DICKINSON, N.D. - Dickinson State University has announced the naming of the Dale Little Soldier Arena in honor of Dale and Susie Little Soldier for their long-standing support of the university’s agricultural and rodeo programs. The naming recognizes a lifetime of commitment to education, service and student opportunity through college rodeo.
Born in Elbowoods, North Dakota, and raised in Twin Buttes, Little Soldier is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the MHA Nation. He learned rodeo in modest facilities where the fence was woven wire and the ground depended on the weather. While rodeo was his passion, he also competed in football, track and basketball.
Little Soldier credits athletics, especially rodeo, with opening the door to higher education.
“It gave me a life that I wouldn’t have had,” Little Soldier said. “The scholarships I earned along the way made my education possible.”
He began his college journey at Dickinson State Teachers College, competing on the rodeo team from 1958 to 1959, before continuing his studies at Rocky Mountain College. After teaching for two years, he pursued graduate education at Brigham Young University and completed postgraduate studies at Texas Tech University.
Inspired by the needs he witnessed on reservations, Little Soldier dedicated his professional life to expanding access to education. He served as a superintendent in both Texas and North Dakota, including leadership of the White Shield School District, before becoming the first director of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck. In that role, he helped build educational pathways for generations of students.
Rodeo remained central throughout his life. In 1993, he met Susie Haider at Roping on the River in Bismarck. A week later, they shared their first meal together, and they have been together ever since. Today, the couple regularly attends weekend roping events and rodeos, cheering on young athletes.
Later in life, Little Soldier began a new chapter after hearing early discussions about oil development in the Bakken formation while attending a rodeo event. He purchased 100 acres west of New Town, North Dakota, and in 2008 he and Susie established Beaver Creek LLC, named for the area near where he was raised. The company grew to become one of the largest Tier 1 logistics providers in the Bakken formation.
“It is never too late to reinvent yourself,” said Barrett Withers, CEO of Beaver Creek LLC. “Dale made it big after he turned 70. It wasn’t a business he sought out, but when it found him, he embraced it fully.”
Beyond the arena itself, Dale and Susie Little Soldier have strengthened the long-term future of DSU Rodeo by establishing a significant endowment through the DSU Heritage Foundation.
“This building and endowment will show that through education and college rodeo, you can do great things,” Little Soldier said.
As Dickinson State University prepares for the arena’s grand opening, Dale and Susie Little Soldier look forward to the opportunities it will provide and to the championships, milestones and memories that will be created there for generations to come.