Yule Ranch

Yule Ranch
Ranch
Coordinates: 46°33′34″N103°48′13″W / 46.55944°N 103.80361°W / 46.55944; -103.80361
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Golden Valley and Slope

Yule Ranch (now Three V Ranch) is a historic property in Golden Valley ^[1] and Slope counties in North Dakota, United States. ^[2]

Background

Founded in 1883 by John Pender ^[3] as the JXL Ranch or Yule Ranch, ^[4] historically the ranch was a multi-state cattle operation. ^[5] After changing hands it was renamed as the VVV Ranch in 1937. The VVV brand had previously been established in 1898 at another ranch. ^[3] At one time it was home to a small community including a post office bearing the name Yule, a general store, and a stage coach stop. The post office closed in 1910. ^[6] Today the ranch raises Angus cattle, grows cash crops, and caters to hunters looking for mule and whitetail deer, coyotes and sharptail grouse. Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed staying at the ranch ^[7] and conducted one of his last bison hunting excursions there. ^{[1] [3]}

Three V Crossing

Three V Crossing
Three V Crossing
Coordinates	46°33′25″N103°47′33″W / 46.5569°N 103.7925°W / 46.5569; -103.7925
Carries	Vvv Road
Crosses	Little Missouri River
Locale	Slope County, North Dakota. GNIS feature ID 1035208 [8]
Characteristics
Design	Low-water crossing
Material	Concrete
Location

A major landmark on the ranch is Three V Crossing, a low-water crossing on the Little Missouri River 19.1 miles (30.7 km) north-northeast of Marmarth and 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Amidon ^[9] within the Little Missouri National Grassland in an unorganized part of Slope County in T. 135 N R. 105 W. ^[10]

The construction of the crossing was jointly funded by the National Forest Service program and the county. ^{[9] [11]} It is part of Forest Development Road (FDR) 7741. ^[12] Water underneath passes through concrete box culverts. ^[13] Access across the Missouri River is unreliable when waters are high. ^[14]

On the east side of the crossing, a geological layer known as the Rhame Bed is characterized by having yellowish sand, with very pale green material underneath. ^[15]

See also

• Elkhorn Ranch

References

1. "Ranch Favored by Roosevelt is a Cowboy Hall Inductee". The Dickinson Press. August 2, 2006.
2. Kopp, Mike (July 21, 2019). "The Little Missouri River is a great challenge to cross". beautifulbadlandsnd.com. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
3. "VVV Ranch – Weinreis Brothers entry". North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. 2006. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
4. "Alex LaSotta entry". North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
5. "Open Range Ranching in North Dakota 1870s–1910s" (PDF). history.nd.gov. p. 46.
6. Williams, Mary Ann Barnes (1972). "Yule (Slope County) entry". Origins of North Dakota Place Names. McLean County Historical Society. p. 201.
7. Hagedorn, Hermann (1921). Roosevelt in the Bad Lands. Vol. 1. Houghton Mifflin. p. 262. ISBN   9780722288740.
8. "Three V Crossing". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
9. "Slope (newspaper clipping}". The Bismarck Tribune. December 16, 1996.
10. "Slope County Map" (PDF). ND DOT website.
11. "Golden Valley Board of County Commissioners Minutes". January 3, 2002. pp. 5 and 21.
12. "Interactive map of Three V Crossing". Forest Service.
13. "Transcript of Alternatives Public Workshop". Little Missouri River Crossing Environmental Impact Statement. July 22, 2008. p. 17.
14. Kopp, Mike (October 1, 2015). "No Bridge no problem Just Drive Across the Little Missouri River". beautifulbadlandsnd.com.
15. Wehrfritz, Barbara D. (1978). The Rhame bed (Slope Formation, Paleocene), a silcrete and deep weathering profile, in southwestern North Dakota (M.S. Thesis). p. 52.