How our ranch is unique!

Our ranch has ties to many national events. 

We are nestled just inside the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. This is the home tribe of famous Chief Sitting Bull who toured worldwide with Wild Bill Hickok’s Wild West Show. It was during that time that he fondly “adopted” Annie Oakley as his daughter. At the tragic end of his life, Chief Sitting Bull led a “ghost dance” that claimed the dancers would make the White Men disappear and protect the Indian who danced it from being harmed by bullets. This understandably concerned the Indian agents which led to an armed stand-off and the untimely death of Chief Sitting Bull. When community leaders were looking for a place to bury and honor this famous Chief, Darrel’s father freely gave forty acres of his ranch to honor the Indian leader and that is where Chief Sitting Bull is buried today.

In addition, when President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase, we are confident that they traveled through, and perhaps even camped overnight, on our ranch. Our land borders the Missouri River, which was their route and their diary entries describe a type of soil unique to our several mile area. Today we call this mud “gumbo.”  

In addition, the entrance to Chief Sitting Bull’s grave also has a monument remembering Sacagawea and her importance as Lewis and Clark’s guide. To this day, our ranch is still home to what their team called “barking squirrels” or prairie dogs.

When waves of settlers started pouring out West they established a Wagon Train trail through our ranch. This connect Fort Yates, ND to Fort Pierre, SD (pronounced “pier”) and it even runs through our yard. These ruts also pass near the burial ground of Chief Sitting Bull but they are easily missed as they are more narrow than car tracks and now safely camouflaged by tall waving grass. We still occasionally pause our work to stand on this trail and borrow the dreams of those who journeyed through our ranch to their new life.

Our ranch consists of many homesteads and we carry on the legacy of the names known to us. One area of the ranch we call the “Turner Corrals” and another is called the “Nick Pastures” The Nick Family father and mother had twenty children together in a tiny two room home that could fit inside most modern living rooms. They worked hard to care for their large family, including an extensive dairy. While their buildings have all collapsed from age, the impressively large cement foundation of their dairy barn remains to this day. When their descendants asked to tour their homestead, they explained when each child turned 16 they were kicked out of the house to make room for the next newborn. They had to go make their own life, but that was possible thanks to the work ethic and character they learned growing up on our ranchland.

When traveling through South Dakota, you’ll occasionally see ancient farming equipment parked on the tallest hill around. During the “Dirty Thirties” (1934-1940) improper farming of our ecosystem led to “Black Blizzards” where dust would blow so thick it dropped visibility down to less than three feet in front of you. Many in agriculture gave up; they parked their equipment on the tallest hill and headed back East. But Darrel’s father, Art Smith, had a beautiful new bride to take care of, so he put his mechanic skills to work where others failed. He got the abandoned equipment working again and, in 1934, he plowed the crop seed into the snow. That snow was the only moisture that summer and it was just enough for the seed heads to be tall enough to harvest. His was the only crop for 100+ miles around and that quite literally became the “seed money” to start his own ranch. 

Our ranch overlooks the beautiful Oahe Lake,  which In Fisherman magazine lists as one of the Top 10 Drive To Walleye Spots. It even names our town, Mobridge, as one of the best go-to spots on the 100+ mile lake. Our friends organize the Annual Denny Palmer Memorial Classic multi-day fishing tournament with commonly $25,000 in cash and prizes, during which the fishermen enjoy viewing miles of our ranchland.

One of the very unique recreational activities that only a few lucky people in America have ever done is going swimming with horses. Our horses are powerful swimmers and can tow a person through the water. We have a special spot that is a finger of the Missouri River and just the right width so that the horses willingly swim knowing they can get a break on the other side. 

When you buy our meat, you help our conservation efforts and preserve the rich and unique history of this multi-generation family business. We are proud to have you join our future as you put a piece of our healthy beef on your dinner plate and help us continue our goals and traditions.