2024 Montana Cowgirls Association 64th Annual Convention

Composed of women of Montana and dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the invaluable contribution made by women toward the development of Montana, the Montana Cowgirls Association met for its 64th Annual Convention this past Saturday, Jan. 20th, at the Holiday Inn, 400 10th Ave. So. in Great Falls. The Association records for posterity the biographies of individuals so that they will not be forgotten with the passing of time, recording and keeping alive the code of honor of the Old West, and sponsoring activities that will preserve the Western ideas and ideals.

After the welcome by outgoing president Marjorie Pribyl, Board member Ruth, who served as the Convention's Emcee, introduced Bev Caldwell who read the Cowgirls Creed, which was written by the late Lola Shelton Kraue, a Great Falls writer, teacher, and horsewoman. This was followed by the introduction of this year's MCA High School Rodeo Scholarship winner, Emily Williams, from Browning, Montana. The MCA Rodeo Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 is given to a high school senior who has competed in high school rodeo in more than one event for at least 3 years of her high school career and will be presented at the State High School Rodeo Finals in June, 2024. Also, introduced to the attendees was the Big Sky Rodeo Queen, Katy Ramsey.

Next came the Installation of the MCA Officers for 2024-2026. They are President, Stevie Neuman; Vice President, Darlene Larson; Secretary, Beverly Caldwell; Treasurer, Nancy Lemire; Board Member, Ruth Mortag; and Historian, Donna Dugas.

The Convention featured live music by "Jonny and Jane" during the lunch, which consisted of pot roast with all he trimmings. Invocation was done by Lynn Roher. There was also a live auction with Tammy Mortag, Auctioneer, raffle basket drawings, and door prizes.

The Legacy Award was presented to the family of Josephine Lahti, a dairy and cattle rancher from Wolf Creek. Her granddaughter, Stevie Neuman, shared her grandmother's biography with the attendees. "Edna Josephine Morrow Lahti, 1915-2012, 'Grandma Jo,' was the matriarch, the Queen of Cattle, and the author of 'Tough Cookies!' She was small in statue (5'3"), but full of life. She had an endless supply of energy, full of wit, incredibly intelligent, had an incredible ability to recall numbers and the history of every cow on the ranch. She loved her horses, her cows, and her dogs. A granddaughter of a gold miner, she was also very interested in geology and mining. She absolutely loved rock formations and exploring the mountains, looking for old mines. She enjoyed sharing her brandy or drinking a beer with you, while engaging in conversation on everything from ranching to politics."

In 1950, she and her husband Clyde purchased a ranch along the Missouri River with Little Prickly Pear Creek running through, and built a state-of-the-art dairy and beef facility. When the dairy cows were sold they continued to raise beef cows. They worked side by side on their ranch, she mowing and raking hay; Clyde baled and she stacked. They milked Jerseys, and she drove the milk truck daily over 140 miles round trip to Great Falls and home in all kinds of weather. She exemplified a true cowgirl spirit her whole life, contributing greatly to the Montana ranching way of life, whether herding cattle, running the show during branding, teaching how to halter-break colts, and continually adapting the ranch based on scientific study. She truly loved Montana and life on the land. She lived to be 96 plus years of adventure and saw many changes in the world.

Each year a cowgirl is honored by receiving the organization's Heritage Award. Nancy Lemire presented the Award to this year's recipient, Peggy Palo Johnson of Fort Shaw, Montana. From the beginning, she felt destined to be her Dad's "cowboy". He loved raising and working with young horses and Peggy is certain that he passed his love of the land, the cattle, the horses, and most of all the love of a lifestyle that cannot be learned--you have to have lived it. She is proud that all of her kids and grandkids have embraced that lifestyle and are all living in Montana.

Her Dad, John Palo, ranched on Little Muddy Creek on the Square Butte north of Cascade. He worked for Margaret Getts McCartney, a renown horsewoman who rode saddle broncs and ran relays with Fanny Steele and others. After her Dad got married, Margaret hired them to help her and her husband, and to teach their son the ranching business. When the Depression hit, the McCartneys could not pay her folks, so they were given land in lieu of wages. They added more land through the years and made the ranch where she lives on today.

"The 'old house' where I was born was an old stage stop. It is still standing as well as the log barn which housed the fresh horses for the stage between Whiskey Brown's on the Mullan Trail, and Cascade. When I was 2, my parents built a new house a little closer to the butte."

After she got married, she and her husband Phil bought a 10x56 trailer and set it up on the ranch, where she became a full-time partner. They leased cows and the land from her Dad, and right away got involved with artificial insemination, bloodlines, and EPD's to improve the cow herd. They are proud of the self-sufficient, Black Angus cowherd that they have developed and have sold many replacement females. Always having been involved with horses, she has bought and improved the bloodlines over the years.

"I think that all of the kids and grandkids appreciate their heritage and the sacrifices made by their ancestors that afford them this way of life. We are all so thankful that all of them love God, their families, and the land. This anonymous saying is how I would like to be remembered: 'She never moved the stars from their course, but she loved God and she rode good horses.'"

The Convention ended with the Raffle Basket Drawings, followed by a closing Farewell Prayer by Darlene Larson.