Lifetime Leaders of Rodeo & Ranching Rodeo Ranching Great Westerner Western Entertaiment & Arts Rodeo Producers & Livestock Special Achievement Cowboy Long Rider Legacy Award

Lifetime Leaders of Rodeo & Ranching

James P. “Jim” Jefferies
2006 Hall of Fame Leader of Rodeo and Ranching

Jim Jefferies was born March 12, 1925, in Dickinson and grew up in the Grassy Butte area. At age 12, Jim went to work for Pat Woods.

At 15, he worked for Leighton Trotter, where he learned blacksmithing and inlaying silver on bridles and spurs, and on various other ranches in the area. He taught himself braiding and tooling leather and rawhide.

Jim served in the U.S. Army in 1944-1946. On June 1, 1948, he married Marlyn Cook at Sentinel Butte, and they had four daughters.

From 1951-1953, Jim worked as a Vet Assistant for the U.S. government, testing cows for bangs and TB and was ranch manager for Don Short from 1953-1964.

In 1964, he moved his family to Hawley, Minnesota, and worked for Fargo investor Doug Schnell, managing his 1,800-acre ranch and running approximately 350 head of cattle.

He then worked for the Valley Vet Clinic as an inspector for outbound cattle at the West Fargo Stockyards until his death.

Jim participated in bareback, saddle bronc, team tying, team roping and calf roping during his rodeo career from the 1940s through the 1960s. After that, he was a pick-up man and judged rodeos.

He was a member of the RCA and the NDRA, and he and Rex Cook won the 1962 NDRA team tying champion-ship after a wild drive to Killdeer and arriving just as their names were being called. He earned several buckles in team roping.

Jim received a buckle from the Minnesota High School Rodeo Association for his participation on the state Board of Directors.

He conducted a weekly team-roping class near Fargo for high school and college students and furnished horses for them. Jim taught them to respect their horses and the livestock and to develop honest cowboy values.

He promoted college, amateur and professional rodeos and assisted with the NDSU Little International, the North Dakota Winter Show (Valley City) and the Crookston (Minnesota) Winter Show.

When the National High School Rodeo Finals was in West Fargo in 1970 and 1979, Jim helped produce the events. In 1979, he opened his arena to contestants and families who wanted to practice and furnished the practice cattle.

Jim helped organize the Sheyenne Red River Rodeo Club of West Fargo and served as its first president and as a Board member for four years.

He was also the western region director for the Minnesota High School Rodeo Association for nine years and Board vice-president for eight years.

Jim was born a cowboy and never stopped being one. He died on October 31, 1983, at age 58.