Prickly Pear Valley champion bronc rider Fannie Sperry Steele and architects John G. Link and Charles S. Haire will be inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans in a public ceremony Wednesday, February 27 at 1:00 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda.
Every legislative session two Montanans who had great success in their individual careers are installed in the gallery. This year three Montanans are being inducted, so that Link and Haire could be recognized for their work as partners in their architectural firm. The Montana Historical Society administers the program for the Legislature.
Working both independently and in partnership, John G. “Gus” Link (1869–1954) and Charles S. Haire (1857–1925) shaped Montana’s built landscape. Together they designed over a thousand buildings, bringing architectural sophistication to dozens of Montana communities.
John Link was born in Bavaria and studied design at the Royal Academy at Lindau. He practiced architecture in Denver and St. Louis before moving to Butte in 1896 with his wife, Martha Welling. Charles Haire was born in Ohio and taught school while honing his drafting and design skills. In 1889, he moved to Helena where he married Frances Corwin. In 1906, the two established Link and Haire, Architects, which quickly grew into one of the most prominent architectural firms in Montana. Although based in Butte, the company had offices in Helena, Miles City, Missoula, and Lewistown. They also worked in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and Washington.
In addition to providing plans for a third of the state’s county courthouses, Link and Haire designed schools, churches, hospitals, office buildings, libraries, and private homes. The firm also contributed to the 1912 expansion of the state capitol. Their buildings, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, embrace the eclectic and classical tastes of the period. Prominent works include the Silver Bow Club (Butte), the Montana Power Company building (Billings), and St. Leo’s Catholic Church (Lewistown).
Fannie Sperry Steele (1887–1983) was born in the Prickly Pear Valley near Helena and learned to ride almost before she could walk. In 1907, Sperry began participating in women’s bucking horse competitions. At the Calgary Stampede in 1912, her ride on the bronc Red Wing earned her the title “Lady Bucking Horse Champion of the World.” She earned the title again in 1913.
Unlike most other bronc-busting women of the time, Fannie Sperry rode “slick.” Female contestants usually rode hobbled, their stirrups tied together beneath the horse’s belly for greater stability in the saddle. Hobbling was dangerous in the event of a tumble because the rider could not kick free, yet slick riding demanded extra balance and strength.
Sperry married bronc rider and rodeo clown Bill Steele in 1913, and she rode exhibition broncs until she was in her fifties. She was the first woman in Montana to receive a packer’s license, and with her string of pintos, she guided hunters on trips into the mountains. Widowed in 1940, she continued to run the family’s Helmville ranch until she was seventy-eight. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame honored Fannie Sperry Steele in 1975.