Wyoming was a territory of the United States in 1869, when its governor signed the suffrage act which allowed women to vote. This road to equal rights for men and women did not stop there. Wyoming also allowed women to serve on juries before any other territory or state, had the first female court bailiff and the first female justice of the peace.
The right of women to vote continued even as Wyoming became a state in 1890.
Wyoming was also one of the first two states to elect a female governor.Coincidentally, both Wyoming and Texas elected female governors at the same time, Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming assumed her office a few days before Miriam Ferguson of Texas.
So when it comes to Women’s History Month, the state of Wyoming has a lot to celebrate and commemorate.
I’ll focus on two cities.
Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, does not seem to be holding that many events, and what events that are being held are sponsored by the Laramie County Community College.
Wyoming Women Quilter’s Display
From March 1 to the 31, 2012, the library at Laramie County Community College (Ludden Library) will be hosting a display of quilts made by Wyoming women.
The quilters will share their stories (via pre-recorded videos) of how they learned to quilt, and what quilting means to them.
Women as Artists: Artists as Women
On March 6, LCCC art and art history instructor Ron Medina will give a talk on the biographies and works of several female artists of the past 300 years. This event will take place from noon to 1 pm on Tuesday, March 6, in the Ludden Library.
Piecing Together the History of Women in the American West
ON March 23, from 10 to 11 am, University of Wyoming adjunct professor Patty Kessler will talk about the difficulty in writing the histories of women who helped settle the West. The talk will be given in the Ludden Library.
Casper, a city about four hours north of Cheyenne on I-25, is also holding several events.
Casper is also holding a quilting exhibit for the entire month.
Warmth for the Body and Soul: Antique, Traditional and Artistic Quilts
The quilts are on display at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (NHTIC).
Another exhibit at the Center is entitled:
Wyoming Knits! Contemporary Knitting in the Cowboy State
The exhibit opens on March 3, and will run through the month. The exhibit “celebrates the beauty and diversity of the fiber arts, and features over 100 examples of knit and crocheted items by Wyoming artists.”
And finally, at Fort Caspar (note the Fort’s name is spelled differently than that of the city itself) there is this exhibit:
In Pursuit of Equality
Here’s what the Fort Caspar Museum website has to say about this exhibit:
“Using period photographs and text panels, this exhibit tells the story of Nelly Tayloe Ross, Thyra Thomson, and Elizabeth Byrd, three Wyoming women who, through their actions as elected office holders, challenged and changed the conventional understanding of equality in Wyoming during the 20th century.”