The northwestern United States has always been the woman’s domain. It was the women who settled the West, not the men. If there was any doubt to that, just look at the earliest male explorers. If it were not for Sacajawea, the female guide of the Lemhi Shoshone Tribe, Lewis and Clark would not have made it very far.
The women of the Northwest have been passing the torch to the next generation for more than 150 years. It was Wyoming in 1869, when it was a still a territory, that was the first state to grant women the right to vote in local, state and federal elections. Not only did women earn the right to vote that year, but women were also granted the right to own and inherit property, as well as allowing them guardianship of minor children.
Wyoming was not the only state in which the women took charge. Montana holds the distinction of electing the first woman to congress in 1916. Jeanette Rankin ran as the first woman Republican candidate in Montana. In a landslide victory, Congresswoman Rankin became the first United States of America female representative.
It was in 2022 that I had the pleasure of introducing two of the most incredible women that I have ever met to NRA Women in Matriarchs Run Montana: Living in the Wild. Terri and her daughter, Autumn, proprietors of Big Moose Lodge and Big Bear Lodge outside of Cooke City, Montana.
Passing the Torch
In keeping with the traditions of the northwestern United States, passing the torch to the next generation goes without saying. As Father Time makes us all a little “long in the tooth” and requires that we all need a little stronger dose of “90-proof Rheumatism” medicine, the matriarchs Terry and Autumn look to the next generation. The next generation of “Matriarchs of the Mountains” happens to be Autumn’s daughters, Aria and Mary.
I asked Aria, 22, and Mary, 16, about their observations of their mother, Autumn, and grandmother, Terri, run their businesses: Big Moose Lodge and Big Bear Lodge. Without hesitation, the sisters both agreed how much they love living in this area and leading this lifestyle. They said it’s a simple way of living, like the old ways of doing things. They were raised and taught that if you need wood, go out and chop it! No one is going to do it for you.
While Mom and Grandma are working and maintaining their lodges, the sisters are always available to help them whenever needed. They have both stepped up to help them clean cabins after guests depart, and get the cabins ready for the next guests to check in. If there are minor repairs to be done, the girls just do it, with the mentality that it needs to be done. Just figure out what needs to be repaired and fix it! They have helped with plumbing issues, electrical issues, and minor maintenance issues around the properties.
Aria not only helps with the family businesses, but she is also an all-around woman who loves her hobbies and staying busy. Of course, she loves the outdoors—hunting, fishing, hiking, etc., but is also a trained amateur boxer and excels in kick-boxing.
When Aria is not helping her mother and grandmother or engaged in her various hobbies, she works for several businesses in Cooke City, oftentimes holding three jobs. She has worked as a waitress at the Beartooth Café and at the Yellowstone Trading Post. If that was not enough, Aria works at Cooke City Motorsports as a mechanic on snowmobiles and ATVs.
Mary is also a very busy young lady. Besides helping between the two family businesses, she plays on the community softball team. Like her older sister, Mary enjoys outdoor activities such as shooting, hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, etc. She also works at the Beartooth Café in her spare time.
Unlike for a lot of high school students, it is an adventure just going to and from school. I asked Mary what it is like during the school year and during the harsh winters. She proudly said that she rides her snowmobile back and forth to school every day, even in temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Outdoors Way of Life
Aria and Mary were raised around firearms. Both young women take firearm safety very seriously. They completed their state’s hunter education course at an early age because hunting is a way of life in the mountains. Aria and Mary both hunt and apply for their own elk tags, and they started rabbit, grouse, and coyote hunting around 8 years old.
I asked the sisters if they perceive this as a women-led state, where the women took the lead and made most all the family and business decisions, or if it was just localized to their families. They unanimously agreed this is the way it is across the state, and strong women lead it. They defined “strong women” as a form of independence. They recognized that the women up here, especially in the mountains, were not only committed to work and family, but pretty much everything in general. They went on to say that family is a BIG thing up here. Families are very close to each other because they all must depend upon each other. The women especially take care of all the businesses as well as raise their families. Since they are all so secluded, no one wants to upset the ones they spend most of their time with. Families are very close to each other.
I asked if the young girls in their community were also being raised in their family businesses. Both Aria and Mary immediately began naming moms and daughters in their town and validated that all the young girls and daughters they know want to take over their parents’ family businesses in town when they grow up. Aria and Mary said all the business owners are women, and all are strong mamas. To highlight the role of women in their community, they both proudly state the Cooke City Chamber of Commerce are made up of mostly all women.
What About the Men?
My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to ask where the men fit in since women were running everything. I was informed that in the local restaurants the guys are usually in the back cooking. They also said that the men work the consistent and laborious jobs like roofing and construction and are confident handymen in these trades. Even though the men step back and watch the women in their lives run things, they are the first to step up when they are asked to help. When the work is done, they like to have “fun” by snowmobiling, fishing and hunting. The unspoken rule around here is the women tell them “Go and have your fun but you better be back home when you say you will be back home.”
It is inspiring to see these young women stepping up and keeping the tradition of the strong women leading their communities. Women shaped the northwestern United States, and you can still see this today in Wyoming and Montana. Passing the torch is not always an easy thing to do, but seeing strong women like Aria and Mary, we can rest easier knowing the future is in the hands of the next generation of strong women: Matriarchs of the Mountains!
