The Christie family celebrated David and Emma Christie's 140th wedding anniversary on Sunday, July 4. Unfortunately, the couple was not able to attend, but nearly 200 of their descendants were.
The anniversary picnic at the Battle Ridge Campground doubled as a celebration of the 125th anniversary of their arrival in Bozeman.
In 1885, Emma Mary Christie arrived by train - six children in tow - to meet her husband David Birdie, who was already in the area. The couple established a homestead in Bridger Canyon, where many of their descendants still reside.
Since 1885, the family has held a picnic every year around Independence Day.
Eva Veltkamp, almost 70, has only missed a few picnics. She is the great-granddaughter of David and Emma Christie, and has lived in Bridger Canyon nearly her entire life. Her mother was Bridger Canyon resident Ina Denton, daughter of William Christie. William was the son of David and Emma.
"As far as my knowledge, the Christie family is one of two homesteading families that still live in Bridger Canyon," she said.
Veltkamp and nine of her fourth-generation cousins began planning the 125th picnic last summer. Each sent out invitations to all the family they knew.
David and Emma Christie had nine children, and eight of them married and raised children. While Veltkamp's grandfather only had three children, some of the Christies' children raised a comparable number of offspring.
Veltkamp is not the only descendant of David and Emma Christie who still lives in the Bozeman area. Other descendants include the Inabnit, Moss, O'Neil, Koch, Christie, Hedrich, Curdy, Lutes and Camp families.
Needless to say, there are a lot of Christie descendants.
"All it takes is some organization," Veltkamp said.
In addition to Veltkamp and her cousins, all seven living members of the third-generation, ranging in age from 72 to 93, were at the Battle Ridge Campground. Christie family descendants came from parts of Montana and nine other states.
For Veltkamp, her family connections in the canyon stretch over a century. She grew up on Jackson Creek Road, the same road the Christies homesteaded on. Her mother grew up on Kelly Canyon Road, in a house that now belongs to Veltkamp's cousins. Her mother and uncles attended the Lower Bridger School, while she and her grandfather attended the Upper Bridger School. The Christie homestead was sold long ago in the early 1900s.
The family is mentioned in two published books, "Women in Waiting in the Western Movement" and "Pioneer Women: the Lives of Women on the Frontier," both by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith. The former title features an entire chapter on Emma Christie.
What remains of the Christie's 140 years of detailed history are recorded in the Christie family book, a collection of articles, family trees, photos, marriage, birth and death certificates compiled by Veltkamp's mother. The Christie book is divided by tabs, one for each of the original children, and Veltkamp continues to update the book with every event, as best she can.
"You can see, I'm still collecting stuff," she said.
The book weighs about eight pounds.
"We are savers of these kinds of things," she said, "but that's why we have all this."
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