Caroline Lockhart: Author, Newspaper Publisher, Investigative Reporter, RancherCaroline Lockhart beg

Caroline Lockhart: Author, Newspaper Publisher, Investigative Reporter, RancherCaroline Lockhart began her career as a journalist at the age of 18. In 1889, she became a reporter on the Boston Post.  She quickly became known for her adventuresome, independent spirit, pursuing tough assignments as she developed one of her literary principles: “…I have endeavored to know what I am writing about before I write.”Later, traveling on assignment for a story about the Blackfeet Indians, Lockhart found Cody, Wyoming and the surroundings to be to her liking. It was also a useful backdrop and inspiration for her books, often focused on western themes and characters.The Lockhart RanchIn 1926, she purchased a ranch in Montana, located in what is today Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. She inherited a two-room cabin, a few run-down sheds, and 20 acres of cultivated ground from the previous owners of the ranch. In addition to it being her residence and a retreat in which to pursue her writing, she added to the acreage and developed a sizable commercial ranching operation. She landscaped the area around the cabin with irises and hollyhocks, planted cottonwood trees for shade, and built stone pathways. She also constructed fences, corrals, irrigation systems, and additional structures. Main ranch house at Lockhart Ranch (NPS).Life on the ranch, which she expanded in size to over 6,034 acres, was mostly self-sufficient, as evidenced by features of the landscape. A storage building was used to keep potatoes, apples, and meats. Milk, butter, and eggs from ranch cows and chickens went from the milk shed and the chicken coop to the spring house to chill. A small apple orchard was an important part of the ranch agriculture. Maintaining equipment, repairing items, and shoeing horses made the blacksmith shop a necessity. In the corrals, livestock were branded and separated for sale. Corral at Lockhart Ranch (NPS).Today, the ranch landscape appears much as it did when Caroline Lockhart was living there.  It provides visitors with a window to the operations of a ranch in the Dryhead area during the first part of the 1900s and an introduction to the spirited woman who embraced this part of the country in both her life and her writing.An ornamental willow gate hangs partially open, welcoming visitors to the Lockhart Ranch (NPS).Sources and MoreCaroline Lockhart and the Caroline Lockhart Ranch, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation AreaCaroline Lockhart Ranch: National Register of Historic Places NominationHistoric Ranches of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation AreaCaroline Lockhart Ranch, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (Draft, 1981)Images of Lockhart RanchArtist-in-Residence Program at Bighorn CanyonMore about NPS cultural landscapesThis month, we are exploring a few of the NPS cultural landscapes associated with writers and writing. Catch any you missed or add your own favorites with #literarylandscapes -- source link

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