My Address Is Heaven: The Bill Linderman Story

By Bonnie D. Voelz, Bonnie Voelz, Dan Voelz and Dorothy Spaulding

Bill Linderman was as good of a three event contestant as ever signed an entry form. Go back through the records and see how many times he won the all-around at Calgary, Cheyenne, and Pendleton and so many more.
His ability to cowboy and beat the best in the world during his career is truly a small part of this mans success. He was a leader among men and really played an important part in the pioneering of our organization. Bill was President of The Rodeo Cowboys Association at a time when it could have easily succumbed to the International Rodeo Association which was made up of committeemen from Calgary, Pendleton, Ellensburg, and the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Denver, Cheyenne, and so many more of the big rodeos. Not many will remember how staunch he really was in this period of preservation and growth of our sport as we know it today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462813964

Book preview

Copyright © 2009 by Bonnie D. Voelz and Dorothy Spaulding.

Cover Design: Bonnie Voelz

Cover Photo: Dan Voelz

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the Authors or their heirs.

First Printing November 2008

Second Printing June 2009

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Forward

Preface

Authors Notes

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Acknowledgments

A Cowboy’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pause mindful of the blessings you have bestowed upon us.

We ask that you be with us at this rodeo, and we pray that you will guide us in the arena of life. We don’t ask for special favors: We don’t ask to draw around a chute-fightin’ horse or never to break a barrier. Nor do we ask for all daylight runs or not to draw a steer that won’t lay.

Help us, Lord to live our lives in such a manner that when we make that inevitable ride to the country up there, where the grass grows lush, green and stirrup high, and water runs cool and clear and deep, that you, as our last Judge, will tell us that our entry fees are paid.

—Clem McSpadden

Forward

Only God knows how much respect I had for this man. Bill Linderman was as good of a three event contestant as ever signed an entry form. Go back through the records and see how many times he won the all-around at Calgary, Cheyenne, and Pendleton and so many more.

His ability to cowboy and beat the best in the world during his career is truly a small part of this man’s success. He was a leader among men and really played an important part in the pioneering of our organization. Bill was president of The Rodeo Cowboys Association at a time when it could have easily succumbed to the International Rodeo Association which was made up of committeemen from Calgary, Pendleton, Ellensburg, the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Denver, Cheyenne and so many more of the big rodeos. Not many will remember how staunch he really was in this period of preservation and growth of our sport as we know it today.

I rodeoed with Bill the last several years of my career. Bill and I hired Paul Templeton with his 180 Cessna airplane from 1954 through 1956, and really went to a lot of rodeos. Those were very good years for both of us.

I had the privilege of knowing Bill as well as anyone in my day, and enough can never be said of this man, for what he has done for the sport of rodeo and also his ability to cowboy at both ends of the arena, riding rough stock as well as competing in the timed events.

He died a hero just as he lived his whole life. He was serving the RCA in a secretarial position and was flying to Spokane from Denver to speak at a rodeo meeting. The airplane he was flying on caught fire when they went to land at the Salt Lake airport. Bill made it out of the plane scott free and then decided to go back in and try and help others escape. He died giving his life for his fellow man, truly a hero.

One thing, and a sure thing, when I get to heaven one of the first people I’m going to see will be my great friend, Bill Linderman.

With Much Love and Respect,

Deb Copenhaver

Preface

This is the heart warming story of a pioneer woman and her family. Born January 1, 1891 and passing on at the age of 85, on March 23 of 1976.

Born Charlotte Ethel Burns, called Lottie by her eastern family, she left her home in St Paul, Minnesota at the age of 16, traveling alone several hundred miles to a place where she would make a new life for herself. Little did she know what might lie in store for her, or whom she would meet, would marry, and have a family of her own. There was no way she could have known how famous her family would become. That her sons would become world famous. The life time of heartbreak and pain she would suffer.

Life seemed somewhat simpler then, not at all the fast pace we have now. Just trying to make enough money to eat and clothe oneself was the important thing. Not a new dress or makeup for a date that night, or perhaps an exotic hairdo or bathing once or twice a day. Just getting from one day to the next was somewhat of a challenge.

Was life better then, than it is now? Some would not agree with that. People had much less then than we do now, however, are we any happier than they were? Some times I think we don’t take time to enjoy what we have. We are in such a hurry to do more, have more, and want more, we miss the simple things of life.

Authors Notes

As I sit here writing this, I think to myself, why was I chosen for this task? I have never written a book, has something come over me? Is this a blessing from above? How can I do this? I don’t have the time to do all I have to now, as a travel agent. There are many talented people who could do this much better then I! I am reminded of scripture that says, If he calls you to do it, he will give you the strength and the will to do it.

I didn’t hear a loud voice say, Bonnie, I command you to do this. Just something within me, a feeling . . . . Lord, how can I do it justice, how can I show the world all that needs to be said?

That day when Dorothy Spaulding and I were looking for some pictures of Bill Linderman to use for the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame, something came over me that no one had written anything about the Linderman family . . . . Why?

Dorothy said, I don’t know for sure, Sammy and Lyle Graves were going to put something together, but just never got around to it, I guess.

The history of this famous family just has to be told . . . . someone has to do it. They themselves are all gone!

I said, Dorothy you need to do this! Oh! No! I could never do it, she said. I countered, Then we will do it together, won’t we?

Now we are stumbling through it gathering information, and winding our way through everything. So much to see, read and look at, so many people to talk to, all the stories and tales, a life time of history, saved by Rusty and Sam and Dorothy. Nearly two years have gone by and I am now nearly finished.

This is also the fascinating story of Rusty Linderman, a wife and Mother who lived it. She buried five sons, two husbands, and two daughters, in her life time. Out living them all, she raised her family in the toughest of times! Her love and kindness pulled her through, never giving up, never complaining, but not letting anyone run over her either. Just living one day at a time, always showing her love for the Lord.

In March of 2006, my husband Dan and I went to Oklahoma City to the Cowboy Hall Of Fame to gather data for the book.

I had called to get an appointment with someone to help me get information on Bill and his brothers. We were to meet with Karen Spilman.

The flight on Delta to Salt Lake was uneventful, we changed planes and were on our way to Tulsa, when suddenly we dropped in altitude. Rapidly! Shortly after, the captain came on saying, what we hoped might be, Fasten your seat belts and prepare for an emergency landing. The flight attendant came through checking to see if everyone had their seatbelts fastened. We quietly asked her if she had a clue as to what was wrong? Her reply was something about a crack in the windshield! Soon the Captain came on and said, We will be making an emergency landing in Denver in about 10 minutes! Upon debarking we saw the windshield was completely shattered! I was able to book us a flight from Denver to Springfield, Missouri. Which was close to our first destination, Branson.

By this time it was about 10:30 pm, we would spend the night in the airport. We arrived in an area covered with shattered glass where an escalator had been damaged. Sleep? I think not. Workman were repairing the escalator and sweeping up the glass. To make our flight we had to go through security before 3:00 am. Once on the plane the Captain and flight attendant came on and said, We will have to remove two people, as we are overweight! We sat there holding our breath, as we were the last ones booked on that flight. Thank the Lord we were Ok. We were a little late getting to Springfield, rented a car and were off to Branson, spending a few days there.

Then on to Oklahoma City, to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. We met Karen Spilman, the Librarian of the Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center, where all the Cowboy Hall of Fame records are kept. Wow! what a place. We spent hours pouring over information. There had been a tornado the night before and things were a bit hectic. We were determined to see the area where the Rodeo Cowboys were immortalized. Finding our way out of the library was difficult it’s so huge, we were awestruck!

I got to the Rodeo Cowboy display. Suddenly I looked up and there he was, Bill Linderman, bigger than life looking down at me! As if he was saying, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you! Bill looked as if he were off to the next rodeo, looking at me with that look of determination. I stood there thinking of everything he had accomplished in a lifetime cut so short! When he had so much to offer. That fateful day, was he there to save others, not ready to take the long journey? Was his time on this earth done, had he given all he had to give to others, had he lead them to a point where they could go on without him? Would we mourn our loss of this giant of a man for all time?

A sort of warmth came over me at that point, a feeling of peace and love. You can do it! The same feeling I am experiencing as I write this. One day when the task is finished, I hope I will have this same feeling.

When we arrived in Salt Lake I thought what can happen next! We changed planes and took off into the wild blue yonder.

This was it, we would be home soon. Not! . . . . About then we saw a flock of birds go by our right wing. Oh! shooot! The captain came on and said, we had ingested some of the birds into the right engine and we would head back to the airport to dig them out. Not to worry we were only about two miles out. Now wouldn’t that just knock your hat in the creek? We were promptly unloaded and several workman began digging out the dead birds. Once again we were on our way.

Home sweet home never looked so good! It will be quite some time before this little country gal will be going that far south again! You can bet your bottom dollar on that!

All in all the trip was a success as I had gotten a great deal of information for the book! More importantly, I had gotten the encouragement I needed for this project!

Dan and I were born and raised in Littleton, Colorado. He was my high school sweetheart, I married him at age 17, right after graduation in 1953. We have four children, Wayne, Dale, Tim and Annette, fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandsons.

I am a rancher’s daughter and a rancher’s wife. My Daddy, Erwin (Sandy) Sandell, was a saddle bronc rider in the 30s, and my two brothers, Rob (Sandy) and John (JC) also rode saddle broncs and bulls in the 50s and 60s. My sister Bettieann Burns was married to a bull rider, Don Burns.

Dan and I started out in Little Britches Rodeo in 1952. There were 13 of us including Sandy and JC and the Morgan boys, Kent and Kay. Dan was the first president. After getting too old to compete, I timed for them for eight years.

We ranched in Elizabeth, Colorado until 1967, then moving to Montana, ranching near Roberts. Dan went into the real estate business in the early 80s and I started in the travel business in 1987. We still own a ranch and feed lot near Belfry, Montana our daughter Annette and her husband Gordon Carlson lease it from us.

Chapter 1

Rusty Makes The Journey To Montana

It was the beginning of summer of 1907, there was a Thrashing Crew headed west from St. Paul, Minnesota, working its way through the Dakotas and through Eastern Montana to Billings, by late August or early September.

Rusty and her sister Margaret had been living with their Aunt Maggie. They had moved from Iowa before their mother died a few years before, and no one seemed to know just what had become of their father. School was out, times were hard and Rusty had to find work.

The man in charge of the thrashing crew was somewhat older than Rusty. He was a large man and seemed to be honest, and would marry her. It was not unusual for a younger woman to marry an older man. You were considered a woman at the age of 13 in those days, and often married at a very young age. All you needed was two bucks for a marriage license, the Justice of the Peace and two witnesses. At that time you didn’t just hook up with a man and work for him for the summer. It was the proper thing to marry, as they would be crossing state lines. Otherwise, he could run the risk of being accused of kidnapping.

She would be the cooks helper. The cook