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High-Spirited Women of the West
This award-winning title profiles the lives of ten courageous women from the mid-1800s through the turn of the century who left conventional roles behind to blaze new trails for women. Many historical photos.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 28, 2020
This was a gift from my parents. I enjoyed it! Some of the language is a bit dated, but I enjoyed that it was about women I mostly had never heard of.
Owned physical book 2/2 for the month
Overall owned book 3/5 for the month
Owned physical book 2/2 for the month
Overall owned book 3/5 for the month
June 27, 2022
Bringing attention to women who deserve it
History is written by the victors, so little has been written about the marginalized: women and minorities in particular. Anne Seagraves reclaims the histories of nine women born in the 19th Century who made a difference -- more out of necessity than choice.
The book dispels myths about Belle Starr, turns over some rocks most members of the LDS church (Mormons) would probably prefer were left as they were in her profiles of polygamous wives Fanny Stenhouse and Ann Eliza Young, and celebrates the foresight of Jeanne Elizabeth Wier and the ability of artist Grace Carpenter Hudson. In Jessie Benton Fremont's life we get a close look at the reason women have struggled for so long and so hard to achieve ever-threatened "equality" while Sarah Winnemucca's biography provides unique insight into a Native woman's personal efforts to raise awareness of her tribe's struggles. And who would have thought Las Vegas emerged from a woman's ranch?
Anne Seagraves carefully documents her sources and provides references for additional reading. This nicely formatted print version includes large images of each of the women, their husbands, and additional reproductions, such as a few of Grace Carpenter Hudson's paintings, which were especially helpful in seeing why she was so appreciated in her time.
The writing was often pedantic, which is unfortunate -- it nearly turned me away from the book early on. I'm glad I persisted, as the stories of these women's lives were fascinating enough to propel me through the book.
If you've been craving something that will feed your feminine soul, this book could be it. I know these women have stirred a pride and courage in me to persist, to follow the road before me -- even if it isn't one I've chosen -- and perhaps my efforts will end up influencing others in ways I can never know.
History is written by the victors, so little has been written about the marginalized: women and minorities in particular. Anne Seagraves reclaims the histories of nine women born in the 19th Century who made a difference -- more out of necessity than choice.
The book dispels myths about Belle Starr, turns over some rocks most members of the LDS church (Mormons) would probably prefer were left as they were in her profiles of polygamous wives Fanny Stenhouse and Ann Eliza Young, and celebrates the foresight of Jeanne Elizabeth Wier and the ability of artist Grace Carpenter Hudson. In Jessie Benton Fremont's life we get a close look at the reason women have struggled for so long and so hard to achieve ever-threatened "equality" while Sarah Winnemucca's biography provides unique insight into a Native woman's personal efforts to raise awareness of her tribe's struggles. And who would have thought Las Vegas emerged from a woman's ranch?
Anne Seagraves carefully documents her sources and provides references for additional reading. This nicely formatted print version includes large images of each of the women, their husbands, and additional reproductions, such as a few of Grace Carpenter Hudson's paintings, which were especially helpful in seeing why she was so appreciated in her time.
The writing was often pedantic, which is unfortunate -- it nearly turned me away from the book early on. I'm glad I persisted, as the stories of these women's lives were fascinating enough to propel me through the book.
If you've been craving something that will feed your feminine soul, this book could be it. I know these women have stirred a pride and courage in me to persist, to follow the road before me -- even if it isn't one I've chosen -- and perhaps my efforts will end up influencing others in ways I can never know.
June 15, 2022
What a fascinating book about women who made great accomplishments more than 100 years ago. The hardships were many for these gals, but the stories of how they overcame adversity and even thrived are very inspiring. I’ll be reading the others in the series.
April 4, 2024
A rousing collection of accounts of women who lived the hard times, wanted more for themselves and their fellows, went out to fight for it, and won. The writing is basic, but the stories must be heard.
January 2, 2019
Not great literature, but interesting stories about some remarkable women.
April 25, 2021
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL29925...
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL29925...
March 27, 2015
Short little book of stories of different pioneer women who were prospectors, farmers, historians and outlaws. One of the most interesting is the story of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young. She didn't care much for him and took off on a lecture tour against polygamy. Her husband was a real piece of work. One of the funniest stories was of a society woman from out East who threw a gala in a primitive Western town. Women had to wear hats to the gala, but few in the town had them. The ones who did attended the function for an hour then gave their hats to those who didn't have them, so they could attend too. The society woman couldn't figure out why so many women had the same hat. The book was marred by some poor grammar, but the stories were still good.
December 8, 2013
Living in California and now in Nevada piqued my interest in this book and it turned out to be very interesting and educational. As an Artist, I really loved the photographs that were included throughout the book. I may do a series of paintings depicting these great women!
October 9, 2009
Fascinating brief accounts of women with spunk from the old West.
July 31, 2011
This was a great read. full of fun, facts and amazing women. I bought this when I was in colorado and we visited Leadville.
June 10, 2015
A lovely collection of stories about women in the early West. Easy to digest, delightfully told, and a wonderful way to examine how far women have come in the last 150 years.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews