Thomas Benjamin Magee was born May 30, 1862 in East Douglas, Worcester County, Massachusetts. From 1888 to 1896, Thomas worked at the general store of Joseph Hirshberg & Company in Robare, MT and was also in charge of Joseph Kipp’s trader’s store on the Blackfeet Indian agency. Thomas and his brother George took an interest in chronicling local events and photographing the area’s inhabitants and landscapes. In the early 1900s, Thomas, Julia (Grant, his wife) and their five sons (Thomas, George, Walter, Henry and Dewey) moved to a ranch in the area now known as Glacier National Park [U.S.]. This would prove to be an ideal location for him to pursue his interest in photography. Park landscapes and the local Blackfeet tribal members became the major focus of his work. Thomas and his wife Julia became good friends with Walter McClintock, author of The Old North Trail (1910). Mr. McClintock would often come to visit and stay with the Magee family. During these visits, Julia shared her extensive knowledge of native plants which included their names in the Blackfeet language, their uses and related botanical information. McClintock recorded all of this information and referenced it in his book. Julia was acknowledged using her Blackfeet name, Menaki Berry Woman.
