Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Creating Fiction from History: 7/6/2022

Born Mary Jane Wheeler, this mischievously beautiful person emerged kicking and screaming into this cold cruel world on the third of July, 1842.

The second daughter of William and Janelle Wheeler, Mary Jane lived most of her life on the family farm in the hills surrounding what is now the sprawling metropolis of Butte, Montana.

A second-generation American, William had migrated westward in 1839, leaving behind his own parents in Iowa. Unbeknownst to William and his new bride at the time, they beat the Great Emigration by several years. However, they braved the dangers of the Trail for much the same reason as those fabled pioneers who would follow the tracks lain by the Wheelers.

Mary Jane grew up with danger all around her, one should note, not only from the wildlife prevalent in the Northern Rockies but also from the Blackfeet Indians (some friendly, some not) who still reamed the territory.

When Mary Jane was born, William and Janelle welcomed her along with their nearest neighbors, a friendly Native American couple who were celebrating the birth of their firstborn son. The Wheelers never expected that in her later years at 22, Mary Jane would become the wife of this young brave. Later, after he died in a mining accident in 1864, Mary Jane opened one of the first dance halls in the new city.

If you would like to create fiction from history with one of the museum’s photos, please contact the Ledger at (406) 287-5301 or email whledger@gmail.com.

 

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