Carl Knudson was born in 1904 in Portland, North Dakota. The oldest of four siblings, he quit school in 8th grade. His widowed mom struggled to make ends meet so he hopped on a horse and rode to Broadus, Montana. He went to work for his Uncle Bert as a ranch hand for $5 a month. Carl sent that money back to his mom. In search of better pay, he traveled up Powder River into Wyoming. Eventually, he found work with John B. Kendrick who owned several ranches in the area. Carl worked at whichever ranch needed help for $15 a month. During that time, he homesteaded near the LX Bar. Once while out working near his Uncle Bert’s place, he stopped by to say hello. His uncle informed him he hadn’t paid him enough and gave him 30 head of cattle. This gave Carl a start in the cattle business. While working for Kendrick, he often stayed at a line camp running thousands of cattle. His own ranch also kept him plenty busy. He leased the Crazy Woman Ranch from J.R. Porter Kennedy for a few years before buying the ranch using his steers as a down payment. Carl spent 57 years either working as a ranch hand or running his ranch.
Carl Knudson
