Duke Pursley on Pelican in Sidney, MT in 1961.
He was born Aaron Pursley on a cold windy day in the foothills of Mt. Centennial in 1935. Very early on his father started calling him Duke and it has been with him all of his life. Duke's mother and father were James and Mildred Pursley.
One time Duke was in the hospital in Great Falls when a nurse came in and told him there was only one Duke (referring to John Wayne's nickname of Duke). Duke Pursley looked at her and said, "There is only one Duke and that is me."
Duke's Dad ran the Nygard Coal Mine from 1933 until 1945 in Coal Mine Coulee close to Big Sandy. After World War II the coal mine...
