EMMA LANGDON - and Power of Words

Post by Doris McCraw

writing as Angela Raines

This is a re-posting

Entrance to the Gold Coin Mine, Victor, CO.
photo property of the author

Emma F. Langdon and the Power of Words

“THE state of Colorado ceased under the administration of James H. Peabody, to be republican in its form of government, and became a military oligarchy. The expressed will of the people was ignored by their chosen representatives; thus bringing upon the state a series of calamities, the magnitude of which may now readily be seen.”

The above is taken from the introduction to Emma's book “The Cripple Creek Strike, A History of Industrial Wars in Colorado 1903-4-5”. Regardless of your belief in who was right or wrong during this tumultuous time, this book is considered the definitive work on the region and events of the time and area. That it is written by a woman makes it even more amazing.

photo from Wikipedia

Here then is the story of Emma F. Langdon.

Emma was born on September 29, 1875, in Tennessee. She married Charles Langdon, born June 9, 1870, in 1896. She also became a step-mother to Lucille M. Lockett with this marriage. In 1900 the family was residing in Junction City Kansas.

In 1903 Emma and her husband moved to Victor, Colorado and worked at the Victor Daily Record. Although Emma had said a woman belonged at home and not in public life, her sentiment was not to be.

On May 15, 1893, in Butte Montana, saw the birth of the Western Federation of Miners. It was comprised of forty delegates from fifteen unions from the states of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota. Approximately six months later the unions were able to negotiate shorter workdays (eight hours) and an increase in pay ($3.25 a day) in the Cripple Creek-Victor area. In 1903 the tensions between miners and mine owners increased. The union supported the smelter workers who were working long hours and less pay.

The situation became so volatile that the mine owners censored and arrested anyone who opposed their edits. This resulted in the workers at the Victor Daily Record being rounded up so that this pro-union newspaper could not put out the next issue. When Emma was told of the 'arrest' she went to the paper and that night barricaded herself in, set type and put out the paper on schedule. When she delivered the issue to the men who had been taken to the 'bullpen' the laughter of the captors changed and the incarcerated rejoiced.

Victor, CO
photo property of the author

In 1904 when the strike ended those who had supported the union were requested to leave. Emma moved to Denver Colorado where she remained until her death on November 30, 1937. She continued her work on behalf of the union.

The story of the Labor Wars in Colorado is full of people from both sides that made their mark on the history of the region. From 1893-1914 and the Ludlow massacre, Colorado was a hotbed of conflict between the haves and have-nots with errors in judgment on both sides. Not an easy read, but a fascinating one.

In "The Outlaw's Letter" Hetty Osgood is also an independent woman who follows her calling, to unexpected consequences. Below is a short excerpt and the book is on sale, with other Lockets N Lace 2019 stories through Sept 20, 2019.

      She'd seen him before, but not the way he looked now. It had been twelve years ago, back in Kentucky. Her stomach clenched, her hand started to shake. Fear made her grasp the beer she'd put down when she was preparing to leave. Hetty looked down at her drink. Out of the corner of her eye, Hetty saw the man turn her way. The look in his eye was like a snake getting ready to strike. He started her way, effectively blocking her from escaping. Well, if I can't get out of here, then acting scared will do me no good, Hetty thought.

     Taking a big swallow, Hetty turned and stared at the man, holding her ground by sheer will.

     "Frank, where's my drink?" he shouted as he reached the small space along the bar where Hetty stood. Glancing her way, he smiled, really more like a sneer. Reaching to grab the drink the bartender placed on the bar. "Kid, you look familiar," the man commented, looking Hetty over from head to toe. "Don't know where I've seen you before, but I'll remember," he threatened as he walked toward the poker table at the back of the room.

     Now what are you going to do? Hetty thought. She was torn between staying and leaving. If she stayed and the man kept staring at her, he would soon remember. 

Purchase on Amazon

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

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

Member of National League of American Pen Women,

Women Writing the West,

Western Writers of America

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

EARLY WOMEN WRITERS & Finding the Time to Write

Many of us who post on this blog are writers. We are constantly researching, working to promote our work, keep up with our readers, work outside the home and try to find time to tell the stories that are in our hearts and minds. We work in a world of constant distraction. But what of the women who wrote books in the early years.?

Helen Hunt Jackson wrote not only poetry, but essays and romance novels. Sara Jane Lippencott aka Grace Greenwood not only wrote essays,poetry, worked as a correspondent and also booked speaking engagements. And who can forget Isabella Bird, who traveled the world and then combined letters to her sister to create the books "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" and "The Yangtze Valley and Beyond: An Account of Journeys in China" to name a few.

Sara Jane Lipencott
from Wikepedia

But what of the 'professional' women? One doctor, Geneveive Tucker, wrote a book titled "Mother, Baby, and Nursery: A Manual for Mothers" which was published in 1896. I found the subject and information fascinating. Here from the preface is the gold of the author for the book.

 The object of the author in presenting this work is to furnish a practical summary of the infant's hygiene and physical development. The aim of the book is to be a guide to mothers, particularly young and inexperienced ones. It purposes to teach and help a mother to understand her babe, to feed it properly, to place it in healthful surroundings, and to watch its growth and development with intelligence, and thus relieve in a measure the undue anxiety and nervous uncertainty of a new mother. The book is not intended in any measure to take the place of a physician, but rather to aid the physician in teaching the mother to care properly for her babe when well, that she may better nurse it when sick.

Then of course there were the autobiographies.

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell wrote: "Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women; Autobiographical Sketches"

Harriot Kesia Hunt wrote: "Glances and Glimpses: or, Fifty Years Social, including Twenty Years Professional Life"

Helena Modjeska wrote: Memories and Impressions of Helena Modjeska: An Autobiography"

Helena Modjeska
from Wikepedia

So who were these 'profesional' women? Most have heard of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to graduate from a medical school. But, Harriot Kesia Hunt was a doctor in Boston in the 1830s who  acquired her skills by studying with a male doctor. She had applied to Harvard medical school in 1847, the first female to apply, and was turned down. She was later granted an honorary degree from the Female Medical College in Philadelphia in 1853.

Helena Modjeska was an actress of some fame in the late 1800s who had been a star in Poland, but moved to the United States and began performing here. When she first arrived her performances were done somewhat phonetically, but she persevered and became one of the top Shakespearean actresses of her time.

Dr. Genevieve Tucker, who was appalled at infant mortality rate, stated “Decrease in infant mortality will be brought about more by strict hygiene and prevention of sickness then by any treatment of disease already begun, no matter how skillfully applied.” Dr. Tucker had a  practiced in Pueblo, Colorado, and in 1898 she was elected president of the Colorado Homeopathic Medical Society. 

Were the writings of these women best sellers? Who knows? But most of these works are still available either in print or in the public domain and give an insight into the world of the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

We can only hope our works, be they fiction or non-fiction, bring knowledge and joy to our readers. We truly love telling our stories for you. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, know we are thankful for all of you.

Speaking of babies and women doctors, here is an excerpt from my book "Josie's Dream", a story about a women who wanted to be a doctor more than almost anything.

Josie was exhausted and it showed in her walk and stance. The day had been one full of one emergency after another. The day started with Homer and his lessons, but quickly dissolved into a couple of broken bones, the Fresch boy, who had gotten his cast wet, and cuts and scrapes. Just when things looked like they would slow down, she’d had to go out to the Kruger homestead to assist Mrs. Kruger, who had gone into labor early and was having difficulty.

Josie was pleased that mother and baby were doing fine. Still, she’d had a bit of trouble convincing Mrs. Kruger and her husband that ‘laying in’ was not the best for mother and child. When she’d had Mr. Kruger, who was nervous about his first child, start to boil water, he’d no idea it was to wash the sheets. But wash them she had, after enlisting the poor father’s help. In the end, when she explained about cleanliness and the way it would help with Mrs. Kruger getting better more quickly, he fell right in. The love and pride the two had for each other and their son gave Josie hope for the future. She knew she would probably not get married for she knew most men wouldn’t want such an independent woman who had her own job. She also knew she’d never get a quilt that her grandmother made for the grand children who married. That thought made her sad. But she’d made her choice.

It was on days such as this, when she was tired but pleased with her day, that Josie wondered what the world would be like in another fifty years. Would doctors still be visiting patients, or would there be hospitals where those same patients could stay if there were complications. What would her life be like? The world continued on and, Josie knew, advances were being made in so many areas.

Thinking of Mrs. Packham, and her problems with the twins and their struggle to thrive after getting the poisoned food, Josie dreamed of a time when medicine would be able to help speed recovery or eradicate disease altogether. When the science had advanced enough, doctors would be able to tell if people like Mrs. Kruger were going to have complications. 

Click Here to Purchase on Amazon

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

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

Member of National League of American Pen Women,

Women Writing the West,

Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners

Western Fictioneers

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here