The Life of a Rodeo Queen

Snake River Stampede Queen, 1959

 What do rodeos, cooking, and Christian romances all have in common? They are all major parts of the life of Donna Fletcher Crow. Born in 1941, Crow graduated from Northwest Nazarene College in 1964 with a B.A. in Language and Literature. She married Stan Crow and taught high school English, literature, and creative writing in Boise and Nampa.

"Making Choices" novel, 1987.

This background led her to be the author of over 50 books in various genres. Known best for her Christian and historical fiction, Crow also wrote mysteries and several volumes of the “Making Choices” series, which were of the choose-your-own-adventure genre. In addition to writing, she was an avid reader and corresponded with numerous authors, including Diana Gabaldon, Jeffrey Archer, and Dick Francis.

Crow authored “The Frantic Mother Cookbook,” which contains sections for the variety of cooking needs: lunchbox, Sunday dinner, ladies luncheon, Sunday school, bedtime snacks, family picnic, and “Luncheon for my Mother.” These include recipes but also personal commentary and stories. Crow was an experienced hostess and enjoyed entertaining in her home, such as gourmet club, worship studies, tea parties, and mystery dinners.

As a teenager, Crow entered and won rodeo queen contests. She was the 1959 Snake River Stampede queen and Miss Rodeo Idaho. While competing in the Miss Rodeo America contest, she said, “I think Rodeo is one of the greatest and leading sports in America today.”

So how do we know all this about Donna Fletcher Crow? Because she donated her papers to Special Collections and Archives. Her collection includes scrapbooks, photographs, ticket stubs, articles, drafts of her writings, correspondence, diaries, and other material she saved throughout her life. The guide to her collection is online: http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv29232/.