Montana Women Share their Stories in Agriculture & Land Conservation

The Montana Historical Society just had a great reception for some of the Montana ranch women whose stories are told in a new book, "Montana Women: From the Ground Up."

Available Online at the MHS Museum Store

The “Ground” in the title reminded me of the day I arrived at the ranch. As I drove down the dirt lane in my brother’s old Dodge, it high-centered on the very slight crown. None of the women featured in the book would have done so. I had a lot to learn.

Nearly 30 years later, when I moved off the ranch, I’d learned a lot, but I hadn’t -- couldn’t have -- learned one thing they all knew: What it is to own and be owned by the land.

Each chapter in the book tells one of the stories recorded by county conservation districts and the Montana Department of Natural Resources. Scattered throughout the baker’s dozen chapters are three dozen more short excerpts from other oral histories in the conservation district project. Many of the tales begin early in the last century with a heritage of family farms and ranches, but they don’t stop there. They stretch into the future as their children and grandchildren follow their paths. Read the full article in the Helena Independent Record here.