Minnie Spotted-Wolf (1923–1988) was the first Native American woman to enlist in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Biography

Minnie Spotted-Wolf enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve in July 1943. Spotted-Wolf, from

Heart Butte, Montana Heart Butte (Blackfeet: ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pondera County, Montana, United States. The population was 698 at the 2000 census. The town is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The town takes its name from the small heart-sha ...

, was a member of the

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

tribe. Prior to joining the Marines, she had worked on her father's ranch doing such chores as cutting fence posts, driving a two-ton truck, and

breaking horses Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse r ...

.White, Cody (25 July 2013)
"Minnie Spotted Wolf and the Marine Corps"
''Prologue: Pieces of History''. National Archives. Known for her skill for breaking horses, she described Marine boot camp as: "hard but not too hard.""WWII – First USMC Native American Minnie Spotted Wolf"
. '' Armed Forces History Museum''. 29 July 2013. She served on military bases in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. She worked as a heavy equipment operator and a driver for general officers. Press coverage of her wartime service included headlines like ''Minnie, Pride of the Marines, Is Bronc-Busting Indian Queen''.Montana Historical Society (26 August 2014)
""You Have to Take What They Send You Now Days": Montana Women's Service in World War II"
''Women's History Matters''. Montana Historical Society She was discharged in 1947. After her military service, she earned a degree in Elementary Education, and spent 29 years as a teacher. According to her daughter, "she could outride guys into her early 50s."

Tribute

In 2019, a section of US Highway 89 was dedicated as "Minnie Spotted-Wolf Memorial Highway.

References

Sources

* * * Rae, Callum (29 December 2015)
"Minnie Spotted Wolf"
''The Female Soldier''. * Holm, Tom (2007)
''Code Talkers and Warriors: Native Americans and World War II''
New York: Chelsea House. pp. 34–35. .

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...

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External links

*
Photograph of Three Marine Corps Women Reservists, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
' at the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

, Record Group 208:Records of the Office of War Information, 1926 - 1951. Feature Story Photographs, 1942 - ca. 1945. 16 October 1943. {{DEFAULTSORT:Spotted-Wolf, Minnie 1923 births 1988 deaths Marine Corps Women's Reserve personnel Blackfeet Tribe people Native American United States military personnel Native American women in warfare People from Pondera County, Montana Western horse trainers American female horse trainers 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans Military personnel from Montana

Biography

Tribute

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links