Inductees to Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Announced

Earlier this month, media director for the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC), Rebecca Mott released information announcing their 14th class of inductions into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. Among those to be recognized are Living Inductee: John W. "Jack" Young of Lloyd and Legacy Inductees: Jerome "Jerry" and Flora Kearful, formerly of Chinook. The MCHF & WHC plan to honor these inductees during the MCHF Annual Induction Ceremony and Western Heritage Gathering scheduled for April 9 in Great Falls at the Heritage Inn.

Chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general public, Young and the Kearful couple will be honored for their notable contributions to the history and culture of Montana. As an organization, the MCHF & WHC strives to "capture the traditions, culture, and values that defined our past and direct our future."

Nomination criteria established by the MCHF & WHC Board of Directors for the Class of 2022 allowed the election of one Living Inductee and one Legacy Inductee from each of the twelve districts in Montana. Young and the Kearfuls will represent District 4, which comprises Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, and Liberty counties.

According to supporting nomination documents compiled by Devyn Young for the Living Inductee, "Young is a true Montana cowboy who embodies grit and a deep passion for rodeo and ranching." He was born March 10, 1943, in Havre to William Winfield and Una (Barber) Young. His family lived in the Bears Paw Mountains and raised Hereford cattle along Clear Creek south of Chinook. Working alongside his five siblings worked and their parents, Young 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."

Young and his brothers were known to practice their "bronc skills" by riding the milk cows and calves around the corral. As they grew older, they would saddle up and ride the mountains behind their house to gather wild horses, which they used for bronc riding rehearsal.

All of this preparation likely played a role in Young's winning 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 event, earning himself a spot to compete at the National High School Finals in Hot Springs, South Dakota. There, he placed fourth with both his bull riding and saddle bronc performances.

After graduating from Chinook High School in 1960, one of Young's favorite rodeos remained the legendary Warrick Rodeo held around the Fourth of July. He also frequently competed in the wild horse races at many different venues.

In 1963, Young married Helen Labuda in Big Sandy, and they bought the Mundt Homestead located just east of the Young's 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. The Youngs started their cattle operation with 300 cow-calf Hereford pairs and later switched to Black Angus cattle, which Young continues to run today. Horses remain vital to the ranch's operation.

After twenty years, Young ceased traveling the rodeo circuit but persists in preserving the rodeo tradition. Every summer during the Blaine County Fair, Young dedicates his time and resources to the operation of the annual Kids' Rodeo. It is not uncommon to see Young sitting in the stands at a local rodeo showing his enthusiasm for the sport. That enthusiasm sometimes takes the form of placing bets at a Calcutta in hopes that Young's favorite riders will win.

Over the years, Young has influenced many young cowboys. Among those is his nephew Kevin Keller, a competitor on the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit. Keller claims that Young epitomizes the term cowboy.

"Uncle Jack has lived the [cowboy] lifestyle to the fullest. One of his greatest attributes is his ability to read cattle. Whether riding a green broke colt, a fifty-dollar old nag, or a fifty thousand dollar cutting horse, he can sort cattle quietly and efficiently because he knows how the cattle will respond. I've watched him sort cattle during branding and shipping, never getting the cattle excited and always getting them to work for him. There is 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 are going to ride the field and how the cattle are 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."

Young was actively involved with the North Central Montana Stockgrowers Association (NCMSGA) for eight years, serving as a director, vice president, and president. Young has continued to support the agricultural community through NCMSGA for the past fifty years by attending annual meetings as well as association sponsored events.

At 78 years young, Young currently feeds cattle with the pickup, gathers livestock with his John Deere Gator, and gives roping advice to the next generation of ropers in the branding corral. With no evidence of slowing down, he continues to cowboy every day.

As much as Young has embodied the cowboy way, the Legacy Inductees, the Kearfuls represented the pioneer spirit. According to historical documents, their courage and endurance in overcoming hardships, as well as their love of the land, set them apart as "esteemed pioneers."

In June of 1888, Jerry Kearful traveled from St. Joseph, Missouri, on a railroad work train into untamed Montana Territory. He tried his luck at mining for gold in Helena before settling in the Clear Creek section of the Bears Paw Mountains, fifteen miles south of Chinook.

On a neighboring homestead, Kearful joked of Flora Tibbits, "If the young lady isn't Kearful (pronounced Careful), she soon will become one."

Born in Davenport, Iowa, on December 10, 1871, Tibbits had arrived in the area after migrating from South Dakota. Following five years of "starved-out" farming, she and her remaining family gathered their possessions and relocated to Chinook on an emigrant train in November of 1889. The resident homesteaders offered supplies, food, coal, and labor to build their home in Clear Creek. Tibbits had superb side saddle horsemanship and was an excellent shooter and trapper, selling pelts at the general store of Thos. O'Hanlon Company in Chinook. At age twenty-one, she qualified to homestead and soon realized she was one of only two single women within fifty miles of her settlement.

Eventually, the couple married on January 5, 1895 and joined their homesteads as the Eden Ranch. They went on to produce three daughters: Phoebe, Josephine, and Marion, who assisted with the daily chores. The family not only raised chickens, cattle, and sheep but operated a large truck garden. Along with the usual vegetables, they grew melons, grapes, and tobacco. Locally, Jerry was known as the Clear Creek "Cabbage King," producing heads that weighed as much as twenty pounds each.

With their produce and meat, the family also earned a reputation as the "Bonanza Farmers of the Bears Paw." At the first Hill County Fair in 1912, the Kearfuls were awarded a trophy for the best display of irrigated grain and vegetables. The trophy promoting agriculture was donated by Jim Hill of the Great Northern Railroad.

Flora believed, "Life's richest dividends consist, not of money, but of happiness and contentment." She crocheted, groomed her two-acre yard, and wrote of Montana life for the Daily Tribune. For Northwest Magazine, her husband also wrote articles. Knowing the importance of community, Kearful belonged to the Knights of Columbus and Eagles Club. Believing education was vital to sustaining a more comfortable life, he was also instrumental in establishing the local school district, housing teachers, and serving as a board member.

Flora passed away on January 18, 1945, and Jerry on March 28, 1947. Although the couple is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Hill County, their Eden Ranch operation is now managed by a great-grandson, Fred Olson.

According to MCHF & WHC President Bill Galt, "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. 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."

Full biographies for these honorees, as well as for past inductees, are available on the MCHF & WHC's website. Anyone seeking further information should contact the MCHF & WHC by calling 406-653-3800 or by emailing Executive Director, Christy Stensland: Christy@montanacowboyfame.org.