John George “Kootenai” Brown, the first forest ranger in charge of Waterton, was one of the first settlers in this area. Born in Ireland in 1839, he came to North America in 1865.
Brown married Olivia Lyonnais, a 20 year-old Métis woman in Pembina, North Dakota Territory on Sept. 20, 1869. It is unclear what year the Browns moved to the Waterton area. During their 16 years of marriage, the couple had six children three of whom died in childhood; one son and two daughters survived. Olivia died in Waterton Oct. 12, 1884 at the age of 35.
About 1888, Brown, took a common law wife. Isabella, also known as Flash of Blue Lightning, was a 32-year old Cree widow from the Edmonton area. They had no children. After Kootenai Brown’s death July 18, 1916, Isabella went to live with friends in Twin Butte. She died April 1, 1935 at the age of about 79. Both women are buried on the west shore of Lower Waterton Lake, beside their husband.
