Why National Women's History Month?

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

When I began College in the early 70s, I had a friend who wanted to major in women's studies. What she ended up doing in one of her classes was reading those books written by women from the early days to the present. She found the writing sometimes hard to read, but the idea of these women, many of whom were not known of at that time, finally getting their time in the sun was exciting.

If it were not for the push to remember these early writers, the rest of the story might have been lost to time, or we might just now be learning about the women who played a major role and about what we have become.

As I research not only for the history that I write about, but also the history I use in my novels, I now have access to so many women who made their mark.

In the current book I'm working on, which takes place in Estes Park, Colorado, women such as:

• Mary Belle King Sherman: As a leader in the General Federation of Women's Clubs, she was dubbed "The National Park Lady," using her influence to lobby for the creation of RMNP and the National Park Service.
• Esther Burnell Mills: In 1917, she became the first licensed nature guide in any national park, leading trips through the mountains and marrying champion of the park, Enos Mills.
• Elizabeth Burnell: Sister to Esther, she was a pioneering educator who led hiking parties, including trips above the treeline, and was the first woman guide to lead a group to the summit of Longs Peak.
• Isabella Bird: An English explorer who popularized the area through her 1879 book A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains and was among the first women to climb Longs Peak.
• Margaret Fuller Boos: A geologist who served as the park's first female ranger-naturalist in the late 1920s, developing geological guides for visitors.
• Kitty and Annie Harbison: Homesteaded land that later became part of the park. 
• Flora Stanley: Wife of F.O. Stanley, the builder of the Stanley Hotel.

all had a part to play in the history of the area.

Would our favorite stories exist as they do without the contributions of these women and others? We may not always include some of these women by name, but their presence can still be felt in the characters we create.

For me, having these histories available is priceless.

Until next time,

Stay safe and keep reading and writing.

Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon