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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Two sorrels belonging to Buster and Helen Brown have gone AWOL in the snow.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Helen Brown knows the complications of passing a ranch to the next generation. Proud mother of two rodeoing sons, she told them, "Don't bring home any princesses."
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Joe Fretheim assists a two-year-old heifer birthing her first calf: "Sometimes with their first, they're not in tune with pushing and breathing. You have to give them time on their own, then signs show they need some help." Joe and his wife, Anna (looking on), run their ranch and farm on 12,000 acres in northern Montana's Hi-Line.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
A computerized combine and a grain-hauling semi help get the wheat harvested. Pricey equipment adds big debt to the risks and challenges of farming here.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Anna Scherlie, from North Dakota, filed a claim on a homestead near Turner in 1913. She lived alone in this one-room shack, without plumbing or electricity, until 1967.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Friends and neighbors gathered to help Maggie Nutter (pink cap) and Kelly Mothershead brand their calves. Afterward, beer slakes thirst and affirms a community moment.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Justin Hofeldt, a welder for BNSF Railway, repairs track near Rudyard. The rails opened this ground to homesteaders, with illusory promises of easy crops and plenty of rain.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
A calf roper warms up at the Marias 4-County Fair. While ranches and farms become ever more mechanized, rodeo is a reminder that the old skills are still prized—and useful.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
A demolition derby in Shelby, Montana, plays out against a backdrop of grain elevators. Up here, agriculture is what turns the wheels of social and economic life.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
The caramel corn tent offers a view of the Marias 4-County Fair. The four-day event, held in Shelby every July, features 4-H presentations, a demolition derby, carnival rides, a rodeo, fireworks, and plenty of funnel cakes.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
A tense round of cow pie bingo enlivens a summer fund-raiser in Chester. The football field is gridded, bets are placed, and all wait to see where the flop will drop. Winner takes $1,800.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
The 4-H Club program, developing youthful skills and confidence, is another thread of the social fabric. Jayleen McAlpine of Sunburst shows her steer at the county fair.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Dancers apply the finishing touches to their makeup outside the Chippewa Cree Powwow on Rocky Boy's Reservation. The details of the outfits (calling them "costumes" is discouraged) are crucial, both to preserve cultural heritage and to vie for some of the $80,000 in prizes that go to dancers, singers, and competitors in traditional games.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
"It's a simple church, just the basics." Hal DeBoer preaches to his flock in the First Creek Hall community center near Malta. Each Sunday Pastor Hal, founder of Prairie Churches—Montana Territories, visits three locations along the Hi-Line with his wife, Henrietta, "providing church services for prairie families, folks who might not be able to get into town so frequently." The French family, five of the nine attendees of this sermon, travels 35 miles to reach First Creek Hall on Sundays.
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Photograph by William Albert Allard
Five generations of Gundersons have lived on the place that Anna Gunderson homesteaded in 1910. Her descendants come and go; the land remains.
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