Archives West Finding Aid

Belle McDonald was born October 6, 1874 to Richard and Mary Harris McDonald. The McDonalds traveled from Missouri by wagon train to Montana, staying briefly in Virginia City prior to settling in Bozeman. The couple had four sons who did not survive to adulthood as well as three daughters Belle, Mollie, and Melissa. Belle McDonald died February 22, 1950.

Of the three McDonald daughters, only Mollie married and had two children. Mollie was the first African American child born in the Gallatin Valley. She had a son, Richard and a daughter Belle. Belle McDonald Ward Fisher was born April 7, 1905. Over the course of her life Belle lived in Butte as well as the McDonald home, one of Bozeman’s oldest residences, which was built on the family’s homestead site. Belle McDonald Ward Fisher died February 9, 2000.

The women in the McDonald family were known for their cooking. Mollie served as the head cook for 20 years at then Montana State College’s Hamilton Hall. The Montana Federation of Negro Women's Club Cookbook, circa 1922, includes recipes from the McDonald sisters.