Dauntless!

     In July of 1916, two young, privileged women from Auburn, N.Y. embarked on an adventurous trip across the country to work as teachers in the remote, pioneer settlement town of Elkhead, Colorado.  The fact that neither had any teaching credentials is one of many indications of the fearlessness and resourcefulness of these women.  The story of Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond (Ros) Underwood is depicted in Nothing Daunted by Dorothy’s granddaughter, Dorothy Wickenden based on letters written by Woodruff and Underwood during their time in Colorado.  The girls were inseparable for 25 years; became friends in kindergarten, grew up together in Auburn, attended Smith College, and traveled through Europe for a year after college.  Seven years after college they were still not ready to settle down and get married.  Something was missing; they yearned for adventure.[1]   It was the perfect timing, when a friend from Auburn shared the teaching opportunity in the Wild West. 

     Dorothy and Ros traveled from Auburn to Hayden, CO by train and were then greeted by their new employer, Farrington (Ferry) Carpenter, who took them on a four and a half hour, strenuous trip by spring wagon to Elkhead.[2] The girls settled into their new home with the Harrison family who took them in and made them feel welcomed and comfortable.  Dorothy and Ros were the first teachers at the newly constructed school in Elkhead.  It was a two-mile horseback trip that took them an hour and a half each way from the Harrison’s.[3] The girls became true “schoolmarms;”[4] they past their state exams, prepared weekly lesson plans, attended to the children’s unique learning needs, and learned to discipline as needed.  This was amazing for two privileged women from affluent families who were used to having their parents pay for everything, having all domestic work taken care of by servants, and spending their days shopping, traveling, or participating in social clubs. Dorothy and Ros never complained; they were sweet, considerate and appreciative.  Everyone who came in contact with them adored and admired them. “They valued education for its own sake” and “seemed genuinely excited by the opportunity of teaching the children.”[5]     

     Dorothy and Ros do not represent the average women in America of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries; however, their one-year adventure to the west took courage on their part to do something out of their comfort zone.  They were raised affluent and pampered, with no work experience.  Dorothy recalled “no young lady in our town had ever been hired by anybody.”[6]  But they were also raised in a way that encouraged them to want to change their world and experience more out of life.  While all their friends were settling down and getting married, they wanted to make a difference in some way.  Accepting this teacher’s position, in a remote area of the west, had its risks. These young girls had no experience in a rough terrain and were far away from their families and friends.  A critical difference in their experience compared to the average woman in America at the time is this was an adventure for Dorothy and Ros, not a necessity. Their plans were to experience this for only one year and then go back to Auburn and their regular life.  Most people migrated to the West for opportunities and to stake a claim for free land under The Homestead Act of 1862.[7]  These people experienced greater hardships because they had to make this experience work for the long term under extremely difficult conditions; “most were unprepared for the severe, arid climate and the intractable farming conditions.” [8]  

     Dorothy and Ros knew very little about the lives and experiences of women outside of their social class.[9]  Their trip to Colorado opened their eyes and helped them to realize and appreciate how fortunate they were.  The women of Colorado were expected to work outside, take care of the children, and handle all of the domestic duties.  Most were tiny and skinny and looked older than their age.  It was an extremely tough life.  The Harrisons were unable to maintain their ranch and were forced to move and start up new in the mountains.  During the girl’s visits to their student’s homes, they encountered many destitute families who had very little to eat.  Dorothy wrote home that she didn’t understand how they were living.  One family had five children and Dorothy was “terrified by the mother’s appearance.  She is tall and gaunt . . . I felt so sorry for the poor creature.”[10]  The children they taught had to walk up to three miles to get to school; some in bare feet and ragged clothes.

     While Dorothy and Ros may have been poor examples of the average women during the late 19^th and early 20^th century, they were able to experience and observe the hardships of other women in the West.  However, these hardships seemed more a result of the external environment rather than the blatant discrimination we read about in last week’s assignment. The climate, terrain, and remoteness of the area made it difficult for everyone in the family to cope, not just the women.

     Dorothy and Ros were kind, sweet, and generous women who brought out the best in people.  They may have grown up privileged and pampered but they chose to make a difference in a tiny settlement town in Colorado, if only for a short period of time. They didn’t have to do this.  They could have easily done what was expected of them; to get married. Their experience shaped them and the community they served.  The girls worked hard, never complained, and adjusted well to their new lifestyle; they were dauntless!

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[1] Dorothy Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West, (New York:  Scribner, 2012), 81.

[2] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 99.

[3] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 109.

[4] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 118.

[5] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 113.

[6] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 82.

[7] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 101.

[8] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 102.

[9] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 96.

[10] Wickenden, Nothing Daunted, 173.

Women See Hope!

The Gilded Age was an era of rapid growth and dramatic change for all Americans, especially for the women in America.  In her book America’s Women, Gail Collins paints a vivid picture of the incredible hardship women have endured and the resulting strength and courage they demonstrated in their fight for equality.  

Post Civil War was a time of industrialization and urbanization in America.  Economic, political and social developments created opportunities for women in the form of jobs beyond their typical household and servant responsibilities. With indoor plumbing and other inventions, household chores became much easier.[1]  For the first time women had some free time; an opportunity to experience social events, network, join clubs, and enjoy entertainment with or without their families. One of “the single most important new public amenity for women was the department store.” [2]  The department store got women out of the house!  Whether it was to shop, to work, or socialize with friends, the department store was a form of liberalization for women.  Once they were out of the house, they realized there was a whole new world for them; a world full of hope!

 

The Gilded Age was also full of emotional conflict with opposing sides; with men and women on both sides of this conflict.  What was a women’s role?  Should it change once she’s married and has children?  Are women “man haters” if they choose to not get married?[3]  Collins description of the Woman’s experience is like a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, adventure and fear, and happy endings along with some disastrous crashes. But once the thrill is experienced, you want to come back for more.  Women had a glimpse of “more” . . . they now had hope for more and wanted more.

I believe that women are the most discriminated group in the World.  The discrimination towards women crosses over race, class, age, and country of origin.  The question of which of these is more important in a woman’s experience is difficult to answer.  If I have to narrow it down to one group it would be race.  In each race there are different classes, age, and even country of origin.  Today Irish, Italian, German, etc. are considered white, but back in the Gilded Age they were considered more like a different race. “Some of the most destitute people in big cities during the late nineteenth century were Irish women.”[4] These women ended up widowed as a result of their husbands taking on work that slave owners felt too risky for their slaves.[5]   

Women’s social clubs were popping up everywhere during the Gilded Age.  These clubs gave women a sense of companionship, belonging, self-esteem, and purpose.  It also provided them strength in numbers and influence.  For this reason there was a “social prejudice against clubbers.” [6]  This prejudice was more a fear of change, but this fear and prejudice was published in newspapers with the prediction that “homes will be ruined, children neglected, woman is straying from her sphere.”[7]  When women of all groups should have been gathering for a common cause, there was a prejudice amongst their own group that separated the spheres of influence and activity amongst women.  This prejudice was by race.  Black women were experiencing the same hardships, probably worse.  Yet “the General Federation of Women’s Clubs declined to accept black women’s groups as members.” [8]  When more and more young white women were opting out of marriage, the great concern of the white middle class was that the white reproduction rate was less than the immigration reproduction rate.  They were worried about a “race suicide.”[9]

The race issue carried on into World War I when women were volunteering and participating in the war efforts in many different capacities. Yet black women volunteers were being turned down and being deprived opportunities available to their white counterparts. 

And finally in women’s efforts to gain the right to vote, race once again separated the common cause.  In 1913, the activist Alice Paul organized a parade for women’s rights at Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration.[10]  A group of African American female activists wanted to join the parade and were met with resistance.  They ended up joining the group, but segregated to the back of the parade.[11]

Women’s struggle for freedom emerged during the Gilded Age as a result of industrialization and innovation.  There were many new opportunities available to them and their new-found independence gave them hope. But they also struggled with mixed emotions as to their role in society.  Race, class, age, and country of origin were all contributing factors in women’s experiences with racial discrimination creating the biggest barrier to the common cause and clouding efforts towards equality.  That said, the women activists mentioned in Collins’ book are true pioneers that helped shape history for American women from the 1880s to 1920s and beyond.  

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[1] Gail Collins, America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines (New York: HarperCollins, 2003), 250 -251.

[2] Collins, America’s Women, 241.

[3] Collins, America’s Women, 243.

[4] Collins, America’s Women, 269.

[5] Collins, America’s Women, 269.

[6] Collins, America’s Women, 248.

[7] Collins, America’s Women, 248.

[8] Collins, America’s Women, 248.

[9] Collins, America’s Women, 295.

[10] Collins, America’s Women, 314.

[11] Collins, America’s Women,315.

Hello, it's me . . . Cheryl

Hello HST 328 class,

1. My name: Cheryl Middleton, aka Cheryl Catania and Cheryl Scanlon 
2. What you prefer to be called:  Cheryl or CHURL (my phonetic pronunciation)
3. Where you are from, where do you live now?  I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and now live in downtown Chandler and absolutely love it here!
4. What are your goals:  My primary (short-term) goal is to complete my B.S. in Business Management.  My long-term goal is to retire early (I think that may be an oxymoron).
5. What's one place you've been that you think everyone should go.  Ireland. I visited in 2010 and have decided to retire there.  The scenery is beyond amazing and the residents are incredibly accommodating and friendly.  The most amazing of all is the history which dates back to thousands of years B.C., and the architecture!!  How in the world did they build those incredible structures way back then?
6. Where's one place you want to go?  I would like to go to the moon. Think about it . . . a world with a clean slate.
7. Include an audio/video component with a fun fact about yourself: