Bertha Freda Grimm Gonder was born in Bern, Switzerland, around 1883, and died in Livingston, MT in 1962. In 1914, after becoming a widow, she made her way to Livingston, MT with her nine children. During WWI the shortage of men left many jobs open for women, and Bertha found work as the first female employee of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1918. She and a handful of women became known as “The Dirty Dozen.” They donned coveralls and wiped engines, greased wheels, and operated turntables at the N.P.R.R Shops in Livingston. After the war many women quit to return to their housewife lives, but Bertha remained, working at the shops through WWII, and eventually retired after working for 30 years for the railroad. These union jobs had good pay, benefits, and a good pension. Bertha persevered in spite of the surrounding testosterone, grime, and laborious 7-day work weeks to provide for her family. Source: montanawomenshistory.org of the Montana Historical Society. Photo reference courtesy of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County, YGM# 2017.021.1083