Susan Evans is a listener. In fact, that is how Mighty Wind, Rushing Waters was conceived – Sue listened as a stranger told the story of her grandfather, his little brother, and an Indian Boarding School…
Sue and her husband, Bob, had recently retired. They flew from their home state, Massachusetts, to Montana to visit their son and his fiancé and to tour the breathtaking Rocky Mountain front. As had been their custom throughout their long-married lives, the couple visited Montana’s local museums to learn more about the land and its people.
In Choteau, a town along Route 89, The Old Trail Museum was one of their stops. The curator that day was part-time; she worked only on Mondays. There was nothing part-time about her extensive knowledge of the various displays, however. Her name was Linda, and no matter the question, she had a detailed answer.
Sue wanted to buy a book about the area, and Linda led her to a new release by T.J. Fanning called Looking Back on the Front. “Chapter Two is all about my family,” Linda told them. And then, she told her two visitors about her grandfather. He and his little brother were seven and five when they were sent to Indian Boarding School. The two little boys hated the way they were treated at the school, and ached to come home. One night, they climbed out their window and walked forty miles to get home.
When Sue returned the next year to help her son and his bride paint the rooms in their new home, she took time off to visit with Linda. Soon, the two women were making it a point to get together whenever Sue was in town. Linda introduced her new friend to many others who had boarding school stories. She took Sue to her family homestead and cemetery, to the homes of various friends in the area, to the Little Shell Tribe’s Annual Pow Wow in Lewistown. She even invited Sue to her Tribal Naming Ceremony—an incredible honor.
Sue met others in the Blackfeet Reservation who explained the rationing systems instituted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She learned about treaty terms and blood quotients, and why “being enrolled in a tribe” was so very important.
On the reservation, she met people who were renowned for their knowledge of horse training and racing. She attended an Indian horse race, and watched with her heart pounding as the contestants rode their horses bareback at breakneck speeds then changed horses every lap by jumping off one horse and onto the next to continue the race.
The more Sue was brought into the lives of these new friends, the stronger she felt that she must write down what she had learned.
Mighty Wind, Rushing Waters took seven years to research and write. Although the characters were made up by the author, everything that happens in the novel is a very real truth to someone who spoke with Sue. To purchase or to subscribe to Sue’s website, click the icon below:
Richard Authier Lee 