June Mickle

Born in 1920, June Mickle grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her mother and her stepfather, cowboy and horse trainer Tip Johnson. Her early life combined family difficulty with a close relationship to ranching, horses and the mountain environment.

As an adult, Mickle became an artist, guide, outfitter, businesswoman, wife and parent, building a life in a period when women rarely occupied such visible roles in the commercial and recreational life of the Rockies. Her story follows the practical demands of making a living in mountain country alongside the personal relationships that sustained her through hardship and change.

June Mickle is an account of an unconventional Western Canadian life and a portrait of the people, work and landscapes that helped shape backcountry adventure in the Rockies.