Dorothy M. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Marie Johnson was an American
author best-known for her Western fiction.
, the only daughter of Eugene Johnson and Mary Louisa Barlow.
It was while she was a student at Whitefish High School that she began to write professionally working as a newspaper stringer for The Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Montana
.
for the sum of $400. In 1935, her story "Beulah Bunny" was published and began a series of four stories. Her writing was temporarily sidetracked by World War II
as she went to work for the Air Warden Service. After the war, she produced some of her best-known Western stories. Three of these would later be made into notable films, namely The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(1949), A Man Called Horse (1950) and The Hanging Tree
(1957).
Between 1956-60, Johnson taught creative writing at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
, which she also graduated from. Prior to and during her tenure she wrote numerous articles and fictional stories for many different magazines. These were often based on interviews with Western old-timers, Native Americans
and characters she met during her tenure as secretary and researcher for The Montana Historical Society. She was also secretary/manager of the Montana Press Association in the 1950s.
gave her its highest award, the Spur Award, for her short story, Lost Sister. In 1959, she was made honorary member of the Blackfoot Tribe. In 1976, 'the Writers' again awarded her the Levi Strauss Golden Saddleman Award, for bringing dignity and honor to the history and legends of the West. In 2005, a 30-minute documentary film was made of her life by Sue Hart of Montana State University, Billings The four-year effort was written and co-produced by Hart, along with producer Gene Bodeur, director Bill Bilverstone and film director Lansing Dreamer. Margot Kidder
lent her voice to the effort. It was titled Gravel in her Gut and Spit in her Eye, and shown on PBS in November 2005.
reads simply "PAID". She died on November 11, 1984, aged 78.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author best-known for her Western fiction.
Early life
Dorothy Marie Johnson was born in McGregor, IowaMcGregor, Iowa
McGregor is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 871 at the 2000 census. McGregor is located on the Mississippi River across from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Pike's Peak State Park is located just south of the city...
, the only daughter of Eugene Johnson and Mary Louisa Barlow.
It was while she was a student at Whitefish High School that she began to write professionally working as a newspaper stringer for The Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell is a city in and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2010 census put Kalispell's population at 19,927 up 5,704 over 2000. At 40.1% this is the largest percentage of growth of any incorporated city in Montana. Kalispell is the largest city and commercial center...
.
Professional life
Her writing career began to take off by the 1930s when she sold her first magazine article to The Saturday Evening PostThe Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
for the sum of $400. In 1935, her story "Beulah Bunny" was published and began a series of four stories. Her writing was temporarily sidetracked by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as she went to work for the Air Warden Service. After the war, she produced some of her best-known Western stories. Three of these would later be made into notable films, namely The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a 1962 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart and John Wayne. The black-and-white film was released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck was adapted from a short story written by Dorothy M...
(1949), A Man Called Horse (1950) and The Hanging Tree
The Hanging Tree
The Hanging Tree is a 1959 movie directed by Delmer Daves. Karl Malden took over directing duties for several days when Daves fell ill. The film stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, George C...
(1957).
Between 1956-60, Johnson taught creative writing at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
, which she also graduated from. Prior to and during her tenure she wrote numerous articles and fictional stories for many different magazines. These were often based on interviews with Western old-timers, Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and characters she met during her tenure as secretary and researcher for The Montana Historical Society. She was also secretary/manager of the Montana Press Association in the 1950s.
Honors
In 1957, the Western Writers Of AmericaWestern Writers of America
Western Writers of America, founded 1953, promotes literature, both fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional western fiction, the more than five hundred current members also include historians and other non-fiction writers as well as authors...
gave her its highest award, the Spur Award, for her short story, Lost Sister. In 1959, she was made honorary member of the Blackfoot Tribe. In 1976, 'the Writers' again awarded her the Levi Strauss Golden Saddleman Award, for bringing dignity and honor to the history and legends of the West. In 2005, a 30-minute documentary film was made of her life by Sue Hart of Montana State University, Billings The four-year effort was written and co-produced by Hart, along with producer Gene Bodeur, director Bill Bilverstone and film director Lansing Dreamer. Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
lent her voice to the effort. It was titled Gravel in her Gut and Spit in her Eye, and shown on PBS in November 2005.
Death
Johnson always prided herself on her self-sufficiency after a failed marriage early in life. She stated that her epitaph should read "Paid In Full." Her grave in the cemetery in Whitefish, MontanaWhitefish, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish....
reads simply "PAID". She died on November 11, 1984, aged 78.
Short Story Collections
- Beulah Bunny Tells All (U.S. edition, 1942); Miss Bunny Intervenes (UK edition, 1948)
- Indian Country (A Man Called Horse) (1953)
- The Hanging Tree (1957)
- Flame on the Frontier: Short Stories of Pioneer Woman (1967)
- The Day the Sun Came Out (Too Soon a Woman)
Non-Fiction
- The Private Secretary by John Robert Gregg (1943); ghost written by Johnson
- Famous Lawmen of the Old West (1963)
- Ancient Greek Dress (1964)
- Greece: Wonderland of the Past and Present (1964)
- Some Went West (1965)
- Artists of Carmel: 15 Profiles (1968)
- Warrior for a Lost Nation (1969)
- All About Riding: Learn to Ride—and Ride Well (1969)
- Western Badmen (1970)
- The Bloody Bozeman: The Perilous Trail to Montana's Gold (1971)
- Montana (States of the Nation series) (1971)
- The Bedside Book of Bastards (1973); with R.T. Turner
- When You and I Were Young, Whitefish (1982)
- Kansas Wildlife Chef (1985)
Print References
- Alter, Judy. Dorothy Johnson. BSU Western Writers Series, #44. Boise State University, 1980.
- Kich, Martin. Western American Novelists. Volume 1: Walter Van Tilburg ClarkWalter Van Tilburg ClarkWalter Van Tilburg Clark was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator. He ranks as one of Nevada's most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century and is known primarily for his novels, his one volume of stories, as well as his uncollected short stories...
, Dan Cushman, H.L. Davis, Vardis Fisher, A.B. Guthrie, Jr., William Humphrey and Dorothy M. Johnson. New York; London: Garland, 1995. - Smith, Steve. The Years and the Wind and the Rain: A Biography of Dorothy M. Johnson. Steve Smith. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1984.