Original Kempton Family Photos

Doctor Carver's Wild West Show in Russia. Berney Kempton on far right.  

Berney Kempton- Miles City Rodeo

Kempton Ranch

The original ranch house still stands outside the small town of Terry, in eastern Montana.

TESTIMONIALS  FROM  READERS

"A fascinating look at one western family whose members reflect the gamut of the American experience—from a signer of the Declaration of Independence to a Wild West performer who wowed audiences in Australia by roping kangaroos. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, artifacts, and manuscripts, the stories of the Kempton family’s life in eastern Montana are by turns inspiring and heart wrenching. Trudy Kempton Dana has done a masterful job."
​                                                                             Donna M. Lucey
             Author of "PHOTOGRAPHING MONTANA (1894-1928) The Life and Work of Evelyn Cameron."
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             "A fascinating story of a descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence who was raised as a New England Quaker and went west to make his living trading with Indians. He married 7 Indian wives and when the governor pressured him to give up his polygamous way of life and abandon his half Indian family to find a traditional American wife he refused claiming there were no white women within 500 miles and the nearest one was already married. A quintessential piece of American history as gripping as the Lewis and Clark journals".
Ken Stuart
Founder and Editor in Chief, Schirmer Books, Macmillan Publishing Co.
Senior Editor, McGraw Hill
Editor in Chief, Paragon House.

"We invited Trudy to speak at our book club meeting the month we read one of Theodore Dreiser's books. She read the story about the night her grandfather, Berney Kempton, entertained Dreiser unaware at the Kempton Hotel in Terry, Montana. What a fascinating, well-written story. Trudy's lively and descriptive writing, attention to detail, and immensely likable characters make her stories a great pleasure to read and re-read. We all plan to buy copies of her book."
Christine McCroskey
Ladies of the Club Book Group, Edmonds, Washington Book Club

"THE KEMPTONS: Adventures of an Early Montana Ranch Family, by Trudy Kempton Dana, is a captivating collection of stories that depict what living was like in the early American West before it was tamed. Funny, heartbreaking, courageous, and uplifting are just a few reactions you'll find upon traveling through this collection of real life Kempton family stories. 
Ms. Kempton-Dana's ability to bring alive the harsh reality of ranch and range life through the experiences of this strong, tightly knit, loving family is extremely well done and indeed succeeds in immersing the reader into a fascinating time in our extraordinary American history."
Matthew Holt, Screenwriter and Author 

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 "Take a journey back in time when you turn the pages of Trudy Dana'a latest book. You will enter the realm of Yellowstone Valley's Kempton Ranch. Here you will experience a combination of family lore, the perils and pleasures of ranch life, and wonderful stories of America's Wild West.
​Start reading and you will quickly find yourself wishing you could actually ride the range with this extraordinary family."
Connie Hafling Chambers, retired owner of Color Art Printing, Anchorage, Alaska


"Having taught American Literature at the high school level for much of my 20 years, I have often wished that there were more positive, uplifting resources for my students.  I found that in Trudy Dana's stories!
In particular, her grandmother's journey from Sweden is a great depiction of the emigrant experience and the hardships they overcame, the true grit and determination they showed even after they got here. These stories should be included in every American literature textbook."
Kim Ferragamo, High School American Literature Teacher, Edmonds, Washington


"My husband, Jim Kempton, and I are grateful that Trudy has recorded the history of our family as it carved out a life in the American West. Her well-crafted stories will enable our children and grandchildren to more intimately know their ancestors.

One of our favorite stories in her book is about my husband’s father and mother. It is so beautiful that Jim and I both cried when we read it, deeply touched that she was able to bring their unique courtship and marriage to life.
Thank you, Trudy, for the gift of family stories!"
Rosemarie Kempton, writer for The
Napa Valley Register newspaper, Napa, California

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"The photos that accompany the stories are fantastic! It's so rare that a pioneer family of that era took as many high quality early photos as the Kemptons did. What a visual treasure to give us a look into the everyday life of this family."
The staff of Farcountry Press
Helena, Montana

​“The past can teach us so much about how to live in the present. Brava to Trudy Kempton Dana for setting down these family stories.” 
Kirby Larson
Award Winning Children's Author

​"The Kempton family endured the rugged journey westward to Terry, Montana
full of grit and dreams. They left their lasting mark on the town and
Trudy’s captivating depiction of their lives will surely leave the same!"
Megan Pirtz
Editor of the Terry Tribune

            "Trudy Dana makes history come alive.  Her skillful writing recounts the adventures and everyday lives of her ancestors who helped to tame our great country.  It’s not often that a writer who is descended from individuals who have become household names or who were living in historic places at pivotal times takes the time to do the research and has the ability to pull it off.  We are all the richer for it."
PJ Dempsey
Editor, McGraw-Hill Book Company
Senior Editor, Random House
Senior Editor, Simon & Schuster
Executive Editor, M. Evans
 
            "I first met Trudy when her grandfather Berney E. Kempton, was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame a few years ago. Her stories reflect our mission to honor the cowboy way of life, American Indian culture, and collective Montana Western Heritage. This book does all that and more – as I personally continue to be humbled by the narrative of those who came before us.”
Christy Stensland
Executive Director, Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center 

             

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