Now Available: The Kemptons: Adventures of a Montana Ranch Family 1880-1964
Now Available from Farcountry Press!
In its day, the famed Kempton Ranch of eastern Montana was one of the largest horse and cattle operations in Montana, selling mounts to armies and polo-playing royalty alike. The Kemptons themselves were a storybook family—descended from Mayflower pilgrims, Sioux Indians, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Their own exploits make for a larger-than-life Western epic. Meet Joseph Kempton, a whaling ship captain who becomes an early Colorado pioneer; JB Kempton, the first to ship cattle on the Northern Pacific rails; and his son Berney, a trick roper with Doc Carver’s Wild West Show, hotelier, and a friend to British earls and President Theodore Roosevelt.
Author Trudy Kempton Dana mines her family’s lore for salt-of-the-earth true stories of these and many other characters to reveal a family of rare vision, grit, and integrity as they create American history and embody the spirit of the West.
Heart-warming true stories of larger-than-life people thriving against the odds on Montana’s high, wide plains
Richly illustrated with historical photographs, most never before published
Features 304 pages with 97 historical photographs, The Kemptons: Adventure of a Montana Ranch Family 1880-1964 (ISBN: 978-1-56037-733-7, $17.95, Farcountry Press, 2019) is available at local bookstores and gift shops, through online retailers, or from Farcountry Press at 1.800.821.3874, www.farcountrypress.com.
Praise for The Kemptons
A fascinating look at one western family whose members reflect the gamut of the American experience—from a signer of the Declaration of Independence to a Wild West performer who wowed audiences in Australia by roping kangaroos. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, artifacts, and manuscripts, the stories of the Kempton family’s life in eastern Montana are by turns inspiring and heart wrenching. Trudy Kempton Dana has done a masterful job.
—Donna M. Lucey, author of Photographing Montana (1894-1928): The Life and Work of Evelyn Cameron
I first met Trudy when her grandfather Berney E. Kempton, was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame a few years ago. Her stories reflect our mission to honor the cowboy way of life, American Indian culture, and collective Montana Western Heritage. This book does all that and more—as I personally continue to be humbled by the narrative of those who came before us.
—Christy Stensland, executive director, Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center
The past can teach us so much about how to live in the present. Brava to Trudy Kempton Dana for setting down these family stories.
—Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor award-winning author of Hattie Big Sky, set in eastern Montana
The Kempton family endured the rugged journey westward to Terry, Montana, full of grit and dreams. They left their lasting mark on the town and Trudy’s captivating depiction of their lives will surely leave the same!”
—Megan Pirtz, editor, the Terry Tribune
Trudy Dana makes history come alive. Her skillful writing recounts the adventures and everyday lives of her ancestors who helped to tame our great country. It’s not often that a writer who is descended from individuals who have become household names or who were living in historic places at pivotal times takes the time to do the research and has the ability to pull it off. We are all the richer for it.
—PJ Dempsey, career editor (McGraw-Hill, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and M. Evans)
A fascinating story of a descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence who was raised as a New England Quaker and went west to make his living trading with Indians. He married 7 Indian wives and when the governor pressured him to give up his polygamous way of life and abandon his half Indian family to find a traditional American wife he refused claiming there were no white women within 500 miles and the nearest one was already married. A quintessential piece of American history as gripping as the Lewis and Clark journals.
—Ken Stuart, founder and editor-in-chief, Schirmer Books, Macmillan Publishing Co.
I teach high school American literature and it I wish there were more positive, uplifting resources for my students. I found that in Trudy Dana’s stories! Her grandmother’s journey from Sweden is a great depiction of an emigrant’s experience and the hardship they overcame, the true grit and determination they showed. I wish these stories could be included in every American literature textbook.
—Kim Ferragamo, high school teacher, Edmonds, Washington
This book is a captivating collection of stories that depict what living was like in the early American West before it was tamed. Funny, heartbreaking, courageous, and uplifting are just a few reactions you’ll find upon traveling through her assemblage of real-life Kempton family stories. Ms. Kempton-Dana’s ability to bring alive the harsh realities of ranch and range life through the experiences of this strong, tightly knit, loving family is extremely well done and indeed succeeds in immersing the reader into a fascinating time in our extraordinary American history.
— Matthew Holt, screenwriter and author
About the Author
Trudy Kempton Dana grew up hearing stories of her father’s life on a large horse and cattle ranch in eastern Montana. Although her father, Jerry Kempton, became a civil engineer instead of a rancher and never again lived in Montana, the mystique of the Wild West was a major part of his childhood. After he met and married Phyllis Engdahl, they moved from Montana to Anchorage, Alaska, where Trudy was born and raised.
While attending college at the University of Montana in Missoula, Trudy grew to love Montana. She also wanted to know more about her family history, which includes pilgrims, patriots, pioneers, and Native Americans.
Trudy is a well-known expert in the field of child safety and the author of two books on the subject. Following a series of highly publicized, horrific crimes against children in the Northwest, she was involved in efforts in Washington State to pass the first sexual predator legislation in the nation. Now all states have similar laws. Trudy spoke to hundreds of groups of law enforcement professionals, school administrators, parents, and business people on the topic of protecting children.
Trudy joined a large, suburban Seattle law enforcement agency as their civilian crime prevention officer, where she created several innovative and award-winning programs.
Look Inside