Sarah Bickford | The Story of Us

Sarah Bickford first stepped foot in Montana in January of 1871. Born enslaved in Washington County, Tennessee, Bickford was freed after the Civil War. She came to Virginia City as a nanny and eventually made Virginia City her home. She was the first and only woman in Montana—and probably the nation—to own a water company. She experienced freedom, but also tragedy and loss, as she moved through life in a raucous gold rush town.