Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain
Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Boglebaum. Here. The United States continues to lag
Speaker 1: in terms of the representation of women in government. As
Speaker 1: of June, we ranked eighty one out of a hundred
Speaker 1: and ninety three countries. But one perhaps unlikely town became
Speaker 1: known for unprecedented progressiveness a century ago. Jackson, Wyoming, in
Speaker 1: May of nineteen twenty, yes, three months before the nineteenth
Speaker 1: Amendment nationally recognized women's right to even vote, an all
Speaker 1: female ticket nicknamed the Petticoat Rulers established order in this
Speaker 1: wild West town. Wyoming was ahead of its time in
Speaker 1: terms of women's suffrage. Back in eighteen sixty nine, it
Speaker 1: had been the first territory or state in the Union
Speaker 1: to pass a law guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Speaker 1: We spoke via email with Morgan Albertson Yawen, executive director
Speaker 1: of the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. She said,
Speaker 1: this may be a bit dramatic, but I often say
Speaker 1: that Jackson could have very easily faded into the landscape
Speaker 1: in the early twentieth century if not for these women.
Speaker 1: This was a rugged place and incredibly difficult to settle.
Speaker 1: While Jackson had a strong community where everyone helped each
Speaker 1: other out, there was very little emphasis on government and
Speaker 1: civic responsibility. It may be tough to believe that an
Speaker 1: all female government could have ruled a small town in
Speaker 1: early twenties century America, when sexism still remains a major
Speaker 1: barrier in modern politics. But on May eleven, nineteen twenty,
Speaker 1: Jackson elected Grace Miller as mayor and Rose Crabtree made Alone,
Speaker 1: Faustinia Height, and Genevieve von Vleck as council members. The
Speaker 1: five women claimed victory over an all male roster, and
Speaker 1: Crabtree even beat out her husband, Henry for the position.
Speaker 1: This landmark win was no accident either. The election drew
Speaker 1: the most voters the town had seen at that point,
Speaker 1: and in many cases the women dominated their male opponents
Speaker 1: by margin of two to one. While towns in Kansas
Speaker 1: and Utah had already elected all female town councils in
Speaker 1: eight eight and nineteen twelve, respectively, this election was a
Speaker 1: major turning point. Ye Owen said. The all women town
Speaker 1: council of nineteen twenty stepped up and shaped the town
Speaker 1: into the place we know and love today. They graded
Speaker 1: the streets, they expanded electrical service and installed street lamps.
Speaker 1: They established the first town cemetery, and built the town's
Speaker 1: budget to be able to continue serving community members. According
Speaker 1: to a nine article from The Delineator magazine, there's only
Speaker 1: two hundred dollars in town coffers when the women took
Speaker 1: office due to uncollected fines and taxes. As the article states,
Speaker 1: they went out personally and collected every cent due to
Speaker 1: the town from those who ignored the notices. Before the
Speaker 1: end of a fortnight, there was two thousand dollars in
Speaker 1: the treasury. Things didn't necessarily all start out with a
Speaker 1: flash and bang, though, Yeowen said a funny story. I
Speaker 1: had always heard the all women town council had formalized
Speaker 1: the town square, and until recently I assumed that meant
Speaker 1: creating the park like square we see today. But what
Speaker 1: it actually meant was that these councilmen, as they called themselves,
Speaker 1: an official town documents simply prohibited the grazing of cattle
Speaker 1: on the town square. You have to start somewhere. As
Speaker 1: for what inspired the women to affect lasting change, Yeawan
Speaker 1: says their methods and motives were rather simple. She quoted
Speaker 1: Mayor Grace Miller from an interview Ino, We simply tried
Speaker 1: to work together. We put into practice the same prifty
Speaker 1: principles we exercise in our own homes. We wanted a clean,
Speaker 1: well kept, progressive town in which to raise our families.
Speaker 1: What is good government but a breathing space for good citizenship.
Speaker 1: While the so called Petticoat rulers successfully established a lasting legacy,
Speaker 1: Yawn cautions that celebrating their history simply isn't enough. She said,
Speaker 1: the story of the all women town Council is incredible
Speaker 1: and certainly something to celebrate and be proud of for
Speaker 1: the town. Jackson Hole has many stories of powerful women,
Speaker 1: and generally our history is one of inclusivity, adaptability, and ingenuity.
Speaker 1: Everyone had to pull their weight and be open minded
Speaker 1: in order to survive. However, it's still important to look
Speaker 1: at the big picture and use history as something to
Speaker 1: learn from and not just celebrate. Jackson did not see
Speaker 1: another woman in an elected position until the nineteen eighties.
Speaker 1: The all woman town council was necessary and successful, but
Speaker 1: unfortunately did not create a new normal, and Jackson was
Speaker 1: not immune to the times. But it is exciting and
Speaker 1: encouraging to see more diversity in our local government, including
Speaker 1: women in all levels of elected positions. The women of
Speaker 1: nineteen twenties still serve as encouraging role models for anyone
Speaker 1: in Wyoming. A visit to the Jackson Hole Historical Society
Speaker 1: and Museum can offer plenty of additional insights into the
Speaker 1: legend of these women of the wild West. The museum
Speaker 1: houses a number of historical documents and photographs of the
Speaker 1: women and information about their time in office, as well
Speaker 1: as Mayor Grace Miller's side saddle and the black coach
Speaker 1: he can be seen wearing in most photos. They also
Speaker 1: have a number of exhibits online and you can do
Speaker 1: further research through their stand Class and Research Center. Today's
Speaker 1: episode was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang.
Speaker 1: For more in this and lots of other inclusive topics,
Speaker 1: visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production
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