Emma Magee was born in Montana Territory near Hell Gate in 1866. Her mother was born to a Native American woman and a Spanish man in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana; her father was Dutch and came west for his health. He served as the surveyor of Missoula County from 1865 to 1880. Magee describes many details of her youth, including home life, food, schooling, the Bison Range, and travelers and new settlers. She recounts how her father spoke with the band of Nez Perce at Lolo Creek as they fled from U.S. forces in 1877. Magee also worked in the C. P. Higgins