On
Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda, architects
John G. Link and Charles S. Haire and champion bronc rider Fannie Sperry Steele
will become the newest inductees into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans.
 |
| Butte-Silver Bow Club [MHS Photo Archives PC 001] |
Working
independently and in partnership, John G. Link (1869–1954) and Charles S. Haire
(1857–1925) shaped Montana’s built landscape. In 1906, the two joined together
to form Link and Haire, Architects, which quickly grew into one of Montana’s
most prominent architectural firms. In addition to providing plans for a third
of the state’s county courthouses and contributing to the capitol’s 1912
expansion, Link and Haire designed schools, churches, hospitals, office
buildings, libraries, and private homes. Their buildings, many of which are
listed in the National Register of Historic Places, embrace the period’s
eclectic and classical tastes.
 |
| Helena MT Life Insurance Company [MHS Photo Archives PAc 2013-50] |
Fannie
Sperry Steele (1887– 1983) grew up near Helena and learned to ride almost
before she could walk. In 1907, Sperry began participating in women’s bucking
horse competitions. At the Calgary Stampede in 1912, her ride earned her the
title “Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World.” Sperry rode exhibition broncs
until she was in her fifties. She was the first woman in Montana to receive a
packer’s license, and with her string of pintos, she guided hunters on trips
into the mountains. Widowed in 1940, she continued to run her family’s ranch
until she was seventy-eight.
 |
| Fanny Sperry Steele, Miles City Roundup [MHS Photo Archives 2018-56 |
