More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Colorado Women

More than Petticoats

by Gayle C. Shirley

Discover 13 extraordinary women from Colorado's past, including Martha Maxwell, one of the first female naturalists and taxidermists; Chipeta, a charismatic Ute Indian leader; and Sister Blandina Segale, a nun who befriended Billy the Kid.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Womens

147 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Laura Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for making these interesting women’s lives as boring as possible.
Can I get back the time I spent reading this?

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

“At first, scholars shuffled western women into convenient pigeonholes. There was the idealized ‘Madonna of the prairies,’ a long-suffering pioneer wife and mother who gamely toiled across the Great Plains in calico and sunbonnet. There was the disreputable ‘soiled dove,’ an enterprising floozy who made her living in hurdy-gurdys and houses of ill-repute. And there were the maiden schoolmarms, the servile ‘squaws,’ and the pistol-packing Calamity Janes” (vi).

[Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I got this book on my travels to Colorado this fall. I have to say I just love Colorado and thought I would learn about some great woman from that area.
I have to say that it was a great read, easy to get into, hard to put down. I started reading it and was just fascinated by all the history. These woman were very strong, influential people during their time. If you want a book to read that really shows some real Girl Power I would highly recommend this book!
Here are just a couple of woman that are listed:
Chipeta, Indian Peacemaker
Frances Wisebart Jacobs, Mother of Charities
Aunt Clara Brown, Angel of the Rockies
Josephine Roche, Labor Advocate
I will definitely go check out some more of these books.
Happy Reading

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable Colorado Women is a intriguing little volume in which you will learn about women's crucial role in creating the Colorado we know and love today. This collection acts as a history of Colorado at the turn of the century and features the first women to climb Pike's Peak, the female founder of Elitches, a prominent female taxidermist, a cross-dressing bar owner, and other significant, interesting figures.

Review published on the Denver Public Library website

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's amazing that the author manages to make such interesting lives so boring. She covers a wide variety of Colorado women born before 1900, including Molly Brown and "Baby" Doe Tabor, but the book reads like a recitation of facts, despite the fascinating exploits of those she writes about.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't realised when I started this that it is part of a larger series. That made the briefness of the biographies more understandable. I enjoyed those that did have more information and therefore more depth to the story.
Born well before the women's suffragette movement, these were exceptionally determined women to go against the norm.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I actually really enjoy reading about history. I believe everyone should at some point read about the people that worked so hard to get us where were are now and stood up to injustice and anyone who challenged their right.
We need it today, to learn from the past, the positives and the negatives.

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK. I already knew the stories about some of the more famous people - like Molly Brown. Others it was very interesting to learn about. And then others were just not nice people & I didn't even care to learn about them. But all in all - an interesting read.

[Bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book on some progressive, thinking women who lived in Colorado and contributed to their communities in some remarkable as well as unusual ways.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories. Very quick read. Interesting

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stories that not only recall the lives of the featured women but also provide color and insight about the history of Colorado, especially in its frontier days.

[Karen Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to get to know the history of my new state.