Notable Early Women of Wyoming Territory by Zina Abbott

With this being Women’s History month, I wish to draw attention to the women of early Wyoming Territory. Although many claim they were granted suffrage—something positive—for the wrong reasons, the truth is, in 1869, the Wyoming Territorial legislature did give Wyoming Territory women the right to vote. In spite of opposition from those who still believed a woman’s place was limited to her home, the following women were among the forerunners who proved this was a wise decision.

The suffrage bill was passed through an all-male legislature with help from women of influence behind the scenes. William Bright introduced the suffrage bill. It is believed that his wife, Julia Bright, was the driving force behind his decision. Since the bill also granted suffrage to all males regardless of race, he is known to have given the reason that, if black and Chinese men could vote, his wife should be able to as well.

In 1902, while attending a national convention on women’s rights, Mr. Bright was asked to speak about what had happened in Wyoming. He stated that the bill regarding women’s suffrage was not introduced “in fun.” He supported women’s suffrage because he believed “his wife was as good as any man and better than convicts and idiots.”

Louisa Swain of Laramie City, about age seventy, is on record as being the first woman to have voted in a general election in Wyoming Territory on September 6, 1870. According to the Laramie and Cheyenne newspapers, Swain beat Augusta C. Howe, the 27-year-old wife of the U.S. Marshall Church Howe of Cheyenne, to the polls by 30 minutes.

About 600 women were eligible to vote in the 1870 election. Unfortunately, there is no record of exactly how many women took advantage of this privilege. It is believed at least 289 total voted. According to the newspapers, 171 women voted in Cheyenne, 93 in Laramie, eight in South Pass City, eight in Atlantic City and nine in Miner's Delight—the last three being the gold-mining towns near South Pass. This would suggest that women voted in these towns at approximately the same rate as men in Cheyenne and Laramie.

The notion that women would follow their husbands’ leads and vote the same way they did was dispelled. According to the Laramie and Cheyenne papers in 1870, the women's vote skewed heavily in favor of Republican candidates—much to the disgust of the Democrats, who brought about the right for women to vote. Louisa Swain of Laramie, the first documented woman voter in Wyoming, reportedly voted a straight Republican ticket.  

Esther Hobart Morris became the first woman to hold the office of justice of the peace in the United States. This came about when, to protest the Wyoming Territorial Legislature granting women suffrage in December 1869, James W. Stillman resigned from his role as justice of the peace in Sweetwater County.

In 1870, Esther Hobart Morris, then age 55 and an imposing six feet tall in stature, was appointed by the Sweetwater County Board. During that era, justices of the peace held more power than modern-day judges since their courts covered every type of case. She presided over everything from assault cases to debt disputes.

Morris commanded her courtroom and, according to the American Journal of Legal History, spoke in a manner that was more “candid than diplomatic.” As a working woman in the late 1800s, she lacked both legal experience and formal education. She judged legal issues “on the broad principles of justice and right without regard to technicalities or quibbles of law.”

By the end of her eight-and-a-half-month tenure, Morris had a solid grasp on sophisticated legal proceedings. Out of her forty rulings, none were overturned upon appeal. 

In March 1870, six women in Laramie City, Wyoming Territory, were the first to be called to sit on a formal grand jury, to be composed of up to nine men and six women, presided over by Judge John Howe. The women were Eliza Stewart, Elizabeth (Amelia) Hatcher, Sarah Pease, Mary Jane Mackle, Annie Monaghan, and Mary Hilton. Another woman, Martha Boies, was selected as a bailiff. For more about this jury, please read my post on a different blog by clicking HERE

 

1880s recreation of first women serving on a jury, Laramie City

A grand jury has the power to investigate potentially criminal conduct and decides whether criminal charges should be brought against a defendant or group of defendants. Women had never served on grand juries or trial juries before.

Amalia Post grew up believing that women were supposed to be the center of the household, and limited to that position. Her life did not allow her the luxury of pursuing that course. After her husband deserted her twice without funds—the second time with another woman—she filed for divorce and moved far from family. She became financially independent by raising chickens and loaning money to be repaid with interest. She remarried and moved with her husband to Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, but—as was allowed by the married woman’s property laws in Colorado and Wyoming Territories—kept her personal property separate from his. She showed no signs of interest in the women’s suffrage movement until after she was selected as the foreman of the first female jury in the United States.

When women in Wyoming were granted suffrage, the question of jury duty was brought up. If juries were selected from voter rolls, then women ought to participate. And so Post was selected as the foreman of the jury for a murder trial in Cheyenne in 1871.

Men of the time thought that women didn’t have the capacity to justly rule on cases involving such high emotions. Some historians say allowing women on juries was an attempt to discredit suffrage or prove that it was a joke.

Nevertheless, Post, along with other female jurors, sat in the courtroom to hear pleas. In the end, they sentenced the murderer to be hung. In reality, the women of the time reportedly dished out higher fines and stricter rulings.

 

In my upcoming release, The Bride Who Step Dances, My heroine and her brother arrived in Laramie City after the women in Wyoming Territory were no longer being called for jury duty. This book is not on pre-order, but is scheduled for release on March 20, 2026.

The best way to be notified of the release is by following me by newsletter HERE

 

 

Sources:

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/who-cast-first-vote

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/women-jury-wyoming-makes-history-again

https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/suffrage/the-forces-behind-the-suffrage-movement-in-wyoming/article_1ca0a678-88a9-5f9d-9f97-0cb9a7b6bdfe.html

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/amalia-post-defender-womens-rights

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/right-choice-wrong-reasons-wyoming-women-win-right-vote

https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/suffrage/the-forces-behind-the-suffrage-movement-in-wyoming/article_1ca0a678-88a9-5f9d-9f97-0cb9a7b6bdfe.html

 

 

The Role of Women and the Flu Pandemic of 1918

By, Annie Jones

 

The 1918 influenza pandemic is commonly known as the Spanish Flu, even though the virus did not originate in Spain.  During WWI, Spain was a neutral country and therefore was allowed to publish information and news updates about the pandemic freely. 

The war unfortunately contributed to the rapid spread of the virus since soldiers would live and train in close quarters with each other and then travel to other places where the infection would spread.  In fact, the Spanish flu (or H1N1) is estimated to have killed at least 50 million people, 675,000 in the United States alone. 

Alfred Crosby’s The Forgotten Pandemic was published in 1975 and gave the first comprehensive historical account of the H1N1 outbreak.  The caregivers during the epidemic were mostly women due to the shortage of labor who went to work as nurses to provide palliative care to the sick.  The efforts of these women went largely unhailed.  Because there were no pharmaceutical interventions that could treat the virus, the most common treatment measures included bed rest, isolation, pain relief, and warmth.  Women working as nurses became the primary caregivers during this time, risking infection to provide patients with nourishment, hydration, and blankets. 

 

Mabel Chilson was a student nurse at Fort Des Moines who wrote about ladies’ decisions to help in her school yearbook: “We wondered, ‘were we helpless or could we fight?  With eager determination we entered the ranks.’”  The accounts of the nurses were told through their diaries and letters, and despite the horrors of war and sickness, they also wrote about the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the welfare of others.  Miss Condell, a nursing student in Boston, said that the experience of ministering to patients taught nurses valuable lessons about endurance, self-discipline, and proper attitude.   

The shortage of male workers in the U.S. due to the combination of the war and the pandemic provided women with access to the labor market.  The number of women in the workforce increased by 25% and by 1920 women made up 21% of total employed Americans.  As they began to work outside the home, women also began to advocate for themselves for equal pay and the right to vote. 

It is interesting when we look back on history to see how the choices we make today could make a world of difference in people’s lives years from now.  I find this to be extremely encouraging and a reminder to be more intentional about the impact I have on others.  We never know how far a simple smile, a kind word, or a prayer may go. 

 

I am very excited to share that one of the historical romances I am writing now features a nurse who works at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Chicago in 1918.  This book will be published next year, so please be sure to follow my Amazon Author page to be notified when it is available for pre-order:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08KSFSHX1

In the meantime, I have just published a children’s book about the power and legacy of love.  My 13-year-old daughter did the illustrations!  The paperback includes a coloring book section, positive affirmations, and pages for children to create their own artwork.  You can purchase it here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KSL2NNN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0

 

 

About me:

 

I work as a disability counselor and feel honored to help people rediscover their wholeness in Spirit and navigate complex medical and legal systems.  I am also a professional book reviewer for Publishers Weekly and run my own blog, Annie's Book Nook, where I talk about upcoming releases in romance, mystery, and faith-based fiction.  https://annies-book-nook.blogspot.com/.  I'll be joining you here as featured blogger and author the 3rd Monday of every month.  

 

I’m excited to be starting my journey as a Christian fiction writer and have multiple historical and contemporary romances scheduled for upcoming publication.  I welcome the opportunity to connect with others so please feel free to “Friend” me on Facebook under my full name:  Anne Kemerer Jones.  https://www.facebook.com/anne.k.jones.555

  

Sources:

1.      The Influenza Pandemic and The War

            http://www.kumc.edu/wwi/medicine/influenza.html

2.     Medical Innovations:  From the 1918 Pandemic to a Flu Vaccine

            https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/medical-innovations-1918-flu

3.     Women:  The Unsung Heroes of the 1918 Flu Pandemic

            https://www.wimlf.org/blog/women-the-unsung-heroes-of-the-1918-flu-pandemic

 

 

Abigail Scott Duniway--A Woman Ahead of her Time

In researching my last release, The Suffragette’s Vow, book 8 in the multi-author “Keepers of the Light” series, I stumbled across—perhaps a better term is clicked to—the fact a feminist newspaper started printing issues in May of 1871 in Portland Oregon. The timeframe fit with my story, as did the location, and my heroine, Nadina, became an intrepid reporter.

courtesy of Wikimedia

Abigail Scott Duniway, a married woman and mother of six children, launched The New Northwest as a weekly publication that carried the motto “Free Speech, Free Press, Free People.” Her brother, Harvey W. Scott who later became chief editorialist of the Portland Oregonian, helped with editing, as did her sister Catherine Coburn. Her disabled husband, Benjamin, managed the business affairs, and several sons helped with the printing press. Missus Duniway supplied much of the copy—include news reports, topical essays, travel pieces, and serialized fiction—herself. Almost twenty years earlier, her family was among one of the early groups of settlers to move to Oregon Territory. All her life, she was aware of the inequality between the sexes. Her wish was to promote discussion about issues pertaining to women—divorce law, economic status of women in a pioneer state, and of course, women’s suffrage—in the hope of making their lives easier.


The New Northwest is acknowledged by contemporary historians as the first effort in the Pacific Northwest to further women’s rights. Missus Duniway arranged for Susan B. Anthony to visit in summer, 1871 and conduct a tour through the state, making speeches in support of women’s rights and suffrage.  In several elections from 1884 through 1910, males did not support initiatives to grant the right to vote. However, credit is given to Missus Duniway and The New Northwest for the passage of the Married  Women’s Property Act of 1878. After passage, women were allowed to manage their own wages and to own property. When the state’s suffrage initiative was passed in 1912, Governor West asked Abigail Scott Duniway to author and sign the official proclamation. The New Northwest remained in circulation until February, 1887.

Taglines for The Suffragette’s Vow

Can a reclusive lighthouse keeper prevent a curious reporter from digging into his past?

Will a reporter wrest a story from a taciturn lighthouse keeper and gain her independence?


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WCTU IN COLORADO

Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raines

On April 30, 1880, a meeting was held at the Congregational Church in Colorado Springs for the purpose of creating A Women's Temperance Auxilary to the Women's National Temperance Union. It began with thirty members. They elected Mrs. Shields as president. This is notable for Mrs. Shields was involved with the Women's Suffrage Movement in Colorado Springs in 1877.

That Weekly Register Call newspaper in Central City, CO on November 5, 1880, included the following news article:
The ladies of Leadville connected with the Women's Christian Temperance Union of that city, set up to the voters of the several voting precincts of that city, hot coffee, and a substantial lunch last Tuesday. Their example might be emulated by other Christian people with favorable results in helping many to abstain from the intoxicating bowl.

The 'Weekly Register Call' newspaper in Central City, CO. of January 18, 1889, had the following short piece:
There are in this country 48 national societies of women, with a direct membership of 500,000. The largest is the women's Christian Temperance Union with a membership of 210,000. Then follows the missionary, peace, suffrage, philanthropic and educational organizations. Twelve of them have joined with the National Council, which was formed to unite all the women societies into one great league.

Central City, CO. 1862
Wikipedia

The organization was strong in Colorado. In many ways, the suffrage movement, which had been active almost from the beginning of the territory probably helped to embolden the women to make their sentiments known. There were occasions when women were a part of both, like the example at the beginning of this post. Since 2020 is the centennial of the 19th amendment, it seemed appropriate to write about the women in the west who followed their beliefs and made their wishes known.

On December 31, 1899, the Colorado Springs Gazette published a review of the work of the local W.C.T.U. Included in that article was the following:
The W.C.T.U. meetings were held in the women's library adjoining for a while, and afterward, in the room on the second floor, that was also used for the Chinese Sunday school. While occupying these rooms several transactions of interest occurred to the W.C.T.U. That of an all-day prayer meeting, a column secured in the Republic, now the telegraph, and a new interest aroused in the suffrage question.

The first improvement notice as a result of women's ballot, even on the school question, with that of taking the polling places out of alleys and carpenter shops to the high school building. During the campaign when Mrs. Susan T Dunbar was the successful candidate, editor B. W. Steel gave the free use of the columns of the Gazette, being an ardent supporter of women's suffrage, and himself subscribed the first $10 for carriages to be used on election day.

It was after Mrs. Malley's lecture in the fall of 1884 a gentleman said to me: "Why don't you organize a prohibition club?"

Ask a woman to organize a prohibition club question absurd! Not one of the 200,000 members of the W.C.T.U. could vote on other than school matters, save in Wyoming and Washington territories.

For those who would like the full 1899 article, I will gladly download it and send it to any who might be interested.

As you can see, it took strong, determined women to accomplish the settling and civilizing of the West. I have always been drawn to strong determined women in history and that has informed my writing. 

In my first novel "Josie's Dream", my character of Josephine Forrester was one such character. Below is an excerpt from that novel.

Turning, Josie noticed the older gentleman she’d seen with a young girl earlier. Getting Amos’ attention she called him over. “Amos, who is that over there?”

Looking in the direction Josie was pointing he asked, “You mean that old man?”

“Yes, he looks angry. Didn’t he have a young girl with him?”

“Yes,” Amos answered, “Mr. Pierson and his daughter don’t always see eye to eye, and she sometimes just walks off instead of making a scene.”

“Will she be okay?”

“Not much danger, most everyone here is getting ready to head over to the ball field for the start of the game.”

Josie grinned at Amos. Oh, how she’d enjoyed watching the games when she was younger, even taking part when she could. In that respect, she was more of a tomboy than even her family knew.

“Why are you grinning?”

“Just remembering,” she sighed, “so who are the contestants?”

“Our team is playing a group of railroaders working the line west of us. It’s a big deal to both teams. Let’s just hope the game stays civil.” Amos grinned, knowing full well the crowd would probably get boisterous before the day was over.

“Any girls ever been on a team?”

“Girls? Why, not since I’ve been here.” Amos grinned, “But...why? Were you thinking of playing? I think they might have more need of your medical services before the day is over.”

Josie grinned, pleased with the way Amos turned the subject back to her profession, but oh how she wanted to run and laugh with abandon. Then she pulled herself up, she was a doctor, not some hoyden who was undisciplined. She’d worked hard to earn her degree, which reminded her, she needed to get back to her office and get ready for any accidents that might happen, not that she wanted anyone hurt.

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Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

Books: Angela Raines Books

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