LOCAL
SPORTS
Unclaimed Photos - Couples - Page 7
State Wrestling - Page 8 Serving the Region Since 1907
Vol. 115 No. 9
$1.00
FEBRUARY 28, 2020
Garage fire destroys building, damages cars
Scene of Fire. PHOTO/David Horn
BY BRAD MOSHER bmosher@countrymedia.net
Bison on the range. Submitted Photo
A Skull Creek rancher finds Bison perfect
BY BRAD MOSHER bmosher@countrymedia.net
F
or more than two decades, the Skull Creek Bison Ranch south of Rhame has specialized in raising buffalo. “We started in buffalo around 1996 or so,” Wayne Bucholz explained. “It was a decision that came about kind of off the cuff. We thought that if we
had buffalo it would probably be a little simpler. “Once you have an idea and think about it, sooner or later it snowballs into something you can’t stop,” he said with a chuckle. “That is how it happened.” Bucholz said he started first with few and ended up with quite a few. He said the bison are perfect for the area. “They are the perfect animal.
They may not be the perfect animal for every management situation, but when it comes to the environment we live in, they are the perfect animal. “They don’t need any man-made shelter. They don’t need a lot of interference or assistance from humans to live or survive. When we had cattle and we were calving in March and
recent fire on Fifth Avenue NW that destroyed a garage and damaged two vehicles did not damage any residential structures nearby, according the Bowman Fire Department. Chad Welch, the Bowman Fire Chief, said the fire department was able to wet the roofs of the nearby residential buildings to avoid additional fire damage on Feb. 16. “It was cold enough that it turned to ice so we had a nice ice protection on those roofs. The two vehicles that were parked in the driveway (next to the garage) were damaged. “There wasn’t enough of the garage remaining for us to do a very good investigation into the cause.
FIRE» PAGE 2
BISON » PAGE 3
Local ................2, 4, 7 Obituaries ................4 Classifieds .......5–6, 9
Bowman man still saving lives at 94 percent of our population that donates. “So he (Mason) is very special and he is very committed. We are very happy to be recognizing him for his efforts. There is this common misconception that there is an age limit as to when you can no longer donate. “He proves otherwise, with the fact that he still comes in at 94 years old, donating and giving the gift of life,” Jones said. There are guidelines limiting the number of times each year a person can give a double red blood cell or whole blood donation, she explained. Still, to Jones, it is amazing that he is still donating. “He is so kind and if there were more people that would emulate that kindness, I think we would see less shortages of blood overall. “I think it was time to recognize him,” she added. “As long as he is healthy and feeling good, he can come see us.”
BY BRAD MOSHER
Sports ......................8
Weekend WEATHER
SAT
SUN
45º/27º
36º/21º
FIND US!
BowmanCountyPioneer
For up-to-the minute news visit bowmanextra.com
©2020 Country Media Inc.
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 NDNA Better Newspaper Contest Awards Winner 2016 Bowman Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
bmosher@countrymedia.net
A
t 94, William Mason Sr. is still saving lives. He has been doing that for almost 40 years. Mason has been donating blood since the 1980s. According to Camille Jones, the donor recruitment representative at Vitalant’s Bismarck office, Mason received a certificate of achievement Monday for donating 69 units of blood. Jones said those donations had the power to save 207 lives since he started in March 1984. “There are 55 times that he actually gave blood in the chair. Those resulted in 69 units of lifesaving blood. “What an incredible guy,” she said after she had a chance to talk to Mason. “I asked him why he started donating. He said he was able to and it was something he could do and he figured it would be nice to something to help somebody else. He donated Monday and received the certificate, but all he wanted was a new blood donor card, Jones said. “It is really cool. It is really something that he is looking to continue (donating),” she said. “There isn’t any stopping him. “He is very dedicated … a dedicated lifesaver, that is for sure,” Jones added.
William Mason Sr. Submitted photo
In Bowman, Doris Bucholz is the coordinator and chairperson for the blood drives, according to Jones. “She does a few blood drives every year for us. She is part of the Rancherettes, a Homemakers Club who were the sponsors of Mon-
day’s blood drive,” she said. Mason may be back again in a few months to make another donation, she explained. “With whole blood donations, you can donate every 56 days. With a double red cell donation, there is a 112-day wait. He
(Mason) does both,” Jones said. Mason’s efforts have really been helpful, according to Jones. “We need about 250 donors a day to meet the needs of about 70 hospitals (in North Dakota) and we have about only 10
Started with family According to Mason, he started in 1984. “I had given my first pint of blood to my wife just before the birth of my second son. Then I gave to a few individuals after that. Then I decided to start giving to the United Blood Service.
LIVES» PAGE 2