Schlichenmayers steer history of DFCS
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
There’s a cliché that goes “this ain’t my first rodeo.”
For the Schlichenmayer family of rural Turtle Lake, the cliché would go more like “this ain’t my first feeder calf show.”
Yes, the Schlichenmayers are no strangers to rodeo, supplying livestock for rodeos for several years, but these days it’s the Dakota Feeder Calf Show at the Turtle Lake Weigh Station that takes priority with the cattle-raising family.
It’s a tradition that’s five generations strong, starting when John (JD) Schlichenmayer started the first public sale barn in the state of North Dakota, situating it right on the south north end of town, back in the late 1930s, according to JD’s grandson Paul, who still ranches outside of Turtle Lake.
Members of five generations of Schlichenmayers have been involved in the cattle industry, using the sale barn/weigh station to get their cattle to market. It started with JD, then moved on to Charlie, then Paul, his son Jaimie, and now his son “Charlie II”.
The Schlichenmayers will be making their way to the weigh station for the Dakota Feeder Calf Show this Saturday.
“It’s in the same location as the weigh station is right now,” said Paul. “There are a lot of buyers around the country that would remember this is the first sale barn started right here. They used to ship everything out by the railroad.
