Diane Astrup Scalese, through her talent as an engraver, has elevated the traditional trappings necessary in any cowgirl or cowboy’s life into functional works of art. Working in steel, silver, gold, brass, and platinum, her spurs, bridle bits, buckles, conchas, and firearms shine under her Western bright cut engraving. Raised on her family’s grain and...
In 1917, Marie Gibson entered her first rodeo competition at the Great Northern Montana Stampede; there she met her future husband, Tom Gibson, a Canadian bronc rider. Marie competed in rodeos from 1917 to 1933, participating all over Canada and in every major rodeo in the United States. In 1924, she won first place in...
Ann Secrest Hanson lived a life of quiet dedication, devoted to every facet of ranching and rodeo. After growing up on a ranch in eastern Montana, Ann settled down to ranch with her husband. Raising cattle, sheep, quarter horses, draft horses and bucking horses, their ranch and family grew. She and her husband began to...
Evelyn captured the history and spirit of early Montana with over 1800 photographs and 35 volumes of diaries. The daughter of a wealthy English family, she turned away from a genteel lifestyle to adopt the life of a Montana rancher. To make ends meet she turned to photography. While selling the pictures helped her financially,...
For six decades, Bobby has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the horse industry in Montana. Riding since she was three, Bobby has carried on the ranching traditions of her parents and grandparents. She and her husband formed the Hanging Diamond A Horse Ranch after both pursued notable rodeo careers. Bobby produced award-winning horses...
Barbara’s photographs of the ranching West realistically portray ranch life in the modern West. Raised on the family’s Montana ranch, she learned ranch life as a participant, with photography as an avocation. Barbara taught English Literature and Photography at DePaul University in Chicago, becoming the youngest Dean of Women in the U.S. She retired from...
Sheila makes custom cowboy hats the same way hatters did a century ago. Using antique tools and methods, she hand-shapes each hat. Growing up as the daughter of a rodeo announcer, Sheila grew up around rodeo arenas and cowboy hats. With her accumulated knowledge and an interest in hats that goes back to her childhood,...
An athlete her entire life, Jonnie tried bull riding for fun but found the sport could give her the challenge she desired and so took it up professionally. Jonnie’s competitive spirit helped her overcome many barriers to become a two-time world champion bull rider, paving the way for the women who followed her. Many arenas...
The daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose was a gifted child academically. She left home at seventeen to work for Western Union, then began a successful but short-lived real estate venture. Rose began a literary career as a feature writer for the San Francisco Bulletin. Leaving that job to work for the Red Cross, Rose...
Pamela grew up in California and began sculpting as a way to provide therapy for handicapped children. After learning bronze casting, she combined it with her love of history and her own personal experiences of ranch work to create bronzes of stories and characters of the West. A member of Women Artists of the American...
