This House of Food: Stories from Montana Kitchens

Dates: January 27, 2025
Meets: M from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
 Location: Bozeman, MT - Museum of the Rockies
Cost:  $0.00

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Date Day Time
01/27/2025Monday3 PM to 5 PM

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2024-2025 OLLI at MSU Membership

Description

Bessie Ringer, Rose Gordon and Arcelia Smith all cooked in Meagher County, Montana. Their experiences cooking for ranches, restaurants, friends and family were repeated across the American West by multitudes of anonymous cooks. Rich historical records let us appreciate the work of Bessie, Ivan Doig's grandmother, who cooked for crews as the Doigs moved from outfit to outfit; of Rose, an African American woman who ran several restaurants in White Sulphur Springs; and Arcelia, who created a dessert that lived in threshers' memories.

Course Takeaways

  • Realize the paid and unpaid labor of women cooks in rural Montana.
  • Understand the experiences of an African American family in rural Montana.
  • Explore food as a window onto American social history.
Fee:  $0.00

Bozeman, MT - Museum of the Rockies

600 West Kagy Blvd
Bozeman, Montana 59717

Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy is a Professor Emerita at MSU. With colleagues at MSU and the Montana Historical Society, she is working on a book project titled "Gathering: Food and Community in Montana." Dr. Murphy taught courses on the history of gender, the North American West, and food history. She has served as director of the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands and Peoples of the American West.