History books record scant contributions women made in settling and developing the new territory of Arizona. Yet women were an integral part of civilizing the rough, rowdy, often dangerous land. For more than ten years, Jan Cleere has written about the women who influenced the growth and development of Arizona in her column "Western Women" that appears monthly in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. The famous, infamous and those not so well known are featured, each with a compelling story of surviving and thriving under less-than-ideal circumstances. Warriors, basket weavers, ranchers, artists, innkeepers, schoolteachers, politicians and entrepreneurs from a remarkable variety of backgrounds and cultures influenced the growth of Arizona.
Read about Larcena Pennington who had to crawl down a mountain to escape her Indian captors. Hopi artist Nampeyo continued to make exquisite pots even after she started losing her eyesight. Carmen Vasquez built a theater and brought in shows from as far away as Spain. Elizabeth Hudson Smith ran a successful hotel until the color of her skin turned a town against her. And Sarah Gorby allowed injured animals to live in her home until they could return to their desert habitats.
The 100 Western women featured between these pages are just a handful of those who came before and after them as the territory emerged and flourished into an amazing and diverse state unlike any other in the nation.