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EXPLORE NORTH DAKOTA'S WESTERN CULTURE & HERITAGE

Learn about the experiences of North Dakota’s Native Americans, homesteaders, ranchers and world-class rodeo cowboys. Visit us - kids get in free too!

The Center of Western Heritage & Culture

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Immerse yourself in our exciting history!

WELCOME

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, with its Center of Western Heritage & Cultures is the interpretive center for the history of the northern plains and North Dakota’s western lifestyle.

Immerse yourself in the exciting story of the plains horse culture, a way of life unique to the world. Learn about the experiences of North Dakota’s Native Americans, homesteaders, ranchers and world-class rodeo cowboys.

Opened in 2005, through the contributions and commitment of the members of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, our facility features a theater, galleries, interpretive areas, artifacts and memorabilia devoted to the preservation of culture and heritage.

The centerpiece of the Center of Western Heritage and Cultures is the Hall of Honorees, paying tribute to the men, women, events and livestock that made extraordinary contributions to North Dakota’s culture, lifestyle and legacy.

Preserving our Legacy

MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA

I’d rather wear out than rust out…

OUR HISTORY

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHF) was conceived along a stretch of Highway 83 in October 1994 as seasoned western icon Evelyn Neuens, her sister Goldie Nutter, and 40 Years of North Dakota Rodeo author Phil Baird drove home from the 40th Anniversary of the Y’s Men’s Rodeo in Minot. En route, the trio realized that the state’s rich rodeo history was scattered to the wind and that faces and facts were fading with each aging generation. Baird proposed that they initiate an organization to honor North Dakota rodeo competitors.
“Let’s do it! I’d rather wear out than rust out,” the 83-year-old Neuens said with a determined smile. Read More