Jean Mountaingrove

Profile: Jean Mountaingrove

I went to graduate school in social work. I fell in love with my supervisor there. And I think I tried to take flowers to her door, you know, anonymously. But I never knew the word lesbian. So when I spoke with my graduate advisor about having a unique relationship, she paused, and then changed the subject.

Herstory description:

Subject: Jean Mountaingrove
Year of Birth: 1925
Place of Birth: Des Moines, Iowa
Age at Interview: 78
Death:
Date of Interview: October 2003
Interviewer: Gloria Stancich
Place of Interview: Grants Pass, Oregon
Transcriber: Laura Keisker
Length of Transcript: original 34 pages; OCR text, 38 pages; ~ 16,300 words
Contract: Conditional; The source of any information used shall be cited; this release shall in no way be construed to grant exclusive rights to my life story or any part thereof; portions of this interview may be paraphrased and used by entities other than OLOHP, Inc.
Contract Dated: 01/30/2005
Support documents: 32 pages; copies of photos; additional supports included

Abstract:
After marrying twice, Jean came to understand her true nature. With two kids in tow, Jean began to investigate communes as a place for them to live. Falling in love with the Pacific Northwest, Jean and her family settled in Oregon.

While at the commune, Jean and her partner, Ruth, felt a strong, spiritual connection to the land and took the name Mountaingrove. Although they didn’t stay at the same commune, Jean has spent most of her life living on communal land in that area. She and Ruth together started and produced WomenSpirit, a feminist magazine featuring women’s writings and artwork. They did this for 10 years while living in a 10 by 10 cabin with minimal amenities.

Jean has continued to live on women’s land and has been involved in OLOC and the women’s spirituality community.

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Note sent to the OLOHP: What you have done is so important that I think even you don’t understand it. This will have a life of its own and be around way after we are gone. To have thought this up, seen the need, and assumed the effort to get it done is phenomenal. I really do salute you.

TF says: The women that the OLOHP has brought to us have lived remarkable lives, often solitary and private, and we are far richer for knowing these women, their struggles and their passion.