Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 107 Alice rode her first bronc in public at the Forsyth Rodeo in 1919 at seventeen. Marge, five years younger, won a $15 purse for the half-mile cowgirl race at the Red Lodge rodeo in 1924. Marge jockeyed and later rode bareback broncs and steers while Alice did exceptional trick riding. Both sisters eventually rode bucking bron- cos and bulls, winning championships across the United States. e Greenough sisters were refined, well-spoken, and dressed like ladies when they were not riding. ey endured the same struggles as their male counterparts, suffered the same injuries, and rode the same stock. e Greenough sisters, their saddle-bronc champion brother Turk, and other family members helped bring the professional Home of Champions Rodeo to Red Lodge. Credit goes to Alice Greenough for forming her own rodeo company to facilitate the first women's barrel racing competition. ese four spirited, independent women are all members of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Among the 266 members, 33 are women and only 12 rode broncs. Fannie Sperry Steele honored in 1975, Alice and Marge Greenough in 1983, and Marie Gibson posthumously in 2006, are quintessential Montana women who take their places among the best of the best. Marie Gibson's fatal wreck came on the heels of another horrific accident, the death of bronc rider Bonnie McCarroll at Pendleton, Oregon, in 1929. Promoters began to curtail women's participation in rough stock competition. World War II saw further limitations as cowboys were in short supply and cowgirls were even fewer. Madison Square Garden hosted its last women's bronc riding contest in 1941. Women's competitions became far less athletic and focused on barrel racing and pageantry. Ann Secrest Hanson of Jordan, Montana, was an experienced barrel racer but found the sport unsatisfying. As she and her first husband hosted training schools for rough stock riders, Ann became * Exquisite 14 room Inn with pride of ownership * 5 Minutes North, with views of Yellowstone National Park * Continuously upgraded * Kitchen and dining facility included * Turn Key with profits increasing annually * TripAdvisor reviewed - Hall of Fame $2,350,000. Make your dreams come true and own a part of the West. For a private showing, contact Suzy Barnett - YRE Group at 406-224-3783. It , s your time, make it the best! Own your dream business in beautiful SW Montana Sixteen-year-old Fannie Sperry's first ride on a white stallion at Mitchell was so impressive spectators passed the hat. Courtesy Vi Hilger Nelson. Ann Secrest Hanson (pictured here) and Jonnie Jonckowski furthered the legacy of those who came before them and became legendary themselves. Courtesy Ann Secrest Hanson. THESE SPIRITED, INDEPENDENT WOMEN ARE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL COWBOY HALL OF FAME. CONTINUED

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