James Kenneth Ralston was born in Choteau, Montana, on March 31, 1896. His paternal grandparents, left Independence, Missouri, by ox team for the gold camps of Colorado in 1859. His father was the first born to Samuel F. and Mary Gregg Ralston. In 1863, they headed for Idaho, and in 1864 they moved to the Alder Gulch area in the Montana Territory. In the spring of 1878, his father, Will Ralston, moved the Ralston cattle to the Teton River near Choteau, Montana.

In 1885, Will Ralston married Ellen Mathewson and they had five children of which James Kenneth Ralston was the fifth child. In 1903, Will Ralston took over as the general manager of the Flying U Ranch near Choteau, Montana. They then moved to Helena where James Kenneth Ralst...