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The Girl Who Dared to Defy
In the wake of the violent labor disputes in Colorado’s two-year Coalfield War, a young woman and single mother resolved in 1916 to change the status quo for “girls,” as well-to-do women in Denver referred to their hired help. Her name was Jane Street, and this compelling biography is the first to chronicle her defiant efforts—and devastating misfortunes—as a leader of the so-called housemaid rebellion.
A native of Indiana, Jane Street (1887–1966) began her activist endeavors as an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). In riveting detail, author Jane Little Botkin recounts Street’s attempts to orchestrate a domestic mutiny against Denver’s elitist Capitol Hill women, including wives of the state’s national guard officers and Colorado Fuel and Iron operators. It did not take long for the housemaid rebellion to make local and national news.
Despite the IWW’s initial support of the housemaids’ fight for fairness and better pay, Street soon found herself engaged in a gender war, the target of sexism within the very organization she worked so hard to support. The abuses she suffered ranged from sabotage and betrayal to arrests and abandonment. After the United States entered World War I and the first Red Scare arose, Street’s battle to balance motherhood and labor organizing began to take its toll. Legal troubles, broken relationships, and poverty threatened her very existence.
In previous western labor and women’s studies accounts, Jane Street has figured only marginally, credited in passing as the founder of a housemaids’ union. To unearth the rich detail of her story, Botkin has combed through case histories, family archives, and—perhaps most significant—Street’s own writings, which express her greatest joys, her deepest sorrows, and her unfortunate dealings with systematic injustice. Setting Jane’s story within the wider context of early-twentieth-century class struggles and the women’s suffrage movement, The Girl Who Dared to Defy paints a fascinating—and ultimately heartbreaking—portrait of one woman’s courageous fight for equality.
A native of Indiana, Jane Street (1887–1966) began her activist endeavors as an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). In riveting detail, author Jane Little Botkin recounts Street’s attempts to orchestrate a domestic mutiny against Denver’s elitist Capitol Hill women, including wives of the state’s national guard officers and Colorado Fuel and Iron operators. It did not take long for the housemaid rebellion to make local and national news.
Despite the IWW’s initial support of the housemaids’ fight for fairness and better pay, Street soon found herself engaged in a gender war, the target of sexism within the very organization she worked so hard to support. The abuses she suffered ranged from sabotage and betrayal to arrests and abandonment. After the United States entered World War I and the first Red Scare arose, Street’s battle to balance motherhood and labor organizing began to take its toll. Legal troubles, broken relationships, and poverty threatened her very existence.
In previous western labor and women’s studies accounts, Jane Street has figured only marginally, credited in passing as the founder of a housemaids’ union. To unearth the rich detail of her story, Botkin has combed through case histories, family archives, and—perhaps most significant—Street’s own writings, which express her greatest joys, her deepest sorrows, and her unfortunate dealings with systematic injustice. Setting Jane’s story within the wider context of early-twentieth-century class struggles and the women’s suffrage movement, The Girl Who Dared to Defy paints a fascinating—and ultimately heartbreaking—portrait of one woman’s courageous fight for equality.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 24, 2021
Jane Little Botkin has written a profound and deeply personal book about the extraordinary class struggle for women's rights in the wake of the Ludlow coal-mining massacre, a dark stain on the American conscience. While Mother Jones and others get credit for fighting the battles for workers and women's rights, Botkin adds a well-researched and well-written book about a woman who would otherwise be lost to history.
Founding a housemaid's union was something the elite looked down upon. After all, these women had no rights and many felt they deserved none. But with dignity, courage, hard work, and tenacity, Jane Street made a difference in these women's lives, giving them rights that were denied. This book makes a valuable addition to the history of women struggling for freedom, and it is written with a loving hand that makes the reader root for Jane until the last page. Well done, Jane Little Bodkin.
Founding a housemaid's union was something the elite looked down upon. After all, these women had no rights and many felt they deserved none. But with dignity, courage, hard work, and tenacity, Jane Street made a difference in these women's lives, giving them rights that were denied. This book makes a valuable addition to the history of women struggling for freedom, and it is written with a loving hand that makes the reader root for Jane until the last page. Well done, Jane Little Bodkin.
April 3, 2021
The history of the labor movement in the United States is typically one dominated by men, either in terms of biographies of male leaders or histories of the organization of workplaces dominated by men. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most important ones is the traditional difficulty in organizing women in low-skilled fields with decentralized workplaces. These were particularly frustrating for male labor organizers, who were more accustomed to dealing with industrial workforces concentrated in mines and factories.
This is one of the things that makes Jane Street’s story so noteworthy. In 1916 she undertook a remarkable campaign to organize the female household workers in Denver on behalf of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). To do so she employed a number of innovative approaches that challenged the local social order, yet in the end her efforts were frustrated by the sexism of her male counterparts in her own union. In this book Jane Little Botkin tells the story of Street’s inspiring life, one that details the challenges she faced as both a woman and an organizer in her efforts to win justice for the housemaids of one American city.
From an early age, Jane Street defied the expectations for the women of her era. Born Jane Tuttle, she demonstrated both organizational skills and a talent for writing, both of which would be put to good use in her subsequent career as a labor organizer. After a failed marriage to a bigamist and sexual predator, Jane followed her sister west, first to California, then to Denver. Upon her arrival she sought employment in housework, which she used as an opportunity to collect the names of co-workers who might be receptive to joining a union. Her weapon was public humiliation: elite households that refused to improve wages and working conditions would be publicly outed, embarrassing the socially sensitive women who ran them. Coupled with records of working conditions provided by the members (an inversion of the approach used by the employment agencies through which housemaids found employment) Street threatened to disrupt the social order in Denver.
While Street was able to withstand efforts by Denver’s elite women to oppose her activities, a far more formidable challenge came from the men of her own union, the IWW. For all of their rhetoric of equality, the male leadership of the IWW viewed Street’s activities through a patriarchal lens. When Street faced charges of turning the Housemaids’ Union Clubhouse into a house of ill repute, the men of the IWW used the opportunity to storm the building and take away her charter. Though Street fought against the charges leveled against her, the lynching of her most prominent advocate in the IWW leadership, coupled with the growing persecution of the IWW by the federal government, deprived her union of any hope of success.
Thanks to her assiduous research and evocative writing, Botkin succeeds in bringing Street’s story to life. It’s one of hope and determination that is frustrated by sexism and politics yet never entirely extinguished by it. It’s especially valuable as a corrective to the male-centric history of the American labor movement, showing how women were equally as determined as men to fight for better pay and working conditions. In that respect it serves as an inspirational tale of an overlooked aspect of American history, albeit one tempered by a sobering appreciation of the challenges they faced even from their ostensible allies.
This is one of the things that makes Jane Street’s story so noteworthy. In 1916 she undertook a remarkable campaign to organize the female household workers in Denver on behalf of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). To do so she employed a number of innovative approaches that challenged the local social order, yet in the end her efforts were frustrated by the sexism of her male counterparts in her own union. In this book Jane Little Botkin tells the story of Street’s inspiring life, one that details the challenges she faced as both a woman and an organizer in her efforts to win justice for the housemaids of one American city.
From an early age, Jane Street defied the expectations for the women of her era. Born Jane Tuttle, she demonstrated both organizational skills and a talent for writing, both of which would be put to good use in her subsequent career as a labor organizer. After a failed marriage to a bigamist and sexual predator, Jane followed her sister west, first to California, then to Denver. Upon her arrival she sought employment in housework, which she used as an opportunity to collect the names of co-workers who might be receptive to joining a union. Her weapon was public humiliation: elite households that refused to improve wages and working conditions would be publicly outed, embarrassing the socially sensitive women who ran them. Coupled with records of working conditions provided by the members (an inversion of the approach used by the employment agencies through which housemaids found employment) Street threatened to disrupt the social order in Denver.
While Street was able to withstand efforts by Denver’s elite women to oppose her activities, a far more formidable challenge came from the men of her own union, the IWW. For all of their rhetoric of equality, the male leadership of the IWW viewed Street’s activities through a patriarchal lens. When Street faced charges of turning the Housemaids’ Union Clubhouse into a house of ill repute, the men of the IWW used the opportunity to storm the building and take away her charter. Though Street fought against the charges leveled against her, the lynching of her most prominent advocate in the IWW leadership, coupled with the growing persecution of the IWW by the federal government, deprived her union of any hope of success.
Thanks to her assiduous research and evocative writing, Botkin succeeds in bringing Street’s story to life. It’s one of hope and determination that is frustrated by sexism and politics yet never entirely extinguished by it. It’s especially valuable as a corrective to the male-centric history of the American labor movement, showing how women were equally as determined as men to fight for better pay and working conditions. In that respect it serves as an inspirational tale of an overlooked aspect of American history, albeit one tempered by a sobering appreciation of the challenges they faced even from their ostensible allies.
March 5, 2021
Highly original and meticulously researched - Botkin delivers a compelling look into a little-known and little researched element of the labor movement in the the Nineteen-teens. Meet Jane Street, a woman with ambition and a sense of justice. Involved with the IWW, she moved to Denver and started the housemaid rebellion - pitting working-class maids against Denver's elite. This is a history of struggle - struggle between the sexes, struggle against convention and struggle between economic classes and ambitions. The author brings a previously undiscovered facet of Denver history to life - and as a result, I feel I know my city better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those interested in Women's Studies, Labor Relations and Denver History.
July 15, 2021
Jane Little Botkin’s second book "The Girl Who Dared to Defy: Jane Street and the Rebel Maids of Denver," embodies the same impeccable research, character-driven narratives, and sense of time and place she provided to readers in “Frank Little and the IWW.” Botkin moves the reader through the rich and detailed landscapes where her characters lived and made things happen like an experienced and enthusiastic tour guide. This is not just a book about an important and specific part of American history related to labor and unions. It is not just the brave and spunky Jane Street’s part in that. Botkin paints a three-dimensional portrait of Jane Street before, during, and after marriage, as a single mother of three children, and eventually as a grandmother building a life, continuing to grow, making change, and all the while facing many of the same social issues women today face. I was struck by how the struggle to balance work, life, and family was as real then as it is now. Botkin’s books are engaging stories about seemingly ordinary people who stepped up to change their worlds and ultimately ours.
(Disclaimer: I attended the same high school with the author 50-plus years ago, but have not seen her during that time.)
(Disclaimer: I attended the same high school with the author 50-plus years ago, but have not seen her during that time.)
March 15, 2021
The research runs deep and wide as we learn of the events and people who shaped Jane Street and her motivation. The breadth of this author's analysis along with newspaper quotes and portions of Jane's own words makes this a fascinating read. You have a front row seat to history as it unfolds on the page. No doubt Botkin has crafted another important contribution to American history and literature.
September 22, 2021
I really enjoyed this-- through the story of Jane Street, the author also covers class divides, immigration, unionisation efforts, gender discrimination, and the "Western" (as in West of USA) differences in work and independence.
Lots I had never heard of around union efforts and the mining "wars".
Well-written, well-researched, and a fascinating topic.
Lots I had never heard of around union efforts and the mining "wars".
Well-written, well-researched, and a fascinating topic.
July 12, 2023
Jane Street was an activist of the early 20th century who sought to organize housemaids’ fight for fairness and better pay in Denver, Colorado. In doing so, she faced opposition and setbacks from not just the entitled upper class, but also from the media which was hostile to women in the workforce and the men of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) who sabotaged her efforts because of their innate sexism.
As Botkin points out, Street often undermined her own efforts by making poor choices regarding male companions and by her understandable desire to be a mother. The latter role was difficult for an intelligent, socially and politically activist woman of her era; it is still difficult today.
The story widens from Denver to take in the history of workers, women and unions of the early 20th century. It is therefore a worthy read for those who care about these subjects and that era of American history.
As Botkin points out, Street often undermined her own efforts by making poor choices regarding male companions and by her understandable desire to be a mother. The latter role was difficult for an intelligent, socially and politically activist woman of her era; it is still difficult today.
The story widens from Denver to take in the history of workers, women and unions of the early 20th century. It is therefore a worthy read for those who care about these subjects and that era of American history.
May 11, 2021
While conducting research on her award winning book Frank Little and the IWW: The Blood That Stained an American Family, author Jane Little Botkin came across “Jane Street”, a woman who had once organized a domestic workers union in Denver circa 1916. Plucked from relative obscurity, Botkin has told the story of this scrappy and rebellious Jane Street and her well-intentioned efforts to enrich the lives of Denver’s housemaids and domestic workers with a better understanding that organization, representation, and education leads to a better quality of life. Undaunted by the ensuing sabotage and betrayal of many of the men in her world and threats from entities who possessed a stranglehold on Denver’s jobs for domestic workers, Jane Street carried on with her vision to bring Denver society and housewives to their heels. Continual mistreatment of the help in the hallowed halls of the mansions on the hill would no longer be tolerated. Exquisitely researched and presented, Botkin’s The Girl Who Dared to Defy… reveals the events in Colorado stemming from the workers who toiled away in the mines, the struggles and danger their families faced, horrible living conditions, a forgotten part of Colorado and US history, and the desperation of women trying to live a life of betterment and security for themselves. Jane Street’s story as a young woman and mother, her family history, the insipid men that crossed her, her own suffering, and her drive for creating an IWW affiliated domestic workers union stands on its own. Jane Street’s own words are echoed throughout this fascinating book, and at the last, the reader gets a true sense of Jane Street’s passion for standing up for the rights of oneself and others and the price she paid in doing so. (Jane Little Botkin’s YouTube appearances about Jane Street are filled with tremendous detail intensifying the research and interviews she conducted on Jane Street)
September 14, 2024
Love learning about the lives of radicals. This book purported to be about Jane Street but ended up being more about the men in her life and inter-union disputes, which felt disappointing. I also wish it would have painted more of a picture of what Denver was like in the early 1900s. The whole thing felt a little transcribed. I do want to know more about the Wobblies now though. Jane's own words in the appendix were really nice too.
February 3, 2022
Amazing research and detail telling a story that had been all but lost. Reading about the fight for workers rights while, at the same time, hearing the current news surrounding workers rights, is fascinating. One hopes that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, like letting misogyny and prejudice impede the fight for fair treatment of all workers.
April 21, 2021
Excellent!
June 3, 2026
This was such a good book and I am so awful at reading non-fiction; I struggled but finished.
If you don't believe in the necessity and power of labor unions after reading this, you never will. There is gate-keeping and corruption in every system -- while the same is true of labor unions, that doesn't render them irrelevant. Jane Street saw injustice, abuse, and inequity in the employment of early 20th-century housemaids, and she fought it all she could. I loved her so much. And the union men and newspapers and wealthy women employers who demeaned and impeded her, have you no shame?
As for the FBI, it could disband, evaporate tomorrow and all would be well. (Harassment and murder of unionized labor leaders, civil rights leaders, musicians and artists -- seriously, FBI can't find anything better to do? Never solved Osage murders nor 9/11 -- not on my tax dollar. Go away.)
If you don't believe in the necessity and power of labor unions after reading this, you never will. There is gate-keeping and corruption in every system -- while the same is true of labor unions, that doesn't render them irrelevant. Jane Street saw injustice, abuse, and inequity in the employment of early 20th-century housemaids, and she fought it all she could. I loved her so much. And the union men and newspapers and wealthy women employers who demeaned and impeded her, have you no shame?
As for the FBI, it could disband, evaporate tomorrow and all would be well. (Harassment and murder of unionized labor leaders, civil rights leaders, musicians and artists -- seriously, FBI can't find anything better to do? Never solved Osage murders nor 9/11 -- not on my tax dollar. Go away.)
May 9, 2022
I learned a lot about labor disputes during the early twentieth century by reading this biography on Jane Street. Her intense need to help fight against the unfairness of the treatment of women led her to start a union for the housemaids of Denver. She met with success and faced a ton of opposition along the way. Author Jane Little Botkin did an amazing job with her research. I also want to thank her for including the abbreviations page—it made keeping track of all the organizations involved much easier. To get an idea of what working conditions were like just over one hundred years ago, this book is a must read.
April 3, 2022
Jane Street was a masterful labor organizer and a feminist visionary. Thank you to Jane Little Botkin for meticulously researching this story and uplifting the visibility of this story. I found the juxtaposition of suffrage and domestic workers rights fascinating, and this book provided a foreshadowing of today's discussion on intersectionality. So many of Denver suffragists were higher-income and created poor working conditions for domestic workers.
October 24, 2022
Very interesting and lively overview of the little-known women's Wobbly movement in Denver and other areas of the U.S. in the early 1900s, as told through the legacy of Jane Street, who led a housemaids union in Denver.
June 15, 2025
This non-fiction book started a little dry for me. It could be because I kept going to all her notes. I did find it to get more interesting as I just read it and ignored the notes. It is obviously well researched and about a woman who was trying to improve working conditions for others.
October 12, 2022
Really good telling of an amazing Denver labour history that hasn't gotten enough attention.
September 24, 2023
NS book club. Interesting, although I couldn't always follow the thread.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews