In March 1879, when Mary was only a one-year-old, she came to Montana from St. Louis, Missouri with her mother Eva (Specht) Rumping aboard the steamboat Rosebud.  The boat trip lasted three months and was followed by a stage trip from Ft. Benton to “old Silver City”.  They ultimately arrived at their destination of Belmont on July 7, 1879.

Mary grew up in a mining town in Montana known as Marysville.  Her father, John H. Rumping, was an engineer in the 5-stamp mill built by Thomas Cruse.  She graduated from high school in 1895 and hoped to become a school teacher. Sadly, that dream was never realized.

Mary outlived three husbands – George Schenk (my great grandfather), Albert Schaffer, and Eugene Riordan – and she had five children between 1901 and 1910.  Her first husband, George, died in 1915, her second in 1934, and the last in 1945, about four months after they had married.

Mary spent some difficult and lonely years between 1934 and 1945, and again between 1945 and her death in 1952, living in a little house at the top of the hill in Marysville.  But she was resourceful and always stayed busy with family, friends, church and occasional trips outside of Montana.  She was also a great collector of photos, letters, newspaper articles and other personal items.  And she wrote three journals during her lifetime.

I have a separate blog dedicated to Mary’s memory and her vast collection, which you can find here.