Waylon Jennings' song says “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.” Judging by the look on this youngster's face, the cowboy bug has already hit him!
In this 1910 photograph by Evelyn Cameron, she captures Elinor (Nels) Baker and her son Hugh. The Baker family lived on the Eastern Montana plains.
Times may have been different in the old west, but this photo is proof that when a ranch needs extra help, that means kids, women, and anyone who can mount a horse!
One thing is for sure, there were not many days when women had the opportunity to “walk out”…or when their worth on a farm or ranch would have been in question.
March is Women’s History Month and we can be very proud of the hard-working, homesteading Mothers who came before us.
Photo Credit to: Montana Historical Society Photo Archives PAC 90-87 G016-005
