WMMI Speakers’ Bureau Lecture

WMMI Speakers’ Bureau Lecture: “Pikes Peak or Bust: Colorado’s Women ’59ers” w Julie v. L. Bell

In the early years of the Pikes Peak gold rush, men outnumbered women twenty to one, yet the gentler sex played an important role in every aspect of mining life. Come join author J.v.L. Bell as she discusses the adventures of well-known frontierswomen like Elizabeth Byers, Augusta Tabor, and Addie LaMont. Life for these early women settlers was difficult, filled with long days of washing clothes, cooking, and running boarding houses, but several women established more unusual roles. Elsa Jane Forest took on the guise of a man; Charlotte Card dressed like a man and mined her own claim, and Mary Randal became one of Colorado’s first African-American settlers. From papering their walls to wash-tub panning, these women lived amazing lives and have stories that will make you laugh and bring tears to your eyes