During the Civil War, the U.S. government took steps to encourage American citizens to move to Montana Territory. According to the Homestead Act of 1862, a U.S. citizen could claim 160 acres with the provision that, over five years, they would live on and improve the land. Thousands of families, like the fictional Millirons, left other states for Montana, and found a land of extremes, with verdant farmland, glacial landscapes, devastating droughts, and deadly blizzards—not to mention abundant wildlife. In 1899, Montana became a state. By 1909, the year Rose comes from Minnesota to Marias Coulee, the population of Montana grew to over 500,000. In addition to the homesteaders, new residents came because of large infrastructure projects, such as the Big Ditch described in The Whistling Season. Others, including gold miners, were attracted to the state’s vast mineral wealth. In the 20th century, the population grew more slowly; by 1957, when the adult Paul Milliron narrates his story, Montana had around 667,000 people. The state’s current population is approximately 1.1 million, spread across 145,509 square miles, making it the fourth largest U.S. state by area.

The Millirons and other residents of Marias Coulee are homesteaders, still working to improve their land.