Helena author, Lorna Milne, is the Distinguished Speaker for the 2019 Stephen Ambrose Memorial Lecture presenting …

A FRONTIER PHOTOGRAPHER AND A NATURALIST: Evelyn and Ewen Cameron

In 1889 a genteel Englishwoman and her naturalist partner left England to live along the Yellowstone River in Eastern Montana. Despite the challenges of supporting themselves in an unfamiliar land, Evelyn Cameron became a photographer of note, and Ewen Cameron compiled the first bird lists of the region. Using Cameron’s own journal entries, Milne describes how this resourceful couple pursued their interests and took advantage of local resources, including knowledgeable neighbors, their environment, and the mail service.

Milne is the author of the much acclaimed 2017 biography, “Evelyn Cameron: Photographer on the Western Prairie” (Mountain Press Publishing, Missoula). The lecture will be richly illustrated with slides of Cameron’s photos and Milne’s meticulous research.

Lively Times reviewer LK Willis wrote: “Milne deploys wonderful imagery, gleaned from Cameron’s diaries and letters and augmented by the author’s own skillful language use. The biography reflects the beauty of Eastern Montana without glazing over the harsh conditions of that region in the early 1900s. No wonder she was lauded by a contemporary as ‘one of the great wonders of Montana.’ Using Cameron’s diaries, source material and her own deep understanding of the area and its people, the author has crafted a magnificent biographical work, which should appeal to readers of all ages.”

Among the many enthusiastic reviews, a special honor was bestowed on Milne’s first biography when “Evelyn Cameron” was selected by the Montana Center for the Book as Montana’s entry in 52 Great Reads, featured at the National Book Festival on September 1, 2018.

Milne grew up in eastern Montana, near the Camerons’ homesteads. She writes from Helena, Montana, on a small farm where she lives with her husband, Jon, and a sheep dog named Little Bear, along with assorted cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and an occasional peacock. Milne has published essays and short stories in Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, The Boston Globe Magazine, The Gettysburg Review, Walking, Orion, Highlights for Children, and The Sun.

In 2019, Milne retired from Carroll College where she taught writing and literature for 30 years. Milne holds a degree in journalism from the University of Montana-Missoula. She is currently at work on a collection of essays.

Copies of “Evelyn Cameron” will be available for sale by the Montana Book Company and a book signing will follow the lecture.

Read more at http://lornamilne.com.

Visit the Library Foundation’s website at http://lclibfoundation.org.

All events at the Lewis & Clark Library are free and open to the public.