When I chose
Wyoming for the setting of Dreams of Gold,
a western historical novella, I did so because WY is known as the equality
state. Even before the territory gained admission to the United States,
legislation was passed in 1869 that granted women the right to vote, serve on
juries, and hold elected office. The territorial document was the first time a
government had granted “female suffrage” and became law upon Governor A.J.
Campbell’s signature on December 10, 1869.
Within three
months, Esther Hobart Morris had been appointed justice of the peace in South
Pass City (a site of gold strikes) to fill out a term for a man who’d been
ousted. Her “courtroom” consisted of a wooden slab bench in her log cabin.
Although she had no legal training, she had been the owner of a successful millinery
business in her prior home state of New York. In her first case, she arrested J.W.
Stillman, the man who had served in the position but refused to relinquish his court
docket. She served for nine months and gave decision on 27 cases, 9 of which
were criminal in nature. Her appointment as a judge garnered national
attention, and she’s credited with encouraging (perhaps even co-authoring) the woman’s
suffrage bill put before the legislation.
 |
| Esther courtesy of Wikipedia |
Also noteworthy
was that on September 6, 1870 in Laramie, Mrs. Louisa Swain was the first woman
to cast a vote in a general election. She was 69 years old and described as “a
gentle white-haired housewife.”
These facts
were important because such events would have appeared in newspapers across the
nation, establishing Wyoming as an area with a progressive attitude toward
women’s rights. My heroine, Ciara Morrissey, grew to adulthood in the east,
Massachusetts in particular. Living in an area of higher population gave her
access to a wider number of opportunities—ways to support herself, as well as
gatherings, colleges, and public meetings that educated and informed. Raised by
a liberal-minded mother, Ciara had attended both anti-slavery and suffrage
meetings since she was a child. Therefore, she arrived in Wyoming Territory in
1871 with expectations on how to conduct her business that were a bit more
open-minded than the hometown sheriff, Quinn Riley, was used to. And the sparks
flew…
BLURB: Sheriff
Quinn Riley is tracking an Irish swindler and sticking close to the opinionated
woman from the runaway stagecoach. Within hours, easterner Ciara Morrissey puts
the town in an uproar by inquiring about his prime suspect. He’s duty-bound to keep her safe, even when being
close to the green-eyed beauty sets off a stampede in his heart.
BUY LINKS
Find Linda
here on the web
Twitter @lcarrollbradd
Or subscribe
to her quarterly newsletter to stay updated on news and releases
