After disembarking at Ellis Island in 1902, 30-year-old Jessie MacMillan bought her first six-shooter in New York before traveling alone to New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains to settle a homestead claim.
The native Scot was a long way from the lush countryside of her youth but nevertheless forged ahead in carving a life for herself. At a time when most young women were choosing to marry and start families, Jessie chose to become a single female homesteader.
Her privileged upbringing at European boarding schools did nothing to deter her. She proved up her claim, introduced the first alfalfa crop to the area, and rode many miles on her horse "Wee Boy" to tutor the local ranch children.
By 1907 she received title to her land, which was by all estimations incredibly productive. At the age of 38, she married Loftus Farrington, but only after independently accomplishing her long-held dream of owning an American ranch.
