GREAT FALLS — "Feisty Women," a documentary commemorating five women who helped shape Great Falls, has gained international recognition. Shannon Newth, a content director and producer, collaborated with Visit Great Falls and the History Museum to create the 40-minute documentary about the lives and legacies of five prominent women who helped build and define the community.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
It highlights the stories of Annie Busby, one of the first women homesteaders in North-Central Montana; Mary Fields, the first African-American woman to work as a star route mail carrier; Alma Smith Jacobs, head librarian at the Great Falls Public Library and first African-American Montana State Librarian; Nancy Cooper Russell, who coordinated her husband Charlie Russell’s art shows; and ‘The First Lady of Montana TV’, Norma Ashby Smith.
"These five women that are featured, the four of the past and one living legacy, as we call her, of course, Norma Ashby Smith… have had a great impact in creating what Great Falls is today and where we're headed in the future," Newth said.
The documentary's goal is to make history more personal by focusing on the individual lives, challenges, and triumphs of these "feisty women," whose experiences helped shape the region.
"It's really important for history to get personal," explained Ashleigh McCann, collections curator at the History Museum. "When you can highlight really specific people… that's when the past really starts to come to life."
The short film was recently chosen as a finalist for the Berlin Short Film Awards, an online international festival showcasing work from all over the world.
"We were absolutely thrilled and honored when we were selected," said Newth. "This is an international audience that we get to share this story with."
Although the team did not win the top award, the exposure helped Great Falls' history reach audiences far beyond Montana.
Great Falls icon Norma Ashby Smith said she hopes that the project will inspire more stories about the women who shaped the region.
"I hope that they'll continue this and recognize other women who have made a difference in the lives of this area," she said.
The impact of these trailblazers can still be felt across the community, from the recollections of their families to businesses like Annie's Taphouse, named after early homesteader Annie Busby. Their contributions continue to shape Great Falls history, one generation at a time.
Click here to watch the video on Youtube.
From March 2025:
