Women's History in Montana
As we teeter on the cusp between March and April, it's a toss-up which month to focus on. March is Women's History Month, and certainly a lot can be said about that. April is National Poetry Month, and the good news there is that the Lincoln County libraries will hold their annual poetry contest for young people and adults in April. Stop by the library branch in Eureka to pick up an application and submit your finest work.
Leaning towards March and the celebration of women, it is easy to notice all the women-owned businesses in the valley. There are so many of them that it is truly amazing. Some are owned solely by women, like Elrod Chiropractic, Heaven's Peak Organics, Latte'Da, My Sisters Apparel, Mountain Gift and Home, Mountain Vista Veterinary, Rejuvenate Massage, Salon Belleza, Simply Josephine, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore, Sunflower Moose, Theodora's Garden, and the Woolery Mammoth. This isn't even a complete list, but it does give some idea of how enterprising the women in the Tobacco Valley are.
Businesses where women are helping to keep things hopping include Cafe Jax, Four Corners Restaurant, Red Barn, Fosters Fitness, Montana Market, and Trappers. These are local businesses where you find some powerful and savvy women making great business decisions.
It really shouldn't be a surprise to find enterprising women in the northwest corner of Montana. After all, one of the earliest settlers in the Tobacco Valley was Sophie Morigeau. A local historian, Darris Flanagan, even wrote a book about her Sophie: A Montana Original.
About the Author: Rita Collins. I am a believer in the power of community and for now I call the Tobacco Valley home. I have lived in nine states and three counties and this community here amazes me - how people reach out to neighbors and even travelers. I've never lived in a place that demonstrates people caring for each other so well. And I've never lived in a place that has such a high percentage of talented musicians and artists. I work with the the Sunburst Community Service Foundation, a nonprofit that began in Eureka twenty years ago and now serves numerous communities in western Montana. And I just started a new business, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. I never could have imagined life being this exciting in my sixth decade.
