Ralph "Doc" Hubbard was one of the most accomplished people to call Medora home. He was born on June 22, 1885, in New York to Elbert Hubbard, a prominent author and publisher, and Bertha Crawford Hubbard.
Doc first visited Medora around 1905, and eventually settled in the community in 1964, managing the Fur Trade and Wildlife Museum (present site of the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame). Between 1905 and 1964, Hubbard wrote books, ranched, served in World War I, wrote a section of the Boy Scouts of America Handbook, mentored youth and taught in high schools and colleges.
Hubbard's love of the American West and American Indian culture helped him become a nationally recognized authority in those fields. He also crafted Indian clothing and accouterments. He also accompanied Indian dancers and troupes of Boy Scouts across America and Europe.
Hubbard's novel, Queer Person, appeared in 1930; it was followed by Wolf Song in 1978. Nellie Snyder Yost published Hubbard's biography, A Man As Big As The West, in 1979.
Doc Hubbard died November 14, 1980, and is buried in the Medora Cemetery. A street in Medora and an asteroid is named in his honor, a testament to the lives touched through his writings and teachings.
Comments 0 comments