Grantee: The Extreme History Project
Project: The Story of Us: The Women Who Shaped Montana, Episode 3
Grant Program: Film + Video
Award: $10,000
Every quarter, we select one project that exemplifies the impact and importance of the humanities in Montana and provides an example of the humanities-focused work we are hoping to support through our grantmaking. This month we invite you to share in our excitement and gratitude for The Extreme History Project and their new docuseries. Thank you to Extreme History’s executive director, Crystal Alegria, for telling us more about her project.
Please give a brief overview of your project:
“The Story of Us: The Women Who Shaped Montana” is a documentary series that highlights the impactful contributions of notable Montana women. Episode three features Ella Knowles Haskell, Nancy Cooper Russell, and Fannie Sperry Steele. Ella Knowles Haskell was Montana’s first female lawyer and a prominent suffragist, breaking gender barriers in law and politics. Nancy Cooper Russell, wife of famed artist Charles M. Russell, played a crucial role in managing and promoting her husband’s career, ensuring his legacy in Western art. Fannie Sperry Steele was a renowned bronc rider and rodeo performer, celebrated for her exceptional horsemanship and as one of the first women inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. This episode delves into their lives and achievements, showcasing how each woman significantly influenced Montana’s history and culture.
What do you feel was your project’s most notable accomplishment?
By weaving together historical research, archival materials, and expert insights, this episode of The Story of Us will not only preserve the legacies of these women but also make them accessible to a broader audience. Highlighting Haskell’s legal and political breakthroughs, Russell’s behind-the-scenes role in shaping Western art, and Steele’s pioneering achievements in rodeo helps paint a more comprehensive picture of Montana’s past. We hope to inspire viewers to recognize the impact of women in shaping the state and encouraging further exploration of Montana’s rich history.
What was your favorite aspect of the project?
Meeting with and talking to descendant family members and community members is the highlight. It’s wonderful to connect with people who had a connection to the historic women we are featuring, whether that person is a descendent family member or a member of the community. Their reflections and remembrances are so important.
What else should Montanans know about your project?
There are so many notable and historic Montana women. With this project we are only able to highlight a few but our hope is that The Story of Us will encourage viewers to seek out more historic women and better understand their contributions to our towns, cities, and to the State of Montana.
How do you define the humanities, and why are they important to Montanans?
The humanities in Montana, as in general, encompass the study of people and their experiences. We can view this through the lens of history, anthropology, literature, philosophy, languages, and the arts. At Extreme History, we like to focus on the state’s unique cultural heritage, including Indigenous histories and traditions, and expanding the historical narrative to those histories that have been suppressed and/or marginalized. We love to tell diverse stories that help us better understand this beautiful and complex place in which we live, Montana. The humanities are an important way to explore our shared values through cultural appreciation, dialogue and history.
Anything else you would like to share?
Thank you to Humanities Montana for the opportunity to bring this project to light. Without this critical support so many projects would never happen. We hope to continue to produce The Story of Us: The Women who Shaped Montana into the future with many more episodes and historic women featured. Watch for episode three to air on Montana PBS in the fall of 2025! You can watch episodes one and two by visiting the Montana PBS website where both episodes are currently being streamed.
Episode one: https://www.pbs.org/video/story-of-us-the-women-who-shaped-montana-c2njhf/
Episode two: https://www.pbs.org/video/102-the-story-of-us-the-women-who-shaped-montana-yan0yv/
For more information about the Extreme History Project, visit their website at www.extremehistoryproject.org, find them on Facebook or Instagram, or contact them at info@extremehistoryproject.org.
