George W (Cap) Ferguson:  

My Life began January 16th 1944 in a ranch house in Carter County Montana near the town of Ridge Montana. My Given name was George Washington Ferguson after my Grandfather. At a very young age my family gave me the nickname Cap that has stuck with me throughout my life. My Father used horses for the farming he did and I would go with him whenever I could. He would set me up on one of the horses and often called me “Captain Jinx of the horse Marians”. I am sure that had something to do with it. I had an uncle that had the same nickname. The property is still owned by the family and I spent most of my life there until the age of 11 or 12. The first memory I can remember is an April morning 1948.The wind had blown and it had snowed most of the afternoon and evening before. It was early morning and mother had sent me and my little sister to the root cellar for the food stuffs to be prepared for the day’s meals. It was the kind of snow when the wind quit blowing the drifts were firm and provided good sliding surfaces. I and my little sister got involved in sliding down the snow drifts and forgot all about doing the tasks we had been given. During this time my Mother was starting the fire in the cook stove to prepare to get breakfast. Some time, past before one of our older siblings came out and told us to do what we were sent out to do and get back in the house. We did then get the food stuffs we were told too and went back to the house. When we got the steps to the house I remember a large hole in the snow with black flaking around the edge of the hole. When we got in the house Mother was dressed as though she was going somewhere and sat and talked to us younger children. I don’t remember what was talked about I can only assume now. While my little sister and I were outside Mother in attempting to start the fire in the cook stove usually using kerosene as a starting fluid, her cloths cot fire. To put the fire out my brother helped in various ways and she finally rolled in the snow to put it out. With what we know now it would have been good if she would have remained in the snow to remove more of the heat. My family had no car at the time so Dad went to the Nabors to get the transportation to get her to a Medical Facility. It would be two years before she could return to the ranch. She had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 65% of her body and was taken to the Hospital in Belle Fourche South Dakota. Sometime later they took us to see her and I am still haunted by what she looked like. She would spend approx. five months at this facility before infection had gotten so bad they transferred her to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Rochester Minnesota. It was at this time late 1948 my little sister and I were taken to an uncle and aunts at Red Owl South Dakota where our Grandmother would care for us. Our older siblings stayed at the ranch with Dad to do what they could to help manage. In late 1949 Mother was transferred to the Hospital at Newcastle Wyoming to finish rehabilitation. My little sister and I were placed in the care of relatives in Newcastle during this time. The spring of 1950 Mother was able to return to the ranch and a reunion was celebrated. The summer of 1950 I spent with my Uncle & Aunt at Red Owl South Dakota and return that fall to start my 1st Grade at Ridge Montana. I attended my 1st, 2nd, and part of my 3rd Grade at the Ridge School. I finished my 3rd Grade in Newcastle and my 4th and 5th Grades. The summer months were always spent on the ranch in Montana. This period of time was one of the most difficult times of my life.. Ray Cumming was one of my best friends during this time and that experience has definitely shaped who I am today. My 6th Grade I attended school again at Ridge Montana. My 7th Grade I started at Red Owl South Dakota and finished in Newcastle Wyoming. The remainder of my schooling was in the Newcastle school system. My mother became a Single Mother in 1956 so from that time on all of us did what we could do to earn our own way. The summer of 1957 I worked for a rancher (George Williams) at Hammond Montana and was able to help buy my school cloths for the following school year. I started the next summer working for George but finish the summer of 1958 at the J L Wilson ranch at Broadus Montana. I continued to work my summers for J L until the summer between my Junior- Senior years of school. The summer between my sophomore and junior year classmate Bill Wilson and I both worked for the J L Wilson ranch. Most of my summers were spent in Montana so didn’t really ever know many of my classmates that well. After my classmates graduated I was around Newcastle more going to Military Basic Training at Fort Lenard Wood MO with many of the classmates. After coming back I worked for Decker’s food Store and was managing the produce department before going back to work the Wilson ranch in Montana the winter of 1964-1965. In 1965 I went to work for Lou Mont Drilling working weevil’s corner until early 1966 when the rig was stacked out and jobs became hard to find in the Newcastle area. Edgemont South Dakota: July 10th 1966 I married Judy Lenore Peterson at Edgemont South Dakota and started our lives together. Judy was raised on a ranch north of Edgemont at Burdock. We lived at Edgemont until November 1967. Judy worked for Blacky’s Dive in restaurant and the Dentist office and I worked for three different employers during this time frame. MDI (Mines Development Inc), Edgemont Post & Pole, and Southern Hills Feed & Grain elevator. Sioux City Iowa: November 1967 we moved to Sioux City Iowa and I started working for Terra Chemical International. It was an Anhydrous Ammonia, Nitric Acid, Urea, and Ammonium Nitrate facility that was in the initial start-up phase of plant operations. I was put on the shipping staff in preparations for production. I worked in shipping department for a year and half before transferring to the operations department. Judy worked in the Book Keeping Department for the Sioux City Stock Yards Bank. She was offered the job of Department manager but declined because we were expecting our first child. Sheila Renee Ferguson arrived August 12th 1968 and our second child Lynette Frances Ferguson was born March 10th 1970. We lost Judy’s father soon after Sheila was born just after his one and only visit to see his first grandchild. From 1969 to 1971 I studied Computer Control Electronics through DeVrey Institute of Technology. I advanced to Senior Process Technician and with little chance for further advancement I left Terra Chemical International in the spring of 1973. Rapid City South Dakota: During our time in Iowa we had al...Expand for more