WEBVTT - Who Were the Wild West's 'Petticoat Rulers'?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Boglebaum. Here. The United States continues to lag

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of the representation of women in government. As

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<v Speaker 1>of June, we ranked eighty one out of a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and ninety three countries. But one perhaps unlikely town became

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<v Speaker 1>known for unprecedented progressiveness a century ago. Jackson, Wyoming, in

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<v Speaker 1>May of nineteen twenty, yes, three months before the nineteenth

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<v Speaker 1>Amendment nationally recognized women's right to even vote, an all

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<v Speaker 1>female ticket nicknamed the Petticoat Rulers established order in this

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<v Speaker 1>wild West town. Wyoming was ahead of its time in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of women's suffrage. Back in eighteen sixty nine, it

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<v Speaker 1>had been the first territory or state in the Union

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<v Speaker 1>to pass a law guaranteeing women the right to vote.

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<v Speaker 1>We spoke via email with Morgan Albertson Yawen, executive director

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<v Speaker 1>of the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. She said,

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<v Speaker 1>this may be a bit dramatic, but I often say

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<v Speaker 1>that Jackson could have very easily faded into the landscape

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<v Speaker 1>in the early twentieth century if not for these women.

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<v Speaker 1>This was a rugged place and incredibly difficult to settle.

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<v Speaker 1>While Jackson had a strong community where everyone helped each

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<v Speaker 1>other out, there was very little emphasis on government and

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<v Speaker 1>civic responsibility. It may be tough to believe that an

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<v Speaker 1>all female government could have ruled a small town in

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<v Speaker 1>early twenties century America, when sexism still remains a major

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<v Speaker 1>barrier in modern politics. But on May eleven, nineteen twenty,

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<v Speaker 1>Jackson elected Grace Miller as mayor and Rose Crabtree made Alone,

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<v Speaker 1>Faustinia Height, and Genevieve von Vleck as council members. The

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<v Speaker 1>five women claimed victory over an all male roster, and

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<v Speaker 1>Crabtree even beat out her husband, Henry for the position.

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<v Speaker 1>This landmark win was no accident either. The election drew

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<v Speaker 1>the most voters the town had seen at that point,

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<v Speaker 1>and in many cases the women dominated their male opponents

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<v Speaker 1>by margin of two to one. While towns in Kansas

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<v Speaker 1>and Utah had already elected all female town councils in

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<v Speaker 1>eight eight and nineteen twelve, respectively, this election was a

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<v Speaker 1>major turning point. Ye Owen said. The all women town

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<v Speaker 1>council of nineteen twenty stepped up and shaped the town

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<v Speaker 1>into the place we know and love today. They graded

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<v Speaker 1>the streets, they expanded electrical service and installed street lamps.

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<v Speaker 1>They established the first town cemetery, and built the town's

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<v Speaker 1>budget to be able to continue serving community members. According

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<v Speaker 1>to a nine article from The Delineator magazine, there's only

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred dollars in town coffers when the women took

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<v Speaker 1>office due to uncollected fines and taxes. As the article states,

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<v Speaker 1>they went out personally and collected every cent due to

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<v Speaker 1>the town from those who ignored the notices. Before the

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<v Speaker 1>end of a fortnight, there was two thousand dollars in

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<v Speaker 1>the treasury. Things didn't necessarily all start out with a

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<v Speaker 1>flash and bang, though, Yeowen said a funny story. I

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<v Speaker 1>had always heard the all women town council had formalized

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<v Speaker 1>the town square, and until recently I assumed that meant

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<v Speaker 1>creating the park like square we see today. But what

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<v Speaker 1>it actually meant was that these councilmen, as they called themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>an official town documents simply prohibited the grazing of cattle

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<v Speaker 1>on the town square. You have to start somewhere. As

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<v Speaker 1>for what inspired the women to affect lasting change, Yeawan

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<v Speaker 1>says their methods and motives were rather simple. She quoted

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<v Speaker 1>Mayor Grace Miller from an interview Ino, We simply tried

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<v Speaker 1>to work together. We put into practice the same prifty

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<v Speaker 1>principles we exercise in our own homes. We wanted a clean,

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<v Speaker 1>well kept, progressive town in which to raise our families.

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<v Speaker 1>What is good government but a breathing space for good citizenship.

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<v Speaker 1>While the so called Petticoat rulers successfully established a lasting legacy,

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<v Speaker 1>Yawn cautions that celebrating their history simply isn't enough. She said,

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<v Speaker 1>the story of the all women town Council is incredible

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<v Speaker 1>and certainly something to celebrate and be proud of for

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<v Speaker 1>the town. Jackson Hole has many stories of powerful women,

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<v Speaker 1>and generally our history is one of inclusivity, adaptability, and ingenuity.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone had to pull their weight and be open minded

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<v Speaker 1>in order to survive. However, it's still important to look

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<v Speaker 1>at the big picture and use history as something to

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<v Speaker 1>learn from and not just celebrate. Jackson did not see

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<v Speaker 1>another woman in an elected position until the nineteen eighties.

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<v Speaker 1>The all woman town council was necessary and successful, but

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately did not create a new normal, and Jackson was

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<v Speaker 1>not immune to the times. But it is exciting and

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<v Speaker 1>encouraging to see more diversity in our local government, including

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<v Speaker 1>women in all levels of elected positions. The women of

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen twenties still serve as encouraging role models for anyone

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<v Speaker 1>in Wyoming. A visit to the Jackson Hole Historical Society

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<v Speaker 1>and Museum can offer plenty of additional insights into the

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<v Speaker 1>legend of these women of the wild West. The museum

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<v Speaker 1>houses a number of historical documents and photographs of the

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<v Speaker 1>women and information about their time in office, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as Mayor Grace Miller's side saddle and the black coach

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<v Speaker 1>he can be seen wearing in most photos. They also

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<v Speaker 1>have a number of exhibits online and you can do

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<v Speaker 1>further research through their stand Class and Research Center. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more in this and lots of other inclusive topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production

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