Jacob “Jakie” Bull was a somewhat unusual rancher. When he later retired in Dickinson, he was known as “birdman,” which could have been connected to either one of his loves: birds or music.

Jakie was just 17 when he and his father, Hans Bull, came to Mandan in 1884. Hans had been a judge in Norway; when he lost all his money, he came to Dakota hoping to make enough money to go back to Norway a wealthy man. By the time the venture paid off, however, Hans had died.

The Bulls started with a sod house about 12 miles southwest of Mandan near the Little Heart Creek. Taking advantage of their rich creek land, they took a hundred head of cattle on shares. They did well through the winter, but in late April, a blizzard disoriented the herd, and the cattle fell, one after another, over a cut-bank and died.

Hans and Jacob then moved to a spot about 5 miles northeast of Flasher on the Chantapeta River. They carved out a dugout for a barn, built another sod house and started building up another herd. They grazed their cattle on the open range until settlers moved in and cut off their access.

Jakie was big – about six feet tall – and could speak three languages. Although he was a very capable cowboy, his interests weren’t limited to ranching. He came from a long line of musicians, among them the renowned Norwegian violinist and composer, Ole Bull. Back in Norway, Jakie’s niece, Sophie Bull Overik, was also a celebrated opera singer. Bull, himself, had a life-long love of music, and he enjoyed performing for people.

Like many artists, Bull also reveled in cooking and entertaining people. It was common for him to whip up a feast, pour himself a cup of coffee, and then sit down to serenade his guests with his accordion while they ate. At many gatherings, he could be seen inching away from the ranching talk so he could move to the kitchen to be with the women.

He loved dancing and always kept a special pair of shoes wrapped in his slicker and tied to his saddle, just in case he came across a party somewhere.

There’s a story that’s told of a visit Bull once paid to the Goeschel Ranch. Representatives of the Brown Land Company often overnighted at this ranch, because there weren’t yet hotel facilities in Flasher. On this particular occasion, a Mr. Proudfoot and a Mr. Steer dropped by, and Mr. Goeschel took great delight in introducing his friend Mr. Bull to Mr. Steer.

In the spring of 1903, Bull went to Dickinson in search of something new. He chose a spot about 75 miles northwest of town near the Little Missouri in the Badlands. He left his cattle herd with another rancher and spent the summer putting up buildings and corrals, and gathered hay for the winter. In the fall, he went back for his cattle and moved them to his new place, which he called the 31 Ranch. For the next twelve years, he prospered, and after 30 years of ranching, he decided to retire.

Bull settled in Dickinson, where he was finally able to indulge in his other passion – birds. Even back in the sod-house days, Jakie had kept canaries. Now, he enclosed a porch to use as an aviary, raised birds and offered them for sale.

Jacob Bull died of a heart attack in January 1933 at the age of 66. He never married.
Source: Flasher 60th Jubilee Book

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