Women of the Sierra by Anne Seagraves

First Line: The Sierra Nevada Range is a mountainous chain extending along the eastern border of the state, more than 400 miles long and about 70 miles wide.

In her usual informative and entertaining style, author Anne Seagraves shares the lives of fifteen strong, independent women who made their mark in the area of the United States called the Sierra (parts of Nevada and California). From entertainers, doctors, schoolteachers, and publishers to stagecoach drivers, businesswomen, and ladies of the night, Seagraves provides a wide-ranging vignette of life in that area from the 1800s to the turn of the twentieth century.

Perhaps the most profound and moving of these portraits are those of the women who made no real "mark"-- except in the memories of the people whose lives they touched. Those memories live on to this day, and it is wonderful that they are remembered in this book.

The purpose of books like this is threefold: to entertain, to enlighten, and to bright to light the stories of women who have-- unfairly-- languished in obscurity. Seagraves does important work here that not only entertains but encourages readers to learn even more. I intend to do so.

Women of the Sierra by Anne Seagraves

ISBN: 9780961908812

Wesanne Publications © 1990

Paperback, 176 pages

Women's History, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Paperback Swap

Women Who Charmed the West by Anne Seagraves

First Line: The first public amusements and early days of the theater have always fascinated the American people.

This slim volume packs a lot of interesting-- and fun-- information about actresses who charmed audiences throughout the western United States from the 1800s and on to the turn of the twentieth century.

Nine legendary actresses from the likes of Lillian Russell, Sarah Bernhardt, Adah Isaacs Menken, and Lillie Langtry grace this entertaining book in photographs and text. For the most part, I already knew much about such performers as Russell, Bernhardt, and Langtry, but I still enjoyed being reminded of their talents and their exploits. Reading about those who are even less well known made me want to begin research on them as soon as I finished the book.

If you like discovering tidbits such as which actress was the world's first superstar... or which actress had the first red carpet rolled out for her, this is definitely the book for you. It may be a light version of women's history, but with the bibliography in the back, it won't be difficult to learn even more about them if you're so inclined. I know I am!

Women Who Charmed the West by Anne Seagraves

ISBN: 9780961908829

Wesanne Publications © 2003

Paperback, 176 pages

Women's History, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Paperback Swap

High-Spirited Women of the West by Anne Seagraves

Title: High-Spirited Women of the West
Author: Anne Seagraves
ISBN: 0961908831
Publisher: Wesanne Publications, 1992
Paperback, 175 pages
Genre: History of the American West, Women's History
Rating: B
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: This book profiles the lives of ten courageous women from the mid-1800s through the turn of the century.

This award-winning book is a perfect introduction to ten women about whom you'll want to learn even more. The ten profiled are: Jessie Benton Frémont, wife of a presidential candidate who once said of herself "I am like a deep ship. I drive best under a strong wind"; Abigail Scott Duniway, "the Grand Old Lady of Oregon" who-- with a sixth-grade education-- became a noted journalist and suffragist and the first woman to register to vote in the state of Oregon; Sarah Winnemucca, the passionate voice of the Paiute Indians; Fanny Stenhouse and Ann Eliza Young who fought against the tyranny of polygamy; Belle Starr, one of the best known outlaws of her day; Nellie Cashman, known as the "Irish Angel of Mercy" in mining camps from Arizona to Alaska; Jeanne Elizabeth Wier, Nevada's noted historian; Helen Jane Wiser Stewart, the First Lady of southern Nevada whose ranch just so happened to be called Las Vegas; and Grace Carpenter Hudson, one of the most accomplished Western artists in America.

The book is lavishly illustrated with photos of all the women, and the bibliography in the back lists Seagraves's sources, so you'll have a list ready when you want to read more about these women-- as I'm sure you will. With any book of this type, it's easy to choose favorites from amongst the ten women. Mine were:

Nellie Cashman, a compassionate woman with a zest for life who was still mushing (running behind a dog sled) when she was seventy years old. While she lived in Tombstone, Arizona, she had a restaurant where she served such folks as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Pat Garrett.

Jeanne Elizabeth Wier, a woman who underwent severe hardship traveling from one dusty settlement to another in a never-ending quest to save the documented history of Nevada.

Grace Carpenter Hudson, who captured the beauty of the Pomo Indians while her husband recorded their customs and language. Between the two of them, they preserved the heritage of a culture for all time.

If you love the history of the American West, if you love women's history, you're going to enjoy this book. All the women featured in it deserve to be well known.

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