Women of Beef: Ranchers, Drovers and Pioneers
Cattle queens, trail women, ranch managers, breeders and association leaders who shaped the beef industry.
29 profiles
Texas
- 1837-1921Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie AdairWidowed in 1885, Adair kept the JA Ranch together through hired managers until her death in 1921.Texas
- 1824-1873Margaret BorlandAfter three marriages, three widowhoods and a ruinous blizzard, Margaret Borland set out in spring 1873 to take 2,500…Texas
- 1931-2025Minnie Lou BradleyA pioneering Oklahoma State graduate and Angus breeder who broke barriers in livestock judging, ranching and breed…Texas
- 1839-1922Amanda BurkIn April 1871 Amanda Burks left Cotulla with her husband's herd and drove her own buggy to Abilene.Texas
- 1839-1926Mary Ann "Molly" GoodnightIn 1877 she set up the first ranch household in the Texas Panhandle, and her decision to keep orphaned bison calves…Texas
- Sr. 1911-2003; Jr. born 1946Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr. & Jr.Mother and daughter stewarded one of the oldest Black-owned ranches in America and became the first living African…Texas
- 1832-1925Henrietta KingLeft with roughly 500,000 acres and $500,000 in debt, Henrietta King held the King Ranch together for four decades.Texas
- 1861-1938Sallie Reynolds MatthewsA third-generation cattle family daughter, she turned a letter-style family history into one of the best firsthand…Texas
- livingLouise O'ConnorA seventh-generation Texan has spent four decades photographing and interviewing the people of Coastal Bend ranching…Texas
- 1900-1980Anne Burnett TandyKnown as Miss Anne, the granddaughter of Burk Burnett bred champion Quarter Horses and spent her fortune on Fort Worth…Texas
Australia
- 1936-2005Sara HendersonShe arrived at a remote Northern Territory cattle station in 1963, inherited its debts and turned her story into a…Australia
- livingKathleen LovelockA Western Australian Brahman pioneer who began farming in 1972, led breed and industry groups and trained young cattle…Australia
- Ruby De SatgeA drover born near Urandangi who worked cattle across three jurisdictions, and a window onto the hidden history of…Australia
Montana
- 1868-1928Evelyn CameronAn English heiress ranched near Terry, Montana, and photographed the frontier for 34 years.Montana
- livingBarbara Van CleveA fifth-generation Montana rancher's daughter traded a university career for a camera and spent decades photographing…Montana
- Shiela KirkpatrickA Montana custom hatter who learned the trade by ruining hats, then built hats for working cowboys and a presidential…Montana
New Zealand
- livingKate AclandA former vineyard owner who farms a diversified Canterbury station and became the first woman to lead New Zealand's…New Zealand
- livingNukuhia HadfieldA Ruakituri Valley sheep and beef farmer whose station won Maori farming's top prize and who now helps run the…New Zealand
- livingJan WillsA Waikato stud breeder broke through in beef breed societies and took Hereford leadership to the world stage.New Zealand
Arizona
New Mexico
- 1845-1931Susan McSween BarberWidowed in the Lincoln County War, McSween started with 40 head from John Chisum and built the Three Rivers ranch into…New Mexico
- 1930-2024Linda Mitchell DavisA Colorado-born rancher raised on New Mexico's Tequesquite and Bell ranches, she ran the CS Ranch near Cimarron for…New Mexico