March 16, 2017
Fredericks dedicates lifetime to Indian law
By Kate Johnson
BHG News Service
Thomas W. Fredericks, son of John Sr. and Catherine Fredericks, was born into a family of nine siblings who were put to work on their ranch alongside the little Missouri, located on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Fredericks, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, said his young days were spent in the fields, working, moving cattle, cutting hay; leading the typical ranch life. When it came time to take part in pow-wows, Fredericks said later on his father didn’t allow them to go because there was always work to be done on the ranch.
“It was a tough life on the ranch. We worked hard and we are a lot better off for it today,” said Fredericks, who is now a decorated Attorney in Colorado.
The family ranch, along with the blue ribbons, came to a screeching halt when the Garrison Dam flooded it out. Fredericks said he remembered riding his horse back to the ranch realizing that was the last time he would see his home. The place that many referred to as a “cow’s paradise” was gone, which pushed the Fredericks family to move to Twin Buttes.
“It was a tough life on the ranch. We worked hard and we are a lot better off for it today,” said Fredericks, who is now a decorated Attorney in Colorado.
The family ranch, along with the blue ribbons, came to a screeching halt when the Garrison Dam flooded it out. Fredericks said he remembered riding his horse back to the ranch realizing that was the last time he would see his home. The place that many referred to as a “cow’s paradise” was gone, which pushed the Fredericks family to move to Twin Buttes.
