Elsie P. Johnson was born in 1902 in Fromberg, Montana, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Jedlicka) Pokarney. She attended Dillon Normal College and later taught at Cherry Springs school. In 1924, she married Paul Alfred Johnston in Sheridan, Wyoming and in 1932, the couple moved to Laurel, Montana, where Elsie became a member of the Laurel Methodist Church, the Order of Eastern Star, and the Laurel Women’s Club. She became interested in Montana music after being assigned by the Laurel Women’s Club to look into the history of Montana music for the club’s yearbook. Johnston reached out to the Library of Congress and the Montana Historical Society in search of songs and music about Montana or written by Montana residents. Songs she gathered included “Beautiful Montana,” by A. H. Boucher, “Montana,” (the Montana state song) by Joseph Howard, “The Mountain State” by Frank L. and Minnie Kern, and many others. In addition to collecting Montana music, Johnston also sang in a woman’s group and organized historical music programs that performed Montana songs and provided information on their creators and history. Johnston died in 1997 at the age of 94.