B.M. Bower was the pseudonym of Bertha Muzzy Sinclair (or Sinclair-Cowan,) née Muzzy (1871–1940), an American author who wrote novels, short stories, and screenplays about the American Old West. Her works, most of which feature cowboys of the Flying U Ranch in Montana, reflected her interest in real ranch life, and she populated her tales with working cowhands going about everyday life on the range.
néeHer fiction was based on real life. Born in Minnesota, she moved with her parents to a homestead near Great Falls, Montana in 1889. That fall, she took employment as a schoolteacher in nearby Milligan Valley—the “school” being a log building with all of 12 pupils. She gave up after one term and returned to the family homestead. However, the experience shaped the characters of teachers who a
