Mary Anne Mercer is an award-winning author, teacher and global health activist. During an academic career in international health, she worked across Africa and Asia, focusing on strategies to improve the health and survival of pregnant women and their children. Her groundbreaking efforts include directing a global HIV/AIDS prevention program and supporting maternal and newborn health initiatives in Timor-Leste.
Mary Anne’s newest book, Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family, brings to life the tale of her paternal grandparents and parents, spanning the period from 1894 to the 1940s. She is also the author of Beyond the Next Village: A Year of Magic and Medicine in Nepal, a memoir of her transformative year as a nurse practitioner in remote Nepal. A recipient of the Silver Solas Award for Best Travel Writing, Mary Anne has contributed to HuffPost, and excerpts from her books have appeared in Tikkun magazine, the Communion Arts Journal, and the book Secret Histories: Stories of Courage, Risk, and Revelation.
An emeritus faculty member at the University of Washington, Mary Anne divides her time between homes in Seattle, overlooking the Salish Sea, and a ranch near Red Lodge, Montana.
This one-on-one interview shares Mary Anne’s background and experience writing Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family.
Tell us about Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family.
Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family is my tribute to the extraordinary journey of my grandfather, Andy Mercer, and the legacy he left. In 1894, Andy rode horseback from Missouri to the Great Plains, determined to carve out a life in the rugged West. Settling eventually near the Yellowstone River in Montana, he built a ranch that stands as a testament to his resilience and vision.
Andy’s story is one of love, loss, and perseverance. His marriage to Florrie, an English nurse, was tragically brief, leaving him to raise their son, Russell, alone. From a lonely schoolboy to a reluctant cowboy, Russell faced his own crossroads: to carry on the family tradition or seek a different path. Connecting with a woman who fills the gap left by his absent mother ultimately anchors him to the land and the heritage Andy had worked so hard to preserve.
Through drought, the Dirty Thirties, and the Great Depression, my family’s story reflects the values that defined the American West—independence, determination, and respect for the land. I was fortunate in writing the book to have a wealth of relevant information: Florrie’s diary entries, news articles, a range of published sources, interviews, and personal memories. To me, it’s a classic American saga of challenges met and legacies kept alive.
What inspired you to write Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family?
I spent my early years on our family’s ranch in eastern Montana with my parents and six siblings. My grandfather and great-aunt lived nearby in the original 1906 ranch house on the homestead, so I grew up hearing tales from my grandfather of his early days in Wyoming and Montana. Finding my grandmother's diary as well as many of her mementoes from that same period made me want to bring their story to life. In addition, my mother was effectively the historian of our county, writing and editing extensively about our area's history, so much of the book reflects her research.
My hope is that future generations get a glimpse of the joys and challenges many families, like my own, went through in the settling of the West.
What is one message you would like readers to remember?
Tales of the American West are popular today, most recently the Yellowstone television series. But I think that many if not most give a false sense of the realities faced by settlers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Crossing the Yellowstone is an effort to show the real struggles of one family of that era, with issues that will resonate with descendants of other settlers of that time and place. From that perspective, is it a classic American drama of triumph over the challenges faced by those who came before us.
Purchasing the Book
Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family has received positive reviews from numerous organizations, authors, and reviewers. Author Margaret Combs writes, “Richly authentic and beautifully written, Crossing the Yellowstone is a vivid real-life portrait of a family struggling to survive in the American West… an endearing story of tragedy, tenderness, and ties that bind.” Author Brenda Peterson writes, “A moving must-read for anyone who enjoys both personal and American history.”
The book is available for sale on Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Yellowstone-Montana-Ranch-Family/dp/1035860260/
To connect with MaryAnne and learn more about her work, visit: https://maryannemercer.com/. You can also find her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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