The Leon's ranch is a typical setting for the clash between European and Native American cultures in The Surrounded. Max lives on the reservation for much of his adult life and yet makes little effort to adapt to the Native American culture around him. His Salish wife Catharine lives a traditional life in her own cabin.

"[Max] settled down and began to build his ranch. And on that he labored strenuously. In the work of those early years he rarely had anyone to help. It was not laziness, and it was not romanticism. While it was true that the old life was much cleaner than the present existence, it was still hard for a white man to stomach." (42)

McNickle, D. The Surrounded. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. (1936)

Photo: 82-164 (top) and 82-0092 (bottom), Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.