Born in the Barker mining district of central Montana Territory, Rose Beatrice Gordon (1883-1968) was the daughter of an African American chef and an emancipated slave who migrated to the West in the early 1880s. As a Black woman in the West, Gordon’s life was ordinary in terms of its day-to-day struggles but extraordinary in its sum. Her story offers unique insights into the Black experience in the rural West in the first half of the 20th century.

In this Women Ranchers Series podcast, I discuss Rose Gordon with the author of "A Black Woman's West: The Life of Rose B Gordon," Michael Johnson. He is Professor of American literature at the University of Maine at Farmington. His primary research areas are African American Literature and the literature and culture of the American West.

Margaret Borland outlived 3 husbands, and took over 2,000 head of cattle from Texas to Kansas in 1873. She did this journey taking her children and a grandchild. She had true grit and determination, but passed the night of their arrival in Kansas, before any of her herd was sold.

Join me as I learn more about Margaret, and the author Linda Broday. Linda is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Historical Western Romance Books. She can be found at: www.lindabroday.com

Connie spent her life devoted to sharing her love of horses and riding with generations of girls. While she earned her law degree early on and had aspirations of following in her father's footsteps as a judge, she never practiced and chose a cowgirl's life dedicated to her cowboy husband, their ranch, and those she taught to ride. She was honored in her lifetime with The Free Spirit Award, the Chester A Reynolds Memorial Award, and she was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Connie rode horses every day of her life, up until being thrown from her beloved Dr. Pepper, which took her away from what she loved at 101 years of age. She was the epitome of a Woman Rancher, and loved by generations.

A historical monograph honoring extraordinary women who forged resilient lives on the land – overseeing acreage, tending farms, stewarding livestock, and pursuing sustainable agriculture – while balancing motherhood and independent struggles. Their journeys reveal enduring self-reliance, perseverance, and ingenuity. The narrative blends historical context, voices from the women themselves, expert scholarship, and excerpts from letters and diaries to illuminate their humanity.

"In 1889, a young spunky British woman of genteel upbringing set sail for the United States—against her family's wishes." This podcast is about that woman, Evelyn Cameron. Lorna Milne, the author of "Evelyn Cameron, Photographer of the Western Prairie," discusses her as "the resourceful, hard working, observant, artistic, adaptable" woman that she was on the Montana prairie. Evelyn fell in love with the environment of Montana, not only living on the land, but hunting big game and sharing her love of the landscape through her pictures. Join us for this podcast to learn more about Evelyn.

The Orphan Mother of the Plains, as described by Jane Little Botkin, about Mary Ann Goodnight. Jane's book, The Breath of a Buffalo, Mary Ann Goodnight, shares Mary’s story which "has never been told, though it was she, not her famous husband, whose continuing actions preserved the Southern American Bison herd from extinction." https://janelittlebotkin.com/2024/03/i-accepted-a-challenge-researching-and-writing-mary-ann-goodnights-story/

In this podcast, we explore the strength of a woman living in a man's world and achieving success. A woman of deep convictions and undying love for saving animals and people. Her relationships with Native Americans, including Quanah Parker, and multiple tidbits I have never heard before.

Join us for this in-depth and interesting revelation about the woman behind Charles Goodnight of the Goodnight-Loving Trail legacy.