Trudy Kempton Dana grew up hearing stories of her father’s life on a large horse and cattle ranch in eastern Montana. Although her father, Jerry Kempton, became a civil engineer instead of a rancher and never again lived in Montana, the mystique of the Wild West was a major part of his childhood. After he met and married Phyllis Engdahl, they moved from Montana to Anchorage, Alaska, where Trudy was born and raised. She experienced an exciting and exceptional childhood in the soon-to-become forty-ninth state. Her family was well traveled, often visiting her father's hometown of Terry, Montana, and her mother's family home in Olympia, Washington.

Trudy is a well-known expert in the field of child safety and the author of two books on the subject. Following a series of highly publicized, horrific crimes against children in the Northwest, she was involved in efforts in Washington State to pass the first sexual predator legislation in the nation. Now all states have similar laws. Trudy spoke to hundreds of groups of law enforcement professionals, school administrators, parents, and business people on the topic of protecting children. She worked as a police crime prevention officer for 20 years, creating a number of award-winning community programs often duplicated by other law enforcement agencies across the country. Trudy and her husband raised two daughters in the small town of Edmonds, on Puget Sound, north of Seattle, where they still live.

While attending college at the University of Montana in Missoula, Trudy grew to love Montana. She also wanted to know more about her family history, which includes pilgrims, patriots, pioneers, and Native Americans.  In early 2014, Trudy began gathering family photos, interviewing relatives and conducting extensive research in the service of writing the stories her father told about growing up on the Kempton Ranch.