Guy and Regina (Lillig) Westfall homesteading

Sometime around 1914/1915 Guy and Regina (Lillig) Westfall left Kansas City and struck out to homestead in Brady, Montana. The following photographs were taken during their stay there and sent back to relatives back home. I cannot imagine how hard this life would have been.

I am not certain how long they lasted in Montana but they were back in Kansas at least by 1917 when their son, Vincent, was born.

These photos came out of an old photo album that Jim Davies (great grandson of Helena Lillig) rescued from his uncle's trash over twenty years ago. None of the photos were labeled but I had two photos from this series that Grandma Lavery had identified for me years ago. Unfortunately, there were no others that I could recognize from the rest of the album.

I have transcribed what Guy had written on the photos and where I have commentary it is in parentheses.

You may recall that I posted a studio photograph of Regina and her daughter, Marie, some time ago. Regina Westfall & baby Marie.






Mining for water, Brady, Mont.





Grispen's Homestead/shack in the making.

Marie in her evening dress suit.

Just returning from hauling water. This is the way we shoot the can out here. Want in on it?

Churning on the Dry Land Farm. The churn is a gallon Karo Syrup can.

(I have a second copy of this with a similar caption.)

"Darn the flies". I feel like I was sandbagged.

Prospects were good for water but we didn't get it.

We don't have autos out here, but we have Fords.

The Little Mistress of the Dry Land Farm and her Teddy Bear.

(A close up of Marie Westfall and her Teddy Bear. I think this may be a year later judging from the baby's size. See the photo below.)

Marie's first Xmas tree on the homestead. The tree is made of a Russian Thistle.

Unloading 8000 gallons of gasoline. Don't look like a railroad cashier here do I?

(Guy was originally from Lawrence, Kansas, so there may be some connection to this Mutual Oil and the Westfalls homesteading here.)

This is our neighbor's house. This is where we get water. This is not the typical Homesteader's shack. These people are from Unionville, Mo.

Sunday after Xmas. Looking east over the Westfall Ranch. Notice the dense forest.

(This is the other photo that I had a second copy of from Grandma Lavery.)

Our bungalow is practical. Won't you agree? (That is all I can make out.)

This is where I have my coal office. (Boorman Mercantile Co.)

Looking west down the main drag of Brady, Mont. The cross indicates where we put up the first night.

Our closest neighbors. Don't see much better bungalows in K.C.