Women’s History Month is about commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. Throughout history, books have helped preserve women’s experiences and historical achievements that helped shape the future for women today. In honor of being located in the southwestern region, Visit Yuma highlighted books and stories inspired and written by southwestern women, and that are available for purchase at Yuma’s Visitor Information Center & Souvenir Shop.
Days on the Road, Crossing the Plains in 1865 - Diary of Sarah Raymond Herndon
Immerse yourself in the summer of 1865 — just a month after the civil war — with the diary of unmarried, twenty-four-year-old Sarah Raymond. Follow her along her remarkable journey headed West with her beloved pony, carrying her mother and two younger brothers over the Great Plains toward the Rocky Mountains. With no certain idea of where they would settle themselves, Raymond had a strong desire to leave war-torn Missouri behind and start a new life. Written while on the wagon trail and originally published in 1902, this diary is a tribute to all of the emigrants who made their way West and the tale of a truly extraordinary woman.
Women of the West by Cathy Luchetti
Take a myth-shattering look at the women who helped settle the West, told through their own words and illustrated with over a hundred photographs. Through these photos, plus diaries, memoirs, letters, and journals, Women of the West introduces 11 real frontier women whose words combine to recreate a place and time when resourcefulness and courage were demanded of everyone. This is American history, not as it was romanticized, but as it was lived.
Mrs. Earp, Wives and Lovers of the Earp Brothers by Sherry Monahan
When most people hear the name Earp, they think of the men who made history on their own. However, they all had a Mrs. Earp behind them — some more than one. This book collectively traces the lives of the women who shared the title of Mrs. Earp either by name or relationship. The name Earp has stirred up many historical controversies over the years, from false photos to false accounts and so much more. Read about the women that perhaps unintentionally shaped part of American history.
Ladies of the Canyons: A League of Extraordinary Women and Their Adventures in the American Southwest by Lesley Poling-Kempes
The Doctor Wore Petticoats: Women Physicians Of The Old West by Chris Enss
Even though women in the Old West were discouraged to apply for the job of the local doctor, they applied anyway. And so, in small towns all over the West, highly trained women from medical colleges in the East took on the post of a local doctor to great acclaim. These women changed the lives of the patients they came in contact with, as well as their own lives, and helped write the history of the West. In this new book, author Chris Enss offers a glimpse into the fascinating lives of 10 of these amazing women.
Your Visitor Information Center & Souvenir Shop carries several books featuring women in southwestern history. Be sure to stop by 264 S. Main Street in downtown Yuma to check out our Women’s History Month display and the full assortment of books available for purchase.
