A few years ago Loren Jenkins gave “The Mountaineer” a stack of old high school reports about how some of the Big Sandy founding fathers got here and about their lives in and around Big Sandy. High School students interviewed old timers. From time to time we will print some of those reports just so they won’t be lost to history. And, they are great stories of old times right around here!
Mary Cameron was born in 1884 in the Black Isle of Scotland. When Mary was nine years old, her family decided to come to the United States to seek new opportunities.
The ship landed at New York City, where her father, who had come ahead to make arrangements for his family and buy a ranch, met them. The family traveled by train to Big Timber, Montana, since that was as far as the tracks ran. They stayed the night in Big Timber and then traveled the next day on the Rock-a-Bye Stage line to Martinsdale. Mary often repeated a story about the families trip to Martinsdale.
When the stage would meet a bunch of cowboys, the two groups would stop and talk. The cowboys were quite amused when they heard the children speak since it was the first time they had ever heard a Scottish accent. The cowboys talked and asked questions just to hear the children speak.
The family then finished the trip and settled on the ranch Mr. Cameron had acquired. Mr. Cameron managed a post office and weather station in Findon Lane, located twelve miles south of Martinsdale. The post office serviced about a twelve mile radius, with mail being delivered by stage in the summer and by horse in the winter. Findon Lane later incorporated into Martinsdale.
Some years later, Mary, attended a cooking school in Helena. While a student there in 1926, she met Mrs. McNamara who was searching for a cook for her husband’s ranch near Big Sandy. Mary accepted Mrs. McNamara’s offer and spent the next two years working on the ranch.
Mary became Mary Haaland in 1928, marrying Elling Haaland who was raising sheep and homesteading by Ihmsen Well. The family lived there for three years. During that time a son, Elling Jr. was born to the family.
In 1932 the Haalands bought land from McNamara and Marlow Inc., and from John Olson whose land was previously owned by Tingley Brothers. All of this land was called the Bonnie Doon, two Gaelic words meaning “Pretty River”.
The Haalands have lived on this land ever since it was bought in 1932. The ranch, which is located one mile northeast of Big Sandy, has some interesting facts concerning it.
While the McNamara’s owned the ranch, Fort Assinniboine used the land for hay pasture. Bertha Bowers, who wrote “Chip of the Flying U” while living there, used to cook for the hay crews. It was said that more than one set of potatoes boiled dry while Bertha finished a chapter in one of her books.
The reservoir located near Highway 87 was used to fill up the old steam engines on the trains. When McNamara owned the land, the Great Northern Railway asked permission to dig a reservoir. A contract was developed which stated that when the railroad was through using the water, the reservoir would revert back to the current owners of the land,. The railroad dug the reservoir with mules and horses and then dug a well in the middle so that if the creek happened to run dry, there would still be water. The water was pumped under the railroad tracks, and up into a large water container. At that time the road was located on the other side of the railroad tracks, so there was no problem pumping the water across.
Many years before anyone had settled in the location, the Missouri River used to run through the ranch. It is thought an underground river running under the whole ranch causes the land to sink and be swampy.
Despite its swamp-like appearance, Bonnie Doon is still sought after by some people, as it still has the best hay field in the area.
Mary Haaland lived on her land until her death in 1974. She spent many long hours and many years developing her ranch and was quite proud of it. Although Mary had passed away, the Haaland ranch will continue on, as her son Ron is presently running her “Bonnie Doon”.
