Where the Wind Never Sleeps: A Memoir of the High Plains of Montana

by Ruth M. Sherwood

232 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2022

Reviews

[Cheryle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was Montana like in the early part of the 20th century? Ruth M. Sherwood has written a memoir that answers part of the question. Northeast Montana was open for homesteading where someone could prove up a claim for land by tending to at least one eighth of the total acreage. To this area a mother and daughter arrived from Minnesota. The mother was divorced and looking to start a new life. Mrs. Clark was a determined woman with money from selling her property in Minnesota. The two claimed 320 acres and worked to provide a living from themselves.
The memoir is filled with stories of that homesteading using the history provided by family and friends. Life was not easy but the determination and grit made it a full and meaningful life. The details of daily life relate the challenges and rewards of living the life they chose. A retelling of the family of 5 children and parents provides the answer to my initial question. Montana was rough and raw, but also provided a glimpse into a life few of us today can fathom experiencing.
I recommend reading this easy to read memoir to awaken us to what it really takes to live a full life. Those of us who are so tied to our modern conveniences can learn much from these first hand stories of life lived in total opposition to the way we live today.

[Pam G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I was born and raised in Eastern Montana and still go to our family cabin on Fort Peck Lake often. I love the stories about the "weather", which ALWAYS is a factor when living your life in this area. Chapter 29 (Milk River, High and Rising) is great. I thought about my grandmother while reading Chapter 19 (Polio, Spanish Flu, and Other Maladies). She feared my mother was going to catch Polio just like Mama - the author's mother - worried about her children catching it. The photos and illustrations in the paperback are wonderful. I liked the end, too... Ruth telling us about herself and the Sherwood Siblings.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth's writing made me feel like a fly on the wall watching the every day occurrences on her parents farm. Some authors have a hard time telling their childhood stories without adding their adult perspective. Ruth did an excellent job sharing the past without sharing too much hindsight. Through writing down her own reminisces of her mom's stories and her own eavesdropping on conversations, the reader also gets a good glimpse into the generation prior to Ruth's time. If Montana and this time period interest you, the book will be worth your time.

[Nicole Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Ruth M. Sherwood brings the Montana prairie experience to life. She gives a true insight of what day to day life was like for a family in Eastern Montana. I especially liked her detail of life before, during and after World War II. It was interesting to hear how much even Eastern Montana was affected by war times. Ruth includes many photos in the book that help bring the homestead and family to life. I highly recommend this book that gives great insight and stories of the day-to-day of life on the prairie.

[Ruth Kincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have wondered what type of woman it would take to homestead and later farm the unforgiving land of northern Montana don't pass up this book as this author gives a view into her family. Ruth M. Sherwood brings her mother and grandmother to life in Where the Wind Never Sleeps. This easy read kept me turning pages to find what obstacle would next confront the family and how they would overcome the trials of this harsh land. This is a book I would recommend to a friend.

[Bonita · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Thoroughly enjoyed Sherwood's well-paced narrative of her family's life as they move about America, working hard to survive and thrive from 1915-50. The book focuses mostly on homesteading in eastern Montana, through droughts, epidemics, flood, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. Her family's experiences often parallel my own family's life in western North Dakota, so I can assure readers that the author does not exaggerate the tribulations involved. Indeed, Sherwood spares many details that would interrupt the book's pace, providing a highly readable account that leaves me, for one, hoping there will be a sequel