| Biography/History | Bill McCarty was born in Des Moines Iowa. During childhood, he moved around the West, working as a cowboy for many ranchers. In 1900, he moved to Hettinger, N.D. then soon moved to Alexander. Later, he moved near the Little Missouri River, and would later purchase the Custer Trail Ranch south of Medora. McCarty became known as Badlands Bill McCarty, and was known as a cowboy, rancher, and horse trader. Briefly, he worked with George Gardner in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. After leaving show business, he performed in local rodeos, and owned a herd of buffalo. He sold the Custer Trail Ranch in 1944 and moved to Medora to continue horse trading. He died in Beach, N.D. in 1958. Bill McCarty was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2004. |
