Description
What would draw Ellen Pfister, J.D., to full-time ranching in the Bull Mountains northeast of Billings, Montana? Was it growing up on a ranch and experiencing the lifestyle and hard work of ranching year after year? No, not exactly. It was a process for Ellen to learn to appreciate what her parents and other family members did for a living. That process eventually came full circle, giving Ellen a challenging but fulfilling adult life on the ranch. Ellen did not discover that ranching was a part of her career path until after finishing law school at Ole Miss.
Then, seven years later, the Consolidation Coal Company knocked on Ellen's mother's door in Shepherd, Montana, in the summer of 1970. That horrifying knock dramatically changed the course of their lives.
With photos included, Ellen Pfister paints a vivid picture of a woman who continues to fight for the beauty of Montana's land and water. Ellen's primary concern was that coal mining would irreparably damage the land and water supplies, which are essential for a ranch in an arid landscape of sandstone, sagebrush, and ponderosa pine trees stunted by periodic droughts. Ellen said, "I'm trying to figure out how to protect myself; if you do not have water, you have to go somewhere else," and leaving Montana to be destroyed was not an option.
This is a great read for anyone seeking inspiration to persevere through challenges, particularly environmentalists, conservationists, and women pursuing careers outside the norm.
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