P a g e 3 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r In 1914, Laura Smalley married Will Bangs. Smalley moved to her husband’s homestead, but kept her own. And that was good thing, since Bangs lost his farm in 1926. The family, which then included four children, moved to Smalley’s tiny claim shack and their home grew around it. Laura Smalley Bangs died at eighty-seven in 1973, before she could see her grandson work the land she claimed. These and other women take their place alongside their male counterparts who came to Montana for the opportunities the land offered. Like their counterparts, not all of them succeeded. But those who stayed, and prospered with their land, like Gwenllian Evans, Anna Scherlie, and Laura Smalley Bangs, made significant contributions to Montana’s agricultural history. -Ellen Baumler, From the Women’s History Matters blog at: https:// montanawomenshistory.org/ For more on rural Montana women, see these articles on ranchwoman Nannie Alderson and post-World War II home demonstration clubs. The Scherlie Homestead is featured on the WHM Places page! Sources Bangs Farm, Centennial Farm and Ranch Program. Montana History Wiki at http:// montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/40438395/Bangs%20Farm. Baumler. Ellen. “Celestia Alice Earp.” In Ellen Baumler, Beyond Spirit Tailings: Montana’s Mysteries, Ghosts and Haunted Places, 65-68. Helena: Montana Historical Society, 2005. Carter, Sarah. Montana Women Homesteaders: A Field of One’s Own. Helena: Farcountry Press, 2009. Cederburg, Leon, and Nellie Cederburg. Anna Scherlie Homestead Shack, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena. Because only “heads of households” were allowed to take up homesteads, most women homesteaders were single, divorced, or widowed. A married woman could not homestead unless she proved that her husband played no part in her support. Mildred Hunt, who homesteaded near Fort Benton, received her patent in 1914, but not until a physician from her home town testified that her husband was a “confirmed drunkard” who in no way contributed to her support. Her homestead shack sits right on the property line. Her friend Sophie Maud Jefferson homesteaded the adjacent property. Photo 1995-RP-535-A, Olverholser Historical Research Center, Fort Benton Ellen Baumler is an award-winning author and Montana historian. A master at linking history with modern-day supernatural events, Ellen's true stories have delighted audiences across the state. She lives in Helena in a century-old house with her husband, Mark, and its resident spirits. To view and purchase Ellen’s books, visit: http://ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend!
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