outfits and in blacksmith shops, skills that put him around horses and teams. He traveled through Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Texas and Wyoming before reaching Dakota Territory.

In 1876 he began trailing cattle in Texas. By the early 1880s he had the experience that made a large operation willing to hand him responsibility.

Foreman for the Marquis de Mores

By 1883 Goodall was foreman and livestock superintendent for the Marquis de Mores' Badlands ranch. As superintendent he ran the livestock end of the marquis's Badlands operation.

He helped organize the major 1884 roundup for the Little Missouri Livestock Association, a roundup that included Theodore Roosevelt. He also scouted the route for the marquis's prairie stage line from Medora to Deadwood and rode the first coach in October 1884.

The Y Cross Ranch in McKenzie County

In 1891 Goodall and his brother Brooks established the Y Cross Ranch in McKenzie County. The Badlands had already been through the cattle collapse that followed the winter of 1886-87, which the National Park Service history of Roosevelt's ranching years says killed roughly 80 percent of the area's cattle, so the Y Cross started in a more cautious time than the boom he first served in.

The museum page does not give the Y Cross's size, herd or brand history, so none are asserted here. What the record shows is that Goodall moved from managing someone else's herd to owning land and cattle with family.

The Key to Goodall's Success

Goodall's career shows how a hired hand could become an owner on the northern range: by being useful in several roles, being trusted by large employers, and staying put once the boom ended.

The museum page gives no figures on his earnings or holdings, so the lessons below are limited to what he is documented to have done.

  • He built a wide skill set early: livery, freighting, blacksmithing and cattle trailing.
  • He accepted responsibility at scale, becoming foreman and livestock superintendent by 1883.
  • He helped organize the 1884 roundup, a coordination task central to open-range ranching.
  • He scouted the Medora to Deadwood stage route, which shows he was trusted with logistics as well as livestock.
  • He went into business with family, founding the Y Cross with his brother Brooks in 1891.
  • He took civic jobs, running a livery barn in Dickinson and serving as county commissioner and sheriff.

Dickinson, the Livery Barn and the Sheriff's Star

After settling in Dickinson, Goodall ran a livery barn. He was one of the first county commissioners for Billings County and later served two terms as sheriff of Stark County. The museum page does not give the years of his sheriff terms.

Cowboy-sheriffs were not unusual in the region: James William Follis, whose Prairie Public profile is also in this series, served as Billings County sheriff from 1899 to 1903. Goodall married Mary Coleman in Kansas City in 1886, and the couple had three children, Winfield, Clara and Oliver.

Honors and Legacy

The Hall of Great Westerners inducted Goodall in 1958. He is also part of the broader story told on farm.FM's ranching pages, and readers can follow it with a farm.FM story about the Dakota Badlands.

Timeline

  1. 1857Born September 30 in Portland, Oregon
  2. 1876Begins trailing cattle in Texas
  3. 1883Foreman and livestock superintendent for the Marquis de Mores' Badlands ranch
  4. 1884Helps organize the Little Missouri roundup; rides the first Medora to Deadwood stage in October
  5. 1886Marries Mary Coleman in Kansas City
  6. 1891Founds the Y Cross Ranch in McKenzie County with his brother Brooks
  7. 1931Dies February 2
  8. 1958Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was John W. Goodall?

John W. Goodall (1857-1931) was a North Dakota cattleman and sheriff. He was foreman for the Marquis de Mores' Badlands ranch, helped organize the 1884 roundup and founded the Y Cross Ranch.

What was the Y Cross Ranch?

The Y Cross Ranch was founded in 1891 in McKenzie County, North Dakota, by John W. Goodall and his brother Brooks, according to the Hall of Great Westerners.

Was John W. Goodall really a sheriff?

Yes. The Hall of Great Westerners says he served two terms as Stark County sheriff after settling in Dickinson, though it does not give the years of those terms.

What did Goodall do for the Marquis de Mores?

By 1883 he was foreman and livestock superintendent of the marquis's Badlands ranch and scouted the Medora to Deadwood stage route, riding the first coach in October 1884.

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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