Rose B. Gordon and her family: another story told
As a Montanan by birth, I really did not know many African-Americans personally. There were not many who lived in the state and most I did know were from families of employees of the then-Great Northern Railroad (now the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway).
There were only three whom I knew in my 600-student HS in MT in the late 50s-early 60s; only one was, like me, a girl, and we knew each other quite well, especially through speech and drama activities together. We were in different grades (she was younger) and we had no academic classes together. She was lovely in every way and exceptionally talented. We often traveled together throughout the state for various competitions and festivals. As with so many from that time, I completely lost touch.
So I am delighted to know that there are researchers who have looked into the history of African-Americans in Montana. This information showed up today in a Facebook posting of the Montana Historical Society in honor of Black History Month. https://mhs.mt.gov/Membership/Docs/newsletter/2022StarSpring.pdf
If anyone is interested in learning more, here is a link to "A Black Woman's West: The Life of Rose B. Gordon." The book isn't available yet, but one can sign up for information here, if interested: https://app.mt.gov/shop/mhsstore/a-black-womans-west-the-life-of-rose-b-gordon
Some day I would love to know what happened to my own friend. 