Preserving and Protecting Montana's History and Outdoors!
Patty Molinaro
Patty Molinaro
Patty Molinaro is an author and Registered Angus breeder based in southwestern Montana. With a passion for western history and research, Patty has made significant contributions to understanding the region’s rich heritage.
Her expertise in historical accounts is reflected in her titles on the history of Stillwater County, the Beartooth Mountains, the origins of the Crow Agencies, and most recently, a pictorial history of Red Lodge, Montana. Patty’s insightful work offers readers a deeper understanding of the region’s cultural and natural history. Her dedication to interpreting and preserving historic landscapes has naturally aligned her with Our Montana’s conservation efforts.
Patty balances her time between keeping up with her grandchildren, hiking to various cultural sites, and caring for her small Registered Angus herd in Roscoe, Montana.
Check out a couple of Patty’s recent books below!
Red Lodge
Author Patty Molinaro has paired rare historic images with contemporary views to display the intriguing history of Red Lodge, Montana. As intriguing and inviting as its name, Red Lodge, has retained its charm and historic character much the same as when first revered by early Native tribes and frontiersmen.
Once Crow domain, the settlement of Red Lodge was established along a mail route in 1884, slowly evolving as home to coal miners, immigrants, cattlemen, homesteaders, recreationists, and a tourist industry.
Beartooth Mountains, Montana
– Images of America Series-
The name Beartooth suggests strength, rawness, and force. Indeed, the Beartooth Mountains are a power and are unsurpassed in splendor and beauty. The voluminous masses are said to compromise one of the largest contiguous areas in North America. Early natives came in search of game in both the high country and rich valleys, especially the Crows, who used the area frequently. Later, miners appeared in search of precious metals and developed gold, chrome, and platinum mines. Geographers came and scaled mountain peaks, defining, naming, and mapping. Cattle and sheepmen were also lured to the lush mountain pastures. Eventually, trails became roads, and the Beartooth Plateau was easily accessible upon the completion of the Beartooth Highway. With the creation of the US Forest Service, forestlands were surveyed and protected by wilderness status. Soon, dudes were upon the landscape, and an industry was created amongst the peaks and prairies of the Beartooths.
Columbus and Stillwater County, Montana
– Images of America Series –
Stillwater County’s history is anything but still. In 1875, the trading post and stage stop of Stillwater at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Stillwater Rivers enticed trade with the Crow Indians based nearby at their second Crow Agency. The Northern Pacific Railroad built a station here in 1882, renaming it Columbus in 1894. Columbus soon became an important shipping center for early cattle and sheep ranchers, as well as a starting point for many homesteaders who staked claims in the fertile valleys. Agriculture was a key component in the formation and settling of the communities Park City, Reed Point, Absarokee, and Fishtail. The nearby Beartooth Mountains beckoned miners with ore and eventually supplied the nation with chromium during World War II. A major engineering accomplishment was completed in the mid-1920s with the construction of the power plant and dam at nearby Mystic Lake.
Origins of Crow Agencies in Montana
– Transitioning Beyond The Buffalo (American Heritage
“We do not know how to commence farming, but we are all willing to try.”―Crow leader Iron Bull
On May 7, 1868, the Treaty of Fort Laramie forever altered the Crow way of life, defining reservation boundaries and establishing a federal agency. Initially stationed at Fort Parker in 1869, the agency headquarters was later moved to Absaroka in 1875. These early agencies faced numerous challenges including the rapid westward expansion, violations of the treaty, land negotiations, railroad construction, educational obstacles, and a dwindling buffalo population. This situation necessitated the Crows to adopt farming, thought idyllic for transitioning them into American society. Faced with hunger and new struggles of subsistence, Crow leaders chose to adapt the skills necessary to sustain their tribe. Author Patty Molinaro recounts the shifting boundaries and historic pivotal period for the Crow nation.