Elma Brockman’s life had already been filled with adventure when she headed east on a train into Montana from Spokane in 1899. Little did she know that her life would soon take even another turn.
Elma was born in Kansas in 1876 to Mary and John H. Brockman, who was a farmer and was receiving a Civil War pension. In 1882 when she was 5-years old, she and her family, which included an older sister and brother, Fanny and David Richard, took a nine-day trip on an immigrant train from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco, Calif.
From there they took a ship — since there were no trains — to the Northwest and settled in McMinnville, Ore.
Later they moved to the Spokane area where her father ranched, and her mother owned a millinery shop. In addition to making hats, her mother was a skilled photographer.
Elma and her brother became interested in dentistry and attended Western Dental School in Kansas City, Mo. They both graduated in the same class of 1899. Elma received honors for operative dentistry. Later her older sister, Fanny, also became a dentist after studying at the Western Dental School.
Elma practiced a short while in Washington but decided Montana needed dentists, so she became a “pioneer” dentist. She was in the first class to sit for examination with the Montana Dental Examiners.
The day she headed east on the train, Elma was riding in a Pullman car the family had purchased. She and her brother planned to practice dentistry along the railroad line of northern Montana. They had living quarters along with their dental office and a photography lab in the Pullman car.
Following their mother’s interest, they would also do photography in the communities where they stopped to practice dentistry.
When they had completed all the work at one town, they would hitch onto a train and move on to another community. For example, an August 9, 1903 edition of the Great Falls Tribune reported that “Dr. D. R. Brockman is here with his dental car and will be here about a week.” All together, the Brockman family used the Pullman car for 14 years.
It was in the town of Culbertson that Elma’s life took that big turn. She met Frank Arnette, who was 11 years older than she. Frank was born in Illinois on August 8, 1865. When he was 15, he journeyed alone on the steamboat, the Far West, to join his uncle, Henry Sieben, on a ranch near Helena, where he learned about the cattle industry.
After working on ranches in several areas of the state, he moved in 1898 to Culbertson, where he was the foreman of the Bar Diamond Ranch, located across the Missouri River from Culbertson. He co-owned the ranch with a man by the name of Beach and his uncle, Henry Sieben.
At 1,600 acres plus 10 sections of state land under lease, it was the largest ranch in the area and edged on the river and otherwise had an 18-mile stretch of wire fencing.
Being a big cattleman, Frank was soon recognized for his leadership qualities and became the president of the bank in Culbertson as well as a state legislator for Valley County. During his ranching years in Culbertson, Frank also showed that the area could raise crops. He was a pioneer at irrigating in the region.
Frank and Elma were married in Spokane on June 6, 1900, and took up life as ranchers in Culbertson. She had been practicing dentistry, but she discontinued that work after she married, except for the dental care of the employees of their ranch and nearby ranches. In 1908, they built a bungalow home and included a dental parlor in the floor plan.
Throughout the years, Fanny and D.R. also practiced in Culbertson and nearby communities, and, at times, used Elma’s dental parlor. Fanny once said that “Painless extractions were the worst thing that had happened to her profession because people always preferred a painless extraction over a painful filling.”
Elma and Frank had two daughters, Rowena and Wilma. While leading the life of a rancher’s wife, Elma was also active in the women’s rights campaign.
In 1914, when Montana women won the right to vote, she met in Helena with others who were campaigning for the cause. As a professional in an era where there were few professional women, she let her voice be heard.
In 1924, Frank died of cancer in the Glendive Hospital.
After that Elma again took up her dental profession, used the office in her home, and built a “splendid” practice.
Altogether, she practiced dentistry in Montana for 36 years. She also oversaw the farm and ranch, often leasing land to renters.
In 1934, after a temporary stop in Florida, she moved to Spokane and lived with her sister. During the next 15 years, she served as the laboratory technician for Fanny’s dental office.
She died August 1947 at her sister’s home after a long illness.
Elma Brockman Arnette was among the many pioneers who helped mold Montana into the wonderful progressive state that it is today. By being a voice for woman’s suffrage and by providing dentistry to a community that might have gone without, she stepped forward to share her knowledge and position at a time when these attributes were critically needed.
Visit the display depicting Elma Brockman Arnette’s life at the Culbertson Museum. MSN
