by Carol Peterson, Corvallis
March is Women’s History Month which gives me the opportunity to look back on how the GFWC which was internationally federated in 1890 has contributed to the Bitterroot Valley.
Women in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s were homesteading and settling the West. The earliest teachers were parlor schools where mothers were teaching their own and a couple of neighbors. The Methodist, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches were sending missionaries to the wild West. These Missionaries found women that were willing to feed them and have church in their homes to establish religion in their community. By reading books of the homesteading days I am intrigued at the energy that these women had to be able to have sociability. As a young bride was expected to haul water, wood or coal to start the stove, kill a couple of chickens and dress them ready for the oven, bake bread, bake apple pies all before noon when she fed a thrashing crew of about 20 hungry men.
This energy was also present on cold winter days and hot summer days. It was pride that didn’t allow a husband to let his wife work or teach; that meant that he could not support his family. Because of the loneliness and the urge to visit, the women started clubs. There were the Circle Clubs and Ladies Aid that were connected to a church. There were the quilting bees. The Ladies Auxiliary to support the Veterans. The Garden Clubs, Home Demonstration, and PTA that dealt with the home.
The General Federated Woman’s Club was centered in Community Improvement Projects. Montana Federated Woman’s Club began in 1904. Stevensville Woman’s Club began in 1904, Hamilton in 1913. By 1916 there were nine counties which included 17 clubs and 80 women at the State Convention.
Both the Stevensville and Hamilton Clubs started their public Libraries. Corvallis started the Hot Lunch Program for the Corvallis School, had teacher’s teas to welcome the teachers, built club houses in Sula, Clinton and Orchard Homes, restored a Methodist Church into a Club House in Stevensville, purchased a club house on campus at the University of Montana, planted trees, helped with street lighting, purchased lawn mowers for cemeteries and planted flowers.
Montana granted women the right to vote in 1914. The valley women were proud of that right and wanted to vote intelligently so the Woman’s Club was a place for education on the legislation. The County Clubs stood on the County Court House steps and demanded the Commissioners hire a County Nurse. Before the internet the Corvallis Woman’s Club would meet in the evening every Wednesday night during the Montana Legislature and make a phone call to the representatives to be informed of the bills. I remember asking why they voted against a bill and then the representative would mention that someone had attached a negative item to a good bill.
In 1951 the District Clubs included Orchard Homes, Sula, Charlo, Dixon, Sheridan, Plains, Deer Lodge, Ronan, Corvallis, Stevensville, Hamilton, Missoula, Anaconda, and Darby. We had organized International, State, District, County and Local Clubs.
Some of the State Projects included cleaning the dome of the capital building, building a chapel at Galen, and purchasing heart monitors for home use.
In Ravalli County we have just one club left, the Bitterroot Woman’s Club that meets on the second Saturday at the Presbyterian Church in Hamilton at 10:30 a.m. They have 53 members encouraging the public to buy at their online auction, www.32auctions.com/GFWC-BWC2025/ from Friday March 28 until Sunday, March 30, so they can provide scholarships to six county high school students.