J. K. Ralston
Encyclopedia
James Kenneth "J.K." Ralston (March 31, 1896 – November 26, 1987) was an American
painter
of the Old American West
whose primary topics were the American West and images of cowboy
s and American Indians
. He also did commercial artwork.
Ralston's family moved to Colorado
from Independence, Missouri
in 1859 by ox team, then Idaho
in 1863, and finally Montana
in 1864, seeking gold each time. Ralston was born in 1896 in Choteau, Montana
. His family moved to Helena, Montana
before he was 10 years old. When he was 10, in 1906, they moved to the Capital P ranch in Dawson County, Montana
, just south of the Missouri River
across from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation
in northeastern Montana. He spent his early adult years as a cowboy in eastern Montana
. In 1917 he attended the Chicago Art Institute for three months before joining the United States Army
in spring of 1918. He served in the 62nd Infantry, Eighth Division in World War I
. This unit served overseas but did not see combat. Ralston returned to the Chicago Art Institute in the fall of 1920. In 1923 Ralston married his wife Willo and they lived on the Pacific coast for seven years. They returned to Montana in 1930 and took over his father's ranch, the Roman E, near Culbertson, Montana
. The Great Depression
forced them to move to Billings, Montana
in 1935. Ralston opened a studio in Billings and worked as a professional full time artist. Ralston died in 1987 in Billings.
The MonDak Arts & Historical Society, which is located in Sidney
, Richland County, Montana
and was founded in 1967, opened the J. K. Ralston Museum and Art Center in 1972. This operated until 1984 when the Center was moved to the newly completed MonDak Heritage Center in Sidney. Ralston's works are also on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
in Cody, Wyoming
, the Western Heritage Center
in Billings, the Montana Historical Society in Helena, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
near Crow Agency, Montana
, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
in St. Louis, Missouri
. In 1946 Ralston and his son built a log cabin
art studio
for him to work in. After his death, Ralston's log cabin studio was first moved to Rocky Mountain College
in Billings and then to the Western Heritage Center in 2005. In 1978, Ralston was awarded a Gold Medal by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of the Old American West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
whose primary topics were the American West and images of cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s and American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. He also did commercial artwork.
Ralston's family moved to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
from Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
in 1859 by ox team, then Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in 1863, and finally Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in 1864, seeking gold each time. Ralston was born in 1896 in Choteau, Montana
Choteau, Montana
Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287 about east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National Forest, the Rocky Mountain Division of Lewis and Clark National Forest, and Glacier National Park. The population was...
. His family moved to Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
before he was 10 years old. When he was 10, in 1906, they moved to the Capital P ranch in Dawson County, Montana
Dawson County, Montana
-Economy:Dawson County is known for its dryland grain, coal mines and gas and oil wells. There are 522 current farms and ranches, and 296 commercial businesses.-Demographics:...
, just south of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
across from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation
Fort Peck Indian Reservation
The Fort Peck Indian Reservation is near Fort Peck, Montana. It is the homeland of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of Native Americans. It is the ninth-largest Indian reservation in the United States and comprises parts of four counties. In descending order of land area they are Roosevelt, Valley,...
in northeastern Montana. He spent his early adult years as a cowboy in eastern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. In 1917 he attended the Chicago Art Institute for three months before joining the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in spring of 1918. He served in the 62nd Infantry, Eighth Division in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. This unit served overseas but did not see combat. Ralston returned to the Chicago Art Institute in the fall of 1920. In 1923 Ralston married his wife Willo and they lived on the Pacific coast for seven years. They returned to Montana in 1930 and took over his father's ranch, the Roman E, near Culbertson, Montana
Culbertson, Montana
As of the census of 2000, there were 716 people, 295 households, and 192 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,213.7 people per square mile . There were 356 housing units at an average density of 603.5 per square mile...
. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
forced them to move to Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
in 1935. Ralston opened a studio in Billings and worked as a professional full time artist. Ralston died in 1987 in Billings.
The MonDak Arts & Historical Society, which is located in Sidney
Sidney, Montana
Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than away from the North Dakota border. The population was 5,191 at the 2010 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the badlands of the Dakotas...
, Richland County, Montana
Richland County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,667 people, 3,878 households, and 2,652 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 4,557 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
and was founded in 1967, opened the J. K. Ralston Museum and Art Center in 1972. This operated until 1984 when the Center was moved to the newly completed MonDak Heritage Center in Sidney. Ralston's works are also on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a complex of museums displaying artifacts and art of the American West located in Cody, Wyoming. Founded in 1917, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is the oldest museum in the West...
in Cody, Wyoming
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
, the Western Heritage Center
Western Heritage Center
The Western Heritage Center is a regional museum located in the Historic District in downtown Billings, Montana. This museum used to be the Parmly Billings Memorial Library...
in Billings, the Montana Historical Society in Helena, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25, 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana, in the United States. It also serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle: George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined Lakota-Northern...
near Crow Agency, Montana
Crow Agency, Montana
Crow Agency is a census-designated place in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment known as Custer's Last Stand...
, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1946 Ralston and his son built a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
art studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
for him to work in. After his death, Ralston's log cabin studio was first moved to Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College , located in Billings, Montana, is a private comprehensive college offering more than 25 liberal arts- and professionally oriented majors. In fall 2009, the college had 894 enrolled students...
in Billings and then to the Western Heritage Center in 2005. In 1978, Ralston was awarded a Gold Medal by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
.
See also
- Frederic RemingtonFrederic RemingtonFrederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U. S...
, western artist - Charles Marion RussellCharles Marion RussellCharles Marion Russell , also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an artist of the Old American West. Russell created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Indians, and landscapes set in the Western United States, in addition to bronze sculptures...
, western artist - Charles SchreyvogelCharles SchreyvogelCharles Schreyvogel was a painter of Western subject matter in the days of the disappearing frontier. Schreyvogel was especially interested in military life....
, western artist