Burning the Breeze: Three Generations of Women in the American West

by Lisa Hendrickson

In the middle of the Great Depression, Montana native Julia Bennett arrived in New York City with no money and an audacious business plan: to identify and visit easterners who could afford to spend their summers at her brand new dude ranch near Ennis, Montana. Julia, a big-game hunter whom friends described as “a clever shot with both rifle and shotgun,” flouted gender conventions to build guest ranches in Montana and Arizona that attracted world-renowned entertainers and artists.

Bennett’s entrepreneurship, however, was not a new family development. During the Civil War, her widowed grandmother and her seven-year-old daughter—Bennett’s mother—set out from Missouri on a ten-month journey with little more than a yoke of oxen, a covered wagon, and the clothes on their backs. They faced countless heartbreaks and obstacles as they struggled to build a new life in the Montana Territory.

Burning the Breeze is the story of three generations of women and their intrepid efforts to succeed in the American West. Excerpts from diaries, letters, and scrapbooks, along with rare family photos, help bring their vibrant personalities to life.
Burning the Breeze was a finalist in the Creative Non-fiction category of the 2022 WILLA Literary Awards, sponsored by Women Writing the West, and a finalist for 2022 Evans Biography Award, sponsored by the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State University.

Purchase the audio edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Westerns, Biography

376 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Lisa Hendrickson is the author of Burning the Breeze: Three Generations of Women in the American West, published in 2021 by Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press. The book was a finalist in the Creative Non-fiction category of the WILLA Literary Awards presented by Women Writing the West. It also was a finalist for the 2022 Evans Handcart Award in the biography category, presented by the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, Utah State University.

Lisa co-wrote, with Dick Hall, Kiritsis and Me: 63 Hours at Gunpoint, which documents Hall’s 1977 kidnapping by Tony Kiritsis, a national news story that year. In addition, she edited a series of three books commissioned by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission for the state’s 200th anniversary in 2016.

She began her career as a journalist and has worked as a public relations executive and communications consultant.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Generations of Women in Bozeman

The story is interesting and I love Bozeman Montana but the writing is problematic. It doesn’t flesh the topic absorbing and easy to read. Instead it’s laborious.

[Cynthia]

Burning the Breeze is a captivating tale of a woman ahead of her time. Reading the vivid description of the harrowing journey to Montana made my bones ache. Julia’s savvy business negotiations in the “big city” will make you appreciate her intelligence. This could be a great vehicle for a wonderful movie – Reese? Oprah?

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but the three generation story wasn’t smoothly transitioned. It felt jumpy.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a well-written and fascinating read about a little slice of history of the west. The author, Lisa Hendrickson, is fellow student in my MFA program (which is how I came to pick up this book), and she does such a skillful job of telling the story of Julia and her journey (starting with her grandmother's journey to the west in Oregon Trail days) to dude ranch ownership and operation in Montana. I can easily tell from the book how formidable of a person Julia was, especially during an era when it was even more difficult than now to thrive as an independent woman in the world.

Highly recommend for anyone, but especially for those who love to read about American history--I don't think you can do any better than this.

[Alicia Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burning the Breeze is that rare, satisfying book that is both a well-researched historical account and satisfying family saga with strong women at the center. Julia Bennett is an unforgettable character, but readers will also appreciate learning about her mother and grandmother as well, as they built new lives in the American West. There is much to enjoy about this story: the imagery of Western life and landscapes that author Lisa Hendrickson recreates, the colorful characters she resurrects from diaries and letters, and a tale of remarkable, female entrepreneurship. As a reader, I began fantasizing about seeing this story told in a movie or miniseries. It’s that good.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of three generations of heroic Montana women, who managed to not only survive the numerous, intense hardships of their times, but also to establish one of the first female owned and operated dude ranches in the west. Hendrickson's exhaustive research provides vivid details and accounts of the epic struggles and successes of this family, beginning with their move from Missouri to the west during Civil War times. Hendrickson makes the characters and setting come alive, with sharp attention to detail, and a lyrical style that never bogs down. A truly unique and entertaining book in which I also learned a great deal. Highly, highly recommend.

[Liz D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating Women, But Hard to Follow at Times

I really enjoyed learning about the strong, resilient women featured in this book and their lives in Montana. The history and personal stories were compelling and informative. However, the writing style made it a bit difficult to stay fully engaged. The author frequently jumped between different people and time periods, which sometimes made it hard to keep track of the timeline or connect deeply with the individuals. Overall, it was a valuable read for those interested in women's history and the American West, but the structure could have been more organized.

[Erica Oglevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy when non-fiction books read like a great story. This was well written in such that I was engaged and eager to read whatever would happen next, chapter to chapter. This book was hard for me to put down. Julia was a woman of inspiration and persistence. She epitomized that attitude and discipline would win out in the end, even when bad luck reared its ugly head repeatedly. Great history - and I very much appreciate all the family and friends contributing their stories and photographs to this work.

[Dominique Weldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burning the Breeze is an engaging and well-researched book. Hendrickson did a fantastic job bringing the stories of these three incredible women to life. Each chapter makes you want to know what happens next. By the time I finished, I felt like I truly knew Julia Bennett and her family. I highly recommend this book!

[Syndulla De La · Rating 1 out of 5]

A completely white washed version of history. This was Critical Race Theory for Caucasians. The archaic verbiage, the making Native Americans out to be blood thirsty, and the glossing over the blatant racism got old quick, but what could you expect from someone whose paradigm has never thought one inch outside of themselves.

[Andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a saga of three generations of tenacious women in the Wild West! Julia Bennett was a force to be reckoned with. A well-researched portrait of these relatively unknown trailblazers set against a harsh yet gorgeous landscape of the American West.

[Susan Jasmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Story about a Great Family

This is a great story of a western family and their hardships. It takes strength beyond what most people understand today.
The descriptions of life in the 1800’s and early 1900’s make you understand how different life was.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Lisa Hendrickson does a masterful job of incorporating information from the rich trove of primary material—guest books, diaries, photographs—into the narrative. We learn about the many celebrities that Julia knew—Charlie Russell, Myrna Loy, Charlie McCarty, George Westinghouse. Newspaper accounts provide important historical context. All in all, Burning the Breeze is a great read for anyone interested in Western guest ranches and the contributions of strong women to the development of the West.

[Shirley M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well researched book about important women pioneers in the West. It is sure to entertain and delight. I recommend it to all.
Shirley M. Mueller, author of "Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play."

[Tabetha Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was rather difficult to get through and I often found myself not wanting to pick it up again. The story is quite astounding but it’s so very detailed and sometimes difficult to follow. It reads like if someone were telling you about their family tree.

[Mary Pendexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely! It was such fun to “walk in the shoes” of several amazing women who lived there when it was wild and unsettled.

[Finney Moore]

Heidi recommend

[Lou Gerig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and our book club read it and had a great discussion with the author. Truly a remarkable story. And well written.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fictional account of 3 generations of women who settled in the Montana territory.

[Paige Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone living in the Madison Valley in MT and knows of the Diamond J Ranch should read this book. Anyone else that loves non-fictional history and dude ranches, should read this book as well.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and engaging book about the first woman to run a dude ranch in Montana.