DICKINSON Many of you probably don’t know what a big deal North Dakota used to be back in the day. For example, in 1874, when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer called Fort Abraham Lincoln home, he was a national celebrity extraordinaire, an 1800s rock star, who drew a lot of attention to this area.

The American public loved him because he’d been built up as a Civil War hero and the youngest person ever to rise to the rank of general in the U.S. Army, having done so at the age of 23. (He was later demoted to lieutenant-colonel). In addition, he had a flair for the dramatic. For example, he wore a tailor-made black velvet uniform with coils of gold lace, spurs on his boots whether he was mounted or not, a red scarf around his neck and an extra broad-brimmed sombrero. Plus, he grew his golden locks extra long and perfumed them with cinnamon oil.

In 1874 he commanded an expedition from Fort Lincoln to the Black Hills that was the talk of the nation. So impressive was it that reporters from newspapers in New York, Chicago, St. Paul, and of course, the Bismarck Tribune, accompanied it. Beforehand those reporters promoted the expedition as if they were modern-day public relations specialists selling an ocean cruise.

The Black Hills was the land of milk and honey, they declared, where no white man had ever set foot; unknown, mysterious and totally unexplored. Of course that wasn’t true but that didn’t matter. It sold newspapers.

Also untrue was the U.S. government’s premise that the expedition was a scientific one. In reality every Tom, Dick and Harry knew it was all about confirming the presence of gold.

Meanwhile, at the time of departure, on July 2, 1874, the caravan itself included Indian scouts in the lead, a battery of three Gatling guns and a cannon, ambulances, and 110 wagons moving in four columns. Behind them were two infantry battalions, and one company of mounted cavalry. Nine other companies of mounted cavalry patrolled the expedition’s flanks.

In addition engineers, geologists, a paleontologist, gold miners, surveyors and President Ulysses S. Grant’s son tagged along, as well as a marching band and 300 head of cattle. All in all it added up to over a thousand men lumbering across the hills and valleys.

By Aug. 30 they were back at Fort Abraham Lincoln, with the mission having been accomplished. Interestingly they raced back in order to be there in time for Custer’s birthday. Yet along the way they spent a night at the present day location of the Logging Camp Ranch, which was once part of the 70,000 acre H-T Ranch that was home to over 12,000 horses.

Located between modern- day Medora and Amidon, the Logging Camp Ranch is still a working ranch owned and operated by John Hanson, who took it over from his father, Robert Hanson. He will in turn pass it on to his son, Dan Hanson.

“The surveyors who accompanied the Custer expedition documented the location of their Logging Camp Ranch campsite so we were able to find it quite easily,” said rancher John Hanson. “In about three inches soil we found numerous artifacts including buttons, some rounds and much more.”

Yet the Custer expedition is but a small part of the Logging Camp Ranch’s collection of history. More important is its legacy as being part of A. C. Huidekoper’s H-T Ranch complex and as a headquarters for the Little Missouri Cattle Company.

In 1906 the Fargo Forum described the H-T Ranch, which included the Logging Camp Ranch, as “one of the largest horse holding outlets in the world.” Today, bathing in all of that history is the Hanson family who took possession of the Logging Camp Ranch in the 1920s and has successfully run it ever since.

NBC-TV will focus on the Hanson family and their Logging Camp Ranch during two of their “Special Cowboy Moments” episodes. Part I will air on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. and Part II will air on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m.

“There is so much material there to work with,” said Ken Howie of Ken Howie Studios, the producer of the show. “It is a historical and human interest buffet.”

Kevin Holten is the president of the North Dakota Cowboy Association and executive producer of NBC-TV’s Special Cowboy Moments.